Sping Cleaning!

It's that time of year...spring cleaning! I started it a few weeks ago but was halted by some things like husband studying for tests, weekend visitors, a vacation and most recently...norovirus! *sigh* Both GQ and the husband seem to be getting better and I think I can get back to my house cleaning and organizing.

I don't have big plans to do a big household de-clutter and organization, I've been trying to do it day to day and feel like I have that under control, so there are just little things here and there that have better homes. We've been in our house about six months now, so I feel like I know the flow and if there are better suited homes for things. So just little shufflings here and there.

I found a great check list in Real Simple magazine that helps to guide me as I go in and clean rooms. I don't stick 100% to it but it's a great reminder and keeps me on task when I want to thoroughly clean room. Since the house is in need of a deep clean, I'll be going through, room by room and following my check-lists...starting w/the bathrooms that have seen their fair share of traffic w/the sickies. I've been wiping down the bathroom what seems a million times a day but want to give it a thorough scrub down just to make sure norovirus is gone for good!

Kitchen
cabinet fronts
stove top
counter tops
dishwasher and microwave
garbage can
sink
cabinets and drawers
the fridge
oven
floor


Bathrooms
shower and tubs
shine the mirror
sink
toilet
mop the floor
clean waste basket
wipe down shower rod and rings
wash fixtures
vacuum air vents


Living Room, Bonus Room and Bedrooms
dust furniture
sanitize remotes
clean/vacuum upholstery
do the windows
dust lighting fixtures/ceiling fans
vacuum blinds
dust artwork, pictures, decor
vacuum mattress
change sheets
vacuum floors


After this cleaning, it's paper crafting time! I have so much to get caught up on and so much to create. The clean house should make me much more relaxed and able to just create!

Happy Spring!

I saw this card and thought it was adorable! I wanted to make some spring cards and decided to give the bunny a try. It's all ovals and circles. So simple! Next time I'll make the ears a touch larger and a bit more oval, but I still thinks he's pretty darn cute!

Happy for you...

Just a quick card I through together. It's a pretty simple card and I used all scraps of paper, just a couple stamps, some dimensional adhesive and hearts I cut with my Big Shot. Simple!

(not sure of the quality of the picture, I used my mobile phone...I apologize if it's fuzzy.)

A four leaf clover...

One of the main reason's I've been slacking on making cards and scrapbooking recently has been that my husband has been in school and studying for a board exam. That board exam is now over and life can begin to return to normal! I'm hoping that means more crafting time for me. It also means the moving out of financial study materials that have found a place in my craft room. I'm reclaiming it! :)

The husband's exam was a two day process and the studying leading up to it was pretty stressful on our house in general. GQ was counting down days until daddy no longer had to study. I was counting down days until I could get my hubby back and also have help with some house projects I'd like to work on. And the husband, well he was counting down to just being done and not having to pick up a book again for a while!

Above is the card I made for the husband. Though he didn't need luck, he's pretty darn smart, I thought a four-leaf clover was perfect for his card. Below is GQ's card to daddy. I was pretty proud of his letters/words...he was most excited about his picture of the family he drew.

More chef...

These are place cards I made for a potluck-style party some mommy friends of mine had. We all brought either an appetizer or dessert and chatted the night away! There were so many tasty dishes, these made it easier to see what exactly we were eating.

Can I get a Whoot! Whoot!

I needed a graduation card and didn't want to the whole the tassel was worth the hassle thing. So I used another owl and a little Whoot! Whoot! I just can't get over how cute the little guy is!

elements:
cardstock: PaperTrey Ink, Prism, Stampin' Up, Bazzill
patterned-paper: Pebbles Inc
ribbon: American Crafts
ink: Ranger Espresso

Owl Miss You!

I was commissioned to create a good-bye, good luck card for a great friend of mine. She's pretty awesome and a very talented crafter herself, so I feel quite honored when she asks me to create something for her!

