3.30.2009

One Cute Bunny!

Well, thanks to Jennifer Buck's new Clean and Simple Scrapbook challenge I have now found that it is possible to complete a layout in an hour or two! :) Click HERE to see her sketch and samples for this week. AJ has a cute sample for you too if you are looking for more inspiration. I have LOADS of pictures just waiting to be scrapbooked. With Easter around the corner I thought it would be fun to create a layout around an adorable picture I found from my oldest son's second Easter.
All of the paper is from DCWV Spring Stack. For my journal box, I stamped the frame from Unity's Flirty Flowers set on the lined paper and then cut around the scallops. I also used Doodlebug buttons, Taylored Expressions tiny twinkles, Offray ribbon and Making Memories shimmer stickers.

Here is a close up of my cute little bunny!
It's hard to believe this picture was taken 5 years ago...now this year will be my youngest son's 2nd Easter. I think I need to go find some new boy bunny ears for him too! :) Thanks for visiting!

3.29.2009

A Color and Sketch Challenge Card

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a relaxing weekend. Yesterday I enjoyed the Unity blog hop and today I snuck in a little crafting time while my youngest was napping. For my card I used Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch #11 and the beautiful color combination is from Dawn's new Raspberry Suite Color Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today! I'll post again soon!

3.28.2009

Inspirational Blog Hop - Unity Style!


Well, today is the day...Unity's HUGE blog hop, full of inspiration from all kinds of paper crafters! To start at the beginning of the blog hop go to theunitystampco.blogspot.com. Hopefully you are joining me from Latisha's blog...I'm sure she had a beautiful project for you!

I have two cards to share today. My first card has a quote that is very meaningful and inspirational to me...
I used stamps from Unity's Flirty Flowers and Gratitude=Joy sets. And I stamp kissed the leaves with Unity's Worn Grid background to give them a little texture. Paper: Scenic Route Ink: Colorbox Dark Brown Quote sticker: Creative Imaginations

My second card is just a fun birthday card using Bella Blvd. paper, Taylored Expressions Tiny Twinkles and stamps from Unity's Flirty Flowers set.

Now, hop on over to the ever so talented SARA HENTON to see her inspirational Unity project!

3.27.2009

EtsyInspired #29

For this week's EtsyInpsired Challenge the featured shop is Handmade by Rebecca. She is a fellow paper crafter but also has some beautiful jewelry and scarves in her shop too.
I was inspired by this adorable heart bracelet. I love the pink and brown color combination. For my card I used Caardvark's current sketch challenge and my new Bella Blvd paper.

Here is what I came up with:

Isn't that bunny adorable?! The Happy Easter sentiment is stamped...somehow I managed to get it right in the center of that pink circle on the first try! :) In order to give the card some dimension, I popped the center panel up on foam squares and then lifted the scalloped circle up on another dimensional, giving the card 3 different levels. Thanks for visiting today...make sure to check out the rest of the Design Team (links are in my right side bar) and if you have never participated in an EtsyInspired challenge, click HERE to see the rules. Also we would love for you to join our group on Paper Craft Planet where you can introduce yourself, chat, and show off your EtsyInspired creations!

I will be posting again tomorrow for Unity's World Record Inspirational Blog Hop...should be fun!

3.25.2009

Wednesday Creations

Happy Wednesday everyone! Thanks for coming by to visit me today! I have three Unity cards to share. First up is a card using Unity's Something Within set...I love the Bible verses in this set and the frame is just beautiful!
Paper: BoBunny Ribbon: May Arts Rhinestones: Taylored Expressions Tiny Twinkles Ink: Versafine Black

Next up is a card I created for the CAS challenge this week on SCS, to use a punch. I used a hole punch to add a little more interest to the scalloped edge. I used my favorite Unity sets for this card: Gratitude=Joy and Simply Said.
Paper: World Win Colormates Ink: Colorbox Charcoal Ribbon: May Arts

I wasn't in love with my first attempt at a CAS punch card so I decided to create one more and here is what I came up with:
Again I used stamps from Unity's Gratitude=Joy and Simply Said sets. I love this flower punch but I rarely use it and I'm not sure this card even needed it...any thoughts?

I will be back on Friday with my EtsyInspired project...Ashley is posting the EtsyInspired Challenge a day early this week because on Saturday we are participating in Unity's Inspirational Blog Hop which you do not want to miss! There are over 200 people participating so there should be plenty of inspiration! And tomorrow is Unity's Hip Hop day so be sure to check out Angela's blog in the morning for the blog hop and specials!

3.23.2009

Clean and Simple Scrapbooking

As many of you know I enjoy clean and simple cards but as you saw with my Park Days layout I am not much of a CAS scrapbooker. However, the ever so talented Jennifer Buck has started a Clean and Simple Scrapbook challenge and I am super excited about it because I think I might actually be able to get more than one page done a month! :) So for my first CAS scrapbook page I chose a nice picture of my wonderful grandmother and me. She is one amazing woman and has such spunk! Unfortunately she lives in California and I only get to see her every few years. Check out Jennifer's blog for the CAS sketch...here is my page:

I used SU's So Very set and Unity's Just my Type alphabet (for the word special). I love this Kelli Green paper by Paper Accents and the BoBunny polka dot paper...so fresh and fun! Then I just added a Prima flower and Creative Cafe button to finish it off. Here is a close up of the picture/sentiments:

A BIG thank you to Jennifer! I finished this page within an hour and I am quite happy with it too!

I was tagged by my fabulous EtsyInspired DT Leader Ashley so I am supposed to share my sixth picture from my sixth folder. So here it is. This is a picture of my oldest son at the aquarium two summers ago, discovering sea life in the touch pool.

Now it is my turn to tag six people to do the same, I choose:

Elizabeth

Jenn

Linsey

Jacquie

Natalie

Tiffany

That's it for me today...I will definitely be back Wednesday with a few projects! Thanks for stopping by!

3.21.2009

EtsyInspired Challenge #28

Happy Saturday! If you are going to do some crafting this weekend, make sure to check out this week's EtsyInspired shop, AllieBeans for a little inspiration and your chance to win one of her cute and stylish pouches! I was inspired by these:

I just loved the bright colors with the branch silhouette.

I decided to make a set of thank you cards since I never seem to have enough. I used my Unity Hawaiian stem stamp along with a Stampendous Thank you sentiment.





Be sure to check out the rest of the EtsyInspired Design Team which is now the EtsyInspired Eleven...leave some love for our newest DT members Kristen, Tonya, and Taylor! All of the DT blogs are linked up in my right sidebar. And don't forget to link your project up to Ashley's post for your chance to win this week's prize. Also use Keyword: EIC28 when uploading to SCS or PCP. If you are new to the EtsyInspired challenges click HERE to see the rules and then stop by our Paper Craft Planet Group to introduce yourself!

3.20.2009

Welcome Spring!

Hooray! Today is officially the first day of Spring and I am hopeful that it is going to bring us some warmer days! :)


In honor of Spring, my first card was inspired by this vase of beautiful, blooming daffodils that are brightening our dining room this week. I used a sketch from 2 Sketches 4 you and came up with this 'Springy' card:




I love this great Kelli Green by Paper Accents along with the BoBunny polka dot paper! I used my Unity grass stamp from the Flirty Flowers set and accented it with some Jolee's stickers. Then I just added my felt thickers and I was done!

Now, I guess March is Youth Art Month and 2 Sketches 4 You is encouraging everyone to have a child in their life create a card using their sketch this week too. It was nice for my oldest son, Tristan (age 6), and I to sit down and do some crafting together. Here is his card:
I have a scrap box that I keep for him with bits of papers and images from my projects that I don't end up using. But for this card I also let him go through all my paper and offered him any embellishments or stamps too. We had fun and he is excited to have his card on my blog where everyone can see it! :)

The third card I have to share with you all today is one I made for the SCS color challenge this week - Kraft, Red, Yellow & Black. I thought these colors would make for a great teacher card and here is what I came up with:

First I carefully stamped Unity's Just my Type letters on the writing line to spell Teacher. Then I thought the yellow paper looked too plain so I stamped Unity's worn grid background stamp in white. The A+ is a Cosmo Cricket sticker and I created the other circle using Unity's School Rock Star set. To finish it off I added a little paper clip and some American Crafts ribbon. Then I popped the whole main panel and circle up on foam squares to give a little dimension.

Thanks for visiting today...Angela is having an amazing 30% off sale through Sunday so it is a great time to get yourself some Unity! :) I'll be back tomorrow with my EtsyInspired project!

3.18.2009

Unity Fun

Hello all! My sweet brother (click HERE to see a picture of us together) got me an assortment of Doodlebug Designs crushed velvet flock for my birthday and I have been experimenting with it over these past few days. It took awhile but I think I am getting the hang of it and I have three cards using my Unity stamps (of course!) that I wanted to share with you today. First up is my personal favorite using stamps from Unity's Flirty Flowers set.

For this card I first stamped each circle in the same color ink that I was going to flock it with. Then I used a glue pen to carefully go over all the dots on the stamped image and added the flock. I also used flock on the 'Hello' sentiment.

This next card uses stamps from Unity's Eco Chic set. I love using SU Naturals ivory cardstock and natural fibers with these stamps. The thick twine is from May Arts.
Since this tree image is open I filled the leaves and trunk/branches with glue and then added the flock. I also added flock to the leaves in the 'eco chic' sentiment.

Finally is a card using my first and still favorite Unity set, Gratitude=Joy. The thanks sentiment is from the Flirty Flowers set. I created this card for the SCS Clean and Simple challenge this week which was to find an inspiration piece from the Robeez site. HERE are the shoes that inspired me...I loved the soft colors against the white background. Here is my card:

For this card I went out and bought my first glue pad which I found worked much better for flocking a larger, solid image. Thanks for visiting today! I appreciate all your comments and any flocking tips if you have them! :)

Tomorrow is Unity's Hip Hop day...check out Angela's blog in the morning for the blog hop and specials and then stop by the Unity forum to chat and maybe even win a stamp or two! :)

3.15.2009

Enjoy a Good Sketch?

Every month Deanne posts several layout and card sketches to help inspire your creativity over on her blog Just My Sketches. For the next 6 months I have the honor of being a part of her design team and today I am sharing my first card using her March 15th sketch which you can see HERE.

All of the paper and the designer transparency are from My Mind's Eye Penny Lane collection. Then I just added some ribbon and felt thickers to finish off the card. I love this paper...such soft, pretty colors and I thought it would make for a nice Mother's Day card. Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

3.14.2009

EtsyInspired Challenge #27

Ready for some inspiration??? If you love art and trees you will love the featured Etsy shop this week, TR Mack Studio. Here is the piece that I was inspired by...it's called Tree of Giving. Isn't it beautiful?!

When I saw this print I knew I would be using one of my favorite tree stamps...the Unity Dream Tree. I was also inspired by the beautiful turquoise blue color...here is what I came up with:

I just used some paper from my scrap stash (trying to be good about using up what I have), stamped my image and Simply Said sentiment in Versafine black ink, and then added a bunch of turquoise rhinestones to make it really shine!

The rest of the Design Team has some fabulous EtsyInspired projects to share too so be sure to check them out! :) And don't forget to link your creation up to Ashley's post for your chance to win this weeks great prize, a $20 Gift Certificate to Pez-a-doodle!

DT Links:
Heather, Jackie, Joy
Lindsay, Lee, Shannon
Tiffany, Taylor, Ashley

Stop by our PCP forum to chat and show off your EtsyInspired projects this week! :)


3.13.2009

SNR Spring Fling Blog-o-Log Event

I am so excited to be a part of Scrapbook News and Review's Spring Fling event. If you have not checked out their site before be sure to pay a visit...not only does SNR have a fabulous online magazine but they recently launched Card Universe too and between the two sites there is just a ton to explore and lots of great projects to feast your eyes upon! :)

The first project I wanted to share with you all is a 12 x 12 layout that I created for my LSS using My Mind's Eye Bloom and Grow collection (a great Spring line). So, I decided to do a Park Days layout featuring my oldest son and I thought it would be fun to have pictures of him playing at the park both as a young toddler and as a big 5 year old to show how much he has grown.

Here are some close up shots so you can get a better look at the details and you can double click on any of the pictures if you want a full screen view.





Next, I wanted to share a set of clean and simple cards I created this week using a few of my Unity stamps. I love getting the most out of my stamps and supplies...for these cards I used one tree stamp (Burberry Tree) and just embellished it in different ways to make each card unique while still keeping them similar in style to work well as a set.





The sentiments are from Unity's Simply Said and Gratitude = Joy sets. For the cupcake tree I just carefully cut the little cupcakes out of a patterned piece of paper I had, put some Stickles on the frosting for some added interest, and put each one on a foam square for a little dimension.

Thanks so much for visiting today! If you have any questions about my projects feel free to ask them in your comment and I will make sure to provide you with an answer. I will be back tomorrow with my EtsyInspired card...I hope you will stop back by and play along in the EtsyInspired Challenge...this week's prize is not to be missed! :)

3.12.2009

Good Friends

It's Thursday...one of my favorite days of the week because I get to chat with all the fabulous ladies I have met in the Unity forum. I had some time yesterday to work on SC219 and here is my card:

This is the first time I have used lace cardstock. I love the look of it but I think I will probably have it covering most of my card next time...I don't really like the angular cut but I was trying to follow the sketch. I used a Unity stamp from the Something Within set and a beautiful heart rhinestone that my brother gave to me.

So, I have to tell you a little bit about my brother...we have always been very close, he is the BEST uncle and brother I could ever ask for, he supports me in all that I do and is always one to encourage/believe in me when I want to try something new. This past weekend was my 30th birthday and he gave me a TON of crafting goodies, which of course I was absolutely thrilled about but what really made it so special was the time and thought he put into it. Now, my brother is younger than me (23) and very much a guys guy, KWIM? He usually shops for Christmas gifts the day before Christmas and you will often find him wrapping a gift right before it's time to open presents. But, for my 30th birthday he first called to see what I wanted and I didn't really have too many ideas...I need new clothes so I told him a gift card would be good and of course he knows I love cardmaking/scrapbooking. So, what did he do??? He went to my favorite LSS and spent an hour picking out a bunch of scrapping goodies for me! :) I was going to take pictures of it all but decided you would be seeing a lot of it on my projects so instead I wanted to share of picture of me and my 'little' brother, my friend...
Thanks for letting me share about one of the very special guys in my life. Tomorrow I will be sharing a 12 x 12 double page layout (did you even know I scrapbooked??? :) of another special guy in my life, my first-born son.