Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Great Impressions Stamps | Happy Balloons

Good morning! This week I wanted to challenge myself to create a card using this stamp, but without Copic markers. I wanted to use a few different ink colors and create a fun patterned background:

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Flying By. Ink: (Hero Arts) Soft Cantaloupe, Pale Tomato, Bubble Gum. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Melon Berry. Stickers: BasicGray. Other: Button, twine.)

I used an acrylic block with a grid to line up the stamp, and I alternated the three colors so the pattern was even. I popped up the white panel so the button fits nicely behind it. 

I am entering this card in this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge: Birthday Bash.  


... and I'm just noticing that I forgot to add the dot above the "i"! I will fix that before I mail it out. :)

Have a great week! 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Paper Smooches Sparks + Wplus9 Monday Mood Board + ColourQ

Hi there! I have three cards to share today for three different challenges: Paper Smooches Sparks, Wplus9 Monday Mood Board, and ColourQ.

First up is a card for this week's Paper Smooches Sparks challenge:


Let's talk about inspiration for a moment. Because at first glance I'm sure my card doesn't look like it was "inspired" by the above photo at. all.  I had an idea of what I wanted to create, but it was derailed when I didn't have the correct color Copic markers to color the blue flowers I stamped. Then I pulled out some old 6x6 pattern paper packs and found the *perfect* shade of blue for the background. I love this clipboard stamp and started creating my own clipboard using silver shimmer paper, brads, and textured cardstock bay Stampin' Up! The white paper is actually from a BasicGray 6x6 pad and I stamped the "thanks" sentiment with PTI's Aqua Mist ink. 

Then I was stuck. 

I wanted flowers or leaves or something that would match the patterned paper and sentiment... and I pulled out Zoo Crew and the giraffe fits perfectly. And I have Copic markers to color him in. And the paper pack with the teal/blue paper also has a yellow paper that matches the Copic markers. And this is my very long-winded way of saying that yes, I was initially inspired by the awesome inspiration photo... and I might have created my way out of not qualifying for this challenge! But I figured I would post my card anyway, because I like it. :)

(Supplies - Stamps: (Paper Smooches) Zoo Crew, Pretty Phrases, and Clipboard. Ink: (Papertrey Ink) Aqua mist. (Memento) Tuxedo Black. (Ranger) Archival Black. Cardstock: (Stampin' Up!) Crumb Cake textured cardstock. Patterned Paper: (BasicGray). Other: Brads, enamel dots, circle punch.)

Next up is a card for this week's Wplus9 Monday Mood Board:


No long winded explanation needed for this card! I was inspired by the lovely blues and greens, and the artsy "look" to the board (paint, paint brushes, painted cardstock). I worked with three colors: Papertrey Ink's Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening, and Ocean Tides. I layered several flowers from Wplus9's Embroidered Bouquet with the three ink colors. The sentiment is also from Embroidered Bouquet, which I stamped on some BasicGray patterned paper. I adhered the doily and banner die cut (PTI's Sketched Shapes die) after stamping more flowers on them. I finished off the card with Enchanted Evening buttons, Hero Arts pearls, and Papertrey Ink Enchanted Evening twine. 
 
(Supplies - Stamps: (Wplus9) Embroidered Bouquet. Ink: (PTI) Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, Ocean Tides. (Ranger Archival) Black. Cardstock: (PTI) Ocean Tides, Spring Rain. Patterned Paper: (BasicGray). Doily: Stampin' Up!. Dies: (PTI) Scalloped border, Sketched Shapes. Buttons, twine: (PTI) Enchanted Evening. Pearls: (Hero Arts).)

And the last card is for this week's ColourQ challenge: 


I pulled out several new Papertrey Ink birthday sets for this card: Background Basics: Birthday Fun, Birthday Style, and Wonderful Words Birthday. The banners/streamers in Birthday Style are a lot of fun to layer (with both ink and dies + ink), and the presents from Background Basics: Birthday make a fun border on the bottom of the card. I stamped the presents separately with Lucky Limeade and Pumpkin Pie ink, then fussy cut the centers of three presents before adhering them to my card. I love the little pop of color it adds to the bottom of the card.

