learning apertures

I'm learning about aperture in my little photography class this week and I just couldn't resist posting this little practice shot that didn't make the cut for my assignment -

Now, if only I could look so sweet with muffin all over my face....  And those big brown eyes - they melt my heart!

Technical jargon -

Aperture: f/1.4

Shutter speed: 1/1000

ISO: 200

Focal length: 50mm

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge, 52

Looking for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch?  Hop on over to this post.  

Hello again!  It's time for another Cupcake Inspiration from Hope Stamps Eternal and this week's inspiration comes from The Little Cupcakery - isn't it so sweet?  I was inspired by the colors and flowers in the cake, rather than the baby, so I used some of this really cute Bella Blvd paper and created a layered background with it.  I topped my little flower stems with some really fun Cosmo Cricket Material Girl buttons. 

Join in on the fun this week and link up your cupcake inspiration project at the Hope Stamps Eternal blog.  The other Sweeties have more amazing inspiration for you as well - stop over and see:

• Colleen
• Kelli
• Kristen
• Michelle
• Piali
• Teresa
• and of course Rachel

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: blooming button bits (papertrey ink)

paper: old olive, certainly celery, summer sun, whisper white cardstock (stampin' up!)

ink: old olive

accessories: old olive wide grosgrain ribbon, material girl buttons (cosmo cricket), square nestabilities (spellbinders), dimensionals

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 62

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use the InLinkz button down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 10 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked by 10 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC62 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

Our fabulously talented, Vicki, has designed this week's sketch and I loved working with it!  I started off with the little Easter basket from Favorite Peeps and colored it in with Copics - the papers, ribbons and flowers are all from the Easter Key Ingredients, so this card came together very quickly.  I took the easy route and used my Nestabilities Labels 3 for the image panel and sponged around the edges while the Nestie was still on the paper. 

The Sweet Sunday Stampers also have amazing samples to show you today, so don't forget to stop on by to see:

• Jennifer Tapler - she has a sick computer, so stop by and give her some love
• Joanne Basile - our special guest for March
• Karen Motz
• Laura Fredrickson
• Lynn Put
• Nancy Riley {she's off this week, but she'd love for you to visit}
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick 

Thanks for taking on the challenge this week!
Karen

recipe -

Stamps: Favorite Peeps

Paper: Couture textured cardstock, choice snow white cardstock

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Accessories: Labels 3 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), paper pretties flowers, scallop border punch (Stampin' Up!), yellow twill ribbon, dimensionals

happy birthday cupcake

Hello!  I've been a very bad stamper this week - this is the first card I've made since Sunday!  I have a sneaky suspicion next week will be the same since my daughter is on spring break - oh dear.

I used Clean & Simple's fall to layout 79 for this card, although I flipped the sketch so the image is on the left instead of the right.  It seemed to balance better that way.  I stamped the cupcake from Sprinkled with Love in Memento Rich Cocoa ink and colored it with Copics.  The sentiment is from For the Love of Cupcakes - seemed to fit perfectly and added a little piece of patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket - Material Girl.

Thanks for stopping by -
Karen

recipe -

Stamps: Sprinkled with Love, For the Love of Cupcakes

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Read Red, Very Vanilla cardstock (Stampin' Up!), Material Girl (Cosmo Cricket

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic markers

Sweet Sunday Sketch Winner

Hello!  Sorry to keep you all waiting a whole day for the winner :D  Were you all wondering where I was?  Probably not, LOL!

Random.org has chosen #59 - Sherry!!

I love the way Sherry placed the button between the panels on the tag - it's perfect!  And the little turtle is so cute - what a sweet baby boy card.  Love it!  You can find more from Sherry at her blog, Button Junkie - swing on over and say hello!

See you back soon!
Karen

Homework

Now this is the kind of homework I love!  This is my assignment from lesson 2 from Up & Running With Photoshop.  I think what I have enjoyed most about finishing this little course is going through all these photos I have - just seeing how much the kids have changed, even in one year, leaves me full of emotion.  These photos are from the same park trip of my previous digital post, but this one is for Andrew.   He is my active boy - constantly running around the park, going nowhere in particular.  I finally gave up trying to get pictures of him and sat down on this little retaining wall.  Then along came Andrew, jumped over my lap and kept on going.  This is the shot I got of him as he was running away.  It's one of my favorites.

The layout is from a book I picked up called scrapbook page|maps by Becky Fleck, and it is filled with amazing layouts and ideas.  I bought it to inspire me to scrapbook on a regular basis, but it's impossible for me to find the time anymore - but these little digi pages are perfect!  No mess to clean up at the end and if I don't like the way a paper looks, I just delete it and find another one.  I always get caught up with the little details and then get frustrated and give up.  LOL!

I'll have more from my class again soon...
Karen

Moving on to Lesson 2 {finally}

Good morning!!  Do you remember this post from last year??  Well, this weekend I finally got some time to sit down and work through the second lesson from Up & Running With Photoshop and since I wasn't able to make a page for my sweet little Avery {who is not so little anymore}, this page was dedicated to her.  In fact, she sat down with me through the lesson and we made this one together.  It was her idea to use the Fleur-De-Lis {she said she loves the Saints} and we added that instead of the little check mark Jessica suggested.  She also gave some running commentary on what we should write about her.  I loved working with her - what a bonding moment.  She is getting so mature and it makes me sad and thrilled all in the same breath.  Click on the photo to see a larger version of it if you'd like.

The photos are from a little trip to the park last June after we all went out for a Father's Day dinner.  I had my little camera with me and got some cute shots of the kids that day.  So much fun - I'm sure I'll be using the other photos for more digi pages soon!

Karen

Cupcake Inspiration Challenge: 51

Looking for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch?  Hop on over to this post.

Spring is officially here and what better way to celebrate than to enjoy some sweet spring cupcakes!  There is much to be inspired by in these little cupcakes, and once again, I'm taking this challenge literally, lol!

I was digging through all my paper trying to find something lacey and delicate, but to no avail.  However, I did find some of this delightful 6x6 Kioshi paper by Basic Grey, which matched the colors in the cupcakes perfectly!  The butterfly stamp is also Basic Grey, Butterfly/b2 - I stamped it once on the blue background paper and again on white cardstock, which was cut out and popped up on dimensional tape.  The background swirls are stamped in Old Olive ink with the little flourishes from the same butterfly set.  I added the Little Leaves die cut and flowers as an afterthought to fill in some empty space and I absolutely love how well those flowers from the Flowers Trio match the paper!! The sketch is from There She Goes TSG46.

Join in on the fun this week and link up your cupcake inspiration project at the Hope Stamps Eternal blog.  The other Sweeties have more amazing inspiration for you as well - stop over and see:

• Colleen - She's off this week, but she'd love for you to say hi
• Kelli
• Kristen
• Michelle
• Piali
• Teresa
• and of course Rachel

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: butterfly/b2 (basic grey), thankful hearts (verve stamps)

paper: old olive, certainly celery, not quite navy, whisper white cardstock (stampin' up!), kioshi 6x6 paper pack (basic grey)

accessories: flowers trio punch (stampin' up!), sizzlits little leaves die cut (stampin' up!), vintage brads, certainly celery satin ribbon (stampin' up!), circle/scallop nestabilities (spellbinders), dimensional tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 61

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use the InLinkz button down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 10 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked by 10 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC61 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

We have a very exciting announcement for you today - the very amazingly talented Joanne Basile is joining our Sweet Sketch team for the rest of March!  I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to have her here!!

I have to admit, this is my favorite sketch so far.  I think it's all the different shaped elements that make it so fun!!  Today, I had a moment of genius - hey, it happens sometimes...  I wanted to add a little something to the top of the cupcake and since I was already using Sweet Pea paper, adding a little Sweet Pea flower seemed like a natural step - but the leaves were SO big, so I used a little branch from the Sizzlits Little Leaves die cut.  NICE!  I love how it looks.  Now only if my real cupcakes would turn out so cute, LOL!  The card base size is 4.25" square and so with the flag element, I can still use a regular A2 sized envelope.  Love that.

The Sweet Sunday Stampers also have amazing samples to show you today, so don't forget to stop on by to see:

• Jennifer Tapler
• Joanne Basile - our special guest for March
• Karen Motz
• Laura Frederickson
• Lynn Put
• Nancy Riley {she's off this week, but she'd love for you to visit}
• Sarah-Jane Kale'
• Vicki Burdick 

Thanks for taking on the challenge this week!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: cupcake collection (papertrey ink)

paper: pretty in pink, rose red, old olive, whisper white cardstock, sweet pea dsp (all stampin' up!)

ink: chocolate chip, rose red (stampin' up!)

accessories: sweet pea felt flowers (su), sizzlits little leave die (su), nestabilities (spellbinders), dimensional tape

Dirty Girl Challenge: March

The Dirty Dozen alumni have a monthly challenge and this month Joanne Basile has us all thinking spring.  How funny that as I'm typing this it's snowing outside... sigh.  One day Spring will stay for good!!  The required element is to use a bee or bird and the restricted element is we cannot use border punches (GASP!!!).  I did use a punch, but it's not of the border variety, haha!

It has been forever since I made a card using Jen del Muro's SFYTT - SO I jumped back in and also tried something new.  I've had Dawn's little flowers bookmarked for a loooonnnnnng time and I just now made my very first flower.  Note to self - use double sided paper... LOL!  I just bought this new stamp set, Peachy Keen as well as its coordinating paper pack from Hope Stamps Eternal and I was itching to get it all inky.  I really love all the patterns in the stamp set - it's so much fun to work with!

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

recipe -

stamps: peachy keen (kaisercraft)

paper: really rust, chocolate chip, very vanilla cardstock (stampin' up!), peachy keen paper pack (kaisercraft)

ink: more mustard, really rust (stampin' up!)

accessories: circle scallop punch (stampin' up!), latte designer buttons (stampin' up!), embroidery thread, dimensionals.