Happy Anniversary to the Perfect Pair!

My parents celebrated their 40th anniversary Friday aboard an Alaskan cruise. They got back last night so I thought that today would be a good day to do my anniversary post for them. They are amazing. They got married so young, but have managed to stick together with love and respect. I am in awe of their relationship. It hasn't always been easy for them, but they have always managed through it together and I admire and love them so much for that.

Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!!!

"We do not remember the days.

We remember the moments."

~Cesare Pavese

For my final sneak peek for the Unity Stamp Co. June kit of the month, the image and phrase was perfect for an anniversary card for my parents. I used this morning's CPS sketch challenge (#118). I just changed up the dimensions a bit to make it work with this gorgeous pear tree stamp image.

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. June kit of the month

*K&Company Wild Raspberry collection

*Making Memories ledger paper

*watercolor pencils

*Marvy Uchida scallop punch

*copper brads

*Memories brown inkpad

*corner punch

*ribbon

For this Perfect pair sentiment, this kit is AWESOME! These are 2 separate stamps, but there is also pear spelled like the fruit so you can go for an elegant look (like what I was trying to do here) or a more fun, punny look if you want a more playful card. Angela thinks of everything!! AND you can use that "Perfect" on it's own (I love that font!)

Another June Sneak Peek...

I just have a real quick post this morning to share my card for today's sneak peek of the June Kit of the Month for Unity Stamp Co...

It's funny how a card ends up progressing... looking NOTHING like what I imagined it to be when I started. LOL! 

For this card, I stamped the teapot and sentiment onto some yellow Fancy Pants paper and then shaded it a bit with a bit more yellow watercolor pencils and added the touches of green and red so that it would coordinate with those Jenni Bowlin papers. After I got the card pretty much done, I realized that it was taking on a Mary Engelbright vibe and had to add the polka-dots to the teapot using my Zig Writer. I don't know if you can see it clearly in this photo or not, but the black base has been embossed with a cuttlebug embossing folder (the one that's viney with birds.)

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. June kom

*Jenni Bowling papers

*Stampin Up punch

*Cuttlebug embossing folder

*black brads

*eyelet trim

*watercolor pencils

*Zig Writer

Hip Hop Happy!

Welcome to the school edition of Hip Hop!!! 

School is almost over and everyone is thinking about teacher's gifts. Over the years, Jacob has had several teachers that would give their students cards when they did something special. So for my gift, I made up a set of these cards...

The cards measure 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 and fit into one of the Provo-Craft bandaid tins that you can alter. The very first Unity kit of the month, Bliss & a Birdie, had a sentiment in it that said, "You Rock!" I thought that it was perfect for the insides of these cards (but forgot to take a photo of the insides.) It's also on the tag on the handle of the tin.

Supplies Used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Bliss & a Birdie

*Unity Stamp Co. Birdie Inspiration

*Unity Stamp Co. Confession: i luv unity!

*Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday papers

*Marvy Uchida punches

*ribbon

*copper brads

*watercolor pencils

*Stampin Up punch

*Kraft Bazzill

*Memories brown inkpad

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And now I have another sneak peek of the incredible June kit of the month...

Isn't that ice cream cone adorable? I used this week's CPS sketch (#117) for the layout of the card.

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. June Kit of the Month

*Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday paper collection

*watercolor pencils

*Marvy Uchida punches

*Memories brown inkpad

*copper brads

Now you need to head on over the the very lovely and talented...

****Laura's Blog****

Shopping lately... and a Sneak Peek too!

The theme of this blog post is shopping. ;o) It doesn't get more fun than this!! Lately I have been hitting some of the local antique stores and thought that you all might want to see some of my "finds."

My first couple of purchases happened when my parents were here for a visit. 

This is a daybed (it dates back to the 1800's) that I put on layaway for Kat. I just love it and can't wait to get it home, but I am not ready for her to move out of her crib yet, so I worked out a deal with the shop owner so that I could leave it there for a couple of months. I plan on bringing it home by the end of June. I just need to figure out exactly how I am going to sheet it and outfit it for Kat's use.

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My next purchase was something that my parents bought while they were here for me....this great old suitcase. 

It has a bakelite handle and is a deep red with butter yellow trim which is exactly the colors that my living room is decorated with. It was a steal and is PERFECT to hold all of Ben's and mine piles of magazines so that they are hidden away when someone drops by.

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When my parents were here, we went to a local antique mall that had tons of sports memorabilia. I told Jacob about it and he wanted to go check it out this last weekend. He found a few treasures, but I am even more happy with what I found. 

First was this set of 4 tea/biscuit plates/cups. I have been dying to get a set of these for years(ultimately I want 8-12) and these were an absolute steal with being in mint condition in the original box at only $12 for the whole set. I couldn't believe it

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Then I found 2 huge jars of old cream/white buttons for only $3 each. I am so excited! I use white/cream buttons all the time and these are just beautiful!

And finally along the lines of shopping...

Here is a bit of a sneak peek for you all of some shopping that you could be doing soon. This is the first sneak peek of Unity Stamp Co. June kit of the month. I LOVE that little clothesline. Isn't that just the funnest image?!?

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. June kit of the month

*MM papers

*watercolor pencils

*corner rounder

*buttons

*jute cord 

*Bazzill cardstock

*copper brads

I'll be back tomorrow with another sneak peek and maybe a bit of fun along the lines of vintage fun with papercrafts (if I get my project done!)

Creating...

I had a bit of time over the weekend to craft while I waited hours-with-no-end for the CocaCola 600 to dry out  (and no, they never did get the race finished) so I managed a bit of cardmaking on the couch (NOT my normal studio area!)

I have this new kit from Unity, called Folk Inspired, that I have hardly had a chance to touch and when I found these papers from K&Company (Raspberry Fizz is the name of the line, I think), I knew that they were the perfect style for these stamps.

This card was based upon this week's sketch from MojoMonday (#88).

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Folk Inspired

*K&Company Raspberry Fizz

*Martha Stewart seam binding

*copper brads

*Marvy Uchida punches

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Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Folk Inspired

*K&Company Raspberry Fizz

*watercolor pencils 

*brown brads

*Memories inkpad

*prima blossom

*Martha Stewart border punch

I have a HUGE list of things to get done today and so far, not too much is crossed off of it yet.

 I will be back tomorrow!

Scraplift Challenge...

I am a huge Studio Calico fan. Their kits are amazing. Their designers create divine layouts. They have a fantastic message board which I sometimes lurk on and a fabulous blog which I follow.

On the blog recently they issued a scraplift challenge and posted two layouts each from the owners of Studio Calico. I couldn't resist these gorgeous layouts so I created my own lifts of them.

My first layout is a lift from April, and you can see her layout here.

Here is what I did for my lift. I started with a blank piece of white cardstock and laid a 9x9 piece of scrap cardstock over it to create the mask for the frame. I then sprayed on pink glimmer mist and stamped that fun little flower stamp (from Everyday Adorable) randomly to create the frame effect.

I loved all the little details in the original layout like the layers of patterned papers....

Since my photo was from Kat's 2nd birthday, I created emphasis around the 2 using  a Heidi Swapp bling circle frame.

Supplies Used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Everyday Adorable

*Unity Stamp Co. ...another Sweet day (May kom)

*Unity Stamp Co. Let's Get Scrappy

*Martha Stewart border punches

*MM papers

*Martha Stewart butterfly punch

*Tattered Angels glimmer mist

*Heidi Swapp bling frame

*ribbon

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And this layout is a lift from Scarlet, you can see her original layout here.

These photos were taken on Earth Day when I took Kat out to go play at the park. She will spend hours on the swing if I let her...she loves it!

I stamped this tree image in black and then colored it in with black marker to create a silhouette look to it.

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Carefree Moments Oak

*Unity Stamp Co. Sentiments o' Simple

*Fancy Pants paper

*ribbon

*Fiskars border punch

*Marvy Uchida Scallop punches

*buttons 

*MM paper (green circle punches)

I hope that you are all having a fabulous weekend!!!

Exercise Your Creativity- Week 19- Rule of Three's

{click on the image below for printing/viewing purposes. If this doesn't work, email me at snowchris_01@yahoo.com and I can send you the pdf file.}

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Great examples from etsy.com using the rule of three's:

Caged Bird Bag from etsy seller AnOddDuck

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Free as a Bird Silk Screen Print by etsy seller NaomiMurrell

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Second Thoughts Giclee print from etsy seller Wyanne

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Birdcage Notecards from etsy seller KootiesCloset

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Bird in a Cage print by etsy seller naokosstoop

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Bird Medley Three Original Paintings by etsy seller peartreeprimitives

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Birds in Birdcages Vinyl Decor by etsy seller singlestonestudios

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Vintage Styled Art Print by etsy seller TheDecoratedHouse

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Blue Bell Birdcage from etsy seller BluePearls

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BTW, I chose all artwork that features birdcages this week because the birdcage form is a good example of the rule of thirds too.

Also, I realize that I am running a bit behind on these exercises (we are missing 2 weeks to be exact) and they will be showing up randomly over the next month (i.e. when I find time to put them together.) ;o)

And one more aside... If you want to see the other EYC exercises, they are all archived on the Creative Prompts blog. That blog doesn't have the etsy inspiration pieces (they can only be seen on this blog,) but it does have all the printable pages from each of the challenges.

It's a Hero Hip Hop!

We are focusing on our heroes this week.

 With a bit of a patriotic slant, today's focus on my blog was an easy one. 

This is my husband, Ben. 

We have been married almost 17 years. 

In January, he will have spent the last 20 years of his life serving as Active Duty in the Air Force. 

It goes without saying, that I love this man with all my heart, but I am also so proud of him and what he does for our country and for our family.

I won't go into the specifics of his life in the Air Force. 

I will only say that without a doubt, he is my hero. 

I know the sacrifices that he has made. 

He is a good man and a great officer in our military.

{I don't want to get all gushy, so I will end it with that.}

Now for the projects. I wanted to do a card that had a patriotic look, 

but was for DH and this is what I created.... 

I used this week's CPS sketch (#116) for the layout of the card.

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Stars of Worn Background

*Unity Stamp Co. Another Sweet Day (fleur corner swirl)

*Unity Stamp Co. Fresh Beginnings (i love you sentiment)

*Cosmo Cricket papers (cherries)

*Heidi Grace paper (blue)

*ribbon

*Bazzill Kraft

*memories brown inkpad

*CTMH Cranberry inkpad

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This second project is a double layout. I probably haven't done a double layout in over 5 years, but I wanted to use all these photos and they were already printed at this size so I went with it. This is a layout about Feb 12, 2008... deployment day... the day that Ben left to spend 4+ months in Iraq.

I don't like to look at these photos, but I think that it's important to have it documented for our family history and the kids.

Here is a close-up of the left side. 

Hopefully my blogger and Mac are cooperating together today so that you can click on these to read the journaling. I don't want to re-type it.

Here is the close-up of the right side.

Supplies used:

*Unity Stamp Co. Stars of Worn Background

*Unity Stamp Co. Love Etc. (large worn stars)

*Unity Stamp Co. Just My Type alphabet

*Unity Stamp Co. Let's Get Scrappy (date block)

*Creative Imagination Narratives paper

*Making Memories journaling paper

*Bazzill Kraft paper

*Memories brown inkpad

*Marvy Uchida scallop punch

*ribbon

*Zig Writer

Now you need to hop on over to....

***Natalie's Blog***

oops! I almost forgot to blog today!

How is it already 4:00?!? My day has gotten away from me today and I have NOTHING to show for it. 

The mystery of Kat's weekend fever was answered today as her fever migrated into a seriously yucky sounding chest cold and cough. *poor little thing is miserable!* So I have basically been cuddling her and answering her beck-and-call all day long.

I do have some art to share though. These were some cards that I did over the weekend for the SplitCoastStampers Virtual Stamp Night.

For this card, the challenge was to create a card with a frame...

I did this card to fulfill Michelle's VSN- CSI challenge...create a card with a frame. The frame was punched through my card front so that the flowers which are stamped on the inside show through the outside layer of the card. I used the new Unity Stamp Co. kit, Everyday Adorable, for this card.

Supplies used:
*Unity Stamp Co. Everyday Adorable
*Basic Grey papers
*StazOn Jet black inkpad
*watercolor pencils 
*glitter
*Zig Writer Black
*Glue pen
*Marvy Uchida oval punches

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For this card, the challenge was to create a VERY BRIGHT, non-traditional wedding card.

Supplies used:
*Unity Stamp Co. Folk Inspired
*K&Company papers
*StazOn Jet Black inkpad
*watercolor pencils
*glue pen
*glitter
*AC ribbon

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For this card, we were to use a sketch that was based upon the design of the look of a slot machine.

Supplies used:
*Unity Stamp Co. Everyday Adorable 
*Basic Grey papers
*Marvy Uchida punches
*Martha Stewart border punch
*ribbon
*Zig Writers
*Diamond Glaze
*ColorBox Charcoal inkpad

BTW, you may be wondering about this. I realize that sometimes my photos are click-able and sometimes they are not. Unfortunately, I have no idea why that is. I save and upload them ALL the exact same way. It's a bit frustrating. The only thing that I can figure out is that blogger doesn't really like me having a Mac...

I also know that I am running seriously behind on the Exercises in Creativity. I apologize for that! I hope to have at least one of them up for you tomorrow...