Happy Day to You

I love looking at other people's blogs. I always find inspiration, even when I'm not planning on it. I was checking my usual blogs when I saw this cut little post by Karen Giron on her blog The Sweetest Thing.

I took the simple layout and adjusted the DSP, sentiment, and main image. I used Every Little Bit (the cute little bubblegum machine) for my main image. It was also my first time using Friendly Phrases, which I can't get enough of. I really like this card because it is simple, but makes a big statement. Thank you Karen for your amazing, creative mind.

Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

I went to another birthday party this weekend and I wanted to bring the birthday girl a special treat. I asked about her favorite flavors, but she told me that if it was a cupcake (any flavor) she would eat it. I decided to try something that reminds me of summer...Creamsicles.

These turned out pretty good, but I think I can make the cake part more moist. Frosting was pretty good too. I put orange slices on the regular sized cupcakes, but I made a bunch of mini cupcakes as well. My friend Kurt suggested that the mini cupcakes should have a orange gumdrop garnish. This one my be a summertime contender. Next cupcake to make...Pink Lemonade. Yes, please!

Organization Makes Me Happy

For those of you who don't really know me well, I'm an organization queen. I love to organize. I'm like my dad in that respect. Everything has a place and there's a place for everything. I'm a wee bit of a maniac about it. I do believe I have a mild case of OCD, if that's possible. I like things neat, straight, organized.

Well the other day I was cleaning out my closet. I was sorting things to keep and what to donate to Goodwill. I refolded and reorganized. My clothes are all hung up according to color. You know things that make me feel good and accomplished.

One area I don't really have a spot for is jewelry. I don't really wear a lot, so I never gave it too much attention. I decided to use some extra shower curtain hooks to make a place for my hanging jewelry. It's a nice way to have your jewelry visible and not take up dresser space, cause I just couldn't handle that. I apologize about the picture. It isn't the best photo, but I'm not a professional.

Embellish Patterned Paper Color Trends Challenge

I'm participating in another Embellish Magazine challenge this week. I've done the last two and I really like that not only do they give you a color selection, but also a trend challenge. This week's trend challenge was all about patterned paper.

I liked the idea of using up some of the packs of patterned paper (designer paper) I had lying around the house, but what I found challenging about this was not really having lots of patterned paper that fit the color selection. I found a mini patterned paper pack and an old sketch I had on my design table and away I went.

I am not the kind of person who gets all their Christmas cards done in the summer, so this stamp set pick was a little out of the ordinary. I do love Season of Joy though. It is by far one of my favorite winter stamp sets from Stampin' Up. I also turned up the scallop edge using the side of my paper piercing tool. I think it looks a little like those cute ruffled undies.

Goodies

(All products are Stampin' Up)

Paper: DSP Mini Pack, Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Stamps: Season of Joy

Accessories: Scallop Edge punch, Satin ribbon, Glue dots, Dimensionals

Message Monday

Here's my little message for the day. I think it's funny, but I've been teaching Algebra for a couple years. Maybe it's only funny to math teachers!

Off to Minnesota

My friend, Michelle, and I will be heading to Minneapolis tomorrow for a little mini vacation before school starts in September. This is the only trip I'm taking the summer. At least as far as I know. She is from Minnesota and I've never been. We decided to take a couple day adventure.

She is calling this our trial run trip for our large European vacation next summer. I went to Europe last summer with my dad...London, Rome, Munich. It was amazing and I am excited to be going back next summer. I love it there. We are actually going to be planning some of our vacation this afternoon. So like I said, this is our trial run together.

I'll be posting some pictures when I return. Can't wait to go shopping at the Mall of America. Yeah!

Big Surprise

I was checking my e-mail today and I got a big, wonderful surprise sitting in my inbox. It was a message from the ladies at The Paper Players telling me that I (my card) was selected as one of the winners for the challenge. I was A Cut Above... I'm so excited! It's like Christmas. Now I get to put this nifty little badge on my blog.

I can't tell you how honored I am that my card was selected as one of the winners. Check out the post here. I think the reason that this is such a big surprise to me is that I was completely unsure of what I was doing on this card or if I even liked it. It was my sister's birthday card and she only deserves the best. I'm so pumped right now. Can you tell? Here's the real winner...

Delicate Doillies Friend Card

I haven't had much chance to play around with some of my new stamp sets from the new 2011-2012 Stampin' Up catalogue. This was my first opportunity to play with the new Delicate Doillies stamp set.

I've been into vintagey things lately and this is right my ally. I played along with Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch #126 over at The Sweetest Thing. I really like her sketches. She has a way of making the layout simple, but detailed. I know that doesn't make much sense, but one thing is for sure. I love to use her layouts when making cards. Here's the sketch I was working with.

I used a color sheme from another favorite website called Design Seeds. The color inspiration used colors like More Mustard, Tempting Turquoise, and the very new, very cool Indigo Island. I also used Crumb Cake for the base of the card.

So here's my little beauty...I thinks I'm in love.

Baby Shower Gift & Card

This weekend my sister and I will be attending the baby shower of our cousin Alicia. This is her first child and my sister and I were excited about creating a gift together. I am a huge fan of theme baskets. I personally think it makes gift giving and buying easy. Not only that, but we wanted to create something that was useful and not necessarily just on a registery.

Since I know nothing about babies or baby stuff, I looked to my sister for guidance. She suggested a laundry basket since we all know babies are messy. Now for a cute little name for our basket. Fortunately, we borrowed the name of a Stampin' Up stamp set...Loads of Love. Cute, right?

The contents of our basket includes: All detergent (Free & Clear), package of washcloths, lingerie bag (for little people socks and such), baby hangers, Tide To-Go pen, Clorox pen for colors, Clorox Bleach pen, baby burp rags (made by me), a cute 0-3 month outfit (which end up in the laundry for sure), Wet Ones travel pack, Tide Sink Travel Packets, and a little flannel blanket for tummy time. We put all this in a basket we found at Hobby Lobby.

Here is the tag I secured to the basket. It was created with scraps of Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, and Early Espresso cardstock. It is the first time I used my sewing machine to sew paper. I love it already and I think I'm addicted. I attached a cute little lion from the Fox & Friends set.

Last, but certainly not least is the mini card I made. I like mini cards because then you don't feel like you have to write a novel inside the card. I am a little bit obsessed with this layout. (I used it on my last baby card...with the boat.) The little baby is from the All in the Family stamp set. I used Honeydew baker's twine from the Twinery.

Can't wait to give this to Alicia and Craig and see what they think. I hope they like it as much as I do. Makes me want to have a baby...well, maybe not!

Kitchen Decor on the Cheap

On my last visit to JoAnn's fabric store I found some large wood letters on clearance for 97 cents a piece. I was just going to pick up a letter K, since I have begun collecting them (I am Mrs. K of course), but I noticed an E and a T. I figured I would be able to spell out EAT if I could find an A, but them seemed to be all sold out. When I thought all hope was lost, I looked another letter and there it was...a beautiful letter A.

I brought them home and tried painting them with regular silver acrylic paint, but it didn't work too well. So I picked up a can of Krylon silver spray paint. It worked beautifully and I hung the letters up between our dining and living rooms. I like it and it was only about $6 including the spray paint and letters. Now what to do with that letter K?

Best Days

What an absolutely magnificent thought. I'm hoping this is the case. I'm nearing 30 in September and I'm thinking that the best is yet to come.

Egg Carton Revamped

Not only have I been on a cupcake making spree this summer, but I have also been on Pinterest non-stop! I'm totally addicted. One really cute idea I found on there was recycling egg cartons into adorable packaging for guess what...Mini cupcakes or muffins. Oh bliss! I decided to give some yummy Chocolate cupcakes with Nutella frosting to my school BFF, Michelle, who is our German/Spanish teacher. We were planning to have lunch so I quick put together a little package of mini cupcakes for her. I used the Beyond the Garden DSP to create the piece to go over the top of the egg carton. I also made a quick matching tag with some of the DSP scraps.

Needless to say, she loved it! But let me say, what's not to love?

Happy 28th to my Lil' Sis

I think everyone who has a sister thinks they must have the best sister in the world. I fit into that category as well. My little sister Lindsay is an amazing person. She is so responsible (that's probably why people think she is older than me), hardworking, level headed, fun, spunky, and she makes me laugh all the time. I truly have the best time when I'm with her. I love her dearly and I can't imagine her not being in my life. She is a great sister, mother, and person in general. People who don't know her are definately missing out.

Today just happens to be her 28th birthday. I can't believe that she is turning another year older. Currently my sister is 8 months prego and she rarely thinks about herself because she is always doing for everyone else. For a treat, I took her to get a pedi on Monday. It's so nice to be pampered sometimes. We are heading down to our favorite Mexican restaurant for a killer non-alcoholic peach margarita to celebrate. Happy Birthday to the best sister I could ever ask for! I love you bunches!

I made her this birthday card, which took forever because I think my mojo, which has been working like magic lately, took a short vacation. I decided to incorporate a couple challenges when I created this card. I actually think this is why I had such a difficult time though. The first part of the card was the layout challenge provided by Mojo Monday. Here is the sketch I was working with. My problem usually is that I follow a sketch to the T, and this time I wanted to deviate a bit.

The second part of this card is the color combo. This color combination was provided by my upline Kelly as a challenge. Boy oh boy, was it a challenge! This color challenge was provided by The Paper Players.

Here's what I came up with. I was a bit puzzled for quite a while wondering what to do, wondering if the Poppy looked too bright as the background, wondering if I should or shouldn't stamp on the Poppy cardstock, and wondering if I should use the big  or small space for a sentiment. I'm a bit of a worrier, if you couldn't tell. One of my favorite parts of this card was using my Big Shot to cut out the bottom layer of flower from balsa wood. Great idea from Dawn McVey.

Goodies

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Occasional Quotes

Ink: Basic Gray

Paper: Poppy Parade, Marina Mist, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, First Edition DSP

Accessories: Balsa Wood, Big Shot, Fun Flowers die, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, linen thread, Subtle button, Slit punch

Happy 30th Nick

Today is my hubby's 30th birthday. I believe that birthdays shouldn't be forgotten or glanced at as "just another day," but celebrated and enjoyed. Approaching 30 is scary and I will be doing it in September so you can hear more about my feelings about turning 30 then.

My husband, Nick, has been a part of my life since I was 17. It is both scary and funny to think that we have known each other for so long. Anyone who knows Nick well, knows that he is quietish, has a smart (most of the time pretty darn funny) comment for everything, and is mostly a car guy. We argue a lot, but I think that's what makes us... well us. I love him very much and I am glad that he has been a part of so many of my almost 30 years.

Enough mushiness...here's the card I put together for Nick. I cased it from Tessa Wise, as she is a brilliant card creator. She has an eye for layout and I love her simplistic style.

If you've been reading my past blogs entries, then you are well aware of my cupcake love and obsession. For Nick's birthday I am making Carrot Cake cupcakes with a Maple Cream Cheese frosting. These are to die for and one of the definate cupcakes to make it on my must-have list for the someday cupcake shop. He loves carrot cake, so these are an easy choice! I hope my hunny has the best birthday ever! Mwah! I love you Nicky!

Making Jam Requires Protective Gear

Strawberry picking is a favorite activity of mine. Usually my mom, sister, and I make a trip to the fields in late June for the sweet smell of strawberries. I love those little red berries. I am kind of a berry-a-holic. Love em' and that's no lie.

This year my sister and I decided to go. We took my two year old nephew, Austin, with us for his first berry picking trip. He was so sweet. We weren't sure if he would be content or if he would be bored after 5 minutes. It's a toss up. He was surprisingly good. Typically he ate two berries for every one he picked. Unfortunately, the berries we picked were small and rather tart. See we had a really terrible spring... cold pretty late and lots of rain.

We decided to try another berry farm later in the week. I love spending time with my sister. This was a fun trip with lots of laughs, a new nickname for me, and getting lost (but not really lost.) I have to give it to my sister. She is 8 months prego and she was picking with the best of them.

I never really decided what I wanted to do with my flat of strawberries. My sister suggested making jam, which I've never made before. I agreed and we set off to make our first batch of jam. First of all, do you know how much sugar is in jam? It's crazy! Our first batch was just strawberry and it was a double batch. I couldn't understand why it took so dnag long to get the berries to come to a rolling boil. Duh...the burner was not on high. It took a bit, but we were successful. All the lids popped! Yeah!

The second batch was strawberry-blueberry. This one boiled rather quickly. It popped and I think the berries gave me first degree burns. I didn't realize I needed special protective gear to make jam. This is my scared face...not my best picture!  

After we finished the jam, we decided to decorate up our jars to give as gifts for birthdays and Christmas. To make the tag we used the Tart & Tangy stamp set by Stampin' Up for the strawberry, scraps of fabric I had on hand, and cardstock from Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety pack.

We even tried some of the jam today (just to test it out) and it was delish! We just followed the directions on the Sure Jell recipe! I feel like a bad, but good mama "jam"a. He he!

Heading for Sunshine

I admit it! I'm obsessed with quotes. I share a new quote in my classroom every week. Sometimes I even use funny things that the 7th graders say as the quote of the week. One week a student even commented to me and said, "Anything you say can and probably will be used as a quote of the week."

I find quotes charming and uplifting. I like knowing that someone made a grand statement once and others took notice. I'd like to think that I too will have something grand to say. Wishful thinking maybe.

I particularly like this quote because it makes you think about the bigger picture. I think we forget that life is a journey. I know I do. So, enjoy the quote. There will be more to come.

Sail Away

I was scoping out some of my favorite challenge sites and found a couple that I decided to combine. The first challenge is from Embellish blog. It was a nautical color trends challenge. Not only is the challenge about using nautical colors (blues, reds, white/cream), but also including some kind of nautical elements. This was a bit of a challenge for me since I have no stamp sets that are nautical in nature. I decided instead to make my own little sail boat using punches.

I figured I could kill two birds with one stone, since the Pals Paper Arts blog had a color challenge that was very similar. Their challenge was to use Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, and Bashful Blue to create a project for their chase the summer blues away challenge.

I am super proud of this card, as it looks like a professional maybe would have made it and not just little old me. I am really bad at making "manly cards," but I feel like this could be used for a little boy birthday or baby shower (I have plenty of little boys being born soon in my family, especially my nephew who I can't wait to meet.)

Goodies

(All Supplies are from Stampin' Up)

Stamps: Short & Sweet

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy DSP

Ink: Not Quite Navy

Accessories: 1 3/4" circle punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Petite Pennants Builder punch, White gel pen, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, dimensionals