Praying for You

This card has the feel of an antique card to me. From the designer paper to the antique ribbons and the soft colors...I love it all. I am an antique lover and collector. The stamp set is called Thoughts and Prayers. I colored all the images directly onto the stamp and then stamped. The card is done with Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink cardstock. The designer paper is called Bella Birds. I used the Big Shot, several punches and dimensionals to make the words pop! BTW, I did not case this card...it is all my own!

My Little One

Scrapbooking has been a fun hobby for me but I am just so behind! This is my little girl when she was still in the hospital. She is now 18! They do grow up so fast! When I was a young mother people would tell me that they grew up fast, but who knew??!! This is the first page of her baby book/life book. I did my boys when they were seniors in class and now I am trying to finish hers. I think I made a good start. I just have to find all the pictures.

Another Soft Summer Sample

Well, I finally got a new Texturz Silicone Rubber pad for my Big Shot (I have a perfect cut pillow box in my other one) and now I can used the Texturz plates again so I used the Flourish on this Certainly Celery card for the background. I stamped the image using the Basic Brown ink and then used my markers for the 2-step stamping on the flowers. Of course, I did not line it up perfectly but I think it kind of adds to the overall effect of the card. It is a simple but neat card and those seem to be the ones I am most attracted to. Have a great day!

Just Ducky

I made this little card with my Marker Club last week. I wanted to give them all another idea of how to use the Sale-A-Bration paper they earned for free just by ordering during Sale-A-Bration. Isn't this a cute card? I think it would make a great baby card don't you? I used the set Wagon Full of Fun to make it and we just colored the duck with our newly acquired markers. The colors used for cardstock were Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Whisper White. The markers used were Barely Banana, Bashful Blue and Apricot Appeal. Thanks for looking. I hope to see you again real soon! P.S. If I cased you on this card, let me know and I will gladly give you credit. My feeble mind can't remember where I have been or who I may have seen!

Great Friend Card

This is a card from a friend online, Vivian Swain. She also helped me set up my blog. This card uses the new set Great Friend and visions of purple. Thanks Vivian for the great card and for all the help with my blog! You can see her blog here. Check out all of her wonderful ideas. Thanks for dropping by.

Look at this cute zebra card. My daughter loves zebras and has decorated her whole dorm room using the zebra motif and the red, white and black colors seen here. I made this card at a recent party I did and everyone loved it. I used Whisper White, Basic Black and Real Red cardstock. The zebra is from the stamp set Zoofari. This card features torn strips for the stripes.

Scrapbooking Basics

Today I am posting a training video to show the basics of scrapbooking. I hope you enjoy it! Click here for the video. Scrapbooking can be so fun and rewarding. Pick a subject and your own style and go with it. You will be leaving a legacy for generations to come.

Soft Summer

This is another card I made with my $15 club using another new set from the Occasions mini catalog. Did I mention that if you spend $40 from this mini this month that you can choose anything from page 208 in the Idea and Catalog Spring/Summer??? For this beauty, we used Pretty in Pink, Rose Red and Whisper White cardstock. The little strip on the right is a piece from the Simply Scrappin' kit called Sweet Nothings. I also used the Oval All set from the mini for the saying. The card was colored using the markers and we used the eyelet border punch on the side. The ribbon is the White Organdy ribbon from the catalog. And I love the new scalloped oval punch. This works up to make a beautiful card for Mother's Day or for a special friend.

A Fun Spring Card

This is a fun spring card I made with my $15 club last week using a new set in the catalog called Flight of the Butterfly. Butterflies are starting to appear in our area and I just had to make a fun project using this set. The tool called a Stamp-a-Ma-Jig is really a must have to make this 2 step stampin' card. First I used it to make the Pirouette Pink butterfly, then I used it to stamp the polka-dots onto the butterfly and finally I used it to make the words line up perfectly. How about that for a neatly matched up card!

Made to Order Stamping

How about this wonderful project! We are all so busy now that sometimes we just cannot squeeze another thing into our schedule. Well now you don't have to with "Made to Order Stamping." This is a class that you can order from me online. What you will get is all the full color photos and instructions to make the items you see in this picture. It will tell you what you will need to make the items and of course, you can always order anything you might need from my website. Let's get to stamping and sharing our projects! Mail some cards and share the love! If you want this kit instructions, see the Buy Now button on the left hand side of my blog and click. Your instructions will be sent to you within 24 hours.

What to do with that Hodgepodge Hardware

Attached is a video from Stampin' Up! with ideas for Hodgepodge Hardware. I know if you are like me, you have it on the shelf but rarely use it. This great video gives you ideas on how to use it. Click here for the link. Enjoy and use those accessories!

A 2nd Template Card Post

Here is my 2nd attempt at the template card challenge I posted. This card uses the wonderful stamp set called Embrace Life. It features designer paper that I stamped on and lots of layers with the focal point being the watercolored flower with the fire rhinestone brad. I hope you will get a chance to play along!

I Love You - Matchbox

This is a great example of the new matchbox die from the Occasions mini catalog. This die is fun to use and to make. Imagine all the fun things you could put inside this little box. It would be great for wedding favors, birthday party treats, candy favors for friends etc... This one shows using it with the new window sheets that are in the mini catalog. I am including a list of all the supplies used by clicking here. Of course you can always order anything you need at any time via my website.

Elegant Eggplant

This is a postage stamp card. I made it using a template for a postage stamp and by using Post-It notes and sponges I was able to block out portions of the stamp and color in portions with the stampin' sponge. The colors I used were Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White. The stamp set, Echoes of Kindness, is one of the level 2 hostess sets that can be earned for FREE with a $300 party. The words are a a quote from Mother Teresa and say, "Kind Words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. " I used stazon black ink and our wonderful watercolor crayons to color in the large flower.

Template Card #1

Here is my first card post based on yesterday's template. As you can see, it does not have to be a perfect match to the template. The basic shape is there. On this card I am using some of the FREE Sale-A-Bration designer paper and ribbon that I earned in February and March. The card is done in the Soft Subtles colors that remind me of Spring. The card is Barely Banana, the next layer is Pirouette Pink (an In Color), then the SAB designer paper in bashful blue. I stamped the cupcake from the Occasions mini set called Wagon Full of Fun and colored it using the subtle colors from the Stampin' Write Markers. I also used the Oval All set from the mini catalog and the Scallop Oval punch. All together it makes a simple but striking litte birthday card. Now let's see what you can do. P.S. Happy Birthday Mom!

April Card Template

This is the card template as posted by Stampin' Up! for this month. I am going to post a sample or 2 using this template and challenge you to also post a card to me using this template. You can play along by posting your card in the comments section of my blog. I would love to see some of your wonderful ideas!

Oops! I forgot to blog!

Well, as you can see I have been way behind on posting to my blog! I had my best ever Sale-A-Bration and then I was on Spring Break and although I did not go anywhere, I was totally working on a HUGE project and just neglected my blog. I am going to try to do better by working hard on my blog all weekend so I can have lots to post all week. Please be patient with me and keep coming back for new ideas/inspiration. Thanks!

Get Connected Campaign

Stampin' Up! has just opened a "Get Connected" campaign. I know I have had so much fun looking up old friends on Facebook. Imagine being able to send them a beautiful, handstamped card made by you! What joy and delight it is to get mail that is not a bill! Why not share the love? Find all the details by clicking here.

Technique Tuesday

If you have been playing along with our Technique Tuesday book, we have just finished the Technique for the letter R for Retiform. What is Retiform? It is like grid stamping using post-it notes and different color inks. What you see in this photo is a retiform card that we made on Tuesday. Maybe you can join us on the letter S for Shaving Cream. It promises to be good clean fun!

Project of the Month

Here is a beautiful card that you can easily CASE (copy and steal everything). Click here for the full instructions and supplies needed to make this card. Of course, you can order everything needed to make this card or any other projects from the link here on my blog 24/7.

Urban Garden Class

I am scheduling an Urban Garden class for Saturday, April 11th at 10 a.m. In this class we will make 6 cards, 2 each of 3 plus a nice box to store them or gift them in. It will be a fun class using the Urban Garden designer paper and the wonderful colors used in that paper. I am attaching a sneak peak for your enjoyment. The class will be only $20. You can RSVP to my hotmail account at judilsparks@hotmail.com.

A Good Egg

I just wanted to take a moment to post a card I received from my blog designer, Vivian Swain. She also runs a group called Stampin' Design School that I joined. She sends her members 2 cards a month for fun and inspiration. This is one of my most recent cards for Easter. I can hardly believe that Easter is only 1 1/2 weeks away! Enjoy!