Easter Treats

Oh, Easter is just around the corner, are you ready? I've had some fun making Easter notebooks this year...although I haven't gotten as many done as I would have liked. For some reason *life* with 3 kiddo's, a hubby and 4 different sports going on keeps getting in the way! :D

I know, everyone can relate huh?

Well, here's a peek at some notebooks I did AND a dee-lish treat for my secret pal! My secret pal loves Dove chocolate so behind this wrapper is a box which contains 3 individually wrapped Dove bars - oh yeah, yum-mo! Hope she enjoys them!

The bunny image is from Melanie Muenchinger's stamp set called "Just So Hoppy"; isn't she a cutie...the bunny that is! I added the two flowers, masking one off and then had my teen draw in the stems. She's a great artist and we were having some bonding time so I thought what a great opportunity to have her help me out!

I colored the image with Copics, drew in the grass (I thought it turned out pretty good for a chick that can't draw!) and left the rest very simple; my teen also helped me pick the colors to use. Meanwhile, what do you think of that DIVINE dp? Oh yeah, I received a huge love package from my dear, sweet friend Cindy. Cindy and I have never met, but she's an enabler - major enabler! She works at a scrapbook store so I try to send her money every now and then and in return she sends me the most amazing packages. AND she always sends me the coolest cards...I never send her diddly...'cept money. Glad she loves me anyway! Thanks Cindy; you rock!!!

OK, on to the other notepads, isn't this little chick in her egg cute too? She's a digital image from DigiStamp Boutique; I colored her up with Copics too. The striped notepad is very simple, nuttin' fancy on it. I added glitter to all of the eggs. The two long/skinny notepads also have a decorated pocket inside for receipts, notes or whatever.

I hope you've enjoyed a peek into my Easter creations. Have a great week; hugs, ~M.

PS - don't like leaving comments? Look at the new boxes I've added after my posts...now you can CLICK on what you think - pretty cool eh?



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Melanie Muenchinger's Just So Hoppy, DigitStamp Boutique
Papers: SU! DP, MME DP, GKD 80 lb. White, PTI Ripe Avacado, SU! Pink:
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: nesties, glitter, quickie glue pen, rhinestones, ribbon, Marvy Punches

Thank you - Maltese Style

How cute is this Maltese? Seriously, is it not adorable? This image is from MelanieKay on Etsy, so ca-ute!!!

I have a friend that needed some quick thank you cards for her daughter; so I quickly put these together by printing the image pre-colored. Oh yeah, how cool is that - pre-colored!!! I cut the image out with a circle nestability and mounted it onto a scalloped nestability.

Her daughter's favorite colors are pink & purple so I made sure to incorporate both of those but still keep the cards quick & simple. I got the order Tuesday and shipped them Friday - not bad! I stamped Hibiscus Burst polka dots across the bottom of each card; glued on some purple ric rac (from Hobby Lobby); stamped "Thanks very much" on the inside and added another faux ribbon in purple. I used that same ribbon on the envelopes. The finished cards are 4.25" x 4.25"...I think...or 4" x 4"...sad I can't remember huh? LOL I'm telling you, I was bookin' it to get these done. Since I work full time and we have baseball, softball or basketball practice every night of the week, there just wasn't much time!

I added Crystal Effects to her bow & nose so they would be shiny and 3D; so cute IRL.

This last picture shows all 5 cards and their matching envies. Thanks for stopping by; I'm glad you visited. Have a great day - we're off to another baseball game...it's raining, cold and the wind is howling again today! Hoping our little guy got some good rest and is rarin' to go! Hugs, ~M.




WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: MelanieKay's Maltese
Paper: GKD 120 lb. White, PTI Hibiscus Burst
Ink: PTI Hibiscus Burst, VersaMagic Purple
Accessories: nesties, Crystal Effects, ric rac ribbon

So you think you can color?

Other blog post titles I could have used: I have kissed so many frogs or Pucker Up or Have I found my prince? Just a few that spring to mind - LOL!!

Actually, Crissy is having this amazing design team call - check it out HERE and while you're there, join in and submit something too! Crissy is the most amazing artist - I cannot fathom being able to draw like she does...you know the likes of me? I can only draw stick figures and even then, I'm sure you'd question THAT ability!! Check out her creations; she designs for several different companies and does amazing work, you'll be glad you visited!

Now back to my creation. I love to color, I would color hours on end with my little babes, alas they have grown up and really aren't in to coloring anymore. Oh, what is a mom to do? Buy Copics and practice learning to color all over again! HA!

My boss's wife turns 50 this Sunday so I made her a card using Crissy's "Herby the Frog", cute little froggy eh? I love him very, very much...spots and all! I purchased several of Crissy's digi stamps and can't wait to color them up!

