Hope

I'll just say it. . .yesterday was a rough one.  I know you came to see a card, and if that is the case just keep scrolling down.  I've had a bit of stress on my plate, and it all just hit me yesterday like a ton of bricks.  I'm a person of routine and structure.  I don't know that I've always been that way, or if it's a thing that came about when I had my kids, but it soothes me to know the schedule.  

If you've been around here for any length of time, you know that we home school (hence the title), and we are a military family.  If you know much about the military, they tend to move often.  Sit down for a minute. . .we've lived in this one house for going on 10 years.  That's right, we've lived here for 10 YEARS.  It's the only home my kids remember, and I've come to call it home too.  The time has come. . .we are now moving in roughly 6 months.  

It's not the only source of my stress.  My son is going to be starting high school in roughly 6 months as well.  I'm overwhelmed by that thought since we have chosen a home study route for him.  When I started this venture some 7 years ago, I was certain it would only be through elementary school.  I thought, 'God couldn't possibly want me to keep this up any further than that'.  I was wrong.  I am in constant prayer with God about how to do this and how long.  Not yet has He asked me to stop.  Not only that, but my son has asked me to keep at it.  He loves this way of learning, and who am I to quell it?  He is a child that would definitely be 'lost in the sauce' if I sent him into a traditional school setting.

With all of this I pray.  I pray hard and fervently that God will have my hand the whole time.  I know He goes before me on all of it.  He knows me, and I believe that giving me so much time to absorb this move (which isn't always the case with a military move) He is preparing me slowly.  I also know that He goes before me with my son.  He loves my boy even more than I can fathom, which blows my mind since I would literally try to move heaven and earth for this child if I could.  God loves him even more than I do, so He must have his best interests at heart when He asks me to keep doing this.

I am married to an amazing man, who has been with me long enough (going on 15 years) to see when I am struggling.  Last night he came to me and asked to pray with me.  I know that we are blanketing this all with pray, which gives me so much hope.  During times like these are am reminded of Matthew 6:26 which reads: 

 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

It gives me hope.  I don't know the outcome, but He does.  All I really need to do is show up and trust.  He's got my back.  I think this is why I have this card to show today.  The feathers are a reminder of how much I am loved and cared for. 

This card uses one of Taylored Expressions Petite sets called Light as a Feather.  It's a beautiful set that comes with coordinating dies.

Stamps:  Light as a Feather

Ink:  SU Baja Breeze, SU Regal Rose, SU Rich Razzleberry, Craft White

Paper:  Choice White, kraft, Pebbles - Yours Truly dp

Accessories:  coordinating die, white embossing powder, baker's twine, foam tape, corner rounder

Thanks for stopping in to read my ramblings and check out my card.  Hopefully today I can craft a bit and not completely ruin a project like I did yesterday (that's a story for another day) ;)

January Taylored Expressions Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Hey there everyone, and welcome to the January Taylored Expressions Stamp of the Month (SOTM) Blog Hop!  You may have just stumbled here by accident, and if you did that's great!  You are in for a treat when you start hopping!  Every month the Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Team joins forces with the TE Baker's Dozen and shows off the Stamp of the Month.  The SOTM is a subscription that TE offers at an amazing price along with a couple of other Kit options.  There is something for every paper crafter!

This month's SOTM is called Kiss Me and it's coordinating die is called Love M'stache.  Isn't that awesome?!  I used them both in conjunction with the TE Banner Stacklets 2 die and the Key Ingredients Kit.

This month's SOTM makes it fun and easy to decorate the inside of your card as well.  That is something that I seem to be enjoying more and more with each card I make.  I don't do it with every card, but it is fun to do that every once in a while.

Stamps:  Kiss Me (SOTM)

Paper:  January 2014 TE KI Kit

Ink:  PTI Smokey Shadow, SU Rose Red, SU Regal Rose, SU Pool Party, SU River Rock, Craft White

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, white embossing powder, TE Love M'stache die, TE Banner Stacklets 2 die, foam tape

If you haven't seen with the TE KI Kit includes, here is a peek:

There is more to see, so you'll want to get to hopping!  The teams always do a great job of making sure you have plenty of inspiration to get your creative juices flowing with each new SOTM:

Amy Crockett
Cassie Trask (you're here)
Charmaine Ikach
Courtney Kelley
Jen Shults
Joan Ervin
Kerri Michaud
Monika Davis
Sankari Wegman
Shannon White
Shelly Mercado
Stephanie Kraft
Taylor VanBruggen
Tracy Clemente
Wanda Guess

CTD: Oh Happy Day

Happy Saturday, folks!  It's a rainy day here in Columbus, GA, so not a good day to do the work we need to do on the outside of the house.  Frustrating, but we will get it all done by February I am hopeful.

I decided to stay in and craft a bit while my house is filled with sleeping teens.  I hadn't played in the Color Throwdown in forever, so I really wanted to get back to it.  I didn't have the Peach Parfait, but I didn't let that stop me.  I used a similar color, Calypso Coral.

Last month Taylored Expressions had their annual Petite-a-Palooza, and as I've mentioned in previous posts I bought a few ;)  The one used on this card is called Oh Happy Day and it comes with coordinating dies.  I also used a couple of other TE dies; From the Heart Frame die and Large Layering Doily die.

Stamps:  Oh Happy Day

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Island Indigo

Paper:  Choice White, SU Crumb Cake, SU Baja Breeze

Accessories:  Oh Happy Day die, TE Large Layering Doily Die, TE From the Heart Frame die, SU Island Indigo ribbon, SU Calypso Coral ribbon, liquid pearls, sponge, foam tape

Thanks for stopping in and have an amazing day!

A Graphic Birthday

Yay, the weekend is here!  Unfortunately my weekend is filled with decluttering a few more rooms along with some painting touchups throughout the house.  After those are checked off of the list, the last things will be the outside of the house.  We've only held off on that, because the weather has been so bad.  C'mon sunshine!

I guess that must have been what I was thinking when I made this card for my sister-in-law.  I was just drawn to the bright yellows of this Fancy Pants paper from a prior TE Key Ingredients Kit.  I used the Graphic Greetings Birthday stamp from Taylored Expressions and followed Jen's latest sketch from Deconstructed Sketches.

Stamps:  Graphic Greetings Birthday

Ink:  Craft White

Paper:  past TE KI Kit to include Fancy Pants dp

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, white embossing powder, Doodlebug Pearls, corner rounder

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend enjoying family or whatever else you like to do!  May your days be super crafty :D

The Cat's Meow

Now that the house is getting a bit more settled and I am getting things wiped off of the 'Get the House Ready to Sell' list, I'm finding a bit more time to play!  I pulled out one of the new petite sets from last month's Petite-a-Palooza over at Taylored Expressions.  This set is called Max & Muffin along with it's coordinating die.

I decided to play along in a couple of challenges, since I haven't done that in a while.  I chose the Little Red Wagon's All Purpose challenge, and the Colour Q's color challenge.  I didn't have all of the exact colors that the Colour Q was asking for, to I had to compromise a bit.  I'm kind of loving this card :)

Stamps:  Max & Muffin

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Craft White

Paper:  Choice White, SU Basic Gray

Accessories:  white embossing powder, red ric rac, SU Kiwi Kiss ribbon, foam tape, Copics, stapler

I'm thrilled you stopped by!

TE: You Light Up My Life

Due to nasty weather, we started our day a couple of hours later than normal.  I suppose that was a good way to ease back into the usual routine :)  I did have some fun playing with goodies over the break.  One of the things I made was this lamp card featuring a new set from Taylored Expressions called Light Up My Life with it's coordinating dies.  It was released during Petite-a-palooza, which is always a great time to get some amazing new stamps.

I made this for my man.  He's been so amazing in helping to get the house ready to sell.  I couldn't have done it all without him.  Well, I suppose I could have, I am an Army wife, but I wouldn't have wanted to do it without him ;)

Stamps:  Light Up My Life

Ink:  craft white

Paper:  Choice White, Pepples - Yours Truly dp

Accessories:  coordinating dies, red ribbon, doily, white embossing powder, foam tape

Thanks for stopping in!

Time for Tea: January Taylored Expressions KI Kit

Happy New Year!  We are still enjoying some wonderful down time and will be until Monday.  I wanted to show you something I made for my mom using the new January Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit.  I'm sure you've seen the tea bag dispenser floating around.  I loved the idea, but I don't own any 12 x 12 paper, so I had to make an alternative.

This month's kit comes with a couple of pieces of cardstock that just so happen to measure 8 1//2 x 11 1/2, which is perfect for the dispenser I made and the tea bags that I happen to have. . .coincidnece?  I think not!  As you can see below, I adjusted my scorings by just a smidge; scoring at 3", 5 1/2", 8 1/2", and 11".  When It's all folded up, it makes the perfect dispenser for my bagged Lipton teas :D

This lid size will have to be adjusted as well to measure 4 5/8" x 4 1/8", and then scored at 3/4" on each side.  This little dispenser was so fun to make, and the papers from the kit just went so beautifully with my CreativiTEA set from Taylored Expressions.

 Stamps:  CreativiTEA

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  January 2014 TE KI Kit

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, Nestabilities Labels 7 die, Scorpal, foam tape, Copics, glossy glaze

If you haven't heard of the kits that Taylor offers, just take a look at what you get:

They are such a bang for your buck and full of 'matchy' 'stampy' goodness. . .all of my favorite things!  Check out the Kits page to see the benefits and options, and check out the Gallery page for lots of inspiraiton!

Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit: A New You Journal

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope y'all are having a wonderful holiday!  I can tell you we have been really busy getting our house ready to sell.  It has been such a blessing to have my husband home for this last week.

Have you seen the December Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit?  It is absolutely gorgeous, and I have had the best time using up all of the goodies. One of my favorite things that I have made has been this New Year Journal.  I use journals for so many things, and I love to jazz them up.

Not only did I give my journal a make over on the outside, but I did on the inside as well.  I thought it would be fun to use the 'Bucket List' paper from the kit on the inside cover.

I also strategically placed the darling positive notes throughout the notebook for encouragement.  This journal will be wonderful for just about anything I choose to use it for.

I also used the Clip It On dies to make this great book clips for my journal.  They use a total of 4 sheets of cardstock, making them nice, thick, and durable.  The sentiments are from the Stamp of the Month called Going Places.  Aren't those fun?

My back cover uses some more of the awesome paper from the kit.  I have been so impressed with the different papers in this kit.  The only stamping I did on this project was on the clips :)

 Stamps:  Going Places SOTM

Ink:  Craft White, SU Concord Crush

Paper:  December 2013 TE KI Kit

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, TE Clip It On die, white embossing powder, journal

You only have a couple more days to order the kit, so if you're thinking about it you better get on it!  On January 1st a new kit will be revealed, so don't miss this opportunity.

Joyful Christmas

Hey there, friends!  I'm enjoying a bit of coffee with my man before we start the day ahead, and I thought I would share a Christmas project I made while I was on the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen.  It uses a Saturated Canary image called Christmas Angel and the sentiment is from MFT.  I can tell you I had the best time coloring this :)  I hope you and yours have a very joyful Christmas!

Wishing You Peace

Hey there, friends!  I just wanted to share a bit more Christmas spirit!  I'll have a few more projects to share over the next couple of days before Christmas, and this is one of them.  I made it for my time on the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen.  It was challenge to make a card and then make another with a bit extra.  I used Wreaths of Joy from Taylored Expressions with the matching Seasonal Wreath die.

Wishing Peace from my family to yours!

BeYOUtiful

One more week until Christmas break over here!  This is the first year in a long time, that we won't be going anywhere for Christmas or after Christmas.  To be honest, we are a little excited about being home.  Because we've been here for 9 years, which is almost unheard of, the kids really wanted to make this a traditional Christmas and stay home.  This is the longest we've ever lived somewhere, and for the rest of our time in the Army, it will be the longest.  Enough about that, you came for a card.

I made this card using the December Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit along with the Stamp of the Month.  It's such a beautiful kit!  Along with those I also used a few other dies from TE:  Grass Border die and Clouds Border die.  As always the SOTM has a matching die, and this one is called Enjoy the Journey.  I made the road out of one of the beautiful pieces of ribbon that comes in the kit.  The saying is one of the many encouraging sentiments that comes in the paper pack!  This kit is filled to the brim with ideas.

 Stamps:  Going Places SOTM

Ink:  Craft White

Paper:  December 2013 TE Key Ingredients Kit

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, TE Enjoy the Ride die, TE Clouds Border die, TE Grass Border die, white embossing powder, foam tape

Here's a peek at the kit if you haven't seen it yet:

Thanks for stopping in today!

Deck the Halls with Paper Art

Hey all!  Once again, it's a busy day in our house with school, tennis, Civil Air Patrol, and more (hopefully crafting).  Before I got too far into the day, I wanted to show you a project that I made while I was on the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen.  I truly had such a blast making this piece of art using the Taylored Expressions sets Peppermint Place from the Adorable Abodes collection and Banner Holidays, which coordinates with the Banner Day 1 die.

I just love how it turned out, and it's always fun to make something that you can display in your house or give away.  I think the coloring and assembling were my favorite parts of this project :)

Stamps:  Peppermint Place, Banner Holidays

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Baja Breeze, Craft White

Paper:  Choice White, light blue

Accessories:  Copics, glitter, sponges, Swiss Dots embossing folder, bakers twine, foam tape, TE Banner Days 1 die, frame

Thanks for stopping in!

Taylored Expressions December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome to the December Stamp of the Month Blog Hop for Taylored Expressions!  I hope you are getting super jazzed for the SOTM, like I always do.  The Baker's Dozen along with the Key Ingredients Team have some amazing things cooked up for you to see today.  You're sure to leave the hop feeling super inspired :)

This month's set is called Going Places and it's matching die is called Enjoy the Journey!  From the moment I laid eyes on this set, I fell in love.  Taylor always does such an amazing job of matching it all up!  The way this set and the dies go with the papers from the Key Ingredients Kit is totally swoon worthy ;)

 Stamps:  Going Places

Ink:  SU Pool Party, SU Concord Crush, Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  December 2013 TE KI Kit

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, Copics, TE Enjoy the Journey die, foam tape, Purple Viva Pearl Pen

Here is what the goodies inside the Key Ingredients Kit look like:

If you are new to the idea of the kits, you really need to check out the details and all of the BENEFITS on the Kits Page.  Not only that, but Taylor has a special Gallery for each month's kit and the SOTM :D

Be sure to make your way through all of the blogs in the hop, so that you don't miss a bit of SOTM inspiration!

Amy Crockett

Cassie Trask

Charmaine Ikach

Courtney Kelley

Jen Shults

Joan Ervin

Kerri Michaud

Monika Davis

Sankari Wegman

Shannon White

Shelly Mercado

Stephanie Kraft

Tracy Clemente

Wanda Guess

 Thanks for stopping in!

Trim the Tree

This is the first year in quite a while that I haven't had the time to make our Christmas cards, egads!!  I have made a few, but not near enough to send out to the masses.  With that being said, I've taken a bit more time on the ones I have made.  Like this one, for example, that I made using mostly dies and a paper kit.  Y'all know I love a good paper kit, and this one is currently on sale over at Taylored Expressions and it's called Bundled Up Project Pantry.  It's kind of hard to resist that price, isn't it?!

I had so much fun making this card :)  As I said, I obviously used mostly dies to make it.  I used the Shake it Up die from TE and the Trim the Tree die as well.  The sentiment comes from the Woodland Winter stamp set.  The blue snow was made with my airbrush, and I did quite a bit of sponging on my edges of the tree.  It turned out pretty fun I think :)

Stamps:  Woodland Winter

Ink:  Memento Espresso Truffle, Distress Vintage Photo

Paper:  Bundled Up Project Pantry Kit

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, TE Shake it Up die, TE Trim the Tree die, Tags Nesties, sponge, foam tape

Thanks for stopping in today.  I ordered a couple of goodies from the new TE release.  I'm hoping those come in today, so I can play!

December TE Key Ingredients Kit

Hey crafty peeps!  I'm finally recuperating from Thanksgiving and a couple of military functions, so I am here!  I'm so anxious to get into my craft room and make some goodies, hehe.  Giddy much?!  If you follow Taylor from Taylored Expressions, you know that tomorrow is a release day.  The Baker's Dozen has been showing off such cute projects that have totally wet my appetite for some new stamps.  This release is called Petite-a-palooza, which is always a favorite time of year.  You NEED to check it out, and even join Taylored Expressions on their Facebook page tonight to get the skinny.

I'm showing you the December Key Ingredients Kit today, which is available right now!  I made some wine huggers, which is what I like to call them.  This time of year, I'm always in need of a hostess thank you gift, and these little babies are perfect!  I used the gorgeous goodies in the December Kit along with the TE stamp set called Wine a Little along with the TE dies Bottled Up, and Wine & Dine.  These will find some good homes I promise :)

Stamps:  Wine a Little

Ink:  Craft White, SU Concord Crush, SU Barely Banana

Paper:  TE December Key Ingredients Kit

Accessories:  ribbon from kit, TE Bottled Up die, TE Wine & Dine die, white embossing powder, foam tape

Here's a pic of what the December Key Ingredients Kit come with:

Plus, Taylor has matching stamps called the Stamp of the Month that go perfectly with the kits.  Take a look at the kit options and the mounds of kit ideas in the Gallery!