Kristina Werner's Color Challenge (#45)

Hi folks- spent last night working on the color challenge for Kristina Werner's blog- http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/. I am so glad she is doing these again, I love to play! Here is the color pallette and inspriation she had:

Here is what I came up with (below). I am not totally happy with it, but oh well. I had borrowed this sizzlit die from a friend and went crazy cutting out the little leaves. The one is gray, the other is vellum. It is hard to read the sentiment in the picture, but it says happiness.

Oldie but a goodie

You think I am talking 'bout that truck or that stamp set? NOPE, I am talking 'bout you buddy!

OK, not really, because I didn't design this with a specific person in mind, I made it for a swap. I signed up for a b-day swap and the categories were adult male, adult female, youth male and youth female, I picked adult male. Why on earth did I pick adult male? Got me since I have no masculine sets, nope none. I wanted ideas, but I signed up to make them- duh. I guess maybe subconciously I wanted to challenge myself, and boy did I!

This card was a work in progress forever, didn't know what I wanted. I decided on the truck, from there the paper, ink and so on, last touch (after I cut out 20 trucks and colored the wheels and put highlights on!!!) was to run each black paper through with my texture plates. That was a LOT of work. I have to admit, I didn't really like the Jackpot DSP, but now I can see that with the right things, it works OK. Anyway, hope the swaps girls like 'em and those that come back are great too! :)

Ingredients:
CS: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Real Red, Jackpot DSP
Stamps: Loads of Love, Congrats (SAB ’09)
Ink: Basic Black & Whisper WhiteAccessories: SU Background I Texturz Plate, Aqua Painter (w/ white for truck highlights), Snips, Stamp-a-majig, SNAIL

Oh and I have to tell you that I got this CUTE card in the mail (see below). I was on her blog and commented about how, "I wish it was my birthday! ;)" and she sent it to me as a birthday gift even though my bithday is in June, isn't that nice!?! You can check out her blog here- http://www.trays-spot.blogspot.com/. Thanks Tracey!

One more PS- my daughter was super cuddly last night and we all felt better. Thanks to all of you who commented on my blog or sent me an email. Sometimes you just have to talk about it you know. :)

Confessions of a "Good Mother"

I know this isn't what you bargained for on a stamping blog, but can I dump for a minute? I am not waiting for you answer, so I hope it is yes, LOL.

Some people say that the mark of a "good mother" is having a guilty and troublesome conscience? Well I am the "best mom in the world" today. My daughter screamed all morning starting at 5:30 am. It started because she doesn't eat well and only wants what she wants (oh and I blame stupid Daylight Savings Time too, since she is now getting up an hour earlier than usual). In an effort to get her to eat more rounded meals, for breakfast we gave her half a waffle with pb (usually gets a whole) and couple strawberries cut up with banana slices. I walk over 5 minutes later, baby crying and find the waffle eaten the banana on the floor and the strawberry untouched. Funny thing, she likes strawberries and bananas (one of few things she will actually eat), but she wants more waffle with pb. I can tell she doesn't want to get up from the table, but she doesn't want what she has. We are trying to be consistent about our message and feel that she need not be so picky, so I pick her up thinking, "if she is really hungry, I can put her back in a few minutes and she will eat what's there." WRONG!!! She screams and screams and screams, despite our attempts to calm her down, doesn't want to get dressed, doesn't want to do anything. Finally she calms down but just wants to be held, "NO don't move, don't try to dress me or do anything for yourself like brush your hair, don't give me to dad cause your the nuturing one, just sit still or I'll scream some more !" I am sitting in my robe, hair still wet and unbrushed. I know she is as frustrated as I am because she can't communicate her needs yet (only 16 mos and only a few words) and I want to hold and comfort her, I know she wants me in the moringing, but I need to get ready or my husband is going to be late. I try to sit her down to eat again, bad move, screaming. My husband wants to give her the other half of the waffle and I say, "don't give in, consistency counts!" He frowns and relieves me by picking her up and the screaming continues. He finally gets her to calm down by sitting on our bed in a dark room and just holding her and talking quitely. What a good dad. I am finally ready by 6:20 in the morning, we're in the car and she's quiet. We go to daycare and she is happy to be there with the other kids, it is good to see her happy. Back in the car, I silently sob because I don't actually feel like a "good mother" despite my attempts to be. But again, some people say it is exactly that, thinking about what to do better and how to do it, that makes me "good". I hope they are right!!

Here is the *mostly" sweet girl :) on the Oregon Beach for the first time.

Hope you have a Beachy Birthday & Blog Candy!

Earlier this week it was my mom's birthday. She is so wonderful and one of my closest friends. Ever since I was little, we have made summer trips to the beach or to California to visit my grandparents. Most often, and my favorite, were trips to Cannon Beach, Oregon to see the Sand Castle Fesivals. I have wonderful, wonderful memories of this. I remember one time on the way home (to Spokane mind you- LONG drive) from one of these trips, we were about 15 minutes from home, my mom had a headache, I was sick and I think my brother and I were fighting and the car ran out of gas! Only 15 minutes away, she was just trying to get us there- poor mom!
Since 2000, little towns around Lincoln City, Oregon have been glass blowing floats. Floats are glass balls they used to use to hold up fishing nets a long time ago, that were glass, blown in blue or green and made in Japan and are quite the find if they wash up on a US beach- you can find them in antique stores, etc. So since the millenium they started blowing these in wonderful color combos and hide them on the beach- like easter eggs! So we have gone every year since to look for these. Sometimes, I get a little grumpy at my mom, like "lets just enjoy the beach" but mostly I let her go with her obsession. I have to admit she has found 5 or 6 floats over those years, one of which I supposedly found..."keep looking Katie, I bet you'll find one!" This is what she tells me as I circle the same driftwood log again and again. But if you ask her, she swears she didn't help me find it. ;) That's a good mom for you.
Anyway, you are probably wondering what my point it, well it is that I wanted to make her this word album because I knew it would be really special to her. So I did and this last weekend, we went to the beach for our annual trip and I gave it to her. She loved it. :)

I have to admit, this was tricky to do. You have to make the paper a little smaller than the letters and use special glue. Then you sand and ink up the edges and embellish. The hardest parts were getting the paper just right and inking up the corners. I have some inking boo-boos, but I tried to blend it in so you couldn't tell and I think it was fairly sucessful.

Here is my beautiful mom below- can you believe she is 61?! Isn't the paper perfect.

Here we are on one of several trips combing the beach. That woman has a whole beach/shell/float room even though she lives in Coeur'd Alene, ID (aka inland).

The picture on the left is her and her boyfriend at a dinner. It is hard to see but says, "have fun &..." the next page says, "build a sandcastle." This is a picture of my mom, me and my husband. I journaled about how the trips to the sandcastle festivals are some of my favorite memories.

These next two pages were a little difficult for me for some reason. First I had a hard time with the paper, but finally settled on pink. I sponged the clouds on. The page on the left initially had some other things on the top, but I ripped it off and this is what I have. My mom, loves the beach and with that come galloshes, so it says, "oh my gallosh, its raining!" The page on the right is a picture of us cut out with the SU top note die. I journaled around it about how much I love spending her birthday's with her on the beach. The kites were actually paper I was going to use but decided against, so ended up cutting them out. That was a LOT of work, but worth it. Two more closer pics below.

OK, now this last page is my favorite, first because I love pirates and it is a treasure map. Second, because I love that my daughter is in it. :0 Third because it is about family. This was my daughter's first trip to the beach (we didn't go last year because she was so little) and she loved it. I know my mom comes to look for floats, but the sentiment says, "Family, the best kind of treasure." And it is true and my mom agreed, she loves every minute with Sophie.

Oh and ps- my husband wanted me to put an eye patch on my mom's boyfriend's eye as a joke, but I decided against it. :) Technically they have been together for about 20 years, so not really her boyfriend, but they aren't married, so whatever.

Anyway, I really enjoyed doing this for my mom and as I said she really loved it. I hope you enjoy it too!

One final thing.- Char from So Cal commented on my last post and mentioned she was my 1000th visitor. I think that deserves a little blog candy, don't you?! Char email me or leave your email in the comments and I will send you some Stampin' Up! DSP and ribbon. :)

Bella's

I borrowed these bella stamps from a friend, aren't they cute?! I made these about a week ago, for two friends, but didn't want to spoil any suprises, so I waited to post the pictures. One was for my friend Krista (www.sweettoothmn.blogspot.com), I sent her a few items she ordered and a few more just for fun. The second one was for my new friend Jackie (jackiestamps4fun.wordpress.com) because she was very nice and offered me so advice :). I wanted to make these cards fun and representative of girlfriends (which the stamps do pretty well by themselves).

I used the Rockabilly Specialty DSP, which I love. Again, I wanted to hoard it, but I am challenging myself right ;). I watercolored the ladies using the SU markers. OK, here is the best part, the flower centers (flowers are SU die cuts) were a happy accident. I am sure you know what that is or at least have had one before right? So I thought maybe I could set an eyelet in the middle and have some ribbon sticking out the edges of the eyelet. I did this and it looked HORRIBLE, but I flipped the flower over and this is the effect I got- wahlah! Happy accident! Anyway, I know Jackie got hers already and liked it. I haven't heard from Krista yet, but she must have gotten it by now- hope she likes hers too.

Thanks girls, for being good friends! :)

Robin in the Rain, Such a Saucy Fellow...

"Robin in the rain, such a saucy fellow. Robin in the rain, in your socks of yellow..." These are lyrics from one of my daughter's cd's by Raffi and this is one of my fave kiddy songs. :) I made a few cards for a co-worker last night. He commissioned me for thank you's and I let him choose the set. This is what I made, I love the little orange chest on the little birdie.

What do you think of the cut out bottom half of the tree above? I like the way it worked out.

Shelli, Stampin' Up!'s Co-founder and CEO, has a spring challenge on her blog and I am entering these two cards. i mean, spring, robins...what more is there to say. :)

Easter, is it almost hear already?!?!

Well, not QUITE yet, but it just over a month away. Now ordering for the occassions mini doesn't start until April BUT SU is opening up a few select items for early purchase- wooooo-hooo! Check em' out, aren't they cute!!!

And there is a lot more great stuff in the mini, but your gonna have to wait until April. :) Oh and don't forget, purchase of these sets count toward Sale-a-bration benefits (you only have a month left to order!!!!!). I myself have already purchased Wagon Full o Fun. I can't resist that Wagon- scrapbook pages for Sophie....sigh... :)