Big Announcement!

HI! I just wanted to stop in quickly and give you all a little NEWS! I recently recieved an e-mail from Holly Brooke Jones of My Cute Stamps informing me that I was chosen to be on their design team! I am very excited to work with these awesome stamps! Here is the blog post of the announcement! It looks like I am in VERY good company! I can't wait to play with these stamps!

Steph

Monday, Monday, Monday

Hey, guys! How's everyone doing today? I'm having a bad case of the Monday's unfortunately! LOL! I woke up not feeling so great (sneezy, sore throat, sinus headache) and I have a fun filled day with both boys home... gonna be a long day! And they have to be quiet.... hubbie's sleeping.... worked last night... boo.

ANYWAY- enough of my rambling! Here's the violet card I promised you!

I am completely in LOVE with the Year of Flowers series. At some point I will have them all! They are such great focal images for cards and are large enough to hold their own. This violet was colored with Copic's V91, V95, and V99.  I stamped the background pattern with BB: Tin Types in Smokey Shadow ink. This is another new set of mine that I think you'll be seeing a lot of! I stamped the sentiment (from the 2009 Anniversary set) in the frame from Fillable Frames #10. Tied a sweet Blueberry Sky knot to finish it off. I'm going to go ahead and enter this one in the challenge over at Wee Memories. This week the challenge is to use ribbon- right up my alley since I use ribbon on pretty much everything!

Thanks for stopping by today! I'm going to go cuddle on the couch with my boys- probably take a nap in a little bit. I need to kick this sickness! Ugh!

Steph

Oh, mums....

HI! How was your holiday? Mine was so great... we spent the last few days with some great family that came to visit and got to snuggle up with my nieces for a bit! We are just hanging out today and recovering from all the activity of the last couple of days and I decided to make a quick card for the 2 Sketches 4 You challenge! Run over and check out the design team's work- such great inspiration! Here's Laura's sketch this week:

And here's my card:

Can I just tell you how much fun I'm having playing with the Year of Flowers sets! I just recently invested in some Copic markers and these flowers have been so much fun to practice with! This flower is from YOF: Mums colored with Copic markers Y32, Y35, and Y38. The sentiment is from YOF: Violets. That's another new set I've been playing with! Haha! (I'll have a violet card for ya Monday....btw.....) I used Rustic Cream cardstock for this one and paired it with some Aqua Mist and Ripe Avocado! Love the colors- they make me happy!

That's all for me today! Thank you so much for taking a look today!

Steph

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey, everyone! Thanks for stopping by today! I'm super busy preparing for my absolute favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, but I wanted to pop in and share this card with you!

This is a super quick card I threw together with some scraps I had lying around. You can't tell from this photo, but the leaf is really pretty and sparkly! I stamped the leaf image from Leaf Prints with Encore Gold ink on Gold Shimmer cardstock! Very pretty in real life, I promise!

So, I have spent my whole day cooking so I can ENJOY the day tomorrow with my family! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!!

Steph

It's an ECHO PARK Christmas!

Hey! How was everybody's weekend? I had a wonderful weekend! I thoroughly enjoyed the Saturday Crop at Archiver's- it was my first time and I was in love at first sight! HAHA! I met some very nice ladies and picked up a couple new products that I have had my eye on. First, and probably most important because I've been asked to make 100 wedding invitations for a friend, I picked up the Martha Stewart Score Board. I haven't had a chance to play with it too much yet, but I've only heard great things about it! Secondly, I picked up this awesome Echo Park kit collection Everybody Loves Christmas! Super cute and steers away from the traditional Christmas colors.

So today I have a couple of Echo Park cards I made:

So this first one has very little stamping on it- I simply trimmed a piece of one of the papers from the kit- stamped a Stampin' Up sentiment (borrowed from Amanda who was sitting next to me at the crop!) and tied a bow! Super easy! And I love how all the colors come together!



The second one has NO STAMPING! I know, I know..... But how cute is that little snowman? Haha! And I love how the Papertrey Ink Distressed Dots paper works so well with this Echo Park line!

What else is in store for this Echo Park kit collection, you ask? Hmmm.... I'm thinking banners! I'm going to work on it this weekend- I'll be sure to post when it's done!

Thanks for checking in with me today!

Steph

Peaceful Christmas!

Hi, guys! You sick of me yet? Haha! I've been updating quite a lot lately- I hope you enjoy what you're seeing! I'm back today with another Christmas card! It seems like every time I sit down to make a Christmas card I reach for Snowflake Serenade and some Kraft cardstock! I love the rustic look of the cardstock mixed with the elegance of the sentiments in Snowflake Serenade- great match!

Here's my card:

I pulled out my new Distressed Dots Patterned Paper for this one, too! I love that paper! It's perfect for everything! I also pulled out my Library Ledger stamp set and my Tea Dye Duo to create the ledger pattern on the Mat Stack 1 die cut. The sentiment is stamped in Momento Tuxedo Black and accented with black rhinestones. A quick black satin bow finishes it off!

Hope you enjoy my card today- I'm getting ready to head to the grocery store and then come home and get ready for the Archiver's Saturday Crop tonight! So excited- it's my first time going to the store! Should be fun!

See ya next time!

Steph

Thank you!

Hi, there! I'm here today to share a quick thank you card with you. I made a few of these in all different colors a couple of weeks ago- so much fun! Let me say first that I am in love with In Bloom patterned paper. It's beautiful. Here's my card:

I used In Bloom Patterned Paper from PTI along with some vellum that I stamped with the frame from Fillable Frames #4 and the sentiment from Fillable Frames #5. I topped it off with some black pearls. This is a super quick and easy thank you note!

Thanks for taking a look!

Steph

Shutterfly for your holiday cards!

Hey, guys! I'm checking in to let you know how I'm doing MY holiday cards this year! Shutterfly is having an awesome promotion for bloggers! If you have a blog, click here and sign up for their free holiday cards program! 

I LOVE Shutterfly! I have been using them to store and print my photos for a while now and I'm super excited to order my holiday photo cards from them this year. If you're anything like me, you always wait until the last minute and get stressed out over getting all the cards out on time- not this year! I'm ordering a super cute photo card with some pictures of my boys and I'll add little embellishments here or there myself! Super easy!

Not only do they print photos in many sizes and have hundreds of card designs to choose from, but they also have great photo books and gift ideas to choose from!

Here are some great things to check out at Shutterfly:

• Christmas cards
• Holiday cards
• Christmas photo cards
• Desk calendars 
• Photo mugs
• Birthday cards

 While I can't possibly show you the card I chose for our Christmas card- I can show you a couple I like!

 

So if you're looking for a easy and stylish way to send greetings to your loved ones this Christmas- definitely check out Shutterfly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Steph

Butterfly Note Card

Hey! I'm here today with another card featuring patterned paper for the challenge at Wee Memories! You have until Friday to play along- so go check it out!

Here's my card:

This is a cute little note card with a couple of my favorite things: Ocean Tides cardstock, Library Ledger Patterned Paper, and my new Martha Stewart butterfly punches. I also used some In Bloom Patterned Paper for the butterflies. Love it!

Short and sweet today- hope you like it!

Steph

Very first Christmas card of the season!

Hey, everyone! I'm here today with my very first Christmas card of the season! I know.... I'm such a lazy papercrafter, I have really been putting it off..... I made a lot of Christmas cards last year! LOL! Anyway, I'm making a commitment to make more Christmas cards- no more procrastination! Here's the card:

For this card- I pulled out my new Vintage Ornament Dies, Distressed Dots Patterned Paper, and some Vintage Cream Felt. Very simple... just the way I like my holiday cards! I'm entering this card into the challenge over at Caardvarks, which is to use holiday die cuts! FUN! I'm also entering it into the challenge at Wee Memories, which is to dust off that patterned paper! Super fun challenge for those like me that almost NEVER touch the piles of patterned paper they're hoarding (and by hoarding I mean saving for something very special.... hehe...). 

Thanks for taking a look today!

FYI: If you're interested in the recipe for the yummy pumpkin cream cheese swirl pie from my previous post, it has been added to the bottom of the post! Just scroll on down!

Steph

Birthday Wishes.... and PIE!

Edited: Recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Pie at bottom of post!!!

Hey, guys! I'm just stopping in today to share a card that I made for the challenge at Off The Wall Craftiness! If you haven't had a chance to see this challenge, hop on over and take a look! Here is the inspirational photo this week:

             

I LOVE these colors and chose to work with Papertrey Ink's berry sorbet, spring moss, and vintage cream.
Here's the card:

I tried out Maile Belles flower that she shared on her blog here. Very cool new technique and a lot of fun! The rest is pretty simple- Polka Dots Basics stamped with spring moss ink on vintage cream cardstock, a strip of vintage cream felt cut with my medium scallop die, and a leaf sprig to accent the flower.

Here's a glimpse of what else I did today.....

This picture does not do it justice.... this is my practice pie for Thanksgiving.... pumpkin cream cheese swirl pie..... amazing...... I'm gonna go have some now!


Recipe: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust (I like the Pillsbury one, I take shortcuts wherever possible! It's a good one!)
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
11 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3 eggs
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
1 Tbsp milk

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place pie crust in 9-in glass pie plate- I used a deep dish pan. Bake crust 8 minutes or until light golden brown.
3. Beat sugar, flour, and cream cheese on low until smooth.
4. Reserve 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture in small bowl.
5. Add remaining ingredients except milk to mixture. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
6. Pour into crust.
7. Stir milk into reserved cream cheese mixture.
8. Spoon cream cheese mixture over pumpkin mixture and create marble design with a butter knife.
9. Cover edge of crust with 2-3 inches of foil to prevent browning (remove foil last 15 minutes of baking).
10. Bake 35-45 minutes.
11. Cool 30 minutes.
12. Refrigerate 4 hours before serving.

This was truly a delicious pie- and not very hard at all! Let me know if you give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by!

Steph

Happy Birthday Banner!

Hey, everyone! Thanks for stopping by today! I'm here with a cute little birthday card using PTI's Fly Away set. I'm entering it in the challenge over at Wee Memories- take a look! You still have a little bit of time to play along if you want!

Here's my card:

For this cutey I used one of my favorite color combos: pure poppy, spring rain, white, and black. I stamped the background grid pattern with the Library Ledger grid stamp. Then, I stamped the solid plane from Fly Away with Pure Poppy ink and cut it out. The sentiment and banner were stamped in black and adhered with foam tape. Finished it off with a simple knot with black satin ribbon.

So... I'm trying to get my Papertrey order together for release night and I'm sooooo sooooo excited about the In Bloom dies! I use In Bloom a lot and this will be an awesome tool for me! What are you excited about this release? YAY for money to spend on PTI, right!?

Thanks for popping in! Have a great day!

Steph

Happy Birdy Day! Laura's Sketch #65

Hey, everyone! I'm here to share a card I made for Laura's Sketch #65 at 2Sketches4You. I'll get right to it- here's the card:

I pulled out a new set that hasn't seen any ink yet for this one! The little birdy is from Unity's Could I Be Any Cuter? set! Such cute images in that set and I picked it up for a bargain! I colored my little birdy with B41, B45, and B37 Copic markers. The sentiment "happy day" is from Papertrey Ink's Fillable Frames #5. I also pulled out my Polka Dot Basics II Impression Plate and my Medium Scalloped Border Die.

This card is also available in my ETSY SHOP!

Have a great day!

Steph

Birthday Bash!

Hey! I'm here today with a fun little card for the Wee Memories Challenge #30! This week they are celebrating their blog birthday over there and I am very happy to play along! I had a lot of fun playing around with some ribbon to make this card!

Here it is:

I used the very cute Library Ledger Patterned Paper and Vitage Cream cardstock for this card. The flower embellishment was made by adhering together a bunch of small circles, which was then cut with my 1 3/4" circle punch. Then, I looped around some vintage cream and aqua mist ribbons as well as some rustic jute button twine. I masked off an area to create a flower stem and stamped the stem with BB: Woodgrain. The leaf is hand cut. I love the look of this card- very FUN!

FYI: this card is available for purchase in my ETSY SHOP!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Steph

Diggin' on Damask

Hey there! I'm here this freezing cold Sunday morning to share with you a card for the Diggin' on Damask challenge over in Moxie Fab World. I do not currently have the coveted Papertrey Ink Damask Designs set by Dawn Mcvey **gasp**, but it is high up there on my wish list and I hope to get it soon! So, I went searching in my stash for some damask and found my Hero Arts cling Antique Brocade! Beatiful pattern- perfect for what I was going for with this challenge!

Here's the card:

First, the point of the whole challenge, Hero Arts Antique Brocade stamped with Smokey Shadow ink on SS White cardstock. Love it. Sentiment from PTI YOF: Roses embossed with white detail embossing powder on Smokey Shadow cardstock. Love it. YOF: Roses HUGE rose, colored with copic markers R20, R22, and R24. CAN'T STOP LOOKING AT THE ROSE! I love coloring this image!

This card is also available for purchase in my ETSY SHOP!

Thank you so much for stopping by today- have a great Sunday, everyone!

Steph

2S4Y Kazan #65

Hey, folks! Thank you so much for stopping by today! And hello to all my new followers! I'm so excited that you are taking an interest in my blog and fully anticipate updating much, much more frequently than in the past! So... here's todays card...

I'm joining in over at 2Sketches4You today for Kazan's Sketch #65! I've really enjoyed playing around with their sketches and I was even included in the Fab 5 last week! WOO HOO! So, here is this weeks sketch!

And here is my card based on the sketch....



I LOVE this card- there is something so warm and cozy about the color combination. I have been loving the combination of gray and cream together, so that it what I went with here. All products used are Papertrey Ink. I used Vintage Cream and Smokey Shadow to create the base and mat image of the card. The mat image is stamped with BB: Text Style. Then, I pulled out my brand spankin' new Fine Linen felt..... love it...... and cut it with my Mat Stack 1 die. The focal image is from this years anniversary set Round and Round.

Hope you like my card today.... time for me to get some coffee and cozy up on the couch with the kiddos!

This card is available for purchase in my ETSY SHOP!

Steph

Fill this day with joy...

Hi, everyone! Just stopping by tonight to say "hey" and show you this card. I made it for the CARDS publication call, but I never got around to submitting it... lol! Oh well, more to post here on the blog-o! I'm also submitting this one to Wee Memories for the "Free For All" challenge.

This one uses Hero Arts Butterfly Field cling stamp with Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist ink. I also used the Papertrey Ink medium scallop die on this one- I love that die! So great! A few touches of Plum Pudding and the card is complete! Thanks for taking a look!

P.S. Sorry for the dark picture- I hate taking photos at night... boo..

This card is available for purchase in my ETSY SHOP!

Steph