Up, up & Away birthday card by Stampin Up and me.

I used the colors from 'Create with Connie and Mary' color Challenge # 210 - blog. It so happened, that I had these colours and I loved playing along with them. You should see the cards the design team made to inspire us.. Love LOVE love them. I wish I had all the time in the world to play and create cards.

 Spirits will soar when your friends and family receive projects with these happy hot air balloons! Great for party invites and décor, kids’ scrapbook pages, or summer projects. Available in both wood- and clear-mount. (Up, up and Away #122757 - $22.95)

I used the Sketch Challenge from the Paper Players #139. Margaret Moody created it. Isn't it fabulous? The ways to use this design are endless. I love it! I will for sure re-use it again! Thanks Margaret, you sure have a talent of putting these sketches together!

 Here's a little peek of the inside of my card. I love how it finishes of a card when I add something on the inside.

Hi dear Stampers.

Thanks for stopping by on this beautiful day. I love Summer, I love the sun, the heat and the joy that it gives it to our daily life. The kids have so much fun playing outside. I our little pool, on their bikes, in the sandbox, on the trampoline or just on the grass playing with their Playmobil. Aah, if only this could last forever!

I created this card for my sister in law in the Netherlands. She is the sweetest thing and I am so sad we don't live closer to each other. I think she's one amazing mom, wife and woman. She has the best laugh and she is so optimistic.. I hope she will enjoy the Happiness that is all over this card.  

When I saw the Cue-word 'HAPPY Card Challenge at the CASology blog', I knew I could use this challenge for the card that I wanted to create for my sister in Law. 

Well.. I guess that's it for today.. I hope that all my dear blogger friends in Holland will see the sun as well soon. I really feel for them, all that rain.. sigh...

Inky hugs, Pauline 

Easy Events cupcake card by Stampin Up and me

 Take the work out of your event or card preparations with this handy stamp set that contains sentiments for myriad of occasions. Available in both wood- and clear-mount

(Easy Events #123225 - $30.95 - Clear Mount Stamp set)

 Have you ever checked out the Runway Inspired Challenge Blog. They already had 15 gorgeous challenges. And their Design Team never seems to disappoint me with their creativity. This is their inspiration photo #16 of this week. You know, I think that I kinda missed the part where the shoes were pink-ish.. instead of red-ish.. Once I found out, it was to late.. I hope that their Design team doesn't mind to much :) When I saw this woman , I thought of summer and ice cream and the blue in her dress reminded me of the ocean. I just had to pop it all in the card I wanted to create. So this is what I came up with.

I hope you enjoy it.

Only 3 more sleeps and my dear friend is getting married. I am so happy for her that she met her sweet man. I am going to be one of her bridesmaids.. and I can't wait to spend this day with her and her future hubby and all their loved ones. 

Inky hugs, Pauline

Hoop La La card by Stampin Up and me, with some Mojo Monday

 Needlework has never been this easy! This charming, eight-piece cross-stitch-themed stamp set includes images of an embroidery hoop, needle, and thread. Sew fun! For a unique, multi-colored effect, ink individual stitches with Stampin' Write Markers. This set ccoordinates with our 1-3/4" Circle Punch.

(Hoop La La Clear-Mount Stamp set #126252 - $15.95)

Hi dear Stampers.

The first time I laid my eyes on this cute and clever stamp set I knew I was in love (smile). I am sure it was that cute little tulip that had Holland written all over it. So when I saw the Mojo Monday Challenge of this week, I knew this stamp set would fit right in with their new Challenge #250.

They did a great job on the layout.. and I loved working with it! Congrats all you sweet ladies on the 250-th Mojo Monday Challenge..! You have truly been a huge inspiration to me over the years!

I also would like to ad this card to another favorite Challenge site of me. It is the Friday Mashup Challenge # 67. They encouraged us to use some flags or banners in our card. Well, voila... These are in my card as well.  You should see the cute CUTE cards the Mashup Gals created for this week! They are just teh best!

Well, I hope you all enjoy my creation of the day and happy Mojo-ing this week!

