Hey y’all!

It’s that time again! I’m so excited to share with you on the first day of theWaltzingmouse Stamps September Release!

Every time I see what Claire has come up with, I’m just taken back with excitement. Well this month is absolutely no exception… Prepare to be wowed with all of the delicious images that Claire has come up with for this release. We will be sharing a total of SIX new sets with you, so be ready for lots of creative eye candy!…

Here are the six sets that are being released at WMS this month:

• Seasonal Remedies,
• Nordic Winter,
• 2011 Holiday Ornaments,
• Santa’s Coming to Town,
• Candy Jar Christmas, and 
• Candy Jar Christmas Fillers

Today’s projects feature Seasonal Remedies… a holiday rendition on Rescue Remedies (which was an early favorite of mine).

There are so, so, so many gorgeous images in this set, I truly wish I could have spent more time stamping with them. I haven’t had much energy these days and it kills me because this release is just to die for!

This set in particular is what I would consider a timeless treasure. It’s beautiful, but also so incredibly functional. Can you imagine how many unique tags you could make with this for the holidays? I love it!

Be sure to spend some time at the rest of the Design Team’s blogs… I know they will have some beautiful projects to showcase this awesome stamp set! I can’t wait to hop along myself.

Anya Schrier
Becca Feekan
Julia Aston
Belinda Chang Langner
Jennifer Holmes
Kate Whelan
Kelly Schirmer 
Laurie Schmidlin 
Lynn Mercurio
Mona Pendleton
Niki Estes
Sandie Dunne
Tosha Leyendekker
Claire Brennan (Owner)

Xoxo,

p.s.,

THANK YOU ALL so very much for all of your well wishes and prayers! Hubby and I sat and read your comments together yesterday evening and were brought to tears! Ok… I was the only one getting weepy, but he was full of smiles. We appreciate your support more than you know! Muah!

…haha!

I saw this and almost fell out of my chair!

Well it’s true! We’re expecting baby #3!

It’s still very early, and we don’t know the sex of the baby yet, but I’ll be sure to fill you all in when we do… We don’t usually wait to be surprised, so I don’t think we’ll do it this time either.

How did we find out? Well… Remember that little diet I was going on a few weeks ago? Well, I actually stopped doing it after almost a week because it was just making me sick to my stomach. Blegh! Literally! I couldn’t stand the site of ground meat because I had a couple of meals with ground turkey, and it totally turned my stomach. So I stopped…

But I didn’t stop getting sick. Ruh roh. What’s going on here? Ha! Well, it didn’t take long after that to figure out that these symptoms I was experiencing were quite familiar… a little too familiar. Lol!

So after a misread (duh…) home pregnancy test and a little trip to the doctor we got confirmation!

Everyone’s excited… even the kiddos. Sydney especially. My little sweet pea. I love her so. Supey (who will be 4 next month) seems happy about it, but he’s gone into full-on cling-on mode! Lol… He’s all over me whenever he can be. In fact, when I woke him up this morning the first words out of his mouth were, “Is that baby still in your stomach?” Lol… “What, sweety?” I asked… he barely had his eyes open! “Is that baby still in your stomach?” Ha! “Yes, yes it is…” And of course he replied with his favorite word, “Whyyyyyy?”  *sigh* Bless his heart. Come to find out, he and daddy were up last night praying for Mommy to feel better. Hubby’s been an ab-so-lute treasure so far…. I can’t thank him enough for being so supportive and caring since we’ve learned of the pregnancy. He knows more than anyone what I go through when pregnant, and it was as if his gentle loving kindness just instantly began pouring out more than ever… Seriously he’s a gem. Love him.

Being pregnant is always exciting for us, but boy has it always been a physical battle. I seem to get some of the worse symptoms one can get while expecting… sick a lot. It’s why you haven’t seen anything on my blog in a while, lol, and it’s why I’m behind on lots of stuff right now. Ack! So, we’re pressing our faith and really praying for an easier pregnancy this time around, for everyone’s sake, lol!

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to document what’s going on with me in the Journal section of my blog mostly (no longer reserved for my dieting adventures, lol!), and a bit here as well. Thanks again to my friends and family for your loving support thus far, I totally need it! Lol!

Ok y’all… I’m off to take a nap! Thanks for letting me share with ya!

Xoxo,

Hey y’all!

Happy World Card Making Day!…

and Happy TCM Release Day!…

The Craft’s Meow has 5 new sets debuting today! Check them out:

-  As We Gather Together
-  Happy Fall
-  Apple Pickin’ Time
–  Fruity for You
-  Fall Fun

I love the patchwork pear in this set,so I paper-pieced one with different sections that I stamped in various colors and cut them out. And how cute is that little fence and grass? Adds to the cozy country feel of this card, I think. Super sweet.

This next card features As We Gather Together and Happy Fall, two very sweet Fall themed sets. I love leaves… Fall leaves, I mean, lol. There’s something so fun, playful, and pretty about them. The idea of falling leaves is relaxing to me in a way, and such a well-known symbol for Fall.

So I decided to incorporate some of that into my card here. As We Gather Together has some beautiful images in it, but it’s also full of some great Autumn sentiments. So I chose to highlight one of the many sentiments here by stamping it repeatedly in a row.

Isn’t that fun? I have more to stamp today, after all it’s World Card Making Day, right?! But first I have two birthday parties to attend. I can’t wait to sit down and get craft with the rest of y’all later on, though!

Ok, up next in the TCM Release blog hop is miss Viola Mahr! If you haven’t seen the other hoppers yet, be sure to swing by The Craft’s Meow Blog for the entire list, and a chance at some fab prizes!!!

Before I go – there’s more great news!

ALL CARD KITS IN THE CRAFT’S MEOW SHOPPE ARE 35% OFF!

That includes my Butterfly Kisses Card Kit:

And my Fly Free Card Kit:

Stamp sets are included! And prices are already marked down… so hurry, hurry because once they’re gone, they’re gone!

Also, I still have some cards for sale over in my Shoppe…. including the ones I posted today! See my Shoppe page for more details on how to purchase!

Ok y’all! Have a FABULOUS World Card Making Day!

Xoxo,

Hi everyone! Happy Friday!

Today I have a simple little card to share with you for the new Embellish Color Trends Challenge…

For this challenge, our focus is on circles, and the first thing that came to mind for me was to create a wreath. Here’s the color board:

I’ve been so excited about the Fall season, and I imagine I’m not alone. I began a little inspiration board on Pinterest, and this little jewel is what got me going…

(Source - Fall Inspiration Pinterest Board)

Isn’t that the most beautiful pie ever? I’m in love with the layers of neutral color and all of the texture it lends itself to, so I tried the same technique on my wreath here.

I really like how it turned out, and it was so easy! This can be used on Christmas cards, too. and how gorgeous would this be with some sugary glitter sprinkled over it?! I can’t wait to make more.

Here you can see how I die cut a ring of card stock using my Nesties, and then adhered a bunch of punched leaves on top of it in layers.

I swiped the edges of my card with a little ink, just to shabby it up a teensy bit, lol… and then I added a sentiment which is really a sneak peek of a gorgeous stamp set that’s being released tomorrow over at The Craft’s Meow (ssshhhhh!)

I know it’s a super CAS card, but I really had fun making it. I’m afraid my photos don’t quite do it justice, either. I couldn’t get my lighting to behave with my stark white card. Anyhoo!

If you’re interested in joining in on this challenge, enter your project using the InLinkz tool below. Also, be sure to head over to the Embellish blog to see what the rest of the designers have created to inspire you.

And before I move into my Shoppe Announcement, I wanted to share this hilarious photo of little Sie out on the soccer field last weekend… lol! I have no idea what he was doing, but it cracks me up. I don’t know if he was just that intent on getting to the ball (as opposed to his opponent in the background, lol!) or maybe he just had some grass in his mouth or something… lol.

Now for the Shoppe Update…

I’ve accumulated an unacceptable number of cards in my stash over the last few months, and I think it’s time to clean house. So I’m putting up lots of cards in my Shoppe (click link at the top of my blog) for you to purchase, if you’d like. I know I’ll be making tons of holiday cards in the coming months, and I really need the space for all of them… so this is my first step.

*Cards for Sale*

Click link above for details on how to purchase.

Alrighty… that’s all from me today!

See y’all tomorrow for World Card Making Day!

Hey y’all!

I know I’ve been quite absent lately, and I apologize for that! Time is getting the best of me these days, but I have something super special to share with you to make up for it…

As you may know, we celebrated my daughter’s 8th birthday this past weekend, and we had a BLAST! But I wanted to create something special for her to have in the days leading up to her birthday…

Check out the full project and how I created it over at the Crate blog.

I can’t wait to make another for her next year! I think my 3 yr old son would enjoy this as well! (He turns 4 in November!)

Ok, I’m in and out, as I have lots of yucky school work to get done…. But I’ll be back tomorrow with a project for the newest Embellish Color Trends challenge.

Thanks for popping by again!

p.s.,
I’m waiting to get the photos of Syd’s birthday party back from the photographer (ahem… my dad, lol!), but just as soon as I get them I’ll be sharing a bit more about the festivities!  

p.p.s.,
Have you seen the fun sneak peeks over at The Craft’s Meow? They have some fun fall sets getting ready to release!

Hey y’all!

I thought I’d pop in with a bit of catching up from the week. It has been a busy one, and so I thought I’d share some of what’s been going on…

I’ll get right to it!

First, a card that I made when I was feeling a huge rush of excitement for the Fall season. Does that ever happen to you? I felt like a little kid, and the thought of cool weather, crispy leaves and yummy heart-warming recipes just made me giddy!

So I created this card with a color palette that I think I’ll be utilizing quite a bit this season. I love pink and blue thrown in with the oranges and neutrals of the fall… it’s such a fresh surprise, isn’t it?

The stamps are all from PTi. I have had them for a while, but hadn’t had a chance to play much until this week. I went ahead and created a little color board for my future reference. I keep all of my color inspirations like these on this Pinterest board, if you want to see the rest.

Up next, I have a card for my Sydney…

My baby girl will be eight tomorrow. *insert weapy Mommy tears* I created this card for that last Paper Crafts call – the focus was on numbers and letters… I thought of Sydney and really wanted to make something she’d like. I knew if it got picked up I could easily recreate another for her, but it turns out I don’t have to, lol! Hey, less work for me, right? *wink*

The papers that I used here are from Echo Park’s Victoria Garden. A dear friend blessed me with some of her stash, and I am SO in love with these! I used Waltzingmouse’s Say It Loud set for the “birthday” part of the sentiment. Isn’t it perrty? That number die is from PTI.

I went ahead and made a color board for this one, too. I can see myself using these colors a *lot* this Spring.

Again – you can find these color boards and others on my Pinterest board here.

And this week, I also embarked on a first for me.

My first ever…. diet. *cringe*

I have always felt such a negative connotation with that word, but my friend Michelle told me to look at it more like a lifestyle change, than just a diet. That way I will hold on to the better decision-making habits (as it relates to what I eat and drink) for a lifetime and not just for the period of this diet.

So if you’re interested, it’s called the 17-day diet. You can read all about it here on their website and on their FaceBook page. Miss Ashley introduced me to it, and I’m glad she did. When I took last year off from school to be with my family… well, I gained a lot of quality time, some beautiful memories, and a new love for cooking. And… well… it shows. Lol. I gained about 15-20lbs.

Luckly, I’m 5’9″ so it doesn’t look “as bad” as it would if I were 5’2″, but it still shows. And it’s getting to a point where I’m just not comfortable with myself anymore. But ya know how we always have a plan for how we’re going to break the cycle? But we never follow through, do we? Well I didn’t. I mean I gave up drinking Dr. Pepper for a while, and then I cut back on sweets. But nothing ever lasted, and I’d still revert back to my “eat what I want, when I want” mind frame. It had worked for so long (thanks for the awesome genetics, mom & dad! lol…), but I’m getting closer to 30 every day, and those good genes can only carry me so far.

So when Ash mentioned it, something clicked, and I said, “I’m gonna do that!” And 2 days later (I had to stock up on the right groceries) I was in. Today is day 3 of the diet, and I haven’t cheated! Just 14 more days after this. I won’t go into full detail about the requirements of this diet. It’s nothing outlandish – I don’t have to survive on fish oil and crackers or anything, lol… It’s basically giving up all carbs, sweets, and limiting fruit to the first half of your day, so that you still have time left to burn it off. Dairy is limited, too. You want to keep it as lean as possible… and then after the 17 days are up, the restrictions loosen a bit in phases.

Here are some of the things I’ve been munching on…

 Fresh fruit and yogurt… yea, in the car on the way to work, lol, it’s a bad habit.

 Green salad with tuna, mushrooms, red peppers & a balsamic vinaigrette drizzle.

Going forward, I’ll be keeping tabs on my journey through this 17-day experience, here in the Journal section of my blog. Feel free to pop in and read if you want, but there’s no obligation. I just wanted a separate place to log my feelings and thoughts as I went through this.

