Keep Calm and Sip On

Hey there! I have been playing catch up here at home. I have been preparing for my State Court Interpreter Certification exam, and basically put everything on hold. For a few months. You know when you have something you WANT to do, but there is something more important you HAVE to do first? And you can't do what you want until you finish that task first? Yeah, well, I couldn't finish the "fun stuff" until I got that test out of the way. I had to study a lot, and practice. I don't have anyone here locally that can help me study, so I was on my own. In any case, the test is behind me now, and now I can get back to some of the things- like papercrafting and photography- that allow me to relax every day.

So, here is a card I made, using the first stamp I bought from Market Street Stamps. You can find it here, and you can find the Market Street Stamps blog here. 

Ok, so here is what I used. The card base is Stamper's Select Cardstock in White from Papertrey Ink. The blue cardstock (there are 5 pieces, each is cut at 1/2 an inch) is from Pacific Point from Stampin' Up. To try to get even spacing, I adhered the outside strips first and worked my way in. 

I then stamped the sentiment on a piece of white cardstock, (cut to 2 3/8") using Red Riding Hood from Stampin' Up. That piece was adhered on a piece of white cardstock, cut at 2 5/8". That was then adhered with foam squares to give the card some dimension. And that's it! Super easy. (Finished card size is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".)

If you aren't familiar with Market Street Stamps, check them out. They have great prices, fast shipping and the stamps are high quality (I believe they are polymer.). And their stamps are SUPER cute!

That's it for me today, we are off to soccer practice!

Have a great day!!!

Project 52- My 3 Boybarians Weeks 1 and 2

 I missed the deadline to post my photo for the 1st week, so I am posting weeks 1 and 2 here for the Project 52 Challenge hosted by Darcy at My 3 Boybarians. However, for the sake of linking properly to THIS week's theme, the first photo is for "Made With Love".  I made this card for my youngest sister, Gabriela. She was in a pretty scary car accident early Tuesday morning. A guy ran a red light and hit her car in the side- HER side. Her car is totaled, and she is still in the hospital. She is still in quite a bit of pain, but is beginning to sound like herself. I can't wait until she is well enough to go back to the comfort of her own home. So...I made her a card. Is it an excuse to make something with paper? Maybe. It felt good not only to actually make something again this week after months of "papercrafting silence". It feels even better that she will know I made this with my own hands.

Here is the 1st week's theme: Resolutions. I had to add the text to the orange and blue binders, otherwise the photo is unedited. These are my resolutions...well, some of them...organizing our home-room by room, to get our finances in order, to use those calendars that I HAVE to have but never write in. There are a couple of other resolutions (get back in shape...I have always worked out but I stopped for several months last year...post on this blog consistently...learn how to use my camera and PSE 10 inside and out...not procrastinating...there's more- but they are realistic expectations that can and will happen)- they all revolve around being organized. In the end, when you are organized, you tend to have more time, energy, get more accomplished and it just seems to me that organized people are happier people.

Have a great day!

~Antoinette

Deer: Dawn & Dusk

Michelle Zindorf has some great tutorials, and I really enjoy following them. I changed a few things, but the layout is pretty much the same.

Snowman Greetings

For this snowman, I used VersaMark to emboss the outline, then colored in the scarf with a Real Red SU marker. Then I embossed the whole snowman image again. I used PTI Aqua Mist to sponge around the snowman, and added Ivory Flower Soft for the snow. Stamped Season's Greetings in Real Red from the Snow Swirled SU stamp set.

Santa is Watching

Santa was stamped in Sepia, on recycled banana paper. The red and green panels were stamped in gold text, then all 3 edges were sponged with gold ink. I added a red ribbon and adhered to the card base. Very quick and easy card to make.

Birthday Card

This was for the wife of one our Navy buddies. The sentiment is Proverbs 31:28-29, that I typed in Word. Simple card to make, and I used colored pencils and baby oil to color in the cross. The front panel was sponged in 2 shades of green. The inside says Happy Birthday.

More cards.....Faith Hope Love series

I am still undecided about the ribbon stamp, it looks a little like pliers to me!! haha, I think everyone knows what it means anyway. I did pink for Breast Cancer.
On the card with the praying hands, it is hard to tell but the words are in pink, and the hands and ribbon in brown. My 7 year old Alex took these pictures after I showed him how to set up the tripod. I think he did a great job!

My cards

I was finally able to get a few cards done the past few days. We've had a lot going on around here, and now I am not feeling so well. Hopefully I will be over this cold soon- and Matt too! The joys of your kids going back to school. Have a great day! These will be up for sale on etsy.com this weekend. Thanks for looking...

Got Waves?

What A Day For a Daydream

Sunset on a Hammock...

This was my first attempt using a brayer for background color. I used red, orange and yellow for the sunset and a cool aqua for the water. I tore pieces of vellum and adhered them to the bottom for a little dimension. For it to stand out a little bit more I used the sponge to add a little more color to the "waves". I don't think it's too bad for my first try.

On My Couch

This set is from Papertrey Ink- On My Couch, designed by Lisa Johnson. I used Red Riding Hood for the Couch, and colored in the rest with SU! Markers. I used foam dots to give the couch a little dimension.

My Cards

My Cards

My Cards

My Cards

My Cards

My Cards

My Cards

My Cards