An Early Birthday Present.....

Good morning! I am more excited than usual that today is Friday! Why, you ask? Because last weekend, my hubby, in-laws, and dad decided to surprise me with an early birthday present. Since my birthday isn't until September......I didn't suspect at all! My mother-in-law created this adorable presentation......yep....she's crafty like that! : ) Inside this cute card is a girl's weekend away with my sister! Just the two of us......shopping.....talking......laughing......

......eating........drinking.......

....And watching this awesome musical!!!

I couldn't be more excited! I can't remember the last time my sister and I have had the opportunity to spend time alone! Since getting married, having kids.....life always seems to get in the way. So for the next couple of days, we get to reconnect a bit and build a few memories.......

Thanks for letting me share! : D

Have a wonderful weekend!

Day 3 of JustRite's Newest Releases!

Today is Day 3 of JustRite's newest releases! This set is such a fun vintage inspired set that is perfect for coloring or doing a bit of embossing. (Like I did on my card today) ; ) This set is called Shabby Chic Labels Four. Isn't it just beautiful!!?

I colored the perfume bottle and background image with Copics. The bottle was cut out and popped up with a dimensional foam circle. The center image was stamped a second time and embossed in silver. I added a bit of stitching, twill, and a pretty lil' flower.

Here is a close up of that main panel that was colored and the center embossed in silver. You can also see that I added glitter to the white sections for extra sparkle!

I hope you have enjoyed all the new releases by JustRite this week! I have had so much fun creating with them! Be sure to visit the other designers' blogs for more inspiration!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Mona Pendleton
Kellie Fortin
Michele Kovack
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman
Kathy Jones
Stephanie Kraft
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram

Have a wonderful Thursday! I've almost officially survived my first week of school. ; )

Day Two of JustRite's Newest Release.....Greetings From Paris

Today is day two of JustRite's newest releases! If you loved yesterday's set, you are sure to love this one called, Greetings from Paris. This is the set I got that postage stamp from in yesterday's post. My absolute favorite part of this set is the postcard image......what a cool thing to be able to make your own faux postcards!
I stamped the post card image with brown Memento ink and distressed the edges a bit with brown ink and a few swipes of pale pink acrylic paint. I backed that with olive green and used my (very) old postage stamp scissors. (Remember when all the funky scissors were the big rage? Yep......I got 'em all! ; ) The image was stamped in green and blue ink and covered with clear embossing powder. (Apparently, I am on a bit of an embossing kick!) I used that postage stamp again in red this time. : )

The flowers were cut using my Cricut machine and glitterfied. I added a bit of twine, ribbon, and a couple of stick pins.

Be sure to visit the other DT blogs to see the many creative ideas these talented women have come up with!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Sharon Harnist
Mona Pendleton
Michele Kovack
Kathy Jones
Stephanie Kraft
Kellie Fortin
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram
Heidi Blankenship
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman

Today is my first day of class with my 5th grade kiddos. I am excited but always seem to get butterflies the first day. I guess I am not a whole different than the students! ; ) I am sure it will be a great year and I am grateful to work in a profession that is so rewarding. I hope all of you have a wonderful day! I look forward to coming home this evening and seeing all of your sweet comments and knowing you took a few precious moments of your day to visit me! : )

New Release by JustRite, Bon Voyage!

Is there any other place in the world more romantic than Paris? It is a dream of mine to go there someday and see the Eiffel Tower and all that France has to offer. But for now, I will enjoy this gorgeous new JustRite set called Bon Voyage. It is an ode to Paris and is deliciously vintage.
I decided to dust off the embossing powders and put them to work! I used silver for the background image and black for the Eiffel Tower. The postage stamp is from another new set being released this week......so consider it a little sneak peek! ; ) I stamped that in Avocado green by Papertrey Ink and added a bit of Crackle Accents to the top of it. I glued it to a pin to make my own stick pin.

The flower was created with my Cricut and sprayed with Tattered Angel's Glimmer Mist. I nestled a rhinestone in the center and added a bit of twine to the back of it. I also added a clear charm to hang from the flower. I believe it is by Teresa Collins.

I do love the look of embossing....it gives the card such nice dimension and texture!

Here is a close up of my aged vintage postage stamp........

Be sure to visit the other designer's blogs for more inspiration using this gorgeous new set!

JustRite Inspiration
Becca Feeken
Debbie Olson
Mona Pendleton
Michele Kovack <------ Me! : )
Stephanie Kraft
Kellie Fortin
Angela Barkhouse
Barb Schram
Heidi Blankenship
Kazan Clark
Sankari Wegman

Have a wonderful day today!!! Thank you so very much for stopping by!

Crafty Secret's Design Team Challenge: Fairies!

Good morning and happy Monday to you! Today is my first day back at work after having a very relaxing summer off. I am blessed to have that time to recharge and get ready for a brand new school year!

Today is our Crafty Secret's Design Team Challenge. This month's challenge is all about fairies. I chose this beautiful stamp from the Born to Fly set. I colored her with Copics and added a bit of Flower Soft to her waist band. I found these teeny tiny flower sequins on Etsy and added those on top of the Flower Soft. I then added even teenier rhinestones for the centers of the sequins. I cut the image using an oval Spellbinder's die as well as a scalloped oval die. I did a bit of airbrushing while the die was still in place. The wand and the tickets are also from the Born to Fly set. All the paper I used is from the Vintage Papers CD collection. The papers are absolutely gorgeous and print like a dream!

For the banner I used the Artsy Banners stamp set. I again added those tiny flower sequins and a bit of glitter!

Be sure to visit the other designer's blogs! Their projects are over the top gorgeous!!!

Vicki Chrisman Team Leader

Pam Hooten

Heidi Blankenship

Linda Duke

Michele Kovack <-------- Me! : )
Julie Campbell

Amy Teets

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Fauve van Maanen

Gini Cagle

Jan Hennings

Tammy Roberts

Victoria Warren Mears

Viola Mahr

Little One.......

Good morning!!! I am in a happy mood today!I have the best family.....they surprised me with a birthday dinner last night and a fabulous gift! (I am turning 40 in September, so needless to say I had no idea they would be doing anything so early!) My dad, hubby, and in-laws pitched in to send me on a girl's weekend with my sister next week. We get to shop, stay in a hotel, go for a fancy dinner, and see Million Dollar Quartet. I am soooooo excited to spend the weekend with my sis!!! : )

Today I have a baby card to share with you. It uses an unusual cartridge to create this card. I used Campin' Critters to cut the moon at 3." The card shape was cut also using this cartridge. The tag was cut from the Sentimental's Cartridge at 1". The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. I added a bit of tulle to soften the look of the card.

I hand drew his eyelashes and used a bit of chalk on his eyes and cheeks. And of course I had to use lots of glitter! ; )

And just a few of my favorite pics of the summer........my two guys having a water gun fight. These photos make me smile!

Don't ya love it?

My new high school student giving his ole' mom a hug! I adore this kid!!!

Thank you for letting me share! I always appreciate your visits!!!!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for Crafty Secret's Blog Hop!