Elegant Easter

Hello All

Having my tooth pulled is a blessing in disguise. It has really made me slow down and has given me a lot of time to work on cards. I finished my final Easter card yesterday and it is by far my favorite one. Here it is...

Elegant Easter

Again, so much prettier in person. I got the color combo and cross idea from Lisa Young on Splitcoast Sampers. I have He is Risen stamped on the inside. This would also be a wonderful baptism, confirmation  or first communion card. Lovely-just lovely.

It's time to start cleaning up around here, so until next time...

Happy Creating!

Toy Storage and Organiation

Hi All

I don't have a card for you today, but I did want to share my new toy storage/organization that I've been working on. I am so excited to do this with all my kids toys. It should save us a ton of space.

So first I picked a theme. This bin's theme is Transportation. I went through my girls toys and found all of their trains, cars, trucks and boats.

Transportation Bin

Each toy that has many parts or more than one of something were separated in to their own bins. I took pictures of the toys and labeled the bins on the outside and the inside. In theory this should make it easier for them to pick up. It also just keeps everything organized instead of having one big pile of toys in the middle of the room.

Label on the outside with picture and words

Label on the inside with picture and words

All the bins, trucks and boat fit in the large blue bin and is in our living room. These are toys that are readily available for the girls to play with whenever they wish. The nice thing is we don't have to have a living-room full of toys. They are put away nicely and out of the way.

When they are board with the transportation bin, I will switch it out with a new one. I am thinking a baby bin. With some baby doll, clothes, bottles... Anything baby dolls need that will fit in a big blue bin. The transportation bin can be easily stored in our crawlspace ready to be rotated in at a later time.

I am super excited about this and hope I can keep it going. When I'm done it will make my house so much neater and hopefully keep the girls interested in their "new" old toys.

FYI: I am hoping to create a new card while my girls napping so come back soon!

Happy Creating!

He is Risen

Hello All

I am supposed to be resting today since I had a tooth pulled yesterday, but I am one that can not just sit around. First of all I have two children and second of all I get board.

So, I set my girls up for a movie day. Sleeping bags on the floor, snacks and lunch delivered. This gave me some time to create another Easter card. Here is what I came up with.

He is Risen

This card is much prettier in person. It's simple and elegant. I love the fact that this Easter Dove stamp fits right inside the Textured Impressions Designer Frame. Perfection!

The whole time I was making this card I was singing "He is risen, He is risen and He lives forever more - He is risen, He is risen come on and celebrate, come on and celebrate the resurrection of our lord" The song is by Don Moen and we sing it in church every Easter. That song brings a huge smile to my face every time and I can't help but clap along.

I am hoping to make one more Easter card, so watch for it this week.

Happy Creating!

Happy Easter Chick

Hi All

I actually had some time this weekend to squeeze in some card making. I realized that Easter is quickly approaching and I need to create some cards to send out to family and friends. 

The first one I came up has a cute little chick on it. I saw a similar idea on Pinterest and couldn't resist the little guy. This could easily be used as a Happy Spring card as well.

Happy Easter Chick

This card is made mostly out of  punch art and die's. Isn't he cute? You can't tell from the picture but his little beak opens.

I want to create one more Easter card before I move on to Mothers Day. Hopefully I will have another one posted by the end of the week. 

Happy Creating!

Create Crate

Hello All

I've been busy organizing my kids stuff, deciding what it's time to get rid of and what we are going to keep. I started with their art supplies. Since they are little artists like myself, this was defiantly something we needed to keep. I just needed an organized way to keep them all together and make them accessible for the girls whenever they decided to be creative.

I found an idea on Pinterest (of course) that I liked from littlelucylu.com. It's not exact, but I did use her name "Create Crate" so I wanted to credit her.

My Create Crate has Markers, Crayons, Scrap Paper and Glue Sticks. Here is a picture of the supplies. I did add one more container with Twisty Crayons after I took this picture, but  you get the idea.

Art Supplies

I did not use Stampin' Up! paper for this project, because let's be honest, this most likely will not last forever. I do not want to waist my awesome SU paper on something that could be destroyed by next week. Besides I have a ton of NON SU paper that I need to use up, so it might as well be on the kiddo's. By all means if you would like to use Stampin' Up! paper for your kid projects, please do. If you would like to place an order you can do so from my website http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/jhummer/

First, I covered each container (except the green one) with bright, colorful paper that the girls liked. Two of the containers are peanut butter jars, one is a frosting container and the little one is a kids yogurt cup. I have no idea where the green one came from. ;) Then I used foam letter stickers to label each container.

I did the same thing with the Create Crate. Here is a picture of everything together

Create Crate

It all fits, including the container with the twisty crayons that I added after the fact. It was a big hit last night. Here is what they came up with.

Create Crate Creations

This idea isn't just for kids. You can do this with your own craft supplies. So go ahead,  make your own Create Crate!

Happy Creating!

