It's a ....Hippo!

I've been making a ton of wedding and baby cards over the last few weeks for various design jobs. It's been ages since I've made either one, but they are both fun and I have a whole bunch to share with you over the next few weeks.

This darling card is from the Born to Be Wild set ~ which I just love! It's so easy to use and makes a very quick card. One word of advice ~ make sure you use a Stamp-a-ma-jig with this set. It will save you lots of cardstock & frustration trying to line things up. But the result is so worth the extra step you need to do! (If you've never used a Stamp-a-ma-jig, I'll show you in the next few days).

Tomorrow I have a very special project I've been working on using this set. It's a baby book a friend of mine hired me to make & we were both so happy with the finished product.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Lizzie Anne Designs (Born to be Wild); Cardstock & Ink ~ Stampin' Up!; Ribbon ~ May Arts; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

One more wedding card...

Goodness ~ I am late today! We went to a party last night and had the best time, so today I am moving slow. I slept until 9:00AM ~ OMW, that NEVER happens.

I have one more pretty wedding card to show you using the new Hanna Stamps Bridal set. I just love the soft colors with this set.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps; Cardstock, Pattern Paper & Ribbon ~ Papertrey; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Pretties Kit by SU; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

Happy 4th of July!

What could be more American than Baseball? For that reason, I had to post this card today. All the new sets have been released and are available today over at Hanna Stamps.

I hope you have something fun planned today. We are heading out to two different picnics with friends & fireworks later tonight. I am also taking all the fixings to make Homemade Ice Cream in a ziplock bag (I posted it on my blog last year). That's always a huge hit with both the kids and adults.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps; Cardstock ~ Prism; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Nestabilities & Scallop Circle Punch.

A Very Special Day...

I made a series of these very pretty cards because I thought the paper was just perfect for a wedding. The lovely images are from the new Hanna Stamps set called Here Comes the Bride that will be released this Friday, July 4th.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps; Cardstock & Pattern Paper ~ Papertrey Ink; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Ribbon ~ Papertrey Ink; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

Lazy Days of Summer...

Ahhhh...that looks like a great idea! I love summer and this looks like the perfect thing to do on a sunny afternoon. The main image is from the new Lazy Days set & the supporting images are from the Patio set (both by Hanna Stamps!) . They will both be available this Friday, July 4th.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps!; Cardstock ~ SU; Pattern Paper ~ Cloud 9 Designs; Ribbon ~ Papertrey Ink; Ink ~ Palette & Copics.

Funky Birthday...

These cards were super easy and so fun to make. I love when I get an easy idea. I usually mat my images with 2 or 3 layers, but I loved how the top card looked with just a simple oval.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Lizzie Anne Designs (Happy Birthday & Funky Floral); Cardstock ~ Stampin' Up!; Pattern Paper ~ Doodlebug; Ribbon ~ May Arts; Ink ~ Stampin' Up!; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

BIG LIZZIE ANNE DESIGNS NEWS!!! This month Lizzie Anne is celebrating their 2nd anniversary & are having a HUGE contest. You could win the ENTIRE summer release of new stamps! That is an incredible prize. Go on over to Lizzie Anne Designs & check out the details on the Birthday Sketch Challenge Contest & all the anniversary specials.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZZIE ANNE DESIGNS!!!!! Congrats Tricia and Meridith ~ you girls are total ROCK STARS!!! By the way ~ the Funky Floral set I used above, was LAD's very first set!

Fall Wedding...

I thought these colors would be perfect for a fall wedding. This new stamp is from one of the new Hanna sets ~ Here Comes the Bride. I have another version of this card that I'll post in a few days that I like even better. This set will be available on Friday, July 4th.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps; Cardstock, Pattern Paper & Ribbon ~ SU (retired); Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Nestabilities.

Here comes the bride...

All dressed in white... Isn't she pretty? I love the soft blue and white (and sparkle) of this card. This is a new set from Hanna Stamps that will be released this Friday, July 4th. I'll have more cards using this set later this week.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Here Comes the Bride); Cardstock, Pattern Paper & Ribbon ~ Aqua Mist by Papertrey Ink; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Glitter ~ Stickles; Pearls & Flowers ~ SU Pretties Kit; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

Party Time...

Well today we are finally having Matt's birthday party. His birthday was June 10th, but since we were leaving on vacation, we decided to have it after our return. We will be taking Matt and his friends to the local bowling ally for an afternoon of bowling, games, presents and of course, cake.

