Thanks Again

I've been having a lot of fun learning the process of card making, the different styles of stamps and all of the color combinations that are out there. Today was no exception. There are so many different ways to say thank you to someone in your life....a loved one, parent, child, sibling, co-worker, mailman, the lady at the hair salon, a new or repeat customer, etc. There are many special days on the calendar to say Thank You to a Veteran, Active Duty Service member, a teacher, a parent, but how many times do you say thank you just because? Just because for no other reason, other than they made you smile, made you feel grateful for the freedom you may take for granted, for the extra help you received in class or a teacher or coach that made a difference in your life, for the love and support you get from your parents/grandparents every day. This is my thank you, to a woman I've never met in person, but I was chosen to be her Stampin' Up Demonstrator. I hope she likes it when she gets it and smiles. That will make my day. I don't think we say thank you enough or tell the people in our lives that we appreciate them enough. I would like thank my family for their love and support. I'd like to thank our Active Duty military and our Veterans for every day I can wake up w/ my husband and kids. I've had the opportunity join the Air Force (I was discharged early for medical reasons) and I am grateful for the opportunity. I am grateful for life and make sure I try and say thank you every chance I get.

For this card, I used the Mint Macaron and the Watermelon Wonder stamp ink pads from the new 2015 - 2016 In Color set, Mint Macaron and Whisper White cardstock and Pacific Point ink pad all from Stampin' Up. The awesome flower and background are from the stamp set called "You Got This". The "thank you" is from the stamp set, "Endless Thanks". Both stamp sets are from the brand new 2015-2016 Stampin' Up catalog. I've been having so much fun with the new catalog and I'd love to share it w/ other crafters. Please email me @ scrapbookingwithmonique@yahoo.com if you'd like one mailed to you or head over to moniquemccoy.stampinup.net to get a look at the new Stampin' Up products and this week's Weekly Deals.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Hope you and your loved ones have a great night!

~~~ Monique

A small thank you

I've been wanting to make some thank you cards lately, one for a previous Stampin' Up customer of mine, one for the photographer we're going to be meeting up w/ this weekend who will be taking the pictures of my husband Ryan and I's 10 yr vow renewal in October and one for my loan officer for my car - it's finally paid off and my loan officer has been great, I can't believe how helpful he's been over the past 3 yrs. He really is just an awesome person.

Anyways, I wound up only getting two done today. I'm just starting out as a card maker - I've been scrapbooking for over 10 yrs - and I've just started using Project Life to fill in some of the pages missing in my kids' scrapbooks and our main family book. I'm not 100% sold on Project Life yet - I'll never give my regular scrapping, but I have to admit it's been great getting done some of the pictures I've been stuck on....you know those pictures where you have the perfect picture in your head, but no matter how much you pull papers, mat pictures, and try and find the right embellishment, it never seems to look as good on the desk as it does in your head. That's where the Project Life has saved the day more than once for me. There's just some pics that look better in the sleeves, like the 8 pics of my daughter that I want to use but I can't figure out how to get them all on one page. I don't make 2 page layouts often. The other great thing about Project Life is getting the pictures and events done that I really have no drive to actually scrapbook. I can just slap some pics in the sleeves, journal a little and it's done and I can move on to the next project.

So, I finished 2 cards using the Petite Petals Clear Stamps (red rubber stamps that you use w/ a clear stamp block), Stampin' Dimensions foam adhesive, Petite Petals punch, Whisper White cardstock, the Stampin' Up trimmer, Strawberry Slush ink pad, Pacific Point ink pad, Daffodil Delight ink pad, Wisteria Wonder ink pad, and Garden Green ink pad - all from Stampin' Up. The blue cardstock I think is either from We R Memory Keepers or Core'dinations, I'm not 100% sure. I just matted, stamped the flowers, punched them out, made the mats and card base and put everything together.....it sounds really easy, right? Not for this novice! The matting on the inside of the cards is crooked (It never bothered me in my scrapbooking because I can never cut in a straight line - but that slant on the card is driving me nuts!!) There's a small smudge on the big card and the "u" in "Thank you" on the smaller card isn't as bright as I'd like it. But, I am happy overall with how they've turned out and I hope the people I send them to will like them. I think in the end that's all that really matters!

For me, card making is a continuous process...One I'm not 100% familiar with yet, but it's been a lot of fun learning so far. Thanks for stopping by, have a great night!