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

Graphic 45 French Country Cards

Hello!  This Tuesday I am sharing with you some cards I made from the Graphic 45 French Country paper line.  I just can't seem to get enough of this beautifully, printed paper!

I used two sheets of the same sheet of cut a parts - one for the front of the cards and the other for the insides.  I had so much fun mixing and matching, finding different ways to embellish, deciding upon which of the other papers in the line to use for the backgrounds and edgings...to put it mildly, I had a creative good time making these cards!  (I may have to go back and make some more!)

I hope you enjoy looking at them half as much as I enjoyed creating them.  Graphic 45 is a wonderful paper line that makes it easy and fun to create cards and so many other beautiful items.  Brace yourself, they have three new lines coming out shortly, and I am hoping to be able to share some creations made with those lines as well.

Thanks for checking in - I appreciate your company!

Have a great week and create something that makes you happy!

Fondly,

Sharon

Challenges...

Hey everyone....hope you are all enjoying your Wednesday. It's been quiet the busy week for me. I have had lots of errands to take care of and so have been out and about, but I did find the time to make a new friend and catch up with old ones.

One thing that we crafty girls like to do is card challenges. We played along with a few of them.

Check it out...

For this card I played along with CAS(E) This Sketch and for the first time Fusion Card Challenge. I am loving how Fusion Card Challenge works too. (You can either use the sketch or the color combo or both).

I bought some new bright colored pens from Michael's the other day and loved how perfectly they went with the color scheme of the the Fusion Challenge and then decided to pair it with CAS(E) This sketch. 

Next up I again used the Fusion Card challenge but decided to go with both color scheme and sketch. I really loved the yellow flower and wanted to really accent that color.

And finally for my third card ;) I added in Retro Sketches but still kept the Fusion color scheme...and well I actually think I hit their sketch as well...in a way! I am seeing do you????  :)....yep they may be my new fave challenge blog!

For all the card sentiments I used Sweet Stamp Shop stamps.

Alpha Tabs

Baby Love

Today Was

Wheely Like You

 Hope you enjoyed checking out my challenge cards and hoping to see your cards in future challenges maybe! Do you have a favorite challenge to play along with??? Would love to know. I am always a fan of new challenges!

A Hand Made Mother's Day

This Mother's Day my twins surprised me with my favorite things - hand made cards!

They asked my husband to take them to Michael's and they picked out their paper, letters, ribbon and flowers and spent some time working together at the kitchen table creating.  I left the house when they left for the store - but I so would have loved to have seen then working at the table and listening to their conversation.  They are 17 years old and are truly the best of friends.  It warms my heart to see the bond between them and hope they remain as close as they are forever.

When Mother's Day arrived I could tell they were anxious to give me their cards.  I was so deeply touched that they took the time to make the cards by hand! Their cards were beautiful and what they had written inside was even more special.

Here is Ellen's card:

This is the card Eric made:

I hope they know how much their cards meant to me and that I will keep and treasure them forever.  When I look at them and re-read the thoughtful words inside I will imagine them working at the kitchen table, together, and remember how blessed I was to have been given the gift of  having three wonderful people call me 'mom'.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Fondly,

Sharon

Men like cards, too!

Happy Susan B. Anthony Day!  

…That was my attempt to bring some festivity to the day after Valentine's Day.  I feel like I missed out on the Valentine's Day crafts and desserts this week, so I hit the interwebs to figure out what holiday I could, in fact, celebrate on February 15th!  But, I am sorry Susan, I think I need to post my Valentine anyway!

It is always difficult coming up with "manly" crafts to share with the men in your life.  Things like Valentines, anniversary cards or wedding stationary is especially more effeminate than most men would enjoy.  So, this year I think I came up with the perfect balance of lovey-doviness and macho-manliness with this simplistic and distressed Valentine.

I kept the colors muted, and as much as I wanted to spice it up with ribbon or lace, I resisted the urge to apply any sort of embellishment.  The only texture was the two tones of ink I applied to the edges to age it in my two favorite colors: Antique Linen (a specific shade in Tim Holtz's Distress Ink), and a shade of medium grey.

As for the design, it was simple.  I penciled out a heart, then penciled our names in cursive along the lines of the heart.  Then, I traced the lines I wanted to keep in a black Pigma Micron pen (a MUST HAVE item!) and erased the pencil lines that were left over.  

It was a quick project, no more than 15 minutes in total, but his reaction was worth hours of work.  He thought I had special ordered it from a print shop!  I think it was the quality of that Micron pen that threw him off in thinking it wasn't hand made, but I was grateful that my efforts were appreciated.

And what is the lipstick for?  A secret kiss inside of the card, of course!