Happy Father's Day

I have been blessed with 3 wonderful Dad's. My father, my step father, who has been in my life since age 6, whom I affectionately refer to as D2 (as in dad #2) and my father-in-law who passed away in 2007. My time with my FIL was cut way too short, but I feel so honored that I got to share my life with him, even for a short time.

Due to our crazy schedules, I didn't have much design time, so I cheated a bit and made two of the same card for both D1 and D2. I had to play arond with the card quite a bit before I got it right. I started with a very flat card and wasn't excited about it, so I used some dimensional adhesive and created this fantastic shadow behind the airplane to give it some motion and was very happy with the way the end product turned out. I also added some dew drops to the clouds, which added a little bit of whimsy to the card, but also added some additional dimension. Both dads were very happy with their cards and appreciated that they were handmade.

That's what I love about our hobby....we get to share it with others and something that we enjoy so much brings other people much pleasure. It is a win-win!

Supplies
Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye
Cardstock - The Paper Co.
Stamp - Stampin' Up!
Ink - Stampin' Up!
Cricut Cartridges - Heritage, Potpouri Basket
Dew Drops - Cloud 9 Design

My Little Stamping Space

Christina at Creations with Christina has started a little feature on her blog called, "Show us your....." and this week, it is show us your craft space. You can see the post here http://www.creationswithchristina.com/2011/06/show-usyour-craftspace.html. I think I originally discovered Christina's blog when I was searching You Tube for PTI videos. Christina has some fantastic Cricut tutorial videos and this new feature on her blog is such fun!

I am always on the lookout for new storage ideas for my little stamping space and since I love to organize, the more organized my space can be, the better.

I took these photos at night, so the lighting isn't great, but you at least can get an idea of what my space looks like. I am really so very thankful to have my own room to dedicate to papercrafting. In our old house, I had a corner in the living room so this space is such a treat for me! I love to hole up in my room with my pretty decorations and put on some music or a DVD and get lost in creativity. It really is my own little sanctuary.

Shot of the room from the doorway. The desk at the end of the room is where my laptop lies.

My table and plastic storage drawers. That Archiver's bag at the end of the table holds new supplies that are waiting to be used and projects that I have yet to begin. I only have one chair in the room so I just move it to the table when I'm crafting and back to the desk when I'm working on my laptop. I have the table facing the center of the room so that I'm not staring at the wall when I'm working and I can watch movies while I'm working.

I love this part of the room! The white drawers hold all of my cardstock. I forgot to take a shot of the open drawers.

Shelves on the wall with decorations I got at Hobby Lobby. The two jars hold all of my PTI buttons.

I got this paper cart at Costco and it holds blank cards, envelopes, die cuts, patterned paper, and scraps. Lots and lots of scraps. And some more scraps....which I try to use regularly but still my scrap drawers runneth over.

I got this little shelving unit and canvas drawers from Target. The center shelf holds magazines for inspiration and the bottom canvas drawer holds all things Cuttlebug - embossing folders, dies, and Nestabilities as well as all of the plates.

The top drawer holds all of my flowers. I recently got my first order from I am Roses....oh my! They are so gorgeous!

This is a little hardware unit I bought at Walmart and I use it to store all of my buttons (color coordinated, naturally) with the exception of my PTI buttons and other hardware - brads, clips, etc. I love this little unit.

I got this adorable hat boxes at Hobby Lobby. The top hat box holds all of my chipboard and the bottom box holds pamphlets, instructions for various tools, mini catalogs from Stampin' Up! and other papers that I want to hide.

My Stampin' Up! ink and Stickles, Alcohol Inks, Re-Inkers, and glitter.

This caddy is not the Making Memories model that everyone has. I was late to the game but found this one at Michael's and I actually think I like it even better. I have all of the tools that I need right at my fingertips and it is very easy to find what I need.

Prisma markers, decorative edge scissors, glimmer mist, Lindy Stamp Gang Starburst stains, and Perfect Pearls.

Embossing powders, paint, Glossy Accents, stamp cleaning supplies.

This unit is by Simply Renee (makers of the Clip it Up unit) and I absolutely love it, but have completely outgrown it. I have an entire drawer that is overflowing with ribbon. I have a thing for ribbon. Apparently.

Unity Rubba Rack!

This is where I store all of my Unity Kit of the Month kits. I was a member for about 18 months and then found that I had so many stamps I had never inked up that I needed to stop but if you haven't tried the kit of the month from Unity, I highly recommend it! Their stamps are super good quality and they are whimsical and classy and elegant and hilarious.....something for everyone every month! This basket holds my kits perfectly. I also have this Fancy Pants stamp set thrown in there because it's too big to fit anywhere else. That is how I roll.

This drawer cart mainly holds stamps, with a drawer of ink pads on the top. Here's an open shot to give you an idea. I am loving the new unmounted rubber from Stampin' Up! now. Anything to save space is ok with me!

In the other drawer cart I have embelishments, alpha stickers, my ribbon overlfow, colored penciles, embossing gun, a few punches.....a bit of this and that.

My punch storage. I am pretty much only buying edge punches now that I have my Cricut. I find between the Cricut and Nestabilities dies, I have very little need for punches with the exception of edge punches.

My Copic storage. I found this unit at Hobby Lobby for $10 and then used a 40% off coupon. It holds a lot and fits perfectly on the top of my desk. It's just right for me.

Inside my closet. This is a shelving unit that holds Cricut cartridges, a few idea books, some scrapbooks, and misc office supplies like paper and CD's.

Also in the closet - this little unit holds tags, extra sponges, and extra adhesive. I like to be prepared :)

On the top shelf of my closet I store my holiday stamps. I was running out of room in the drawer cart so I moved the holiday stamps that I only use at certain times of the year to these storage bins and I find this system works much better for me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jen's Sketch Challenge 06-11

I so look forward to the first Saturday of the month, because Jen del Muro releases another sketch challenge. For this week's challenge, visit this link http://iheart2stamp.com/2011/06/04/june-sketch-for-you-to-try/ (Blogger is still not letting me insert links using the linking tool....oy!) This month's sponsor is Your Next Stamp. I primarily used my Cricut for this card, with the exception of one stamp that I used along with some embossing to add a little interest to one of the larger panels.

My dear, sweet, wonderful, brave friend Rhonda is on her way to Kuwait. She is a soldier and has a strong desire and need to head to the desert to do her duty. She is an honorable American and we are praying for her safety and the safety of all of the men and women that are overseas fighting for our freedom. It is because of these brave individuals that we get to live life as a free people and I never want to take for granted the life that I have because of those that have fought to make this country what it is.

We had a going away dinner for Rhonda last week and I made this card for her. I want her to know that she is my hero and I am so thankful for her as a friend, but also as an American. God has blessed this country and I pray that He will bless those that sacrafice for us every day.

Supplies
Cricut Cartridge - Stand and Salute
Cardstock - The Paper Co
Card Base - The Paper Co
Fiber - The Twinery
Embossing Folder - Provo Craft
Stamp - Stampin' Up!
Ink - Versamark
Emobssing Powder - Stampendous

Jonny Diaz - More Beautiful You

I absolutely love this message to young girls/women. There could never be a more beautiful you...here are the lyrics. They speak for themselves.

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake And she's always felt overweight
Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair Are perfect just the way they are
There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan Only wants what you will do instead
Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you're not too far
To back away be who you are
To change your path go another way
It's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets
The shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears
And change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view
And with His light He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl