I'm back and ready to play

I'm Baaaaacccccckkkkkk. Goodness, it feels good to be back paper crafting and blogging. I'm sure I'll have to go away for another spell as my next test gets closer but for awhile, I'm back and loving every minute of it.

As I was surfing some blogs yesterday to find a sketch to get my Mojo back in action, I found this one from Unscripted Sketches that looked like a lot of fun.

Supplies

Patterened paper: My Minds Eye

Stamps: CTMH -- Friendship Word Puzzle, Cottage Floral
Other: Nesties, Cuttlebug

I'm off to church in a bit but hope to be back later today with something else. Thanks for your visit.

Half way there----2 down, 2 go to

Okay, I've been MIA the past week. I'm taking another part of the CPA exam in two weeks and have needed to focus on that. Now on to the real news.

I got a passing score on the section I took in April. It was the 4th time I've taken that particular section. I came within 1 point of passing last time and the heartache was so overwhelming. 4th time's a charm. I'm now half way done with my CPA exam.

It's been almost 2 years since I took my first test. I've come so close so many times. Hopefully now, I can finally knock these last two sections out this summer.

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a terrific Friday. I know I will. :)

Just be Yourself

Welcome to our CTMH Stamp of the Month Blog Hop! We will be featuring May's SOTM, which is Be Yourself, a set of 14 stamps. If you have come here from Leisa's blog, you are on the right track. If not, head back to Jena's blog to start at the beginning.

This month we have 18 Close To My Heart Consultants sharing their creations using this month's SOTM and other great CTMH products on their blogs. This is simple to do - just click on the link at the end of the post on each blog to move to the next one! Here we go!

I decided to make two cards with the same color scheme that would compliment each other. I love pink and brown together and CTMH's More to Adore paper is perfect. Can you see the Stickles I used on the card on the left? I love the glittery and sparkly look it gives. Really spices up the dress, don't you think?

Now "Hop" on over to Caren's blog to see her work! Be sure to visit all the Consultants at their Blogs to get some great crafting ideas and other fun ideas! Remember, the May SOTM is only available until May 31st! If you're interested in earning this stamp set for free, leave a comment here ad I'll get back with you.

*****Supplies*****
Designer paper: CTMH More to Adore
Stamps: CTMH Be Yourself (May Stamp of the month)
Other: Nesties, Fiskars punch, CTMH blush and chocolate brads, Cuttlebug, ribbon from my stash, Stickles

Hello

I did something I haven't done for awhile. I made a card without using any challenges. I was in the mood to use red and black together and came up with this card.

I'm so glad it's Friday. It's been so busy at work and just as busy at home. As always, thank you for stopping by and thanks for leaving the love. Have a fabulous Friday.

Cardstock: CTMH Cranberry, White, Black
DP: Basic Grey's Wassail
Stamps: CTMH's Elegant Floral, Say it in Style
Other: Black brads

Reynna playing some hoops

The same day that Christopher was practicing his catching skills, Reynna decided to shoot some hoops. Devin worked with her some on her dribbling. I think she really enjoyed her time out there. We've had our basketball hoop for several years (I got it for $20 on clearance) but it's never really been used until the past year. Now I'm glad we have it.

I'm so glad the kids had a chance to get outside and enjoy the nice weather and get some exercise and do something fun.

Christopher playing catch

We had a gorgeous day this past week and Christopher decided to go play outside with a little neighbor boy and play catch with his new baseball glove and ball that this friend got for Christopher's birthday. I loved watching the two of them play together. They are really two peas in a pod. Two little blond haired boys with energy in excess.

Christopher also decided to wear his John Elway Broncos jersey. I have to share a quick story about this jersey. I've always been a big Denver Broncos fan and when I was pregnant with Reynna, 10 years ago, I bought this jersey. Reynna wore it until she outgrew it and then it was passed down to Christopher. It's only a size 3T but he insists on still wearing it. I generally get rid of most of the kids' clothing that they outgrow but this will definitely be a keeper. I'm thinking someday that my grandchildren can wear it, boy or girl.

A beyond simple birthday card

So, I'm a little embarrassed to show you all this card. I sat down with Amy's sketch and this is all that I came up with. I don't like the white circles. I should have matted them or something or added another strip of paper or something else.

To me, the simple card I posted yesterday really spoke to me and even though it was simple, I still really liked it. This card does absolutely nothing for me. I couldn't find any place to add an embellishment. I guess I'll just leave it as it is because I can always use a simple birthday card for one of the kids to give at a birthday party. I have a hard time putting a lot of work into something that I'm pretty sure will end its way into the trash.

Paper: CTMH Magic Moments
Stamps: CTMH Happy Birthday, Sketchin's
Other: Nesties

A simple 10 minute card

I wanted to use Karen's fun sketch this week and first made my frame for my sentiment. After that, I was kind of stuck as to what to put inside the frame. Then I remembered another cuttlebug embossing folder and voila, my card came together in no time. It's real simple but I'm super pleased with how it came out.

Cardstock: CTMH Indican Corn Blue and Hollyhock
Stamps: CTMH Happy Birthday

Other: Cuttlebug, button from my stash, white waxy flax, nesties

A monochromatic Mother's day card

Can you believe I combined 4 challenges into this 1 card? I started out with the CPS sketch for the week. I paired it with the OCC challenge which was to make something for Mother's Day. I used a monochromatic look with pinks for the Red Banana Challenge. Lastly, the challenge at The Pink Elephant was to use circles and scallops.

The flowers on the focal image were done with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I colored them in with my baby pink marker. The dp is some retired paper from CTMH. I was going to add my Happy Mother's Day sentiment but then couldn't make it look right with the card. It was just too big for what I wanted. So I chose the "for you" instead. And then there are the buttons. I loved using all these buttons. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you knw that I love buttons. This seemed like the perfect sketch to just go button crazy. (I noticed that it's hard to see the sentiment. You can always click on the image to make it bigger).

Thanks for taking the time to stop by. I hope your Tuesday is a fabulous one.

A night at Chuck-E Cheese

As I mentioned earlier, Friday was Christopher's 6th birthday. Wow, is he growing up. We celebrated this year by not having a friend party but going as a family to first the store where we buy most of our Webkinz. They were participating in the Webkinz Extravaganza. Basically, there were some games for the kids to play and then discounted Webkinz. Christopher ended up with four new pets. We now have a Sally, Justin, Fishy, and Chocolate Chip in our growing brood.

After there, we headed over to Chuckee Cheese and got pizza and tokens. We all had lots of fun playing games. I am particularly fond of skee-ball. It also had a really cool Deal or no Deal game that was fun. I think Christopher really enjoyed himself and really, I think we all did. It was fun to hang out as a family.

I LOVE YOU CHRISTOPHER!

Snow Friends

I had just a moment yesterday to create this card for Sparkle's weekly challenge. Even though this technically isn't a Christmas card, I wanted to have something a bit festive on hand that I could use if I come across someone who doesn't celebrate the Christmas holiday. I flipped this week's Mojo Monday sketch and went from there.

Paper used is more from BG's Wassail line. If you look close, you can see the stickles I used on my snowflake. Some cranberry brads and a button are what I chose to embellish my card with. The sentiment comes from CTMH's set, Snow Friends.

Well, we had a busy day yesterday with soccer and then haning out with my dad and brother. We barbecued and then went and saw State of Play with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. It was a pretty good movie.

On Friday night, we celebrated Christopher's birthday. I've got pictures to post from that night a bit later today. I can't believe my baby boy is 6 years old.

A get well card featuring Bella

For this card, I used a new color challenge I found at Jen's Messy Studio. She chose the colors crystal blue, desert sand, bamboo, and outdoor denim. This is also my takes on CPS' sketch this week. I used another Bella image that a kind person sent me. I love coloring this bella, I think because of the blanket/bedspread. I don't have anyone to give this to at the moment, which I suppose is a good thing, but wanted to have a get well type of card on hand, for when it's needed. I decided to scissor distress the focal image along with the blue card front that I ran through my cuttlebug machine. I also pop dotted Bella for a little more depth.

Thank you

I had a few moments last night to create after swimming lessons. This weeks challenge over at The Pink Elephant was a sketch challenge. I used some Cloud 9 paper. I love the print on the card front. I stamped the thank you sentiment in white pigment ink. A Fiskars punch made the scalloped edges.

Can you believe we've finally made it to Friday? I'm certainly looking forward to the weekend but I heard it's supposed to rain here. We seriously have not had a Saturday in nearly 2 months where it hasn't rained or snowed. Have a great Friday. I'll be back tomorrow with another card I was able to make Thursday night.