July Papertrey Bloghop

Today is the 25th so it is time for another Papertrey Bloghop

This was the inspiration photo for the challenge.

This is what I came up with

I didn't think I was going to get a chance to participate in this one since I am busy with Etsy orders but I loved these colors so much I just had to make something. I also used Nicole's make and take project that she shared on Stamp-a-faire day as inspiration too. I started by stamping the background with the new Sweet Life stamp set using the colors in the photo. Unfortunately my Melon Berry is the first generation ink and has become a very dark pink so I used SU Cameo Coral instead. At first I had a really hard time stamping the images but Nicole graciously shared a diagram in the forum after I asked for help showing how to line them up and that helped a lot. After stamping the roses I filled in with leaves from the set then I finished the background off with Summer Sunrise ink and polka dots. The sentiment is from Year of Flowers Morning Glories. I was also having a hard time stamping on the velum without it smearing so I embossed it instead. I matted the card on a piece of Simply Chartruse Cardstock that I embossed with the Linen impression plate then I machined stitched around the background piece with matching thread I just happened to have. Finally I finished the card off with a tiny butterfly. I really love how this came out. I hope to make more of these in the future as a card set with a matching box. I didn't get a chance to make anything on Stamp a faire day but enjoyed seeing what everyone came up with and  am looking forward to trying more of the projects soon. I am still watching the videos. :). This card is also a thank you to Nicole and the design team for hosting such a great event. I am hoping year I will have more time to participate the day of and maybe even have someone to stamp with.  That's all for now. Hope the rest of your week is a great one and as always thank for stopping by.

Happy Birthday Richie

Today is Rich's birthday. We were not able to go anywhere to celebrate because he is working but I wanted to share some other things we did to help make the day special. This is the card I made him.

The Kestrel is his new favorite bird. I didn't have any Kestrel stamps but found this image doing an internet search then incorporated it into the card. A few years after we moved into our house Rich planted a Blackberry Bush. This year it has finally been productive and has tons of blackberries on it. He goes out every day and picks the berries. As you can see there are not many left right now.

Because he loves them so much I suggested to Emilia that we make him a blackberry cobbler. This is the recipe we used. We made it a little healthier though by using fat free milk and whole wheat flour. These were the blackberries before they went into the cobbler

This is what it looked like after it was baked

This what it looked like after we cut into it. He said he really like it.

He also had sushi for dinner. Overall I think he had a pretty good birthday. That's all for now. I will be back tomorrow with my bloghop project.

Papertrey Ink Stamp - a - faire

After waking up to the horrible news about what happened at a movie theater not far from my home early this morning I really needed something to lift my spirits. After watching the welcome video for Stamp-a fair on Nicole's blog this evening I was inspired to join in. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

A Royal Celebration

Happy Tuesday! I hope your weekend was a good one. The monsoons found their way here. We had major downpours since Saturday and yesterday it was only in the 70's. It was great to get the moisture but not good to get it all at once. The humidity was very high too which is something we are not use to here. I know it is a lot worse in the east though. Rich and I went on our Honeymoon to Hilton Head South Carolina and when I got out of the car the humidity there almost killed me. The rain ended yesterday though and will be back in the 90's by tomorrow. I hope the grass will stay green for a while longer though. Today I want to share with you a few items I have been working on with a princess party theme. This is the invitation

I started with the new castle shaped card SVG file from Claire at Waltzing Mouse Stamps. The princess was made with a paper piecing file from KaDoodle Bug Designs. I created the door using SCAL 3 them embossed it with the woodgrain impression plate and distressed it. The banner was made using Heart To Heart stamp set and dies #5 The your invited banner is from The Door To Door set. This is the inside.

I also created this favor box to go with the invitations.

I started with the Sweet Treat Box SVG file from My Time Made Easy then added digital patterned paper from this pack. The great thing about this template is it comes with an insert to hold cake pops or lollipops. Emilia and I decided to give cake pops a try. Our first attempt was not very successful. They ended up to big and heavy to fit so we tried again and I made them smaller this time they were a success.

I also made a personalized thank you tag to go on top using Silhouette Designer Studio for the wording, then added a crown and some tiny rhinestones. These would make great party favors for the guests to take home. There is also another insert option which is an open box and will hold other favors. It really is a great template. I also plan on making a banner to go with this set but first I have to work on making some samples for a potential buyer for an under the sea party first. I will share the banner when I am able to get it done though. That's all for now. I hope the rest of your week is a great one!

Happy Hexagons And A Flower Pin

Happy Friday, I hope your week has been a good one. We are still experiencing record heat here and with no end in site. We had a small rain shower on Wednesday but we need a lot more. The state is so dry there are fires everywhere. Thankfully we are not near them but my heart goes out to all those people that have lost their homes especially the ones in Colorado Springs. I have lived here all my life and never remember it being this hot and dry in June. It is now the hottest June on record. Hopefully July will bring us cooler temperatures and the rain we need.
 Today I am sharing a birthday card I made for a friend. She received it yesterday so I am safe to post it now. I am also entering in it this weeks Make It Monday which is to make your own embellishments.

When I saw the new Hexagon coverplate and matching stamps from Papertrey Ink I knew I had to have them. I love anything that has a quilted effect. I had a great time creating this card it was like putting together a little puzzle. I had a bit of trouble stamping the hexagon images but that was because I was using the older pigment ink from PTI which is thick and was not able to see where I was stamping but I was finally able to get the hang of it by putting a black piece of cardstock underneath. The embellishment which is a flower pin was created with Orange Zest Felt and the Loopsy Daisy Die. I also use the notched flower die for the Raspberry Fizz piece. I finished it off with a Hawaiian Shores button. I attached the flower to a piece of acetate so it can be taken off to wear. I will definitely be making more things with this cover plate and stamp set in the future. I hope your weekend is a great one and you stay cool where you are.

June Papertrey Bloghop

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend. Yesterday we went to Leadville, Colorado to see the Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market. It was pretty disappointing though since there were only four booths and a sign that said no dogs allowed. Not good since we brought Sophie and Lily with us too. Thankfully the rest of the town was dog friendly though and we found a great antique shop to browse through. It was a nice little getaway out of the heat for awhile, it was only in the 70's up there. It has been in the low 100's down here for the last couple of days now with no rain in site. We really could use some moisture with all the fires but unfortunately that is out of our control. Hopefully Mother Nature will send us a soaker soon,

Today is also the 25th of the month which means it is time for the June Papertrey Blog Hop. The challenge this month was this photo.
 The first thing that usually inspires me from these inspiration photos are the colors but I was not really like the colors this month so I chose to focus on the ruffles, pleats and floral pattern instead.  This is what I came up with


Continuing with my children's party themes I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make a Princess Crown. I started by creating and cutting out a crown with my Sillouette from digital floral paper. Next I created the ruffles from yellow crepe paper and my sewing machine then attached them to the crown. The pleated circle in the middle was also created with hot pink crepe paper then I attached a Harvest Gold Circle and added lots of rhinestones. A Spring Moss number 4 was added to the middle and covered with Angel Dust. Raspberry Fizz Satin Ribbon and some tiny crepe paper balls were added to finish it off. I have plans for other princess party decor to go with this crown so check back soon. That's all for now. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has come up with now. I hope the rest of your week is a good one and as always thanks for stopping by.

Changes and a Circus Party

Happy Tuesday! I finally had a chance to update my blog.The last few weeks have been a bit crazy around here. Emilia finished 8th grade last Friday. It was very exciting but at the same time kind of sad since it is our last year with Calvert. I started homeschooling her using their homeschool program when she was in pre-k. Unfortunately they don't have a high school program so we will have to find something else to use with her for high school. I am leaning towards Keystone right now but still have more research to do. If anyone has any recommendations for homeschool highschool programs let me know. We are looking forward to enjoying a long summer break now.
Another thing that has happened since I last wrote is Rich quit his job and has decided to work for himself. It was a risky decision but I think it was the right one. Unfortunately the company he was at for over 13 years was not treating him well which was making him very unhappy. I am really hoping that working for himself will work out and make him happier in the long run. Here is the link to his website if anyone is looking for an architect. 
Now that I have some time off from homeschooling Emilia I an going to be concentrating on making party themed items to sell in my Etsy shop. Below is the first one which is a Circus theme. I have been working on it for a couple of weeks and finally got it done. Since there are so many pieces I made a collage in Pickmonkey showcases them all. I don't want to bore you with all the details that went in to making these things because it was a lot of work. If you have any questions about how I made them or the supplies used let me know.  You can see individual photos and pictures of the inside of the invitations and thank you notes in my Etsy Shop. That's all for now. I hope you have a great week and stay cool if it is as hot where you are as it is here.