Build a Bear Leprechaun

If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know that the Build a Bear dies are very versatile- they are NOT just for bears! You can use these dies to make people and other critters, like bunny rabbits :). If you liked playing with paper dolls when you were little, you will LOVE playing with the Build a Bear dies :D. I would like you to meet Shamus... 

Several punches were used to create Shamus' little scene. The Scallop Trim Corner and Scallop Trim Border punches made my square. I cut my Whisper White card stock 5.25". After punching the outside edges of my first square, I cut another Whisper White square at 4.25" and then ran it through my Big Shot in the Square Lattice embossing folder, centering it in the Scalloped Trim square. Shamus' beard is made with the largest petal from the Blossom Petals Builder punch. His head is the 1 3/8" circle punch. His little pot of gold is done with the Extra Large Tag punch and the Word Window punch. The legs of his pot were made with the Word Window punch. The pieces of gold are actually the Small Heart punch, layered. His hat is made with 1 3/8" circle punch, the Small Heart punch, and the Word Window punch.

The inside of the card has a 4.75" Whisper White square, also punched with the Scallop Trim punches, matted on Lucky Limeade card stock cut at 5.75" square. This card is going in the mail today heading to my daughter in Texas :). Have a wonderful day today! I hope that the weather where you live is as beautiful as our weather! Spring is here!

Blessings!
Barb

Certainly Celery, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Soft Suede Textured, Old Olive, Blush Blossom (retired) card stock
Garden Green, Blush Blossom (retired) Classic Stampin' Ink
Cajun Craze Stampin' Write Marker
Punches- named in my post above, plus 1/4" circle and 1/8" circle punches
Build a Bear dies- Bear and Beary Essentials

Miss You...

Last night we went to our grandson's 10th birthday party- wow, where did that time go to?! Although it was a happy occasion, my daughter Sarah was missing from the party :(. She moved to Texas two years ago when her husband came home from Iraq and they decided to stay. So, they don't get home often and family celebrations and holidays just aren't the same without them there. I made this card this morning to send to her to let her know how much I miss her. I used a SCS color challenge on my card- Pool Party, Poppy Parade, and Daffodil Delight with a touch of ribbon.

I inked up my embossing folder with Pool Party ink before inserting my card stock into the folder and ran it through my Big Shot. As you can see, this transfers the ink only on the parts of the folder that are not raised. This is not a new technique and has been around for a few years. There are some Christmas cards on my blog that used this technique. Depending on the embossing folder design, you can get some very pretty looks with this technique.

I kept the inside very simple, but adding a Pool Party mat and a few punched corners adds a little bit more interest to the inside of the card. 

On another note, when I woke up this morning, (very groggy to say the least, lol!) my husband said, "you have to get your camera and take pictures!" I looked out the window to see what had him so excited about my camera and I immediately got my camera and went outside in my pajamas. There is nothing like early morning on a farm, nothing. Everything is bathed in golden early morning sunlight as the sun starts its ascent in the sky. This morning though, we were treated to not only the golden sunlight, but the morning mist as well. Here are a couple of my favorite photos from my morning venture. I came into the house with cold wet feet from the dew, but it was worth it :).

The Horse Barn

Golden Sun Rays

The Garden Gate

As I type, the windows are open, the sweet, fresh air is flowing through the house, the sun is shining, the sky is a perfect blue, and I can hear the hens out in the yard squawking at each other. It doesn't get any better... :)

PS- when I was taking pictures of my card this morning, I kept seeing an orange paw pop up in the corner of my lens. Our cat, Dooberoo, decided he needed to help, lol! You can see the card in the upper left corner. Ya' gotta love kitties!

Blessings!

Barb

Whisper White card stock

Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Ink

Up, Up & Away stamp set

Framed Tulips embossing folder

1" and 1 1/4" circle punches

Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Pretty Flowers

I have long been fascinated by the art of making paper flowers. I have several flower punches, but my longing for Spring color really piqued my interest in creating some flowers :). I recently tried my hand at creating a purple pansy. LOVE purple pansies!!! I think it's the combination of yellow and purple that draws me to purple pansies. Yellow is one of my favorite colors and I love it paired it with blue or purple. Add a little white and it's a really fresh color combo :).

