For You x 3 + 1

Hi everyone!  It is almost Friday and I am ready for the weekend.  Mr. Shac has been traveling a lot the last two months and this is a weekend that has nothing too big on our calendar.  The spring busy-ness of baseball starts soon, so I need to take advantage and maybe try to stamp some!  Yesterday was a snow day, although some people in these parts didn't get much snow at all.  We had measured four inches, but it was wet and slushy by the end of the day.

Anyhow, with the kids home, I snuck a few minutes and made a card during the day and a few more after they went to bed.

The first three actually have no stamping on them, unless you count digi-stamping.  I found this cute label on the Avery Elle blog last week.  It has a bit of a vintage vibe, so I downloaded it and printed it out in the original size, as well as slightly smaller and slightly larger.  I figured I'd mix patterns here; polka dots and gingham go nicely together!

Here is the smallest version of the digital stamp.  It has a very delicate look when sized down, don't you think?  I used similar colors for these two cards since I didn't feel like pulling out different Copic markers.

And, finally, with the larger version, I changed the color scheme, but went back to gingham.  I also used colored pencils to create a softer look to the flowers.  I'm no good at incorporating larger ribbon on cards, especially if I want a bow.  I'll need to work on that skill.

Did I say finally on that last card?  Well, I lied.  I actually have one more.  I've been thinking about my brother who has a BIG birthday (one month from yesterday) and wanted to make him a card that would express how he might feel turning 40.

My chevron stripe was not think enough to suit for a Charlie Brown shirt, so I doubled it up.  It could not have been a more simple card, really, and it gets the message across just about right, I think.  What do you think?

stamps by Avocado Arts and A Muse Studio; die by Simon Says Stamp.

Here's hoping I get around to stamping this weekend.  I actually got some new Avery Elle stamps in the mail today using a gift certificate that I won during their March Blog Hop.  Fun!

Subway Art Birthday

Happy April! I cannot believe that it is April and my kids are still wearing heavy coats. I'm resisting the late surge of cool temperatures and only using sweatshirts but I am freezing in the mornings. April Fools indeed!

April brings many birthdays in my family. Tomorrow my darling niece turns eight. We were delighted to get to spend a little bit of time with her last weekend, chomping on Krispy Kreme doughnuts (a tradition for each of their visits to VA). I sent off a little something for her yesterday and included this card because her favorite color is purple.



This card is similar to this one from a few weeks ago. I really like the way the subway art signs look - clean, simple, retro and a little bit fun. The stamps used (as well as the ribbon and button) are from various sets that are *new* from a muse studio. It was fun to mix and match to pull this one together. Hope you have a fantastic spring weekend!

It's All Shamrocks and Rainbows

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My kids set up traps to lure leprechauns. That lil' bugger wrote on the mirrors and windows in my house, scattered balloons all over the floor of the bathroom and left them a bunch of gold in one of their traps (yellow m&ms). It was a fun way to start their morning.

Me? I decided to make a couple of cards. A few weeks ago, Paper Crafts had a call out for cards based on sketches. I printed out the sketches for reference in the future. I used one to make this card.



These are two new stamps from a muse studio. It is great to have the Calendar Fun and Essential Sentiments sets to pull quick cards together!



This card also features new a muse studio stamps and a paper flower! The sentiment was stamped using the Grunge Block alphabet and part of the Peace on Earth set. I made the shamrock from one of the paper flowers by cutting off one petal, making a slit up the middle and pushing the edges together. These flowers are easily colored with Copic markers so that you can customize each to suit your needs - brilliant!

I've been busy working on making cards with some other new a muse studio goodies, so I should have some new things to share soon. Enjoy your day!