Girls Club Tic Tac Toe

I already showed you two of the projects we'll be making at Saturday's Girls Club Workshop... the wallet and the peanuts for the elephant. Well, here's the third project, and it's just for the girls!

I saw these cute game boards over on Splitcoast (here's the one I looked at first) and knew it would be a perfect project for the girls. The pieces are stamped with Big Pieces in Cameo Coral and Ballet Blue ink. The squares are Bashful Blue Designer Prints paper, and the whole thing is mounted onto Ballet Blue cardstock. The title was stamped with the Classic Alphabet and then punched out with a 3/4" Circle punch. Some Whisper White Taffeta ribbon gives it a nice finish. I then mounted the whole thing onto a piece of foam core board so it would be sturdy enough to move around.

I have plans to make another one of these using a piece of large On Board Book Basics Chipboard... I wanted to have it done before Saturday in case anyone wanted to take advantage of the On Board with Chipboard promotion that is coming to an end - but I may not have it ready. We'll see. If I had the time for every project I've got rolling around in my head, that would mean there were 100 hours in every day. And we all know that just ain't the case.

...back to the Girls Club Workshop. I still have a couple of spots open, so if you're interested in joining us, I'll need to know by noon on Friday (tomorrow) in order to have supplies prepared. Contact me right away!

Let's eScape!

First of all, check out what my wonderful friend and neighbor, Melanie, brought me yesterday...

Aren't they absolutely gorgeous?! These beautiful hydrangeas are growing in her backyard (I think I'd just have to sit out there and stare at them all day) and what joy I felt when she stood on my doorstep with these in her outstretched hand... for no other reason than she was thinking of me. Moments like this - kind, thoughtful gestures - just don't happen enough anymore. That's why I am so tickled about what Stampin' Up! is doing in June!!

I have told all of you many times before that I'm an old-fashioned girl... that I am convinced I was born in the wrong generation... that I long for times when life was slower - no computers, no cell phones, no cars. Yes, I've grown accustomed to these things, just like everyone else. And yes, my life would be difficult if I had to give up these modern conveniences. But I would do it in a heartbeat and I would gladly adjust!

That's why I'm happy to report that Stampin' Up! has dedicated the entire month of June toward an eScape! This is where we will break free from the "e", which means connecting with loved ones through means other than email and electronic devices! The flyer at left says it best (click on it to view it full size): Remember when you got letters in your mailbox instead of your inbox?

Let me tell you a story... (and I promise to be brief). Back in 2003, I decided to find a PenPal. A TRUE PenPal - one that would write letters instead of sending emails. I was tired of receiving just junk and bills in my mailbox, and I wanted to feel the excitement and anticipation about walking out there. So I found an Internet site that lists ads from other people looking for PenPals. Long story short (cuz I promised), I found one. Her name is Audrey and she lives in Scotland. We connected instantly, and here we are, 5 years later just as close as any two best friends who lived next door to each other. (To make this fairy-tale story even better (and just a tad longer), we will finally meet each other face-to-face at the end of June when she will travel to the States with her husband and two daughters to stay with us for a couple weeks! I cannot tell you how excited I am!!!)

So, in a nutshell, I am a FIRM believer in sending hand-written correspondance and I am SO excited that Stampin' Up! is dedicating a whole month to reconnecting with friends and loved ones through homemade cards! To help us do this, Stampin' Up! is offering the following special eScape bundle during the month of June... it reflects a 25% discount on the items in the bundle! Wow!!

Item	Page #	Regular Price
Love Notes Assortment	p. 167	$8.95
Circle of Friendship Stamp Set	p. 143	$17.95
Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad	p. 165	$5.25
Very Vanilla 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon	p. 191	$7.95
	Regular Total	$40.10
	eScape Bundle Price	$30.00

Let me know if you would like to purchase this bundle - I can accept payment via credit card or PayPal, and I can have these goodies shipped directly to your door. And might I also suggest considering the 1-3/8 and/or 1-1/4 Circle Punches (p. 180, $15.95 each), as they go tremendously well with this Circle of Friendship stamp set!