 My pansy was created with Whisper White card stock, spritzed with distilled water, and painted with a bit of re-inker and a brush. The petals were dried with my heat tool and then I sponged the edges with Elegant Eggplant. The leaves of the pansy are Old Olive, inked on the edges with Garden Green. The Designer Series Paper is from the retired Georgia Peach, but any soft yellow will work if re-creating this.

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you a wonderful and happy weekend!! 

Blessings!

Barb

Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, Old Olive card stock

Lavendar Lace, Barely Banana re-inkers (retired), Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green Classic Stampin' Ink

Thank You Kindly stamp set

Scribbles Swirls die

Tulip embossing folder

Easter Card

I thought I ought to get crackin' on some Easter cards before April gets here :-). I used mostly Whisper White with just a splash of So Saffron for color. White is such a clean and fresh color- makes me think of sheets drying on the line in the sun and how they smell when they've spent the day in the fresh air. 

I used the Ticket Corner punch on the corners for the inside and matted it on So Saffron. My sentiment is stamped in So Saffron and I added a little butterfly to finish up the inside. 

I am doing up the posts for this week in my bed on my laptop and I'm hoping my throat is much better by the time this posts :-). On that note, I think I need to rest a bit so please excuse me for not being too chatty this week. Have a wonderful day today!!!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Paper: Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron- 105118
Classic Stampin' Ink: So Saffron- 105213
Stamps: Easter Blossoms- 122057 clear mount, God's Blessings- 114972 wood mount
Dies: Beautiful Wings- 118138
Textured Impressions Embossing Folder: Framed Tulips- 121809, Elegant Bouquet- 115964
Other: pearls, So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker- 105114

Pretty in Pink

I know I've used the Framed Tulips embossing folder a lot lately, but I just love it! It's so pretty and yells Spring :-) ! My card base is Pretty in Pink, I layered the Framed Tulips in Pretty in Pink, and then added another Pretty in Pink layer that I stamped with Whisper White Craft Ink and the Sanded background stamp. I was thinking of Spring and white washed fences when I made this card :-D. The embossed edges of the Framed Tulips are inked with three coats of Whisper White Craft Ink as well. The So Saffron Simple Flower embosslit is once again inked with Peach Parfait. A Marina Mist butterfly, Old Olive leaves, and some pearls complete the card front.

 

I left the inside mostly blank for a hand written note or a sentiment to be added later. I did add a little greeting stamped in Marina Mist and layered on the oval punches to the bottom though. I inked just the very edges of the Scallop Oval with Peach Parfait. 

So there ya' have it. A card to add to your stash that can be used for many different occasions. Have a wonderful day today!

Blessings!

Barb

Supplies:

Paper: Pretty in Pink-100459, So Saffron- 105118, Marina Mist- 119682, Old Olive- 100702, Whisper White- 100730

Classic Stampin' Ink: Peach Parfait-119783, Marina Mist- 119668

Stamps: Easter Blossoms- 122057 clear mount, Sanded- 109294

Dies: Simple Flower embosslit- 114514, Little Leaves Sizzlit- 114511, Beautiful Wings embosslit- 118138

Textured Impressions Embossing Folder: Framed Tulips- 121809

Punches: Large Oval- 119855, Scallop Oval- 119856

Other: pearls

Post It Note Pad Holder

Do you have tools that kind of hit the wayside and you hardly use them, if at all? I have to sometimes make myself think of stamp sets, dies, punches, and other tools that I have that are neglected for long periods of time. Such was the case with my Simple Flower embosslit, so I pulled it out and gave it some love last week :-). 

A local store had the new pink Bind-it-all version 2 on sale for half price and it came with some extras- like chipboard covers. I've been wanting the pink one since it came out, but since I already had the blue one, I really couldn't justify the purchase. So glad it was on sale! Uh huh, yes I did get one :-). I used it on my post it note holder below....

I inked the edges of the So Saffron Simple Flower die cut with Peach Parfait. The two colors really work well together. My covers are just two coasters that I covered with Blushing Bride Designer Series Paper from the Level One Hostess sets.  

