Apples Galore

Hi friends,

Last week was tough.  The first week of school at a start up charter school is no easy task.  The kids are having a hard time adjusting to the new routine and the new rules and the fact that there is no Bible instruction.  I had not been able to create any cards for the teachers, but this weekend I decided I needed to get to it.  I spent some time browsing at My Creative Time and found the greatest video.  She is amazing!!!  I can't say it enough.  She's unbelievable!!!!!

Well, I took to it. I didn't have the cartridges she used, nor did I know that my gypsy could do half of what it does, but I did decide to make a card inspired by hers.  I had to weld two apples together from Create A Critter at different sizes (semi-new skill). Then I grouped and copied the image, flipping one of them and then welding it to the first.  I then used Stampin Up DSP to cut out the second layer of apples and green cardstock for the leaves.  My white gel pen did some accenting.  On one of the cards, I used the SU marker, but I didn't "LOVE" it.  I switched to chalk to distress the edges of the apple a little bit.  I aso used Baker's Twine to add a little bow.  I had to color the stem chocolate chip since there was no layer for one.  In hindsight, I probably could've manually cut one, but  I was so thrilled at the welding and grouping and flipping...that I totally forgot I had two hands and a pair of scissors!

This is Emma's card.  It's it beautiful????

This is mine:

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.   I think next time I'll move the top apple over some more to the left.  Either way, I am proud of myself for trying.  I don't think it turned out as bad as it could have, don't you???

Have a great night!

Tooth Fairy Pillow

So, it seems that my daughter is going to lose all of her teeth quickly.  This morning she pulled another one. Yikes!  Well, I hid her Tinkerbell Tooth Fairy pillow so well that now I can't find it...so I came up with a plan.  I made her a new one.  She chose zebra fabric and the pocket for the tooth is red.  Now...anyone who knows me knows that I am not a very experienced seamstress, so I tend to stay away from anything that isn't rectangular or a square.  Lucky for Cassie, the pillow was square!  HAHA!!!

I think it turned out super cute, don't you?

Get Well

Happy Saturday!

I love Saturdays because I get to sit in my office and just browse and get inspired.  Today I made a card for my brother in law, Joel, who just had surgery on his shoulder.  They live in Tennessee, so visiting him is unlikely, but I did want to send him a little card to tell him I'm thinking of him.

This card was made using crumb cake cardstock from Stampin Up, Baby Blue by Bazzil and Soft Tints Blue Gingham from Paper Pizazz. The stamp was courtesy of my friend, Norma at Pink Bling Crafter and is from the Stampin Up Ain't Love Grand Hostess Set.  I used Crystal Gel to make the water drops and the water puddle look real. I chalked the edges of the whisper white paper (Stampin Up) and the edges of the crumb cake to add a little something.  After looking at it, I thought..."hmm..that crumb cake piece needs something."  I took a black gel pen and drew some droplets and colored them in with my watercolor pencils and added more crystal gel.  So, now it looks like it's raining.  Hope you like!

Card Donations

Hi everyone

It's no secret that I love My Pink Stamper stamps.  I check her blog often for inspiration and to find out new releases.  This week she posted a letter from a follower who needs our help.

"I really need your help along with the your followers. Long story short. I am a nurse at the Medical of WI in Plastic and Reconstruction dept. We specialize in the forefront in reconstruction for breast cancer. Women from all over the country come to us.  This year I/we decided to sponsor the breakfast for breast cancer survivors. 1500 women who have had breast cancer or who are actively dealing with it now will attend this breakfast before the run/walk.

Every year prior to this year I have made something for the women and handed it out at the end of the race/walk. To my astonishment people would be grabbing-pushing aside other women and men to get what I was handing out. Ex: white and pink chocolate covered Oreos, wrapped pink and white M&M's mini bags. TO my astonishment again the cancer survivors really didn't receive what I made.

Well this year, the breakfast will be catered by one of the best chefs in Milwaukee. I feel it is an honor to sponsor this. Where you come in - Please if one person could make a card to support uplift make someone smile. It would make their day. The card would be placed at their seat. Please Please help! 

I would be happy to give my address if you could ask people to help me with this. Just 1 card - 1500 Pink Stamper followers. The Breakfast is on September 28th.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Mortl RN,CPSN

Kathy Mortl

10261 N Sunnycrest Drive

Mequon, WI  53092"

I really struggled with this card. I couldn't find the perfect combination.  Nothing seemed right.  Finally, I reverted back to my classic feminine damask paper and came up with this little card.  I used Melon Mambo by Stampin Up and the stamp set is from Robyn's Everyday Occasions.   Stickles make the ribbon jump out.  Inside the card, I wrote an encouraging note to a complete stranger who needs me. 

Labor of Love - Halloween Banner Blog Hop SNEAK PEEK

I am joining an amazing group of people in making halloween banners for www.pediatricspecialty.com.  Here's a sneek peek at my banner.  Hope you can join us!

Back to School!

Hi everyone,

I have mixed feelings about back to school tomorrow.  As some of you may remember, our private Christian school closed at the end of last school year, finalizing a 34 year legacy and leaving 557 students to find new homes.  Although we attempted to open a new Christian school for the Fall, the timing was not on our side and it was not in God's plan for this school year.  I have decided to leave my kids (who now enter 1st and 2nd grades) registered at the public charter school that is leasing out the church property where our school formerly was housed.  Some of our teachers were hired, but many more were not.  I am happy that my kids are both assigned to former Florida Bible teachers, but am sad because they will not be in the same environment and will no longer be in a place where they can freely and openly profess their love for Christ.  I pray that they will adjust to their new routines and trust that God's timing is perfect.

I've made these Back to School cards for them and for my niece, Lizzie, who is going to be attending a brand new private school. She's entering middle school and it's a tough enough age without factoring in the new school.  I thought a little card might pick up their spirits.

The apples are cut at 3" from Preserves.  Cardstock is all Stampin Up. DSP from Stamping up is on the gingham and green polka dotted cards.  The other two are from the Joann's stash.  Stamps vary.  There is one that is a hodge podge of MPS and the others are clear stamps from the dollar bin at Michael's and JoAnn's.

I took MPS and mixed it up to create this for my son, who really is my Superstar!!

Birthday Girl

Hi everyone! Happy Friday!

I made this card for someone special.  The sentiment is from Storybook.  I cut it at 2.75".  I had a tough time with the cuts, but it finally worked.  I actually wanted to use my Pixie to add some stitching, but I'm having a hard time making the thread not break.  I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong...any suggestions???

I used Turquoise stickles because you know I MUST have some bling.  The yellow paper has been embossed with the swirls folder on the Cuttlebug.  The ribbon is from the dollar bin at Michael's.  The patterned paper is from DCWV.  All of the solid paper is Stampin Up.  The base is crumb cake, the blue is Not Quite Navy and the yellow is....ummm.....So Saffron. I LOVE Stampin Up.

I sure hope she likes it!

Flowerpot Card

HI everyone,

 I know lots of folks make these little flowerpot cards, but I had never tried it.  I used scrap paper and my cuttlebug for this.   The tutorial is from Momo's blog.

Paper is SU Soft Suede and the flowers are just a lot of different scraps that  I had. To cut them, I layered the paper on top of the flower die and put it through the cuttlebug.  This allowed there to be many cut at once.  At one point, I set all four of the dies on the plate and stacked five sheets of different cardstock and cut!  Voila!  many many many little flower pieces.  Then, I decided how to put them together and added them to my card.

The sentiment is from PaperTrey Ink in Melon Mambo from SU ink.

Enjoy!

A New Banner

My nephew's girlfriend, Cassandra, is turning 21!!  Her mom asked me to help her decorate for a party, so we sprung into action.  We chose a damask theme with hot pink and Cassandra loved it!  (I think it's cool that she and my daughter share the same name).  Anyhow, for the banner I used damask paper and black together with Stampin Up Melon Mambo.   I welded the letters onto the top of the pennant/flag so that the banner would not need two strings.  I also cut some of the models on the forever young cartridge to give it a more sassy look.  The letters were put through the cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder for texture and dimension.

Many many MANY thanks to my friend, Liz, at Which Craft for the tips.  My banner skills are still under construction, but Liz and I talked for a while and through the magic of texting and laughter...this project really came together nicely.  :)

It looks so pretty in person.  I'm disappointed in the photo.

Picture Frame for Cassie

My kids are going to Grandma's tonight.  Cassie always gets "worried" when she's not with me.  Bryan couldn't care any less.  He loves going to Abuela's house.  Well, she asked me (with tears in her eyes) to please take a picture together so that she wouldn't be worried while at Grandma's house.  I took photos from her birthday and created a frame using the storybook cartridge.  The frame was made at 4.94 on the gypsy.  I used turquoise stickles for the accents.   The paper is Stampin Up. One is Not Quite Navy and the other is...(i'll have to get back to you).  On the Family Time Frame I used SU gold cardstock, which I LOVE!!  These were fun to make and only took a few minutes.

Have a blessed day everyone.

Creative Diva: 300 Follower Blog Candy Giveaway

I just came across an amazing giveaway. Check it out!!

Creative Diva: 300 Follower Blog Candy Giveaway: "Hello and Welcome to my blog: Creative Diva! Wow! I can't believe I'm only 2 followers away from reaching 300. It has been wonderful meeti..."

Post It Noteholders

Happy Sunday!

Today I made three very easy Post It noteholders.  I'll be giving two of them as gifts to my sister and my best friend/cousin.  I've been gone for a week and was not able to buy them any souvenirs, so I decided to make them these little post it holders.  I learned how to make them from Kerry.  I visit her blog often because she is amazing.  I didn't have chipboard, so I used my cuttlebug to cut some flowers and a ribbon.  Enjoy!

Gypsy Wanderings Card

Hi everyone!  I hope you're enjoying your Saturday.  I made this card on Thursday for my sister's birthday.  She really doesn't care for the A2 sized cards, so I had to come up with another size.  Basically, I used 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 sheet of  Crumb Cake cardstock for this.  The patterned paper is from Joann's. The pink paper is Stampin Up and the brown is soft suede Stampin Up.  I cut the cupcake at 3.5" and the candle as well.  I had to hide some of the candle under the cupcake because it was too big.

I wanted to personalize it, so I made a frame also on Gypsy Wanderings and played with it a bit to make the size work out.  I printed Happy Birthday Debbie on the computer so that it would be just for her!  I like it.  There's a gift card in there for one of her favorite restaurants.

For the purse, I used a tutorial that I found on Kerry's Paper Crafts.  IT's by a wonderful and talented lady named Becky Roberts. You can see the original post HERE.  She has great tutorials for sale.  This purse was super easy to make.  The tag that I added after the original picture was made by using a Martha Stewart stamp set that makes monograms.  It's a great set!  I used Chocolate Chip ink by SU and lots of stickles, like usual. I put a purse hanger and a keychain in it.  I hope Deb likes them both.  She is a special person in my life.

Happy 100th Lucille Ball

Anyone who knows me knows that I Love Lucy!!!  I do.  I don't know all of the facts, dates or anything like that, but I think she was a pioneer.  She fought every odd and succeeded in a male-dominated industry.  I love to watch reruns and laugh out loud every time I watch them...even though chances are I've seen it at least 300 times before.

So, my post for today is just to say Happy Birthday Lucy!  We love you!

You Had Me at Craft - Made it Myself Mondays!

(I can't figure out how to put the button codes on here)

Hi friends,
I decided to show off my Christmas in July projects over at Alex's blog.  I check her blog often because she is just amazing!!!   If you'd like to head back to the Christmas in July post, click HERE

Giveaway Alert!!!!

Hi everyone!

I'm back from a few days at a water resort in Orlando.  It was a lot of fun, but I sure missed my craft room.  I got a chance to go to Hobby Lobby.  That was the highlight of my Monday!  How exciting!

Well...my good friend and SU demonstrator, Norma, is having an awesome giveaway to celebrate her first anniversary.  Head on over to Pink Bling Crafter for a chance to win!