Fabulous Baja Soiree

Am I going to a fabulous dinner party in California?
Nope, it would be more than an evening if I were going to Cali, as it is a couple states away, hee hee. ;-)

I'm pretty excited to show you today's project. For ONE thing, it counts towards TWO challenges!!
1 - The WT (Ways to Use It) challenge was to use twine.
2 - This week's sketch challenge

For ANOTHER, I used some fun things I haven't used much/shown you yet!

A bit of an explanation on the title:
Fabulous - used the stamp set Fast & Fabulous (you can earn it free as a Hostess!)
Baja - one of the main colors I used (Baja Breeze)
Soiree - name of the DP I used (Elegant Soiree)

Okay, I know you're dyin' to see what I came up with.  Personally, I think it looks better IRL...and I love how it could be used for many different occasions. :)

Here's the sketch I followed:

I originally didn't have the kraft layer all around the white base, and then the layers looked more true to sketch, but the kraft matting around the main image stood out too much, so I added the other...I guess I have quite a few layers on here, but at least it follows the sketch! lol

Well, what do you think?

The Small Print (All Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Fast & Fabulous
Ink: Stazon Brown, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzaz
Paper: Elegant Soiree
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Kraft, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Aquapainter, Chantilly lace, Linen thread, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

It's Your Birthday!

I had these great plans for today...most of which included making a TON of cards.  Ha! Apparently that only happens in my dreamworld, where life doesn't interrupt. ;-) I *DID* finally get a chance to make one card, at least.

One of my cardmaking goals this year includes using up my stashes (remember, I'm a paper hoarder).  Here's a card that uses up some of that retired paper (Good Morning Sunshine).
A bit brighter than my normal taste...but that's ok, right?

I set out to make a masculine card, but after I finished it, I realized it could work for anyone! :)

Well, what do you think?  Honestly, it's not my fave...but I had forces working against me today, so I'm just glad I was even able to create something! lol

The Small Print (All Stampin' Up)
Stamps: It's Your Birthday
Ink: Pacific Point
Paper: Good Morning Sunshine
Cardstock: Pacific Point, Old Olive, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Accessories: Star punches, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Occasions Mini LIVE!

Shooooooot, I thought I'd be able to stamp today. :-(
Well, I DID get lots more cleaning and laundry done, and recess duty at my daughter's school...so I DID get something done. ;-)  Good news is that I've got so much done, that I *should* be able to stamp tomorrow!

I DO have something to show you...

It's a new year and and time for a brand new mini catalog - yay - lots of yummy stuff in there!!

I've updated my blog, and there are several ways you can view it:

Click on the pic to your left, or see RH sidebar, or go to my Stampin' Up Catalog tab (at top)...they'll all bring you to the same place. :)

Click HERE to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online, Anytime!



Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

So Long, Farewell...

Auf Wiedersehen, Good night...Good bye, Good bye, Good bye....
Yes, I love that movie. ;-)

Today's post has to be a quick one, because I wasted all my "alone time" (both girls at school right now), running to the PO, grocery store, and a couple other places. :-(  I am seriously sad about this, because if I was at home during the 2 hours my daughter was at Pre-K, I could've made a card, took a pic, uploaded, edited, watermarked, blogged about, and copied to SCS and SC! (yup, it can take some time!)

However, now that I only have an hour left, I've decided I'd better do some bookwork (I'd rather stamp, lol).

Here's another thing that makes me sad, and the reason for writing this post:


It's ALL GONE!!! (sniff, sniff)

I found my favorite Holiday creamer this year, and I'm sure wish I had bought more than one bottle...just so I could taste the goodness for that much longer! At least it lasted me the whole "season"....but it'd better be back next year, lol! :)

You know, there are two ways of looking at this post today...and even though I'm obviously sad about a few things, I'm choosing to look at the glass half full. :)

1) Getting stuff done in town sans kiddos, therefore no stamping time today means - I can spend more "real quality" time with the kiddos once they're home, instead of in town running errands with them, or being glued to the computer trying to do all that was listed above. ;-)

2) My fave creamer running out means - it's that much easier to "be good." :)

See now, it's a good thing those things happened, so that my Resolutions meet with success! (see here)

Hope to be back tomorrow with something crafty!
Aacck!  Only 25 minutes left for bookwork now! 
Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Resolutions...

