SAS Coming Soon!

My kids had VBS today so I had a little time to get started on the samples for the Stamp a Stack class coming up on July 14. I browsed the catalog & found a cute card on pg 43 so I pretty much cased it with  just a few changes.

Thanks for taking a peek today! I'll be back tomorrow!

Artisan Contest!

Super excited to report that I got THE call last night! I was chosen as one of the 20 finalist for the Artisan Award contest! Happy Happy Dance!!! So grateful for the leading of the Holy Spirit on which projects to send! Here is one that I didn't end up sending...

I am so thankful for my friends that encouraged me to try again. Also a big thank you to Connie Collins last years Artisan Award Winner! She saw me at leadership & encouraged me to try again. She told me she had entered 4 times before she finally won!
The 10 winners will be announced on awards night at convention next month. The count down begins!...
Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Summer Starfruit Convert!

I must admit when I first saw Summer Starfruit I was less than excited. Leave it to my super creative friend Lynda to make a georgeous card with it! I loved her card so much I cased a lot of the elements she used to make this...

I love how this card turned out! The new piercing templates are one of my favorite items from the new catalog. It's a simply perfect way to really step up your cards! I also used another of my fav's the new Papillon Potpurri stamp set with matching punch! I LOVE Butterflies!!! My friends will be making this card tonight! Ok now back to getting things ready for tonight's class...
Thanks for stopping by today!

Time for Lemonade!

We have been having lovely summertime weather! I was inspired to do a 3-D cup card for this month's technique class. I hope to have time to make up a few different samples to display but we shall see what time allows. But for now here's the first one...

Thanks for stopping by!

I am really glad this week is about over. My husband had a friend die in a car accident last weekend & the funeral was today. So sad. I stayed home with the girls. I haven't done too much creating but I was so inspired by the new Holiday Mini Catalog that I just had to make a Christmas card.

I do have a lot of projects to finish up this weekend so I'll be back to share later.

Celebrate Summer!

I am finally feeling better & looking more normal. Still not 100% but at least I can go out in public with out scaring anyone. LOL! Thank you Natalie for taking the time to comment. It was much appreciated!
Anyway today I wanted to make a card for a friend that I know has been counting down the days till summer vacation starts! I saw a cute watermelon card in this months issue of Paper Crafts magazine & I thought nothing screams "SUMMER" like watermelon right?

The girls & I have been embracing all the yumminess of summer, taking weekly trips to the farmers market to get fresh fruits & veggies. Our favorite thing to get is big boxes of strawberries! I let the girls eat their fill then I wash the rest, hull them, & pop 'em in the freezer. My hubby & I decided a couple weeks ago to start eliminating heavily processed foods as much as possible. Further fueled by watching the HBO documentary "The Weight of the Nation" about the child obesity epidemic. Did you know one of the best things you can do for your families health is eliminate soda, juices, sports drinks,etc..? Luckily we rarely drink that stuff so cutting it out isn't a huge deal. Its been fun to find healthy alternatives to some of the girls favorites. We have never let them eat a lot of sweets to start with but one of their favorite treats is ice cream! They used to get a half a scoop once in awhile & they were over the moon the other day when I let them have 2 scoops of our new homemade "ice cream". I saw this recipe on pinterest & my kids absolutely LOVE it! It's seriously just frozen bananas!!! Our favorite flavor is strawberry/ banana but they have all been delish! We have been having a lot of protein fruit smoothies which I really enjoy. I also have never seen my kids polish of a bowl of baby carrots & ask for MORE! But its been happening! For their afternoon snack I served the carrots with what my girls now call "Carrot Dip" & they ate it ALL! Here are some of our favorite recipes so far (also blogging them so I don't forget myself)... 

All measurements are just my best guesstimate.

Carrot Dip:

1/4 c. Greek Yogurt

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 sprig Fresh Rosemary (optional) 

1/2 Clove Garlic

1/4 tsp Garlic Salt

Smoothies: (Serves 4)

Strawberry/ Banana

2 Frozen Bananas

4 Frozen Strawberries

1 c Fresh Spinach

1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

1 c Milk

Berry/Banana

1 c. Fresh Blueberries

2 Frozen Bananas

4 Frozen Strawberries

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

2 Tbsp Raw Honey

12 oz pkg  Soft Tofu

Tropical

2 Frozen Bananas

1 can Crushed Pineapple

1 Mango

1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder

1 c. Milk

Another favorite is Chicken Salad but we replace the mayo with greek yogurt!

Chopped Chicken Breast

Cilantro

Red Onions

Greek Yogurt

Dijonaise

served with sliced Avocado! 

Ok I can see this post is probably my longest EVER so I will save the rest for another day.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Lots Going on...

Sorry I've been MIA but its been a roller coaster ride around here. I was planning on posting last week but I had a crazy allergic reaction to some face stuff I put on & I have been looking a lot like this...
 

NOT fun! Seems to be getting worse by the day. It feels like the time my whole face was covered in poison oak. I went to the doctor today & they gave me some cream to put on it so hopefully it starts working soon. Anyway I do have some good news & the card from last week to share. The good news is my Artisan entry made it to SU on time!

We made this card at last weeks get together. This is a case from the SU website. I thought the card was so cute & it was a quickie too! Anyway thanks for taking a peek today. I hope to be feeling better & blogging more soon.

Almost forgot the other good news!!! The 2012-2013 catalog is live! Click here to see it!

New DSP!

I'm still here just ridiculously busy finishing up my Artisan contest stuff. So along with that there tends to be lots of great rejects & this was one of them! If they don't get my hubby's endorsement they don't make it. LOL! I used the new Floral District DSP but this card was beat out by another that uses the same layout. Wish I could show you the other card because I absolutely LOVE it but hopefully it will be on it's way to SU this week.

Anyway just wanted to check in real quick. Also FYI if your attending the Retirement/New Catalog Party next week the date has been changed to May 29th. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...

Wisteria for Mom

Here is the card I made for my mom. It was impossible to capture all the sparkles in a photo. This card was much prettier in person. Ok I'm pooped so off to bed I go. Thanks for taking a peek!

May Technique Tuesday

This is the actual card we will be making at tomorrow's Technique Tuesday class. I love how the Lucky Limeade pops with the Soft Suede! I made another version of this card with Wisteria Wonder for my mom yesterday I will share it tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by today!

Retirement Party!

I can't believe how fast this catalog year has flown by! There are so many things I will be sad to see retired but I'm equally excited to see the new stuff coming out! Here's one of the cards we will be making on May 30th to say bye bye to this cute butterfly punch & matching stamp set.

Also just an FYI: Stamp the Day Away has been postponed till probably next month. This month was just way to busy for me to try & squeeze it in.

Up Coming Classes:
May 15th Technique Tuesday 7pm
May 30th Retirement & New Catalog Party 7pm

Pink Medallion

It was such a perfect day today! I adore warm weather & we spent most of the day playing outside. When it started to cool down I snuck off to my stamp room & actually completed a couple cards without much interuption from anyone...Woo Hoo! Plus my hubby even made dinner & brought it in to me. Can't ask for much more than that! The first card I made is actually for the Artisan Award contest so you'll have to wait to get a peek at that but I will show you the second one...

This is one of our projects for next weeks Technique Tuesday class! We will be using a different color combo though. It was hard to photograph but it came out really soft & pretty in person. I will be sad to see the Medallion stamp retired. It's so pretty & versatile. I am sure it will stay in my collection forever. Well I hope you have enjoyed your day as much as I have!

Until next time...Thanks for stopping by!

Pink Cupcakes

Well I finally stamped something! Woo Hoo! After getting a peek at the new SU catalog I was inspired to case one of my favorite samples from the catalog. I LOVE LOVE LOVE CUPCAKES! When I saw this new hostess set I just had to have it! I recreated the card they had featured with the set & just modified it a little. So cute! We made this last night at my downline meeting.
Ok I'm off to finish up some other projects. Thanks for stopping by!

