Tap, Tap, Tap....is this thing still on?

Hello?  Does anybody still check this blog?

I can't believe I haven't posted since July!  

Where has all the time gone?

A few exciting things have happened since I last posted...

*Summer is now over and my kiddo's are all back in school.

I've hit a new stage in life where ALL 5 of my darlings are in school all day.

I'll admit that I was a bit lost those first few days of school.

I've been a stay-at-home Mom for the last 15 years,

and not having any little ones at home to keep me company was weird.

*After thinking about it a LOT,

I decided to get a part-time job to bring in a little bit of extra money.

It's been a bit of an adjustment to make, 

but the kids think it's pretty cool (and weird) that Mommy's got a job.

*After 16 years of marriage, 

my husband and I are finally looking into buying our first home.

We've found one that we love, 

but are waiting for a few things to happen 

before we can start the process of buying it.

Can I say how super duper excited I am 

at the prospect of having a home of our very own?

I've been dreaming up projects for this house, 

and if it all works out, will definitely be sharing them!

*I haven't completely given up crafting.

In fact, I've been crafting a lot this summer!

I decided in January that I was going to make crochet hats 

for all of my family members for our Christmas party this year.

Wowza, has it been a lot of work, and I'm not even close to being done!!

But rest assured, I WILL share them all once the recipients have received their hats :)

I'm hoping that once I hit my new groove with this part-time job thing,

that I'll be able to actually start posting regularly again.

I've missed sharing my projects with you all!

Thanks for listening,

and since I don't have a crafty picture to share,

here's a picture of my kids and 2 of their cousins on the first day of school.

Have a splendid day :)

Regarding Dahlias - Mojo Monday 353

One of my favorite stamp sets from the 

2014-15 Stampin' Up! catalog is Regarding Dahlias.

I've drooled over cards that I've seen others make with this stamp set.

I even made a special board on Pinterest where I could pin them all.

After seeing today's sketch at Mojo Monday,

I knew it was time for me to break my stamp set in.

Here's the sketch...

and here's my card...  

Have a great Monday!

Supplies Used (all are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Moonlight DSP Stack
Stamps: Regarding Dahlias
Ink: Blackberry Bliss
Tools: Modern Label Punch

Card Case: Sassy Salutations

I've been on the fence about the 'Sassy Salutations' stamp set from Stampin' Up.

Then I saw THIS CARD, and my mind was made up :)

I just HAD to get that stamp set!

Here's my version...

Stay tuned for a fun project I made using this stamp set!

Supplies Used (all are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Yellow (non SU!), Orange (non SU!)

Ink: Basic Gray

Stamp: Sassy Salutations

Punches: 1/2" circle, 3/4" circle, 1" circle, 1-1/4" circle

Other: Basic Rhinestones

2014 Father's Day Cards

It's hard to believe, but Father's Day is just around the corner.

I wanted to be ahead of the game this year and get my cards made early.

(I'm really good at waiting until the last minute to do things ;)

Luckily for me, Brian King shared an adorable card that was perfect for Father's Day.

(if you're not familiar with Brian, you really must check out his blog.  You will be inspired, I PROMISE!).

Here's what I came up with...

 All 3 together...

The cards were the easy part.

Now I've got to decide on gifts to go with the cards.

Yep.

I'm sure I'll wait until the last minute to get those ;)

Supplies used (all are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Baked Brown Sugar, Fresh Prints DSP

Stamps: None (sentiment was made on my computer)

Tools: Project Life Corner Punch, Mustache Punch (non SU!), Ovals Framelits

Freshly Made Sketches #138

I love to look at all the card sketch blogs out there.  

Usually, that's as far as I get...just looking at them.

But this week, I was so inspired by the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches,

that I actually sat down and made a card!

Here's the sketch....

And here's my card...

Such a fun sketch to work with!

Have a great Thursday!

Supply List (all are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Basic Gray CS, Whisper White CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Birthday Basics DSP

Stamps: Endless BirthdayWishes Photopolymer

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Tools: 1.5" circle punch (non SU!), 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch

Other: button, yarn

'Hey Foxy'

Sometimes it takes me a while to embrace certain trends.

The fox trend has been one that has taken me a while to get on board with.

I have a friend who is a hobby consultant for a stamp company,

and as soon as I saw their fox stamp set, I was sold and HAD to get it!

Here's the card I made with it.

 ...and a close up shot...

Now I'm wondering why it took me so long to embrace foxes.

They're pretty darn cute, if you ask me!

Supply List (all supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Fresh Prints DSP Stack, Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana

Stamps: Wild About Love (non SU!)

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Basic Black

Tools: Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, 2" Circle Punch (non SU!), Large Flourish Square Punch (non SU!)

Accessories: Brights Collection button, Bakers Twine (non SU!)

'Birthday Wishes' Card

Every Monday morning, one of the first blogs I check out is Mojo Monday.  

I'm they type of crafter that needs a starting point before I sit down to make a card,

and the sketches from Mojo Monday do just that.  

The card I'm sharing today was based on THIS SKETCH.

I wish I could get my cards made in time 

to submit them to Mojo Monday's card challenge gallery,

but I'm always a day late and a dollar short ;)

Supply List (all supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Whisper White CS, Coastal Cabana CS, Fresh Prints DSP Stack

Ink: Real Red, Baked Brown Sugar Stampin' Write Marker

Stamps: Zoo Babies, Bring on the Cake

Tools: 2" Circle Punch (non SU!), Square Flourish Punch (non SU!)

Other: Bakers Twine (non SU!)

Another 'Zoo Babies' Card!

It's Friday!!

Just wanted to pop in real quick 

and share a fun card inspired by 

THIS ONE from Lucy's Cards.

(I just LOVE her work!)

I'm loving the color combo!

An up close look...

I had fun putting this card together!

I got to use some new supplies that I bought recently,

as well as pull out my sewing machine.

(I really love the look of stitches on cards)

Have a great weekend!

Supply List (all are from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted):

Paper: Fresh Prints DSP Stack, Coastal Cabana CS, Baked Brown Sugar CS, Whisper White CS

Stamps: Bring on the Cake, Zoo Babies

Ink: Real Red

Tools: Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, Banner Punch, 2" Circle Punch (non SU!), Flourish Square Punch (non SU!)

'Oh, Hello' Card

I mentioned last week that my crafty mojo was gone, and had been for a while.

Well...I think it's finding its way back :)

Today's card was inspired by THIS CARD.

It gave me the perfect excuse to pull out my new 

'Oh, Hello' stamp set and put it to good use.

Have a great Monday!

Supply List (all supplies are from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Polka Dot Parade, Real Red CS, Whisper White CS, Kraft CS (non SU!), Cocoa CS (non SU!)
Ink: Real Red
Stamp: Oh, Hello
Tools: Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, 1-3/4" Circle punch, Flourish Square punch (non SU!)

'Zoo Babies' Cards

There's nothing like sitting down to make cards, 

and having them turn out just like you pictured them in your head :)

The cards I'm sharing today were inspired by THIS CARD.  

I loved the simple layout, and knew that I could make lots of cards 

in a short amount of time.

When I was making the elephant card, I realized that I didn't have 

a scalloped circle punch large enough to layer with the 2" circle punch.  

So I made use of what punches I DO have, and came up with this fun little trick.

I punched 2 Flourish Squares like this...

And then glued them together to make a scalloped circle. 

It ended up being the perfect size for what I needed!

Love it when that happens!

Supply List: (all supplies are from Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted):
Paper: Polka Dot Parade, Rich Razzleberry CS, Old Olive CS, Basic Gray CS, Whisper White CS
Stamp Set: Zoo Babies
Ink: Basic Gray, Old Olive
Tools: 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, 2" Circle Punch (non SU!), 
2" Scalloped Circle Punch (non SU!), Flourish Square Punch (non SU!)
Other: White ribbon, White yarn 

'Bring on the Cake' Card

Do you ever get in a crafting rut?

I think that's where I'm at now.

It's been really hard for me to craft lately.  

Even with my crochet.  

I start a project and it takes me a lot longer than it should to finish it.

I'm blaming it on winter blues.

The weather has been beautiful these last few weeks, 

so I'm hoping that my crafting mojo will come back in full force soon!

I was able to sit down and make this fun card a few days ago.  

It felt good to actually get something done!  

What about you?  How do you get your craft mojo back?

Supply List:
Paper: Basic Gray, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White, Birthday Basics DSP
Ink: Basic Gray
Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake
Tools: Owl Builder Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, 2" Scalloped Circle Punch (non SU!)
Other: Basic Rhinestone

Crochet Sock Monkey Hat

My 13-year old daughter pointed out to me recently 

that I had crocheted each of my kids a hat but her. 

Oops! 

She felt bad that she didn't have one, 

and I felt bad that I had overlooked something so important to her.

I let her choose what kind of hat she wanted, 

and she picked a sock monkey hat.  

She's very happy with her hat, and I'm happy that she's happy :)

Want to make your own?

I used THIS PATTERN from Repeat Crafter Me.

Another Camera Card

Card making has taken a back seat to my new obsession lately, 

but as soon as I saw THIS  camera gift card holder, 

I had to put my crochet tools down and try making my own.

 I made mine as a 4.25" x 5.5" card instead of a gift card holder...

The bright colors have me itching for Spring!
Have you made one of these cards yet?

Supplies Used: 

Paper: Seen & Noted (Pebbles Inc), SU! Gray Cardstock, SU! Tempting Turquoise, SU! Real Red 

Stamps: SU! Bring on the Cake

Ink: SU! Basic Gray 

Tools: SU! Envelope Punch Board, 2" circle punch, owl punch (heart & small circles)

Crochet Penguin Hat

Crocheting.

I am totally obsessed with it right now.

I love that after just a few hours of work {or less},

I can end up with something as cute as this.

Some of my favorite patterns are from Repeat Crafter Me.  

Sarah's patterns are easy to follow, and she offers them for FREE!

If you crochet and would like to make one of these cute penguin hats, 

you can find the free pattern HERE.

Happy crocheting!

My First Sunburst Card!

After seeing so many cute sunburst cards on different blogs, 

I finally decided to try my hand at making one.

I absolutely {heart} them!

They come together quickly, and are a great card to make 

if you've got lots of scraps that you need to use up!

(which I do!)

If you've never made a sunburst card before, HERE is a great video tutorial!

Supply List: (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted)

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Birthday Basics DSP, Card base - non SU!

Stamps: Bring on the Cake

Ink: Bermuda Bay

Tools: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder