Great Job, Grad!

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you're enjoying the weekend so far. Today, I have a card for two challenges. The first is this weeks CAS-ual Friday challenge. 

We were to create a card for graduation.  You know, i'm still struggling with the whole CAS thing. I think this isn't EXACTLY CAS, but it's getting there...lol. My love of patterned paper foils me every time. :)

The second challenge is the Embellish Magazine Text Color Trends Challenge. 

We were to use "text" somehow in our creation. That sounded fun, plus I also totally dig this color scheme. It's right up my alley. So, here is my card:

I obviously decided to go the "ransom note" route with the cut out pieces of newspaper...lol. I also used the map printed in the background to signify the opportunities that lie in the "real world" once you graduate from University.


Well, that's it for me today. I've got laundry to do, so I must bid you all adieu!! Have a super rest of the day!

Praying for you....

Hi all! Happy Saturday to you! As you read this, I am in Memphis visiting with my grandmother. For those of you that don't come here regularly (shame on you! lol), my grandmother had a stroke earlier in the week and is not doing well. They have called the family in and so we're there. I hope to come home tomorrow with a feeling that she will get better, not worse. God doesn't make mistakes, though, so...we'll have to wait and see what He has planned for her. :)

Anyway, so today's card is for both the Papertrey September Blog Hop:

 AND the Embellish Magazine challenge:

Let's talk about the Papertrey Blog Hop first. We were to think about fellow crafters that inspire us or who have shown us things that we now use in our crafting. Ok, well THAT is a huge request. I have learned so much from so many people. My main inspirations, though, are Laurie Willison, Julie Lacey, Julee Tillman, and Dana Seymour. Every single day I know that when I wake up and start blog hopping, those four fabulous women will have some of the best stuff out there. I also love that they spread the love - using all sorts of supplies and stamps. It's really great to see people who can take the same stamps I might have and totally rock your socks with them. People who can MAKE you purchase things JUST because you have seen them use it. These women drive me to stamp every single day in the hopes that THEY will love what I create. It's silly, I know, but they are truly the best in my mind.  They have shaped the way I stamp and the styles I love. These 4 women are my stamping inspiration and I want them (and you) to know that they are tops in my book..and they're super nice to boot! Thank you ladies. 

 As for my card today (yeah, yeah, we'll eventually get to it..lol), I used a trick I learned through a Papertrey Ink Senior Design Team group post on Nichole Heady's blog a few months back. It was the post where they showed us their favorite ways to use ribbon. On the post, Ashley Cannon Newell showed us a technique that totally changed the way I use ribbon..and i've used this technique on 32 cards since that post! Yikes!! Here is a link to her post: Ribbon Favorites. Fabulous!!

So, the Embellish challenge this week totally called my name to create something elegant and serene. I thought of my grandmother while making this card. I simply LOVE these colors together! We also had to use background stamping on the card. I used my PTI Damask Designs stamps. They just scream elegance and especially when paired up with the Papertrey Ink Vellum paper. It is SO heavy  while still being delicate and sheer...good stuff! The ribbon - well, I think you know about me and ribbon by now, right? Just love that stuff. 

Ok, so this post has gone on WAY to long and thank you SO much for sticking around to read all of this. So without further ado, here is my card:

I initially had rhinestones where you see pearls, but as soon as I snapped the picture our UPS guy drove up with my order of pearls from Stampin Up! Score!! I quickly changed out the bling and took another pic..lol. 

Ok, well this has been a super duper long post. Thanks for stopping by. If you think about it, will you please keep my grandmother in your prayers? Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you back soon! Laters!

Stamps: Damask Designs (papertrey)

Card Stock: Going Grey and striped dsp (stampin up); Lemon Tart, Vellum, Smokey Shadow, White (papertrey)

Ink: Memento Black

Extras: Lemon Tart ribbon (papertrey); Butterfly punch, pearls, and button (stampin up)

Sailor Owl..

Ok, I had way too much fun making this card. This little guy is so cute! I used the new SU Owl Punch and let me tell you - it was such fun punching out the little shapes onto various cardstocks and creating so many different combinations!

The color scheme came from the latest Embellish Challenge and I really think the combo works very well together. When I started the card, I knew I wanted to use the owl but I wasn't sure which stamp set I would pair with it. When I saw that little sailor hat in the Out to Sea box I almost melted! A Sailor Owl!! What could be cuter than a sailor owl (maybe a sailor penguin?!?)? I just added the little anchors at the bottom, threw on the hat and BAM!  I just really smile when I see this card. I hope you like it!


Stamps: Out to Sea (papertrey)
Cardstock: Peach Parfait, Kraft, Aqua Mist, Vanilla (papertrey); Elegant Soiree dsp (stampin up)
Ink: Vintage Vanilla (papertrey); Chocolate Chip (stampin up)
Extras: Owl Punch (stampin up)

Peek - a - Boo Baby...

Hello and I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Sunday. Tell me what's going on at your house? Hanging out with hubby? Dad? Stepdad? Brother? Here at our house, I'm watching the U.S. Open with hubby. The girls are gone with my mom and so we're just quietly watching. I really love golf and I love that it is something that we both enjoy watching. He and Ava play, also...me not so much. I am NOT an athlete by any means. Watching, though, is good. Jim Furyk is my guy and hubby has been a Lefty (Phil Mickelson) fan since before we met. It's fun! I've got to get back to that, too, so let me move on. :o)

Today's card is for no one in particular. I just really like baby cards and it was also a part of the challenge (along with the colors) over at the Embellish magazine blog for this week. Love the colors together! They look a bit brighter here than in real life...they're much more pastel, but i could not get it to look that way on camera. Ugh! I wanted to use more of the peach, but it just came together better this way. Hope you like it. I think this is my favorite ribbon technique EVER! It's just so much fun to do and it reminds me of a baby blanket..you know, after they've settled into it and then you take them out..you know? How it's all ruffled and crazy? Hmm..maybe that's just our kids. Haha! The actual design for the card I got from a card I did seen here that I did eons ago when I first started stamping.

Ok, well take care and hope you have a wonderful rest of the day!


Stamps: Baby Button Bits (papertrey)
Cardstock: Peach Parfait (stampin up); Vanilla (papertrey)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa (stampin up)
Extras: Ribbon: Lemon Tart from papertrey. Button: New Leaf from papertrey; Cuttlebug embossing folder

Embellish(ed) Get Well wishes...

Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope your weekends are all going well. Today, I am FINALLY playing along with the Embellish Magazine color challenge. I love everything about this magazine and Ashley's blog. It's just all so fresh and trendy - but not in a neon leg warmers way! LOL I really like the colors we were to use, too!

My stamp table  was borrowed for a yard sale and so I decided that the kitchen table would have to work. Well, it took my forever to get this card made! I don't start stamping with a clear idea. I just kinda look at my stuff and think. and think.and think. Then something comes to me and I do it. Well, I couldn't look at my stuff today since it was upstairs in the craft room and I was downstairs in the kitchen. It was nuts, but I do think that I like what resulted. I made it with a sick friend in mind. We're taking her family dinner tonight, so I wanted a little card to go along with it. Since I can't seem to make an A2 card to save my life, this is another 51/4 by 5 1/4 card. I just love this size. hee hee.

OK, well i'm off to clean the kitchen table up before the family gets home. Alex had a riding lesson today, so they're all at the stables. Have a great one!


Stamps: Big & Bold Wishes (papertrey)
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Barely Banana, Vanilla (stampin up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral
Extras: Grosgrain ribbon - vanilla (papertrey); Top Note die (stampin up)