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Papertrey Ink) Background Basics: Birthday Fun, Birthday Style, and Wonderful Words Birthday. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Melon Mambo Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie, Black. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Kraft. Dies: Wonderful Words Birthday, Birthday Style. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Hibiscus Burst Patterns Pack.)

Whew! I'm sorry for the excessively wordy post... I am v-e-r-y sleepy and tend to ramble when I'm tired. :)

On a final (very happy!) note... I received an e-mail from Paper Crafts Magazine today: I will have two cards published in an upcoming special issue! I was having lunch with some friends (hi Liz and Anna!) when I received the e-mail and I think I actually squealed when my phone dinged. Yes, I'm a spaz.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Papertrey Ink | April Blog Hop

The tilted/diagonal trend is so popular in papercrafting right now, and I have been happily creating diagonal projects for the last few months: here, here, and here.


My previous projects have included diagonals that cover the front of the card/layout, edge to edge. For this card I wanted the diagonal strips to cover half to two-thirds of the card front. I pulled out Maile's new Sketched Shapes dies to die cut two different sized banners in several different colors of cardstock and patterned paper. I created a pattern I liked, then adhered the strips down before trimming off the excess. I created the flowers using the Lovely Layers stamps and dies. Each flower was covered with an Aqua Mist button. The mix of colors (Enchanted Evening, Hibiscus Burst, Limeade Ice, Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, and white) just makes me happy. :)

 (Supplies - Stamps: (PTI) Lovely Layers. Ink: (PTI) Hibiscus Burst, Lemon Tart, Enchanted Evening, Limeade Ice. Cardstock: (PTI) Aqua Mist, Lemon Tart, Limeade Ice, Enchanted Evening. Dies: (PTI) Sketched Shapes, Lovely Layers. Patterns Paper: (PTI) Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist Patterns Pack. Other: Buttons, vellum, thread.)

That's it for me! I am off to watch Evan perform in front of his school... he is on the dance team. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Great Impressions Stamps | Wishing You Laughter

It was only a matter of time before sequins took over the paper crafting world. Oh yes. I am on board with this trend. Sequins are cheap, come in a plethora of beautiful colors, and are easy to apply. Many, many years ago I purchased several hundred thousand sequins in a variety of colors and I love pulling them out to use on my cards. My favorites are definitely the plain old clear sequins in small, medium, and large. I use a tiny dot of clear liquid adhesive to adhere them to my card, and so far that method has worked like a charm. 

I used two Great Impressions Stamps on my card: Wishing You and Twirly Background (one of my faves!):

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Twirly Background and Wishing You. Ink: (PTI) Simply Chartreuse, Melon Berry, Hibiscus Burst, Smokey Shadow, and Hawaiian Shores. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Hibiscus Burst. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Simply Chartreuse Patterns Pack. Twine: (Stampin' Up!). Other: Sequins.)

A bright a cheerful card to match the fun sentiment. And this color combo is going into my "must use again" file. 

Have you jumped on the sequins trend yet?

Have a great week! 
Erin.

Avery Elle | April AEI {heart} U Challenge

Hey there! This month's Avery Elle challenge is a fabulous inspiration photo... complete with paper lanterns and beautiful flowers. I took inspiration from both the "party" theme and color combo to create a CAS birthday card:


I used Avery Elle's Celebrate stamp set for the sentiment, stars, confetti, and border strip. The arrow is from To The Point:


After I stamped on the off-white cardstock, I used dimensional adhesive to adhere it to the Aqua Mist cardstock base. I used Stampin' Up! twine to finish off the card. 

 That's it from me tonight! Have a great week and thanks for stopping by. :)

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Paper Smooches Sparks | Cool Shades Challenge

This week's Paper Smooches Sparks Cool Shades Challenge is one of my favorite color combos: Aqua Mist, Limeade Ice, Kraft, and Soft Pool (Stampin' Up!)... and the name is perfect: Oceanside.


I used Paper Smooches' Knick Knacks stamp sets (the rocking horse and sentiment), with PTI's Fabulous Frames and Bountiful Banners dies. A while back  Stampin' Up! was having a sale on cardstock and I picked up a couple of packs of textured cardstock... and I used the Kraft color here. It is more textured than Bazzill and not as heavy, which makes it great for layering on cards. 

The stars were punched with an old Stampin' Up! star punch and topped with PTI Aqua Mist buttons.


It is looking quite stormy outside, so Mark, the kids, and I are all up in our office working on various projects (well, Jack is flinging Angry Birds and Piggies across the room...). I hope you have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Retro Sketches | Challenge #59

I have one more card to share tonight for this week's Retro Sketches challenge: 


I used Mama Elephants Geotagged & Modern Borders, and Papertrey Ink's Half and Half sets for my card. I stamped the chevron image in two colors (New Leaf and Limeade Ice) on Limeade Ice cardstock. The Half and Half die was stamped with the Half and Half stamp set with New Leaf ink. And this color combo of New Leaf, Limeade Ice, Orange Zest, and Stampin' Ups Soft Suede is definitely one I am going to use again... love how bright and cheerful it is!


If you read my previous post, I mentioned staying up to watch the Mariners game... and we lost. In the 14th inning. Sad, sad, sad. But the upside is now I can go to bed. :)

Have a good night!

Moxie Fab | Tuesday Trigger

Hey there! I am up w-a-y past my bedtime tonight watching the Seattle Mariners play the Detroit Tigers. It is currently in the 14th inning and a 1-1 tie. Hopefully someone will score so I can go to bed!

This week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger prompted me to pull out Papertrey Ink's Heart-2-Heart #1 stamp set... featuring an adorable coffee mug! I don't drink coffee often, but an occasional iced white chocolate mocha with a friend is the perfect way to spend an afternoon.

 

I was inspired by the stitched coffee cozy and pulled out PTI's Stitches and Swirls set. I stamped two of the stitched images onto white cardstock using Hibiscus Burst and Melon Berry inks. The banner was created using Stampin' Ups Hearts a Flutter die set.

 (Supplies - Stamps: (PTI) Heart-2-Heart #1, Stitches and Swirls, Friends 'til the End. Cardstock: (PTI) Enchanted Evening, Hibiscus Burst, White, Melon Berry. Ink: (PTI) Enchanted Evening, Melon Berry, Hibiscus Burst. Dies: (PTI) Heart-2-Heart #1. (Stampin' Up!) Hearts a Flutter. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Hibiscus Burst and Enchanted Evening Patterns Pack. Other: Buttons, punch, gems.)

Now I just have to decide who I'm going to invite for coffee. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Great Impressions Stamps | Floral Happy Birthday

Good morning! 

I had so much fun working on this card. I used striped washi tape on the base cardstock... am I the last person to discover washi tape? I received a few rolls in my Simon Says kits last year, but I'm starting to use it on a regular basis and I LOVE it! 

I used two Great Impressions stamps: Whimsical Happy Birthday and Fun Flower Background. I stamped the flower background with Papertrey Ink's New Leaf ink then colored in the flowers, leaves, and mini circles with Copic markers. I stamped the Happy Birthday image on a die cut frame before adhering it to the tag. 

The leaves were die cut from New Leaf cardstock and the beautiful yellow buttons are Doodlebug.


I hope you have a great week! And make sure to check out our monthly challenge... I've been hopping along to the projects already submitted and they are gorgeous!

Saturday, April 13, 2013

ColourQ | Challenge # 184

This week's ColourQ challenge had me frantically looking for my old Creamy Caramel stamp pad... to no avail. So I substituted with Crumb Cake. Not exactly the same, but the best I could do. 

Here's this week's color challenge


I used By the Seashore by Stampin' Up... a set I've had for almost a year, but I have had a really difficult time creating with it. Rather than making the images the focal point of the card, I stamp them onto white cardstock, used Papertrey Ink's Linen and Canvas impression plate, then inked the edges with my Tim Holtz distress inks. The result is a soft and elegant background that isn't too overwhelming. 

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Stampin' Up!) By the Seashore. (Papertrey Ink) Half and Half. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Crumb Cake, Going Gray, Blushing Bride, Basic Black. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Black. (Stampin' Up!) Blushing Bride. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Fine Linen Patterns Pack. Die: (PTI) Tag Sale #5. Other: Buttons, twine.)

I love creating backgrounds with my stamps. It's one of my favorite things about this hobby... taking a plain piece of white paper and turning it into a mini piece of art.

Mark has been snoozing next to me on the couch for the past hour... he and Evan spent three hours(!!) at the pool this afternoon and he is whipped! Time to wake him up so we can get ready for company.

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Smooches Sparks | April Designer Drafts Challenge

Hey there! I hope everyone is having a lovely Saturday. Evan had his soccer game this morning and played very well (although his team lost, which is always disappointing!), then we drove to Lowe's to build planter boxes. Their Build and Grow program is a lot of fun, but our time there confirmed that a carpenter, I am not. I was helping Evan with assembly and I put the box together with the pilot holes on the inside, and after some frustration Mark took over and ended up throwing our box out and starting over! I took Jack to the garden department and we picked out some flowers for the planter boxes, which is more my speed. 

At one point, Evan looked at me and said: "Mom, I think I want Dad to help me. He knows how to do it right". I was not offended. I know when I have been defeated! 

I have a few minutes to post a couple of cards while the boys cover themselves with Angry Birds tattoos. :)

This week's Paper Smooches Sparks challenge is a sketch challenge: 


I used Paper Smooches' Woofers and Tweeters stamp set for my card. The dogs are adorable! And super easy to color. I colored and fussy cut the dogs then popped them up with dimensional adhesive on top of PTI's Limitless Layers 2.5" circle dies.

(Supplies - Stamps: (Paper Smooches) Woofers and Tweeters. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. Cardstock: (PTI) Winter Wisteria, White. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Winter Wisteria and Soft Stone patterns pack. Dies: (PTI) Limitless Layers 2.5" circle dies, Edgers Dies #1. Gems: Hero Arts. Twine: American Crafts. Other: Copic Markers.)

This card reminded me that I need to pull out my edgers dies more often. They add just a little something extra to this card. And I can't tell you how excited I was when I found twine that matched the Wisteria cardstock. I love it when that happens. :)

I'll be back soon!

Art | Digital Layout

Yay for the weekend! I have been looking forward to it all week. Evan has a soccer game bright and early tomorrow morning, but we don't have much else planned. Which is awesome. :)

I was feeling crafty & I wanted to try something new... break out of my routine a little bit and create a fun & artsy scrapbook page. Don't get me wrong, I didn't go too crazy, but I had a lot of fun working with Just Jaimee's new April Storyteller Kit. I used some photos of Jack painting (one of his favorite things) and they worked perfectly with this kit.


Oh yes, I used paint splatters. And washi tape. And a different font (my usual is Georgia). I went wild, I tell ya. :)

I am off to bed... we will be on the soccer field bright and early tomorrow morning! Reminds me of my childhood. So many Saturdays and Sundays spent there. Except in Washington most of the games were on muddy fields in a cold drizzle. Not here... it will be 85 and muggy tomorrow. Gotta love Florida in April! 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Art of Sand & Turning 7 | Digital Layouts

I have some exciting news to share today... I have been asked to join the Pixels and Co. Creative Team! I am thrilled to start working with the amazing designers and other CT members... truly an honor!

I also have a couple of layouts to share; one for Scotty Girl Designs and one for Karla Dudley.

First up, a super CAS layout using another Tangram template. We had a small party for Ev on Saturday and I was terrible about taking pictures! I was too busy chatting and keeping track of kids and presents and the pets. But I did manage to get a photo of him blowing out his candle:


Next up is a layout using Karla's new kit: Butterfly. Which is so beautiful! I love the background paper. Karla has amazing handwriting and I really wanted to use it as the background on a layout. I cut down the opacity so the words are faint, and the title stands out a bit.  


Karla is a featured designer this week at P&Co., and you can see her dollar kits + inspiration on her blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Mama Elephant | Sketch Challenge #3

When Mama Elephant debuted Type It a few months ago, I had to have it. My in-laws purchased a fantastic old type writer for me a few years ago, and I use it a lot on scrapbook layouts & Project Life... and the typewriter in Type It looks very similar to my typewriter.Which is my long-winded way of saying: I love this set and I wanted to use it for this challenge. :)



I took a very literal approach to this challenge, but the "i", "heart", and "u" images matched the sketch perfectly. I used Papertrey Ink's Aqua Mist patterns pack for the striped paper, and stamped Mama Elephant's Modern Backgrounds chevron with VersaMark on Wplus9's Sweet Gelato cardstock.

(Supplies - Stamps: (Mama Elephant) Type It, Modern Borders. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. (Papertrey Ink) Hawaiian Shores. (Stampin' Up!) Melon Mambo. Cardstock: (Wplus9) Sweet Gelato. (Papertrey Ink) Stampers Select White. Other: Circle Punch.)

I have been using a lot of pink lately... I think it's time to put it away and pull out some of my neglected colors! And I just found out that Stampin' Up! is retiring 10 colors and replacing them with old In-Colors. I am super excited to see those great colors come back! But I will miss More Mustard and Bashful Blue... both are colors I use a lot.

And I posted this conversation on Facebook, but I wanted to post it here as well (for my family). Jack and I have been home together for almost 4 years and I am going to miss him terribly when he goes to VPK full time in August:

Jack: Mom, do you bemember (remember) when we went to the zoo? 
Me: Yes, I remember.
Jack: Do you bemember the most awesome place I have ever seen?
Me: The zoo was really awesome?
Jack: Yup. And the sand pit at the zoo. With Ruby. And Jade. And Evan. It was awesome.  

(Can he stay 3 forever? I love our conversations.)

--

Have a great week!

Moxie Fab | Tuesday Trigger

Good morning! I have a fun card to share for this week's Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger. The inspiration photo is a beautiful bouquet of Magnolias in lovely pinks and white (with a little yellow, too).


I pulled out Papertrey Ink's Year of Flowers: Gladiolus stamp set. I heat embossed the flowers with white embossing powder (Stampin' Up!), then colored in the image with Copic markers. I used a darker shade for the middle of the flowers, and a lighter shade for the outside. I mist admit, I am rather smitten with this card... lovely colors, and the embossing/Copic coloring looks lovely in person.

The banner and sentiment are Papertrey Ink's Bountiful Banners and the butterflies are from Stampin' Up's Papillon Potpourri clear mount set. I accented the butterflies with my Copic Spica glitter pen, but the subtle shine is not showing up in the photo (darn it!).  The pearls were also colored with Copic markers to match the gladiolus.


I am completely in love with this technique! I know it's not new, but it really does make for lovely cards.

I am also submitting this card to Simon Says Stamps April Showers and/or Spring Flowers Challenge. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Cloud 9 | April Challenge

(This is my second post of the day. To see my Great Impressions Stamps post, click here.)

This month's Cloud 9/Wplus9 blog hop challenge photo is just beautiful! I pulled out several Wplus9 stamp sets and played with color combos, textures, and some fun dies.


Here is my take:


(Supplies - Stamps: (Wplus9) Chantilly Trim, Folk Art Florals. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Riding Hood Red, Midnight Muse, Lucky Limeade. Cardstock: (Papertrey Ink) Rustic White, Lemon Tart. (Stampin' Up!) Gumball Green. Patterned Paper: (Stampin' Up!) Midnight Muse from the 2012 - 2014 In Colors paper pack. Banner Dies: (Stampin' Up!) Hearts a Flutter. Other: Buttons, Enamel Dots, hearts.)

Banners, lace, buttons... what's not to like? The Hearts a Flutter dies from Stampin' Up! are quickly becoming a go-to product... I love that they are bigger than my other banner dies and they are "framelits" which makes lining up the stamped image with the die a breeze. 

The challenge runs today (the 9th) through the 12th. I hope you will join us!  

Great Impressions Stamps | Thankful Flowers

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a great week. 

I had a chance to work in my office today after taking the past few days off, and boy was it tough to get back into a rhythm! I decided to CASE this ice cream cone card I created for Great Impressions a few few weeks ago... I really like the layout & the orientation of the sentiment. I flipped the card to make it horizontal instead of vertical, but the basic idea is the same:

 (Supplies - Stamp: (Great Impressions) Growing Tall Flowers. Ink: (Memento) Tuxedo Black. Cardstock: (Wplus9) Sweet Gelato, (Papertrey Ink) Stampers Select White. Patterned Paper: Echo Park. Twine: American Crafts. Dies: (Papertrey Ink) Block Alphabet Lower Case Dies, Pinking Edge Die. Gems: Hero Arts. Markers: Copic.)

I am also entering my card into this week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge: Chevron + Flowers. What a fun combo!

And I hope you will play along with this month's Great Impressions Stamps challenge... polka dots and/or pastels.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by! 

Monday, April 8, 2013

Great Impressions Stamps | April Challenge

Hi there! I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last blog post... we have been super busy with my in-laws in town + a small birthday party for Evan on Saturday. I barely looked at my studio last week! But I have some fun things planned this week. 

I received an e-mail from Studio Calico a couple of weeks ago and was asked to create a project or two for their weekly sketch challenge. Of course I said yes, and you can see my projects here. I love working with sketches and this week's are so much fun! 

The April Challenge for Great Impressions Stamps also started on Sunday. This month's challenge is polka dots and/or pastels. I pulled out a fantastic sentiment stamp, Wishing You, and some fun papers by Echo Park (also available from Great Impressions):

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions Stamps) Wishing You. Ink: (Stampin' Up!) Melon Mambo. Cardstock; (PTI) Stampers Select White, Always Artichoke. Patterned Paper: Echo Park. Brad: Echo Park. Dies: (Papertrey Ink) Sending You, Beautiful Blooms II (#1).)

Check back tomorrow for my weekly Great Impressions post and my card for this month's Cloud 9 blog hop. The inspiration photo is stunning. I hope you will play along!

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

ColourQ | Challenge #183

Happy Wednesday, friends! I have a quick card to share for this week's ColourQ Challenge:

 

I pulled out Waltzingmouse's new Folk Art Medallion stamp set for this week's challenge. This set is so beautiful and the color combo worked perfectly with all the different floral/layering stamps. The background image is large & I was having issues getting a good impression with my Soft Suede ink pad, so I switched to my Hero Arts Cup 'o Joe Shadow Ink pad and I am pleased with the results. The flowers were stamped with Stampin' Up's Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, and Blushing Bride.


That's it from me tonight. Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Great Impressions Stamps | New Release Stamps

Good morning! I have two cards to share today, both using stamps from the April Great Impressions Stamps release. 

For the first card, I stamped the Flying By stamp directly onto white cardstock, then I colored it with Copics. I trimmed .25 inches from the cardstock before adhering it to blue patterned paper (Stampin' Up!). The enamel dots are My Mind's Eye, and the chipboard stars are Studio Calico. 


My second card features the new One Scoop On Top of Another stamp. I paper pieced the ice cream cone with My Mind's Eye Collectible patterned paper. More enamel dots + Papertrey Ink's Headline Alphabet Die finish off the card.


I love birthday cards. And these two are so bright and fun!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Karla Dudley Desings | Sweetpea

Happy Monday, friends!

After 5 days on the couch, I am finally on the mend. My energy level (and appetite) are not quite back to normal, but I am feeling so much better! We celebrated Easter with some good friends of ours, and today I dropped in on Evan's classroom and delivered some birthday cookies for him and his classmates. I am so glad things are returning to normal around here.

Karla released two new collections last week: Sweetpea and Anywhere. Both kits are fabulous, but for tonight's layout I worked with Sweetpea. I don't usually work with pink/purple/red (most of my pictures are of the boys!), but I was really drawn to the beautiful watercolor flowers and washi tape. All 6 photos are Instagram pictures that I downloaded to my computer before resizing.

 (All supplies are Karla Dudley Designs except date stamp (Scotty Girl Designs) - Patterned paper, flower stickers, washi tape, label: Sweetpea. Jewelry Tag: Anyday Extras. Staples, stitching: Digi Essentials. Stamped Alpha: Brook Loft White Frames: Insta Luv.)

The book I'm reading in the bottom right photo is Elevate the Everyday by Tracey Clark, and I cannot say enough great things about it. It is thoughtful, encouraging, and beautifully presented to share some of Tracey's favorite/best photographs. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. 

I will be back tomorrow to share two new cards using some of Great Impressions Stamps newest release. Thanks for stopping by!