talent

it takes real talent (well practice) (and patience) to blog one-handed with a sleeping baby on one's arm.

so lets make this short and sweet, shall we?

-happy halloween

-trick or treating tonight with my little firefighter and a tiger (hopefully a sleeping one) in his stroller, in my in-laws neighborhood.

-card: daisy d's pp, and ctmh ribbon. sanded edges. circle punch for the corners.

-happy birthday to my sweet mommy today!! xoxo
also celebrating hubby's bday today (actual day is on tuesday)

the end :)
phew!

just for you. . .

Happy Thursday! This is one last card created from Keep in Touch Card Shop goodies.
How's your week been? I finally got to the grocery store today . .. I only tried for three days before I finally made it! The little little man had his 2 month checkup yesterday, and survived his three shots. My big old chunka lunka is in the 95th percentile for weight and the 90th percentile for height!!! I told ya he is a big ol' fat baby!!!! (I LOVE it!!!)
Tomorrow my Big little man has a costume parade at school, and a Halloween party. He is super excited!!!! This weekend we start celebrating my hubby's birthday. I will be sure to share the baseball cake I am planning to make!!!
And now, the little little one wants to be fed. . .again. . .gotta keep up that 95th percentile business, I guess!!!! Have a great day!!!

Thank you teacher!

Another Keep in Touch Card Kit card to share with you today! (I think I have one more after this!) These Jenni Bowlin letter stickers are so fun - and great for anything, but I felt like I really wanted to make a teacher card. I went with my old-standby favorite color combo . . .theres something about black and white polka dots, that I just HAVE to use red with it!!

My big man is off from school today (teacher work day maybe??) so we'll have to find something fun to do today!!! I hope you have a terrific Monday! XOXOXO

come and play!

This is another card I did for Keep In Touch Card Kits, last month. The little boy and the text are actually FABRIC. It is really cute!!! This is the first time I have ever used so much fabric on a card, and I felt a little challenged by it. I really wanted to do something fun, but I don't have a sewing machine, and I didn't feel like taking the time to hand stitch anything. Part of the fun in a kit, is using things that you wouldn't normally use, and letting it stretch you a bit. I like the way this card turned out, and I think its because it's something DIFFERENT from what I normally do.
We are off to buy the Big Little Man new sneakers today, and then a Fall Festival tonight. Hopefully the Little Little Man will sleep through both outings!!! Have a great weekend!
XOXOX

happy fall friend!

well so much for my fall weather . . . its back up to 80 degrees today! but my cinnamon broom and a host of fall candles are doing their best to keep me in the autumn spirit. I really love autumn. . .perhaps even more that winter. I think it's the anticipation of winter, that makes me love autumn more! We have at least six birthdays to celebrate between autumn and early winter, within my family and close friends - so on top of all the other holiday festivities, we are alwaaaays busy this time of year! (and i LOVE IT!)

I used one of Unity Stamp Company's CHA releases on this card, Autumn Pals. I used up some scraps hanging around - I think it's Making Memories paper, plus some scraps of solid cardstock.

I hope it feels like autumn wherever you are today!!! And I will pretend my 80 degrees FEELS like fall. ( I know some of you would LOVE to have 80 degrees, so I won't complain too much!)

XOXO

Boo! CPS #138

I could scream. I could just SCREAM. Don't you hate it when Blogger eats your post? I had the whole thing DONE. Hit PUBLISH. And Blogger ate it.
OH I COULD SCREAM.
So here's what I said - I rambled on. . .I told you all about Shimmerz, CPS's sponsor this week. . .and their sparkly shiny paint (that I put on my plain black chipboard letters, and black cardstock.) I told you all about our two trips to the pumpkin patch. I told you how we are going trick-or-treating at the zoo on Thursday, and a Fall Festival on Friday AND Sunday. And how I am going to cook something in the crockpot today. And how I am off to get a cinnamon broom from the grocery to make my house smell wonderful and autumn-y. (And how they were sold out the first two times I tried to buy it.) I told you all sorts of wonderful pointless information about my life.
But Blogger ate it.
I hate that. (But I love you! Thanks for stopping by!)
XOXO

Play and Giggle

Haven't I been a good little blogger lately? Are you impressed!!!? I forgot how much time it takes to CREATE a card (or two or three) when working in 10-15 minute increments.. . .not to mention how long it takes to then photograph the cards, edit the photos, and get them uploaded! But I have a good stash of stuff to share with you now, over the next few weeks! Hooray!

I had the priveledge of designing some cards for Kelly at Keep in Touch Card Shop, this past month. What fun goodies she sent. Kelly's shop sells products unlike any other . . .she finds the cutest little bits and pieces from flea markets, and on Etsy, and then she pairs them with scrapbooking and cardmaking goodies from the major manufacturers. It creates a really unique stash of product to play with. I have a few more cards I will share with you over the next week or so, but here is the first one! Please go check out Kelly's cute website, and see all the goodies she has! (And if you really can't wait, you can see the rest of the cards I created for her, on her blog!) ;)

giving thanks for. . . .

giving thanks for:

fun stamps to work with, (more of Stephanie Barnard's The {Stamps} of Life on this card!)

sweet people to do crafts with, talk crafts with, and connect with

beautiful autumn colors (even if they aren't on the trees where I live!)

the smell of paper and ink

my parents coming to town

baby smiles

and. ..

YOU!!!

CPS 137 . . .halloween

Halloween cards. Squash ravioli with homemade spaghetti sauce. Fall decorations. A big chai latte in my hand. The calendar which says OCTOBER. A pumpkin on my doorstep. All things which should make it feel like AUTUMN. But they aren't enough to overcome the 90 degree heat.

But i digress. . .

Clear and Simple Stamps is sponsoring CPS this week. They are such a nice company to work with, and their stamps are GOOD quality clear stamps. I used the Holiday Defined II set on this card, along with. . .you guessed it, more of that SEI Eerie Alley paper. I hope you will stop by the CPS blog and see what the other girls have done, and be sure to stop by and do some shopping at Clear and Simple Stamps!! ;)

a little more tricks and treats

Here's another Halloween treat from The {Stamps} of Life! It's hard to tell from my photo, but I put Stickles on the leaves of this card too. It gives the perfect little pop. The rhinestone brad is from Chatterbox, and the patterned papers are SEI Eerie Alley (can you tell I am loving this paper, lately!? And I have a whole pack of it to use up, while I am in the Halloween mood!!)

So it's still ridiculously hot here, and NOT feeling at all like FALL. I am doing my best, by drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and making pumpkin cookies (two batches so far!!) We are taking the kiddos to the pumpkin patch tomorrow, at one of the local churches. Maybe one day we will live somewhere that they actually GROW pumpkins locally, and "going to the pumpkin patch" actually means picking a pumpkin from the vine, but for now it just means a church's grassy yard and a truckload of pumpkins that have been delivered. It's always a great photo op though (even though we will all be hot, sweaty, and in shorts for this years photos!)

I hope you are having a GREAT week!!! The weekend is almost here! :)

fun news and something NEW!

The other day, I told you that I had some guest design work coming up . . .today I would love to tell you more about it!!! From now until the end of the year, I am designing at The Stamps of Life by Stephanie Barnard. This is a brand new company, with cute CUTE (can I say CUTE again?) stamps being released each month. If you aren't familiar yet with Stephanie Barnard and her new goodies, please go stop by the website and check it out! This card is showing off October's stamp set.
It's been fun to work with these CLEAR stamps. They are really great quality (and I am a stickler about quality when it comes to clear stamps!) and they have so many possibilities.

I have another card ready to share in a few days .. . .and I plan to do much much more with these stamps throughout the month. Playing with pumpkin stamps has me SOOO in the mood for fall!!! If only the fall weather would make it to Florida! (It's supposed to be 90 degrees this week! ACK!)

Ahhh - finally (CPS 136)

I took the month of September off from Card Positioning Systems, while I settled into life-with-baby. It felt SO good to get back to it though! Here is my "first card back" at CPS - our sponsor this week is Gina K Designs. I am so happy I didn't miss out on playing with some of her fun stamps!!! This set, called Retro Boutique, is so much fun! Lots of cute shoes, purses, the dress, and darling sentiments to match! This is definitely a stamp set I will be going back to, to play more!!! (If you click on the card you can see it larger! There's a little bling, which is difficult to see!)

My mission this week is to go out and find some clothes that fit. I am in that awkward post-baby stage, where the maternity clothes are getting to big, but my regular clothes are still too small. Tanner does not seem to love shopping though, so we'll have to go out a little at a time!

AND I should have some NEW STAMPS arriving this week, so I hope to squeeze in a few minutes here and there to stamp. I have to relearn how to create - no more 2-3 hour stretches at night of creating. I have to work a little at a time, when I can grab a few minutes here and there. It's fine, but it is taking some adjustment!!

Okay - now to take advantage of these few minutes while Tanner sleeps, and Bryce is in bed. What to do first . . ..eat, sleep, pee, do dishes, laundry, or go catch up with everyone on Facebook?? Hmmmm. . ..

XOXO

hellos and goodbyes . . .

Say hello to a new month (I love October!) and a breath of nearly autumn-like weather here in florida (for a few days anyway!) . . .and a new monthly kit from Unity. . . .and finally a NEW card from me (using the new October kit!) . . . head over to Angela's blog to check out the whole kit!

And sadly, it is time to say goodbye as well . . .goodbye to Scenic Route - one my most FAVORITE paper companies, which is closing its doors. (I used Scenic Route paper on this card. . .sniff sniff.) I guess I better hoard what I have left!!!

It is also a day for another goodbye . . .today is my last day on the Unity Stamp Co. design team. I have enjoyed my time creating for Unity, and it has been so neat to be a part of a company just as it is starting out. But it's time for me to move on, and to spend some time focusing on my sweet little family . . .and perhaps trying to get some SLEEP!!! Please know, that I am not going to STOP stamping, or stop creating, or stop using Unity, or stop ANYTHING really . . .it will just be on a more laid back schedule, and will allow me to roll with life a little more unscheduled. I'm looking forward to a few short-term guest design spots I will be filling in the coming months, and I'm looking forward to diving into my stash of stamps that need some more attention!!! So, really and truly . . I'm not going anywhere!!!

And now, as it is October first, I can pull out the autumn decorations, pretend its REALLY chilly and pretend there are lovely red and orange leaves falling from the trees. I'm going to go get a new cinnamon broom - I LOVE those things, and its tradition - I always make myself wait until October 1st, and perhaps bake up a batch of pumpkin bread. Or pumpkin cookies. Or both.

HAPPY FALL!!!!