With the year coming to a close, I've been in a reflective mood.  Looking ahead to 2011, I contemplated what changes I'd like to make in my life.

The list got pretty long.
Either I'm pretty hard on myself, or I have A LOT to work on, lol! :)

Though all of this has been going on in my head, today's "Free For All Friday" challenge at SCS was to make a card based on one of your resolutions - it gave me the push I needed to post something. :)

Here are some bits and pieces...in no particular order.

Be a better mom. That's a loaded generic statement. ;-)  There are many ways I'd like to improve, but a big one is this: I get so focused on what it is that I'm trying to accomplish at the moment, that sometimes I tend to do the "uh huh" nod my head thing and not truly pay attention. I know I'm not the only one out there, right?

Be a better wife.  I resolve to be more selfless. My hubby is SO good at this.

Be a better homemaker. Yup, that means doing better at planning meals (that is the root of making good meals. I can cook, no problem. I need to PLAN.)  Better housecleaning - once upon a time, I followed a system that worked really well, but I got lax. Time to pick that up again.

Be a better friend.  Take more time and foster relationships. I get so busy (and stressed) over all that's going on, that I don't shove that aside and just invite anyways - the house doesn't need to be perfect to have someone over for coffee, right? ;-)

Be a better blogger/stamper. This means being more consistent! (thought you might like that one - wink)  It also means that I'd like to use up my stashes, and stamp more often - including taking part in challenges frequently again! This also means following God's prompting when I feel the push to send someone a card. :)

Be a better PERSON. This means better time management & less being late, better diet/exercise, and most importantly, this means making more time for devotions and plugging into God's Word.

Sometimes I look at this list and think "How on earth will I have time for ALL of this??"  Well, it all needs to start with the last one.  Taking more time studying God's Word - it is the best instruction book there is, right?  :)

That's it in a {small} nutshell. ;-)

So, you're wondering how in the WORLD will she make all this into a card?  I thought the same thing, lol!  But then I realized something...
Most all of my resolutions are based on bettering relationships with all whom I love.

LOVE....HEARTS...hmmm...oh!  I just thought of another challenge I could use!  Thursday's "Ways To Use It" challenge was to use silver!

After gazing at a few of my 'heart' stamp sets and drinking some creamerized coffee, the idea came to me.  A clean and simple (my fave kind!) card using hearts and silver.

Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to capture embossed silver on cards??  Ugh.  I won't tell you how many different angles I took the pic from. ;-)

Here's a closeup of the embossing:

I may just keep this card setting up to remind me of my resolutions:

Keep your life clean & simple, and remember to foster the relationships, Crystal. :)

Wellllll.....what do you think?  Do you have any resolutions you'd like to share?

The Small Print (All Stampin Up)

Stamps: Love You Much

Cardstock: Whisper White

Ink: Encore Silver

Accessories: Silver EP, Heat tool, Paper snips, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! :)

Crystal

Birthday/Christmas Thanks

So, I have to be honest with you.
Yesterday's post came pretty easily to me...and I'll tell ya why. ;-)

You see, I had made up some thank you cards to send for my Birthday/Christmas gifts (remember, my b'day was the 21st).  A clean and simple card that looked nice, that I could make multiples of, without spending a ton of time on.

When the CAS challenge came and I saw the colors included, I knew I could make a card for the challenge, just by changing a few things from my original design. So that's what I did. Essentially, they're the same card...but not. lol! :)

Here's the card I originally made for thank yous (aka my inspiration for yesterday's card):

A great little thank you!  A 4.25" square card, one layer, generation stamping, and a simple sentiment.

Well, what do you think?

The Small Print (All Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Watercolor Trio, Warmest Regards
Ink: Pear Pizazz, Basic Black
Cardstock: Whisper White
Technique: Generation Stamping

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Wild & Krafty Thanks

Okay, so it's not exactly "wild," but there IS a reason I named this post as such.  I took part in a CAS (Clean & Simple) challenge on SCS, and the challenge (not only to be CAS) was to follow a specific color palette:

Wild Wasabi
Kraft (Crumb Cake)
Chocolate Chip
White

Are you ready to see what I came up with?  ok. :)

To me, it feels like something's missing on this 4.25" square card...what do YOU think?

The Small Print (all Stampin Up)
Stamps: Watercolor Trio, Warmest Regards
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: Dimensionals (of course - wink)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal