{Start Each Day With a Smile}

Hello friends! Yes, I am still here, just been busy with life, and all of the fun (and not so fun) challenges that come along with it. I hope all of you have been having a great summer. We just got home from a 2 week visit out to Texas and Oklahoma to visit my family. It was so nice to see everyone. I have so much catching up to do with my blog duties, and visiting all of the amazing blogs I have featured on my site!

My card today features the retired Stampin Up Set "Wild About You". I used my Cuttlebug, paper piercer, and Janome Sew mini to make this card. I am happy with how it turned out, but I especially love the sentiment. It's great isn't it?

I also have a deal to offer my blog readers. My all time favorite adhesive "Duck Brand Adhesive" that used to be carried by Wal-Mart and Joann's is no longer available, and from what I have been able to gather from other card making sites it has been replaced with a less then satisfactory replacement that is nothing like the original. While on vacation I stopped by my former hometown Wal-Mart and to my great surprise on a back endcap was several packages of the 4 pack boxes of Duck Adhesive! Apparently there are no scrapbookers in Southeast Oklahoma. LOL. Well, none that love Duck Adhesive as much as I do anyways. So if you would like any of the 4 pks (I have around 20 extra 4 packs) let me know. I am selling them for $9.00 each. Shipping is not included but I will ship the cheapest way possible. Here is a picture of the adhesive:

I hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend!!

Three Cards and an Apology

I want to apologize to my readers for my two week absence. I had a wonderful visit from my sister to get ready for, and then her visit. Also, there has been stress here in the Zalis household but things seem to be ok for the moment. I have been making cards, but have not gotten around to taking pictures until today. Here is what I made this past week! All cards feature SU's Top Note Die. I love it, and have been using it so much! If you have not added it to your tools, you really need to because it is a must have! Thank you for visiting my blog today!

{When Life Gives You a Rainy Day!}

How can you not smile when you look at this adorable image from High Hopes stamps? They have so many adorable images that are perfect for coloring! For this card I used new DP that I picked up from the Target dollar spot yesterday. I know I have said this so many times before but it is tough to beat the awesome deals you can find in the Target dollar spot! I used Bic Markits and SU Markers to color the image. I love Bic Markers and until I win the lottery and could afford to buy all of the Copic markers these will work just fine. The buttons are from the Wal-Mart craft section. If you have not checked out the bags of buttons from Wal-Mart you should because you can get a nice sized package for only 1.84. I love them! The inside of the card has the second part of the sentiment that says " Remember to play in the puddles" Anywho, I hope you have a great day and thank you for visiting my blog today!

{A Great Day}

I have had such a nice day today! Nothing terribly exciting happened, Cam and I ran errands, had lunch and all that fun stuff. I guess the best thing about today is that Cam has been in a happy laughing mood so that makes any day a great day! I love seeing and hearing my little one laugh.

For today's card I used a set I bought at Target last week on clearance. I LOVE shopping the clearance endcaps at Target, good stuff! I also used my newest Stampin Up arrival, the Top Note die. I have to admit I resisted buying it for quite sometime but I have seen so many cute cards and projects that I just had to have it! I used the SU colors "Red Ridinghood Red, and More Mustard. I used my Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Folder and of course I had to use my Janome Sew Mini to sew around the outside layer. I hope that all of you are having a great week so far. Thank you for visiting my blog today!

Time Goes By Way Too Fast!

Good Afternoon! I hope you had a nice Easter weekend! We had a cookout at the home of our dear friends the "Allen's" and it was one of the most enjoyable Easter Sunday's we have had in a long time. I am so thankful for my friends!

For today's card I used the new Stampin' Up! set "Forest Friends". This set can be purchased from the Spring/Summer Mini. Isn't it cute?! The DP is from the "Garden Party" stack by DCWV. I used my new toy the Janome Sew Mini and I am loving it so much! If you don't have one you REALLY need to buy one! I hand cut the grass, and adhered the deer with a pop dot to make it stand out. I hope that you all have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting my blog!

April Showers, and Showers

I know that rain is usually a good thing, and yes, it will make the grass greener, flowers and blossoms abound but I am already tired of it! I am a creature that needs sunlight, and too many cloudy, over-cast days really take a toll on my state of mind. Thankfully the sun is going to be out all weekend and I plan to be out enjoying it as much as possible! Alright, sorry for the rant... For today's card I used the new Stampin Up set "Soft Summer" that can be found in the Spring/Summer Mini that just came out on April 1st. This set is so beautiful and I love coloring in the pretty dogwood blossoms. For the card today I used only my Stampin Pastels (chalks) to color in the image. I love the soft look of chalks and I am very happy with the results. The DP is by Martha Stewart that I bought in the clearance section at Michael's. The satin ribbon is from Big Lots, and the brads from S.E.I. I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Happy Un-Birthday to Me..

