Strawberry Explosion: Teacher Gifts

This is a picture heavy blog post today!

End of the school year is this coming week (YEA!!!!).  I'm sure my kids are excited, but not by much.  Yes, I was the over achiever all those years, but I'm old now :).  I am ready for homework-free evenings.

As you can see it *appears* as though I went all out for the teachers this year, but really these products made it super simple.  The stamping was amazingly simple and easy and I stayed with the same color theme for each one.  I used DT's idea for a pouch (anyone? who's was it??) from the berry basket die.  I bought cellophane wrap and my daughter insisted on the curly-Q ribbon (and she was right!) and voila!

Enjoy!

Kristin

Happy Anniversary to "us"

Today my dh and I celebrate 14 years of marriage.  Striking to me that so many years have passed when I can still clearly remember our wedding day in great detail.  I treasure those details to remind me of the importance of each passing year.

*** Before any of you go, I also wanted to let you know this card also completes the PTI Paperdolls #38 challenge here *** (join us!! We'd love to have you play along!)

Now, back to the regularly scheduled post if you want to keep reading :)...

Also, I have been writing the blog now since 2008 shortly before our 11th anniversary.

I thought I would give you the opportunity to take a peek into our lives by reading some of what I have written about him.  Most blog posts are a bit about the kids or friends, but mostly about the card or scrapbook layout.

However, on our anniversary each year I have taken the opportunity to stop and write down for anyone to see how lucky I am.  In fact, over the last 18 months we have watched several couples we know experience great marital hardships and some of them are now divorced.  He asked me once why I wouldn't ever leave him ...  and here was my answer, "I have been given gifts from God over the years, but I prayed specifically and with purpose from the time I was 14 years old to marry the right man he had for me.  And you?  He put you in front of me on a silver platter one day and said 'Kristin, here he is- the man you prayed for all those years ago.' Well, I will never give up that gift!"

Here is the June 2008 post

Here is the June 2009 post

Here is the June 2010 post (I didn't write much here because we had just entered an extremely difficult time in our family life- our marriage was and is rock solid I just didn't have time to devote to a post- but I still love that card!)

I have had time to really reflect over the past many months on our marriage and I have so enjoyed seeing how richly God has blessed my life with such an amazing man after God's own heart.  

Enjoy!

Kristin

Caring cards

These are a couple of cards I sent to a friend and her son awhile ago.  On the top card I wanted to use an idea floating around in my head based off of one of my fave cards from Lauren Meader from probably 2 or 3 years ago.  She had stamped the image in black multiple times and then overlaid a popped up piece of cardstock where the image was colored in copics.  It wasn't the "complete" image and blended perfectly with the black/white of the card.  I've done that a few times.  So, with Smokey Shadow cardstock and CTMH Daisy White ink I went to work.  It created the perfect greyish background.  A bit of color with the pink (bad memory and I can't tell if that is Hib Burst or Rasp Fizz from the photo) and then I stamped the image again on an SU dsp that has a greyish/pinkish background for some subtlety.

The little boy card was fun.  My kids and I had a blast creating a card that was just for him.  Lots of ideas were flowing around the craft table that day (in fact, if memory serves, he could have received an entire zoo of cards if my children would have their way!).  I don't own the double ended banner dies... but seeing this reminds me I want them.  sigh... lots of measuring and cutting :)

Enjoy!

Kristin

Piles of fun

So, I just started adding embellishments on top of embellishments to see what I liked.  I kept stamping, distressing, sewing, adding a bit of bling, a scrap of ribbon, more die cuts, etc.  Eventually I ended up with "piles of fun" for a card.  Hope it will bring a smile to a friend.

Enjoy!

Kristin

Kite Flying

Quick post today! Lots of scallops and polka dots!  Inspired by a previous PTI blog hop of scallops, I used a similar theme here.  The kite is from an October Afternoon stamp set that matches the paper by the same line "Fly a Kite"... I paper pieced it. 

Enjoy!

Kristin

Pretty in Pink

Sorry my time has been so short these last two posts! I'll have a longer post on Friday for the PTI blog hop! This is PTI Sweet Blush, cricut cut from New Arrival, Everyday Button Bits sentiment on a MS3 border and Lap of Luxury SU! dsp. Stickles and Bella baubles with a bit of satin ribbon finish it off.

Enjoy!
Kristin

Cherry Bday Wishes

Cherry wishes to a blogging friend. This is s great example of how a scrap layout can be used for a card sketch.

Using Cherry-O paper from CTMH and all other PTI materials, I made a fun bday card for a sweet blogging friend.

Enjoy!
Kristin

PTI Tag Card #1

This is my first submission for the 2nd day of festivities over at PTI. I created this card with the tag from Beth Silaika. I used CTMH Boom-di-Ada paper, and then PTI Matstack 3 Die and Stamp Collection. I love that I decided to emboss the banner and sentiment at the bottom. Since this can be used for either an anniversary card or a wedding card, it adds the *richness* to the card that those types of celebrations deserve.

Happy Anniversary PTI!!

Enjoy!
Kristin