Hooray for Blog Candy!!!

Well Char never did contact me... I am referring to the very bottom of this post here-http://kbstamps.blogspot.com/2009/03/hope-you-have-beachy-birthday-blog.html. So I have this left over blog candy of some designer series paper (DSP) and ribbon, what should I do??? Sigh...Any suggestions???

Well how about this, can leave me a comment about your favorite SU! DSP. If you don't your your choices you can check 'em out my website- http://www.kbloves2stamp.stampinup.net/- and then comment. You have until midnight saturday, March 19 to leave your comment. I will use random.org to select from those who commented. Good luck!

OH and I plan to keep this post at the top until I name the winner. So newer stuff will go below :)

UPDATE- I decided to give more time to try to win the candy, a few days just doesn't seem like enough, so I will keep it open until the 19th. :)

3/18/09 AM- Another Update: Hi Char- glad you are OK and your computer is back from the "doctor" lol!- I guess I'll have to give out blog candy to two people now, sigh... ;) So Char is winner number one and winner number two will be picked tomorrow. Again, looking like your chances are pretty good, not many people have left their comments, but they still have another day, so we'll see.

Monday Madness

I made these two cards last night and I started out with a few different challenges in mind (one was Mojo Monday and I can't even remember the other- lol!) but I didn't end up anywhere CLOSE to doing either of these challenges, totally different cards. Does that ever happen to you, you start in one direction and find yourself in a totally different direction when you finish? Well I guess that is a good lesson in life right?! No, don't worry, I am not going to get all philosophical on you. :) Anyway, here are the cards-

I really wanted to use the new Wagon Full of Fun set from the SU! Occassions Mini. It isn't officially out yet, but the are doing a sneak peak/pre-order on select sets you can check them out here- http://www.stampinup.net/uploads/fckeditor/stampinup/File/March%2009/pg11-13_Occasions_09_US.pdf. Anyway, I particularly wanted to use the wagon. I love the wagon, it is so cute. I bought this set specifically for the wagon. So the top card, is the flower from the set and I used the die cut little leaves and trimmed them to look like sunflower stalks. The grass is just layered paper with dimensionals to pop the different layers out. The clouds were made using the scallop edge punch and then I brushed the edges with balled blue and inserted the saying. And the sun is just a circle punch and then another in orange, where I used the negative image (the portion outside the circle) and cut these point to make rays.

I actually used the wagon on the second card. I stamped in brown, cut out watercolored it with different browns. The handle was just colored black and accented with a little white. The wheels are eyelets. The flower (from the cheep talk set) is stamped in brilliant blue and cut out. Again, I used a scrap from the die cut little leaves. The paper is the good morning sunshine, ribbon from SAB 09 and the button boquet. Finally (if you can see) the friendship randomly stamped across the bottom is part of a saying from wagon full of fun. I had fun with these.

So what is it with the blog candy? You dont' want to win?!?! If you do at all want blog candy, then you best click here- http://kbstamps.blogspot.com/2009/03/hooray-for-blog-candy.html and leave your comment! :) I won some blog candy today from Vicky's blog- http://www.summerthymestudio.blogspot.com/ so it DOES happen. =)

New mini stamps I love with SAB paper.

Hi-

I did a workshop today at my friend Julie's house. Every time I do a workshop I do a free make and take for everyone. :) Below are the two make and takes we did, little gift bags using SAB supplies and my new Wagon Full of Fun set. I love this set, I bought it exclusively for the wagon, I mean, I have a 16 month old...

While I was at it I figured I ought to make a St. Patrick's Day card, with the heart from the set. I have say, I have this weird aversion to hearts unless they are pretty basic. Initially, I didn't like this one, but it worked quite well for the clover. This is not an original idea (the hearts to make the clover) I have seen it around a lot lately, but I thought it would be fun anyway and like it with the gingham ribbon.

Lastly, but not least! I wanted to show you the card my friend Jackie in NY sent to me last week. Isn't it cute!?! Thanks Jackie! Her blog is on my blogroll on the right.

Oh and don't forget to sign up for some blog candy, click- http://kbstamps.blogspot.com/2009/03/hooray-for-blog-candy.html - to go directly to the link above!

Take two...

Sometimes I wonder what my husband thinks because every time I sit down to work on my crafts (after little Sophie is in bed), I say something like, "I just want to do one thing" or "just for a minute" which inevitably turns into a couple of hours. Poor guy. :) But what makes me happy should make him happy right!?! ;) Anyway, take two...two trys, two hours, whatever.

Here is the second card I created for Christina's Challenge, which I am MUCH happier with. Everything below is SU. I used the SU! Backgroun Texturz Plates 1 on the whisper white CS (love that plate!). I took my little butterfly background stamp from my Sprinkles set, stamped in versamark on the black and embossed silver (hard to see in the pic). I used the Lots of Tags sizzlet for the gray window and my level three hostess rub ons- Hand Drawn- for the thank you (dimensionals to pop the window out). Finally I used some of the Little Leaves sizzlet dies (again) in both gray and vellum, bundled, them up and whalah!

Oh- No whallah- I accidentally deleted the main picture- will have to repost when I am home this evening, currently working remotely. :( Sorry!

OK Updated, now you can see it :). This is fun, because it also works out for the flouishes getting sentimental challenge- http://flourishesnewsletter.blogspot.com/2009/03/flourishes-challenge-getting.htmlgetting.html. I remember reading that the challenge was to use words or sentiments as the focus and wasn't sure what to do, but I did it with out even thinking about it!

One last thing, check out the top post on my blog- http://kbstamps.blogspot.com/2009/03/hooray-for-blog-candy.html - for a chance to win some blog candy through March 19.

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.