For Andrea

Happy Birthday Andrea!

Today is a special day because it's my sister-in-law's sister's birthday. I got to give her gift to her last week when she was in San Jose visiting but silly me forgot her card. Then even sillier me forgot to send out her card on time! Here is the card that will eventually make it in the mail.

For the colors, I went with Soft Suede, Real Red and Crumb Cake. To add some texture, I used the Perfect Polka Dots Folder (117335) and the Stripes Folder (123128).

I haven't used the You’re Amazing stamp set (Clear 126722, Wood 126720) in awhile and I thought it would be fun to add a couple of hot air balloons to her birthday card. And I added a couple of Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246) for a little bit of bling.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

MDS - Wine Tasting

Hello! Here is an MDS page for you guys today. My brother, sister-in-law, my SIL's sister and I went on a guided tour at Castello di Amorosa. I've always stopped by and took pictures of the lovely castle and it's surroundings but never had the chance to go inside. So, after hearing my friend Marita talk about it, I talked to my SIL and she booked us a tour, which included a private wine tasting room and everything :) And after our tour, which was led by a tour guide who is from Italy (he was so nice!), we had a picnic lunch at V. Sattui Winery. Yum Yum!

And here's a little bit of history about the castle -
Castello di Amorosa is a winery located near Calistoga, California. First opening its doors to the public in April 2007, it is the pet project of 4th generation vintner, Dario Sattui who also owns and operates the V. Sattui Winery named after his great-grandfather who originally established a winery in San Francisco in 1885. The castle interiors, which include 107 rooms on 8 levels above and below ground, cover approximately 121,000 square feet. Among many other features it has: a moat; a drawbridge; defensive towers; an interior courtyard; a torture chamber; a chapel/church; a knights' chamber; and a 72 by 30 feet great hall with a 22-foot high coffered ceiling.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

Money Bags

Hello everyone! Here is a different type of project for you guys today. My brother is a music teacher for a Middle School and he asked me to help out with some props that they need for a percussion show that they are putting together. This year, they are going with a cops and robbers type theme.

At first, I thought that this was going to be a huge sewing project but when I asked my brother how big he wanted these money bags to be, he said as big as a pillow case. So, hello! Instead of sewing 10 large bags, I asked if we could just use pillow cases! hehe. So, I created this template to trace on this cork board. Actually, this cork board is one of their place mats, just flipped over ;) Thank goodness my brother and sister-in-law were OK with me drawing a big ol' dollar sign on it!

I can't wait to see these money bags in action! I'll try to make it to one of their shows to take some pictures. If I do, stay tuned for those pics!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

Simply Sent Mini Album

Hey everyone! Last week, I got to hang out with the gals in Niki's Thursday night class at Panera. In this Simply Sent Mini Album Class, we got to make this lovely project. It's so adorable and so fun to make :)

Here are a couple of pictures with the album open.

And here is the part of the album where the little note cards are kept. I was also thinking that we could place a picture here instead of a note card. I'll have to make another one and see how that turns out.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

For Fletcher

Hello! Here is a card that I made for my husband's little cousin's birthday. He's into video games and I decided to go old school and came up with this card. I could have gone upstairs to check out my husband's original video game controller, but with the power of Google, I was able to conjure up an image for inspiration. I hope Fletcher gets it! My husband said he was jealous. hehe.

I went with Basic Gray, Basic Black, Real Red and Whisper White for the colors. And to make all the buttons and what-not on the controller, I used the Word Window punch (119857), the 1-3/8" Square punch (119877), the 1-1/4" Square punch (119865) and the 1/2" Circle punch (119869). The 'happy birthday' sentiment is from the Family Reunion stamp set (Clear 122712, Wood 122710). It's a pretty cool stamp set to have because you can wish so many different people Happy Birthday :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

For Gigz

Hey everyone! Yesterday was my cousin's birthday and this is the card that I made for him. I went CAS and had fun with circles. For the colors, I went with Island Indigo and Lucky Limeade, which are two of my favorite SU colors :)

For the DSP, I used paper from both the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (129311) and the Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (127540). I love using both sets of DSP for making more girly projects, but I wanted to try and figure out a way to use some for a guy card, too.

And inside the circle windows, I added some texture using the Argyle Folder (127750). It's been awhile since I've used that embossing folder and I thought it would be a fun touch to this birthday card.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend :)

Just Because

Hi everyone! Happy Friday :) Here is another card that I made just for fun. I don't have many "for any occasion" cards on hand so I decided to make this card using one of my favorite new Designer Series Paper. I am really loving the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (129311). You can find it in the Spring Catalog. You should check it out to see all the lovely patterns :)

I used the 2-1/2" Circle punch (120906) to create a window for the sentiment. The sentiment "Just because" is from the Vintage Verses Stamp Set (129633). With the four different sentiments, this is a pretty fun stamp set to have. Check out the SAB catalog to see the other sentiments in this stamp set.

I also added some little flowers inside the circle window around the sentiment using the mini flower punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309). I love this punch pack and I use them all the time!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday :)

Bloomin' Marvelous

Hello! Here is another card with flowers and butterflies. I love using the Blossom punch (125603) to add pretty flowers on cards and projects. I wanted something a little bright so I used Summer Starfruit card stock (126839) and Calypso Coral card stock (122925) for the main colors of this card. I also used the Framed Tulips Folder (121809) to add a pretty little border around the card.

I also used some of the Rich Razzleberry buttons from the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (130812), which you can earn for free during Sale-a-bration! And the butterfly stamp is from another SAB item - the bloomin’ marvelous Stamp Set (129651). And what's great about that stamped image is that you can punch it out with the new Bitty Butterfly punch (129406) from the Spring Catalog! I love how Stampin' Up! coordinates some of their stamps with their punches :)

The "bloomin' marvelous" sentiment is from the same stamp set as the butterfly stamp. If you like those buttons or the stamps, simply place a $50 order (before tax and shipping) and one of these SAB items mentioned today can be yours for FREE! How fun is that?!?!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

Be My Valentine

Hello! I know Valentine's Day was last week, but I wanted to share one more card with you guys. This is the card that I made for my husband. I went clean and simple this year and I wanted to use one of my fave stamping techniques. I love the rock 'n roll technique. It's so much fun :)

I added two hearts on the card using the Full Heart Punch (119883) - a blue one and a pink one - one heart for me and one heart for my husband. hehe. And I framed each heart using one of the embossing folders from the Designer Frames Folders set (123130).

I also used some of the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (129311). I'm telling you, it's one of my new favorite and go-to DSP :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

From My Husband :)

Hey everyone! Today, I'd like to share with you the Valentine's Day card that my husband made for me this year and of course the cute little gift that he surprised me with. We said no gifts this year, but he still surprised me with something :)

So, my husband totally went non-traditional this year. Can you tell? hehehe. No lovey dovey hearts... no roses or flowers... just one of my favorite baseball players. And the cutest part... Ben actually went into my craft room and grabbed what he needed to make this hand made card :) He even made an easel so that I can display it in my cube at work! How thoughtful, right?! hehe.

And here is the little something that he surprised me with! So, there's a mushy lovey dovey heart with the oh so adorable Hello Kitty! Isn't she so pretty?!?!?! hehe. I love it! And I love the mushy message that Ben wrote inside my card :) Made me cry a bit (sniff sniff). I so heart that guy!!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day :)

Oh Happy Day!

Hey everyone! Today, I'd like to share another clean and simple card that I made over the weekend. I went with blues for this one - Island Indigo and Pool Party. I love those colors :) I also used one of the folders from the Delicate Designs Folders set (127023). 

I also used the 'oh happy day!' stamp from the Bloomin’ Marvelous Stamp Set (129651). And remember guys, during Sale-a-bration, you can earn this stamp set or any other SAB item for free with every $50 (before shipping and tax) order.

Not sure if you can see from the angle in this picture, but behind each Elegant Butterfly (127526) there's some Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (127540) peeking through. I also added the Pool Party buttons from the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (130812) to each butterfly.

Happy President's Day!

 Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day :)

For Charize

Happy Birthday Candy!!

Hey everyone! Today is a special day because it's my little (who is not so little any more.. how'd that happen?!?!) niece's birthday! Here is her birthday card and I'm a very bad auntie because I didn't get it out in the mail in time!

Anyhoo, for her card, I went with, surprise surprise, Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (127540). I wanted to go with bright colors so of course I had to use some of this DSP. And of course I had to add some butterflies :) hehe. I just love that new Bitty Butterfly Punch (129406).

I also used the Vine Street Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (130492) to go with the DSP and I added some Pool Party ribbon from the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (130812) behind the 'happy birthday' banner stamp, which is from the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set (Clear 126257, Wood 126255).

