Forever and a Day

Yes, it's been forever since I've written on here. Life's been a major roller coaster and I've been struggling to keep up. So, the blog had to suffer for a bit.

I'm still stamping, just not at the volume I was before.

It's been a DOOZY of a summer. I started it with pinkeye, had my hair sprayed pink in the middle, and I end it with a sprained ankle, courtesy of a tumble down some steps.

Here's hoping that the school year won't be so busy.

Yay for days off

Yep... I took a day off today. It's a Use or Lose situation at my work, so I'm working on the using them all up. :)

It's so nice. I finally made it to the post office - I've had a box of 40-some cards that was destined for the troops sitting on my floor for almost a month.

I picked up 11 more Copics at a local store. :)

I also made some cards that I've photographed and am actually about to post here. I know, I'm in shock too.

So after I put the new Copics into the basket, I was flipping through my cardstock to find a color combo that inspired me. I pulled Old Olive, So Saffron and then decided that Groovy Guava (one of last year's In Colors) would be a great pairing. It's such a summer color combo.

One of the things I knew I needed to make was a graduation card and following the inspiration of Joan B (who's in my blog roll), I used the stars from Papertrey's Anniversary set, Everyday Classics.

My first card looked so great, I had to do another - this time a birthday card. I already have a Christmas order - an assortment of cards to be given to a coworker's mother. So this card's going into that pile.

Stamps: PTI - Everyday Classics. Paper: So Saffron, Old Olive, Groovy Guava, Vintage Cream, dp. Ink: So Saffron, Old Olive, Groovy Guava. Accessories: dimensionals, quickie glue pen, glitter, spiral punch.

Hope everyone's week is going well,

On the other side of the wedding

So... my brother got married last weekend and it was beautiful, I cried (because I'm sappy like that) and it was all-around fun.

I scrambled to be ready and now I'm scrambling to get back into the swing of things. And at the end of next week...

SCHOOL ENDS. *tries not to run screaming*

On the bright side, I went shopping with my best friend Erica this weekend and on a whim I went into Pottery Barn to see if I could find anything that would work for my Copic storage. Not that I have anything against the plastic containers, but I wanted something cute.

And I found this:

The basket - the markers are mine.

I tried to find a picture of it on the Pottery Barn website and it's only sold in the stores (I got mine on sale.) Because it's designed for carrying glasses or bottles, there's a wire and then nothing separating the sections - NOT good for markers. I cut up a piece of backing from an SU dp pack and created dividers. Now the Copics stay in place.

And I have room for more markers - when I expand my collection.

I wanted to show off.

Wishing everyone a great week,

Pictures

I promised pictures of the bag and card that I'll be giving to my sister-in-law-to-be tonight. Before I went to bed, I packaged everything up nicely, wrote in the card and sealed the envelope.

Before I took a picture of the card. *HeadtoDesk*

I'm such an idiot sometimes.

Anywho, here's the bag - plain white from Michaels. I added the satin ribbons at the top and bottom of the bag and they go all the way around the bag. If you can't tell, the wedding colors are chocolate brown and sage/moss green.

The focal point of the bag is cut out with square Nesties.

I've had this stamp set for over a year and it's a little tricky to use for cards. But it's perfect for a bachelorette party! The tissue paper is stamped with the bra and undies too - as is the card. It all goes together. Which is surprising - I generally don't do this.

Stamps: Gina K/Langley Boy - Thanks for Your Support. Paper: PTI Dark Chocolate and Select White, SU Mellow Moss. Ink: PTI Dark Chocolate, SU Mellow Moss marker. Accessories: Square Nesties, ribbon, red line tape, Stickles, bag, tissue paper.

As I think I mentioned last night during my squealing post - did I mention I got my PTI Anniversary set? - this weekend is VSN over at Splitcoast.

I couldn't resist using my new set for the first challenge - Double up - make 2 identical cards. I had some Making Memories ribbon out on my table from earlier in the week and I realized that it was very close to PTI's Berry Sorbet in color. And I was off.

Stamps: PTI - Everyday Classics. Paper: PTI - Berry Sorbet, Spring Rain, Craft, Vintage Cream. Ink: Spring Rain, Berry Sorbet. Accessories: dimensionals, ribbon.

The 3rd VSN challenge was to use black, white and red - and ONLY black white and red. Do you realize how many shades of red there are????? I was nearly pulling my hair out trying to find a red dp that would be okay with PTI's Pure Poppy. I settled on using some Real Red dp that I got last year.

Stamps: PTI - Quilter's Sampler and Additions. Paper: PTI - Select White, Pure Poppy, SU - Basic Black. Ink: Palette Noir. Accessories: dimensionals, brads, Sakura Glitter pen, R29 Copic.

EEK! I just noticed the time and I have about 10 minutes to get to my hair appointment.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!

*Running by squealing... with a cd case in my hands*

Yep, I FINALLY got my Papertrey anniversary set in the mail today. It's all assembled and ready to be inked.

Speaking of inking... it's Virtual Stamping Night at Splitcoast. If you're looking for some inspiration or just want to make a bunch of cards (there are 16 challenges) head on over. It's a blast!

Pictures coming soon!

Would you believe...

I've been kidnapped by aliens?

No?

Okay, the truth: Casa Sara's a bit nutty. Well, I'm a bit nutty too, but I've always been that way.

Nutty Reason #1: I have a lot of work due next week. Lesson plans for the month of June, grocery list for special days, craft supplies I need, rules for games - all due. EEEK.

Nutty Reason #2: As if Nutty Reason #1 wasn't enough - my brother's getting married on the 23rd. Which means wedding stuff on top work stuff and making sure Casa Sara's up to snuff when the family rolls in.

I definitely need to get a picture of the gift bag, tissue paper and card for the bachelorette present. I think it's adorable and needs to be posted.

So... that's where I've been. And where I'll be until after Memorial Day.

Praying for my sanity,

An Inspiration Challenge

I generally don't do the IC challenges on Splitcoast, but today's challenge was interesting. It was your choice of Faviana prom dresses.

After sorting through 10 pages of dresses, I found this one: Style 6222

The warm colors really caught my attention, the gold detail at the bottom is pretty. I want this dress... if only I were small enough to fit in it.

Anywho, back to the card. To get the shimmer of the actual dress, I spritzed my Really Rust cs with Sugar Cookie Glimmer Mist (only because the Peach Delight stuff was being stupid and not spraying.)

The images and sentiment come from PTI's first anniversary set Simple Little Things. They're stamped on vellum with Versamark ink and embossed with gold ep. I kinda wish I had PTI's Damask set - that would have been PERFECT!

I added a simple knotted ribbon as an accent.

And it didn't take me forever either. I'm proud of myself.

Stamps: PTI - Simple Little Things. Paper: Really Rust, Ruby Red, vellum. Ink: Versamark. Accessories: Glimmer Mist, gold ep, ribbon, corner rounder punch, Mono Multi.

In other news, I've found a home for some of my old cards! Keri Sereika (Sereikastamper on SCS) has a hubby in the military and she's running a card drive for cards to send to the troops. Well, since I'm sitting on a LOT of cards with blank insides (which is what is asked for), I'm going to send off a bundle soon.

Hoping everyone stays healthy and that H1N1 flu stuff stays far away (preferably disappears altogether)