confetti

hello daisies

i've been a little stuck on these yellow kitchen collection notes by a muse since i finally got my hands on them.  i haven't even been able to stamp much lately, but when i have it's ended up yellow--mignon's birthday card, a card for the saltbox studio peek of the week this past weekend, and now, this one!  i've been so busy today, but i just had to stamp something quick to post.  and while thinking what to do i decided to do another flower basket card, this time daisies.  have you seen the series of flower baskets on the saltbox sampler blog?  i love seeing the different color schemes and styles we each use!

back to work...
:) lexi

playing tourist...

the girls had this week off and with family events and david's work, it was hard to plan a big trip, so we decided to take a two-day trip to the french quarter and do those things we don't usually make time to do.  on top of the girls' list was breakfast at cafe du monde.  there's nothing like fresh beignets covered in powdered sugar--yum!

we strolled down royal street, peeking in a few galleries and shops.  the girls' favorite was gallery of light--each piece of art has a spotlight with a dimmer switch and you are encouraged to change the lights to see how the colors and shadows in the paintings respond.

the audubon aquarium of the americas was a must-see also.  we're members and have been many times, but not so much lately.  it was fun to see both old and new exhibits.  the super huge gulf tank pictured here makes you just want to sit and watch--i was so excited to catch such a cool shot.

we also took a riverboat cruise on the steamboat natchez and i snapped pics along the way...

the saint louis cathedral and jackson square,

the domino sugar plant,

and the city skyline as it looks on the way back around the final bend.   i took lots more, but i'll spare you too many!  it was a really fun family "trip" and makes me want to do more close-to-home sightseeing.

now, i'm finally off to stamp a bit!!!
:) lexi

70 years young

we're on major spring break time--no schedule lately and no stamping!  but i do have a quick invitation post.  i created this a couple of weeks ago for a birthday party for a "young" 70 year old.  i drew the cake, plate, and flames with basic shape tools and used fonts to create the number candles and add the fleur de lis to the cake.  for a finishing touch, i traced the edge of the plate and colored the flames with spica markers--glitter is always good!

thanks for stopping by...
:) lexi

a yellow birthday...

mignon turned 9 today, so the sugar fest continued!  we're on spring break and most of her friends are out of town, so we had to postpone her girly friend party.  but she had a few wishes for her special day, beginning with me waking her up and putting the birthday cake hat on her head, followed by cinnamon rolls and candle wishing for breakfast...

bk drive thru for lunch, and more wishin'...

and a family dinner party--grilled steak, pasta & corn by request--with yellow cupcakes and yellow everything...

we even picked through all the easter candy--yellow m&m's and yellow and orange jelly beans with the cupcakes above and a nest of yellow robin's eggs below...

the good thing about putting easter candy out is that it's a little less to have around here tempting me!  and of course, we had yellow girls...

the mess below their feet is the remnants of a yellow silly string fight on the front yard--always a hit!

like i mentioned, it's spring break, so i might be a bit random this week, but i really wanna stamp!  other than the quick birthday card today, my quick stamping last weekend and peeps projects are all i've had time for lately!

:) lexi

happy easter!

 

the two girlies woke up way too early to chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!  followed by mass and two family meals.  spring break is here and tomorrow, for the first time ever, mignon's birthday is after easter.  i hope your day was filled with family and fun, too...

:) lexi

to one of my favorite peeps!

 

last week, jennie posted this idea for peeps s'mores--isn't it the cutest?!  i love peeps and i always make easter treats for my nieces and nephews, so this was the perfect little project for me.  i couldn't find the peeps stamp she had at the michael's here, which is why i carved my own!  i decided to use smaller quantities and package them in cellophane bags.  for the tag, i printed the microwave directions six to a page, leaving room to stamp the peep and the peeps sentiment from a muse.  after cutting and stamping, i punched the corners and hole and tied them to the bag.  easy, peasy, but oh so cute--just the way i like it!  i also created individual versions for the girls' classmates and teachers, with stickers to hold them closed instead of tags...

thanks so much jennie!!!
:) lexi

p.s.  if you're looking for more fun with peeps, be sure to check out the official peeps website!

hippity, hoppity!

 

here's one of the many things i've been up to this week.  they came out so cute, i wish they were for us, but i'm sure the pre-k class they were headed to enjoyed them!  and luckily there were a few extras to keep around and a little extra dough for mini butterflies by special request from colleen.  all three of these designs were pretty easy.  i especially love the eggs, because even sticking with two colors, it's easy to make them interesting with pattern--polka dots, stripes, zig zags, etc.  not only are these cookies little works of art, but they're yummy, too--butter cut outs with almond flavored royal icing.  sometimes my dough bubbles in the oven and i usually try to press them out just before they're finished baking, but we got a kick out of this one and had to leave it alone...

back to work!
:) lexi

invitations

i have a growing pile of invitations to post, so i thought i'd share a couple today since i've been fast and furiously working on others.  it's always crazy for me the week before a holiday, especially with most schools here having spring break next week and people heading out of town.  the top one is a printed monogram design with a vellum overlay--perfect for a bridal shower.  and the second with a somewhat similar look is text printed over a stamped design--actually the printing came first, stamping second.  i also stamped the gown randomly on the back layer to give the paper a lace pattern, repeating the design of the gown.  i love the lace detail on that dress.

and since i posted colleen's egyptian barbies last week, i thought i'd post a picture of how she looked dressed in the same fashions for ancient egyptian culture day yesterday.  as i mentioned in that post, she's my little fashionista and was very specific about what she wanted to wear--right down to the sandals, which we created from an egyptian activity book i have from when i taught first grade at the same school.  i also included mignon from two years ago when she was an egyptian--they got a kick out of comparing their pics and i love seeing them side by side!

have a great day!
:) lexi

carving a peep...

a few of you asked how i carved the peep, so i took some pics tonight so i could show you.  this picture shows what i used: tracing paper, speedball small v-shaped carving blade, and a speedy stamp block.  all of this was in a small kit i bought a while back at michael's when my stamp club had a day devoted to carving our own stamps and it's been nice to have on hand for occasions like this.

i wanted an exact image without too much effort, so instead of trying to draw it myself, i found a coloring sheet in the fan club section of the official peeps website (there's some fun stuff there--my girls loved the peepsicles recipe!!) and traced over the bunny peep with the tracing paper.  you could do a chick one, too if he's your fave.

i placed that upside down on the carving block and traced over the back to transfer the image where i wanted it.  i cut that section off of the block, leaving some space to hold it--i trimmed it more later.

using the carving tool, i first carved around the edge of the bunny, trying to keep my strokes as long and smooth as possible.  the point of the tool was especially handy for between the ears.  once i had my basic shape, i carved more of the block away and smoothed any bumpy lines.  during this part of the carving it's good to test stamp it periodically to make sure the image is coming out how you want it.  i used my piercing tool to poke small holes for the eyes and nose.  then i trimmed the edges a bit and added ez-mount to the back so i could use it on an acrylic block.  and voila!  a peep!  the finished size of the stamp is just over an inch and it's pictured on a 1.5 inch block.  i stamped it multiple times for the quick card the other day, but you could carve a row if that's how you always want it.  and of course, the a muse sentiment, to one of my favorite peeps, is just perfect!

let me know if you have any other questions!
:) lexi

a little more green...

 

the girlies wanted a green meal, so a green meal they got!  green eggs and ham, green peas, and toast painted with a lucky green clover.  and to wash it all down?  green milk of course.  doesn't it look yummy!!

:) lexi

p.s.  just in case you were wondering... to paint toast, add a few drops of food coloring to a little milk, paint with a paintbrush, and toast.  (we have several food-dedicated paintbrushes and we use a toaster oven.)  the colors intensify when toasted and still show through after buttering, too.  it's another one of those tricks from my preschool teaching days that's fun to do with my own kids!

luck o' the irish to ya!

when i created the heart turned lucky clover card a couple of weeks ago, i had one lonely little square left over and i was saving it for today.  then over the weekend, i saw this cute little project jen created using my clover idea and i knew exactly what i was going to do with my leftover square!  she got the idea from an easter basket pattern created by leslie miller--by leaving off the tall basket handle and changing the color scheme it was perfect for a pot o' gold.  i decided to add a wire handle to mine--the eyelet helps make sure my seams don't pop.  don't ya just love the domino effect--one great idea leads to another and so on?!  stamps by the saltbox studio, a muse kitchen green note, su! basic black, and ribbon from my endless stash.  i think my girls are going to be thrilled for sure!

happy st. patrick's day!
:) lexi

ETA: a couple people were curious about how i carved my peep stamp, so i will photograph and share later tonight when i have a chance, so stay tuned!

one layer cards...

 

when i saw heather's share your spark challenge to create simple and quick one layer cards, of course i had to play!  i'm all about clean and simple.  plus, i had a few stamps on my desk just waiting to be inked.  so what do you think about my peep stamp--i carved it myself!  but then i had to wait for the sentiment to arrive.  i have bigger plans for it thanks to fellow blogger, jennie, so you'll see it again later this week.  i really should get more postings out of these cards, but i'm just in the mood to share, so here goes!

stamps are a mix of the saltbox studio and a muse--plus karen foster snap stamps for the word "happy" and my own carved peep!  note cards are either a muse or white card stock from my stash.

enjoy!
:) lexi

signs of spring!

 

we've had spring weather off and on for a while now, but you really know it's spring when you have two crawfish boils in one weekend--yum!  i'll be back later with some cards...

:) lexi

another circle card...

 

i wanted to play the amuseaddicts circle card challenge of the week one more time and i finally squeezed it in today just under the wire!  i'm always in need of birthday cards for kids, so i took the opportunity to make one to have on hand.  balloon mouse from the saltbox studio was an obvious choice and i love the over-sized happy birthday stamps from the a muse birthday builder clear set--a quick and cute pairing!   i'm also wondering why i waited so long to play with my circle nesties.  so much fun!!

have a great weekend!
:) lexi

cake tools ~ craft critique

i have an article up at craft critique today--click here to find out why these are a few of my favorite things!  and if you have tips to share or if there are other cake topics you'd like me to explore, be sure to let me know...

have a sweet day!
:) lexi

linens from the nile

barbie goes to egypt!  colleen is studying ancient egypt right now and had to do a project on egyptian clothing.  definitely right up my little fashionista's alley!  she was very into project runway, so i showed her how she could set it up on the runway and she drew the heiroglyphics to read "linens from the nile" above the doorway.  she really wanted to shine a light from behind the curtain, too, just like on the show--she's very into details and can't wait to bring it to school!

:) lexi

there's an egg hunt...

 

and stud muffin's going to find them all!  i had a little easter fun here with pieces and parts from the saltbox studio.  i hand cut the grass from an a muse green kitchen note scrap, then colored and cut the largest eggs out of the egg basket and tucked them behind the grass.  for stud muffin, i omitted the muffin and drew in the egg.  not so hard, but so much fun!

:) lexi

don't miss out!

are you signed up for the saltbox studio peek of the week?  if not, here's a peek at what you're missing!  i like to print mine on glossy brochure paper to look back through when i need a little inspiration.  to sign up send a quick email from the link on the saltbox studio home page.  normally, they will go out over the weekend, but i was preoccupied with another one of these among other things...

 

this is the third time making this very cute (and heavy!) cake--the second time for the same customer.  now, the hardest part is writing the names since they're new each time!

thanks for stopping by--and don't forget to sign up for the saltbox studio peek of the week, so you don't miss out on another cool card or project!

:) lexi

getting 'round!

 

friday brings another fun amuseaddicts challenge--this week to create a circle shaped card!  a perfect opportunity to use my circle nestabilities, the largest of which happen to fit nicely on the a muse square notes.  i've had them for a while now, but it's actually the first time i've used them--and that just happens to work for heather's share your spark friday.  gotta love a two-fer!  anyway, yesterday's stud muffin card along with last month's valentine cupcake card inspired me to create a basket full of bright birthday cupcakes with the muffin basket from a basket celebration 1 by the saltbox studio.  i was in the mood for color, color, color, so i went for it!  colorful copic cupcakes, colorful mini dot twinkle toppers, colorful a muse papers and ribbon.  i think this just screams "happy birthday!"  (i just hope it's not *too* loud!!!)

party! party!
:) lexi

spring cupcake

 

hey cupcake, how about a spring-y stud muffin?  and a very quicky tonight with green as a main color.  i'm loving the easy amuseaddicts challenge this busy week!  stud muffin and candle from the saltbox studio, hey cupcake and lime peel band note card from a muse.

'night!
:) lexi