I think this little owl is just adorable! I made it w/a die cutter when I had a crafty slumber party on my last visit to Cincinnati to see Karie. We stayed up all night making owls! LOL! I think I'm going to buy that die myself and make some more cards like this.

elements:
cardstock: Papertrey Ink, Archivers, Stampin Up
patterned paper: Basic Grey
ribbon: scrap, so I'm not sure...maybe May Arts

Update: I'm continuing to use scraps of patterned papers and cardstock for my cards. I did cut fresh patterned paper for this one, but I loved it and had to use it. But the cardstock, except for the base, is all from my scraps stash!

One last thing...I jotted a sketch down that I used for this card and for the life of me can't remember where I got the sketch. I'd like to give credit but I need to figure out where it's from first.

I'll miss ewe!

Isn't that sheep darling? My so very crafty friend, Karie, sent me a picture of a card that had a very similar idea of a sheep. It used a flower die cut to make the feet and head, but I don't have that cutter. I improvised and used a heart die cut that I have and did some tracing and cutting. The flower would have been much easier but this worked out alright.

elements:
cardstock: Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up and Archivers
patterned paper: Pebbles Inc
ribbon: Michael's

It's Friday...

that means two more days and the husband will be home from his Vegas trip! Sadly he was knocked out of his WSOP event, but that doesn't matter because he had fun and it's always a great experience playing with tons of poker pros and learning from them. GQ had his heart set on daddy winning because GQ's prize would have been a Wii! Not quite sure when GQ decided he needed one, he's just not a video game kind of kid, but it's all he's been talking about for two days now. (and even though we're not video game people either, that Wii looks like so much fun!)

GQ has been invaded by some nasty little buggers. He's feeling so crappy and we're going on day #2 of a 100 degree fever. Luckily it hasn't invaded his stomach or intestines; it's just a fever and achey body. Hopefully by tomorrow he'll be feeling better. I had plans to take him out for breakfast and do some swimming while daddy was gone but I don't know if any of that will happen. Poor guy :(

With GQ being sick and extra clingy and no reinforcements with daddy away, I haven't had too much time to make cards. Somehow I managed to sneak in two cards this morning before GQ woke up. I've made a new goal where my paper crafting is concerned, it's to use all my scraps for cards and scrapbook pages before buying new, this is an effort to save money because I have a new LOVE and it's not cheap! I've fallen in love with Copic markers and bought myself a few. Now I want more, but they really are an investment and I have to slowly build my stash unless I want hubby fainting on the kitchen floor when he sees the receipt.

I made my card using the Friday Sketch at MBI. And I colored my dragonfly friend in with a couple of my Copic markers and then added some Stickles for a little sparkle. The card base was the only part of the card that came from my new cardstock pile, everything else was scraps!

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday Sketch Time!

I've found it very difficult to get much done creatively with all the beautiful weather we're having down here in SC. (It's similar to the weather my Ohio family is having, we're just getting a little more sunshine!) It's been gorgeous and GQ doesn't like to stay inside when the sun is out, so we're outside most of the day and nothing inside is getting done. After a day in the sun I'm beat and don't have the energy to do much after GQ is in bed, so I try to be crafty while he's napping instead.

I made the card above for the Friday Sketch at MBI. I love the sunny, cheery colors! It's for my Aunt's 50 year celebration of being a Nun. We can't make it up to Cincinnati for her party so I had to get her a card in the mail. I also had my friend, Melissa Jennings, make her a pretty bookmark with her birthstone crystals and a cross charm. I'm hoping she loves it! It was so pretty and I was so absent-minded when I stuck it in the mail before taking a picture of it to show you.

I have another card I made and I'm so excited to show you...but I can't, at least not yet :D I made it for a card swap that hasn't closed yet, but as soon as they're mailed and everybody receives their packs, I'll post it.

Some *ME* time...finally!

I haven't had time to make a card or scrap a page all week. I was starting to feel pretty cranky because I didn't have any *ME* time. Started off the week with some sinus issues and seasonal allergies, then hubby had a few late days at work and finally it has just been gorgeous outside so GQ is keeping us outside a lot (leaving very little time inside for chores or play.) We've been out so much that we were sunburned by the end of the day yesterday. Not used to this early of a spring, so I wasn't prepared with the sunscreen. Now I will be!

Anyway...I made a card using a white cardstock base, which I NEVER do. But I thought it would be a nice change of pace for me. And I love the citrusy colors of my ribbon, so I took my inspiration from that. Nothing too fancy, just stamped my flowers and added some stickles, put the ribbon through and smacked it on that white cardstock. Ta da!

I feel better...I have been creative today. Hopefully I'll have more time tonight, I have something else up in my head that I'd like to try :D

Friday Sketch Time Again...

Can't believe how quickly this week has flown by. I didn't get much done in the way of card making, but we had house guests and that's my excuse. Although they (my in-laws) played with the kiddo, kept him very busy the entire visit; I just didn't take advantage of my free time like I could/should have. I really could have done more. I did manage to get about six scrapbook layouts done, just not any cards.

Well, I can't say that I didn't get any cards done, I did make two. These are both for the Friday Card Sketch Challenge at Memory Book Inspirations. I wanted to try a card with only a layer or two, so that's what I did with my flower card. I always add and add some more, so I challenged myself to not add so much. The glitter design on the cardstock was done with Stickles and my Dots All Around Template...so many cool and different things you can do with that template! And the doggy card was fun to make! I haven't used a SU! set that hasn't seen dayligh in a while. I randomly punched holes in the red cardstock strip to thread the ribbon and then stapled down. I applied that strip with pop dots so I doubled up the pop dots on the stamped image so it laid nicely over that strip. I really like the final product!

Click here if you'd like to see the card sketch and participate in our Friday Card Sketches. Once completed, be sure to up load it to the gallery and link to the Card Sketch thread.

Week 2 - Friday Sketches at Memory Book Inspirations

It's here! Friday Card Sketches at Memory Book Inspirations are here! This weeks sketch is an easy one that you can do so many different things with. Click here to see the sketch and give it a try! Add it to our gallery so everybody can see. Please enter CSW2 in the description so the card is easily searchable and leave a comment here letting us all know that you posted one. Have fun!

I made my card with a $1 stamp set that I found at Michael's! What a bargain!! I loved the little hanger and thought that I'd be able to do a number of things with it. For this card, I stamped the hanger onto my white cardstock. Then I stamped some hearts onto a scrap piece and colored with Stickles (I heart Stickles!) Once they dried I cut 'em out and applied with pop-dots. Lastly, I used a couple treads of embroiderly floss to stitch strings for the hearts to hang from.

I bought a really cool punch and had to give it a try!

It's such an awesome paper punch, it makes paper look like you've pulled it out of a spiral notebook. Here was my first attempt at using it. And the stamp set I used for this card is one I've had for a while and hadn't used. I like it, I'm just sort of lacking ideas when it comes to using it. I sort of like what I came up with here.

Cards for Sara

I made these little 3x3 blank cards for my sister-in-law, Sara. She's a teacher and I thought she might be able to use them with her students for words of encouragement or a job well done. I still have more to make, but this is what I was able to get done this weekend.

Here are a few cards that I've made...

Can you tell that green is my favorite color? I used it in just about every card I make :)

I don't remember where I saw this card layout

but I really liked it and this is my creation using it. I really like the patterned paper and colors, I'm just not sure I like my coloring on the stamped image. . .it's not bad but not good either.

A little get well card

Just playing with a new stamp that I bought. I really like the cute little bug. I also got a crimper and wanted to try that out. So, if it's not noticeable in the scan, the blue paper is textured w/the crimper. Thanks for looking!

Little froggies!

They are just too cute. I think my favorite stamp and papers have frogs on them. I found some paper that has embosses frogs all over it. I used it on a nice scrapbook page for Gavin (I should post it) and then I used some leftover for a card. I cut two of the frogs out and used pop-dots for a little 3-D action and the inside of the card is stamped w/a little frog and says Hoppy for you!

Frogs & Argyle

Who doesn't love them both? This is one of my favorite cards, probably because of the frog and the argyle :) I just love the little froggy and the doubled sided patterned paper.