Day 30: Party Time!!!!

WOOOHOOOO!!!! I made it! And today is party time! Mardi Gras party that is! We are heading out to Tybee for a parade and music and just to hang out at the beach! But before I go, I had to post my 30th project!!!


This Unity butterfly reminded me of a Mardi Gras mask, so that is what I made it! I stamped it in green, yellow and purple and added lots of glittery detail, cut out the "eyes" and voila! Party mask!

I really wanted to put "Celebrate" as the sentiment, but did not have a large enough, or pretty enough font. I decided "friends" was just as appropriate, since withouth the encouragement of friends like you, I may not have made it these last 30 days!

So THANKS!!! time to go whoop it up at the beach!





Hugs,

Day 29: Good Luck!

I got my Stampin Success in the mail today and they had a St Patrick's Day card using the new heart punch. I have not bought the punch yet because I am on my personal challenge, but I do have a Creative Memories one. I thought I would give the idea a spin:



I used some of that pre-scored wild wasabi that I still have tons of and lots of other goodies I had lying around. The white scallop piece is actually the inside of the card. Unfortunately this meant the front piece was just a little too short to stay closed on its own! I solved that problem by attachine some wasabi striped ribbon to the back and bringing it around front to close the card. Oh, and that cute button in the center? That is one of the new ones from PTI--part of my valentine gift from the hubby!

Thanks for stopping by!


Hugs,

Day 28: Girl Scout Cookies

We got our GSC today. We only ordered the new kind this year. I have been sick and was desperate for some inspiration!

This cookie box was my color inspiration.

I decided to use PTI's summer sunrise and some turquoise paper that I had in my scraps. Top that off with some white craft ink and here is what you get:

Not the best inspired card, but at least the cookies were good!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Day 27: Retro Cool

I realized today that I only made thank you cards for the children that attended E's party. I needed to make some grown up cards for the friends of the family that attended as well. But they needed something a little less cute and a lot more cool... I searched through my mounds of unused paper and came across this retro cool style:


I was immediately inspired by the shapes and colors. I used Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Chocolate Chip to come up with this groovy card:


The images are from SU's Wow Flowers and Much appreciated sets. I thought the circle-starburst thing looked kinda retro and fit in with the design. I "stamped off" the ink so it would be a little more subtle.

The sentiment is stamped on Very Vanilla and matted with Chocolate Chip. I used a snippet of Tangerine Tango ribbon and a turquoise button to add some flair.

I don't think I would have typically used this color combo, but I really love how it all came together!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hugs,

Day 26: A Little Note of Thanks

The birthday party was a success! And although not many kids showed up, we all had a very good time at the bowling alley! One plus to a small number of guests: less thank you cards to write! Here is just a small little thank you I came up with for E to fill out:
I was inspired by the flower print paper and went from there. The paper was thick enough to use as a base, and I just added some Regal Rose and Perfectly Plum behind the white sentiment piece.

I embossed a square around the white CS...and I have decided that I need to get those nestabilities!!! I think that will be one of my first purchases after my 30 days is through!

In the center of the "o" I punched a hole and used packing tape on the back as my adhesive for the glitter.

The over all size is 4x4. I think it will be just perfect for E to give to her little friends.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Day 25: And Now For Something Completely Different!

Hello! Today is the big day! We have a birthday party to put on! In lieu of that, my project is definitely different, and definitely not a paper craft! Most birthdays for the kids I make their cake. Today is no exception. So, for my bobblehead LPS lovin girl here it is:

This cake was a little time consuming...and I am no professional...but I think in the end it turned out well. I made a square and a round cake and put them together to make a sort of "stage" for the bobbleheads. I used toys that we already had to decorate it with her theme. This is something I always do. If they don't have a particular thing, then it gets purchased as part of their birthday gift. And although my skills are lacking, I really enjoy doing this for my kiddos! Needless to say, DD loved it and we are on our way to her big shindig now!

See you tomorrow (only 5 days left)!

Hugs,

Day 24: Goodie Bags

Tomorrow is the big birthday party, and I am short on time. Here are the goodie bags we will be giving out to my DD party guests:

I used regular everyday lunch sacks that I had around the house and stamped them with the It's a Party set that I used for the invites. I also stamped "thanks" on the bags. For an added touch, I scalloped the bag edge and tied some ribbon through to close. Very quick and simple! And what's inside? Bubbles, gum, clackers, play doh, a squirt gun and a gel pen. I had to make the goodies as unisex as possible...plus we are going bowling, so it had to be fairly inexpensive!

Thanks for stopping by! I have something out of the ordinary planned for tomorrow's post!!


Hugs,

Day 23: Valentine Embellishment Gift

I made a nugget tin today as a Valentine gift for a friend of mine. It is an "embellie box".


Inside I made little boxes out of 4x4 paper and filled them with brads and flowers. I also put in a couple yards of coordinating ribbon and some clear stamps from Michael's. I wrapped a simple paper band around the outside using SU's Patterns DSP. I created a scalloped square centerpiece out of Real Red and Whisper White CS.

