All About the Cake!

My youngest son is all about the cake! I think when he turned 2 he was more excited about having cake than his presents! My layout this week honours his love on cake and how he savoured it on his birthday!

The base of this page is Brilliant Blue stamped with a circle design from the Priceless set using Brilliant Blue classic ink. The pictures are mounted on Ruby Red cardstock and I used Crushed Curry as an accent color. The Crushed Curry Polka Dot Ribbon was the perfect, fun accent for a birthday cake page!

The title was cut out with the Big Shot. I used the Billboard Alphabet with Ruby Red cardstock and the Go Go Boots Alphabet with Crushed Curry cardstock.

I love how the accent turned out on this layout! I used the large cupcake from the Crazy for Cupcakes set and added a second candle to it since he was turning 2. I omitted the candles when I stamped the cupcake, but them stamped just the candle twice on some scrap cardstock. I colored the candles and the cupcake, then made a little slit in the cupcake (where the original candle would have been) and slipped the two candles into the slit. I made a ring with my Circle Scissor Plus and Crushed Curry cardstock. And I finished it off with a chipboard 2, which I colored with Brilliant Blue Classic ink and a Sponge Dauber.

You can go shopping for any of the products I used on this layout 24/7 on my website, or by contacting me!

Until next time my friends!

The Twelfth Week of Christmas-Simple Christmas Thanks

I'm back! I decided to take a few days off and enjoy some family time over Christmas. We had a houseful! My mom and dad came down as well as my brother and his family. Their baby is 7 months old and it was so cute to watch him at his first Christmas and I'm honoured that they chose to spend it with us!

Kevin and I have started quite a few holiday traditions with our kids over the years. We watch Polar Express every Christmas, we wear Santa hats while decorating the tree, we always drink hot chocolate after all the decorations are up and so on. I think my favorite is our Christmas Eve traditions! We all get new PJ's, and we open all our family presents (so the focus on Christmas morning is Santa!). Here's what it looked like this year...

My little nephew is missing from the picture...he was so tired, so he went off to bed before we started the present thing. And, I'm not sure where my youngest child is in this picture! I think he may be behind the pile of big presents by the dog (yes that pile of presents was for him and it was taller than him!). No worries, he was only momentarily lost in all the paper, boxes, bow and excitement!

Christmas morning we have a big brunch and get to cooking dinner. We had a YUMMY meal...turkey and all our favorite side dishes. My grandma even sent some yummy treats down with my mom and dad for us to enjoy...that dish at the bottom of the picture is my absolute favorite, and I was so excited she sent some for us! Someday soon I will have to get her to teach me how to make it! We made a good dent in the food, and were stuffed at the end of the meal, but we do have quite a bit of leftovers to clean up! Here's our table! I totally wanted a before and after picture, but forgot to get the after picture. Oh well! Maybe next year. It's not a fancy table, but I'm so thankful for good food, good company and all the wonderful memories we created as a family this year.

So, onto my last project for the Weeks of Christmas! I feel it's so important to thank people for their generosity. Obviously it's important all year round, but especially at Christmas. So, my last project is a simple thank you card. It's easy to reproduce and very easy to mass produce! I have a pile made up ready for some heartfelt thank yous for everyone who gave to our family this year.

I used the Note Cards & Envelopes and scalloped the edge. On the inside of the card I attached a strip of Christmas Cocoa DSP so you can see it behind the scallop edge when the card is closed. The focal point is a snowflake stamped with Whisper White ink on Sahara Sand. I punched some circles with my Crop-A-Dile (Soft Suede) to make Faux Brads, and mounted that piece on a piece of Soft Suede cardstock. I finished it off with a sentiment stamped with Soft Suede ink.

For my cards, I used a variety of scraps from the Christmas Cocoa DSP and just adjusted the focal point colors to match the DSP.

Go shopping to get the products I used on my website or by contacting me!

Until next time my friends!

Let It Snow

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! As I type this it's snowing outside. It's a pretty snow this time. You know, the kind of snow that swirls gently down from the sky. The big snowflakes that cover everything with a fluffy, white layer of snow. And, as much my arms are already hurting just thinking about having to shovel more snow, I can't help but enjoy the beauty of it this morning! I'm excited that we're going to have a white Christmas this year...we've had lots of brown Christmases in the last 10 years!

Anyway, on to the project today! I have the latest Mantle Messages project...Let it Snow!

Supplies: Calendar Alphabet & Numbers and Best Wishes & More stamp sets; Bashful Blue & Brocade Blue Classic ink; Whisper White Craft ink; Brocade Blue Stampin' Write Marker; Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Whisper White, Basic Black & Pumpkin Pie cardstock; Punches-1 3/4" Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, 1/2" Circle, 3/4" Square, Word Window, Jumbo Snowflake; Big Shot Dies-SU Simple Alphabet & Snowflakes #2; Ribbon-Bashful Blue Taffeta, Bashful Blue Double-Stitched; Dazzling Diamonds glitter; Stampin' Sponges; chipboard coasters

I went back to the chipboard coasters for the base of this project. They are covered with Bashful Blue cardstock which was stamped with the snowflake from Best Wishes & More in Whisper White Craft ink. To create the snow, I tore some Whisper White cardstock and glued it along the bottom of the covered coasters. I also put some Dazzling Diamonds along the tear to create that "snow sparkling in the sun" look.

Here's a close up of the cute, but mischievous, little snowman! He's made with circle punches, which were sponged with Bashful Blue ink. The nose is cut freehand from Pumpkin Pie cardstock. The buttons, eyes and mouth were punched with the Crop-A-Dile from Basic Black cardstock and the hat was also punched from Basic Black cardstock (3/4" Square & Word Window). His arms are my favorite part! I used the Jumbo Snowflake punch for them and punched it out of Close to Cocoa cardstock.

And, the pile of snowballs! I love the pile of snowballs! I used the 1/2" Circle for them and they are also sponged with Bashful Blue ink. The mischievous part is the one that he is throwing! So cute!

The letters were cut with the Big Shot from Brocade Blue cardstock. I used the SU Simple Letters Alphabet dies for the letters and the Snowflakes Set #2 Sizzlit dies for the O. I freehand cut a "splat" of snow...that snowman is trouble, throwing his snowballs...and stuck it on the N. And, the W has a piece of Bashful Blue ribbon tied around it.

The coasters are held together with pieces of Bashful Blue Double-Stitched ribbon.

Any of the products (except the coasters) I used for this project can be ordered through my website or by contacting me.

Until next time my friends! Have a wonderful day!

Best Wishes Hearts

Good morning! My day got away from me yesterday and I didn't even get a chance to stamp! We had a super busy day picking up some groceries, cooking and baking and then we had company. It was a fun day with friends and family. But, I didn't get a chance to sit down and blog or even make my simple card. Good thing I found pictures of this card on my computer! It's super simple and cute.


Supplies: Best Wishes & More, Kind & Caring Thoughts stamp sets; Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral & Whisper White cardstock; Cameo Coral & Chocolate Chip ink; Double-Stitched Ribbon-Chocolate Chip; Button Latte-Whisper White flower button; Eyelet Border Punch


I made this card for a friend last summer when she got married. I went with her wedding colors...Cameo Coral and Chocolate Chip. This card is a standard quarter-fold card and the base of the card is Chocolate Chip. On top of the Chocolate Chip, I layered a piece of Cameo Coral which I punched with the Eyelet Border Punch along the bottom. The stamped image is done in Cameo Coral ink. I used the heart from the Best Wishes & More set. I stamped it twice, once full strength and then again without inking it, on Whisper White cardstock. The Best Wishes greeting is from the Level 3 hostess set, Kind & Caring Thoughts. I stamped it over the hearts with Chocolate Chip ink.


To finish it off, I tied a Whisper White button (from the Button Latte set) around a piece of Double-Stitched Chocolate Chip ribbon with a piece of Linen Thread. I love the way this looks and do it on lots of cards. I love the way the ribbon gathers when you tighten the Linen Thread and it's an easy way to attach a button without adhesive!

I even took a picture of the inside of this card! I put a piece of Whisper White cardstock inside so it would be easy to write on and then I stamped the hearts (Camel Coral; Best Wishes & More) and sentiment (Chocolate Chip; Kind & Caring Thoughts) on it.


There's my simple card for the week. As always, any of the supplies I used for this card can be ordered through my website or by contacting me.


Until next time my friends! Have a wonderful day!

Batter Up!

Both of my older boys play baseball in the spring league here in Lethbridge, which runs from April through the middle of June. My older one was in his first year of Coach Pitch this year and my middle son was in his first year of T-Ball. On their last day in June, they have a mini tournament. After a cold, rainy (and even snowy) season, their last day was the perfect baseball day! It was a clear, sunny and hot day and it was perfect for taking pictures. I took about 100 pictures that day...in fact, I filled our smallest memory card for our camera! I chose my favorites and did up some scrapbook pages for their albums.


My pages this week are the ones I did of my middle son's T-Ball games. Let me tell you, the difference in attitude between Coach Pitch and T-Ball players is hilarious! The Coach Pitch kids are much more serious about the game. The T-Ball kids spend a lot of time picking grass in the outfield, digging in the dirt and all running after the ball. It's cute to watch! On their mini-tournament day, they all got to sit in the dugout. It was a HUGE deal for them!


Supplies: Just Baseball, Calendar Alphabet & Varsity Alphabet sets; Real Red, Basic Black & Kraft cardstock; Real Red & Basic Black Classic ink; Real Red, Creamy Caramel & Whisper White Craft ink; Stampin' Dimensionals

I chose the colors for this page based on his uniform colors...red & black. I tried the page with some white, but it was too stark, so I threw in a little Kraft for some mounting and the title! Speaking of the title, I chose the Varsity Alphabet (again...next week I will do a layout with a different alphabet, I promise!). I stamped my letters with Basic Black ink on Kraft and cut them out. Then I glued them on the page above and below my focal point picture. I *heart* this picture of him! He looks so cute sitting there in the dugout!


To finish off the focal point of the page, I used the Just Baseball set and stamped the images with Craft ink (Real Red, Whisper White & Creamy Caramel) on Kraft cardstock. After they dried, I cut them out and placed them on the page with Stampin' Dimensionals.


To add a little interest to my background, I did the Faux Tearing technique along the strips of pictures. It's pretty subtle, but adds just the right touch to finish it all off.


As always, any of the products I used to create this layout can be ordered through my website or by contacting me.


Until next time my friends!

Santa Clause is Coming...

Hello! It's the Eleventh Week of Christmas and I have an awesome, quick and easy last minute gift packaging idea for you.


Ever since I went to my last upline meeting, I have had a small obsession with Santa Belly projects! I totally blame my upline for this because she had some ca-ute Santa Belly projects. What can I say...she totally inspired me!


Supplies: Whisper White, Basic Black & Brushed Silver cardstock; 3/4" Square Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch; Ribbon-Whisper White & Real Red Narrow Grosgrain, Whisper White Taffeta, Real Red Wide Grosgrain, Real Red Striped, Real Red Polka Dot, Whisper White & Real Red Satin, Real Red Gingham, Real Red Double-Stitched, Whisper White Organza, Mistletoe Ribbon Originals


I found some cute little paint cans at my local dollar store quite a while ago and, of course, had to pick up a few...or a lot! They had a variety of colors, and I've had them sitting on my desk for a long time just waiting for them to inspire me. And, what do you know, it happened! I choose a red can for this project...and then made it into a Santa belly! Love it!!!

It was so easy to do. I took two strips of Whisper White cardstock and tore them, then attached them around the bottom of the can with Sticky Strip. Then I took a scrap of Whisper White and tore it down both sides, and stuck it at the top of the can. And, finally I made a belt by taking a Basic Black strip of cardstock and wrapping it around the middle of the can. The buckle is Brushed Silver cardstock punched with the 3/4" Square and then the 1 1/4" Square.

I thought the handle needed a little pizazz! So, I opened my ribbon cupboard and cut pieces of every red and white ribbon I had and then tied the ribbon all around the handle.

Watch for more little paint can projects, because you know I bought all the colors! *wink*


As always, any of the products I used to make this project (except for the can) can be ordered through my website or by contacting me.


Also, watch for the Twelfth Week of Christmas project a little earlier next week. It's a great project that you can do during the Christmas break.


Until next time my friends!

Dancing Birthday Alien

So, two of my boys had birthday parties to attend yesterday. I figured to make things easier, I would just do the same card for both the birthday boys. And, it was a super simple card so I was able to quickly get both cards done in the morning (yes, I procrastinated making the cards!!) and have plenty of time to get the kids fed and ready to go to their parties.

I bet you want to see the card, eh? Well, here it is...

Supplies: Greeting Earthling & All Holidays stamp sets; Kraft, Dusty Durango, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip & More Mustard cardstock; Watercolor Paper; Jet Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, More Mustard, Dusty Durango & Creamy Caramel ink; Chocolate Chip Corduroy Button; 1 1/4" Square Punch; 3/4" Square Punch; Aqua Painter

Isn't it cute? I used the set, Greetings Earthling, which I received at Convention last summer. Funny story...I was at Convention with some of my stamping friends. While the other girls we were with went to get their bags, my downline Tara and I went to drop off a project I brought for a display board. When we went over to that area, some very nice Stampin' Up! staff asked if we would like to get a free stamp set? Huh? Yes, that's right, we could have a free set if we stamped a card for the display board. Well, we weren't going to pass that opportunity up, so said YES!!! And the set we each got was Greeting Earthling. We were super excited...like kids in a candy shop with all new stampin' stuff to use!!! Here's a picture of us stamping our cards and a picture of me with the project I brought to display and the card I made.


Sorry, I got a little side tracked there! Back to the card. I used a super neutral background, Kraft, for the base of the card. Kraft makes me happy!!! I used a scrap of Dusty Durango, a piece of Old Olive punched with the 1 1/4" Square Punch, and a piece of More Mustard punched with the 3/4" punch.

I stamped the little Dancing Alien with StazOn Black ink on Watercolor Paper. Then I watercolored him with an Aqua Painter and Old Olive, More Mustard, Dusty Durango and Creamy Caramel ink. When I was done, I mounted it on a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock. I love watercoloring because you can be messy! It's ok to go a little outside the lines and it's ok to not totally color the image when watercoloring. For me, it's a quick way to color in a line art image!


For a little interest, I stamped the More Mustard square with the little spring image from the Greeting Earthling set with More Mustard ink. The Old Olive square has one of the Chocolate Chip Corduroy Buttons on it and I stamped "Happy Birthday" from the All Holidays set with Chocolate Chip ink on the Dusty Durango piece.

Just to finish everything off, I stamped that same little dancing alien with Dusty Durango ink on a Kraft envelope. I hope the two birthday boys liked their cards!

As always, all the products I used can be ordered through my website or by contacting me.

Until next time my friends!

Piggies!

It's Scrapbook Saturday and I'm so excited to share my layout today! It's a great layout, but first a little background. Did your kids suck their toes? All three of my boys did! I have a great page with my first son sucking his toes. When he was little we always did the "This little piggy..." rhyme with him. Gosh, it seems like it was just yesterday...and he's almost 8! Anyway, we did the rhyme so much with him that according to him, he didn't have toes, he had piggies...and he was quite adamant that they were piggies! I was sad when my first stopped sucking his toes, but tickled when each of my other two sons sucked their toes. I *heart* baby feet! Such great memories! The whole piggy thing is what inspired me with this layout. So, without further adieu, I present a piggy page for you! That yellow post-it on the right hand page isn't part of the layout...it's a reminder for me to do a bit of journaling...so just ignore that!

Supplies: Just perfect Alphabet stamp set, Night of Navy, Dusty Durango, Basic Black & Pretty in Pink cardstock, Pretty in Pink & Night of Navy Craft ink, Pretty in Pink Classic ink, Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Ribbon, On Board Lots of Letters chipboard, Stampin' Dimensionals, assorted punches

As you probably can imagine, with three boys I don't use a lot of pink in my projects! But, with the piggy theme I had going on here, I thought pink was a must! I paired the pink with some masculine colors...Night of Navy and Dusty Durango and threw in a little Chocolate Chip! I was a little aprehensive about the color combination, but becuase of his navy and orange shirt in the pictures, I think it all came together and worked really well!

Here's a closer look at the piggies. Warning...they are DARN CUTE!!!

I used Pretty in Pink cardstock for the piggies and I sponged around the edges of all the punched shapes with Pretty in Pink Classic Ink to give my little piggies some depth. The bodies of the piggies are made with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch, and the heads are made with the 1 1/4" Circle Punch. Their little heads are attached to the bodies with Stampin' dimensionals. I used the 5-Petal Flower Punch for the ears, the Crop-A-Dile for the eyes. The tail is a swirl cut free hand and the little piggy noses are buttons. So cute! *grin*

The title is a combination of stamping and chipboard. I used the On Board Lots of Letters set for the words "piggy" and "perfect" because I wanted those words to stand out a bit more than the rest of the title, which is stamped. The chipboard letters are inked with Craft ink and a Sponge Dauber. I chose to do the title in two colors based on what color cardstock the words were going to be on.

There you have it! A page that brings back a fond memories of mine and hopefully will help you relive some happy memories from when your little ones were younger! As always, any of the supplies I used to make my layout are available to order through my website or by contacting me.

Until next time my friends!

The Tenth Week of Christmas-Glorious Gift Bags

Hello and happy Friday! For my Tenth week of Christmas, I have some glorious gift bags for you.

Each of these gift bags are made with two sheets of cardstock or DSP (Designer Series Paper) as well as some embellishments of some sort.

