icing on the cake

Clean and Simple Card Making Inspired Card Set...

2012-01-23T13:33:00.002-05:00

I was lucky enough to take the Clean & Simple Card Making Online Workshop taught by Jennifer
and Kristina and I was SO inspired. I have a difficult time creating simple cards and this class helped me not overdesign my projects.

I decided to create a card set that was full of fun and color but still simple. Here it is..

A closer look...

I used THIS sentiment set from Paper Smooches. I am in love with their playful fonts and various greetings..

If you want to recreate this look, here are the supplies you will need:

Directions:

I heat embossed THIS background image from Hero Arts (my new favorite background stamp) with white embossing powder onto white watercolor paper. Then I used my distress stains (love them!) and swiped it horizontally across the image to create a rainbow look. I matted the image in black cardstock and adhered it to a 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch card. Then I stamped various greetings in black ink on white stips and adhered with foam dots. Super fast and easy.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Baby Aiden's Nursery

2012-01-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

Hello friends. As I mentioned in my last post, I've been nesting like crazy preparing for my little guy to arrive. I finally have his nursery complete and couldn't wait to share it with all of you. So lets get started with the tour...

After much debate, I finally decided to show you the BEFORE pic. Now please don't judge. This was a spare bedroom for MANY years that never got touched and quickly became our junk room. I am known to be a bit of a neat freak so this room was always my enemy. LOL ...

Yikes. Moving on...A major clean out begins and the room gets prepped for painting.... (Can you see Ted hiding? lol)

The green goes up....

...and the blue goes up on the bottom...

Then we were going to add some white trim but Ted decided to paint a white trim...

Ta dah...

Here are the final results. As you walk in the door, this is what you see...

Moving around the room...

There you have it. A tour of Aiden's nursery. I think he will love it. :)

Thanks for stopping by. Be back soon.

Hello 2012!

2012-01-04T14:17:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday. I'm just now trying to get back in the swing of things. I'm about a month away from my due date and I've been nesting like crazy, getting ready for the little guy to come. His nursery is almost complete so I will share pics soon. On a different note, I wanted to share a 2012 calendar I made for Ashley (Alex's girlfriend) for Christmas.

I got a 8x8 blank calendar from Hobby Lobby, printed pics of the cute couple, cleaned out my stash of patterned paper scraps and ribbon, and had Alex come up with some of his favorite love quotes from songs and this is what I came up with....

The cover..

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

I must have not photographed November, (oops!) but here is December lol ....

Be back soon with more shares. Thanks for stopping by!

Our Christmas Cards 2011

2011-12-15T15:24:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love to make handmade cards to send out to friends and family for Christmas. I took on a bigger project with these cards than normal, but it was worth it! I created the front of my card with THIS and THIS set from Hero Arts. (I always tend to gravitate towards their stamps every year.) ...

To create the cover, I stamped the musical BG stamp with Versa Mark onto watercolor paper and heat embossed with white embossing powder. Then I randomly applied peeled paint, walnut stain, and fired brick distress stains all over and sprayed heavily with pearlized water. I stamped the greeting in black onto a kraft die-cut. I sprayed that too with pearlized spray. It is so shiny in real life...

I was so happy to find that Silhouette sells a cut to create a CD card. So I cut all the cards on my Silhouette using Neenah cardstock. Here's a peek at the inside...

On the left is the Ruwe Holiday Music Mix for this year....a track list of all the songs on the CD and who picked what. Even Baby Aiden picked some holiday songs. ;) When you remove the CD, it reveals our family pic..

A closer look at our playlist...

That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!

First Published Scrapbook Page!

2011-12-12T10:25:00.000-05:00

I've been missing here lately becuase I'm in the middle of a mountain of paper and embellishments making my Christmas cards. I should have them done today! :) Anyway, I wanted to hop on and share what came in the mail yesterday....

THIS magazine. It contains my FIRST published scrapbook page! ...

A closer look at my awesome son...

I'm so excited, I just had to share! Have a great Monday.

Cards that Care

2011-12-02T08:57:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share some Christmas Cards I created for the Cards that Care Card Drive. This card drive sends cards to the elderly living in nursing homes. I'm hoping these cards will put a smile on their faces during this special time of year.

The first card features one of my favorite techniques to do. Emboss a background then go to town with Distress Stains (my new favorite product) and spray heavily with pearlized water. It's hard to see the shine on the photo, but its stunning in real life....

The next card uses THIS set which is so fun because you stamp and then emboss the image...

I like that this card uses non-traditional Christmas colors...

THIS nativity scene stamp set is a must have. I embossed the image in white on dark brown cardstock and then sprayed with pearlized water. Love the results...

The last card is pretty simple but my favorite. I heat embossed the flower image in white and then used Fired Brick Distress Stain to "color" it and again, sprayed with pearlized water....

I also made sure that each card had a different message stamped inside, something I do a lot lately...

(All stamps used are from Hero Arts.)

That's all I got for now. Off to work on my Christmas cards. I just can't believe it is December already. Thanks for stopping by.

Baby on the Brain...

2011-11-29T16:46:00.001-05:00

I apologize for the lack of posts here lately. I'm in full swing baby mode...getting the nursery ready, getting ready for my baby shower this weekend, and starting a bunch of house projects. I've also been shopping. I'm in love with Etsy and wish I can register there too! :) Here's a handful of things I found on there matching the theme of the nursery (elephants)....

THESE burp cloths are so fun...

Love THIS scripture print...

Thinking of putting THESE decals on the wall...

The simplicity of THIS is perfect..

THIS is a fun, bright tote...

And maybe even something fun for me! ...

I promise to be back soon with some creative shares. Thanks for stopping by and being patient. :)

Get Well Soon Mini Cards...

2011-11-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

I never seem to have any Get Well Soon cards on hand so I decided to use THIS stamp set from Lawn Fawn to make some mini cards...

Some detail shots....

The inside...

Used THIS and THIS paper pad to create these cards.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope your weekend was great!

A Couple of Thank You Cards...

2011-11-01T18:01:00.000-04:00

Many of you know I work for Jennifer. (The best job in the world!) One of the many perks of the job is she lets me borrow her stamps. I have been drooling over some Paper Smooches Stamps for awhile and Jennifer was kind enough to let me borrow some. THIS is my FAVORITE sentiment set.....

so I made a couple of thank you cards...

THIS, THIS, and THIS set are also some of my favorites from Paper Smooches.

That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Card for James Update & Winner...

2011-10-31T11:40:00.003-04:00

Back in April, Shane and I started Cards for James . THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU WHO SENT IN CARDS. The Overbeck family was so grateful. Here is an update on how James is doing...

"Great news! James had a CT scan and MRI today, all of which were clean and cancer free! He also had blood work collected and the doctor was pleased with all of his numbers. James even gets to stop taking the antibiotic that we've been on for several months. Which (drum roll, please)......means that james takes NO medications now!! James was such a trooper today, he really showed his bravery! The plan was to put him to sleep for the MRI- as we've done for all of the MRI's that he's had in the past. James requested to try the MRI without sedation and felt that he could be really brave and hold as still as a statue for 1 and a half hours to complete the scan. I must admit, we were a somewhat nervous that he'd be able to hold still for that long or to tolerate the loud noises produced by the MRI machine. James never fails to amaze us, and he did it! The nurse wrapped him in a belt and placed shield across his chest. She taped night vision goggles to his face and put big ear phones and a microphone on him. She slid him into the scanner and he watched a movie through the goggles. Mom sat in the MRI room while all of this was happening. The sounds were quite loud- even with earplugs. It was absolutely amazing that he was able to tolerate this for over an hour. I don't know that most adults can tolerate this test without some type of sedative. He did great, even with the poke for his IV. His next scans will be in 3 months. Today Dr. Geller gave us a copy of James' MRI from 12-28-10 (full of nasty tumor) and compared it to his scan from today. The difference is night and day. We realized that today's scan was exactly 10 months from the day that James was diagnosed. It's unreal to think back at all that has been endured in that 10 month time period- and it's amazing to see how well James has recovered thus far from the treatment and surgery. Tonight, James is putting on his halloween costume for a function at school and it is just wonderful to see him being a kid again! James says "Happy Halloween" to you all!"

God is so good. :) Now, the winner of all five Hero Arts prizes go to....

JUDY MARINO!

Congrats Judy. Email me with your address so I can send out your goodies. Again, thanks to ALL of you for participating and making this a success. Hugs! Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Bun in the Oven...

2011-10-24T16:17:00.000-04:00

Since I shared on the last post how I told my family about the news of our baby's gender, I'd thought I would show you the cards I sent out to extended family and friends to share the news. Here is the card...

It's a gatefold card so it opens like this...

to reveal the big news! ...

I used THIS stamp set to create it. I love the images. Darling. Thanks for stopping by! :)

It's a...

2011-10-18T17:12:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! Thanks so much for all the great comments on the last post. It was fun reading through your guesses. When Ted and I found out if it was a boy or girl, my mom wanted to throw a dinner for us to gather the family and share the news. I thought it would be fun to make the dessert. I decided on cupcakes that had a special center...

So when the family bit into the cupcake (all at the same time), they found out the baby is a .....

BOY! :) We are so excited! So, the winner from the last post is ANGIE! Email me with your address so I can send some goodies to you!

Thanks for stopping by and celebrating the big news with us!!!

Pink or Blue?...and a prize too!

2011-10-14T13:25:00.001-04:00

Ted and I decided to find out the gender of our baby two weeks ago. So I thought it would be fun to have a guessing game here on the blog. So leave a comment if you think its a boy or a girl and I will enter all the correct guesses into a drawing and one person will win some goodies! I will close comments Tuesday morning. Can't wait to read your guesses! ...

Week of Hero Arts- Day 7

2011-10-09T10:42:00.000-04:00

Welcome back. Today is the last day of Hero Arts Week. I hope that you have become inspired by these projects using some of my favorite Hero Arts goodies. For my last card, I used THIS favorite greeting set...

...to create this card...

What I love so much about this greeting set is the "main greeting" has a "sub greeting" that goes with it. I chose the sub greeting to go along the bottom of the card but they are PERFECT for the inside of a card too.

Some other favorite Hero products I used on this card...

The background which can be found HERE.

I also used THIS ink to stamp the background onto THIS card to create a monochromatic look.

I love finishing cards with Hero gems. THESE are the gems I used on my card.

That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Week of Hero Arts- Day 6

2011-10-06T11:30:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the new Hero Arts/Sizzix stamp and die-cut sets? They are so much fun. I used THIS set on today's card...

To create this card, I stamped the smallest butterfly in the set several times onto Neenah cardstock using black dye ink. Then I swiped an ink pad on top of each butterfly for some fast coloring. Then I used the matching die-cut to cut each one out. WHAT A TIME SAVER!! :) After that, I used glossy accents on top of each butterfly to give it some shine. Then I stamped THIS background stamp in black onto a white card. I also cut out black circles and used the same background stamp but this time in white. Finally, I added a greeting. Here's a closeup shot..

There is a great video on the Hero Arts website HERE that explains how to use the stamp and die-cut sets. I'll be back tomorrow with the last day of Hero Arts Week.

Week of Hero Arts- Day 5

2011-10-03T21:06:00.001-04:00

Hello friends. I decided to take a day off yesterday to recover from an awesome crafting weekend with friends. I'm feeling so blessed to have so many great friends who share my hobby. God is so good.

Okay, onto the next card. This card is a window card that features a technique I learned from Jennifer. It's called faux letterpress. You cover one side of an embossing folder with ink, lay your paper inside, and run it through your die-cut machine. It works best with Hero Arts Shadow Inks. (I used Soft Sand Shadow Ink for this card's faux letterpress background.)

When you open the card, it holds a gift card...

That's all I got for now. Off to watch some mindless t.v. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Week of Hero Arts- Day 4

2011-10-01T13:23:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Day Four of Hero Arts Week here on my blog. Here is today's card...

I decided to do a gatefold card using some Hero Arts Layering Paper. To create the butterfly, I stamped the HA background using versamark ink on glossy paper. I heat set that and rubbed pink distress ink on top to resist the image.

Here is the inside of the card...

Thanks for stopping by. Back to creating at the stamping retreat. I'm having so much fun. :)

Week of Hero Arts- Day 2 and 3

2011-09-30T10:59:00.001-04:00

I was so busy yesterday that I couldn't post Day Two's card so I am posting two cards today. The first card I'm sharing was created by covering a piece of white cardstock with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and stamping a background stamp on top of it using pearlized water instead of ink. Here are the results (the shine in real life is incredible)...

I also like making shaped cards. This one was created with a Quickutz die...

The second card is a window card. Love THIS row of houses stamp from Hero Arts....

A close up of the window...

(That greeting is from a Technique Tuesday stamp set.)

Okay, off to pack for a crafting retreat this weekend with the girls. Thanks for stopping by!

Week of Hero Arts- Day 1

2011-09-28T18:21:00.003-04:00

I've been slacking on the blog lately so I decided to work with some of my favorite Hero Arts stamps and products. I made seven cards so I'm declaring this Hero Arts Week on my blog. :) Here is the card for Day One...

This card was inspired by Jennifer's card HERE. I am addicted to Distress Stains because of her and love using them on an embossed background. Here is a closer look...

After applying the distress stains, I sprayed it heavily with pearlized water. Love the shine it gives. THIS is my favorite background stamp because it can stand alone....doesn't need much more. (BTW- that pretty ribbon and those pearls are from Hero Arts too.)

Thanks for stopping by! Be back tomorrow with another card!

A gift for Ashley...

2011-09-15T17:12:00.002-04:00

Today I wanted to share a gift I put together for Alex's girlfriend, Ashley. They have been dating for almost a year now and she is such a sweet girl who makes a wonderful addition to our family. She is heading off to live in the dorms at college this weekend and I wanted to give her some goodies for her new pad.

I knew she would be writing to friends back home so I wanted to make her a a note card set. I started off with my FAVORITE Hero Arts Background Stamp....

...then I stamped it on watercolor paper with VersaMark ink and heat embossed it with white embossing powder. Then I applied Broken China, Shabby Shutters and Tumbled Glass Distress Ink to the image and sprayed it heavily with pearlized water. Here are the final results...

I just love the blues and greens together....

I thought I would also show the gift bag I put together for her along with her card set...

Inside this cute Thirty One bag are lots of goodies...

like bags of candy, a wall calendar, mini sodas, Uno cards, tissues, a flashlight, and earplugs. (All the things her mom emailed about saying she still needed.)

Okay, off to make dinner. Thanks for stopping by!

Week 4 of Summer Card Camp...

2011-09-12T16:01:00.001-04:00

So I finally finished Summer Card Camp and I love Week Four's Color Combo. Reminds me of the ocean (which is my favorite place). Here is the card I came up with...

A close up of the fabric flower and the tiny butterfly. I also am really into the spray mists that I used to create the background piece...

Lately, I'm all about finishing the inside of a card. So, here's a peek on the inside...

That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Teacher Cards

2011-09-06T15:56:00.000-04:00

My nephew is starting Preschool tomorrow and I wanted to make a card set for him to give to his teachers. He has two teachers so I wanted them to be a bit different. I had the supplies out from the tags I shared on my last post, so I kept going with the apple theme...(Love that apple stamp from Imaginisce with googly eyes!)

A close up...

For the second teacher...

Another close up...

And here they are all packaged up with some fabric and matching personalized tags...

I really hope they like them. Teachers are so very important and are sometimes neglected so I like to shower them with little things to show they're appreciated. :)

Thanks for stopping by! (Also...thank you so much for all the wonderful emails asking me how I am feeling and how the baby is doing. I'm happy to report we are both doing great. Ted and I are over the moon happy!)

Lots O' Tags...

2011-08-31T11:41:00.001-04:00

I have been on a break because of my loss of creative mojo lately. I didn't see it coming back anytime soon so I forced myself to play in my studio with some tags. This always seems to do the trick because I think it is so much easier to work on a smaller canvas. Less thinking. More doing. So here are some tags that I've come up with to catch up on special days and holidays in the future.

First, some tags for my nieces and nephews to put on a treat for the first day of school and a few thank you tags for their teachers...

Halloween is just around the corner so I whipped these up to put on treat bags...

And some for Valentine's Day treat bags...

And finally some Christmas Tags..

Now I feel like my mojo is coming back so I will have more to share soon. Thanks for stopping by!

My Other Hobby...

2011-08-09T18:00:00.002-04:00

Scrapbooking and Cardmaking will always be my first love but it has lead me to expand my creative mojo to other things....like party planning. I love to plan a party. The little details that you can customize and add a handmade feel to just makes me giddy. My nephew's 4th birthday party was last weekend and I'd thought I'd share some of the party pics here.

Let's start with the invitation I made...

I cut that cute fish from my Silhouette machine and creased it on the fin to create an opening for the rest of the party information...

For the decorations, I created a board with pictures of J.T. swimming or playing in water since our theme was goldfish and placed it on the gift table. All the kids favor buckets are under the table (I'll get to that a bit later)...

All the fish on his birthday board had to have birthday hats! :)

Here's the table decorations...

We put down a beach towel as the table runner to carry the swim party theme and filled up bowls with lots of different kinds of goldfish. I also sprinkled some extra number fours and fish around for confetti...

A close up of the birthday banner I made....

Onto the favor buckets....

Each bucket had a handmade tag with the child's name and inside was a fish coloring book, crayons, goldfish crackers, a balloon, and fruit snacks...

My sister wanted me to make him a t-shirt to wear. So I used my Silhouette and thanks to Jennifer, I used that adorable fabric...

The cookies...

and cake...

were NOT made by me. LOL

That is Aunt Debbie's job (a.k.a. Debbie Crocker) . J.T. helped lick the icing. Love this imperfect picture. Makes me smile...

Next up, games. The kids played fishing in the swimming pool...

There was also a GIANT waterslide. The kids had a blast...

All of the hard work was worth it for this cute boy...

Happy Birthday J.T.! Aunt "Heber" loves you!

Thanks for stopping by.

Week 3 of Summer Card Camp...

2011-08-07T14:47:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been consumed with my nephew's birthday party, which took place yesterday. My sister and I always do handmade birthday decorations, favors, etc. and it takes a lot of time so that is why I've been absent from my blog. But now I'm back sharing my card for the color combo above...

I wanted to create a SUPER simple card. Something I could make in ten minutes.

Be back soon with week 4 color combo card and my nephew's birthday party pics. Thanks for stopping by!

Catching Up...Summer Card Camp-Week 2

2011-07-26T17:46:00.002-04:00

I don't know about you but I always feel like I just can't catch up. That's why I wanted to participate in an online class because I knew I can go at my own pace. Better late than never, right? So this week I will do just that and catch up on the fun color combo for week two of summer camp....

Here's my take on the color scheme...

The butterflies were cut out from a piece of cardstock that had THIS hero background stamp heat embossed in white. Then I covered each one with a different ink that resists the heat embossing...

I also wanted to do something really different with the card. I cut an 8 1/2 piece of cardstock in half to create a card. Then I cut out a 1 1/2 strip from the right top layer of the card ONLY. This way the butterflies lay flat and only the small strip on the left with the greeting lifts up to reveal a pop of color. Something different...was getting tired of the same old thing...

I will be back to catch up with Week 3 soon. Hugs! :)

Toes in the sand...

2011-07-16T19:36:00.001-04:00

Hello friends. Just wanted to pop in and say I'll be back soon. Just got home a few hours ago from a much needed week long vacation at the beach. I have lots to share. See you soon! :)

Graduation Invites and Thank You Notes...

2011-07-07T21:25:00.001-04:00

I wanted to share Alex's graduation thank you cards and I realized that I never shared his invitation. I did pictures from baby to his senior year for his invite...

The party was so much fun. Here are the thank you cards I've been working on for Alex to write in...

A close-up....

I cut that cute graduation guy from my silhouette along with the bubble. It's hard to see but I used a Hero Arts Grid Stamp and stamped it in red for a tone on tone background for a little added dimension.

Thanks for stopping by! Be back soon. :)

Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop...

2011-07-01T10:36:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome to the Young Crafters Unite Blog Hop! (If you want to start at the beginning of the hop, click HERE.) You should be arriving here from Jamie's blog. I was thrilled when I was asked by my sweet friend Britta to be a part of this hop.

So what makes me a young crafter? It has nothing to do with my age but my memories associated with this hobby. Ever since I was little, my favorite aisle in any store was the craft aisle. Why? Because they had aisles and aisles of markers, crayons, scissors, notebooks, pretty paper and I remember just being smitten with it. In fact, I made my first scrapbook when I was seven using a three ring binder, loose leaf paper, a pen, and a glue stick. Oh how far I've come! ;) So no matter how much older I get, I still feel like a giddy little girl when it comes to this hobby. I'm happiest when I'm creating.

So now I want to share with you my project for today...

This is one card in a set that I made for my sister-in-law who is having her fourth child TODAY! Baby Molly will be here very soon and I thought what mother of four has time to even go to the store for thank you cards!?

I chose to share a card set today because it is my FAVORITE thing to do. My signature. Why make one card when you can make a bunch at one time! :)

So I made a set of these cards and included the envelopes and stamps...

I packaged them up and added some fabric to create a bow...

You can see more of my favorite card sets I've done in the past HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. I told ya I like to do card sets! ;)

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave comments along the way. We love to hear from you AND you could win prizes! Randomly selected commenters throughout the hop will have the opportunity to win some great prizes.

The next stop on the hop is CHARI MOSS. Enjoy!