The heart image and sentiment are from Love You Much. I added some 5/8 red grossgrain ribbon and colored some of the image with Taken With Teal. This is a real simple little gift, but I think she will love all the surprises inside!

Happy Valentine's Day!


Hugs,

Day 22: Birthday Card for DD

Now that all the Valentine's are done and I have more time to focus, I decided to make a birthday card for my dear daughter who turns eight on Sunday. I consider her to be girly and bright and her smile warms my heart. Here is my creation:


I knew I wanted to use a rub on image from the SU Level 3 Loop to Loop for this card. I have been drawn to Baja Breeze lately and thought this paper was a nice subtle background for the front. This paper is also from the level 3 bundle. (everything is layered onto PTI white)

I decided on a rainbow theme and pulled out some primas in the appropriate colors. The centers are antiques brass brads, which I thought went well with the Chocolate rub on.

One thing I love to do with my rub ons is add color. I colored in the letters and flower to pull the rainbow theme into the sentiment. I found this technique by mistake a while back. Turns out that if you color a rub on image, there is a little bit of a clear outline around the actual image from the rub on material...so you kinda have a white "shield" around the image where the color doesn't go. I really like the effect! (you can see another example here)

I also added a green vine rub on behind the primas for a little added depth.

This card makes me smile...just like my daughter does. I hope she likes it!

Hugs,

Day 21: Three Minute Birthday Invitation

Today I was in a panic as I realized that amidst all the Valentine prep I completely forgot to make invitations for my daughter's birthday party on Monday! She loves Littlest Pet Shop and can't get enough of them. I was actually going to purchase the invites, but no store around here carries that theme. So here I am, last minute, trying to whip up an invite.

Here is what I came up with:

This design literally took like 3 minutes! It actually turned out quite perfect because the animals kinda resemble the LPS with the head-bigger-than-body look. I am so thankful I bought this "It's a Party" set forever ago before it retired! This is definitely the simplest invite ever...but my daughter loved them.


And that is all that matters....


Hugs,

Day 20: An Oldie but a Goodie

Today I am 2/3 of the way done with my 30 day non-purchase challenge! Only 10 more days and boy am I having fun!

Today is an oldie but a goodie---Nugget Tins! My eldest DD has a Valentine's party today and she made all her own Valentines--without me. My job was to make brownies ("just regular brownies please mom, no fancy stuff") Oh the horror! So I had to find another creative outlet! Each of my children's teachers will be getting these:

I had bought a slew of tins last spring intending to use them for Father's Day. Ummm, sure I was....Anyway, I'm using them now! These Hershey's Treasures have this really pretty purple foil around them. And that was the start of my color scheme.

I lined the inner edge with Raspberry tart DSP (LOVE this stuff!) and lined the bottome with Elegant Eggplant. I did not glue anything onto or inside the tin (more on that later). Each candy is wrapped with an Avery label stamped with images from PTI's Limitless Labels. Ink is Eggplant and Rose Red.

For the outside band (again no adhesive on the tin), I scalloped the edges of a strip of Rose red card stock and placed a strip of Raspberry tart in the center. I then formed it around the tin and used sticky strip to glue the ends together.

The largest flowers I had were yellow, so I dyed them with white craft ink and embossed them with white embossing powder for extra measure. I still love the way embossed flowers look.

The flower's center is three elements: a 3/4" Rose Red CS circle, a large SU Filigree brad with a SU purple rhinestone center (Round Ice collection).

The flower focal point didn't really say "Valentine's Day" to me, so I stamped a cute little tag from the Happy Heart Day set on Rose Red CS with Elegant Eggplant ink. I colored the hearts with a white gel pen. The TEACHER sentiment is from Limitless Labels and is white craft stamped on elegant eggplant. I tied the tag to the flower with linen thread. My DD name and the date are on the reverse side of the tag.

I also intend on placing a note on the inside bottom focusing on "REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE" instructing them on ways they can reuse their tins (bake a goodie, fill it up, etc). This is why I did not use any adhesive. I wanted them to be able to take apart the whole thing and reuse it as they saw fit.

As for how I did it...it was really easy. The inside of the tin has a lip that helps keep the top of the lining in place. The CS bottom is cut to fit inside snugly, therefore holding the bottom of the lining in place as well. Unfortunately, I don't remember the height measurement, but I know I cut it just slightly shorter that the height of the tin!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hugs,

Day 19: Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

Today's project is a little bit of a few things. It started with a sketch, continued with chipboard (and more buttons!), rallied around Nichole's "signature" announcement and commenced with a sewing mishap.

Now I usually don't blog hop and do sketch challenges, but every once in a while something catches my eye. A couple of days ago, Nichole posted a link on her blog to a CPS sketch-- which I dutifully ignored. But a lot of you out there did not. And I took notice. The CPS sketch:


I guess what caught me was the large heart image. I immediately knew I wanted to use one of my chipboard hearts for my interpretation. That led me to my next dilemma: ink. I love the way craft ink covers chipboard--I just don't have a large selection in my stock to choose from. Seriously..like maybe 5 colors! I chose retired Baroque Burgundy.

Dilemma #2: PAPER! I had no CS in this retired color. Luckily I did have some of this groovy gold/burgundy stuff lying around. Crisis averted.

So, I am off and running...ink up the chipboard, add a snazzy accent and button, punch a scallop edge. OOPS- punch doesn't work well on this groovy stuff! Get out the scissors!

Now we are rolling along....Remember that "signature" announcement? Well I thought it would be neat to add my own flair to this card and hand write my own sentiment--OOPS again! I do not have any markers to match!!! Thankfully, I remembered that somewhere in my vast stash of neglected scrapbooking materials I have some CM markers! And there is a color there! (P.S. How do ya like my sentiment???)


After all that, I finally think I am done with my card when the embellishment monster comes. Anyone else know this guy? He sits right next to your ear and says "Doesn't that {project, card, tin, page...} need something??? How about RIBBON!!!!" (or bling, or stickles, or buttons, or...) Am I the only one? Well he pounced again, and I had this ribbon....so....of course I had to use it! But tying it was no good for this card! Oh no, no, no! I had to sew it on!

So, if you look closely you can see mishap #5 (have you been counting?). Yeah, it's there. I am obviously not the sewing-on-cards queen....

After everything, I really don't think the end result is half bad. And I like the looks of my sentiment...

Thanks for reading my roller coaster ramblings....Hope your projects all have a silver lining!

Hugs,

Day 18: Friends Forever

Today I played along with Nichole's challenge. One of my lucky friends will get this card and the new stamp set Nichole is offering if I win!!! But I am not telling who cause that would just ruin the surprise! *wink*


Images are all PTI, stamped in Chocolate Chip, Ripe Avocado and Baja Breeze. I attempted to do Nichole's button-ribbon-thingy but mine didn't turn out as well as hers! Green rhinestones are in the center of the small flowers and the large Spiral Bouquet flowers are adorned with cinnamon Stickles. PTI white card stock, Baja Breeze cardstock and some yummy satin chocolate chip ribbon from SU. Button is Old Olive.

Happy Stamping!!!
Hugs,

Day 17: Buttons

Nichole announced on her blog that PTI will now be selling BUTTONS!!! So in honor of that announcement, and as a way to clear out some room for those fabulous finds, I have made a project with BUTTONS!

Not a whole lot to say here. I wanted to use buttons! The paisley-ish print is some scrap paper I had from Hobby Lobby. The buttons are from Walmart I think. The gathered ribbon is from SU, but I am pretty sure it is retired. Base is textured Very Vanilla from SU andthe sentiment is PTI stamped in Berry Sorbet.

Enjoy!
Hugs,

Day 16:Reduce, Reuse Recycle PTI Swap

I was so busy today that I did not have time to participate in Nichole's sketch challenge! So I am posting the cards I have made for the PTI round 2 swap on Splitcoast. I signed up for the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle portion of the swap and if I understand it correctly, the cards should have the same layout, but not necessarily the same colors.

The first thing I did was go through my scraps and look for any cardstock that was already cut down to standard card size. This dictated my base colors. I then looked through my DSP scraps to find coordinating designs. The scraps I found mostly had floral type designs so I scoured my small collection of PTI stamps for anything that resembled the designs found in the DSP. I used the same leaf image on all the cards and just substituted different shaped flowers to go with the DSP. I used flower shapes from Honey Bees, Beautiful Blooms, and Little Lady to name a few. Each card has a scrap ribbon bow and each card has stickles added to the flowers. For the sentiments, I used some acrylic word tiles that I have had FOREVER. They needed some love! In two cases, I did not have tiles to match, so I stamped a sentiment in coordinating colors and used a clear 3-D sticker to make my own tile. This can be seen on the "wish" and "for you" cards. This swap really inspired me to reach for those scrap boxes first for inspiration...and it was right up my alley for the 30 day non-purchase challenge!

Some of them I think turned out really nice, others maybe not so much...leave me a comment and let me know which on is your favorite!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Stamping!


Hugs,

Day 15: Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Well, Nichole at Papertrey has done it again! Another great contest with another great prize! Today's blog challenge is to use a rainbow of colors. The reward? One lucky winner will receive a year's worth of PTI card stock FREE!!!!
This challenge really inspired me to do something I have been thinking about for a while: RAINBOW FROGS!!!

Now I am sure this is not a "new" idea, and I am sure someone somewhere has probably done the same sort of thing, but I have not taken the opportunity until now to play with this sort of image and colors.

I did not have every PTI color, so I did have to substitute Baja Breeze for Ocean Tides. I also used Real Red ink instead of Pure Poppy. It's a little brighter than the paper...

With this card I decided to keep it simple. I knew I wanted the frog layout (aren't they cute???) and I decided to do a rainbow mat. Once I put that on some white cardstock I didn't really think it needed anything more! Believe me- I played with the idea of ribbon, glitter and rainbow words! I think the black sentiment is just perfect.

With Nichole putting out these challenges everyday, I am having no problem creating something new for my 30 day challenge! I may just have to extend it to 60....Oh, and that cute little frog? He's from PTI's Pond Life-one of my very favorite sets!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,