my first SRM Stickers project

Good morning! I have a card to share today that I created with a few of the fantastic stickers from SRM Stickers. These are even better than I could have imagined... they have a matte coat (the best way I can describe them) and they really do appear to melt into the paper. I have a huge stack of them on my table right now waiting for me to dig in and play... too bad I work all weekend. I at least hope to make a card or two.
I made it to send to Kara. I really miss her. Yesterday was a hard day. I woke up with her heavy on my mind and then in the early afternoon I received "my child in a box minus my child"-- her belongings. Everything she took with her. It was hard to have her possessions in hand and not be able to call her or see her. I am sure she is fine, but it's the unknown that makes me miss her more I think.



supplies:
SRM Stickers: Sticker Sentiments- Love #51004 (front) and Thinking of you #51006 (inside)
card: DeJa Views
pp: Scenic Route
ribbon
journaling spot
rhinestones: Kaiser Craft

SRM Stickers even has an online store full of stickers and even some calendars. They are also arriving in retail stores around the country. Here's a link to all the wonderful stickers available online: SRM Press.

some E.A.D projects and other things...

Warning... lots of pics on this post. ;) I have been creating a little bit everyday this week... a little here and there, and had several projects going at once. I put the finishing touches on everything today and here's what I have been busy working on.

I have also been playing around with the Flickr editing system so my images are smaller than I am used to, but I will figure that out as I go.

I made this 'Memories' box and put a few cards inside using several vinyl rub on sets from E.A.D Designs and a mix of Lily Bee papers.


the rub on set I used on the front is from the My Family set. I just love this set!




each of the cards uses sentiments from the Sentiments Vinyl Rub-ons. I also used some of the cute creatures from the Bugs Vinyl rub-ons on some of the cards. (oh, I also used a butterfly from this set on the cover of the box shown above.) On the Best Wishes card I used Butterfly #4.
My favorite card of the bunch is the pink and green Happy Birthday card... it's different from te rest. I am trying out some different ideas/styles and I really had fun making this one.

I have wanted to scrap this picture since June and I finally got around to it. There are so many colors in it and all the beautiful colors and mix of patterns in gorgeous Lily Bee papers were perfect for it. I had to use my pieces from my scrap collection for most of the layout, but they worked well.



another layout using Lily bee papers. These photos were taken almost 6 years ago, but they could have been taken today... these two girls still do this often. I just love them so!



I've got a few more things I have created and some others I am working on. I'll be back soon to share them!
GO NAVY! (I couldn't resist lol)

Spring butterfly- a Say It With Letters project

Things have been insane around here. For those who aren't aware, our oldest daughter Kara left for Navy Basic Training yesterday. It was an emotional weekend, as well as an emotional day yesterday as I watched her officially swear into the Navy in the morning and then watch her plane take off in the late afternoon. She had cold feet and had a few freak-outs. I just pray that she is doing OK and will overcome her mental blocks.
Sending her off was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I am missing a part of me and it hurts, but I am SO PROUD of her and I just want to yell at the top of my lungs to everyone that my daughter is in the Navy and I am the proudest mother ever! I am now a Navy mom. Wow. I saw a license plate cover that said that yesterday and that made me tear up with pride. I am going to have to get me one of those. ;)

Onto a scrappy project. I was thrilled to receive this fun springy butterfly shape from Say It With Letters for this months project. I wanted to try something really different with this one and ended up covering it with moss that I bought at the craft store. I painted the edges first and then glued the moss onto the front. It was messy, but really simple. I then added some pieces of silk flowers and some embellishments and it's done. It makes me happy to look at it... it's so woodsy and natural and outdoorsy and reminds me of Spring and renewal.



wooden shape: Say It With Letters
packaged moss: Michael's
cherish chipboard word: Lil Davis
chipboard heart: Melissa Frances
silk flowers: Michael's
button, twine
paint: Delta
glue: Aleene's Craft glue

Pink and White E.A.D blog hop!

This month the theme for the E.A.D blog hop is pink and white. I just love pink and the first thing I thought of when I saw the theme was baby and these adorable elephants on this Little One rub-on set are perfect for what I had in mind. I also created a layout (since I wasn't feeling the baby set 100%). For this I used the Snowflakes set. I applied them to cardstock then cut around each one. Tedious, but well worth it. It's a simple layout, but the snowflakes add that extra special punch.






Check out the projects that the other super-talented girls created and leave a comment on their blogs. Be sure to return to the E.A.D Designs blog and leave a comment there as well for a chance to win a $10 gift card.

Amy Castellano

♥

Jenn Coker

♥

Lynnette Davis

♥

Valerie Greer

Someone pinch me!!!

I am SUPER excited to announce that I have been selected to be on the SRM Stickers Design Team!!! I am honored to be working with such amazing ladies oozing with talent. I still cannot believe I made the team! Check out the announcement here.
Here is a list of the fabulous ladies who I will be working with:

Tania Willis
Tanis Giesbrecht
Carole Kisch
Deana Boston
Jing-Jing Nickel
Gina Hanson
Amy Heller
Tobi Crawford
Becky Williams
Raechelle Bellus
Norma Kennedy
Helen Miles
Nina Brackett
Kathy Racoosin
Jen Martakis
Jenyfur Pohl

I'll be back in a few hours to post my projects for the E.A.D Designs blog hop... I didn't have much daylight to take pics and I wanted them to be better than the images I took yesterday morning. See you soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was sick all week and wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make something for the girls like I do every year for Valentines Day, but last night I had some mojo and managed to make a little something for each one. For the 3 younger girls (although they aren't really "young" anymore) I made some pocket cards using pieces from a Basic Grey Chipboard album. I glued the bottom half together and then used some pop-dots to gradually raise the sides to create the pocket area. They are constantly writing little notes to each other so now they can hang these on their doorknobs to their bedrooms and they can pass messages to each other. For Kara and Meghan I just made some simple cards. The paper is all Bo Bunny Love Bandit and it is as cute as can be!!!











Come back tomorrow for the E.A.D Designs blog hop and some other fun news. :)

tree cards featuring E.A.D Designs

I had just a few minutes to create today so I made two quick and simple cards with some of these cute little vinyl tree rub-ons from the Funky Trees Vinyl set, some stickers from deep in my stash, several little flowers and some scraps. I just can't say enough about the quality and versatility of all of the fabulous vinyl rub-ons/pieces in the E.A.D store! If you haven't tried them yet, you really need to. You'll be hooked too!

Before I sign off I have something fun to share! I was selected as the orange weekend challenge winner on the SRM Stickers blog so I get to be the guest designer for the March challenge. I am so excited and honored to have been selected! The entries were amazing!

A new month

SO glad January is behind us. It was a long month full of ups and downs with everything from deaths to celebrations of life along with the ordinary daily struggles that life brings our way. I have learned a lot about grief and deep sorrow and I am hoping that I grow from the sadness, not use it as an excuse or just wallow in misery. I know my attitude has changed.. some things I just don't care about any more. They never were all that important to begin with so I am letting them go. I have found/made more time for myself along with spending more quality time with my family. That's what matters. I am simplifying things. I would rather work less, not be as stressed about it. So what if I can't pay the minimum amount due each month on every single medical bill we have (and we have plenty of those I tell you). I will still make some kind of a payment each month and I will fulfill my commitment to paying them off. Just not as soon as they would like... or me, but life is too short to work just to pay bills and be miserable in the process.

Here is a layout I created last week, but just forgot to post with everything else. It's of Meghan from a little over 2 years ago. I think the red adds just enough contrast without it looking too "heavy".



supplies:
cs: Bazzill
pp: October Afternoon, Scenic Route and Basic Grey
alphas: AC Thickers, and Jenni Bowlin and MM letters
chipboard and flowers: Fancy Pants Designs