Choose Love

Good Morning! Great Sunday morning to you all! 

Yesterday I ended being an outside girl and helping friends move livestock panels. Didn't get to ride but it was nice to be by the horses. When Mr. Tucker and I are were done with that we team worked the yard work that needed to be done! I did the weed whacking, he mowed! We make a great team! It is suppose to be warmer today so we are more than likely going to the pool!

I have to be honest. I made this card last week one day trying to mix some of the NEW stuff coming out on TUESDAY (that's right I said Tuesday) with stuff that is carrying over. I bought Choose Happiness during our Sale-A-Bration this year and man was I scared when I saw the retired list! But I was lucky! It has carried over!!

When I started this card I just started pulling ink pads to see what looked nice together! What you all may not know is that I used to work in a paint and wall-covering store WAY before kids and Mr. Tucker. So I really do have an eye for color. I chose Sahara Sand Card Stock as my base of this card. The next layer is Lost Lagoon card stock. I then took Whisper White card stock and stamped it in Sahara Sand ink with the Hardwood stamp. You will notice I also used the leaves on the bottom right corner from Choose Happiness, they are stamped in Lost Lagoon. I am a lover of the new In-Colors!! I used the Delightful Dijon to stamp the Choose Happiness flower. Then I busted out the Paper Snips and fussy cut it! I did rub the edges a little with the Sahara Sand just to give it a more aged look! I set this aside. The sentiment is from the new set Friendly Wishes, this was stamped in Lost Lagoon on about an 1.25" strip, then I used the Triple Banner Punch for the left end and also rubbed its edges with Sahara Sand and finished it off with three pearls. I attached it on the right with my tape runner and then fastened the Delightful Dijon flower over the edge of it with Stampin' Dimensionals. I ended up putting random sized pearls too! I am really getting into the layers. So I wrapped the Delightful Dijon Dotted Lace trim around the left side and layered it with the retired Lost Lagoon Silky Taffeta Ribbon and tied a cute little bow!

I absolutely adore this card and I hope you do too!!!

Have a great Sunday!

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Fab Friday 65-To The Birthday Boy!

Hey there!! Happy weekend to you all! Summer break is in full swing and we have already been to the pool 3 times! The weather seems to be starting to cooperate, so now the kids have been able to play outside too! 

Wesley (he is my oldest) turns 9 on Monday and the color challenge over at the Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge Blog inspired a "Boy" Birthday card of sorts! This will be the first time I have entered a card into Fab Friday and I am sooooooo excited!!!

Here are the details...

This great card started with base of Night of Navy card stock. I decided to do my next layer in Hello Honey card stock. I really like the way it pops! I am trying to use up a bunch of my retiring DSP, so I found a scrap of the Hello Honey polka dot pattern from the Flowerpot DSP for my background. The Amazing Birthday set is really great! I stamped the stripe pattern banner in Night of Navy on Whisper White card stock. The sentiment on top of the stripes was made using Hello Honey, Marina Mist and Night of Navy Stampin' Write Markers. Then I used the Banner Framelits Die to cut these out on my Big Shot! I actually stamped this twice and fussy cut the Night of Navy Happy as well as the Hello Honey Happy and adhered them with Stampin' Dimensionals to give it a little more pizzazz! On the right side I used Night of Navy again on the birthday cake circles, and then Marina Mist for the surprise circle. I punched these out using the 1.25 inch Circle punch then adhered them with Stampin' Dimensionals. To top this card off I twisted two strands of the Hello Honey Thick Twine from Sale A Bration strung across the top and then put a simple bow on the banner!

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Hello Dahlia-The Paper Players #246

Hey there and Happy Hump Day!! The kids have have officially been off for a week! We decided to to start utilizing our family pool pass yesterday even if it was only 70 degrees!! I managed to find some crafty time in my stamp room this morning, it was very therapeutic!

I have been trying to go outside of comfort zone lately when it comes to my stamping and crafting... So this week I am going out on a limb and entering my very first The Paper Players Challenge... I really enjoy creating from a sketch! It truly is about ones artistic interpretation! Here is my sparkly take on this lovely sketch!

I started this beauty with a base of Bermuda Bay cardstock. The next layer is Basic Gray a color I haven't really used much,but thinking now I should! For the stripe in the sketch I cut a 3/4" strip in Bermuda Bay the width the Basic Gray layer. I then stamped "Hello There" from its name sake hostess set with Versamark then finished off using the Heat Tool with Stampin' Emboss White! I am so sad to see Regarding Dahlia on the retiring list!! I stamped the Dahlia from Regarding Dahlia with Bermuda Bay Ink then let it dry. Next I covered the stamped surface in Versamark,then sprinkled Heat & Stick and used the Heat Tool to get all nice and sticky! Once it was sticky I sprinkled our Dazzling Diamonds all over! I seriously had not done this since my very first work shop I attended as a customer! To finish this card I used some Pretty Pink Posh sequins in Sparkling Clear, Marshmallow and Charcoal!

Hope you all are having a great week!

Thank You for stopping by to take a look at my creation!

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Can You Case It 71-Farewell In-Colors 2013-2015

Hey there! Happy Memorial Day Weekend to you all!! Being from a family of many military members including being married to a veteran, this holiday is a special one for us!

It has been a really soggy first few days of summer break for the kiddos and the temps have not been very summer like either! I won't complain when it is hot though. That is for sure!

We are in the home stretch to the new catalog! So this weeks challenge is a farewell of sorts to my favorite In-Colors of all times, the 2013-2015 In-Colors! While I am not sure I will miss Pistachio Pudding or Crisp Cantaloupe. I am for sure going to miss Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar and Strawberry Slush! I hope they make a return to the Stampin' Up! color family at some point!

So after spending last Saturday on horseback I decided to let the country girl in me come out on this weeks card!

I started with a base of Baked Brown Sugar card stock with sponged Baked Brown Sugar ink on the edges. My next layer is Coastal Cabana card stock again sponged on the edges with Baked Brown Sugar ink.The Whisper White layer was stamped in Baked Brown Sugar ink with the background stamp I Love Lace then finished with sponging the edges with Baked Brown Sugar. I took one of our cute Tea Lace Doilies and folded a portion of it on the left edge. The Boots are made using Bootiful Occasions. I stamped them on Coastal Cabana with Versamark and then heat embossed them with our Heat Tool in Stampin' Emboss Gold. I used my dies from Dies By Dave to cut the boots out with my Big Shot and Magnetic base! I adhered these to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. Every great card needs a sentiment on the front... So I dug out "Boots, class and a lil sass." from a Unity set I got as gift. I accented this banner with the retired Baked Brown Sugar ruffle trim then adhered it with Dimensionals as well!

I hope you all have a great three day weekend! I can't wait to see how you all say goodbye to these great colors on Can You Case It!!

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Can You Case it #70 May Flowers Challenge

I know, I know I am late!! But life sometimes gets in the way of my craftiness! Having a child with ADHD has proved to be a challenge!! So on Saturday I chose to spend time on my horse instead of in the craft room!!! Riding always has a way of keeping my life in perspective. However, I have a BAD sunburn, chapped lips and sore legs!!!

So I whipped up this simple little cutie on Sunday morning! A happy little pocket card made using the Mini Treat Bag!

I started this card using the Mini Treat Bag Thinlit Die with Brushed Gold Card Stock to make my pocket. I embellished the outside using a strip of Gold Soiree DSP cut at 1.25" to create a belly band of sorts. I then used the Pansy Punch and made these lovely flowers using the I Love Lace background stamp that had been heat embossed in Gold and adhered them using the Stampin' Dimensionals. The center of these flowers were created using the large pearls from the Artisan Embellishment Kit. The little Hello banner I made using Pear Pizzazz ink from the Perfect Pennants stamp set. I actually was too lazy to break out the framelits so I fussy cut it out with our awesome Paper Snips and also adhered it with Stampin' Dimensionals!

