Sharing some recent projects

For Monroe's first birthday party... the Number ONE, the letter M and a birthday cake candle. Made the pennant banner by hand.  Netting ruffled lace from my local scrapbook store: Simply Scrapbooks.

Butterfly birthday card.  I love the fact that these bright colors are great for both adult friends AND kids!

One of my favorite color combinations:  Regal Rose and Kiwi Kiss (All products from Stampin Up!

Congratulations Jenny

An egagement congratulations card for a young lady I've known for 30 years... in fact her mom & dad were in my wedding many years ago! I'm so excited for Jenny and Randy. This card was made with Purely Pomegranite paper (SU) and the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set and embossing folder. (also from Stampin Up!) The large rose image is stamped on the Pomegranite paper repeatedly, and then a piece of vellum is run through the "Big Shot" machine and layered onto the top of the cardstock, with ribbon added along the edge to cover the area where the vellum was attached. (This card is CASED from a card made at Jami's house a while back at one of her club nights.)

Catching up on Birthdays

You can never have enough Birthday Cards, right? I'm filling up my stash, plus making some to give to a family member, so here's what I've been working on. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this beautiful paper and the colors. The designer paper is from "American Crafts" and it's called "Amplified." I used SU Lavender Lace, Melon Mambo, Cool Carribean, and Purely Pomegranite for the cardstock and colored the images with both Copic markers and SU markers.




Stamp Set: Crazy for Cupcakes (SU!)



Stamp Set: Pun Fun (SU!)



Stamp Set: Time for You (SU!)

TESC131 Halloween Kitty Card

Here's this week's contribution to the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge... something I almost always MAKE but hardly ever get uploaded in time! Love this little pumpkin/ kitty image, even though I have no idea where it came from. It was given to me in a big box of stamps that someone was getting rid of (can you even imagine!?)
It is colored with Copic Markers and it features the "Paper Tole" technique. The pumpkin is stamped 3 times, and them "bumped up" twice... once for the whole pumpkin and once just for the lid of the pumpkin. Hopefully you can see that in the image below. The paper is from Imaginesence. Love the bright colors!

Sending my Daughter Off To College with Handmade Pieces of my Heart

A few weeks ago, my daughter left for college (Azusa Pacific, which is about 40 minutes away). Even though it's not THAT FAR from home, I wanted her to have a few items that would be helpful, but mostly to let her know that I am there with her, that I'm thinking about her, missing her and praying for her.

Here are a few of the items:












A mini pail to put quarters in for the washer/ dryer in the dorm; an acrylic photo frame to hold a sticky note pad, and a prayer journal. Her colors of her dorm items are Lime Green, Turquoise Blue, and Brown.

Discover Your Wings Dear Friends!

For my dear Friends Mike & Kim who just left California a few days ago to move to Texas. We've been friends for more than 25 years, and it just won't ever be the same without them here as a part of our church and my life. They were such amazing servants of God over the years, but mostly, they were and always will be forever friends. I can't wait to go visit them in Wylie and see where God has placed them for the next part of their journey. Missing you guys so much! Praying you are getting settled and are already seeing God's faithfulness in your new home.


Card (for Taylor's Challenge #TESC118) uses Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Vellum Cardstock (SU!) Chocolate Chip and So Saffron Ink, the paper piercer and matt pack, DCWV Retro Prints paper, the Big Shot Top Note Die from SU!, and the Fiskars Border Punch. The stamp set is called "Discover Your Wings" from Taylored Expressions. The lace trim is also from TE. LOVE THAT TRIM! Reminds me of all the little dresses my mom made for all my sisters and I when we were growing up.

Graduation Card Mania

Because my daughter is graduating from High School this year, that means so are many of her friends. And also, because I have been the children's pastor at FBCOL for 10+ years now, I've known this group of kids since 2nd grade, so they are "my kids" too! I've enjoyed praying for them and watching them grow up to love and serve Christ, and I'm super excited to see them move into the big, scary, crazy world to impact the Kingdom of God is amazing ways!
Here are some of the cards I've been working on this week for this group of kids.

This card is for Taylor's sketch challenge, TESC116; It uses the Stampin Up Set "Fun and Fast Notes" which I still LOVE. I wish you could see the ribbon loopy thing made with the black grossgrain ribbon. It turned out really cool. The paper used is Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, and Black (Because it's for a Lakewood High Graduate, duh!) The scalloped circle is cut with nestabilities, and the image is colored with copic markers, and a silver metallic pen. The circle/ star images are punches with rhinestone brads in the center of each one. This one is for a guy at our church/ Emily's school, so I was pleased with the masculine look, in spite of the little bling... because after all, every graduate is a STAR, right?



The next three cards all use Taylored Expressions stamps, "Oh the Places You Go!" I knew I was going to need a ton of Graduation Stamps this year, so it was a wise investment for me.

Senior Picture Sneak Peek!

If you've been looking for the most amazing photographer in the whole world, look no longer.
Here is a sneak peek at Emily's senior pictures taken by our sweet friend Kristin Eldridge. These literally took my breath away and made my eyes well up with tears the second I saw them, so I don't know what's going to happen when I see the rest of them! Please click on each picture to see a bigger version of it on Kristin's twitter sight. You'll be blown away by the colors! And oh yeah, by the way, that's Emily with dark hair. Shocking and striking isn't it!






We spent about 90 minutes with Kristin at Seal Beach Pier on Thursday afternoon (that's when Kristin says the lighting is best) and Kristin took 5 million pictures and I'm supposed to pick ONE to send out with Emily's Graduation Announcements. Ha! These 2 pictures were posted on Twitter, with a link to post them on your website, so here they are.

Please check out Kristin's BLOG..... you'll be amazed! www.kristineldridge.com Thanks Kristin. I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.... or maybe not.