Inspired by My Wonderful Downline :)

It's ironic really.
Donna was the one who first got me into stamping, nearly a decade ago.
(Even though I was totally intimidated by her fabulous work.)
Since then she has become like family to me; one of my best friends.
Just recently she became my downline :)
And she continues to inspire me in many ways, including in the crafting arena.  Here's a card she made:

I used some pieces I had already cut out and made another easel card, copying her idea:

Here's a couple more of her creations:

And finally, here's a baby card I made using some OLDER CTMH paper:

(after viewing the photos, I think I am going to stamp "welcome" above the "sweet baby girl" on the front.

I had a part time job proposition today, involving my crafts, so I would appreciate it if my praying friends lift a prayer for me as I seek wisdom and discernment. Thanks for stopping by!  Marie with a :)

Hurry Up, Maggie! (A card, a layout and a question answered...)

Some sweet folks at our church are expecting their third baby girl this week and there are a lot of us who are nearly as impatient as they are for Baby Maggie's arrival.  Here's a card I made to go into a gift basket:

 This is an "easel" card and there is a youtube video for creating this type of card under my page "tutorials and such."  These are tutorials I have collected not written!

 I used one of our new 6 x 6 craft cards for this.

 The Cricut cuts the "scrolls" for the 3D flowers.  I'm still a little inept at rolling them though!

 Another Cricut butterfly :)

 I LOVE the old paper pack "More to Adore" and my stash is dwindling away. The stamps sets are retired ones (Sweet Baby and Solos W)

  

 Isn't this envelope adorable? Yep, it was cut with the Cricut to use on my layout:

 I used mostly new products on this, with a few retired thrown in.  New: Journaling spots, Typeset paper pack, Just Blooms butterflies, the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Love Life stamp set (large scroll)  I also used the Token Alphabet stamp set, The You and Me stamp set (small scroll) and the Comments stamp set (retired) 

Oops! Wasn't until I posted this photo that I realized I am missing an opaque on the half cricle...

I was asked three times this week how I store my stamps.  My sister Samantha (http://samiesentiments.blogspot.com) is super organized...me, not so much. I simply put mine in dollar store crates according to size (A, B, C, D or E) and then alphabetically EXCEPT I keep a couple of crates with my "new" sets, a couple of photo storage boxes with stamp sets that are just sentiments and my Christmas sets are put away until I start making Christmas cards.  Wanna guess how many sets I have? 

274. Yep.  I 've been hostess for most of my workshops and working CTMH as a hobby, I had been putting everything back into more hobby supplies. Now it's time to get serious though and I am planning to move  from hobby to more of a fun job.  I'll be posting up coming classes and workshops soon!

Thanks for stopping by,

Marie with a :) 

Baby Shower card

I haven't been in the craft room for quite some time...maybe because every time I open the door I see the mess and quickly shut it!  But here's a quick and easy card I made for a baby shower:

This is one of my favorite style of cards to create...particularly when adding a gift card!

I used some of my favorite products for this card: the versatile Party Pennants stamp set and the Pretty Pins. Be sure to check out my website for daily deals.  (They are found under "shop now" and then "discounted items")

Thanks for stopping by!

Marie with a :)

OCC and ABC

At about 9 PM tonight,in typical Marie fashion, I decided to make my husband's birthday card...his 50th birthday is tomorrow! I used the ABC: H is for hidden challenge and the OCC challenge for the birthday card. You really should check out the creations on both of these sites - they are incredible!

The pirate card is a masculine birthday card to add to my stash.  Masculine cards are so challenging for me!

I made the pattern for this baby card while visiting my sister this summer but just now added the finishing touches to it!

One of my friends asked me yesterday if I was still keeping my craft room organized...she knows me too well!  I am pleased to say, despite making 20 cards this weekend, it is STILL ORGANIZED!  This friend also gave me a great tip - she has a "to be put away" bin where she puts all of the stuff she's using into and then when she's done she can just take the bin and put everything away. I so love that idea - ususally I have everything scattered all over the place.

Well, my pictures loaded in a very strange way tonight so I hope this posts okay.
Thanks for stopping by!
Marie with a :-)