SCORE!!

*Disclaimer: I tried to see if my technology challenged brain can figure out how to do an auto post. Guess what?! It couldn't. I think I know what I did wrong...but of course, I could be wrong in that! Soooo, over my little lunch break, I'm going to see if I can get this out of "draft" and into "post".


Mid Friday morning, I decided to call the office manager of the clinic where I do some per diem work to verify if I was going to work Mon (or today, if this auto post works correctly!) or Wed of this week. As we are chatting, he asks if we had gotten the birthday invite to his son's party (who is a classmate of my youngest) THAT IS AT 4PM. ON FRIDAY. Uhhhhh, that would be a negative. Seems that the creative mom made this cool postcard with a sports stopwatch on the front that might have been easily confused with a junk advertisement (or if it got in with the junk flyers, may have never been seen period). The mom is all stressed because no one was RSVPing (including family members). Sooooo. Being the good mom that I am, I said that the family would be there.


AAACCCCKKKK!!! First: Load up kids and haul them down to Target to buy school supplies needed by the 20th and pick up a gift card for the b-day boy. Haul home close to $200 dollars worth of supplies (ok, ok...pencils, papers, calculators and rulers do not cost that much. But my newly Junior High student decided that his previous backpack and lunch box were a bit on the "youngish" side. Soooo, new backpack (this thing was not only expensive, but it is basically a full on hiking backpack, and will be used as such also!) for the older one, which of course led to a new backpack (much cheaper one) and lunchbox for the younger one.


Second: Come up with a "totally creative" idea for a card and get it made in a couple of hours (I am NOT known for making speedy cards. Seems that my mind jumps from "basic idea" to "wouldn't it be cool if I did this? OR even better~~that!! With the end result being waaaay too much time spent making basic cards!!)


Anyhoo!! This kiddo just happens to play basketball with my youngest. I know that he has his jersey and participant trophy framed and hung in the main hallway of their house. Just so happens that I have a rather large Quikutz die of a basketball. Start thinking along the lines of my football card and of course that is when I came up with this idea:

The basketball bouncing off the backboard!! (and before anyone asks (because, yes, the males in this household DID ask) : I DID come up with a way to make the "hoop" on the lower part of the card. But I had to have it "fold" up in order to fit inside the envie...and it just started looking crowded and ugly. So the hoop stayed off).

The backboard base is just slightly smaller than a regular sized card~~4 1/4" x 5. I made the "frame" out of textured cardstock and adhered with red sticky liner. The smaller square was made using my rectangle nesties from Spellbinders. I picked out two that nested inside each other and then cut, creating my open frame. This was adhered using rolled up glue dots (that edge is TINY!!).

The basketball is acutally the "card". After die cutting the basketball from Dusty Durango, I did DTP (direct to paper) with my creamy caramel ink pad to "scuff" up the basketball. The black is part 2 of the die cut and was adhered with a glue pen. I then used my old Creative memories circle cutter to figure out the size of my basketball and made a "card" for the inside by keeping one edge of the circle slightly off the fold of the card. The gift card was attached to the inside of the basketball. The basketball was adhered with glue dots along the edge of the white frames so that they would not show on the inside of the clear base. The total size of the card is 5x5.

I think this is a pretty clever idea myself!! hehe. So I give this a personal rating of **** out of *****!! Supplies: Paper: Clear transparency, textured SU whisper white, dusty durango, basic black. Inks: Creamy caramel. Accessories: Quikutz basketball die, rectangle nesties, Big Shot, Creative memories circle cutter, glue dots, 1/4" red liner tape, glue pen.

Thanks for stopping by while I'm at work (hehe). Tonight the boys are presenting a play that they and the other kids, (who are watched by a wonderful lady while parents work), wrote the script for, made the backdrops and costumes based on a book that they all read together. Hoping to have some photos to share!!

One Down.....

.....only 7 more cards to go!!

This card was SOOOOO much cuter in my head. That's how it goes. This is how it is going to be. I don't have time to re-do. I think the reason I'm not too happy with this, is that the layout does not flow correctly. This does not have that "triangle" that moves the eyes to the elements. Plus, IRL, it has a couple of blips (one from a tape wrinkle, another couple of slight smudges). The worse thing about this is~~it's for my upline's daughter. Now, in all reality, the young lady will probably not care about such blips. But her mom will notice them (soooo, Kerney~~Just squint when you look at this!).

Some details on this: The skates were cut out of glossy paper (to give that patent leather look, hehe) using a Quikutz die and the heels/sole were colored with my black copic marker. A very thin strip of brushed silver cs was cut for the base of the boot. The wheels (which are too big, but that was the closest circle punch I had) have an eyelet set in the middle. I cut some 1/8" ribbon in half to lace thru the boot (not an easy task, I might add!!) The sentiment was computer generated and the inside has a HUGE 10! .

