Personal Post: Great article about my oldest daughter, Karen

http://yourcliftonpark.com/2016/04/21/student-spotlight-karen-silaika-looks-ahead-to-le-moyne-swim-practices/

Happy 9th Birthday Xavier

So there's this boy,  he kinda stole my heart.... he calls me Mom

This boy keeps me on my toes, makes my hair grey, but fills my heart will love. Last night, he told me "When I go to college, I am going to skype you EVERY day, because I love you so much!" Then he got tears in his eyes and said, "Mommy, I'm so happy, but I feel like I am going to cry". I told him it was perfectly normal and that he was my most special boy in the world.  This boy is part of my heart & soul. 

He grounds me and he is so very spoiled by his sisters!

Happy August everyone!

Happy Birthday Genevieve- from negative to positive

It has been quite some time since I have 1. stamped or 2. uploaded anything to the blog. I have taken on my new role as stamp designer with Gina K. Designs and I am thrilled to be back in the craft room - designing and stamping with the new stamps. Although I am not ready to reveal my new set yet, it is very fun to play with and I hope you will love it. Right now, we are in the midst of summer swimming and I took some time to stamp a card for my daughter Genevieve's 5th birthday (TODAY!). It would have been my Mother-in-law's birthday as well, but she passed away 13 years ago next month. I love that Genevieve and Joan share this special day. I know my mother-in-law would have ADORED all my children (Sadly, she only met Karen)...but would have been tickled pink to share her special day with my little lady!

This is a very simple card - I ran the (retired SU!) cardstock through my big shot with a butterfly die. I placed some patterned paper behind the negative image and added some buttons. I stamped the sentiment in the lower corner and adhered the negative image to the same color card base.

       

Stayed tuned to this blog for more announcements about my happenings with Gina K. Designs. I am thrilled to be the proud owner of a Silhouette Cameo. Did you see the {VIDEO} that Gina uploaded to StampTV the other day? I am excited to get started with mine! Do you have the cameo?

I am off to make a birthday cake and get ready for a swim meet tonight with all six kids.

  

paper: retired Stampin Up! and DCWV designer paper
ink: chocolate chip
misc: dimensionals, butterfly die, buttons

A new look, a clean slate!

I finally got finished setting up the new blog/website. Please make sure if you linked to my old blog, you update your roll to the silaika.com website. One of the most time consuming things was creating links to the stamp sets which I have created over the years for Papertrey ink. Each stamp set or coordinating die on the right sidebar links directly to the Papertrey Ink website.

I have taken a bit of a break from everything (but family) in recent months and I am glad to get back into the swing of things. My middle child, Isabella (Bella) Ray, had her first communion a few weeks ago. We had a small gathering at the house to celebrate and Bella has some of her closest friends over to celebrate this monumental occasion. Here is my freckle-face ginger-top! Oh how I love this girl and her beautiful locks!

One of the many things on my to-do list was to make thank you notes for her to send out for those gifts which she received. Her only request: make them blue!

I love the clean monochrome look of this card. It is clean but elegant! I had to make a dozen cards - so these are easily replicable! I used the monarch butterfly punch from Martha which is NOT easy to use with cardstock. The small sentiment is from Train Tracks, stamped with enchanted evening ink.

I raised up the mat stack die with some foam dimensional squares. The ribbon (may arts) is tied in a simple knot! Thanks for stopping by for an update!

all items from Papertrey Ink unless otherwised noted

paper: white base (GP), bashful blue (SU!)
ink: enchanted evening
stamp: train tracks (Thank You sentiment)
misc: birds & swirls embossing folder, dimensionals (SU!), monarch punch (Martha), blue striped ribbon (May Arts), mat stack 3