confetti

buzz! buzz!

i've been trying to get to this card all day, but it's been another busy one!  last night the new orleans hornets won their first playoff series 4 to 1--yay!  we went to the first game of the series and it was so loud and exciting, more than the regular season.  last night looked equally so on tv, especially since it was a bit of a nail-biter at the end!  we share season tickets with a couple of my husband's partners, and i really hope the guys keep winning so we can go to another game.  anyway, back to the card!  since hornets are similar to bees, there are a lot of bee references at the games.  so i thought this cute little guy from the saltbox studio may banner set was perfect for the job of hornet paired with the team colors--both the blue and yellow as well as the ribbon are a muse; the purple ink and cardstock are both su!

buzz! buzz!
:) lexi

sugar shock!

i've been in a baking frenzy over the last 24 hours.  the cupcakes above were for colleen's poetry party this morning--the poems were cute, the cupcakes, a hit, even though they got a little smooshed on the way!  then i rushed home to finish prepping to help throw the dog show party again this afternoon, including the cake and extra paws...

i was so glad david was in the mood to cook his pot roast for dinner.  it tasted yummy, but more importantly it smelled yummy and canceled out the lingering sugar, which really was going to my head!

:) lexi

pink or blue

how about another saltbox baby card?  i just love the mobile from the mama mouse and more set!  this card would be perfect for a shower gift before the sweet baby arrives or maybe to congratulate a newly pregnant friend.  rather than being boy or girl specific, it's for a new mom-to-be who doesn't know what she's having other than ten fingers and ten toes.  the coloring choices inspired the phrase, which i typed on the computer and cut out.  it could also be tweaked for boy/girl twins--pink *and* blue, *two* babies due!  phrases like that are constantly forming in my head!

:) lexi

vmaa #2 ~ the 70's

                     * let it be challenge *

i got to quietly play along with the amuseaddicts vmaa last night.  colleen had a sleepover buddy and mignon didn't, so i was hers and had to come and go, but i managed to complete all five challenges, timing myself, of course!  this is for the michelle's challenge to "let it be"--no embellishments.  i love clean and simple, so this was quick and fun!

                   * disco ball challenge *

geeta's challenge was to use glitter--old school, messy glitter, not glitter pens!--on your card.  i happened to have green glitter on my desk, so i colored the outside of the sushi with a glue pen and got messy!  still simple and quick--this one was mignon's fave.

                * do the hustle challenge *

rhonda's challenge was a sketch challenge--a cute one and quick too!  the a muse creative candy clear scallop circle sticker was a perfect way to embellish my image element.  i used more messy glitter, too!

            * saturday night fever challenge *

jennie's challenge was based on john travolta's suit--use only black and white.  this stumped me at first, but i still finished in the 30 minute time limit!  i colored the chandelier with a clear glitter pen and the clear a muse twinkle stickers made great lightbulbs.

                  * happy days challenge *

just when it was supposed to be over, linda chimed in with a bonus round--her challenge, to interpret the word "weekend" and stamp what it means to you.  so since my weekends are mostly about my girls and sleepovers and birthday parties, this elzybells image was a perfect choice.  i wasn't as excited about my card design, but 30 minutes was quick and more difficult at this point!  so i went to bed and photographed everything this morning.  despite not being able to join in the posting last night, it was so good to stamp for fun!

thanks for stopping by...
:) lexi

here's the scoop!

another weekend, another birthday invite and cake to match!  a couple of weeks ago, i had several cut-out invitations and this was one of them.  i was so excited to get to make the cake, too...

it's a two box, two layer cake--created with one 9 x 13 cake for the cone and 4 small round layers for the two scoops.  to form the cone, i cut the rectangle on the diagonal, stacked the two pieces and trimmed them straight at the top.  the scoops are actually baked in a set of 4 personal pizza pans from william sonoma--they're just a little bit bigger than the wilton 6" pans and turned out to be the perfect size.  i did trim each stack at the bottom to make them more of a scoop shape.  a little extra icing at the seams and controlled messy strokes made them look just a little more like ice cream.  the cherry is a ball of fondant icing with a fondant stem.  the words are cut out of fondant as well.  it was really fun to make and yet another one i hope i get a chance to create again!

:) lexi

welcome baby girl

as promised, here's yesterday's card all pink and girly!  all stamps are from the saltbox studio: the mouse, the word "baby" and small stamps used on the background are all from mama mouse and more; and the word "welcome" is part of a longer sentiment from the sheep set.  all paper is a muse.

have a great weekend!
:) lexi

welcome baby boy

i spent the day at the zoo today doing animal research with first graders, so it made for a hectic day.  i even had this card ready and waiting--i just had to get here!  i love the new baby possiblilties in the mama mouse and more set from the latest release from the saltbox studio.  this little baby mouse is so cute!  my girls spent lots of time sleeping in a similar baby basket way back when, so it brings back sweet memories.  the small baby images in the set are great for creating cute backgrounds, too.  here, i placed them all on a single block and stamped them repeatedly on the blue portion of the cabana blue band note piece--one more fun thing to do with clear stamps!  i'll be back tomorrow with a girl version...

:) lexi

buzzin' along

 

back to buzzing through orders--plus, i just love these saltbox bees!  my focal point is similar to the random bees on the tiny flower pretty little paper last week.  but, instead of random, i created more of a pattern, incorporating the sentiment on the lower left.   clear stamps made easy work of this and i love the impact.  the a muse sheer ribbon is perfect, adding a touch of color and still allowing the bees to show through.  i love the bees, but i'm ready to be a slug for a little while!

:) lexi

kindness matters

as i finished up this "earth day" card, i went on a search for the right sentiment and i think this one fits the bill perfectly!  although we should think about our planet all the time, it is nice to have a special day devoted to reminding us that kindness to our environment is very important for our future.  the girls' school held a penny drive over the last few weeks to raise money to plant some trees on the neutral ground near school, so i was inspired to use the saltbox studio tweets branch as a new little tree--turned sideways and straightened out on the block!  also, in honor of earth day (and for the amuseaddicts weekly challenge!), i used a recycled piece of dark brown ribbon.  it was actually one of those ribbon "hangers" from the sides of a dress--they always end up in a basket in my closet and sometimes, they're quite nice!

happy earth day!
:) lexi

mignon's mini arcade

i finally took time to sort through the pictures from mignon's birthday party!  we were totally inspired while playing dance dance revolution on the wii that santa left, so a mini arcade party was born and just kind of took off from there.  as always, it all starts with a fun invite.  i was also inspired to incorporated the envelope for an even more personalized touch and i think it really set the tone--game on!

it's party time!  i love making signage to tie it all together.

checking in--the stickers from the envelopes were also perfect for free-play "tickets" along with some fun wrist bands.

which brings us to the games, the highlight of the party.  other than the wii and ddr, i borrowed them all from friends--pretty much my friends who have boys!  the biggest hit of all was the claw machine, loaned to us by a family friend owns a game business.  it even trumped the wii! 

we love setting up our lemonade stand with party snacks.  matching signage was all it needed this time, but it's been decorated in a variety of ways!

and since the party was inspired by the wii, we let it take center stage with a wii remote cake!  this was so much fun to make (and so hard to destroy!!!)

after all that playing (and another silly string fight on the front yard!), it was time for party favors and closing time.  this was one of our favorite details.  i got several little trinkets from party city and we set them up like the prize counter at an arcade.  for an added touch, mignon and colleen made up points for each prize!  each guest was able to walk by and take one of each and put it in their favor bag...

this sticker was my favorite sudden inspiration that day...

game over!!!
:) lexi

think spring!

