So you don't care for pastels....

I get that and I totally respect it. While I tend to lean towards everything vintage and shabby chic, I do love to see some funky dots and bright colors here and there. Today I created a card using the same stamp I did yesterday. It is called "Baby Steps" and is available a-la-carte. It's such a cute stamp! I love elephants!! Anyhow, today's card shows how versatile a single stamp can be. I just love that about Stampin' Up!

Sweet Baby Steps!

I found the inspiration for this sweet baby card while in Strasbourg, France over the weekend. One of the many benefits of military life is living abroad and the wonderful travel! My girls were riding the most beautiful carousel and I noticed the sweetest pink and green elephant on it. My only regret is not having a camera of any sort with me at the moment. I committed that elephant to memory though and today we have a sweet baby card! Of course the elephant on the carousel was much, much more ornate and elaborate!

A few of my favorite things............

Oh, fall. It has been my favorite season for as long as I can possibly remember. France. That obsession began in my early adulthood. I love Parisian decor and style! Combine those two faves with the color purple and vintage accessories and I've got a match made in heaven!

Today I combined all of these favorite things to make a card for my favorite person, my sweet hubby. Believe it or not, it has already begun to feel like fall here in Germany... and I am NOT complaining! Our family just settled on a home this week and we are ecstatic! I wanted to thank my hubby for all the work he has put into finding our family the perfect home. I am so lucky to have him!

And a closeup so you can see the dimension and the fabulous accessories!

Just because.....

I don't have much to share about today's card. Just needed a little stamping therapy.

More In Color fun!

I have to admit, my In Colors are getting more mileage than I expected. I should have known with Stampin' Up! though. They do exhaustive research on color trends, etc before they even consider putting new colors out there! These cards were made with a Crumb Cake base and use Designer Series Paper in Peach Parfait and Pear Pizzazz. I then added lots of vintage accessories including Mini Vintage tags, Vintage Trinkets and Vintage Brads. Don't you also just love the new Chantilly Crochet Trim? It adds such a delicate touch to my projects. Stamps sets used were Curly Cute and Tiny Tags. Both some of my faves! Hope you have  wonderful Thursday!

In Color Mini Cards

Looking through my last posts, I realize I have a fondness of the Crumb Cake and Poppy Parade combo! They just look so nice together, I couldn't help myself. I find myself naturally drawn to subdued, mellow colors, so today I decided to step out of the box just a bit. I made these mini cards out of the new In Colors. They are all so bright and fun and take almost zero time at all! Hope you enjoy them. {I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. Someone under the age of five got ahold of my good small camera and the lens isn't opening! I didn't want to drag out the giant camera, so I used my iphone!}

Japanese Book Binding

I did this little book for a demonstrator challenge using Japanese book binding. The technique is easy and the result is fabulously elegant. I love the simplicity of this project, yet it still looks so chic. These little books are quick and easy to make and would be wonderful gifts!

You can find a tutorial on Japanese book binding here.

Encouragement.

As most of you probably know, moving can be quite stressful. Moving overseas is even more stressful. Add to that the facts that you are seven years old, this is your fifth home, you're stuck in a hotel for three months and your mom is going to be having another baby! Yikes! Needless to say, my sweet Clairebear is a wee bit stressed. She's done great for the most part, but like all of us, she has moments where she really needs some encouragement. So, I thought I'd make her a card. She can be a girly girl and she appreciates pretty things. She also LOVES to do Stampin' Up with me, so I know she will love that I actually made something just for her. I wish I had started doing this much sooner!

Friday Fun!

Claire has been lucky enough to participate in VBS this year on post. Today is her last day and I wanted to make a little something special for her crew leader and the assistant crew leader. Claire and I came up with these:

This single milk carton is for the teenager helping out with Claire's crew. It will be filled with  yummy German chocolates!

This cute little package of milk cartons is for the crew leader.

I'm Back!

Wow, it has been a long time. Our family has seen quite a few transitions in the last several months. We have arrived at Stuttgart, Germany; our home for the next three years. We are actually still living in a hotel and will continue to do so for the next two months as we await our new home. It has been.... interesting. Thankfully, I thought ahead and had my essential stamping supplies shipped with our hold baggage. That means these three and a half months of hotel living can be happily punctuated with a creative outlet! Phew!

I finally stamped something worth showing yesterday. It has taken me a while to get situated and back into the swing of things. I made this card for a friend who was kind enough to send a batch of homemade cookies to our family. What a welcome change anything homemade was!

This card contains several great elements and stamp sets from our fabulous new Idea Book & Catalog. If you haven't checked it out yet, you can click on the picture it on the left and you can view the entire catalog online! And as always, if it tickles your fancy to purchase anything right away, click on the "Shop Now" button to have an order shipped directly to you!!