Quick and Easy Sympathy Cards

I had to make some sympathy cards today and these are my least favorite cards to make and I only send these out if I absolutely have to. I've seen more sympathy cards this year to last me a lifetime. I needed some so I sat down for about 10 minutes this evening and whipped these up. They are simple yet elegant I think.

I used Mamask Designs from PTI and Ocean Tides paper and ribbon. I added a little chocolate for some pop and the pearls. It's a very, very easy card and could be mass produced

for almost any occasion.

New Digi DT Bio Contest from Pink Cat Studio!

Digi DT Bio Betty Contest
Pink Cat Studio is starting a fun contest today! Melissa asked each Digi DT member to create a Betty that tells us a bit about herself. Can you figure out who created each Betty ? If so then you could win some free digi stamps!!
Visit the Pink Cat Studio blog to learn how to enter the contest. If you know me at all I'm sure you can figure out which one I am!!!

Decorating 101!

Finally I have pictures to share of my kiddo's rooms. My Mom came down to help me finish up the baby room and I LOVE how it turned out.

Here is the new rocking chair pad cover that I got to match the room. I thought this paisley print went perfectly in his room.

Here is a YEE HAW sign that I actually made for Ethan's 4th brithday party. It was the banner than we hung up and our friend Brick remembers oh so vividly Ethan pointing to his sign saying that it said "Happy Birthday Ethan".

Here's a look at the wall of "frames". I got this idea from something in a pottery barn magazine. I just took unfinished 12x12 frames, painted them red, bought red gingham paper and cut out a 6x6 square and added the art in the middle. This is one of my favorite parts of the room.

Two new frames for baby Kale. The horses are acutally a metal ornament and makes it 3D. The other is an embroidered boot and hat by my sister-in-laws Mom.

Here are the other 2 frames. The star is another metal Christmas ornament another one of Donna's embroidered designs.

This is Ethan's barn on his train table built by Papa. Ethan painted his barn red just a couple days before he died. It probably needs another coat or two of paint, but to me it is just perfect and will stay this way for a very long time.

Here is the baby's changing table. Soon instead of the cowboy picture there will be a frame with all of Kale's information and a picture. I decided to wait until he got here to make that!

All of the bedding/curtains in the room are Ethan's. He picked this out from Target and just loved his cowboy themed room. This is exactly how Ethan would have wanted the room for his baby brother!

Here's a peek at Ava girl's room. The house/bookshelf on the back wall is what Papa made for her. It was another Pottery Barn inspiration. The furniture Ava just got and she loves her new big girl bed and dresser.

Here's Ava's matching vanity. She loves to fill the drawers with little things. I think she is really going to love having this some day....what little girl wouldn't?? The "A" sitting on her vanity is actually something I had when I was little that my Mom painted for me. The kittens on her vanity are my collection of Calico Kittens that I collected too.


I couldn't get away without getting a picture of Ava girl showing off her room. She is pretty good about making her bed each morning. I got this bedding from Wal-Mart. I loved all of the little birds. I only spent $35 on it, and had to take back all of the Pottery Barn stuff I had bought. We are going to build a house next year so I imagine that she'll probably want to do something different in her room so $35 isn't too bad for some "temporary" bedding.

Here's a shot of Ava sitting at her vanity....she wanted me to take this pic too!

Here's a picture of Ava's bed and her wall decorations. I made the personalized wall hanging a while back and the tree is from SU, one of those art deco things that you just press onto your wall. I think I have finally figured out a saying to put with it. Wouldn't "Good night TweetHeart" be cute! Get it Tweet!!

The other walls have her personalized frame that I just finished up a while ago too and a shelf that houses pictures of me when I was little both with my Mom and my Dad. It has little shoes from when I was a baby and some baby booties of Ava's too.

Here's a closeup of those wall decs.

That's it for today. I know I've been promising pictures of my kids rooms for a while now and I'm so glad that they are finished, now if I only had my daughter's Halloween costume ready!! I'll get it done and imagine this, it's another Pottery Barn inspiration too!!

New Digis.....Lily all Bundled up! (And a Contest too)

Melissa with Pink Cat Studio has created 3 adorable images once again. I chose to work with Lily in her winter coat! I really like how the background turned out and I added some bling with rhinestones! Look on the digi site too because there are "FREE", yes "FREE" digital sentiments to go along with these images. Be sure to take a look.

Melissa is starting a contest too....."Digi Ideas Contest". To enter the contest, leave a comment on Melissa's post and suggest an idea for a new digi stamp. Each week she will select an idea and turn it into a digi stamp. The person who made the suggestion will receive the new digi for free in advance of the release and will be invited to create a card with it to be displayed on Melissa's blog during the new release.

Stop by and see what all the other gals have created too. One of these days I'll get everyone loaded on my side bar, but until then:

Melissa - http://www.pinkcatstudio.blogspot.com/
Emily Leiphart - http://www.leiphartonart.blogspot.com/
Inge Groot - http://www.patternedpaper.typepad.com/
Kerry Donovan-Casey - http://threecloversdesigns.blogspot.com/
Kristen Catalano - http://www.scrap-creations1.blogspot.com/
MacKenzie Bruckler - http://midnightscramper.blogspot.com/
Maria Bell - http://stampininspirations.blogspot.com/

Suzanne J Dean - http://www.scrapbitz.blogspot.com/
Tracey Cuccia - http://www.tmcuccia.blogspot.com/
Tori Hemmingway - http://scrappinangler.blogspot.com/
Vicki Garrett - http://www.summerthymestudio.blogspot.com/

Have a great Thursday. I'm actually going to work today because I only have a few weeks left before baby comes and lots to finish before that!

Some Christmas Ideas!

Stamp club is tonight so I worked up a card/photo book this morning to make tonight. I made a little aensemble to go with the card. I love these new templates that Lauren created for PTI. You can take a look at them here.....all for $5 and you can keep creating with them! I'm going to use these at Christmas for some gift cards.

Here's a close up of my card. It is scored at a 1/2 inch from the edge so the pages will turn nicely. I used burlap as the background.

Here's a closer look at my little gift boxes. I just love these little things.....they are sooo cute!

Thanks for stopping by!

Good Fun Weekend!

Guess I was in the picture taking mode this weekend! We promised Ava we could go get some pumpkins yesterday, so we loaded up Ranger and went for a walk to the winery. Most kids get to go to a pumpkin patch, but not us, we walk with our miniature burro and cart down to the winery! Here are some of the cute pics I got!


My favorite Fall Picture of Ava Girl! Sitting outside of the winery!

Here's Ava toting the pumpkins to the cart.....she's quite independent and had to do this all by herself!

Here's Ava all loaded up and ready to go home!

Then our famous Lilly Rose got on the roof again so Ava and I rescued her from the window. Then Ava got to play with her upstairs in her room for a while before putting her back out! She just loves her little kitty!

Great Project Day!

So much for my sleepy nights.....last night wasn't one of them. I went to bed around midnight and was up by 4:30....oh well, guess it could have been worse. I'm surprisingly not very tired. I did lay down for a while on the couch, but couldn't get back to sleep. So, I decided to work on my boppy cover for my new little boy. I bought this brown very very soft chanielle fabric with raised dots all over it. I had a cover for my boppy so I used that as my pattern and cut around that. My husband was nice enough to get my bobbin loaded in my machine. I always struggle with that part. I have a Janome, the machine that only costs around $50, but it worked like a charm. I'm so excited to have that done and to know I did it all by myself!

I have 4 12x12 picture frames painted red waiting to dry. I'm making something similar to what I saw in the Pottery Barn Kids magazine. (except for a fraction of the cost). I just have these frames to finish and one more thing to hang on the wall and the room will be finished and ready for pictures to share. My goal is to get everything finished before the end of the weekend!

Speaking of pictures to share, I went to a friend's house yesterday to take fall pictures of Ava and here is how they turne out! The last one is Ava with Buster the cat....he is so cute and cuddly!