Sites of the week

TGIF! Everyday is just running together, so I don’t know that I am ‘that’ excited that it’s Friday. My dad comes in tomorrow to stay with us for a week, so I am excited for that. I was supposed to go visit my parents in October, but had to cancel because Ellie and I both were under the weather. It really bummed me out that I didn’t get to out there before Nic arrived. Speaking of being under the weather, Ellie has managed to come down with the sneezes, wheezes and coughs. Of course she hasn’t been sick in months, but as soon as a newborn arrives she comes down with this. Ahh…Murphy’s Law, I suppose! Everything on earth seems to be testing my patience at this time, and this certainly doesn’t help. As I type this, she is picking up play-doh off the floor. Anyone else not the biggest fan of Play-doh? I love that she loves it and that it keeps her entertained, but how in the world does it end up EVERYWHERE? LOL!

I planned to have some more Nic pics today, but that is going to have to be postponed until next week {sorry Auntie!}. I took SO many pics of Ellie, but I have to admit that I am kinda slacking with this kiddo. As soon as he starts doing something other than sleeping, eating and pooping I will turn into “mama-razzi” I am sure. He is already getting big!

Ok, now onto the crafty part of this post! I am actually ahead of the game on some things. I went ahead and made Ellie’s Valentines yesterday {with Susan’s help die-cutting the hearts}. The ‘LOVE’ stamp is from the Verve set, Heart’s Desire. The comma was added with a Sharpie and Ellie signed her own name…betcha could have guessed that!

I started with 1.5″ strips of pattern paper from PTI, white and pink cardstock, glassine envies that I purchased from Ebay, assorted Hershey chocolates, SU! heart punch and heart Nestabilities.

I filled the glassine envies with 2 chocolates and then folded the envie down twice. I folded the strip of pattern paper in half around the envelope, stapled it all together and then flag-ended the top…

The large hearts were cut from pink and white cardstock, stamped, and signed by Ellie. We added the smaller punched hearts for a little more detail and viola, Valentine treats for her preschool class…

I plan to make more of these, from me, to give out. Mine will probably have a little more detail and be more embellished, since I think my “audience” might appreciate them more than the 3 year olds getting these. I’m thinking stitching, distressing and buttons for mine. Hopefully I will have time to make them, and I will share them here if I do!

Happy Tuesday! I have been stamping…YAY! Of course, it’s in between Nic being a super fussy baby. Ellie was way easier and did not pitch the fits that this little guy is capable of. Needless to say, there has been a little bit of an adjustment period around here. Stamping and crafting has been my relaxation outlet, a much needed one at times. I am so thankful for the friends and family that have helped us out, too! You never realize the power of a good friend, until you need them! I’ll have more Nic pics soon {I know some family members are about to explode waiting for new ones}.

Real quick {funny} story…
Today was the first day I was on my own getting Ellie to school with Nic in tow. I know that this will be easy as pie within a few weeks, but being that it was the first time today, it was a little hectic. Everything was going smoothly…as smoothly as it can going trying to get a 3.5 year old and newborn out the door. Dressed…check. Asthma treatment…check. Teeth brushed…check. Baby nursed…check. So then we get in the car and Ellie asks, “Am I going to have breakfast?” Ooops…at least I only forgot to feed one of them! LOL! I went to my little coffee shop and got her a bagel and then when we got to school she runs up to her teacher and says, “I have to eat this bagel now because Mommy forgot to feed me.” There goes my Mother of the Year prize!

Ok, so it’s Tuesday which means that it’s also TCP Tuesday. Leigh created a super fabby sketch for us to use…

Here’s my take on it using Be Still, My Beating Heart…

Detail shot…

I did mention a contest, too, didn’t I? Here you have a chance to win A LOT of stamps. What do I mean by a lot? How about a year’s worth of release from The Cat’s Pajamas!?!? All you have to do is NAME THAT BEAR! What the heck does that mean? Well, there is the dog, Poochie and the kitty, Sprinkle, but the bear still needs a name. That’s where you come in. If you can NAME THAT BEAR, then you win a year’s worth of stamps. All you have to do is email your suggestion to contest@thecatspajamasrs.com

Here’s a sneak peek at the new set that is coming out on February 9th, A Beary Good Year…

Detail shot…

I used the new Sweet Thing Glitzy Glitter to dress up the bear’s hat. I have found that using Martha Stewart’s Glitter Glue is the best for grabbing this heavier glitter and keeping it put.

In addition to the name that bear contest, we hope you play along with the sketch. Just upload it to the Slide show on the TCP blog HERE and you could win Cat Cash {hey, that’s money to spend on TCP stamps}.

As any mom knows, there are lots of thank yous to give out to family and friends when a little one arrives. We have been blessed with a darling little boy {good thing I’m not writing this in the middle of the night, because I am not sure what words I would have for him} and great friends and an awesome family. That being said, I have made a few thank yous and want to share those today…

This card uses a Verve sentiment paired with a bear that I cut from my Cricut…

Detail shot…

The snout was cut out of Bazzill Swiss Dotted paper and paper pieced on top of the original die cut for added detail/dimension. Also, for added detail I distressed the edges of the pattern paper and stitched the edges. For a finishing touch, I added the buttons with twine.

This second card has a floating sentiment that was die cut using the Slice machine. My sleepless brain can’t think of what this kind of card is called, so if anyone can help a girl out and clue me in again to the name, I’d appreciate it. Added detail was created by stitching the edges and adding buttons and ribbon…

I’m off to relax and hopefully get another card or two done today. See ya soon

I’ve been playing with Valentine’s Day stuff even before Christmas, so it’s no surprise that I am thrilled that the holiday is just around the corner. This week the Cat Pack is having a blog hop to celebrate new buttons and glitter paired with TCP Valentine’s sets. Being that this is a blog hop, you should have come here from Susan’s blog and when you are all done peeking at what I have here, you should waltz on over to Amy’s blog.

As I just mentioned, there are **NEW** buttons and German glass glitter colors. Pair those with one of the cute Valentine’s sets and you have yourself a KITTY KAT PACK. This card uses two sets…Loving Mew and Puppy Love.

Detail shot showing the red German glass glitter cover heart…

Love the paper? It’s a digi paper download from My Favorite Things and can be found HERE.

Alright, it’s time to hop on over to Amy’s blog. It’s still TCP Tuesday, so participants have a chance to win some Kitty Kat cash, too! Good Luck!

Tonight is the release for the new stamps from Verve and I have some more to share. I don’t have a lot of time to jibber-jabber, so be sure to check out all the release details on the Verve Blog and the Verve Forum on SCS.

If you will recall from my previous posts, I made an ATC using each of the sets. Some of them actually made it onto a card before Nic’s arrival. Others, did not. This first one did…

Using the set, Heart’s Desire…

ATC

On a card, using the same basic sketch that I used on previous posts…

Here’s another ATC using the set Love’s Flower, but unfortunately it hasn’t made it to a card yet…

Detail shot…