Better Late then Never!

Here we go...my first blog post!!

Thanks to my sister Julie - check out her blog http://lastminutecrafter.blogspot.com/ - for the past few weeks I've been checking out all of the great craft blogs and now I'm hooked! So I figured I better start one myself! I've been stamping for about the past 10 years and have only been seriously scrapbooking for the past few years. Lately I've been thinking that I'm only a collector since all the supplies are just sitting there...and yeah I've still been buying! :) But I've been so inspired by checking out everyone's blogs...the challenges and contests are a great way to keep you stamping!

Last week my sister and I joined the Stampin' Out Alzheimers website for a week of great challenges and prizes. It was a hectic week...racing home from work to start another challenge...staying up late trying to figure out how to take a good picture of the card- LOL! But it was worth it...my sister and I both won prizes!! Thanks Jen Tapler - check out her blog for more info on Stampin' Out Alzheimers http://jentapler.blogspot.com/

Here are a few of the cards I made for the SOA challenges:

Stamps - Stampin Up Fanciful Flowers
Paper/bg paper - Stampin Up Apricot Appeal & Certainly Celery

This challenge was to make a card using acetate. I thought it was going to be the hardest challenge, but it ended up being pretty easy. I cut the paper part of the card so there was only an inch or so for the front, then put scrapbook paper on the inside and on the front. I attached flowers onto the scrapbook paper on the front. Then glued the back of the card to a folded piece of acetate (full card size) and used a glue dot to add one more flower to the front. Only hard thing was trying to take a picture of it! :)

Stamps - Stampin Up Frolicking Frogs

Paper/bg paper - Stampin Up Garden Green, not sure the darker green or the background paper

Misc - fake flies :), handmade tag

This card was for a sketch challenge. Don't worry...the flies are fake!! I knew I wanted to use the frog and when I was looking for my pop ups, I found the flies! They were one of those collector things that I didn't know I had...LOL! The tag is handmade...yay I finally used my tag maker!! :)

Stamps - Stampin Up Polka Dot Punches - used SU Flower punch

Paper/bg paper - Stampin Up Chocolate Chip, not sure which pink or which background paper

Misc - SU buttons and misc ribbon

This card was for the Two by Two challenge. We had to use only Brown, Pink and one neutral color as well as 2 different types of embellishments. I had so much trouble trying to add in the ribbon. At first I was doing a strip of ribbon, but it just didn't look good. Finally I said why not make them the leaves! :)

Stamps - Monkey from Mindy's Zoo Acrylic stamp set, Happy Birthday from SU but not sure what set

Paper - Stampin Up Chocolate Chip & Barely Banana

Misc - SU ribbon, misc eyelets

This card was for another sketch challenge. I thought this monkey was so cute, he didn't need anything but "Happy Birthday"...just some eyelets and ribbon to add some texture. Simple but cute! :)