Happy Mother's Day

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a Mother's Day card. I went with a clean and simple design with one of my favorite combos: Perfect Plum and Crumb Cake. You can't tell from the picture, but the sentiment is actually heat embossed in white. In person it adds another great visual element to the card. I can't wait to send this card out!

• Stamps: A Nice Cuppa
• Inks: Perfect Plum; Crumb Cake; Sahara Sand
• Cardstock: Perfect Plum; Whisper White
• Accessories: Crumb Cake Ribbon; White Baker's Twine
• Tools: White Embossing Powder

Sweet Lil Bows

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card using retiring products. I love Stampin' Up's Designer Series Paper, but hate that it gets retired every new catalog. But before it goes away, I wanted to highlight one of our great paper packs: Sweet Li'l Things. For this card, I used the paper in the obvious way as a basis for a baby card. The bows were created using the versatile envelope punch board. I mixed up the patterns to give the bows a bit more layer. The end result is super cute!

Bow Dimensions:

• Bottom strip 4" x 1"
• Bottom bow layer 3" x 1"
• Bow loops 4 1/2" x 1"

• Stamps: Happy Happening
• Inks: Tangelo Twist
• Cardstock: Sweet Li'l Things DSP; Crumb Cake; Very Vanilla
• Accessories:
• Tools: Envelope Punch Board

Gift Card Holder

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a gift card holder. I found this design on Pinterest and ran with it. I really love the Sweet Li'l Things DSP and had to highlight it in some way. The turtle design was perfect as a border for my gift card holder. This design has a space for a gift card (under the flap), while still having space inside to right a note.

• Stamps: Petite Pairs (retiring)
• Inks: Tangelo Twist (retiring)
• Cardstock: Sweet Li'l Things DSP (retiring); Hello Honey (retiring); Pool Party
• Accessories: 2014-2016 In Color Washi Tape (retiring)
• Tools: Hexagon Embossing Folder (retiring)

SSINKCC33: Goodbye Hexagon Punch

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card using the specific colors.

Island Indigo is one of my favorite colors and yet I found myself all out of Island Indigo cardstock at the end of April. Thankfully I remembered to order more during April's stamp club. Crisis averted! I decided to play with my retiring hexagon punch (use it all the time!) and the gorgeous Botanical Builder Framelits. A bit of playing with the colors and layers and I had a great card.

• Stamps: Suite Sayings
• Inks: Wisteria Wonder
• Cardstock: Pretty Petals DSP (retiring): Wisteria Wonder; Island Indigo; Always Artichoke; Very Vanilla
• Accessories: Candy Dots (retiring)
• Tools: Botanical Builder Framelits; Hexagon Punch (retiring)

May 2016 Crafting Goals

• April PL Pages -- Always on my goal list
• Prep WITL album and make a plan -- The Ali Edwards fan base is doing Week in the Life the week of May 9th. I haven't decided if I'm doing it that week or the week after, but it will be in May. I want to get my album prepped and plan prepared before the week of.
• Prep May's stamp club cards -- I wanted to get both months done before May, but only April happened. So I need to get May's examples done.
• Attempt to fill stamp club for next round -- Carry over from last month...
• Make a plan for new baby's PL album -- We'll be finding out soon if the baby's a girl or a boy. I am planning on doing a weekly PL album for the baby's first year. I did the same with Arthur and loved the result. It definitely helps to have an album somewhat prepped before the baby comes. Depending on the gender, I may or may not buy new PL baby cards (have some leftover from Arthur) and I need an album.
• Finish posting any for sale items -- I got a head start last week, but I've been wanting to get everything posted in my FB group. I may post things here as well.

A recap of last month's goals:

• March PL pages — Success! I even got Arthur's album caught up to the present.
• Plan and prep April and May’s stamp club cards — 50% success. I finished April's cards way ahead of time, but didn't complete May's cards. I do think I know what we're making. I just haven't actually made them.
• Attempt to fill stamp club for next round — Fail.I'm still working on this goal, but it hasn't been accomplished yet...

Minty Cup

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card using one of my current favorite products. I borrowed A Nice Cuppa from a friend and have went a bit crazy making cards from it. I added my one of my favorite color combos: Mint Macaron and Wisteria Wonder. From there, I layered a few pieces of DSP, embossing a portion of the card base, and added a strip of glitter tape. I love how clean and simple this card looks while still have layers and visual interest.

• Stamps: A Nice Cuppa; Sunburst sayings
• Inks: Mint Macaron; Wisteria Wonder; Sahara Sand
• Cardstock: 2015-2017 In Color DSP; Mint Macaron; Whisper White
• Accessories: Rhinestones; Metallic Glitter Tape
• Tools: Decorative Dots Embossing Folder

Desktop Thursday #11

The current state of my craft area... It is a mess! This always happens at catalog transition time. Trying to pull retiring items, figuring out what to sell, make some cards, and finishing some Project Life pages...

Stars and Washi

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card using the retiring in colors. Instead of picking one or two colors, I decided to use all five. I must say that I really love this set of in colors and will be sad to see them go.

• Stamps: Perfect Pairs (SAB)
• Inks: Blackberry Bliss
• Cardstock: Crumb Cake; Whisper White; Blackberry Bliss; Lost Lagoon; Mossy Meadow; Tangelo Twist; Hello Honey
• Accessories:2014-2016 In Color Washi Tape
• Tools: Stars Framelits

SSINKMC32: Beautiful Bouquet

Today’s card is being featured on Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration. The challenge was to create a card using the requirements from the April Mystery Challenge.

This month, I went with three elements: shape, color, and tool. I stamped and punched a bunch of flowers in Daffodil Delight and Mossy Meadow to create a bouquet. I added a heat embossed sentiment.  Candy dots, a bow, and a punched out sentiment completed the card. The finished card is more subdued than my usual design and palette, but it's a nice change. I love doing these mystery challenges. I never know what I will end up creating.

• Stamps: Flower Shop; Petite Petals; Perfect Pairs (SAB)
• Inks: Hello Honey; Mossy Meadow; Early Espresso
• Cardstock: Daffodil Delight; Mossy Meadow; Early Espresso; Very Vanilla
• Accessories: Candy Dots; Crumb Cake 3/8" Stitched Ribbon
• Tools: Washi Label Punch; Pansy Punch; Petite Petal Punch; Espresso Embossing Powder

Project Life March 2016

I embraced March's color scheme of green, brown, and gold. And I kept my embellishments to a minimum. Page one includes pics of my birthday cake (omg so yummy) and some random pics of Arthur. Of course I had to add a few alphas.

Page two collects my favorite vertical pics from the month. I try to stick to Design A page protectors, but sometimes I have great vertical pis to include.

Page three highlights our monthly trip the Oakland Zoo. I finally used some of the leftover safari stickers in my stash. Hard to see in these pics, but definitely noticeable in real life.

Page four starts our trip to Indiana. I finally got a great shot of San Francisco as we took off from the airport. We always seem to be on the wrong side of the plane. I also included a few shots from O'Hare and random pis of Arthur. And I used up a ton of the green heart stickers I had laying around.

Page five includes pics from a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house and our unexpected trip to Muncie for Nick's doctor appointment. I repeated the lime green stickers but used the flowers on this page.

Page six is all about the twins' birthday party. Not the best pics, but they were all action shots in an oddly lit place.

Page seven -- Easter egg dyeing! Loving this page. The pictures are so busy that I didn't use much embellishment at all.

Page eight finishes out the month with pictures from our family Easter dinner. And I got to use some Easter specific cards from the PL Seasons Mini Kit.

Not included: Four pages of pics from the mom's retreat.