Like I said, this was much cuter in my head. Sigh....... Supplies: SU Whisper White, Pink Passion. Inks Pixie Pink (sponged along the edge and stamped on the inside) Stamps: Snap Frame Alphabet by Katie Pertiet for Autumn Leaves. Accessories: Cropadile, SU eyelets, sponge dauber, Quikutz boot die, Sizzix Big Shot

Come Sail Away

"Come Sail away, come sail away, come sail away with meeeee......" (anyone care to join me in a Styx flashback?! Yeah, this will date me!)

This is the other "STAR Baby Wish book" (hmmm.....not sure I like that....gonna have to keep working on a name for these little puppies) that I did for one of the teachers at my kiddos school ( for those of you who may be just joining in~her daughter/daughter in law are due a couple of weeks apart and she asked me to make some guest sign in/best wishes books when she saw this book and this book for the two teacher's who are expecting SOON!)

This book looks like it should have been EASY PEASY to make. NOT!!! I think I just stressed out way too much over the fact that I only have the flannel plaid background stamp and I really was wanting a more "finished" plaid look. I finally managed to kick myself in the rear and moved on. Here is the inspiration first of all

Very clean and crisp looking. I think clicking on the picture will give you a larger picture in order to see the different plaid details (hmmm....may need another kick to remind myself that I've moved on from that sticky point).

Here is the results:

The cover was done trying to make the quilt pattern.

Inside pages obviously keep repeating the theme. Like I said, this should have been sooo easy to put together. But I also kept trying to add in another blue, like the quilt. Finally got it thru my thick skull that three shades were enough (but of course, I have several other shade "squares" stamped with the flannel);

That's it for that trip!! (Maybe I should have chosen the Gilligan's Island theme song instead....A three hour tour that turns into a much bigger deal! snort)

Supplies used: Paper: SU Whisper white, Bashful blue, Gina K's pure Luxury 120# in white and Prism dark navy CS (sorry, forgot to note which one I finally settled on...I had about three different shades in my cart at one time) Inks: SU's Not Quite Navy, Accessories: Quikcuts sailboat, Sizzix Big shot, tomobow multipurpose adhesive, Zutter's pink Bind It All, white 3/4" owires

Thanks for stopping in. I have a REALLY COOL discovery that I made on my next card to share with you!!

Another Cupcake

Just sneeking in to post another cupcake card that I did yesterday while all the supplies where still on my desk (I'm suppose to be cleaning the kitchen from the pancake mess that was made!!). I think I like this one better!
Supplies: Paper: SU Whisper white, real read, chocolate chip. Stamps: SU It's your Birthday, Accessories: Quikutz cupcake die, Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder, liquid applique.
Quick, CAS (clean and simple) and one that I think I will use again (notice how I did the "frosting" the same way? Yeah~~~liked that "AH-Ha"!!)
Have a great weekend....Hoping to work on some family valentines tomorrow (yeah, I know. Nothing like procrastination to get you creating!!)

Making Cupcakes

WHEW!! Today I decided to use the Limited supplies challenge on Splitcoaststampers to get me going on a birthday card that I need for a 7 y/o girls party tomorrow. While I was at it, I thought that I would try and use the sketch challenge for this week too. SHEESH!! I need to do the challenges more often. This card took me FOREVAH!!! (and even tho it has some "AH-HA" moments on it....I consider it only ok....just doesn't have that "wow" punch that I was wanting. But! I have to remember that it is for a 7 y/o girl and will most likely end up in a drawer (or~gasp! The trash can!)

I had borrowed the Quikutz cupcake die from my wonderful friend (and have one on order now) as the girl's party is a "cupcake" party theme (going to decorate cupcakes....and such). I used my cuttlebug swirl embossing folder for the frosting then traced around the swirls with Liquid Applique (one of my "AH-Ha" moments). The other "AH-HA" moment is the candle. Yup!! That is a real candle there!! I tried to color it to match the pink but that didnt' work. I shaved off the back to flatten it and used Art Glitter designer adhesive to put it on. Now, the cupcake is one some major thick dimensionals that I have had in my stash for years!! Here is a side view, but it still does not show the dimension as seen in person

I kinda messed up when trying to stamp the "happy birthday. Uhhh, next time, I'll stamp the sentiment BEFORE having the cupcake adhered!! (DUH!!) Like I said...this one is so-so for me. Like the "AH-HA" moments, not real keen on the whole layout/color scheme. But, overall, ok (so much for that "Dirty Girl" inspiration roll that I was on....back to being a "normal" stamper! haha)Supplies used: Paper: SU Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, retired SU DP, whisper white and chocolate chip. Stamps: Voila- Happy Birthday(SU) Accessories: Liquid Applique, Cuttlebug swirl embossing folder, candle, thick dimensionals, ticket corner punch, sponge daubers, heat gun, Quikutz cupcake die, Sizzix Big Shot

Thanks for looking!! It is pouring rain here so I guess the house is going to get cleaned!!