Birthdays and More Birthdays!

My son turned 6 today, and as busy I have been with getting ready for his party tomorrow, he is one of many in our family to have a birthday this week.   My cousin turned 40 this past week (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTEL!!), my uncle had a higher number birthday that I think he'd probably prefer I don't share with the world, my niece turned 7 today, and my sister-in-law's birthday is coming up in a few days.  (And that's not counting a dear friend and another friend's daughter also having birthdays today!)

Every year, it is both with great joy that I remember the ways in which my son has changed my life, and with that twinge of sadness that knows that he is growing up SO VERY FAST.  Someday sooner than I'd like, he will no longer be the little guy who pleads every night for more snuggles from Mommy....

Anyway, before I fall asleep cleaning and seasoning chicken, or start crying at the thought that my boy is growing so fast, I thought I'd post two more of my Simon Says Stamp card kit creations.  I have been throwing together cards quickly to get them mailed this week (some faster than others!).  The SSS kits are perfect for this-- already coordinated and ready to go. 

This one was made with the June card kit.  I added some basic grosgrain ribbon and the gorgeous sticker embellishment from American Crafts.  Punches are from Stampin' Up and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

 

This one was from the Simon Says Stamp May Card Kit.  This was for my uncle, so it had to be a little masculine.  The poles were from the July card kit stamp and were embossed with American Crafts Zing embossing powder.  The "happy birthday" stamp is Hero Arts and, again embossed.

I am headed back to chopping veggies and cleaning chicken.  I made 100 cupcakes and made these adorable cupcake toppers for the party, so I will take some pictures of those and the invitations and all that and post them up in the next week!!

Have a wonderful weekend and a fantastic Fourth of July!!!!

Simon Says Stamps May Card Kit Cards

Here they are!!  Cards made from the Simon Says Stamps May Card Kit!!  I mentioned in my last post how much I am loving these kits.  I made all these cards, plus my two favorites that I mailed without photographing, and I still have a bunch of stuff left over to make more. 

I don't know if any of them are still available, but I can't say enough about how much I love them and encourage you to check it out if you like these cards.  SUPER simple to make!!  Let me know if you want any details about how I did it or what I did.

Love the red polka dotted washi tape that came in the kit!!

The Basic Grey papers are so beautiful on their own-- they hardly need any embellishment!  The balloons were made with a Martha Stewart punch, and the stamp was from Close To My Heart.  The corners were cut using We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper (Scallop & Cloud).

This is perhaps my favorite with the rays and the transparent clouds... And the stamp is just perfect (from the card kit!).

The little chipboard birds came from the What's Up (Basic Grey) line, but they were not included in the card kit. You can find them at one of my other favorite retailers, allscrapbooksteals.com.  There is also a Groupon going on right now out of Salt Lake City that you can use for that site, so check that out!

Love when something so simple makes something so unique and beautiful!!

This was made when my hubby was out of town for work and I was missing him like crazy!!

I sat down and did all of these cards in less than an hour, if that tells you how inspired I was by this kit!!  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend...

Welcome SUMMER!!!

The month of May got away from me!  I have been busy with all sorts of things, and getting to my computer to blog has fallen to the bottom of the list!!  We decided to take baby steps and keep my office at home, but that means that I have had to make some pretty significant modifications to my studio space in order to fit a business in as well as my overflowing supplies.  :-)

First thing we did was to add a counter-height work station for me, with easy access to my Cricut Expression and Imagine and the tools I use every day.  We made it open on both sides and put a chair on either side, so I can have someone else in there working with me!!  

We added a separate table for trimming and cutting:

Here is one of my favorite additions to my craft space.  To build the counter-height bench, we used two open shelving units to support the top.  That gave me under-counter awesome space.  The baskets on top were $1 aisle finds at Target years ago that I added some felt flowers to (House of Three, Daily Junque).  The wire shelves were made using a kit for wire cubes and some zip ties.  Thanks to Susan Tomaino for the idea!!

The cardboard boxes are not a permanent fixture, but I wanted to mention them because they are housing my newest, most favorite things!!!  Simon Says Stamp has a new Card Kit of the Month, and I am in LOVE!!!  I will post some of the many cards I have made from the May kit-- haven't even started on the June kit, that's how fun the May one was!!  Thank you to Kristina for doing such an awesome job putting them together!

Okay, I have lots of projects to post, but I have to get offline and finish up birthday party invitations for my son's birthday!  Hope you had a great weekend!!