Easter Cards

I've been busy working on Easter cards and I need to get them in the mail soon!  Thought I'd share a few of them with you.

I just love this bunny!  (non SU)  I tore the green for the grass and sponged a little Very Vanilla ink on it.

This is a clear set that I picked up a few years ago at Wal Mart.  I stamped the sentiment (Teeny Tiny Wishes) on SU vellum. 

These Easter eggs are from a retired set (boo hoo) from last year, Easter Blossoms.  I was so hoping it would have made it into the catalog.  The DSP is from the In Color Paper Stack.  I stamped the eggs in Wisteria Wonder, Blushing Bride and Pool Party and used the Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon.

I had to make a flowery card!  Love this stamp set - Field Flowers.  I stamped the leaves and stems directly onto the cardstock,  cut out the flowers and popped them up with dimensionals.  I used a "nestie" to cut the oval.  The DSP in the back is from Twitterpated.  I stamped the sentiment on both sides so you can view it through the window from either side.

This is a square card which I don't usually make (don't want to pay the extra postage!)  But, I wanted to use the round nestie for the image and it fit best this way.  I colored the image with Copics and cut the lilies out and popped them out.  The purple background paper is really recycled!  It is an old Hallmark card that I had saved!!  

How do you like my new blog background and banner?  I made them using My Digital Studio.  It was time for a spring change.

Sonny and Jack are still on their big adventure in DC.  They have been gone a whole week now!  Today they were going to the National Cathedral and then to one of our favorite restaurants - The Original Pancake House - before they hit the highway again. Sonny had called me yesterday to tell me they were heading home today but last night he called back to say there was a change of plans.  So, I found a hotel for them (on line) and they are headed to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  I was glad because I know Jack will really enjoy seeing the battlefield there.   I am happy they are having fun but I do believe this is the longest we have been apart (if you count in the week I was in Texas).  But he will be back in time for our anniversary on Saturday.  39 years!!  Wow - hard to believe!

More MDS San Antonio and Important Dates

I did a few more pages today with My Digital Studio from my San Antonio trip.  I even went back and added a few more flourishes to the pages I did yesterday!! 

This will be the cover

Here are some dates for you to know:

Sunday, April 15, 2012

RETIRING STAMPIN' UP! STAMP SET LIST

RELEASED

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

RETIRING STAMPIN' UP! ACCESSORIES LIST

RELEASED

(remember.. these are first come first served.. many items can run out the first day!)

Monday, April 30, 2012

LAST DAY TO ORDER FROM THE

OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

This is the LAST DAY for the Current

Stampin' Up! catalog!!!

(note: this is one month earlier than stated on the catalog)

Friday, June 1, 2012

First day of the NEW Stampin' Up! Catalog!

Sale-A-Bration is over .... boo hoo!  But there are a lot of good things coming up.

Scrapbooking San Antonio Trip

I'm home!  We had a wonderful time.  There just wasn't enough time in the day to do .... and eat .... everything that we wanted to!  Oh well, another time.  We got home Tuesday night and my brother-in-law, Jack, flew in about an hour after I did so that worked out well.   Now I'm having another mini vacation - Jack and Sonny left Wednesday morning for a "guy's trip" to DC.  They must be having fun because I haven't heard from them since they called to let me know they got there ok.   I hope the weather there is as gorgeous as it has been here the past few days.  Our weather was wonderful the whole time we were in Texas.  We were so lucky to have missed all the tornado activity they had the day before our arrival.

 I have been scrapbooking my trip to San Antonio with My Digital Studio.  I will share with you the pages I have finished that highlight the Riverwalk.  The pages were so easy to do.  I used Delight In The Day designer template and just inserted my pictures and added the text.  Easy Peasy!!

(you can click on the picture and see them better)

Stamping Queens Sketch

My Stamping Queens challenge for the week will make you hungry!  I used My Digital Studio for this sketch.  It was an easy sketch this week.  Why don't you give it a try?

Also, check out the other Queens' sketches HERE.

Travels and Monday Mailer

We are having a wonderful time in San Antonio and it is hard to believe we have to get on the plane tomorrow to head back home.  We have been shopping, eating (a lot!!), visiting friends and family and just plain having fun!!  Ashley took off from work while we were here so that made it even better.  We started out having Mexican food the night we arrived and followed it up on Thursday at the River Walk and having Mexican for lunch.  We also took the water taxi tour down the river - something I have not done in years.  Thursday night, Ashley had tickets for us to go hear Jeb Bush speak at Trinity University (her college).  He was very interesting and spoke mostly about educating our children.  Friday we went to San Marcos outlet shopping .... spending 1 1/2 hour in the Vera Bradley store!!  Later we went to Austin to meet a friend for drinks, although when she arrived and ordered water, we knew something was up!  Yep - she is pregnant and we are excited for her and her hubby.  Next my nephew, his wife and new baby joined us and I got to see Jack Frost IV!!  What a cutie!!  Saturday we visited a couple of the Missions in San Antonio and got a Nat'l Park Service tour of one of them where we all learned some things.  Sunday after church, some of Ashley's friends came over and we cooked out and visited.  The little ones went swimming but the water was too cold for the adults!!  Last night we went to see The Hunger Games.  It was really good!!  Today we drove over to Gruene, about a 45 minute drive and wandered around in and out of the cute little shops as well as doing a bit of wine tasting.  We have eaten a little of everything - Mexican (of course) 3 times, Rudy's BBQ, Italian, Thai, Texas Chicken Fried Steak .....!!  Diet starts Wednesday!!

Before I left I made my Monday Mailer cards.  Here is one of them.

This is a white on white card.  I stamped the flower from Fresh Vintage first and then used the Designer Frames Embossing Folder to emboss around the flower.  I stamped the little border from Fresh Vintage in Concord Crush as I did the flowers in the stamp set.  This was a fun card to make.  All items came from Saleabration!  This is the FINAL WEEK to take advantage of the great Saleabration items.

Stamping Queens Bunny

Here is my card for the Stamping Queens Sketch this week. 

 Isn't he just adorable?  This is a My Digital Studio card using a template.

We arrived Wednesday in San Antonio and have been on the go ever since.  Maybe tomorrow I'll have a little more time to fill you in on what we have been doing!!

Stamp Club Projects

It's time to share the cards we will be making in Stamp Club this month.  My Thursday class met last week and my Tuesday class meets later today.

This card uses the Lattice die.  The layers are embossed together and then adhered to the card.  "Celebrate" is from the stamp set, Outline Occasions, available for the next 2 weeks ONLY in the SaleABration catalog!  We colored it in with SU markers.

This card uses a stamp that is not mine - Up Up and Away!  It is Ashley's and I had to use it before I go to Texas and give it to her (hope I remember to pack it!!)  I love how this turned out!  I punched out the white squares with the 1 1/4" Square Punch and stamped the flag tails with Soft Suede.  The kites are stamped in Real Red and cut out.  They are popped up on the squares with dimensionals.  The turquoise DSP comes from the Pattern Stack (love these).

Since we won't be together until after Easter, I had to include an Easter card using a punch art bunny!!  He's so cute! We are going to making the green and orange card using the wonderful DSP from SaleABration.  I case'd this card but don't remember where I saw it! 

This is the card opened with the bunny coming through.  The punches I used for this card are:

1 3/4" Circle - 2 for body
Ornament - 1 for head
Med. Oval - 4 for feet
Small (retired) oval - 2 DSP, 2 pink for feet
BoHo Blossom - 4 for tail
3/4" Circle - 2 for cheeks
Cupcake Punch - 2 black for eyes

I used my daubers and Pretty in Pink ink on all the edges.

The final card we will make is THIS card using the Starburst technique.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day in style!

We enjoyed our outing yesterday as we celebrated St. Patrick's Day at Galway Hooker.  We made some new friends and celebrated with some of our old friends.


Me and the Philly Pretzel Man!



Our old friend, Jim, our new friend, Bob and Sonny having a few cold ones!

We were seated at the bar so we met all kinds of people as they were trying to squeeze in to order beverages.  This became one of our new friends!



Our new CLEVELAND (ugh) friend, Bob - He couldn't believe he was celebrating with Steeler fans!



Happy St Paddy's Day!

Wish I was in back in Ireland today .... oh what fun!  I'll have to make do  here in the USA though.  Sonny and I plan to brave the crowds and take in some of the festivities at the Galway Hooker in Cornelius later today.  They are having all day activities - bagpipes, 10 bands, corn role, etc ..... oh yeah - a little bit of green beer too I imagine!  Hope you are doing something fun too!

Here is the Monday Mailer card I received this week from Pat.  It is great!

 Materials used for card:

Stamps:  Outlined Occasions, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green
Embellishments:  Punches:  Blossom, Heart to Heart, Full Heart (for stem), Corner Rounder, 1 3/4" circle, 1 1/2" Circle, 1/2" Circle, Dazzling Diamonds

This is a Hershey Bar treat holder .... no Hershey bar though - she ate it!!  But isn't it the cutest???

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”

Have a safe and happy day!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today was my sister, Marianne's birthday.  I made her this card which I just love!  I'm going to wait until we go to Texas next week  to buy her present.  We are going to the outlet mall in San Marcos where they have a Vera Bradley store.  I'm sure she will find something there she has to have!

 I used the stamp set, Flower Fest which I need to use more.  I just love how this card turned out.  I stamped the flower 4 times on Almost Amethyst cardstock (retired, darn it!) with Versamark Ink and embossed them with white embossing powder.  I used my Aqua Painter to add a darker purple (Vintage Violet - retired) onto the petals.  I stamped the leaves with Versamark onto Certainly Celery.  I cut them all out separately and stacked the flowers on top of each other with dimensionals.  The "happy birthday" is from A Word for You.  (I masked off "with a cherry on top")  I found the ribbon in my jar of ribbon remnants and crinkled it with the heat gun. 

Tonight the family met Marianne and her boys at a Mexican restaurant in Statesville.  Of course, the waiters sang to her and I got this great picture of her!!!

Happy Birthday baby sis!!