Rings of Freedom....

While in the grocery store the other day, I spotted these red, white and blue Rings of Freedom and knew they would make a really cute gift for the 4th of July. I whipped up the box following this tutorial from Angie and was pleasantly surprised at the size of it. I'll definitely be making more of them!

Have a good evening!

Warming Up....

My stamping to do list is a long one this week, but it seems to be starting out on a good note....I love these summery colors together and wish that I would have picked up Poppy Parade a lot sooner and played around with it!

Hope you are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by!

A Couple of Cards.....

Despite my best intentions of getting in some significant stamping and/or scrapbooking time last week, I was only able to set aside time for a couple of cards. This week however, I think I might actually get to spend some time creating! Woo-hoo!


This is a belated Mother's Day card for my mother in law who was out of town on Mother's Day. I wasn't sure I was going to like the Poppy Parade In Color when it came out in the Stampin' Up! catalog last year but I've got to say that it's awfully cheery! I think you'll be seeing it a little more this summer as I use it while it's still available.


And this is the card I made for my dad and father in law. I had been pondering this sketch ever since I first saw it and finally decided to use it for Father's Day. While masculine cards have been difficult for me in the past, The Open Sea stamp set and the Nautical Expedition DSP sure made this years card a snap! I'd highly recommend both of these items!

That's all for now....be sure to stop back by later this week and see what I get accomplished with a little me time! :o)

Birthday and Anniversary Cards.....

When I make cards for specific occasions, I try and think of the recipients style and preferences before delving into a project only to get to the end of it and decide it doesn't look like them. Here's a great example of what happens when I don't follow my own advice....

I loved this card from Lisa Young. And I knew I wanted to CASE it but I wasn't sure for what occasion. I went ahead and made it with the intention of using it for an anniversary card for Chris this year and I was extremely happy with the way it turned out. I made a few minor adjustments to Lisa's original design, but loved it none the less. However, it just didn't feel like Chris, so instead of just using it I decided to put that one in my card box to use at a later time and start another one. This is what I came up with.....

It's simple no fuss lines are so much more Chris' style and using the classic 1 Corinthians "love" scripture finished it off perfectly.

I used the same kind of graphic and no fuss lines on his birthday card as well and I'm happy to report that he loved them both! I used this sketch from Mojo Monday to jump start my creativity and just went from there.....

Have you created anything lately? I'd love to see it!

A birthday, anniversary and the beach.....

Hi all!

We've celebrated some special occasions around the Kaufman household over the last few days and I wanted to share them with you.....

Friday was Chris' 40th birthday! I have a hard time believing that I'm old enough to be married to someone who is 40, but that's my issue and not his as he still tells everyone he's only 28! :o) I'm not quite sure how old he is in this picture, but I love it.....

And here he is celebrating his special day.....

Saturday was our 17th wedding anniversary and we celebrated with a quick over night stay in Lincoln City, Oregon. I don't think I've shared this particular shot before.....

Honestly, I don't know how people can live anywhere other than the Pacific Northwest.....we are SO close to everything....the big city (Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington), the mountains (Mt. Hood) and the entire Washington and Oregon Coast. Seriously, how can you resist a view like this?

I can't!

I'll be back tomorrow with the cards I made for the occasions and a bonus card because it turned out so pretty.....

Have a good evening!