{ For You } card

This is turning out to be a handmade card blog...I do make alot of them! This card was inspired by these earings from the Buckle I got for my friend Johnna for her birthday. Little did I know it is a favoite store of hers...go me ;) The store just looks so her...Anyhow, I love to match up the card w/ the gift :)

I wasn't really happy with the background color and the green bead doesn't match up just right but, it was a fun card...love the decorative edge on the black strip and the braid. It was so nice to catch up over doughnuts & coffee with her this past weekend :) Hope you had a great birthday Johnna!

kwerner color inspiration #45

http://www.kwernerdesign.com/ color challenge time again! These are the colors I had to work with this week. I'm a huge black and white fan so, this one was super fun! I like the way this card turned out...I like the balance : ) She usually picks 10-25 favorites and puts them in, what she calls, a color round-up to showcase the winners....

Gray cardstock, VersaFine ink:onyx black, Stampin' up: Baroque Motifs flower stamp, DCWV vellum quote stacks:wedding & romance, decorative scissors, recycled buttons and ribbons

butterflies + glitter

I spent the whole weekend home relaxing & trying to get over a sinus cold. I was really bummed to have to cancel my weekend trip to Nashville, TN to visit Melodie and Johnna but,...it was so nice to just open the windows, watch movies, work on projects here and there and make a few cards. I feel a whole lot better today but, still not totally well. These are the cards from the weekend...

supplies used: ivory cardstock, Stampin' Up weathered background stamp, VersaColor ultimate pigment ink:polar blue, BASICGREY:PERHAPS patterned paper pack {w/ alphabet - friend} Stampin' Up: fancy flexible phrases/thank you + hi there, Stampin' Up Baroque Burgundy ink, Victorian Butterflies by Cynthia Hart stamp set,

Things on my list today:

*job hunt~looking for a part time job + I may start serving again, hard to beat that fast cash gotta get debt free in 2009!

*shop pier 1~there are a few things i've had my eye on there to use in my current deisgn project

*grocery shop~about all I have to eat here is cookie dough=not good...can't wait to eat veggies tonight : )

*walk a mile~i've had a whole lot of energy and stay up until way late, gonna try to burn some.

*paint~i've been meaning to paint the baseboard in my bathroom for a couple weeks now + touch up places i've patched nail holes around the house and paint all of my hinges to look brushed nickel...maybe now that i've put it on my list and ya'll will see I will actually do it!!!

*clean the SUV~someone is coming to look at our SUV tomorrow gotta bet it shined up : )

*cook dinner~really craving something delicious like ahi tuna sashimi or steak

*mary kay order~can't wait to order myself tinted moisturizer : )

kwerner color inspiration #44

www.kwerner.com/blog has such great color inspirations...they make me happy : )

Remember these BASICGREY rub-ons...one of my fabulous finds a while back from Hobby Lobby? Well, if you are a scrapper/card maker you need to get your hands on these adorable rub-ons...they are so great! All for baby girl and I know just the lil' one i'll give this card to {she was born today!} Her mom, Sarah, went to Interior Design school with me. This is the mobile used in her nursery and I have to say this is one of the cutest i've ever seen/it is pottery barn.

BASICGREY sugared rub-on {hush little baby}, Stampin' Up chocolate chip cardstock, signature suite:brown/polka paper as background, Hobby Lobby mat stack check paper, daisyd's:nursery pink pinstripe border, daisyd's:nursery pink polka dot, corner rounder punch, Stampin' Up paper piercing, Uni-ball signo gel pen-white, recycled buttons

going green

Over the past couple of years I have started recycling and trying to become aware of being green and slowly learning how to make this shift. Just recycling makes such a huge difference in our trash output at home. Recycling aluminum, cardboard, plastic {bottles & bags} glass, and now paper pretty much makes up all of the trash that previously went to the landfills.

It always bothered me to buy cases and cases of bottled waters even though I was recycling them. I first made a shift to buying gallons of water to cut down on packaging. Now, i've been reading that the plastic and the quality of some could cause health risks. Also, 25% or more is just tap water bottled and bottled is not necessarily better for you. read more here www.nrdc.org/water

Not sure about the quality of mine but, for now i'm switching to tap and eliminating packaging by going with these cool recyclable/non-toxic aluminum bottles. I found mine on clearance at TJ Maxx {also found at Marshalls} for only $3.00! I'm sure they will be popping up everywhere but, here is the one I have. I love filling them and putting them in the frig for when i'm ready to run out the door...the aluminum keeps water extra cold!

You see reusable bags everywhere now! I have one for almost every store I shop. There are so many cute ones and I just couldn't resist these two from Hobby Lobby yesterday. They were so very cheep one was $3.99 and the other $2.99. I think they are great!


Next, composting...when we purchase our home there was a compost bin I didn't know what to do with. I think the ones like I have cost almost $200.00! I remember my grandparents always having one when I was growing up. Now, i'm thinking I'd like to start...even less trash and good for gardening : ) Working in my flower gardens is a favorite hobby of mine. Spring is popping up and i'm getting so excited to start digging around in my landscaping. Lots of work to be done!

If I do ever have children, yes...I would be one of those moms that cloth diaper. It truly bothers me to contribute all that trash to the beautiful earth God made. It is a challenging but, rewarding shift to make in my life. Can't do it all right now but, i'm making little changes where I see fit to do my part.

I could go on but, i'll stop now. I guess i'm more passionate about it than I knew. Here are the photos of my finds!
oh...and these are my plants starting to pop up : )

kwerner color inspiration #43

Another color challenge from kwerner's blog! This patterened paper is some i've had since my beginning scrappin days...Hobby Lobby's mat stack {retro prints}. I love pulling out old supplies after they've been stuck away for a while... makes them new again! I pulled out a few others that I can't wait to use soon. This print was perfect for the color chalenge with these given Stampin' up colors: chocolate chip, ruby red, pumpkin pie, old olive, brocade blue.

I used Stampin' Up pumpkin pie cardstock, Retro prints patterned paper, brocade blue circle background, brown ribbon {recycled from Christmas '08 bows ; )} recycled buttons, Victorian butterflies stamp set by Cynthia Hart, Stampin' Up 'Easter Blessings' stamp from Fancy Flexible Phrases stamp set