Coming up…

Monday, I’ll be sharing all of the ins and outs (well, as much as I can) about Sydney’s big 8th birthday party this weekend! It’s been a big project for me, and I’m hoping it all goes well. (Nervous doesn’t begin to describe me!) I’m doing all of the baking, and there is lots of handmade decor. I made a pinata that I’m most proud of… if you follow me on Twitter or are Face Book friends with me, then you’ve seen sneaks of all of these. So more to come on Monday!

That’s all folks!

Have a good weekend!

Hey y’all! Happy Monday! and

Happy Waltzingmouse Release Day!…

Are you excited about the release? I sure am!… I was just sharing how I’m already listening to Christmas tunes as a result of this release and the cozy holiday stamps that are being debuted.

Today, Waltzingmouse is releasing the following four stamps sets:

• A Cottage Home,
• Say It Loud – Winter Holiday,
• Hocus Pocus, and
• A Cottage Christmas

Today, we are all showcasing A Cottage Christmas for you. This is set is full of sweet, cozy, Christmas goodness! I love the variuos sentiments that provide for cardmaking, as well as gift-making.

First, I have a card for you. I tried to capture the shabby, country, cozy vibe that this set invokes in me, and so I did lots of distressing and glittering.

The detail that Claire included in this little house is just amazing! Check out that lattice work!

And the sweet windows just make me giddy… I love that she added the little piles of snow in them as well.

Before I made this card, I made the first thing that came to mind when I saw this stamp set…

A sweet little handmade ornament. I stamped and colored the cottage twice, and then adhered it to a little chipboard frame that I constructed on a whim… No real template on hand.

Isn’t that the cutest? Who wouldn’t want a little glittery cottage like this to hang from their tree? Granted, I didn’t color it as well as most probably could have, but I tried! *wink* I think the more I practice, the better I’ll get…. it’s beginning to be fun for me in the meantime. Lol…

Here’s a brief peek at how I constructed the frame that is sandwiched between the two cottages:

I’m sure there’s a better way to do it out there somewhere, but I just sort of free-handed it, lol!

Ok, sweeties! That’s all that I have for you today!

Up next in the blog hop is sweet miss Sandie!

If you didn’t start from the beginning, head on over to the Waltzingmouse (Claire’s) Blog so that you don’t miss a stop along the waltz. Be sure to leave comments along the way for a chance to win a Waltzingmouse Stamp set of choice. You have until September 22 to comment on as many of the Design Team blogs as possible because a winner will be selected at that time from one of the Design Team members’ blogs.  The winner will be announced on the 23rd on Claire’s blog.

Good luck! And thanks for all of your love throughout this release!

Happy shopping!

Hey everyone!

I’m back with a quick post to share the third set being released on Monday, September 19 at Waltzingmouse Stamps, Hocus Pocus…

Here is the list of all four sets that are being released this month:

• A Cottage Home,
• Say It Loud – Autumn/Winter,
• Hocus Pocus, and
• A Cottage Christmas 

(source)

(source)

And check out the detailed fence. I’ll be using lots of this stamp this season.

And here’s my card…

I wasn’t quite sure how it would turn out, but I’m glad I went for it. Of course, I like it more before I asked Supey (my 3yr old) to check it out…

Supey: “What’s that?”

Me: “It’s a pumpkin.”

Supey: “That’s not a pumpkin. That’s an acorn.”

Me: *jaw drop*

Supey: “Sorry. It’s a pumpkin.” *runs off*

*sigh* What am I gonna do with him?…

So, here’s a bit about how I made that pumpkin:

I began by die cutting lots of sheets of old book paper using the Spellbinders Heirloom ornament die (which you can grab at WMS, here). Then I trimmed it down as you can see, and then I stitched down the center, to bind it. I did about four sets of 8 page stacks to get my pumpkin.

Once I got my pumpkin assembled, I sprayed on some Elmer’s spray adhesive and doused it with glitter.

When I was done with this card, I went ahead and created some quick and easy goodie tags that show off the spooky sentiments.

Pretty fun, huh?

Well, that’s all I have. Thanks for letting me share with y’all!

Be sure to check out what the other DT members have created with Hocus Pocus.

• Anya Schrier
• Belinda Chang Langner
• Claire Brennan
• Clare Buswell
• Jennifer Holmes
• Julia Aston
• Kate Whelan
• Kelly Schirmer
• Laurie Schmidlin
• Lynn Mercurio
• Niki Estes
• Sandie Dunne
• Tosha Leyendekker

Happy Saturday, everyone!

I’m back with a couple of cards showcasing a new favorite stamp set of mine, which will be released on Monday, September 19 at Waltzingmouse Stamps…

But before I get to that, did you enjoy the samples from yesterday? Weren’t they awesome?! I’m always, always blown away with the amazing ideas that the DT comes up with each release.

We also introduced three new DT members, (Becca, Claire & Kelly), which is always exciting. These girls are super sweet and can make a card like it’s nobody’s business!

But back to the task at hand… Here is the list of all four sets that are being released this month:

• A Cottage Home,
• Say It Loud – Autumn/Winter,
• Hocus Pocus, and
• A Cottage Christmas 

Today, we’re all showcasing Say It Loud – Autumn/Winter. Claire will be continuing on in the series of Say It Loud, which began with this set.

I stamped the sentiment with chalk ink and it came out beautifully! There are so very many combinations of sentiments that can be created with this set. I think I counted a total of 36 sentiment stamps! Claire always knows how to fit so many scrumptious stamps in her sets.

Isn’t that font to die for?! Another thing that I love about this new set is the fact that it expands beyond the typical Christmas season sentiments…

That’s right! It includes many Fall holiday sentiments as well… Clever, huh? You’ll get to see lots of use of the halloween sentiments in this set as some of the DT members are participating in this month’s WMS Blog Waltz… see more about that here.

Both of my cards today feature new Crate Paper products. The first card features the holiday collection, Peppermint, and this second card features the scrumptious-ness that is Farmhouse. Yum. Lots of stickers, delicious chipboard and gorgeous patterns…

Okie dokie artie chokie!

Here are the links to the rest of the DT members’ blogs…

• Anya Schrier
• Becca Feekan
• Claire Brennan
• Clare Buswell
• Jennifer Holmes
• Julia Aston
• Kate Whelan
• Kelly Schirmer
• Laurie Schmidlin
• Mona Pendleton
• Niki Estes
• Sandie Dunne
• *Sarah Martina Parker*
• Tosha Leyendekker

Xoxo,

Hi guys!

Woo hoo! It’s Friday!

How are y’all feeling? I’m feeling pretty good…

I’ve got a bit of motivation under my toosh to get things done, and I definitely need it! Syd’s birthday party is next weekend, so this is my last weekend to really tie up some loose ends. What plans do you have for the weekend?

Well, on a more crafty note, today we have another super fun challenge over at Embellish! We’re featuring any use of paint or mist, and I can tell you that I’m super duper excited about it! I *love* to get messy! Check it out…

 I used paint to alter this piece of Maya Road chipboard which is backing some Crate Paper chipboard (Farmhouse Collection) that I stamped my sentiment on. That sentiment is from this set, and the filigree is from this set over at The Craft’s Meow.

I had this huge urge to splash some mist on my brown card base, but I restrained myself, lol… Sometimes I think less is more, no? I dunno – I think I may have to play with this challenge some more – that teal is just yummy! I love this color combo!

Well be sure to check out what the other ladies on the DT have created for this challenge, and then get in there and get messy! I can’t wait to see what you all create!

*Embellish Blog*
Ashley Cannon Newell
Charlene Austin
Cristina Kowalczyk
Mariana Grigsby
Tina Fussell

Did you know that you can upload your project right here, too? Join us!:

Oh! Before I go…

Last week little Sie had his first soccer game of the season…

I’m excited about the progress he’s made (yes, even as just a 3 year old, lol) since he played in the Spring. I’m hoping he falls in love with this because I’m so afraid for him to play football. I know that’s the craziest thing ever coming from one of the biggest crafting football fans out there, but I can’t stand to see him wear his body down like that sport requires…

Anyhoo… we have a new coach, and we’re adjusting well. He’s super-awesome with the kids, and even does a great prayer before every practice and game called the Sportsman’s Creed… love it. Here it is:

Dear Lord,

We gather here before we play to thank you for your care each day. We ask you for your guidance as we play life’s games, to win with grace and to lose without shame. Make us always unafraid to be, truly athlete’s playing for thee.

Okie doke! I’m outta here folks!

See y’all tomorrow for another fun post with WMS!

Xoxo,