Talk about a challenge!!

So it's been quite some since we've chatted! I know everyone says that life just keeps getting busier and busier as the kids get older, but I'm not sure that's physically possible!! I've been running around like crazy between work, teaching dance classes, meetings, deadlines and making sure to spend as much time as I possibly can loving on my kiddos.

Last night I took Bubby Boy with me on a few errands and took him to the library for the first time. He just turned three, and he was thrilled at all of the books on shelves just his size. After the library, it was off to check in on the musical rehearsal, pick up pizza for dinner, and back home in time to feed the masses and toss the kids in bed (which is when crafty time begins!!).

I was given the challenge to make a few cards. I'm a casual card maker, but I mainly stick to my comfortable 12x12's. Just think of a card as a mini-album with one page, right? The only rule for the design of the card was that nothing on the card could be stamped. Now usually you would expect to hear the opposite: everything stamped. Right? But think of the time savings by not getting out all of the stamping supplies! This should be a quick project and still get me into bed at a decent hour.

Ummmmm....right.

All went extremely well finding my card base and picking out some Stampin' Up! paper.

I used a little scrap piece of the same paper pack to make some grass: (this is where Martha Stewart's Fringe Scissors come in handy)

I added some ric rac to the top to pull out some of the contrasting colors in the paper, and theeeeeeeeen I needed words.





Without stamping.





My handwriting isn't atrocious, but it's definitely not front-of-the-card worthy.






Looking through my rub-on's, stickers and embellishments, I couldn't find anything that would really tie in to my cards, so I turned to the only other option I could think of:







My typewriter.

So technically, this is a stamp. I guess. Ink onto the page from a molded form. But for all intensive purposes, it's not today's 'classic stamp', so I'm letting myself off the hook for this one. I took a few more scraps of the same Stampin' Up! paper pack, typed away, and adhered them to the card, et voila! Card number one done!

I stuck with the same paper pack for my second card (hey, it was already out. It was getting late at this point. Oh, and look at that...the same ric rac :)

I took a duplicate piece of my background paper and traced one of the houses in my contrasting color: orange. I cut the traced shape out and adhered it with foam adhesive for some depth.






I inked up the edges (as always) of my scrap piece of layering card stock, as well as the scrap I used to type my phrase on. I Glue Dot-ted the ribbons to the top and the button in place, and BADDA BAM! Done.

In all reality, if I were to sit and make these cards again, they might take all of 10 minutes to complete. Stick with simplicity- one paper pack usually will coordinate with itself with endless combinations!

Simple, easy and cute!


*UPDATE* I'm thrilled to announce that this "challenge" was a kind-of audition for a new design team I've been chosen for: Friendship's Challenge! 'Like' them on Facebook here and look for lots more from that soon!!