Summertime!!

Good morning!

I am up on the SRM Blog today with a summertime card.

This stamp is by Great Impressions.  It was from 2007...so I just completely dated myself and proved that I can't throw anything away! ;).  I stamped it with black Memento ink, then used used my Polychromo pencils to color it.  I applied glossy accents and real sand to the sandy part.  I cut it out using a square die but cut the bottom portion by hand.  

I sponged the edges in blue and a bit of yellow for some sunshine.  I used SRM's Sentiment Summer sticker and a few sequins to finish off the card.

Our town does a big Fourth of July parade Friday, complete with fireworks.  I love this night because even though we live in Chicago, our town feels a bit like Mayberry.  Everyone will have company, swim in their pools, and in a way, celebrate together.  I am having company as well and have been getting my house ready.  It feels good to have the house finally finished so I can enjoy the rest of the summer work free! 

Thank you for stopping by today!

It gets a bit lonely here, so I appreciate your comments very much! :)

Kitchen Remodel, Before and After!

Good morning!

The past few months my husband and I have been busy updating the kitchen and a few other parts to the house.  (I'll share those another day).  Our kitchen was remodeled 21 years ago, and unfortunately was getting worn and dated. 

So what did we do exactly?  First, we painted all of the cabinets white and put handles on.

All of our floors were done in the house as well.  (Although you can't really see that in the picture.) We took the old pink, yes pink, Formica counter and back splash out and replaced it with a pretty gray quartz counter. All of the red under the counter was covered up with pretty, clean white subway tile.  (Maybe I watch a bit too much Fixer Upper and I need some ship lap somewhere too?) 

My husband thinks it's too white, but all I see is a clean, bright sunny kitchen. 

I wanted a coffee bar and decided this was the perfect corner for it.  I found this light up coffee sign from Target.  Leave it to Target to have something so darn cute! 

I think the light up cabinet with the yellow panels is going to be changed.  I think I am going to look for red fabric to put in the glass cabinets.  The rest of the kitchen is still painted a deep cranberry red.  (You can see a sliver of it in the lower left corner of the picture.....along with my dog, Myla! ;) 

What do you think? 

Too white?

Have you done any remodeling lately?  I love seeing before and after pics! Leave a comment below so I can check out your latest remodeling!

Polychromo Pencils and a Summertime Image!

Good morning my fellow crafty sisters! (And maybe brothers too?  Not sure who really reads this lil' blog!) I am up on the Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L blog today with this fun summertime card! The image and sentiment are from Stampendous.  I stamped it on kraft cardstock with black Memento ink.  I recently purchased the Polychromo pencils and decided to practice a bit with them. To line up my sentiment I used my Mini Misti.  I added Stickles to the water as well as glossy accents.  I wanted it to look like the water was glittery and bright from the sun.

I layered my image over white and a pink card stock base using Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty foam tape.  I tied Donna Salazar's Girlie Grunge twine in pink at the top.  I decided that the card didn't need anything else at that point.  (Sometimes it is difficult to restrain myself!)

It is crazy to think that a year ago today Cortney was admitted to the hospital for the next 14 days, with a staph infection and subsequent skin flap. I didn't see much of summer last year.  Now one year later, she is living an incredible and busy life at Misericordia, and I am golfing, shopping, catching up with friends and family, crafting, and spending time with my hubby. What a difference a year can make!  

Tonight I am golfing for the 11th time this summer....dining el fresco afterwards.

Life is good.

:)

Thank you for stopping and supporting my incredibly inconsistent blog! LOL!

Stamping, Glitter, and Favecrafts!

I have a card to share with you that I made awhile back using a new set from JustRite called, Create a Flower Garden.  I stamped the leaves and flowers and decided to fill each of the flowers in with glitter.  I couldn't help it!  The glitter just calls out to me!

I stamped the sentiment in black, added a few clear sequins, and tied a silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply Store. 

 

Have you headed over to Favecrafts lately?

I have quite a few projects over there and it truly is a great resource for inspiration!

I love that they include all crafts, from stamping, knitting, to DIY projects! 

Be sure to check out their site!

Have a great day my friends!

Inspiration From One of my Favorite Stampers and a Rainbow Challenge!

Do you have a morning routine?

I do. ;)

I feed my pups, make my coffee, and sit down in front of my computer and peruse through my list of favorite stampy blogs. It is such a great relaxing start to my day, and also a great way to get inspired.  Recently, I fell in love with THIS card from one of my stamping idols, Laura Bassen.  I love everything she creates! Her videos crack me up because she has such a great sense of humor! (I appreciate people with a sense of humor!) I don't case too many cards, but decided to try my hand at a card similar to hers.

I stamped the rows of butterflies using a Stampendous stamp and my Mini Misti.  It was embossed in white and colored in a somewhat loosely translated rainbow color pattern.  I splattered the background with white and black water colors for a bit of interest.  I added a sentiment from JustRite cut on white foam.  I added sparkly Stickles to it.  The sentiment was stamped on black and embossed on white. I added it to the front panel along with a few sequins. 

I know my posts have still been a bit sparse, but summer has been so busy with baseball games, golf, graduation parties etc.  :)  

Life is good.

I truly appreciate you stopping by my little blog!

Have a wonderful day my friends!

USA!

Good morning and happy Friday to you!

I am up on the Scrapbook Adhesives blog with a patriotic card.  It is hard to believe that the Fourth of July is right around the corner!

I used a variety of Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L products including twine and ribbon from Donna Salazar.

And alphabet beads....remember those?  I had jars of them and they were hidden in the back of my crafty closet...until today! LOL! Sometimes going "retro" is the only way to go! ;)

I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend that includes golf and hanging out at the pool.

Chicago is going to be an oven for the next few days, so being by water is a necessity!

Got any plans? 

Have fun in whatever you are doing!

Have a great weekend!

Getting Back in The Swing of Things!

Good morning!

Did you miss me? ;)

I am home now for the summer, and I am hoping to use this time to get caught up 

on the many things that need to be completed in my house. (We just redid our hardwood floors, updated the kitchen etc) 

I am also hoping to get back to a somewhat normal blogging and crafting schedule.

I have a card today that I actually made about a month ago before I left the JustRite Design team.

It is one of their new sets called, Large Oval Celebration.

I colored the image with Copics in shades of pale pinks, greens, and blues.  I stamped the frame in a light aqua color and die cut the ovals. 

I added pretty silk ribbon from the Stamp Simply store as a finishing touch.

I am off to IKEA with my son today.  He wants a desk in his room for painting War Hammer models. (He's got a bit of crafty blood in him!) ;) 

It is nice being able to spend some one on one time with him.

Thank you for stopping by!

Have a wonderful day!