I Survived!

We had a wonderfully exhausting week with the girls at Disneyland! It was so great to spend the time with my hubby & our 4 daughters! I was hoping they would wear their dresses more but I was able to snap a couple pictures of the Snow White & Alice dresses but the baby would absolutely not wear hers. Oh well. They all had a great time!
My sweetheart never ceases to amaze me with all the sweet little things he does not just for me  but also for my girls. One of my daughters loved these little hand painted parasols (umbrellas) they were selling but we just kind of kept walking along. On our last day there my hubby snuck away & bought her one. They had to be ordered in advance so the paint would be dry so they gave him a ticket to bring back to pick it up so he took my daughter over by the booth & dropped the ticket on the ground & told her the lady must have dropped the ticket & if she could pick it up for her so my daughter handed the gal the ticket & the lady handed her the umbrella! My daughter started to say that she didn't buy one & she had found the ticket on the ground until she looked at it & saw it was her name painted on it! I had no idea what had happened. I thought they were just off riding rides but when he told me the story it really melted my heart. Oh how I love that guy! He is truly amazing in every way! I am beyond blessed to have him as my husband & my girls father!
Ok enough mushy stuff here are a few pictures from our trip...

Disney or bust!

Well its been a busy busy week! We leave this weekend for Disneyland & we are SO excited! I have been swamped with the regular busyness of life, upcoming vacation prep, PLUS making the girls each a costume. Yes I know "WHAT WAS I THINKING??!!!" I can barely make a dress for the baby let alone a full blown princess costume. I guess the excitement of thinking about seeing them in a costume next to the characters gave me temporary brain damage. But once the girls gave their requests & we bought the fabric there was no turning back. So on to conquer Belle, Alice in Wonderland, & Snow White! The first two went ok but Snow White almost had me in tears. Seriously! My daughter is very....um...princess like. She wants things the way she wants them. (Good thing I wasn't going by a pattern...sheesh) But adding in her modifications to an already complicated costume was challenging but I'm happy to say It is Done & She is Happy!

Alice came out with the least mistakes, Belle looks more like a gold Cinderella, & Snow White has a ton of errors but they are mostly covered by the red cape. Anyway I will share photos of my little princesses after the trip. For now I have a few cards to share...

I wanted to make a set of cards for my SIL's birthday gift so I had these cards play double duty as samples for my Technique Tuesday gals. We were making envelopes so they got to choose any dsp from the Everyday Enchantment pack (moment of silence for the loss of that dsp, LOL!) & make a card with coordinating envelope! They all came out so Beautiful!

Well my five minute break is over & its back to the grind! Hopefully I'll be able to check in from the happiest place on earth but if not I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Promos, Projects, & Retirement! Oh my!

These cute fabric brads are only available during the April promotion then they will be retired!

Click Here to see all the fun products available through this promo!

My last Ustamp project for the Cool Moves round! I love punch art! Anyway the full tutorial is available over there.

TIME TO RETIRE! CLICK HERE to see which stamps will be gone for good after May 31.

Going Green!

I wanted to post a few cards that showcase the color green for Shelli's Creative Challenge! I think I'm addicted to making matching envelopes! HELP...I can't stop!! Good thing I have a ton of beautiful DSP to work with!

TFL!

Technique Tuesday

I have been really enjoying making these cards with fun matching envelopes! Can't wait to show my TT gals how to make their own cute envelopes next week!

I keep thinking how much I would love to find one of these cuties in my mailbox & hope to make a friend smile when I send her one of these today! Now I'm off to prepare for tonights downline meeting. =)

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

Mother's Day 2012

I finished my last project tutorial for U Stamp & I finally had a chance to stamp for fun today! I checked the calendar to see what holiday was coming up next & it's Mother's Day! My MIL likes pinks so I decided to go with Pink Piroutte & Soft Suede. To make sure my stampin friends are prepared for the ocassion also, they will be making this card at an upcoming class!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

U Stamp Cool Moves!

