YES!!! Did something crafty :)

Man, this semester of school is pretty intense.  I didn't realize how much studying I would have to do or how much memorizing.  I really needed a creative break and when I saw this post over at www.eighteen25.blogspot.com,  I knew I just had to give it a try.  These sisters make the cutest crafts PLUS they live here in Las Vegas!  They were guest bloggers on another site and when I saw what they made....................CUTE!!!!!

It's a quick, easy and cheap craft. Here is a photo of my inspiration:

I found pumpkins for $1 at Wal-Mart and already had the frame and paper.  Here's how mine turned out:

And a little side view so you can see the detail.  Really, the hardest part was cutting the pumpkin in half and that wasn't very hard (it's styrofoam in the middle).  I used the other half to make a second frame and just used some fall leaves where the stem should be.  I got 2 decorations finished for $1 and in less than 30 minutes!!!  I love fall, halloween and thanksgiving and this little decoration makes me want to get busy enjoying the autumn air :)

..............now back to the books, only 8 more weeks until Winter Break!!!!

Wedding Time

I worked hard last week on a wedding cake.  I spent a great amount of time worrying about it.  It's HOT here, I mean come on.......it's the Desert and this cake had to sit out side for over 2 hours.  I was sure it would melt.  Well, Saturday evening came and dark storm clouds blew in.  By reception time the clouds had cooled the desert and the winds turned into a nice summer breeze.  HOORAY!  The bride loved the cake so the baker/decorator was happy. 

The top tier was chocolate fudge cake with raspberry mousse, the 2nd tier was french vanilla cake with vanilla filling, the 3rd was for looks only (styrofoam - got to love it!) and the bottom was vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and cream.  The whole cake was frosted with whipped cream icing and accented with blue satin ribbon and fresh red and white roses. (and yes we served the top tier - I tell all my brides that it is useless to try and save the top.  No matter what you do it tastes icky a year later!!  I give them a gift certificate for a replica of their top for their 1st Anniversary).

I loved the cute Precious Moments topper:

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs!!!

Cake Time

I haven't had much time for cards lately.  The end of the school year, 3 birthdays and summer school have made things a bit busy around here.  (I'm the one taking summer classes .......CRAZY I know!)

I have made a couple of cakes lately, though.  We had our oldest's birthday on May 21, our youngest's on May 31 and kiddo #3 on June 8, plus a cake for one of my "regular" clients.

This one was for my client.  Her niece had her First Communion and they wanted a "girly cake".  It was almond poppyseed with whipped cream icing. I thought the pearls made it pretty girly (they were not edible).

This is Austin (our oldest) with his Aunt Sheilah.  They share the same birthday, so we had her over for birthday dinner and cake.  Not a very fancy cake (mom was BUSY).  Austin loves almond poppyseed cake so I baked that one and iced it with homemade buttercream.

Our youngest has been wanting a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday for the last six months.  His big day finally arrived.  We went on a picnic to the park with our family and some extended family and this was his cake.  Chocolate fudge cake with buttercream icing and fondant accents.  The cute Mickey and Friends are made of chipboard.  I just attached them to straws.  I saved them to use in his scrapbook :)

Finally, #3 had his birthday on June 8.  He is a baseball junkey!  He loves to play, watch, read about.....you name it, so I decided to do a baseball sitting in some grass.  He is another of mine that loves almond poppyseed with buttercream.  (I have had enough of that flavor for awhile)

Hopefully I will get some Father's Day cards made today and get them posted in between school assignments.

I made this card last week for my cute niece.  She turned 8 (even though I still feel like she is 4) and was so excited to get baptized.  The funky colors just remind me of her spunky personality.

While I was in the mood and using this fun color combo, I decided to make another birthday card.  You can never have too many..............right?


Also had a cake order last week.  My first Communion cake.  I can't believe I've been doing cakes for as long as I have and never done one.  It was for cute twin boys, and I was happy with how it turned out.

Happy Birthday Mom!

It is a big month in my family. My mom will be 70 this week and my parents also celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary. We are having a big family/friends reception to honor them and the amazing marriage they have this weekend.

I took some time off from party preparations to make mom a b-day card today. I used this week's sketch from Mojo Monday. If you have never visited, they post a new sketch each Monday. It is a good place to look for new card ideas!

Here is my card for this week:

It is a 5x7 card. Supplies: Cardstock: (Chocolate Chip, Whisper White), Stampin'Up
Pattern Paper: My Mind's Eye "Magnolia" collection (Starburst Beauty Floral/Red),
SEI Winnie's Walls (I think)
Stamps: Vintage Labels, Stampin'Up
Accessories: Oval punch, Scallop Punch, Stampin'Up
Eyelet Border punch, Martha Stewart
Ink Pads (Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose) Stampin'Up
Ribbon, Stampin' Up
Die, Stampin'Up/Sizzix (Top Note)

Hope mom likes it as much as I do !!!!

Vinyl!

We have been updating around the house lately.  For the last 2 years all the walls have been white.  Boring old white.  Since we know we will be here for a few more years it was time to add some color!  The family room and kitchen got painted last month and have gone from boring to warm and inviting.  The family room walls are chocolate brown (we call it "Nutella Brown") and the wall where the tv lives is red.  The kitchen has a red wall also and the others are a nice warm brown called "Roman Brick". 

This week I added a vinyl accent to the red wall in the kitchen.  I ordered it from Stampin' Up because it was just what I wanted. 

Here is a shot of the kitchen "before":

See - white and boring~

And here is the kitchen after the paint job:

Here is the family room (it's a huge room so I can't get the whole thing in one photo):

And finally here is the kitchen after my vinyl went up:

I love it!  it adds to the wall and it's just plain cute!  I did learn that Stampin' Up is right and vinyl does not love textured walls, but with a little patience it is stuck just fine.  I would love to do some more vinyl accents around my house and I really want to try and cut my own with my Cricut someday.

Eventually the Living room is going to be a couple of shades lighter than the kitchen - but that is another huge project.  Maybe next Spring I'll be ready :)

Playing with paper is cheaper than therapy!

Really it is!  When I actually get my stuff out and sit and craft it takes my mind off many things.  Lately it has been my answer to snacking :)

Made a couple of baby cards this week since I was going to a shower last night and yesterday I scrapped the photos of our family snow day back in January.  I am pleased with how both turned out.  The baby cards were my own design and I have to give credit for the scrapbook page to my talented (should be professional and famous) friend Susan.  I totally scraplifted her ideas - thanks Susan!!!

Wild Wasabi (oh how I miss that color) cardstock and ink, craft cardstock, the "I'm Here" stampset, white embossing powder and a random piece of pattern paper.  Stampin'Up Ribbon too.

All Stampin' Up Cardstock except the white glitter paper which is from Target (Marcella by K).  The little snowmen stickers are SEI.

One more Easter Project

My son is on an airplane to the Philippines today. He is serving a 2 year mission for our church. We will not see him and will only communicate through letters and 2 phone calls per year (Mother's Day and Christmas). To keep my mind off the fact that he is on a plane for over 18 hours (and over the water) today, I decided to make some bunnies to hang up for Easter. I saw the cutest idea on a new blog I found called Eighteen25 (http://eighteen25.blogspot.com). They have some dang cute ideas so check it out.

I adapted my bunnies just a little because I didn't want to frame them.

Here's a little closeup of each one:






And here they are in their new home on my dining room wall. Cute and quick!

I used the same bunny silhouette mentioned on the blog, traced it on to black cardstock, and cut it out. The pattern paper is from an old pack I got at Costco. I think it is by Wild Asparagus??? My bunnies are 8x8 with the frames being 1 inch wide and 8 inches long on each side. I inked them with Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, added grommets and Stampin' Up stiched felt ribbon (from Christmas). I finished both in just over an hour (can you say instant gratification?). They look cute on the wall and I will definitely save them for use again next year. Thanks for looking :)

Monthly Swap and Stamp Camp goodies

I have joined a monthly card swap group again.  It is fun to come up with new ideas each month (and to scour the internet for ideas too).  Last month I threw a quick card together.  This month I am actually early getting my cards finished.  I made 15 of these (12 for swap and 3 to add to my stash).

***Spoiler Alert :  If you are in my swap group and want to be surprised then don't look any further :)

I found my idea on the internet here.  I changed the background paper to a shimmer silver that I had on hand.  It's from Marcella by K and it is the wedding pad.  I also changed the texture at the bottom to swiss dots.  I liked the way it mirrors the dots on the center of the medallion. It is mounted on white cardstock.  This card is beautiful as a wedding or anniversary card.

 Last Saturday I attended the "Got Ink Girlz" Spring Stamp Camp.  What a blast!  The projects were adorable and fun to create, the lunch was yummy and I even won a door prize :)  Here are some pics of what we made (10 projects all together - total fun!!)

And here are a couple of close ups:

Fun, fun, fun!  I can't wait until they do it again.  It was well planned, organized and worth every penny.  Plus I got to spend 6 hours "off" from mom duty which was a much needed break.

22 Things

I'm going to post this entry on both of my blogs.  I think it is such a great idea.  I love to blog hop.  It's a great way for me to recharge my creative batteries.  One blog that I love is Stacy Julian's.  She is creative, cute and often kooky (right up my alley).  I love her take on scrapbooking and also the fun ideas she shares about life in general.  Her post here made me think that I needed a list like that.  I have learned many things about life from my nearly 22 years as a mom!    If you are a mom you should give it a try.  You might even want to make your own list before you read mine :)

22 Things These Amazing Humans have taught Me

 1.  Where you sit in the car really does affect the quality of the ride.

 2.  The telephone works as a magnet.  Every time your mom is on the phone    you are drawn right to her.

 3.  Sometimes putting together a puzzle is more important than mopping a  floor.

 4.  It doesn't matter where the toy came from.  A dollar store toy is just as fascinating and fun as one from FAO Schwartz.

 5.  Life is better when you have a blankie.

 6.  Peanut Butter and Jelly/Honey sandwiches are a universal meal.  They work for breakfast, lunch OR dinner

 7.  Going to the park can be even more fun than Disneyland

 8.  Unconditional love is amazing.  Love your family and friends just because you love them, no strings attached!

 9.   A toddler who is moving with a purpose is FASTER than Superman

10.  A clean room is not the most important thing in life - just ask a teenager

11.  If your teenager believes in #10 - don't take it too personally

12.  Someday, if you are lucky, your teenagers turn into young adults and still love you - heck, they may even like you!!  

13.  Eating food off the floor is ok 

14.  Never, ever, ever say "Never".  (You'll be sorry)

15.  A hug really does help

16.  Put your anger aside and look at the situation.  

17.  A soft voice really does turn away wrath (see #16)

18.  A band-aid heals everything, oh, and the ones with characters on them heal it faster!

19.  Always, always lick the beater (or taste the cookie dough)

20.  Sing no matter where you are and no matter who is listening or looking

21.  With boys (and I have 5), anything can be used as a weapon: spatulas, rulers, socks (even the spare tampon in mom's purse) 

22.  There is nothing better than little pudgy fingers on your cheeks,sweet slobbery kisses and three little words:  "I love you mama"

Being a mom for the past 22 years has been the best of time (and sometimes the worst), and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I think I'm going to turn this list into a scrapbook page....

Easter Cards

Had a totally fun time making Easter Cards today! It felt really good to get crafty again :). Here is what I made:


Love this little rabbit stamp. It's in a set that belongs to my mom. She liked the all the stamps in set except this little guy, so now he lives with me........LOVE HIM!!!


Both of these cards were made with stuff I bought from Pebbles in My Pocket Las Vegas before they closed. I think I paid $8 for the whole kit. Some of the stickers were used and a few sheets of the paper had been cut, but I have made cards and pages and still have stuff left.............Hooray for using up some of my stash!!

This last set I made with some cute stickers that Austin gave me for my birthday (love that boy - he knows just what his mom loves).  The flowers and dragonflies were from him.  I used those and then I was having so much fun I used some double sided stickers and flocking and some hearts.  That way I can use some for Easter and some for other occasions. 

Wow!!  I got 8 cards finished today.  I also made 10 yesterday for a swap.  Forgot to take a photo of mine, so I will do that once I get my cards.  I'm excited to be in a swap group again.  It forces me to get creative at least once a month.  I really need to work on some scrapbook pages also.  It has been awhile since I felt like taking my stuff out, so now that I'm feeling crafty again, I'll have to get busy on that :)

Christmas cards.........the other one

Finally, it feels like I am getting back to some sort of "normalcy".  My son has been gone for 2 weeks tomorrow and it has taken me this long to catch up with everything I put on hold before he left on his mission.

I found one of the Christmas cards I mentioned in the last post.  Here it is (it was my "whimsical" design this year):

 

I found the elf stamp in the $1 bin at michael's at could NOT resist his cute ears and shoes!  The letters for "merry" were cut with my Cricut and place on the card.  Then I misted ink over them and took them off (reverse masking?).  The elf and "Christmas" are embossed with white.  This one was so much fun to make and it was really easy to do it assembly line style.  I think I made about 30.

I made Valentine's yesterday too - photos coming soon.  I promise they won't take as long to show up as the Christmas cards :)

Christmas crafts............NOT!

I did not manage to get much Christmas crafting done this year. Being in school full-time took a huge chunk of my fall! Final exams were only 1 week before Christmas, so that really hampered my creative time. I did manage to make my Christmas cards though. Here is one:


I made another one also, but somehow did not get a photo of it! I'll have to see if my sweet sister saved hers so I can take a photo.

Even though I didn't do much crafting, the holidays were fabulous. Having all of my kids home was the best present ever, especially since son #2 leaves in just 20 days for his mission in the Philippines!