Leaves & Change

Hey y'all & happy Saturday!
It's another hot one here, so I enjoyed walking the dogs early this morning & staying inside the rest of the day! We are headed to a friend's 40th birthday party tonight. Hope it doesn't storm!!

So the newest challenge is up at Southern Girl Challenges & this time we want to see leaves on your project! Here is the layout I made:

I used my Martha Stewart punch to create the leaves & vines along the edges of the chevron paper.

The other leaves are fussycut from an OLD piece of paper that I had in my scraps box.

I also played along with the MOTM challenge at Memorable Seasons. Sally is the member of the month & I lifted her layout "Awesome Buddies".

We hope you get the chance to play along with us! Link up to enter for a chance at the many prizes!!

I also wanted to let you all know (in case you don't already) that Google is discontinuing their Google Reader feature on July 1st. This is also known as Google Friends Connect. You know, where you click on the blue box to follow a blog you love? (I hope you'll continue following me! I LOVE having you all here!!) This means if you want to continue to follow my blog (along with any others on Blogger), you will now have to use another reader.
Here is how to export your current blogs to Bloglovin':
   

 The first step is to Export Your Feeds. First, log in to your Google account. Then, by using this link, it will immediately download your RSS Feeds. If you’re not sure which reader you’ll be using, it’s nice to have a copy of those feeds on your hard drive.
If you’ve decided to use BlogLovin’ to follow your favorite blogs, there’s a simple step to export your feeds right into Bloglovin‘. Super easy and you won’t miss any of your favorite blogs!
Good Luck!

Thanks to my friend Christine for sharing this news!
I hope to see you all after July 1 too!
~Stephanie

Congrats!

Hey friends!
Today I am sharing a "Congrats" card that I made for a scrappy friend of mine who just announced that she is pregnant! I am so excited for her & this will be her first child!

I used scraps from my stash (Carta Bella's "Beautiful Moments" line) & a border punch along the bottom of the pink pp. I then added some favorite ribbons from Lovebug Creations, in Simply White & Green Goddess. The glitter alphas are from American Crafts & the butterfly stickpin is so old that I've forgotten the manufacturer!

My friend will not find out the baby's sex, so I hope this card doesn't feel too feminine. Who knows, maybe she'll have a girl!

Have a wonderful Friday y'all!

~Stephanie

 

So This Is Summer....

Yep, Summer is in full swing around here! The days have grown hotter & more humid; the mosquitoes are unceasing & the kids have begun fighting!!
If you did not already know, I am rather ambivalent about summer. I enjoy the break from schedules & homework, but I do not like the heat! And I can only handle so much fighting, bickering & yelling. We have been trying to stay busy, which helps keep the incessant boredom-moaning at bay. We went to see "Monsters University" today & the kids enjoyed that. After dinner we took a family bike ride. Last night we played a family game of baseball. We have been to Jumpology, a local trampoline arena-the kids loved that! We've been to the pool; the mall & out to eat with friends. So far, it has been fun. I just worry about the next 11 weeks!
I know I will be sad when September comes, but boy, right now 11 weeks seems like a long time!!
I am making a list of things we would like to do. Here are some of them:

-go to Great Wolf Lodge (kids' request)
-beach day
-bowling
-movies
-visit Mt. Vernon
-go to Luray Caverns
-visit Natural Bridge & the Safari Park
-take a trip to Ticonderoga Farms
-pool
-trip to Denver

Hope you all are enjoying the season. What are some of your favorite summertime activities?
Stay cool!
~Stephanie        

Inspired By...

Remember quite some time ago I created this layout that was inspired by Jen Jockisch & her wonderful art of layering? I said back then that I wanted to continue this segment on my blog. Well, it's been a while, but I recently saw this layout by Paige Evans & was totally INSPIRED!! 



Here is my take on the circle-folding technique:

 I punched multiple 2 inch circles from scrap papers (yay for using up those scraps!), then scored each circle on each side & folded the sides into the middle. I adhered the sides down but some of them popped up, and I think I like them better this way!

Thanks for stopping by tonight. I hope you will find something to inspire you!

~Stephanie

Enjoy!

Hey friends & happy Friday!

We are in the first week of summer vacation here & I am already feeling the pangs-kids fighting, complaining of boredom, not listening. Oh, it's gonna be a long one!I think one of my chores today needs to be to sign these kiddos up for some summer camps!! Any suggestions?

Today I have a simple card to share that was made for a good friend's birthday.

I adhered a pre-made envelope to the front of the card to slip a gift card into. Who wouldn't love a free pedicure in the summertime?! I used Lovebug Creation's pretty rumple ribbon in Crazy Coral, which is one of my all time favorite colors! The journal spot is cut from a sheet by Studio Calico; the glass stone in the center of the ribbon is from Prima & the clear dew drop on the heart is from The Robin's Nest.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all enjoy this Friday!!
Til next time,
~Stephanie



 

Gift Card Tree

Hey everyone & Happy Friday!!
Today is the kids' last day of school! So hard  to believe! They both had amazing years & outstanding teachers.
I put together a gift card tree for Ty's teacher as an end of the year gift.

I tied various gift cards to a silk flower stem using Lovebug Creations' rumple ribbon. I filled the vase with Hershey chocolate minis, as his teachers LOVES chocolate! I used many shades of ribbon, including Simply White, Simply Grey, Simply Black, Crazy Coral & Sunset.

Thanks for stopping by! I am headed to school for one last hoorah this year! I'm sure I'll be in need of some tissues! See ya' soon!
~Stephanie

Don't Bug Me....

I'm reading! Ha! Sometimes I wish I could wear this sign around my neck!!

I made a bookmark using Lovebug Creations' rumple ribbons & that is the sentiment I put on it.

I started with a plain piece of scrap cardstock, punched the bottom, punched the scalloped circles from 3 colors of cardstock, punched butterflies & added Liquid Pearls to them, then added a piece of washi  tape at the bottom.

I used Sunset, Green Goddess, and Pink Clouds rumple ribbons & braided them together to make a tassle at the top of the bookmark.

I made this as a gift for my daughter to start off her summer reading. I love the way it turned out & think I will make some more for the kids' teachers & school librarians!

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you enjoy this day!
~Stephanie  

Whoot!

Hey guys & Happy Friday!!
I received some exciting news the other day-I made the new design team over at Sketch-N-Scrap!!
                                         

 Yay! I love working with sketches & so many of my layouts originate from a sketch, so this is a great fit for me! You can check out all the new design team members here, & be sure to browse the fun sketches for June!
I hope to be back soon with some layout shares!
'Til then,
~Stephanie

Relax!

Hey guys!
I hope this Hump Day is treating you all well. It's a beautiful, sunny day here & I am trying to pull things together for the end of the school year. Summer is upon us-AAHHH!

Speaking of summer, here is the latest layout I made using the sketch from Scraptastic Club. This is the sketch:



And here is my layout:

I dug into my scraps again here (such a great feeling!) to create the sunburst pattern with several different papers. The vellum banner is from Crate Paper; the journaling sticker is from Studio Calico; & the "scatter sunshine", key & feather stickers are all from a Remarks book by AC.

I used the Martha Stewart punch to punch the circles & added Studio Calico stickers to them. That is the challenge also right now over at Frosted Designs-use your punches!

This is an older photo from the summer of 2009. I think this was one of Ty's first times out on the boat at the river & he did not like it!! We were parked in the picture, but when the boat was moving, he would bury his head in Drew's chest & hold on for dear life!! Good times! 

I hope you all are getting ready for summer in your neck of the woods!

Until next time,

~Stephanie

Let's Play Tic Tac Toe!

Hey friends & happy Monday!
We are counting down the days til the end of school. Now it's officially 8 1/2!! Where has this year gone?!!!

Well, the latest challenge is up at Southern Girls Challenge. It is called "Tic Tac Toe"! You have to use three things in a row from the following tic tac toe board on your project:


You can choose a line top to bottom, left to right or diagonally. I chose ink or paint; stars & chevrons. Here is my layout:

I kept it simple here as the chevron paper makes a huge statement in & of itself. I inked & distressed the edge of my photo mat, added some star sequins & misted the stars from Pink Paislee. The "I love you" ribbon is so old that I cannot even remember where I got it! Of course I had to add some washi tape (here in black w/ white dots from K&Co.). The alphas are from AC Thickers. The date sticker is from Jenni Bowlin & the "December" tag is from a kit by Theresa Collins.

I chose my title based on this picture taken on Christmas day, 2009. Our poor (now deceased) dog looks like he is beyond humiliated! I think Ty was trying to remove the Santa hat! And Leah looks so utterly disgusted with the taking of photos! Hence my title-HA! 

Make sure you play along with this fun challenge & be sure to link up here for a chance at the prize!!

Thanks for swinging by my blog today!

~Stephanie