Isn't this blog background ADORABLE!?!

I know you REALLY want it for your desktop wallpaper.

Well, since you asked so nicely...

Click the Free-bies! tab at the top of the blog 

and you will find it, as well as other creations I share from time to time.

Want to make your own wallpapers?

Or Facebook timeline covers?

Or digital scrapbooks?

or invitations?

or...

Well, you can!  

My Digital Studio is super fun and super easy to use!

AND you can try it free for 30 days!

Its not one of those 

"Free but after the 30 days we will charge you an arm and a leg"

free trials.

This is an honest to goodness free trial.

Click here to download MDS today!

July Blog Hop!

Its time for the July Blog Hop!

You may have hopped here from Martha's blog.

If not, the links are at the bottom.  Take a look at the rest of our creations!

This month, our theme is Red, White and Blue or Patriotic.

My kids needed some festive shirts for Independence Day

so, of course, I HAD to make them using Stampin' Up! products!

First is the girl's shirt:

This sweet shirt is made by sewing SU ribbon pieces to the front of the shirt.

This particular ribbon is all retired product, but this shirt could easily be done using 

Blue 3/8 Inch Denim Jean Ribbon

Cherry Cobbler 3/4" Chevron Ribbon

and 5/8 Inch Crochet Trim Victoria

 

 

I pinned the red and vanilla ribbon in place, 

then sewed a single line down the middle of each piece. 

After I tied the blue bow I hand-stitched it in place. 

 

Now, here's the boy's shirt. 

(He insisted that he salute for you.  I <3 him!)

 I made this shirt using My Digital Studio!

I created a blank 11 wide by 8.5 high page,

and typed the Pledge of Allegiance enough times 

that it made 30 lines of text (the last line doesn't have the complete pledge on it.)

 

 Then, I changed the font color for the words in the blue area, 

and made the words in the "blank"area white.  

I printed it on iron-on transfer paper

(make sure you print it mirrored - check your printer settings when printing)

and transferred it to the shirt.

I hope you like my patriotic shirts as much as my kids do!

Here's the complete list of the hop participants this time, in case you missed any slong the way.

 

1.  Elizabeth Harris  www.elizabethloves2stamp.com
2.  Martha Haddock   www.stampinmartha.blogspot.com
3.  Stephanie Bradley      YOU ARE HERE!
4.  Lisa Fennewald   www.lisaloostamps.com
5.  Norma Fox   www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/normafox/blog

Its blog hop time again!

This month I am the 5th stop, and you may have linked here from Martha's blog.

This month our theme is Mother's Day and Father's Day!

I made a fun keychain for my mom,

with pictures of all of her grandkids.

Sorry for the horrible picture. :)


I simply cut 1 inch wide pieces from old / expired gift cards,
(The ones that are plastic, like credit cards)
and used Crystal Effects to glue various pieces of DSP to the pieces of card.

I printed pictures of the kids, and punched them out, then stuck them in place with sticky strip.

I cut the names out of vinyl and adhered them, them sealed the whole thing with more Crystal Effects.

Once it was dry, I punched a 1/8 inch hole in the corner with my Crop-a-dile for the ball chain to go through.

I hope you like my Mother's day craft.  I wasn't able to get my Father's day one done in time, but check back - I will post it asap.

Here are links to the rest of the hoppers:

Maxine Conrad     www.stamptothemax.com

Christina Ash-Mansker     www.crazystampmom.blogspot.com

Norma Fox     www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/normafox/blog

Martha Haddock       www.stampinmartha.blogspot.com

Stephanie Bradley     YOU ARE HERE!!!

Lisa Fennewald     www.lisaloostamps.com

Elizabeth Harris     www.elizabethloves2stamp.com

Blog Hopping!

Its blog hop time again!

This month I am the 4th stop, and you may have linked here from Martha's blog.

This month our theme is Easter and Spring!

 To celebrate spring, I made this pudgy little guy!

Here's his adorable tail:

I made him out of the Springtime Vintage fabric, which has sadly retired.

He would be just as cute made from any of the super cute fabrics in the Stampin' Up! family!

Sorry the message is so short and sweet 

(especially compared to the essay I posted last month :)

Thanks for coming along on our blog hop!

The next stop is Lisa.

If you haven't made your way to the whole group yet, here's a full list:

1.  Maxine Conrad           www.stamptothemax.com
2.  Christina Mansker     www.crazystampmom.blogspot.com
4.  Martha Haddock         www.stampinmartha.blogspot.com
5.  Stephanie Bradley     YOU ARE HERE!
6.  Lisa Fennewald         www.lisaloostamps.com
7.  Elizabeth Harris         www.elizabethloves2stamp.com

Its blog hop time again!

This month I am the 6th stop, so you may have linked here from Edie's blog.

This month our theme is Valentine, Love, or Anniversary.

The card I created in My Digital Studio can work easily for any of these occasions, 

and can be printed professionally for a great price, or can be printed at home!

Its a 6x6 inch card, and was super easy to make!

This is the front:

I started by choosing the 6x6 greeting card template.

Then I placed a Full Heart Punch in the middle, and adjusted it to the size I wanted my words to fill.

Next, I added text boxes and typed the words, "I love you" in a different language in each one, changed the color of the type to Raspberry Ripple, and adjusted the size.

(I used Google to find how to say it in the different languages)

I arranged the text boxes so the words covered the heart punch.

I added a Small Heart Punch in Raspberry Ripple at the bottom.

Then I put the leaf stamps from Bloomin' Marvelous at the top, mirroring one of them.

Finally, I deleted the heart punch, added the background stamp from Bunch of Backgrounds in Blush Blossom, 

and sent it to the back layer.

It really sounds harder than it is!

If you'd like to print this card without putting it together yourself,

click here for a downloadable file!

NOTE: You can download the .jpg file and just add it as a picture to a blank 6x6 card.
There is also a link to the .mds file, but I'm not sure if it will work if you don't own all of the downloads I used to create it.

Thanks for coming along on our blog hop.

The next stop is Elizabeth.

If you haven't made your way to the whole group yet, here's a full list:

1.  Maxine Conrad           www.stamptothemax.com
2.  Christine Mansker     www.crazystampmom.blogspot.com
3.  Martha Haddock         www.stampinmartha.blogspot.com
4.  Jill St. Angelo              www.jillsstampingcorner.com
5.  Edie Bunting               www.ediestamps.blogspot.com
6.  Stephanie Bradley                      You Are Here!             
7.  Elizabeth Harris         www.elizabethloves2stamp.com

Well, I had good intentions of getting that photo-a-day done, but life got in the way.    It was totally good life getting in the way, though.  I spent lots of holiday time with my family this year.

I hope you had a great Christmas holiday like I did.

On Christmas Eve morning, my brother called to ask me to make a card for him to give to our Dad.

If you know my dad, you know that the card needed to have a chocolate theme.

So I pulled out the cute new Scentsational Season Clear-Mount Bundle and made this "Make Your own Cup of Cocoa" card.

You have the option of adding to your cocoa mug

~ a marshmallow

~ extra chocolate

~ whipping cream (vanilla scented, thanks to the vanilla scented embossing powder)

~ a peppermint stick

I think my chocholic dad will like this card as much as I do.

Day 4

(Day 3 was Presents.  We don't have any wrapped yet so I skipped the day and will make it up later.)

Today is day 4: Tradition

This countdown calendar was made by my Aunt Nori and given to my parents when I was young.  

Every day in December, we would hang a mini ornament onto one of the gold beads on this tree.  

Now I've inherited this calendar and my kids are using it to count down the days until Christmas.

That's 19 days at this point, by the way.  

Need ideas for stocking stuffers or gifts for the crafters and scrapbookers in your life?  

Click the Shop Now button in the top right corner, or feel free to contact me for ideas.

Happy Holidays!