Photos After Dark

I really need to stop trying to take photos at night. With 2 kids though, that is usually when I get time to work and I like to take the photo right away, especially if I am mailing it out the next day. But no matter how I try, I just can not get a good photo after the sun goes down.

Both of these cards turned out really well but the photos sure do not show it.

This one is for a baby shower invitation. No stamps but the letters and hat were cut out using my cricut.


This was a valentine card from a few weeks back. I used my JustRite small letters for the sentiment.

Merry Christmas

This elegant card was made using 3D stickers from JoAnn's Crafts. I found some patterned paper in my stash that matched the stickers well. Since the stickers were 3D, I raised my sentiment up on 3D tape so it would stand out as well. I stamped the sentiment with my JustRite tiny letters and embossed it with gold embossing powder. I set a gold eyelet on the side and added a gold ribbon to tie the card closed. I got the idea for this card off the Better Homes and Gardens website, see their card here.

Matching Gift Set

This neat little set I made for my aunt has a notebook and a check book cover each monogrammed with her initials. She loves the color purple so I dug through my paper and found not one single piece of patterned paper that had purple in it. So, I went with solid purple and added an accent strip I found in my scrap drawer. I accented the monogram with crystal gems on both sides to add a little sparkle.

Coach Card

About half an hour before my daughter's baseball party, it dawned on me I needed to make a card for her coach. I didn't have much time so I had to attack the sticker pile where I knew I had some baseball things. I used Justrite tiny letters with an oval stamper for the words. This was a very quick and simple card.

Happy Birthday Erin

I bought myself a little birthday present the other day, I have had it on my wish list for months. It is a set of Nestibilities. They are a die used to cut paper and each set has about 8 different sizes of the same shape so they mat perfectly. They also emboss so I embossed the blue mat, it is hard to see in the photo. The guitar paper is out of a stack from DCWV and I used my JustRite small letters to create the sentiment.

Be Thankful for the Little Things

I finally found time to use another image from my new JustRite stamps. The set is called Autumn Blessings. You can view the entire set by clicking here. The part of making cards I find most difficult is coloring images such as this one.

I am not good at shading and picking the right colors. A true artist could have shaded those apples and made shadows and did all sorts of wonderful things but the best I can do is just color them in. Considering my MAJOR lack in coloring skills, I am satisfied with the end result. I guess I just need to keep practicing so maybe when I find a spare hour somewhere, I will try to color another one of the beautiful images from this set.

Thank You

Thanks You's...everybody needs them and I am feeling very thankful right now to all my new facebook fans, you all rock and thanks for showing your support.

A super simple and professional looking Thank You with a strip of glitter paper added to a nice piece of designer pattern paper. Add a little metal Thank You charm and you have it, a simple and quick Thank You.


A little more on the wild side, this Thank You also has glitter paper and makes a funky and fun Thank You.



Looking for a little more elegant way to go, this Thank You is very simple with a touch of elegance that will let anyone know how much you appreciate them.

A Little Nontraditional Wedding Shower

I really love this paper I got from my local scrap book store. It is a beautiful blue/green color with a copper embossed swirl all around it. Not the cheapest paper on the rack but it sure makes a beautiful card. I kept this wedding shower card very simple and very nontraditional. I stamped the sentiment from my JustRite wedding ensemble set and cut it out with my new cuttlebug dies. I just ran the ribbon right through the slots of the paper and tied a knot. A bow would have been much prettier but I am not that talented so I just did a knot. I do have my eye on a little gadget called a Bow Easy that is on my wish list to help me in situations such as this one. If anyone wants to bless me with a little random act of kindness, you could always send one my way!

Baby Shower Invitations

My sister is having a baby shower for my cousin in a few weeks so I helped by making the invitations. She is having a little girl, Molly Kate and I felt like a monogram would make a sweet shower invitation. I pre-print the details for the shower on the inside of the blank white cards before I decorate them. I like to match baby cards to the nursery and this little baby is going to have a coral and green room. I got a little bonus when I got out my coral paper and it had a white core to it. When embossing white core paper, you can sand the embossed image and it will reveal the white core on the inside.


I stamped the monogram in cameo coral and inked around the edge in certain celery from stampin up. I used my JustRite monogram and the tiny letters to create the monogram.

I Love This Time of Year

The weather is crisp, the kids are back to Mother's Day Out and Preschool and I get to make Halloween Cards! My favorite cards to make are Halloween and Fall cards. I am really thinking about not sending Christmas Cards this year and sending Autumn Cards instead...would that be strange?

This card was very simple to make with some glitter paper from DCWV and my JustRite stamps. The little witch hat is from Stampin Up Year Round Fun.

Hostess Cards

I was asked to make a few hostess cards for a friend, she wanted a few Halloween and a few Fall cards. I love Halloween and Fall cards so I was more than happy to help her out! The new DCWV paper I got the other day made these cards a snap, paired with my JustRite monogram stamper.

Fall Is In The Air

In my opinion, Indian Corn and corn stalk bundles are the sign of fall. This was one of my favorite images from my NEW Autumn Blessings set from JustRite Stampers. Wait, who am I kidding, I loved them all but I chose to use this one first so I will call it my favorite. I colored it with SU Markers and I am very happy with it. I am horrible at coloring so for me, this is GREAT! I cut it out with my NEW oval nestibilities dies and used the leaf paper from my NEW stack of fall paper from DCWV. Considering how many NEW things I bought to make this card, it may be one of my most expensive! New stamps, new paper and new dies...wow, I shudder to think! Oh well, I think it was worth it so whoever I send this card to I sure hope they love it too.

Autumn Blessings is here!

Woohoo! I just got my delivery of a new set of stamps! I am so excited, I had to write about it before I even opened them. It is a gorgeous set from JustRite Stampers called Autumn Blessings. If you want to view their blog and see some terrific projects made with this set, click here. I did not make those projects, not even close, those designers are much more talented than I am but it is what made me get the set. Hopefully I can find the time to get some ink on these set pronto and show you what I come up with.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are not familiar with JustRite Stampers, the phrases/borders around the outside of the oval are separate from the image in the center. So, there are 12 different stamps that can be used together or separate for customized looks.

Thirty-One Part Two

A few more cards for a friend. In addition to the funky looking ones I showed in my last post, she also wanted a few fall/elegant ones as well. I think the designer paper on these along with the gold embossed monogram make a nice and elegant looking thank you card.

Thirty-One

I had a request for a few thank you cards for a friend who sells for Thirty-One. They make cute bags and purses. One neat thing they offer is monogramming on their bags so I thought I would use some JustRite products to personalize the cards like Thirty-One does their items.

I used a purse stamp I have from Stampin Up called It's A Girl Thing and JustRite tiny letters. I colored the images with Stampin Up markers.

2 Sketches 4 You

2 Sketches 4 You has a challenge on right now and since I needed to make a wedding card for my brother-in-law this weekend, I figured this would be perfect.

All the paper I used was scrap, expensive scrap, but scrap none the less. I stamped the monogram in versamark then heat set with gold embossing powder. I used the wedding ensemble set and a monogram set from JustRite. I kept everything simple since the background designer paper was already gold embossed and very sparkly.

Happy Birthday Johnny!

My daughter (who is 3) insisted that we make our neighbor, Johnny, a birthday card. He turned 7 last week and his mom mentioned he was having some friends over for a camp out in the back yard. My daughter heard "birthday" and was convinced we were going to a party. I had to explain that we were not going to a party but we could make him a card if she wanted. She was ok with that idea and everyone seemed happy.


I used my JustRite tiny letters, my go to item for any birthday card these days, and a baseball stamp my mom got me from a yard sale. The baseball print paper was scrap and I embossed the red with my cuttlebug. I thought it needed a little more so I added the star brad at the bottom.

Frugal Stamper Tip: The small black strip of paper separating the red and the baseball print...you guessed it, a tiny scrap I found in the scrap drawer. I was tempted to throw it out the day before but I am glad I didn't. Anywhere you may think you need a piece of ribbon, a narrow strip of scrap paper can accomplish the same effect in many instances. Give it a try and see what you think!

CPS Sketch 125 Chalenge

There is a great challenge going on right now and not only is it fun, there are PRIZES involved which make it even better. JustRite is sponsoring it (one of my favorite companies) and I really wanted to play. You can see more about the challenge on the JustRite Blog. We were given a sketch to follow and here is my card.



Since this challenge is hosted by JustRite this week, I had every intention of using JustRite products but when I sat down to make the card, I went a different direction.



I had a fun little pack of thank you do-dads I have had since I first started making cards but they were quickly pushed out of the way when I discovered stamps. Well, I rediscovered this pack when I was starting on today's card and I wanted to use them. I hope you enjoy and maybe get out a few of your dusty supplies and see what you can make.

Eagle Scout - Boy Scouts of America

My Brother-in-Law wanted me to make card for his nephew who has just earned his Eagle Scout. This is a GREAT honor for those of you who may not be familiar with Boy Scouts of America. I used my JustRite tiny letters to try to replicate the Eagle Scout Badge. I raised it with 3D foam tape and put a star brad in the center. I used Congrats and Sweet Little Sentiments from Stampin Up for the sentiment.

JustRite Birthday Card

These tiny letters from JustRite make it simple to create a custom birthday card. My mom wanted me to make a card for her friend who was having a surprise 60th birthday party. I used the wooden stamper to stamp the sentiment and used Year Round Fun from Stampin Up for the cupcake. I embossed the paper with my cuttlebug and there you have it. A simple and custom birthday card anyone would enjoy.