My first project went live over on U Stamp Cool Moves! When I first saw the event theme it was already a challenge since I usually don't do cards that have a moving element & I am always up for a challenge! Just to for warn you though, if you want to see the moving part you have to be a member of the event (to sign up click here) so this is just kind of a teaser...

There are a bunch of really cool cards over there that are sure to impress so don't miss it! Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Last Chance for SAB!

I saw this on Sandi MacIver's blog & thought it was hilarious! Anyway I can't beleive today Sale-a-Bration 2012 will be officially over! If you haven't gotten a chance to get your last order in there is still a couple hours left! www.paperparadise.stampinup.net

Anyway I wanted to share the cute 3x3 cards we made at our last technique tuesday class...

Another Bunny

The Everybunny stamp set is just so stinkin cute & so perfect for watercoloring! I'll be back with more tomorrow...

Technique Tuesday!

I finally stamped something! I had a chance to attend an upline meeting over the weekend & it really was like a bit of much needed therapy. Thanks Bev, Karen, Nicole, & all the other lovely gals that were there. I even got a beautiful gift from Karen! (I will share it soon.) As I said in my last post things haven't been great around here lately but I know God is working even when we can't see what He is doing He is ALWAYS working things out for our good. Anyway tomorrow I get to meet up with some more of my favorite people for Technique Tuesday! We will be using SU's watercolor pencils! I have been practicing & wanted to share one of the cards I made.

Oh yeah on another happy note...I entered a contest on the SU demo site & Shelli's blog contest last month & I won both! So cool, 2 free stamp sets, Woo Hoo!

I think things are a bit more settled so I hope to resume posting more often. Thanks for popping by today!

OMGosh I can't believe how fast time flies sometimes! Life has been crazy & a lot of it not in a good way so sorry for being MIA for so long but I haven't stamped anything in a while. :(

I have been practicing my sewing though. A couple weeks ago I got this crazy idea that I WAS going to learn how to make clothes for my girls. I have spent a ton of time researching, blog hopping, & youtubing sewing stuff. I'm kinda crazy like that...once I get it in my head to do something I chomp on that idea like a pit bull until its completed. I'm happy to say I have completed 2 "successful" dresses for #4 (yes, I will now be referring to the girls by birth order. It's just easier that way.). And by successful I mean not too many horrendous mistakes & she will actually wear them with out screaming her head off & running the other direction when I try to put them on her. The other clothing item I completed last year, I think I uploaded photos, she only wore it that one time. See I had no idea what I was doing when I made it but she eventually let me put it on her but to get it off....well lets just say we almost needed the jaws of life. LOL. So needless to say she did not want anything to do with that outfit after that. Next on the list is matching Easter dresses for them all, except #1, at 17 I don't see her being excited to be all matchy matchy with the little ones. It's a big challenge but we'll see. Anyway the only card have to share is one I made for a class a couple months ago...

This is based on a beautiful sample I saw at leadership. Still going through stuff so not sure when I'll be back in full swing but I'll try to keep ya posted!

Hugs,

Mercedes

Last project for U Stamp Big Shot Round Up!

Now it's on to creating projects for the next U Stamp event!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Baby SAS Cards!

Woo Hoo I finally decided on the baby card design! I wanted to do something that could easily be

made for a baby boy or girl so this one was perfect! I will have the dsp out & they can pick which version they want to make. Click Here to see the other 4 cards Stamp a Stack samples in case you missed them. Thanks for popping over to take a peek!

U Stamp Big Shot Project #2

Waiting for my projects to go live is like being 9 months pregnant & waiting to give birth! LOL! Ayway here is my second project for the Big Shot Round Up. Now I just have to wait for my 3rd one to go live so stay tuned for that one...