Supplies: Merry Moments DSP, Whisper White cardstock, Real Red Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch


This is the first one I made. I kept it pretty simple both because it was my first one and because the DSP I chose is a pretty busy pattern! The great thing about using our DSP is that it's double sided, so you get a pretty pattern on the inside of your bag...kind of like a fancy lining! I used whole sheets of DSP and scored them at 2 inches on the sides and the bottom. Then, this is important...you MUST use your bone folder to make sharp creases on the score lines. If you don't do this, your bag won't be as nice and square. So, please, please, please use your bone folder to crease the score lines when you make gift bags or gift boxes!!! I'll get off my soap box now!!! Once I creased my score lines, I folded each piece of DSP into half a box, then stuck them together. To finish it off, I punched a strip of Whisper White cardstock with the Scallop Edge Punch and stuck it around the top of the bag, Then I punched some holes with my Crop-A-Dile and tied some ribbon through to make the handles.

Supplies: Kraft & Not Quite Navy cardstock, Serene Snowflakes stamp set, Not Quite Navy ink, Versamark ink, Champagne Mist & Frost White Shimmer Paint, Whisper White Organza Ribbon


This is the second one I did. I chose Kraft cardstock as the base, and in this case I started with 8 1/2 x 11 pieces, scored at 1 1/2 inches on the sides and 2 inches on the bottom. I stamped my cardstock with the snowflakes and Not Quite Navy ink, Versamark ink, and 2 colors of Shimmer Paint. It's gorgeous and I wish I could get a picture showing all the shimmer!!!


I finished this one off a big differently. Rather than punching holes and using ribbon for handles, I used a piece of Not Quite Navy cardstock and folded it over the top, pinching the top of the bag in. Then I punched some holes and fed some Whisper White Organza Ribbon through the holes, tying it in a bow to hold the bag shut.



Supplies: Whisper White cardstock, Soft Suede Textured cardstock, Merry Moments DSP, Sleigh Bells Ribbon, Real Red Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon, Antique Brass Jumbo Brads, Crop-A-Dile, Jumbo Snowflake Punch, Linen Thread

And, finally, my favorite one! I used textured Soft Suede cardstock for the base of the bag. Around the top of the bag, I used some strips of DSP, which I tore before sticking them around the top edge of the bag.


The handles are my favorite ribbon from the Holiday Mini, Sleigh Bells! I fed the ribbon through some Jumbo Brads and tied a little piece of red ribbon around the Sleigh Bells ribbon to keep it from pulling through.



To finish it off, I punched three snowflakes from Whisper White cardstock, punched a small hole in each and tied them to the bag handle with Linen Thread. So pretty!


There you have it, some glorious gift bag ideas for you to use when packaging those special little gifts this Christmas! All the supplies for each bag are listed under the pictures. If you would like to order any of the supplies used for these projects, please log onto my website or contact me.


Until next time my friends!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrrrr! This morning it was -33 C (with a wind chill in the -40's) when we got up. It has warmed up a bit...now it's -30 C (which is about -22 F). Yikes!

We had some blizzard conditions here this weekend, which meant LOTS of snow and wind. Yuck! We decided to stay home this weekend rather than travel up to the Edmonton area to visit family. I'm glad we did...they closed highways and there was lots of accidents.


On Saturday afternoon, it calmed down enough that I ventured outside with two of our boys to start shovelling. Man, there were some impressive drifts...not fun to shovel! Here's a look at the drift out our front door! I literally had to shovel us out of the house...by myself since Kevin's back isn't really in a condition to shovel snow.


Taylor, our 7 year old, was more than happy to help shovel. Carter, on the other hand, was more excited to slide down the drift on the front steps! Understandable...he's only 5! He did help out though before he got cold and went in for hot chocolate.


Here's a shot of the drifting that was around Kevin's car.


It doesn't look that bad until you look at the shot I took sitting on the driveway. Notice the hockey net barely peeking out from behind the drift! It was drifted over top the hood of his car. I told him that if his boss wanted him at work today he would have to send some guys to shovel him out! Kev gunned it out of the driveway since the drift behind his car wasn't that bad and brushed his car off on the street and off to work he went this morning! I was surprised his car even started since it's so cold and it wasn't plugged in last night.


Here's another shot of our front sidewalk. Notice the fire hydrant peeking out of the snow!


It took me about 6 hours to shovel us out and muscles that I didn't even know were used to shovel snow hurt. Seriously...do you really use butt muscles to shovel? I guess I do...my butt muscles hurt! Maybe I'm just that out of shape!!! LOL!!!


We don't usually get snow like this here, and if we do it doesn't usually last that long thanks to the chinooks we get. However, I think I'm going to have to learn to live with this snow sticking around for a while. According to the forecast it's supposed to be pretty cold for the next little while, and it will take one heck of a chinook to melt these drifts. Maybe we will have a white Christmas this year!


If it's cold where you are, stay warm today! Until next time my friends!