Happy Birthday

Hiya! Hope you are all ready for the weekend because it's here! We celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday tonight and then tomorrow I am helping to host a bridal shower. Gonna be a busy weekend for this girl! I did want to share the birthday card that I gave to my mother-in-law, though ... here it is ...
I really like this one and made it originally for a color challenge for a magazine call (it didn't get chosen). I got those pretty pink flowers by misting some white ones with some Maya Mist. A great tip for maximizing your supplies - buy plain and dye them with inks and mists. :-)

Well, I gotta run and finish some stuff for tomorrow! I am making favors, which I will be sure to share with you all later! :-)

See ya soon!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Enjoy the Ride (PTI)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento), Chai, Chamomile (PTI)
Paper: Melon Berry, Lemon Tart (PTI), CE Katydid CrissCross (Coredinations)
Other: hydrangea blooms (craft supply), Carnation Pink mist (Maya Road), pearls (BG Opaline), buttons, twine, ribbon (PTI)

Everything I love and something new ...

Hey y'all! I don't know about you, but this week has definitely gotten away from me. Geez. And only about 2-1/2 weeks left of freedom before its back to work. But, I am hoping to make some good use of that time ... and today I did something just for fun! (I should try that concept out more often! lol)

I joined a virtual quilting bee the other day and offered to host first - in August. This will be my first bee, but I am stoked. In thinking about what pattern to ask my fellow quilters to use, I wanted to do something I hadn't before ... enter the Spiderweb block. I love the look of these and decided it was just the thing ... but wanted to try a tutorial first before I went asking others to do it too! So, I tried out this awesome tutorial and here's the result ... my first spidey block!This block has a few small errors in that some seams didn't align quite right, but pretty darn good for my first attempt at a new block. And this block has everything I love ... black & whites, dots, more dots, pinks and greens, and a few snipets of some past quilt projects mixed in as well as a the last smidgens of some fabrics that I had shoved in my scrap basket. It was fun to think about the folks I have made quilts for as I put this together and remembered the projects I used the various fabrics for.

Here's a few in-progress shots for you ... the back of the block pieces prior to trimming them down. I was as stingy as I could be with my scrap strips without being too close to call.
Here's the front of them too ... see that little piece of black & white stripe and the Java Blue on those corners ... yeah, that's it for those fabrics! Gone with a capital G.
And ... drumroll please ... the fabric I plan to cut up and send to my bee buddies. Let me say, I know its going to turn out amazing. But I am sort of terrified ... I saw this fabric online before it was available and HAD to have it. And when it came out, I promptly got all these fat quarters ... in the summer of 2009. They've been staring at me from the shelf across from my machine ever since ....
I think its finally time to put them to good use! :-) Be gentle fellow quilters ... I {heart} these :-)

That's all I've got for now ... busy preparing for a bridal shower this weekend and some other projects. See y'all soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shabby & Vintage & Inspired

Hi and Happy Monday y'all! I am checking in today to share a card I made for the Paper Crafts Inspired Style Challenge (create a project inspired by a vintage typewriter) and I am combining it with the Moxie Fab Shabby & Vintage challenge. Here's what I came up with ... What do ya think? I think she turned out pretty! :-) I stamped the typewriter and sentiment gray ink and then used some collage-y type paper from The Girls Paperie. Its like a cheater quilt fabric, but paper and the colors in it are so lovely. I did a lot of ink distressing on the edges and then added some ribbon, a button, and some pearls for good measure.

I am off to a get ready for a meeting this evening ... hope you are having a wonderful start to your week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Typeset (Studio Calico); FYI (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Going Gray (Stampin' Up!); Chai, Chamomile (PTI)
Paper: Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up!); Vintage Cream, Hibiscus Burst (PTI); patterned paper "Vintage Patchwork" from Paper Girl collection (The Girls' Paperie)
Other: Sweet Blush satin ribbon, New Leaf vintage button, twine (PTI); adhesive pearls (e. by Prima); foam tape

Thirty-One Special & News

Hello again! Just wanted to update you on the latest with my Thirty-One business. This month, there's a great special where you can get this cute little bag - the Littles Carry All - for just $5 with free embroidery when you spend $31 dollars. Read the complete sales flyer here. This little tote has a pocket on the back and four of them fit into the Square Utility Tote and six will fit into the Large Utility Tote. A great way to stay organized!

(Crafty people - think Copic markers, scissors and other tools, completed cards, clear stamp sets ... wink, wink!)

Also, the current catalog is headed out the door ... I will be working from the new catalog beginning August 1st - I will post an update then with a link and a great special in August as well. A few products and fabrics are retiring, please let me know if you have any questions about whether or not an item will be returning. All orders from this Spring/Summer catalog must be in no later than July 31st.

If you're interested in placing an order, you can email me (link in sidebar) or order online. I can also help you get started with your own Thirty-One business as well!

Have a great week! :-)

Same but Different

Hey y'all! Been a busy week wrapping up some projects and attending a conference. But I am back and thought I'd share a few cards I made while making this card for my recent swap. I just changed up the color schemes a bit but everything else is the same.

Here's pink and green ...
And here's blue and pink ...I like both variations, but I think I like the original best! :-)

I have to run and tackle a few things but will return tomorrow with some crafty goodness. See ya then!

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Pinwheel Challenge

Hi! Hope you are all having a great week ... I can't believe this week is almost over. I have less than a month left of summer break and I am definitely in denial about that! LOL

The CARDS Magazine blog issued a challenge to make a card with pinwheels. (You can see there challenge here on this post.) I don't think I have made any pinwheels since I was a kid, so I thought "why not?!" I made a pretty clean and simple card ... I had bigger, more complex plans in my mind, but that didn't happen. I used the Dotty Biscotti paper from PTI and since its not double-sided, I stuck two pieces together. In retrospect, I suggest using double-sided paper since it will be easy to bend and would probably stay bent better. Start with a square and cut from each corner point into the center. Then fold every other point in to the center and secure.

Well, I am off to take care of a few things around here. Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Supplies Used (all PTI unless noted):
Stamps: Signature Greetings; TypeSet (background stamp) from StudioCalico
Ink: Chamomile; SU! Basic Brown
Paper: Vintage Cream, Raspberry Fizz, Dotty Biscotti patterned paper
Other: button, twine, foam tape

Crazy for Hexagons

I must be crazy ...

The other night while going through some new entries in my Google Reader (which, by the way, if you read blogs and are not using Google Reader, you're probably driving yourself nuts checking them all ... go sign up!) ... I came upon a hexagon project. And that led me to here, to TexasFreckles.com and some great tutorials.

So, I got to cutting scraps and made a few ... we'll see if this hand piecing lasts longer than a few weeks! :-) But I do love how scrappy this might turn out.
Oh yeah ... this will be a little quilt ... not a "go big or go home" type of project. LOL I will keep you updated! :-)

Wishing You Sunshine

Hi! Happy Monday y'all! I am getting back into the swing of things here and taking care of some projects and chores that needed to be completed. I thought I'd share another scrap card that I made a few weeks ago. I used some leftover paper from the pregnancy journal I made for my friend. I stamped the sentiment and then masked it so I could stamp the sun shape around it. The little flower border was from the edge of the paper - where it tells the manufacturer, etc. I just couldn't throw it out! :-) A pretty simple and quick-to-make card.

Well, I better run and take care of a few more things so I can get to what I really want to do ... play around with fabric and paper! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Scattered Showers (PTI), sun shape stamp (Studio Calico)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Memento); Chai (PTI)
Paper: Kraft (PTI), Cherry Hill Avenue -Abode Collection (American Crafts)
Other: ribbon, twine, button (PTI)

Vacation Recap

Hi y'all! I hope you've all had a great weekend. :-) I had a busy week last week and thought I'd share some of the fun with you all. On Wednesday, we headed up to New Jersey to see some family before attending a wedding on Saturday. We went a few days early so that we could go into NYC for a day ... and so Thursday we got up and took the bus into the city, rode the subway to Battery Park, where we caught a ferry back to the NJ side to visit the one and only Carlo's Bake Shop from the TLC Show Cake Boss. We got to Hoboken about 11 am and it was about a 1/2 mile walk to Washington Street from the ferry docks. We were shocked to find out that there was an hour wait outside just to get into the bakery! But we stuck it out and when we finally got to the front of the line, we got a number and headed into the madness!

Occasionally, you'll see a massive crowd in the store on the show ... well, its all us tourists mobbing the place! LOL This photo captures about half of the store ... its not very big and it was pretty much elbow-to-elbow in there. You can see the stairwell that they run up and down in the back of the photo if you look close. A few minutes later they called my number and I hustled to try and figure out what I wanted.

I only got a few things to try since we would be running around the city all day. Of course, I couldn't pass up the fresh-filled cannolis. And I split that cream puff with the mister and it was pretty good too! But before we had our treats, we stopped at Rome Pizza for a fresh pizza pie before we headed back to NYC. It was definitely some good pizza! (We had smelled it on our way to the Bake Shop!)

So, we headed back across on the ferry to NYC, where we jumped on another ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Here's my mister with the Lady Liberty.

We took another ferry ride back to the city ... here we are with NYC in the background. The ferry ride is a short 10 minutes, but it did seem like we spent 1/2 the day on a boat! LOL

We did some more walking and saw Wall Street and then walked part of the Brooklyn Bridge before catching the subway back to Times Square. It was typical Times Square all lit up with lots of hustle and bustle.

We had dinner at the Hard Rock and caught the bus back to NJ. It was a great day - much better than our day trip two days before New Years when it was like 10 degrees outside!

Saturday, we went to my aunt's wedding which was on the water. We took the opportunity for a photo op in the garden area outside.

My aunt and uncle are big into boating and nautical-themed things, so the wedding was casual, which was a nice change. A few things that I loved from the wedding ... the lobster cookies ...

The fun cupcakes with edible shells, sea horses, etc. ...

And her gorgeous bouquet of sterling roses, orchids, and hydrangeas! And, of course, the bling! Loved this bouquet!

Well, that's all for now. I did save a lot of memorabilia stuff from the trip to give a mini scrapbook a go ... I will be sure to share when I get around to that! :-)

Thanks for stopping by ... I will be back with some crafty stuff tomorrow. See ya then!

More Sew Lovely

Hey y'all! Just stopping in to share a card I made the other day while I had all my fun teal papers and ribbons out. This is another card using the Lawn Fawn Sew Lovely set. Since I am an avid sewer, it was a set that I couldn't pass up. Hero Arts recently put out some fun sewing sets that I can't wait to ink up. :-) I stamped the image and then colored it with Copics. I really need to try paper piecing this dress form. Maybe even piecing it with fabric scraps! I also did another double bow with my seam binding ribbon - the ribbon is so light weight that it doesn't make it too bulky like a grosgrain would.

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Chai, Chamomile (PTI); Copic markers
Paper: White, Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist (PTI); patterned paper (October Afternoon Thrift Shop collection)
Other: seam binding, foam tape

Card Style Fun & Cute Challenge

Hiya! Happy Monday! This week will be busy for me, but I am looking forward to it.

Have you seen the new Paper Crafts magazine? Its called Card Style and I can't wait to get a copy of it to flip through. This week, Cath of Moxie Fab is hosting some challenges and today is cards that are "Fun & Cute" ... well, I think this counts!
This card was made with mostly scraps from my scrap bucket. And I love the bright color scheme I've got going on. Who doesn't like polka dots and cupcakes?! :-)

Check out the challenge and all the details here and play along!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: PTI Cupcake Collection
Ink: PTI Raspberry Fizz
Paper: PTI White, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest; Bitty Dots Summer Sunrise patterned paper; Raspberry Fizz Mix (dots) patterned paper
Other: Cupcake Sticker from Me & My Big Ideas Ellen-Cupcakes scrapbook kit; PTI Orange Zest grosgrain; KasierCraft rhinestones
Tools: circle punches (EK Success)

Card Patterns #71

Happy Friday! Been a busy day baking, visiting, and now home to take care of a few things and projects before the weekend. :-)

I did want to share a card I made for the Card Patterns Sketch #71 the other night. You can check out the sketch here. And here's my card ...
I used the super cute "Sew Lovely" set from Lawn Fawn Stamps. I kept it a clean and simple version of the sketch and I know just who to send this to ...

Thanks for stopping by - see ya tomorrow!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Sew Lovely (Lawn Fawn Stamps)
Ink: Ripe Avocado, Berry Sorbet (PTI), Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Paper: White (PTI), Kiwi Kiss (SU!), Sugary Sweet from Sweet Marmalade Collection (Sassafras Lass)
Other: foam tape

A Monochromatic Note

Hi again - this is my second post for today (scroll down to see my interpretation of this week's CPS sketch challenge). Last Friday, Paige put up a challenge on the CARDS Blog for monochromatic cards. Here's my interpretation ... I hadn't used my seam binding in awhile and I really love this Peacock color ... so I went on a hunt for some papers that went well with it and settled on this paper from October Afternoon. I really heart the Thrift Shop line papers. I especially love that that dot paper is the reverse of the doily paper - what a fun combo!

Anywho ... for the sentiment I used the label from SU!'s Great Friend and then added the sentiment and little flourishes from PTI's Take Note. I did stamp off first on the flourishes to get a lighter shade of the Ocean Tides ink ... sometimes I will do that when I don't have exactly the right color ink for what I really want.

Well that is all for now ... back to working on some projects!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: SU! Great Friend; PTI Take Note
Ink: PTI Ocean Tides, Chai, Chamomile
Paper: PTI Aqua Mist, Vintage Cream; October Afternoon Thrift Shop (Collector's Item, Needs Paint)
Other: Peacock seam binding; foam tape; corner rounder punch

CPS174

Happy Thursday, y'all! I wanted to share the card I made for this week's CPS sketch challenge. Here's the original post with the sketch. For this one, I kept it pretty simple, but I really like how it came together ... and it was super quick since the bird and "sweet" frame were from a little pack of cardstock embellishments that I picked up at Target several weeks ago. I am glad I finally put some of them to use!I thought the colors in the frame worked well with this colorway of the Dotty Biscotti paper and I think it adds a bit of a modern feel with the more vintage-y bird.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Paper: PTI Kraft, Dotty Biscotti patterned paper
Ink: PTI Chai, Chamomile
Embellishments: PTI Vintage Cream grosgrain; K&Co Serendipity die cuts (bird and sentiment)
Other: foam tape

Owl Card Set

Hiya! Is the summer flying by or what?! Maybe I better not think about how I will be back in the classroom before I know it ... I still have a lot of projects I want to work on!

Speaking of projects, my BFF loves some owls and I found this paper awhile back that was too cute to pass up. I whipped up a quick set of 6 thank you notes for her complete with a stamped envelope. :-)
She loved them and I hope she enjoys sending them out as much as I enjoyed making them. Pretty easy ... lots of layers and quick to mass produce. The thin ribbon is easy to mail too - good thing since I am sure she'll be using a lot of postage in the coming months. :-)

That's all for now ... off to work on some sketch challenges. :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Fox & Friends (SU!); sentiment from Baby Wishes (Amuse)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress). Simply Chartreuse (PTI)
Paper: Dark Chocolate, White (PTI); Owls All Around from Fern Collection (Adorn It)
Other: Ribbon (craft store)

July Swap Cards Part 2

Hi y'all! Hope you all had a Happy Fourth of July weekend! :-)

I'm back today to share the second card I made for the July Papertrey swap that I am in. I had started with something else in mind, but scrapped it completely and came up with this. Much better! :-)
I used some Green Boutique paper on this one and let it do all the work. Love the polka dots in this set. :-) I stamped the light and sentiment from On My Couch and colored it with Copics and also added some glitter to the lampshade. I did swipe my light gray Copic around the edge of the white square just to give it a little something.

Well that's it for now! Off to finish a few other projects so that I can get started on more!

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Supplies Used (all PTI unless noted):
Stamps: On My Couch
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Copic markers
Paper: White, Hawaiian Shores, Green Boutique patterned paper
Other: New Leaf twill; glitter; foam tape

July Swap Cards Part 1

Hiya! Happy Saturday folks! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend thus far. Looking forward to a our annual picnic on my parents' deck tomorrow ... food and some pool time and the weather has cooled off a bit (well, like mid-80s) and has been lovely!

Today, I am sharing one of my swap cards for my PTI swap on Splitcoaststampers. This card was inspired by one of Betsy's cards from this post. Here's my take on it ...Turns out that I couldn't decide if I liked it better on kraft or purple card stock, so I did half and half! :-) I think I am leaning towards the kraft, but neither of these pictures are amazing ... but in person both ways is great. Here's a closer picture of the glitter in the center of the flowers. (You can click on the photos to enlarge them.) Well that is all for now ... off to enjoy spending some time with family and friends and hopefully some crafting later tonight! Have a great day everyone! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies Used (all PTI unless noted):
Stamps: Year of Flowers: Violets
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa; Chamomile; Copic markers
Paper: White, Kraft, Aqua Mist, Plum Pudding, Dotty Biscotti patterned paper
Other: Aqua Mist grosgrain; glue pen; Stampendous glitter

Zoology Baby Quilt

Hello there and happy Friday! This time last week I was deciding to whip out a quilt before lunch with a friend (and new mom!) on Saturday. Anyone else out there procrastinate? I can procrastinate with the best of them. In fact, if I don't have a deadline its hard for me to get things done.

Anywho ... I hemmed and hawed and finally decided to go for it about 3:30 in the afternoon. I cut fabric for three of these and finished an entire one - handstitched binding and all - by about 10:00 PM. Here it is ...
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this fabric. Its stinkin' cute. And boy appropriate. Its about 32" x 34". The color is a little better in the photo below ...
I am SO glad I took a chance on that striped binding. I really love how it turned out and am so glad I can cut and press a fold straight or that would have been a BIG disaster. LOL

This photo shows the binding and backing. I used that same focal print on the back and did an all-over stippling to quilt it up. I don't pre-wash anything so when I wash it and everything shrinks a bit it has the best bubbly texture.
Finally, I also made a little burp cloth to match using some leftovers. Note: pre-wash the cloth diapers first next time. (They shrink ALOT more than the fabric.) Despite being a little imperfect in the end, I figured it was still cute enough to get spit up on.
Well there you have it! :-) Hope to make a few more of these to put up in my Etsy shop in the next couple of weeks! I will keep you posted on that!

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

The Big Project Part 4

Hello again! Today's I am sharing the last of the pregnancy journal album ... the final "trimester" and welcome baby page ...

7 Months Page ... 8 Months page ...
9 Months page ... (lovin' this color combo)
And finally ... the "welcome" page ... I thought this would be a good place to include a first family photo and the basics of the wee one.And just in case you hadn't had your fill on baby projects from me this week ... I will show you another "quilt-in-a-evening" gift I made last week. So cute ... see you soon! :-)

Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Supplies Used:
7 Months Page
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride "Are We There Yet", October Afternoon Fly A Kite "Fireflies", PTI Kraft, White, American Crafts Rocky Road
Accessories: PTI Dark Chocolate grosgrain; Making Memories Oliver chipboard number

8 Months Page
Paper: Cosmo Cricket Joy Ride "Are We There Yet", Peebles Tree House "Sunset", PTI Kraft, White, SU! Really Rust
Accessories: PTI Ocean Tides grosgrain; Cosmo Cricket High Noon chipboard number sticker

9 Months Page
Paper: American Crafts Abode "Cherry Hill Avenue", My Mind's Eye Lush "Brown Houndstooth", PTI White, Kraft; SU! Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: PTI Simply Chartreuse grosgrain; American Crafts Nutmeg number sticker

Welcome Page
Paper: Pebbles Tree House "Sunset", My Mind's Eye Lush "Brown Houndstooth", PTI White, Kraft; American Crafts Rocky Road
Accessories: PTI Dark Chocolate grosgrain; Basic Grey "Green at Heart" chipboard sticker letters, Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie rubons ("precious one")

All Pages:
PTI Faux Ribbon stamp set; Distress Antique Linen Ink; SU! Curly Label Punch; sewing machine