~MISSING MY BABY BOY~

As many of you know, my baby boy left for basic training 9 days ago. :( My husband's been in the US Army for the past 17yrs, and through 3 deployments, this is an entirely different feeling for me, I guess because now I'm mom going through it. I know I have to put my selfish pity aside and be happy that he's following his dreams and making a future for himself and his future family. 

 I just wanted to share a card I made for him. His 19th birthday is tomorrow, and I know this won't arrive in time, but wanted him to know how much I was thinking about him and missing him and MOST of all how PROUD I am of him and the young man he's becoming!!
Love you Christopher!!

 ~Supplies Used~

Bazzill Basics Paper - Martha's Vineyard Collection I

Cryogen White Cardstock

Stampin Up - GodSpeed 

Service & Sacrifice

Tim Holtz Distess Ink Pads - Antique Linen, Old Paper

Colorbox Cat's Eyes Ink - Brown

Copics - E33, E34, E35

G99, G94

E25, E23

~SHOW US YOUR......~

 FAVORITES of course!!! lol What did you think I meant??? tsk tsk tsk!

This week over at Craft Us Crazy, we want you to share with us your favorites! It could be techniques, products, colors, whatever FAVORITE means to YOU!!!

One of my favorite things, is trying new things!! And this was definitely something new for me! I made my first Pin Cushion with Altered Stick Pins. It was quite intimidating at first, but now I love it!! I have a few more that I want to make. May become a new addiction for me! lol

 This one was made with, well what I call an Ice Cream glass that I picked up at the Dollar Tree for $1. I love when you can buy something extremely cheap and make it look really nice :) And I hope you think so also!!! 

So what are you waiting for? Show us your favorites!! We also have a new sponsor for this challenge so hurry over to Craft Us Crazy for all the details!!

~Quick Love at The Cutting Cafe~

  It's Inspiration Time at the Cafe, and we were asked to work with any of the Valentine Files from The Cutting Cafe store...
You can find all of Regina's Valentine files starting here


I chose to work with the Valentine Window Card Tops...Templates...Cutting Files because I wanted to show how quickly you could put together a card for those last second Valentine's you may need to show some love to!! There are 17 A2 Card tops in this set, and for ONLY $3.25!! You will receive the PDF, SVG and WPC formats also!! You can't beat such a great deal!!! And not to speak how quickly you could cut out multiple card tops at once and have an assembly line in no time at all!! 

I used my Silhouette Cameo for this card. I love this little image, and had one already colored and left over from a previous project I had done. So I'm sure we've all got a stock pile of images that we may have changed our minds on or colored up a few for those quick cards that may come up. 
I chose to work with two of the card tops on this card. One for the front and then another for the inside. I'm going to write my message on the inside of the heart..plenty of room!

Added some Glitz stickles to the heart cutouts so they would pop a bit more and then distressed the edges. I added stickles also to the little hearts on the image. 
I love this little card and it took no time at all to put together and move on to the next one in line. So quick and easy, and adorable if I might say so myself!!! 

So you've got plenty of time to rush over to The Cutting Cafe and grab your card tops and get those last second goodies whipped up in no time!! Don't forget to stop by The Cutting Cafe blog and leave a comment so that you may win a set from the store!    

Supplies Used

The Cutting Cafe - Valentine Window Card Tops...Templates...Cutting Files
Papertrey Ink - White Cardstock
Stampin' Up - Black Cardstock
Recollections - Black Cardstock
DCWV - Red Patterned Paper
Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine
La La Land Digi Stamp - Sweetheart Marci
La La Land Digi Stamp Sentiment - Be Mine from Cupid Marci
Glitz Stickles -Ruby Slippers
 Dew Drop Brilliance Ink - Platinum Planet
Foam Tab scraps
Copics - 
Hair - E31, E35, E25
Skin - E11, E50, E01
Blush - R02, R00
Eyes - Colorless Blender
Overalls & Shoes - B95, B93, B91
Hearts - R24, R22, R20
Shirt & Socks - R22, R21, R20 

~WILL YOU BE MINE??...INSPIRATION AT THE CUTTING CAFE~

 

It's Inspiration Time at the Cafe, and we were asked to work with one of the files below from The Cutting Cafe store....
Valentine Mini Sentiments Background
Fun with Hearts Printable Stamp Set 
Valentine Window Card Tops Templates Cutting Files
Heart Lace Shaped Card Template Cutting Files


I chose to work with the Heart Lace Shaped Card Template Cutting Files another fun file that I was lucky enough to get to play with!!! There's so many possibilities with this one, just as the other files at The Cutting Cafe! I saved one cut out for my stencil box for another project down the line :) 

I used my Silhouette Cameo for this card. I originally set out to cut by hand, but half way through, I changed my mind lol Which is another thing that's great about Regina's files...you receive the PDF, SVG, WPC and in some cases MTC formats. So whatever your cutting method, you're covered!! 
For my project though, I cut out the Large Heart Lace Shaped Card and the Large Heart Lace cutout so that I could decorate the top part and then affix it to my card shape. I started with some red cardstock from my stash, but just wasn't feeling it, and then tried adding some Silk Iridescent Magenta Ink, and it really done a pretty cool bronze effect to it oddly enough lol but then I decided to add some Tiara Glitz Stickles and as you can see, it turned out to be a really sparkly red/pink color, so I stopped there! I didn't want to push my luck by playing with anything else lol 
Once that was dry, I added Glossy Accents to each heart, as you can see below. Well hopefully you can. The flash mirrored off a few of them. Added my sentiment that came with one of my La La Land Digi Images and voila! Quick and easy! The longest part of this card was the drying process on each stage!   

Don't forget to head over to The Cutting Cafe Blog for even more inspiration!!!


Supplies Used
The Cutting Cafe - Heart Lace Shaped Card SVG
Papertrey Ink - White Cardstock
Recollections - Black Cardstock
Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine
La La Land Digi Stamp - Sweetheart Marci
La La Land Digi Stamp Sentiment - Be Mine from Cupid Marci
Stash - Red Patterned Cardstock
Stampa Rosa - Silk Iridescent Ink - Magenta
Glitz Stickles - Tiara 
 InkEssentials - Glossy Accents
Foam Tab scraps
Copics - 
Hair - E31, E35, E25
Skin - E11, E50, E01
Blush - R02, R00
Eyes - Colorless Blender
Overalls & Shoes - B95, B93, B91
Hearts - R24, R22, R20
Shirt & Socks - R22, R21, R20 

CHALLENGES ENTERED
City Crafter Challenge Blog - Forever Mine - Use Hearts
Creative Card Crew - Girly 
Deep Ocean Challenge - Anything But a Square 
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 
 Creative Cutting Challenge - Valentine's Day Card
One Stitch At A Time - Love 
Drunken Stampers - All That Glitters 

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTAH~

Happy Birthday to my sweet sister Sheri!! Her birthday is officially tomorrow, but I wanted to get this card up and I won't be able to send it out until tomorrow :( I'm a horrible procrastinator! Maybe that'll be my new year goal for next year lol either way, I hope she has a wonderful and Happy Birthday!!!

And now back to my card.....

 I just loved this image!! It's Birthday Marci from La-La Land Crafts! Isn't she just the cutest??? I recently took a copic class from Wendy Ramlakhan and figured this would be the perfect image to practice what she taught me! Unfortunately for me, my brain isn't what it used to be lol BUT I think she turned out quite alright! Hair and skin are two of my weaknesses with Copics, so that just means practice, practice, practice and more practice. But with the help of this cute little image and Wendy's patience, I've found a new love for my Copics and not just intimidation anymore...So I guess that's a good thing! 

I also tried my hand at Rosettes. This was my first one. Yes I have the Tim Holtz Dies, and even the Memory Box dies, but I wanted a certain size, so this one was done the old fashioned way...using my hands and my score board. Somehow a few didn't turn out quite that great, I'm sure it was operator error lol but this one was perfect I think!!

Ok enough babbling...I'll leave you with a few more pictures and the inside poem that I found on the web and used. 

Thanks for looking and have a great Monday!!!

 I wanted to include a picture of the back of my card as well. I got these awesome Personalized Labels from The Cutting Cafe! You just tell Regina what you want, she sends the file, and then you print them out! You can do sheets at a time, or just a few. I'm cheap on some things, and why would I want to spend $$$ on a personalized rubber stamp, when I can spend a few dollars and get more than one design! So anyways, just check it out, you'll see what I'm talking about!! :)

~SUPPLIES USED~

La-La Land Crafts - Birthday Marci Digi Stamp

The Cutting Cafe - Custom Handmade Just For You Labels

Hobby Paleis - 'Sister' Circle Digi

My Mind's Eye - Lime Twist - Life of the Party 6x6 Paper Pad

Recollections - Black Cardstock

Papertrey Ink - White Cardstock

From Stash - Purple Cardstock (Rosette)

 Liquid Pearls - Lavender Lace

Dew Drop - Brilliance - Rocket Red, Pearlescent Lavender

Sakura Gelly Roll Pen - White

Fusion Glue Adhesive - 1/2" Double Sided Tape

Stampin Up - 1 3/4" Circle Punch

Fiskars - 1" Circle Punch

Martha Stewart - Doily Border Punch

Copics -

Hair - E50, E31, YR31

Skin - E11, E00, E50

Blush - R02, R01

Lips - R14, R20

Dress, Shoes, Bows - V17, V15, V12

Socks, Bows on Shoes - V01, V20, V000

Present - R24, R14, R20

Bow on Present - Y11, Y13, Y15

Panda Bear - C1, C3, C5, C7

Halo Glow - BG0000, BG70 

~CHALLENGES ENTERED~

Card Mania Challenges - Oh, So girly

Crafts 4 Eternity - Punch It 

Eureka Stamps - Anything Goes

Lexi's Creations - Fancy Folds 

Simon Says Stamp & Show - What Are You Known For?? (Inking/Distressing) 

Whoopsi Daisy - Use A Digi (La La Land Image)

 Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes

Simply Create Too - Anything Goes 

Bunny Zoe's Crafts Monthly Challenge - Anything Goes 

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps - Use A Digi (La La Land Image)

My Paper Crafting - Use A Digi (La La Land Image)

~LOVE TO SEE RED at CRAFT US CRAZY~

For our challenge this week at Craft Us Crazy, is Valentine's/LOVE and/or USE THE COLOR RED!!! So there's surely something you can come up with and join us!! 

Our sponsor this week is ... 

For my project this week, I used three images that were provided by Digi Ditto. Be sure to check out their blog and see all the great things they have to offer!!! My images are Heart Puzzle(puzzle pieces), Ellie Heart, and KISS BW(the envelope and sentiment).

This card pretty much made itself..lol I really had no direction, but once I grabbed a few pieces of paper from my stash drawer, it all came together on its own. I like projects like that lol

 I hope you enjoyed my project and it inspired you to get crafty. Don't forget to come join us at CRAFT US CRAZY!!

~SUPPLIES USED~

Digi Ditto - Sealed With A Kiss

Ellie Heart

Puzzle Pieces

Papertrey Ink White Cardstock

Stampin' Up - Black Cardstock
Houndstooth Paper from Stash

Glitz Stickles -Ruby Slippers

Stickles - Cotton Candy, Lavender, Candy Cane, Fruit Punch

Foam Tabs

Dew Drop Versamagic - Red Magic
Black ink

Copics - 
Socks - BG0000
Heart - R59, R29, R24
LIPS - R27, R24 --- RV32, RV10
BLUSH - R02, R00
DRESS - RV34, RV32, RV10
CAT - C3, C1
SKIN - E11, E00, E50
HAIR - E35, E25, E31

~SWEETS FOR MY VALENTINE...INSPIRATION AT THE CUTTING CAFE~

  It's Inspiration Time at the Cafe, and we were asked to work with one of the files below from The Cutting Cafe store. 
Hershey Kiss Treat Box Template & Cutting File
Hershey Kiss Shaped Card Template & Cutting File 
Heart Bag Cutting File & Template

I chose to work with the Heart Bag Cutting File & Template! It was so fun to make, that I couldn't just stop at one. I've got about 9 more sitting on my desk ready to be glued and decorated. They're so quick and easy and would perfect for any classroom or work space!!
If you don't have a cutting machine, no worries, you can cut these out easily by hand. Just print out the pdf file and you're on your way!! 

I also chose to work with a second file from the store... Hershey Kisses Valentine Bottoms, for the little wraps I done around the candies. They fit the bottom of the Hershey Kisses perfectly, but wanted to go with some candy that I had laying around, and I think they worked perfectly!! I also used an old piece of acetate that I had hoarded away for the heart cutout area. I love putting these bags together!!

Don't forget to head over to The Cutting Cafe Blog for even more inspiration!!!


Supplies Used
The Cutting Cafe - Heart Bag Cutting File
Hershey Kisses Valentine Bottoms
DCWV - The Fall Stack
Copics, Stickles for Valentine Bottoms
Lace from Stash for Bag and Candy
Scribbles - Wine Cordial
Liquid Pearls - Gold Pearl
Half Back Pearls
Acetate
Ghirardelli Chocolates

~SEARCHING FOR LOVE at THE CUTTING CAFE~

 

It's Inspiration Time at the Cafe, and we were allowed to work with anything from The Cutting Cafe store. This week we were asked to use the file FEB 14.  

Once again I opened my file inside Paintshop Pro and changed the colors from black and white to turquoise and purple. Once I had that done, I printed a few copies out so that I would have one for piecing. I popped the "I love you" and hearts from the word search image, and printed out a sentiment of my own, that I thought worked well. If it doesn't...well...that's my brain's fault lol I went back and forth with a few sayings, but ultimately liked this one.

There's SOOOO many pieces to these sets, so you'll have plenty to choose from for your own projects!!!

Don't forget to head over to The Cutting Cafe Blog for even more inspiration!!!

Supplies Used
The Cutting Cafe - Feb 14

Versamagic Ink - Pearl Lavender

Papertrey Ink White Cardstock
DCWV - Mod-Retro Stack
Me & My Big Ideas - Black & White
DCWV - White Cardstock

1/2" Foam Tabs

InkEssentials - Glossy Accents

 Liquid Pearls - Platinum

~SEW INSPIRING AT CRAFT US CRAZY~

Wow I'm going to crash Blogger posting twice in one week lol My New Year "goal" for 2013 is to find more time to craft. So far so good, but we are, of course only on day 5..lol but it's a start. 

For our challenge this week at Craft Us Crazy, is a photo inspiration challenge...but if you're drawing a blank on the picture, our alternate challenge theme is Something New! So there's surely something you can come up with and join us!! 

First our Inspiration Photo from our sponsor Ginger Blossom Designs! Check out our challenge blog for all the details on how to win a great tote bag, like the one above, made with the fabric shown in the picture below!! 

CHALLENGE INSPIRATION PHOTO

 I hope you enjoy the cards I was inspired to make from the photo. Don't forget to come join us at CRAFT US CRAZY!!