Kids Birthday Note Cards- Boy

Hi All

I've been taking advantage of the rainy day we're having here by organizing my kids toys. It's something I have to share with you because I'm pretty excited about it, but I'll have to save that for another day. Today I promiced you the boy birthday note cards, so here they are.

Boy Birthday Card Set

I figured dinosaurs in earth tone colors would be a good choice for boy cards. Just like the girl cards, there is a little texture, some hemp twine, and a stamp. The sediment says, "Roar! That means Happy Birthday in Dinosaur" 

If you are interested in purchasing one of these sets of  Kids Birthday Note Cards I will be selling them in packs of  4 for $8. The packs will include one butterfly card, one princess card, one green dino card and one orange dino card. This is a great deal! I usually sell my individual cards for $3 a piece, so you are saving $1 per card!!

You can contact me via email- jlhummer2010@hotmail.com

Happy Creating!

Kids Birthday Note Cards- Girls

Hi All

So, my family and friends have been requesting note card sets that they could purchase to have on hand. A pack of 6-8 simple homemade cards that they can keep in a drawer at home and grab when something comes up.

I decided to start with a kids birthday pack (per a friends request) I didn't take pictures of those because she requested just card fronts. These are the exact designs I made for her, I just made them into full cards. 

Here are the two I created for the girls cards

Girl Birthday Note Card Set

I chose a purple princess and pink and yellow butterfly's. Can't go wrong with those two themes for young girls. Each card has a little texture, a ribbon and a stamp. Simple and cute.

I'm off to take my daughter to the doctor so I'll save the boy cards for tomorrows post.

Happy Creating!

First Day of Spring

Hello All

It's the first day of spring and it's absolutely beautiful here in Wisconsin. This weather is very abnormal for March in this state. So of course I had to take advantage. I skipped my regular class at the gym this morning and took my girls to the zoo.

Shorts and Sun Hats in March

I used to play on this elephant when I was little

We've started a new zoo tradition. Every time we go (which is quite often) the girls get to pick a stuffed animal that represents an animal we have at our zoo. Then we visit that animal and they get their picture taken with it. We learn the animals name and an interesting fact about them. 

My oldest chose to bring a giraffe

My little one brought a zebra

We always pack a bag lunch and snacks to save money. The girls very much enjoy a picnic at the zoo.

After our field trip we came home for naps. As soon as they got up it was back outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. My girls are defiantly bare foot babies. It's going to be hard to get them to wear shoes and socks when it gets cold again, which I'm sure it will before summer.

 I found this idea on Pinterest from domesticcharm.blogspot.com. It's chalk PAINT!! How awesome is this? 

1 cup water + 1 cup corn starch pour into individual cups

add food coloring = Chalk Paint

My oldest made all sorts of cool designs and pictures and made a great observation that when the "paint" dried it looked just like chalk. It's so true, kids defiantly learn through play.

My husband wasn't much of a fan of the dirt I put in the sensory table last week, so I replaced it with bird seed.  The girls got a kick out of this and the little birdies will love all the extra seeds that fell on the ground.

Such an awesome day. I am hoping I am not to wiped out tonight to work on some cards. Hopefully I will have some new ones to show you very soon. Until then...

Happy Creating!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hello All

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope everyone is having a marvelous day. Please celebrate safely.

Here is the Cloverleaf card I made for this lucky day. I got the idea from Teneale Williams on Pinterest. It's cute and super easy. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I made two of these for my oldest daughter to give to her teachers at school, but I completely forgot. There's always next year right?

Luck O' the Irish to Ya and Happy Creating!

My Weekend Part 2

Hello All

So I never quite figured out how to retrieve the pictures from my IPad, but I did figure out how to copy them from my Facebook page.

This first picture is my upline Karen and two of the other girls who are on her team with me. I am the one making a funny face.

Kim, Karen, Nicole and Me

We were lucky enough to get front row thanks to Karen who was a helper for the day. This is a picture of Shelli the CEO and Co-Founder of Stampin' Up! on the big screen.

Shelli Gardner

We did two make and takes which were super cute. Here is the first one we did. The kite actually changes with a turn of the circle on the side of the card.

Make and Take #1

This one was simple and I didn't get a chance to finish it yet, but you get the idea.

Make and Take #2

Remember the swaps I was telling you about? I took my card fronts and traded them with other people and these are the ones I got in return. This was my favorite part of the day. I loved seeing everyone's designs.

Swaps

We were getting pretty hungry looking at the lunches all lined up. We were very curious as to what was in these boxes.

Lots of Lunches

Here's what we got. It was delicious, especially since I was starving.

My Lunch

Last but not least the Prize Patrol. They were giving away free stuff all day long. They would put a list of demonstrators names up on the big screen and those people would win a fun prize. The only things any of us "won" were the Prize Patrols where everyone got something. This was one of the giveaways. So fun!

Simply Sent Prize Parol

  

Stampin' Up! Regionals was a success. I had a wonderful time bonding with the girls on my team and also chatting with other demonstrators from all over the Midwest. I learned some great tips to use in my classes and workshops and collected some great ideas while swapping with others. I can't wait for next year!

Happy Creating!

My Weekend Part 1

Hi All,

I had such a fabulous weekend and I am so excited to tell you all about it! Friday afternoon and Sunday morning I spent at a crop where I made some "tu-tu cute" cards which I will be selling at my oldest daughters dance school. I also made a cute and simple shamrock card, but I'll save that for Wednesday.

Tu-Tu Cute in all four colors

Tu-Tu Cute in Lucky Limeade

Tu-Tu Cute in Melon Mambo

Tu-Tu Cute in Wisteria Wonder

Tu-Tu Cute in So Safron

 I am selling these to the parents so they can give them to their daughters at recital. I want to have an option for the parents of the boy dancers as well. I'll share that one as soon as I come up with something.

On Saturday I attended Stampin' Up! Regionals downtown Milwaukee. It was such a neat experience. I was super bummed out though. I went to turn on my camera when we first arrived to capture the moment and I saw the blue screen with the words "empty battery". I was devastated, but I did have my IPad with me and I took pictures with that. Not the best of quality, but pictures none the less. I am trying to figure out how to get those pictures on my blog, so hopfully by tomorrow I will have it figured out so I can share them with you. I do have them on my SU facebook page if you just can't wait. https://www.facebook.com/messages/1499585286#!/pages/Jessica-Hummer-Independent-Stampin-Up-Demonstrator/154532947979039  

While you are there go ahead and "like" it.

Happy Creating!

Do I Have Everything?

Hello all,

I am so excited for this entire weekend. Very soon I am leaving to go to a crop. I'll be there from 12:30pm until the wee hours of the night. Working on cards talking with other ladies who enjoy scrapbooking and making cards as much as I do. Hopefully introducing them to the wonderful world of Stampin' Up! if they don't already know about it.

Tomorrow I will be attending Regionals downtown Milwaukee. I can't wait to share my experiences with all of you. I am hoping to learn a lot not only about SU as a business, but new ideas to bring into my classes. So exciting!

Then Sunday, back to the crop. Another couple of hours of uninterrupted crafting time. This mommy couldn't be more excited. As much as I am going to miss my sweet little girls faces, I am really looking forward to some "me" time. My name will be Jessica, not Mommy for once!

Ok, time for me to hit the road. Do you think I have everything?

Sure hope I didn't forget anything

Happy Creating!

Preparing for Regionals

Hi all.

As I said yesterday, I am preparing for Stampin' Up! Regionals this weekend which just happens to be held here in Milwaukee this year. How awesome is that!? Many SU demonstrators from all over the Midwest will be here so it should be an awesome experience.

I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but the one thing I do know about is the swaps. It's kind of like trading baseball cards. You make X amount of card fronts (not the entire card) and swap yours for someone elses. I am planning on taking 25 card fronts, so I will come home with 25 different ideas from other people. I am so excited to do this! Just a little worried no one will want to trade with me. I guess I have a fear of rejection. ;)

Here is what I came up with:

I had to come up with something I could duplicate 25 times. I am pretty low on paper and of course I did not get my order in early enough, so white it is. I'm not sure about the hearts at the bottom. I'm thinking I will make the rest with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. Guess what I am doing tonight after the kids go to bed tonight? 24 more to go...

Happy Creating!

Colorful Birthday

Hello all

Hope you are all having  a fabulous day. It's beautiful outside where I live and as soon as my little ones get up from nap we are heading to the park!

Here is a card I created for my beginners card class. Another simple yet fun card. The bright colors of this card just make me happy. Perfect card for a child's birthday.

Not only are the colors nice for a child, but the simplicity of it as well. Most kids don't even look at the card, they just want to get to the gift. The mom will totally dig it and most likely ask you how you made it. That's the fun part.


Happy Creating!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

Hi all

I couldn't help myself, I just had to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday today with my girls. I grew up reading his books and enjoy reading them to my girls now. I found so many cute ideas I just had to try.

Since they were in school the first part of the day, we started with lunch.

Yummy Lunch

Green Eggs and Ham, Blue Goo, Pink Ink, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Next we made hand print Thing 1 and Thing 2's from Cat in the Hat.

I let them use the extra paint to paint a picture

Thing 1 and Thing 2

While my youngest took a nap, my four year old watched Horton Hears a Who (the version with Jim Carrey and Steve Carell) So cute! 

She also made a fish graph with colored goldfish crackers for snack.

 

We ended the evening with a game my four year old got for Christmas. It's called "I Can Do That" It's a game that teaches following directions. It made us do silly things like, Take four giant steps with the boat on your head. Even though the box says 4+ our two year old still got the concept and had fun playing.

We had such a fun day celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday! Can't wait to do it again next year.

Happy Creating!