Now for the inside! I simply cut at 3.75" X 5" piece of Brushed Gold card stock to fit inside the Mini Treat Bag! I then did a matted layer in Very Vanilla. I stamped this layer with the flower from Butterfly Basics in Memento Tuxedo Black and used my Stampin' Write Markers in Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride to color the flower. The center of the flower was actually colored in Gold Wink of Stella! The sentiment also from Butterfly Basics was stamped in Pear Pizzazz. I made the cute top by using the Vintage/Retired Round Tab Punch (wish they would just bring this back). I then punched a hole in it to embellish with 1/4" Cotton Ribbon and Venetian Crochet Trim!

Thank you all for stopping by! Don't forget to enter your cards into the May Flowers challenge on Can You Case it!

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OSAT Blog Hop Monochromatic May

Hey there and welcome to another hop with all my One Stamp At A Time friends!! Wasn't Justin's cards amazing! I am so completely honored he chose me to be on his design team for Can You Case It. 

I am not going to lie I whipped these cuties up in the last three days! Life has been totally crazy with school wrapping up! Field Trips, Assemblies, Volunteer Luncheon!!! I get tired just thinking about all of it, and to think that next year I could be making favors for a lot of these events is great!

This month's theme for our hop is Monochromatic! I had to use one of my favorite retiring colors Coastal Cabana and its darker friend Bermuda Bay! I hope you enjoy it!

I have to be honest, while the card stock and ribbon embellishments on the card are all Stampin' Up!, the stamps are from a set by Unity Stamp Company called Bright, Happy You.

The base of this card is Bermuda Bay. I then did a quick layer of Coastal Cabana to keep the monochromatic thing going. The lovely rose from the  was stamped in Coastal Cabana. I then stamped the sentiment in Bermuda Bay. The bow on the right was made using the Coastal Cabana Thick Bakers Twine and Bermuda Bay Bakers Twine with little vintage Ruffle Trim in Coastal Cabana to spruce it up a bit. I can thank Mr. Krieger for my new found addiction to Pretty Pink Posh sequins seen here in Sparkling Clear and Marshmallow...

These little paper totes are "Totes"adorable!! I will be honest at first I was like ehhhh. But the more I saw (like fellow hopper Maggie Mata's Chanel one) the more I started to love them! In fact I love them so much that this is my 8th one I have made in the last week! You can get a great tutorial for these on Crafty Hallett. 

The Body of the purse was made using the 2013-2015 In-Color DSP in Coastal Cabana, then trimmed with Bermuda Bay with a cute little "stitch" made with a white gel pen. I again used the vintage Ruffle Trim in Coastal Cabana to give it a little foof  if you know what I mean. I accented the handles in some vintage Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbon and fastened them with some white brads. The flower was made using the NEW (Not available until June 2nd) Stampin' Up! Cotton Paper in Bermuda Bay. I punched about 7 out using the Pansy Punch. I then fastened them together with the retired jumbo brad in White... 

The two little note cards are 4 x 4. I tried to make them coordinate with the main card without being the same. I use the rose stamp again in Coastal Cabana ink and accented it with more Pretty Pink Posh sequins. I then used sentiments from the retired set Loving Thoughts. I also made some cute little coordinating envelopes using our Envelope Punch Board.

I hope I didn't bore you with all the details!! I can't for you all to see what Elizabeth has for you!! She is next!

If you get lost or would like to skip to someone else, here is the order of the hop!

Eva Bussom

Justin Krieger

Me!!!!

Elizabeth Jeanne 

Debbie Williams

Maggie Mata

James Weber

Wynne Grob

Tina Riddle

Megan Thompson

Martie Hillyer (Pollard)

Holly Stene

Lori Schaefer Mueller

Diane Squires

Darla Roberts

Can You Case It #69 Sketch Challenge

Happy Mother's Day (for real this time)!!! I was lucky enough to share whatever bug is going around the kids school this week. The kids even shared with Mr. Tucker. Needless to say even while typing up this post we are still suffering the side effects. I even ended up cancelling the craft fair!

I was super excited to get my Sneak Peak order in on May 5th. I had a clear concise plan! I am so excited about our new In Colors!! When I realized I would have my shipment before my design team deadline my crafty brain went into high gear! This weeks Can You Case It sketch challenge really has endless possibilities!!

I can't tell you how fast this little gem came together because you won't believe me! The base of the card is in SU! NEW In-Color Collection 2015-2017 color Watermelon Wonder. The second layer is also from the NEW In-Colors it is called Cucumber Crush. Now my third layers is from a new 6 x 6 DSP Stack called Cherry On Top. I also made the little banner on the left with paper from this stack using the NEW Triple Banner Punch. The Love You sentiment is also NEW it is from a set called Friendly Wishes stamped in another NEW In Color called Tip Top Taupe on Whisper White Card Stock... I am totally going to abuse this color!! Now for the flower! You are going to love our new Cotton Paper! I simply punched 6-8, 1 3/4" Scallop Circles, stacked them and fastened them together with a simple brad. I then scrunched the Watermelon Wonder Cotton paper to make a lush little flower. How can a girl be on Justin Krieger's design team and not use some Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins...

Seriously 20 minutes flat, and this card was done! 

All items used will be available in the 2015-2016 Annual Catalog on June 2nd, 2015

Stampin' Up! Items Used

• **Watermelon Wonder 8.5 x 11 Card Stock  Item #138334 
• **Cucumber Crush 8.5 x 11 Card Stock Item #138335
• **Cherry On Top DSP Paper Stack 6 x 6 Item #138442
• **Tip Top Taupe Classic Ink Pad Item #138325
• **Cotton Paper Assortment Item #138308
• **Triple Banner Punch Item #138292

**All the Above Items are not available for purchase until June 2nd!!!

• 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Item #119854 Available now!

Elegant Butterfly

Happy Monday!!! Once the kiddies are off to school I get 3 hours of happiness until I have to pick up the youngest from preschool! I have to be honest, I have been meaning to blog this card for about a week! Somehow being an adult got in the way! I really do need a cleaning fairy! So recently I was reorganizing my Stampin' Up! card stock into color families, I realized I had hardly had ANY of the Regals!!! So this girl used her rewards from Sale-A-Bration to replenish my Regals card stock stash!!

The card started with a standard A2 base landscape style in Always Artichoke card stock. I then did a lovely matte in Crumb Cake card stock. My Very Vanilla card stock was stamped using the Butterfly Basics stamp set. The dashes and net were both stamped in Crumb Cake to coordinate with the matte, and the fern was stamped in Always Artichoke to coordinate with base. I also decided to stamp the postage stamp from this set in the top right corner in Elegant Eggplant and the the sentiment I stamped in Versamark and used Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder with Heat Tool to give it a little sparkle. I knew I wanted to give this card a really cool embellishment. The Elegant Eggplant die cut butterfly from the Butterfly Thinlits was just not enough so I layered the Sahara Sand Lace, Natural Trim Ribbon and did a really pretty four loop bow to finish it off on the left. 

Hope You are having a great start to your week!

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CYCI 68 Sketch Challenge

Happy Sunday! This week has really been a blur! With our school year winding down there seems to be more Parent participation type things, and with 3 kiddo's it can kind of be crazy... 

I'll be honest, when I first learned about Stampin' Up! I was in to loud, bright colors Melon Mambo was one of my first colors to purchase in a regular sized ink pad (they had spots still when I started out).

This weeks Sketch Challenge on Can You Case It? really had me kind of stumped! I decided to return to my loud bright color ways!!

I started with a standard A2 Base in Melon Mambo Card stock. I then matted the Whisper White Stamped with Positively Chevron in Pear Pizzazz with Basic Black. I then stamped the flowers from Flower Shop in Memento Tuxedo Black, Pear Pizzazz and Melon Mambo and Punched them out using the Pansy Punch. I added the Rhinestone Basic Jewels for some sparkle. Initially I was going to use ribbon but decided to use some of the washi tape from the Stacked With Love set. Last but of course not least, I cut out the word Love from my retired Expressions Thinlits... Every great card needs to have a sentiment!

Thank You all for stopping by! Can't wait to see what you all do with this weeks sketch!!

Have a great week!

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