Celebrating Monday

Monday, Monday. Can't trust that day.

Actually, it's been a pretty great day - with one little hiccup at the park this morning. So, we are 30 minutes into our walk... [we = newborn and I, 30 minutes = 30 minutes away from our car] when the dear babe decides to wail. [wail = red faced, squinting eyes, mouth wide screaming]

What are my options? really?

So... after ensuring that he was safe and dry, I turned around.

And turned the iPod UP.

You will be relieved to know - though not as relieved as I was - that he was dead asleep in about 10 minutes. Poor, poor kiddo.


But during our morning nap, I was able to complete the Mojo Monday sketch challenge. I liked this sketch a lot. It was a fun one. The flashcards are from an earlier Etsy purchase...

Now, I must feed myself before the afternoon nap has come and gone and it is time, yet again, to feed the Bob [as in Marley and the "wailers"]. :)

If you stop by, say hello and let me know what you think. Love meeting the blogosphere. :)

Blast Off!

Ah, Monday! Time for another Mojo Monday sketch challenge. Here is this week's super cute sketch. I love it. In fact, I love it so much, I might I have to create another one and actually use a star next time. I love stars. :)

My take sticks with the star theme, but I was too excited to use these new "spacey" stamps. I've seen some alien stamps floating around the blogosphere lately, and I've been a little jealous, so when I ran into these at the craft store, of course, I had to have them. (Does that sentence abuse commas or what?!?) I borrowed some of my Rudolf noses to embellish the little Martian.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by. Let me know what you think. I can't wait to see all of your creations!

Thinking of You

We had such a great time celebrating our first Halloween with the babe. He was such a cute little skeleton. Trick-or-treating with a five-week old is kind of like taking a walk in the dark... stroller and everything, but we still had a blast!

Here is the sketch from this week's Sketch Saturday challenge. And my take on the sketch is this sweet little reindeer card. It was supposed to say "be merry," but my brand stinkin' new stamp was defective! How frustrating! Back to the craft store tomorrow to see if I can make an exchange. I'm still very pleased with the card. I made the little reindeer tags. Here is another example of what I have done with the "Eight Tiny Reindeer" tags. Gotta say, I think they are pretty cute. And, I can't wait to see what the scrapbook layout looks like once the baby actually has his first Christmas. ;)

Can you tell I'm getting into the "holiday groove" already? The hubby thinks I'm crazy. Don't worry, I'm not skipping Thanksgiving. Too many blessings not to stop and take notice! Hope you had a fantastic Halloween!

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas??? But, what happened to Halloween?

Busy Morning!

After bath time, my aunt came over for a scrapbooking date. Well... really, it was a hold the baby while I scrapbook date, but whatever. We had a ton of fun. (By the way, it is WAY too cold for bath time. How are we going to survive the winter??)

Then, I created this Christmas card for two challenges. The sketch is from Mojo Monday and the colors are from Color Throwdown. The snowman stamp is new and I think he is just too sweet. Doesn't he just scream "Joy?"


And, this afternoon, my first Etsy Christmas presents arrived. Yes, I know, I'm starting Christmas a bit early... but according to my usual schedule, I'm late. I used to (pre-baby) have all of my shopping done by Thanksgiving, wrapping done soon after that. Things have slowed down a bit this year for obvious and adorable reasons. I can show you a picture, but you would really have to smell them to appreciate them. I bought two yummy soaps from Bathing in Luxury. Shown is the honey scent, um yum, but I also purchased the pumpkin pie... Yummy smells and beautifully packaged. Plus, they came with samples, so I can dive in. :)

So Much to Share!

So, on Friday, I asked the hubby, "Is it Friday? Oh, thank goodness."

His response was, "What do you care?" I guess he figures that since I'm on maternity leave, everyday is Saturday for me.

So, he was surprised (for some reason!) when I said, "Because if it is Friday, then tomorrow, I get help."

Lot's to share today...

I've been combining challenges this weekend to catch-up. First, for Pink Elephant sketch, I took this week's sketch and flipped it on it's side. I added some twine for one of this week's 365 Cards challenges. Here is what I came up with.

This is my first Friday Sketchers challenge. I was excited to use my new "gracias" stamp for it. I think it is the cutest. I added some paisley papers for 365 Cards.

Finally, I created this card for the Finally Friday challenge by Kristina Werner at Two Peas. I chose colors from the Color Throwdown. I was really NOT happy with this pomegranate colored paper when I started, but I think that the striped papers in the background really tie it together.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! :)

Crafting... with newborn in lap

So... I'm a new mother. And, I only have two hands. And, I need four hands for just the baby. But, even though my sweet pea is only three weeks old, I am already missing that creative part of me. The part that isn't mom or wife or teacher. So, I'm using every free moment to play with paper. If the baby is sleeping, I'm working on one project or another. (Yes, I've heard all that advice about sleeping when the baby is sleeping.) If the baby isn't sleeping, I'm desperately trying to wield the glue dots in one hand and baby in the other. I think you will appreciate my latest Christmas card all the more if you know that it was completed entirely (with the exception of cutting out the oval) with one hand. Granted, I did give it my right hand, and the poor babe was stuck with the far less capable left. Even now, I am typing with one hand. (Mrs. Martinez, my seventh grade typing teacher would have a fit!)

May I present to you, the one-handed "Be Merry" card for Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge.

Now, I have some spit-up to manage that is definitely going to require two hands. ;)

Pax, Mojo Monday & 365 Cards

Two Christmas cards down, 698 to go (or round about that at least)!

Flipped this week's Mojo Monday sketch on the side for this "pax" card. What a great way to use an "X," right? :) The circle embellishment is stamped with a lovely little floral stamp with metallic ink. Too bad it didn't photograph too well. The card also meets the requirements of today's 365 Cards challenge: Use a ribbon, tag and pearl. (Had to substitute metal dots for pearls, but the effect is the same... broke the rules twice in a row, uh-oh!)

Thanks for stopping by. Can't wait to see your cards, too.

Joy - 365 Cards

Today's challenge at 365 Cards was to use a favorite fabric as inspiration. These afghans are technically not a fabric, but it is the same idea. Both are handmade (and you can guess how much I love that). The first is by an old family friend - made long before I was born, and the second was made by my mother-in-law a few years ago. I took the colors from the green and the shape from the brown. Together, this just screamed "Christmas" to me. So, I have officially made my first Christmas card of the season. What do you think?

Wish Birthday Card for 365 Cards

Today's sketch for the 365 Cards Challenge seemed super busy to me... and I guess that my card turned out super busy, too. I think the large graphic letters anchor it, though. I love that it is a birthday card... Strangely, I need the most birthday cards, and I make them far less frequently than any other kind of card.

"hey!" 2S4Y

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by this week's 24SY sketch. . . but it kept rolling around in my head until I figured out what I wanted to do with it this week. It is not a strict interpretation of the sketch, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by, and let me know what you think.

"hello" Dragonfly, Color Throwdown #64

My first challenge in a while... a newborn provides one with the best kind of distraction. I am finding a moment here and there to dabble in paper again. Here is my first card in a while. It was inspired by this week's Color Throwdown. I created a set of 8 available on Etsy: http://thepaperstop.Etsy.com.