Here's to the New Year

Well its been a long time since I've blogged so let's see if I still know how to do this. I hope a few of you are still around.

Happy New Year and Merry belated Christmas! I hope that the holidays were good to all of you as they were to me. My boys had a wonderful time and it was a fun holiday for us as my almost 5 year old really understands what its all about now. Santa was even good to me, I must have stayed on the good list this year. He brought me a plane ticket to visit one of my best friends in SC. I'm so excited I can't even tell you!

So we all have New Year's resolutions/goals including myself. I actually have several, #1 being keeping a gratitude book that I write something positive from everyday in. #2 is restarting my blog. Which brings us here today. Its something I've been thinking about for quite some time and decided why not make it a goal for the New Year. I'm going to change it up a bit from the past though. In the past I've focused the blog on my paper crafting hobby which became quite intimidating to me after I started work in February 2012. So in the New Year I'm going to focus on all of my hobbies: cooking, home decor and papercrafting. My goal is to post at least 2 times a week. I hope you will all stop in occasionally to see what I've been up to :)

I have to give credit where it is due also! My new blog look came from Every Day Mom Ideas. She has some ADORABLE digital scrapbooking kits that I used on my overhaul. Most of her kits are free so make sure you go check her out! I used Photoshop to create my layout.

Alright its Sunday and that means its Packer time in my house so I hope you all have a great day and GO PACK GO!

Coming soon in 2013

Please excuse the mess around here. I'm changing things up for the New Year. I have some fun ideas and I can't wait to be back at it again. Its been a long time since I have blogged and I hope a few of you are still around.

Happy Sunday all! While I was hoping to get some crafting done here today I am lacking that creative spark that make this craft so fun. I'm feeling pretty tired this week and today it seems a little more stressful for me ;(  So instead of sharing something brand spankin' new I'm going to share a few cards I made last weekend when I had my game on.

My first card is made with my Sweet Stamp Shop stamps which you know if you follow me I'm addicted to. I just love Nicole and her company. Not to mention how absolutely sweet and inspiring her DT is! I love the quality of these stamps not to mention the cuteness factor :) Did you know that they have a challenge every month so you can show off what you have created with the newest releases? The prize you ask? Its a HAUL, the entire next release to one lucky winner! Make sure you stop by the blog for all the details and link up I know they love to see what everyone creates. (http://www.sweetstampshop.blogspot.com/2012/04/sweet-april-challenge.html)

Now I know that my card does not qualify for this months challenge but it still has some sweet on it :) I used one of Nicole's older sets called Sweet Tooth on this card.

My second card uses a lot of the same supplies just a different stamp set.  I love the coloring technique I used on this card. I used a water brush to transfer color to my cards to give a watercolor effect.

Well I'm off to start dinner and watch the skies we are supposed to be in for some good spring storms here tonight. Yeah! I love a good storm. I hope everyone has a good week :)

A Little Sweet Shop Challenge

I finally got my craft on for the first time since I started my new job at the end of February. Boy did my craft room miss me! I needed a little jump start to get me going so I pulled out my new Sweet Stamp Shop stamps for the challenge they have going on until the end of the month. How could I resist, the prize is the ENTIRE April release and from the sneaks I have seen its one I will "have" to have, lol. Make sure you hop over to the Sweet Stamp Shop blog for all the details on how to enter and get your creation linked up. I know Nicole and the Sweet Tooth gals will love anything you make. They are after all some of the sweetest gals on the block :)

I used one of the newest releases called Sweet Spring to make this fun and colorful Easter card.

Sweet Stamp Shop March Challenge

 I had a ton of fun making this card. I paper pieced all the tulips and clear embossed the cross background and then used Tim Holtz distress ink over the top for color. All of my colored card stock is from Stampin' up. The music patterned paper is from American Crafts Dear Lizzy line and sun is stamped on Pink Paisley paper.

Look on the Bright Side

Happy day all :) Just a quickie this morning as I start my new job today, Yeah! I will be a receptionist at a chiropractics office, I'm a little stoked about this since it is what I did before my husband and I were married. It will be like riding a bicycle!

Now this card just makes me giggle and smile a little bit! I used a Stampin' Up embossing folder that I borrowed from my mom and fussy cut the jar from the new Dear Lizzy line of paper. My stamp is from Unity Stamp Co and I hand drew all those adorable little lightning buts in it :) I made their tooshie's (hehe, my son would say) using some yellow stickles. Makes me think of summer and since we are under a winter storm warning here in Wisconsin today I'm good with that! A little shimmer mist, want to scrap pearls and pink paisley twine fininshed this beauty up.

Look on the bright side

I'd love to hear what you think. Your comments always make me smile and brighten my day.

Birthday Bash

Welcome back my crafty friends! I have a few cards for you today that I have been holding back hoping they would be published. But alas, not this time... Oh well there is always next time :) All of my cards are made with Simple Stories Happy Day collection. Did you see that they have a DT call out right now? I love this collection there is just sooooo much to do with it.  I actually made a trio of cards take a peek at all this Birthday love.

Happy Birthday to you.

Eat Ice cream too.

I just love the paper pieced ice cream cone stamp on this card. Its from Unity Stamp Company. And last but certainly not least...

live happy

Now most of these cards were paper pieced with the paper from the 6x6 paper pad from this collection with just a few embellishments added. All of the stamps on these cards are from Unity Stamp Company. Speaking of Unity Stamp Co. did you see that they have a DT call too? I'm especially excited about this one :D

That's all for today. I am excited to go get ready for date night with my hubby :)

Swap it out and Change it up

Hi there crafty lovin' peeps :) I'm in an extra good and cheery mood today. I can't say its the weather because it is snowy and pretty yucky here today so maybe its the new hair cut I got this weekend :) Either way I'm pretty spunky today. I hope you are all in just as good a mood as me :)

I didn't get much time to craft this weekend as we were away at the in laws but I do have one that I have been holding back for just an occasion like this. You know, oh crude, I haven't posted on my blog in way to long occasion, lol. I made this card for the card swap that I am part of. The objective is to recreate following the layout or color scheme and send one back to the person that you got it from. I really enjoy the way this group is set up.

So without further ado, here is the card that I got. 

Card by Dar Meshke

Didn't Dar do a lovely job! I love it Dar :) Now here is what I did for my return card!

Thinking of you

I think the  unseasonably warm weather was making me think spring when I recreated this one :)

I hope you all enjoyed today's shares :)

product used:
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company
Papers: TPC, Hanko and American Crafts
Inks: Momento and Ranger
Tools: Spellbinders and Ek Success
Other: Tsukeniko Frost spray and Kiaser rhinestones

Furry Friends Forever

I'm back again with another Sweet Stamp Shop creation. I truly do love these stamps and how versatile they are! I'm still on my Valentine's kick here which is odd for me because I'm usually a bah-hum-bug about this holiday but I'm kind of getting into it this year. Maybe its because Ian is finally in school and I can make his V-day cards. Who knows.... Anyway here is what I made today. Not what I had envisioned in my mind when I started but still pretty cute if you ask me.

Furry Friends forever

The idea all started with that little stump with the hearts on it from the Silhouette store. I sketched it first and then used the auto trace feature to cut it out. I love how much I can do with my Silhouette!  Next I pained a brown wash on both stumps with my twinkling H2O's and painted the hearts.

Supplies:
Stamps: Sweet Stamp Shop and Hampton Arts
coloring mediums: Twinkling H2O's, Ranger Stickles, Sakura Suffle pens.
Ink pads: Momento and Color Box
Pearls: Kiaser
Embossing folder: Sizzix
Paper: We R Memory keepers, Bazzill and Dear Lizzy by American Crafts
Cutting Machine: Silhouette Cameo
Other: Amy Chomas gel pen holder.


Lots more later this week!