water polo 'thanks' + w00t!

tonight i have the last official meeting of the 2010 girls water polo season... it's the awards banquet tonight, and since i'm the head coach, i have a big role in the awards--i usually say something about every one of the girls, and it's nice to hear from the parents what they thought of the season, and how they thought their girls improved... generally a great time for all! tonight should be extra special seeing as this season was the first time since i've started coaching that we've made it to state, and we not only MADE it, but we placed FOURTH out of 8 teams when we'd started from the #8 slot! :D

so yeah, lots of fun to be had tonight.

anyway, here's a card i made (one of the 32 created at stamp night) for my assistant coach, Gordon. he's awesome. i've been blessed by his help and steadiness this season. also, as a fellow teacher, he really keeps me sane. i coached his daughter my first year of everything, and it was a good thing for everyone that we keep doing things together. i generally let him do the 'detail talking' like administrative paper-worky things, and i do the yelling, correcting, and teaching of the game :D basically, the fun part!

so every year i give him a little thank you gift just to remind him that it means a lot to have his help, and this is what i came up with to go along with the gift:

i made about 8 cards at stamp night that follow the same layout... i used a HUGE polka dot on some Bazzill textured solid paper, for this card, the paper was green, and i stamped the circle in white chalk ink. then i layered my sentiment over the top of the white, in this case, 'thanks.' then i punched out the whole thing with a 2" fiskars scalloped circle... it's pretty simple, but that's exactly what i needed for Gordon. after all, he's a guy. i might be pushing it a little on the 'masculine' card with the pom poms, but i figure that the October Afternoon Early Bird paper in blue/ green makes up for it, right? :D

anyway, i just wanted to show you another creation, and ALSO to share some fun news! remember the MFW Tuesday Trigger card i created over HERE the other day? well...

it was chosen as a MFW Tuesday Target along with some fabulous other creations!!!

(BIG smile!)

you can read about it here... i'm so excited! it's the first time i've been featured by Cath over there at the Moxie Fab World blog :D thanks Cath!

hope you have a wonderful mid-week, and be sure to pop by later for more prettiness! :)

moxie fab teamwork! with CPS #169

today i bring you a card inspired by the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger brought to you by Latisha Yoast. what a lovely summery wedding picture! don't you love those colors? i actually have made some bridal shower invites in shades of that pink/ orange, and it was fabulous seeing them come together!

i also teamed up the Trigger with the CPS Sketch #169. how about this sketch for something interesting or different... i definitely had to stretch myself a bit here, because i normally don't use a half circle for anything.

i got so much inspiration from both of these sources though once i started crafting, and here's what i came up with.

don't you like all that ribbon? its a combination of some fancy stuff that i've hoarded (silly me!) and some dollar bin stuff... but it all looks lovely here. i used the doily specifically to mimic the tablecloth from the MFW Trigger, as well as the colorful ribbon to match the colors of the flowers and grass, etc. i also wanted to keep the card clean like the sketch, so i only added the PTI sentiment, 'wish big,' as well as some huge buttons :D doesn't that sentiment imitate the mr. and mrs. on the table? yes, i thought so too... love it when it all works out like that!

well, what do you think? teamwork works, eh? haha!

hope you have a great day!

diggin' doilies :)

i made this card for the doily challenge at Moxie Fab World.

i couldn't help but pile on some yummy goodness--Bazzill, Myay Road, and BoBunny flowers, Impress leaves, and some lovely striped ribbon.

this would be a perfect birthday card or thinking of you.

i haven't had a bunch of energy for card-making, mostly because i got a concussion on Sunday, and just made a visit to the ER on Wednesday to confirm it. finally i got my pain medicine, which has helped, but i really just feel like sleeping all the time. no, i wasn't in an accident, i just got hit in the side of my face with a water polo ball. it was bad.

thanks for stopping by!

moving + Moxie Fab + 2sketches4you!

somehow i feel like a lot has happened since i shared with you last... oh wait--there HAS been some busyness over here :D hope you haven't missed me too much!

first, i wanted to post a little about what i've been doing on the NON-crafty side of life, so if you just want the cards, scroll down a bit to get to those.

okay, so i've been seeing a lot of movies... not the kind that you get on DVDs, or see on TV, i'm talking the movie theater kind. most of the following were good, and some i *might* be embarassed to say i watched depending on the crowd i'm in, but really, you're such a great crowd, i'm not affected at all... i'll give you a score out of 5 stars for each of the following movies that i've seen recently (last month and a half):

3.5/ 5. if you're a twilight fan, this was MUCH better than the first one, but it's not my favorite movie EVER.

2.5/ 5 ...it was cute, but for kids.

5/5 AWESOME. i LOVE Robert Downey Jr.!

3/5 ...again, cute, but for kids.

3/5 *sigh* romance... but could have been better...

5/5 acting was the highlight. i mean, it has MORGAN FREEMAN and MATT DAMON. so yeah, 'nuff said.

4/5 John Travolta was great :D i like action movies

4/5 it was really long, and i was getting sick... so i'm sure i would have liked it more... but it WAS good. i would recommend it.

so there you go. i've been busy watching movies. BUT, don't blame me--it was definitely a stress-reliever. and recently there's been WAY more than the normal load of stress in my life.

you see, i'm MOVING.

yes, moving. (you're like, "i could tell that from the title of your blog post... DUH." haha, that's what my 9th graders would say.) moving means i've been packing, painting, and generally not sleeping enough, and not having enough time (well, enough for the movies :D)

now, i used to live 45 minutes from school. which meant i had a long commute. now i'll be +/- 20 minutes away from school. i'll have my own apartment (i've been renting from my parents, one room) with my OWN STUDIO :D and doing things all on my own... like cooking, cleaning, running errands, etc...

let me tell you. it's exciting, but it's scary too.

i've been making numerous shopping trips and doing all sorts of things to prepare. my move date is THIS SATURDAY, the 13th. it happened that i have an extended weekend from school because of President's Day in the U.S. so yeah, i'm packing all my stuff (and oh my LORD, i have a TON of stuff... clothes, furniture, basically a whole kitchen, crafty things, and more clothes...) and getting some friends to help me move.

i said that i've been painting... i got some furniture for free, and it just needed a facelift, like some new hardware and some lovely high gloss shine...

so, i present you with, my DRESSER!

(she looks like she's smiling, almost, don't you think? the pink paint color is Behr's "Orchid Rose" and it's AWESOME... bright and cheery, just like i LOVE it :D i got it from Home Depot)

because of this move, i've been absent from the blog-O here... my apologies. but, i'm back, at least for a little bit before i figure out my new apartment and get my bearings (and figure out where/ when i'll be getting internet!)

i'd love to hear about any "living on your own" advice that you have... from favorite recipe websites/ cookbooks, tricks about shopping, to how to speed clean your kitchen (:D), etc... just leave it in the comment section--it would help a lot!

anyway, here's a little yummy-ness compliments of the Taintor-tude Challenge at Moxie Fab World. i really enjoyed this challenge with looking for just the right combination of vintage images and sentiments with *SASS*.

isn't this the greatest sentiment? "Nope, not busy AT ALL!" hehehe! (kind of how i feel at the moment...)

i used some Sassafras and some cool lace i got from a local fabric store... i think i'll be hoarding this for a bit :D i think i know exactly who i'm going to give this card to though --> the sentiment fits perfectly!

and here's a little something i whipped up to go with the 2sketches4you sketch this week. it's Laura's #45, and it's pretty fabulous :D

as you can tell, i've rotated the sketch, but i still think it works... don't you love those pom poms and more of that lace? :D

anyway, i hope you have a great weekend, whether it's extended or not, and that your Valentine's Day is filled with love, in all sorts of forms!

thanks for stopping by :D

sei sweetness

ok, quick post. here's a new card that works for the Moxie Fab World challenge--use ruffles on your card. i re-discovered this FABULOUS ribbon in my drawers that i got ages ago but never used 'cuz i liked it so much and 'cuz i'm a hoarder. it's velvet, wavy, AND ruched/ ruffled. perfect, no?!

i used some excellent SEI patterned paper here from the "poppy" line, and i just love the mettalic gleam to the leaves on the flowers, agreed? oh, and the buttons from my stash are threaded with beads and wire before adhering.

this card could work for a get well or sympathy note--nothing too flashy or garish, right??

oh, in other news, tomorrow night is the night i go to Impress for stamping with my friends--super excited to see all of them and break out some awesomeness. and let's not forget how nice it will be to talk about stamping with people who understand the love/ creativity. seriously, only ONE of my coworkers (all teachers) scrapbooks. i mean, seriously? she doesn't even make cards anymore. so anyway, going to this will be a LOT of fun.

thanks for stopping by, hope you have a great weekend :D

Moxie Fab World Challenge: Ruffles!