~SUPPLIES USED~

Digital Delights - Crafty Mouse Digi Image

Sewing Card SVG Cut File

Sew Awesome Sentiment

Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine

Papertrey Ink White Cardstock

DCWV the CRAFTY Stack

Glitz Stickles - Tiara

Stickles - Gunmetal

Red Floss, Buttons, Pin Needle, Ribbon from Stash

the Paper Studios - Hardware Brad

Foam Tabs

Martha Stewart Chalk Ink - Wasabi, Leaf Bud, Duck Blue, Sea Lavender

Dew Drop Brilliance - Pearl Lavender, Silver, Pearl Purple

Atyou Spica - 08 Turquoise, 01 Lavender

Copic Multiliner - 0.3, 0.8

Copics - 

Left card

Mouse - E35, E31, E34, E31, E21

Nose, Thimble, Pin - C7, C5, C3, C1

Thimble Band, Button, Shoes - BG75, BG72, BG10

Ears, Cheeks - R22, R21, R20

Right Card

Mouse - E34, E31, E21

 E53, E51, E50, E55

Nose, Thimble, Pin - C7, C5, C3, C1

Ears, Cheeks - R22, R21, R20

Thimble Band, Button, Shoes - BV04, BV02, BV00

CHALLENGES ENTERED
Pile It On - Pile On the Embellishments 
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Anything Goes 
Pixie Dust Studios - It's All New To Me

~INSPIRATION TIME AT THE CUTTING CAFE~

 

I'm so excited to announce that Regina at The Cutting Cafe invited me back to design for her! I just love Regina and all of her awesome files and stamps, so I'm so happy to be back on her design team, surrounded by so many creative and talented ladies!!

It's Inspiration Time at the Cafe, and we were allowed to work with anything from The Cutting Cafe store. I chose three files for my project. The files are so versatile, that it's easy to find yourself working with multiple files for a single project.

The Inspiration part of my project came from a dear friend of mine. A few days ago I found out that one of my dearest and truest friends will undergo a double masectomy soon. My heart has been so heavy since she told me, so I wanted to do something for her. I know a little card won't ease all the thoughts she's having right now, but I hope that it'll at least bring a small smile to her face, if only for a few minutes. Much love to you my friend!!

For my card above, I chose to work with the following files from The Cutting Cafe:

• Beautiful Rose - Printable Stamp Set
• OVAL, FRAME, CIRCLE, HALF CIRCLE, STAR, HEART, ROUND SQUARE SHAPED CARDS (I used the Frame Shaped Card from this set)
• YOU'RE IN MY THOUGHTS GREETINGS INSIDE AND OUT ...PRINTABLE STAMP SET

I first lightened the lines of my Beautiful Rose layer using Paintshop Pro. Once I had that done, I printed out directly to my patterned paper that I had chosen. I then used my copics to color my rose in. I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I wanted the rose to be the focal point of the card, so I tried to keep everything around it simple. I then took some Glossy Accents and highlighted the petals and leaves, giving the rose some dimension.

After I was through with my Rose, I just began layering my pieces the way I liked. I then used a sentiment for the inside.

There's SOOOO many pieces to these sets, so you'll have plenty to choose from for your own projects!!!

Don't forget to head over to The Cutting Cafe Blog for even more inspiration!!!

 

Supplies Used

Beautiful Rose - Printable Stamp Set

OVAL, FRAME, CIRCLE, HALF CIRCLE, STAR, HEART, ROUND SQUARE SHAPED CARDS

YOU'RE IN MY THOUGHTS GREETINGS INSIDE AND OUT ...PRINTABLE STAMP SET

Copics -  For the Rose - R20, R24, R29, R59

For the Leaves - YG25, YG21, YG03, YG63

Versamagic Ink - Sahara Sand, Rocket Red

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Vintage Shabby Paper Stack

Papertrey Ink White Cardstock

1/2" Foam Tabs

Kaisercraft Half Back Pearls - Snow
InkEssentials - Glossy Accents

 

Challenges Entered

Challenges 4 Everybody - http://challenges4everybody.blogspot.com/2012/12/offer-4-stamps-of-winners-choice-sassy.html



Totally Gorjuss (New - Tim Holtz Stack, Cameo) - http://www.totallygorjuss.blogspot.com/2012/12/challenge-164-new.html
Divas By Design - Anything Goes  http://divasbydesignchallenge.blogspot.com/2012/12/challenge-66-anything-goes.html
The Paper Shelter - Anything Goes
http://thepapershelter.blogspot.com/2012/12/challenge-93-anything-goes-and-blog-hop.html