Birthday Mojo 414

I turned 36 today.

I got to enjoy a simple day with my husband and my kids.  Ate good, home-made food.  Watched football.  Counted my many blessings.

I made this card earlier this week for a birthday twin...another lady who shares the date with me.  Someone who has given me good council on being a mother to a daughter, and numerous other things.

Stamps:Celebrate Today
Ink: Basic Black (Archival) and VersaMark
Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Tip Top Taupe, Go Wild DSP, and Gold Foil
Accessories:  Balloon Framelits, Banner Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Gold Emboss Powder, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Dimensionals

Up, Up & Away - Mojo 232

A friend has invited me to bring my cards to show off at her mother's jewelry show.
To say that I am a little nervous is an understatement. 

So I'm making cards to take...

To inspire...

To hopefully share a smile.

This one I made for my baby brother's birthday.  Which is today.  I used the sketch from Mojo Monday to help pull the card together.

He's not really a baby.  No.  But he's the baby of the family.  Even at 30, which is how old he is today, I'm reminded that he is the baby.  I guess after walking him to school, cooking his meals, washing his clothes, holding his hand when he was scared, and playing ninjas afterschool, you never are able to look at someone at their real age, ever.  Which is why I remember him with longer hair, parted to the side, dark blue jeans and a green sweatshirt...never as the 30 year old that he is today.

Happy Birthday little brother. 

Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Paper:  Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Real Red, Big Top Birthday DSP, and Whisper White
Ink:  Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive
Accessories: Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, and Tasteful Trim Big Shot Die

FL180 - Happy Birthday

I got some new stamps recently!!

(And ribbon, and paper, and punches, and buttons, and brads...)

Right now is Sale-A-Bration (until March 31st!!) which means for every $50.00 you spend, you get a free product!  Which is great because who doesn't like FREE???

So, with my FREE supplies, and a layout from Clean & Simple, I created this:

What do you think?

Stamps:  Fresh Vintage and Apothecary Art
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper: Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade, Peach Parfait, and Everyday Enchantment DSP
Accessories: Brads and Ribbon from Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack, Hat Pin, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, Eyelet Border Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Tea Stain from Distressing Essentials Kit, and Basic Pearls

A Birthday Invitation

My daughter recently celebrated her birthday.  Unfortunately, due to the timing of her birthday and school starting, we have with her friends a little bit later. 

Here is a quick invitation I created for her to hand out to her friends (blurring used since I don't want everybody showing up at her party).

Paper:  Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry and Whisper White
Ink:  My Printer Ink!!
Accessories:  My Digital Studio (MDS), Cupcake Builder Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder and Dazzling Details.

It's The Birthday Month!!

My daughter's birthday is in September, my friend's birthday is in September, MY birthday is in September, and just for kicks, all of my favorite shows come back on in September!!!

So...in honor of Super Spectacular September, I am giving 10% off all Stampin' Up! orders over $50.00 (before any tax or shipping costs) placed through me (which means you need to contact me directly, give me your order and I will submit it for you with your discounted payment). I must receive your order by 7:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Friday, September 30th, 2011, in order for your 10% to be received!!

Also - The New Holiday Mini goes LIVE today!! There are so many wonderfully exciting new things in the mini that I am sooo excited to use! Contact me today to place your order at ambercerda at hotmail dot com to make the most out of this offer!

Card Details:
Stamps:  Bring on the Cake, Take a Spin
Ink:  Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Real Red, Peach Parfait and Tempting Turquoise
Paper:  Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Old Olive and Whisper White and Big Top Birthday DSP
Accessories:  Daffodil Delight Satin Ribbon, Stripes Embossing Folder, Game Spinner Hands and Mini Brads (I love those things!!)

Happy Birthday!

Two friends recently celebrated their birthdays...the good thing is that they are actually Birthday Twins (just a couple years apart!!)...which makes things easy for me, sometimes...

I decided to pull out a new stamp set and punch for their cards, and then sat there...inspiration lost.  About two nights before the big day I finally was able to muster some imagination...and whipped this one out.

Stamps:  Bring on the Cake

Paper:  Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, and Just Add Cake DSP

Ink: Early Espresso, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzaz, Baja Breeze, and Blushing Bride

Accessories: Petite Pennants Builder Punch, Mini Brads

"He who has the most tools..."

My dad's birthday is tomorrow.

For the past few months he's been living with me. Re-evaluating his life, thinking, setting his sights on new goals. I'm hoping that he's found what he's been searching for, or, if nothing else, I've allowed him to see that family, true family, help eachother, and forgive eachother.

Happy Birthday Dad.

Ingredients:

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White (DSP Unknown - retired)

Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, and Summer Sun

Stamps: Totally Tool, All Holidays

Accessories: Top Note Die, Dimensionals

For My Brother

Thursday is my brother's birthday. He will be 28 years old.

This year has brought him a new experience - one that he will have to learn to deal with for the rest of his life. This new thing he can learn many things from - or he can allow it to scar him and draw a shadow across his path. I hope he is strong enough to learn from it. This is his opportunity to see new paths that have been before him.

To another year down. To life experience. To taking each moment, learning from it, and remembering to find happiness in the little things.

Happy Birthday!

A New Year - A Fresh Start

Happy New Year!!

Did you enjoy the holidays? Did you enjoy the family and the food? I did!

That's my baby right there...with the scarf, in the green. He's rockin' out at the Christmas Pagaent, so darn cute!! I love how animated he is...he loves to sing and perform!

Here is his Gingerbread House that he made in school, he was so proud of it! He told a story about a little elf that lived in this house...and he refused to let anyone eat off of it. Mysteriously, it started to "disappear", first just doors and windows, and then whole pieces of roof and walls disappeared, until all that was left was the milk carton base.


Okay - now truly...did you make any resolutions this year??

I did!

• Pay off Store Credit Card #1 by January 16th
• Pay off Store Credit Card #2 by April 5th
• Pay off Bank Credit Card #1 by the end of the year
• Turn hobby into business
• Make an extra $20 a month

And I have some great news! I already accomplished the first one!! At the end of the year, my employer cashes out whatever remaining sick leave you have and pays you!! I totally forgot about this policy...I've learned to never count on something until it sits in your hand...so, my sick leave was paid out, I've managed to pay off Store Credit Card #1, and put the remainder towards Store Credit Card #2. Now, I need to re-do my budget before payday!! I am so excited! (Yes, I'm learning to revel in the little things!!)

Oh, did you see the last goal? Make an extra $20 a month? Well, I'm nearly there for January! I sold a stamp set that was gathering dust on my shelves to a girlfriend, and then a co-worker paid me to make three Thank You cards! Now, I just have to get myself out there and really work on my last two goals!!

Here are some pictures of the Thank You cards. I came up with the layouts by going through the Stampin'Up! IB&C and looking at the examples - no wonder why they call it the "idea book"!


Stamps: For All You Do
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Dimensionals


Stamps: Very Thankful
Paper: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Crushed Curry DSP
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, Dimensionals

Stamps: Define Your Life, Baroque Motifs
Paper: Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Washington Apple DSP
Ink: Versa Mark, Basic Black
Accessories: Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon

Stamps: Sweet Stems, Teeny Tiny Wishes Paper: Rose Red, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Raspberry Tart DS Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Cameo Coral Accessories: Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Hodgepodge Hardware

Okay, this next card is a birthday card for one of the guys at work, our PR guy. He does a lot of stuff for all of us in the office, and even though he seems to have a lot of fun doing what he does, his efforts often go unnoticed. So, a birthday card he gets.

This card was a lot of fun to make. I love making shaker cards, and everyone is usually very impressed with them. So, how do you make a shaker card with more than just beads??

SHRINKY DINKS!!

Yes, I said it! SHRINKY DINKS!

Remember those things from back in the day? They came in a little plastic sheet that you colored with markers and then threw them in the oven, with the light on, so you could watch your artwork shrink and harden. I never got to play with them when I was little, but I always wanted them.

I bought some for my daughter a year or two ago, and she was not that impressed. But, it had stuck in my mind, and I had gone to my local craft shop and bought a package of blank sheets...to sit on my craft shelves and collect dust, until this week!



Stamps: The More the Merrier, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Ink: Staz-On Black, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware, Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Ribbon, Micro Beads, Dimensionals, Crystal Glaze, Shrinky Dinks

And of course to ring in the new year, a thought: We cannot progress from today to tomorrow, unless we remember yesterday. So, here's to the new year, positive thoughts on all that I learned last year. May you make progress in your own goals, whatever they may be.

Stamps: Sense of Time

Paper: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White, Baja Breeze

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Silver Brads, Top Note Die


Do you know what that is?? Can you guess?

It is not just a piece of plywood with nails in it...nope...it's better.

It's a BOWMAKER!!

Yes! So creative! So frugal!!!!!!

I have been asking and asking for the Ultimate Crafter's Companion, you know, the one with the bow pegs, the embossing, the box and envelope maker, that thing???

Well, I can't get it, not just yet.

So while on Splitcoaststampers the other day, while staring at the bowmaking post in the tutorials, I got this crazy idea...hubby can make that for me!!! And so, he did.

He loves me. (Or, he just wanted me to shut up about bows...)

Happy New Year!

Been gone way too long...

Okay...I know, I'm sorry! I've been gone way too long!

School has started for the kids and I've been busy with homework and class projects...trying to figure out how to make my itty bitty income work for the whole household, printing coupons, trying to get extra money into the house, trying to stay positive, LIVING.

DH finally got a job that he's been holding steady. Too many people were not making good on their promises, so he took something different and has been working about six days a week. Hoping that the income will start to make a difference, I know it took a severe toll on my health and I have been feeling significantly less stressed now that he has a job and something is being contributed.

Now, if I can only keep him on track and make my goal of becoming debt-free a mutual goal. Wish me luck!

Now, to keep you updated:

I have been making cards! Not as many as I would like, but some. So - prepare yourself, I'm going to make a list!

Here are some "Thank You" cards that I made for my co-w0rkers who helped make my 30th Birthday one of the best birthdays ever....

I tried to change it up a little, I don't want anyone thinking I just crank these out in five minutes...

This one I made for Liliana, who just turned 6! My girlfriend invited the kids and I to her birthday and we had a great time!

Pretty simple cards, but they took a lot of effort since I haven't been feeling very crafty lately...hoping that will pass soon!

Birthday Invitation

A co-worker asked that I make birthday invitations for her mother's 80th birthday. ACK!!

What do I do? Head straight over to splitcoaststampers...and browse browse browse. I found this card and fell in love with it. I kept the layout and the basic idea, but changed the colors and the butterfly. My co-worker and all those that received an invitation LOVED them.

Here is what I came up with:

What do you think?

Paper:Whisper White, Old Olive, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Great Friend

Ink: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals, Scallop Edge Punch, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool, Clear Embossing Powder, Backgrounds 1 Sizzix Texturz Plates

A Masculine Birthday Card

A co-worker asked that I make her fiance a birthday card. My instructions: he likes fishing.

Hmmm...

So, I came up with this:

What do you think?

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel

Ink: Versa Mark, Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Garden Green

Stamps: Upsy Daisy; Fish - Inkadinkadoo

Accessories: Jumbo Eyelets, Cutter Kit (distressing tool), Linen Thread

DD's Birthday

Today is my DD's birthday. 10 years old. I can't believe it.

I remember being in labor with her...forever.

I remember being scared; my water broke in the bed and I had thought I peed the bed. I can laugh about it now...but at the time, I was frantically trying to clean myself and the bed and try to control my tears while my husband was whistling in the shower.

I remember holding her and being so exhausted, and learning that if my husband left his shirt he wore at night in the crib with her, she would sleep until she woke up, hungry.

I remember how she hated frilly lacey clothing, and now that's all she wants.

I remember that I felt like I was a horrible mother because I never gave her a baby doll until she was about 18 months...she seemed content with her blocks and balls and story time.

I remember telling her that she was going to be a big sister, and her turning around, the sourest face, and in the whiniest (is that a word?) voice, told me that she didn't want a baby, she wanted a rabbit. I tripped and fell I was laughing so hard.

I remember everything like it was just a second ago, and she laughs at me as I tear up: Stop Crying Mom.

Ah, the little moments.

Anyway, today is her 10th birthday. We made her choice of dinner: tacos. We made a cake: vanilla with sprinkles. We talked about our day and tried to countdown to the next family member's birthday (mine!).

Here are some pictures of the card I made for her.
I am still working on that pop-up cake die.

Here she is blowing out her candles...

Happy Birthday Lady Bug!

Birthday Gift for the Boss

Today is my boss' birthday. At the final hour, my co-workers apparently voted me in charge of getting a gift and making a card - so kind and thoughtful they are!!! He's into sour candy so I decided to run to Michael's, pick up a jar with a lid, and fill it with Sour Skittles. I thought that it was going to be a quick one-stop shop. However, Michael's had only the jar and NO sour candy. I grabbed the jar and headed to the local corner drug store, where I emptied their candy bins of every Sour Skittles they had. I took off to home and proceeded to make a card and decorate the jar. What do you think? Not bad for having to do a last minute birthday project.
Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point (Retired)
Stamps: Party Hearty
Ink: Basic Black, Pacific Point
Accessories: Circle Scissors Plus, Dimensionals, 1/16" circle punch, Pacific Point Striped Ribbon, Linen Thread, Dimensionals
Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Good Morning, Sunshine DSP, Summer Sun
Stamps: Happy Everything
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: 1/16" circle punch, Pacific Point striped ribbon, silver brads

Birthday Card

Today is a co-worker's birthday. I made this card for her. She is in love with purple and angels. I don't have an appropriate angel stamp for her, but I thought that the Beautiful Butterflies Die was perfect with a little scrap vellum, a whisper of beauty, a simple thought. I embossed the sentiment for a little bit more punch.

Paper: Basic Gray, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Walk In the Park DSP
Stamps: Congrats (SAB 2008)
Ink: VersaMark
Accessories: White Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Beautiful Butterflies Sizzix Die, BigShot, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon

"Happy Birthday, Human"

Isn't this the cutest? AND, it's masculine!

I love it. It's for a co-worker's little boy who is turning 11. We are going over for dinner tomorrow so I worked on this little gift card holder for him. You can get the instructions for this cute idea here.

Paper: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, Real Red

Stamps: Lots of Bots

Accessories: Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals, atyou Spica Red, Crystal Glaze, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch