The Mad Stamper

2nd post for today

2009-05-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Here is my card for Kristina's challenge!
~Maryann

{Supplies}
Paper - Pure Poppy, Lemon Tart, Stamper's Select White (PTI), Blue (Joann's loose paper)
Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black, Versamark
Stamp - Errol, Yo! Ho! Ho!, Skully (The Cat's Pajamas)
Other - Copic

M.I.A

2009-05-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
Sorry I have been M.I.A! I have just been so out of it lately. The time that the girl's nap is usually when I stamp and post here on my blog, but all I've wanted to do was sleep as well. Today is no different, but I want to make a quick post to show off some cards I made. Here is a card I made for Dawn's challenge. Simple card but I think it's really cute. OK...gotta run!
~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Ripe Avocado, Raspberry Fizz patterned paper, Stamper's Select White
Ink - Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado
Stamp - Scattered Showers
Other - Spring Moss saddle stitch ribbon

Feels like summer...

2009-05-18T14:57:00.001-07:00

It's hot and sticky in our house right now, which means summer is close by. =)
Unfortunately we don't have air conditioning so the summers can get brutal in our house. Especially last year when it was like 100 degrees for a record number of days. This year though we are determined to get to the beach as much as possible and have the girl's swim in the pool also!! We're excited for Memorial Day coming up, which is officially our beginning to the beach season. We plan on spending the whole weekend at the beach, BBQ-ing, and just hanging out with family and friends.
My card for today is another 2 for 1. I used the sketch from CPS 116 and the color challenge from Kristina's Color Inspiration #52. I don't have any SU! colors so I usually have to just work with what I have. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Ever After line. I just love the colors in their paper. The rest of the paper is a mix of Martha Stewart and Bazzill. The butterfly punches were made with my Martha Stewart punch, love that thing!! The ribbon is PTI and the baubles are from Stamping Bella. The sentiment is from Damask Design stamp set. Have a great day everyone!
~Maryann

{Supplies}
Paper - Teal (Martha Stewart), Tangelo (Bazzill), patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink - Summer Sunrise (Papertrey)
Stamp - Damask Design (Papertrey)
Other - Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey), Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart), teal baubles (Stamping Bella)

Two for one!

2009-05-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Hope you're all having a great start to your weekend. I had a blast this afternoon at a tea with my aunt, sister and mom! We had the tea at my aunt's house. We all dressed up and my mom and aunt even made big hats for the tea! We made all the traditional foods, like finger sandwiches, scones, fruit, and some mini quiches. Then we made some fun origami. The card today I made for my aunt to thank her for hosting the tea. I combined both Dawn's color challenge and Jen's sketch. I really love this color combo and the sketch was so fun to do. There are so many different options when it comes to the circles on the sketch. I'll have to try this one again! Well I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! Take care and have a great night!
~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper in Berry Sorbet
Ink - Berry Sorbet and Dark Chocolate
Stamp - Damask Design
Other - Aqua Mist vintage buttons, Aqua Mist swiss dot ribbon, Creative Memories circle cutter

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #68

2009-05-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yeah for Friday!!! I am so glad it's the weekend. This week completely flew by, I can't believe it. I have plans to go to a tea at my aunt's house tomorrow with my sister and mom, which I think is going to be so much fun! I can't wait. Nothing like some fun girly time, and my husband is nice enough to watch the kids! Bonus!
My card today I made for Taylor's sketch. I'm not completely thrilled with how the card turned out. I think I might have been pushing myself to finish it even though I had no stamping mojo left. =)
Maybe I'll try again later with another card! The patterned paper is the Amy Butler line from K & Company. I love all the paper in that collection, such pretty color combos. The stamp is from the set Scattered Showers by Papertrey. This set is so cute and can be used for so many occasions. I find myself wanting to use it all the time, but don't want to get too sick of it. =)
The flowers are from Prima. I love the selection that Michael's has of Prima flowers! Every time I go back I feel like they have more. Anyways...hope everyone is having a great day and looking forward to their weekend!
~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - patterned paper ( K & Company), Berry Sorbet, Spring Rain, Stamper's Select White
Ink - Berry Sorbet and Brilliance Graphite Black
Stamp - Scattered Showers
Other - Scallop circle punch (Martha Stewart), paper flowers (Prima), rhinestones (Michael's)

Naptime and my CPS 115 card!

2009-05-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
So both of the girl's are napping and I had a little extra time to make my card for today. But this is going to be a quick post as I want to take a nap as well. =)
My card for today was a quick one I put together using this sketch. I really liked the easy layout and am happy with how my card turned out! The paper is from K & Company's line by Carolyn Gavin. I love the funky colors and designs. Anyways...hope everyone is having a great day, I don't have much else to say...sorry =)
~Maryann

{Supplies}
Paper - Carolyn Gavin ( K & Company)
Stamp - Birds of a Feather (Papertrey)
Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black
Other - New Leaf vintage buttons, Raspberry Fizz saddle stitch ribbon (Papertrey), rhinestone (Michael's)

Hello Monday!

2009-05-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

After such a nice weekend spending time with the family, it's hard to get back into the swing of things. My card for today is from Jen's SFYTT. I love this sketch. It came really easily. Sometimes I have a hard time figuring out how to make them work but I really like this one. The color combo is nice and clean and fresh. My favorite part of the card is the picture in the middle. I had bought some perfume a little while ago and that was the box it came in. I thought it was so pretty that I saved it and knew I could use it some way. So I cut out a piece of it and put it on my card..easy peasy! Hope you enjoy my card!
~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Vintage Cream, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper
Ink - Berry Sorbet
Stamp - Damask Design (sentiment)
Other - Aqua Mist swiss dot ribbon, Aqua Mist vintage button, hemp twine, perfume box

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day, I sure did. My Mother's Day was extended from yesterday thru today...how lucky am I!! Yesterday my husband cooked us breakfast and then we went to Balboa Park and let the kids run around and just enjoy being outside. Then we also went out to dinner! Today our youngest daughter was dedicated in church which was really special. Then we went out to breakfast with my parents, sister and her husband, and my aunt, uncle and cousin. Then we just hung out at my parent's and let the kids play in the pool. Wow...what a great weekend I had! I am so blessed with two beautiful daughters! Right now as I am typing this I am listening to my husband give my older daughter her bath as he teaches her the alphabet. Life can't get much better.
Onto my card for today. I actually made two cards for Taylor's challenge. The first one I really like the color combo of Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy, and Ocean Tides but kind of thought it looked a little too busy. I stamped the background with my new Guide Lines Two stamp set. The second card I really like. Last week I talked about how I was planning on giving my daughter's cards for mother's day, so the second card is one I made for my older daughter. The cute little card stock picture of the little girl is from K & Company's Amy Butler line. Isn't she just so cute!! The other card says "10 reasons to smile" and I stamped "you" with my Fresh Alphabet stamp set. The close up picture, it's kind of hard to tell, is of the most gorgeous button. I got in the mail last week my package from Papertrey and one of the things I ordered were the Sweet Blush vintage buttons. As soon as saw the bag I spotted this button. It's big and shiny and looks like a crystal. I knew I had to use in on my daughter's card!
Well I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!
~Maryann

{Birthday card Supplies}
Paper - Stamper's Select White, Ripe Avocado, Ocean Tides (Papertrey)
Ink - Ripe Avocado, Pure Poppy, Ocean Tides, (Papertrey), Brilliance Graphite Black
Stamp - Guide Lines Two, Wishing You (Papertrey)
Other - Pure Poppy twill (Papertrey), rhinestones (Michael's), scallop dot punch (Martha Stewart)

{10 Reason to Smile Card Supplies)
Paper - Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist (Papertrey), patterned paper (K&Company)
Ink - Berry Sorbet (Papertrey)
Stamp - Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey)
Other - Aqua Mist swiss dot ribbon, Sweet Blush button (Papertrey), scallop dot punch (Martha Stewart), die-cut card stock (K&Company)

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge - Week 5

2009-05-08T11:55:00.001-07:00

This is the card I made for Dawn's challenge this week. I really am so excited that she is doing this. She is a real inspiration and I love her color choices. OK...I have to say that I love love love this card. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I really like how it turned out. I finally got to use my Guide Lines 2 stamp set. I had been wanting to order it for awhile and it was always sold out, so as soon as it came back in stock I ordered it! I got it in the mail yesterday and I didn't waste any time using it. =)
I love being able to make my own patterned paper with whatever color scheme I want to.
Today I went out and bought a pool for the girl's. Just one of those round plastic ones but I am so excited to put them both in it and see them play together!! They are too cute! The weather is really warming up and I have a feeling we will get a lot of use out of the pool this summer.
Alrighty hope you are all having a fabulous day!
~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Hibiscus Burst, Stamper's Select White, Dusk (Bazzill)
Ink - Raspberry Fizz and Hibiscus Burst
Stamp - Guide Lines 2 and Wishing You
Other - Raspberry Fizz saddle stitch ribbon, tag punch (Marvy Uchida), rhinestones (Michael's), scallop dot punch (Martha Stewart)

Kristina's Color Inspiration #51

2009-05-07T14:20:00.000-07:00

OK....I wanted to add this because I forgot to put it in my original post, this sketch came from Jen's Saturday Sketch!
Hello!
So...I have to admit to a little obsession of mine. I am totally addicted to American Idol! I've really gotten into it this season and think Adam is, by far, going to win! Well I found out that tomorrow he is going to be in San Diego cause this is where he grew up. So I'm totally trying to find out where he is going to be and stuff like that...hehe. I'm such a dork!
So my card for today is one that I made for my daughter. I decided that I want to give both of my girl's cards on mother's day because they are the reason I get to celebrate that special day. Both my girl's are so precious and such blessings in my life. I was totally born to be a mother. I love every moment that I get to spend with them and feel lucky that they were given to me.
I love how this card turned out...I like how the polka dots on the ribbon and paper match the giraffe's spots. It's kind of hard to tell but the sentiment says, "You make my world a better place". What a perfect saying for my two little girl's!
Have a great day!
~Maryann

{Supplies} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, Dark Chocolate, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper
Ink - Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Fizz
Stamp - Mindy's Zoo (Autumn Leaves)
Other - Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon and Swiss dot ribbon, Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol

Happy Trails!