Summer Card Camp

2011-06-27T22:13:00.002-04:00

You've probably heard about Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner's amazing Card Camp. It started today and I was so inspired that I ran to my studio to create this card using the color combo for this week...

I wanted the flag banners to have some dimension so I stamped two of them, one on top of the other and then cut it out like this...

Then, I scored between the two flags and it creates such great dimension when you wrap it around the string...

I also like stamping over patterned paper. I used my new striped echo park paper and stamped the Hero Arts Cloud background stamp right on top using Soft Pool ink. Love it. Oh, and the little clouds are from Papertrey Ink. I ran them through my big shot using a dot embossing folder to add dimension.

That's all I got for now. Off to watch the Bachelorette. She better stop talking about Bentley! lol

Pink or Blue?

2011-06-25T21:57:00.000-04:00

So I know I've been a slacker on the blog lately but with a REALLY good reason...

Yep. I'm pregnant. With all of our struggles conceiving and a miscarriage, this news has me over the moon. I'm happy to report the baby is doing great. I already saw and heard the heartbeat. I also found out the due date (Feb. 10, 2012) which is the EXACT date we lost the first baby. God is so good. :)

That's all I got for now. Just had to share with all of you. Gotta go take another nap. Hee.

Alex's Graduation Party...

2011-06-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend we celebrated Alex's graduation with a party at a local park. Thought I'd share a few pics of the day...

I booked this location because Alex previously played at this park's amphitheater during a battle of the bands and thought it would be fun for him to play at his party. He did two sets. The first was just an acoustic set with him and the lead singer, Zac...

It didn't take long for my nieces and nephew to rock out with them... :)

They played the second set towards the end of the party and rocked it out...

And these were the best cupcakes I ever had. Yum..

What's a party without corn hole?

A peek at the display I set up of Alex's layouts. So fun to share them...

That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by! :)

5 Minute Cards for Kids and Final Prize...

2011-06-08T10:40:00.002-04:00

I'd thought I'd share some SUPER easy cards to make for kids to hopefully inspire you to create some cards for the Cards for James Card Drive. So, if you only have a few minutes in your day to craft, here are some quick and easy cards that kids will love....

The first one is for a friend's daughter who needs a smile:

I reached for doodlebug stickers for both of the cards today because how playful their images are. It's hard to tell but the center of that flower was filled with glitter. I'm not a big fan of glitter everywhere so I just put some glossy accents on top. You still get the shine without the mess! :)

What kid doesn't like stickers?! A peek at the inside...

I took that same idea and made a card for James using some more doodlebug stickers but this time I got animals...

Thought he would like stickers too...

(BTW, I like to use ID badges for clear pockets to put goodies inside of cards.)

Like I said, the cards are nothing fancy but I'm sure they would put a smile on a child's face. So, to bribe you some more, here is the final prize for the card drive...

THIS hero arts stamp set...

and THESE pearls and gems pack...

Make sure when you send in your cards, you put your name, email, and how many cards you sent in so you will be put in the drawing for some fabulous prizes! You can find ALL the info. HERE.

Hope you can participate! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Alex Graduates!

2011-06-05T21:56:00.000-04:00

We just got home from watching this young man graduate from high school...

and we just couldn't be more proud! ...

After the ceremony, we all went out for a family meal. Listening to Alex's plans on becoming a doctor and what college he will attend brought tears to my eyes. Not tears of sadness but tears of joy. I just know he will do great things and I'm feeling so blessed to be a part of his life and seeing what the future holds for him. .I love you so much Alex. Congratulations!!!

His/Her Graduation Cards

2011-05-31T16:39:00.003-04:00

Hi! I've had the case of the blahs, blues, whatever you want to call it and decided to take a break from blogging. But I'm back today with some simple his/her graduation cards. My stepson and his girlfriend Ashley are graduating so I made these cards for them...

For Alex...

A closer look...I used a Hero Arts stamp over and over to create the background...

And for Ashley...

Aren't those Pure Innocence stamp images cute!?

Her school colors were a bit challenging (brown and gold) so I tried to be playful with a shaped card and clear embossing the background with my FAVORITE background stamp from Hero Arts...

So very proud of you Alex and Ashley!!! :)

Well, that's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Weather, Winners, & Girls Getaway Layout Share

2011-05-23T17:47:00.002-04:00

Hi! Want proof that I live in Cincinnati? Take a look....

Yep. That's hail! Cincinnati has the WEIRDEST weather. It has rained so much lately that I have considered building an ark...lol...and then yesterday it was 70 degrees out and all of a sudden a huge storm passed through with hail. Sigh. These are the days I wish I lived near the beach.

On a happier note...the WINNERS of the RAK from the last post are: KELLY RASMUSSEN and ANNA SENIW! Congrats ladies! Email me with your address and I'll get some prizes out to you. :)

Now onto a layout share. Remember when I went on a girls getaway back in March? Well I finally got around to scrapping the pics. Here is the two page layout...

A closer look at the first page...

and the second...

love using the silhouette for titles...

details of the second page...

Journaling: "It's funny how my scrapbooking hobby has introduced me to some amazing women. I had just been through a difficult time, suffering a miscarriage, and decided to go on a scrapbook retreat as planned. I did it to get away and try to start healing. I had no idea that this group of women (some I've never met before) would help me heal as much as they did. With every laugh, giggle, and smile, I felt better. I am blessed with such great friendships. God is good. (03/2011)"

That's all for now. Big hugs to all of you! :)

Prom, Music Monday, & RAK

2011-05-16T14:33:00.001-04:00

Feels like I haven't blogged in awhile. Sorry. THANK YOU so much for the kind emails and comments regarding my brother-in-law. He was able to come home last week but he had to go back in last night due to some blood pressure issues. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts.

Lots to share. First, my sweet son had two proms recently. I was bummed that I missed the first one last weekend (Ashley's prom) but I was out of town on a scrapbook retreat. Luckily, Ted snapped some pics for me of the cute couple...

Love how playful they are. :)

Saturday was Alex's prom so I decided to take some pics at a local nature preserve by our house. (Am I the only person that haven't been to places right down the street from where they live that end up being great?! lol) Here's just a couple of my favorites...

My heart soars when I see such respect, tenderness, and love between a young couple like Alex and Ashley. No drama. Ted and I kept saying that night how blessed we are with Alex and the fact that he found such a good girl makes me one happy mama. ...

Switching gears...thought I'd do another Music Monday. Again, I'm not going to load the videos on here because Blogger and I are still fighting. lol Here are some links instead...

-Love THIS song. His voice melts me.

-THIS song was on the finale of Brothers and Sisters during the wedding. (love that show! just heard it was cancelled!! boo!)

-I would give anything to sing like THIS girl. Love rockin' out to this song.

-THIS song is just silly and fun. Makes me smile.

Now...how about a fun RAK? I took this pic of my new skirt I just bought....

It's scary how much this hobby gets in my brain but I bought it because it reminded me of a certain stamp I have from a fav. company! :) Leave a comment and let me know what stamp it is and from what company and I will pick two winners who have the correct answer. The first person who answers right will win a prize and I will pick one person randomly from the comments too. :)

Have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

Please pray...

2011-05-11T07:31:00.002-04:00

for my brother-in-law, Tom. He was taken to the hospital Monday morning for chest pains and while there suffered a heart attack. They were able to fix the blockage with a stint but he is still in the hospital. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank You.

An Unexpected Surprise...

2011-05-05T21:06:00.002-04:00

Hello Friends. I've mentioned on the blog before that I got a new job recently. I decided awhile ago to say goodbye to my online store, Scrapbook Bakery, and begin a new chapter. (That decision was based on a desire to try something new and being a one woman show behind the scenes of an online store is a lot of work! I was really was ready to move on especially when it was time to pay taxes! I'm still going to teach classes locally though and sell Hero Arts when teaching.)

So I thought about it long and hard and I knew that I wanted to stay in the scrapbook business but I was ready to work for someone, instead of for myself. I contacted my sweet friend Jennifer to see if she needed an assistant with kitting for classes and any type of organization for all her awesome projects going on...and guess what? she did! :) I'm officially her Mario (I joke with her that I am her Mario-Tim Holtz's assistant) It's been a few weeks now and it has been great. She has always been a good friend to me but she is just as good as a boss! Look what she sent to my house for me to play with.....

A new Silhouette!!! I've been wanting one FOREVER and trying to save up some cash. When it came in the mail, I literally started crying. Things have been so hard lately, especially with the recent miscarriage, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. So, a great new job (doing things I LOVE to do) and a fabulous boss? God is good.

So if you give Heather a new Silhouette, she will probably want to play with it. :)

I thought it was only fair that the first cuts be for Jennifer. So I made her some chocolate chip cookies and made a treat box decoration for the outside of the bag with my new toy...

I purchased the square gift box download, cut it out of striped pink paper and assembled it, using a piece of acetate for the window. I also used this as a card. So, when she removes the cookie from the box, she will find a note written on the inside. I also purchased Loni Steven's thank you download and cut it from white paper. I covered it with pumice stone distress ink and then sprayed it with perfect pearls to give it some shine.

Also, sweet Jennifer let me borrow THIS stamp set of hers so I could make some goodie bags for my friends. I'm going HERE this weekend and wanted to put together some quick favors for my friends who are going to be there (DO NOT LOOK SHANE AND JENNIE!)....

Closer Look...

I love this stamp set because it makes the perfect quick gift....

(Inside is candy to munch on while we're creating.)

Okay, off to pack. Thanks for stopping by!

Memory Lane, Music Monday, & Prize # 4

2011-05-02T21:03:00.007-04:00

So I was working on making Graduation invitations for Alex today and I wanted to include pictures from his past on the invitations. Because I didn't enter Alex's life until he was ten years old, Ted pulled out his box of photos and I took a trip down memory lane with him. It made me so happy to see pictures of Alex when he was little. Here is a couple of my favorites...

I just want to pinch those cheeks! And I love the bow tie! :) Here is one when he was three. Reminds me so much of Ted in this one...and I love his cheesy grin from his 2nd grade pic...They really do grow up fast, don't they?

Moving on to Music Monday...

I was going to post the videos on here but Blogger has not been my friend lately...so I will do links. (Anyone else having spacing issues with Blogger?)

-THIS song is my favorite right now. Her voice is perfection. I also really like THIS song from her.

-I love THIS country song. Reminds me of Ted and I. :) Love that this duo is a real couple.

-I really like THIS girl's unique sound.

-THIS girl can do no wrong in my book. Perfection.

-Ginny Owens is one of my fav. Christian singers. Such comfort. THIS is my fav.

Moving onto Prize #4 for the CARD DRIVE : A pack of Snow Layeirng Paper from Hero Arts and an envelope template from Hero Arts...

If you want to make a card for James (and a chance to win some fabulous prizes), please click HERE for details. I know they will put a smile on this sweet little boy's face. :)

Thanks for stopping by. Night!

Easter and Prize # 3...

2011-04-28T15:47:00.004-04:00

Hi! I hope everyone had a nice Easter. Thought I'd share what I gave my nieces and nephews. I bought butterfly nets and filled them up with some Easter loot...
I didn't get a chance to photograph everything in the nets because I snapped these as we were leaving but they were filled with hopscotch games, barrel of bunnies, jellybeans, bunny straws, play doh, and egg shaped paddle balls.

Here is a shot of all the tags I made for them...

a closer shot to show the initials...
and I couldn't forget about my sweet neighbor Betty. She loves Starburst jellybeans (like me!)...

And finally, the 3rd prize for the CARD DRIVE. A hero arts background stamp...

If you would like to be entered in the drawing for some fun prizes, make a card for James. You can find ALL the info. HERE. Hope you can make one or two! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Eighteen...

2011-04-22T22:22:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure how it happened but my sweet Alex turned 18 last week...
(Those cupcakes were so yummy. From THIS local bakery. YUM.)

It is really difficult to put into words how I feel about Alex. Anytime I question anything in my life, I think of Alex. He is proof that God knows what He is doing and I need to trust the path He has for me. I've known Alex since he was ten and he is one of my greatest joys. He is proof that teenagers can be mature, sweet, and big hearted. He amazes me every single day and I know that he was put on this earth for great things. I'm one lucky girl to just be part of his life. Happy Birthday Alex. I love you more than you'll ever know. :)

So, for his birthday, Ted and I decided to surprise him with a t.v. for his room and let him play hooky from school (ssshhh..don't tell LOL) ....

Needless to say, he loves it...

We also celebrated with a birthday dinner with the family. To thank everyone for the gifts they brought, I whipped up these Thank You cards. Loving the new Jolee's embellishments! The guitars seemed cool enough for a teen...

A closer look...

I also finished off the inside with a "You Rock" sentiment and had Alex write the thank yous...

Okay. Must go pack up to get ready for a scrapbook day with Jennie tomorrow. More soon...

Hero Arts Card Set & Prize #2

2011-04-18T21:24:00.004-04:00

As many of you know, I love Hero Arts. I love their high quality stamps and products and decided to pull just a few of my favorite things out and make a card set... To create this card set, I stamped THIS background stamp in THIS ink onto THESE cards. Then I stamped various greetings from different sets like THIS, THIS, THIS, and THIS in VersaMark ink and heat embossed them onto different colored layering papers and attached them to the bottom or each card... To finish the card off, I added pearls and gems...

Super simple. Since I love various greetings to make card sets I thought I would give this stamp set away for PRIZE #2 for the Cards for James Card Drive...

A big thanks to all of you who are sending in cards for the card drive. I really appreciate it. If you would like to participate and win a chance at some great prizes, click HERE for all the info.

Off to watch some mindless t.v. Night! :)

Cards for James Card Drive (and first PRIZE)

2011-04-14T14:08:00.017-04:00

I think the reason I love cardmaking so much is because I believe that a card has a lot of power. It can give hope, encouragement, a pat on the back, or simply a smile in an envelope. :) I'm a big fan of card drives, especially those for kids. So when my sweet friend Shane told me about her son's classmate that we could help by creating a card drive, I was more than happy to help. This is James... This is his story (taken from his Care Page -written from his parents) ... "We wish that we didn't have a story, but the truth is we do. A few days after Christmas James experienced belly pain which was thought to be constipation. After visiting the pediatrician for an exam, we were sent for an x-ray. The x-ray confirmed a mass of some sort. At that time we were sent to Children's Hospital for an ultrasound which showed a 13cm tumor on the left kidney. The probable diagnosis is a Wilm's tumor. James was originally scheduled for a left nephrectomy, however, the plan ended up changing due to a finding on the MRI. James has a small spot on his right kidney. This could be a "rest" which would be an insignificant finding -or it could be a bilateral wilms tumor. Since we don't know for sure, he is being treated as though he has bilateral wilms tumors. The standard treatment for this is 6 weeks of chemo then surgery. James is a sweet, fun loving 5 year old with a big heart!" I need YOUR help to make this card drive a success and put a smile on James' face. All you need to do is create a card (or cards) with an cheery, upbeat theme (please no get well soon cards) and send it to my friend Shane at:

CARDS FOR JAMES

c/o Shane Rieder

862 Gorham Drive

Cincinnati, OH 45245

*PLEASE INCLUDE A PIECE OF PAPER WITH YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, and EMAIL and the NUMBER OF CARDS YOU SENT because there will be drawings for PRIZES!!!! We are also collecting cards for his family:

Sister- Grace (3 years old)

Parents-Matt and Heather

I also wanted to share a few card ideas with you. Looking through his Care Page, I noticed lots of race cars. I'm sure he would like a car themed card... and I always like joke cards for kids. Here is the set I created... I think James will get a smile from these. :) Here's some close up shots and answers to the jokes... Where do you weigh a whale? At the weigh-whale station!

Why did the lion spit out the clown? Because he tasted funny!

Why do fish swim in salt water? Because the pepper makes them sneeze! Why wasn't the giraffe invited to the party? Because he was a pain in the neck!

Where do penguins keep their money? At the snow bank!

What is a snake's fav. subject? Hisssss-tory! Why did the elephant quit the circus? Because he was tired of working for peanuts!

What do you call a sleeping dinosaur? A dino-snore!

A peek at the inside of a couple of cards...

Okay, now onto the PRIZES. I am going to have lots of prizes for this card drive. Here is the first prize (donated by the sweet Jennifer who happens to be my new boss! yea!-more on that another day)

She donated her class videos from Hero Arts. Hero Hues Technique DVD...

and Technique Garden Video DVD...

Thanks for reading and I hope that you will join me in bringing smiles to the Overbeck family. I'll be back soon with more prizes! :)

Cards Magazine-March Publication

2011-04-09T21:44:00.006-04:00

I have a card published in the March issue of Cards Magazine! :) Perfect for Easter, which will be here soon. Here it is...

a close up of the flocked bunny tails...

I need your help! Does anyone have the March issue of Cards Magazine? I need to have a scan of my card in the magazine for something and do not have the issue yet. Please email me if you have a copy or an online copy. I will send some goodies to the first person that sends me an image of the page with my card on it. Thanks! (ETA: Nevermind, a sweet friend of mine sent it to me)

Speaking of publications, I just got an email requesting a layout I did of Alex to be in the Create magazine (a special edition of Scrapbook Trends Magazine) for their teen call coming out in the fall. I'm SO excited. I've never had a scrapbook page published before! Can't wait until it comes out!

Thanks for stopping by. Night!

Doodlebug Cards.

2011-04-04T13:06:00.009-04:00

Have you seen the new Doodlebug Cards with matching envelopes? They just make me happy with their colors and cute design. I decided to pick up a few and added a dash of THIS stamp set by Lawn Fawn and a pinch of a few Hero Arts stamps to create this card set... This is for my hairdresser, Karen. You may remember the set I made for her in the past HERE. She loved it so much that I decided to make her another one to say thank you. Here's a closer look...

I used the scissors from the Lawn Fawn Set and used glossy accents on the black part and then "colored" the blades with pumice stone distress ink and sprayed it heavily with perfect pearls spray. It's so shiny in real life...

I LOVE the envelopes that you can get to match...

Here's a shot of it all packaged up. Thought the greeting from the Lawn Fawn set was the perfect touch on the tag....

I also entered these in the Moxie Fab World Challenge. Click HERE to play along too! Thanks for stopping by. Be back soon...

Scrapbooking...

2011-03-29T19:04:00.014-04:00

sometimes gets pushed to the side because I usually only have time to make cards. Working on a large canvas like a scrapbook page takes a lot more time, well at least for me it does. LOL However, I finally got some time at the retreat a few weeks ago to make some layouts. The first one is of my niece Taylor. The journaling reads, "Just like Batman has Robin and Peanut Butter has Jelly, I have a creative sidekick, my niece Taylor. I love spending the day with "mini me" in my craft room. (Jan. 2011)" The next one is about Ted and I. The journaling reads, "We decided to try something new for our six year wedding anniversary. We had never been bowling so I thought it would be a fun date while out of town in Indianapolis. The best part was kickin' your butt. Hee. Hee. :) " Here's a LO about Alex and his girlfriend, Ashley. The journaling reads, "It's so sweet to see you in a relationship and being so thoughtful, caring, and respectful towards Ashley. It makes my heart want to burst. I'm so very proud of you Alex! (2011) Another about Alex and his favorite thing to do-drumming! Journaling: "One of my favorite things in the world is to watch you play. It makes my heart happy to see you enjoying yourself so much."

This one I may have shared before but I was going through older pics and found it. Love that I could fit 16 photos on one page. Loving mini prints! Journaling: "Celebrating 40 years-Richard and Kay Ritzi-March 7, 2010"I've already shared this layout but I wanted to show you a BEFORE and AFTER. I very rarely go back and tweak layouts but I wanted to submit this LO for a magazine call and felt it needed a face lift.

BEFORE: AFTER:Whatcha think? Hopefully you like the after better. LOL

Anyway, just wanted to share some layouts to prove I still scrapbook. Thanks for stopping by!

Through Rain & Shine...

2011-03-24T13:18:00.002-04:00

This guy will always be mine...Ted and I have been through so much lately and even though he is hurting too, he has been an angel to me. Like last week (when I was having a horrible day) and the doorbell rang and I was greeted with these for no reason...and then later I get a phone call from my mom telling me how beautiful HER flowers were! He sent some to my mom as well to say thank you for being so supportive during our difficult time. It made my heart melt. :)

To say thanks, I decided to make him a card...As soon as I saw this stamp it reminded me of us. It's storming outside and we are under the umbrella smooching. I decided to put some over sized raindrops around us to show what we are going through and how much he protects me from it all. Love you Ted!

A close-up of the umbrella (I like to put glossy accents on the creases of the umbrella to make it look like water is running down)...That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Week of Penny Black Stamps- Days 5-7

2011-03-19T21:18:00.007-04:00

Hello friends. Having a rough couple of days so I decided to wrap up the Penny Black stamp week on this blog post. I used THIS stamp set to create this birthday card...I used glossy accents on the balloons to give them some shine...I finished the inside of the card too...Next, I used THIS set to create this card...I think the hedgehog was intended to be walking but I made him fly in the air to fit the sentiment. :)

A closer look at the clouds I used liquid pearls on...And finally, I played with THIS fun set to create this card (excuse the wonky sewing-was my first attempt at the sewing machine! lol)...

Thanks for stopping by this week and checking out my Penny Black creations. I hope you were inspired!

Week of Penny Black Stamps- Day 4

2011-03-17T21:43:00.005-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Thought I'd share a card with lots of green to celebrate..

Can you tell by now that I really like THIS set? :) I stamped the tissue image around the flowers in vellum to give it a realistic feel.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back tomorrow with another card share. Just like today's cards says...I hope you had a wonderful day. :)

Week of Penny Black Stamps- Day 3

2011-03-16T22:03:00.005-04:00

Welcome back to a week of Penny Black Stamp Cards. For the third day, I decided to use THIS set. Here is the card I made using that cute painting hedgehog...

A detail shot of the canvas he's painting on. Hard to tell but I stamped the canvas on CANVAS PAPER! It's so fun and cute in real life. :)

Thanks for stopping by! Be back tomorrow with another card. Hugs!

Week of Penny Black Stamps- Day 2

2011-03-15T21:18:00.006-04:00

Just got back from dinner HERE (so yummy) and thought I'd share the card for day two of the Penny Black Week. I decided to use THIS set again to create this birthday card...

a close up...

The sentiment is from Hero Arts (had to sneak that in) and the paper is from Echo Park...don't you love those colors?!

That's all I got for now. Off to snuggle with my hubby. Thanks for stopping by!

Girls Getaway & A Week of Penny Black Cards

2011-03-14T23:42:00.013-04:00

Hello friends. I just got back from a weekend trip with these girls.... left to right...
Top Row- Britta, Ginger, Mary, Jana, and Latrice
Bottom Row- Sandi, Nichol, Jennifer, Kathy, and me

Wow. That sums it up for me. To be surrounded by the love of these incredible, strong, talented, kind, strong women was just what the doctor ordered. They were all so patient with me as I'm still trying to work through things. They made me laugh which is something I didn't know when I was going to do again. I've said this many times but I'll say it again and again, I'm so thankful for this hobby. It brings people together that you would never have met otherwise. Thank you girls for an amazing weekend. Love you.

Moving onto the crafting...I actually got a lot accomplished. Miss Kathy brought her Penny Black stamps and I fell in love immediately. I felt like I was cheating on Hero Arts a bit but they will always be my first love. :) I am going to show you a week of cards featuring Penny Black stamps. Here is my card for Day One using THIS set...
A close up...

It's hard to tell but there is glossy accents inside the watering can to resemble water as well as on the flowers to make them look wet.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Penny Black card. Thanks for stopping by. I miss you guys. :)

Card Shares

2011-03-07T19:02:00.012-05:00

Hello friends. I know my posts are pretty random these days but I'm still trying to heal and I'm finding the black cloud isn't going away. Thanks for stopping by and being patient. One day at a time right?

I wanted to share a card that I sent in awhile ago for a card drive, Cards for Bridget. Bridget lost her husband Mike to brain cancer and sweet Jennifer was collecting cards for her. Here is the card I sent in...

I also wanted to decorate the envelope. I found a Hero Arts Background Stamp that was perfect because stripes made the perfect lines to address the envelope! ...A closer look...I also wanted to share a card I made with a SUPER cute stamp that I won from Nichol's blog. How cute is that mouse!? ...I wanted to use bright colors because I'm sure whoever receives this needs some cheering up!

That's all for now. Need to go pack for a much needed crafting trip with some friends! Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you for your friendship...

2011-02-24T14:32:00.005-05:00

Hello friends. THANK YOU SO MUCH for the sweet comments on my last post. I am taking things one day at a time. Some good days, some bad. I was overwhelmed by your support and I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for your friendship. Just look at my mantle filled with cards from my dear friends and family. I'm feeling the love...

I thought it was time to share something crafty. I made a card set using the "kissing" stamp technique. I started out with THIS stamp...

I inked it with different Hero Chalk Inks (Cerulean, Poppy, Iris, Grass, and Punch) and then pressed it on top of THIS stamp...

which was already inked with black ink. I then cut the image out with a scallop square die and attached it to each card finishing it off with some buttons and a sentiment....
A closeup of the "kissing" ...I thought this set was a perfect thing to share today because I want to say THANK YOU for your friendship dear blog readers.

Thanks for stopping by! Big hugs and KISSES. ;)

My heart is broken.

2011-02-11T22:01:00.002-05:00

I've debated if I should share here about some recent events and I've decided to because I need support. I really want this blog to be a "happy" place where you can find inspiration, share, nothing heavy. However, I believe in the power of prayer, and I'm asking for some from you (if you are the praying kind).

My husband and I have tried to have a baby for about six years. It has been a long and frustrating journey. Last month I found out I was pregnant. We were over the moon but decided to hold off on spreading the news since I was already spotting. We had an ultrasound yesterday that confirmed it was an ectopic pregnancy. Over the next few days, I will lose the baby.

Nothing can prepare a person for this. I know I'm not the only one who has struggled with infertility but to be on this roller coaster and then have this as our outcome is heartbreaking.

Another reason for sharing this is I've always been the type of person to struggle alone. I don't want to burden anyone and I've always had the mentality that I can tough it out by myself. I finally realized that I can't. I need support.

So, this is the reason for my break from the blog. I hope to come back to it soon because I love to share but right now I'm not ready.

Kids V-Day Cards-Day 3&4

2011-02-06T14:24:00.004-05:00

Hi! Back today with a few more card ideas for you. The first one showcases THIS stamp set from Papertrey Ink (that I've had for months and haven't played with until now!) and lot of yummy Hero Arts ink colors...

Here's another simple card using some super cute Martha Stewart envelopes that I've been hoarding...

The inside reads, "filled with lots of love" .

That's all I've got for now. I hope you had a fabulous weekend. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Kids V-Day Cards-Day 2

2011-01-30T12:07:00.008-05:00

Hi! So it turns out that my computer screen is shot. I tried to edit pictures on another computer and it is not working at well. I managed to make this one work. Made several of these cards for Winter's Card Drive...

The robot stamp and greeting are from Hero Arts. I felt like the robot's hand would be the perfect place for a red gem heart for Valentines Day. I also used some silver, shiny paper for a mat and ran it through my Cuttlebug to emboss it. Love the texture and shine it gives...

I will hopefully be able to share the rest of the week's cards soon. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Technical Difficulties...

2011-01-26T20:19:00.003-05:00

Hi guys!

I've been wanting to post Day 2 and 3 of the Kids Cards but my computer is acting up. Sigh. So I'm using my son's computer now to let you know I will hopefully post tomorrow and show you all the cards.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Kids Valentine Day Cards-Day 1

2011-01-24T20:32:00.006-05:00

I love to make cards but I REALLY love to make cards for kids. They are so fun to make and I love card drives like THIS one...makes my heart swell. I decided to show a card a day this week that I plan on sending to encourage you to join in and send some cards to Winter. You can find all the information HERE.

My first card...I decided to use THIS set again because I can't get enough of it! I made a blow hole on the top of the whale using black enamel and loved the idea of the whale spraying out hearts rather than water. :) Here's a closeup with the shine of glossy accents on the whale...I used my Cuttlebug to emboss the background on THIS card and then sanded it. I love that Hero Arts cards has the white core!

Also, I decided to change the sentiment. I masked off the word "time" and added a few dots. Then, I stamped the inside...
I liked "have a whale of a valentine's day" more! :)

Thanks for stopping by. Be back tomorrow with another card.

Hero Arts Catalog Inspiration

2011-01-13T15:38:00.003-05:00

While checking out the Hero Arts Blog, I wanted to participate in their monthly contest which is to create a project that is inspired by their 2011 Catolog. I fell in love with the projects on page 33 (I think they were created by the ultra talented Jennifer McGuire) so I decided to make a layout and card too...I finally got to scrap the pictures of Alex and Ashley from their homecoming dance back in October...I was inspired by the way Jennifer uses stamping to create patterned paper. I used THIS new stamp with THIS ink in the middle of the heart and THIS new background stamp with grey ink to create some my own patterned papers.

A closer look...So what are you inspired by? :)

My creative sidekick...

2011-01-11T12:04:00.005-05:00

Just like Batman had Robin and Peanut Butter has Jelly, I have a creative sidekick...my niece Taylor...(loving that toothless grin!) She has been wanting to come over and spend the day in my craft room for some time. My brother (her dad) called me over the weekend to ask if she could come over to make a special project...

She wanted to make a book about her super sweet dog, Dutch. They had to put Dutch down on New Years Eve. Dutch was the sweetest Weimaraner you would ever meet. Mike and I both thought this would be a great tool for the healing process. It was nice to see her share the pictures with me, telling me stories about Dutch. She made a couple pages of him. Here is a peek at one in the beginning stages... We love you Dutch. You will be missed. I went to Borders recently and purchased THIS book for the kids. My brother said the kids found comfort in it, especially the part where it says that the dogs are always by their sides and that they get dog treats in Heaven. :)

Okay. Off to get some crafting done since I'm snowed in. Thanks for stopping by!

Oh, and the winner from the last post is...JESS (Email me with your address and I'll get some goodies out to you!)

Cards for St. Jude & Prize

2011-01-04T22:25:00.008-05:00

I was excited to hear from Winter that she was doing the card drive for St. Jude again this year. (See last year's cards I made HERE) Here is the card I made tonight for the drive and plan to make a bunch more just like it...Sorry, not the best picture but you get the idea. I wanted to put some glossy accents on the fish scales but before I did, I outlined them with a glitter pen. LOVE how it turned out. Here is a close up...
The inside reads, "Valentine Wishes". (forgot to photograph it. duh!)

Okay, now for the prize. Leave a comment to this post telling me how many cards you plan to make for this card drive. Remember, one card = one smile! :) I will randomly pick a winner to send a box of scrap goodies to on Friday night. Also, please check Winter's Post HERE for all the information...there are a few guidelines to follow. Thank you in advance for creating for this great cause.

As of right now...

2011-01-01T20:57:00.005-05:00

Hi! I don't know about you but I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things from the holidays so I thought I'd do a "as of right now" post that I saw on Carla's blog the other day. (love that girl!)

as of right now...
Eating - Chocolate Covered Pretzels...Yum!

Drinking -Sprite

Last Night's Dinner - We went out with my parents...ate at Tumbleweed

Listening To - my son drumming

Reading - new Scrapbooks Etc. Magazine

Doing -Editing Christmas Photos

Next Crafty Thing I Want To Explore -Photography Skills

Waiting On - Ted to get home so we can catch up on our DVR shows.

Excited About - using my new photo printer that Ted and Alex got me for Christmas! :)

Super Thankful For - my husband and son being off for the past two weeks!

Watching - Rules of Engagement...love that show!

Last Movie Watched -Grown Ups (SOOOO FUNNY!)

Next Movie To See - Little Fockers (the sequel to Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers)

What I'm Wearing - Pajamas (always in p.j.'s when I'm at home)

To-Do, At This Very Second - Catch up on emails

So consider yourself tagged....would love to see what you are up to...leave a link in the comments if you do a as of right now post. :)

Hope you all had a fabulous holiday. Happy New Year!

Our Christmas Card-2010

2010-12-23T22:01:00.004-05:00

Hi friends! Thought I would share my Christmas cards with all of you. I started out with a picture of Alex from his band's photo shoot this year, knowing I wanted to use something about a drummer boy in the card. I love that pic of him holding his drumsticks. So, I printed a whole bunch in a 2x3 size.

