Happy 2014!

I happen to be pretty glad that 2013 is over. It was a rough year personally for me. I am ready to put that year behind me and press on into this year with a renewed spirit and hopeful outlook.

One of my goals this year is to put some effort into my Stampin' Up! business and see what happens. This blog will be a large part of that effort, so in the coming weeks, I hope to refresh the look of this site as well as make sure I am up to date on all the features and techy aspects of a blog. I considered deleting many of the past posts, as they all seem to say "I'm really going to do it this time" and then it's months before another post just like that. But it's nice to see where I've come from. And honestly, it would be hard to post less than I have in the past, so that's an easy win right there.

I have a card to post as soon as I get the picture from the camera to the computer...something I am horrible at doing!

What are your crafty or business goals for 2014?

Coming Soon...part 2!

I did it... I signed up with Stampin' Up! again and will be having a workshop soon. My home office/stamp space is still a work in progress, but it's getting there. I should have some new projects posted soon.

I hope to start inspiring some papercrafting in my friends soon.

Coming soon...

I have been going crazy! All my stamping stuff is still packed up, my home office in an uproar. I took a break from being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator this summer. I am still deciding what is best for me and my family. I will be stamping again soon, whether I re-sign with SU! or not. I miss that creative outlet. Plus, my youngest is now in school, so I actually have some time at home alone! This next week will be an organizing frenzy, so then I can get back to crafting! See you soon.

Yay for 2010!

I love each and every new year. It is like January 1 is the official day that I can put the last 365 days behind me and move forward. So far, I'm not sure I've made much forward progress. But, it's only been 11 days, so I'm going to cut myself some slack and move on.



One of my stamping goals this year is to take part in the Scripture Challenge that is hosted by Patter at Triple the Scraps. There is a beautiful button she designed on the right side of this blog, so click it and read all about this amazing woman and see what she does with pretty paper! I actually started one of Patter's challenges last year. I made a 6x6 page. Everyone loved it. Guess I figured I should go out in style and didn't do any more! This year....progress. Just a little progress.



Another goal is to hold more workshops. Last year, I held a grand total of ONE. Shouldn't be too hard, except that I can't find a few hours that aren't booked up until next January.



And yes, if I've said it once..... well. I am going to blog more. We'll see.



Don't anyone hold your breath. Oh wait....maybe one of my goals should be to have an actual follower on this blog!!!

CC247 Elegant New Year

I made this card for the CC247 Color Combo challenge, which you can find HERE. Soft Suede, Basic Black, and Very Vanilla combine for such a warm, elegant feeling. Makes me want to dress up for a winter Ball and sip hot cocoa all at once.

This is the first time I have layered papers, then run them through the Big Shot with the Top Note Die. I've seen many cards on SCS and on blogs that use this technique, but had not tried it. It was super easy and makes such a great card layer. I'll be doing this more often. The Soft Suede layer was sent through the Big Shot beforehand with the Perfect Details Texturz plate. Again, not something I use a lot, but I'm going to start. I love the simple elegance an embossed layer adds.

Christmas will be here soon. I will be finishing up our Christmas cards, which I am making with My Digital Studio. I will also be stamping some gift tags and tins, which I will post soon.

Sketch Challenge 255

I submitted this card for the SC255. This card reminds me of my Grandma Little's kitchen when she lived in Arkansas. Very warm and country. I love the wood paper (Autumn Meadows DSP). The ribbon and the copper hardware were some I found in my accessories drawer, but it really made a difference in the look of the card.

The main image is from the Country Morning stamp set, which is one of our Level 1 Hostess sets. A qualifying workshop means this set is free!

Sketch challenges are a great way to try something different on your cards. I don't normally use this many layers, but it was fun to make this all work together and it turned out great!

Here is the sketch.....try it!

Color Challenge 245

Here is my submission for the Color Combo challenge #245 on SCS which you can find out more about HERE.

This combo uses Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, and Real Red. While this is a perfect color combo for Christmas, I am just not ready for that yet!!

I used the Seasons of Friendship stamp set, along with a sentiment from the Hope Happens set. The main image panel is popped up on dimensionals for depth. And I love the yummy Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon!