KB Stamps

Honored to be...

2012-01-16T15:40:00.000-08:00

...an honorable gnome! Thanks Lawnscaping for picking my card as one of your faves in the b-day challenge!

Non-stop fun!

2012-01-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

I don't know what your year is like in terms of birthdays and holidays, but for me, when Halloween hits it is all non-stop fun from there on out. After Halloween is my Baby Girl's birthday, then other birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and so on. No time to stop and breathe with all that fun. :) That is why I haven't blogged in a while, but I am sure you don't want to hear my excuses, you just want to see what I've got right?!

Well in that case, I have a double challenge for you from the Lawn Fawn and Lawnscaping Challenge blogs. They are so much fun and I decided to try them both with one card. Lets start wtih the Lawnscaping Birthday Challenge #25! Be sure you stop by their blog because they are giving away some fun FREE digi stamps for this one. The goal on this one is to make your project birthday themed (with LF stamps if you have them). Easy Peasy!

The second part was a little more complicated as it was for the LF CHA Winter Challenge for 2012. The rules here are a little more strict, you are limited to ONLY using LF stamps and specific sets have to be the focal point. In addition, no patterend paper is allowed (WHAT?! OMG!) Visit the blog to check out full details and your chance to enter. :)

So for both challenges here is my card that I have so much fun making!!!! I just love those critters and their eyes!!!

Happy 2012 and wishing you have some non-stop fun coming your way! Thanks for stopping. Your comments are always welcome. :)

Feast of Lights!

2011-11-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Chanuka (also spelled Hanukah or Hanukkah) means Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication?! So beautiful isn't it. I can just imagine a feast of lights with many menorah's in the windows....beautiful!

Back by popular demand, Chanukah cards! I have made these in the past and had a few requests so wanted to add these on as an option for custom made holiday cards. More details on all the cards are below.

Things to remember:

• 10 cards & envelopes per box

• One design per box

• Choose from 3 designs

• Order in bulk and receive 10% off additional boxes after first box

• Orders accepted until December 5, 2011. Cards delivered by December 15, 2011

• Payment accepted via paypal to Katieannbrooks

Prices:

• $20/box

• $38/2 boxes- 20 cards (up to 2 designs)

• $56/3 boxes- 30 cards (up to 3 designs)

• Out of Seattle add $4.95 for Priority Shipping

The choices are:

1. Be Merry 2. Celebrate the Season

3. Ho Ho Ho 4. Cherish

Questions? Contact me at Katieannbrooks@gmail.com

(NOTE- all pictures are copyright KBStamps)

Girls like Thomas too!

2011-11-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

My little Soaps just had her 4th Birthday last week. Wow time flies! I let her pick the theme and she went with Thomas the Train. I appreciate that in this "modern day and age" girls can like trains and cars and boys can go for pink if they want. When I went to pick up the party decorations (no I didn't make them all, no time) I also purchased a tiara with the appropriate colors and the guy asked, "I have to ask is this party for a boy or girl? Not that it matters just curious." I told him it was for a girl and he said he hoped we had fun. Well it was crazy and chaotic with 14 three to five year olds but she did have fun! I on the other hand, had to have a Margarita when it was all over! :)

OK, so I don't get the mom of the year award for making all the decor, but I did make her a Thomas card and a Thomas cake. The card was actually super easy, using mostly basic shapes and punches. A circle scissor plus for the face and then I drew his features in. All the supplies used on the card are SU! The cake was another story, partially due to the fact that we (my Mom and I) didn't finish frosting it until the party started and they we showed up late. (I am pretty sure this contributed to my stress level and need for a margarita.) In the end we got it done, and while his face was a bit too dark, he otherwise looked good and everyone raved about it.

So I am happy my little one had a fun Thomas the Train party. I am wondering if anyone else out there has had parties for their kiddos that were not typical for their age or gender? If so, what for whom?

Thanks for visiting!

Holiday Cards

2011-10-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you know I am offering hand-made holiday cards again this year. You can see prices and card choices below:

Things to remember:
• 10 cards & envelopes per box
• One design per box
• Choose from 3 designs
• Order in bulk and receive 10% off additional boxes after first box
• Orders accepted until December 5, 2011. Cards delivered by December 15, 2011
• Payment accepted via paypal to Katieannbrooks

Prices:
• $20/box
• $38/2 boxes- 20 cards (up to 2 designs)
• $56/3 boxes- 30 cards (up to 3 designs)
• Out of Seattle add $4.95 for Priority Shipping

The choices are:

1. 2.

Questions? Contact me at Katieannbrooks@gmail.com

Fun blog hop

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hey you know the carrot card I made (post just below this one)- well those are some of my new fave stamps from Paper Smooches. They are having a fun blog hop right now and you should check it out. You can win prizes....

http://papersmooches.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-paper-smooches-dt-blog-hop.html?showComment=1319755080055#c3747297151808789688

We're going to miss you BUNCHES!

2011-10-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Paper peicing is one of my favorite techniques. You can add so much with just a little paper different paper. If all you had were stamps and black ink you could paper piece just about anything and it would be fab!

So here I've made a card for one of my dear co-workers Jan who is taking a position elsewhere. :( (Good for her, bad for the rest of us!) I've used my Lawn Fawn set Say Cheese and my new Paper Smooches set Vegtastic (another new fave besides LF!!!) Now guess what technique I used to enter Lawnscapings current current challenge (#20)...I'll give you one guess...hint: PP...yes, you've got it! Paper piecing!

I had a ton of fun making this card. I love the bright colors and the jolly feel. The twine and button just bring it together for me. I really hope Jan likes it!

Thanks for stopping!

"Falling" for two step stampin'

2011-10-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

In general, I wouldn't call myself a two-step stamper. I don't think I really have the vision, or...if I am being honest...the patience to do things in two steps. For example, I won't use a stampamajig. Nope, don't think so, I flat out refuse! I'd rather screw it up about 10 times or not do it at all than use one of those. I don't know why or what it says about me, but...I accept myself as I am.

When I first saw the Gently Falling set from SU! I thought, I'll never use it! But after seeing it time after time with the delicious Spice Cake DSP (also SU!) I had to have it. Seeing those leaves in the pool party is just my fave. So I got it and it sat for a while, but now I am finally using it and this is what I have to show for myself.

What do you think? Such fun paper! Thinking outside the box by reminding myself I don't have to use a fall set for thanksgiving(!) I made this masculine birthday card.

OK, lunch break is over, time to work! Thanks for stopping!

Happy WCMD!

2011-10-03T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hi-

Happy Belated WCMD! I hope you had some time being crafty this weekend! I decided to make a project for Lawnscapings World Card Making Day Challenge which you can find here. Mainly because I oh-so-want to win this stamp set Frosty Friends! :) Wouldn't you?! So darn cute! You can play too, you have until midnight tonight (EST) to get your entry in. If not feel free to go in and comment on how much you love mine so I might win, hehe!

Hoping you had or are having a craftastic day!

Getting Texty- OMG FUN!

2011-09-27T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Just wanted to share my take on Lawn Fawn's Lawnscaping Challenge #18, Getting Texty. I had a ton of fun making this card and playing with the stamp sets. The little bunny sticking out of the tire swing makes me happy. My "texty" part is the background. I continuously stamped "OMG" and "FUN" accross the backdrop, I really took the "texting" litterally. :) If you haven't figured it out yet, I do love me some Lawn Fawn!

Thanks for stopping! More fun cards, SU! and otherwise, to come this week so stay tuned!

Oh My Darlin' Clementine...

2011-09-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

How sweet is the name Clementine?! I just love it! My girlfriend Sarah just had her baby girl the other day and that is her name. So darling that if I have another baby and it is a girl, I might want to use that name for her! I can just imagine Sophie and Clementine playing together. :D Here is a pic of that sweet girl with the sweet name...

Why can I not get the baby girl's picture to rotate? I hope that doesn't mean she is going to be stubborn!?!

I'll have to go visit Ms. Sarah, but I think when I do I'll have to take her one of these cards. Don't you think the pink one is just perfect for the occassion? And stamping on the felt is just so appropriate, that soft cuddly little bundle in pink on the card is exactly what Clementine is!

Circus, Circus- Like it or hate it?

2011-09-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

I find it so hard to be objective about my own work. I just can't look at it as a whole most of the time, I simply focus in on one thing that I either like or hate. Honestly, I don't know what to think about this card. I was trying to use some different techniques, but not sure if I was successful. I was also trying to tap into the current trend of using circus paraphenalia in card making. What do you think? Good, bad? You can be honest, I won't get mad. :)

I do quite like this little bear on the bike, part of the Tagtastic Hostess set in the 2011-2012 SU! catalog.

Spice it up!

2011-09-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hello! Hope you had a good weekend. I was a little sick myself, but still got to enjoy some of this lovely September sun, on the mend now anyhow. While it is fall, thankfully we still have some sun in Seattle... seeing as it didn't show up until August. I know I shouldn't complain because so many people have had a scorcher of a summer early on, lets just say glad to have some late sun and even happier that is seems to be sticking around into September.

With fall comes fall colors. I have to say I LOVE this new DSP in the SU! holiday mini catalog. It is called Spice Cake. I have to tell you, it is definitly spicing up my life! I have two cards to show you today, both with this paper.

First is this card with the owls. I used all SU! products with the exception of the owl's which are Hero Arts, the tag (sorry can't remember what line this is) and the greeting (I think this is Stampendous). I had fun paper piecing the owls with the DSP. I also love a few other things about this card, the corner punch from Martha Stewart and the Square Lattice embossing folder from SU! This card was fun to make.

Next is my little fox card. Now you want to talk about spicing things up?! In addition to using the Spice Cake DSP, I stamped on felt! Yep, that's right, check out those felt clouds, aren't they fun! The stamps on this card are Denami Designs (cloud), Lawn Fawn (Fox and log), and SU! sentiment.

Thanks for stopping, hope you enjoyed this post. If you need to spice up your day, I've listed a couple of ways to do that here. :)

just flirting around

2011-09-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

What do you think of the Flirtatious Specialty DSP? I love it! The bright colors mixed with the softer hues really make me happy. I also love the specialty pages that look like a bunch of doilies. They are perfect for using whole, but my preference is to cut them apart and use them in pieces like I've done on this card This card is perfect for a little girl (a little princess) birthday. In fact, a co-worker of mine snagged it up as soon as she saw it with plans to give to her niece. :)

I am glad I have this card to show you because the last couple of days I have been in a card making funk. Not sure why, but can't seem to shake it at the moment. What do you do when you are in a creative funk? Anything that will help me get back in the game would be much appreciated. Meanwhile, I'll just keep trying, eventually it will come back I am sure.

Thanks for stopping and have a great day! :)

Odds & Ends

2011-09-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

One more to show you today. I won a few things on Moxie Fab World and they send me some cute DP from Cosmo Cricket. Here is the first fun card I've made with some of it.

Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing!

2011-09-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Which one do you pick? I pick daring adventure! In fact, I that is what I was thinking when I made this card, because the colors and layout were a little outside my comfort zone. I took some old holiday DP and added it with some others and come up with this fun color combo. I like the soft colors with the gray, it is kinda fun and different and I think the green pearls really make it pop. Another part of this "daring adventure" was the layout, more or less taken from this weeks Mojo Monday challenge. I often feel like my card layouts are all the same, so I like it when something different comes along. All supplies are SU!. This quote, by Helen Keller, is from one of my new fave sets in the new catty called...Daring Adventure (who'd have thought?!) I actually bought this set for the quote because I liked it so much, but I do like the other stamps too. :)

So what do you have planned for your next daring adventure?

You can't have a rainbow without a little rain

2011-08-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Bright colors make me so happy! I guess they just remind me of sun and summer and all things good. This card is chocked full of them too! Again I am using a Lawn Fawn stamp as the main image and the sentiment comes from Pink Cat Studio. I really wanted to use a different sentiment that said, "You can't have a RAINBOW without a little RAIN." But I don't have that in stamp form and no printer at home, so couldn't make it on the computer. I used this one instead and although the raindrops and umbrella contradict it, I think it has a pretty sunny feel, especially with the bitg sun shape as the backdrop.

This card is based on a sketch from Papercrafts Magazine. They are having a sketch challenge over at Moxie Fab World right now, featuring this sketch and others. I was so intimidated when I first saw this sketch, but then it just came to me.and I feel pretty happy about it. Like I said, just the colors perk me up.

Thanks for stopping and have a great day!

Enjoying Lawn Fawn

2011-08-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out Lawn Fawn stamps? They have some super cute stuff! I've been having fun with a few sets I bought. They don't have them in my neck of the woods though, but I found some when I was visiting one of my besties in MN.

Speaking of woods, we took Sophie on her first camping trip in July and she loved it. Here is a page I made of her and Grandma while camping. Oh and how cute they matched! I loved using my new Petite Pendant Punch from SU! for the banner since they are so fun, and I used a Hero Arts alphabet for the letters.

This next one is just a silly card I made with the LF porcupine stamp. The have a sentiment in that set that says "I pine for you!"- I changed it and put "I PORCU-pine for you!" on th inside. :)

Thanks for stopping!

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

2011-07-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last 6 months hemming and hawing and have finally come to a decision, I am no longer going to be an SU! Demonstrator. Technically I am, for the next four days, but after that I will be no more. I can't tell you for certain what made me come to this decision, I absolutely love SU! and their products, but...the time for change has come. I suppose this has actually been transpiring for some time. it was a hard decision and I will miss it, but it is time to focus on new things and I am going to think of it as an opportunity. I will still be crafting, because that is the part I really loved, so don't expect all the lights to go out on you, I will just be using a wider variety of products with no affiliation to anyone. When I was thinking about this yesterday, as another opportunity came up to continue my demoship but at a lesser degree, I came accross this quote which I quite liked:

"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our over-confidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."

~Bruce Barton

So there you have it, I am moving on to the next stage in the evolution of my life. I hope you'll come back and visit and have some fun with me. I'll still love getting your comments of encouragement and suggestions.

Just so this post isn't all seriousness, I'd like to share the card I gave my Mommy for Mother's Day. :)

Thanks for stopping!

I'm Ba-ack!

2011-07-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

Did you think I was never coming back? Well you are not so lucky, I am here. I have been very busy with work, outside obligations and more. Not to mention that I had misplaced my camera cord for about 1.5 mos. I finally found it though and am soooo happy about that. I didn't really want to go through all the online ordering from the camera company for a new one.

So not that I am here I am not sure what to update you on since it has been so long and so many things have happened... my little girl got her first stitches, we took her on her first camping trip, I took a trip to visit one of my BFF's in MN, the summer in Seattle is making me depressed, etc....so I won't, I'll just give you my card and the process by which I made it.

This card was for a friend's wedding shower at work. Her wedding theme is blues and some green's and some hydrangeas (her fave). This card, was fun and took me quite a while to make. It is 6X6, I usually make work cards this large so the whole office can sign them. Obviously, I found some beautiful hydrangea DP which is what inspired me. I ran the Marina Mist through my Elegant Lines embossing folder. For the center hydrangea I used my Because I care stamp set from SU!. I stamped it with brown Staz On onto some watercolor paper. I then took various blue and green inks (Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Ballet Blue, Pacific Point, Certainly Celery, and Wild Wasabi) starting and applied them with my blender pen. I started with the lights and went to darks until I was satisfied with the colors. Then I used some blue and grreen stickles to highlight a few areas on the flower. Once all was dry, I cut it out, tied a little twine around the bottom and assembled the card.

In conjunction with a few other crafts that were made for the shower, it was cute and fun. She liked the card and I hope you do too.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have you heard the one about...

2011-05-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

...the family of tomatoes walking down the street and the little one lags behind and his dad says, "Ketchup!"

Hehe! I have many years of kiddie jokes to look forward too with Sophie. Right now she likes to say, "see you later alligator" and the like. I can only anticipate the years when she says to me, "Mama, how do you keep a skunk from smelling? You plug it's nose!" I had a whole book full of these when I was young.

today, I am hoping to "ketchup" on some posts I have been meaning to do for a while. I am sorry for being absent, I've just been a bit busy and haven't had time. I am here now though, with several cards to show you. :)

First is a very simple sympathy card I made just last night. Not much too it, but I really love how the Cherry Cobbler just pops out.

The second card is a Thinking of you card I made for a co-worker who was sick recently. I am in love with these little flowers and can't wait to stock up on more of them.

I have a more cards to show you but I may just save them for tomorrow or another day. I don't want to post them all in one day.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

The one I forgot

2011-04-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

Tib-

This post is for you, the one I forgot in your packet. BTW, saw the video and LOVE it! Especially the part where you say hi to me twice. :)

Edited 8/24/11 to add:

Moxie Fab World is featuring some awesome sketch challenges this week. The sketch posted today (shown below) is the sketch that inspired me to make this card. I think I orginally thought of submitting it to the magazine but didn't. I decided to give to my friend Tirzah, which I still haven't done, shame on me! I promise I will!!!! So since I didn't submit it then, how about doing so now for the sketch challenge. :) I have another one from this week that I did too and hope to get it up today.

Thanks again for stopping, hope you enjoyed. TIB I WILL GET YOU YOUR CARD AND THEN SOME- PROMISE! :)

Hugs!

A GINORMOUS Thank You!

2011-04-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

A few months back I saw some advertisements for the MS Walk in Seattle. I thought to myself, I should do that. A few weeks went by and I didn't sign up but then I saw that it was MS awareness month and was reminded. Finally, I signed myself and my family up as a team. I have MS and thought to myself, "if I am not going to fight for my cause, who will?" We only had a few weeks to raise money, so I made our initial goal $250 dollars, not much, but it seemed do-able.

Now I want to tell you what we actually raised...$2,430!!!! WOW! What a generous group of people I know!!! Can you believe that?!? There is actually still time to donate if you are interested, check out our Team Website here.

What is even better is that I had about 5 friends sign up to walk with myself, my husband and my daughter. They were willing to take time out of their weekend to walk with us for this great cause. So kind. When the walk finally came and I showed up to meet with my team, I was so suprised to see ~20 extra people there with Team Katie shirts on!!! Of course I cried, I couldn't believe the love and overwhelming support. I can't imagine being so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life!

I've only made about 45 (2/3) of the thank you cards I intend to make so I have a ways to go, but I want all of those people who donated and/or participated to know how thankfull I am. Here is a look at the cards and a picture of team Katie.

Thank you all so much!!!!

Did you know it is National Grilled Cheese Month?

2011-04-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Me either! But I was thinking of grilled cheese today and when I went downstairs for a sammy the sign told me it was National Grilled Cheese Month and offered 15% off the grilled cheese! How's that for serendipity?! I was pretty excited. Sometimes it is the little things in life that get you through.

If you are wondering what that has to do with anything, it doesn't other than that my posts are often "cheesy"....get it?! I know, I know, dumb! :) Oh well...

It also makes me think of one of the many stamp sets I want. From Lawn Fawn. I want Say Cheese and Say Cheese Too (Hubby if you are reading this you can note this under birthday ideas). I just love the old school polariod camera! Anyway, check it out.
What does that have to do with today's card? Nothing at all except some cheese is orange (or yellow) and so are pumpkins. I know, a stretch but...here is a card I made a few weeks back for a Papercrafts call for halloween cards. it didn't get selected which is why I am showing it here. REJECT! :) But I like it and it was fun to make. Greeting Card Kids from SU! is one of my fave stamp sets and I enjoyed using the Tim Holtz die that you see at the bottom.

Happy Friday to you!

A belated birthday note

2011-03-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

I've heard other card makers and papercrafters say that you know how much someone means to you depending on how much layering and detail is in the card. Well if that is true, there are many layers here and glitter ta-boot! I guess that means that you mean a lot to me Berni. Happy Birthday to you, hope you enjoyed your day! Thanks for being such a good friend!

(A note about the stamps, the "you" stamp is SU!, however, the main image is produced by Amuse.)

Floral Frenzy Blog Hop

2011-03-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Denami Designs Floral Frenzy Blog Hop. You should have come here from Laura's blog.

Prizes: We are giving away THREE $20 gift certificates to our website! We'll be giving away one gift certificate to a random participant (DT members not eligible) and then we'll also be giving away TWO gift certificates to TWO people who comment along the hop!

You have until March 14, 2011, 11:59pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize).

Here is my card. Now unfortunately, I didn't have a Denami floral stamp, so I had to go with some stickers for my flowers, BUT I hope to get some very soon because I LOVE my Denami stamps. In fact, I won by commenting along the blog hop, I was soooo excited!

Now please move onto Tina's blog and enjoy the rest of the hop! Thanks for stopping by.

When life gives you limes...make margaritas!

2011-03-07T09:28:00.000-08:00

OK, I know you've heard that saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" right!?! Well i am actually partial to this version of it, "when life gives you limes, make margaritas!" And that my friends is just what I am going to do. :)

Recently I submitted a few cards to PaperCrafts Magazine Go-to-sketches. This was not the first time I've submitted, nor will it be my last. None of them got accepted, but I feel like it is still a fun process and SOME DAY one will get accepted. Don't worry, you will know when that day comes, I'll be shouting from the rooftops! Meanwhile, I am having fun making the cards and feel like my abilities are ever-growing.

If I am honest though, when the acceptance emails go out and I don't get one, I am a little dissappointed. BUT thanks to Amber at Damask Love, I am turing that frown upside down and looking at the bright side of things, which is why I am participating in Amber's Reject Blog Hop. Thanks for the pick-me-up Amber, looking forward to MARGARITAS BABY! :)

Here are a couple of the cards I submitted for the PaperCrafts call, which are now part of this lovely blog hop! I didn't save the original sketches and can't find them at this point, so I made these from memory, I think they are pretty close.

Of course, if I could take a good picture (below- baske CS color is supposed to be Regal Rose) that might make a difference- ha!

Thanks again for the reminder that this is all supposed to be fun Amber!

Have a great day everyone!

Thank you!

2011-03-07T07:30:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to send out a quick thank you to all that visited me during Jenn's Birthday Blog Hop! It was a ton of fun and I appreciate getting all of your wonderful comments. Stop by later today for a new post. :)

Turtles, Turtles, Turtles!

2011-03-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hey, do you like turtles? Well I hope so, because if you join us on this blog hop you are going to have the turtle adventure of a lifetime!!! Why turtles, well because that is the birthday girl- Jennifer Anderson's- fave thing ever! So this hop is to celebrate Jen's birthday.

Here is my card dedicated to the lovely Jenn. Hope you like it birthday girl! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENN!!!!

There are 36 stops, that is right 36! Be sure you hit each one so you have a chance to win all the goodies (must stop at all to be eligable to win). There are lots of prizes! Our sponsors are: Peachy Keen Stamps, Sarah Pink Cricut, Laruen Devalia Stamps, Jill (scrapbook kits) & Your Memories Here (Prima Kits) & grand prize of 2 Cricut cartridges! If that is not enough to get you hopping I don't know what is. Here is the list of all the ladies participating:

1. jenn http://creativearmywife.blogspot.com/

2. LISET http://hailemnat.blogspot.com/

3. kristi http://www.littlepapersprinkles.blogspot.com/

4. erin http://www.spantastikreations.blogspot.com/

5. nicole http://canadiannickelscrapn.blogspot.com/

6. giselle http://crossmyheartpapercrafts.blogspot.com/

7. lauren http://www.laurenscraps.blogspot.com/

8. kristen http://www.pinkldycrafter.blogspot.com/

9.tracy http://luvmybabygirl.blogspot.com/

10.. madison http://www.funkycards.blogspot.com/

11. PAM http://pammejo-scrapbookflair.blogspot.com/

12. kristina http://www.yourmemorieshere.blogspot.com/

13. jess http://www.kinderstampo.com/

14. corri http://www.buglvr.blogspot.com/

15. hailey & rebecca http://www.therockstarbugs.blogspot.com/

16. nicolette http://www.beyondscrapin.blogspot.com/

17. paula http://www.owlbescrappin.com/

18. YOU ARE HERE** katie http://www.kbstamps.blogspot.com/

19. meighen http://scrappin3rdeeschik.blogspot.com/

20. DDscrafts http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/

21. theresa http://www.thescrapbookingqueen.com/

22. jill http://thescrapoholic.blogspot.com/

23. jennifer http://www.craftycardgallery.blogspot.com/

24. shannon www.purplelionpaper.com/blog

25. alina http://neverstopscrapping.blogspot.com/

26. faith http://faithfulecreations.wordpress.com/

27. sandra http://www.365daysofcricut.blogspot.com/

28. Martha http://pattisscrapingtime.blogspot.com/

29. denise http://deesdesignsfrommyheart.blogspot.com/

30. bonnie http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/

31. becky http://beckscricards.blogspot.com/

32. gloria http://gloriasgoofycraftspot.blogspot.com/

33. lisa HTTP://bitbythecricutbug.blogspot.com/

34. jessica http://thatzuneek.blogspot.com/

35.christine http://www.scrapbookingtechnique.blogspot.com/

36. Debbie- http://scrapbydebbie.blogspot.com/

So, make sure you hit Meighen's blog next! Enjoy the hop and thanks for stopping!

Sophisms

2011-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I haven't posted since the blog hop. :( I have really been meaning to, but I just haven't quite gotten to it, but today is the day! (Every time I say today is the day, I want to finish it off my a Finding Nemo quote..."Today is the day! The sun is shining, the tank is clean and were going to get out of....(GASP) the tanks is clean. The tank is clean!" I know, I know, I have watched that movie WAY to many times...)

But before we get to that, I just wanted to share some funny little things my daughter says just for fun. I like to call them Sophisms. There are so many I can't remember most of them, but here are some recent ones:
1) "lightsaver"= little yellow glow stick
2) "m'nees"= M&M's
3) "mingos or mangos"= flamingos

And last but not least, my most recetn favorite:

4) "band-aid head" = headband

So the card I am showing you today was inspired by the colors I used. I wanted to use a couple of different shades of orange (Peach Parfait and Tangerine Tango), brown (Choc Chip), bright blue (Bermuda) and a neutral (White or vanilla). This is how it turned out, not quite as I'd imagined and it took me about 25 minutes just to figure out the right placement of the ribbon and flower (no really, I was having a hard time with this!!!). So it isn't perfect, but I like how the blue stands out and that the birds symbolize moving upward "in the direction of your dreams". I stamped both birds with Bermuda Bay ink, one on BB paper and the other on Bashful Blue so they would stand apart from one another. I enjoyed using my sewing machine to stitch the different orange peices together. What are your thoughts? What could make this better (other than a better picture)? What would you use it for, a graduation, becoming an entrepeneur?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!

Beautiful Buttons Blog Hop

2011-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Denami Designs Beautiful Buttons (any my very first!!!) Blog Hop! I am so excited to be participating in my first blog hop, so much fun! I think you should be excited too because....wait for it...there are prizes! Yep, they are giving away six $20 gift cards to their website!!! Whoo-hooo! All you have to do is leave a comment on each of the blogs to win. You have until 11:59 pm PST on 2/14 to be eligible to win.

Here is the fun card I made for the hop using my little Denami sheepy. :) They have the cutest little stamps, especially all the chicks, make sure to check them out.

You should have come here from Ruza's blog (if not, please go back and make sure to visit her). Next on the list after you've visited me is Melissa so be sure to stop there and leave your comment. If you've just stopped here by chance and want to start at the beginning of the hop go here. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have fun on the hop!

Top 5

2011-02-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

Time is such a funny thing! Often I feel there is never enough time in the day but other times things seem to move much more slowly then I want them too. Maybe it is just what I am doing with my time to much of certain things that I "have" to do and not enough time doing what I "want" to do. Oh well, this is what I've got, so I'll just have to spend it the best way I can right!?!?

There are a few ways that I really love spending my time most. Here is my top five list:
5. Sleeping. I know it seems like a waste, but I am ALWAYS tired, so it feels like a good use of time to me.
4. Reading. A good book is the perfect escape for me when I need it, and it can be done on the bus!
3. Laughing. Laughter is such good medicine, especially when done with friends and family!
2. Crafting. I love stamping and making cards. It is a good escape, creativity heals, AND you can easily spread your creations to others and share the job.

1. Loving. First and foremost on my list is spending time with my family, especially cuddling my hubby and kissing my sweet pea Soph. Poor girl gets so sick of my kisses!

So what are the top 5 things you like to do? Maybe I am missing something I didn't even know was out there!?

While you are here, check out this fun card I made for my friend Jessica for Handmade-Pay-It-Forward-2011. Jess always makes me laugh, she is a fun, bubbly and predictably- unpredictable person. She loves all things bright and enjoys sewing. I think this was the perfect card for her.

Spectrum Stamping

2011-02-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Usually when I am stamping or making cards, my process starts with some product I want to use, like a specific stamp or paper. Last weekend I *REALLY* wanted to make something because I had some free time, but I wasn't feeling all that inspired. What to do?! Well, in the most recent issue of Stamp It! Magazine, they featured some fun techniques and so I decided to try my hand at a little spectrum stamping.

I am not sure if I actually "Spectrum Stamped" in the true sense of the word, but I think you can see there is definitely a band of colors here. When trying to pick out my paper and stamps I went for my Fox & Friends set that hadn't seen the light of day for a while. It was fun to color and cut these little guys and out and stack them on top of one another. Now that I think about it, this might be a good thank you card with some sentiment inside like, "thanks for giving me a lift" or "I can really count on you!", that would be cute. Anyway, here you have it, some funny colored turtles smelling flowers. :)

What's your sign?

2011-01-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

Have you been paying any attention to the news about the 13th planet Ophiuchus (Opi-what?!?!) and possible changes in horoscopes? Well, I've checked it out, not because I take a lot of stock in it, but it is interesting. Although I will say, I do feel that Cancer (yes, I am crabby!!!) fits me well and the potential thought of being a Gemini doesn't site well with me, but I suppose if it were to happen the world woulldn't end! If you do take a lot of stock in it, don't freak out yet! It seems that we here in the Western Hemisphere subscribe to a different astrological theories than the Eastern Hemisphere. Ours correlate with the sun and seasons...blah, blah, blah....so there are no changes to your sign! You can read more about this in a fun newspaper article here.

So today, I have a card for my friend Jan, who was (and still is) born of the age of Aquarius! Are you humming along with me? Jan is a very giving person and has such a big heart. She loves to sew and makes quilts for just about everyone she knows, so I thought this was appropriate. :) When I started with this card it was rough going for me, but I was able to put this together and am happy with it. So here's to you Jan, you are SEW sweet! :)

Mojo Monday 174

2011-01-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

I don't have any turtle stamps, but I realized after I used this pre-stamp image (Thanks Tracey) that I am doing a blog hop in March in which the theme is birthday and turtles. I should have saved this, but oh well, I didn't. I guess that means I'll just have to buy one.....DARN! I made this card using the Mojo Monday 174 sketch. So fun. Thanks and hope you enjoyed your weekend!

What is your favorite color combo?

2011-01-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

I have been out there blurfing (blog surfing) and am enamoured with some of the color combos I find. I am so often stuck inside my little box that I forget to venture outside and then I come upon something fabulous and....BAM! it shakes up my world. It is so fun wonderful to look at the work of others and be inspired. One of the items I am currently covetting is Paper Crafts current color inspiration magazine. Some of these combos have my mouth watering they are so yummy! I haven't yet gotten a copy of this mag, but I will have it, mark my words! Isn't the cover alone to die for?!

So, with that in mind, I have been over at Moxie Fab World playing some of there color combo challenges to try to absorb all the wonderful Moxie Fabness they have to provide. Check it out....

This is the first color combo I came across. I have to be the first to say that this is definitely out of my comfort zone. I look at these colors and I think ooey-gooey valentines and it is instantly too much for me. BUT....all the more reason to see if I can pull of a card with them.

So here is the card I came up with using these colros (or whatever seemed to be closest in my SU! collection)...

The next combo I found was the Jewel tones. Now I LOVE this color combo, but incidentally, it was harder to work with than I thought it would be. ... I think my colors are a little off here as well, but I was doing these from memory so I think I did pretty well.

Last but not least is the metalic combo. I really enjoyed working with this one. This is my fave card of the three as well. I am not sure you can tell from the picture because I still can take a decent photo to save my life. It is all about the lighting, or so they tell me, but I work from O'Dark-thirty am to O'Dark-thirty pm, so not sure how to rectify that. Any way, I think this is a nice color combo and a sweet card for a new baby girl.