Here is the outside of the card...(sentiment-Hero Arts, patterned paper-Jillibean Soup)

A peek at the inside...Last year I included hot cocoa in my Christmas cards and this year I wanted to give a little something again so I created handmade gift tags. Here's a close up of the pocket that held them...

and the greeting on the inside...

Now for a closer look at the tags... I bought THIS stamp set and knew I wanted to create the tags out of it. It seemed like such a good idea until I had to stamp and color all 100 of them! LOL
The backs of each tag...

Believe it or not, I'm already thinking of next year's card. Yep, I'm crazy like that. lol

BTW, If you are new to my blog and want to see my Christmas cards from previous years, click HERE and HERE.

Okay, off to wrap some more presents. Thanks for stopping by! Be back soon...

Personalized Cards & Color Recipe

2010-12-20T16:33:00.013-05:00

Today, as I was going through my Christmas shopping lists (yes, I'm still not done yet!), I felt like I needed something to add to Betty's gift. Betty is my next door neighbor and the sweetest lady you will ever meet. She is in her mid 80's and I always find it hard to shop for her because she has everything. We go to the same hair salon and I always get her a gift certificate there and homemade buckeye and peanut butter fudge candy....but I wanted to add a little something extra so I got crafty today...I decided to make her a set of personalized cards since I know she sends out many because most of her family lives in other states. I also wanted to create a Color Recipe to show what color ink and color card I paired together, for anyone wanting to whip up a set of these for a last minute gift. If you're like me and are a HUGE Hero Arts fan, then this will be easy peasy.

To get started, pick out a background stamp. I used THIS one like I did in my last post. I thought it was elegant and classy just like Betty. ;)

I'll start with the RED group first...

You will need THIS multi pack of cards. Here's a breakdown of each card...
1. Carnation card stamped with Soft Blossom Ink
2. Punch card stamped with Punch Chalk Ink

3. Grenadine card stamped with Ruby Dye Ink

Next, the ORANGE group...

You will need THIS multi pack of cards. Here's a breakdown of each card...

1. Poppy card stamped with Poppy Chalk Ink

2. Mandarin card stamped with Poppy Chalk Ink

3. Daffodil card stamped with Soft Yellow Shadow Ink

Next, the GREEN group...

You will need THIS multi pack of cards. Here's a breakdown of each card...
1. Celadon card stamped with Soft Green Shadow Ink
2. Grass card stamped with Grass Chalk Ink
3. Pine card stamped with Grass Chalk Ink

Next, the BLUE group...

You will need THIS multi pack of cards. Here's a breakdown of each card...
1. Powder card stamped with Soft Pool Shadow Ink
2. Cerulean card stamped with Cerulean Chalk Ink
3. Azure card stamped with Cerulean Chalk Ink

and finally, the PURPLE group...

You will need THIS multi pack of cards. Here's a breakdown of each card...
1. Lilac card stamped with Soft Purple Shadow Ink
2. Iris card stamped with Iris Chalk Ink
3. Aubergine card stamped with Iris Chalk Ink

Onto presentation. I LOVE THESE clear boxes from Papertrey Ink. I put each card inside the envelope flap and then place them inside like this...

except for the card that goes in the front....The final product...
I think Betty is going to love them. Thanks for stopping by!

Hero Arts 2011 & Tutorial

2010-12-16T22:21:00.010-05:00

Hello! Hello! Hello! I am back and ready to share! I am happy to report that my Christmas cards are complete and will be mailed out tomorrow. Woohoo! I'm a happy girl. :)

Today, I have a tutorial using a NEW Hero Arts stamp from their 2011 Catalog. I purchased THIS stamp and I have to say it was love at first sight. lol Here is a quick card set I made with it...I have a tutorial for you on how I made these. It is a technique I use to turn regular cardstock into glossy/texture yumminess. :) See.....
Here is the play by play in case you want to try this technique...

(That great banner die is from Papertrey Ink)

A few more close up shots...

Thanks for visiting and not giving up on me. lol

Okay, off to take a hot shower and relax. Had a bad spin out on the expressway tonight due to icy roads and so happy that Alex and I are okay but I have some serious stiff muscles from tensing up! Feeling blessed. Night.

Publications & Music Monday

2010-12-06T20:37:00.005-05:00

I've been under the weather but wanted to log on and share some recent publications of mine. :)

This specialty issue...features these snowflake embossed cards/tags....
and this issue...features my Christmas Card from last year. The hot cocoa card...
I also wanted to do another Music Monday. Here's some songs I've recently downloaded to my i-pod...

1. THIS song is my new favorite. She is so talented.

2. THIS song is so pretty.

3. I can't get THIS outta my head. What a fun song and the video is so funny.

4. You know how much I love PINK....THIS song makes me dance.

5. Love this artist's spunk...I just downloaded THIS song. :)

Alright. Off to rest and try to beat this cold. Thanks for stopping by!

Random Cards

2010-11-30T19:12:00.005-05:00

Hi.

I have been so busy with to-do lists, creating Christmas cards, cleaning for a party, and work around here that I haven't had anything to post on the blog lately. Sorry. My life is simply crazy right now. I really need some R&R but I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon so I thought I'd share some random cards that I've been creating. Some holiday, some not. Just want to share. :) Enjoy! ...

This gift card holder card was inspired by one of Jennifer McGuire's cards. She rocks...

Well that's really all I've got for now. I'll be back soon with some recent publications. Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful...

2010-11-25T10:14:00.005-05:00

Hello! Just wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and to let you know that I'm so thankful to have such great blog friends. Thank you for taking time out to stop by and read my blog and leave such sweet comments/emails. It makes my heart happy. Thank you.

Have a terrific holiday. Be back soon...

A day of creating...

2010-11-14T11:05:00.003-05:00

Hello! I'm expecting a few friends over soon for a day of crafting so I'm going to keep this short but thought I'd show a card set I made recently...

I love to make multiple cards with the same layout but change the color. I am thinking of making sets similar to these as Christmas gifts.

To make this card:

-I started by stamping a different Hero Arts background on each card in the coordinating card color.

-I cut off a 1/2 inch strip from the bottom of the front of the card and glued it on top of the bottom of the inside of the card. I did this so when you open the card, you have some decoration on the inside.

-I embossed dots with my Cuttlebug on the white label die (from Sizzix) and stamped a Hero Arts Greeting in the center using black ink.

-I applied coordinating distress ink to the outside to make them pop using my distress ink blending tool.

-I added dimensional adhesive to the back of the label die and attached it to front.

-I strung three coordinating buttons with white string and attached them around the label.

-(Difficult to see in the picture) Finally, I sprayed the entire card with pearlized water to give it some shine.

That's all I got for now. Hope you had a great weekend! :)

Happy Birthday....

2010-11-12T19:29:00.003-05:00

to my sweet hubby. I love you!

Grateful.

2010-11-09T18:35:00.005-05:00

Hello! I'm sorry to be MIA lately. I've been creating cards for a class that I'm teaching this week and I'm organizing all my cards to sell at a craft boutique this weekend AND its Ted's birthday on Friday, so I've been a bit busy. ;)

Today I was inspired by Becky Higgins' post HERE and the second part HERE. I love what she's doing and really want to incorporate it in my house somehow.

Today I was really feeling grateful. Grateful for my sweet son Alex. We were talking about an issue, on the verge of arguing, and in the middle of all that he says, "You really shouldn't feel that way Heather. You're awesome." That stopped me in my tracks. It was so sincere. I don't think it would ever get old to hear that you're awesome, (LOL) but to hear it from your 17 year old. Good stuff.

Another thing I'm grateful for is my sweet nephew, J.T. I look forward to watching him every week at swimming lessons. He absolutely LOVES the water! We have a routine when he's finished....we always go sit in the lobby area and he gets a snack from the vending machine. He always gets fruit snacks, he always loves to push the buttons, and he always loves when Aunt Heather gives him money! So for last week's class, I whipped up this card for him...
(FORGIVE the AWFUL pic, I was running late and snapped it before running out the door.) I just put a small pop dot on the back of the coin so he could easily remove his money.

So, what are you grateful for today?

Thinking Inking Inspired-Week 4

2010-11-04T17:43:00.006-04:00

Anyone else feeling like November snuck up on them? LOL I was out running errands today and all you see is Christmas items....Can they at least wait until Thanksgiving!? Ready or not I guess.

Anyway, I'm back today with my inspiration piece from Jennifer's Holiday Thinking Inking Series-Week 4. (You can see the video HERE) I wanted to do a gift tag instead of a card. I came up with this ACETATE tag...

I know it is difficult to see (boy, was it hard to photograph!) but that scalloped circle is sitting on an acetate tag that I made by cutting some acetate out of THIS die. Love what the stitching border looks like on clear! ....This week's lesson was on acrylic paint. I decided to do two techniques on this card. The first is the faux letterpress technique (seen in project 3). I did the swirls in silver paint, let dry, used broken china and tumbled glass on top, and finished it off with some pearlized water and glossy accents along the swirls to resemble ice.

I also did Jennifer's texture paint stamping technique. I didn't have a stamp image that would work well so I just swiped the paint across a strip of white cardstock and added the greeting on top in black ink. Love the look it gives...looks like metal! (BTW-I do have a video HERE that I did awhile ago that shows how to stamp with acrylic paint)

Thanks for stopping by! Be back soon with Week Five's inspiration project...

Thinking Inking Inspired-Week 3

2010-11-03T22:33:00.002-04:00

Hi! Back with my inspiration from Jennifer's Holiday Thinking Inking Series-Week 3. (You can view the Week 3 video HERE ) This week was all about the embossing powder. Here is my translation... I actually just used two techniques on this one. I made some embossed roses (as seen in project one) but clustered them together to give the appearance of holly...I also used some peeled paint distress ink over the embossed white dot background (as seen in project 3). I sprayed the entire piece with pearlized water when I was finished. Gives it a great shine!

Hope you're having a great week! Be back tomorrow!

Thinking Inking Inspired-Week 2

2010-11-02T19:34:00.004-04:00

Continuing with yesterday's post, here is the card I created inspired by Jennifer's Holiday Thinking Inking Series-Week 2... (Click HERE to watch the video) This card features all three of the techniques taught in the video. I used the block stamping (as seen in project one) for the blue background behind the lights. I used tumbled glass, broken china, and faded jeans distress inks. I also used pearlized water that gave a great shine just hard to see.

I also did some ink bleeding (as seen in project two) with the lights. I stamped the bulbs with fired brick distress ink and sprayed with pearlized water. I like this technique because now you can really see the inside of the bulbs.

Finally, I did some generation stamping (as seen in project three) with the snowflakes on the blue background.

I'm going to go on record saying Jennifer's a genius. I'm loving this class. That girl always inspires me to play...and enables me to by lots of goodies! lol

Have a good night. I'll be back tomorrow with Week 3...

Thinking Inking Inspired-Week 1

2010-11-01T16:44:00.008-04:00

Hello and happy Monday! I'm sure many of you (like me) are big fans of the Thinking Inking Class taught by Jennifer McGuire. Well this time she is doing a Holiday Thinking Inking Class Series and I decided to create one card that uses all three of her techniques that she taught in the first week. Click HERE to watch the video for Week One. Here is my card inspired by her video...

HOW I MADE THIS CARD:

I started by using her waterinked backgrounds technique (seen in project 2) and used broken china, tumbled glass, and faded jeans distress inks on a hero arts cloud background. You can't tell in the photo, but I sprayed it with pearlized water instead of regular water like in the video. Gives a GREAT shine! Once it was dry, I used some faded jeans distress inks on the edge and LIGHTLY went over the clouds to tone them down.

Next, I stamped the Row of Houses stamp in black on white cardstock, cut them out, and cut off a portion of the bottom so only the top of the houses were showing on the bottom of the card. I used pumice stone distress ink on the windows to tone down the white and make it look like the lights were out. :)

Next, I downloaded the free reindeer image (as seen in project 1)and then used my copy machine and shrunk it to 50%. I did the waterink painting technique (as seen in project 3) on the reindeer using walnut stain distress ink. Then I put glue on the nose and added red flocking to it for some texture...See that ho, ho, ho greeting. I wanted to give the illusion that Santa was behind the reindeer. The bubble stamp was set up the wrong way for this card. So, I stamped it in black on white paper and then flipped it over (holding it up to a light) to cut it out....just a quick tip so you can get more out of your stamps! I used some pumice stone distress ink around it to make it pop.

Okay, I'll be back tomorrow to show you how Jennifer inspired me in Week 2. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:47:00.004-04:00

First, congrats to LAUREL BEARD. You won some goodies from the last post! Email me with your address! :)

I hope everyone had a good Halloween! I love Halloween but with no little ones here, I decided to go visit my nieces and nephews. I took some shots of my nephew (J.T.) in his Halloween costume. As he likes to say, he was a "bootball player". LOL Here are a few of my favorites....I found an old football easter basket of Alex's. It worked perfectly with J.T.'s costume and he used it to collect his treats...He's such a cutie...That's all I got for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Halloween Treats(and giveaway)

2010-10-29T16:08:00.006-04:00

Hello friends! TGIF! Anyone else feel that way? LOL

Thought I'd share some SIMPLE Halloween treats I made for the sweet kiddos in my life...
A close up of the clear treat boxes (by Stampendous).....
I filled the boxes with different candies and included a glow-in-the-dark bracelet. The tags were bought at a local craft store and I decorated the clear boxes by wrapping some patterned paper around it and die cutting a label from some ADORABLE Doodlebug patterned paper. I finished it off with stamping some greetings from Hero Arts. Super Simple...Next, I made a treat for a child who really isn't into chocolate. Gasp! :) So I bought some orange slices and created a treat bag to hold them taught to me by the sweet Jennifer McGuire (You can find the video HERE)...
Finally, a spider web bag that houses candy made from an envelope and a fun background stamp from Hero Arts. You can see the tutorial on how to make one HERE. So clever! ...Okay, now for your treat! Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite Halloween candy is and I will pick a winner on Sunday night to receive some goodies!

Happy Halloween! :)

Last of the Layouts

2010-10-25T17:29:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday! I have one more layout to show you from my scrapping trip with Carla. This one is about me and Ted...

The journaling talks about the struggles that we face and how we work together through every challenge. I love this man and couldn't face a lot of this without him. I really wanted to do this LO because I didn't want all of our scrapbooks to display a "perfect life". I want to tell my story, good and bad. I love to record happy memories but it felt good to create one that talked about real struggles in our lives.

I hope you enjoyed all the layouts I've shared. I'll be back soon with some Halloween treat ideas!

Off he goes...

2010-10-23T18:01:00.002-04:00

I feel like I haven't shared any family stuff lately so I thought tonight would be perfect. Alex just left with his sweet girlfriend (Ashley) to her homecoming dance....I took a few pictures (okay, who am I kidding? I took a whole bunch) of Alex before he went to pick her up. This is one of my favorites of him...Sigh. Sometimes when I look at him, I can still see that 10 year old boy that I first met. He has transformed into a wonderful young man right before my eyes. It's even sweeter seeing him in a relationship and being thoughtful, caring, and respectful towards her. Makes my heart want to burst. So very proud of him. Love you Alex!

Just had to share...have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! :)

Music Monday -Volume 3

2010-10-18T22:19:00.003-04:00

Hi! Taking a break from Layout Shares and thought another Music Monday was in order. A few songs I'm into right now...

1. SECRETS BY ONE REPUBLIC

2. EAST JESUS NOWHERE BY GREEN DAY

3. MAMA'S SONG BY CARRIE UNDERWOOD

4. DREAM BY PRISCILLA AHN

5. MOCKINGBIRD BY ROB THOMAS

Hope you had a great Monday! Be back soon...

6 years ago...

2010-10-16T17:12:00.004-04:00

I made the best decision I ever made and married this man...

We just got home from Indy, where we spent the night last night and where we went antique shopping, where we enjoyed this beautiful fall weather, where we ate yummy food, and even where we went bowling (the first time ever since we've been together and I kicked his butt! LOL). It was such a nice time. We are heading out to dinner in a few minutes but I wanted to leave you with this card that I thought fit today's theme ;) ...

I made this for a gal who recently got married. It's a recipe for a happy marriage...I used some glossy accents on the bowl to make it shiny! ...Alright, off to enjoy some time with my hubby.

P.S. Happy Sweetest Day to all of you! :)

Lots of Layouts-Day 5

2010-10-14T20:39:00.002-04:00

So are you guys tired of layouts yet? :) I hope not because today I am sharing this school layout of Alex's first day of Senior year..

It was inspired by Nichol Magouirk's AMAZING school layout seen HERE. Carla and I were both drawn to Nichol's layout and Carla even made two layouts. You can see Carla's HERE.

Have a great night...see ya tomorrow! :)

Lots of Layouts-Day 4

2010-10-13T22:24:00.004-04:00

I've had such a horrible day today so I'm going to keep this short and head to bed. I wanted to share a layout of Alex and his Grandpa. He passed away in April and we miss him every single day...I wanted it to have a nautical feel because he was in the navy....Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon...

Lots of Layouts- Day 3

2010-10-12T20:25:00.003-04:00

Back today with this layout...I love this LO for a couple of reasons. I love that this was the very first photo taken of Alex and I. It was a cold winter night and we were in Ted's old truck just running errands when he snapped a picture of us. The picture was all beat up and I didn't have copies of it (pre-digital days) so I trimmed it down and used an older Making Memories frame to showcase it. I also love it because it features my favorite journaling that I've seen in a magazine....(forgive me, I have no clue who it was from or even what magazine but I wrote it down and tucked it away and thought it fit this perfectly)..."Maybe someday you'll look through these mounds of photographs and layouts I've made for you over the course of your life. Maybe you'll wonder what possessed me to spend so much time obsessing over your image and the words that accompany them. And then you'll reach this layout and know why....JUST BECAUSE I LOVE YOU." Such perfect words. I also love using up my older product....Thanks for stopping by! Be back tomorrow....

Lots of Layouts-Day 2

2010-10-11T19:11:00.005-04:00

Hello! Back today with another layout. This one is about me turning the big 3-0. I've been hoarding that Jenni Bowlin butterfly rub-on for sometime and glad I got a chance to finally use it....Journaling: "Turning 30 was so scary for me. Luckily, I have 2 great guys that made it fun! June 2, 2010."

Carla was sweet enough to give me that slide overlay for my mini pictures....That's all I got for now. Be back tomorrow! Hugs!

Lots of Layouts-Day 1

2010-10-10T22:00:00.005-04:00

Hello Friends! Where did the weekend go!?

I know some of you probably think I don't scrapbook anymore because I have only been sharing cards. Well, I have SEVERAL layouts to share from my fabulous scrapbook weekend with Carla. A few weeks ago we decided to meet up at a hotel and scrap for an entire weekend. You can read all about it on Carla's blog post HERE. Carla, I had so much fun and can't wait to do it again! :)

So, since I have lots of layouts to share, I thought I would share one a day. The first one is pretty simple but one of my favorites of Alex. I just love this kid...Journaling: "You are living proof that teenagers can be caring, sweet, and mature."

You will notice that all of the layouts will have typed journaling from Carla's typewriter that she brought. It was by far my favorite tool from the trip. I must get one now! :)

Since the LO was so simple, I did want to add a bit more texture. It's hard to see but I added brads in the middle of some of the patterned paper's design...(Photo by Tine Hoffmann)

Thanks for stopping by...off to watch Brother's and Sisters. I LOVE that show!

Be back tomorrow with another layout to share...

Happy Belated World Cardmaking Day!

2010-10-03T19:08:00.003-04:00

So I know that WCMD was yesterday, but I still wanted to join in on the fun. HERO ARTS is doing a fun celebration this weekend. You still have time to play along. Check it out HERE.

I decided to use some Hero goodies on this card. I finally broke in my favorite bunny stamp. I used white flock on the bunny tails to add some texture.

I was in a spring kinda mood so I went with it and made another card...

A close up...Lovin' the metal labels from the Girls Paperie. Perfect for holding the sentiment on your card.

Hope you had a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

HA Pairing Up Challenge-Day 5

2010-10-01T18:55:00.006-04:00

Can't believe today is the last day of our hero arts pairing up challenge! I want to say thank you to Judy for being such a great partner to work with. :)

Today's theme was Halloween and we just worked with whatever stamps we had on hand. I used lots of Hero Arts goodies including THIS spider web background...

I decided to stamp it with VersaMark and then heat emboss with white embossing powder to make it pop...

See that border strip? It started out as white cardstock and I covered it with pumice stone distress ink all over it and then sprayed heavily with pearlized water. Gives the look of metal. Love it.

Make sure you check out Judy's card HERE.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this week.

HA Pairing Up Challenge-Day 4

2010-09-30T18:49:00.010-04:00

I'm having so much fun with these challenges. I hope you enjoy seeing what Judy and I create! Thank you ao much for the sweet comments. I read each and every one and it makes me smile.

For today, we decided to use THIS gorgeous Hero Arts Butterfly stamp...

and Distress Inks. I decided to make a set of cards. Here they are....

(if you want to see this picture larger, click HERE)

To create these cards, I stamped four butterflies in black onto white cardstock. I colored them by adding distress ink to each one (barn door, wild honey, shabby shutters, and chipped sapphire) and then sprayed them heavily with pearlized water. Here's the shine close up...

I cut them out after they dried and to finish them off, I stamped THIS background stamp (my new favorite) in tone on tone color for each card. Then I added a greeting and some black string for the butterfly's antenna.

Check out Judy's awesome creation HERE.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back tomorrow to wrap up the HA pairing up challenge...

HA Pairing Up Challenge-Day 3

2010-09-29T09:13:00.010-04:00

Today, Judy and I decided to use THIS great Hero Arts background stripe stamp...

Our theme for today is Christmas. Immediately when I saw the stripes, I thought of a candy cane. Here is what I came up with...
It's hard to tell in the picture, but I added some glossy accents to the candy cane to give it some shine. I'm addicted to that stuff! LOL ...Take a look at what Judy created with the challenge HERE.

Well, I must go. Something is calling my name. I just picked up a copy of this today...

and a Starbucks Hot Chocolate. I'm off to enjoy. Heavenly.

Thanks for stopping by!

HA Pairing Up Challenge-Day 2

2010-09-28T14:02:00.015-04:00

Back today with another card from the Hero Arts Pairing Up Challenge. Judy and I decided to work with THIS stamp set because we both love it so much...and the theme we chose is near and dear to my heart. We decided to make cards for the CARDS FOR KIDS CARD DRIVE. Here is what I came up with...
I was inspired by paper dolls so I decided to turn this into an activity for the child. You know I love to make things interactive! :) I made the dress removable with some velcro...

(By the way, that shine you see in her hair was added with a gel pen, just for fun!)

and the inside of the card has three dresses ready for the child to color, remove (they also have velcro on the back of them), and place on the girl on the front of the card...

Love the idea of this activity possibly keeping a child's mind off being in a hospital and being sick, even for a few minutes. Makes me smile.

As always, don't forget to see Judy's take on the challenge HERE.

Okay, I'll see you tomorrow with yet another card and challenge.

HA Pairing Up Challenge-Day 1

2010-09-27T18:01:00.017-04:00

Hello! Back from my scrap trip and had a great time! This week I'm going to share cards that I made for the Hero Arts Pairing Up Challenge. I was paired up with super talented and sweet Judy Marino and we decided to work with a Hero Arts stamp set and theme for each day.

So, today we decided to work with THIS Hero Arts stamp set...

and the theme was using Cuttlebug embossing folders. I decided to use a whole bunch of embossing folders on some die-cut butterflies. Then I inked them with different distress inks and sprayed them heavily with pearlized water. Here is how it turned out...
Make sure you go check out Judy's card HERE.

Oh! And before I forget, the winner of the RAK from THIS post is...STEPHANIE RODEMAN...Email me your address and I'll get your goodies out to you. :)

Be back tomorrow with another card and challenge....

A break and a RAK...

2010-09-22T11:12:00.005-04:00

Happy Hump Day! I am leaving tomorrow on a scrap trip and will not be back to blogging until Monday. (Stay tuned because next week will have some fun things going on here.) But since I'm going to be away for a few days, I'd thought a RAK was in order. Wanna win this?...

Some goodies from Basic Grey's Ambrosia line...6x6 paper pad, 4 sheets of chipboard shapes, and a pack of rub-ons. Just leave a comment with your name and where you're from by Sunday night (midnight) and I'll pick a winner Monday morning.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Music Monday-Vol. 2

2010-09-20T15:51:00.007-04:00

Hi! It's been a week already! Where does the time go?

Well if you're new around here, I post 5 songs on Mondays that I'm into or just downloaded. This is just for fun and I understand that we all have different tastes. Just like to share in case something catches your ear. Enjoy...

1. I never told you by Colbie Caillat:

2. (speaking of Colbie) Jason Mraz and Colbie-Lucky...can't seem to get the video code...click HERE to see the video

3. Can't stop dancing to Bruno Mars' song, Just the Way You Are

4. I did a scrapbook page with the lyrics to this song for Alex...love it! Dream Big by Ryan Shupe and the RubberBand ....click HERE to see the video

5. American Honey by Lady A is one of my favorites. Love their style. You can listen HERE.

Off to pack for a scrapbook trip I'm going on this weekend with Carla. Love making friends from this hobby. I'm so blessed.

Be back soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Music Monday

2010-09-13T21:38:00.002-04:00

Happy Monday! Thought I'd start something new here on the blog...Music Mondays. Every Monday (or almost every Monday), I plan on listing five songs that I am into right now. They may be old or they may be brand new. They may be country, rap, rock, or anything in between because I like ALL different types of music. This is just my personal taste at the moment and thought I'd start sharing here because I love discovering or rediscovering songs that others are listening to. So here we go....

1. The Only Exception by Paramore

They are one of my FAVORITE bands. Love THIS and THIS and THIS too.

2. Gravity by Sara Bareilles

This is a song I play over and over on my i-pod. I first heard it on So You Think You Can Dance and LOVED it. Some other favorites from her are HERE HERE and HERE.

3. The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert

Love the story to this song. Her voice is so pure. Loving THIS and THIS from her too.

4. Glitter in the Air by Pink

THIS and THIS rocks from her too.

5. Angel by Sara McLachlen

This song always brings me comfort. :)

What music are you listening to right now?

Transforming Stamps

2010-09-11T11:22:00.005-04:00

Hello! Back today with a card that features a technique that I love doing...transforming stamps. I took a house from THIS set and made it into a Haunted House for this Halloween card...

A closer look...

I cut jagged holes in the windows to appear as their broken. I also "boarded up" the one window with strips of kraft paper inked with walnut stain distress ink. I added a spider web in the top window and blacked out the door so there is no door knob to make it look abandoned. I finished it off with some glossy accents on the windows. Another favorite technique of mine is to ink up THIS cloud stamp in black on kraft paper...makes it spooky!

I hope this inspired you to look at your stamps in a new light! :)

Have a great weekend. Hugs!

Critters in the Sea Card Set

2010-09-09T17:21:00.006-04:00

Hello! I was so thrilled when I received THIS stamp set in the mail. I won it from Lawn Fawn's Blog Hop that I participated in HERE. Here is the mini set I made...

I also received THIS in the mail...

It's quickly becoming my new favorite background stamp. It is featured in Hero Arts Winter Catalog (snow falling) but I used it for this set because it reminds me of water....

I put shine on all the animals using glossy accents...getting addicted to that stuff! LOL

You must go check out Lawn Fawn stamps HERE. Such high quality stamps. I know I'll be ordering some soon.

Off to finish up dinner. Thanks for stopping by!

Q&A

2010-08-31T13:25:00.010-04:00

Happy Tuesday! Back today with some answers to your questions from THIS post. Thank you all for your sweet comments and questions. You guys are the best! :)

Many of you asked about getting published, so I'll start with that:
1. "What is your best advice for getting a card published?" Here are a few tips that I think will really help...

a. Think about what the magazine call is asking for. For example, if you are submitting something for the April publication of that magazine, chances are they are not going to publish your Halloween card just because of the timing. They will most likely be looking for spring themed projects.

b. Photography is so important. I'll be honest. I know very little about photography. However, I have learned a few tips that have helped me in editing my photos. You want your project to shine so snapping a good shot of it is very important. Search for photography tips on the internet. I learned lots on super talented Lisa Spangler's Blog. She has links on the sidebar for photo tutorials!

c. Get involved. I've been submitting on the Hero Arts Flickr group for quite some time. Being part of a community like that is great because you can meet new people, ask questions, and get feedback when you need it.

d. Most importantly, NEVER GIVE UP! I had submitted for a REALLY long time and had no projects picked up. I was thinking of not submitting anymore and then it happened! It could take four months or six years, just don't give up and believe in yourself. :)

2. "Did you feel like your latest submission would be a winner?" I did actually. The reason I did was because the magazine had a specific call for cards using red, blue, and cream with polka dots and the issue's theme was wedding. I felt like my card fit all the categories which would help my chances.

3. "Where do you get inspiration for your cards?" Everywhere. I know that sounds vague, but I really do! A magazine, a fellow artist, a dress, a pillow... I'm always looking at everything in my world as a jumping off point for creating. Check out my 30 Days of Inspiration series that starts HERE.

4. "How can I make money crafting?" I am doing crafting as part time work. For example, people hire me to create scrapbooks for them. I teach card classes. I also just signed up for a craft show to sell my cards. Etsy is another great place to sell projects!

5. "How many cards a week do you make?" That's a tough one. Some weeks I am in my craft room every single day and others, I don't step a foot in it. But on average, I would say around 3 or 4.

6. "What is your best advice for starting a blog?" First, I would suggest Blogger. I would also recommend THIS class taught by the fantastic Kristina Proffitt, who designed my blog.

7. "How did you arrive at the name for your site?" Well my blog is named after my online store, Scrapbook Bakery. I chose this name because I feel as if all scrapbook products are goodies/treats and wanted to emphasize that theme by sending out product in hot pink bakery boxes. :)

8. "What are your favorite blogs to stalk?" Oh boy. I have so many. My favorites are listed on the right hand side of this blog under BLOGS I LOVE. But I have to say my favorite right now is Nichol Magouirk. That girl is the most talented person I have ever "met".

9. "Any tips on attaching ribbon to cards?" Try staples or brads on the ends.

10. "What was the first work of yours that was published and how did you react when you found out it was getting published?" I did a post about my first published card HERE and my reaction HERE.

11. "What is your favorite colors/color scheme?" My favorite colors right now are yellow and turquoise. I really love them together with kraft! :)

12. "What's your fav. t.v. show?" Oh my. I have lots. I can't pick one so to name a few... Dexter (thanks to Jennifer and Jana!), True Blood, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Keeping up with the Kardashians, I hate to admit this but...Real Housewives of NY and Jersey..I find the drama entertaining, Bethenney Getting Married, Cake Boss, and lots of shows on HGTV. Wow...I watch way too much t.v. LOL

13. "Any advice on how to build supplies for cardmaking on a limited budget?" My best advice would be to invest in stamps. They can be used over and over in different ways. Start with a sentiment/greeting set.

14. "How do you go about submitting your creations/How do you decide which cards to send in for publication consideration?" I will check the magazine calls and see if any of my cards fit what they are looking for. If not and there is a card I think is great then I will submit it to an anything goes call.

15. "How do you organize your stamps?" I'll have pics of this soon so stay tuned. They are in shelves that my sweet hubby built for me up on the wall and in vintage metal baskets.

16. "How long did it take to get your Cards prize box?" You might be waiting awhile Ashley. It took mine 3-4 months! ;)

17. "Can you tell me about the Copic Spica Pens?" Sorry I can't because I don't use them. Maybe you can find some info HERE.

18. "How often do you scrapbook?...Do you prefer SB or cardmaking?" I get to SB about once or twice a month. I enjoy them both equally but I do cardmaking more because its a smaller canvas to work on and I can produce more. I am a super SLOW scrapper.

19. "How is your sister doing?" Thanks for asking Jamie! You're a sweetheart. My sister is doing MUCH, MUCH better. She wanted me to tell you all thank you for all the comments and prayers.

Well I think I answered all your questions. Hope you enjoyed reading. I'll be back soon!