One Week to go, Kristin!

Well, time sure flies, doesn't it?? Nothing makes us realize that more than when your BABY is suddenly graduating from high school! She's not even MY baby, and I'm still feeling all nostalgic... my darling niece (you getting all this, lovey??) is graduating from high school in ONE WEEK. I actually had a great time designing these RIDICULOUS graduation party invitations. 75 of them. My sister is having a giant cookout to celebrate Kristin's achievement, and let me tell you, Laurie can throw down a party!

The card front... stamps I used are "grad" and the circular stamp from the stampin'Up! set called GREAT GRADS. The vine stamp is from theangelcompany, "simplydivine". Cardstock is brilliant blue and basic black (SU) and the ribbon is from Wal-Mart...

Inside... I did her name on the computer and mounted on brilliant blue cardstock... the "you're invited" stamp is from Michael's, but I only used part of the stamp. The medallion is made using the "great grads" set and layering various punched out versions. The bottom section makes a pocket where the invitation and directions information is tucked.

Hey, did everyone RSVP to Tracy? She wanted to make sure she had an accurate head count. We REALLY needed to make sure there would be enough chocolate in the chocolate fountain:)

I know I really love this little girl since these took about 100 years to make:) She's worth it! See you next week, Sweets!

Welcome, Baby Keira!

A fun little card for our newest little angel, Keira Grace! She's a Texas girl, so there HAD to be a cowboy boot involved! The boot is from STAMPABILITIES and the "congrats" is from studio g - you know those clear stamps you can get from Michael's. Ribbon from Wal-Mart... paper from Michael's, too. I use this paper for a lot of projects and love how stampin'Up! "wild wasabi" green paper matches it so well! Plus, I really like saying "wild wasabi".

Have a fun day!

Teacher Appreciation

In case you haven't HEARD me complaining... I mean MENTION, I am on the PTA board at the kids school. Actually, I've had WORSE PTA years, this year was actually pretty decent. When your husband works for the school and the Principals ASKS you to be on the board, you feel a little more obligated than the average mom, you know what I mean? Blah, blah, blah (actually, "saying" that does NOT make me shorten down what I am going to say... it's just my way of saying, "Yes, I saw your eye roll and heard that little voice in your head that said, "get on with it, girl!") we celebrated Teacher Appreciation a couple of weeks ago and I volunteered to make cards (60 of them!) for the gift cards the PTA purchased for each teacher. I can NOT turn down a "mass-production" project... hence, Kristin's graduation invitations (75), Keira's birth announcements (60), Gram's bday party invites (45), Julean's birth announcements (50), Rochel's wedding invitations (284), and thank you cards (134)... I could go on, but you are already thinking I'm nuts, right??!!

THIS card! Paper from the FAR EAST collection at JoAnn's... the rectangle stamped part of the card is a stampin'Up! set ("The Art of Life"), and the fun little bird is from theangelcompany, "decodesigns". The scallop punch is from stampin'Up! (one of my most favorite purchases ever!). The ribbon is stampin'Up! grosgrain ribbon, mellow moss. There is a little "coin envelope" inside to hold the gift card. You can get a huge box of coin envelopes at STAPLES (that was for you, Dean... I mean, you ARE reading my blog, right? Getting a few crafting ideas, I'm sure) they are perfect to decorate and tape inside of cards to hold a gift card.

Stollen Popsicle

I hesitate to post this card... the popsicle stamp is from a retired Stampinup! set called "sparkling summer"... cute, huh? Yeah, it's not mine. And now my sister's going to be all "hey! that's MY stamp set and I want it back!" I can get around such comments with my mom by just saying, "Look, I made some for you!" But Tracy??? Well, she can just hop a plane and come and get it! I'm quite certain she had forgotten I still had said stamp set in my possession.


I recently discovered CRYSTAL LACQUER (sold by theangelcompany) and covered the pink part of the popsicle with that (after I water colored the popsicle pink) then I shook on CRYSTAL SNOW (from STAMPENDOUS! purchased at JoAnn's) and let it dry... made it all sparkly, which is one of my daughter's favorite colors. Funny thing about the CRYSTAL SNOW... I bought it a while ago thinking it was embossing powder - it's not, so I was thrilled to find a way to use it... pink paper is more from the Sam's Club stash and the patterened is a donation from my pal Betsy. Green Apple ribbon from Stampinup! (color now retired). Oh, the ribbon on the popsicle paper is from JoAnn's, when it was Easter and they had spring ribbon out...

This birthday card was for my little God Daughter... Happy Birthday, Emily!

I'm all for borrowing and sharing stamp sets with your friends (read here: Sisters) but you should probably return them in a more timely fashion. Rats! Now no one is going to let me borrow ANYTHING anymore.

Altered Altoid Tin

More BIRTHDAY fun... an altered ALTOID tin. These are fun and easy to make! I punched holes in the side with a CROP-a-DILE to thread ribbon through so it looks like a little purse. I adhered paper with super sticky tape. The stamped image is a $1 stamp from MICHAEL's. This little "purse" is the perfect size for a gift card! Thanks to Luvenia for passing on her altoid tins!

An angelic Birthday card... with a monkey!

So I signed up to be an ANGEL with The Angel Company... a little because I like the idea of being called ANGEL (my daughter is convinced there are actual wings involved), and mostly because I didn't HAVE an angel to order stamps from. I'm just what is considered a "hobbyist" which means I won't be having parties (read: I won't be TRYING to sell anything). I like to consider myself an "enabler" which most people think is not a good thing, but in the world of stamping, it is!! See this little monkey? He's from the "Little Friends" set from TAC... the set also includes a pig, chicken, and what I think is a horse... is that a horse? Oh, and an adorable "hi"... all for $7.95. THAT's what I love about The Angel Company! Feeding my addiction as cheaply as possible... fun. The Birthday Wishes stamp is from a stampinup! hostess set... oh, and the patterned paper is from Sam's Club. My mom and I split a HUGE pack of doublesided cardstock and this was part of the fun. I kind of like "distressing" paper (see the pink circle). It adds a little dimension.