Scrapbooking Club

On Saturday the ladies from my scrapbooking club met at my house to scrapbook some fun Memorial/July 4th memories. I really enjoy carving out the time to create something tangible and at the same time share and use my SU supplies! For this layout, I primarily used materials from the My Paper Pumpkin 4th of July kit. Although I don't have the 'perfect' 4th of July photo for this page, I stumbled across this picture of my boy playing in our kitchen sink. I can't believe he was ever that small!!!

I am making one last entry into the MPC Celebrate challenge- there are so many cute ideas on this blog (esp. those TAGS)-- I'm always so inspired by this creative team:)

I still need to add a journal entry to my layout page but overall I'm very pleased with the look...

Happy Birthday Mom!

My dear, sweet, amazing, God-filled Mama is having a birthday on Tuesday the 22nd. My Mom is such an amazing woman and I'm so glad she's all MINE! She inspires me daily and her fun-loving sense of humor is nothing short of contagious!  She has taught me so much but primarily to live for and love the Lord (Amen to that!) and to enjoy LIFE-- all of it (the ups, downs, etc)! Like her I don't fret or stress about anything (really I don't since it's pointless!!) because I know Who goes before me...She is a friend to many, a great sister, aunt, grandma, and the list goes on. Happy Birthday Mom- YOU ARE LOVED!!!

This card is simple yet classy. I used the SU natural chevron ribbon (so cute!!) and the birthday sentiment from 'Perfectly Penned'. I'm not sure if this stamp set has been discontinued but it's going to be in my constant rotation for quite a while since it's so pretty.

Simply Scrapbooking

I have really enjoyed MDS and how it simplifies my scrapbooking life! I have been busy of late working on some pages for the kids (birthdays, playdates, adventures, etc.) and I'm waiting for an ideal print sale from Stampin Up to bind my 12x12 layouts in a book. For this layout, I just kept things simple and used items from Jessica Sprague's Snap Click Supply Hootenanny Kit. That's the beauty of MDS- it's versatility with other .png, .jpg, .svg. etc. results in endless creativity!

My Little Princess.

My Paper Pumpkin and Scrapbooking

With the start of a new SU scrapbooking club in town, I have been enjoying the creative outlet for telling the story of our lives with photos. It's so refreshing to sit down and complete something lasting and relive the memory of the fun times we experience.What I like about scrapbooking is the diversity of styles, the fun themes to play around with and all the cool embellishments. I LOVE embellishments- ribbons, buttons, tags-- the works!

In this layout, I just focused on the color family and used a LOT of this and that from my extra stash of items from my My Paper Pumpkin (MPP) kits. The photo sentiments, letters, wood-cuts, glitter dots, and arrow stamps are all MPP :) Even those 3 small stitched stars (from the December kit which I adore) are MPP. These kits spark such fun ideas that can be done rather quickly and in so many different design options that I'm always amazed. The contents of these kits never seem to run out (okay I used up all my stash making cards from my 1st or 2nd kit I think but now I know better ;)) but seriously, these kits are like GREMLINS. Yes-- shout out to the 80's!! Um- no.

Anyway, I had fun making this scrapbook page; now I feel content with at least one page done and I won't even think about all the pages I need to complete- yikes!
I'm linking over at the 'Special Moments' party going on at My Pumpkin Challenge. It's a late entry but the idea came to me on Friday and I just had to make time to play!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Sarah!

Last Thursday my precious big girl turned 7 on me. It happened all too soon but life doesn't stop for anyone. I'm thankful for her sweet spirit, her artistic talent and her helpfulness. God has given me such joy in her and I celebrate her life- now and always.

I was inspired to make this card from a birthday card I found in an old 2012 SU catalog* (pg 111)and I used my Cameo to cut out the numbers. Sarah is a girly-girl so pulling out all the stops for a pink card wasn't too hard.

*I have the hardcopy issue of this catalog but my camera and good lighting wasn't handy so Internet to the rescue! A big THANK YOU to Michael Funke of Stampin-Style for providing the link;)

Valentine's Day Bookmarks

My daughter's 1st grade Valentine party was a special treat for her- candy, cards, candy, games, and of course, more candy was a fun-filled time for her. As part of her 'home work' she was to create some Valentine cards for each classmate- 16 total! I wanted her to participate in making cards; however, since she's away at school most of the day, using some Disney Princess cards fit the bill... I wanted her classmates to have something special and memorable (at least until it's lost or destroyed- hee-hee) so I decided to make some bookmarks using her school colors green and yellow.

I was inspired to make this fun project by my good friend Jessica U.- her tutorial on making this classic keepsake was exactly what I needed to get something done fast! I used my Silhouette Cameo to do most of the work and the SU Designer Series Paper is so fun and timeless for any season. I like the results and the kids really enjoyed their Valentine's treat.

I hope you enjoyed your day of pampered love and know that God loves you- always!

Sammi's 4th birthday celebration

Last Monday my baby girl turned 4 years old. I am still in a bit of shock but every day she's showing me her lovely personality, her fierce determination and her love of learning! She is such a big helper for me and her baby brother. I love you Samantha- happy birthday!

I chose the colors purple and pink because that's her favorite 'home school' colors.

Love Birds Memo Pad

There are so many great recycling ideas on the web/Pinterest with cereal boxes so when I had a spare box lying around, I wanted to use it to make something practical, yet simple. I decided on making a memo pad (from scratch) and I was inspired from a couple of sites from here and here.

This was the first time I used my SU bird punch given to me by my good friend Jessica U.! I recycled the 'thank you' card that comes in the My Paper Pumpkin Kit and used my bird punch to capture some of those fun colors. I like the results!

My oldest loves to write- on anything and all the time- this will be a fun Valentine's treat for her.

Linking to the My Paper Pumpkin Challenge 'You and Me' series- it's for You (my big girl) from Me (Mom)

My Father-in-law's birthday

Last week my father-in-law celebrated his birthday so Sammi and I decided to make a card for him. We went with a simple layout and I like the results! Happy Birthday Jim!!

Jeremiah's Birthday Party

Today the family and I were invited to a birthday party for our seven year-old friend Jeremiah. We first met J.J. and his family in Kindergarten and have been close friends ever since. Although the kids are now enrolled in different schools and busy schedules keep play times to a minimum, it's good to reconnect and just have fun. Also, today's weather was stunning- 65 degrees was perfect for this party at the park! Thank You Lord for such great weather!

I totally free-styled this design and went with a space/moving gears theme. Ahh, 'boy cards' are a bit of a struggle for me but having a son of my own will give me plenty of time to practice:)

Happy birthday Jeremiah- wow 7 years old!!

MDS and Free Photo Offers!

I have been really enjoying MDS lately. The ease of this program makes digital scrap booking a breeze AND I haven't even explored the many options for card making yet!
Only for today, Walgreen's is having a free 8x10 photo offer. I always jump on these photo deals (because who can pass up free right) but this time is extra special to me because I used MDS to create a photo layout that I can proudly display in my home. Get your offer today- you won't be disappointed!

Upload photos › Pharmacy & Health | Photo | Shop Products Balance® Rewards

Lisa's birthday card

Next  month is my sweet sister's birthday. I wanted to get a head start on making her a card because- well, life can get so busy that I didn't want to scramble at the last minute making her card. I love my sweet sister because she is smart, beautiful and skilled at what she does. Her sense of humor is always spot on and her love and compassion for people is just beautiful. My kids love their Aunt Lisa and I do too!

I chose a cupcake because if I were there with her in OH, I would buy her a chocolate cake and we'd celebrate her special day. For now though, here's a card until we see each other again and eat the real thing!

I used a sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and I like the simplicity of the design. I'm linking up over here.

Love you Lisa!

Hubby's birthday!

On Saturday the kids and I celebrated John's 41st birthday! It was a relaxing day of just hanging out around the house (and it didn't cost us anything!) and playing games. The girls helped me make a gluten-free cake which was a stack of rice cakes layered with peanut butter and Nutella. Interesting but yummy;)

I needed a design inspiration for his card and I hopped over to Seize the Sketch and used this cute design. I'm used to my layout staying within the borders of my base card but the fact that this one went beyond the edges was a fun technique. I also enjoyed viewing the gallery of cards- lots of great ideas.

We love you John. Happy birthday and many, many more!

1st Grade Halloween Party

My girls really enjoy Halloween festivities (as most children do!) and I love the fact that they don't mind dressing up in the simpler/cute outfits. Sammi was Rainbow Care Bear this year and Sarah was Minnie Mouse. All too often I see scary costumes on kids and although I don't agree with it, I teach my girls that Halloween is a evening to praise God. He is Holy, He is good, He is our God. Yes, this message is contradictory to the images that surround us but through God and His Son, we can see His light amid of world of darkness.

What's this got to do with Stampin' Up? Well, my 1st grader had a Halloween party at school and I didn't want to bring anything too complicated and I knew that they were all going to have a TON of candy so I made kettle corn popcorn instead. I used my Halloween sentiment from SU Delightful Dozen, some black cardstock and Whisper White Craft. It literally took seconds to complete and my lovely 3 year old assistant enjoyed helping me eat the popcorn, fill the bags, count the bags, eat more popcorn, etc. It was fun! I'm glad I got the chance to use this stamp for the first time because Halloween was never a day I really enjoyed but these past few years have been fun because God has showed me that it can be a day (like every day) to give thanks to our Holy God.

17 bags of popcorn- simple AND sweet!

More birthday cards

September has been a busy card making month- birthdays galore! My Paper Pumpkin has come in very handy and keeping things simple has always been my motto. Here's a recent card that I made for my 'little' brother. He's 18 mos. younger than me and 6'4"! It's been too long since we've seen each other but we remain close:-) Happy birthday Kensley, love you--always.

Masculine cards pose a bit of a challenge for me. This looks like a card for made for an engineer instead of a lawyer but he is always tinkering on things and precision is important to him:-)

Birthday cards for family

My Father and Aunt have birthdays this month so I've been busy making them their own special and unique card. They are so blessed to not only be alive and well; but also, loved by their family. Happy Birthday Dad and Auntie- I love you!
I'm linking my dads card with Freshly Made Sketches- this site is awesome for that 'just in time' inspiration!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Happy Birthday Auntie!

The loss of a loved pet

My brother and sister-in-law recently put their beloved dog Belle down. She was such a good dog- both loving and protective to her parents. This was my sister-in-law's first 'baby' and I know how hard this loss is for her so I made a card for her to let her know that I was thinking of her. She was a good mom to Belle and is a good mom to my niece- Sage.

Run to the finish

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law competed in a running race and finished in 2nd place. I'm very impressed and proud of her for running the race to the finish! Here's a card I made to congratulate her. This card was initially a 'thank you' card that I made in a Birthday card making class with my wonderful SU Demonstrator Jessica U.  Initially this card was almost ruined with some wet Dazzling Details liquid. In order not to waste this card, I removed the damaged portion and revamped it with the 'cheers' sentiment.

Great job winning the race!

MPP Brag Book

A few weeks ago I worked on the MPP brag book for my son. I'm determined to scrapbook some of his early milestones (starting with his birth!) and essentially, celebrate this wonderful gift from God.

I love the color family of gray, mustard yellow, the pop of blues, etc. It just flows so well and looks classy regardless of the layout...

I need to get going on my 'This and That' journal book. I noticed that the colors for the Brag Book and This and That coordinate which is so neat!

Sympathy Card

Last month, my aunt-in-law's mother passed away. Although I never met her, I know she was loved as a mom, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to many. Here's a sympathy card I created...
The foam flower was a left over from Stampin Up club in May. I had a lot of white space to use and this fit the bill perfectly...I'm hooked on the old olive color combo and paper- it's both timeless and classic: like me :)