Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that Jazz

What a busy time it's been at our house as of late! Christmas has come, and it has gone. It's amazing how fast it seems to fly by each year. We had a really awesome Christmas. We spent Christmas eve with Tim's family, and we spent Christmas day with my family. There were special things about each day and I will always cherish those memories. We weren't able to go to church for Christmas this year, but we were able to celebrate the birth of Christ with each family and were able to honor Him as our Lord and savior through Christmas carols and the reading of the Christmas story.

This week I will be able to spend time with family and friends that are in town! I am so glad that I am off work all week so that I will have the time to visit with everyone. I'm looking forward to it :)

Today I am going to post the last 3 Christmas cards that I made this year. I duplicated these and most people I sent Christmas cards to received one of these.


The stamps used on this one are $1 stamps from Michael's! I love the $1 section...you can really find some great stuff!


I originally started with the green and brown pictured below, but I thought, hmm..maybe I should try red and brown! The ribbon I had just bought from Hobby Lobby matched perfectly. This is one of my favorite color combination's this year, and if I had more Real Red paper, I would've made more of them!


And here's the beauty. I came up with this card on a whim because being the procrastinator that I am, it was the week before Christmas and I still had a ton of cards to make. This card is elegant and simple all at once. It's easy to duplicate and was a life saver. It's one of my favorites! Once again, I used Stampin' Ups Snow Swirled set. It's a beautiful set and I am so glad I purchased it.

Thanks so much for taking a look! I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and has a Happy New Years!

*love*

Friday, December 5, 2008

I've been a bad blogger...

Well, I must say I've been terrible at blogging the past week or so. Honestly, I haven't had much time to make new cards, but I hope to change that here soon, maybe starting this weekend. We've kind of had our hands full with having 4 new kittens in our home that will be 5 weeks old on Sunday!


Aren't they adorable?

For the time being, they are residing with mama in our office, which happens to be my stamping place and used to be my place of solitude and serenity (ha!). It's been kind of hard to focus on making cards when I have kittens running up my leg (literally!) every few seconds. I have a couple projects I need to work on, so I hope to move a number of my supplies to the kitchen so that I can work in peace. I'm going through withdrawals here! Thanks for being patient with me, and just keep checking back, I'll have something here soon :)

*love*

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving


I thought this card was fitting for this wonderful holiday, one of my favorites. I made this card for a dear friend and co-worker of mine. I was informed that evergreens don't typically change color, so it's a little unrealistic, but I think the fall colors are beautiful anyways. I used the "Beauty of Life" set from Stampin' Up! which has been retired for quite awhile and I think it's a beautiful set, and perfect for masculine cards. The image and the card front are popped up with dimensionals and then I added the twine. Oh how I love thee. The coloring was done with prismacolor pencils and blended with goo gone.

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving spent with family and/or friends! And of course, enjoy all the FOOD! I know I will :)

*love*

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

I'm alive!

Yes, I am alive! Sorry for my absence, it's been one of those weeks. Well, I guess 11 days. Just some things going on that have kept me away from posting, but here I am at last! Free Smiley Courtesy of www.millan.net

I have a card to share today, but before I do that, I wanted to update you on another little something I started. When I originally started this blog, I wanted it to be focused mainly on my cards and other various projects. I want this blog to be a reflection of who I am through my art and my creative side as well as be an inspiration to others. I never wanted this particular blog to focus so much on my personal life, current events, etc. Not that the things posted here arn't personal, but as far as day-to-day happenings and what not, I don't want that to be the main focus here. So I started a new blog: with Words and Lattes
So if you are interested in reading up on my life, thoughts on current events, thoughts in general, recipes, etc. don't be a stranger and stop on by ;)



This is a card I made a few weeks ago and just never got around to posting it. This is what you would call: a simple card. I love it so much though. The fact that the image is stamped on white and there are absolutely NO layers makes the color of the image pop right out at you. I did a blending technique using Prismacolor pencils (gotta love them!), goo gone (yes, I said goo gone), and a stump. Who would've thought that you could use goo gone for something other than taking the stickies off of a picture frame? It blends the color beautifully...it is the best technique I've learned thus far.

Now, I think I am going to go make some tea and curl up on the couch and read a book....ah....

*love*

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Masculine Cards

I have to be honest and say, that ever since I started stamping, I have had a difficult time with masculine cards! Maybe that's because I'm such a girly-girl, but man...that's when I really have to dig deep into my creativity. Thank goodness for good ideas from splitcoaststampers; what would I do without that site? :)


Tim's birthday was on November 2, and he turned the big 3-0! This is the card I finally came up with and I like how it came out! Lots and lots of distressing...I did a lot of sponging. The best thing is, that he really liked and appreciated the card, so that makes me happy :) We had a really fun day. We went to the Joe Pool Lake dam to go walking and enjoy the gorgeous weather! I was able to take some good pictures of the fall foliage here in Texas.



We also went out to dinner at Red, Hot, and Blue, which has amazing bar-b-que. We ate way too much, but of course, we had to go have dessert. So we headed to the cheesecake factory where I ordered the ultimate sinful dessert out there -- Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. Holy cow...it's amazing. If you are a chocaholic like I am, you have to get that dessert. You will fall in love! It is sinfully rich. Tim got the Turtle Cheesecake, which he said was also amazing. Needless to say, we had to get to-go boxes, so we were able enjoy them the next day :)

One last card to share with you...still working on those Christmas cards! I've really become a fan of the simple cards -- minimal layers, not too much fluff, but still looks good. Sometimes I feel if I go to over the top, it just does'nt end up looking as good. Still learning, learning, learning! And having fun doing it :)


Thank you for taking a look, and hope you have a blessed weekend. We're going to spend time at a friends house this evening battling it out with a game of Settlers of Catan. Oh yeah!

*love*

Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!

Everyone all sugared up on candy yet? Or are you recovering from your kids getting all sugared up on candy? We didn't have any trick or treaters in our neighborhood. I'm asuming they all went to one of the many 'trunk-or-treats' we have around at area churches. So since Tim and I arn't really into Halloween, we decided to watch the pilot episode of the X-Files (oh great, yet another series to get into...). Then we decided it was really nice outside, so we pulled out our lawn chairs and sat outside looking at the stars (or what we could see of them...we do live a little too close to the city...). I've enjoyed getting to see pics of my neices and nephews and of my friends kids all dressed up in their costumes! So cute! I can't wait to be able to dress my future little ones up one day....and also get to steal some of that candy they aquire, of course.

Well, it's too bad I don't really have any Halloween-ish type stamps quite yet, or else I would definitely share a card or two related to tonight. In due time :) However, here are a couple more cards that I've worked on recently.


I made this for one of my co-workers birthdays, and I think she liked it. I love the colors on this one. This is one of my favorite, simpler cards I've made.


Another Christmas Card! This was a quick one to put together. The 3 images stamped are from a Stampin' Up! set called 'Winter Patches'. I am a huge fan of the country look, so you gotta know that I love this card.

I hope everyone had a great and safe Halloween, and that you have a fabulous weekend!

*love*

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Snow Swirled Christmas

Just a quick post for tonight to show you what I worked on. SCS had their Sketch Challenge today, so I decided to play :) And here is what I came up with!

This was a fun one to do, especially since I got to try embossing again. It just adds a whole other element to card making. Once again, the picture does not do the card justice. It's too bad I can't photograph all the sparkles very well. If you have a tip on how to do that, let me know!

In other news, Tim and I did our duty and voted today. I'm very glad to have it done early, and am anxious for next Tuesday! We shall see what happens...... Also, our cat, Garbanzo, is VERY pregnant. Every day I come home from work expecting there to be a litter of kittens. I'm very...very afraid. I'm sure I will love them and adore them, and then as they get older and destroy my house, I will want to wring their little necks :) We're planning to keep one of them and then do everything in our power to find homes for the rest (and Garbanzo's getting spayed!) Ah...life with a kitty!

*love*

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Birthday Wishes

Hello! I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. This week just kind of got away from me, and here we are on Sunday, and it's been a week since I posted last. My sincerest apologies (life happens right?). Things have been going well this week, for the most part, and now here I am relaxing after having a great weekend! Yesterday was my sister, Beth's, 21st (and 19 years..) birthday! It was a collaborative effort between my brother in law, Tim, me and many others to help throw a surprise party for her. It ended up being a huge success and she was incredibly surprised :) I love my sister, and I know there couldn't of been a better way to celebrate her birthday then with close friends and family. I made her a 'Diva Kit' as her gift. I was looking at all these gag gift ideas for when people turn 40, and I was thinking 'ya know...she'll never use most of this stuff!'. It just seemed kind of like a waste of money in my opinion. So, I thought of doing a gift basket with items such as a bottle of Wine, Lotion, Celestial Seasonings Tea, one of those personal sized Betty Crocker dessert bowls, Lindt Truffles (mmmm..), Softlips chapstick, and of course, candles. All the things you need to make you feel like a diva, if just for a moment :) Anyways, it was fun to shop for and make! Too bad I didn't take a picture of it! But I did take a picture of this fun card I made for her.

I love this new set I got from Inkadinkado. Isn't the cupcake cute?! I did a heat emboss on this one with a transparent glitter embossing powder. This picture does not do the card justice. It is really shimmery in person!

Well, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend, and please come back this week! I plan on showcasing some more of my cards to make up for last week :)

*love*

Saturday, October 18, 2008

{Autumn} Thanks

Fall is probably my favorite season of the year. I crave things like pumpkin cookies, apple cider, long walks out in nature surrounded by the beauty that God created for us, open windows to allow the wonderful outdoor, fall-like smell to freshen up the house, etc. Living in Texas, fall is only here for a short period of time unfortunately. We're just now having highs in the 70's to low 80's. I'm so happy it's not in the 90's anymore! Summer in Texas is my least favorite, and it's the longest season. So, I'm going to make it a point to really enjoy the fall this year and give into my cravings!

Here's a thank you card I made recently which is now one of my favorites. I love fall colors and I also love the names of the paper I used: Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip (and Old Olive...that one does not sound quite as appetizing)


I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Maybe Tim and I will make it out to the Joe Pool dam today or tomorrow...gotta give into those cravings :)

*love*

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sending my love your way

SCS had a color challenge on Tuesday (like every Tues.) and it was to use the colors: pink pirouette (or pretty in pink), basic black, and whisper white. All of the color challenges for the month of October will have pink in them since it is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The technique used was sponging. I got my hands on some new sponge daubers and so I had fun experimenting with those. I absolutely LOVE the 'Sending My Love' sentiment. Gotta love those Michael's clear $1 stamps!

Oh and I have to share. Yesterday, I finally got my haircut after about a 6 month period. I usually go with the typical short, bob, swing, whatever. That's the 'Sarah signature style'! Well, my amazing hairstylist, Tracy, thought that I should try bangs. I was like, shoot, why not! I'm always up for new things with my hair. So, this is how it came out!

I'm pretty happy with it. Tim, however, is still trying to get used it, but hey, it's very different, so I'll cut him some slack.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! I know I will...I have the day off, so I get to listen to music (like Andrew Bird for instance) and create today. Yeah, I'm happy :)

*love*

Monday, October 13, 2008

Allow me to introduce myself....

So I did it. I finally started a blog! I've actually started one before, with not much success. This one will be different (haha...). No but really, I hope that I'll be able to keep up with this one :)

I picked up the wonderful art of card making about two years ago, but got more serious about it within the past year. I am a follower of all things on splitcoaststampers and continue to be amazed and inspired by all the lovely ladies on there. I have so many techniques to learn and I am enjoying every minute of it! This blogs purpose is to share my designs, and my life, with others who happen to come across it. I hope that it will be an encouragement to those who feel they are not 'crafty'. I truly believe that everyone has creative abilities, whether it's used in paper crafts, photography, cooking, stick figure drawings, whatever! So, if you're one of those people that thinks "oh, I could never do that..." but deep down inside, you really want to, then I say "Do it!" (been there!)

As far as the personal life goes, I am married to Tim, the love of my life! We reside in Dallas, TX with our fairly new cat, Garbanzo (or callie, or garby's, or party taco.....really, she has a variety of names). I currently work for a non-profit organization as an office assistant. I do anything and everything from organizing and sending out mailers to assisting with the finances. I'm kinda the go-to-gal of the office. I have my Bachelor's in Christian Studies with a focus on Educational Ministry from Dallas Baptist University, and one day I hope to go back to get my masters in Counseling. Tim runs his own candy machine business and is also a courier part-time. We attend an awesome church and young adults group at Grace Community Church. We just love it there, and the people are amazing. Um...what else do we do? Tim and I enjoy walks at the Joe Pool Lake Dam, keeping up with our fav shows (the office, 24, and LOST!), listening to music, theological discussions, and making each other laugh on a daily basis. He's my favorite :)

Well, I'm sure there's plenty more to say, but I will leave you with this card that I created over the weekend.

I absolutely LOVE how this one turned out. Christmas is right around the corner, and guess who isn't even CLOSE to having her Christmas cards done. Yup. This girl. But, this set (which I just got last week!) really got me excited about making Christmas cards, and about Christmas in general! 'Snow Swirled' is a beautiful set by Stampin' Up! and I can't wait to experiment with different designs.

Thank you to all of you who have come to visit my little corner of the world!

Until next time....
*love*

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Check, check, check-it-ty check


....and here we go with the test post. It truly is...a precious moment. (oh I crack myself up...)