SUO Challenge-A Birthday Card

Happy Tuesday Everyone~

  Here I am today with another SUO Challenge for you.  This time the challenge was to create a birthday card.  It was a perfect challenge because I just got done creating Jack's birthday card, in February, but I shared that one with you guys already.  As luck would have it, Alex's birthday is just around the corner so today I am sharing with you his birthday invitations, however, they could easily be turned in to a birthday card, too.

  Alex picked out his paper that he wanted.  (Do the ones with all the mixed up arrows, Mom)  So, I started with a simple Whisper White base.  On that I layered a piece of Real Red, followed by the paper from the Celebrations pack.  I customized each one with some stickers from the Celebrations Accent Kit, punched out a piece of Whisper White stamped with "Party This Way" arrow from, fittingly, the Party This Way stamp set.  :)  I layered that on a scalloped circle of Real Red and voila, party invitations that scream 9 year old boy.  

  I hope you enjoyed what I had for you today.  Please hop over to www.suochallenges.com and see what the other members of the Design Team have cooked up for you.   Lots of talented ladies over there, I am proud to be a member of their team!!  While you are there, link us up to your birthday creation.  We'd love to see what you make.  I'll be back tomorrow to share a preview creation, as well as some pictures of the soon-to-be birthday boy.  Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Stampin!

And the Winner Is........

Hi Everyone!!
  Hope you all had a great weekend.  We sure did-we kicked off the birthday celebrations for Alex, my oldest.  He will turn 9 on the 28th, but we kicked off the celebrating with family this weekend.  Next weekend, a kid party, followed by treats at school and dinner of his choosing (hopefully not Burger King ;)  on his actual birthday.
  I don't have a crafty post to share with you today, but stop back later this week because tomorrow I'll have a new SUO Challenge post for you--we will be posting birthday cards and challenging you all to submit your creations, too.  I also have a cute scrapbook page we will be making in my club this week to share, and some samples I created with the sneak peek set and paper from the upcoming 2011-2012 Big Catalog and Idea Book.  So, you won't want to miss it.
  Ok, I've stalled long enough...thanks to Random.org (random number generator), the winner is:

#2  Congratulations Missy!!!!  Email or message me and I'll get your set out to you.  Enjoy!!  Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave me a comment.  I loved reading them!!  I'll be back again with some more blog candy in the future--it's always fun to do a giveaway!

Missy said...

I used this set to make a card at my stamp club last week. Loved it!!

MARCH 18, 2011 9:31 AM 

Tonight it's the blue and gold banquet for Alex-- :) I'll share pictures

Happy Stampin!

Blog Candy Giveaway

Happy Friday Everyone!
  To celebrate Spring this weekend, I am giving away a clear mounted, but never used, Nature Walk.  I had ordered it out of the new mini, and then that's the set they gave us at Regionals--so I am passing one on to one of you lucky winners :)  All you have to do is leave me a comment and I'll be back Monday to draw a winner.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

With Sympathy

Happy Thursday Everyone!

  Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  Had I been on the ball I'd be sharing a card I sent out to all of my Irish relatives.  (My husband's mom is 100% Irish---xoxo Quealy Family!!)  I guess now would be a good time to plan for next year!!

  Today's card is made with Teeny Tiny Wishes and all kinds of fun new things out of the Spring Mini.  I used a Whisper White background with a layer of Baja Breeze.  On top of that I mixed my favorite floral pattern and the stripe pattern from the Springtime Vintage DSP.  To disguise where the two papers come together I wrapped a piece of Baja Breeze seam binding around the paper and tied it in a knot.  I love the softness of this seam binding and that you can either cut the edges neatly, or like I did here, you can fray the edges.  I punched out a piece of Baja Breeze with the Modern Label Punch and stamped With Sympathy in Chocolate Chip and added a pretty plastic flower in Very Vanilla to finish it off.  I like that it's a sympathy card that is soft, delicate, and pretty.  

  The Spring Mini runs through the end of April :)  Let me know if you "need" any of these items.  Tomorrow I will share the birthday party invitations I made for Alex's birthday and Friday--BLOG CANDY!

  Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Stampin!

Thank You!!

Happy Wednesday Everyone!
  Today I am featuring another card in the set I made for a co-worker.  This one is a super simple thank you.  I can't seem to ever have enough thank you cards on hand.
  I used a really fun, and kind of unexpected color palette for this card.  It is a piece of Perfect Plum layered on Whisper White cardstock.  I used a strip of Rich Razzleberry and Basic Grey Designer Series Paper to accent.  I used Engraved Greetings for the sentiment and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I added two rhinestones for a bit of sparkle.  I really like the pop of color the Razzleberry gives to the other colors.
  Tonight I am going to package these cards up and also whip up birthday invitations to my older son Alex's birthday party :)  Stop back tomorrow for another crafty share, and Friday I'm giving away some Blog Candy.

Happy Stampin!

Monogram....

Happy Tuesday Friends!

  Today I have for you a monogram card that I am including in a set for a co-worker.  I used a base of Whisper White cardstock, and then cut a piece of retired Sweet Pea DSP for the mat.  On top of that I layered a strip of the French Script piece from Botanical Gazette DSP and tied a piece of Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon on that.  For the monogram I used Lovely Letters and Chocolate Chip ink on a piece of Whisper White layered on top of a scalloped punch of another piece of Sweet Pea DSP.  

  I love making custom card orders for people--I can't wait to see what she thinks of these cards.  :)  My UPS guy was here today (love when he visits--my Dad works for UPS, wish I could visit with him more often!!) so I have a box of goodies to go check out!  Stop in tomorrow to see another card from this co-worker set.  Thanks for checking in.  

Happy Stampin!

Monday, Monday

 

 Happy Monday Everyone!!

  Did you all remember to "spring ahead" this weekend?  I sure do like when we have more daylight but man that first week or so sure messes with my kids!!
  Any of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that I have two boys.  It was recently my Jack's 2nd birthday, so I thought I would share the card I made for him.  He is ALL of two right now.  He's starting to play independently (YAY), he's jabbering away like crazy, he is BUSY, and is VERY familiar with the words "NO!" and "MINE".  He also is good at saying "Please", "Thank You ('que' is what it sounds like), and "No a'que" (no thank you)  I'm proud of him and love him, and his big brother who turns nine in a couple weeks, to pieces!
  For Jack's card I used pieces of an old Simply Scrapping kit that has been retired that I seem to have been hoarding for awhile now.  I used a piece of the Brocade Blue textured card stock and a few of the accent stickers as the base of the card.  Then I used the larger star, raised on dimensionals, with the 2 stuck on that.  I also used two of the smaller stars from the stickers.  I love that I am able to make a card in no time that is special for the recipient!  Book a workshop and I'll teach you how to do it, too.  These Simply Scrappin kits are great for cards or scrapbook pages, and you really get a lot of items for your money.
  Check back tomorrow, I'll be featuring one of the cards from the set I was asked to make for a co-worker.  :)

Happy Stampin!

Thinking of You.....

Hello Stampers!!

  Happy Friday :)  Here is another one of the cards that I made at the retreat last weekend.  I used a Crumb Cake base, with a layer of Marina Mist that I ran through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Greenhouse Gala paper, Have a Seat and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, the Decorative and Modern Label punches and a bit of bling with the rhinestones. 

  I love Marina Mist.  It's such a clean, crisp blue.  I like just the tiniest bit of the Greenhouse Gala peeking out giving this card a little bit of fun.  I made a stack of these so I can send them to my friends and family out of town.  I usually am so busy making cards for everyone else, I forget to make them for myself.  I'm sure several of you can relate to that!!

  I came home today and waiting for me was a sneak peek stamp set from the upcoming Summer Mini called Summer Fun....ADORABLE and will be perfect for using with pictures from the cabin this summer.  I earned it FREE for recruiting new members to my team after attending the Minneapolis Regional.  Thanks Stampin Up!!!  The best part is--Amy and Patti earned one too simply for joining my team.  I'm going to try and create something with it over the weekend.  

  Next week I'll share a few more things I made on my retreat, and hopefully some things I got done this weekend, too.   Also, it will be time for some blog candy,  so stay tuned!! Thanks for checking in!  Have a great weekend :)

Happy Stampin!

Home Decor

Happy Thursday!

  One of the things I love most about Stampin' Up is how all of their products coordinate so well together.  Today I am showcasing a Decor Elements Chunky Frame that I made for my sister.  She recently moved in to a new house and was in need of a few things to "spruce up the place" so I made this for her.  I got this idea from Seeing Ink Spots, one of the blogs I really like to read.  She did a very similar frame (more ribbons, more butterflies) and I liked it so much I made a similar one.  I used a piece of Love Letter designer paper, the Bliss stamp set, Victoria, Black 1 1/4"Grosgrain, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, and Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbons, Trinket Keys, and Rhinestones. I am so pleased with how this turned out.  I hope she loves it as much as I do.

  Here's a few more pictures of the details.  Hope you enjoy :)

Happy Stampin!

THANK YOU!

Hi Everyone!

  Today's card was inspired by the Color Coach.  I LOVE that tool.  I consider myself to be one that is good with colors.  I'm good at picking out what "goes", I like to mix patterns and colors.  Sometimes though, I find that I just keep going to my "go to" colors.  Greens, Blues, Brown.....  So, while on my retreat last weekend, I dug out the color coach and came up with this combo: Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, and Early Espresso.  My neutral is a piece of Whisper White and I used some retired River Rock stitched ribbon.  I was really happy with the clean and fresh look this thank you had.  It would be a good masculine color palette, GREAT for baby boy cards, and boy cards.  

  What are your favorite color combos?  My challenge to you is to step outside your color palette "comfort zone" and create something you really love!  

Happy Stampin!

Sidekick Sayings

Hey Everyone!
  Sorry my post is a tad bit late.  We were at the Boy Scout Pinewood Derby last night, Alex took 3rd in his den and 5th overall in his heat for his pack.  Needless to say, when we got home last night, I was helping to shepherd our little darlings in to bed.
  The challenge this time over at SUO Challenges is to use your favorite retired stamp set.  I have lots of favorites, but this set, Sidekick Sayings has been speaking to me from the shelf for some time now.  In fact, even after making this card it's still speaking to me, so I will be making some other things with it that I will share.  I paired this set with some fun new items from the Spring Mini--the Baja Breeze flower, Springtime Vintage designer series paper (LOVE), Baja Breeze seam binding (delicious--the feel of this seam binding and how it can look clean or soft and vintagey is so great!), First Edition Newsprint paper, and the Sweet Summer set from Sale-a-Bration.  Everything old is new again, right??  I'd love to see what you all create--check out what the rest of the design team has put up and don't forget to link up your creation, too.

  Thanks for checking in!  I'll be back tomorrow with a thank you card inspired by the Color Coach.  :)  Oh, and, here's a picture of Alex with his car and trophy last night. (Jack wants the car)  Way to go Scouts!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

A Check In

Hey Everyone!!
  Just wanted to drop in and let you know I'll have crafty posts the rest of the week this week, as well as BLOG CANDY on Friday :)  I was at a retreat last weekend with 15 other fabulously crafty women.  SO much fun.  If you are in the MN/WI area, I definitely recommend you check out Sugarleaf in the Brainerd/Crosslake area.  And, while you are there, check out Christmas Point Wild Rice Company it has a great deli for lunch, and SO many cute things to look at in their shop.
  Thanks for checking in, and stop back tomorrow for another SUO Challenges challenge, and the rest of the week for some of the crafty goodness I was up to last weekend.  Have a fabulous day!!

Amy