Simple :)

Sometimes...I try something in the hopes that it will work.  I needed a simple background and just wasn't feeling the love from my background stamps that I have on hand. Today, I wanted super simple!  I grabbed my handy dandy Stamp-a-ma-jig, stamp, ink and paper and made my own background on Whisper White card stock! Yep, happy with the end result and get this....I just guessed at where to place the stamp and it fit perfectly, three times in a row and centered.  WHEW!  The original card idea came from the Holiday Catalog, page 3, lower right hand corner:) Sure am glad there are artists out there that share their talents with the rest of us so that we can CASE (copy and share everything) with you!  Hope this card inspires you to grab some ink, paper, stamps or something crafty, and make something to share:)

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Gorgeous Grunge and Happy Day
Inks...Raspberry Ripple, Midnight Muse and Crumb Cake
Cardstock...Whisper White and Raspberry Ripple
Small Heart Punch

Paula

Presentation

Sometimes a gift is all about how it's presented.  Even when someone has asked for something to be created, it's fun to come up with a unique way to hand it to them.  I have a great neighbor who is getting ready to move into her first apartment soon.  She had asked me to help her make a small banner.  Instead, I just surprised her and made it so she didn't have to worry about anything.  Of course I couldn't just hand it to her, I needed to come up with a fun way to present it:)  She loved it and well, making someone happy like that, by stamping, makes me happy:)  All I did was cut a piece of butcher type wrapping paper, fold up to create a pocket, glue the edges together and left the top open. I also ran the folder bottom thru the Big Shot in the embossing folder to create some texture.  Super simple and quick!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Label It and Chalk Talk
Chalk Talk Framelits
1 3/8" Circle Punch and Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack
Inks...Night of Navy and Crumb Cake
Cardstock...Night of Navy and Very Vanilla
Chevron Embossing Folder
Twine
Butcher Block type wrapping paper.

Love of my life:)

I have a confession....I am madly in love with someone and it's not my husband!  Of course I still am in love with hubby but also this little fella:)  Meet Carson once again!  They came into town for a week.  Oh what a joy it has been to spend time with them and to hold and love on Carson every chance I got!  Must admit, once they left to drive back to Colorado, our home was waaaaaay too quiet and uncluttered!

No stamping for todays post, but rather love on a swing in our backyard:)

Thanks for dropping in and letting this Granny brag!

Paula

The usuals :)

Friday!!!!  I came across this card the other day and knew right away I NEEDED to copy it!  Dawn Griffith created it and there is absolutely nothing that I don't love about it!  Dawn used butterflies and I chose to use scallop circles.  Dawn used a marker to color the houndstooth in on white cardstock, I chose to just stamp it onto the Pistachio Pudding Cardstock.  I also chose a different saying.  Honestly, this card layout and color just makes me smile from ear to ear:)  I hope it does you as well and Dawn, your creativity never ceases to amaze me!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Gorgeous Grunge, Tape It and Six-Sided Sampler
Cardstock...Pistachio Pudding and Whisper White
Inks...Pistachio Pudding and Jet Black StazOn (TM)
Punch...small oval, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle and 7/8" Scallop Circle
White Tea Lace Paper Doily
Bling...Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Have a fantastic weekend and hope to see you back soon!

Paula

Memorable Moments

I started to browse the Catalog in hopes that an idea would jump out at me....it did:)  I used the Book Cover on Page 106 and switched it up to a card instead.  Gotta love it when you can cut DesignerSeriesPaper to cover the entire card for instant design!  In order to recreate the chevron pattern, ok, kind of recreate it, I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig and used the slanted line stamp from Gorgeous Grunge.  Once I stamped one side, I lined up the image, again, using the Stamp-a-ma-jig, right beside it!  To create the illusion of height in the center of it, I simply used my Stampin'Trimmer and ran the scoring blade on the backside of stamped image, in the center and kind of, sort of, folded it just to get the crease.  Geez, I'm lousy at actually writing a good description :( so sorry!  I hope, that after looking at the picture, you will be able to see what I did!

Supplies

Stamp Sets...Gorgeous Grunge and Memorable Moments

Cardstock...Very Vanilla, Pistachio Pudding, So Saffron and Primrose Petals

Inks...Baked Brown Sugar and So Saffron

DSP...Modern Medley

Bling...Large Pearl Basic Jewels

Punches...1 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle and 7/8" Scallop Circle

Framelit...Labels Collection

Paula

Label Love Indeed

I was thrilled when I first saw Label Love.  Two main reasons why?  The shape and the sayings!  Oh...and of course the fact that a Punch matches it too!  One of the gazillion reasons why I love Stampin'Up!  Everything has something that coordinates with it!  Makes creating cards, scrapbook pages and gifts just that much easier!  I wanted to use almost the exact layout as yesterdays card but with a different angle.  The Happy Birthday stamp looks Vintage with the way the rubber on the stamp is etched.  In order to get the larger Punch behind the saying fit the way it does...I simply cut the punched colored cardstock in half and taped it a little further up and further down from the saying punched. Hope that makes sense:)

Supplies

Stamp Sets...Label Love and Gorgeous Grunge

Cardstock...Very Vanilla and Crisp Cantaloupe

Ink...Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding and Baked Brown Sugar

Punch...Artisan Label

Enjoy your day and please drop in again:)

Paula

Six-Sided Sampler

I really wasn't kidding when I confessed that Gorgeous Grunge was going to be used quite a bit by me!  I know it's a far cry from Fall but I wanted to used Fall colors for a masculine feel.  I think, if I were to make this card again, I would rough up the edge on the right side!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Six-Sided Sampler and Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock...Crumb Cake
Inks...Always Artichoke, Cajun Craze and Night of Navy
Punch...Hexagon

Paula

Envelopes

Welcome back from your weekend!  Hope it was everything you wanted it to be and more!

I figured I needed to have an envelope for my sister's card and wanted to make my own.  You know, give that personal touch to it!  I grabbed my favorite retired paper and my Simply Scored Scoring Tool and in no time at all, had my perfect sized envelope:)  In case you are short on envelopes, grab an old one and open it all the way open.  Trace onto a piece of card stock or even brown paper bag, score along the lines, fold over, glue and wham! You have your own, hand made envelope:) Now quick, reach over and pat yourself on the back!  That wasn't hard to make at all now was it? :)

Supplies
Stamp Set...Tape It and Remember This and That Rotary Stamp
Inks...Smoky Slate, Marina Mist, Summer Starfruit and Real Red
Twine
DSP retired

Simple but goes with the card perfectly:)

Chalk Talk

Happy Friday!!!  Here's hoping for a fantastic weekend for you with tons of love and laughter:)

My hubby has been out of town and I wanted to have a little note waiting for him on his desk when he got home:)  Nothing big or elaborate and yes, it's one of Shelli's layouts once again.  I just love her style!

Supplies
Stamp Set...Chalk Talk
Ink...Early Espresso and Melon Mambo
Cardstock...Gumball Green, Whisper White and Early Espresso
Chevron Embossing Folder
Framelits...Chalk Talk

Hope to see you on Monday:)

Paula

Really Good Greetings

Ever wish you had just the right saying to add to a card or tag?  Really Good Greetings is the set!  It has 6 terrific sayings that speak loud and clear with their message:)  I have a sister that is retiring this friday after many years of her hard work.  This is for her:)  Happy Retirement Vicki Dee! Love you!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Really Good Greetings and Tape It
Inks...Smoky Slate, Summer Starfruit, Marina Mist and Real Red
Cardstock...Smoky Slate, Summer Starfruit and Whisper White
Framelits...Chalk Talk
White Bakers Twine

Original idea from Heather D Heroldt on Stampin'Connection

Paula

Washi Tape

Oh how I LOVE Washi Tape!  It is so easy to put on a card and reposition if need be without any problem at all.  You can put it on clothespins for a decorative touch if you wanted to.  Tape up a gift that is wrapped in white or grocery sack brown.  Limitless I say!  Todays card is a copy job of one of Shelli's on her blog.  This is a nice note size card, 3x3.

Supplies
Stamp Set...Fabulous Florets
Ink...Night of Navy
Cardstock...Whisper White and Primrose Petals
Washi Tap...Gingham Garden
Punch...Boho Blossoms
Bling...Pearl Basic Jewels

Enjoy your day:)

Paula

Chalk Talk

I hope that you are staying cool and drinking plenty of liquids!  It's a scorcher here today and for the week. Thankfully I was able to sit and play for a bit with cool colors:)  Here's my card for today!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Chalk Talk and Gorgeous Grunge(LOVE that speckle!)
Ink...Marina Mist
Cardstock...Marina Mist and Whisper White
DSP...Polka Dot Parade
Embossing Folder...Perfect Polka Dots
Framelits...Chalk Talk
Punches to make the bow...Large Oval, Extra-Large Oval and Boho Blossoms

Tape It

Welcome back to Monday, once again!  Amazing how fast the weekends fly by isn't it?  I'm not complaining at all because it means it's that much closer to my daughter, son in law and grandson coming back for a week YES YES YES!!!  It dawned on my husband and myself that we needed a high chair for Carson.  Gee what a shame!  That meant we had to go shopping:)  Yep, found the high chair along with a few "other" must haves for him.  What can I say....he's our first grand baby :)

I was looking for inspiration for card layouts and came across this one in an email from a Craft Store.  Obviously they used different stamps and inks but you know what?  This one was super easy to recreate using some of our new stamp sets:)

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Tape It, Gorgeous Grunge and Occasions Alphabet
Inks..Early Espresso, Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana
Cardstock...Smoky Slate, Strawberry Slush, Early Espresso and Whisper White

Go out and conquer your day and remember, share a smile:)

Paula

Happy Day

I hope this day is a particularly happy day for you:)  I'm happy to report that today has been beautiful with sunshine, low humidity and NO rain:)  Amazing what sunshine all day does to ones heart and mind:)  All good!

Gosh, it's so fun to ink up new stamps!  This particular set also has a great coordinating DesignerSeriesPaper that you can get to use with it:)  Sure makes the guessing much easier!

Supplies
Stamp Set...Happy Day
Cardstock...Very Vanilla, Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler
Ink...Early Espresso
DSP...Modern Medley
Punches...Small Oval and 1 3/4" Circle
Die Cut...Circles #2

Share a smile today:)

Paula

Gorgeous Grunge!

Oh Momma!!! I have found my MUST HAVE stamp set for ALL TIME!  This Gorgeous Grunge is going to be used quite a bit, my friends!  Without further delay, let me introduce you to "GG" as well as Six-Sided Sampler!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Gorgeous Grunge and Six-Sided Sampler
Inks...Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake and Always Artichoke
Cardstock...Night of Navy and Very Vanilla
Framelits...Chalk Talk
Linen Thread and Natural Trim Ribbon

It's the little things that excite me:)

Paula

Mosaic Madness

Howdy Hi!  Are you all getting  the rains that Ohio STILL is getting?  This is day 19 with rain!  Craziness I tell you:)

I found this particular card on Pinterest and discovered that it's actually from another Stampin'Up! demonstrator, Kerry Bunting, that had originally posted it on the site for Demonstrators.  She used a Burgandy type color which screams beautiful Christmas or Fall.  I decided to "Summer" it up a bit with Coastal Cabana:)  I was able to align the images by using our Stamp-a-ma-jig.  It's an awesome tool that allows you to line up any saying or stamp that you want, the first time!  No more guessing if the stamp is going to be straight or totally off.  Gotta love an easy way to stamp:)

Supplies
Stamp Set Mosaic Madness
Cardstock...Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Coastal Cabana
Ink...Crumb Cake and Coastal Cabana
Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder
Mosaic Punch

Please drop me a note and let me know where to send our rain...I'm happy to share it with you:)

Paula

Fabulous Florets

Once again, I am bringing you my version of another stampers card.  I found this particular layout and version on Christine Miller's blog and put my spin on it.  I have also seen, on Pinterest, where someone stamped leaves in black.  I chose Early Espresso.  I love the look!  It makes the flower stand out more:) I used quite a bit of retired stamp sets on this card but later TODAY I will be running to the door when I hear that lovely big brown truck pull into the neighborhood.  Not hard to figure out when it's coming because our sheltie goes bonkers at the window!  In that lovely truck will be my order from Stampin'Up! with NEW product YES YES YES!!!

Enjoy!

Supplies
Stamp Sets...Fabulous Florets, Lovely Little Labels, Artistic Etchings(retired) and French Foilage(retired)
Cardstock...Very Vanilla, Early Espresso and Crisp Cantaloupe
Inks...Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe and Crumb Cake
Crumb Cake Seam Binding

Paula

Pursuit of Happiness

Happy Monday:)  I trust that you all behaved while having fun over this Holiday weekend!  My sister had us over for grilled burgers the other night and whipped up our moms wonderful potato salad.  There is nothing quite like your moms recipe for potato salad or chili for that matter.  Now that our mom is no longer living on this Earth, I'm thankful that my sis can whip up the salad just like mom did!

