Birthday

Today is my sweet cousin's Birthday so I had to make a card as sweet as she is. I love YouTube, even more than Pinterest...eeek, please put the pitchforks and shovels away!!! YouTube is what for the most part set me on my path to making cards. I have learned so many techniques watching how to videos that just makes me go.... "D'OH, why didn't I think of that?!" Kind of like the V8 commercial slap.
YouTube introduced me to blogs, of which in turn introduced me to challenges of which I have entered and some I have won some amazing prizes from! I of course turned my attention to having my card designs published. I had one so far published in the "Stamp It" magazine, I still submit from time to time, but really haven't had the time to do it like I would like I want to (all the time).
With that being said I came across DeVries, I love her video tutorials. Like me. she is an Stampin' Up demonstrator. Unlike me, she posts videos on you tube and she is amazing! She posted a super cute card on YouTube http://youtu.be/IUnRkBVfLC4 that you have to go check out.
Thanks to her I was able to make this card:

Stampin Up discounts for me

Yes, I have given into my guilty pleasure of discounts! I already hit up the clearance rack every chance I get, and now I will get an additional discount... hello!! I signed up paying just $99 and got $150+ worth of products. Needless to say I finally got the whole set of new ink pads, of which some are retiring now and some old colors are being "refreshed"! I'm excited about the news and disheartened as I just within the month and half signed up for the great deal. Now I must purchase more ink pads.... the horror of it all. HA!

I have been continuing to make my cards, but I haven't been as attentive to my blog or FB page, I know, I know.... believe me, it's been eating at me and I have done nothing to correct it until today.... yikes! I have decided to try and be more productive with my YouTube channel too. I've got a lot of work to do and decided that I should get started on it now so that I CAN work out all the kinks now before I go head first this summer.

This will also give me the opportunity to prep for the next school year as BOTH my boys will be in school next year... *sigh* what will I do with all that extra time?! I know for certain that I will be enjoying a clean house a bit longer than usual!!!! Yes, I SAID IT! It will also give me a bit more time to dedicate to my love of papercrafting.

I want to thank my readers for being patient and understanding. Life can throw some boulders at ya sometimes and it's what you do with them that counts. I've been building a stage to continue displaying my love of papercrafting and spending as little as possible. With me now being an demonstrator I can earn some freebies and get a discount.... love that! Make my cards without worrying how much I probably will go over my budget.. yikes. Now just because I've signed up with SU does not mean I have turned my back on my other favs such as Unity Stamp Co. I am still signed up for their Stamp of the Week and the Kit of the Month. Most of my work consists of Unity and quiet honestly will remain that way.

OH YEA.... almost forgot.... My wonderful husband purchased me an iPad for Valentines Day, isn't he a doll?! So today I browsed the apps and found that I can post blogs via my iPad!! AWESOME! So yes, this will most certainly help me out in staying productive.

Any how, I suppose I should share some cards I have made of recent. These cards were made as a request from a customer for her son's teachers. I made a few for her to choose from and I've decided to replicate a few of them for my kiddo's teacher as well.

Card Makin Mamas Color Challenge

SILVER and GOLD



As I said in my last post I'm going back to entering challenges as it has been awhile and it is so much fun!  I decided to just google card challenges and I came across Card Makin Mamas.  In the blog I came across a Color Challenge of Silver and Gold.

 

When I first came across this challenge I was actually going to pass it up, but had written down the information none the less in my "Challenge Notepad", just in case I decided to come back to it and give it a try.

 

Good thing I wrote down the information, as I had gone to Target in search of a Christmas themed porcelain bowl to place on my craft desk to place my small pieces when I am paper piecing.  I had bought one from Target for Halloween and thought for sure I would find one for Christmas.  NO such luck... boo.  Instead I had to settle for a crystal bowl, for now.... HA 

While I was going through the "Spot Deals" I came across some ribbon that had 2 coordinating designs for a total of 2 yards for $1. 

   *DING*DING*DING*

I found my inspiration for my challenge!

 

Although the challenge says I don't have to make a Holiday card, I just felt I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use it with one of my new Stamps of the Week from Unity.  Plus my shopping trip to Target paid off too. 

 

So this is what I came up with. 

 

The base of my card measures 4.25 x 5.5.  I added a layer 3.75 x 4.5 placed on dimensionals.

I stamped my image with StazOn Jet Black Unity's Stamp of the Week, Penguin Coolness for the image and sentiment.

The snowflake came from ProvoCraft Stretch your Imagination.  I took three of the same image and glued them together then used Tim Holtz Distress crackle paint "Rock Candy" when it dried I inked the snowflake with Stampin' Up Baja Breeze to show off the "crackle".  To add more to the "silver" look I added Rangers Glossy Accents, of which I am running low on.... oops, around the edges then covered with Stampin Up Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  I also used the same technique on the penguins dangling snowflake and around the sentiment.  Then finally used my newly acquired goody from Target to line the layer and the string to the snowflake.

Ink it Pink Sketch Challenge Monday

HI all!  I've been super crazy busy with card orders and I am just about done with those and my submissions to one of my favorite magazines. 

I decided it was about time I get back to my roots of what really got me started on cards... challenges!  My first ever challenge was with Kristal Andrew's Getting Cricky with K. Andrew and gosh, it's been at least three years ago now.  I really need to enter another one.... hmmmm.... That will be my project tomorrow.

Today I was browsing my recent favorite challenges and I came back to visit Pink by Designs Ink it Pink Challenge.  I had 7 hours to complete, write my blog and submit prior to the deadline... EEEK! 


This week their challenge was a Sketch:

I had a lot of fun with this card and had a to do a re-do so that cut into my deadline but this is my final product.

The base of my card is 6x5, which is out of my norm of 4.25x5.5.  It just goes to show my Texan side of me coming out as... Bigger is Better! 

I used the following supplies:

Designer Paper: Close to my Heart : Perfect Day

Ink: Stampin Up : Chocolate Chip
       distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Antique Linen

RicRac: American Crafts

Flock: Studio G

WaterPencils: Stampin Up

Finally the stars of the card

Image and Sentiment: Pink by Design's Beary Merry Christmas

Now that I' ve got this done, I've got less than 3 hours until deadline, talk about cutting it close!  I can't wait to get back to the mainland so that I can keep better tabs on the time differences.

My first Stop Motion Animated movie!!

I made a card using up some scraps from Halloween cards I made and thought it would be so much fun to make a video making it... more so a Stop Motion Animated movie!!  What do you think?!

Linking Up Tuesday with Pink Cricut

I woke up this morning slightly excited that my oldest will be going back to school today, bad I know, but saddened at the same time as I enjoyed spending the fall break with my two favorite boys.  Together we spent time with friends, played, made cards together, washed my car, went to their Dad's doctor appointments.  My Husband had surgery Sept 5th so with him unable to drive we have been driving him everywhere from appointments and to work, where ever that may be on certain days, HA, gotta love the Army! 
So woke up at 0500 and got the kiddos up to take Dad to PT (Physical Training), came home fixed breakfast and let the boys veg out a bit prior to taking my oldest to school at 0730.  Returned back home to find Hubs found a ride home from PT, he ate breakfast while I brewed my coffee then left again at 0830 to take Husband to two different locations.  First to get his keys as he is in charge of the Arms room then to the actual Arms building. 
Finally returned home knowing I need to sweep the floor but couldn't do it until I made a card!  So that's exactly what I've done.
 Again I used the Inkadinkado Ghouls & Goblins,

 of which you can take  a gander at my previous post to see the other 3 cards I made using this same set.  I intend to use every image in this set by the end of the day, so that's 2 to go. 


Here is the card I made this morning using this set and DCWV Paper

Halloween Pets

So I've been super busy, as usual, lately.  I was able to get busy again today on some cards once I found my stamps I had purchased through S.H.A (Scrapbook Hoarders Anonymous) on FaceBook and I fell in love with them from the time I laid eyes on the set.

It's Inkadinkado's Ghouls & Goblins

How stinking cute is this set?!  I was so stoked to be able to sit down finally today and make 3 cards from this set. 

 I used American Crafts: The Color of Memories for the designer paper for the "Robin" card.

These cards come from DCWV The Ghosts & Goblins.