Mmm, Cupcake!

I looooove cupcakes. I don't eat them too often, cuz, you know, they're not good for you & all that junk. But they are just so nice and enjoyable to put into my mouth.  You know it's gonna be a good one when you have a hard time fitting the tippy top of the icing down to the bottom of the 'cake all in one bite.  And turns out, I'm picky. Chocolate cupcake. Vanilla cupcake. I'm good. But now, there's more wild & exotic flavors.  You get into those fancy, gourmet flavors and I start to get nervous.  Why must we mess with what's already workin'?  Banana? Raspberry? Peanut butter?  Ohhh, they just sound wrong for a cupcake.  But that's me. And don't get me started on icing! I prefer buttercream (hey, if you're gonna do it, do it right!), but if forced, I will eat a cream cheese or whipped frosting. You know, if you're gonna twist my arm...I am starting to venture out, tho. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we do have quite the variety of food.  And I'm on a quest for the best cupcake in the Bay. (ok, not in any official capacity, but it sounds more legitimate when phrased that way, right?)  I've got some places that I've mentioned to my husband, so when he's at work, I say, "Hey, if you happen to pass...could you pick me up...?"  Oh, sure, I can stick a label on it & say I'm doing research (for what? i have no idea) or something, but let's be real. I just want a good cupcake every once in a while to make me happy. And if I'm happy, everyone else in the house stands a better chance at being happy too.

Stamps: Cupcake Collection & Vintage Labels (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Paper: white & Lemon Tart (PTI), Accessories: Prisma glitter, Raspberry Fizz satin ribbon (PTI), Copics~ RV21, RV23, Y00, Y21

Little Boy Blue

K, you know how I'm not the biggest fan of making the male card? Well, if they could all just be this easy & come out like this, I'd have no problem at all.  When I saw that this airplane set was being released by Papertrey, I thought, well, there's $5 (yes, $5!) I don't have to spend.  But then I had this feeling that I should go ahead & get it, just in case.  Now, I know you're probably thinking I say that about all of their sets.  But no, I really do have some sort of self control.*  Now, if you were to ask me about the argyle set...the second I saw that one, I knew I had to have it. I love this set! Oh, the color combinations! Consider yourself warned: you will be seeing plenty of this set in the future.

Oh, and just a little FYI for my mom and anyone else who hasn't done this yet. The clouds (how cool are they?!) are a scalloped circle that I cut in half. Then, I just sponged blue ink over the edge of the scallops onto my white paper. Easy peasy!

Stamps: A Little Argyle & Fly Away (PTI), Ink: Spring Rain & Enchanted Evening (PTI), Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: white, Spring Rain & Enchanted Evening (PTI), Accessories: scallop punch (SU!), Copics~B41

*This is a total lie. I have zero self control. I love PTI. If I don't own it, I must not be in love with it. And even then, I will probably own it one day anyway.

Happy Birthday Madeline

Oh, the problems I had with this card!  It went poopy from beginning to end, even to taking the picture of it. I won't bore you with all the details like I did last year, but man! I think when it comes to this darling girl, I've got some seriously bad juju going on.  Oh!  She's also getting it late. Crikey! I was doing last minute stuff trying to get it ready, then my weekend went bonkers (i even saw her! but it was a surprise, so i was totally unprepared and didn't have it on me), then I didn't feel well, so I promptly forgot about it and then finally mailed it. Phew!  I think once I get all my May & June cards & projects done (which is A LOT), I'm gonna start on her card for next year.  Allow extra time for all those boo-boos.

Stamps: Butterfly Dreams, Background Basics: Petal Power (PTI), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Orange Zest, Fresh Snow (PTI), Paper: white & Scarlet Jewel (PTI), Accessories: Nestabilities, Butterfly Die (PTI), Copics~

Happy Birthday Kimmie!

Ok, I finally find the time to come back & post something & blogger is being weird. So I'm going to keep it short for my sanity. This is going to be the year of 17 year olds around here, so this is just one card in a long line of them to come, I'm sure.  Darien's friend turned 17 the other day and she needed a card really quick (or, a really quick card) to give to her at dinner that night.  Tia, Krista & I went thru my cards on the computer looking for something to CASE.  I found this one and this is what I came up with.  It goes so much faster when I can just copy something. Glad I didn't approve of copying when I was in school or I would have learned nothing!  Oh, yeah. Don't get sick of the butterflies yet.  If I ever get this other one finished (the one I'm stuck on & the reason I've posted nothing in days!), you'll be seeing even more butterflies. And then I'm done. For now. Maybe. We'll see.

Stamps: Vintage Labels, Butterfly Dreams, Polka Dot Basics (PTI), Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Hawaiian Shores (PTI), Paper: Hawaiian Shores & white (PTI), Accessories: Nestabilities, Butterfly die (PTI), Copics (BG18, BG13, BG11)

Birthday Dahlia

Ok, while this flower is oh so lovely, I'm not thrilled with the card. I have thoughts of future versions and ideas of how to make them oh so lovelier, so be on the look out for that.  And this card had started out completely different. I had the flower cut out all ready for something else and that totally tanked.  But it was already colored and soo pretty, so I had to do something with it.  And this is that something.  Oh man, I cannot wait for the better versions.

I do have to say that these Papertrey dies are just amazing.  Dies made for stamps? Or, stamps made for dies? Whichever.  There is genius behind that idea and I'm lovin' it! I'm hoping for dies for some of the older sets, like Tea for Two.  I believe I would use that teapot more if there were a die for it.  Oh! Or Friends til the End. I know you guys aren't sick of me using that one yet!  Ha. Or, maybe not. At any rate, if PTI keeps making them, I'll keep buying them.

Stamps: Delightful Dahlias (PTI), Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Paper: Pink Pirouette (SU!), white (PTI), Accessories: Delightful Dahlias dies (PTI), Copics~

Many Thanks

Yep, it's that time of year again.  It's time for the MS Walk and I'm excited.  This will be the first year that we have someone on our team that has MS besides little ol' me.  A friend of ours that works with Shawn, who was diagnosed years before I was, will be joining us this year.  And following my tradition, I've made thank you cards for all the people who donate to the walk.  I think it's awesome when people are actually able to do it.  I'm always super grateful and feel genuinely lucky to have so much support.

Also tradition with me - variety. I get bored doing the same thing over & over. I like seeing what the same thing looks like in different colors. I also buy clothes like this. If I see something I like, and it actually looks good on me, I'll buy 2 different colors.  I hate clothes shopping and this is just a time saver for me.  Plus, I'm notoriously lazy.

And of course, we have to have the guy version. My father-in-law donates every year and I can't go sending him flowery cards. Well, I can, but that would be silly when I have a perfectly good "guy enough" card to send his way.  Plus, I have a couple of guys donating this year and the design switched over easily enough, so there ya have it. Another year of thanks taken care of.

Stamps: Fillable Frames #2, Turning a New Leaf & Life (PTI), single flower (Inkadinkado), Ink: Hibiscus Burst, Plum Pudding, Spring Moss & Ripe Avocado (PTI), Versafine Onyx Black, Paper: PTI white, Accessories: Fillable Frames #2 die