I am so excited today! Yesterday my dear sweet Husband stopped by Hancock Fabrics and picked up something I have wanted for a long time....a Janome Sew Mini sewing machine! They were on-sale for 39.99 and I just couldn't resist any longer. It was great not having to worry about shipping. It was a little intimidating trying to get the bobbin and machine threaded but I eventually figured it out thanks to Gina K's amazing tutorial on her website. For my card today I used a layout I have used before because I have always wanted to see what it would look like with stitching added. I am in LOVE! It was "sew" easy...lol. I used Stampin' Up DP from SAB, and the sentiment is from the retired SU set "Cuddles and Tickles". The baby was stamped using the "All in the Family " set and colored with Bic Markers. I am sure my sewing will get better, but I am quite proud of myself for this being my very first card using a sewing machine!

Just a little late...

I think two weeks between posts may be my longest stretch of no posts on my blog thus far but I have a really good excuse, I do. My son Cameron came down with a nasty stomach bug on Monday, and didn't get over it until Thursday, almost Friday. I lost count of the amount of diapers I changed... Anywho, all you Mom's out there know exactly what I am talking about. Thankfully Cam made it through without any Dr visits. Daddy caught the bug over the weekend, and I guess it is my turn now. lol. I actually made this card on Wed but didn't have any good lighting (cloudy all week) So today I am finally posting it! I used the Mojo Monday 79 sketch and a new set I bought on Clearance at Target from the Target brand by K and Company "Marcella". The stamps are beautiful and I know I will be using them a lot! I hope this week will be better then the last one and I will catch up on all of my blog comments today, promise! Have a great week!

Garden Greetings!

Good Evening my friends! I hope that all of you had a great day today. I spent a good part of the day getting the house back in order after a lazy weekend. It was a good day though so no complaints here. For the card I made today I used a new Stampin' Up! set that I fell in-love with as soon as I saw it in the Spring Summer Catalog, "Garden Greetings". I love the bold lines, and the fact that it looks great without having to be colored in! All of the colors are from SU, Baja Blue, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White. I used my Word Window punch for the sentiment, and Choco Chip grosgrain ribbon. Everything else is pretty much self explanatory but if you have any questions let me know! I am also super excited today because I have been approved to have another card making class for the month of April at our local Parks and Recreation community center! I hope that you have a great evening!

Ahh, The Sweet Smell of New Rubbah...

I have been dreaming of this card since I saw this set in the upcoming Stampin' Up! Spring/ Summer Mini catalog. The beautiful set is called "Soft Summer". I love the Dogwood branch and I know I am going to be using this set many times! I stamped the blooms on kraft colored card stock using SU White craft ink. The leaves were also stamped with craft ink. (Martha Stewart, gasp!) The outline of the flower/branch was stamped with Chocolate Chip ink. After the ink dried I used my neglected Stampin Pastels chalks, and accented the Dogwood Blooms with soft pinks. I am so happy with the way my card turned out! I am supposed to be getting things packed up for my card making class at our local community center but I just HAD to play with my new stamps! I hope all of you are having a lovely day!

What a Great Week!

I know I have totally been slacking off on my blog but holy cow I have been so busy! This is the first card I have made in a week! For this card I used the much loved (by me) Stampin Up set "True Friend", and the Inkadinkado clear set "Garden Delight" I enjoy making square cards because it seems like I have an easier time getting things to look in proportionate with each other. I dunno, maybe it is all in my head but these really do seem to come together faster for me. I used my brand new set of SU Earth Elements Craft Ink that I got in the mail yesterday for the main flower and I sprinkled clear embossing powder after stamping, then heat set it. I LOVE my Craft inks and wish I would have gotten them sooner. I have had Whisper White, and Very Vanilla for a long time but there is only so much you can do with them. The DP is from S.E.I. , and the bling is from Target's dollar spot! I have a buy rest of the week but I am finally getting my Stampin Up Spring/Summer Mini pre-order sets tomorrow and I am SO excited! If I get a card made I will definitely post it. Have a wonderful week my friends!

{Friends

This winter seems to be lasting FOREVER and I don't know about you guys, but I don't remember ever wanting Spring to get here as fast as possible as I do this year. We have not gotten loads of snow, but it has been so darn cold. Thankfully this weekend is supposed to be WONderful and I am super duper excited! For todays card I used Dp from the DCWV Sweet stack. I also used the Labels 1 nestability that I cut in half (almost) and the stamps are Paper Trey's special edition set "Simple Little Things", and SU's "Make it Count". This card was not made off of any specific sketch or card. I usually make cards from my own mind (a scary place) but don't get me wrong sketches are a great way to let someone else take care of the layout so that you can spend more time with the color's and embellies, which for me are the funnest part of card making! I would probably get a lot more cards made if I used sketches more often. hehe The colors in my card are Baja Blue, Kraft, and GP White. I hope that all of you are enjoying this warm weather as much as I am! if it isn't warm where you are I hope it warms up soon. Take Care and Thank you for visiting my blog today!