Precious Remembrance Tuesday Ideas

I'm sharing another clean & simple card for Tuesday Ideas over on the Precious Remembrance Shop blog today!   I hope you'll take some time to go check it out!  It's a school themed card!

Precious Remembrance Shop New Release Blog Hop!

The day is finally here! It's time for the August new release over at Precious Remembrance Shop!  We're having a blog hop to celebrate!  You'll want to hop along for your chance to win the new stamp set for yourself (see giveaway details at end of this post)!  You should have arrived here from wonderful Lisa's blog.  If not, feel free to start at the beginning by bopping over to the Precious Remembrance Shop blog!

I have to tell you, I was just a little more than excited when I first laid eyes on this one!  Take a look at the brand new School Days stamp set!  It's just in time for the beginning of a new school year!

I created my usual clean & simple design using that adorable school bus and the fantastic, big "thanks"!

I stamped the bus on yellow cardstock before fussy cutting and adding two clear gemstones to the headlights.  I decided to use a diagonal, off center orientation for both the bus and the sentiment for added interest.  The bus is popped up with foam dots for dimension.  I always need thank you cards like this throughout the school year and this one is going to be so easy to recreate!  I think even my boys could put one of these cards together!

Here are the giveaway details:

• Giveaway ends Saturday, August 29, 2015.
• Leave comments on the Precious Remembrance Shop's blog post as well as each of the design team member's blogs to be eligible to win the prize, one School Days stamp set.
• One lucky winner will be chosen randomly.
• To keep updated with our projects, join us on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram, if you haven't already.

From here, you'll want to head on over to lovely Sue's blog!  Good luck!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Celebrate School

It's Friday again and, after receiving some school papers in the mail for the upcoming school year, I couldn't help but think of school things!  I made a school themed card, knowing how excited kids get during the days leading up to the beginning of a new school year.  At least, the elementary aged ones I know usually feel this way about it!

Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Smarty Pants - bus & stars, Market Fresh - dashed line, Salutations - sentiment)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black), SU (Daffodil Delight)
Die:  Paper Smooches (Notebook)
Extras:  Wink of Stella Brush Marker, Copic Markers, black rhinestones (wheels)

I created my card using supplies from i{heart}papers.  I first die cut a notebook shaped panel of white cardstock using a Paper Smooches die.  I then stamped the dashed line and one word sentiment.  The bus was stamped, colored with Copic markers and then fussy cut before being popped up using foam dots.  I stamped a trio of yellow stars and added a little sparkle to them using a Wink of Stella Brush Marker.  For a little extra touch of fun, I added two small black rhinestones to the wheels for some extra dimension.  I adhered the entire main panel to the card base using foam dots.

I am joining in the current Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge as well as linking up with the current RUN challenge over at CASology because school bus drivers will soon be doing test RUNS of their bus routes in preparation for the new school year!

The family and I are actually on vacation as I'm typing this today.  DD is taking a nap after having a no nap kind of day yesterday.  It's good when a baby gets at least one nap per day...for everyone involved!  I'm enjoying the quiet along with a free cup of coffee & the guys are off climbing sand dunes and making more sand castles (or something of that sort...DH decided to replicate the Hoover Dam yesterday...).  We're enjoying Michigan beaches and blueberries straight from the bush.  This is what our family looks forward to every summer!  DD will enjoy it more next year.  This time, she is eating her fill of blueberries...and sand.

Have a great weekend!

CASology #104: PET

 

It's time for a new cue word over at CASology and this one will have you smiling as you think of the endless possibilities it provides for you!

In its typical crazy fashion, my brain took me beyond the neat and tidy box that the cue word resides in.  At first, I thought of pet peeves, but decided I really didn't want to share those with too many people.  Then, it hit me.  A teacher themed card would be appropriate since we've all known a teacher's pet or two during our school days (not ourselves, of course!).  When all was said and done, I realized I didn't use a single animal on my card!  I hope you'll forgive me.

I preserved plenty of white space by keeping th main image and sentiment close together.  The main image is popped up with foam dots for a little dimension and Crystal Effects were added to the apple for a little shine and interest.  I couldn't believe my luck when I found the sentiment.  Funny how things come together sometimes!

I hope you'll join us for this fun challenge!  Before you get started on your own PET card, take a few moments to visit the guest designer and design team member blogs for inspiration!  Then, don't forget to link your own creation to the challenge blog by Monday at NOON (CDT)!

 

Ardyth Percy-Robb
Gillian Ross 
Jen Wills
Joyce Mehrberg
Judy Marino
Kimberly Wiener

May Park 

Meghan McMillan (on a break)
Melissa Chipperfield (you are here)
Tracey McNeely

Guest Designer:  Angela

Guest Designer:  Lindsey

Now that we're back home from our trip west for a wedding, I'm playing catch up with lots of things!  Laundry is top on the list!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Furry

It's Tuesday and the beginning of a new cue word challenge over at CASology!

I first thought of all the cute, cuddly critters that are out there in the world, but just couldn't seem to settle on one, so finally took off in a little different direction!  I love watching those furry little caterpillars that can be seen as summer comes to a close and fall approaches.  I call them "furry," but I suppose some people might find them more "fuzzy."  I remembered I had a little worm image from Paper Smooches, which was rather convenient since they are this week's CASology sponsor!

Stamps:  Paper Smooches (Smarty Pants)
Paper:  Paper Trey cardstock (white), SU cardstock (Basic Black)
Ink:  Memento (Tuxedo Black)
Accessories:  star gemstone, Copic markers, red glitter glue

I added a little "fur" to the caterpillar in addition to some red glitter glue to his glasses and some Crystal Effects to his lenses.  I figured a star gemstone would glam things up a bit too!  Here is a close up of the glasses in all their sparkling, shiny glory:

I hope you'll join us this week!  The design team and guest designer have provided some wonderful inpiration on their blogs, so be sure to visit them!  Then, don't forget to link up your own furry creation on the challenge blog by Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (CDT)!

Tracey McNeely

 Rosemary Dennis

Meghan McMillan

Maureen Merritt

Judy Marino

Jen Wills

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Guest Designer:  Lucy

Have a terrific Tuesday!

School Jitters

Well, DS2 has survived two whole days of kindergarten.  The first day, I could tell he had butterflies in his stomach as he faced the unknown.  We'd told DS1 to look out for his little brother a bit and he did, other than running for the bus and leaving DS2 standing there!  LOL!  They both came home happy and that makes me happy.  Yesterday, DH told me that he had to run back to the house to get DS2's name badge, leaving both boys with the neighbors at the bus stop just in case the bus came while he was gone.  It did.  DS1 got on and DS2 stayed behind, missing the bus.  Oh, the drama!  (I'm actually laughing as I type this!)  It's a good thing we're only about five minutes driving time from the school!  Here's hoping the next few days go smoothly for our little kindergartner!

This week over at Splitcoast Stampers, the Clean & Simple Challenge is a theme challenge based on "school."  How appropriate!  Since I always seem to be lacking thank you cards for teachers during the school year, I was more than happy to make one to have on hand!

Stamps:  SU (School Lines), Paper Trey (sentiment)

I hadn't used my notebook punch for a very long time, but remembered it as I was wracking my brain for ideas!  I added the thin line of black cardstock at the very end, wanting to dress things up a bit!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

CASology #6: SCHOOL

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for a brand new cue word over at CASology!  This week's word...

 

I feel like I still have a lot to learn about Clean & Simple design.  Let's face it.  Life is about learning and as soon as you think you know it all, you've stopped living.  I don't ever want to lose the desire to learn.  To improve.  To refine.  That's what makes life interesting.

For this week's word, I created a card for a teacher.  I'm thinking I'll send one of these with each of my sons on their first day of school next week!

Stamps:  SU (A to Z), Unity (To the Core!), Paper Trey (sentiment)

Just for fun, did you know that some think the practice of giving a teacher an apple originated as a simple gift of food for poorly paid teachers?  I love little tidbits like that.  I think it would take a bit more than an apple to support our poorly paid teachers of today!  LOL!  So thankful for our teachers!  I think they have one of the toughest jobs out there!

It's off to more birthday planning here at this household:

The invitations were sent out.
The cake is ordered.
The birthday party supplies are purchased.
The guests have submitted their rsvp's.
I have somewhat of an idea as to what to present to our little birthday boy (simple is good).
I have plans in place for making elephant cut out cookies...as long as time doesn't get away from me.
Sleeping arrangements are figured out...17 people will be present.
The kids are getting excited.
I am too.

I think the hardest part of planning any special occasion is just making myself focus!  That said...

Have a terrific Tuesday!

Post It Penguin

It's been much too long since I've posted something other than a card creation!  I do enjoy making things other than cards, but find I don't have the mental focus I need to measure and figure out templates when I am listening to Radio Station 3BOYZ during the day.  This fall I now have 1.5 hours, Monday through Friday, of pure quiet to focus, so I'm excited!  I'm starting simple, but here is a little Post It Note holder I made using 2 Cute Rubber Stamps' latest stamp release:

Supplies:
Stamps - 2 Cute Rubber Stamps (digital)
Ink - SU Basic Black (sponging around main image panel)
Paper - SU textured Real Red CS, SU Basic Black CS, Copic Blending Card
Accessories - black gemstones, black ribbon (the Paper Studio), SU Sticky Strip
Coloring - Copic markers

The main panel (red) is a 3.5 inch x 7.5 inch piece of cardstock.  See here for a detailed drawing that will help you with scoring (courtesy of tmarie on SCS).