So what is your fave color combo of these three? What is your fave color combo period? Do you have go to colors you immediatly pick up? Bop on over to Moxie Fab World and check out these combos and other's for yourself!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Story

2011-01-12T16:31:00.000-08:00

I want to make this post fun and witty, but I don't think that is gonna happen. I am shot right now, 10 hour days are....well...they are looong. See I can't even think of what to say. So as not to bore you with my half-constructed run-on sentences, I just show you the picture of the card I call Love Story. I was in a scrappy kind of mood when I made this one and wanted something a little different from my norm. What do you think or this card and/or this style?

Gray is the New Black

2011-01-11T06:58:00.001-08:00

Hello folks! Just wanted to share a fun card I made for Moxie Fab World's Gray is the New Black Challenge. I was trying to think of a card that I would typically make with black cardstock, ribbon & accessories and then just replacing that with gray instead. I actually put a different twist on it and went with silver rather than gray because I am running low on gray. I think these colors worked out really well together. I love this patterned paper and the bling is a nice touch. This is one of my very fave stamp sets too, I {heart} Greeting Card Kids! This was fun to make and color (I also {heart} coloring, one of my favorite techniques!!!!). Per usual, my photography needs a little work (darn shadow!) This challenge made me realize I need to do a little shopping and I definitely want some gray ink because it looks so cool!

Check out the challenge and tons of other fun stuff on Moxie Fab World. They really are Moxie FAB! Enjoy your day!

Check out the OMC!

2011-01-07T13:55:00.000-08:00

Check out the new Occassions Mini Catalog that is out! There are some fabo sets in there! Can I get a whoop-whoop for Sew Suite please?!

Right now there is an awesome Filled with Love bundle that goes through Jan. 24th and you get the free bitty buttons when you purchase it.

Enjoy browsing!

You are gifted!

2011-01-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for getting philosophical, but I was just musing over the fact that we all have different "gifts" in life. I know this is no new revelation, but it was one of those "ah-ha moments" for me. I've likely had it before and I'll likely have it again, but today I am utterly impressed by the people around me. It is quite extraordinary really and of course what makes the world go round.

For example, I know I am no writter and my blog posts are likely often boring to you (although I entertain myself to no end! Mostly by making fun of myself like I am at this very moment!) but I look at my friend Jill's blog about her life (and her adorable daughter) it always so witty and fun to read! Then I skip over to my friend Tirzah's blog and she is such a charazmatic person! I love her spunk and look at the marvelouz pictures she takes! Then I skip over to Heather's blog on ChicInk and she is making a very sucessful business making beautiful custom wedding invites! Then there are all the friends inbetween, and although they don't have blogs are just as talented in one way or another...Emily the Sculpey Queen, Larry the Fairy, Lindsay who can always make me laugh (LBP- I say, "that would be like if my Aunt said to me....: and you say, "Um... that would be EXACTLY like that, because it is what I just said!") Krista who continually spreads the MN (Minesotta Nice) and so many more!!!! All the while, blog after blog, person after person, I am thinking to myself, "I wish I could do that!" and then I realize, I can't do everything and be everything, that is the whole point and why every one of us is unique in this world.

So today, I dedicate this post to all you wonderful talented people out there! This is for the ones I am lucky enough to know and those who I have yet to meet. Thank you for being you!

Another Happy New Year & Occassions Box

2010-12-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Just wanted to show you a few more items I've made with my new beloved stamp set Nature Walk! I can't seem to get enough of this set! This set will be coming out in SU!'s Occassions Mini Catalog, which starts on Jan. 4th, as will the paper featured in the box called Botanical Gazette.

First, I have some New Years cards for my friend Rachel. These colors were just so nice together for me and I love the flower stamp in this set, with the blue it reminds me of a Forget-Me-Not. Rachel is easy to make stuff for, beacause she just lets me do what I want, creative license! Thanks Rach! You'll note I used the same embossing folder (Elegant Lines) that I used on my last card, this is another item I can't seem to get enough of.

Next is an Occassions Box for another friend's mom. This box is bigger than the Birthday Boxes and can hold full cards. Inside are 7 card categories picked out by Carissa (my friend) ranging from birthday to anniversary and a cooresponding card filed in the section. The main Designer Series Paper and color scheme were also picked by Carissa. Now you'll note that "forget-me-not" flower again, it works with the motif and the colors and from that I was inspired to call this "Shirley's Forget-Me-Not Box". So fun, I really enjoyed making this! What's more is that I get to submit this to Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 62. My colors aren't exact, but very close. I always love to play along with Stac when I get the chance, her challenges are so fun!

Thanks friends, hope you enjoy as well. Happy New Year!

Happy New Year and OMC Sneak Peak

2010-12-21T14:49:00.000-08:00

I know that sometimes there is a little slump after the Holidays are over, maybe because not big celebrations are coming up. Well I am here to tell you different. This New Years you have a whole new Occassions Mini Catalog (OMC) to look forward to! YEAH! I have to tell you, having seen it already, it is a beaut and there are some fun things in there. I'd like to give you a little sneak peak of a set from the OM called Nature Walk. This set is very elegant and beautiful, a bit of a vintage-chic thing going on. Here is a card I am making for an upcoming swap with this set.

Thanks for stopping. Have a wonderful holiday AND a Happy New Year!

Still searching for that perfect gift?

2010-12-15T09:35:00.000-08:00

Well look no further! I have a few of these delightful birthday boxes left and I just put them up on my new Etsy Page!!! :)

These are the perfect gift for anyone who likes to remember birthdays and be organized. This cute and fun hinged tin is bright and adds a nice touch to the home decor in any room! The best part, it is useful too! Inside you'll find a filing system from January - December. Behind each tab are index cards on which you can write the persons name, birthday, likes, dislikes and what gift you gave them the year before.

I still have a bit more uploading to do, but you can expect more of these boxes and other items on my Etsy Page in the days to come.

Please let me know if you have any questions! Happy Holidays!

Update 12/16/10- added another birthday box. For some reason it took me about 4 tries to get a decent photo! Anyway, I love these little monkey's, so fun, and the colors remind me of a young gril- a tween! :)

All I want for Christmas is...

2010-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

Do you know that song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"? So funny! I think being a mother has made me sillier. Are all parents dorks or does that just run in my family?

That is one of the things I love about being a mom, it is so exciting to experience things for the first time again! Of course it isn't my first Christmas, or time seeing Santa, but watching my daughter's reaction for the first time is priceless. It is so fun to see her get all excited! Sophie keeps asking me, "Can we decorate the tree again?!" :)

My little one is shy though, doesn't like strangers. Takes to strange men even less than women. This is all good in "stranger-danger" land, but she wanted to go see Santa for the first time this last weekend. Hoever,, she wasn't quite up to the task when we got there..... look at her traumatized face! Poor girl didn't know what to think and didn't say one word to jolly old St. Nick! Ah well, I am sure he gets that alot.

So with that fun little tale, just wanted to share some Season's Greetings cards I made for my friend Sarah. I just love this non-traditional color combo (Poppy Parade and Bashful Blue). I also love that little bird with the star stamp, I can't seem to get enough of it. :) This is a versatile card that can work for any denomination.

OK, thanks for stopping by, I'll try not to be a stranger and post more. Before that I'll try to get some cards made, I haven't done MY holiday cards yet!!!

Happy Holidays!

Sneak Peak of FHCRC Craft Fair!

2010-12-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big craft fair i was telling you about earlier in the week. I am super excited and really hope it goes well. I feel like I have a good stock of stuff (I could always have more but...) so it should be good. Here are some of the items I'll be selling:

Birthday Boxes- don't know what this is, go back to this post here.

Pendants/necklaces

Cards & Card Bundles

Reindeer & Snowman Poop Treat Bags
Coffee Cup Cozies/Sleeves

and more!

I've include a few pictures of cards that will be in bundles for purchasing. :) Don't forget to come visit me 9am - 3pm, 900 Fairview Ave. N, Seattle! Remember that a portion of proceeds goes to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient Family Services Fund!

Happy Hanukkah!

2010-12-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

Did you know today is the start of Hannukah?! It seems really early this year, but maybe that is because time flies I am not sure. I didn't even know it was popping up until one of my co-workers asked me to make her some Hanukkah cards. Last year I did these as part of my custom made holiday cards, but I used my one Hanukkah stamp and didn't want to use it again so didn't do those cards this year. So when my co-worker asked I had to come up with something quick. I found this birthday stamp and it worked perfectly! What do you think? I veered a little away from traditional colors because I didn't want them to be the same as last year. Do you celebrate Hanukkah? If so, what other images and colors do you see on your Hanukkah cards?

Happy Hanukkah All!!!

Shop for a good cause this week!

2010-11-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

Hey Ya'll! Come visit me at the FHCRC Craft Fair this week on Friday, December 3rd, it's open to the public! A portion of proceeds go to benefit the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient Family Services Fund.

Address is: 900 Fairview Ave. N, Seattle 98109.

Hope to see you there!

50% off and FREE shipping?! .....one week only

2010-11-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

Check out all the awesome stuff you can get here. My digital Studio for 50% off- Amazing, Extravagent, SPECTACULAR!!!

One week only, so check it out ASAP.

Cheers!

The perfect Holiday gift...

2010-11-17T08:39:00.000-08:00

...for YOU!!!

Stampin' Up! is currently offering their starter kit at 50% off!!! For only $87.50 you can get $310 dollars worth of merchandise.

Don't want to be a demonstrator??? That's the beauty, you don't have to be! You can simply get the starter kit and your obligation ends there! OR you can start a lovely new business and reap the rewards. Either way, YOU choose!

If your significant other or family is pestering you for a Christmas list, this is the perfect item and such a great deal!
This offer runs through November 30th!

Please see the attached flyer and/or contact me for more details.

A little pick me up!

2010-11-16T13:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes life can be hard. We've all experienced this right?! Well my family is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, a bump in the road if you will. I try to be an optimist, (or realist if you prefer) and figure that in one way or another everything will work out. But there are moments that it is hard to see that through all the muck in front of you, know what I mean? I was having that day a few days ago and I had mentioned something on facebook and my friend Jackie said to me, "I am so sorry, Katie. You know we can completely relate....It's so hard. But there will be good...it just will take time or creativity or both to see it all! Hugs!"

Well of course Jackie's wisdom was/is right on both figuratively and litteraly! I may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now, but I know it is there and things will work out...and I truely do believe this. But that isn't all, what I needed was a little "creativity" and it was the perfect pick me up! Now this may not have been exactly what Jackie meant, and it may not have solved all my problems, but I can tell you that it certainly made me feel better! That is what I love so much about papercrafting, it is a perfect escape! When I get to craft I get to put some of those other troubles behind me. Sometimes for an hour or two or maybe just 15 minutes, but getting out of my head is golden! Even better is that I made Christmas Cards, which happens to be my very favorite holiday!

Who knows if we'll be able to afford gifts for the entire family this year, but meanwhile, I have all these papercrafting supplies on hand and I can make gifts. I imagine these one of a kind, hand made gifts will be truely meaningfull, especially in these circumstances. So, I remind myself (and you) these three life lessons: 1. everything will work out for the best 2. creativity heals and 3.the holidays are about being together and when giving gifts it is the thought behind the gift that is truely meaningful.

Hoping you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Birthday Decor

2010-11-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

If you get my newsletter then you know last week I promised to show all the decorations I made for my little Sophie's 3rd birthday party. It is Hello Kittyrific! So, I made a little collage to show you all the fun things that were up at the party.

We had so much fun! Sophie and her friends loved playing in the adventure zone at the YMCA. When we stopped them for cake, their little faces looked just like beets!!!

I did attempt to make Hello Kitty cake pops but failed miserably. After 2 hours of trying I decided cupcakes would do just fine, and they did! I've since looked at the cake pops book and I think there is more to it than I initially thought, and it helps to thoroughly read instructions.... something I am not to good at... so I might try them again, we'll see.

Oh, and you'll note that I included her halloween picture, yep, she was HK! It is so much easier to bundle these things together when they are so close! :)

Happy Tuesday!

In search of a new home...

2010-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have a whole lot of used stamp sets (and a few other items that are looking for a new home! Maybe you could be the lucky one?! I have listed names and prices of each item, but feel free to make me an offer. However, prices don't include shipping, that will be calculated and added. Ink pads are $2/each (a few are unopened). Email me if you are interested- katieannbrooks@gmail.com!

Mini Messages- $8

Picture This (Clear Mount)- $5

Best Wishes & More- $12

A Happy Heart- $10

New Beginnings- $7

Sprinkles- $5

Of the Earth (new unmounted)- $7

Going out in style- $7

Patterened Pines- $5

Very Thankful- $5

Amazing to Zany??- $20

~~Doodle This- $12-~~ SOLD

~~Birthday Bliss (New unmounted)- $7-~~ SOLD

~~Scary Skeleton- $5-~~ SOLD

Things I love- $7

Mr Twigster- $7

Hello Again- $7

God's Beauty (new unmounted)- $8

Good Neighbor (clear mount)- $8

Ink Pads- $2 each

Barely Banana

Blue Bliss

Mauve Mist

Ruby Red

More Mustard

Lavendar Lace

Green Galore

Mellow Moss

Almost Amethyst

Pixie Pink

Yo-Yo Yellow

Heat Tool- $15

Who coined it?

2010-10-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

Did you ever wonder who coined the term "back-seat driver"? Well I tell you, I never really wondered who, but I am quickly learning how the term came about. It does seem pretty obvious that a back-seat driver would be someone attempting to drive from the back-seat. However, I've always equated it with my spouse or someone in the passenger seat, so really a "passenger-seat driver." No more! I now have an official back seat driver! The comedic part is that she isn't even 3 yet and doesn't know the rules of the road!

Yep, my little Soap Suds (as I call her) is the new queen of the car! She sits in her car seat in the middle of the back and instructs my husband and I how to drive. When she sees a red light...even if we aren't to it yet and the other cars are hundreds of yards in front of us, she yells, "STOP!!! It's a red light!!!" All the while her whole body is shaking...dramatic much?!!! Or alternately, she'll tell us to "Go! Go! Go!" when the light is green despite the fact that the cars in front of us haven't moved yet. Yes, my dramatic little toddler thinks she knows the rules of the road. Most of the time it is funny and entertaining....can't wait until she is old enough to drive herself (yeah right)!!!! Why did she have to learn about green, yellow and red lights in school?! I mean really, why does she have to learn anything?! ;)

So while I don't know who coined the term "back-seat driver", I am pretty sure it is because they were driven mad by their 3 year old constantly shouting directions from the back seat of the car!!! :) And what does that have to do with today's card? NOTHING, I just wanted to share my funny Sophism with you.

This card is for a friend who is taking a new job. I cased the basic layout from Jackie's ever so lovely card, which you can find here. Thanks Jackie!

Have a great day!

Custom Made Holiday Cards- Order Now!

2010-10-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am offering custom made holiday cards again this year. Here are the details on what/how to get them:

Things to remember:
• 10 cards & envelopes per box
• One design per box
• Choose from 3 designs (below)
• Order in bulk and receive 10% off additional boxes after first box

Prices:

• $20/box

• $38/2 boxes- 20 cards (up to 2 designs)
• $56/3 boxes- 30 cards (up to 3 designs)

*prices do not include shipping, if this is needed you will also have to pay this fee, if you are local (King/Snohomish Co.) we can arrange for pick up.

Orders accepted until November 25, 2010. Cards delivered by December 15, 2009

Please contact me if you are interested- katieannbrooks@gmail.com

Getting my grump on....

2010-10-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, this afternoon I am getting my grump on. Not sure why. Maybe I am just gearing up for Halloween, I hadn't planned a costume, but I see a witch in my future.... :) Seriously though, I came here and thought that my little blog might cheer me up. Hello little blog, it has been a while.

So lets talk ghouls and goblins. I don't think I have ever been a huge halloween fan as an adult. I mean of course I liked it as a kid as any kid who loves candy does, but as I got a little older I thought much less of it.

However, since my Soph's came, I have been much more interested in the holiday. One reason is likely that her birthday falls just a few days after Halloween but I think it is also just soooo fun to dress her up. I just love seeing how happy she gets when she picks out her "special pumpkin" or picks what she wants to dress up as for the holiday. I have also discovered, that after Christmas, this is my second favorite holiday to decorate the house for. Not sure why, maybe it is the fun combo of colors that really pop, but it so fun.

In the last few weeks I have been working on a decoration of my own for the house. It is an accordian album of last halloween. Soph and her friend dressed up and trick or treating as well as the trip to the pumpkin patch. It was fun to make and is even more fun to look at. Here are the accordian pages one by one, front and back.....but....my camera battery is dead, :( How about I post those tomorrow...

Grumpily Yours,

Thank you, can you ever say it enough?

2010-10-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was working on 25 thank you cards that a friend commissioned me to make. (It is hard to tell here, but the color behind the flower is Concord Crush, as is the greeting, the color of the card is the retired Apricot Appeal. And I took the pic crooked-doh!) He is transitioning jobs (same organization, different projecct) and wanted to give all the people who had helped him throughout the current job at thank you. I thought about what a wonderful thing he was doing acknowledging his appreciation. Honestly, I don't think there can ever be too many thank you's in the world, you just can say it enough.

Right now this is especially true in my life as I am trying to teach my toddler about using manners. I am generally pretty good about saying please and thank you anyway, but I want to set a good example for her. So I am being extra dilligent and saying thank you, even for the smallest things. In turn that those around me are more willing to help and/or contribute when they receive the praise. Makes sense doesn't it?! And really it makes everyone feel better! So....saying thank you is a good thing.

Now I want to THANK ALL OF YOU for visiting my blog and leaving encouraging comments! If I never received feedback, I might not blog any more, but you do so I do! We're all happy! :) THANKS AGAIN!!!!

Happy World Card Making Day!!!!

2010-10-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!! I love WCMD! Honestly, I just love making cards and I think every day should be a celebration of that, but why not have a special day too!

I was over at the Paper Crafts Connection blog this am and I was really struck by what they said about friends and family. They pointed out that no matter how different we think we are from other people there are still some things are the same and bring us together. Such as....people all around the world making cards on the same day for people they love. What a wonderful insight! Think about it, even if there is someone you know you don't have much in common with....well, maybe they are out there making a card right now and that can bridge the gap! Pretty awesome if you think about it. Anyway, so what's the message, make friends, we are all the same on some level, even if we don't see it. :)

So with that, I'll give you a card I made dedicated to friends. Have a wonderful day out there friends!

Tomorrow is World Card Making Day

2010-10-01T11:52:00.000-07:00

so what are you doing? huh? huh? huh? I am gonna spend some time crafting for sure and you can come back and see my WCMD blog post. Check it, I am on the WCMD blog tour!

Clean and Simple

2010-09-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

Not much to blog about today but wanted to show you the second project we made at Amy's party- this clean and simple card. Hope you Enjoy!

S{ick}?

2010-09-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

No? Well I have been sick! I hate it when I get sick on the weekend, it seems so unfair that life should play out that way. Hello, the work week would be ideal! :) I was thinking about it and it made me think of the SU! set Word Play. Click Here to check it out. Umm...so cute, why don't I own this yet?!

Anyway, enough whining (for now) but I was sick this weekend and I was supposed to demonstrate for Amy's SU! workshop. She had 10 ladies coming and I didn't feel like I could just back out of that last minute (uncool) so we went ahead and did it on Sunday night. Even worse, poor Amy was sick too! She really didn't show it though, quite the trooper! I, on the other hand, was fumbly and jittery and sweaty alll over. Sorry Ladies!

Through out the night we made two projects. We started with an easy but fun birthday card. Then we moved onto these more advanced bad boys! What do you think? I love this new candy wrapper die! I have to admit, it took me a while to get how to close the wrapper, but I think I have it now. I'd like to thank Barb Mullikin for that, I watched her video tutorial to help me get the swing of things. You can check her video out here. These are just samples and don't have anything in them, but still cute, so I plan to leave them out as part of my halloween decor. :)

Feeling like I am feeling better now, hope Amy is soon to follow!

Blowin' in the wind

2010-09-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you are a leaf just blowing in the wind? You think you are going North and then a big Eastern wind comes and whoops, you've switched directions! It happens to me all the time! Or at other times, I think I have found some resolve in something and then out of the blue something happens that changes my mind. Yesterday in fact, I thought for sure I didn't have a sleep disorder, but now my MS doc wants me to investigate it further before ruling it out. Or like the time my husband and I decided we were moving to my home town to be closer to our family, that was a hard decision to come to! In the end though, when we didn't find jobs right away, we didn't go and then lost our enthusiasm. At this point if we wanted to consider it again, we'd have to decide all over, basically, go through the entire rigamarole again! This brings a couple things to mind, first, never say never and second, the only thing that is certain is change.

Anyway, enough of my philosophical drivel right. I was just thinking about that because of my MD. apt yesterday AND the image of blowing in the wind goes nicely with the card I wanted to show you today. :)This was one of my non-traditional baby card entries for papercraft mag that didn't get picked. I wasn't sure, to be honest, if this qualified as non-traditional colors because there was so much blue, but I went for it anyway and it was fun to make. I really enjoyed using the cloud paper!

I'll end with a quote from Queen, "Anyway the wind blows, doesn't really matter to me....to me."

Happy Hump Day to all you worker bees out there!

If at first you don't succeed.....

2010-09-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

..try again! You know that old saying right?! I think it is so true don't you?!

Recently, I have been trying to get something published in a card/craft magazine. I have yet to succeed, but I am not giving up hope that one day (even if I am 90 years old!!!) I will eventually get something published. Call me an optimist! :) For me, it is fun to have a goal like this because it encourages me to do my best work and/or try new things. Now occassionally I get let down, but in the end it is really fun to have created and accomplished something!

Since I started papercrafting, I have participated in a lot of challenges (sketch challenges, color challenges, etc.). Some were for the fun of it and some were to try to win a prize. Either way, I keep trying and looking back, I realized how far I have come. Evidence of this is in some of my very first blog posts, like this one here. Now there is nothing wrong with that little lion card, but you'll note that I am using more techniques and embelishements now, my style has changed over time and I feel, I am better at making cards and paper crafting. (I hope you agree- grin!) So, just remember that if you are feeling down or having a rough day, you can ALWAYS try again!

Here is one of my latest attemps at a few non-traditional baby cards (not using blue and pink as the main focus). The black sheep has flocking powder on him and it was my first time using that. I want to note that I made the fence using my tiny tags punch. I got the idea from Jackie Wright quite a while back, here is her post. Thanks Jackie! You know you rock sister, no matter what state you live in! ;)

Holiday Hoopla

2010-09-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, still one of those! If you don't know what I am referring to, see yesterday's post here. Anyway, does it make it a little better that I am plannning for Christmas already if I use non-traditional colors? Well honestly, althought I've started planning for it, I haven't been able to bring myself to purchase DSP/paper in the red and green color scheme yet. I guess you could say I am not fully committed.

So here is my card, using that fun set Holiday Hoopla. I tried to keep it clean and simple. Still fun though, I love using the bling at the top of the hat.

One more item of note, my entire condo community is having a garage sale this weekend in Edmonds, WA. I myself will be sellilng a lot of retired SU! stamps and other items. If you are interested, send me an email and I'll send you the address.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Yep, I am one of those...

2010-09-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

It is funny, I was always one of those people that hated that by late summer they were already advertising Halloween and even more that as soon as Halloween ended they were starting on Christmas! I was always appauled thinking it was all about the money and no one really cared about the holidays and spirit, etc. Then, I started making more cards, and scrapbooking, etc....yes, you can see where I am going with this... Now I know that to get anything done, I have to start SUPER early or it ain't gonna happen! So now, I am one of them! THE HORROR!

Speaking of horror...that is totally appropriate for the halloween card I am showing today! Do you ever get tired of my corny jokes and comments?! It's OK if you do, to be honest I do too! :) Anyway, last night when I was blurfing I saw this sketch over on Mercy's blog. It is super fun, I love the circle and the squigglies in the lower left, so I decided to play with it. Mercy's card was a halloween card, so cute, and so I thought (feel free to imagine me with a little light bulb lighting up over my head), "I should break out my new super cute set from the Holiday Mini- Fang-tastic!" So here you have it, my halloween card in early September. I am officially, 100% one of those people! :)

Now if you think that is bad, DON'T come back tomorrow, cause I plan to post a Christmas card I made earlier this week! Let the Holiday Season begin!

Friday Fun

2010-09-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Heya! How about a quick little bit of fun for this Friday afternoon? Well here is a card I made a few weeks back. My only thought when I decided to make this was to use these numbers. I have had them sitting around for a year or two and haven't touched them (can you say hoarder). So I thought what the heck and I was really loving this color combo too, so bright and fun! So here she is, my fun little birthday card. In my ideal world I have something to put after 8 that says... "OLD"....hehehehehehe! :)

So why don't you have a little Friday Fun, make something birthday themed or something with these colors:

Lavendar Lace (not current)

Perfect Plum

Bashful Blue

Whisper White

Regal Rose (or Cameo Coral retired)

Please forgive my ghetto job getting the color samples on here! :)

Happy Friday Ya'll!

chitter chatter

2010-09-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hi! You aren't going to get a lot of chitter chatter out of me today, too busy. I am sure for some of you this is sad and for some of you a relief! :) I'll be happy to hear if you are missing me, but not if you aren't, so as the saying goes, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!" :) :) J/K!

Anyway, just a quick post about something I made for my fun neighbor Karen a week or so ago. She let me borrow some taco seasoning one night (I was having one of my gourmet chef nights- ha!), so I had to return the favor. :)

This fun little holder, it says, "is it hot in here or is it just me?". I tried to make a little western on the front, although you can't really see the cowboy boots very well in this pic. On the inside I put the packet of taco seasoning and crossed out the word mild and replaced it with hot below. It is dorky, but fun, at least for me. I was thinking she could reuse it and put something fun inside for her husband. ;) What is something hot, western, fun and romantic for a spouse??? How about a pepper dipped in chocolate?!

Tuesday Trigger

2010-09-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, it isn't Tuesday! In fact, even though it is Thursday it is MY Friday because I don't have to work tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!! Did I mention I was excited? :D So...it doesn't really matter what day of the week it is, today I am showing you my response to last weeks Tuesday Trigger from Moxie Fab World. They are a branch of from Paper Crafts Blog (Paper Crafts Connection) and if you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend you do. They have had some great interviews and articles this week, including Tim Holtz and some awesome pencil carving art... I am sorry, but can I get a HOLY COW on that...(insert your Holy Cow here).... that is carved into the freakin' tip of a pencil!!!!! That is incredible! Err....back to the topic at hand. So here is the Tuesday Trigger pic from last week entitled "Light and Bright".

The object here is to make something inspired by this picture. Now when I hear light and bright, I think of clean and simple. So I took that notion and combined it with Taylored Expressions TEC126 Challenge. Here is the card that I came up with below, just simple and fun, light and bright. Whaddoyathink? Happy Friday...I mean Thursday ya'll!!!!

It's a wrap!

2010-08-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well I don't know about you, but every January (or December if I am on the ball!) I get my next year's calendar and start transfering information. In particular, I transfer all the important dates from one year to another, like anniversaries and birthdays, etc. I can tell you, that since my sweet little bambino has arrived (...I am referring to my almost three year old...) I have been slacking off in this department. Actually, maybe slacking off isn't the right term...it is more like nodding off (at the breakfast table & dinner table) cause I am pooped! Either way, I haven't been getting all those dates transfered and low an behold, I'll remember someone's birthday a few scant days before the grand event (that's on a good day, sometimes I remember after- frown). Now, let me take a moment to note that if this has happened to you, please don't take it personally, it isn't about you, I just can't keep my head on straight. Honestly, sometimes I can't remember where my phone is when it is in my hand! (Did I tell you about the time I locked myself out of house and car with out shoes?! Now that is a funny story!) So please don't despair! The good, no GREAT news is that I have devised a system so not to forget anymore, at least as far as birthday's are concerned. GO ME!

Drumroll please......Here is my Birthday Box!!!! This fun little box, which hopefully is bright enough that I won't loose it...heh, is my little filing system to remember birthday's. Inside there is a series of "files" by month, and behind each month some index cards to put a list of birthday's that fall with in that month. Now, granted, I still have to go in and look each month, but I never have to transfer the information again!!! I only have to add birthday's as new wonderful people come into my life. So, I am hoping get this index cards populated and the box full so I can remember YOU and YOUR birthday.

That's a wrap folks, thanks for stopping!!!

Before and After

2010-08-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

I know I already said this in the post below, but sometimes a little tinkering is just what you need to make a card how you want it.

Check out my card from before on the left, aka. my first draft (pervious post) and my second/final draft on the right. Which one do you think is better?

Not only do I think the second/final draft is better, I did a better job with my lighting and the image looks better. I guess the lesson here is that if at first you don't succeed, try again!!! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

who done it?! Updated 8/27

2010-08-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Updated 8/27 to add: So do you ever look at your card one night and think that is what you wanted and then wake up the next morning and frown and say to yourself, "what was I thinking?!" I do it ALL the time! I just like to think of it like writing a paper, this is just my first draft. Many time's the cards I make change in one way or another from the original either before or after I post. Well, this card was no exception. Aside from the color being off in the photo, I decided I didn't like the bottom half of the card. I made some updates the next day, but have yet gotten to take a photo (hopefully a better quality one!) to show you. Check back tomorrow, because I plan to have the update of this and one other project posted.

So remember how I told you it was my upcoming anniversary last week? Well, it has come and gone and we had such a fun time on Argosy Murder Mystery Dinner Cruise. If you get the chance and live locally, you really should try it. Now I won't boast about the food, pretty mediocre, but the entertainment was great! It was full of fun audience participation and theories about who done it! Now, had I known (I am sure I got an email from them but it likely went straight to my junk mail) I would have signed up my husband to be a particpant (aka murder suspect!!!!!). If we ever go again, I'll be doing that for sure, it will be worth a giggle. :) Anyway, check out the lovely flowers the sweet man bought me.... Pike Place Market, best place in town for flowers, we even bought wedding flowers there...aren't they beautiful?!

So I was checking this gorgeous arangement out and admiring the nice color combo there. Definitely a fall ensemble, although you could use it for spring/summer too. So I decided to whip up a fun card wtih some fall flair. I just L-O-V-E this stamp set, Greeting card kids, it is so much fun to color and the varous kiddos for various occassions, one of my faves. Anyway, this was fun to make and enjoyed using this color combo. (Sorry the card is a little blurry, I was in a rush to get out the door this am, but wanted to have a pic to post). What do you think this combo would be good for? What would you make with it?

Regarding last weeks post- Whooooo do you love? I'll be sending owl cards out to the three lovely ladies who left me comments:

Betty
Tib
Monika

Please send it to me your addresses so I can get you some owl cards in the mail (Tib I have yours already).

Thanks and have a great day.

Happy Anniversary to my hubby!

2010-08-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my 4th wedding anniversary! Go me, go hubby, go us! We've been together for 7 years now, not forever, but quite a while, and guess what? I still love my hubby!!!! :) Tonight we are going on that cruise I mentioned in my last post. With the tot around (referring to my kid here) we haven't done much celebrating of our anniversary over the last three years (no time, no money), so this one feels extra special and I am very excited to go on a date with my love.

I didn't, however, make my hubby a card. Am I a bad wife?!? :( I hope you don't think so. I've come to learn that cards really aren't my hubby's thing and they aren't fully appreciated. After 7 years together, I have finally get this (no I am not a slow learner! wink). But even more importantly, I've learned not to take it personally or be offended by it, if my husband isn't into cards, that isn't about me. I love my man for who he is and I can appreciate that it isn't his thing and that is OK. I think, (and hope you agree) that is a sign of a good marriage; we understand eachother and love one another unconditionally just as we are. :)

I will, however, show you the card "Sophie" made for Daddy for father's day this year, since I didn't get that one up at the time. Even though I have learned cards aren't his thing, I still get some joy out of making them for him from time to time. I know he loves this one, cause he loves that little bambino with all his heart. :) :) We are some lucky ladies in the Brooks-Welch household!

ps- don't forget to leave a comment below and I'll send you an owl card. :)

Whooooo do you love?

2010-08-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hi peeps! How are you today? I am quite good today, enjoying my day and accomplishments. I am also looking forward to celebrating my 4th anniversary on Friday- whoohoo! :) My husband and I are taking an Argosy Murder Mystery Cruise on the Puget Sound and it comes with a 5 course meal! Sounds like a fun night to me! I haven't done one of those type of things before, who knows, maybe I'll be the murderer! :) I don't know if that is how it works but I know there is some audience participation....looking forward to it.

So, with my upcoming anniversary, I know who I love, my hubby, on the forefront of my mind, but also my daughter and the rest of my family and friends. Although this card wasn't made for my anniversary, any of those people or special occassion (it was made for a shoe box swap I did a few weeks back) I think it is appropriate for the topic don't you? Did you notice the sentiment, "Happy thoughts make for Happy days", perfect ! So leave me a comment and tell me whoooo you love and why or what you love about my card and just maybe... I'll send one of you an owl card of your very own! :D

PS- in case you are wondering this is the new Two Step Extra Large Owl punch from the 2010-2011 SU! catty and the Play Date DSP- perfect together!

Shiver me timbers!

2010-08-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous weekend it was in the Seattle area! Quite hot actually, but lovely. This summer has been very short (wtih a late start this year), so I am taking all I can get as far as sunny days go.

We enjoyed ourselves with a lot of fun outdoor activities this weekend. On Friday, Sophie my friend Emily and I went to the Taste of Edmonds. Quite fun. Sophie got herself a new pair of butterfly wings and looked so cute walking around in them. She is normally shy, but she was really enjoying Emily's company and prefered holding her hand to mine on the walk back to the car- humph! :) Sunday was all about playing in the Seattle Center Fountain, always a winner. Saturday, however, was the favorite for Sophie because she got to go to her little friend Ayden's birthday party.

The party was Pirate Themed- Arrrrrrr! Shiver me timbers there was a lot of food and fun. The kiddos spent most of the time playing in the small inflatable pool or running through the sprinklers. Ayden got a lot of booty at that party! I am pretty sure he didn't know what to do with all his treasures. It is so funny when they are that young (he was turing 2) because you help them open presents and they want to sit there and play with it, meanwhile you seem to be rushing them onto the next, they must be thinking, "but I want to play with that toy." :) Here is the card I made for Ayden. I know, not pirate themed, but I don't have any pirate stamps...a real shame, I should get some....wink! The helicoptor is pretty darn fun though if you ask me.

So it was a fun filled weekend, with lot friends, sun and tasty treats. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as well! Toodles!

whoa.....

2010-08-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

This is some fabo looking blog candy- hope I win!

Sunrise

2010-08-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to quickly share with you another of my almost, almost Artisan projects, this one is a 12X12 scrap page featuring my daughter entitled Sunrise. The journaling says, "Every day when you look up at me, it feels like the sun rising. My future feels warm and bright. I love you Sophie girl!" I really enjoyed making this fun page and love the bright colors. Thanks for stopping today!

I'm Stylin'!

2010-08-09T07:24:00.000-07:00

Well, if you know me at all, you know that probably isn't true. Not so stylin', really more frumpy mom, but I embrace it! :D But....at least my blog is now STYLIN' thanks to Nancy!!! She gave me this fun little blog award. If you want to have a good time, you should go read her post about being a stylin' mom, so funny! She's at Crafting My World. Thanks Nancy!

So now I am supposed to tell you 5 stylin' things about myself....why so many???? Heh! OK, um....

1. I'll quote Nancy here, "my style philosphy says that you can be stylish and practical at the same time (machine washability, hair styles that hide a bit of banana or cereal where the baby has grabbed my hair as we run out the door, cute low or no heel shoes, etc.)"

2. I love a pedicure, nice sparkly toes make me happy!

3. Accessorize! Use super cute earrings or other accessories (these draw the eyes away from the banana in the hair).

4. Eye cream & concealer, wonderful at hiding the dark circles under my eyes.

5. Finally, if I can't look cute, you can be darn sure my kid will look adorable! At least one of us will look cute and then you'll know where all my effort went. :)

Now to pass this privledge on to a few other bloggers I know:

Sam at A Latte Stampin- Sam has a lot of fun flair in her blog and she's cute ta' boot!

Jackie Stamps for Fun- probably every reward I have ever gotten I have passed onto Jackie, she and her blog are both so great!

Stacey's Stampin Stage- Just go and look and you'll know why I picked her. :)

Tiffany @ It's the stuff I love- This gal makes some amazing creations, truly inspiring!

Kay over at Robin Egg Ribon- A great blog name and great stuff.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you picked up a few stylish tips that will help you out there! HA! :)

Mojo Curtain Call

2010-08-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

Pretty pooped tonight, but I wanted to get this card up this week. As you know I did the Mojo Monday challenge last week but didn't get the post up in time. So I am going for it this week. My card is using this layout from Mojo Monday #150 and this color combo from Stacey's Stamping Stage's Curtain Call, Act 41.

Sorry so brief tonight but hope you enjoyed! I will say that this stamp from the set Friends Never Fade and this new embossing folder are among my faves, so you can plan on seeing them again. Nighty, night!

Traditions

2010-08-06T08:07:00.000-07:00

When I was a child, we often made summer trips to the Oregon Coast. One of my favorite memories is visiting the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Festival. I recall seeing a sand sculpture of a pig, arms in the air, riding a rollercoaster called Hog Wild! Another of a frog and a toad playing a violin and cello. So many amazing sand sculptures and so many lovely memories flitting about in the back of my mind. :) Other years we simply went to another beach and flew kites, searched for shells or had fires on the beach. All of those trips are pleasant memories for me, experiences I want to share with my daughter.

Now, as an adult, each year for the last 10 years, I have been meeting my mother on the Oregon Coast for her birthday. It isn't always Cannon Beach, often it is Lincoln City, which is a little less charming as far as the town goes, but they have some perks of their own. Since the millenium (good old Y2K), they have been leaving glass floats on the beach for people to find, much like and easter egg hunt. They are so beautiful and my mother is obsessed with them (and all things beach related)! So for her birthday, since that year, we have gone to hunt for these floats.

I have to tell you that my mother, now 62, is tireless in her combing of the beach. She has been known to drive us to walk 14 miles down the beach searching for these floats, sometimes as early as 5 am (this is when she believes the "float fairies" are out hiding floats) in rain and sometimes sleet and hail. We often "march", picking up trash (to appease the float fairies- wink!) all the while grumbling, but really it is fun and the reward is so sweet, just look at these beautiful creations! It is always a fun trip!

I just wanted to share with you another of my Artisan Projects (yes, the ones I didn't turn in...). This is a scrap page of my daughter, entitled Traditions. The inspiration for the layout of this page page came from one of her shirts, it is just like this, bright yellow with flowers that are these colors. So fun and cute, for a little one at least...we all know there is no way I could get away with wearing something like that! It was a lot of punching and cutting ot make all these flowers and grass, but totally worth it!

The picture of my daughter is one my mom took last March during our annual trip, at Cannon Beach. (I should stop to say that if you haven't been to Cannon Beach, OR you should consider it, a lovely little paradise!) Sophie, soon to be three, is now sharing in the tradition and creating her own happy memories. I feel so lucky to be able to share this with her. This scrapbook page represents those fun times and memories and our family tradition.

Thanks for stopping in, have a great day!

Almost, Almost Artisan

2010-08-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

If you are a blurfer, you know that everyone is out there who's an SU! demo is showing you their projects submitted for the Artisan Award. Whether they actually won the Artisan or are Almost Artisans there are some amazing projects out there! Well, I didn't officially enter (as you may remember I was having a terrible time with my last 3D project) but why not share with you my Almost, Almost Artisan projects. :) Actually, you have already seen a few of these although you may not have known it, there were a couple of cards I displayed here and here.

This one was one of my scrapbook page submissions. My friend Jason generously allowed me to use pictures of them from their second honeymoon in Paris. The pictures were a little dark, but I think this page turned out pretty great. I love the layout and color combo! I was going to make a duplicate of this page to give to them, but since I never submitted I gave them the original. Actually I gave it to my friends wife, knowing full well that a male wouldn't fully appreciate it, and she adored it! Glad to have done it and it was fun to see the joy on her face.

While I am here I should show you my card for last Monday's Mojo Sketch 149. I failed to get it up (posted) in time to actually be part of the fun, but it was fun just to make it! I have to apologize that the color is a bit off, the greens aren't qutie right, is Pear Pizazz, but looks a little more Always Artichoke herre. Ah well. Oh how I love this Greenhouse Gala DSP, so bright and lovely!

Thanks for stopping by today and leaving your encouraging comments!

Nothing new

2010-08-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Although I made a thing or two last week, I have yet to get pictures of them, so I have nothing new to post. I do however, have this card I made some time ago that I can show you.

Do me a favor and try to leave a comment and let me know via email if it doesn't work. I've had one report that is the case and I don't know if it was just that users computer or my blog, so please help a gal out and let me know! Thanks and Happy Monday. Remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life!

The whole enchilada

2010-07-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

Not much doin today, but you might remember this post and the sneak peak of a girlfriends birthday card? Well here is the whole enchilada for you to see today....

Happy Birthday Ana!!!

Your encouraging comments are always welcome! Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful Friday!

Cheers,

Katie

Extra! Extra! Extra hostess dollars!

2010-07-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Live in the Seattle or Edmonds area? Schedule your next workshop with me by August 31 and earn an additional $25 in FREE Stampin' Up! merchandise, starting with a $350 workshop order! Or email me to learn more about hosting a virtual catalog workshop!

CLICK HERE FOR $25 HOSTESS BONUS FLYER!

For example, if you host a $350 workshop, you'll receive:

A free Level 1 or Level 2 stamp set of your choice. To learn more, see pages 9 - 16 of the new catalog or CLICK HERE.
Receive $65 in FREE Stampin' Up! product ($40 + $25)
I'll hold the workshop in my home for you! You provide the guests. You get the hostess benefits.

Workshop includes a personal demonstration, instruction and materials for a fun make & take project, lots of paper crafting tips and prizes!

Dates: July 27-August 31, 2010

Details:

Hostesses will receive an additional $25 in hostess free merchandise dollars when they hold a workshop totaling $350 (before shipping and tax) or more!

Mr. Golden Sun

2010-07-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

My kiddo is all about singing songs in the car these days. One after another and I never get tired of them b/c she is so cute! The other day she was singing, "Mr Golden Sun won't you please shine down on me." Although she didn't have to, because thankfully the sun has been out for about a week straight now (knock on wood!) and it has been oh so lovely! We spend many of our afternoons/evenings at the beach digging in the sand and playing in the water. She is a total water baby! Anyway, I've been thoroughly enjoying her, the beach and Mr. Golden Sun!

Actually, we had a rough patch with the family and work this week. My husband has to work a lot of OT and on Monday he worked 22 hours! That's right, 22 straight! Crazy and amazing he didn't hurt himself since he does a lot of heavy lifting/labor all day. Meanwhile I was up half the night cursing his employers because they are very abusive of him and his co-workers (in the sense that they are poor employers, expect a lot and give very little). Bblah, blah, blah, you don't need to know every detail of my life right! :) Basically, I have to say that although I was POed the sun made it easier. Yep, you know in the winter that might have been harder for me to handle, but Mr. Golden Sun here, along with a little of that good old Vitamin D, really does help to keep my spirits up.

So today I have a card that is an ode to Mr. Golden Sun that I made a few days back. This is also, basically (in my mind) a cartoon version of my daughter playing on the beach. So cute and so perfect (most of the time...heh!). All the supplies are Stampin' Up! with the exception of the stamps themselves, which are from Pink Cat Studio.

Thanks for stopping by and note that encouraging comments are always welcome!

Sophie Video

2010-07-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

OK, this is just too good to resist, I have to post my little Sophie video. This is in reference to this post below where we made daddy cookies. :) Enjoy!

So many momentous occassions!

2010-07-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have the most trouble with when making cards is the layout of the card. For some reason I feel that they are all the same, or similar enough. It might also be because I am stingy, I don't want to use my DSP most of the time. I love it so much that I want to wait for just the right project, meanwhile, it piles up and gets used after it retires, there isn't more available if I do have a big project or never at all. So sad to be so stingy. My goal for the next few weeks it to use up my paper!

Another way I deal with this is to I spend some time surfing and looking for card sketch challenges online. I have a little book that I use to draw some of the sketches I really like so I can go back to them if I am stumped. I also carry it around with me in my purse (yes among the 15,000 other things in there), just in case I have some inspiration of my own.

This first card today is for a friend who is pregnant. They have been trying for quite some time with no luck and eventually tried IVF with success. So this is a super big deal and I wanted to make it extra special, so dug out some lovely paper I had been hoarding in a drawer somewhere. I also added another special little touch. My other good friend Julie, who just had her baby boy Alexander last weekend at 11 lb 3 oz- whoa!(CONGRATS!), had used the retired SU! set She's All That on her shower invites several months ago with this sage color behind with the scallop edge punch. I can't keep everything, but I kept it that part of the invite for another special occassion. Well here it is, I am passing that image from one mom friend to another on this card, a fun way to reduce, reuse, recycle! :)

I made this card using a sketch from ICsketches (Inspirational Card Sketches). Here is the sketch I was working from, I simply flipped it over. :) (I seem to have issue with doing things from right to left, something about that rule about reading I guess, things go from left to right.

One other thing I wanted to share with you today is a sneak peak for a birthday card for my girlfriend Ana. She reads this blog sometimes so I don't want to give things away, but I thought a little teaser might be fun- insert evil grin.

So much good news out there, babies, pregnancies and birthdays- congrats to you all! I feel priviledged to share these momentous occassions with you!

Thanks for stopping by today! If you have any encouraging comments I'd be delighted to hear them!

Cookies for Daddy

2010-07-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Although I just use the tollhouse recipe, I make some darn good chocolate chip cookies! Now if you leave it up to me, who needs the cookies, lets just eat the dough!!!! Yummo! However, my family seems to like the cookies themselves. In fact, about a week ago, I was hanging round the house and I mentioned making some chocolate chip cookies but never got around to it. Well my husband wasn't about to let that go- ha! He reminded me just a few times. :) He even went to the store to pick up a loaf or bread or something benign like that and called me from the store, "what do you need to make cookies? I'll get it while I am here." Talk about dropping hints! So I looked through the cupboards and reported what was needed but we (and by we I mean the royal we- aka I) didn't make cookies that day, ran out of time.

Now the next day, Soph and I were solo as Daddy had been putting in a lot of OT the last few weeks. So, we decided to have a girls night and watch a video and make cookies. The video came first at her request but she was up for the cookies later. Of course, she didn't exactly "help" (being two and a half) she was more of a supervisor than anything. :) She did however, oblidge me by being my taste tester and beater licker- life is so rough! Anyway, we had a ton of fun.

When Daddy got home that evening (we were all in bed) we had left him a plate of freshly baked cookies, made him this quick card and a little video from Sophie. He had a rough day at work, so I think it really made his day.

As for the card, it was super quick. I used my newest wheel Full Speed Ahead, added a little color and some torn edges for effect, added a little DSP and wallah! It took me about 5 minutes but was still fun and cute and the hubby loved it. :)

Check back later and I may link the video, too cute to resist. Thanks for stopping by today.

Power of the letter P

2010-07-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

Did you notice that 3 of the 5 new in-colors start with the letter P? Yep, Pear Pizzaz, Peach Parfaitt and Poppy Parade. The other two, Concord Crush and Blushing Bride could have easily been something like Purple Port and Pleasantly Pink. All the names Stampin' Up! has chosen are so very appropriate and I love them. The one I love the most though, is Poppy Parade. I read or think of this and I am automatically transported into a field filled with red poppy's! So lovely! They really hit the nail on the head while naming this color and I find it to be my very fave of the new in-colors.

Last night after my Peanut :) went to bed, I wanted to make something with this color. I had seen Mercy's sketch earlier in the day and decided to play with that, it looked really fun. For my card, I wanted to keep that playfull feeling, so I used the new Playground DSP and the new stamp Set Greeting Card Kids. This was a fun card to make and I just love how bright it is!

I have one more thing to show you today. I got a belated b-day present in the mail from my good friend Krista in Minnesota. OK, here it is. Now do you know WHAT it is? No?! Once you know what it is you'll think, "Duh, why didn't I see that!" :) I'll give you a hint...it has something to do with geography... It is comfy...it is very creative and a very loving gift. It is a Washington shaped pillow (with a heart in Seattle) holding hands with a Minnesota shaped pillow (with a heart in Minneappolis). We may be far apart, but our friendship spans the distance. Isn't that sweet?!?! What a creative woman she is and so thoughtful. I miss her terribly and wish I could see her more, but we make do. But now I have this silly gift to cuddle up next to and think of her. We are quite the Pair, must be cosmically linked somehow ;) as we do many things in Parallel much of the time even thought we are Parted. Thanks KK, I love you! HUGS!

Thanks for stopping by today and your letter to play with today is P! :)

Stuff

2010-07-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while since I posted last (three weeks???). Sorry to be gone so long. There has been a lot of stuff going on in my world in the last three weeks. I had my father visiting and then the next weekend we went to visit my family in my home town. In between my hubby has been working a lot and I have been extremely busy at my job. Most importatnly, trying to get my kiddo out for some fun in the sun since summer is finally here in Seattle! We have really been enjoying the beach and our time together playing. I feel like that is what summer should be all about.

Meanwhile, I did get a whole new box of SU! stuff, but haven't had much of a chance to use it. Planning on finding some time in the near future though! I did make one card this last week in the evening with some of my new stuff. It was fun to make. I just love this new DSP, Greenhouse Gala, the flowers are beautiful and the colors are awesome. Can't get enough of the new Pear Pizzaz. I used the new corresponding stamp set, friends never fade. I'll have to find someone special to give this card to. I have no shortage of special and wonderful people in my life, so that should be easy, but picking who to give it to will be hard!

I do have one more card to show you, I made it quite a while ago. The stamp is from one of my favorite stamp sets, Chic Boutique. I think the bling really sets it off and makes it stand out. This is such a trendy color combo right now too (Gray, Yellow, White, Black), and I agree it is fun. Some of the paper and accessories are non SU!, but what the hey, I am putting it up here for my own enjoyment.

Cheers, and hope you have a great day! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Birthday's On The Brain

2010-06-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

By mid-June I always have birthday's on my brain. Mainly because my birthday is at the end of the month. :) And this year it coincides with the new SU! catalog release, so guess what is on my birthday list?!?! Yep, new catty stuff! But also because some of my good friends have bithday's around this time too, Lindsay, Tod, Deeznuts, Julie and her soon to be baby Alexander...and many more wonderful people after that!

Not to brag, but summer birthday's really are the best. You have so many options for things to do, and so many of them are free! Not to mention the sun adds a nice little something, like it is shining just for you. My birthday present (other than SU! stuff!) will be a visit from my dad and a much needed hair cut. I think it has been at least a year by now!!!

Anyway, with all these birthday's on the brain I have been making birthday cards. More than anything I have been making masculine cards, not sure why, but OK, whatever right.

This first one uses the new SU! color Cherry Cobler. I have to say, I am really loving it. Maybe it is just this fresh new color combo for me, but it works.

This second one is masculine right- what do you think???? I actually think it could go either way, but it was originally intended for a man...before I added the rhinestones. But really, it needs them, they work right?

So what do you think, should I offer a special deal since it is my birthday month?!?! If you live locally (Seattle Area) and email me the items you are wanting from the new catalog ($50 or more in merchandise) by July 1st- I will give you free shipping. I know it is hard to know what you want, but that is why I am having an open house on June 30th (aka my birthday celebration)! I will have the new catty and lots of prizes to be won! Want to come? Send me an email and I'll send you the details. Easy as pie. :) For anyone who isn't local or can't come to my b-day party. Spend $50 and on the week of June 28th- July 1st and I will give you a roll of 1/4" grossgrain ribbon (your color choice)! This offer can be extended to those at the party as well in exchange for free shipping.

Cheers, enjoy the sun!

A little of this, a little of that

2010-06-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

I justwanted to share a few of the things I have made lately with you, which is a little of this and a little of that. No goal in particular, just creating and using some new things, or things I haven't used in a while. Just working on a whim when I have time. Which BTW, I don't have any of! How is it June already????

OK, enough blabbing about stuff you don't care about, here are the creations:

#1 is using my Upsy Daisy stamp set with that Tropical Party DSP. I can't seem to get enough of that, it is so bright and fun! I had fun using my markers to make the stamp appear as a rainbow.

#2 is a non SU! stamp. I have had this image (amuse I think) forever, but never used it. I stamped on watercolor paper and used my markers and blender pen to color it. I enjoyed that. The lilly pads are Green Galore (retiring color) circle punches in various sizes, I used my snips to cut out the centers and make them look like lilly pads. Just a fun card to do.

#3- last but not least is a card using my newest stamp set Elements of Style. I just had the blue and yellow color combo stuck in my head and started from there with this set. I used Appricot Appeal and Night of Navy as the main colors. This card was pretty simple but fun to make. I had fun creating this layout.

Well, that is about all there is for today. Oh, I did submit a few other cards to Papercraft Mag. in hopes of being published for the first time, wish me luck! :)

stamping with my mini me :)

2010-06-09T07:34:00.000-07:00

Did I ever mention that I love my little girl? Well I sure do!!! She is so cute and fun and I love all the little things she says. Some days are hard of course (welcome to parenthood) but most days I can't get enough of her!

In our house, it is a typicall male female dichotomy, Daddy is better at playing and "rough-housing" and I am better at comforting and quiet time, although we both dabble in a little bit of everything. :) SBW is just getting to the age that she can do art projects. She has been coloring for a while, but we are getting closer to something besides scribbles. She enjoys building things and other art projects. Although it was not the first time, last weekend we stamped together and it was so fun! She can actually hold the stamp right and make a clear image on the paper! Here she is doing just that. :)

I know some stampers would be appaled at that, getting ink stains on the wood blocks is sacrelig...but I don't care, much rather use them and enjoy with my kid. Check her out, she'll be the youngest demonstrator SU! has ever seen! HA!

Meanwhile, I am sure you already know about the $99 dolar sign up special to become a demostrator. It is for the month of June only, so hurry if interested and check out the changes in the starter kit (awesome stuff). You can find more information here. I was thinking about signing SBW up, but maybe I'll give her a few more years- wink!

Adios Amigas! Get stamping or scrapping or whatever you do and remember to have fun!