Fab Friday 51

Hi stampers!  It's finally FRIDAY!  Yay!  Time for a new challenge over at Fab Friday!  This week is a fun little sketch that you can do a lot with!

Thanks to my parents being here this week I got a little stamping done, yay!  I really wish they could visit more often both for me and them and Ian!  Here's my card!

Make sure to head on over and check out the DT's hard work and play along with us!

Happy stamping!

HSS 195

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday!  Baby B is 7 weeks old today!  And I'm struggling to find the time to stamp :-)  I do have a Control Freaks swap due this week so I HAVE stamped but it's mainly just to get that done so I'm coming at you today with what I'm calling the new mom's BFF or My Digital Studio!  It's easy to get projects done sitting on the couch next to a sleeping...or not sleeping baby!

So for this new sketch challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments I pulled up MDS and whipped up a quick Halloween card since I don't think I'll be making many this year.

Oops, I forgot to crop off the border....oh well, I kind of like it this way actually :-)  See what happens when you're tired? :-)  My parents are coming today so maybe I'll get some real stamp time instead of digital.  Although, I actually like spending time with them too and really miss them since moving even farther away so maybe not too, ha!

Make sure to head on over to HSS and play along!

Happy stamping!

Fab Friday FIFTY

Hi stampers and happy Friday!  It's time for our 50th challenge over at Fab Friday!  Wow, FIFTY challenges now!  I'd like to thank my design team for all their hard work and for all of our stampers who play along with us!  This time we figured we would celebrate our golden anniversary with a very fitting color challenge!

I would like to say I'm getting the new mom thing and the stamping thing figured out but the best laid plans....

I totally planned on going down to stamp today (I'm writing this on Thursday) when Ian takes his usual 2-3 hour long afternoon nap.  Perfect plan!  He's taken a nap around 12 almost every day and I always say I'll go stamp but I either do other stuff (laundry, wash bottles...all that fun stuff) or kind of lay around on the couch and watch TV and catch up on email and what not.  I don't really nap but I can at least rest then.  I either can't fall asleep even if I want to or I don't because I think I actually sleep better at night when I'm tired.  Anyway today was the ONE day when the dog went nutso and barked her fool head off.  Her barking usually doesn't bother him but she barked more than usual and right by him.  So, she woke him up LITERALLY the minute I was turning on the monitor to go downstairs.  GAH!  Figures, right?  Then he would NOT go back to sleep even though I knew he was tired.  When he finally did it was laying next to me on the couch so I couldn't just leave him there and at first I didn't think he was asleep because he was doing the weird thing he does sometimes where he moves around and has his eyes open but he's asleep.  At least I think he was....BUT...I wasn't risking it either way and moving him so instead of stamping I went ahead and made my blog posts so I could watch him since he was on the couch.  I'm NOT waking a sleeping baby lol!  Daddy will have to pull some duty tonight so I can make my card as I dropped the ball last week...didn't even realize what day it was lol!  Maybe he'll get back on track in the nap department and I can stamp some other afternoons!

Anyway, here's my card:

Ok, so I know it looks a lot like another card I just did but hey, I stamped ok?  And I'm happy with that lol! Better than nothing.  And I'm kind of excited!  I'm taking some mom time tonight and going to a crop in the next town over!   Hoping to meet some nice people and to get some projects done!!!!

Now, head on over and check out all the glitzy fabulousness of the DT and help us celebrate by playing along!  Dazzle us!!!

Happy stamping!

HSS 194

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday and it IS a happy tuesday!!!!!!  First off, little Ian is 5 weeks old today!  Wow!  He's growing and changing and learning every day!  And it's REALLY happy because I actually managed to stamp over the weekend.  It wasn't much and it didn't go well at first BUT I knew I had the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge coming up today so I needed to do...something....and there in lies the problem.  I needed an idea...something that I have been coming up short on (even for my control freaks swap that is due soon).  It's been rare that I get the motivation to stamp, get an idea, AND it turns out like I wanted...or better.  But magic happened as I was sitting on the couch with Baby B and daddy and looking at Pinterest.  I had an IDEA!

I thought something was wrong with me as I popped up and said I'll be back, I gotta go stamp lol!  He's been encouraging me to go stamp a lot but without motivation or ideas I don't feel like it...and his prodding just serves to further annoy me lol!  I think he wonders what happened to "his" wife sometimes ;-)

But I ran downstairs with this color combo (which I love by the way) and got to work on my idea!

Ack!  Isn't it fabulous?  And totally not something I would normally do on my own I have to admit!

I thought they would look fabulous with the new mini stamp set four feathers (which has an awesome matching set of framelits that comes 15% off as a bundle)!  I was looking at all kinds of cute stuff made with it on Pinterest and thought, I can make something cute!!!!  :-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps: Four feathers, good greetings (FREE with qualifying order or workshop)
Paper:  Whisper white
Ink:  Marina mist, night of navy, hello honey
Accessories:  Linen thread, sequin trim, four feathers framelits

I also really love the good greetings stamp set which is a free hostess set with a qualifying order or workshop!  It's so cute, I love the font!  And it was the perfect size for this card!  I was so happy such a simple card could turn out so well!  And I came up with the idea all on my own!  Amazing, lol!

I'd like to say thanks to whoever came up with this challenge as I really needed the inspiration and a kick in the pants and to be honest, Sunday night I REALLY needed a pick me up for no good reason...Sundays have always been a hard day for me if I'm down.  I suppose part of it is wonderful hormones and the fact that I need to go "home" soon and get a change of scenery and of course the fact that I'm trying to figure out a new normal with a tiny human...lol....but making this card really lifted my spirits.  I'm pretty homesick not only because I miss "home" and my friends and family who could totally help me with the baby but I also feel bad that all of our families are missing time with him.  I'm sure I'll get used to it and there will be plenty of visits but this first couple of months before vaccinations is hard...and I don't really want to take him on a 3-4 hour car ride just yet either!  Anyway, this totally helped me feel better :-)

Make sure to check out all the awesome cards from the DT and then get busy and play along with us.  Hey, If I managed to make something YOU can too :-)

Happy stamping!

Plugging Along

Hi stampers!  I've been quiet, I know!  We are slowly but surely trying to figure this mommy/baby thing out :-)

I don't do well with change or with either not having a routine or adjusting to a new one so obviously newborns don't really have much of a routine so in one way I'm struggling a little bit but I keep telling myself soon we will have more of a routine.  And I guess we have a little bit of one but I'd like a LITTLE more predictability lol!

I felt like I was kind of in just a holding pattern basically this whole year with all the changes that happened.  Hubby and I were talking about how crazy this year was. We started out pregnant last year then decided to move and had to close on the house in two weeks back in February and then I went to his parents to the corporate apartment to our house here!  Craziness!  Then I felt like I was basically just waiting around for little man to get here so I never really got into a routine anyway and my stamping has suffered.  It's honestly suffered since I quit work (since I guess I stamp better with LESS time...can't "put it off until later" lol) and then with our fertility stuff.  I think I felt too distracted to stamp with all that.  Then, Jon left each week when he started his new job so my routine was weird again and then we were moving so I just never got into the groove!  I'm hoping that soon things will even out so I can stamp more often....dare I say daily???  And I'd LOVE to start some workshops and classes!!!!!

I keep saying I'm going to go stamp and then...I don't lol!  I'm not sure I want to cart the baby down to the cold basement and then when Jon comes home I actually kind of want to see him lol!  I even let him move his video game thing upstairs just to "see" him more.  Maybe that will "force" me downstairs in the weeks to come ;-) He even suggested moving my room up here to the dining room!  I was shocked as it's an open room and he HATES my cluttered space lol!  He really must love me :-)  But, I don't want to lug everything upstairs (he suggested just bringing some up...he doesn't get that I need it ALL, lol) and redo the room again plus have my mess out in the open.  Plus, I plan on using that room as Ian's play room when he's older.

And then over the weekend I was going to stamp....but we had company twice and I went clothes shopping which ate up my time....not that I'm complaining about shopping ;-)

Anyway, I hope to have some things to share soon and to stamp this weekend!  It HAS to happen at least a little as I have a Control Freaks swap due!  And then I hope to be back to my Fab Friday gig too!  I totally dropped the ball last week and forgot what day it was lol!  Whoops!

I'd also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to whoever has put in some "no contact" orders from me online!  I want to respect your privacy but I also want to say THANK YOU!  I appreciate your business as well as all (not that there are many, hehe) of my customers!

And also, thank you to those who have sent cards!  It's so fun to get some happy mail mixed in with those hospital bills lol!  I appreciate and ohhh and ahh over every one!  Jon thinks it's fun too that people take the time to send us some cute cards!

And finally I suppose you'd like a little update on Ian!  I don't have any pics on my computer as of now, recent ones anyway.  Maybe I can do an update on Friday when he's a month old!  He's really good and growing scary fast!  Last week he was about 10 pounds if my scale is right and I know he's bigger than that now!  I think he's getting longer over getting fatter, lol!  And he still has no booty and little chicken legs ;-)  I'll save more details for his "birthday"!

And he's been asleep forever this afternoon....I totally should have stamped instead of catching up on some other things and cleaning....lol!!!!

Happy stamping!