Thursday, January 27, 2011

Blowing Valentine's Kisses

Here's a quick and sweet little Valentine, based on Fall-to-Layout #122. I used the set Blowing Kisses, which I've had for quite some time but hadn't used. I had so much fun coloring in that cute little bunny!

I added a bit of Crystal Effects to the "bubbles," to give them a little shine and dimension.

I'm looking forward to making some more Valentine's with this set - it's good for kids and grown-ups alike.

Stamps: Blowing Kisses
Ink: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Real Red, Blushing Bride
Paper: Blushing Bride, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Patterns Designer Series Paper Stacks in Brights and In Color
Accessories: Aqua Painter, Crystal Effects, Real Red narrow taffeta ribbon, Scallop Trim Border punch

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Silhouette Sentiments - FTL 121

I have to admit that it has been tough to find the motivation to stamp since we've gotten back from our trip. I'm not really sure why, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I haven't ordered any new goodies in quite some time. Well, never fear, a box full of beautiful stamps from the Occasions Mini is on it's way and should arrive later this week. In the meantime, I decided to get the ink rolling today, and dive in!

Whenever I'm in a stamping slump, I turn to sketches. These are a fantastic way to get the creative juices flowing. I picked one of the Fall-to-Layouts that I missed out on and I made this card. I decided to keep it really simple and elegant and I am pretty pleased. :)

Here's a close-up of the detail work, just in case you missed it:

And guess what? I actually got two cards completed today - yippee! I'm starting to get into the groove. So, stop by tomorrow to see a cutie-patootie Valentine. 'Bye for now!

Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments, Fabulous Phrases
Paper: Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede (textured), Very Vanilla, Elegant Soiree dsp
Ink: Baja Breeze, Soft Suede
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle punch, Coluzzle, Basic Pearls, Scallop Border punch

It's time to Sale-A-Brate!

Yeah, baby! It's that time of year we've all been waiting for!

Want to see the Sale-A-Bration mini catalog? Click here! Want to place your order now? Visit my demo web site today! Want to book a workshop? E-mail me to schedule your Sale-A-Bration workshop (see link to the right). Stop by later today - I should have a new project to share. See you then!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Bold & Bright Valentines

We are getting back to somewhat of a normal routine around here. It has been VERY cold the past few days, but I'm trying to tough it out (although I have been looking longingly at some of our beach pictures). I had a chance to stamp for a wee bit yesterday, and I had fun making a set of Valentine's using the Brights collection of designer paper. These may look familiar - I made a similar set of thank you notes last October. You can view the originals by clicking here.




I incorporated each of the designer paper designers and I used my Full Heart punch, along with a couple of embossing folders, for my focal image. I kept these very simple and sweet. I'd like to make a little box to go with these - wouldn't that make a fun gift?
Stamps: Three Little Words
Paper: Whisper White, Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack, Regal Rose, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Rectangle Clearlit, Elegant Lines embossing folder, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Full Heart punch, Basic Rhinestones

I hope you have a great weekend! Here are a couple more pictures from our trip to keep you warm. :)


Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Slowly, but surely...

I feel like the title of this post describes my life for the past several days. We recently returned from a month-long trip to the islands of Aruba and Bonaire and I'm playing catch-up. I've never been gone that long from home before and I'm slowly, but surely, getting settled back in at home. We had a fantastic trip, with wonderful weather and the kids were super travelers. Since I haven't had a chance to do any stamping yet, I thought I would share a few pictures from our trip.

This first picture is a sunset on the island of Bonaire. I saw so many beautiful sunsets on our trip, yet I never tired of them. Each and every one was special and different, and I actually took a picture of the sky at sunset every day to document all the different kinds of sunsets.


We saw so much of the beautiful island of Aruba. This picture is of the kids gazing at the ocean on the eastern coast of the island.


We did LOTS of swimming! The kiddos especially enjoyed swimming in the pool.



Here's another sunset picture, complete with palm tree. This was taken at Fisherman's Huts, a beach in Aruba. In the distance, you can see a rain shower moving across the horizon.


These are the kiddos after climbing down to 1,000 Steps Beach on Bonaire. They were fussing about being hot and tired just before taking this picture, but you sure wouldn't know it by the smiles on their faces!


That's all I have for your for today. I'm trying to get back into the groove of stamping and daily life at home, attempting to balance all of the jobs and to-do lists. I'll stop back in soon with some more pictures to share. 'Bye for now!