What's Happening....

Hey y'all! I know it's been a long time since I have been around this ole blog! And I have a lot of catching up to do!!
First, I want to share a gift bag that I recently made & embellished with flair from The Crafty Pickle. By the way, the shop had reopened so you can find all your flair button needs and more there!! And lots of new products have ben added!

 

I added the hearts flair button to the top of the fabric rosette and love the way this simple but sweet gift bag turned out!

 

While it's not a Christmas gift bag, it will be perfect to present to my daughter with a small gift or gift card for her 13th birthday next week! I am at a loss for words as we embrace on teenagehood. I can't believe Leah has reached this stage already!! I must say, for the most part, we are pretty lucky-she's a great kid!

 

Speaking of Christmas & he holidays, are you ready?! I am almost done shopping, however, have not done much in the way of decorating. We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the family here this year so we were pretty busy preparing for that. Now I seem to have lost all motivation to get ready for Christmas! Hoping I find it soon!!! We did have a special guest arrive on December first:

Ty was so excited to see "Countdown" when he got home from school the other day! He had been asking when he would arrive for weeks!! The Season is upon us!

Make it a great one!

~Stephanie

  

 

  

A Favorite Memory

Hey y'all! I know I have been missing for a very long time. I haven't been doing much in the way of crafting lately. Life has been busy with growing kids-one of which will be a teenager in a couple weeks!! Wish us all luck!

I am trying my hardest though to get caught up on older photos that need to be scrapped and getting my kids’ albums organized! It’s a big undertaking but I love making scrapbook pages & revisiting old memories. This one is one of my favorites!



My son loved his red rain boots when he was three and in them he discovered the love of jumping in puddles! I will never forget how happy he was when we returned home from an errand & he was able to splash in the puddles!



This flair button is the perfect compliment to my page!! It is the “Favorite Memory” button from the  I added it on top of a chipboard circle which was placed on top of a cork circle for added dimension. I love adding thread on my page to lend some texture.





  A few more fun embellishments and another page & memory are scrapped & ready to go in the album!
Thanks for visiting! Make it a crafty day!!
TCP products used:
“A Favorite Memory” flair button
blue baker’s twine

Use It Up Tuesday-Travel Often

Hey guys!
So baseball is behind us (Ty's team lost their first single elimination game Wednesday night) and now we have lots of free time to enjoy the rest of the summer!! And boy is it zooming by too quickly! I can not believe it is almost the middle of August! Ty's All Star team played amazingly well & most of the boys were heartbroken when they lost, but Ty seemed nonplussed! Glad he can take the wins &  the losses with dignity!

Before it is the middle of the month, I have to share the current sketch challenge at My Scraps & More Sketches, #111. This amazing sketch was created by Audrey:  



Here is what I created:

 

I used larger paper scraps from my stash. The blue/circle paper reminded me of the circles from the sketch so I figured it was a great way to duplicate the circles & use up some scraps!

 

 

The wood veneer globe is probably my favorite embellishment here! It is from Simple Stories' I Am collection. The "relax" chippie is from Crate Paper's On the Road collection.  My foam alphas are AC Thickers.

 

 

The "you are here" chippie is also from Crate Paper. The flower & "hey there" chipboard pieces are from My Mind's Eye and are very old! I have been hoarding them for years!! But, it's "Use It Up Tuesday" so I made sure to use some older supplies!

 

Bes ure to play along with this sketch & link up at the blog.  Here is what you could win for playing along:

    

 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to be back soon. Tomorrow we are headed to a water park with family & friends!!

~Stephanie

 

 

Bookmark/ Card

Hi y'all!! I'm sorry my updates here have been so scarce recently. My son is playing in an All-Stars baseball tournament & that has taken up most of our time lately! My daughter is not thrilled with it, but I have to say, I am enjoying watching these 8 year-olds play ball. They are all extremely good & so far, have a 3&0 record!!

 I have made some time for crafting & today have to share my latest project using The Crafty Pickle flair & CTMH products. I made a card that could be given for many different occasions-birthday, congratulations, thank you, etc.


I used the "I Love Books" flair button, some washi tape and self-adhesive sequins, all from The Crafty Pickle shop.




I love to read! Unfortunately, my kids do not love it that much and I am constantly trying to entice them into reading. I thought this card might do the trick!
I slipped in a little bookmark that can be pulled out of the top of the card & used when reading. I also thought it would be nice to give the card with a bookstore gift card inside!

Products used:
CTMH Boardwalk washi tape
I Love Books TCP flair

Thanks for visiting! Hope to be back soon!
~Stephanie

All Star Card

Hey y'all! It has been a little bit busy & crazy around here recently! I haven't had time to do much crafting (or anything else for that matter)!

But I do have a card to share that I made for my son Ty who was selected to play on our Little League’s All Star team. He was at practice yesterday & fractured his finger when a ball popped up & hit his finger (fourth time it happened in a week).
I figured this card was perfect to give him some encouragement & support right now! Poor guy was so upset that he wouldn't be able to play in the tournament that begins Saturday! The doctor told him to keep his finger wrapped  & rest this week & he would be fine to play the tournament games-YAY!



I punched stars from my card with my Fiskars craft punch. I then used leftover acetate from an old package to place on the inside of my card. Once the top piece of acetate was strongly secured to the card, I filled it with the Star Spangled Relish Mix sequins from the shop. After I had the desired amount of sequins inside, I secured the other side of the acetate with redline tape.
I then added some twine, one of my punched stars & some self-adhesive sequin dots.



My glitter alphas (that I adore) are AC Thicker's.



I hope this helps my little guy feel a bit better!

Thanks for stopping by! Make it a crafty day!
~Stephanie

Finding Wings

Hey y'all! Hope this Monday finds you well. It is a hot one here & we are doing our best to stay cool.

I want to share with you my latest layout, created using the most recent sketch from My Scraps & More. 
Katrina Hunt is the guest sketch designer & did she ever come up with a fun one!


Here is my layout:

 

I used papers from my stash for this page. The grey feather paper is from Studio Calico & the pink papers are so old I forgot who the manufacturer is!

 

 

My chipboard pieces here are from Crate Paper & are also from older collections. Love that I was able to finally use them!

The small alphas are from Tim Holtz. The arrow sticker is from Glitz & the white feathers are from Studio Calico. 

 

 

More chipboard from Crate Paper.

 

I love these pictures form Ty's first day of kindergarten. He was so nervous & upset, but Leah was an amazing big sister & comforted him & even sat with him on the bus (for the first 2 weeks of school)! I love that she takes care of him (when she really needs to). I hope their bond only grows stronger as they get older.

 

We love seeing your creations, so if you are able to play along, link up here! 

Thanks for stopping in today!

   

~Stephanie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of the School Year!

So our kids' last day of school was Friday & I am still in utter shock that the summer is upon us! This year flew by faster than any in my memory. I am excited for the kids as they both had amazing years. Leah got straight As all year & Ty received honor roll all year (all As & one B). Ty had perfect attendance & Leah was a member of the SCA, wrestling manager, gymnastics team & made the cheerleading squad for next year! Both of them made the year fabulous!! I we just found out that Ty made the Little League All-Stars team!

My niece graduated from high school this year so I made some cards.
I have use flair & sequins/confetti from The Crafty Pickle.

 

This card uses the ConGRADulations confetti. I made the cap from black carstock & created a tassel from twine  that I sprayed with black mist.

 

 

The next card I made is a general "Congratulations" card.

 

 

I used the stack of books flair button from the I Love Books set.  I also used some of the star confetti from the Cinema confetti set.

TCP just recently had a huge shop update so be sure to check out all the great products here!!! 

Thanks  so much for stopping by today!

 

Stay crafty!

~Stephanie

 

 

    

Sneak A Peek

Hey y'all! Happy Sunday. Hope the weekend was a good one for ya'.
We had a great one-a Zac Brown concert with great friends, family dinner to celebrate our nephew's 18th birthday & Ty has his first baseball play-off game tonight.

I want to share with you a little sneak peek at the blog hop projects made by the designers at The Crafty Pickle:

Be sure to come back tomorrow morning to join us for the hop!

Have a great night. We are all excited to watch some Little League baseball now! Go Ironbirds!!
~Stephanie

Happy Mother's Day

Hey y'all! Happy Saturday! It's a beautiful one here & a great day for Little League baseball!
Ty had a game at 9 a.m. today & his team won!

This kid eats,
sleeps and breathes baseball! He is having a great season & made an awesome catch at third base today. We are so proud of him!!

And we are super proud of Leah also. She was inducted into her school's "A Club" last week for getting straight A's so far this school year! Proud mom moment that made me cry!!

(Leah with her good friend, Lauren.) 

I wan to wish you all a Happy Mother's Day since I probably won't make it onto the blog tomorrow. I hope you all enjoy the day doing what you love best!!
Here is a card I made for my mom. I used this sketch from Cardabilities:

     
And here is my card:

 

I started with white cardstock for the base added layers of patterned paper from October Afternoon & Simple Stories.

 

 

I used a circle sticker from my stash (Pink Paislee) & the flower sticker is from Echo Park, also from my stash. I added the rumple ribbon on the side to bring in a feminine touch, along with the stem of purple flowers. I hope my mom enjoys it!

 

Thanks for stopping by today. Make it a great one!

~Stephanie  

 

Car Lover-Pulling Out the Old!

Hi friends! It's my day to share my layout using the April 24th Stuck On U Sketches sketch created by Nanne. How awesome is this sketch?!
 
I love the versatility here &  the room for multiple photos!
Here is what I created:

 

I dug deep into my stash for this one! I knew I had some die cut patterned paper in my bin from ages ago (think 2009) that would be great for this page! The paper is from My Mind's Eye and I have been hoarding it for YEARS! The picture is also an older one, from 2010, of my son checking out a dragster at a local pumpkin patch. He was all about cars, & all vehicles for that matter, when he was little!

 

The corrugated alphas are from American Crafts, the "slow down" acetate shape is from Studio Calico & the 50c die cut is from MME.

 

 

All of the small label stickers are fro Jenni Bowlin (also year old) & the "good times" sticker is from Basic Grey.

 

 

We would love it if you played along with us! You can link up here here if you do. We love to see your creations!

Thanks for visiting & stay crafty, y'all!   

Stephanie

Better Late Than Never?!

Hey y'all! Sorry I have been MIA around here. It has been a hectic & busy few weeks with Easter (we had the family dinner & egg hunt at our house), Spring break (we traveled  to the beach for two days) & other things that are going on that have kept me away from my blog!
I want to share here the latest sketch from My Scraps & More Sketches, #103: 

I love the slanted design here! Audrey always creates such great sketches!!
Here is what I created:

 

Everything here is from Simple Stories "I Am" collection & was purchased in the My Scraps & More store. 

 

 

I used a few layers & placed some white tissue paper under my photo for more dimension. The journal cards in this collection are to die for!!

 

I always love feathers & use them any chance I get.

 

Some wood veneer embellishments add more dimension. I love that picture of my sweet-faced little boy having a blast at our local park!

                                 I added pop dots to some of the stickers for more interest.

 

We hope you get the chance to play along with this awesome sketch! Here is a look at this month's prize

 

Link up here for your chance to win!!

 

Thanks for visiting y'all! Have a great Sunday! (We are going to enjoy every last minute before the kids head back to school tomorrow!)

xo~Stephanie