2009-05-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Hello hello!! How is everyone doing? Things here are moving along. The weather is getting really hot and muggy, which is kind of unusual for San Diego. I took the girl's to the park yesterday and it was so hot we had to leave! I'm really looking forward to the summer and spending plenty of time at the beach. My husband says we are "beach contractor's", because we go there and set up for the whole day...haha. We have the canopy, the tables, a grill, we even got a wagon for Christmas that we are going to bust out this summer. We don't joke around!
Anyways, so I have started getting into The Cat's Pajamas challenges. I don't have a lot of their stamps but their challenges always seem fun so I try them out. This week was a color challenge and I'll have to say these colors are something I've never used before. I didn't even have anything Navy Blue in my stash so I ran over to Michael's to pick up some paper. =) I kept my card pretty simple but I like how it turned out. The navy paper is Bazzill and the green is Papertrey. The paper flowers are from Making Memories. They come in a jar with a ton of different size flowers in 3 shades of blue and there are also a bunch of buttons in the jar! I love them, I have them in brown also. It's a great way to get a bunch of embellishments all color coordinated. The glittery brads are something I picked up at Michael's also. They are by a brand called Recollections, which I think is a Michael's brand. There are 21 brads in the container and there are really cute ones, like glitter, pearls, and gemstones. They come in different colors too!
Ok...well hope you enjoy my card!
~Maryann

{Supplies}
Paper - New Leaf, Stamper;s Select White (Papertrey), Great Lakes (Bazzill)
Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black
Stamps - Havin' A Pow Wow (The Cat's Pajamas)
Other - Copics, paper flowers (Making Memories), brad (Recollections)

Sketch For You To Try

2009-05-04T16:21:00.001-07:00

Hello!
I wanted to post my card today for Jen's Saturday Sketch...a little late I know! This card I think is super cute and kind of has a vintage-y feel to it. The beautiful patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket's new line Ever After. I love the color scheme! The stitched adornment is from K & Company's line Que Sera Sera, as well as the dragonfly chipboard sticker. And of course the beautiful lace is from that great pack of trim I got from Webster's Pages. I can't get enough of their trims!! I bought mine at my local scrapbook store, but if yours doesn't carry it you can order it from their website! How amazing is that! Anyways....just a quick post for today...got to go get the girl's up from their naps. Hope everyone is having a great start to their week...I know I am!
~Maryann

{Supplies}
Paper - Melon Berry (Papertrey) Ever After patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket)
Other - White lace (Webster's Pages), Melon Berry grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey), Stitched adornment (K & Company), Chipboard Sticker ( K & Company)

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #66

2009-05-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Morning!

Everyone in the house is getting ready for church and I thought I'd take a quick minute to post a card I made for Taylor's challenge. I really love how this card turned out! I paper pierced the umbrella's using Guide Lines patterned paper. I have never paper pierced before but I love how fun it is to do. It is a little time consuming to cut out the images, although the umbrella was pretty easy to do. I added the rhinestones to kind of look like rain. Hope you like the card!

~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Spring Rain, Lavender Moon, Stamper's Select White, Guide Lines patterned paper

Ink - Plum Pudding and Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Scattered Showers

Other - Lavender Moon grosgrain ribbon, Rhinestones (Michael's)

Spring Fling Challenge

2009-05-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Hello!

So over at Nichole's blog, she posted a challenge, create a card using inspiration from some of the elements used by her design team. Wow, there was some great inspiration! I made a card that was pretty simple using inspiration from the project that Lauren did. I love the color combo of Hibiscus Burst, Pure Poppy, and Summer Sunrise!! Anyway hope you enjoy the card!

~Maryann

{Supplies} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise, Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White, Friends 'Til The End patterned paper

Ink - Pure Poppy and Summer Sunrise

Stamp - Wishing You...

Other - scallop edge punch (Martha Stewart)

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge - Week 4

2009-05-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Today is kind of a dreary day, although it's cloudy out it is still kind of hot and muggy. They say we're suppose to get rain tomorrow. Today my husband took us all out for brunch which was a nice treat. My husband works for himself, so being able to go out to brunch on a weekday is one of the great perks! We really are very lucky. Our older daughter loves going out to eat, she shoveled down 2 eggs, a couple of pancakes, and a sausage link, and she is only 2 1/2!! She must have been really hungry. =)

When our family is out and I get to look at my kids and husband just hanging out and having fun I get really emotional because I feel sooooo blessed to have such a great family. My husband is so great to us and our kids are a real blessing from God.

So, onto my card. Dawn posted a new color challenge and I love the combo! The cute little card on the front is from the new Cosmo Cricket line; Ever After. They have sheets with cards that you can cut out, very cute! The ribbon, it's kind of hard to tell, is velvet and it's another kind of ribbon from the set by Webster's Pages that I was talking about yesterday. The flower and button are Making Memories and the rest is Papertrey. Hope everyone is having a great day and looking forward to their weekend. I know I am!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist, Friends 'Til The End patterned paper

Other - Ever After element (Cosmo Cricket), velvet ribbon (Webster's Pages), paper flower and button (Making Memories), pearls (Michael's)

Celebrate!

2009-04-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

So today I made a card just for fun! I find myself obsessing lately about my cards. I was trying to take a nap today and all I could think about was color combos and layouts for my next card...haha! Anyways, don't you just love the pompom ribbon!!! I got it at my local scrapbook store, Paper Tales, it came in a package with a bunch of other beautiful ribbon, including velvet and lace ribbon. I can't wait to show you more on my next card! I stamped the background on the orange paper with my damask stamp using Versamark, love that stuff! Today was so nice out, I took the girls to the park for a little bit and my daughter went down the slide today for the first time by herself. She is 2 1/2, but very cautious, usually we have to force her down the slide and she cries....poor thing. But today she actually went down on her own, loved it, and kept wanting to go again! What a cutie. OK, well have a great day!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream (Papertrey), Tangelo (Bazzill)

Ink - Dark Chocolate (Papertrey), Versamark

Stamp - Damask Designs (Papertrey)

Other- pompom ribbon (Webster's Pages)

Aloha!

2009-04-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

Isn't that little monkey so cute?? The little flower in her hair is adorable. The stamps are from a set called Mindy's Zoo by Autumn Leaves. I picked it up the other day when I was at Target. There are so many cute animal images, great for birthday cards or even new baby cards! I called the images in with my Prisma and Gamsol, you can see in the closeup there are a couple of smudges. That was from when my older daughter decided SHE wanted to color also. =)

Anywho, my card for today is from Jen's Sketch For You To Try. I kind of didn't follow the sketch exactly cause I didn't have room on the bottom to put the ribbon and flower. But I really like how it turned out none the less. As I am sitting here typing away I am listening to my two girls play together. My older daughter is reading to my younger one, how sweet!! It just melts my heart watching the two of them together. I feel so lucky to be able to stay home with them and watch them grow and interact with each other, what a blessing!

Have a great afternoon, and give your loved ones an extra squeeze today. =)

~Maryann

{Supplies} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Summer Sunrise, Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf, Stamper's Select White, Friends 'Til The End patterned paper

Ink - New Leaf and Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamps - Mindy's Zoo (Autumn Leaves) Birds of a Feather (sentiment)

Other - Summer Sunrise Swiss Dot ribbon, paper flowers (Prima), button (Basic Grey), rhinestone (Michael's),Prismacolor pencils and Gamsol

Kristina's Color Inspiration #50

2009-04-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

So I have been waiting patiently for Kristina to post her 50th challenge. =)

And she did not disappoint with her color choice. At first I was kind of hesitant because I wasn't sure how the colors would look together, but I think they look fabulous!! I love color challenges because they always force you to think out of the box when it comes to your color choices. I know I would have never though of this combo, and am happy to have these challenges. If you have never done one I encourage you to try it!! They are so much fun! And Kristina does a wonderful job in picking her colors. For this challenge she was pretty strict, since she is giving away some prizes for this challenge. You couldn't use any other colors, even black, and you had to use all 5 colors. I used my Scattered Showers set from PTI that I got in the mail the other day. I think it is so cute and there are a ton of sentiments in the set. If anyone reading this has never heard of Papertrey Ink, then you are missing out!! They are pretty much the only company I buy my stamping supplies from. Not only do they have new stamp releases every month, but they also have matching paper, ink, ribbon, and they just added buttons too!!! Their quality is amazing as well.

Anyways...I just love how this card turned out. The flowers on the bottom are from the set Boxes, Bags & Tags, which I got a long time ago and have never used unfortunately. Hope you enjoyed looking!

~Maryann

{Supplies} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Dark Chocolate, Lemon Tart, Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White, Teal Paper (Martha Stewart)

Ink - Pure Poppy, Dark Chocolate, Summer Sunrise

Stamp - Scattered Showers and Boxes, Bags & Tags

Other - Lemon Tart Saddle Stitch ribbon

With Sympathy...

2009-04-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

Recently some of our close friends baby passed away. I knew I wanted to make something special for them, since it is such a difficult time for them. I knew Papertrey Ink had recently come out with a stamp set called, With Sympathy:Loss of a Child, and that it would be perfect for what I wanted to make for them. The sentiments are perfect.

I wanted to give a quick shout out to the customer service over at Papertrey. I had e-mailed them and told them what happened to our friends and that I had ordered the stamp set and wondered if they could send it out ASAP. I knew they are super busy this time of month with their stamp release and understood if it couldn't get done. Well Julie in customer service e-mailed me right away saying how sorry she was and that she would send out the package right away. I got it within a week, which is pretty good since I live in CA and they are located in Ohio. I was so appreciative of their fast service. Thanks Papertrey!!

The first picture shows the card I made for them. I made the background with my new Damask Designs set....love it!!!!! The sentiment and tiny footprints are from the With Sympathy set. The flowers are Prima and the button is PTI.

The framed picture is the project I wanted to make for them. I purposely covered the last name on the picture, so that's really not supposed to be there. =)

Anyways...I hope our friends like our gift.

Have a great day everyone!

~Maryann

{Card Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Vintage Cream and Hibiscus Burst

Ink - Hibiscus Burst, Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - With Sympathy: Loss of a Child and Damask Designs

Other -Paper flowers (Prima), Vintage Hibiscus Burst button, Hibiscus Burst twill ribbon

{Picture Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Hibiscus Burst, Sweet Blush, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper

Ink - Hibiscus Burst and Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - With Sympathy: Loss of a Child and Fresh Alphabet

Other - Paper Flowers (Prima), Rhinestones (Michael's)

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #65

2009-04-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

Morning!

Today looks like it's going to be a beautiful day! I'm just drinking my coffee while the girl's play. We don't really have any big plans for today but hopefully but whatever we do, it'll be outside for sure! My card for today is for Taylor's challenge. I used one of my Bella's, which I have not used in a while. I'm going to one of my girlfriend's tonight for a martini party, and made this as a thank you card. Nothing like being on top of things. =)

Everything else is from PTI, except the sentiment which is also Stamping Bella.

Cosmobella is so fun to color in with my Prismacolor pencils. For a while I was using my Copics, but just couldn't figure out how to blend them very well. I then bought the Prismacolor pencils and love the look they give! Anyways, hope everyone has a great day!

~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Hibiscus Burst, Dark Chocolate, Sweet Blush, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper

Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Cosmobella and sentiment (Stamping Bella)

Other - Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Sweet Blush Saddle Stitch ribbon (PTI), Scallop border punch (Martha Stewart)

TCP Sketch Challenge

2009-04-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

Howdy!

It's finally cooled down here. The past two days it was in the high 90's and I think it hit 100 degrees on Monday!! Crazy weather for April. Now it's cooled down and it's in the 70's. So for my card today. I used the sketch challenge over on Carol's blog for TCP Tuesday. I really liked the sketch!! The paper I used was from SEI's Oasis paper pack. I love this paper. It's kind of hard to tell but the green paper has a paisley pattern to it, real pretty. The stamps are of course The Cat's Pajamas from their It's a Western Thing set. The images are so cute! And the sentiments make me laugh. Anyways, hope you're having a great day!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - SEI Oasis

Ink - Brilliance Graphite black

Stamps - It's A Western Thing (The Cat's Pajamas)

Other - Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Brads (Basic Grey), Giga scalloped circle punch (Marvy Uchida)

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #64

2009-04-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I have a quick post for this today. Trying to get my card in for Taylor's Challenge before the deadline! This is a sympathy card I made for a friend. I tried to make it colorful and cheery. Hope it makes her feel better.

~Maryann

{Supplies} All Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Sweet Blush, Lavender Moon, Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding, Friends 'Til The End patterned paper, Stamper's Select White

Ink - Summer Sunrise, Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding

Stamp - Wishing You..., and Remember

Other - Scallop circle punch (Marvy Uchida) Berry Sorbet grosgrain ribbon

Lauren's Saturday Sketch Challenge

2009-04-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!
So we're all up and getting ready for church but I wanted to make a quick post before we walk out the door. Lauren posted a "design team" call for her Saturday Sketches and I thought I'd take a chance and submit some of my cards. She posted 3 different sketches and I made a card for all three, so here goes!
The first card I made was for my mom for Mother's Day. Aren't the colors so cheery! The brads are from K & Company. They're from the Que Sera Sera line. Aren't they gorgeous!! The patterned paper is from that line also. The mother's day stamp is from Hero Arts. Everything else is Papertrey Ink (of course!).
The second card is all Papertrey Ink supplies. I love the color combo of Ocean Tides and Plum Pudding!! And that cute little bird is from their stamp set Birds Of A Feather.
The final card is another fun one I made for a friend. All supplies are Papertrey Ink again, except the flowers which are Prima and the rhinestones, which are Michael's. Once again I used the Wishing You set from PTI. Love that set!
Hope everyone has a great Sunday!
~Maryann

{Supplies Card #1} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Burst, Spring Rain, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper, Que Sera Sera patterned paper (K & Company)
Ink - New Leaf, Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise, Brilliance Graphite Black
Stamp - Honey Bees, Happy Mother's Day (Hero Art)
Other - Brads (K&Company), Rhinestones (Michael's)

{Supplies Card #2} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise
Paper - Ocean Tides, Plum Pudding, Lavender Moon, Stamper's Select White, Guide Lines patterned paper
Ink - Plum Pudding, Burnt Umber, Brilliance Graphite Black
Stamp - Birds Of A Feather
Other - Rhinestones (Hero Art)

{Supplies Card #3} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Spring Rain, Sweet Blush, Stamper's Select White, Friends 'Til The End patterned paper

Ink - Spring Rain, Hibiscus Burst

Stamp - Wishing You

Other - Hibiscus Burst Twill Ribbon, Prima Flowers, Rhinestones and Pearls (Michael's)

Merci!

2009-04-18T16:36:00.001-07:00

Hello!

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday. The weather here is amazing. It is around 89 degrees! Can you believe it. We took the kids to the pool today and our little one, who is 9 months, went swimming for the first time. She loved it. Now everyone is napping and relaxing so I have some time to stamp. The card for today is one I made for a friend. She is someone I use to work with and every couple of months all the girls from my old company get together at different people's houses for a Girl's Night Out. We had dinner and drinks and just talked and talked. It was a blast. I wanted to thank her for such a nice night so I made this card for her. The teal paper is some that I found in my stash and I'm shocked I haven't used it before. It is so beautiful. It is Martha Stewart paper from one of her paper packs. I got it a long time ago and when I went back today I couldn't find it anymore...bummer! The rest of the supplies are Papertrey Ink. Of course the stamp is from the new Wishing You... set that I absolutely love. Well have a great rest of the weekend!

~Maryann

{Supplies} all supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Guide Lines patterned paper, Stamper's Select White, Teal paper (Martha Stewart)

Ink - Plum Pudding, New Leaf, Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamps - Wishing You..., Birds of a Feather

Other - Plum Pudding Swiss Dot Satin Ribbon

Your Teepee or Mine?

2009-04-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Today I have a card that I did for Susan's TCP Tuesday Stamp Challenge. The challenge was to use the stamp set " Havin' A Pow Wow". I had bought this set a while ago and never inked it up so I thought this was a good chance to try it out. The images are so cute and I love the sentiments that go along with them! Hope you like the card!

Have a great day!

~Maryann

{Supplies} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper- Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper

Ink - Pure Poppy, Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Havin' A Pow Wow (The Cat's Pajamas)

Other - Pure Poppy twill ribbon, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Star Brads (Making Memories), Red Button (Basic Grey)

Sketch For You To Try...

2009-04-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Morning y'all!

I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and feeding my little baby some Cheerios! What a great morning so far. Today I have my card that I did for Jen's Sketch For You To Try. I'm a little late on posting it, but better late than never! I used the new Wishing You.... set from PTI. I love love love it! It's so much fun to play with. There are so many fun and cute flower images and you can interchange all the flowers and stems, making it fun to play around with! I will be using the set often, so be prepared to see a lot of it. =)

Well off to go make some breakfast. Have a great day!

~Maryann

{Supplies} All supplies Papertrey Ink unless noted otherwise

Paper - Sweet Blush, Ripe Avocado, Hibiscus Burst, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper

Ink - Hibiscus Burst, Ripe Avocado, Summer Sunrise, Graphite Black (Brilliance)

Stamp - Wishing You...

Other - Rhinestones (Michael's)

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenege # 63

2009-04-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

Hope everyone is having a restful day. Today it's kind of cloudy and rainy out, which is a total bummer. I hope it warms up for Easter tomorrow. The girls dresses are sleeveless and I don't want them to be freezing. My parents took my older daughter to Sea World today and my little baby is napping so I had some stamping time...yeah!! I decided to use Taylor's Sketch to make the girls Easter cards. I was going back and forth on what colors I wanted to make the card and am sooo pleased with how they turned out. I love the Berry Sorbet and Lavender Moon colors together...so girly! All the paper and ribbon are from Papertrey Ink. The cutie patootie stamp is from A Muse, it's called Carrot Stand, and I got it from a local shop here in San Diego. It's called Paper Tales. It is the most adorable store, they have a ton of cute stuff for stamping and scrapbooking. They also carry A Muse stamps, which I think are so cute. And they are the same price as the web site..score! OK...hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Have a great Easter tomorrow!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Lavender Moon, Summer Sunrise, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basic in Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink)

Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Carrot Stand (A Muse)

Other - Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Lavender Moon grosgrain ribbon, Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

Kristina's Color Inspiration Challenge #49

2009-04-10T16:14:00.001-07:00

One more post for today. I decided to start doing the color challenges over at Kristina Werner's Blog . I've seen a bunch of people, whose blogs I frequent, do her challenges and I was inspired. She always picks the most gorgeous color combos, and today was no exception! This is from her #49 Challenge. I didn't have the exact color paper she picked, but I used what I had. All of the paper is from Joann's loose paper. I'm not sure the brand name and they don't have color names on them either....sorry! The flower stamp is from the set Remember and the sentiment is from 2008 Holiday Tag Collection, both Papertrey Ink, and the ribbon is from Michael's.

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Loose paper (Joann's ), Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Remember and 2008 Holiday Tag Collection (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Ribbon (Michael's), Pearls (Michael's), Scallop edge punch (Martha Stewart)

It's The Weekend!!

2009-04-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

I love the weekends! Getting to spend time with my family is the best.

This weekend is especially meaningful because it is Easter. Easter is a time for us to celebrate the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. Easter is one of my most favorite holidays because we really get a chance to focus on the real reason we are celebrating the holiday. Tonight we will go to Good Friday service. Good Friday service usually is a somber service because we think about what Jesus went through on the cross that day. The fact that Jesus was crucified so that we can be forgiven of our sins. But we also can look forward to Sunday when we can celebrate his resurrection and know that he is alive again.

I have been busy today baking for the holiday and making cards for Easter and also for a friends birthday we are going to tomorrow.

The first card is one that I made for my parents for Easter. The patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie line. It kind of has an embroidery look to it. I love it! The punches with the chicks in it are actually punched out from one of the patterned papers. Isn't that so cute!

The next card is one that I just made for fun. I went a little crazy with the stitching! I'm still learning but am loving the look it gives to my cards. Just need to keep practicing! All the materials on that card are from Papertrey Ink.

Finally, the last card is one that I made for the birthday party we are going to on Saturday. It is for a guy friend, hence the lack of frilly embellishments. =)

It's pretty simple but I love it! The paper is from SEI's Oasis line. It's so pretty, but I don't use it as often as I would like.

Hope everyone has a great Easter weekend spending time with their loved ones.

~Maryann

{Easter Card Supplies}

Paper - Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink), Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie patterned paper

Ink - Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink)

Stamp - Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Lemon Tart Saddle Stitch Ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Rhinestones (Studio 18, Michael's)

{Star Card Supplies}

Paper - Spring Rain, Bitty Dot Basics in Plum Pudding, Raspberry Fizz, and Spring Moss, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink - Plum Pudding, Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss (Papertrey Ink)

Stamp - 2008 Holiday Tag Collection (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Plum Pudding, Raspberry Fizz, and Spring Moss Saddle Stitch Ribbon (Papertrey Ink), sewing machine

{Birthday Card Supplies}

Paper - SEI Oasis, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink - Cote d'Azure (Palette)

Stamp - Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Spring Moss Saddle Stitch Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

Quick post

2009-04-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

So today I have my card from Jen's sketch challenge. I made the card for my father-in-law who's birthday is next week. I always have trouble making masculine cards. I think I did a pretty good job, by omitting any over the top embellishments. All the paper is SEI Black Orchid and the stamps are from Papertrey Ink. Gotta go..I have my 9 month old squirming around on my lap..haha.

{Supplies}

Paper - SEI Black Orchid, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink -Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Men of Life (Papertrey Ink)

A Little Birdie Told Me....

2009-04-05T13:29:00.001-07:00

....that it was going to be a beautiful day today. =)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Sunday. This morning we went to church and now we a relaxing before we have a bbq to go to. This card I made for Dawn's color challenge and surprisingly it was a challenge getting these colors to work together. It's hard to tell from the picture but my card base is the vanilla/cream color. I stamped the bottom of the Kraft paper with my new Martha Stewart punch. I love it! The ribbon I got at Target in their wedding section. They have all different color satin ribbon and it is 15 yards for around $5! Not bad! Hope everyone is enjoying their Palm Sunday!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Vintage Cream, Kraft, Pure Poppy, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink), melon paper (Martha Stewart)

Ink - Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink), Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Birds of a Feather (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Scallop Punch (Martha Stewart), pink satin ribbon (Target)

Yum Cupcakes!

2009-04-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

My card today is for Taylor's Challenge and I even decided to use a cupcake stamp! I've had these Hero Art Stamps for a while but just don't seem to use them that often. I used a mixture of My Mind's Eye Paper and paper and ribbon from Papertrey Ink. I've been going through my stash of paper and finding some paper I didn't even know I had...haha.

Anyways...today is a beautiful and hopefully we'll be able to get out and go to the park or the beach. Just to get the girls out and let my older daughter run around and play!

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Raspberry Fizz, Spring Moss, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink), My Mind's Eye Tres Jolie patterned paper

Ink - Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamp - Hero Art

Other - prismacolor pencils, Gamsol, Giga scalloped circle punch, Raspberry Fizz saddle stitch grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

Trying My Hand At Sewing.

2009-04-03T14:11:00.001-07:00

So here is the card that I made using my new sewing machine. I still have to get the hang of how to stitch straight, but I think I did a pretty good job for my first time sewing! This card was a pretty easy card that I put together last night while I was in the middle of making dinner...haha. Sometimes I get ideas in my head for designs or color combos and I can't stop thinking about it until I make the card. Yikes....you know you are obsessed when....

The patterned paper is My Mind's Eye Garden Party. I've had it forever and like many others I tend to hoard my pretty paper! I have so much paper, it's ridiculous, but I don't like using it. Weird...I know! The stitching was done in a light pink and I wish you could see it better in the pictures. I added the buttons and ribbon on the side to balance my card. Hope everyone is having a great day!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Hibiscus Burst, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink), My Mind's Eye Garden Party patterned paper

Ink - Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey Ink)

Stamp - Scribbles Alphabet (Autumn Leaves)

Others - Hibiscus Burst vintage buttons, Hibiscus Burst Twill Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

My New Toy!

2009-04-03T13:49:00.001-07:00

Well it's actually not a toy, it's a real sewing machine. But it is so cute and small! I bought it a couple of weeks ago from Hancock Fabrics and finally got it in the mail a couple of days ago. I was a little intimidated since I have never sewn before in my life, but after looking at some tutorials on GinaK's blog, I was able to figure it out in about 20 minutes! The machine is really easy to use and you can do 8 different stitches on it! Pretty cool! I'll post a card that I made a little later on just to show you my lovely sewing abilities! =)

Funny Mom Story

2009-04-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

So today I went to Target to pick up a couple of things that I needed. This occurrence usually happens at least once a week....haha. You know you go to Target way too much when the cashier says to you, "You come here a lot don't you?". Yikes...that's embarrassing!

Now onto my funny mom story. So I decided to buy a pair of some cute little undergarments they had. Well my 2 year old decided it would be really funny to put them on her head, which of course mortified me. But the more I told her to stop, the more she kept laughing, and putting them back on her head. This of course made me start to laugh and soon we were both laughing hysterical. I was tempted to let her walk around Target with pink underwear on her head, but I though people might say, "What is wrong with this lady, why does her daughter have underwear on her head?!"
Then we came home and made rice krispie treats, which were sooo good. They are so easy to make and such a fun activity to do with you toddler. My daughter loved mixing the bowl and then of course licking the spoon!
OK....sorry for all of the rambling, now onto my card for today.
This color combo was inspired by Dawn McVey. I really love the bold colors! I think it is so cheery. It makes me feel happy...hehe. I am just loving the Bitty Dot Basic paper from Papertrey Ink. I could use the paper on all my cards! I stamped the flowers from the Honey Bee set and added some gems. The edge on the bottom is from my Fiskars Punch. And then I finished it with some Summer Sunrise Grosgrain Ribbon. Hope you like it!

{Supplies}

Paper - Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avocado, Bitty Dot Basic patterned paper, Stamper's Select White (Papertrey Ink)

Ink - Summer Sunrise, Ripe Avocado, Raspberry Fizz (Papertrey Ink)

Stamp - Honey Bee (Papertrey Ink)

Other Summer Sunrise grosgrain ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Gems (K & Company), Fiskars Punch

It's a Beautiful Day!

2009-03-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day we are having here in San Diego. The weather is perfect, the sun is shining, and not a cloud in the sky. Today I took my older daughter who is 2 1/2 outside to play. She loves playing with water, so I just brought out a couple of Tupperware containers and some plastic cups, filled them up with water, and she had such a blast. It's amazing how easily children can be entertained. She was putting her baby doll in the water and pretending to give her a bath....so cute! Then she decided to start digging into out tomato garden, so I thought it was time to come in then. =)

Speaking of tomato garden, this weekend we planted some tomatoes and habanero peppers. We love having fresh tomatoes to eat during the summer! Can't wait to start seeing them grow!

So for my card today....I made this last night for my aunt. It's her birthday this weekend and we are going over there for a b-b-q.

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - Spring Moss, New Leaf, Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey Ink)

Ink - VersaMark

Stamps - Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Giga Scalloped Square Punch (Marvy Uchida), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Rhinestones (Michael's), New Leaf Bitty Dot Ribbon (Papertrey Ink)

2nd post for the day!

2009-03-29T16:12:00.000-07:00

Wow...I am on a roll! I made both of these cards last night and just needed to get some good lighting to post the pictures of them. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to photograph my cards...any suggestions????
Anyways....so this card I used a sketch from http://tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/ for her Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #61. This one was pretty simple to do...no coloring or anything. But I think it came out really nice. I love the teal and purple combo. Something I've never used before but will definitely use again!

{Supplies}

Paper - Lavender Moon, Plum Pudding, Aqua Mist, Stamper's Select White, Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper (Papertrey Ink).

Ink - Plum Pudding (Papertrey Ink)

Stamps - Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Rhinestones (Hero Art), Flower and Button (Making Memories)

Wonderful...

2009-03-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been gorgeous here in San Diego. Yesterday we took the girl's to the pool and today we went down to the beach and played in the park. Our older daughter has so much energy. She loves being outside! I'm hoping the nice weather is here to stay, although living in San Diego, the weather is always nice. =)

Now...onto my card for today.

Isn't this girl just adorable! She is so fun to color in. For this card I used a sketch from iheart2stamp.com's "Sketch For You To Try". Hope you like the card and are enjoying your weekend!

~Maryann

{Wonderful Supplies}

Paper - Lemon Tart, stamper's select white (Papertrey Ink), blush pink (I think it's from Michael's) Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie patterned paper

Ink - Brilliance graphite black

Stamps - Wonderland ( The Greeting Farm)

Other - Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie die-cut butterfly, brad (Basic Grey), rhinestones (Michael's), Prismacolor pencils, and Gamsol

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge 2

2009-03-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that one of my favorite bloggers and my biggest inspiration, Dawn McVey, has decided to start her own challenges. The colors for this week were one of my all time favorite color combos, Teal, Celery Green, and Brown! I had such a fun time making this card. Hope you enjoy it!

~Maryann

{Supplies}

Paper - dark chocolate, aqua mist, stamper's select white (Papertrey Ink), Basic Grey Urban Prairie patterned paper

Ink - brilliance graphite black, spring moss (Papertrey Ink)

Stamps - Remember (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Prismacolor colored pencils, Gamsol, and ribbon (Michael's)

Gifts of Spring

2009-03-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

I decided to use the sketch from last Saturday's "Sketch For You To Try" compliments of the lovely Jen del Muro over at http://iheart2stamp.com/ . This is my first contribution to any sketch challange and I was kind of nervous, hoping that it would be good enough. =)

I would love some comments from people letting me know what they think! Thanks in advance.

{Gifts of Spring Supplies}

Paper - Ocean Tides, Friends 'til The End patterned paper, stampers select white (Papertrey Ink), pink paper (I think it's Martha Stewart)

Ink - Burnt Umber, Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink), Brilliance Graphite Black

Stamps - Out on a Limb (revised), and Mailbox Greetings (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Brads (Basic Grey), Rhinestones, Flower and Button (Making Memories)

More cards!

2009-03-27T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some more cards I have recently done!

Aren't these two girl's so cute!!!

I made this card for my sister, don't tell her....I haven't sent it to her yet. =)

Isn't that coffee cup so cute! And I just love love love the font!
It's the Fresh Alphabet set from Papertrey Ink.

{ Sister Card Supplies}

Paper - Spring Moss, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink), and Amy Butler ( K & Company) patterned paper.

Other - Amy Butler Die-Cut Cardstock

{What's Brewing Supplies}

Paper - Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper, stamper's select white, and Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink).

Ink - Brilliance Black Graphite

Stamps - To go cup (A Muse), Fresh Alphabet (Papertrey Ink)

Other - Pure Poppy twill ribbon (Papertrey Ink), rhinestone (Hero Art)

Welcome to my blog!!!

2009-03-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

So this whole blogging thing is new to me. My hubby convinced me to start my own blog since I spend most of my time looking at other peoples blogs..ha ha. The main reason for me starting this blog is to post pictures of cards that I have made and hopefully inspire other people. Card making has become a real passion for me and I owe that in part to some of the many blogs that I frequently visit...as in like 10 times a day! =) So take a look at my cards, make comments if you like them, tell me about your day, whatever!

So this first card that I am posting is one I made for a friend who's dad recently passed away. I had already sent her a sympathy card but wanted to send her something cheery and bright!

What do you think?

{Hello Friend Supplies}

Paper - Hibiscus Burst, Spring Rain, Friends 'til the End patterned paper, Bitty Dot Basics patterned paper, stamper's select white (Papertrey Ink).

Ink - Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf (Papertrey Ink), Brilliance Graphite Black.

Stamps - Birds of a Feather and Mailbox Greetings (Papertrey Ink).

Other - Hibiscus Burst vintage buttons (Papertrey Ink), hemp twine, and copic markers.

Happy Stamping!
~Maryann