CAS-ual Fridays | CFC63

I am back with one more post tonight.  I have been getting inspiration from the CAS-ual Fridays blog for quite some time, and this week I'm also participating! I love the color scheme and I paired it with Papertrey Ink's Little Hot Rod and Super Stars to make a super cute little boy birthday card.

 (Supplies - Stamps: Little Hot Rod and Super Stars. Ink: Aqua Mist, Enchanted Evening, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores, Smokey Shadow. Cardstock: New Leaf, White. Twine: Lucky Limeade (Stampin' Up!) and Enchanted Evening.)

I love, love, love this stamp set! With two little boys, I know I will get a lot of use out of it. 

I am off to watch the US gymnastics team. Have a good night!

Papertrey Ink | Make It Monday #76

This week's challenge is called Double Time Bleach Stamping. I haven't used bleach while stamping in a l-o-n-g time, and I forgot how fun it is! I used PTI's Turning a New Leaf to create a fun background. I accented each leaf with a Little Bitty Bird Addition stamp in New Leaf ink.

 

Here is a close up of the bleached background. It's a little messier than I had anticipated, but the lime/yellow color is really cool in person.

 (All supplies are PTI - Stamps: Turning a New Leaf, Little Bitty Bird Additions, Modern Wood Mats, Tag-Its #3 & #12. Cardstock: New Leaf, Smokey Shadow, White. Ink: New Leaf, Enchanted Evening. Dies: Mat Stack #4, Limitless Layers Circles. Ribbon: New Leaf. Patterned Paper: Enchanted Evening Patterns Pack. Other: Bleach).

I am obsessed with big, loopy bows right now. I am not very good at tying bows, but when are big no one can tell the knot is a mess! And looking at the card tonight, I should have stamped the sentiment in smokey shadow ink to tie it in with the card base. But it's done and I'm not about to take the whole thing apart and start over! 

Have a great night. :-)

Moxie Fab Challenge | Hooked on Hexagons

Good morning! Evan and I are hanging out at home today, waiting to pick Jack up from his first day of pre-school camp. He officially starts pre-school next week, but I wanted to give him an introduction to his new school and teacher, before the first day. Evan's first day of pre-school was somewhat of a disaster (we were all in tears!), and I wanted to avoid that this time around. Jack handled it like a champ this morning and barely noticed we left. But I can't wait to pick him up in an hour... I miss having him around!

I had a chance to create two cards for the Moxie Fab Hooked on Hexagons challenge last night while watching the Olympics. I used Papertrey Ink's Happy Hexagons stamp set for both cards.

First up, a clean and simple card featuring Happy Hexagons, Think Big Favorites #3, and a lot of white space. I used PTI's hexagon cover plate to create the individual hexagon pieces. After stamping each piece I used the negative of the cover plate to line up the hexagons on my card before adhering:

 

(All supplies are Papertrey Ink - Stamps: Happy Hexagons, Think Big Favorites #3. Cardstock: Stampers Select White. Ink: Berry Sorbet, Melon Berry, Winter Wisteria, Plum Pudding, Lavender Moon. Cover Plate: Hexagons.)

I went a completely different direction with my second card. I paired Papertrey Ink's Honey Bees with Happy Hexagons to created a fun, patterned card. The kraft cardstock was impressed using PTI's Simple Stripes impression plate and the hexagons were stamped with harvest gold ink.

 

 (All supplies are PTI - Stamps: Happy Hexagons, Honey Bees, Fillable Frames #10. Ink: Smokey Shadow, Harvest Gold. Cardstock: Harvest Gold, Kraft, White. Ribbon: Harvest Gold. Other: Buttons.)

I hope everyone has a fantastic Monday!

Park Day | Digital Layout

Karla Dudley has released several great digital kits the past few weeks, and I had a chance to play with them last weekend. I completed a layout quickly, but my computer is having issues and I lost it. Completely gone from my computer and our server. Ack! I re-made the layout and I am pleased with how it turned out. Karla's digital templates are so easy to use and this template is made for a lot of photos... perfect for all the pictures I took at the park last week. 

(All supplies are Karla Dudley Designs:  Template: Framed. "Look" brush: Cool Summer. Staples: Digi Essentials. "Summer Days" label - Cool Summer. "Today" title: Framed Template. "Life" sticker: Framed Template. "Love It" sticker: Framed Template. Star: Clear Essentials No. 2. Tab sticker: Fickle. Blue journaling label: Fickle. Patterned Paper: Fickle)

Mark and I are hanging out tonight... watching the Olympics and the kitties perform gymnastics moves in our living room. They have spent the past two days recovering from their surgeries, and I think they are feeling better! Lilly knocked over a bunch of boxes next to Evan's desk and ended up in the dress up box. Gabby is racing around here and nearly feel off a ledge in our living room. Having kittens is keeping us on our toes! 

I'll be back tomorrow with a few cards using Simon Says Stamps kit of the month. Goodnight!

Simon Says Stamp Challenge | Anything Goes

Happy Friday! I am so thankful it is finally the weekend. It has been a l-o-n-g week here at the Taylor house. Mark is working a ton of overtime and the kids have been a handful! But we have had some fun, too. We pulled out last month's Kiwi Crate box and made lightening bugs, complete with glow sticks and googly eyes. Jack loved making his bug until it looked a little too real, then it freaked him out and he wanted nothing to do with it. 3-year-olds can be so fickle! 

My card tonight features Stampin' Up! and Papertrey Ink stamps. I used the color combination of Aqua Mist, Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, and Rustic White. The cakes were stamped first, then I added the butterflies and hearts. After all my stamping was done, I ran the white cardstock through my Big Shot with PTI's Linen and Canvas impression plate for added texture.

(Supplies - Stamps: Make a Cake (Stampin' Up!) and Tiny Tags (PTI). Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Plum Pudding, Rustic White (PTI). Dies: Mat Stack #4, Pinking Shears, Tiny Tags (PTI). Punch: Butterfly (Martha Stewart). Impression Plate: Linen and Canvas (PTI). Other: Button, Twine Embossing Powder.)

Evan and I have a date tomorrow so we can buy his school supplies and a new pair of shoes. If he's lucky, he just might get lunch, too! I am really looking forward to some one-on-one time with my oldest little boy.

Have a great weekend! 

Hero Arts July 2012 Card Challenge

Hello! I am a multi-tasking mama at the moment... posting to my blog, Flickr, and playing Super Mario Brothers with Evan. He is the expert and has told me several times that I really need to practice more. Ha! I'm thinking he has had a little too much practice. 

Hero Arts runs a fantastic month-long card challenge, and this month's theme is "summer". I think of the aquarium and fish when I think of summer, so that's what I went with! These adorable Hero Arts fish stamps were colored with Copic markers and I applied Crystal Effects to a few spots on each fish. 

(Supplies - Stamps: Hero Arts. Cardstock: Papertrey Ink and Avery Elle. Markers: Copics. Twine: Stampin' Up!. Ink: Momento and PTI. Crystal Effects: Stampin' Up! Impression Plate: PTI)

And thank you to everyone who commented on my PTI Blog Hop card. I loved reading through them and visiting new blogs. Have a great night!

PTI July Blog Hop

Good afternoon! I am playing along with the Papertrey Ink July Blog Hop today. The color combo provided is Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, Melon Berry, Berry Sorbet, and Simply Chartreuse. I combined three stamp sets to create the background: Daydreamer, Pretty Peonies, and Beautiful Blooms #2.

 

(Supplies - Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Pretty Peonies, Beautiful Blooms #2, Background Basics: Circles, and Daydreamer. Ink: Papertrey Ink (Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, Melon Berry, Berry Sorbet, and Simply Chartreuse. Cardstock: PTI (Rustic White, Berry Sorbet, Simply Chartreuse, Harvest Gold). Dies: Papertrey Ink (Limitless Layers: Circles, Turning a New Leaf, Double-ended Banner, Edgers #2). Other: gems.)

I am off to comment on a few of the lovely projects posted for the blog hop. I'll be back soon! 

Paper Smooches Sparks | Picture Perfect Challenge

Hi everyone! I am posting a card tonight for Paper Smooches new Picture Perfect challenge. Our inspiration picture is three rectangles with graphic flowers in blue, yellow, and brown. I don't own any Paper Smooches sets with flowers, so I struggled a bit with this challenge. But, I do own Paper Smooches' Gently Seasoned set (which is one of my favorite stamp sets), and I love the color combo of Aqua Mist, Harvest gold, and Dark Chocolate. Ultimately, the inspiration picture gave me a great color combo. And I added a turtle from Party Posse because, well, who doesn't love turtles? As Jack pointed out, this turtle has a "really cool shell". :-)

 (Supplies - Stamps: Paper Smooches (Gently Seasoned and Party Posse). Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Aqua Mist, Rustic White, and Simply Chartreuse). Twine: Papertrey Ink. Die: Papertrey Ink (Double Ended Banner Die). Marks: Copics. Other: Gems, twine.) 

Thanks for stopping by and have a good night!