I hope the birthday girl has a wonderful day and hopefully all of her wishes come true :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

A Banner Card

Hello! OK, so I am a HUGE fan of the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (129311). I just love the color combination and various patterns on each sheet. There wasn't a special occasion for this card, but I wanted to play with the paper and make something. So, I made a clean and simple card with some fun banners :)

I was inspired to make this type of banner from one of the cute little note cards that we got to make in Niki's Little Lovies class. Click here and here to check out the different note cards from class. And click here to check out what her next class is all about.

 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Any Occasion

Happy Friday everyone! Here is a quick clean and simple card that I made for any occasion. I love Sale-a-bration time! The SAB Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper (127540) is so much fun! I'm loving the colors and the patterns.

And look at these cute buttons that you get from the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack (130812). There are three different colors that you can play with, too - Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, and Tangerine Tango. And there are three spools of ribbon, too - 1 Island Indigo, 1 Pool Party, and 1 Tangerine Tango.

To go with the pattern that I chose, I decided to use the Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (129378). And for fun, I stamped a bunch of flowers from the Bloomin’ Marvelous Stamp Set (129651). Then I added a few butterflies using the new Bitty Butterfly Punch (129406).

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Friday :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello everyone! Here's another MDS2 page that I made to print and frame. I love paper and I love prints and I love how they look in frames on the wall :)

And I love how MDS2 has so many lovely templates that you can use for so many different types of projects and I love how the possibilities are endless because you can change up certain elements of a template if you like. It's totally up to you! Kinda like what I did with this template. I chose the template, changed the DSP to the lovely Tea for Two Designer Series Paper, added several butterfly punches, and changed up the colors to match the DSP. Quick, easy and fun!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Enjoy this day with loved ones and may the rest of the year be filled with love and happiness, too :)

Valentine's Day Treats

Hi everyone! Today, I'd like to share a little treat that my friend Chan made for us gals who went to Niki's Craftsomniacs girl's night. She's so sweet! And she's super creative, too! Hop on over to Two Rosie Cheeks to check out her projects.

Isn't this treat so cute?!?! Click here to check out Chan's treats and I believe she has a link to a tutorial if you're interested in creating these "Hershey Kisses" treats :)

And look what we found on the inside of the treat! A Ghirardelli Square chocolate. Even though I won't enjoy it, I know my husband will ;)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

More Valentine's Day cards

Hello! So, I liked the cards that we made for Josh's teachers so much I totally cased them! hehe. I just changed up the colors, the DSP and the embossing folder. I finished them a bit early this year and I couldn't wait until Thursday to hand them out so my friends at work got their cards yesterday :)

For the cardstock, I decided to go with Pool Party and for the DSP, I decided to go with some Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper (125408) which can be found in the Clearance Rack for a great price! I also used the hearts folder from the Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders set (125601).

 And on the inside of the card, the "happy valentine's day" sentiment is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (Clear 127802, Wood 115370). I'm telling you, that stamp set is one of my faves because of all of the different sentiments that can be used for so many different projects.

 Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

Valentine's Day Cards

Hello! With Valentine's Day just around the corner, there are so many heart day projects that need to be made. I just finished making 300 tags and 50 cards for my brother's music program at his school. They have a fundraiser every year for the choir and music kids where they sell balloons and singing telegrams for Valentine's Day. Such a cute idea! And I love to help out every year :)

Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of those projects that I helped out with but here are the cards that I helped make for my nephew's teachers. Joshua will of course write a very special message on the inside of each card, with the help of his mommy of course ;)

 

For these cards, I used the Full Heart Punch (119883), the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (117335), one of the folders from the Needlepoint Border Textured Impressions Embossing Folders set (129383) and a Sweetheart Treat Cup (120435). These Sweetheart Treat Cups can be found in the Clearance Rack. Click here to check out all the other great deals.

I hope Josh's teachers like their cards and I hope they enjoy their Valentine's Day!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day :)

Happy Birthday Cupcake

Hello! Today, I'd like to share a birthday card that I made for a special little girl who just celebrated her 3rd birthday. We couldn't make it to Naomi's birthday party because I wasn't feeling but luckily we got to see her and her family over the weekend. We got to give her birthday present and card and the cutest part was that my lovely nephew was so kind enough to present her with the gift bag and help her open it :)

Her birthday invitation was the cutest cupcake so I decided to create a card with that in mind. I was inspired by a banner that my friend and upline Nicole made. Click here to check out her banner. It's pretty fabulous :)

I was going to add a cherry on top, but decided to add a cupcake topper instead. Since I still needed to add the "happy birthday" sentiment, it worked out great!

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend :)