Have a Beautiful Day

I know, I know... I can't believe it's been this long between posts again. Life has been happening so fast lately and I just haven't been able to squeeze in time for stamping. Thankfully I had time this past weekend when visiting mom (and thanks to her, I found my mojo again)! I created this card using some of my new A Muse stamps that I picked up last week. I am always drawn to the more earthy stamps. Mother Nature just fascinates me :) Don't you just love this new branch? The little leaves are separate and you can add them where you please. I think the Daisy Duet stamp worked perfectly to add a pop of color. The stitching isn't all the way around because mom's Janome is on the fritz, but I kinda like it they way it came out. We had such a fun time together! If you have time, pop on over to Lakeside Stamping and check out some of the cards she created!

So, if I haven't been stamping - what have I been doing? Well, Shaun and I finally found our wedding venue and we selected our date, 10/15/11! I am so excited that I can hardly contain myself! Now the fun begins :) I have so many ideas that I don't even know where to start! Other than that, I've been adjusting to all of the "fun" that comes along with being a home owner LOL! Lawn mowing, remembering trash night and recycling night (would having them the same night be too much to ask?), keeping track of all the new bill schedules, and keeping up with the cleaning (a house is much larger than an apartment!). Don't think I am complaining - I am loving every minute of it!

Have a stellar night!



Card Recipe:
Designer Paper - Basic Grey Kioshi
Card Stock - Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury Sweet Corn
Dies - Nestabilities - Labels 11
Stamps - A Muse - Bare branch with leaves, Have a beautiful day FL, and Daisy Duet
Ink - ColorBox Chalk Ink - Olive Pastel, Azurite, Chestnut Roan and Wisteria
Embellishments - Stitching, Satin Ribbon and Pearls

A Sketch for "Just Us Girls"

If you are looking for an inspirational challenge blog, you should make it a point to check out "Just Us Girls" aka JUGS! Every Saturday they post a new challenge, and their super talented design team creates the most gorgeous sample projects! It's very easy to play along and YOU could be their next "Chic of the Week" - how cool is that!? This weeks challenge was to create a card following their sketch.

I started with a standard A2 card that I made using Gina K. Designs Pure Luxury card stock in Soft Sand. I used designer paper from the Basic Grey Wisteria paper pad for several different elements on the card. To create the horizontal background piece, I ran the designer paper through the Cuttlebug using the Victoria embossing folder. I then used a sponge with some SU! Close to Cocoa ink to highlight the embossed areas and make them pop! For the image, I first stamped the Modern Wood Block by A Muse Artstamps in Close to Cocoa, and then stamped the Solid Tree by memory box in SU! Chocolate Chip ink. I layered the image several times and added a small piece of hemp to embellish. The sentiment is Thank You For Everything, which is also by A Muse Artstamps. To create my funky flower, I used my SU! scalloped circle and 1 3/8" circle punches and added a vintage pearl button from my collection with a piece of the hemp to finish the card.

If you would like to join in the fun and play along with a weekly challenge, stop by and visit JUGS! Next week on the line up is a Technique Challenge, which will be posted on Saturday!