I used another Blushing Bride Designer Series Paper for the inside of my covers. The coasters both started out as black ones, but now they are nice and pretty :-). I plan to keep this little note holder in my purse for those quick notes that I sometimes need to write. This is a pretty quick and easy project and you could make a bunch of them in very little time. Have a great day!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Paper: So Saffron- 105118, Pear Pizzazz-119795, In Color Designer Series Paper Pack-121028
Classic Stampin' Ink: Pear Pizzazz-119784, Peach Parfait- 119783, Soft Suede- 115657
Stamps: Notes & Details- 122060 clear mount, Build a Blossom- 121994 clear mount
Dies: Simple Flower- 114514
Punches: Blossom Petals- 121808
Other: pearls, 4" coasters, post it pad

Where is Spring?

We had snow again a few days ago- 3 inches! I'm so glad that it was gone in just a couple of days! I am more than ready for Spring to get here, although there are some tell tale signs appearing. The peonies are already sending up their shoots as well as the daffodils. Looking at a lot of white snow and brown grass made me really long for some Spring colors, as you will see in the next three posts :-) ....

I am not going to be chatty today :D. We made a trip to Chicago over the weekend because our daughter had a Meet and I got one entire hour of sleep the whole weekend. I learned that it isn't good to photograph Meets on one hour of sleep. I don't know how many good ones I got out of 1,434 photos, but I will be surprised if 200 of them are good ones :o(. After a brief look this morning I am really happy that I use a digital camera and not a film camera! Can you imagine the cost of losing that many photos after you took 1,434 of them? Anyway, I am absolutely exhausted! Hope you all have a GREAT day today! I may sleep part of it!

Blessings!

Barb

I will add the supplies tomorrow. I hope you don't mind :)

Supplies:

Paper: Pretty in Pink-100459, Whisper White-100730, Baja Breeze-111352, Marina Mist-119682, Old Olive-100702, So Saffron-105118, Designer Series Paper- 124156

Punches: Heart to Heart-119881

Dies: Daisies #2=114520, Beautiful Wings-118138, Sweet Buttons embosslit-121813

Textured Impressions Embossing Folder: Framed Tulips-121809

Happy Birthday!

I seriously need to work on building up my stash of cards. It is sooooo depleted! I like cards that are fast and easy to make and can be done in different colors easily for building up the stash. This one is done in Real Red and Whisper White with a touch of So Saffron. I'm planning to replicate this one in several colors and with different sentiments so I can fill up several areas in my stash box  rather quickly :-).

Don't you just love the Framed Tulips embossing around the edges of the card? I think this folder is soooo pretty!

I haven't stamped the inside yet because I'm not sure if I will want to hand write a message or not later. I did add a little butterfly to the corner though :-). I'm planning on doing this one next in Marina Mist and Daffodil Delight. I've always loved blue and yellow together- those two colors together just make me feel happy inside :-). Have a wonderful day and a GREAT weekend!

Blessings!

Barb

Supplies:

Paper: Real Red-102482, Whisper White-100730, So Saffron-105118

Classic Stampin' Ink: Real Red-103133

Stamps: Elements of Style-120045, Well Scripted-118601

Dies: Beautiful Wings-118138

Textured Impressions Embossing Folder: Framed Tulips-121809

Fold Over Card

I got the inspiration for the folding of this card from a file folder project that I saw on Stamper's Connection for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators. When I saw her file folders, I instantly thought, "that would make a cool card"... here is the end result :-).

Not too much chat today because I am going into my stamping room and spending the entire day in there!!!! Whoo hoo!!!! It has been so long I hope I remember how to stamp, lol! I hope you are all having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Blessings!

Barb

Supplies:

Stamps: Sincere Salutations- 115068, God's Blessings- 114972, Vintage Vogue- 118598 clear mount/117690 wood mount, Snow Buddies (retired Level Two Hostess set from the 2009 Holiday Mini)

Paper: Pretty in Pink-100459, So Saffron-105118, Certainly Celery-105125, Old Olive-100702, Whisper White-100730

Classic Stampin' Ink: Pink Pirouette-118838, Old Olive-102277

Punches: Scallop Trim Border- 118402

Dies: Little Leaves-114511, Beautiful Wings embosslit-118138

Other: Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976, yellow gems

Thinking of You in Blue :-D

I made this card in My Digital Studio first :-). I love MDS for designing cards before I even touch my paper. I know ahead of time exactly how it will look. It also gives me the measurements I need as I design. Cool, huh? Designing in MDS also cuts down on paper mistakes so less waste :-). In MDS, what you see is what you get. The punches and the stamps are all sized in real life size so you know if your stamp or punch will fit your design area. You can also re-size them though, if you'd like an element bigger or smaller. In my MDS sketch, I used So Saffron textured card stock, but when I made my actual card, I chose to use the Square Lattice embossing folder instead.

I chose a Bashful Blue mat for the inside of my card so it would match the colors of my card front. I also inked the edges of my Whisper White card stock with So Saffron to bring the yellow into the inside as well. The cute little butterfly body stamp is from the Level Two hostess set in the Summer Mini- Punched Posies. I'm looking forward to playing with this set more- it's awesome! The butterfly wings are punched out with the Butterfly punch and then I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig (love that tool!!!!) to stamp the little body on top. Easy Peasy!

That's my card for today :-). I hope you have a wonderful day today! Check back on Sunday for the Sunday Sketch :-).

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes- 115370
Paper: Bashful Blue- 105120, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron- 105118, Old Olive- 100702, Bashful Blue Patterns Designer Series Paper- 112151
Classic Stampin' Ink: Bashful Blue- 105209, So Saffron- 105213, Pacific Point- returning on July 1, 2010
Punches: Butterfly- , 5 Petal Flower- , Extra Large Two Step Bird- ,Trio Flower-
Other: Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976, blue rhinestone

Card for Sunday Sketch 2

I got around to making a card for the Sunday Sketch 2 :-). The buttons are made with a 3/4" Circle punch and So Saffron card stock. Punch out three circles for each button and glue them together. I mark the center holes and punch out the holes on the smallest hole setting with my Crop-a-dile. Depending on the look I want for my buttons, sometimes I ink the sides and the edges and sometimes I don't. Either way, I always have buttons to match ;-). You can use any size circle punch that you have on hand to make buttons from tiny to big. You can also use Designer Paper for making buttons and finish them off with some Crystal Effects so they'll be shiny like real buttons.

The leaves behind my flower are actually wings punched from the Two Step Bird punch. The wings can be used for flower petals as well. They could be easily transformed into rain drops on a scrapbook page :-).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far. I can't believe the week is almost over already! Monday holidays always make a week seem so much shorter even though it isn't, lol! Wishing you all a GREAT day today! Stay cool!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Very Versatile- retired
Paper: Regal Rose- 105130, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron-105118, Old Olive- 100702, Bashful Blue- 105120
Classic Stampin' Ink: Old Olive- 102277, Bashful Blue- 105209
Punches: Extra Large Fancy Flower- 118073, 3/4" Circle- 107217, Scallop Trim border- 118402, Extra Large Two Step Bird- 117191
Other: Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon- 111368, Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976, Petals-a-Plenty Textured Impressions embossing folder- 116824, DMC embroidery floss

My Digital Studio Bookmarks

Before my hubby got me 'My Digital Studio' for my birthday, I saw a post on 'Stampin' Connection' (a Stampin' Up! forum for demonstrators), and the demonstrator made bookmarks with her own photos in MDS (My Digital Studio). They were so pretty, I knew that I would want to make my own when I finally got MDS :-). I took some time over the weekend to create my bookmarks. It was so easy! I printed mine out on photo paper, mounted them on card stock, and then heat laminated them. I like my bookmarks to be sturdy and protected so I don't have to worry about them getting messed up- hence the little bit of glare you see in my photos :-).

I used all of my own photos on these bookmarks and my two favorite bookmarks are the last two. These two scriptures are really speaking to me right now :-), but I also love that my photos fit these last two scriptures so perfectly. You can print out five bookmarks on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of photo paper or Whisper White/Very Vanilla card stock. I'm going to make several sets for little 'send- in- the- mail' gifts ;-). If you would like to try this, you can find the tutorial for them at Kitty Stamp by Betty Traciak. So many possibilities for custom bookmarks! Wouldn't it be awesome to make photo bookmarks of the grandkids for grandparents who read? Wishing you all a wonderful day today. Thanks for stopping to visit! See you tomorrow!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
My Digital Studio

Daisies Scrap Book Page

Before my daughter and I got sick, we made a trip to a local garden. We like to go there fairly often when the flowers start to bloom. It's a pretty garden and I like to get photos of the flowers. I decided that I would finally scrap my photos of flowers! I'll need to find out the names of some of the flowers, but everyone knows daisies so that is where I started ;-).

The strip of daisies on the side was from an idea that Dawn Olchefske had on her blog. She did a technique called 'reverse masking' using a die cut from the Daisies #2 die. She made a background for a card that she made, but I thought it would make a great border for my page. You simply die cut a daisy flower, lay it on your card stock and ink the inside with a sponge dauber and some yellow ink. Then you take your next color of ink and again with your sponge dauber, ink around the petals. Dawn has a video for this very easy technique on her blog- just click on her name above and it will take you straight to that post. I die cut three more daisies and the letters to add to my 8x8 page. I matted my photo and my daisy border on Garden Green card stock. I like to sometimes print my photos with the white border around it so that I get the look of double matting without using more card stock to do it :-). My next page will be roses! I may actually have to do several pages of roses, lol! They are beautiful flowers to photograph. Wishing you all a wonderful, wonderful day today!! See ya' tomorrow!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Paper: Garden Green- 102584, So Saffron- 105118, Whisper White- 100730
Classic Stampin' Ink: Bashful Blue- 105209, So Saffron- 105213
Dies: Daisies #2-114520, Billboard alpha- 114510
Other: Stampin' Dimensionals-104430

Teen Birthday Card

I needed a birthday card for a teen girl on my daughter's skate team, but I also needed it to be suitable for her age (14). You know, not too youngish, but not too oldish either :-). I used Georgia Peach Designer Series Paper that I purchased recently in the Clearance Rack section on Stampin' Up!. It just looked like a good 'teen' type of paper. I must have accomplished my goal because when I showed it to my daughter she was really enthusiastic, lol!

On the inside, I stamped a simple sentiment that I think is a good sentiment for a teen, in Melon Mambo, and finished off with a couple of die cut butterflies in Melon Mambo. Easy card to make :-). Thanks for stopping by! Have a super great day today!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes- 115370, Very Versatile (retired)
Paper: Pretty in Pink- 100459, Old Olive- 100702, Whisper White- 100730, Melon Mambo- 115320, Georgia Peach Designer Series Paper- 112462
Classic Stampin' Ink: Melon Mambo- 115656
Dies: Beautiful Wings embosslit- 118138
Other: 1' square punch, pink gems, Mojo Monday Sketch 137

Thank You

A fellow demo was so kind as to send me some card stock samples of Wild Wasabi and River Rock, which are previous In Colors making a return as core colors in the new color renovation. I just started as a demo a year ago, so I didn't have the opportunity to get those colors when they were available. For her thoughtfulness, I wanted to send her a thank you card :-). I used the new Square Lattice embossing folder from the current Summer Mini. I love this new embossing folder!

I also used one of the brand 'new' core colors coming in July- Daffodil Delight. It's such a gorgeous shade of yellow, bright and cheery! I used three neutral colors on my card to make the three other colors I used stand out. The base is Soft Suede with Very Vanilla matted on Kraft- which will become Crumb Cake in July. Pretty in Pink card stock paired with Regal Rose Designer Series Paper and Daffodil Delight card stock makes the colors look soft on the neutral background. You could use these non-neutral colors on another color of card stock, such as Tempting Turquoise, and the same colors would appear bright instead of soft. My butterfly was done with the Butterfly punch. I punched the butterfly first from Kraft card stock and then again from vellum. I ran the vellum through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder from the Occasions Mini. The Perfect Polka Dots folder is still available for purchase even though the Occasions Mini promotion has ended.

For the inside of my card, I ran my Very Vanilla card stock through my Big Shot using the following sandwich: Multi-purpose platform on tab 2, clear plate, embossing folder with card stock inside, a 1" wide acrylic ruler placed on top of the folder on the right side. Do NOT use the top clear plate. Run the folder through the Big Shot with the ruler as the top. Make sure your acrylic ruler is the same thickness as the clear Big Shot plates and never, never, never try to force anything through your Big Shot. The ruler that I use is made by Omnigrid and you can purchase them at most fabric stores in the quilting section. After the embossed card stock is removed from the folder you will have a 1" embossed border. I usually add some scored lines on either side of my embossed border just to finish it off nicely. I made another butterfly the same as the butterfly on the front of the card and adhered it to the embossed border. Easy Peasy!

Wishing you all a wonderful day today!!! See you tomorrow!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Whimsical Words- 119119, Sincere Salutations- 115068
Paper: Soft Suede- 115318, Kraft- 102125, Very Vanilla- 101650, Pretty in Pink- 100459, Daffodil Delight- debuting in July, Regal Rose Designer Series Paper- 114325, vellum- 101839
Classic Stampin' Ink: Soft Suede- 115657, Regal Rose- 105211, Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker- 100045
Punches: Butterfly- 116629, Trio Flower- 109183, 1/4" Circle
Textured Impressions Embossing Folders: Square Lattice- 119976, Perfect Polka Dots- 117335
Other: pink and yellow gems

Elements of Style

This is the last of my stamped vellum paper :-D, so I used it on one more card. The stamped vellum is adhered on top of Rose Red Designer Series Paper. You can still see the design on the paper, but it has a softer look color wise.

I used some Summer Mini items on my card. The Summer Mini goes live tomorrow- whoo hoo!! I used the sentiment from Elements of Style- an awesome stamp set, and the Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder on my butterfly.

The button was created with Baja Breeze card stock (returning in July) and the 1" Circle punch. I punched out three circles, adhered the layers together, inked the edges with Baja Breeze ink, and punched the button holes with my Crop-a-dile. If you make your own buttons with circle punches, you can have a button in any color or Designer Series Paper to match your projects. They don't take long to make at all and they are super easy!

May is National Scrapbooking Month, so I'll have some scrappy projects to share during the month in honor of the celebration :-). Hmmm, I may even have a little give away during the month too ;-). Just a reminder... today is the LAST day for the Occasions Mini, so if there is anything you still want from that mini- please head to my online Stampin' Up! store and get it while you can :-). All righty- everyone have a wonderful weekend!!!! Thanks for visiting!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578, Elements of Style- 120045 (wood mount- 118611)
Paper: Rose Red- 102544, So Saffron- 105118, Baja Breeze (coming in July 2010), Rose Red Designer Series Paper- 112162, vellum- 101839
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277, Baja Breeze
Other: 1" Circle punch- 109046, Beautiful Butterflies die- 114507, Square Lattice embossing folder- 119976, Stampin' Dimensionals- 104430, DMC embroidery floss #471, yellow gems, Crop-a-dile- 108362

Mother's Day for Daughter

I have been working on my color swatch rings for the new Color Renovation palette coming in July 2010. I like to keep a ring of the colors handy so I can audition various colors together. While I was working on my swatches yesterday morning, I decided to play a bit and put together some different color combinations within each color collection and write them down for inspiration later. One of the combinations I came up with, I used on my card below. Bashful Blue and So Saffron look so great together- I love that combo :-). Since I was making this card for my daughter #2 and she loves green, I paired the two colors with Certainly Celery and Old Olive, with just a touch of Whisper White. I'll finish off the inside of the card with a "Happy Mother's Day" greeting.

This card could be used for many different occasions just by changing out the sentiment on the front, or leaving the sentiment on the front and adding a specific sentiment on the inside for birthday, Mother's Day, anniversary, thinking of you.... well, you get the point ;-).

Wow, I can't believe it's Thursday already! Where did the week go? It just flew by!

Our baby chicks are doing well. They have wing feathers now and are starting to grow their little tail feathers. It won't be too long now before they start to feather out on the rest of their bodies. They have gotten bigger in just one week, it's amazing how fast they grow.... and how much they can eat, lol! They really like my daughter. She climbs into their little area and sits down with them and they climb on her lap, snuggle down, and go to sleep. It's so cute. This is the first batch of baby chicks that have done that, but these are also the youngest baby chicks we have gotten. We special ordered this batch of chicks so they came straight from the egg practically. Not quite, but close enough :-). I hope everyone has had a great week so far and I wish you all a wonderful day! We have rain in our forecast for the day :-(.

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Wonderful Favorites- 115114, Well Scripted- 118601 (wood mount- 117072
Paper: Certainly Celery- 105125, Old Olive- 100702, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron- 105118, Bashful Blue Designer Series Paper- 112151, So Saffron Designer Series Paper- 112152
Classic Stampin' Ink: So Saffron- 105213. Old Olive- 102277
Punches: Scallop Trim border- 118402, 3/4" Circle- 107217
Dies: Daisies #2- 114520
Other: Sponge daubers- 102892

Square Lattice Folder

Gosh, I really like the Square Lattice embossing folder coming out in the Summer 2010 mini on May 1st (just a few more days :-D ). For my card today, I used a scrap of the vellum that I stamped and used on yesterday's card, and picked up a hodgepodge of elements from my counter top in my crafting room to use as well. Might as well make good use of those bits and pieces laying around ;-).

The vellum is backed with Pink Pirouette card stock, which is making a return as a core color in the new 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog. Whoo hoo! I loooooove Pink Pirouette! Lots of texture going on in this card- die cut/embossed butterflies, embossed card base, and the vellum was embossed too, just for good measure ;-). It's a beautiful sunny day here finally!! We've had lots of rain! I am going to enjoy this sunny day while I can because we have four more days of rain headed our way- boo hoo hoo!!!! Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578
Paper: Whisper White- 100730, Rich Razzleberry- 115316, Melon Mambo- 115320, Pink Pirouette (coming in July), vellum
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277, Baja Breeze- coming in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog on July 1st
Other: Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976 (Summer Mini 2010), Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder- 117335, Scallop Trim border punch, Beautiful Wings embosslit- 118138

Life Moments

I stamped an 8.5 x 11 sheet of vellum a couple of weeks ago with the Flower Fancy two step stamp set. You have to let the vellum dry after stamping it. I found it best to let it dry overnight because vellum takes a long time to dry! I knew that I wanted to use that stamped vellum for a background of some sort, but when I pulled it out this morning, I didn't like any paper that I placed behind it, soooo, I embossed Whisper White with the new Square Lattice embossing folder and sponged over it with So Saffron ink. I thought the embossed background worked out much better :-).

I stamped one butterfly die cut with the En Francais background stamp and sponged the edges with Regal Rose ink. I distressed the edges of the smaller butterfly die cut, sponged the edges with Regal Rose, crunched it up, inked over the wrinkles with Regal Rose and Baja Breeze inks. My sentiment and the small background flowers are stamped with Baja Breeze- a returning In Color that will become a core color in the new color palette coming in July. I gotta run- have a great day!!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Flower Fancy- 111578, En Francais- 109521, Elements of Style- 120045 (wood mount- 118611)- Elements of Style coming in the Summer Mini 2010 on May 1st
Paper: Rose Red- 102544, Whisper White- 100730, So Saffron- 105118, vellum
Classic Stampin' Ink: Regal Rose- 105211, Old Olive- 102277, So Saffron- 105213, Baja Breeze- coming in the 2010/2011 Idea Book and Catalog on July 1st
Other: Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder- 119976 (Summer Mini 2010), Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die- 114507, Brads- 109109, Stampin' Dimensionals- 104430

Country Morning

In honor of our new little baby chicks ;-), I pulled out a hostess set, which actually is quite fitting to celebrate the arrival of chicks. The set is called 'Country Morning' and is a Level One Hostess set from the 2009/2010 Idea Book and Catalog. It was the very first hostess set I chose because I loved it so much. I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and a blender pen to color in my image. My image is stamped on Very Vanilla card stock. I added the sky and the ground colors with my Stampin' Pastels in Bashful Blue and Really Rust. I often mix chalks with ink or Watercolor Wonder Crayons because the chalk gives such a soft color. Anyway, here it is....

Supplies listed below. Wishing you a GREAT evening!

Blessings!
Barb

Supplies:
Stamps: Country Morning- Level One Hostess Set-115334
Paper: Garden Green-102584, Not Quite Navy-101722, Very Vanilla-101650, So Saffron-105118, Chocolate Chip-102128, Really Rust Designer Series Paper-116234 (Level One Hostess)

WaterColor Wonder Crayons: Soft Subtles- 106697, Earth Elements- 106696, Rich Regals-106698
Dies: Daisies #2- 114520
Stampin' Pastels:105542
Other: Blender pens-102845, 1/2" Circle punch- 104390