Clean and Simple 242

Better late then never right?  This holiday weekend is slipping away from me!  The new puppy is keeping us all busy, but we love little Scout.  I helped my Grandma get the cemetery baskets planted and ready to go to the cemeteries today, it's tradition for me to help her each year-I think I look forward to it as much as she does.  I hope you are all out there enjoying your day--and--that you have taken a moment to think of all those service men and women who are out there serving our country, and those who have laid down their lives for us to remain free.  THANK YOU!!

On to today's card coming to you from the Clean and Simple Sketch Challenge:

Here's the sketch

I'm not sure why my picture is showing blurry-it looks fine until I pull it in to Blogger.  Anyway-I used some retiring International Bazaar DSP and some from the Sycamore Street Sale-a-Bration paper.  Cardstock is Baja Breeze (already sold out), and the Sale-a-Bration Vintage Verses set.  The button is an antique button and one in the Rich Razzleberry color along with some baker's twine.  I hope you enjoy it! 

Thanks for stopping in today.  :)  See you tomorrow!

Sunday Share: What We've Been Up To

Happy Sunday Readers!

I hope you are all enjoying this Memorial Day weekend.  I'd like to take a moment to thank my family members (both of my Grandpas, my Uncle Dave, my Uncle Les, my cousin's husband Dave, my cousin Joe, and my brother-in-law Andy) and friends for their service to our country.  Without the sacrifices they have all made, we wouldn't be enjoying the freedoms we have today.  Thank you to all of you for your service.

It's sunny here today, and after breakfast we'll be getting outside.  Perhaps doing some planting for the deck boxes. I am sorry for my week long absence-it's been a BUSY week at our house.  Last weekend we were celebrating my sister Emily and her new husband Andy at their wedding.  School is winding down for my oldest son, and I have been asked to do the yearbook for his class so I am putting finishing touches on that before I send it to print on Tuesday (LOVE My Digital Studio-it's made it so easy)

.  In addition, we have a new furry member of our family that we got on Friday. Scout Fink has come to live with us and so we are adjusting to life with a new puppy!  Any of you who have had a new puppy know that entails a lot of constant watching to be sure she's out when she needs to be, chewing what she's supposed to be chewing, and settling in to her new family.  The boys LOVE her, and our old dog Juno is intrigued with her.

Here are a couple photo collages of the last week.  Enjoy.  I am back to posting tomorrow at my regular scheduled time.  I'm looking forward to getting back in to the groove of creating!  Thanks for being patient with me.  See you tomorrow with a creation!

Coming Back Soon

Hey Blog Readers!

I am sorry for my absence....I am a little swamped after being gone for my sister's wedding, and I am trying to finish up my son's 5th grade yearbook to send off to print.  I will be back this weekend for sure, and back to my regular schedule come Monday. Wishing you all a fabulous rest of the week!  Thanks for checking in on me.

Don't Forget The Giveaway!!

Hey Readers!

I will be MIA the next few days as I am attending my sister's wedding.  I'll be back sometime on Sunday for my Sunday Share, and I'll try to have some pictures to post of the wedding then.  We had the rehearsal and groom's dinner last night, and the wedding is on Saturday.  SO looking forward to it. Hope you all have a great rest of your week.

Andy and Emily at the Groom's Dinner

Don't forget--there is a giveaway on Tuesday's post.  You can find that here  Leave your comment in order to win.

See you soon!

What Energizes You

The 52 Lists Blog last Tuesday was "What Energizes You?" I definitely get my energy mostly from being with others.  I'm an extrovert.  I love a get together, I love book club, stamp club and all the other opportunities that my hobbies afford me to connect with people. I also love nature.  A walk in the woods, down to Lake Superior to throw rocks in, a pontoon ride at the lake...a trip to Bayfield, they are all energizing, too, in the downtime they provide me.  Definitely what keeps me going each day is my husband and two wonderful boys.  How about you?  Here's a collage of a few of the things that energize me made in MDS.  (My Digital Studio)  LOVE being able to create something quickly that still looks great.  

We've made it half way through the week readers!  I'm headed out for a hair appointment this afternoon and to pick up my dress for my sister's wedding.  Thanks for checking in today!  Tune in tomorrow for a new Retro Sketches.

New Product Tuesday AND A Giveaway!!

Hey Everyone!

Today I am using two new products at Stampin' Up!  One of the stamp sets from their new photopolymer line--Bomb's Away Birthday.  Have you tried photopolymer stamps yet?  If you love clear stamps, these are clear stamps but better.  They are completely clear so you can see straight through where you are stamping.  They are extra sticky, and they give a crisp stamped image each time.  I hope they continue this line because they are inexpensive and they work great!  I will definitely be buying more of these stamps.

I love the witty sentiments of Bomb's Away Birthday. Above are two of the seven sentiments included in this set.  I made a set of 6 cards that I am going to keep in my stash for a quick gift tag card.  I am thinking about making up a set of each of these for some friends, too.  I'm going to link it up at The Friday Mashup 109 Challenge.

The other fun product here is washi tape.  I know that it's been out there for awhile but I haven't crafted with it until now.  I wish I hadn't waited so long--it's SO easy to work with and it builds a fun background.  (It's great for those of us who can rarely wheel straight!) Just yet another product I hope Stampin' Up! releases more of!!

So...now the giveaway.  Leave me a comment on this post for your chance to win a Designer Typeset Photopolymer stamp set.  Here's a picture of the set you will win.  Sunday I will choose a random winner (by the no fail method of having my sons choose a name out of a hat!) and announce them here on the blog.

Here's a picture of what you can win:

Thanks for stopping in today!  Tomorrow a 52 Lists post. Have a great day.

Clean and Simple 240

Happy Monday Everyone!

It's a busy week here at my house!  It's my little sister Emily's wedding on Saturday.  I will be posting during the week and I will post pictures as soon as I can of the big day.  

Today is a fitting card as Emily and Andy start their new lives together.  It's the Clean and Simple 240 challenge.  Here's a picture of the sketch:

Here is my card using the sketch (and more sneak peeks from the catalog in the colors, stamp set and Washi Tape):

What do you think?  I LOVE the background and ink color in this card--Bermuda Bay.  It's such a pretty color with brights or neutrals, I bet it would be fabulous with orange.  Washi tape I was a little scared of using at first-but it's so easy to create with and FUN.  

Thanks for stopping in today!  Have a great start to your week.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Just popping in quick to say Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers out there!  I hope you are taking some time on this day for just you and enjoying your families!

My sweet boys got me some beautiful flowers, and a really neat copper bird cage that holds a plant.  My husband and I bought a beautiful lamp (which you may have seen in yesterday's post) and we are grilling teriyaki porkchops for dinner tonight.  MMMM!  Whatever you are doing, I hope you are enjoying it.



Here's some pictures of me and my Mom.  Mom-I love you.  Thank you for being the best Mom I could have asked for.  You have always been a shining example of motherhood, and I can speak for Emily, too, when I say we know how much you love us and that you have always put us first.  I hope you are enjoying your special day and know how much we love you and are thankful to have you as our Mother and friend! xoxo

See you tomorrow with a card!

Estate Saleing and Junk Hunt

Happy Saturday All!

I spent my morning today at the Semi-Annual Duluth Junk Hunt and an Estate Sale at a home I've always admired from afar on Park Point.  If you ever find yourself in Duluth during the weekend of a Junk Hunt-you should definitely check it out.  Next one is coming up in September.  Here were my finds:

One of my friends that I went with got a really cool looking Matador statue.  I saw all kinds of cool jars and vintagey trinkets and glass that I'd have loved to scoop up, but my room isn't built yet and I don't really have the room to store a bunch of treasures without them getting wrecked, so I didn't want to go crazy.  There's always next time, right?

Then we headed here:

This is the last house on Park Point.  I have always loved the lodgy look of this place and thought what a fun "summer place" this would be.  I invented what it might look like inside, and thought about bonfires on the beach behind here.  (Its back yard is the beach with Lake Superior as a view) We went to the estate sale there (check out Leanne at Estate of Value) I was hoping for some of the vintage maps they had of Duluth, but I think I should have gotten there earlier.  The fireplace and wood was amazing in this house.  With a lot of TLC it could be restored back to its original beauty.  The rooms were smaller than I was expecting, but there was a lot of character to the house, and you wouldn't find a better view!

Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope you are enjoying the start to your weekend, too!

CAS(E) this Sketch #26

It's Friday!  We've made it through another work week!  The weather has warmed up a bit here, hopefully the rain will stay away and we'll be able to keep some windows open this weekend and get out in the yard and do some work in it.  My husband can hardly wait until we can get our garden planted.

Today I am combining two challenges.  The CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge #26 and the CAS-ual Fridays 100th challenge.  Here is the CAS(E) sketch:

For the CAS-ual Friday 100th sketch, I used the top row: Polka Dots, Kraft, and Punches/Dies

My card looks like this:

The colors are Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, and Bermuda Bay.  Bermuda Bay is in the sentiment, and is part of the new color refresh in the upcoming catalog.  You may be wondering where the adorable sentiment came from.  This is from a new set of greetings that will be available May 31st.  It's full of fun fonts and multi-use sayings.  That strip of pink pattern across the middle of the polka dot paper (that came with the This and That bundle) is new Washi Tape.  Really fun to create with and easy to use.  I will for sure be using it in packaging and card making in the future. I embossed a heart I cut out with the heart framelits and then embossed it with the Fancy Fan folder.  Finally--the adorable heart clip from "Cute Clips"that are available in the Spring Mini.  

Thanks for stopping in today.  Hope your weekend is off to a great start!

Retro Sketches 62

Hey Everyone,

Thursday already! I am doing the Retro Sketch Sketch Challenge #62 today.  When you get to my card you'll notice I snuck in another preview of what's coming out in the new catalog   (Out May 31st--let me know if you want one!)

Here is their sketch:

Here's my card using the sktech.  I went with a neutral color palette, and that cool looking wood block paper is from the new Soho Subway designer series paper, coming to a catalog near you May 31st!  I combined it with a sentiment from Bring on the Cake, and some rustic twine along with 2 neutral buttons.  What came together was a masculine feeling card that doesn't necessarily have to be for a birthday.  I will use this sketch again, it's a great way to let a busy paper be the focus.  I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for stopping in!  Have a great rest of your day!

52 Lists-People You Admire

Happy Wednesday All!  1/2 way through another week!  Yippee!!  We are finally getting spring weather here--it's been so nice to have it be warmer and to have the sun make an appearance once in awhile.

The list for MooreaSeal's 52 Lists Project this past week was people you admire.  This was a great idea for a list.  To be honest, I didn't have the time this week to come up with this list beyond my husband, my parents, my grandparents, my sister, and my children.  That in itself is a good group of people to admire, but, I wanted to talk about a few of the things that I admire about each of them, and really be able to think about others beyond my family and close friends that I admire.

So as I was sitting down to write this post, I thought about the qualities in people that I admire, so I am going to share some of those with you.  Perhaps in a future Sunday Share I will share the fleshed out version of my "People I Admire" list.

Qualities I admire in people:

1.) Honesty
2.) Integrity
3.) A sense of humor
4.) Trustworthiness
5.) Kindness
6.) Intelligence
7.) Thoughtfulness
8.) An Adventurous Spirit
9.) Helpfulness
10.) A positive attitude
11.) Willingness to see the good in people
12.) Not afraid to try
13.) Those who realize the world is bigger than just them
14.) Respectful
15.) Compassion
16.) Perseverance

I'm sure if I thought about this longer, the list would go on and on.  I think this is a pretty good list of qualities!  Leave me a comment and tell me what your #1 favorite quality in people is.

Thanks for stopping in today!  Go check out MooreaSeal's blog-she has so many interesting posts on lots of topics.  See you tomorrow with more sneak peek product :)

New Sketch Challenge Tuesday-Freshly Made Sketches

Hi Readers!

For today's New Product/Technique/Something Tuesday--I am bringing you a new to me sketch challenge called Freshly Made Sketches.  I love that they use clean lines-much more my style.  So, we have a new sketch, and a sneak peek on NEW product from the catalog.  Stampin'Up! rules say we can't show you the new product itself, but we can show you samples made with the new product.  The new catalog goes live on May 31st.

Here's the sketch:

Here is my take.  You'll see some NEW product on this card.  Soft Sky has made a comeback and is the background and blue strip on the card, it's framed by a new (old) pink in the subtles collection, Blushing Bride.  The designer series paper is new, too, it's from the Subway collection.  I finished it off with a new vintage button and a piece of the Pool Party Seam Binding ribbon.  I love seam binding, you can crinkle it, fray the edges, or just leave as is.  It ties really nicely.  The sentiment comes from My Paper Pumpkin-if you haven't signed up for that yet, you should.  It's a surprise each month and so much fun to get!

Hope you liked the sneak peek of product.  There will be more to come this week as I am excited to use my items that have come in my preorder.  There are so many exciting things to come in this catalog.  Let me know if you want to sign up to be a hostess or to have a private class, we can get you a new catalog and plan a fun time for you and some friends! Thanks for stopping in-tomorrow is 52 Lists and it's about the people you admire.  Hope you'll check back in soon.

Clean and Simple 239

Good Monday Morning!

Today is another Clean and Simple post.  A simple sketch, but it was really hard for me to stay one layer.  I had to go with just one extra layer for the "Love You".

Here is the sketch:

Here's my card using the sketch.  Note: You'll see a new color here--it's our new color in the Neutrals collection-Smoky Slate.  It's so pretty paired here with Summer Starfruit (So glad we get another year with that color) but it is also beautiful with Wisteria Wonder and Soft Sky.  I can't wait to try it out with other colors for fun combinations.  I used Hearts a Flutter and Seasonal Sayings for the stamped images.

Go check them out over at the Clean and Simple Blog.  It's always a good creativity boost.

Today is also a special day for us here in our house.  7 years ago today my husband and I had our first date. We were both so nervous we hardly ate our dinner, but it turned out good!  Love him so much and the family we've built together!

  Hope you all have a great day today-thanks for stopping in.  Stop in tomorrow for more sneak peeks!

Sunday Share-For Our Lake Place Someday

Hey Readers!

I hope you've had a good Sunday.  I kicked mine off by meeting a couple of my favorite girlfriends for coffee.  Jack was thrilled because he got to come, too.  He loves holding court at a table full of pretty ladies. (The strawberry banana smoothie and blueberry muffin he chose probably didn't hurt either)  My group of friends and I all met about 8 years ago through work and we've stayed in touch through different jobs, different relationships and all kinds of ups and downs.  I love these ladies and it was a great way to start my day!  For the rest of the day I stopped and visited with my Gram and Bup for a bit, and have been doing some laundry and getting my blog ready for the week.  Our fridge is starting to go on us, so we have a new one coming on Wednesday.  Never a dull moment around here!

Anyway, for my Sunday Share I wanted to share some dreamy pictures from one of my favorite "go to my happy place" Pinterest boards.  One of Mitch's and my dreams is when our kids grow up and move away to their grown up lives, we can sell our house and move in to our lake place.  Now, who knows, by the time the boys are grown up and moved away, we may be thinking more along the lines of a no-maintenance condo on the beach, but for now, our dream lies in an old timey cabin with all kinds of cozy details.  Come take a walk through with me.

Thanks for stopping in to see me today.  My blog posts will be up and running each morning, and I have created a whole bunch of posts with new product for you!  I can't show you the new catalog, or the product itself, but I CAN show you pictures of things I have created with it.  I can also tell you, I have had the catalog in my hot little hands for a week now and it is SOOOOO fabulous!  I can't wait to share them with you.

Ok....without further ado, a walk through our dream place!

Teacher Appreciation Week AND Mother's Day

Happy Saturday Blog Peeps!

Monday kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week, and what a fantastic group of people to celebrate!  I know how hard teachers work, and fortunately for us, both of our boys have teachers in their lives this year that go above and beyond.  They will each be bringing them one of these arrangements along with a little card and gift on Monday morning to say thank you.


These little flower arrangements came together so easily.  I was reading the Stampin'Up! corporate blog a week or so ago, and there was a post about May Day coming up and tinting canning jars to hold flowers.  I knew I wanted to try that, and Stampin'Up! made it SO easy for me to learn.  (See this post here for some other really cool ideas)  Here are the step by step instructions they provided.  I used Midnight Muse reinker and some Summer Starfruit ribbon to finish them off.

As you can see, it takes no crafty talent whatsoever, AND it's quick and inexpensive, but the results are beautiful.  What a fun thing to have on hand to give for a little thank you or gift when you need one.  These would even be cute with nail files, cotton balls, a nail polish and nail polish remover for a girl's party favor, or with some of those mini bubble containers and some wands, and sandbox toys for those boys in your life.  

These would be great for weddings, grad parties, Mother's Day, an outdoor deck...possiblilties are endless!  I hope you try some out-these projects came together start to finish in about 45 minutes to an hour including the time it took for them to cook in the oven and to arrange the "faux" flowers.  Here's a few more pictures of the process, and Jack making his own special arrangement for his teacher and day care lady.  Thanks for stopping in today.  Have a great Saturday.  I'll be back tomorrow with my Sunday Share and back on track blogging each day next week.

Jars after about 30 minutes in a 180 degree oven

Jack creating his special arrangement

2 of the finished products-I liked them so much I made one for my desk at work

Deconstructed Sketch 100!!

Hey Readers!

It's a BIG day over at Deconstucting Jen's Blog!  It's her 100th sketch.  What a milestone.  They always have good creativity going on over there--you should check it out and play along if you don't already.

When I saw this sketch my mind immediately went to the box of preordered goodies I have from Stampin'Up! until I realized that 1/2 of my order is getting here tomorrow.  So then, my mind went instead to one of my first purchases from this year's catalog-the World Spectacular suite.  I have not dusted this off enough--I love the vintage feel of it, and the masculine colors of the paper, so I though this would be the perfect sketch to show it off.  Here's my take:

There is still plenty of time for you to get products from the World Spectacular suite before they are gone.  We know for sure the paper is retiring, so if you love the old world feel it has, snatch some up before it's gone.  (You can click here and shop right from my online store--anytime!  Even in your jammies!!)

Thanks for stopping in today. Stop over and see Jen and all the great creations at her site, too.  I'll be back tomorrow with some more card creations for you!