confetti by lexi

more jazz festin'!

today we went back to jazz fest--with the girls this time since the "movers" were playing...

we were first introduced to the imagination movers back when they played a few birthdays and have followed their rise in popularity ever since--the girls just love their music.  colleen was waving and bouncing on my shoulders the whole time.  if you have kids and haven't heard their music, you should!  they have several videos on playhouse disney now which is so fun to see since we know them!

 
ahhh! a mister fan... a moment of relief from the heat!  well, several moments, since they kept going back again & again.

 
a bird's eye view from the deck in a hospitality tent.  the big stage in the background was where we watched the movers.

 
washing hands jazz fest style.  i don't remember seeing these handy posts before, but what a great idea!

 
the mardi gras indians were parading by while we had lunch on our blanket--cool costumes!

despite a little whining about the heat, we had a great day!  and a shower never felt so good...

:) lexi

sugar & spice

 
by request, i added several baby shower invitations to my invitations and announcements photo album today.  the request was for girl designs and today's additions are old favorites--most of my friends are throwing more birthday parties and less baby showers--but i'm always ready for a new baby challenge!  i created this one last year for a mom who'd chosen a frog theme for her nursery.  if you look closely, you'll see that i used a funky flower stamped in green for my lily pads and a frog prince is easily turned into a princess with a little pink!

another recent request was for more samples of stickers, tags & calling cards, again specifically for girls--since i have girls, i know a lot of other moms with girls!  i photographed several favorites today, which i will add over the next few days, starting with a little sugar & spice...

and while i have two daughters of my own and have a head full of girly designs, i also create often for boys.  i enjoy the challenge--sports, trucks, dinosaurs--how fun!  so stay tuned for some designs of the snips & snails variety...

:) lexi

hello fly by

 
that's me today, just flying by ...  second grade biography day, jazz fest, and now off to kids' zoo-to-do!  fun, fun, fun, but i am going to fall over when the day is finally done!  this is yet another butterfly kissses by papertrey ink card...

enjoy!
:) lexi

faux ribbon & wrap (+ tag)

 
finally, i squeezed in time to play with faux ribbon by papertrey ink!  i'm finding that it's much harder to come up with something new and different with this set than it was with butterfly kisses and green thumb.  but i love the different patterns and ribbons you can make.  i need spring break back so i can immerse myself in it like i did with the others!  this idea has been floating around in my head for a few days--i like how it turned out, but i might just use real ribbon for the bow next time.  other than trying to figure out the bow, it didn't take too long and i love the bright & cheery colors!  (if you want to read the full process, click here.)

now, on to the recent tagging...  i really like reading the different tag posts here and there--i've found some great new blogs to check in on (like i really needed that!) and i've learned more about the people behind the blogs.  julie at stampin with julie  and cathy at crafty thoughts both tagged me to tell seven things about myself, so here goes...

1.  i read too many blogs.
2.  in june, my husband and i will celebrate our 10th anniversary--where does the time go?!
3.  i teach 1st grade computer lab.
4.  my undergrad degree is actually in advertising.
5.  i put things off until the last minute.
6.  i love throwing kids' parties & decorating cakes--again, if you've been reading, you've seen my tasty creations!
and last, but not least...
7.  i have been into one craft or another since i can remember.  my cousin introduced me to stamping just before my oldest was born 8 years ago and it was a perfect match--especially since i was already designing invitations and stationery for myself and friends on my computer.

now, about passing it on... i'm pretty new to the whole blogging thing and i had a hard time coming up with 5 bloggers the first time around, so i'm going to have to drop the ball on this one.  but, if you're reading and see that ball, feel free to pick it up and put it back into play.  just be sure to leave a comment so i can go learn about you too!

thanks for stopping by--and reading my novel!
:) lexi

p.s. and i'm a perfectionist--this post is driving me crazy & i can't stop editing it!

printing, cutting & padding!

 
lots going on in my little studio this week!  i thought i'd share a stack of notepads i just shipped off yesterday.  fleur de lis are a hot item here in new orleans--on paper, in home decor, for your car, etc.  they've always been a big symbol for our city, but since katrina, you really do see them everywhere.  and for those who've moved, having them around is a reminder of home.  i have a few different fleur de lis designs--some already shared here--and i'm always ready to create one more!

i noticed i was tagged again in a slightly different way, but i need to get to that later, maybe tonight.  hopefully i can sneak in a little fun stamping, too and post them both together.  for now, it's back to...

work, work, work!
;) lexi

scootin' along...

 
yesterday i took a little break from card making to create this cake for a seventieth--yes 70th!--birthday party.  the invitation featured a photo of a granny on a razor scooter, so as one of the dessert options/decorations, the customer wanted a scooter cake--how fun is that?!  i'd never made one before, but having made other shape cakes, i was pretty sure i could figure something out.  i only had a vague, blurry picture in my head when i was trying to think it through, but it came into focus pretty quickly once i started cutting the cake apart.  i didn't leave enough time for a re-do, so i'm glad it worked!  i think it would make a great cake for a child's birthday too--perhaps a wheel-y fun scooter-around-the-block party...

:) lexi

spring has sprung!

 

each month, one of our stamp club members brings a project for us all to complete, something new or something we haven't tried in a while.  one of our members who has moved away sent us yesterday's project, a push-pull card, complete with a tutorial she found on chia's rubber stamp art.  as i mentioned yesterday, i've seen them online, but never made one.  thanks nicole!  after getting the hang of it with the model she provided, here is one i created with the supplies i brought to the meeting. 

i always find packing for these stamp days a little difficult--what to bring, how to pack just enough and not too much, etc.  my papertrey ink and other acrylic sets in cd cases were sitting on my desk, and it occurred to me--lots of images, little space!  i also packed a spring card stack pad i found on sale at joanne's maybe a year ago (by dcwv, i think).  it has various pattern and solid papers and card stocks and i thought it coordinated nicely with the papertrey ink images.  so i tossed everything in--all set and more lightly packed than usual!

for the card, i used the spring word paper to cover the card, belting it with the green dotted strip and a strip of pink stamped with a faux ribbon pattern in brown.  on the "ribbon" strip, i placed the dotted butterfly from butterfly kisses, choosing colors similar to the butterfly on the spring paper.  when the card is pulled you see several cut out flowers from green thumb above, as well as a happy grasshopper down below.  i was looking for ric rac on the ribbon spools at the store when i spied the leaf ribbon, which added such a fun touch.  and so cool to pull the flowers & see them grow!  what a fun project--thanks again, nicole!

:) lexi

stamp club saturday

there's a stamp club here in new orleans that meets once a month at the local scrapbook store.  having two kids with busy social lives, i don't always get to go, but i love it when all of our schedules are aligned just right--like today!

 

the group always trades trading cards on a given theme.  this month was spring and since i figured most people would think flowers and butterflies, i went with april showers for mine just to be different.  it's similar to my my pink and blue boot card--love that green thumb boot!  and since i don't go every month, i always bring an extra just in case people have leftovers they want to swap.  i took this opportunity to use my new faux ribbon set, also by papertrey ink!  it's really fun to make different patterns--so many possibilities.  the blue patterned strip is made from the swirl butterfly in butterfly kisses, like i did on this card and the little blue circle is covered with xyron and glitter with a jewel in the middle--so sparkly!

another thing we trade is a singe full card, again following a given theme or technique.  this month our task was to take a leftover trading card from a previous month and turn it into a full card.  i really liked seeing the different ways people did this since i always have extra trading cards and they're great for pulling together a quick card.  here's mine, with an envelope to match...

tomorrow i'll share the project card we made.  i think i'd seen one before online, but not in person, so i learned something new.  and i loved how it came out...

'til tomorrow!
:) lexi

happy stamping!

still no new stamping moments here.  yesterday i spent the day at a strawberry farm with colleen's kindergarten class--yum! it reminded me of all the cute green thumb cards lately!  and right now i'm going to virtual paris with mignon's second grade class.  lots of fun, but busy, busy, busy!  here's a card i made a couple of weeks ago to send with an image swap.  i love that little bird!  credits:  su! polka dot & paisley + the little bird from nature by rhonna farrer, su! dye inks & card stock, su! key tag punch, velvet ribbon from michaels (i think!) and scallop scissors.  tomorrow is the stamp group meeting at the local scrapbook store, so i have to stamp tonight!

happy stamping!
:) lexi

monkeyin' around?

not me!  subbing, field trips, classroom help, invitations--i'm definitely paying for my lazy spring break!  one "work" thing i did last week was to photograph a few more invitations to add to my invitations & announcements photo album.  some of my designs are stamped or paper crafted, others are designed strictly on the computer.  even when the design is primarily stamped, i print the words--i love fonts and have as big a collection of fonts as i have stamps!  one of my favorite aspects of designing invitations is coming up with the words--fun rhymes, catchy sayings, silly rsvp's--i like to add lots of pizzaz!  here are a few examples of what i'll be adding over the next few days...

enjoy!
:) lexi

p.s. the mailman brought packages today--ellen hutson, papertrey, eclectic paperie, oh my!  i did put ink to acrylic briefly, but not long enough to create.  maybe tomorrow!

tag, i'm it & honorable mention!

yesterday was such a fun blog day!

first, i was tagged by the talented emily montenaro/scoopy of stamping scoops, which means that it is my turn to tag five others.  since i'm still fairly new to this blogging thing, my original favorites are probably already favorites for many of you (nichole heady, lisa johnson, mona lisa, julie ebersole, scoopy!, etc--blog list on the right!), so i'm tagging five of my most recent finds/new faves, bloggers who have posted here or who i've found hopping around!  i hope at least some of them are new to some of you...

stampin with julie
rubber rambles
stampin' when i can
icing on the card
sarah and the stampstars

then, i saw one of my papertrey ink contest entries highlighted on nichole heady's blog--honorable mention, how exciting is that!  i created a berry basket for the strawberries in green thumb which you can see on her post, but here is yet another of my papertrey creations, this time using butterfly kisses.

thanks for "hopping" by!
:) lexi

rainy day = happy stamper!

 
that was today as spring break draws to a close--i love those days that make it easy to stay home and stamp!  maybe tomorrow will bring a rainbow...
 
credits:  green thumb by papertrey ink (check out the newly released faux ribbon!), su! cardstock and inks in slightly darker shades + su! 1/2 inch circle and corner rounder punches on the first card & marvy circle and scallop circle punches, acetate, xyron, glitter, jewel and ribbon on the second.

enjoy!
:) lexi

ETA:  my littlest stamper (almost 6) cased my card and did a really good job!  she likes to ham it up for the camera too!

paisley "ribbon"

 
after seeing this cool faux ribbon and bow techinque by nichole heady, i just had to try it!  since the ribbon builder set is not yet released, i settled on the little paisleys & pieces from butterfly kisses.  for the sentiment, i used paper tray (also by papertrey ink) and the two su! oval punches--the green layer is the large oval trimmed around the small oval with mini scallop scissors to mimic the scallop on the paisley.  i need to practice the technique a bit more, but i just had to share my first attempt...

i love learning something new!
:) lexi

more papertrey play

 
all i knew when i started this card was that i wanted to use cool carribean with black & white and the rounded corner/square design element--i saw the shapes on the cover of su! onstage and they just caught my eye!  i also wanted to stretch my imagination with butterfly kisses by papertrey ink.  i found that it helps to have a print out of the images in front of me to help keep the ideas coming.  it took a lot of playing since i didn't have a picture in my head,  but i love the crisp colors and had a lot of fun using the swirl butterfly--not as a butterfly!  my other stamps must feel so lonely...

:) lexi

spring break stampin'

 
finally, time to really play!  to get my creative juices flowing, i started off with a quick & easy design.  i have to say, i really love the papertrey ink sets for quick & easy!  but, i have lots of other ideas floating around in my head for both green thumb and butterfly kisses, so stay tuned in the next few days to see how they turn out...

:) lexi

more wedding fun...

 
here's the wedding cake cookie cutter i traced for the wedding book cover last month, used for cookies this time--imagine that!  i baked a box of these beauties as a treat for the bride & her bridesmaids (and the flower girls, too!) while taking pictures and waiting before the wedding.  i included several cakes, each decorated differently, and fleur de lis (again! and in the bride's chosen color) with the initials of the bride & groom and the date.  recognize the card on the box top?  i made it to match the rehearsal dinner invite to dress up the box a bit.  one of the bridesmaids set up this cute little grouping with her bouquet--i'm so glad she did since i forgot to take a "pretty" picture at home.  the cake shown above was my favorite design, but here are a few other close-ups i took to remember the details in case i make them again...

another little treat for the bride was a set of postcards to take on the honeymoon.  i've made the same postcard for a few brides since i found this stamp--i just love the little car with the cans & the flying bouquet!

   

hopefully, i'll have some new stamping to post tomorrow...

thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi

they said "i do!"

in addition to easter, this past weekend was my brother's wedding--very busy & very fun!  of course, i had to create some special designs along the way just for him & his bride...

this was the save the date sent out several months ago, featuring celadon green, the color of the bridesmaids' dresses, and a fleur de lis.  my goal: contemporary, casual & fun!
 

i also created the rehearsal dinner invitation with the same colors (and fleur de lis) by request, but with a little more elegance to fit the occasion.  i thought that the watercolor paper, font, harlequin border and jewels did exactly that.  matching place cards were a must!

and if i'm going to talk wedding, i have to include this sweet little pic too--my flower girls had a blast!  aren't they cute?!

i have a little more wedding fun to share, but i'll save it for another post...

enjoy!
:) lexi

happy easter!

 

treats from my little chicks: mignon & colleen...

hope you had a nice day!
:) lexi

quick stamping

and an even quicker post...

 
 


the mailman delivered my goodies around 5:00pm and now that cupcakes have been baked and decorated for mignon's easter party and place cards have been printed and cut for my brother's rehearsal dinner, i can finally post the quickie cards i created in between.  what & how:  green thumb & butterfly kisses by papertrey ink, simple stamping, ribbon, wire or jewels here and there and voila!

'night (well, 'morning)...
:) lexi

 

just because

one last card from my late night weekend stamping!  i was going for a very simple look on this fabriano note card.  like yesterday's post, it is a pairing of paper tray by papertrey ink and the birdy from nature by rhonna farrer.  the straight line was just right for giving the birdy somewhere to walk.  And, curved on the acrylic block, it also created the perfect flower stem in his beak--so versatile and easy to place, too because of the clear stamps!  a little jewel in the center of the flower is the perfect finishing touch.

it's been fun having a few days of sharing all ready to go.  i'll try my best to keep it up, but as we get closer to this weekend, life will get hectic with my brother's wedding leading right into easter.  at least it's all followed by a lazy, unplanned easter break!

:) lexi