PTI Stamp-a-faire | Embellishment Challenge

I had so much fun watching the video tutorials Papertrey Ink provided on Saturday for Stamp-a-faire, and one of the projects I wanted to complete was the embellishment challenge. Specifically, Dawn McVey's awesome butterflies.

(Supplies - Stamps: Tiny Tags. Ink: Dark Chocolate. Impression plate: Linen and Canvas. Cardstock: Aqua Mist and Rustic White. Patterned Paper: Authentique. Dies: Beautiful Butterflies, Tiny Tags, and Mat Stack #4. Other: vellum and 1/4" silk ribbon.)

I love the layers + texture + ribbon combo... and after one butterfly I wanted to make 10 more! Except it was 2:00am and definitely time for bed. :-)

 

And I had to post this picture as a reminder to myself that the boys need haircuts!! They are looking very... shaggy lately. Especially Jack! He is constantly brushing his hair out of his face. I keep hoping the curls will return, but sadly I think they are gone for good. Now he has lots and lots of waves, just like Evan. 


I have one more little announcement/introduction to make. Please meet Gabby, our newest kitten.

 

Lilly seemed lonely and in need of some company, and the amount of kittens available for adoption at our local shelter is staggering. It was an easy decision for us to adopt another one. Gabby is 17 weeks old (6 weeks older than Lilly), and they have become the best of friends. She is technically Mark's cat, and he wanted an all black female. The shelter had just one, and Gabrielle is now part of our little zoo. They both go back to the shelter on Thursday to be fixed and officially adopted. We could not be happier with these two... they are perfect for us. Gabby is very spunky and mischievous, and loves to wrestle with Lilly. And yes, she is sleeping while sitting up in the second picture. I had to grab the camera and take a picture! 

Also... the card I submitted for the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge won! I am honored to be a Paper Smooches Pro and should have a cool new blog badge soon. Thank you, Paper Smooches! 

Have a great night! 

Paper Smooches Sparks | Cool Shades Challenge

Another one of my favorite stamp companies, Paper Smooches, has a challenge every week and I decided to participate this time. I must be living under a rock... how did I not know they had weekly challenges? Anyway, this week's challenge is to use four specific colors and create a card. My card features the sets Party Posse and Little Fella.

(Supplies - Stamps: Party Posse and Little Fella by Paper Smooches. Cardstock: Papertrey Ink. Markers: Copics. Patterned Paper: Papertrey Ink. Ribbon: Papertrey Ink. Buttons: unknown.)

I am going to save this card for Jack's 4th birthday... I think he will like the dinosaur and the helicopter. And the robot is cute, too! 

Papertrey Ink | Make It Monday #75 - Card #2

I had so much fun making this card last week for PTI's Make It Monday challenge, that I had to take the challenge again. This time I was challenged to make a horizontal card, using sketch #2, Trendy Tree Tops and Fillable Frames #6 stamp sets, an alphabet die, and the color combo of Scarlet Jewel, Hibiscus Burst, Harvest Gold, and Rustic White. I also added three gems that I colored with Copic markers.

 

I didn't use any of the letters from the alphabet die, but I did use two brackets from the same die set. So that counts, right? And the stitched border was added at the very end to give the card a little more detail.

Thanks for looking!

Papertrey Ink Stamp-a-faire | Ribbon Techniques Challenge

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. I spent a lot of time yesterday watching tutorials and videos in celebration of Papertrey Ink's Stamp-a-faire 2012. One of the first techniques showcased was Erin Lincoln's Twill Tape Technique (that I changed up a bit by using satin ribbon). I loved how she added texture to her card without a lot of bulk.

(Supplies - Stamps: Happy Hexagons, Happy Trails. Ink: Smokey Shadow, Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, Ocean Tides, Pinefeather. Cardstock: Soft stone, Smokey Shadow, Spring Rain. Dies: Beautiful Butterfly, Hexagon Cover Plate. Ribbon: Ocean Tides. Button: unknown.)

And I love the results! The color combo of Ocean Tides, Pinefeather, Spring Rain, Blueberry Sky, and Smokey Shadow is one I will definitely repeat in the future. 

I'll be back soon with two more challenge cards. Thanks for stopping by!

Park Day

I can't believe summer is almost over for Evan... only 2.5 more weeks! We haven't done much traveling this year, but we have done a lot in our little town. The library, dollar movie theater, the pool, and especially going to the park. Our new neighborhood has a fantastic park for the kids, and the boys & I visited last week for an hour or so.  

 

Jack's favorite mickey mouse hat. He does not like having the sun in his eyes, but he also doesn't like wearing his sunglasses all the time, either. And keeping his hat on his head can be difficult, too. 3-year-olds are fun, aren't they? :-) 

Evan spent most of his time trying to master the monkey bars. He wanted to make it all the way across so badly, but just couldn't do it. I was really impressed that he didn't get frustrated or angry, he told me he was going to try again next time. For a kid who is super competitive, this is progress. 

The entrance to our new neighborhood.

 The last picture of the day... two very hot, tired, and hungry boys.

If you can't tell from their red, red faces... it was HOT while we were at the park! Probably 91 or 92 degrees. After an hour of running around they were ready to get home for lunch. I can't wait until this park will be our neighborhood park... only 6 more months! 

Have a great weekend!

Papertrey Ink | Make It Monday #75

I have been a huge fan of Papertrey Ink and their Make-It-Monday videos for the past couple of years. The techniques are fun to try, but I usually don't participate in challenges... too many other things going on! But this week's challenge, by one of my favorite designers Erin Lincoln, looked like too much fun to pass up. 

I rolled the dice (using a random number generator) and was challenged to make a horizontal card, using sketch #6 from the PDF, On The Farm stamp set, Tag-It's #1 stamp set, the color combo of Raspberry Fizz, Berry Sorbet, and Rip Avocado, and embossing powder. And it was definitely a challenge! But I really like the results.

 
(All supplies are Papertrey Ink- Stamp sets: On The Farm, Tag-Its #1, Background Basics Farm & Barn. Cardstock: Rustic White, Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet. Patterned Paper: Raspberry Fizz Patterns Pack. Ink: Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, Raspberry Fizz. Dies: Limitless Layers Ovals 2.5 inch.)

I think my favorite part of the whole card is the cute little yellow flower on the cow's butt. Ha!

Thanks for stopping by!

4th of July

We had a wonderful 4th of July with some good friends of ours... Dion, the Cate's and the Waldo's. The boys played in the pool, ran around the house, ate too much cake, and loved watching the fireworks after dinner. We had sparklers (that as an adult, scare the crap out of me), but the kids l-o-v-e-d them; Evan especially.

Jack and Nick played legos together and were so cute together... they have become good friends over the past few months. 

And this cutie is getting bigger by the minute! I love to snuggle him and make him laugh. He is a great baby and so easy to entertain. 

I love, love, love this photo. My little family... surrounded by palm trees and oh-so-happy. Well, most of us. Jack was not happy that I was making him pose for a photo. He wanted to play! 

Family + Dion. We are so happy he was able to join us for the 4th this year. And the kids were happy he brought his iPad. :-)

Liz made this amazing patriotic cake for us to enjoy. Isn't it fantastic? Her baking skills constantly impress me... I am jealous of her talent! And of course it was yummy, too.  

One more of Nathan. He is five months old and loves to stand. And look at those blue eyes... he is so cute! 

I also wanted to mention that I've opened an Etsy Shop to sell my handmade greeting cards. You can find my shop here.

And PaperCrafts Stamp It! Cards special issue hit news stands last week... and I have two cards in this issue. It is a fantastic issue, packed with beautiful cards and inspiration. 

With only 4 weeks of summer vacation left we are trying to cram everything into these precious days before Evan goes back to school on the 8th. This week I'm hoping to take the boys to the park, the water area of our local zoo, and work on a couple of our Kiwi Crate boxes. And of course spend time with Rocket and Miss Lilly. The more pets we add the more I feel like I'm in the movie "We Bought a Zoo". :-)

Have a great week!

Welcome, Lilly

I have a new family member to introduce today. Say hello to Lilly. She is a rescue kitty from the Brevard Animal Shelter. We have been discussing purchasing a kitten for awhile now, and I am smitten with this little one. She is 8 weeks old and loves to snuggle, meow, and play with her mice. 

Rocket is having a hard time adjusting to this intrusion, but he is coming around. She is not afraid of him at all, but he is acting like an only child who just welcomed a sibling into the mix. For now we keep them separated except for supervised visits... until Lilly gets a little bit older (and bigger).

The boys are in love with her, especially Evan. He took a 2.5 hour nap with her on Thursday, which is totally out of character for him. They snuggled up and fell fast asleep. Lilly does have a kitty cold and is on her way to the shelter right now for a check up and some medication. Technically we are fostering her until she is fixed on the 16th, then we will officially adopt her.

 

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. We were lucky enough to have one of Mark's college friends, Dion, fly in for a visit & another family invited us over for a BBQ and fireworks. After the kids went to sleep we all learned out to play Craps! Add a couple of strawberry daiquiris and chicken kabobs and it was a wonderful day.

Have a great weekend!