Moxie Fab World is hosting a new challenge: use ruffles of some sort on your card...

i totally went gingham Christmas on this one. used some October Afternoon paper, flower gems, Martha Stewart snowflakes again, my DeNami glitter, and a Paper Co. stamp. plus, you see that vintage button? it's amazing. actually much redder IRL.

so for this challenge, i saw the sample pictures Cath put up on the blog, and then i went ahead and pulled out some fabulous ribbon i bought in a fiber pack at Impress Rubber Stamps in Tukwila. i'm in love with this ribbon.


IRL you can see how the reds in the paper, ink, patterned paper, ribbons, and buttons all go together. here, in my mushie picture, it's not so clear. my apologies. BUT! speaking of Impress Rubber Stamps, i'm going to attend a stamp night THIS saturday! w00t w00t! i am so excited. last time i went with friends and we had a ball--pizza, stamps, ink, and 10% off all purchases... can you say amazing?! oh, and that stitched stamp is from Impress & the last time i was there... hehe!

oh>> in other good shopping news, i'm going to be at the CK Convention in Bellevue, WA with fellow blogger and amazing card-maker, AMY :D can't wait to meet up and spend some $$ (well, maybe just the getting product, not the spending $$ part ;) hehe) so i'm getting busier by the moment, but i think you'd all agree that it's a GOOD busy, especially when it involves crafting! am i right?

anyway, thanks for looking, and don't forget to enter yourself into the challenge by Oct. 26th!

XOXO

(BTW, this is post #150! who woulda' thought?!)

let it snow (MFW Elegant & Classy)

okay, here's today's post #3! i can't guarantee that i won't be posting again today... depends on whether i feel ambitious enough to create one more thing, but probably not, since i'm going with the family to a Labor Day BBQ in an hour :D

this card was created for the elegant and classy challenge over at Moxie Fab World (Holiday Challenges). i immediately got an idea for the papers i wanted to use (DCWV--Doodle Stack and some Bright Mats) as well as the design. i *love* it when that happens :D

i also love using punches, but sometimes forget that i have them... i used a variety of Marvy (for the regular and scalloped squares), Fiskars (border), and Martha Stewart punches (two different snowflake styles) for this card. the rest is just some bling (Kaiser) and ribbon (Michael's double faced satin).

oh, that stamp is from The Paper Company, and i used some VersaMark Chalk Ink with some clear embossing powder. i know the sentiment is subtle, but i thought it was really classy, hence my decision to use it!

i just want to thank Cath over at MFW for hosting such lovely challenges... i wish i had seen them earlier, and i could have submitted more :D hehe. also, go check out Heidi's interpretation of another challenge, the fun and cute Christmas--she will make you smile, guaranteed.

well, thanks for looking, and hope you enjoy! let me know what you think, it's so much fun reading all your comments.

be jolly (MFW Schabby Chic/ Vintage)

okay, post #2 for today... this time, it's for the vintage/ shabby chic Moxie Fab World Holiday Challenge. and personally, this card took me the longest to make, but it's my favorite out of the three... maybe it's because it took so long, hehe :D

i've never submitted cards for challenges over at MFW, so posting 3 cards is completely new for me :D but i had a lot of fun checking out the gallery of cards, you really should too.

anyway, i used the "be jolly" stamp from The Paper Company, the snowflake cut from the Accents Cricut cartridge, some $1 lace from Jo-Ann's, DCWV patterned paper (The Christmas Value Pack), some K&CO holiday mat paper (can't really see it), kraft/ cream/ pink/ light pink card stock, brown ink from Impress, and some lovely pink rhinestones. i also used a Martha Stewart border punch.

i know i didn't have a vintage image, but i really thought the distressing and paper choices make this card "shabby chic." what do you think? you like?

oh, and here's something else that's new for me... i even decorated the inside and back of the card (back shown here) for some extra fabulous-ness :D

thanks for looking, and don't forget to check out Heidi's blog too for some sweetness!

santa claus is coming... (MFW Clean & Graphic)

here i am with post #1 for today... i'm trying to cram in a couple of cards for the Moxie Fab World Holiday Challenges.

the first challenge was to try out a clean and graphic style. now there is some serious talent going on over in the mr. linky section at MFW, so you should really check them out. but, i was really surprised to find that i could actually work with this challenge--better than i thought possible, actually.

i used some American Crafts paper, red & white cardstock, a santa chickie from DeNami Design, a retired stamp from Impress, a corner rounder, pop dots, and a fun little red clothespin. i'm just keeping it clean :D

what do you think? did i accomplish the task?

oh, and i just have to tell you--visit my friend Heidi's blog for some adorably cute cards... she participated in the challenges too, and she rocks!