In addition, Stampin' Up! has declared June 25, 2008 as eScape day - a day to put away our cell phones and laptops and focus on reconnecting with our "wireless network." I just LOVE IT!! I guarantee you won't see a new blog post from me that day!!

CHALLENGE
Here's my goal for the month of June... I'm wondering who among you would like to join me on this: I am going to send out 20 homemade cards during the month of June. They may not all be different - but that doesn't matter. What matters is that I will be telling 20 of my loved ones that I am thinking about them and halted my busy life long enough to let them know... I think my first card will be for Melanie.

Remember folks... people can't put a phone call on their mantle for display, and they typically don't print out emails to pin up on the fridge.

...but a homemade card? You bet.

Girls Club Project #2

Don't forget that my next Girls Club Workshop is this Saturday (May 31st) from 2-4pm! I already showed you the Wallet we will complete... here's another little gift for Dad that we'll be making:

It's quick and simple, and what Dad doesn't like peanuts?! In addition to the two projects I have already shown, we will be making one more thing... I'll share it here on my blog as soon as it's finished.

As a reminder, my Girls Club Workshops are open to girls ages 8-15 and they may attend alone or with their mom (or aunt, sister, grandmother... etc). The cost is $10 per child, or $15 for a mother/daughter pair. I provide all supplies with the exception of basic adhesive. I also recommend the girls bring a pair of straight scissors so they don't have to wait to share mine. If you haven't signed your daughter (and yourself!) up, time is running out! I do still have a few seats left, and I'd love to have you join us!

Swap Card

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend! I sure did - spent the whole time with my 4 boys (husband included!)... but alas, it's back to work for us all!

I recently joined a Swap Group and this was the card I made for my first swap:

You may recognize the style... it's the same design as the Mother's Day card we made at the last Girls Club workshop. It's one of my favorite ways to make a fantastic, quick card! This one has a Brilliant Blue base with the stamped Whisper White layer and Vellum cardstock on top. I used Ginormous Flowers again, but this time I used Brilliant Blue, More Mustard, Bashful Blue, and Old Olive ink. It's so much fun to play with different color combinations on this type of card as you can get crazy since the Vellum overlays tones it down. The sentiment is from All Holidays and is stamped in Brilliant Blue - I had to wait a bit for it to dry, unlike using StazOn. Some Antique Brass brads connect the two layers which eliminates any adhesive showing through and allows the vellum to be lifted at the bottom revealing the bold colors. Brocade Blue Wide Grosgrain ribbon finishes it off.

I should be getting my return swaps sometime this week! I can't wait to see them!

A Butterfly in the Window

I love butterflies... I decided to make a card with a striking butterfly, so I pulled out an older set - Touch of Nature - to see what I could do with it. Here's what came about:

The base card is Blush Blossom, with a layer of Ruby Red on top that has been randomly stamped using Versamark ink and a stamp from the same set. The sentiment comes from it too, and was stamped with Basic Black. I sponged the edges of the Ruby Red to age it a bit.

The butterfly is stamped onto a piece of Confetti Cream cardstock using black StazOn ink and then watercolored using the ink pad lids and a Watercolor Brush. I used very little water on this one because I wanted a vibrant look. This photo doesn't do it justice - I wish you could see him in real life... the colors are Ruby Red, More Mustard (the combination of which turns to a gorgeous orange), and Close to Cocoa for his body. I sponged the edges of this piece, too, and added some More Mustard Grosgrain ribbon to draw out the yellow in the butterfly.

Then I mounted him on the inside of the card with Dimensionals so he could pop up through a window that was cut slightly larger than he is. I wish I could say this was easy to do, and that I could give you a couple sentences with dimensions, etc... but the truth is, I just had to play with it until it worked! I know I held the Ruby Red on top of the card base and punched the window using my 1 1/4" Square Punch (much easier than using an xacto knife), but I had to play with it a bit to get the size just right. Then I trimmed the Blush Blossom piece a bit more so that it was framed with Ruby Red from the inside.

Just a fun card I enjoyed messing around with! For those of you here in the states, enjoy the 3-day weekend!

Teacher Appreciation

A couple weeks ago was Teacher Appreciation week at my older boys' school. I love it that my job gives me the perfect opportunity to whip up some fun things to say Thank You for all they do! Here is what I made for Morgan's teacher - we put some new pencils in it:

This is again one of those wooden boxes from Michaels that I covered with some DSP - in this case, I used Summer Picnic. The Die-cut Blooms are so perfect to use with this paper, that I couldn't NOT add some! And there are some Rhinestone brads in the center for the bling-factor. I tied some Real Red wide Grosgrain ribbon all the way around and attached a tag made with the Family Phrases stamp set and the Large and Small Tag punches. You can see my other boxes like this here, here, and here. I even created a photo tutorial for that last one, in case you'd like to take a look!

Here is what I made for Mason's two teachers:

The little notebook came from Target and I just covered it with Cutie Pie DSP and stamped a sentiment from Family Phrases with black ink. The Rose Red scalloped edge was made with the Corner Rounder punch, guard removed, and then punched again with the 1/16" handheld Circle punch. Both the bottle and the notebook use Brocade Blue Wide Grosgrain ribbon.

The jar is an empty Frappacino bottle - I have no idea if I spelled that right as I'm not a coffee drinker and to the horror of all of you who are, I poured the contents of this bottle down the drain! :o) I covered it with the same DSP, cardstock, and ribbon.

The top of the bottle features a Scallop Circle with a sentiment and flower from Seeing Spots that is layered using the 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" Circle punches.

Mason's other teacher received the same thing, only it uses DSP from Summer Picnic with coordinating Chocolate Chip cardstock and Old Olive Wide Grosgrain ribbon.

If you like this gift idea (it's quick and simple!) you can see another one at this post.

Look! A Bloomin' Smile!

Here is the third scrapbook page I've made for my wonderful 6" x 6" Favorite Photos album:

Isn't it fun?! This is a photo of my second son, Morgan, when he was 3 years old. He rarely smiles for pictures, so this was one of those priceless moments I managed to capture on film. I used a piece of Summer Picnic DSP for the background here, layered on top of some Night of Navy textured cardstock. The flowers come from the FABULOUS Die-cut Blooms package that's in the current mini catalog. They are also textured and oh, so terrific to play with! I showed them off even more by adding some of the new Silver Hodgepodge Hardware - also in the mini catalog. The beautiful silver frame works perfectly with the Designer Label punch. I used my Night of Navy Stampin' Write marker to color the sentiment stamp from Wild About You so I could stamp it on two separate lines. Here's a closer look:

To finish it off, I added some Night of Navy Grosgrain ribbon, and my usual Word Window punch where I handwrite the date. You can see my other two pages here and here.

One last note on my Paper Share - I did place the order tonight, but I have some spots still open in order to fill up a few groups. Take a look and let me know if you'd like to snag any of these - first come, first serve!

Group 1: East Coast Prep, Jersey Shore, Western Sky 3 spots left!
Group 2: Cutie Pie, Flowers for You, Berry Bliss 1 spot left!
Group 3: Spring Break, Bali Breeze, Ginger Blossom FULL!
Group 4: Le Jardin, Spring Fling, Fall Flowers FULL!
Group 5: PRINTS: Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron 2 spots left!

These are all the scrapbook pages I've done so far - I best get back to scrapbookin'!! Oh, goodie, goodie gumdrops!!

Wallet Instruction Sheet Now Available!

I had a special request for an Instruction Sheet on the wallet in this post. It is now complete and available to anyone who would like it (ID# 301). The cost is $3 by itself, or you can order the sheets in sets of 3 for $8. You will find more information about my Instruction Sheets here. The wallet is listed among my "Other Cards".

Dragonflies

I'm back! I had a wonderful time visiting with family at the graduation up in Indy this weekend... and despite the cancelled flight that stole half of my day on Friday (flying stinks anymore), it was a nice break from the busy-ness of my life.

Now back to work. :o) I made this card last week using Bugs and Kisses and I'm not quite 100% satisfied with it, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and call a card finished even though it's not completely what you originally had in mind. This is one such card. There are, however, several things I do really like...

One thing I absolutely love about it is the dragonfly that is all sparkly and raised up. I stamped him randomly onto the Whisper White cardstock in Bashful Blue (stamped off twice to make them very faint) first, and then stamped him once more with full strength Gable Green.
Then I stamped him again with Gable Green onto some scrap paper so I could cut out his wings.

They are then "dazzled" using a Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds, and attached with a single Glue Dot on his body. I also coated his body, head, and eyes with some Crystal Effects to make them shine (probably can't tell in the photo) and then pulled up on his wings so they'd stay. He definitely makes for a fun focal point!

Another thing I love is the whimsical Bashful Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon. I really like this ribbon - it's wider than the regular 1/4" grosgrain, but not as wide as the 5/8" grosgrain - and with the stripes, it adds a fun element to any card. Don't forget that tomorrow is the last day to participate in my current Ribbon Share - it's a great way for you to get some of this Striped Grosgrain in each of the 4 colors without purchasing full spools!

This card also uses the 5-Petal Flower punch on Gable Green and Green Galore cardstock. I used the sentiment from One of a Kind and stamped it with Green Galore and framed it inside the Large Oval Punch. I sponged the edges with Bashful Blue and attached it with Dimensionals so it would stand out more. The base of the card is Bashful Blue with a layer of Gable Green behind the Whisper White.

I think what bothers me about this card is that there's no PUNCH of color... I probably should've substituted a brighter color (an orange, possibly) for the Gable Green - including the sparkly dragonfly... but hey, he was a lot of work, so I finished him AS IS!!

Girls Graduate, Too!

I'm headed off to Indianapolis for the weekend for my beautiful niece's high school graduation. I wanted to do this quick post before I left to show you the card I'm taking for her. You probably recognize it - it's the same one as the May Stamp-a-Stack card, only I used more feminine colors.

Everything is the same, except I substituted Perfect Plum for the Night of Navy, and Pale Plum for the Bordering Blue. Since we don't have either of the Plums in grosgrain ribbon, what you see here is actually Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain ribbon - it matches just fine for this small of a piece. You can visit the post linked above for all the other details... I won't repeat it here because I have a plane to catch!

Have a great weekend... See you all on Monday!

PS: Don't forget to e-mail me with your Ribbon Share, Paper Share, and Mail-a-Stack orders while I'm away! I'll take care of invoices and such when I return. All orders must be in by Tuesday!!

Girls Club Project!

Yesterday I showed you what the girls did for Mom... here is what we're going to do for Dad! ...but let me start out by saying that this BRILLIANT idea is NOT MINE! I got this pattern from Lorri Heiling over at Dream Big. I knew as soon as I saw this that I would have to CASE it!

Mine looks almost identical to Lorri's on the outside, but because I will be dealing with young girls, I had to simplify her design. Instead of doing the paper piercing and faux stitching, I just used a black marker to make dashed lines. Because of this, I also used Close to Cocoa cardstock instead of Chocolate Chip so you could see the "stitching" better.

The inside of my wallet is very different - again, I simplified it, but I actually prefer the look of this window - complete with transparency film and all! What Dad doesn't want to carry around a picture of his little girl in his wallet?! ...but since I don't have any little girls to use for an example, you'll have to imagine my little hockey player with pig-tails and bows. :o)

I only included one pocket in mine, and the girls can choose to either get Dad a gift card (Home Depot, Starbucks, a movie theatre, his favorite restaurant, a golf pro or tackle shop, etc.) or they can slip in a personal hand-written note. There is even room on the pocket to sign their name.

This is only one of the projects we'll be making this month... I am not finished with the rest. But who can resist coming JUST for this wallet?! The workshop is on Saturday, May 31st from 2-4pm. Girls ages 8-15 are welcome to attend either alone, or with Mom. The cost is $10 per child, or $15 for a Mother/Daughter pair if Mom wants to make the projects too. Contact me right away to save your seat!

EDITED TO ADD: I have completed an Instruction Sheet for this project! Visit my Instruction Sheet Archive to learn more... this project can be found with "My Other Cards".

Mother's Day Ensemble

I gave you a Sneak Peek on April 21st... but now that Mother's Day has passed, I can show you what we made at the last Girls Club workshop! I had a whopping 13 girls this time - and because we made gifts for Mom, I had no other adult supervision! Eeeeek! But it went well... here's what we made:

It's a card, a tin box with a window, and both of them fit inside the small matching canvas tote bag. Here are individual photos for a better look:

Using a Vellum cardstock overlay is one of my favorite techniques for a card - it's fast, easy to do, and it looks great! The vellum mutes the overall design, so you can go crazy with bright colors - here, we used Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, and Certainly Celery. The flowers come from Ginormous Flowers and are stamped onto Whisper White cardstock. The sentiment comes from All Holidays and is stamped on top of the vellum using Black StazOn ink. Attaching the vellum to the cardstock using matching Brads eliminates the dilemma of how to keep adhesive from showing through. I like to leave the bottom open so the recipient can lift the vellum and get the full effect. The base cardstock color here is Pretty in Pink, and it's finished off with some Regal Rose Wide Grosgrain ribbon (some of you moms got Certainly Celery ribbon because I ran out of the Regal Rose!).

These cute little heart-shaped tin boxes came from Oriental Trading. We covered them with some of the old Petals & Paisleys DSP and Tempting Turquoise cardstock.

The lid was tricky - I gave each of the girls a template so they could make the Tempting Turquoise hollow heart to go around the window. Then we wrapped the edge with some Pretty in Pink Grosgrain ribbon and embellished the top with some little Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose flowers made with the Three For You punch.

The Crop-a-Dile punches through these things like butter, so we added a little loop handle made with Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain ribbon. Inside the tin, we lined the bottom with Pretty in Pink cardstock and added a sentiment from Family Phrases which you can see through the window when it's closed.

Finally, the tote bag came from Hobby Lobby and we just stamped directly on it using Craft inks. Easy! They didn't take long to dry - and if this were something that would find it's way into the wash, then we would've sealed them one way or another. But these were only meant to hold the little goodies for Mom, so we didn't bother with sealing them.

This month, Girls Club will be on Saturday, May 31st, from 2-4pm. I haven't finished the project yet, but it will be a Father's Day gift! Moms, you are welcome to stay at this one. The cost is $10 per child (ages 8-15), or $15 for a Mother-Daughter pair. Drop me a line to hold your seat(s).

Mother's Day Cards

Here are two more versions of the Blossoms Abound card that we'll be making on the 20th - you can see the original one in this post. Here, I just added another flower cluster and changed the colors. I also changed the original sentiment and used some from Warm Words as these are what I sent to Michael's mom and step-mom for Mother's Day (they both say "Happy Mother's Day" inside).

This one has a Night of Navy base with an Old Olive layer above it. The flowers are Brocade Blue and Night of Navy with Old Olive stems. The leaves are stamped off first to make them lighter.

This one has a Perfect Plum base underneath the Old Olive, and the flowers are Perfect Plum and Pale Plum. Both cards use Ivory Taffeta ribbon underneath the Naturals Ivory which is torn by hand and sponged. It's a quick card to make, and thanks to the 2-step stamping that the Blossoms Abound set provides, it's also very full and beautiful!

Don't forget that my May Stamp-a-Stack will be next Tuesday evening (May 20th) at 7pm! Or, you can order the kit by mail... details can be found at this link. Or, you can just order the Instruction Sheets! I'm full of options. :o)

Tomorrow, I'll show you what the girls did for their moms at the last Girls Club workshop!

Takin' Care of Business...

I'm so overdue on this... I don't know why anyone tags me at all with how long it takes me to respond!
Cheryl Moody over at God and I on the Railroad Tracks and Tiffany Bauer over at My Crafty World both gave me this wonderful award AGES ago and it's about time I officially thank them for it! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long! Thank you ever so much for your kind words - I am truly flattered to have been listed among your favorite blogs to visit!

And more recently I was tagged by both Megan Klinkenberg at Stamp With Craft and Nicole Stalker. Since their tags were within 24 hours of each other, I'm treating them as one... well okay, so the real reason is that I don't think I could come up with 14 more interesting facts about myself. So here are my 7 - and I've lost track of what I've told you already, so I apologize if these seem familiar:

1. For the summer, I got my hair cut to my shoulders. It hasn't been this short for many years, so it's taking some getting used to! But I'll be glad once our true Texas summer kicks in (it's been quite mild so far).
2. I recently finished reading the "Twilight" series and highly recommend it! You have to see beyond the fact that it's about vampires... it's really good!
3. I love to pull weeds. Just something therapeutic about it... like ridding yourself of impurities or something like that. Perhaps a spa treatment would make more sense...
4. I originally majored in theatre... but I guess Hollywood wasn't in the cards for me.
5. I can't whistle. Used to be able to, but then had an accident involving my front teeth when I was 12 and seem to have lost the skill... along with those teeth. :o(
6. I snap my fingers with my thumb and ring finger instead of the tall one.
7. I've had the same Seiko watch for about 15 years now and despite the fact that my husband wants to buy me a new really good (ie: expensive) watch, I just can't part with this one!

I will admit right here and now that I have not been blog-surfing in quite some time, so I feel totally unqualified to tag anyone or pass on any awards. This industry is chock-full of incredibly talented people and it's sooooooo difficult to choose just a handful of them anyway! I hope you will forgive me in that instead of going to search for who hasn't been tagged, I will spend my time coming up with a new creation to show you. :o)

The Beauty of Chipboard

You may already know this, but Chipboard is on SALE this month! With a $35 catalog order, you can order all the Chipboard you want for 25% off! This applies to any products on pages 178-179 of the current Idea Book & Catalog. Click on the flyer at left for full size viewing.

So what can you do with Chipboard? I'm so glad you asked! Chipboard can be used to embellish any of your cards and scrapbook pages. It adds another dimension and can be beautifully enhanced by coloring it with Craft inks, covering it with Designer Paper, accenting it with Rub-ons, or even just leaving it plain! One of the neatest things about it is that it can be punched with the Crop-a-Dile or handheld punches - this allows you to set eyelets in it or attach brads and rhinestones.

Below is a sample of something I made last night using a sheet of the large On Board Book Basics (which are basically 9-3/8" x 9-3/8" square pieces of Chipboard), along with a heart from On Board Accents. ...and keep reading for an opportunity to make one of these yourself!

Isn't it beautiful? This is designed to hang on your wall, fridge, or you can set it on an easel. It's basically a glorified - and STURDY - scrapbook page that showcases a favorite photo. This one shows off a terrific photo of my husband and our first two boys several years ago. For this project, I used the Fall Flowers DSP along with some Old Olive and textured Chocolate Chip cardstock layers. The edges are all sponged with Chocolate Chip ink to add to the aged look. There's several pieces from my Hodgepodge Hardware set (which I just LOVE to use). Here's a closer look at the bottom corner so you can see the hardware embellishments better:

For the swirly piece, I punched a couple of holes in the chipboard heart using my 1/16" handheld circle punch and then threaded some Linen thread through to tie it on. Easy as pie, but oh, so beautiful! Some Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain ribbon finishes the look by separating the two coordinating pieces of DSP. Another length of ribbon is secured through two Jumbo Eyelets to be used as a hanging loop.

There are many gift ideas this could be used for... decorate one for a bride and groom using a photo of them or their wedding announcement. Make one to hang on the door of a new baby along with a photo and the baby's name. How about a class photo decorated for a special teacher? Or use a Senior picture and make one for a new graduate! These are light enough to hang on a fridge, so they'd be a perfect way to showcase the kids for Grandma... use your imagination - I'm sure you can come up with many more ideas!

Workshop Opportunity!

This was so much fun to create and makes a wonderful gift... to me, that's the perfect recipe for a workshop! Here are the details:

When: Thursday, June 12th, from 7-9pm
Where: My home in Allen
Cost: $10.00 with a minimum catalog order of $35

I provide:
Ribbon, (2) Jumbo Eyelets, and coordinating cardstock layers
Use of my stamp sets, inks, punches, and other tools.

You provide (ordering these items satisfies the $35 minimum order):
Hodgepodge Hardware, Designer Series Paper, Large On Board Book Basics Chipboard sheet (25% off and comes 4 to a package), and any other Chipboard pieces you'd like to use (all 25% off)

Reservations for this workshop must be received by May 30th along with your $35 order and payment. I hope you'll join me!

If you liked this project, I have another one that is similar... I'll show it to you soon!

It's a Big World

I do have to say... I'm really loving this new scrapbooking adventure I've begun! See this post for the explanation. Here is the second page I've made:

A great photograph makes for a great page, don't you think? Regardless of what you add to it... but then, adding beautiful things only makes it that much better! Remember that my pages are only 6" x 6", and I'm featuring my favorite black and white photos. This page highlights my 3rd son, Maddox, when he was only 2 weeks old. I absolutely love this photo of him looking up at me, brows furrowed in wonderment, while laying in my lap. I am a new fan of blues and browns, and since his hair and eyes are brown, those seemed like logical colors for my little boy. I started with a piece of textured Close to Cocoa, and layered some Bashful Blue from the Cutie Pie DSP on top of it. The sentiments came from Sweet Thing and I layered them using Chocolate Chip, Brilliant Blue, and Whisper White. The bottom right-hand corner has the Scallop punch, then the 1-3/8", 1-1/4", and 1" Circle punches. The date is written on a Word Window punch. I also used the Three For You punch for all the small flowers, and attached Silver brads to the centers. Here's a closer look at the top left-hand corner:

Obviously I used my Stampin' Write Markers to color this stamp (and left off the star). A nice, rich, length of Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain finishes off the page. So quick, so easy, and SO MUCH FUN!!

Have a great weekend, y'all!

My Top Ten List

Top Ten Reasons to Join My Team this month:

10. Have 24-hour access to the Demonstrator Website - full of information, training, and inspirational ideas.

9. Receive the fantastic Stampin' Success magazine each month!

8. You can attend Stampin' Up! conventions and regional events - be the first to see the new catalogs (which you get for FREE, by the way)!

7. You have me as a resource - come to workshops at my house for 1/2 price and receive any of my Instruction Sheets for FREE!

6. You can customize the fabulous Starter Kit to fit your needs!

5. You can earn 9 more FREE stamp sets over your first six months as a demonstrator through the Stampin' Start program.

4. Earn more FREE stuff through the Great Rewards program!

3. Enjoy a minimum 20% discount on any of your own purchases, or at least 20% commission on your sales.

2. Take advantage of a 30% discount on your first order of at least $150 within your first 45 days.

...and the Number 1 reason to join my team this month:
You can do it for 20% off!

During the month of May, Stampin' Up! is offering 20% off the Starter Kit price! But that's not all! They are also giving away a FREE set of Hodgepodge Hardware when you sign up! Combine both of these savings, and that's almost $68 they're GIVING you!! ...and to do what?! Join the most wonderful company around and have FUN at your job?! This is insane!!!

Click on the image above to view it at full size. Whether you are interested in starting a profitable business, earning some extra spending money, or simply want to support your hobby, joining Stampin' Up! is a wonderful way to do it. I, myself, began with the intention of supporting my hobby (I wanted all the colors of cardstock!), but quickly saw how profitable this decision was for me. I loved it when I began, I love it now, and I intend to love it for a long time to come! ...and I'd love to have you join me! It is my goal to support you in whatever your goals may be.

Contact me today for a free informational packet! No obligation, and never any pressure. I want to help you make a decision that is right for you and your family.