Congrats

Happy Friday! We're delaying this week's Double Dare challenge while Naki prepares for her son's birthday bash. Exciting stuff! Be sure to check out her blog, where I'm sure she'll post photos soon. (Here's a little peer pressure. Haha!) We should be back next week.

I still have a little card to share today... This one is for someone very special!

When I first started working in this county, I had an amazing supervisor, mentor, and friend. She and her husband took such good care of me, treating me like their daughter, and I've grown to love them dearly. A few years ago, she stepped down from counseling supervisor to have a change of pace. Recently (as is just a few weeks ago), she surprised us all with the announcement of her retirement. Today is her last day of work! Her friends at her current school decided to throw her a little surprise retirement party and were so kind to invite me to attend. I made this card to congratulate her and send well wishes for her next chapter of life. I sure am going to miss her!

DEEtails:

The background for this card was something I painted with some water and Stampin' Write Markers for the recent Kate Spade inspiration at ColourQ. The colors just weren't vibrant enough for that card, so I set aside the watercolor for a better card. Quite honestly, I had a love hate relationship with this piece. I loved it while I was painting it, then ended up hating it when it dried. I painted over it and fell in love again. When it dried the second time, I still loved it, but it just wasn't right. When I came up with today's card idea, I was in love all over again. The card is simple. Just a watercolored background, some silver stamped sequins from Winnie & Walter, and a die cut sentiment from Your Next Stamp. I double mounted the background with some Blackberry Bliss (which is divine, by the way), and I was done. It's the perfect blend for my dear friend and mentor, who is simply wonderful.

Paper: Blackberry Bliss Cardstock, Neenah Solar White 80# Cardstock, watercolor paper
Stamps: Big Bang Bling (Winnie & Walter)
Ink: Silver Metallic Encore
Tools: Scripty Words Die Set (Your Next Stamp)

Sparkles and Sprinkles

You may have noticed my recent obsession and accumulation of sparkles and sprinkles, or at least, that's what I affectionately call them... :) I think it's becoming a problem because I'm starting to find them all over the house. *giggle*

I picked up this little organizer box in the Target Dollar spot last month and it was perfect for my then, very small collection. I spent part of an afternoon sorting and organizing my sparkles and sprinkles (don't laugh!). Most of what I had was from Stampin' Up! (the In Color Sequin Assortment and the Frosted Sequins are shown below). 

The organizer is so perfect because the size is similar to the Stampin' Up! cases and stack really well with my other embellishments that are stored in those. The compartment dividers also slide out, so you can make larger sections if needed. I didn't realize that until after this photo was taken, and you'll see that my snowflakes in the bottom right corner are stored in two separate compartments, but not any longer! 

My collection has since grown quite a bit and I have completely outgrown this box! As in, I could probably use 2 more... Hahaha! My sweet husband has searched high and low at several Targets to look for more boxes for me, but hasn't had any luck. :( Apparently lots of crafty people had the same idea? No doubt, compartment boxes like these are uber useful. I nearly cried when I heard the sad news that the boxes weren't available anymore. Nevertheless, I wanted to share the photo because it is so super pretty!

P.S. If anyone can find these containers at their Target, I will happily buy them from you! 

PomPom Pink Thank You

Hello! And Happy Monday! :) I totally forgot about this card I made a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I'd pop in today to share it.

Here are the DEEtails:

I am just totally in love with die cut sentiments lately - have you noticed?! Today's card features Hand Lettered Thanks from WPlus9. I used it on some Melon Mambo card stock and adhered it to some cute polka dot patterned paper from Heidi Swapp's Favorite Things. I love the pretty blooms from Stippled Blossoms and inked them in Regal Rose and Melon Mambo for this card. I tucked in some leaves die cut from the Bouquet Bigz die and adhered it on a tag that my hubby found for me at the Target Dollar spot over the holidays. I tied on some Pink Sorbet Baker's Twine from The Twinery to match all the lovely pink! I added some fun pompom trim underneath and popped the tag on with some Stampin' Dimensionals. What do you think?

Paper: Gumball Green Cardstock, Heidi Swapp Favorite Things Paper Pack, Melon Mambo Cardstock, Whisper White Cardstock
Stamps: Stippled Blossoms
Ink: Melon Mambo, Regal Rose
Embellishments: Melon Mambo Pompom Trim, Pink Sorbet Baker's Twine (The Twinery), tag (Target Dollar Spot)
Tools: Bouquet Bigz Die, Hand Lettered Thanks Die (WPlus9), Stampin' Dimmensionals

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 299

Are you ready for a sweet new challenge over at Cupcake Inspirations challenge?

Newton's Nook is our sponsor this week. They are giving away a $20 gift certificate to one lucky winner! 

Here are the DEEtails for today's card:

The sweet kitty from Newton's Antics was purr-fect for this card. :) I stamped her on some white cardstock and added a little pink for her ears and nose. I stamped the image again on a brown paper bag that I paper pieced for the box, which I'm loving. The sentiment is stamped on some Blushing Bride Cardstock, punched with the banner punch on one end. The Smoky Slate card was embossed with the Large Polka Dot Impression plate for a little extra texture. Of course a little sparkle never hurts, so I added some cute pink stars and cupped sequins. Hope you like it!

Paper: Blushing Bride Cardstock, brown paper bag, Neenah Solar White 80# Cardstock, Smoky Slate Cardstock
Stamps: Newton's Antics (Newton's Nook)
Ink: Memento Jet Black
Embellishments: In Color Sequin Assortment
Tools: Banner Punch, Large Polka Dot Textured Impressions, Stampin' Blendabilities - Pink Pirouette

I do hope you'll join us over at Cupcake Inspirations this week! And be sure to come back next week for a very exciting 300th Challenge Celebration!

Places and Spaces: Flat Stanley at National Harbor

Last month, our niece in Ohio sent us a Flat Stanley letter. If you're not familiar with Flat Stanley, he's a character from a children's book who gets flattened by a bulletin board and begins visiting his friends by being mailed in an envelope. It's a fun story that lots of schools use as part of a unit to learn about mail or US geography. Students usually mail Flat Stanley to friends and relatives asking them to take photos of him visiting a local landmark or the area around them. Being an educator, you know I love this kind of stuff. I convinced my husband to take an afternoon trip to National Harbor with Flat Stanley. When we got home, I wrote up a letter to the class and filled a box with treats that we got for them. I even made Stanley some monogrammed stationary. Here's the letter we sent...

Dear Mrs. Jones’ Class,  

I recently visited Hailey’s Uncle and Aunt who live in Maryland, close to Washington D.C. One of their favorite spots to visit in Maryland is the National Harbor. On our way there, we got a view of the Washington Monument. Have any of you ever been to the nation’s capital? I wasn’t able to go there during my trip, but I’m sending you a copy of my book that shares my adventures in D.C. from a while back. 

(we included Flat Stanley: The US Capital Commotion book in the box)

The coolest attraction at the National Harbor is the newly built Capital Wheel that soars over 180 feet above the Potomac River. I’m a little afraid of heights, so I didn’t go on the gigantic Ferris wheel, but I got a picture of it. 

The National Harbor has a marina with many boats. There is also a very cool (and slightly scary) sculpture of a giant coming out of the ground. Here I am posing with one of his big hands coming out of the ground, pretending it is going to get me! Ahhhhhhh! 

Whew! I’m glad I got away in time, because our next stop was a lot of fun! The National Harbor is also the home to many shops, restaurants, and hotels. My favorite shop to visit was probably the Peeps store. I wish I could drive this yellow car! I got some treats for you there that I hope you’ll enjoy!   

(of course we got the class peeps, which we filled the box with!) 

I sure had fun in Maryland, but am glad to be returning home safely. Thanks for letting me visit Hailey's Uncle and Aunt!  

Your Friend,  

Flat Stanley

Hope you enjoyed our little day trip! Has anyone else done the Flat Stanley project? It's quite fun!

KS Inspired Blooms

This week's ColourQ challenge is a fun Kate Spade inspired challenge! The snow kept us inside again yesterday, so I thought I'd create a card.

I love this color combo, especially because I almost got this bracelet for my sweet friend, Rebecca a while back. I settled on the silver color combination, because she doesn't wear much gold, but I'm kind of wishing I had gotten this one for myself. Anyway, on to the card...

When I was pulling out these colors from my cardstock stash, I felt like I was making some kind of yummy dessert. Blackerry Bliss and Raspberry Ripple - Yum! 

DEEtails:

I stamped some bold blooms from Flower Fest with some VersaMark ink on Blackberry Bliss, Raspberry Ripple and Wisteria Wonder Cardstock then embossed them with Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder. I used the same mum flower image and cut them to different sizes and layered them with Stampin' Dimensionals. I also stamped and embossed the sentiment from Because You Care on a crisp white piece of cardstock. I matted my white on some Raspberry Ripple and then adhered everything to a Blackberry Bliss card. These colors are so pretty together!

