lawnscaping blog hop - celebrate the holidays!

I am so very excited to be participating in the first-ever lawnscaping blog hop!  I adore my lawn fawn stamps, with all of their crittery cuteness... and what better theme than the holidays?

You should be hopping over from Jess Larsen's blog - so glad you made it here!

I skipped right ahead to Christmas.  I thought about Thanksgiving and Halloween, but really?  I have a Christmas DIY list a mile long (including making a black apple doll for each of my 3 kids - oy!), so I might as well get started on the cards at least!

I really wanted to create a polaroid scene using "cozy christmas" - that little fire is so darn cute!  It took a good amount of masking to keep it all 1-layer, but it was worth it.  Oh, and the first thing my hubby said was "why did you stamp the fireplace crooked?"  Seriously? Who takes a perfectly straight photo?  That just wouldn't be true-to-life.  (My life, at least - and exhibit A is the photo of my card...)

The images were all colored in with Copic markers - in my very simple style... And, in case you were curious, the patterned papers are from Basic Grey's "jovial" collection and the leaf shape is from a Martha Stewart punch.

Now you're off to visit Barb Murphy's blog.  If you get off track, don't worry!  Head back to the lawnscaping blog for a complete list of all the designers, and also for the details of all the prizes to be won! So don't forget to comment on all the blogs for your chance to win!

Before you go, the yellow lightbulb would like to say goodbye :)

Thanks for visiting!

stamped wall art.

I pulled out some stamps and made myself some framed art for our living room:

I actually slipped them off the wall and into the kitchen to snap the photos - I take all of my photos in this gorgeously-lit room...

For both prints, I used the same stamp sets:  "love lives here," "framed," "mat stack II," "background basics: gingham" (all PTI), and "schoolhouse backdrops" (lawn fawn).

A bit of masking to keep it as close to 1-layer as possible, and a whole lot of edge-distressing gives it depth without bulk so it could still fit into our existing frames.

Come back tomorrow to see my card for the 1st-ever lawnscaping blog hop!

MIM #31

Hi peeps!  I'm just warning you ahead of time... I went a little crazy on the sewing machine.

This weeks' PTI Make-it-Monday challenge was to create a background using non-background stamps.  I took the triangle banners from "banner builder" and created a baby quilt:

I haven't decided yet if the crazy machine stitching works or not.  You can be the judge :)

The sweetie-pie cupcake image is from PTI's "baby button bits".  I paper-pieced the leaves, cupcake, and cupcake liner using different colors of cardstock that were stamped with subtle patterns.

Since the background is so crazy (or cozy... not sure yet, right?) I kept the focal panel super simple.

Hope you like it!

Christmas tags!

I love Christmas tags.  I give them away as gifts to teachers and friends, and I use so many of them myself during the holiday season.  Here are my first five of the season:

I die cut all 5 Tag-Sale 3 shapes from a single sheet of white cardstock, and the hole-reinforcers out of scrap of red cardstock.  All of the stamped images are from PTI's Friendship Jar: holiday fillers.  Who said you always need to stick them in a jar?  They're adorable either way!

little black dress.

This one's for my PTI princesses - you stylish ladies!

The challenge was to use a banner on our cards - I kept it super simple with PTI's double-ended banner.

I started out with a basic grey card base (SU) and used my button boutique die (PTI) to cut a very large window in the middle.  I used my "vintage wallpaper" background stamp to create the look of those lacey, little black dresses.  You know the ones I mean?  So cute.  Wish I could pull them off... sigh.

My lady is from "iconic image" (PTI), and because I didn't want her to be a weird, floating head in a vast expanse, I added a mat stack 5 layer to back her up.

Hope you like it!

New baby thank yous...

As I'm sure the new mommy will not be checking out my blog in the next few days (you know, between all the feedings, diaperings, and carings for older children...) I think it's safe to post the pictures of a little gift set I'm tucking in with some of the cutest baby clothes!

I used PTI's onesie die to create the shaped card - isn't it cute?  For the card front, I cut out 2 shapes: 1 in blue patterned paper, and another in kraft cardstock - to be able to cut out the extra pieces for the shirt, and the giraffe shape (PTI die).  The giraffe was stamped with SU's A to Z, and the "thank you" sentiment is from one of the flower fusion sets.  I sponged around all of the pieces before assembling the onesie, to give it some depth.

Thanks for looking!

Back to school...

I hope you don't mind this crafty break!  Today is the:

Is it just me, or does the first day of school really mark the end of summer?  Morning came earlier than usual today, and was much more of a bustle-y affair – we’d gotten used to staying in our pj’s until at least 9am… 

Sending Sofia on that big yellow bus was almost as nerve-wrecking as it was last year for kindergarten.  She still looked so tiny climbing those steps with her too-big backpack.   I know that she’s lost a few friends to other schools, and I pray that she finds some familiar faces in the "big-kid" schoolyard…  

 Thomas starts his second year of pre-school, but with a new teacher.  He had a hard time at the end of last year, and I’m hoping that school is a happy place for him this time around.  But when no one is looking, I'm probably going to have to sneak a hug to his last year's teacher - I love her so!

Appropriately enough, my devotion this morning was about New Beginnings.  Going back to school is always a time of new things and fresh beginnings.

I’m so thankful that God gives us this new, fresh start each and every day.  There’s an old hymn that I love:

Great is thy faithfulness!  

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed they hand hath provided;

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

ps, thank you to the big, giant, fabulous apple from Winners' fall decor section for making this mini-photo session possible :)