 

i finally got to play with the new april banner from the saltbox studio!  i've been wanting to try a larger street type banner for a while now, and this was the perfect opportunity.  i used the pole from a banner year and added my own tall pole to attach it to.  the little birdhouse from tweet houses was a great topper.  the fence, from fences 1, helped me ground the pole and gave me a perfect place to perch the bird from a banner year, who is excited to think spring!  did you see that we have a new design team member?!  beth made the announcement yesterday and i'm so excited to finally be able to add her to the design team list in my side bar--welcome jen!!!  check out her blog and give her a big welcome, too--her creations are always beautiful and i can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

:) lexi

fun mail!

 

one of the best things about submitting for publication is getting your card back--along with copies of the magazine and some fun stuff to make more cards with!  this month marks my first time published in cards and it just so happens i was assigned to review it for craft critique.  I was thrilled to have a card picked up for another magazine i enjoy so much and couldn't wait to see it in print--waiting is so hard!  my review is posted today and my card is on page 35--check 'em out!

:) lexi

hole in one!

 

i just had to quickly share the cake i made yesterday--a golf ball cake!  i can't believe i still haven't posted mignon's because that one was so much fun, too, but i haven't had time to sort through the pictures yet--maybe this weekend.  anyway, when i was asked to create this, i had a basic idea of what i wanted to do, and like i often do when i'm creating something for the first time, i googled golf ball cake images to see if my plan was on par (yes, i'm a little loopy today!).  i has happy to see that the first one that came up supported what i was thinking, though i didn't have a half ball pan.  so, i used a metal mixing bowl to bake my two halves.  i've used it before for an oversized cupcake cake and it works, but i may have to look into the half ball pans if i ever do it again.  the dimples were the most fun--i used a clean bouncy ball and kept rubbing it in a bit of powdered sugar on my palm before pressing it in.  it was also helpful to put the cake back in the fridge a couple of times during the process so that the buttercream icing stayed cold and firm.  i added a bit of easter grass under cellophane around the edges of the cake board for a fun grassy touch as well as a little support around the base of the cake since it wasn't flat on the bottom.  cakes are a nice, sweet diversion when i'm otherwise drowning in paper...

:) lexi

busy bee me...

 

yay! i managed to squeeze in a quick card today with that cute new saltbox beehive banner--in between printing, cutting, sticking, baking, editing, etc. etc.!!!  yes, the madness continues, but i don't like to not post, so please stick with me while i post at a little more random times.  and definitely head over to the saltbox sampler--beth has begun a new tutorial and i can't wait to see how it's done!

:) lexi

movie party

 

today i have another invitation from last weekend.  i've done this one before for a group of girls screening high school musical, printed in pink instead of red.  but with a quick color change and new words, it was perfect for a couple of boys!  the hardest part of this one is cutting out the shape, but shape cards are so much fun for kids.  in fact, i've done a couple of them in the last week that i can't wait to share after the parties are past.

i'll be back either later tonight or tomorrow with something saltbox stamped, so stay tuned.  hopefully you'll be receiving your stamps soon and can start stamping with them, too!!

:) lexi

skate on over...

 

the last few weeks have been crazy busy for me.  in addition to preparing for the april release of the saltbox studio, i have had tons of orders to crank out--stationery, invitations, cakes--including an invitation and cake for my own mignon!  i still have to sort through her pictures and set up a "theme party" post, but i had these ready to go.  they were from last friday, the day before mignon's party.  in fact, one of the girls shares the same birthday as mignon, which fell during spring break this year.  i designed this invitation last year for a "great sk-8" ~ an 8 year old party, but since this was for a different group of girls, it was perfect to add a second girl and change the phrase.  skating parties make me think of jr. high and groovy patterns!  i was also asked to make the cakes...

a pair of skates--two girls, two cakes, perfect for a roller skating party for two!  i used one two layer 8 inch cake for each one and the wheels are cupcakes with fondant icing circles pressed into the icing on top.  these were a first for me and if i ever do them again i think i'll tweak the toe a little, but i was so excited about them that i wanted to throw a skate party myself! 

and last, but not least, i also created a set of matching stationery for thank yous.  it was all wheel-y fun to create!  stay tuned for mignon's mini arcade coming soon...

:) lexi

p.s.  beth posted a new contest on the saltbox sampler blog--for my stamping readers, it's another chance to win a stamp set from the april release, only this time you get to choose!!!

you're the bees knees!

 

by now, you've probably seen all of the new stamps from the saltbox studio--did you order yours yet?!  i love them all, but i have to say that i'm just a little partial to these sweet little bees.  they're so tiny and perfectly cute and the sentiments included are so much fun.  i've been wanting to create a mostly black, yellow and white card with them and have had various combos all over my desk, but nothing was really working yet.  then, i spied the tiny yellow flowers on this a muse pretty little paper and thought it would be fun to have bees buzzing through them.  like on the beehive card from day one, i added one of the bees to the sentiment to add an extra bit of interest--i love that look and they're just the right size.  for the ribbon, i used simple seam binding--it's nice and wide and i like the weight for tying bows.

don't forget to stop by the saltbox sampler blog--it's still contest time until 5:00 p.m. pacific and there's more release fun to be had!

:) lexi

tweet treats :: new stamps!!!

 

the new "tweet treats" from the saltbox studio are up and ready to find new stamping homes--birds, birdhouses & mice, oh my!  if you haven't already, click here and shop 'til you drop!  for today's card, i used two of the little birds.  both of them are usually carrying something in their beaks--a twig and a flower.  but i love how if you cut them out and take those little things off, you have matching birds facing each other.  here i have them finishing off the bow, but i see lots of other possibilities flying through my brain as i type!!

happy saltbox shopping!
:) lexi

p.s. i almost forgot--while you're shopping, don't forget to leave a comment on beth's contest time post for a chance to win a banner year base set!  it's so much fun to play with and there are two new banner companion sets in this release.  i even made my own banner with a birdhouse using a marvy scallop rectangle punch in the featured card--so many possibilities!  good luck!

home tweet home :: one more day!

 

one more peek before the new saltbox studio stamps are up and ready to buy tomorrow.  i think i even managed to use a tweet house that hasn't been shown by anyone yet!  and don't you just love that sentiment?!  if you haven't seen all of the peeks yet, be sure to surf through my fellow design team members' blogs listed to the right.  just one more day...

:) lexi

happy bird-day :: saltbox sneak peek 5

for today's peek, i have two more tweets and a couple of birthday cards that are on their way for someone's birthday today--one just wasn't enough, especially since they'll be a little late!  (keep reading for my inspiration below!)  like the sheep in the last release, the new saltbox studio birds are great for a variety of cards, including bird-days, of course...

 

for this second card, i pulled out one of my old a muse sentiments--if you have any bird sentiments already, you *need* this set for your collection!  the variety of cute little birds is so fun and they come with three things to perch on and four sentiments of their own.  add the tweet houses and tweet companion and your collection will be even more complete!

back to the card details--this page of the late winter 2008 pottery barn kids was my inspiration.  it caught my eye when i flipped through it the first time, and as soon as i saw the new birds, i had to go find it again.

the top card is based on the lamp, the circles on the wall, and the small green canvas to the very top right--coloring individual circles on the a muse grass kitchen note was perfect for getting the feel of the lamp.  i was able to bend the branch straight on the block to get the look of the branch on the little canvas--gotta love the versatility of clear stamps!  i paper-pieced the crow's body after stamping him on the green background, coloring in the dark brown.  the bottom card is inspired by the larger canvas in the middle of the dark pink circle--again, the kitchen green note card was perfect for the polka dotted branch and the bird had two areas to color making it perfect for the two-toned pink bird.  i stamped the bird with the nest and cut them out as one piece.  i used the wall color as my card base and pulled the dark pink in with the raffia ribbon.  pottery barn kids always has such fun inspiration to play with.  this page was a perfect match for the assortment of birds in the set--i don't think i'm done with it yet, either!

i hope you've been enjoying all of our peeks--only two more days to go...
:) lexi