Travel by Hot Air Balloon

If you're counting, Baby Sodapop is now five days overdue.  Grr.

So as I was trying to get to sleep last night, I was thinking about card designs using this week's Freshly Made Sketch and my plan was to use the food truck from Tasty Trucks in the Sale-a-Bration catalog.  And then I fell asleep and had a dream that hubs and I were traveling all over via hot air balloon, so instead this is the card I made today:

In the dream, we were traveling to Alaska, and I think a hot air balloon would really not be a great mode of transportation in the Great White North but since when do things make sense in dreams.  So here's the sketch:

And I paired it with the Color Throwdown:

I used Tangerine Tango, Bermuda Bay, and Basic Black for my card.  I like that cloudy pattern from the Cupcakes & Carousels DSP for this card.

That's it for me today,  y'all.  Maybe the full moon tonight will convince Sodapop it's time to make his debut?  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Lift Me Up
Ink:  Tangerine Tango, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black
Paper:  Basic Black, thick Whisper White, Cupcakes & Carousels DSP
Accessories:  Up & Away Thinlits, Dimensionals, Rhinestones

Asian Flowers

Hey kids!  I have to write this post in a hurry, I need to get out the door to my doctor's appointment in the next ten minutes to check on Mr. Three Days Late (not that I'm counting).  So without further ado, here's today's card!

Having lived in Japan for almost three years, I love all the Asian-inspired stamps I can get my hands on.  I used this week's Global Design Project color combination:

I only used a little bit of sponged-on Daffodil Delight ink, kinda to look like sunlight behind the flowers, and I added some Early Espresso to ground the brightness of the Emerald Envy and Watermelon Wonder.  And there's some Soft Suede in there too.

Combined that with the Mojo Monday sketch:

All those layers were a bit of a challenge but I gave it a shot!  And now I need to quickly eat the rest of my sandwich so I can get out the door.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Artistically Asian
Ink:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Emerald Envy, Watermelon Wonder
Paper:  Thick Whisper White, Early Espresso, Carried Away & Moroccan DSP
Accessories:  Emerald Envy ribbon, Layering Circles Framelits, Dimensionals

Madrid

Scrappy Monday, y'all!  We're now two days past Sodapop's due date, so who knows when we're going to get this show on the road.  In the meantime, I keep scrappin'.

Here's the last layout from our Spain trip with Missy and Bennet...I can't figure out why the pictures show up so dark on the blog post.  They look brighter before I upload them, I just don't get it.  Anyway, same color combo as the Segovia pages I posted on Friday, and the Shenanigans layout from last week; for some reason I just loved that triangular print with the Ancient Egyptian temple pictures.  (Why is there an Egyptian temple in the middle of a Madrid park?  Because when the Aswan Dam was built, the Nile flooded part of the delta where several ancient temples were located; archaeologists from around the world helped to get the temples moved from the site to save them and then Egypt gifted a few of the temples to other countries who helped with the preservation effort.  Also why there's an Egyptian temple in New York City.)

There's my title.  Spain makes me think of yellow and sun images so that's what I used...and look the sky is gray for most of my pictures.

Same colors as last time, y'all.  Sometimes I like to do multiple layouts in the same color combo so they look more like they all go together...although a lot of times I try to only do one layout for each event because I have a LOT of stuff to scrap.  But Spain got four layouts in the end :)

I'm off to get cleaned up and go to the grocery store.  I was there last Friday and got asked by a random woman if I was scared to be out and walking around town that close to my due date...uh no, obviously not since I was in line at the grocery store at the time ;)  Pretty sure I'm not going to give birth in Wegmans, ha.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Letterpress Alphabet, In the Sky
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Calypso Coral, Soft Suede marker
Paper:  Crushed Curry textured, Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Best Year Ever DSP
Accessories:  None

Bear Book: January

Well, today is my official due date, but Baby Sodapop is showing no signs of being unhappy where he is.  So maybe the midwife is right, and I'll have to be induced.  All we can do is wait and see...

In the meantime, let's check out another layout from the bear book!  I like this one.

That snowflake paper is one of my favorites, not least because it's Baja Breeze.

And isn't that little bear ADORABLE.  I'd had him for a while and this was his first outing.

Snowflake and mittens just in case you missed the part where this is a wintry layout.

And here's the color combination:  Island Indigo (somehow I only have textured 12x12 cardstock in this color?), of course Baja Breeze, Real Red, Smoky Slate, and Whisper White.  I don't think I'd ever used this color combination before but I quite like it.

Since we're in a holding pattern waiting for Sodapop's arrival, my plan for today involves working in my craft room some more.  I finished three scrapbook layouts last week and I've got a new set of pictures waiting to go on my table--so at least my wait time is being spent productively!  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Bear & Snowman from Whipper Snapper, Make a Mitten, Festive Flurry, Perfect Pairings, Scentsational Season
Ink:  Basic Black, Island Indigo, Real Red, Whisper White
Paper:  Island Indigo, Smoky Slate, Real Red, Thick Whisper White, Ski Slope DSP
Accessories:  Holiday Collection Framelits, Mitten punch, Sizzix Alphabet, Prismacolor Pencils

Friday Flashback: Mosaic Madness

Happy Friday, y'all.  And guess what...my due date is TOMORROW.  Which is frightening.  I know that the vast majority of babies are not born ON their due dates, but I'm still kinda hoping.  So I'm getting a pedicure today, and hopefully going out for one last date night with the hubs tonight.  And wondering if I should do crock pot chicken taco soup for dinner tomorrow...I mean, what if I DO go into labor?!

Anyway.  I don't feel like doing a whole lot now because it's like I'm the human embodiment of the quote "That's no moon...it's a space station!" but I have been doing some stamping and scrapping (because it involves sitting but still being productive).  So for today's Friday Flashback, let's check out the archives for Mosaic Madness!

Also features Empire Alphabet, Magical & Mystical

First up is this layout from Greece!  Actually I did two, and used Mosaic Madness on both, but this post is already going to be pretty long.  I do love this layout.

Also features Curly Cute

Here is a tribute to the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig.  That multicolored panel?  All hand-stamped.  Yes, it took forever, but I really liked how it turned out.

Also features Teeny Tiny Wishes

Something quick for Father's Day, though I think the circle element needed a mat too.

Here's another scrapbook layout, this time from Hearst Castle in California.  Know what I just realized?  I got that picture in the top left enlarged to 5x7, but somehow the photo I had in my archives is with the 4x6 placeholder.  Oops.  So in the real finished layout, that's a 5x7 photo and doesn't have a big distracting white border!  : D

Also features Happy Day

And another Stamp-a-Ma-Jiggy card.  I love stamp sets that have matching punches.

Also features Perfect Peacock, Too Kind

Okay, this one is a little different:  the Mosaic Madness stamp I used on this one is the border underneath the sentiment, instead of one of the mosaic shapes.

Also features Simply Sketched

*suddenly noticing how often I use yellows with this stamp set*

Also features My Paper Pumpkin stamps

Oh hey look, not yellow.

Same sentiment as the card above :)

But there it is again.

Also features Best of Greetings

So there's the Flashback part, which wasn't everything I've got in my archives but I don't want to bore anyone.  Ready for the new project?  Spoiler alert:  I love these scrapbook pages.

I mentioned earlier this week that I had done the rest of my Spain layouts, so here's the first one!  (And this is why I redid the Shenanigans layout in a different color combination.)

I think I need to refresh the ink in my Midnight Muse ink pad, it's not *quite* dark enough on the patterned paper here.  Anyway, I love stamps like Mosaic Madness for our travel layouts; sometimes you just need a little accent stamp that isn't really themed, so I like these that can be any color and go along with everything.

Segovia layout #2, and on this one I used different mosaic stamps for the accents but they still coordinate with the first layout.  And I just love how the Coastal Cabana looks with the pictures.  I used the Best Year Ever DSP on all the Spain layouts, it's one of my very favorite DSP packs.

There's a closeup of some of the mosaic elements from this layout.  Super quick and simple to do, and they look good too :)

So here's my Spain palette again:  Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Midnight Muse, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White.  Dog hair not included.

I'm going to go get cleaned up and ready to go for my pedicure.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, last two layouts only:
Stamps:  Mosaic Madness, Morning Post Alphabet
Ink:  Midnight Muse, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Midnight Muse, Whisper White, Best Year Ever DSP
Accessories:  Mosaic Punch

Speed Stamping

May I present to you the five-minute wonder card:

Okay, let's be honest--this would have been a two-minute wonder card except I kept stopping to stuff my face with Teddy Grahams while making it.  (And if you had a box of Teddy Grahams on *your* craft table, you would have been doing the same thing, am I right?)  So anyway, my hubs' birthday is ON Valentine's Day, which he hates, but maybe he'll forgive me for making him a Valentiney birthday card this year.  I thought about adding more details to this card, but in the end I think it works the way it is.  Dudes don't need a lot of froofy details, or at least my dude doesn't.

I started with this week's Freshly Made Sketch:

Then I thought of the Retro Rubber Challenge to use hearts:

Their rules are that you use at least one stamp that's older than a year, and sure my heart isn't a stamp BUT I've had Teeny Tiny Wishes since 2009, so it's very retro (I think the only current set I have that's older---maybe the ONLY current set that's older!--is Lovely as a Tree).  I got Timeless Textures last summer so it's not quite a year old yet but hey, average it out :)

Last up is the color challenge from Color Throwdown:

I used Real Red, Pink Pirouette, and Chocolate Chip for my SU! colors.  This card could not have been faster unless I put the Teddy Grahams down.  But for now I'm going to go back downstairs and work on another scrapbook layout and eat some more Teddy Grahams.  Because yum.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Timeless Textures, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Thick Whisper White, Real Red
Accessories:  Sunshine Wishes Thinlits

Shenanigans (Again)

Confession time:  I redid a scrapbook layout.  I try really hard not to do that...I have so many pictures I haven't gotten around to scrapping yet, and I know not every layout can be my favorite but every once in a while I just feel compelled to redo something.  And this time it was the Shenanigans layout I posted not all that long ago.  Hit the link to see the first draft, and then check out what it morphed into:

And I do really like this one better!  So why the change?  Well, I did the Shenanigans layout first out of all my Spain pictures, and then I ended up using a particular color combination for the other three Spain layouts and it totally offended my scrappy OCD that the Shenanigans one didn't fit with the rest of them.  So I gave in and redid it.

This one was more labor-intensive than the first iteration just based on the title--since I wanted Crushed Curry letters on a Calypso Coral page base, this time I stamped them on Whisper White and cut them all out, which is a little tricky since the letters are so tall and skinny.  But I love the way it turned out.  The DSP pack is called Best Year Ever, and it was either a Sale-a-Bration offering a couple years ago or it was in the Occasions catalog that year, I can't remember which, but I seriously love that paper and I used it on all the other Spain layouts too.

The color palette comes straight from the DSP pack with the addition of Midnight Muse.  So Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, the aforementioned Midnight Muse, and smaller bits of Soft Suede and Sahara Sand with Whisper White.  And now that I've done this layout I only have one more sheet of 12x12 Calypso Coral....I really wish having individual color packs in 12x12 cardstock.  Maybe SU! will continue with doing packs of one or two colors to coordinate with their newer DSP offerings, otherwise I'll have to buy a couple packs of the Soft Subtles (and I have lots and lots of the other colors in that family...).

So that's it for me today.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Tall Tales Alphabet
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Midnight Muse marker
Paper:  Calypso Coral, Midnight Muse, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Best Year Ever DSP
Accessories:  1 3/4" circle punch, Layering Circles Framelits