A first for me...

Hi there, y'all! How's your summer going? 

I must admit, mine got a little bit brighter when I saw this:

Not necessarily because I needed to be reminded of the truth of that sentiment, but because of where I saw it: the July/August issue of PaperCrafts:

And not necessarily because it's on an awesome card (though I do think it's a pretty good one), but because I MADE IT. AND IT'S IN A MAGAZINE! Back in January, one of my New Year's resolutions was to get one of my cards published. So I submitted to the then-current call for PaperCrafts -- the July/August call. Well...they picked up three of my projects!! THREE! Whoa. Might be the first time ever I could check off a resolution before the end of January :) You can see more information on the current issue here.

As much as I like to play with techniques and such when I stamp, I'm pretty sure that clean, graphic, simple design is what I'll always come back to. Hence, this card:

Sentiment: Unity; Paper: Basic Grey; Cardstock: Papertrey Ink

Really, really simple stuff -- a fun edge paired with the simplest stamping of all. A marker swipe to highlight, and I called it a day. You can see this project, as well as my other two (!), in this month's issue, which has lots and lots of other fun stuff in it, too -- not just my fun stuff ;)

Also, submitting cards has become a bit addictive...you'll be seeing more from me in upcoming months, so stay tuned! 

An old wives' tale...

So, as you may have noticed, I know a bunch of people who are having babies :) The other week, I was at a shower for one of them (see her card here), and, as it turns out, one of our friends who was there is ALSO having a baby (no card for her just yet, but it's on my list). Having two expectant mommas at one shower is maybe not too surprising...except that they have the same name. So:

(click to enlarge if you like)

Here we have Jenn (on the left), and Jen (on the right). Left-side Jenn does not yet know what she's having, so she's trying out an old wives' tale on right-side Jen, who is having a boy. You can read about what they're doing here, though their variation uses the wrist instead of the belly. How accurate are the results? I'll be sure to let you know ;)

I used my Counterfeit Kit to make this layout (along with my Scrappy Chic design team kit -- yay!). Here are a couple of fun details:

Punctuated a die-cut border with a whole row of Basic Grey brads. I haven't ever used this many brads at once before!

(other supplies: Sassafras and My Mind's Eye papers, American Crafts velvet trim, Jillibean twine, AC Thickers, Papertrey dies and buttons)

More border punctuation, this time in the form of buttons and Basic Grey Details. The star on the left started as a plain Bazzill chip, which I painted with  an off-white dabber and pink crackle paint. By the way, I really love that grey dot paper from Sassafras -- it's just about the perfect shade of grey for...well, anything, really! Grey has been a go-to color for me for awhile now, in crafting and in clothing. Any go-to colors for you?

Have a delightful day!

RAKs in, RAKs out!

Happy Monday! Hope your weekend was great. Mine was spent submerged in tasty (mostly homemade) food and drink -- yum!

My mailbox has been busy, too -- in both directions! First up, a giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my pal Lindsey -- be sure to stop over and wish her well on her big day.  Here's what should be in her mailbox...whenever the Canada Post snafu gets worked out, anyway:

The girl can grow some awesome flowers, so this seems suitable, no? I've used PTI dies and stamps with some of that fabulous dots and stripes paper from Echo Park (from Scrappy Chic, of course!) -- the blue stripes are from a 6x6 pad, while the green is 12x12 -- love the variation in scale. Have a great day, Linds, and I sure hope your card gets to you eventually!

Next up, a local RAK:

We have some new next-door neighbors, and they seem really nice. What better way to keep it friendly than with a little gift? The card uses mostly scraps from my desk -- papers from Crate and Amuse Studio, a house die-cut from a coaster with a stickles-filled heart at the center, and a fitting sentiment (PTI). Peeking around from the back is a jar of homemade strawberry-rhubarb jam for a little housewarming gift (oh, is it ever yummy, too -- we've almost polished off a whole jar ourselves, and I just made it a few days ago!).  The recipe I used is in this book, which has all kinds of totally doable canning recipes. Highly recommended!

And now for a couple of incoming RAKs, both from the fabulous Meg!

This is part of a trio she already blogged here, and I just love it! I'm also fairly certain I'd never have the patience to deal with all the tiny pieces she popped up so perfectly. Fabulous!!

Also, to celebrate Simon the kitten's arrival:

How cute is this? I swear, that woman is a genius with her Silhouette! Plus, it's punny in addition to being so well-designed. I absolutely love it!! I think Simon might approve:

...or he will, once he wakes up ;)

Here they are together:

I just love my stampy friends and neighbors! I hope you all have a delightful day!

Don't fear the fuchsia!

...or the lime green, for that matter. I must admit, when I first saw Basic Grey's Lauderdale collection, my first thought was, "Whoa, that's BRIGHT!" And it is. Very. My first instinct was to use black and white photos to tone it down a bit, but then I realized that these photos of our crabapple tree in flower were exactly the right shade of fuchsia -- perfect!

I love this tree. Anyway, I used mostly Lauderdale here -- the flowers and most of the papers (lookie! I used flowers! That doesn't happen too often). 

The Thickers and October Afternoon alphas paired up pretty well for the title. In the detail shot, you can see that the Thickers actually have a bit of dotty texture to them, which I picked up with a line of Kaiser pearls from the ol' stash, along with the dotty canvas flower (BG) and the bubble-wrap stamp in the corners (also Kaiser).

I added some dimension to the big flower with a spiral of tulle. The striped paper and glazed brads are from My Mind's Eye.

I made this page with my Scrappy Chic kit from May -- I admit, I gave myself this line because I thought it was a bit challenging, but you know what? I had a lot of fun with all that color! Not a challenge at all. You can catch this layout in the store if you'd like -- be sure to wear your shades!

More babies...

...and more baby cards. It seems to be the season for new babies around here! So, without further ado:

First:

I used some almost all Amuse goodies on this one (stuff I got when they were on major clearance -- bonus!!). The pieced banner is all one stamp that actually started as a straight line, but I snipped a little bit between the individual flags, kind of like you'd do when sewing a curve, and presto: a flexible banner stamp! Sweet little overalls and a sentiment seal the deal.

Next:

Definitely more on the frilly, girly side, no? I couldn't resist trimming that sweet frame from some older Sassafras paper (which is saying a lot, since I kind of hate trimming stuff out!), and pairing it with some trims and embossing and a button-enhanced PTI sentiment and twine and all that other fun and frilly stuff. I did, however, use the same aqua paper on both cards -- from Pink Paislee's stunning Daily Junque collection, which I might hoard for forever or so.

Short and sweet for me today -- gotta get back to the NEXT baby card! Whew!

Hope you're having a lovely day.

An Inside Joke = Baby Card

Well, I guess it won't be "inside" any more if I'm blogging it!

Let's back up.  When I was in Atlanta a couple months ago, I got to spend some quality time with a pair of old friends (you can see them in this post). It happens that they are expecting their first baby next month, which is, of course, very exciting. With a new baby comes all kinds of STUFF -- all that equipment, the toys, the clothes...but here's the thing: these friends of mine kind of hate STUFF. In fact, they pride themselves on consuming very little, making use of what they have, buying locally and/or upcycling, etc. STUFF is not part of who they are.

I asked them how they felt about the influx of STUFF that was about to enter their lives with this baby boy, and the response was: "What? What stuff? We're just gonna dress him in some old burlap and call it a day."  Kidding, of course. I hope.

So Friday was the baby shower. Here's the card:

Ah yes, it may look like a straightforward congrats card, but let's take a closer look:

Yeah, burlap stars! She got the joke right away. I also added some burlap-y texture to the navy frame, plus I upcycled some denim into the focal star (and I have a new pair of cutoffs for the summer: bonus!). I surprised myself by really, really loving this card. It isn't too "baby," but it also has a bit of a country vibe, which isn't usually my first instinct -- yet I think it works here.

As it turns out, Paper Crafts is running their Gallery Idol competition right now -- the theme? Congratulations cards. Love it when a plan comes together. Especially when it isn't a plan, but a happy coincidence! You can see the full gallery here. Lucky for me, I have a couple more people in my life who need congratulating, so I'll have a couple more entries soon!

Have a delightful day -- the weather looks great here!

Other supplies: PTI: sentiment, neutral cardstock, small star dies; SU: color cardstock, large star die, brad, ink; Spellbinders: labels 1 dies; Stamper's Anonymous: texture stamp.

Blue skies...

Who doesn't love them? And spending time with your favorite person under those blue skies? Even better! This layout features one of my favorite photos of Andrew and I, at the Jazz Fest in Detroit last fall. It was actually a really chilly, windy day, but the sky was just so blue! I scrapped (and blogged) that experience here, but today, my focus is on that sweet boy of mine:

Ok, that and these fabulous goodies from Sassafras! This layout just so happens to fit their sketch challenge for June, which you can read about here. Here's the sketch:

I stayed pretty true to the layout, just swapping the title and journalling. I also used some of my favorite patterns from the new Sunshine Broadcast line -- LOVE this line. Simultaneously subtle and colorful, if that's even possible. I also used some older Sass goodies (I have a LOT of them) as accents and such, like the flowers, journal card, even some stamps I've had forever.

The "happy" is one of the few non-Sassafras bits here -- it's actually the first time I broke out these dies from Papertrey Ink. They're a perfect title size.

Also, since all three of the papers I used happen to be from the wee bundle (that's a 6x6 pad, y'all), this layout also qualifies for this month's challenge over at Scrapbooker's Anonymous -- to use three or more 6x6 sheets on a layout. What a smart challenge! I tend to forget that I can use my 6x6 stash on more than just cards. Thanks to my scrappy pal Sue from their design team for the inspiration! If you'd like to see this layout in person, be sure to head over to Scrappy Chic, where it'll be up on the wall someday soon. 

Have a delightful day!

Counterfeit Kit(ten) Challenge: June

Hi folks!

After taking a couple of (otherwise busy) months off, I decided to join in for the Counterfeit Kit Challenge for June. They chose a fun kit from a new kit club called Burlap and Buttercups (click the link to see the original kit). I love the spring/summer colors in the challenge kit:

In addition to stuff from my stash, I also wanted to include some goodies from my design team kit from Scrappy Chic -- nothing wrong with a twofer! Here's what I came up with:

New goodies from Sassafras's latest collection, Sunshine Broadcast (part of my DT kit), some of the new Pow! glitter paper from American Crafts (which has a lovely, mess-free texture AND works in electronic die-cutting machines, not that I have one....), and a bunch of other goodies I've been itching to use.

Just what will I be scrapping, you ask? I'll give you one guess....

I'll have a bunch more posts coming up -- I've unintentionally stockpiled a whole bunch of projects (and by "unintentionally," of course I mean "I've been a lazy blogger.").

Friends with Flair! (and a kitten)

Happy Friday, everyone!

As the school year winds down, I always find myself making a stack of thank you cards for my husband (who is a HS choir director) to give to all those great people who make his job easier. Today, I have one to share with you that uses some Unity goodies!

This is a large-ish card for his fabulous accompanist -- it had to be big so that all his kids (about 100) could sign it, and it had to work on a couple levels -- musically, sure, but she's also expecting her second child, a little boy, and a lot of the kids want to congratulate and thank her at the same time. Thus: a baby-appropriate-musical-butterfly card. Yup.

I stamped the flower frame from Unity's May Kit of the Month, die-cut it with a nestie circle, and watercolored the frame and flower. The butterfly (from the February KOM) is paper pieced and overstamped with a music background from Papertrey Ink (the sentiment is from them as well). His little wings are popped up a bit for dimension that will survive handling by all those teenagers (I hope!).

I stitched in an aqua liner to make more room for signatures, repeating the same frame on the inside to save a bit of space for an "official" thank-you message. (Pardon the yellow nail polish!)

If you didn't already come from there, go check out the official Friends with Flair post at the Unity Blog -- there's lots of good stuff to check out, including some great sales!

Before you go, meet Simon:

He's all of 8 weeks old, and very feisty and sweet, all at once. You'll be seeing more of him, for sure!! Can't wait to start scrapping his cute little face :)

Hope you have a delightful weekend!

other supplies: papers from My Mind's Eye Lime Twist collection, ink from SU, twill from the stash