{anniversary birds}

My grandparents anniversary was this past week. My grandma loves birds of any kind, so I thought this would be a good card for her. :) And my gramps of course.

The base of this card is Real Red cardstock, layered with So Saffron with the Polka Dot BG stamped in Saffron ink. The plaid patterned paper is by Bo-Bunny.

The main image stamp is by Inkadinkado, and I colored that in with Copics. I also used some of Papertrey's Berry Sorbet cardstock. The green ribbon is by Bo-Bunny, and the red ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

{sympathy}

I try to keep a couple of sympathy cards on hand for last minute occasions, so when I was about to make this into a birthday card the other day, I changed my mind at the last minute! :)

The base of this card is Soft Sky, layered with Basic Black and Papertrey's Sweet Blush.

I used my Scor-Pal to make the embossed background. You can see that tutorial here. I have no idea how I ever got along without my Scor-pal! I use it for every single card that I make!

The main flower image is a Stampendous stamp, and the sentiment is Papertrey Ink. I also used my rectangle Nestabilities to make the main panel. The butterfly punch is by Martha Stewart.

I used Papertrey's Sweet Blush and Berry Sorbet ink, and also some Papertrey saddle-stitch ribbon. The black gingham ribbon is Stampin' Up.

Have a great day!

{splendiferous}

This is kind of an odd color combo, but I actually think it works out pretty well! :)

The base of this card is Papertrey Summer Sunrise, layered with Basic Black and Bashful Blue. I stamped the gift stamp from Whipper Snapper, colored with Copics, then cut out the gifts and mounted them on dimensionals.

The sentiment is by Amuse, and the ribbon is from Papertrey.Thanks for looking!

{good-bye old friend}

Today I'm trading in my Alero. Even though it's basically a piece of crap (now that it's eight years old), I have to say it's a little bittersweet. Is that weird? To be a little sad about giving up an old car?

I've had this car for six years, so it's been with me all through college - from Iowa City to Cedar Rapids countless numbers of times. Then marriage, moving to Muscatine, then getting me from here to Iowa City for work for the last two years. It even got me to Bancroft in April for Nikki's wedding - a 10 hour trip!

168,000 miles and it's starting to fall apart, though. :) I'll miss you!

{isn't she pretty?}

Adam and I bought a brand new Chevy Malibu last night -- woohoo! It's so nice, I'm still pinching myself. ;)

I've never had a brand new car before! I forsee a lot of driving this weekend..... :)

{happy 4th}

One of the cards I made yesterday during my afternoon stamping maration! :) The base of this card is Real Red, layered with a square of Brilliant Blue that I ran through the cuttlebug. The patterned paper is from the SU hostess Prints Pack. I also accented the corners using the photo corner punch.

I used my regular and scalloped rectangle Nesties for the main image, which is by High Hopes stamps. I colored that in with Copics. The sentiment is from MSE! and I also used the SU small star punch.

Well, I gotta run, off to work! Have a great day!

{lucky}

Today I was busy stamping all afternoon -- perfect! What a great reward for cleaning my bathroom this morning. :)

I picked up this Whipper Snapper stamp at my LSS a couple of months ago, and this is the first he's been inked up. I stamped him in Pitch Black Adirondack ink, then heat set and colored in with Copic markers. The sentiment is by Penny Black, stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White cardstock, then sponged with So Saffron ink. I punched that out with the Fiskars 2" circle punch.

The base of this card is Kraft, stamped with the polka dot image from SU's Polka Dots & Paisley. The next panel is a square of So Saffron cardstock which I ran through the Cuttlebug with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The bottom portion is patterned paper from the SU hostess Prints Pack, and the whole square is mounted on a piece of Regal Rose cardstock.

The main panel was punched with the Tag Corner punch, then mounted on Chocolate Chip. I also used some page pebbles that I picked up at my LSS, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, and a vintage brad.

Well, I'm back to work tomorrow. Wish me luck, I may have forgotten how to do my job! :)

{purrrfect}

I needed to send my friend Lisa a couple of card samples and thought this would also be the perfect excuse to ink up this SU set that I .....ahem.......haven't used yet. Ooops! Aren't we all guilty of that, though?

This card starts with a 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Real Red cardstock base, scored at 4 1/4" with the Scor-Pal. I then inked up my Sweet Stars jumbo wheel with Real Red ink and rolled that on the card base. The patterned papers in this card are from the East Coast Prep pack, and I also used More Mustard and Tempting Turquoise cardstock.

The main image is from Pun Fun, stamped in Pitch Black Adirondack ink and heat set, then colored with Copic markers. I used the Tag Corner Punch on the corners, then sponged the edges with More Mustard ink. I used black brads to accent the corners.

The main panel is mounted on dimensionals, and I also used some Wild Wasabi double-stitched ribbon to accent the bottom of the card.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day!

{thanks father}

I made this card for Adam's dad, John, for Father's Day this past weekend. I just love sketch challenges, so this was the perfect excuse to hop over to Jen del Muro's blog and check out this week's 'Sketch for you to try' HERE

For this card, I started out with a base of 4 1/4"x 11" Chocolate Chip cardstock, scored at 5 1/2" with my trusty Scor-Pal, then matted a piece of soft blue paper from Scenic Route Paper Co. The polka dotted paper is by Heidi Grace, it actually has some flocking on it!

I stamped the toolbox image from SU's "For Father" on Whisper White with Adirondack Pitch Black ink, and colored in with Copics. That panel was mounted on a piece of Old Olive cardstock.

The sentiment used on this card is from Papertrey Ink, then punched out with a 1" circle punch, edges sponged in Chocolate Chip ink. I also used Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain and taffeta ribbon, and a vintage brad.

Thanks for stopping by!

{bored}

Seriously....I need to go back to work! The interstates are open now, but my next day scheduled isn't until Thursday.......help! That's OK -- I think I can find some scrapping and stamping to do.... :)

I made this little book this weekend for Adam's dad for Father's Day. This is a round chipboard book by Scenic Route Paper Company, and comes pre-covered with the graph-style paper. Love that about it! Although I love chipboard, I can't say that covering it with paper is one of my favorite parts.....

I embellished the cover with Thickers from American Crafts. The pale blue strip of patterned paper is also from Scenic Route. I used my Stampin' Up! large and small star punches and summer sun and real red cardstock also. The ribbon on the jump ring is by Making Memories.

For these two pages, I used my Dymo label maker, 5/8" Real Red grosgrain ribbon (SU), a Fiskars border punch, some stickers from my stash, and the Las Vegas icon was cut from a piece of Reminisce patterned paper.
For these pages, I used buttons from my stash, another Las Vegas icon cut from the same sheet of Reminisce paper, and my Fiskars 'threading water' punch.
Self explanatory. :) The "Horsin' Around" sticker is by K&Company.
The last page has some pics of us at Hawkeye games. The white speech bubble and stickers are by Martha Stewart, I picked those up at Michaels. I also used Summer Sun and Basic Black cardstock and my SU star punches again.

That's it for now. Have a good evening!

{water water everywhere}

More pictures are becoming available regarding the flooding in Coralville and Iowa City, Iowa. This picture is of the Highway 6 and First Avenue intersection in Coralville. I travel through this intersection every day on my day to work. It's surreal!
A picture of the Coralville strip looking West.
The Heartland Inn parking lot is where I normally park my car to meet my co-workers in the mornings before we head to the hospital.
Another shot of the parking lot, you can see how high the water is on this Chinese restaurant's sign.
This bar is at the intersection of Hawkins and Highway 6. When I left work on Wednesday night they had about a 3-4 foot sandbag wall, sadly it doesn't look like it was enough.

{so sad}

I'm sure many of you have heard about the devastation and flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Above is a picture of the flooded Cedar river. Over 400 blocks of downtown Cedar Rapids are underwater. Thankfully, I don't live there, but the high waters are making travel in Iowa impossible.

This is a picture of a house on Ellis Blvd. in Cedar Rapids. The flooding is the worst this region has ever seen.
A picture of 3rd Ave in downtown Cedar Rapids.
The above picture is of Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. It's espsecially close to my heart because I worked there for 4 1/2 years, from 2002 to 2006. Yesterday, the hospital evacuated all 200 patients within the medical center and attatched nursing home to other hospitals in the state. The laboratory and ER are flooded. If you would like to see more pictures and information visit www.crgazette.com

I was scheduled to work this weekend, but the roads between Muscatine and Iowa City are totally closed. I feel guilty that I won't be able to go and help out, but unless I hire a helicopter, I can't get to town! The Cedar and Iowa rivers are higher than they've probably ever been. Please say a prayer for all my co-workers and patients at the VA Hopsital, I know the nurses will provide the best care possible.

Please also say a prayer for the residents of Cedar Rapids. Many are without power, water, and some have lost their homes and have no flood insurance.

{go hawks!}

My BIL's bday is at the end of the month, and he (along with the rest of my family) is a big Iowa Hawkeye fan. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make him a bday card. :)

This card measures 9"x4" and will fit in a business size envie. The base is Basic Black , layered with back and gold striped paper ( I purchased from Reminisce in Coralville). I punched multiple stars using the large and small star punch from SU out of black , summer sun, and some various Hawkeye paper I had. The yellow polka-dotted ribbon is by BoBunny, accented with some black gingham.

The sentiment from "In the Stars" is matted on Summer Sun and black, and I also used the tag corner punch and some black brads.

Thanks so much for looking!

{what's cookin'?}

This card was for Sketch Challenge 179 at SCS.

One of the stamping stores I frequent has started carrying High Hopes stamps, so of course, I had to jump on the bandwagon. :)

I stamped the main image with Pitch Black Adirondack Ink, then heat set. I colored the little guy in with Copics, then cut out with my coluzzle. The background is chalked with a sponge.

The sentiment is AMuse, accented with a flat bauble. I used Real Red and Bashful Blue DSP from the Prints Pack (hostess). I also used my Cuttlebug for the background.I used my new Photo Corner punch, accented with brads. The ribbon is from BoBunny.

Great sketch! Thanks so much for looking!

{class}

I had card class this weekend, and wanted to showcase this set, along with the coordinating punch. I borrowed the color combo inspiration from Beate's post here: http://beate.blogs.splitcoaststamper...2-special-day/

I used Rose Red cardstock as that is what I had more of. The background is stamped tone on tone, then mounted on white and on a Basic Gray card. The ribbon is white organdy from JoAnn's. The main flower is stamped in Basic Black and the edges are sponged with Rose Red ink and a sponge dauber.

The middle flower was punched out with the coordinating punch and mounted with a black brad. The sentiment is punched out with the small oval punch, then the edges are also sponged with Rose Red ink.

I was a little short on time to come up with samples....sooooo....I cased the card in the flyer. :)

This card uses a Frest Cut note, with the background stamp from Fresh Cuts stamped on So Saffron cardstock with Saffron ink. I mounted the panel behind the front of the card. The edge is torn with a strip of Old Olive behind it. The edges are sponged with So Saffron ink.

I stamped the small flower in Old Olive, then cut out and centered on the front of the card. The bauble is from my LSS.

Thanks for looking!

{finally}

Finally, a card. :)

For my SAB rewards, this is what set I picked out. I think I got it a month ago and this is the first I've actually inked it up! :)

This card combines SC 177 and CC 167 - Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery and Soft Sky.

The base of the card is Celery, layered with Blue Bayou and a piece of DP from the Summer Picnic Pack, I stamped the focal image in Celery, then cut out the blooms in Bayou and Sky before mounting them on dimensionals. The middle of the flowers are embellished with green bling. :)

The 'for you' is from the SAB rub-on pack, and the butterfly is punched with the Martha Stewart butterfly punch. The scalloped panels were cut out and embossed with my scallop rectangle nestabilities, then stamped with the Polka Dot background stamp from SU.

I also used a piece of Whisper White taffeta ribbon. Thanks so much for looking!

{june page club}

This month down at Endless Ideas www.endlessideasmuscatine.com - I'm doing Page of the Month club, and it's a 4th of July spread! (Click on the photo above for a larger view)

So, you're probably wondering why I don't have 4th of July pictures on my layout? Welll, I don't have any. Hehe. I don't have kids, so unless we're at a BBQ on the 4th, I probably won't be taking any pictures. But, this does show you how versatile layouts can be. Mine has pictures of karaoke and the title is 'Summertime'. Moral of the story, don't think you have to have July 4th pictures to come to class. This could even be a Chicago Cubs page! :)

On this layout, I stared with a navy blue Bazzill base, outlined with strips of red glitter cardstock from Doodlebug - part of their Sugar Coated line. I also used blue and white glitter cardstock, and my small and large star punches (Stampin' Up!) as accents on the sides.

On the left-hand page, the red star in the middle of the pictures is covered with red Doodlebug flock. The title 'Summertime' is cut from a piece of patterned paper by Moxxie. 'Here's the story' at the top of the journaling block is a stamp by Cat's Life Press.

I also used ribbon to accent the right-hand page.

If you have any questions or would like to sign up for class, email me at chapinjennifer@yahoo.com.

Have a good week!

{why i've been away}

I think the busiest spring of my life *ever* is over! Thank God.... :)

Last weekend brought 2 weddings: my cousin Korey's on Friday evening and my friend Cassandra's on Saturday (which my husband and I were both in). Whew!
Above is one of the only pics I got during the ceremony, not great, but proves I was there. :)
Me and my sister outside the church after the wedd.
They all rode off in Jeeps, it was sweet!
Saturday, was Mike and Cassandra's wedding. It was a blast! Did we drink too much? Yep.....but your BFF only gets married once, lol! Here is the wedded couple on the trolley that the wedding party got to take to the reception.

Of course we had to make a pit stop at the bar....
Me and Cass at The Brew before we headed over to the reception. The weather was perfect, we had good drinks, good dancing and good karaoke. What more to ask for in a wedding celebration?