Christmas tag trio

Oh what fun it is...to use up what you've got and make tags! These Christmas tags were made using kraft cardstock coupled with the Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses kit. I used various stamps from Stampin' Up!, Verve, and Papertrey and I just adore these cuties! Festive silver tinsel is used to hang these white gold glitter adds accent and sparkle. And guess what?!

I've opened up the In Stamping Mode Etsy store!! I have a few things in there to start so feel free to browse (and buy!) *giggle*
It's web address is http://instampingmode.etsy.com

I will be adding these tags shortly if you are interested. :)

And let me go ahead and apologize for the quality of these pics. :( I'm waiting for my new Photoshop to ship so I'm using Picasa. Uggh...amazing that I can figure out the more complicated software but not the easier one!

Hope you had a great weekend and....Happy Monday??! :)

Thankful for you!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Just wanted to say that I am so thankful for you for visiting my blog. I've only been around a year and I've just had the time of my life spending it with you! Thank you for your visits, support, and super-sweet comments. They make me who I am today. :)

This is a snapshot of the "homemade" apple pie from the Southern Comfort Bakery in Bandera. Hands down, the BEST apple pie EVER!

Now wish me luck as I venture out in the wee hours for some late night/early morning shopping! Lord help meeeee!

Happy Pre-Turkey day day!

Are you ready for tomorrow?! My goodness I've been anticipating every little yummy morsel for days now, lol! To keep my mind off of all the scrumptious food I just had to stamp. This latest card is....a Christmas card...I know, I know! I have to build up my stash! Either that or I put it up on an Etsy store...yes??





I used the latest CPS sketch challenge for inspiration and some new K & Company die-cut cardstock and acetate pieces for my card. Hard to believe, but no stamping on this one! That actually made this card very quick to put together. That fancy trim at the bottom and top is from Anitra's stash (thanks again girl!!)

Ok, I'm off to do some last minute shopping and food prep!

In Stamping Mode Supplies
Stamps: none
Ink: Vintage Photo Distress ink
Paper: Whisper White SU, Eskimo Kisses Basic Grey, Good Cheer October Afternoon, Santa K & Company
Accessories: Twill Tape, button from my stash, Baker's Twine Martha Stewart, Fine Cosmo glitter SU, green rhinestones

PS. Check out these mad awesome in-ear headphones from Lady Gaga. They look pretty flashy in your ear (score 1 for fashion) and the sound quality is supposed to be stellar! Now this is something that would TOTALLY put me in the gym more often!! ;)

Single Layer Christmas

Who doesn't love a single layer Christmas card, lol? Well, at least for those of us making our own cards. I CASEd this from the ever-FABULOUS Paper Crafts go to girl, Betsy Veldman. Now, her card is waaaay nicer...love that embossing at the top! I just wanted to make something quick to have an excuse to make a post and say hi. So...."hi!"

I also wanted to mention that because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, there will be no Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge this Friday! Don't fret though! Taylor will be conducting her own Black Friday sale!!!!

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the two biggest shopping days of the year!), Taylored Expressions is offering 15% off everything in the store! Just use the promotional code TEBlackFriday upon checkout to receive the discount. You don't want to miss up to 50% off all JustRite products, Buy 2 Get 1 Free on Tiny Twinkles, and the new TE Shirts & Aprons!

Man, oh man, things are about to get busy here! My in-laws are heading into town tomorrow and I'm so excited for them to be here! I'm also getting REAL antsy to eat some yummy Thanksgiving staples and the best apple pie you've ever seen. I'll try and take a pic before we dive in. :)

Maybe I'll be able to sneak another card in before the weekend too (crossing fingers!)

If not, hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday, and if it's not a holiday where you are, why not pretend it is one?! :)

This one's gonna be a long one

Bear with me folks, I have a lot to share! Let's start with my order of Thanksgiving cards for my jewelry-making guru friend, Kris. I shared with you one of the cards I had made for her a few days back and here are the rest.





The cards together, for a total of 6.


I packaged them carefully in those plastic containers that the stamps from Papertrey come in...GREAT use for them!

LOL, that sunflower is just over the top HUGE! I love it!

I was also busy making little Thanksgiving treats for Harrison's teacher, past teachers, and school Principal. I TOTALLY copied this fantastic idea for treats from Lynn's blog and the packaging for them from Melissa's blog. Thanks you two for such wonderful inspiration!

The wording about the contents and meaning of them were merely printed on a 2"x4" label and adhered to the back. It fit perfect! These are the smaller sized baker bags you can buy from Papertrey by the way!

And finally...last but certainly not least, my good friend Anitra surprised myself and Valeria with the most awesome gift!!! Check it oooooout!

More gorgeous trim and vintagy buttons! She even made that tag..which, was presented just immaculately in a pretty tissue paper-lined Janie and Jack box. How lucky am I?!?! Thanks so much Anitra!! I owe you! Well...actually, you owe me now for making me watch New Moon. :P

Thank you for enduring my super long post..WHEW!

Until next time.......

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 92

TGIF everyone!!! Welcome to another Friday and another sketch challenge brought to you by Taylored Expressions!

Here is your sketch for the week


And here is my sample for inspiration (hopefully!) :)


I decided that I wanted my 3 panels to be tags with embellished tops. :) I also stamped with one of my favorite images from Wings of Joy. I paper-pieced all of the stockings, hats, and little birds all from paper from the Cosmo Cricket Jolly by Golly mini-deck. Hope you are able to participate, and if you do, tell 'em Melissa sent ya! :)

Here's more eye candy for ya!

Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Jami Sibley: More is More
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland

In Stamping Mode Supplies
Stamps: Wings of Joy
Ink: Tattered Rose Distress ink Tim Holtz, Creamy Caramel, Basic Brown, Vanilla craft
Paper: Very Vanilla, Jolly by Golly Cosmo Cricket
Accessories: Baker's twine Martha Stewart, Scallop edge punch EK Success, trim, Pink and White gingham ribbon, Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, Fine glitter Martha Stewart, White fun flock

A mini book for MY dad

I actually started this project back in June for my dad's birthday/Father's day...and of course I didn't get far...I'm just slow as molasses trying to do scrapbook pages...no matter how small! Anyway, the Verve challenge to make Gifts, Decor, and more really inspired me to get back at it and hopefully finish this to present as a Christmas gift for my dad. Now, my dad is a real sensitive guy (don't tell him you read that here!) and I think that he'll appreciate this a ton. I actually had tears in my eyes putting this together. Here's the cover on an acrylic scalloped square base.


I actually really love how this cover turned out! Lots of dimension with the chipboard all over it.


On the inside of the cover is the first page...him holding me as a newborn. :)


Can you tell by the haircut he was in the military? Or is it that military green shirt that gives it away? LOL!
And onto the next page!


What a handsome man he is! He was so lucky to be blessed with such a chubby baby! hee hee
So I'm not completely done with the mini-book yet, but the pictures progress all the way up to my high school graduation. I hope he cherishes it as I cherish him!

Now...for some quick non-stamping-related stuff :)

Today was "bring a friend day" over at our little friend, Sophia's ballet class. The class is for 2-3 year olds...and well, I think that my Catie might be a little young for the class. She barely lasted 15 minutes, ROFL! Here are a couple pics I wanted to share. :)

She just couldn't stand still! During the stretching routine, she just stood by the door moving her arms in the stretch motions...then she walked around the class a bit, opened the door, and proceeded her merry little way OUT! LOL


She has really been into hair clips lately so she insisted the little blue one stay on...you know 2 year olds and their temper tantrums?! I didn't want to battle one so we just left it on. :)

I'll be back in the morning with my take on Taylor's Sketch Challenge so see you then! Busy night tonight and still a million things to do....

Vera Bradley inspired Clean and Simple

The Clean and Simple challenge for this week over on Splitcoast is to create a card inspired from the Vera Bradley site. Well, I didn't need to go there since I just LOVE my diaper bag that is from Vera's line. :) I have no idea the color name, but I know that these colors of turquoise, chocolate, and celery are definitely in it! I just happened to pick up some quilting quarters a couple weeks back with the intention to make some fabric flowers and this challenge lent itself to a great opportunity to use it. I've also been going through some old Stampin' Up! stamps and I'm determined to use them again...it's been so long. The leaves are from a retired Sell a Bration set a few years back called Best Blossoms. Still a great set!


Aside from the fabric, this card is SUO!

Now onto some other news.

My time on the Shimmerz design team has ended, and while I am sad to go, I look so very forward to seeing what the new team members do with such a great product! If you are interested in applying to the team, be sure to visit their blog HERE! The ladies on the team are so wonderful, so I would definitely recommend trying out.

One of the cards in my recent posts has been accepted to be published in Paper Crafts Magazine!!! Let me just first say...I have NEVER submitted before and actually had decided 2 days before the deadline that I would make something. Well, I was able to make 2 cards...submitted those and a couple days later found out that they are wanting to use 1 of them!! So, if you are like me and have always had the desire to be published, yet the hesitation to do so, JUST DO IT!!! It can happen to you!! I tell you, I've been on Cloud 9 since finding out. :)

And finally, if you are a commenter (you should be!!! j/k!!) you may have noticed that I had to turn on word verification. I apologize about that, but I just had to do it. The spammers have discovered my blog and were hitting it hardcore. I'll leave it on for a while and take it off in a bit and see if they've moved on.

Ok, I think that's it for now! Sorry for the great wall of text, lol!

Have a great week and thanks for getting, "in stamping mode."

Remember Give Thanks

A good friend of mine has requested some Thanksgiving cards and I thought I would make something classy, yet not so conventional! I bought the Making Memories Autumn Splendor kit for....get this... $1.49!!! Yes, I went back the next day and ended up buying another. :P So I wanted to use the patterned paper with the gorgeous leaves and, low and behold, there was this pretty vibrant blue in the mix. Not conventional fall, but I loved it and went with it! To bring the blue hue out even more, I took a sponge applicator and painted some Tickle Me Turquoise Shimmerz after I distressed the edges on my card base. It was a bit bright, so I sponged some Antique Lace Shimmerz right on top of that....GORGEOUS!!! The shimmer is absolutely striking and it almost kind of made a nice patina look. Check it!

(Click on image for a better peek)

So what are you thankful for this year? Well get on over to the Shimmerz blog and share and you can win yourself some Shimmerz! Hurry though, Thanksgiving is not taking it's sweet time approaching!

Did you have a nice weekend? Aside from it ending too short, I thought this weekend was fabulous! Check out what I scored at one of the vintage stores here in town. :)


In there is a gorgeous scarf (for Catie's room) with the pink lace stitched to the bottom as well as vintage buttons that I got for a $1!!! and lots and lots of trim! Now I'm going to have to not try and horde it all. :)

PS. I was completely inspired by this card on the Melissa Frances blog....I just love looking there for inspiration!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 91

Welcome to another edition of my take on Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge!! Here is your challenge for the week and I hope you will play along!


And yet another Christmas card...I hope you aren't tiring of them yet. :)


Are you thinking, "but where's the stamping in this??" Well see those adorable little stockings? Those are stamped! That is one of many super adorable images from Taylor's Wings of Joy set.


The stockings are stamped on TE's Choice Snow White and then colored with Copics. Oh my goodness I just LOOOVE coloring with Copics. Did I tell you that I will be attending a certification class coming up soon? I'm SOOO EXCITED!! I can't wait to get my hands on that airbrush system and figure out how to use it, lol!

I used 3 different patterned papers here and I thought that they actually coordinated really well together! Sometimes it's good to think outside the box and not just use what comes in the paper pack...at least that's what I'm trying to remind myself. :)

So let's see what other inspiration is in store for you this week...

Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Jami Sibley: More is More
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland

Hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend! I am looking forward to some quality time with the fam and friends!

In Stamping Mode Supplies
Stamps: Wings of Joy
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Vanilla craft
Paper: Mistletoe by Making Memories, Merry Moments dsp and Holiday Thyme dsp (retired) by SU!, Choice Snow White
Accessories: Mistletoe Trims and Treats by Making Memories, rhinestones, Mistletoe Spiral journaling book by Making Memories, Snowflake Rosette stickers by Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart edge punch, gold cord, button, Cream organdy ribbon, Copics

A Black and White Christmas

So here is my Clean and Simple Stampin' Up! only contribution for the week! I really like throwing these in the mix every now and again. Simple and clean can be so elegant and, more importantly, fast to reproduce! lol :)

I ended up waking up again with my headache and was finally able to figure out it was sinus related. Popped a decongestant and the headache was gone!! FINALLY! You know, it always takes something little like that to make you appreciate the times when you feel well. Love every minute of it!

In Stamping Mode supplies (all Stampin' Up!)
Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Christmas Greetings
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Whisper White
Accessories: Black grosgrain, Dazzling Diamonds, Paper Piercer

Happy pretty mother's day

At my most recent trip to Archiver's, I was able to purchase a lovely book on Ribbon embellishments at clearance for $5!! There's sooo much eye candy in there and I just had to get right to work on a project that was totally inspired by a beautiful handmade flower.


Well, I can at least say that I have a Mother's Day card done for next year! :) I'm sure this is probably also a welcome change to my routine posts of Christmas cards, lol! This picture really doesn't do my flower any justice, sadly. I used a lot of Shimmerz on this project though!! The blue aging that you see was done with December Sky Blingz and I spritzed my finished flower with Baby Breath Spritz. Here's a closeup!


Sketch inspiration came from the latest Mojo Monday challenge. Ok, I'm off to lay my weary head down for the night. I've had a persistent headache for the past two days...it must be allergy related, grrrrr. Hopefully it will be gone by morning, wish me luck!

Thank you so much for visiting and getting, "in stamping mode."

I'm Walkin' on Sunshine

And don't it feel good?! Ok, it really just rained here all day so I was determined to make a sunshiney card to kind of perk things up. Can you tell that's a sun there in my card? LOL Maybe I was just being silly when I made it...I dunno! I had fun with ribbon and chipboard so how can you go wrong there?? :)

All the patterned paper is from the Earth Love mini deck by Cosmo Cricket. I also used the coordinating rubon for the tree. Hope this brings a little sun to your day.

And thanks for getting, "in stamping mode!" :)

What's an ice cream paint job anyway?

I don't know what an ice cream paint job is, but I just loooooved the routine done to that song on the latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance!! I think I've already watched it about 10 times. :) It's a little risque, but girlfriend loves me some body rolls, ROFL!

Anyway, I had a little extra time to tackle this week's Mojo Monday Contest challenge. Man I had a ROUGH time with it! Here goes anyway....


I've been wanting to use my new Christmas pack from Basic Grey so I was bound and determined to use it here! It's hard to believe by looking at the card that I used any stamps, but I actually used quite a bit! The background stripes on the piece cut with the Labels 1 Nestabilities was stamped with Bountiful Backgrounds in retired Stampin' Up! color Rose Romance. Man, remember that color from...what, 4 or 5 years ago?? Hard to believe, but my ink pad was still inky! Woot! I then stamped the border with my Vintage Labels in Old Olive. I must say, that's probably my most favorite part of this card, lol. I hope you like it though!!


Have a GREAT weekend!! By the time this post goes up, I will have already stood in line early Saturday morning at Archiver's for a $7.99 valued pack of paper, LOL! I know, the crazy things we do for free scrappin goods!

In Stamping Mode supplies
Stamps: Holly Jolly and Bountiful Backgrounds - Verve, Vintage Labels - Papertrey Ink
Ink: Rose Romance, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Basic Brown, Memento Cocoa, Distress Ink
Paper: Eskimo Kisses by Basic Grey, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: SU Chipboard, Dew Drops, lace trim, Copics, buttons, gold glitter, Basics Slice Design Card, twill

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 90

Ok this week has just FLOWN! Not that I am complaining at all. I welcome Fridays with open arms! With that...here is your challenge for the week!


And another Christmas card using some non-traditional colors and one of Taylor's new stamp sets, Wings of Joy. Looooove this set! And I only used a couple stamps from it. Can't wait to play with more. :)


Here's a little more eye candy for you in case you are in need of a bit more inspiration.

Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper
Lisa Hjulberg: The Craft's Meow
Lynn Mercurio: Stamperosity
Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge
Jami Sibley: More is More
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
Rachel Sztonyk: Gingerbread Gallery
Alice Lihsuan-Wertz: Alice's Little Wonderland

And of course, our challenge hostess TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS!!

Have a wonderful Friday!

In Stamping Mode Supplies
Stamps: Wings of Joy
Ink: Basic Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, White craft
Paper: Whisper White, Colorful Christmas by My Mind's Eye
Accessories: Copics, Chipboard, Diamond Dust, Snowflake brad, fabric trim, buttons, SU white satin ribbon, Nestabilities tags, white fun flock, feather from Christmas pick at Joann's

Custom shimmer dots

So I have been a subscriber to the Clean and Simple blog for a while now...those ladies are amazing! I always go there to draw some inspiration of the classy, yet simple variety. :) A perfect mix for Christmas cards, if I do say so myself!

I've been on quite the kick of making square cards lately, so why break the trend? This card is only 4 1/4" square, and since my center panel was even smaller, I needed a pretty pattern that was small. Enter my Shimmerz! Now, I've seen people making polka dots with an eraser and ink, but did you know that you could use Shimmerz just like ink as well and make your own dots? Since an eraser was too large a dot, I went with my stylus...perfecto! Ok, less talk Melissa, just show us what you mean!


Custom polka dots that shimmer! I swear, these look just like little shimmery candy dots you could just eat up! There's even a little dimension to them, which was an unexpected, yet welcome look. :) I used Poinsettia Pink Blingz and a regular old simple stylus.


I used a new (to me at least) Fiskars around the edge punch for my pink background and the stamp set is Verve's Holly Jolly. LOVE this set I tell ya!

Thanks for stopping by and getting "in stamping mode." :)

In Stamping Mode supplies
Stamps: Holly Jolly
Ink: Memento brown
Paper: Kraft, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Accessories: Fiskars edge and corner punch, SU Texture plate, Poinsettia Pink Blingz, Stylus, Pink taffeta ribbon, jingle bells, gold cord

Clean and Simple Monday

Happy Monday to you!! Ok, Monday is pretty much over (thank goodness!) and I had a quick moment today to tackle the CAS challenge over on Splitcoast and this time it was a sketch challenge! I'm loving these quick and easy cards for Christmas. :) I actually used 3 stamp sets here though! I know, hard to believe but they are all Papertrey sets.

Instead of the back panel, I used Polka dot basics stamped in white on kraft cardstock. And I'm such a sucker for the Vintage Labels set, so I used that again coupled with Signature Christmas...which I just adore! I dressed it up a little with some bling and tied a pretty bow with twill and was done with it! Clean and simple...just how a Monday should be. :)