confetti by lexi

happy leap day!

 

i was bound and determined to get a card stamped and posted today, february 29th, the day that only comes every four years.  and i'm leaping for joy that i got it done--just under the wire in my own time zone!!  first of all, i had so much to do today:  teach computer lab to first graders, choose tile for the bathroom, pick up carpool, go to our school night at the hornets game and, in between, i kept getting distracted by other things, too--like work!  plus, everyone liked yesterday's card so much, i knew i couldn't top it.  and two days ago, i said enough with the sheep and all i could think of were my leaping sheep.  (actually i do love my saltbox sheep dearly!)  but here i am and it's still february 29th and i like how this turned out.  and it works for becky's handwritten sentiment challenge.  and it features green for the new amuseaddicts weekly challenge.  so i'm happy!

'night!
:) lexi

p.s.  thanks for all of the sweet comments on my stamp graffiti!  you guys really made my day!

so many stamps...

 

so many stamps!  so little time, too--but, i managed to steal a few minutes of it today to play with the stamp shop for the amuseaddicts stamp of the week challenge.  i guess it also works for the weekly challenge, too, since it's totally "all about me!"  i chose a lot of my current and long time faves from the saltbox studio, a muse and elzybells to feature in my "graffiti" edge and there's that bandit running off with my time!!  after i decided where to put the sentiment and added the bandit, i was left with a bit of open green, so i quickly doodled the swervy road to stampin' heaven!  i had fun with it, but it's probably a bit much, huh?!

:) lexi

ewe hoo, carole! i want to play...

just when i thought i needed to take a break from stamping sheep, i came across carole's post on being full of sheep and i just had to create my own saltbox version of "the diana sweater" she posted!  my black sheep is jumping right in to find his place in the mix.  i love the simple color scheme of red, black and white and the sweater provided such fun inspiration and memories.  i, too, adored princess diana and loved to see what she was wearing and where she was going--it was definitely part of being a young tween/teen in the early eighties.  thanks carole!  and i hope that sweater comes back in style for you...

:) lexi

hello birdy

 

the girls didn't have school today because of parent-teacher conferences, so stamping time was not so much.  i managed to squeeze in a quickie, though, and i think i'm stuck on versions of this layout.  actually i had already punched the corner of this card yesterday and then changed to green for that card, so i came back to the blue today.  i love the patterns on these a muse 4-bar notes and like to let them shine, which leads to less layering, which is more my style anyway.  i chose the spring wreath from the saltbox studio as my focal image, since the bird gave me the perfect opportunity to add a little blue to match the card.  and i started to stamp hello spring, but it's gotten progressively colder throughout the day, so i wasn't feeling truly springy in the end!

thanks for stopping by...
:) lexi

hostess with the mostest

 

i just wanted to take a few minutes today to play around with a few stamps from the saltbox studio that i had yet to ink up--i thought the fruit basket and hostess saying made a good pair.  i love baskets and use them for everything, so it's no surprise that i love a basket celebration 1 stamp set.  did you get your saltbox studio "peek of the week" yesterday?  if not, you really should sign up!  (you can find the button to sign up on the home page.)  i am now writing it, and for my first week, beth picked an egg basket card by me--it's one of my faves!  now, that's a fun, versatile stamp!  and for more ideas on how to use it, be sure to tune into the saltbox sampler.  beth has posted takes from two members of the design team so far, with more to come...

:) lexi

p.s.  thanks for all the sweet comments on my last post--i do love a good party!

best in show!

 

i'm so excited to share the details of the party i've been working on for the last week.  the idea was to have a dog party, but we wanted to give it the creative twist of being a dog show, so the "ARKC Best in Show" was born and off i went.  i didn't have confidence in drawing a dog silhouette, so i found one online and got permission to use it.  many thanks to steve at steve's uniques--if you're a dog lover, you might want to check out his etched glasses!  because of time, i kept the invitation pretty simple.  but, once i settled on a look and logo, it was easy to pull everything else together with coordinating signs and stickers.  here's what we did...

welcome to the ARKC best in show--let's party!

first stop, adopt your doggie sight-unseen, give it a name, and pick a collar.  then...

decorate a kennel/carrier--simple white gable boxes!

 
groom your doggie and pick up a leash.  (side note:  midnight inspiration + an id lanyard & scissors = the perfect little leash!)

every pup needs food!  i love these little favors from birthday express--they're actually cookies and candy.

how about a game of pin the ribbon on the show poodle?

   
and you gotta have some doggy cake!  this cake idea is from family fun--a great source for fabulous kiddy cakes.

every dog at the ARKC is a best in show dog!  (i also used blank versions of these for the pin the ribbon game, adding the girls' names to them so they would know which one was theirs.)

and we just had to have a doggie bag o' bone biscuits!

the activities at this party were the main goodies, so as the guests left, i awarded their dog randomly with a best in show ribbon on their carrier and gave them a little doggie bag.  i don't know about everyone else, but my girls came home and played puppy for the rest of the day!

happy birthday adair!
:) lexi

simple pleasures

 

surprise--another saltbox studio sheep card!  i actually created this one first yesterday while playing with the sheep, but i thought the leap frog one went better with playing tag.  anyway, this is another design that's been brewing in my head for a while.  i really love these sheep--they're just so cute!  but, they're also a great size, they work well for a variety of occasions, and they coordinate nicely with other images.  especially the fences, as you can see here!  i'm still busy with party planning, so i've got to run...

have a nice weekend!
:) lexi

play time!

well, not really, but i did manage to squeeze in a little bit of play time!  and since i was tagged by geeta and needed to play that, i thought i'd make playing the subject of my card.  i was also working on homework for julie's class on simply great card design at my creative classroom.  for the next week, we are to find inspiration and sketch ideas and notes based on it.  i'm not so much of a sketch girl, so i skipped ahead to the finished card!  but my grid pad has lots of notes and practice stamping on it--do you think that counts?  my inspiration for this card is the way these two clear stamps from the saltbox studio are positioned in the cd case, with the jumping one above the standing one.  i didn't place them that way on purpose, but it makes me think of playing leap frog every time i open the case, so i finally made it happen.  *and* i hand wrote the word play, so that makes it work for the amuseaddicts weekly challenge.  gotta love a three-fer!

now, for the current game of tag.  it's pretty much the same words i had to write about when i was a muse guest designer last september (posted here), but i went ahead and wrote about them again for the game--a little shorter to the point this go 'round.  as for who to tag?  how about you!

Stamping style -  clean and simple
Inspiration - everywhere--nature, magazines, shopping, etc.
Color - yellow's my fave, but i love 'em all
Work space - little & messy, but all mine!
Perfect day - having time to play
First job – teaching pre-k
Wildest dream – to travel around the world
Family – very girly--poor david!
Beverage - iced coffee, diet coke, margarita
Biggest challenge - going to bed on time & then waking up in the morning!

happy stamping...
:) lexi

p.s.  the sheep are from the saltbox studio, let's and the doodled scallop are a muse, and happy day is elzybells.

boys will be boys!

 

i'm busy getting things together for an upcoming birthday party i'm working on, so no time to stamp today--maybe tonight a little!  'til then, i thought i'd share two all-boy invites that i hadn't posted yet...

both were created on the comptuer.  i think i've mentioned this before, but i love figuring out fun wording and finding the perfect font as much as any other part of the invitation.  for the art work on these, i used simple shapes and lines to draw--it's very much a signature of my printed designs, especially invitations for kids.  the one i'm working on right now is so cute--i hope it all works out like i see it in my head!

:) lexi

hello spring

another quick post today!  i've been busy working on a tool review for craft critique, so i only have a card from that to share.  all stamps are from the saltbox studio; paper, ribbon and twinkle stickers from a muse.  surprisingly, i'm pretty sure this is the first time i've inked up this basket!  as for the article, you'll have to wait until it's posted to see what it's about.  meanwhile, there is a lot of great info there from our reporters who attended cha--it's so fun to read about all the new goodies coming out and plan future purchases!

I also want to say a big thank you to rhonda for awarding me the excellent blogger award--she's quite the excellent blogger herself!  if you're looking for more, check out a few of the "people to read" linked on the right...

happy blog-hopping!
:) lexi

it's your day!

 

a quick post for today--mondays are always busy back to work catch up days!  this little bird is from the saltbox studio a banner year set, along with the sentiment.  i borrowed the balloon from the mouse in celebration companion.  i love the quick and easy selective inking and stamping that clear stamps allow me to do.  i stamped in adirondack espresso for a softer look to coordinate with the brown strip and used copics for the little bit of coloring, adding a clear glaze pen to the balloon.  most of the papers are bits and pieces of a muse note cards, the yellow is su! barely banana, and the white card base from office depot.  back to work...

:) lexi

stamp club saturday

this looks a lot like friday's post, but it really is different, with a lot more below!  yesterday was our new orleans stamp club meeting and i had to prep and pack in the midst of working on orders and cleaning the house for a showing--so busy!  anyway, we were to make valentine trading cards, so like i often do, i took inspiration from the stuff still on my desk.  and i really liked the saltbox studio stud muffin card from friday, so i made it x 10, with a few changes on the smaller version--a background layer instead of a patterned cardstock detail, copics instead of pencils, and spica for the "you" instead of a black writer.  i even ended up with a couple extra that i hadn't added "you" and ribbon to, which came in handy today for quickly turning plain white gift bags into the perfect birthday wrappings, with room for colleen to add her own greeting.  gotta love that!

 

so back to stamp club.  this month everyone brought shoebox projects and we created lots of cool stuff.  it was fun being able to try so many different patterns and projects.  first up, an easter basket created from the coluzzle take out box, filled with nugget eggs...

a post-it note holder, made with chipboard and patterned paper, and a ribbon tab on each cover, so that the pencil holds it closed...

a purse calendar, changing out the original cover with a pretty new stamped one...

a baby frame with sweet little embellishments...

 

and a great little pin to wear on st. patrick's day!

since i had to finish my trading cards there, i didn't get to all of the shoeboxes.  but i brought home the supplies and directions, so hopefully i'll have those to show soon!

thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi

still in the mood for love...

 

i really did a number on my desk with valentine bits and pieces from my fast and furious stamping and working the last few days.  so when i was trying to clean up between printing and designing today, i decided to use some of it before i put it away!  quick and easy, this card features the famous stud muffin from the saltbox studio, a muse pretty little paper in pink with polka dots, and valentine ribbon by martha stewart crafts.   the word love is from the saltbox studio february banner set, "you" is hand lettered.  and my desk--still messy!

happy friday!
:) lexi

valentine, valentine...

 

as soon as i saw linda's post about making sweet treats with the heart punches for her kids' class valentine treats (she saw it here), i knew that's what we were going to do for ours.  a lot of my saltbox studio, a muse and elzybells stamps are perfect for valentines and very loved by my girls.  and i'm glad i was able to get a few of the heart punches before they sold out!  the girls did most of the punching, so i could stamp and not waste the pretty little papers that i'm very low on.  but they told me which stamps they wanted, helped with some of the coloring, chose who to give each one to and wrote their names on the back.   in order for them to be able to put the to/from on the back heart (i flipped some so you could see), i opted to stamp or write the sentiment on the front.  i also stamped some of the larger images off the edge to make them fit better, balancing them with the words as much as i could.  copics did a great job covering the patterns of the pretty little papers--even the lighter colors masked them enough to not notice too much.  i just love all of the colors and patterns together and the girls were really excited about them!

i also created a few personalized valentines this week for a couple friends' kids to give.  they are a little bigger than a trading card and combine printing with stamping--for the signature and the sentiment if i didn't have it.  again, i used a muse, elzybells and saltbox studio stamps.  i love the size of the the stars & moon, the star and the tiny heart from saltbox--perfect finishing touches!  the fish is one that i've had for several years--it's unmounted and unlabeled, but i use it for boys quite a bit here and there--one of the only times i use kaleidacolor pads these days.

happy valentine's day!
:) lexi

year round tree: february

 

i can't believe i almost forgot to post my february tree!  actually, i almost forgot to change it.  for february, i found these little charms--a set of metal love charms--at michael's a couple of years ago.  the kit contained the perfect number i needed and includes a love token, a "cute" conversation heart, a friends flower, xoxo and even one that says, "moms are all heart."  they are mostly silver with a few shiny red details.  perfect for february!  like the snowman topper last month, i created the heart myself--much easier than the snowman.  i'll try to be back with a card later today, but until then, you can see one that i created over at the saltbox sampler--and a few that my girls did too!

:) lexi

the way to your valentine's heart...

 

is with cupcakes, of course!  i know i've said this before, but i really love this muffin basket from a basket celebration 1 by the saltbox studio.  since valentine's day is just two days away, i wanted to post a few more sweet designs before it's here.  i thought the muffins would look cute as valentine cupcakes, so i colored them in red and pink and added a heart shaped twinkle sticker on each one for a bit of cupcake confetti on top.  i also cut off the flowers when trimming, so that the focus was solely on the yummies, and i dressed up the liner with the open heart from the sheep set.  the sentiment is from the february banner set, curved on the block before stamping--that super cool clear stamp trick!  and the ribbon is martha stewart crafts, from michael's.

enjoy!
:) lexi

p.s.  thanks for the sweet congrats on my published card--it was one of last year's goals that i'm so excited to see come to life.  stay tuned for a few more coming soon!

hey cupcake...

 

that's my card in print!  i'm so excited to have my first card published in the march 08 paper crafts magazine!!!  i created it last summer for one of the a*muse*a*palooza challenges...

right around that time, paper crafts had a call for quick and easy birthday and while i made a few specifically for the call, i added this one to my submissions at the last minute.  think simple. think a muse.  right?!  it's the one they picked up, so i'm glad i did!  it's a great issue--who doesn't need quick and easy birthday ideas and if designing "for the birds" is your thing, they've got you covered!

:) lexi

hello monday!

 
 

here are the last two 3 x 3 minis from my leftover stamping last week!  two more very quick, great to have on hand, gift cards featuring images from the saltbox studio and scraps from a muse notecards.  i love the little mouse peeking from behind the yarn and that snowmouse has got to be one of the cutest snowmen you'll ever see!   i'm so excited for monday this week--with mardi gras break officially over, the girls have gone back to school and i can get back to work.  now that i've shared the last of my minis, i've got some stamping to do!  of course, i really wish i was in anaheim at cha, but at least we can get tons of scoop from my fellow reporters at craft critique--they've posted *lots* of eye candy already!

:) lexi

you glow girl!

how about another leftovers-turned-mini with another cute mouse from the saltbox studio?! i was playing around with color and decided not to go so bright that day, but as i was figuring out what to do with it now, i added a striped pattern to the dress and then realized that the base color matched nicely to the a muse mango tinplate note card. with "you glow girl" it would be a great lunchbox note for one of my girls.

speaking of glowing girls, today was a very busy day. i helped someone throw the spa party i threw for colleen last year. it was fun to recreate. here's a glimpse of what i did in case you didn't see it then. if you were reading my blog at the time, you might remember that i had to cancel the party two hours before, so i had to bake a second cake for the rescheduled day. so this makes the 4th time i've made this cake--it seems to be a favorite! i was out of glassine paper for the cake board, so i used my wrapping paper covered by cellophane trick and i just love the result. it helps that i had such cool martha stewart paper!

good eats, spa style...

fun & favors...

i didn't take pictures once we set it up at her house, but you can see the pics from colleen's spa day in the theme party album to the left!

'nite!
:) lexi

a quick post ~ just for you

 

here's another 3 x 3 mini from saltbox studio leftovers.  i stamped and colored the image for a challenge at splitcoast, but it wasn't working on that card, so i switched gears and put it aside.  i've been wanting to try this tag idea for a while and the leftover basket and small canvas of the mini card seemed like the perfect opportunity.  after stamping the sentiment and trimming closely, i cut the corners to look like a tag.  to attach it to the basket, i snipped a little extra between the ribbon and tucked it in.  the basket is attached with monoadhesive and i added a little foam tape behind the tag for a little extra pop.  another very quick and easy gift card to have on hand!  i used mostly colored pencils on this image, but i did use a copic for the first layer of color on the basket.  i love my copics even when i'm not going for a marker look!  if you like them too or you're thinking about investing, beth has another marker tutorial going on the saltbox sampler.  it's so cool to see the progression and learn new techniques!

thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi