i love you!

these cards were SO fun to make! i started with the stamped image--i just bought some Starving Artist stamps from the DoodleFactory line, and i had some extra turquoise SEI paper. i stamped the piggies on the paper, and then looked through my stash for something that would match the color, and i found the cheetah print from American Crafts.
luckily, the ribbon, buttons, and blue ink all matched up, and i ended up creating 6 of these fabulously cute cards... so fun and cheery. i love the thought bubble too with the "i love you" sentiment inside... it just works (and i <3 it when that happens).
well, for those of you who may not have heard, I AM ON SPRING BREAK! i am sooooo thankful for this break--i needed it so badly. i have already had fun with friends, and i plan to relax as much as possible as soon as possible.
tomorrow i'm planning/ coordinating/ executing a "silly supper" for the younger girls at our church. the way it works ...well, i can't really tell you until later, one of the girls {AHEM, Janine?} might be reading this, and i hate spoiling surprises. anyway, i'm in charge of decor too, and i have some fabulous ideas. i'll make sure to take pictures and post them later. (i'll explain how it all works too... so much fun.)
anyway, TFL & have a great weekend--enjoy your family and friends!

2 sketches 4 you, laura's #22

well, i'm not sure i really like the card i made for the challenge, but it was fun making it anyway. i think it's my early start to SPRING BREAK! i found some time late last night to create something, despite the resulting toll on my teaching (not too bad (: ha.) in case you didn't know, the week before break is H-E-double hockey sticks in junior high... just awful stuff. i mentioned a few of my woes on monday in this post...

BUT! enough about school... here's my card:


i used Laura's sketch #22 over at 2sketches4you, one of my FAVORITE blogs EVER. seriously, i LOVE the sketches, the design team, and the cards that result when i get the chance to try the sketches out (well, i guess i really do like this card--enough to show it.)

but can i just say again: I AM SO EXCITED FOR SPRING BREAK! that means i'll have time to SLEEP, make cards, hang out with friends, and even *gasp* clean up. i know seriously, i'm a dork, i like having a clean room/ scrap space. my lovely brother Joey made another sheet metal box/ tray for me to use for containing some of my clutter, so i'll have to figure out how that will figure into my table space.

a relaxing weekend... FINALLY.

i finally had a relaxing weekend last week.

it's been ages since i have had some time to myself, and really, i was still busy, but i had a lot of time to create (and i did... 19 cards on saturday/ sunday!) on saturday i took my '08 Toyota Matrix to get it's 30,000 mile service early in the morning, and was up to start some cards. i finished these "autumn" cards (i'll probably save them for something later) as well as some other really cute cards (you'll see them later).



after i got my car back in the afternoon, i wandered to a few scrapbook/ stamping stores that are in my area but that i'd never been to... i only "needed" adhesive and "wanted" a 1 1/4" circle punch, but i ended up getting some more things (quite a bit more) that you'll probably see featured here later.

anyway, after the shopping i went to watch my brother Joey participate in AWANA Olympics... he was in the 3 legged race (didn't win), a beanbag relay, and the tug-o-war (HE WON!) that was fun :)

the nice thing about saturday was that we were supposed to play a polo game (i coach hs girls water polo) but it got cancelled because of the # of girls out for illness/ previous comittments. that meant i had the evening to myself! my parents were gone, and my brother went to spend the night with friends, so i stayed up crafting until about 12:30. then i made the mistake of "laying down" for a little bit and next thing i know, it's 2:30, and i've dozed off for 2 hours. i am SO looking forward to having more time like that to create... it's so refreshing for me.

right now i'm just trying to survive teaching the week before spring break. i'm telling you, there is NOTHING as bad as jr. highers the week before break. i must have talked to 10 kids about behavior, called 6 parents, and sent 4 kids to in-school-suspension, all on monday. we just all need a break. well, all i can say is *phew* and "it's TUESDAY!"

hope your spring break plans go well, and that you have a chance to relax and enjoy your family and friends.

you're so sweet... like honey :)

this is one of the cards that i created for the 2sketches4you challenge this week--kazan designed an awesome sketch! i decided to make a set of cards for my grandmother's birthday (she's turning 90! on monday) and i thought that she could use a general cute card like this for some of her friends, or for birthdays, etc... i made a set of 6, and they're all a bit different, but same details:
BG design paper
Making Memories flowers
Random buttons
Hemp string
Jo-Ann's ribbon
SEI patter paper
Kraft cardstock
Starving Artist Stamps
Rhinestones
$1 Alpha from Michaels
Mystery font stamps from Jo-Anns

anyway, had a ton of fun making them... hope you enjoy!

elegant sweetness... an oxymoron?

so i made a card last night... i got to use my friend Paulina's Cricut Expression (dude, can we say FUN stuff!?) to cut out the fleur-de-lis and i had fun making a "fancy" card--complete with Martha Stewart pearls, AC zebra paper, and some Jo-Anns ribbon, and random button...


oh, and btw, it snowed yesterday. i woke up and while i was getting ready for church, my mom said "it's snowing outside!" our roads were COVERED with snow, and it was quite slushy, and therefore, semi-dangerous. i'm so jealous of all the blog posters i've been reading where they have beautiful weather already. i mean, our POWER even went out for about 3 hours yesterday too...

i thought it was supposed to be spring! (oh, and can i just say that i am SOOOOOOO ready for spring break--school's just getting ridiculous. teachers are going nuts, kids are going nuts, and i haven't had a real weekend in forever--too busy with coaching/ weekend commitments, etc.)

anyway, hope your weather is great, and that mine heats up soon! (ha-ha.)

2sketches4you, laura's #21

dude, finally getting my card up... don't have much time to post, so maybe i'll add more later.

i actually borrowed a stamp my DAD had from a long time ago to add to the front of the ribbon...


the inspiration comes from 2sketches4you, a great challenge blog. i check their new sketches every week, and even if i don't play along, i always look through the gallery--there are AMAZING cards and GREAT talent within those links... check them out yourself!

happy birthday!

hi! maybe you've noticed i haven't been posting as much lately, and i can honestly say, "I have an excuse." (coming from a teacher, this had better be good, right?)

well, i've been coaching.

i started coaching girls water polo last year (so that makes it my 2nd year of just about everything--teaching, coaching swimming, and now coaching water polo), which means, in short--i'm eternally gone from home/ busy.
i know many of you probably didn't miss my absence, but i know I DID. i wish i had more time to get on my blog and update, or create, or just to comment on so many people's work--really, all the stuff i look at is amazing. i'm not kidding. i could blog hop for HOURS without getting tired. it's just i don't have hours--i have bitty bits of time.

anyway, i just wanted to thank those of you that DID notice my hiatus, and also to take the opportunity to wish a

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

to one of my friends--Carolyn. she's actually a stamper too, but currently without representation (aka a blog). i'm trying to pressure her slightly to start one along with her sisters Krista and Paulina who i spend lovely scrapping/ stamping saturdays with about once a month. i mean, C'MON! everyone's doing it! (:

but besides that, Carolyn is funny and smart, and super caring. she's very tactful--much more so than me... somehow she can say something honestly without hurting anyone's feelings ...even when i TRY i can't pull off half of the things she says. maybe it's the laughter she's always throwing into conversations. (oh, did i mention she's funny (: haha)

and that's all i'll say now before i embarass her. i know i won't see her until this weekend, so this card isn't for her (she might see it), but i wanted to post it anyway, it's a fun card, and i liked making it. i actually got a lot of the supplies on sale--
*the floral pins were in a pack of 100 (you'll be seeing these more) @ wal-mart in the clearance section for $2?
*the coaster (yes, it's actually a coaster) with the cherry background was in a pack of 4 on sale @ jo-ann's for $.50!


but besides all that i think it's a terrific card--probably going to send it to my grandma for her birthday... she likes my cards :)

daisy + denami design = delicious!

so i got to make a set of 4 cards like this with Paulina on saturday... fun stuff :D the best part was i got to use some different colors for the card base than normal (it's a bright/ almost flourescent green, hard to tell in the photo), and then some new paper (it's double sided from ...i can't remember, but it's new) with the cute polka-dot ribbon!

i wasn't sure what kind of sentiment i'd use, but i found the perfect match in the DeNami Design stamps--the "greetings" stamp + "the spring chickie." don't you just LOVE those chickies? i did... the flower overhead matches the front of the card perfectly--i couldn'tve planned it better.


my only complaint was that the double-sided paper is so cute, that i almost don't know which side to use... does that ever happen to you?
well, have a great day!

baby! + aloha

so on saturday i got to scrap/ stamp with Paulina, which was a TON of fun... i got to dip into the HUGE stash of DeNami Design stamps that Paulina has, and as a result, i came up with a "baby" card for one of my friends who's due with her 2nd child sometime in april... i keep telling her that she should wait it out until May 1st... the best birthday ever (mine, of course)! sometimes it's weird to think that i have married friends with babies while i haven't even had a boyfriend. oh well, it's all in God's time...

other than the cool baby card, i got to make a set of general cards. i decided to use "aloha" as the greeting and on the inside i put "you're a sweetie!" i love these cards cause they're so like me: bright, cheery, and fun :)




well, what do you think? thanks for your comments--they make me smile :D

kwerner's color inspiration #43

while i was stamping with Paulina on saturday, i got complete a card for Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #43! i really love the colors, although i found when i actually got started that i was having a bit of trouble with some of my ideas. luckily i pulled out some "friendly forest" paper that i'd just bought, and it totally fit with the color scheme :) don't you love it when that happens?


well, i'm not totally in love with the sentiment, but it's an easy card to send to someone, right? btw, i made a few other cards that i'll be posting later--2 sets of 4 actually. (have i ever mentioned that i'm a production line? i often start one card and use ALL the materials from the paper, etc, to make matching ones... just they way i work, i guess)

and also, i'm so excited to show you all the really cute greetings i made for the other card sets--they come from DeNami Designs... so awesome!