For this card, I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #61; I love the sketch! Such a fun one, I know I'll use it time and time again! I printed Herby twice and colored both, the 2nd image I cut out and mounted on top of the first image with dimensionals for a fabby 3D effect. I also added Crystal Effects to his spots and his eyes; they're all smooth and shiny.

The inside of the card says "See you made it through another year without "croaking"!" I so *heart* the quote; always makes me laugh. My boss's wife HATES celebrating birthdays...hmph, that girl don't know what she's missing! I try to milk mine for a minimum of 6 months no matter how old I am. Just ask my friends and co-workers; for some reason they think I'll eventually grow up and outgrow my fascination of celebrating my birthday (like wearing a tiara all day - even out to lunch, blowing bubbles, waving my wand, etc....yes, I've really done all these things)...I wouldn't count on that happening any time soon!

Anyway, I digress. I hope she likes the card; at least I didn't do it in BLACK!!! :D

Thanks for peeking in; I love when you visit! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Crissy Armstrong's Herby the Frog, Quote ?
Paper: Neenah Solar White, PTI Summer Sunrise & Ripe Avacado, DP by MME's
Ink: Versamagic Green
Accessories: nesties, glitter buttons, Copics, Crystal Effects

The Sweet Stop Sketch

I loved this sketch (<----- click here) the moment I saw it! I also love this flower from Verve Visual's Love's Flower but I didn't have the "perfect" Copic markers to color it as I wanted (note to self: buy more Copics, gosh, so hard to convince myself of these things...NOT!); so I used paper piecing on the first card. I also added a strip of the same DP inside the card to tie it all together.

On the 2nd card, I took my inspiration from Laurie's Bucket O' Love and stamped and embossed the flower onto PTI's Hibiscus Burst (twice) & Sweet Blush (once). I also stamped the flowers with polka dots in matching ink from PTI's Polka Dot Basics. I like the 2nd card MUCH better than the paper pieced one and was able to incorporate almost all of the elements from the sketch. The "Just Because" was stamped in PTI's Dark Chocolate and is from their Damask Designs stamp set.

I wanted to keep the overall card simple with clean lines so I worked really hard not to add a lot to either one! On the 2nd one, I distressed all the edges, you can particularly tell on the Dark Chocolate layers. I also mounted each layer of the flower with dimensionals as well as the leaves. The leaves were colored with Copics.

BTW, I made the decision recently that when I visit a blog, I will leave a comment. You can ALWAYS find something nice to say - right? I know I like when people leave me a comment so I wanted to be sure I did the same for my fellow bloggers - whether stamping related or not! So go ahead, leave your friends some love, they'll appreciate it. And thanks for stopping by to see me, I appreciate you taking the time!



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual's Love's Flower, PTI's Damask Designs & Polka Dot Basics
Paper: GKD 80 lb. White, PTI Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Burst, Sweet Blush
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Craft White, PTI Dark Chocolate
Accessories: EK Success punch, embossing, paper piecing, Copics, white gel pen

Birthday Purses

I love finding little treasures to alter and these are no exception! I found this pack of 10 purse note cards at the grocery store and altered 5 of them for a b-day party our youngest daughter attended. The b-day girl's favorite colors are lime green and pink so I worked really hard to pull those colors from the note cards.

What I find really funny about these cards is that I enjoyed altering the envelopes as much as anything! LOL

Afterwards, I thought I should have added a medium sized, beautiful lime green flower to the flap of the purse - where the small green flower is - but then hesitated as I know these are going to young girls and will most likely find their way to the trash can. :( So I wanted to keep them simple, yet personable!

Sorry for the major glare on this picture, the black card stock is very shiny so I had a hard time getting a good picture.

I added a strip of Dark Chocolate & Certainly Celery card stock to the envelopes, then stamped the faux ribbon in Certainly Celery from Stampendous.

Do you have plans this weekend? We've gone from 65 degree temps to 31 degrees and snow/sleet last night...it's still snowing today and hubby said the roads are very slick. Therefore, I'll do what everyone else would choose to do - I'll stay home and do laundry. Oh yeah baby, no one will have as much fun as me...NOT!

Hope your weekend is great; thanks for popping in, I love when you visit! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Just Rite Borders & Alphabet
Paper: GKD White, SU! Certainly Celery, PTI Dark Chocolate
Ink: SU! Certainly Celery, SU! Chocolate Chip Marker, SU! Pink:
Accessories: Marvy punches

50th Wedding Anniversary - Truly Golden

WOW - 50 years - that's a long time, ya know? A friend asked me to make a card for her in-laws 50th wedding anniversary celebration coming up; colors are cream & gold and they wanted me to incorporate the couple's wedding photo.

I really had a ton of fun making this card - well, the part where I broke my Big Shot Die Cutting Machine was NOT so fun - but beyond that, fun!

No, I didn't get a new Big Shot...wanted one, called Michael's, they said they had one, drove there over lunch...they didn't have one. URGH, bought a Cuttlebug; it'll work, but I like the Big Shot better! Alas, the Cuttlebug allowed me to finish the card, so all is good!

K, 'nuf of that nonsense! The base of the card is 5.75" x 7" with the front flap being about 1/4" less in width which just gives you a peek of those beautiful scalloped hearts - oh how I *heart* my scalloped heart punch! As you can see, I used it on the outside of the card too! All edges of the card were sponged with Encore gold.

For the main cream panel I used the letterpress technique (details at Taylor's blog <---- click here) sponging gold on the stencil. I then added a layer of brushed gold card stock and another layer of cream. The picture is in between these two panels and both panels were mounted with dimensionals. Got some serious dimension going on here folks! HA! I also used a standard & scalloped nestability oval to get the scalloped frame around the picture; just love that!

I tied on some gold ribbon and then I used my bow easy (<---- click here) to create a 3 loop bow which I tied onto the ribbon with the gold cord, I then tied on the two charms (heart & key) with the same gold cord and then finished it in a bow.

The inside says "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. ~Helen Keller"; and then the lower right-hand corner says "Happy Anniversary".

I hope the couple is half as thrilled as I was to make their card; I pray their day is abundantly and richly blessed. And...congratulations on 50 years...that's a long time! Hope I see 50 years and more with my sweet love!

Thanks for stopping by; I really appreciate your visit! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI
Paper: PTI Cream, GKD 80 lb. Cream, SU! Brushed Gold, Misc. DP
Ink: Encore Gold
Accessories: ribbon, gold cord, charms, nestability dies, dimensionals, impressionabilities, Cuttlebug

Wish Big!

Look - I'm back with ANOTHER card! Sure enough, I was able to sneak in some stamping time tonight...makes me one happy momma!

I wanted to do another card for Joanne's "Sew Krafty" challenge. I took my inspiration from Dawn McVey - she works magic with her color combos and CAS layouts. I've had this stamp set for a few weeks but haven't had time to get it inky until last night; I just LOVED the font and size when I used it, so I knew I wanted to use it again tonight. The inside says "celebrate with style".

I stamped polka dots in Hibiscus Burst; layered with a strip of Aqua Mist & Hibiscus Burst card stock...and then I SEWED...yes, I really did. I know, breathe deep, again, let's all breathe deep! LOL! I rarely sew, but I love the whimsical feel of the stitching, totally random. What do you think?

I added a couple of jewels above each "i" and tied on some twill ribbon. I hope you enjoyed another Sew Krafty card. Thanks for stopping by; I really appreciate when you visit! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI Big & Bold Wishes & Polka Dot Basics
Paper: PTI Kraft, Hibiscus Burst & Aqua Mist
Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate & Hibiscus Burst
Accessories: ribbon, sewing, pink jewels

Trifecta!

Yeah baby - a trifecta for me! :D

I am lucky if I get an hour a week to stamp anymore - between our young man being so ill and 'life', there just isn't much time left. But I promised myself if I got some laundry and a few other chores done tonight, I would reward myself with stamp time. HA!

I wanted to participate in a couple challenges - Joanne's "just a little blogaversary" and Lisa's "Poppy Seed Challenge". You can click on their links to see the challenges; I managed to use kraft card stock, faux stitching, a hint of yellow, a flower (make that an MFT flower) - wow, that's more than 3, not too shabby for me! Oh yes, how could I forget? I used Jen's SFYTT also! WOOT, WOOT!!

I didn't use crystals (per Lisa's challenge) but I did use a gorgeous button from PTI - isn't it beautiful?

I edged all the papers with SU! Close to Cocoa. That beautiful flower was inked with VersaMagic Pink Petunia & Pixie Pink; can you see the two pinks in the image? They are oh so pretty and soft! I feel like a new woman after finding some time to create - I really needed the relaxation!

BTW, for my anniversary, my dearest love bought me an iHome system, so tonight while stamping I charged my iPod and listened to all kinds of music - 80's, John Denver, country, AC/DC - LOVE my iPod and my iHome is fabulous! Thanks sweetie pie!!

Hope you have a great week; thanks for popping in, I really appreciate your visit!



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Boho Blossoms from MFT, PTI Big & Bold Wishes
Paper: PTI Kraft, Sweet Blush & Dark Chocolate, DP by Basic Grey, GKD 80 lb. Cream
Ink: VersaMagic Pink Petunia & Pixie Dust, SU! Close to Cocoa
Accessories: nestabilities, sponging, button by PTI, paper piercing