Sweet Stamp Shop Release

Hey everyone, it's me Danni...I know, I know it has been awhile. Time has just escaped me. I have been so busy with working kids, running around, and errands...pretty much everyday stuff. BUT I did manange to get in some fun girl time with my friend Nicole. If you don't know who she is yet, she is the owner of Sweet Stamp Shop. I am also her Design Team Coordinator and yesterday was the brand new September Release. I made up a couple cards with the new stamp sets and a little table setting that you could use just as table decoration or as party favors, or whatever really.

Here is what I made with each set:

 This is using the Easily Distracted stamp set

This is using the Super Mom set

This is using the Made By #2

What do you guys think?? Loving them??? Well if you go HERE to the Sweet Stamp Shop you can pick up a coupon to get a discount on the new stamp sets and if you go HERE I have me blog post release of all the other projects I did with the stamp sets...AND...I am giving them away so make sure to stop by to have a chance at winning :)

So glad I could say hi to all of my mon ami createry friends today, I sure do miss all of you  :)

Happy Crafting!
xoxo
Danni

Random Happenings This Past Week.

  Random happenings this past week:

• I started staining my cabinets.... I haven't stained since Monday, tomorrow is already planned for, so I'm hoping me and the hubby can get the rest of the upper cabinets done... then the lower cabinets and eventually the backsplash and painting!!!!Tonight I've picked out the prettiest backsplash, and I can't wait to put it up!
  
  
• I bought some metallic gold spray paint... and I have a bunch of things I have in mind to spray. 
• The hubby and I went on a little movie date and saw We're the Millers.
• I drew some fruit.... I like drawing things..  and when I say things... I mean things without a face. I am not good at drawing people/animals at all, I've mastered drawing an eyeball... but my people end up looking like Alien-Mr. Potato Heads. I'm going to keep practicing. 
  
• I purchased new shower heads for each of our showers!! the guest bath room got a hand held one which I am in love with... and I got a rain one for our closet shower in the master bath.. I love that too, but unfortunately no shower head is going to make that shower bigger. Who in the heck decided that 2x2 would be a great size to make a shower??? I have to 'flamingo shave' my legs and my poor husband always hits his elbows.... ugh. But good news, my dogs love the shower head in the guest bath... it was a million times easier for me and them during bath time! whoo! yay for clean dogs! (btw... Winston is now 5 months old and is 60lbs!!! I'm pretty sure he is going to be a beast... Rex is still less than 20" tall but likes to pretend that he is still bigger than his little brother.)

 

•  And... I saw this on Pinterest.  Even though I've never been a huge fan of unicorns... It made me smile, maybe it will make you smile too.

-Ashley-

Being Green

 Last Sunday evening was one of the best nights I have had in a long time! I feel so recharged and excited about life after talking [virtually] face-to-face with the other ladies at Mon Ami Createry! (...minus Sharon, but we did miss her so much.) Just hearing about the exciting and funny things that are going on with them was just awesome! We were in 3 different cities but it felt like my best friends were hanging out with me around my kitchen table. It felt just like the good old times when we'd gather around in the scrapbook store just talking about life and it was just what I needed.

Since then, I feel motivated to create stuff and work on the many unfinished projects I have laying around the house. But before I start on my unfinished stuff, of course, I decided to start something new. I've been into drawing lately, so I broke out my Prismacolor markers (they are alcohol based art markers, like Copics, used for blending and creating streak-free color) that I haven't used since my Interior Design days in college. To my surprise, they all still work after 4 years ...which also made me really happy because they were really expensive!

Anyway, On Pinterest I've had >>this<< Succulent wreath pinned for quite some time and I finally saw it again. I think it is so beautiful, and while the diy part of it doesn't seem so hard... I just had no motivation to get dressed and go on a scavenger hunt around my little rural town searching for succulents and all of the other supplies.  So I did the next best thing, I just decided to make it on paper.

 I don't think I am a good drawer or anything but I just feel the urge to draw things I feel are pretty. So I opened my sketch pad and doodled away. I was pretty happy with the way my pencil sketch turned out, so I outlined It with one of my Gel-based pens (*this was important so it wouldn't bleed with the markers) erased all my pencil marks and started coloring and blending... It was so much fun! 

I turned the finished piece into my blog greeting up there ^^^at the top.^^^

I had so much fun drawing and coloring, that I left everything out on my table in case I felt the urge to do something else....  nothing else has been created yet, but I think I might doodle up something else tonight.

Being green on paper was fun for sure, but it reminded me of the lack of green that I have around my home. I've had my eye on a pretty pant and tall slender pot at Lowes for a while, but the pot was $50+!! Me being the budget shopper that I am decided to wait a little bit... "Because everything goes on sale... and if it's still there when it is on sale, then it was meant to be!"...yep that's my motto and also my way of justifying purchases... don't judge me! I buy everything on sale and just my luck, the pot was on sale this time so I bought it and saved about $30!! *YAY!!!*

So I took my new plant home, potted it right away, and put it in its new home!

~I am so happy~

 While I was on pinterest, I also found this cute little saying. I decided to share it because I thought it was relevant to today's post... sort of.

This also reminds me of a conversation that I had with one of my guests that I was serving at work, (because I'm a waitress now and I love it...    ....that is probably sarcasm.) I was waiting on an older lady and her husband and for some reason older people feel the need to make sure that I am going to do something with my life. Anyway, they asked me if I was going to school... I explained my predicament about not really knowing what I want to do but knowing I want to do something/anything that allows for me to be creative and that I am leaning towards graphic design or just going for my Bachelors in Fine Arts along with a teaching certificate... because ever since I was in elementary school,  I wanted to be a Elementary school art teacher because I *loved* my teacher. (I will probably do a post all about her someday.) She exposed me to many different types of art, showed me how to create the things that I imagined and she encouraged me to do many things I never thought I could... and I want to do that for other children. Anyway, the woman informed me that she was not artistic at all, and although she tried, she didn't have it. I told her that infact she DID have artistic talent but she just had to find her thing... she then told me that she liked interior decorating, and we agreed that that was her thing.

I am so thankful for art and the need/urge to be creative...  without it, the earth would definitely just be "eh."
-Ashley-

My Favorite Products

Firstly want to say sorry it’s been so long since I have been on here! My life has been consumed by wedding planning, summer weather, and now working a full time big girl job! That’s right; I have a real job now. I work for a mortgage company in the document department. (My department receives deeds and records them) And I absolutely LOVE it! We had an ice cream party last Friday to celebrate the fact that it was Friday. I can’t believe how the time is flying.

Tonight, I went and revisited some of my old projects, just to generate some inspiration. And I realized something. My 3 favorite products are definitely stickels, pop-dots (foam dots), and Graphic 45. Here are a couple cards and a circus book project I did using my three favorite products. The circus book is using the same technique Allison used for her father’s day box. Book BoxI just filled mine with a scene after I hallowed it out.

Firstly, if you’ve never used stickles before, you need to try it!! It is a high quality glitter glue that comes in an abundance of colors. It will add the perfect sparkle to any project. Plus, it will never flake off like regular glitter.

My next favorite product is graphic 45. I love this company. They have such a vintage flare on so many themes. They also have great cut aparts that you can literally cut it apart, add a little shimmer, and you have a beautiful card in 5 minutes!

Lastly, I love pop-dots. It’s a tiny piece of double of foam that is sticky on both sides that will act as an adhesive and give it 3-D dimension all in one! I love to get multiple pieces of graphic 45 sheets and fussy cut them and then pop them up using the 3-D pop-dots. Then I add a little of my stickles and call it a night!
I can’t tell you how many project I’ve done using these 3 things. Ranging from gorgeous cards, to paper ornaments, holiday décor to altered art. These are the things that inspire me most. What inspires you?

Until next time!

Just as a PS… I have great holiday inspiration that’s eating away at me! Halloween is just around the corner; wait till you see what I have planned! :)

Have a great week everyone!

Xoxo Mandy

Quilting Update

When you decide to make a quilt, it is fun to pick a pattern, plan the sizing, choose a color scheme and shop for fabrics.  For my quilt, I bought fabrics from a few cities in two different states, making quilt shops a bonus feature of my summer travels.  Once you get down to cutting and sewing, though, and you have vowed to make a king-size quilt - probably a bad idea in retrospect - all the fun is gone.

Blisters come from cutting/piling/ironing/more cutting.  The hours of repetitive stitching/ironing/stitching of the squares slowly makes me feel like I am in an asylum and have been given a repetitive task to pass the time.  Moral of the story: quilting is hard!

Needless to say, I am struggling to keep working at it.  I need to find my rhythm so that I can enjoy it instead of looking at it like a chore, as I am doing now.  Here is my quilt progress so far:

(Yes, this is literally all I have finished.)

I am really happy with the way it is coming out.  It is not all perfectly aligned, which gives it the definite hand-made feel, but in a way that I think still looks good.  I am a perfectionist, so I wouldn't be happy with it if it were too messy.

Actually, venting about the issues here has been really therapeutic for me... I can't wait to get home from work and spend some quality time with my sewing machine this weekend!

xo Allison

New Camera

I have been begging my husband for a nice camera for as long as I can remember. I take a gazillion-trillion photos with my iPhone and I wanted something with better quality and more functions because well... I just love taking pictures of things that I find beautiful.

Two weeks ago my wish came true! My wonderful husband traded a few of his things to get me a REALLY nice Nikon DSLR...

Best. Gift. Ever.

Now, I'm not a professional and this camera has a lot of bells and whistles that I am not familiar with, so I am still playing around with it, trying to understand the owners manual to figure things out.

I got to test this baby out yesterday while visiting with my parents... Shout out to them for being so cute! Here are some yesterday's shots...

As you can see, I really like plants and sunsets. I think the most beautiful time of day is right before and during a sunset and it is my favorite time to take pictures.Early mornings and sunrises are really pretty too, but I usually am never awake to enjoy them. Everyday I try to watch the sun set and even will drive to certain spots where I know nothing will block my view. Sunsets completely relax me and calms my mind, my only thoughts are of admiring the beauty of the sun setting as the clouds reflect shades of yellow, orange and pink contrasted with purples and blues... I actually cannot think of very many things that are as beautiful as a sunset, so I'm sure you will see plenty more sunset photos from me. :)

I will now end this post with the wrinkly face of my sweet pup...
-Ashley-

Graphic 45 Secret Garden Cards

 

 It's Tuesday and that means I get to share with you some of the projects I have been working on.

I'm sure it is pretty clear by now how much I love Graphic 45 paper.  I love how they have the sheets that you can cut out sizable images and create cards from them!  It is so fun to select the background paper, add some ribbon, pearls, embellishments and them dress them up some more with Stickles and Spica pens!  When you are finished you feel like you have created quite a masterpiece!

Here are the five cards I made from the Secret Garden paper line:

I hope they inspire you to create some cards to send to some special people in your life!

Fondly,
Sharon