simple silhouettes

It's no secret that I {heart} Clean & Simple stamping and the newest 'fall-to' layout is seriously, a 10 minute card at the most. Mine was 10 minutes because I used my stamp-a-ma-jig and added little cuts to my ribbon, heh! The striped ribbon is a preview of what is to come in the Holiday Mini, so watch for it - sooo many fun things in there.

Ok, off to get things in order - I'm going to Texas for the MOPS convention and I'm very much looking forward to some time with just the girls!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: best yet, pocket silhouettes

paper: very vanilla

ink: ruby red

accessories: ribbon originals alpine

mojo monday challenge

Julee Tilman has her Mojo Monday challenge posted and it's a fun layout again this week. I decided to do a Christmas card for this week's challenge simply because I still had some snowflake paper on my desk from my other card a few days ago - so why put it away when I can use the scraps?! So what is this, the 3rd Christmas card I've done? Hmmm, only 57 more to go! I'm on an all-star pace here people!! heh. Alright, I've got more sketch challenges to get caught up on, so I'll see you back soon!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: season of joy, short & sweet

paper: night of navy, ruby red, whisper white cardstock, four seasons dsp

ink: ruby red, night of navy, bashful blue, handsome hunter

accessories: mini twinkle dots (a.muse), stampin dimensionals

RAK from Charlett

I got the sweetest card in the mail from Charlett about a week ago, thanking me for the blog candy she had won and even better, she left it blank inside so I can use it! Thanks Charlett!! I wish the picture would show the incredible detail she put in it - the embossing and layering. It's amazing. Thanks so much Charlett.

Karen

warm winter wishes

No, it's not snowing here (yet), but I wanted to play with this fun tree some more! This time I took some white liquid applique to add snow to the branches and ground and then added the cute little bird (he's a cardinal this time) to the branch. I actually stamped the 'warm wishes' directly to the white cardstock, but didn't see some applique and stamped on the applique - OOPS! So I remembered I saw this card by CassieT over at Splitcoaststampers and thought it was so cute - so this is what covers my big boo boo. I'm thinking that maybe I should have stamped the tree directly to my Four Seasons paper instead of the white cardstock so it would look like it was snowing, but I didn't want to start over. I still think it's a cute card, so I'll keep it (well, I'll send it out to someone...) The button is threaded with a think piece of Bashful Blue cardstock.

Ok, that's it! Thanks so much for stopping by.
Karen

recipe -
stamps: season of friendship, hugs & wishes
ink: close to cocoa, ruby red, black staz-on
paper: bashful blue, ruby red, whisper white cardstock, four season dsp (retired)
accessories: naturals buttons, liquid applique, stampin dimensionals

mojo monday challenge

Julee Tillman over at Poetic Artistry has weekly sketch challenges that are always so fun and unique. I love them and this week I actually found some time to do it! For this card, I used Maine Blueberry paper again (still loving it!) along with my new favorite tool, the scallop edge punch.

Thanks so much for stopping by today - I'm off to MOPS for some yummy breakfast. See you back soon!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: stem silhouettes

ink: old olive, night of navy

paper: old olive, whisper white cardstock, maine blueberry dsp

accessories: pewter jumbo eyelets, ice rhinestone brads, old olive wide grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, stampin dimensionals, crop-a-dile

clean & simple baby

Hello! It's Monday and that means laundry day here - fun stuff! So what better way to procrastinate than stamping? Seriously, I can't stand doing laundry - or vacuuming for that matter. ugh. I'm so not the domestic goddess. OK, anyway, here's a little baby card using Clean & Simple's fall to layout #12, but I flipped it over on it's side to accommodate my stamped image. I paper pieced the 'cute' instead of coloring in the letters this time. That's what took the longest to complete, but other than that, this is a super fast card to make.

Have a fantastic day!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: big on spring

paper: bashful blue, close to cocoa, whisper white cardstock, banbury dsp

ink: black staz-on

accessories: scallop edge punch, retired SU ribbon (can't remember the name), stampin dimensionals

not so cupcake challenge

Hello! Happy Saturday (late Saturday at that)! Today's card comes from Taylor's cupcake challenge for the weekend and I thought I'd ink up some new stamps - Live Like You Mean It (hostess) and Say It with Scallops. The square scallop punch fits perfectly with the Say It with Scallops set, so that makes it easy!

Ok, that's it for now - it's late and I want to go watch Saturday Night Live with my hubby. See you back tomorrow!

Karen

recipe -
stamps: say it with scallops, live like you mean it
ink: pumpkin pie, ruby red, old olive, always artichoke
paper: pumpkin pie, ruby red, whisper white cardstock, pumpkin pie paper patterns dsp
accessories: square scallop punch, horizontal slit punch, 1/2" circle punch, old olive wide grosgrain ribbon, stamp-a-ma-jig

now you see me

Yes, I finally added my big mug to this blog - nothing like taking 102 million pictures of myself. All just for you! ha!

every tree needs a tire swing

Yes, don't you think? I never had a tire swing growing up, but that would have been so much fun! Actually, us kids did tie a rope around the bottom branch of the cottonwood tree out back and now that poor branch has grown around it and the rope is still stuck in the middle of it. It was the best climbing tree though! I'm so loving how this turned out! I don't know why I thought of the tire swing, but it works so perfectly with this tree. I thought about sponging in grass and sky, but I didn't want to mess it up - so white you get. I was nervous enough putting the 'wish big' on there, ha! Okay - I LOVE this set.

Now you go find a tree with a tire swing and relive your childhood!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: season of friendship, short & sweet

ink: close to cocoa, chocolate chip, certainly celery, old olive, handsome hunter

paper: bashful blue, old olive, whisper white

accessories: pewter jumbo eyelets, linen thread, paper piercer, crop-a-dile, stamp-a-ma-jig

happy as it gets

It's me again - yes, 2 posts in one day! Kristina Werner has posted her color challenge for this week and I just had some left over mojo, so I pounced. Aren't these colors just yumm-o? Bravo Burgundy, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, and Old Olive - screams fall to me, but did I listen? Nope, all spring here with the butterfly - but I really wanted to use it! I did use the Stamp-a-ma-jig for this set so that the dots matched evenly with the butterfly background - I think I'm addicted to that thing. Anyway - have a wonderful day. I'm off to fold laundry...

Karen

recipe -

stamps: flight of the butterfly

ink: so saffron, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip

paper: bravo burgundy, pumpkin pie, whisper white cardstock, maine bluebery & pumpkin pie paper patterns dsp

accessories: rectangle/scallop nestibilities, yellow grosgrain ribbon (american crafts), flower fusion accents & elements, fresh favorites 2 brads, scallop edge punch, horizontal slit punch, stampin dimensionals

try something new

Hi! I found another sketch challenge (I know!! It's out of control now!) over at Little Treasures and the bonus challenge was to use a set that hasn't seen ink yet. Well, I've been itching to use Season of Friendship, so game on! You definitely need a Stamp-a-ma-jig with this set, and quick is not the definition of this card, but cute is, heh. It took me a while to stamp all the leaves just so, but the rest was easy. Oh, I guess this is a sneak peek at a new set and designer series paper available October 1st. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful day!
Karen

recipe -
stamps: season of friendship, all holidays
ink: close to cocoa, really rust, more mustard, sage shadow
paper: really rust, more mustard, whisper white cardstock, autumn vine dsp
accessories: pewter jumbo eyelets, crop-a-dile, stampin dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig

my baby is ONE

It has been a busy day in the Giron home today to say the least, but so much fun. It's so nice to see our family and let the cousins all play together. Today we celebrated Katie's birthday and she jumped into that cake so fast and ate more than half of it before I took it away. She was not happy with me, but I think the sugar rush kicked in right about then and she was a crazy baby, crawling at high speed, babbling loudly and making us all laugh. She's the only kiddo of the three to actually dive into the cake without reservation - the other two, well Avery just played with the icing and Andrew wanted no part of it. We thought maybe he just wasn't hungry so Michael put a spoonful of green beans in front of him and he gobbled them down - it's just weird not to eat sugar and then want veggies! Anyway, I got a million great pictures of her with the cake.
Speaking of cake - here it is. Can't say I'm too happy with it; it's one of those cupcake cakes that was SO adorable and had mounds of icing making the butterfly look so cute in the picture and then when I picked it up, this is what was waiting. Does that butterfly's middle remind you of Beetlejuice too?! It's a pretty crazy looking butterfly, but the kids didn't care, they just gobbled it right down after we debated 10 minutes over who would get the face. Yuck.
Recognize the bags? I made some more of these adorable bags to use as party favor bags and you should have heard all the kids, "Wow, Aunt Kiki! These gift bags are extraordinary! They must have taken you hours to make! I'm gonna take this home and keep it forever!!". Nah! You know kids - "What's inside?! Let me tear it open!! Where's the candy?!!". All the mommies and grammas loved them though, so that made my Martha Stewart moment worth it!!
Well, I haven't been able to make anything crafty since Wednesday (well, except the bags of course), but hopefully I'll get some time tomorrow to make a scrapbook page. I'm falling behind on my 'one a week' goal!
See you back soon!
Karen

thank u

Hi! Today's card is inspired by Kristina Werner's color inspiration - bravo burgundy, rose red, regal rose, soft sky, and whisper white. Lots of reds! I did have a bit of trouble with incorporating the bravo burgundy, but I think it finally worked out just fine. I had this card all figured out in the beginning, but by the end I had used nothing that I had planned - new stamp set, new paper, new layout - everything. Funny how that all work. Now my desk looks like paper crafting threw up on it, but that's the joy of it, isn't it?

Have a great afternoon!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: cute and curly

ink: bravo burgundy

paper: whisper white, regal rose, bravo burgundy cardstock, rose red prints dsp, soft sky prints dsp

accessories: scallop edge punch, scallop circle/circle nestibilities, bravo burgundy grosgrain ribbon, lots of letters on board chipboard, tombo multi adhesive, stampin dimensionals

a little brad crazy

Yes, this card is crazy for brads - I think it's the one accessory I always fall to, but it's a good one. Cheap and easy! I've been playing with layouts for my first Great Swaps Girls swap due next week and this is one of the layouts. What do you think? I'm so nervous about my first swap - I don't know why, it's not like they have super thugs to come beat down my door or anything, lol! So again, here I have used last year's In Colors along with the Afternoon Tea dsp, which is so yummy and I'm ashamed I haven't used it all up yet! I think I still have most of the pack left. I better get using it so I can move on to new papers, sheesh!

Alright, that's all for today folks - Gotta go hang out with the big birthday girl! One year old today!! She had her first corn on the cob Sunday night for dinner, yummm.

Thanks for swinging by.

Karen

recipe -

stamps: live your dream

ink: wild wasabi, soft sky, groovy guava

paper: river rock, soft sky, groovy guava, whisper white cardstock, afternoon tea dsp

accessories: pewter jumbo eyelets, pewter brads, key tag punch, groovy guava double stitched grosgrain ribbon, crop-a-dile, stampin dimensionals

bright & crazy

I think bright and crazy sums it up! There's a whole lot of fun going on in this card and it's out of my norm for sure. This paper is from the East Coast Prep designer series paper pack and I think I've used it a handful of times - but it's fun and I have to figure out a way to use it for Andrew's pages. That IS why I bought it after all. The sketch is from Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge from this weekend - I thought it was an interesting sketch, so I gave it a try. Not so sure I'm liking it, but it's fun and cheerful and perfect for a kiddo.

Have a wonderful day!
Karen

recipe -
stamps: birthday whimsy
ink: tempting turquoise, black staz-on
paper: real red cardstock, east coast prep dsp
accessories: real red wide grosgrain ribbon, micro twinkle stickers (a.muse), scallop punch, 1-3/8" circle punch

sunday scrapbook - 5

I've finally done a page for Katie! Yes, I'm a huge slacker mom, but as long as I'm caught up before she leaves the house, she'll never know. ha! Katie turns 1 on Tuesday (sigh) and this is one of the first pictures I took of her the first week we had her home. I love all her dark hair - it's seems lighter now. The backdrop in the photo is a blanket my mom bought her that is so soft and thick and perfect for the winter in her carseat. Katie still snuggles it in the car.
This page layout comes from Got Sketch by Valerie Salmon - this is #65. I love this blog - Valerie has so many fantastic layouts there, so all you scrapbookers go on over and check it out. I used my 1-3/8" circle punch and cut the circles in 1/2 to create the big scallop border on the left side of the page. The jounaling tag is Boho Frames 1, a doodle bats font from Lettering Delights,

Have a fantastic Sunday!
Karen

recipe -
stamps: eastern blooms
ink: pretty in pink, rose red
paper: whisper white, wild wasabi cardstock, banbury, rose red prints dsp
accessories: on board simon lower (retired), ek success flower punch, fresh favorites 2 buttons, soft subtles buttons, 1-3/8" circle punch, scallop punch, boho frames 1 font, stampin dimensionals, tombo multi adhesive

weekend sketch challenge 56

Happy Weekend! It's time for Beate's weekend sketch challenge and you need to go play along because her sketches are excellent and easy to work with. For this card I thought I'd go back and play with the Afternoon Tea designer paper - I think I forgot about this pack and we can't have that. I also used another image from the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set that I have been playing with the past couple days. You might be seeing more of it soon, just to warn ya. ha!

Have a great Saturday everyone, I'll see you back soon -

Karen

recipe -

stamps: pocket silhouettes

ink: soft sky, close to cocoa

paper: soft sky, wild wasabi, close to cocoa, whisper white cardstock, afternoon tea dsp

accessories: chocolate chip grosgrain/stitched grosgrain ribbon, rectangle/scallop nestibilities, scallop edge punch, stampin dimensionals, mini glue dots

friend to friend

I bought Pocket Silhouettes and wasn't really sure how to use it, but loved the set so much I just figured I would work it all out later - so here is my first attempt. I love these two stamps together and the depth they create. Add in some yummy Maine Blueberry paper and it's perfect. Love this paper!

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: pocket silhouettes

ink: bashful blue, night of navy

paper: old olive, bashful blue, whisper white cardstock, maine blueberry dsp

accessories: old olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, ice rhinestone brads, corner rounder, horizontal slot punch, stamp-a-ma-jig

birthday wishes

It's Thursday and time for Kristina's color challenge! This week was a doozy - Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Regal Rose, and Whisper White. Since I don't have any In Colors yet, I substituted Pacific Point and Kiwi Kiss for Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive. I created the embossed frame by running my card through the Cuttlebug using the embossing mat. I love the look it gives and I have always wanted to try it.

That's it for today - gotta run and get Avery ready for soccer practice. Where does the day go!?

Edited: I have had some questions about embossing with the Nestibilities dies. Nichole Heady has a great tutorial at her blog, here. It has information at the top, but scroll down and you'll see the tutorial. I hope this will be helpful!

Karen

recipe -

paper: whisper white

stamps: sincere salutations

ink: regal rose

accessories: regal rose wide grosgrain ribbon, flower fusion accents & elements, filigree brads, silver brads, ice rhinestone brads, rectangle nestibilities/embossing mat, mini glue dots

happy birthday

Today is my friend Earen's birthday and she is big into birthdays, let me tell you! I love that about her. Happy Birthday, friend! Her husband, Dan planned a big surprise party for her and I really wish I could have been there. Well, today's card isn't really Earen's birthday card - so not her colors, she's a pink girl all the way, but a fun and very girly card will be in her mailbox today.

I wanted to use my new Contempo Alphabet and thought last week's Splitcoast sketch challenge was the way to go. I stamped the letters using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and I'm shocked at how perfect it came out. Just a little tip for you - I use vellum cardstock with my Stamp-a-ma-jig instead of the clear plastic sheet it comes with. That way I can keep the vellum in the case with the stamp set instead of cleaning off the plastic every time I use it. This makes it much easier for me - stamp once and done!

Anyway, I better go check out today's sketch challenge over at Splitcoast and get on the ball. Have a great Wednesday everyone and stop by and wish Earen a happy birthday too. I wish you all the best Earen!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: happy everything, contempo alphabet

ink: pumpkin pie, brilliant blue

paper: wild wasabi, pumpkin pie, whisper white cardstock, jersey shore dsp

accessories: pumpkin pie striped grosgrain ribbon, spiral punch, star eyelets (retired), stampin dimensionals, stamp-a-ma-jig

butterfly invitation

Well, my youngest turns ONE in a week! Time goes by too fast and I can't believe Katie is going to be having her first birthday so soon. I made her invitations using Cami's trifold card tutorial over at Splitcoaststampers. I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the inside - I tied the ribbon before I took the picture on accident and I'm not about to untie it and have the ribbon get all messed up. Perfection you know... It's all just the party information anyway, so you're really not missing out on too much (just where I live and all, ha!)

Here is a close up of the butterfly - I colored it in with blender pens and then added some diamond Stickles to add some fun sparkle. I also traced around the image with going gray ink using a blender pen to give the image more pop off the paper. I see this technique using Copic markers alot and I so want to get one for this purpose, but pennies are precious! I'll get some someday. Maybe Katie will get one for her birthday, *wink*

See you back soon!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: time well spent

ink: blue bayou, soft sky, going gray, black staz-on

paper: soft sky prints dsp, blue bayou, whisper white cardstock

accessories: blue bayou double stitched grosgrain ribbon, diamond stickles, blender pens, circle/circle scallop nestibilities