simply caffeinated

it's teacher time!

hi there! i am really looking forward to this week because i have a bunch of fun projects lined up to share! i may have mentioned once or twice (or maybe a hundred) times that i *love* making teacher gifts! besides being fun to make, i love how excited my kids are to give them to their teachers, it just really makes me happy. so starting today until friday, i have projects lined up each day to share. and i am even more excited about it because my awesome friend geeta is also doing teacher projects on her blog this week! she always has super creative and fun ideas and i can't wait to see what she has planned. :) first i'd like to share my card for this week's cas challenge on scs. it is an inspiration challenge based on the word *hot*. the first thing i think of when it is hot is the beach! :) i used a bunch of my retired a muse stamps, plus a sentiment i just ordered from a store called colorful creations in ma. love that sentiment! :)

ok, now onto today's teacher gift!  

 
i don't think you can ever go wrong with a cute set of notecards for a teacher. i give them all the time and the teachers say how much they like them and use them! so this is a clean and simple set i made doing some paper piecing on the apple from the paper smooches set falling for you and the thank you from paper smooches word up.  then i made a little box to hold them.

 
i used a clear card box from papertrey, and cut it down to fit my 4.25 square cards. then i added large eyelets to the sides of the box and added a ribbon handle. i created a tag that matched and attached it with a small binder clip. i *love* office supplies, lol! :) i really hope you like my teacher gift today! be sure to go check out geeta's creation for today and then come back here tomorrow for more teacher time! thanks for visiting! :)

 

cupcakes and challenges

 
hi there! i've been playing along with some fun challenges! this week's cas-ual friday challenge is all about sweets and treats, and this week's less is more challenge is all about circles. i wanted to combine the challenges and this is what i came up with. i was inspired by this new sentiment from su, so i used my *favorite* tiny tags die from pti, a retired little cupcake from a muse, and some little red pearls. after i made this card, i checked out this week's featured stamper challenge on scs and it was teri anderson. she is on the paper smooches design team and i love her creations so i had to play along. i case'd this awesome one, and since i already had out the cupcakes, i went with them again! it was an easy choice to pick that card by teri, i love it! i actually bought that sentiment set from paper smooches and the circle set from pti because i loved that card so much, lol! speaking of paper smooches, i was seriously honored to be picked by the ps patrol to have my card on their blog on thursday! totally made my month!!! i hope you are having an awesome day! thanks for visiting! :) 

 

you're swell

 
hi there! just a quick card to share today. this week's cas challenge on splitcoast is a sketch challenge based on debbie's adorable card. i seem to have the ocean on my mind, so when i looked at the scallops on her card, i had to make mine rows of waves! :) the cute sentiment is from paper smooches new surf and turf set, the sailboat is a retired stamp from a muse, and the waves are a fiskars wave edge punch. i cut the sailboat out and popped it up, and i also added a tiny little clear dome sticker on the sun that i don't think you can see in the picture. i hope you are having a *swell* day! thanks for visiting! :)

catching up!

well hi there! where did march go?!?!? i seriously can't believe how fast time is flying by!! before we know it, it will be summer! yikes! we had an awesome spring break, we headed to orange county and had a total blast. i haven't really been stamping at all, but when i have had a few minutes here and there, i have been making these punch girls (inspired by missy)! they are addicting! i have made them before (here and here) but for some reason, i can't stop making them now, lol! i keep coming up with new color ideas or hairstyles that i want to try. tonight i created this one, and it uses a muse's awesome new clouds paper and the fabulous new watermelon paper, so i thought i'd share it with you! :) i have another one to share as well, and this one is even cuter! when i was making some cards last week, my almost 5 year old daughter asked if she could make one and this is what she made! i helped her assemble the card and i helped her with some of the punches but she really did most of it herself. she was so proud! :) i just *love* the sentiment she wrote too, this will be a card i keep forever! :) i hope you are doing great! thanks for visiting! :)

 
  
 

must...stop...stamping...

 
i don't know what is up with me but i can't stop stamping! i have been stamping up a storm lately! it has been a lot of fun since it feels like my creativity was on hiatus for the past couple months, but on the other hand, my craft room looks like a disaster area and my to do list is growing by the minute, lol! i had planned to take a couple days to get some other things done and then i had the idea for this card so i just had to make it! :) the a muse lounge challenge for february is a color challenge with 3 different combo choices. i have done 2 of them, but the last one (black and white) was stumping me. after i created this card, i thought maybe i should try it in black and white so i did! i have to say, i do like the purple one better, but at least i was able to rise to the challenge! :) since i made over the other card, this also works for the current cas challenge as well. speaking of the lounge challenge, i have been blown away by the fabulous cards created for this *colorful* challenge. if you are looking for some inspiration, be sure to head over there and check them out! i hope you are having a great day! thanks for visiting! :)

life is good...

 

hi there! i am super excited because i was chosen to go into the final round of the cas olympic-style competition over on scs!! this is the last challenge and it was a fun one! the challenge was to be inspired by a *reporter*. this was a challenging challenge! i don't really have any news to report, so as i sat here trying to think of what i could say...i realized i wanted to report that life is good! i am so thankful for my family and our life, and i am so thankful for this stamping hobby that i have!! life is good! it's the little things, right? :) i went with a beachy theme because the beach is one of my favorite things (besides my family, stamping and coffee of course, lol!). i hope you are having a fun weekend! thanks for visiting! :)

happy valentine's day!!

hi there! happy valentine's day! i hope you are enjoying a *lovely* day with your loved ones! i've got a couple cards to share! this first one is for one of this month's a muse lounge color challenges, to use the colors orange, sky blue and papaya. it also uses a cas sketch on scs inspired by krystie lee. i really love this color combo! i attempted to make another card with these colors too but i couldn't seem to work in the papaya! :) i do like how it turned out, but it doesn't qualify for the challenge! :)

and also, there is an a muse bunny bonanza going on right now! tons of inspiring ideas over on the a muse news blog and the a muse lounge! one of my favorite bunny images is mb bunny flower, so i made a super simple card using her, the somebunny special sentiment and the bead bl. she is cut out and popped up. :) 

 
i hope you have a wonderful day! thanks for visiting! :)

pajama party challenge #3!

whew!! these nights go soooo fast! it's time for the 3rd challenge of the night, hosted by my good buddy geeta!! her challenge is to create a one layer card!! i love how krystie creates so many amazing cards using the big bl so i decided to get it out for this card! :) see you in 30 minutes!! :)

pajama party challenge #2!

it's time for the second challenge of the night hosted by krystie! her challenge is to create a card for your best friend. i had to use my favorite sentiment for my best friend. :) i added a little glass sticker over the gumball top and popped up the gumball machine. sweet and simple! have fun with this challenge, see you in 30 minutes!!

pajama party challenge #1!

yay!! it's time for the a muse lounge pajama party!! get your jammies on and come stamp with us! :) all of the details are over on the lounge. i am here with the first challenge of the night so let's get this party started!!! 

so when you were at pajama parties with your friends, what was the thing that you all talked about the most? boys!! so let's start this pj party by talking about our crush...our celebrity crush!! your challenge is to create a card inspired by your celebrity crush!! make sure to tell us who it is and even show us a picture if you want! :)

so here is my card, based on my guy james lafferty, aka nathan scott on one tree hill. :) i looove me some one tree hill and he is a *major* reason why i love it so much, lol!!! james' character nathan is an nba basketball player and james is a good basketball player in real life too so i decided to go with a basketball themed card. i embossed an orange crush notecard with the tiny bubbles embossing folder, then punched it with a marvy heart punch, and i used the sports words clear set for the sentiment. both of my sons play on basketball teams so i think this will be a cute valentine for them. :)

i hope you enjoy this challenge! check back in 30 minutes for the next one!!