My baby is 3!

Well, it took a while for me to get this posted, but I actually used Liz's sketch to create Halleigh's 3rd birthday card. I liked the sketch and needed something that wasn't too complicated, but had enough character to get a quick card done in time for the birthday party last Sunday.

Of course, it got tossed amidst all the wrapping paper and boxes...but Halleigh did like all the glitter and the popped up sentiment on the front. This, of course, is always verified by the need to re-stick the sentiment on after lots of playing with her glittery card! Here is the inside, also...why is it that I always see the crooked pieces AFTER I post my cards?!

Serene Snowflakes class kit to go!

Don’t have enough Designer Paper? No Problem. This class will solve that for you. These six cards are all created using a One Sheet Wonder technique. Stamp these beautiful snowflake images as your Designer Paper, add the co-ordinating matchbook and you have an amazing gift set!

Supplies

• Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Four the Holidays

• Ink: Not Quite Navy and Sahara Sand Classic inks, Frost White Shimmer paint

• Paper: Kraft CS, Not Quite Navy CS, Very Vanilla CS, Medium Very Vanilla Envelopes

• Accessories: Sticky Strip, Snail adhesive, Paper Snips, paper-piercing tool, mat pack, Scallop Edge punch, Jumbo Snowflake punch, bone folder, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Stampin’ Scrub and Mist, paper trimmer and Scoring blade, pencil, Stamping Sponges, Sponge Daubers, grid paper, paint palette, paint brush, RSVP pen, Crop-A-Dile

You can purchase this class kit for $25 through Pay Pal OR you can get it for FREE with a $50 purchase on my Stampin' Up website.

Shop right now at http://valeriedurham.stampinup.net/

***This offer is not good for SU demos. Please visit demotodemo.com if you would like to purchase a class kit.

Tree of Life

I decided I couldn't do all of my Disney trip pics in an ongoing album, so I think I'm going to try an 8.5 X 8.5 album for them. So...this is the opening page of our trip - we went with some of our best friends. Thus, this is "friends for life at the Tree of Life." I cut out the birds in the Tall Tales DSP and set them on a few branches I cut out from the birds and branches sizzlits die cut. For the title letters, I smeared Old Olive craft ink all over some chipboard letters and embossed with clear powder (while they flew all over the place!!!) Finally, I dotted the little spots on the birds with glue and dipped it into green glitter because everything needs a little sparkle!

New challenge blog - Treasures from Scraps

How would you like to win a $20 gift certificate to 2 Peas in a Bucket?
Well, you may have noticed a new little gadget to the right side of my blog...I was selected to be on a brand new design team for a great new challenge blog called Treasures from Scraps. You can click right on the banner to go directly to the website. If you would like to join in on the challenge, you could be the lucky winner of a $20 gift certificate to 2 Peas in a Bucket!!!
So, here in this post you get to see my first creations for the design team! The challenge was for items that would help you decorate your home for fall and since the leaves are falling everywhere around me, I was quite inspired!
Above you will see the scrapbook page I made to put some lovely pictures of my sweet daughter who is turning 3 on Sunday (boo hoo - she's not a baby anymore!) If you notice the little Curly Label punch on the left side, it pulls out to put journaling underneath the picture spot.

Here are a few closeup shots. The one above shows the letter. I don't know who makes these chipboard letters, but they were a natural woodgrain color. I didn't mind the color, but I decided to mix a little shimmer paint with Soft Suede re-inker to create some shimmery brown paint. It didn't take much - just a few drops of each. Next, I painted the letters using a q-tip - it was nice and easy to smear and really quick to just throw away when I was finished.

Now you can see the image on the page. I put a definition on the page - Gratitude and used some chocolate chip buttons to accent that definition. Next, I stamped the above image from the Wandering Words stamp set onto some Very Vanilla paper. I used some More Mustard and Really Rust stampin' spots to twist some color onto the leaves and swirls. I say twist because that is the best way to describe it! I wanted it to resemble the changing colors of the leaves in the fall. Then I took a Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker and colored the sentiment with it. After stamping the image, I spritzed the image with my homemade shimmer mist for a final touch of glimmer.

Here is a lovely and simple card to make for a thank you note in the fall. I used the same stamping technique on this image and accented it with a mini library clip and some chocolate chip taffeta ribbon. Now, you may think the picture looks grainy, but it is actually my homemade shimmer mist again! I love this shimmer paint - and I especially love the simple addition of mixing it with alcohol to spritz across things! (Just don't spritz too much or you might get a little too spritz happy!!! Or stinky....) At least it dries really quickly!!!

Here is a little turkey for your table that doesn't have to worry about getting eaten! I made this out of chipboard and cardstock. I wanted it to stand up on it's own, so I made a stand for the back so you could place a notepad or even your salt and pepper shaker behind it.

The feathers are made using the Sweet Centers stamp set - they are actually meant to be flower petals, but I used them for feathers. Inside the Sweet Treat cup is the center of an artificial sunflower. I often take apart artificial flowers to use on other projects, so since I hate to throw things away (yes, I admit I'm a packrat...) I end up finding a new use for them later on! For the legs, I crimped some More Mustard and let his legs dangle in the front.

So, here is my humble little ensemble - hope you like it!!! Join the latest challenge at Treasures from Scraps - you might just be the lucky winner of $20 from 2 Peas in a Bucket!

Stamps: Wandering Words, Define your Life, Sweet Centers

Ink: More Mustard, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Autumn Meadows

Accessories: Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, mini library clip, chipboard letters, chocolate chip buttons, curly label punch, Sweet treat cup, sunflower center from flower

Purse sized Christmas planner

Here is a (crooked picture) sneak peek at the project we are going to make for our club meeting this month. We are making a purse sized Christmas planner to take with you when you go shopping. It has Christmas card lists, wish lists, gift lists, a calendar, and even a thank you list! What a handy little item to take with you in all the holiday buzz that is already starting!

The Great Pumpkin Day is coming!

Well, I guess this image blurred a little bit! So much for getting a clear picture on the scanner! Anyway, I did a quick little treat for the preschoolers at church and daycare. I wrapped a little notepad in Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry and then stamped the Halloween image from the Sweet Treats for the bottom part. I used a glue dot to hold on a set of Halloween crayons and finished it off with some jute and the center of the stamped image. The next two are pins that I made for the daycare workers. I used the curly label punch as the base and then a few hole punches and paper snips to make a Frankenstein and Dracula. Hopefully they weren't too scary for them! I also covered each with 2 layers of Mod Podge just to keep it from being too flimsy to wear on a shirt.

And here is the bag that I sent all of the worker's pins in. I used a white paper bag and covered the front with a 6 X 6 inch piece of black cardstock. I used the Whisper White and Old Olive craft ink to set the Baroque images on the background. For the pumpkin, I just glued a bunch of wide oval punches together and snipped a little stem for it. Finally, I used the Movers and Shapers Curly Label to punch the Old Olive paper and put some stampin' dimensionals under it. For a little ending touch, I added a few Boho Blossoms to the corner.

And one last bag that I made for my little niece, Brinklee. I found a few board books to send her for Halloween, so I used the Build-a-Bear pumpkin outfit to make a sweet and simple bag for her as well.

Last MDS pages

Well, I just finished the last of my certification quizzes for My Digital Studio...I guess if I had watched all of those webinars BEFORE I started this, I could have just made a video to post of the whole entire album. Ah, but that will be a project for the next album, because I am most certainly NOT done playing with this fun program!

So, I apologize for small photos and blurry reproductions, but I will say that the album that I ordered from SU is truly outstanding! It was definitely worth every penny!

Here are a few pics from Belize - we went to Mayan ruins, a place called Altun Ha. They were located in a clearing in the middle of the rain forest - very thick with mosquitos! But also rich in culture and history.

And here is the Belize Zoo. Certainly not the most outstanding zoo I have ever been to, but definitely the most darling and natural zoo. All of the animals truly live in their natural habitat - no man-made living environments for them (unless you count cages). The zookeeper was near the jaguar, so she allowed Toby to touch his paw. I think Toby was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day!

And what other background color can you choose for beautiful pictures of a sparkling ocean? I never knew the ocean could be so vividly clear until going on this trip. After snorkeling in Cozumel I am now a huge fan of it! I saw angel fish, lobster, a huge school of fish, porcupine fish, and even barracuda!

And as if that weren't enough to make me ecstatic, there were fabulous fajitas just a mile down the road from our stop!

Well, thankfully we aren't treated to dining like you see above every night...my hubby ate 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desserts every night! You would think I couldn't cook! We enjoyed the beautiful view and the outstanding food, though!

While we were at dinner the last night, we had our friends from our table sign their names to a picture we took of them so that we would never forget them. They were terrific company every night!

And one last look at the cruise had to remember how much our little girl loved the kids area. We didn't have to feel guilty dropping her off for a date night, because she begged to go play in the kids room every night! Well, I guess if I got to do fun things like face painting every night, I would probably beg to go, too! I believe I'll just have to beg for enough money to go on another cruise someday...maybe in another 10 years we can save up again! For now, I think it's time to cruise on through some more pictures and projects!