Paper: Blackberry Bliss Cardstock, Neenah Solar White 80# Cardstock, Raspberry Ripple Cardstock, Wisteria Wonder Cardstock
Stamps: Because You Care, Flower Fest
Ink: VersaMark
Embellishments: Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder
Tools: Heat Tool

Computer settings are so weird because this card looks so much brighter on screen than it does in real life. If the colors look neon to you, I apologize!

Many Thanks

Little Tangles has a great Watercolor challenge going on right now. Of course I was excited to play along!

DEEtails:

I was quite excited to try out my watercolors on the lovely dahlia stamp from Regarding Dahlias. I'm loving the bold pinks! I layered it over the Lattice die and tucked a few leaves underneath, die cut from the Bouquet Bigz Die. Remember all those fabulous goodies that Naki sent to me? These are some of those great die cuts she sent me from My Favorite Things. I think I might need to buy the die set for myself now! I layered two die cuts over each other to give it a bit of a shadow effect. I kind of wish I had reversed the colors, but too late now! The background is some gorgeous Lost Lagoon DSP layered over some Pool Party. I'm loving these colors.

Paper: Gumball Green Cardstock, Lost Lagoon Cardstock, Lost Lagoon DSP, Pool Party Cardstock, Watercolor Paper, Whisper White Cardstock
Stamps: Regarding Dahlias
Ink: VersaMark
Tools: Bouquet Bigz Die, Lattice Die, paintbrush, Many Thanks Die-namics (My Favorite Things), Stampin' Write Markers - Raspberry Ripple, Regal Rose

Orange, Teal, and Brown Thanks

Happy Snow Day! We're stuck inside today, so I thought I'd share a little card I made this weekend. I'm playing along with the Fusion Card Challenge again, with a really neat color combination and sketch. This took me a bit out of my comfort zone. If you're a regular here, you know I stay away from orange! Ha! But, this challenge was quite inspiring and I sprung at the opportunity to play along!

DEEtails:

I started off with some Soft Suede DSP and layered on some fun bright stripes from the Sycamore Street DSP. Then I added a doily and some flowers from Fabulous Florets. I stamped them in Dusty Durango on Whisper White and Tangerine Tango Cardstocks. Then I added a strip of Lost Lagoon Stitched Satin Ribbon and a sentiment from My Favorite Things and course a bit of sparkle. :) Hope you like it!

Paper: Lost Lagoon Cardstock, Neutrals Collection DSP Patterns Stack, Sycamore Street DSP, Tangerine Tango Cardtock, Whisper White Cardstock
Stamps: Fabulous Florets
Ink: Dusty Durango
Embellishments: doily (Wilton), In Colors Sequins Assortment, Lost Lagoon Stitched Satin Ribbon
Tools: Many Thanks Die-namics (My Favorite Things), Stampin' Dimensionals

Thanks

I'm loving the inspiration image over at The Card Concept this week. I made a card to submit just in time!

DEEtails:

As soon as I saw the inspiration image, I knew that I should use the lovely Hardwood background stamp. I stamped it in Soft Suede on some Baked Brown Sugar Cardstock. I stamped a few of my go to flowers from Secret Garden in StazOn ink on some watercolor paper and just lightly watercolored them with some pretty pink colors. I layered them over a corner of a doily and added a few Mellow Moss leaves, die cut from the Bouquet Bigz Die. The sentiment is one of those die cuts that Naki sent to me. And of course, I had to add a bit of sparkle. You know I can't resist! These are from Teresa Collins Save the Date. Hope you like it!

Paper: Baked Brown Sugar Cardstock, Mellow Moss Cardstock, Smoky Slate Cardstock, Soft Suede Cardstock, Watercolor Paper
Stamps: Secret Garden
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede
Embellishments: Doily (Wilton), Save the Date Sequins (Teresa Collins)
Tools: Bouquet Bigz Die, paintbrush, Many Thanks Die-namics (My Favorite Things), Stampin' Write Markers - Blushing Bride, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 298

Hi there! I hope you are having a lovely day! I'm here today with a fun card for today's Cupcake Inspirations challenge.

This week we are being sponsored by Your Next Stamp. One lucky reader will receive a $15 gift certificate to YNS.

Here are the DEEtails for today's card:

I love this fun patterned background from the Stacked with Love DSP Paper Stack. I stamped some of those swirls from Snuggles and Smooches that I love so much and embossed them in black. Then I die cut some Basic Black Cardstock with the Half & Half Die from Papertrey Ink and layered on the sentiment, die cut with Hand Lettered Thanks from WPlus9. I am so loving this die! The final touch was the Sparkly Pink Gumdrops from Your Next Stamp, which I am just loving! I think I'm going to go back and buy a bunch more of these in lots of different colors! If you win this week's gift card, I highly recommend spending it on Gumdrops! Hehe :)

Paper: Basic Black Cardstock, Pretty in Pink Cardstock, Stacked with Love DSP Paper Stack
Stamps: Snuggles and Smooches
Ink: VersaMark
Embellishments: Sparkly Pink Gumdrops (Your Next Stamp)
Tools: Black Stampin Emboss Powder, Half & Half Die (Papertrey Ink), Hand Lettered Thanks Die (WPlus9)

Naki and Nina's Double Dare Challenge

Happy Friday! Naki and I have another Double Dare to share with you today! We hope you'll join in the fun by linking up in the comments.

Here's how it works: For each challenge, Naki and I blindly pick something that we want to work with (a color scheme, tool, sketch, technique, inspiration, whatever!) Then we combine our picks to make a Double Dare Challenge! Here are our picks for this challenge:

Naki's pick for this challenge was to use a Project Life card

My pick was to use Washi Tape

Here are the DEEtails for my card:

I decided layering some fun patterns with the Midnight Edition Project Life Card that I picked out for this challenge. It's a bit hard to see in this photo, but the card has grid lines, which I thought would look cute with a Spiral punch along the edge. Then I layered it over some patterns from the Kaleidoscope DSP and then added on some fun patterned washi tapes. I love the Stached with Love theme from Stampin' Up!, which I paired with some striped washi from 3M. Of course, I added one of my favorite blooms, that I inked in with the Coastal Cabana Stampin' Blendabilities markers. I'm still trying to get the hang of blending the colors...

Paper: Coastal Cabana Cardstock, Kaleidoscope DSP
Stamps: Because You Care, Secret Garden
Ink: Coastal Cabana, Basic Black
Embellishments: Midnight Edition Project Life card, Stacked with Love Washi Tape, striped washi tape (3M)
Tools: Spiral Border Punch, Stampin' Blendabilities Markers - Coastal Cabana Assortment

Now be sure to check out Naki's creation over on her blog. We'd love for you to play along with us! Just create a project with some Project Life and Washi tape and link up in the comments below.

What I Wore

Hi there! Ready for another edition of What I Wore? Nothing special going on last week except National School Counseling Week (Hooray Counselors!). Here's What I Wore...

DAY ONE

dress: max studio / cardigan: new york & co. / scarf: h&m / leggings: old navy / bracelets: kate spade / rain boots: capelli

It was supposed to rain all day on Monday, so I was excited to wear my rain boots. My mom found these rain boots ages ago and I'm always looking for a reason to wear them! 

I paired them with some polka dot leggings and a simple black dress with scarf and cardigan. It ended up a fairly dry day :( but at least I was dressed for the rain in case it came!

 DAY TWO

dress: pink rose / cardigan: american eagle / necklace: tom design (etsy) / bracelet: pandora

DAY THREE

dress: h&m / blouse: jcrew factory / sweater: jcrew factory / bracelet: kate spade

DAY FOUR

dress: forever / necklace: premier designs / bracelet: kate spade

DAY FIVE

dress: poppy garden / cardigan: loft / leggings: kate spade / boot socks: noelle / boots: mia / necklace: old navy

My dear friend gave me these adorable boot socks earlier this week for NSCW, so I wanted to wear them and show them off. :) Aren't they cute! I think I need to buy some new boots now... Haha!

So those are my outfits from last week. It was mostly a normal week but it was crazy busy! It was such a whirlwind that as I was getting my photos together for this post, I didn't even remember wearing some of these outfits! Hoping your week is going well!

Happy Mail!

So you may be aware that Naki and I are quite good buddies. Not only do we enjoy virtual crafting together and talk every day, we also love sending each other happy mail! Basically, we keep a box handy and dump treats into it as we collect them. Once the box is full, we ship it off! It's tons of fun because we never know what we'll get or when it will arrive! A box from Naki arrived earlier last week and was full of lots of fun goodies!

Naki always wraps things up in a super cute way. This package is half of the Kraft Edition Project Life kit. I didn't photograph them once I unwrapped the white paper, but she had sets of cards wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string - so cute!

Here is a photo of some of the other goodies Naki sent:

Don't laugh, but some of the stuff that she sent me were Christmas things. We had talked about making snowglobe jars with bottle brush trees, but didn't start thinking about it until it was a bit late. Naki surprised me by getting me supplies anyway. She told me about them when she got them, and I just had to wait until the rest of my box was filled up! I am loving these teeny pink trees! She also sent me jars of fake snow (see those on the left side?), along with some pretty pink sequins (you know how I'm loving sequins right now!) We talk about Target dollar spot finds often and we keep an eye out for things that each other's stores don't have - she sent me some baker's twine, a note pad, some washi tape and mini clips. Naki also stamped a mini canvas bag (in the background) and sent me a couple of plain ones that I could decorate myself. And lastly, a bunch of die cuts from My Favorite Things - I can't wait to use them! The box was also filled with some fun Sanrio goodies too! They just aren't photographed.

One of the things I love about filling up my Happy Mail box for Naki is addressing her box. I've been getting into hand-lettering lately and playing around with lettering envelopes and such. This is the box that I sent to her. My sweet pup, Molly was helping me out  :) Now I'm off to go add a few more goodies to her box...

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 297

Hello friends! Hope you are enjoying your weekend! Today we have a fun flower challenge at Cupcake Inspirations.

This week we are being sponsored by Craft Classes Online. You could win a free seat to one of their classes! How fun!

Here are the DEEtails for today's card:

I stamped the pretty flower image from So Very Grateful on some Whisper White Cardstock and colored it in using my Stampin' Write Markers. Then I stamped the sentiment from Another Thank You before I trimmed down the image and punched it with the Angled Tag Topper punch. The rest of the card was pretty simple. I used some patterned paper from Heidi Swapps Favorite Things line - I told you I'm loving this stuff! Then I layered on some Chevron ribbon over a piece of Basic Black Cardstock that I punched with the Scallop Edge Border and then tied up some pretty Cotton Ribbon on my tag. This is the first time using the Cotton Ribbon and I am just loving the way it flows! Then I adhered the tag with some Stampin' Dimensionals and added a few pretty sequins as a finishing touch. What do you think?

Paper: Basic Black Cardstock, Blushing Bride Cardstock, Heidi Swapp Favorite Things Paper Pad, Whisper White Cardstock
Stamps: Another Thank You, So Very Grateful
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Embellishments: Blushing Bride Chevron Ribbon, Blushing Bride Cotton Ribbon, In Color Sequin Assortment
Tools: Angled Tag Topper Punch, Pinking Shears, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Write Markers - Blushing Bride, Garden Green, Gumball Green, Pretty in Pink, Strawberry Slush

Happy Birthday Balloon

Hello! Hello! Hope your week has been going well. I'm dropping in today to share a quick birthday card. 

Here are the DEEtails:

I just got this cute birthday die from Mama Elephant and love it paired with the happy balloon from Celebrate Today. I stamped the balloon in VersaMark ink and embossed it in gold. I used the Balloon Framelits to die cut the balloon and adhered it to white card stock. Then I tied on some Gold Baker's Twine and some fun gold tassels that I die cut from a Gold Foil Sheet. I adhered my card stock to a piece of striped DSP from the Stacked with Love DSP Paper Stack. I added a few sequins for a little extra sparkle.

Paper: Basic Black Cardstock, Gold Foil Sheets, Neenah Solar White 80# Cardstock, Stacked with Love DSP Paper Stack
Stamps: Celebrate Today
Ink: VersaMark
Embellishments: Gold Metallic Baker's Twine, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, In Color Sequin Assortment, Stampin' Dimmensionals
Tools: Balloon Framelits Dies, Birthday Script Die (Mama Elephant)

Hello! How Are You?

Today I'm playing with a few new Occasions Catty and Sale-A-Bration products to make a fun and playful card. 

DEEtails:

I didn't realize that I ordered a TON of paper with my last order, so I'm a little bit on DSP overload. Haha. This one from Best Year Ever stood out and I loved the fun pattern and playful mix of colors. I chose a simple layout with a bit of Coastal Cabana peeking out behind a strip of Soft Suede. I love the Because You Care hostess set and the cute sentiments. I stamped "hello how are you?" on some Hello Honey cardstock with Soft Suede ink and used the banner die from the new Mini Treat Bag Thinlits dies for this card. I layered it over a delicate doily and embellished it with a button from the Best Year Ever Accessory Pack. What do you think?

Paper: Best Year Ever DSP, Coastal Cabana Cardstock, Hello Honey Cardstock, Soft Suede Cardstock
Stamps: Because You Care
Ink: Soft Suede
Embellishments: Best Year Ever Accessory Pack, doily (Wilton), White Bakers Twine
Tools: Mini Treat Bag Thinlits