Elements of Thanks!

Well as you all know, I have been busy getting ready for our second annual Stampcation this card is just one of the hundreds of samples that will be displayed at this fun filled event. I utilized this weeks sketch from Mojo Monday..a little modified but that's what sketches are all about, you take the basic idea and run with it! This stamp set is from Stampin' Up! and is called Extreme Elements, The spritz is log cabin and one of my favorite color spritzes ever!

I roughed up the edges with a distressing tool, and decided to stitch on only one section...its kind of different, but I think its just enough!

 Just a minimal panel on the interior of the card, plenty of room to write a sweet note of thanks! 

Make sure to play along with this weeks sketch, its a lot of fun! Happy creating~

An Apple A Day!

Its back to school time, and I could not resist the chance to make a card with an apple theme and a little bit of back to school goodness. It would be perfect as a morning "pick me up" for a student or for a special teacher { most of my best friends are teachers} actually I seem to gravitate towards educators of all kinds!

 Back to school is always a bitter sweet time of year for me, even though Chella is now a junior in high school, I miss hanging out with her when she is out of school for the summer. I love late night dinners, and midnight movies. Resuming the school schedule means getting up early, homework, and packing lunches. But it also brings new friends, family meals, the start of fall, and so many fun school functions! Go Titans!!

I followed this weeks Mojo Monday sketch, a fun mix of shapes on this one! Curves and zig zags, and a super interesting ribbon treatment. I'm so happy I had a chance to play along this week!

I love this pretty paper collection from My Minds eye {Stella and Rose} the number patterned paper is by Pink Paislee, its one of my favorite number papers ever! Decorating the inside of the card, makes it sturdy, and I love how it continues the fiesta for the eyes!

Glitter brads, add to my never ending need for glitz! I have had that little pencil button in my stash since I used to design Children's clothing...and that has been more than 10 years ago {at least} but you have to hoard the good stuff....you never know when you will need it! :)

La- La- Land Crafts Birthday Blog Hop

Its Birthday time for Marci and Luka at La-La-Land Crafts, and to celebrate this special occasion the Design team and Design team alumni are having a very special Birthday blog hop! Are you ready for some Birthday fun? In addition to a fabulous hop filled with amazing designers and their creations, La-La-Land Crafts is giving away HUGE prize package!    

I chose Mermaid Marci for today's hop, I love how fluid her hair looks, and that sweet face! I colored her with a combination of copic markers and Prisma colored pencils. I added few little highlights with a white gel pen and some sparkle with sakura glitter pens in green and blue on her fin as well. These bitty pearls were the perfect to adorn her bikini top.

A shell shaped card seemed the only way to go! I cut the shell with the Cricut and embossed the pink shell layer with the musical flourish folder, a sprinkling of pearls and a swirl of rhinestones add shimmer and dimension to this soft colored card.

Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you have had fun on Marci and Luka's Birthday blog hop so far. If you are just getting started, hop on over to Becca's blog to begin, if you have hopped along the way than your next stop is Arlene's blog.

A big Happy Birthday to the ever sweet Marci, and the always adorable Luka!And Congratulations To La-La-Land Crafts for a year of fun and inspiration with these amazing stamps!

Disney Mini album

We are big BIG Disney fans, in fact hanging out with Mickey and Minnie is one of our favorite ways to spend our free time { as little of it as there is} :) 

I used the Tinker bell and friends cartridge for the cover of my mini album, the entire album was made with my your story book binding system by Provocraft. I love how easy it is to use! 

A few cuttlebug dies and embossing folders also made this album quick to embellish!

Meagan is the biggest Cheshire cat fan of all time! She collects anything and everything she can find!

Disney treats are always the best!

I can say with absolution that the castle at Holiday time all lit up and ever changing is one of the most breathtaking sights to ever see! I felt like I was in a fairy tale dream!

Tired smiles...hee hee we go and go until we are to tired to drive home *giggle*

We have annual passes, so maybe we will see you there!

If you are a Disney Lover or have a kiddo that just can't get enough of Disney magic, there are several Cricut cartridges that will fit the bill for scrapbook pages, parties, and everything in between! hop on over to http://www.cricut.com/ and check out all the fabulous fun Disney goodness!

Happy Creating~

Stampcation Registration

 Are you a rubber stamper who loves to gather with friends old and new, do you need a little weekend getaway? Than Stampcation is the place for you! We only have a few more openings and if you are planning on attending Stampcation, now is the time to get registered! We have been working on our ideas and plans, ordering goodies and getting geared up to have a great weekend! visit http://www.stampcation.com/ to learn more, and to register.

Friends gather at Stampcation, old friends reconnect, and new friends are made! we have an all new location this year with a larger floor plan, bigger screen, and better than ever sound. Linda and I { and a few surprise guests} will be on the stage and the big screen showing you each step of your 8 unique make and takes and fabulous demos!

We put the treat back in the word retreat!

Sunday shoebox swap, and play day, come and enjoy our massive big shot and stamp stations!

Hundreds of project sample to thrill and inspire you! And so so much more! See you at stampcation this September! http://www.stampcation.com/

Border Line

A little straight talk about borders and the difference between border punches and Cricut cut borders. Lets start by saying there is no right or wrong, but there are distinct benefits to both. We all have become border obsessed in the last couple of years, and as far as I can see there is no sign of this trend going away anytime soon. So that begs the question....what is the best way to create gorgeous, unique, and crisp borders?

 Punches are handy, and can create delicate sharp cuts from small strips of paper, best used for thinner papers. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are readily available at all craft stores and direct order companies. Punches can also be costly and require a fair amount of storage space.

 Cricut Cut borders can be cut in various lengths and widths, many cartridges offer a wide variety of borders. While size and papers are much less limited, it does take a bit more paper, and a bit of planning to create a border cut with the Cricut.

While I do own several border punches, once I discovered the virtually unlimited border options with my cricut, I have been hooked! It is so much more cost effective, and if I cut a whole sheet of borders, I always have a stash of pretty and crisply cut borders on hand. I cut them in my most used colors and have my favorites saved on my gypsy. All of the above borders were cut using the damask decor cartridge.

You can save the negative sections of some border cuts to use as confetti or little decorative touches. No matter what you choose, punches or the Cricut, borders are a fabulous addition to your projects. Have fun with these little paper delights!

Happy creating~

The faces of Summer

Summers are busy, beautiful, and frankly over way too quickly.I will be heading back to my home in Florida in 2 weeks and I will miss our little cottage and the nonstop activity of our work schedule and buzzing house full of people. Here area few snapshots of our summer days. One of my giant and heavenly perfumed lavender plants!

We enjoy a number of animals that visit our property all summer long- we even had a black bear hanging out in our barn......I named him destructo the bear! :)

I should have taken a few shots of the guys taking turns on the tractor cutting the grass...there is a lot of it!

This sweet baby bird landed on the deck railing during his first flight, and was there for quite a while before he had the strength and courage to fly off again, what a special treat for me!

Oh how gorgeous some of our work locations are! We spent the day dreaming of being on the water, but had to work instead. I will say it was a stunning view!

The Fowler gang having a little fun while manning a light up toy booth at the fireworks show, From left to right is Meagan, Chella, Me, and David

No summer is complete without fireworks!

Fowler's famous cinnamon Candy apples...... I wrapped more than a few of these this summer!

and I made more than a few of these this summer too!

I feel pretty lucky to be able to work with my hubby and our girls, and we have the best crew of all time!

Kevin being a wee bit goofy,  {OK maybe just a bit more than usual!}

Smores by the campfire! that's what summer is all about!

A silly string war, oh yeah that was seriously fun, and the perfect ending to a weekend of hard work!

Chelsea, Kevin, Nate, Meagan, Ralphie, David, Drew

Bite size brownies, um...those lasted for about 3 minutes! :)

The best thing about our "always on the go" summer, is that there is always so much to see, always a new chance to find joy and beauty in our surroundings, we may be busy, but not so busy that we don't stop to embrace the little things that make life so worth living. Family, friends, smiles, and a little time off make it all worth while.

What has your summer been full of?