Surprise Baby Shower Hop!

Have you heard the news?  My friend, Jessica, is expecting a bundle of joy in just a few weeks, and her friends at The 12 Kits of Occasions have organized a surprise blog hop in her honor!

I don't have many baby themed items in my stash, but I do have this cute set from Avery Elle that had yet to see ink.  Doesn't this little oven look adorable in dots and stripes?

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Berry Sorbet), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Patterned paper:  Echo Park (Dots & Stripes)

Stamps:  Avery Elle (Oh Baby)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Pool Party), Memento (Tuxedo Black)

Tool:  corner rounder

Jessica, I just know you are going to be an amazing mother, and I wish you all the best as you prepare for your new arrival!

Head over to The 12 Kits blog to see who's participating in today's baby shower hop, and don't forget to stop by Jessica's blog to wish her well.

Have a great day!

Class of 2013

Hey friends!  I hope you're having a great weekend so far.  I've had a little bit of stamping time today, and boy am I rusty!

I wasted an incredible amount of cardstock making this.  The first version I made was perfect, until I smudged it with a blue fingerprint.  The next few attempts, I couldn't get the numbers lined up.  But I finally succeeded and managed to keep this one clean!

I made this card for our neighbors' daughter, who is graduating from high school this weekend.  The school colors are royal blue and white, and I was pretty limited in what I could use since the only royal blue item in my craft room was this ink from ColorBox.

The stripes on the base are from Avery Elle's Knotty.  I used Papertrey Ink's For the Graduate to add the graduation cap and "class of", masking the hat before stamping the border.  I also added texture to the die cut layer with the Linen & Canvas impression plate.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (For the Graduate), Avery Elle (Knotty)

Ink:  ColorBox (Royal Blue)

Tools:  My Favorite Things (By the Numbers dies), Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate), corner rounder

We're off to my daughter's softball playoff game this afternoon, and as much as I'm rooting for her team, I'm secretly looking forward to the end of the season and a bit more time to breathe.  LOL!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Totally fabulous (oh yes you are!)

Today, a card for all of you, my friends.  Thank you so much for all of your kind words about my job, both on yesterday's post and over on Facebook.  I know that it won't be the end of the world, and I'm fortunate to have so many other things in my life to be thankful for, but I appreciate all of your words of support and encouragement.  Onward and upward, right?

I've been inspired by all of the tilted designs out there and had to try one for myself.  I thought the chevron border from Avery Elle's To the Point would work perfectly with the word bubble from Hello and the Flashy Letters from Mama Elephant.

The letters were so easy to line up--I just drew a line lightly with pencil before stamping, then erased it once the ink was dry.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Calypso Coral), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Stamps:  Mama Elephant (Hello, Flashy Letters), Avery Elle (To the Point)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Not Quite Navy, Calypso Coral, Basic Gray)

Thanks for stopping by, fabulous friends!  I hope you have a stellar Thursday.

My true north

Hi there friends.  We're halfway through another week, and I will certainly be glad to put this one behind me.

Most of you probably know that I work as a lab technician at the same college where my husband is a professor.  I started there almost two years ago, and it has been the perfect job for me for many reasons.

Unfortunately, our college has had to make a number of staffing cuts in the past year, and I learned last Friday that my position will no longer exist as of July 1.  It didn't come as a total surprise, but I'm still struggling to come to terms with the finality of the decision.

I'm trying to stay positive and focus on all of the projects around the house that I've been anxious to tackle, and I'd like to think I'll be able to spend more time in my craft room.  But I definitely feel as if I'm at a crossroads, especially since my son will be starting Kindergarten in the fall, and I had not envisioned being home once my kids were in school full time.

What does all of this have to do with my card today?  Well, this one is for my hubby.  Needless to say the events of the past week have been hard on him, especially since he will continue to work with the people who ultimately made this decision.

I just love this saying from the Knotty stamp set by Avery Elle.  My guy is my true north, without a doubt, and I know he'll help me find my way again.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Not Quite Navy), WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Stamps:  Avery Elle (Knotty), Papertrey Ink (Faux Ribbon)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Not Quite Navy, Real Red)

Tools:  My Favorite Things (Insert It 3 x 4 Insert die), Spellbinders (circle die)

Thanks so much for letting me share my news with you today.  I promise to have a much more upbeat post with a fun and "fabulous" card very soon.  Stay tuned!