Baby Card

Today I want to share with you a cute little baby card I created. The idea came from a baby bottle - and the rest is HISTORY!

The white base card attaches to the colored stripe of CS and the top is designed to look like the top of a baby bottle. The white base flip opens up so you can write your message on the inside of the card. What you can't see too well is the notches that I dry embossed on the left hand side of the card to look like the milk measurement lines which are found on a typical baby bottle. TOO CUTE!

And here is a close-up of a pink version.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you tomorrow. Keep Living Your Dream!

Everyday cards

Here are some cards that I created - and use them pretty much for every day card giving: And here are some of my favorite birthday cards:

Hope you have a fabulous weekend...the weather here in SaddleBrooke has been kind of cool and plenty of rain - Looking forward to some serious Arizona weather - which I know is just around the corner. I'm counting down the days till my girls come out to visit (May 7th). Thanks for stoppin by and remember...........Keep Living Your Dreams!

Note Card Folder

Don't you just love TART AND TANGY set from Stampin Up! Made these FUN note card folder to keep on hand for quick gifts. They are made from a piece of 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock which the bottom edge is folded up to create a flap to store your cards.

I have wrapped a piece of 5/8" grossgrain ribbon around the folder to secure it closed. Tucked inside are four note cards and matching envelopes. A darling little gift to give to someone who is having "One of those days".

Thanks for stopping in and hope to see you tomorrow. Keep Living Your Dream!

Card Journal Book

Here's a great little book I created to store all my verses for my cards: I used an old Meriter Handbook that I had laying around and covered the front - back and inside with DS. I then started decorating the front with cover chipboard letter and flowers and began embellishing it to reflect ME:

I then turned to the inside and finished decorating it....Made some divider tabs (for birthday - baby - sympathy etc...I made a total of 6-tabs) and called it complete.

This is a FUN little book that I can keep all my verses for my cards in....and when I'm stuck for just the right little saying for a card I've made......WOW.....this is my go to book and I have my verse and card completed.

Thanks for stopping by...hope to see you back tomorrow. Keep Living Your Dream!

Gift For Jack

Going to share with you today a gift I made for Jack. As many of you know - Jack is the LOVE of my life! He is kindest and most giving person I've ever known. He gives without purpose and often times so silently that your BLOWN AWAY with SURPRISE. He's also the kind of guy that would prefer giving then receiving. SO........What do you give the man that has everything? Well - here's a little something that I made for him........... It's a box which has a pull out chip board scrapbook inside: The scrapbook accordian pulls out and I constructed pockets at the bottom of each of the panels - so you can slip photo's (or journaling) into each of the pockets and everything stays nicely tucked inside the accordian folder.

Here's a view of the reverse side:

I filled Jack's gift with a picture of each of the grandkids. On one side I displayed one of Jack's favorite picture of that particular grandkid...and the other side I displayed a more recent picture of that grandkid. He LOVED his gift.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back tomorrow. Keep Living Your Dream!

Mania Girls Gifts

Today's post is a project I made for my two special Mania Gal Pals back in Madison (Cheryl and Amber). These elegant note card holders were made for one of the last mania's we had back in Madison (insert sad face here!): The slim boxes open up to reveal four coordinating cards. Amber received this Rose colored box.

And Cheryl received this chocolate chip box(she's my Chocolate Chip Gal):

I also made several matching gifts to coordinate with each of their boxes...but....will share those creations at a later date.

Thanks for stopping by and stop back tomorrow for a surprise post. Keep Living Your Dream!

Calendar CD Cases

Here's a FUN little project I made for some of my co-workers back in Madison - and it's using a small CD cases: These little CD cases hold 6 small pieces of Cardstock - which each have a small calendar on the front and along the side of each piece of cardstock is a coordinating piece of cardstock with a small themed punch running along that stripe of cardstock.

I ended up making 10-of these for my co-workers and they displayed them (proudly-I might add) on their desk in their office. With each new year....all you need to do is pull off the previous years calendar and replace it with the new year calendar......WOW...you have a new desktop calendar all ready to go.

Thanks for stopping by and tomorrow I will have a new creation to share with you! Keep Living Your Dream!

Ice Cream Container Note Box

Today I am sharing another project I taught at the Madison Stampers Convention several years ago. It's a card box using a cleaned out ice cream container....... All I did was grab an empty ice cream container that Jack finished off (the oblong one's work best for this project) - and I covered the outside and top of the container with DSP.

I was then able to use the container to store cards that I made. After the convention I had several of the ice cream containers left over...so....I created four additional note boxes to hold the following groups of cards:

BIRTHDAY CARDS!

THANK-YOU CARDS!

AND......MONOGRAM CARDS!

I also had one of the boxes for BABY CARDS - but can't locate the photo of the baby cards - Trust me.....they were really cute!

This workshop sold out the year I offered it......and everyone that took the workshop had a GREAT time and created their very own fabulous container box.

Thanks for stopping by and tomorrow I will share another fun project that I created. Keep Living Your Dream!

Portfolio - Jan's Birthday

Today I want to share with you a FUN portfolio that I created (and actually gave to my BFF Jan for her birthday):

This portfolio has a loop closure on the front to keep it closed - and when you open the portfolio it reveals a notepad on the left side and a pocket on the right that holds 4-matching cards and envelopes.

Here's a close-up of the inside of the portfolio:

I made one of these for my BFF Jan for her birthday and added a loop to the inside spine where I slipped a small pen. These are super easy to make and often times when I make one - I'll create a couple so I have them on hand for a quick gift.

Thanks for stopping by and tomorrow I will share with you another creation I taught at a Madison convention - and it's using a cleaned out Ice Cream Container. Until tomorrow....Keep Living Your Dream!

Cards I've Created

Right out of the gates......I want to start out by saying ...... I'm sorry for the format of this post. I scanned these cards and began having some trouble resizing the photos. So instead of trying to win the battle with the computer.......I'm going to just go ahead and post the photo's the way they scanned and give my disclaimer right up front. Here goes....... This first card is a baby card - using SU paper and stamps, it's easy for me to change the card up for a boy or girl. This is a card I made for a baby shower. I wasn't sure if the couple was having a boy or girl - so I stuck with the traditional color - yellow.

Next I made a Get Well Card. What I love about this design is you can change the stamped image to reflect whatever message you need and still use the design of the card to fit that message. Sweet little card.

Here's a FUN little card that I send out to someone who has supported me (WINK - WINK):

And two cards that are basically the same design........but.....I just used them for two different purposes. One is a baby card........the other is a "let's go have coffee" card.

Thanks for stopping by and tomorrow I will be sharing some samples of a great little portfolio I created and shared with my BFF for her birthday. Until tomorrow - Keep Living Your Dream!

Birthday Card Organizer

Today I will be sharing a FUN birthday card organizer that I created for a class I taught several years ago in Madison, Wisconsin. Here is what the front of the organizer looks like: The idea behind this creation was to NOT MISS another birthday! I created this organizer to tuck all the birthday's I was celebrating for each month in an envelope within this organizer and I would have listed the birthday's for that particular month on the front of each envelope. Here is what the month of February looks like......

And here is April.........

The organizer has 13-business sized envelopes (unsealed) which are bound together with two metal rings. This gives it the capacity to expand with all the birthday cards you tuck into each of the envelopes. The envelopes are decorated with different DSP and each have the same 1-31 dated calendar sheets on the front. These 1-31 calendar sheets are where you add the names of the people who are celebrating birthday's. The envelopes act as a holding bin for all your birthday cards until they are needing to be mailed.

Because of this fabulous birhtday card organizer, I DON'T MISS a single birthday. What I try to do is spend some time in December to prepare my organizer for the next year........and that way......I'm not rushing around as the New Year begins with making sure I'm not forgetting anyone birthday. I'm totally organized and I can put my rush into something else......Like PAYING BILLS!

