Random thoughts of a Confessed Stamp-A-Holic

well.....

so the week hiatus turned into almost a month :/  Turns out I had an unexpected gallbladder removal about 2 weeks ago.  The actual recovery took about a week and then it's been about another week to get back to "life".  Things have been a little crazy and sadly the blog (and stamping) have gotten the back burner.  *sigh* but it's slowly getting back to "normal" so I should have plenty to share soon enough :)

I finally "forced" myself to get down into the stamp room and make the thank you cards for Elizabeth's birthday party (eeek!  which was a full month ago-shame on me!!!!).  I made them SUPER simple so I could get them done fast!  It was hard (for me) to leave them quite so "plain" but I figured getting them out was more important than getting them embellished.  I did have to add just a teeny tiny bit of glitter in the flower centers, I couldn't let them go without *any* bling!!!  

materials used: bold blossom, much appreciated stamps (SU); plum pudding-ink, paper, polka dot ribbon (PTI); stamper's select white (PTI); spring moss ink (PTI); tiara stickles

If you are looking at this on my actual blog page (or if you're on reader, come on over!) you might have noticed I added a few new buttons to the sidebar.  Come on over and find me on Facebook and Twitter!  I'm still working on setting up the YouTube channel but you can still head over to follow it anyway.  Speaking of YouTube.......are there any types of things that YOU would like to see me do??  Techniques?  Tutorials? Product showcases?  Let me know, I'm always up for suggestions!  Thanks!!

As always, thanks for stopping by today!!  Have a great one :)

Birthday Princess

Yesterday was the little lady's 5th birthday (yikes how did *that* happen?!?!?!??!)  She's been lucky enough to spend every birthday in Disney World so far and since she was three she's been to the Bippity Boppity Boutique for a princess makeover for her birthday as well.  So it was only fitting that I make her a princess birthday card :)  Now truly I should have made this card in red since that's Elizabeth's favorite color but I thought a pink princess was just too cute.....she'll just have to deal *wink*  

materials used: pretty princess (SU); pretty in pink cs (SU); stamper's select white (PTI); dp (unknown); tuxedo black (memento); copics; spica glitter pen; paper frills (doodlebug); white gel pen; nestabilities; sheer polka dot ribbon (may arts)

Today is the last day in Disney *sigh* The last day is always such a sad day.  Then to begin the long drive home........

Thanks for stopping by today!!  Have a wonderful weekend :)

Winter Wishes

Normally I make one style card to send out for my Christmas cards.  This year however I ended up making two different cards since my cards were on the religious side and I send to quite a few families that don't celebrate Christmas.  Enter this pretty :)  This card is pretty much a CASE of the holiday card that I received from my friend Kate.  I changed up the colors and added the snowflake but other than that it's pretty close to hers-hope she doesn't mind *wink*  I coated the snowflake in snow glitter-it's SO pretty IRL. I added lots of stickles to the mittens too.....this baby shines!

materials used: a cute Christmas (SU); rich razzleberry, baja breeze, pink pirouette cs (SU); xpress blending paper; tuxedo black (memento); rich razzleberry ink (SU); nestabilities; pink ric rac (american crafts); snowflake die (spellbinders); stickles; rhinestones (SU); polka dot embossing folder (provocraft)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful day :)

Hostess Gifts

Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE my hostess club gals?????  Oh I have...silly me.....well let me tell you *yet* again how much I adore these women.  We have had just about the same group of ladies since I was preggo with Elizabeth.  They are a fun group of ladies that I am proud to call friends.  So this year for Christmas I made my friends some presents :)  I got these awesome unfinished wood perpetual calendars and thought they would make THE best little present!  I asked each lady for her favorite color combo and I LOVE that each calendar is different.   I used a little watered down reinker to paint the wood before adhering the dp onto the calendar.  The reinker acts almost like a stain and I love that I can use that and still have a nice match to my papers.  This was such a fun project to do!  I have a few more calendars that I am dying to jazz up....once I find the time of course.  

Here's a little close up of one of the calendars.  I used the scalloped square to add the dates to the blocks.  Then a little prima flower on each number to just add that bit of "Merry whimsy".  I still need to make one of these babies for me......now to just decide on what colors :)

Big DIsney Marathon weekend coming up!!!!  Half marathon is tomorrow morning and the full is on Sunday :)  Can't wait!!!!  I'll be walking the half with my sister and my DH will be running both events!  hoping the weather is better than last year (it sleeted-in FL- for the full marathon).....I guess anything is better than that right???  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!  Have a wonderful weekend :)

Simple Makeover

Happy New Year!!!!  I hope that you had a wonderful Holiday season and that the new year brings a renewed sense of peace, love and joy to you all!!!!  

As I'm sure occurs at your home, the holidays bring along with it so much craziness!  i have been so swamped with "life" that the blog has had to sit on the back burner for a while.  Sadly there just aren't always enough hours in the day to do everything you'd like.....But I'm back today with a super simple Simple Sunday project.  I think this took me longer to gather my supplies than to actually make.  And I am SO happy with the end result :)

I got this fabulous Mom Agenda desk planner for Christmas and while it is such a pretty color I felt it needed a little touch of personalization.  So I dug out some chocolate chip decor elements and some self adhesive rhinestones and got to work.  The decor elements were a little tricky to get to stick but once I managed to get them on there (with quite a bit of rubbing) they are stuck done really nicely.  I love the look of the chocolate on the tangerine!!!  Then I added just a few rhinestones to bling it up.  I also took a little bit of stickles and put it on with a q-tip and then quickly wiped it off.  What this did was leave just the barest hit of glitter along the edges of the flower with out over powering the flower.  Then a simple run of ribbon along the binding of the cover with a few more rhinestones where the ribbon overlaps.  Then to tie it all in I added some polka dot ribbon to the already existing white ribbon bookmark.  LOVE!

We've got one more day of "vacation" before Elizabeth heads back to school on Monday.  But happily it's only a few days then until we are off to FL for the annual Disney Marathon Weekend!  I'm walking the half with my sister and my husband is running both the half and the full marathons!  I can't wait!!!  It's looking to be a little chilly but no where near as cold as it was last year.  Chilly I can deal with *wink* and honestly anything is better than the snow covered ground were have here in NJ.  As pretty as the snow is, and I really do love it, it just makes all the drivers on the roads go crazy or something.  Just getting around town is enough to make you want to pull your hair out!!  it's crazy!!!!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday and I thank you for hanging around with me!!!!  I've got lots more to share with you so hopefully you'll come back and visit soon!!!  Until then, thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a great one :)

Balloons balloons make me happy

Super simple little birthday card for you today :) really this needs absolutely zero explanations- it's that simple

materials used: crazy for cupcakes (SU); vintage cream cs (PTI); basic black cs (SU); tuxedo black (memento); copics; rich razzleberry ribbon (SU); candy dots (pebbles); spica glitter pen

The chill has finally settled on us here in NJ--perfect timing for us to start our Christmas decorating :)  Normal people would have put up the outdoor lights and decorations last week while we were having 60* weather....but for some crazy reason I enjoy doing it out in the cold (I actually prefer to put them up at night too).  You go outside and freeze your tush off and then come in and have a nice hot mug of cocoa.  Perfect :)  I'm going to try and get the lazy little lady to help me this year.....I can only imagine what the house will look like if she puts up the lights.  Gorgeous I'm sure :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!  Have a wonderful day :)

Hello (again)

Wow!  look at me, two posts in a row.....(enjoy it folks cause it doesn't happen often)  This (so not typical Merry style) card is for the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #176.  This card so could have been included in my Simple Sunday category (well if I had done the challenge on time.....).  I knew I wanted to use some pretty bold flowers when I saw the sketch I just wasn't sure which set I wanted to use.  Then while looking through my stash I stumbled across this set and decided to go for it.  I've had the set for a while now but each time I go to use it I don't actually end up using it.  Not sure why but I just haven't been able to make it work for me.  I love the set and have seen SO many fabulous cards made with it (that's why I own it) but it's never been kind to me.....until this one.  Even though this is not my typical style I love the end result of this card!  The color scheme is this week's Curtain Call colors Act 55-again not normally colors I would put together (don't think I've EVER put chocolate chip and black together before) but it works......well.  Who knows, I might even try another card with this color combo :)  

materials used (all SU unless noted otherwise): awash with flowers; real red, tangerine tango, WW, basic black cs; tuxedo black (memento); copics; hello rub on-chocolate chip; chocolate chip ribbon (american crafts); finial press embossing folder; rhinestones; curly label punch

Thanks so much for stopping by (again) today!!!  Wishing you a wonderful evening :)

I've said it before

but I'll say it again.....I am a slacker!!!!  Things have been crazy here, add to that a cold that seemed to find me (hate when that happens) and my SU hostess club meeting last week and what does that add up to????   A bad blogger :)  I think the saddest part is....I had cards made I just was too lazy...I mean busy to photograph them and post them!  But I'm back and I have some adorable cards to share with you over the next few days so thanks for sticking around with me!!!

I am getting this card in *just* in time (it's due by noon today!!!).  I made this one for the Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge 123.  I normally don't make Christmas/winter cards this early but I had this paper sitting out on my table and it was screaming for me to USE it!!  This is one of those paper packs that I just want to buy a ton of and hoard in my craft room before I can't get any more....cause you know I just might *need* it 10 years from now.  It's just SO cute I need to have a bunch.  (But so far I've only bought one pack---which if you know me is *REALLY* good!)  And speaking of hoarding......you'll notice that cute little felt snowflake isn't currently available.  Nope that's from last year's mini and since I LOVED them I have a few bags stock piled away....but I am really trying to use what I have so here ya go *wink*  I also gave ruffling/scrunching my ribbon a shot on this card.  Not sure I am super pleased with the final result but I pulled it off and redid it SO many times that even Elizabeth looked at me and said "Ma, it's pretty just leave it!!!".  Now when a four year old tells you that you know you are in trouble :)  

materials used: a cute christmas (SU); baja breeze, blushing bride, real red cs (SU); candy cane christmas dp (SU); blending paper (xpress); tuxedo black (memento); copics; rock candy stickles (ranger); red satin ribon (PTI); felt flurry (SU); rhinestone (SU); oval, scallop oval punches (SU); candy dots (pebbles)

I'm working on finalizing my holiday cards for this year.  My goal is always to get them out the day after Thanksgiving but the last two years I haven't quite made that goal.  Hopefully if I start planning now I can do it in time!  My problem always though is that I start with a basic SIMPLE card design and as I keep playing with them and working on them the design gets more and more complicated and involved.  And when you are making over 100, involved and complicated isn't really what you want to do......eh we'll see if I can pull off simple this year!

Thanks SO much for stopping by today even though I have been a bad blogger and neglecting you!!!  I hope you have a wonderful day :) 

So outside the box for me.....

This card totally goes outside of my normal comfort zone!  I was gifted this set from Stampin' Up! around the time of the new catalog preorder and am sad to say I think this is only the 2nd time I've used it.  It's such a pretty set.....but it's just not my typical cutsie style.  It's good to stretch the zone every once and while though right?

I saw a card that used this sketch during one of my recent blog catch up sessions and thought it looked interesting.  Again not a design that I would typically do but it works for this image.  I airbrushed this flower using a few different shades of violet and blue to get the soft shades that are typically found in a hydrangea.  Then I gave it a nice spritz of vanilla smooch spritz to shimmer it up nicely.  I added a few of the teeny tiny pearls to a few of the flower centers to complete the beauty.  I think my DH's grandmother will love this card-tomorrow's her birthday :)

materials used: because i care (SU); bordering blue, perfect plum, sahara sand cs (SU); stamper's select white (PTI); tuxedo black (memento); copics; smooch spritz; pearls; nestabilities; silver brads (SU); vintage wallpaper embossing folder (SU)

Back to reality today....we just got home from a quick trip down to Disney World for Halloween.  We LOVE Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and with the little lady starting kindergarten next year we figured this might be our last time to get down there for a while.  But today it's back to school and life as normal until we get to go visit Mickey again in January for the marathon :)  I'm hoping that my mojo has also returned from vacation so I can get back to playing along with all the challenges I enjoy!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hope you have a great day :)

Eat Cake!

Phew, I managed to pull a card together for the Utah DIvas Color Challenge #5.  I have to tell you...these colors were tough to use (yeah I know it's a challenge, it's not supposed to be easy.....) But it was tough to decide which of these pretty strong colors got to have top billing.  This card could look so different just  by switching up the arrangements of the colors.  I did add a teeny tiny pop of daffodil delight, not 100% sure I like it but I thought it needed *something*

Materials used (all SU unless noted otherwise): cute by the inch; certainly celery, pacific point, perfect plum cs; tempting turquoise dp; concord crush ink; brights buttons

Busy day today!  The little lady and I are off to a birthday party this morning and then when we get home we are off to get the little man some big boy shoes :)  He's been walking *everywhere* and hates being carried these days so it's probably time to go get some shoes that are a little sturdier than the robeez he's been wearing.  I can't wait to see him walking around DIsney World when we head down in a few weeks :)  I've got pictures of Elizabeth as a new walker down on Main Street USA so now I'll have some matching pics of her brother too!!  Yay!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a great one :)