Masculine Birthday Cards- CAS(E) This Sketch

Hello again! I have three masculine cards to share. I was inspired by last week's sketch from CAS(E) this Sketch:

If you have been following me for a while, you know that ALL THE PEOPLE  in our families have birthdays between mid June and mid July. I had built up a pretty good stash early in the year by making multiples of cards, but I needed a card this week for my father-in-law's birthday. I figured I would make a couple extra since I have two brothers-in-law with birthdays coming up (realized later that it is THREE brothers-in-law with birthdays). I started by using an embossing folder on copper metallic paper for my backgrounds. Then I found cooridinating scraps of patterned paper to add to the card. I stamped the sentiment and finished each card off with a gromlet.

July Calendar Page- Stick It Down

Hello! I have my calendar page to share, two days early! I started with this sketch from Stick It Down:

I pulled my red and blue scraps for this layout and just started from the corners attaching them. I used some washi tape to fill in as needed. Then I attached my photos and stamped my title with paint. I embellished the page with stars that I cut and punched. I also used some wood veneer stars. I filled in the opening with beads and glitter glue to add some interest. 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my layout!

Summer Cleaning

Hello! I have a little different post today. As you know from my profile, I have 5 kids ranging in age from 12 down to 1. Over the last year, I have struggled to keep up with the cleaning around my house, even hiring someone to help me during this past school year. As we neared the end of the school year, I decided to try to get the older four kids (age 6-12) involved in the cleaning process. I created a schedule with 5 jobs each day, one for each of them and one for me:

I printed the chart and covered it with clear contact paper so we can write on it with dry erase markers.

We are three weeks in and it is going really well! (Full disclosure: my 6-year-old did not do his job today.) Each day they choose their job and all of the jobs need to be done before anyone watches TV. Not only have the jobs been getting done, by the time they are done, the kids decide to do something other than watch TV most days! It has relieved some of the stress of cleaning the house for me because I can focus on one job and do it really well knowing that the kids are doing a sufficient job in the other areas and I will eventually get a chance to do a deep clean when it is my turn to do the other jobs. 

I hope that this may be helpful for other moms out there looking for ways to get their kids involved helping around the house!

Curious Addy

Hello! I had the chance to do some scrapping over the weekend and I completed a layout! I was inspired by the current challenge at Scrap Our Stash:

I chose the right side. I flipped the photo layout and added another photo. I used a polka dot and star paper for the circle behind my title. I included a date using numbers at the end of my journaling. This layout is a combination of new papers, some Shimelle stickers, some very old flowers and a few other odds and ends. I cut the word "Curious" with my Cricut and completed the title with letter stickers. 

Father's Day Cards

Hello and happy weekend! I wanted to share the cards I made for Father's Day last weekend. I was inpired by the current challenge at The Card Concept:

I loved the swirl and the bold colors, so I started there. I used the square background stamp because it reminded me of the swirls in the inspiration image. I stamped that in yellow on cream paper. The current challenge at Bitten by the Bug 2 is to use a Cricut cut for a father's day project, so I did that as well and incorporated the red and blue. The cut I used is from the Holiday Cakes cartridge. Once that was attached to my card, I decided it needed something around the edges, so I inked the edges with some red Distress Ink. I finished things off with blue gems.

You Are My...

Hello! I have a couple of cards I made a while back to share. I started by making a watercolor style background. I used watercolor paper panels and distress inks. I pressed the inks onto an acrylic block and then sprayed it with water. I pressed the paper into the ink until I was happy with the results. I let the first layer dry and then added another layer for some depth and interest.

For my first card, I cut a sun and stamped "You are my Sunshine." I made this card for my youngest for his birthday last month. I was excited to find stamps of this sentiment in my stash because this is a song I sing to him regularly.

For the second card, I cut a heart and stamped "You are my One and Only." The phrase "One and Only" was stamped in a coordinating ink and heat embossed with glitter embossing powder. I made this card for my husband for our anniversary, which is today!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my cards!

Grad cards

Hello, happy weekend! I have two new cards to share. I was inspired by the current card sketch at Stick It Down:

The current challenge at Bitten By the Bug is to use a Cricut cut for a graduation project, so I went looking through my cartridges for a cut to use on my cards. I found this burst and "Congrats" sentiment on the "Tags, Bags, Boxes and More" cartridge. I cut the background from glitter cardstock and the sentiment from dark blue cardstock. I stuck with the school colors of the graduates. I stamped and heat embossed the words on the background panel. For the stripes, I used washi tape and glitter ribbon. 

Happy Birthday- Fusion Card Challenge

Hello again! I have a new card to share. I started with this fun inspiration from Fusion:

I LOVE the colors of the inspiration image! I started my card by blending Distress Oxide inks onto my background panel. I then stamped the squares with pink ink and heat embossed it with glitter embossing powder and attached them wtih foam tape. I had to incorporate the birds somehow, so I pulled out this toucan stamp. I stamped the image with black ink and then colored it in with coordinating watercolor pencils. I blended the colors with a water brush. I fussy cut the bird and attached it to one of the squares.

I finished the card off with a black stamped sentiment.

June Calendar Page

Hello! It is time for me to share my new calendar layout! I started with the double sketch from Stick It Down:

Placing photos on the diagonal was a bit of a challenge, because I didn't want to lose too much from the edges. I ended up having a flatter angle than the sketch suggested. I pulled patterned papers that went with the colors in my photos. I cut my title using my Cricut and Sure Cuts a Lot. For my journaling, I stamped the lines and hand wrote the information. I started the embellishment clusters with a card with text and flowers. I felt like both needed more, so I pulled out some flower stamps and inks and added some stamping to layer the words and flowers over. I accented the flowers with enamel dots to finish off the page