Thanks for stopping by and hope you liked my Birthday Card Organizer. Tomorrow I will be sharing some card samples that I've been working on. Keep Living Your Dream!

Card Creation

Been busy in my studio creating cards - and thought I would share some of my creations with you. These first two cards are quick and easy Birthday cards. I used retired SU DSP and the cards are great for either Male or Female birthdays. (Because I scanner most of these cards - you will want to click on the card photo and that will bring it up closer and eliminate the white space) Next I have created a couple Thank You cards:

Hope you enjoyed checking out some of card creations.....Stop back tomorrow and I'm going to share a Birthday Calendar Keeper I designed (and actually taught at a Stamper Convention in Madison a few years ago).

Until tomorrow - Keep Living Your Dream!

New Punch Cabinet

Many of you have asked about the final construction of the additional punch cabinet rack I had built for my studio....so...here is what Hector created for me.......

My BFF from Madison Nancy hooked me up with a fabulous company in Tucson called Off The Wall. They took the plans I had swirling around in my head and turned our third bedroom into a FABULOUS Studio for me. One of the features I wanted was a cabinet that I could store my punches in.

The original punch cabinet turned out BEAUTIFUL and was going to hold a small portion of my punches (let's just say.........I never knew how many punches I actually had - until I started stacking them) . It was clear that the orginal punch cabinet WASN'T NEARLY GOING TO BE ENOUGH ROOM for all my punches......SO.....I hired Hector to build me an additional unit within the cabinet above my workstation. This also meant that the new home for my punches was going to be within arms reach away from where my workstation is and this means when I'm creating - I no longer need to get up and look for a punch, I simply reach in the cabinet above me and pull down a punch......AWESOME!

Here is a close-up of what Hector built:

As you can see - (insert shameful face here).........I do have a LOT of punches! Hector built this unit so all my punches will stand upright and they won't be knocking over each time I reach to the back to pull out a punch.

And this is what the cabinet looks like after Hector installed his masterpiece. I am thrilled (beyond words) with the end results. And just for the record.....I still have the original punch cabinet in my studio. I decided to house my seasonal and OVERSIZED punches in that cabinet.

Thanks for stopping by and tomorrow I will share with you some of the cards I've been working on. So.........until tomorrow..........Keep Living Your Dream.

Valentine's for Wisconisin

Check out what I sent my daughters and grandkids in Wisconsin for Valentine's Day:

My two daughters each received a box of candy - a heart post-it-note and a darling bookmark. I also made about 8-of these for my SaddleBrooke Stamping Buddies and a couple neighbors.

The grandkids each received a box of candy - a heart post-it-note (sorry Jared you didn't like the idea of putting your heart on your backpack!) and I made them a pull up box for their Smarties. I also made each of them individual treats of peppermint patties for their classmates, which they handed on Friday. (Sorry no photo on that - I mailed those out to the Grandkids and forgot to take a picture of all of them - I only made 98 of those for my grandkids classmates)

Hope everyone had a FABULOUS Valentine's Day - Jack and I went out to dinner with my BFF and her husband.....What a FABULOUS TIME we had! Thanks for stopping by and tomorrow I'll be sharing the end results of what Hector did in my studio to solve my punch storage situation. Keep Living Your Dream.

Valentine Gifts for Neighbor Friends - Reveal

Happy Valentine's Day ....... and a special HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jared! Here is the reveal from yesterday's sneak peak. I made Valentine's Day Buckets for my SaddleBrooke Stamper Buddies and my neighbors. I have hung these on their mailboxes with a special Valentine's Day wish.

These turned out so BRIGHT...and were soooo much fun to make. I made six of them and can only image how much my friends are going to love them. (Of course there were a TON of suckers left over.......so I received plenty of sweets for myself on Valentine's Day!)

Here's a close-up of all six of them as they wait for delivery.

Thanks for stopping by and will end this post with a special Birthday wish for my Grandson (JARED). Happy Birthday Buddy!

Keep Living Your Dream!