Inky hugs, Pauline

beautiful Wings Embosslits baby card by Stampin Up and me

Give your creativity wings with our Beautiful Wings Embosslits die. This chemically-etched die cuts and embosses a Beautiful Wings at the same time.  Designed to cut through one sheet of paper or card stock at a time. Use with Sizzix Big Shot machine, standard cutting pads, and multipurpose platform.  Die size: 2-1/4" x 2-1/2. (Beautiful Wings Stampin' Up! Embosslits Die. #118138 - $14.95)

 Calgary celebrated their 100-th Anniversary of Stampede this year. And as all Calgarians know.. Cowboy fashion is critical during the Calgary Stampede. It is that time of year where most of the people trade in their usual attire for cowboy hats, boots and jeans. It was so much fun. We have been to many fun and yummy Stampede breakfasts that were held all over the city and for that reason we ate loads of pancakes and sausages :). The kids rode on little ponies and tried all kinds of fun cowboy games... They got their faces painted and yelled many times YAHOO!! We watched the fireworks at night and we were amazed at all the cowboys and girls that took over the city and just looked so Canadian. So what do you think of us.. I know.. well we tried.. but this was the best we could do as Cowboys and girls. This evening we went to our last cowboy party of the year. We met with some amazing friends and ate cowboy food, sang cowboy songs, we added some line dancing (read.. bumping into each other while trying :) and we even wrote some cowboy poems.. I was so impressed with the talent out there.. (I will spare you my poem).. the kids did games and had so much fun connecting over guitar music and toy horses and games.

All that to say.. The weekend is over again.

Before we went to the party I created this card for our family. A little while ago they had a little baby boy. We can't wait to his little face. I am sure that he will be the cutest ever.

I used the Paper Players Clean and simple Challenge #104 this week to create my card. This is what LeAnne wrote:

Use 'Wordsmith'!  What is a wordsmith?  The World Dictionary defines wordsmith "a person skilled in using words"---makes sense to me!  So this week, make words the focal point of your clean and simple card....it can be just a sentiment, a verse, a poem....just make it words!!!

The Paper players really made some amazing cards, please check their site out. You will be inspired for sure!:)

Well.. I gotta go.. my bed is waiting. Sleep well or have fun waking up :)

Inky hugs, Pauline

Storybook Friends baby card by Stampin Up and me

 Good morning dear stampers.

Did you hear the BUZZ, yet???

STAMPIN’ UP! is EXPANDING IN EUROPE. This means that they are coming to the Netherlands & Austria.

It is with huge excitement that I can announce that Stampin Up! is preparing to open for business in the Netherlands and Austria before the end of 2012! Stampin Up! will be also opening up the borders in our European markets (UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Austria) to allow Demo’s to sell and recruit in all five countries!

In 2007 Stampin Up! decided to open for business in Europe in three languages: English, French, and German. While they continue to offer only those three languages in Europe, it is exciting news for the growth potential in Europe. Stampin UP! have therefore decided to make our products available in Austria as a German-speaking market as well as in the Netherlands, where SU! will operate in English only.

Okay.. take a deep breath Pauline :) (I am just so excited for all my dutch blogging friends.. they must be so tickled pink right now :)

  Here is a little snapshot of our youngest before we hopped on our bikes to enjoy climbing the hills (smile) and soaking up the gorgeous scenery's of the Foothills of Calgary.

After months and months of rain during the Spring and the beginning of Summer here in Calgary, we are actually having some beautiful weather! They say it is going to be up to 31 Celsius today! I am loving it! We spend this past week in the Rocky mountains. We camped, we hiked, we made campfires (we even smelled like campfires) and we relaxed and re-connected to a dear, dear friend who came over from the Netherlands to spend some time with us. She is now traveling through the Rocky Mountains with some of her friends.. They left yesterday.. Oh I wish I could have traveled along with them. Canada is so beautiful and to have more time to spend with them would be such a treat!

I almost feel like doing the same as this little doggy on this card I created a little while ago, chasing them and catching up with them. (if only I had the energy to run like him/her)

Anyhoo.... As you can see this turned into one clean and simple card. I created it for a sweet friend of mine that was receiving a surprise baby shower 2 weeks ago. Her little one is just so adorable. I forget how small these babies get. They are So so cute.

This cute little image comes from an even cuter new Stampin Up stamp set called 'Storybook Friends'. (#126737 - $21.95 for 6 stamps) With this set you will get a little cat, a lamb, a fox, a duck, a bunny and this little doggy.

I used Stampin Up's 1-3/4" Scallop Circle punch and the 1-3/8 circle punch to create this frame around the main image. I love how it worked out. It gives this card that sense of dimension, that I think it needed. The main colours that I used are Crumb Cake and Tempting Turquoise. I think they go really well together!

Well, that's it for today, I hope you will find some time for the things you love!

Inky hugs, Pauline