I love this saying on this card and it rings so true don't you agree?

Supplies
Cardstock...Very Vanilla, Pool Party and Calypso Coral
Stamp Set...Pursuit of Happiness (retired)
DSP...Epic Day This and That
Punches...Full Heart and Small Heart

Stop in again and please feel free to leave me a comment...I promise, I don't bite:)

Paula

Brown Paper Bag

Happy July 5th!  Hope that you each had a wonderful 4th and that the fireworks were bright and beautiful where you celebrated!  We were very lucky in that all the rains came off and on all day long but stayed dry long enough for our Towns fireworks to go off;)  Gotta love semi small town traditions!

This is a very simple brown lunch sack that I cut off the bottom of and glued it shut.  Ran the lower portion thru the Big Shot with Chevron Embossing Folder.  It's a terrific way to add texture without even stamping!  This bag can be used to hold an over sized card or gift cards or a few handmade cookies:)  I totally copied this idea from a website I came across one day. If you know the person that came up with the idea, please let me know so that I can give her/him credit!

Supplies
Brown Paper Lunch Sack
Cardstock...Midnight Muse
DSP...retired
Chevron Embossing Folder

Paula

God Bless America!

Happy July 4th!  I hope that this day holds many happy moments full of love, laughter and thankfulness.

Our Son, Sgt. Davis Surface, serves in the United States Marines and we couldn't be more proud!  There is a documentary that is showing on National Geographic, on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST called Battleground Afghanistan(I believe that's the Title)  It is all about the 2/5 Golf Company who served over there.  Yep, our son was in that Company while the reporter was embedded with them.  He was a dog handler while there.  If you happen to be interested in shows like this, let me tell you, it's WAAAY more intense then I realized and thank the good Lord above, they all came home safe and sound!  When you see someone in uniform or with a camouflage backpack (Marines never travel in  Uniform, please take a moment and simply say thank you to them, they deserve our respect!

THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE SERVED AND DO SERVE AND WILL SERVE!!! YOU ARE APPRECIATED!

Supplies...
All retired

Semper Fi!

One proud Marine Momma!

MDS

Thank goodness for MyDigitalStudio!  I was in a rush today and never got around to stamping. I know...GASP! :)  Without too much panicking, I hopped on my computer and opened up MDS and made this tag:)  Hope it brings a smile to your face, I fell in love with the color combos.

Supplies...
MyDigitalStudio


Make it a fantastic day friends:)

Paula

Loving Thoughts

Goodness!  Seems like I am needing to make Sympathy cards right and left lately:(  Never a fun card to make but when you are on the receiving end of one, they do help to know that you are being thought of and prayed for.  I seem to be stuck on this layout but in a good way!  The only things I changed from the last card made this exact way is the colors and saying.  Honestly, I will try to not continue posting the same layout :)

Supplies
Cardstock...Whisper White, Basic Gray and Calypso Coral
Stamps...Hello, Doily and Loving Thoughts
Inks...Basic Gray and Calypso Coral(sponged around center circle
Embossing Folder...Needlepoint Border
Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape
Punches...1 3/4" Scallop Circle and 1 3/8" Circle

Go outside and enjoy some nature:)

Paula

July?

Where oh where did the month of June go to?  Seems like it was just yesterday that that month was just starting!  With all of the rains Ohio has been receiving, I sure hope all of our veggies grow and mature. I don't know about you but I much prefer a grilled cheeseburger with a nice slice of Heirloom Tomato on it!

This card looks much harder to come together then it actually is!  All a person needs is several pieces of DoubleSidedPaper or Cardstock colors of their choice, measuring 4 1/2 x 1 1/2, then cut from one corner across to the other corner in order to get your triangle shape.  Attach each by starting in the center with one and going from there onto a piece of Cardstock.  Once attached, turn over and cut off excess.  Attach that gorgeous piece of art onto another larger piece of Cardstock that you have folded into a card already:)  Make sense?  Hope so!  If not, please drop me a note and I will do my best to walk you thru it.

Supplies
Cardstock...Very Vanilla and a retired green.
DSP...retired
Stamp Set...Perfectly Penned
Ink...Early Espresso

Paula