Last week I needed to get the invites in the mail quickly but didn't have time to make them. I ended up sending the ugly postcards the bowling ally supplied. As a cardmaker, I cringed when i dropped them in the mailbox knowing I should have made them better. Later that same day, I vowed that I would make some cute gift bags and thank you notes to redeem myself ~ that's exactly what I did later in the week.

Supplies Used on Gift Bags: Cardstock ~ SU; Pattern Paper ~ Scrappin' Sports & More; Ink ~ Palette; Stamps ~ SU; Stickers ~ Mrs. Grossman; Ribbon ~ SU.

Supplies Used on TY Note: Cardstock ~ SU; Pattern Paper ~ Scrappin' Sports & More; Ink ~ Palette; Sentiment Stamp ~ Hero Arts; Eyelets & Ribbon ~ SU.

Our little family...

Yesterday I showed you the entire group picture, so today I wanted to show you the shot we got of jut the four of us. We decided to get more pictures taken on the second formal night & I was very happy with the result. You'll probably see this picture again on a scrapbook page (or project) and maybe even our Christmas card this year. Matt was in a "mood", but I still like how it came out.

In addition, I love to buy the pictures they take when you get on for the first time & when you get off at each port. It's a great way to document your trip in a scrapbook. So here we are at our favorite port.

Don't worry, it's back to projects tomorrow. I have been working hard the past 3 days on posts for the upcoming week!

Our Family...

I've been stamping a bit since I've been home; however, today I thought I'd share some picutres from our trip last week. It was a wonderful time to spend with Tim's family. His parents are some of the most wonderful people in my life ~ I just adore them. We have traveled with them many times & we just enjoy laughing together. I am very blessed to have such wonderful in-laws!

Before the trip even started I told everyone that we had to get at least one good picture of all of us together. I was very pleased with how this shot turned out on formal night. Everyone had their eyes open and a smile on their face ~ woohooo!

This second picture was taken in Bar Harbor, Maine, which was our favorite stop on the trip! It was a beautiful town with fun shops, lots of great food and home to the gorgeous Acadia National Park.

Lovin' from the oven...

Can't you just smell the yummy cupcakes Riley is serving up? I love the smell of fresh baked goods. I enjoy baking ~ I'm actually a better baker than a cook. Maybe because I like to cook with exact measurements & that is required for baking. My husband on the other hand, would rather throw in a bit of this and a pinch of that ~ he is a much better cook.

When I think of cupcakes, I immediately think of one of my mom's old recipes called Black Bottom Cupcakes. In fact, I may make some later today ~ oh boy are they out-of-this-world yummy! I do have a busy day, so it may have to wait until next week ~ but don't worry, I'll share. (note: the picture on the right is from AllRecipes.com & they look just like my mom's)


Pudd's Black Bottom Cupcakes

Combine:
1 - 8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg

Then add 1 c. chocolate chips, mix & set aside.

Sift together:
1/4 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 1/4 t. salt


To the flour mixture, add 1 c. water, 1 T. vinegar, 1/3 c. oil & mix together. Fill paper cup liners 1/3 full with chocolate cake mixture and then place a spoonful of cheese mixture on top. Sprinkle with sugar and nuts (if desired). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Makes 24 cupcakes.


Supplies (for the card): Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Riley Collection); Cardstock ~ Prism & Papertrey Ink; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Pattern Paper & flower brad ~ The Paper Company; Ribbon ~ Stampin' Up!; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

An Apple A Day...

Well it looks like Riley missed a few apples because he isn't feeling that great today. This is part of the new Riley release now available at Hanna Stamps!

I'm sorry my posts are so short lately. I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things right now and I have lots to catch up on. I'll share some photos and journaling from my trip very soon.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps!; Cardstock & Pattern Paper ~ Stampin' Up!; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Ribbon ~ SU & Bo Bunny; Buttons ~ Basic Grey; Nestabilities by Spellbinders.

Ahoy Matey...

I'm home! We had a great trip & Tim's parents were thrilled to have everyone there with them. It was a very special time.

So now I have another new Riley to show you ~ isn't he cute? I worked on him today & boy was it hard to get back into the swing of things. I enjoyed having some time away, but I think it's going to take me a few days to get back into my stamping groove. All of these new Riley stamps are now available at Hanna Stamps!

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Riley Collection); Cardstock ~ SU; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Ribbon ~ Karen Foster Designs (Pirate); Alphabet ~ Doodlebug Tiles.