Inspired by Hero Arts

So I found this card yesterday while browsing the Hero Arts website, and just loved it.  I also just bought two new Hero Arts stamps (here and here) and was itching to use them!  This fabulous card used them both, so it was perfect for me to lift ;)

First I got out all the heart stamps I could find, other background stamps, Tim Holtz Distress Inks and tools, and white embossing powder. I stamped various images with Versamark ink and heat embossed with the white powder on a few sheets of white cardstock.  Then I took my ink blending tool and shaded them in with the inks I chose.









These are the colors of inks I used



Blending tools and foam, LOVE these babies!




Most of the heart shapes I cut out by hand.  Then I punched some of the background images with 2 small heart punches.  I used my Cricut to cut the rest.  I loaded the paper on the mat, and used Doodlecharms, George, and Doodletype to cut out a bunch of different sized hearts.








For these, I used the Centerpoint feature.  I centered the blade over the sentiment and then cut out the heart, so the word would be in the middle.







Here are all my hearts after I cut them with my Cricut, punched some more and hand-cut even more!



I used my Nestabilities Labels 1 dies to cut these out. I used the largest size, so it would almost cover the front of a 4 1/4" square card.  I cheated and just cut a little off of a 4 1/4" by 5 1/2" card.  I stamped the ledger background and then used the ink blending tools again to soften the edges.




Here is what they look like when I started putting them together!






The original card had rhinestones, but I don't have a lot of small ones so I used some dew drops instead, and adhered them with a drop of Glossy Accents.  BTW, I found a tutorial on making your own here, may have to try that!




I made 8 total, a few blue, a few orange and a few pink.







These were fun, and came together fairly quickly after I had all the hearts ready to go.  One nice thing is that I didn't use them all, so now I have a baggie of extras to add to other projects later!

If you haven't played with Distress Inks and the blending tool yet, you are missing out!! 

Happy Mother's Day

Every day should be Mother's Day!  I have to brag a bit, because I was contemplating this very thing earlier today... 

I got up bright and early this morning, at 5:30AM, and was enjoying the quiet before the kids woke up and went for a 3.5 mile walk.  It was so pretty, and I had laced up a new pair of shoes.  Love Asics, they are the best!  But I digress...

I decided to go without my iPod this morning and just enjoy the peace and quiet of a nice sunny morning, no traffic, no noises, just peaceful.  I let my mind wander to what the rest of the day was going to bring.  I baked a dessert last night to take to my dad's house for dinner with the family, I was going to come home to a nice breakfast my dear hubs cooked for me, and hopefully the kiddos would behave themselves some what today! 

Even though it is hard, I try not to have high expectations for holidays or other special occasions.  Not only is it unrealistic, but then it can lead to days like this and then I am doubly, even triply, disappointed.  You think, gee, it's Mother's Day, the kids are going to be good today, right??  Or, it's Christmas, they'll be good for sure, because it's a holiday!

I have learned the hard way that sometimes it doesn't matter what day it is, and that they will be absolute stinkers on holidays, or perfect angels on a random Wednesday or Saturday.  But even if they don't behave, I will still have a good day.  I will still be thankful that I am a Mom.  And I will be extra thankful for the other parent in my house, which is the whole reason for this rambling post. 

I am lucky enough to have the best husband in the world, and even though it is Mother's Day, I am going to praise him because he helps me be a better Mom.  As I am sitting here typing this sipping my coffee, he is in the kitchen doing the dishes.  He does them every day.  He takes out the trash and cleans the bath tub.  He cooks dinner and he tells me I am beautiful.  And he does it every day, not just on Mother's Day. 

Best of all he knows how to read me like a book, and this is what helps me the most.  When I am tired and getting cranky, he will usher the kids into the other room and give me some quiet.  If I am stressed and going to blow, he says "It's time to go outside to play!" and off they go so I can have a few moments of peace.  When I need a break and want to go on a retreat for four days twice a year, he doesn't complain.  He just kisses me when I get back and asks if I had a good time, and helps me carry in all my stuff.  And then cooks me dinner ;)

He does all this for the kids too.  He takes them to the school activities I miss while I am working evenings and nights.  He gives them baths and brushes their teeth, and they are all ready for bed when I get home.  He takes them to the park every single day.  He finds them books, toys, and all kinds of fun stuff at garage sales and of all places, the RE Store.  He reads them stories when he would rather be reading a book.  He even walks our dog at least 3 times a day, and he doesn't even like Jackson that much.  One of those times is before he goes to work, at 4:30 AM every weekday.  He is just that kind of guy.  He does all of these things without hardly complaining at all. 

Now that is not to say he is perfect by any means, because none of us are.  He is just perfect for me.  And I certainly hope that he can say the same for me. 

So to me, every day is Mother's Day ;) 

Easter cards and 3rd graders...

My son's teacher asked me if I would be interested in doing a crafty project with the kids one day, and I of course said yes!  It was the week before Easter, so I decided to make some Easter themed cards.  I brought supplies for a generic card with flowers instead for anyone that didn't want to make one for Easter, but had no takers.  They all wanted chocolate bunnies! 

Speaking of bunnies, I had no cart with the right shape, so made one.  Super simple in Design Studio!



They didn't need any feet since they were going to be tucked into a basket, so easy-peasy!



I used the Doodlecharms cart and cut out the baskets, and then snipped some Easter grass into smaller pieces.



I glued the grass to the back of the basket and then a scrap piece of paper to sandwich it all together.



Here's all my pieces.  Baskets, bunnies, stems and flowers, and some stamped eggs.



These pics are from my camera so not super quality, but you get the idea: )   They were so into it, it was fun!
















This little one was so excited to be making stuff, and she ended up making a few since I had extra.  She was so proud when she showed me each one!








Aaron even enjoyed himslef, though he usually makes himself scarce when I ask him to make stuff at home!



This was awhile ago, so I am a bit behind in my pics!  I was in the classroom again yesterday, but this time we made Mother's Day cards, and I will be posting them soon ;)