CPS #49 Two Ways

When I first saw this sketch, I immediately thought "waves." So here is the first take on this sketch. I stamped the sailboat from Toy Box 3 times, colored them and cut them out. The sentiment is from Studio G, from Michael's. Ribbon is from my stash. I embossed waves in the water with holographic embossing powder, sponged Soft Sky and white for clouds in the sky. Simple, I may tuck it into DH's suitcase when he leaves town again...The second card I made from this sketch is totally different. The sentiment is from an unmarked set of mine. I stamped it in Soft Sky, then clear embossed it, then watercolored around it with Cameo Coral to make it stand out a tiny bit more. Now it's hard to get a clear photo because of the EP - it says "Sweet Friend." I'll try again in daylight tomorrow. Tiny brads in the centers of the flowers are Queen & Company, flowers are Primas. Rhinestones are from the craft store. The DP is Miss Elizabeth's that I just picked up today at the dollar store.

Thanks for looking!

French Script Sketch

Tonight, I was bound and determined to get some quality stamping done. I have only a few more numbers to fill in for Barb's Bingo, and I wanted to get some extra numbers drawn for tomorrow. So DS went to bed, and I didn't turn on the computer, I just tackled the to-do list I made for myself this afternoon. Granted, I only got a couple things off the list, but usually I get sucked into blog surfing. Maybe it's all the Diet Coke I've consumed today that has perked me up...

First, I completed the SCS sketch challenge that was posted today. You can see the sketch here. I used French Script, stamped in Really Rust. The ribbon was taken from a package I received some time ago. Funny thing - it was a little wrinkled, so I thought I would iron it. Cranked up my iron, and promptly melted a bit of the ribbon all over the plate of the iron. Luckily I was able to get it off right away. It would have been the second iron I ruined in the last 6 months. (That's why DH does the ironing!)

The flowers are from a RAK and I don't have a brand. The dotted brad is from Target last fall. And there are some Dew Drops in the upper right corner. I thought about putting a sentiment in the lower right corner, and decided against it. What do you think?Second on my list was the Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge by Mary Jo, at Techno Stamper. She has fabulous sketches and you should take a look at what people are creating with them. WOW! (OK, I realize I might have said that same thing last time I posted her challenge. They are that good.)

I used a Certainly Celery base and some dp I had in my stash. The ribbon is from the craft store and is mounted on a pink panel. The image is from Winged Things and is colored with Prismacolors and blended. Sentiment is Studio G from Michael's.

Thanks for looking!

My Blog Candy Dish Runneth Over...

OK, I enter lots of drawings for Blog Candy. But not EVERY one! Truth is, I love to discover new blogs and often find them through blog candy giveaways or tutorials. So here are a few winnings I've received over the last several weeks:

From Sara, at Sara's Studio: Two little tins with embellishements, two notebooks to alter, dp, even a necklace! Thanks, Sara!

From Brandie, at My Life is Crazy and Insane: Some precut and folded cards (A2 and 3x3s), tags, gorgeous brads, Flowers of Gratitude, YEAH! I loved the 3x3s because they were pink and red and made DS's valentines for school a breeze to put together! Thanks Brandie!

And from Erika, over at Stampin' Mama, a travel themed scrapbook kit. I have TONS of travel photos that need to be taken care of, and I will start by completing this little book. But which trip to start with: Hawaii, Vegas, St. Thomas, Paris, our year in Ireland? Oh, the decisions... Thanks, Erika!

Do these bloggers a favor and pop on over to their sites. They are creating some gorgeous things and don't we all appreciate new admirers??

Thanks for looking!

ps - I'll be posting those Valentines I mentioned this week sometime!

JT Monthly Aloha RAK - January

Jen, over at Pieces of Me runs a monthly RAK club. February is open if you want to go over and join! It's a fun way to spread the joy of stamping.

In January, my RAK-er was none other than Nancy, from Nancy's Creative Mess. I've had her blog in my Reader for a while, and I was tickled to see that my RAKs were from her. Check out her blog - she makes some fantastic cards!

Nancy sent me not one, but 4 RAKs, each a beautiful card with a cheery little note inside. Check these out:

I just love them all, and found myself trying to figure out how she did them. Like the curved cut of the second one, and the combination of colors on the butterfly! Thanks, Nancy!!

Thanks for looking!

Hanna Hanna Bo Banna...

Last week, I taught my son the Name Game song, and he goes around singing it every now and again. It's too funny. He sings all the time (not that he has a fabulous voice) and it just makes me smile to hear him. The other day the song of the day was "We're Coming To America." Now I KNOW he didn't hear that on the radio station I listen to!!

Friday night I participated in some challenges over on the SCS Hanna Stamps forum. There was a color combination and a sketch challenge. You can see them here and here. It was fun - those Hannas are so fun to paper piece and there are new ones coming Friday!!

I posted my sketch challenge card below (the race car birthday), but here is the color challenge. The base is a teal textured cs, dp is Deja Views Wedding, Faded Paisley. Stamps sets are the But I Need It and Tis the Season. Hanna's skirt and the bag are paper pieced, the rest of the images are colored with Prismacolors and blended. Personally, I love this card, and think it might be one of my best. That could be all the caffeine and sugar I've had today muddying my brain, though. Go ahead and leave a comment if you think I'm delusional, I won't be offended.

This card also qualifies for an extra Bingo number in Barb's game. No luck today. Must submit more for tomorrow! Off to stamp a bit before turning in early. Caffeine and sugar are going to wear off soon, I can feel it... Thanks for looking!

WINNER for Magazine Drawing...

Who says Number 1 never wins???? I used Random.org to choose a winner for my extra Feb issue of PaperCrafts, and #1 is it:

Elizabeth Wickland said...
Ha ha! Doesn't that impatience always seem to get us! My favorite book of all time has to a tie... Not My Will (by Fancena Arnold) and good old War and Peace (by Tolstoy). If I had to choose between the two, it'd be War and Peace. Long, but worth the reading!
January 25, 2008 2:12 PM

And what an ambitious favorite book! Even with a degree in Literature, I haven't tackled War and Peace! Email me your details, Elizabeth (actually I may already have them). If I don't hear from Elizabeth by Tuesday at 9pm, I will draw another winner.

Thanks for all the entries :)

Apricot, Light Yellow, Light Blue

That was the challenge color combination from Jana at Jana's Creative Pursuits in Stamping. I think I'm sneaking in just under the wire with this entry, but I only had time to do it last night. I used Polka Dots and Paisley, and Soft Sky, Barely Banana and Apricot Appeal. The base card is Soft Sky cs, but the other papers are not SU! They are from DCWV Mini Stack 3. The ribbon is from my stash and I added Dew Drops to the sentiment panel. I hope you like it as much as I do! This is a fantastic color combination :)

I am also counting this in Barb's Bingo - so hopefully we will have lots of numbers to check off tomorrow! I'll be back at it this week in the evenings, I hope. Although I have been fighting off a tightness in my chest and my ears are feeling like they are plugged up. My window for being sick doesn't open till Friday when DH returns from his business trip, though!

Today was a stamp-less day, since we had a birthday party to attend and DS wanted me to play with him ALL day. We did get some chores done together, though, and he did a super job picking up all his toys and putting all his books away!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Thanks for looking!

Another Challenge - Boy Birthday

ETA: DUH! Forgot to load the pic the first time. Sorry, I was tired!

Here's the card I created for the older brother of the birthday boys. Tomorrow is their party and I just have to wrap the gifts and we are all set to go! This card uses all the same supplies as the previous post, except the main image is SU! Toy Box and the blue is a different shade of scrap. I seriously have enough scraps to last me the rest of the year. But who can resist all those new pretty papers?

I'm honestly not thrilled with the outcome, but DS was clingy today and I couldn't concentrate with him nagging at me to play with him. I know, I should have just played with him, but I was on a mission to complete this card. He got more excited when I let him pierce the card for the brads! Soon he'll be using the crop-a-dile without me, too!

As a sketch, I used the sketch from the Hanna Stamps challenge, posted by Beth. It can be found here. I like the sketch, I just feel it needs some ribbon and boys don't like ribbon, do they? And again, this is an entry for a bonus bingo number for Barb.

Well, off to enjoy the quiet before I need to go to bed. I might be back later with another card. I have a stack that I haven't shared yet.

Thanks for looking!

Make A Wish!

What's a weekend without a birthday party when you have a kid, right? We're off to one tomorrow, and it's for brothers, so we need 2 cards and gifts...

Here is the first card, following the sketch from MJ (Technostamper). Details for the Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #1 are here.

This card will be for the 4-year old boy. I hope he likes it! I used scraps that were laying on my table, and the candle stamp is from SU! Tags & More. I love these candles and they are the one stamp I have used over and over from that set. The sentiment is from a set that I don't have the name of, not SU!.

Again, my card is multitasking and will be entered for an extra bingo number for the game Barbara is hosting. We have to make an H this round - that's a lot of numbers to get!

Don't forget to enter my drawing if you don't already have a copy of the February PaperCrafts magazine. I will draw tomorrow night so I can get it in the mail early this week. Thanks for looking!

Does Someone Want the Feb Issue of Papercrafts?

My MIL bought a subscription to Papercrafts for me for Christmas. I've been waiting for my first issue to arrive, but it hadn't, and I'm impatient so I bought a copy Monday. Don't you know that my subscription copy arrived in the mail on Tuesday????

SO.......... who out there does NOT have a copy and wants to save a trip to the store? It's the February issue with tons of Valentine goodies. I'll give my extra copy to a random winner on Sunday, January 27 after DS goes to bed. Just leave me a comment on this post and tell me the title of your favorite book.

My favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby, although my favorite contemporary book is Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos. I just read a pre-pub of the sequel and it is GREAT!

I'll be back this weekend with creations! DH is gone until Thursday and I will have evenings to myself after DS goes to bed (which is the glorious hour of 7pm). Meanwhile, thanks for looking!

Another Challenge For Another Bingo Number

Donna, from My Happy Place, is hosting her first weekly challenge - details here. To meet the challenge, I went paper-piercing crazy on this card, and I love the way it turned out!

I colored EmmyBella with my pencils and blended them. The dp is from CTMH, I think, and the ribbon is from my stash. Sentiments is SU! Happiness. I cut my stamp apart so that each row is now separate. The flowers are Primas and the brad is Making Memories.

This card also fulfills the requirement for another Bingo number to be drawn by Barb at Barb's Card Creations. Have you joined her fun Bingo game? It's a bunch of fun. I'm Soooooooo close to winning this round!

This has been a long day - had to take DS for his 4-year checkup, and he had to get 3 shots and was not happy about it. He was very brave, then broke down after the nurse stabbed him with the second shot. Poor guy, now he has to have blood drawn for more checks. I told him I'd take him to Target for a new Matchbox car if he does it with no fights. We'll try in the morning...

So I'm off to bed to rest up for what could be an ugly start to the day tomorrow. Have a good night! Thanks for Looking!

Sketch Challenge: CPS #48

Have you tried the CPS sketches? They are always lots of fun, although the design team blows me away each week with what they create! Here's my take on CPS #48:

I used the flower from Polka Dots and Paisley, the sentiment from All Year Cheer I. The colors are Taken with Teal, Close to Cocoa and Black Stazon for the sentiment. The tiny tag is from my stash, as is the ribbon, and the brad. The image is matted on two ovals cut and embossed with the Cuttlebug and Spellbinders dies. DP is Basic Grey Blush. Card size is 4 1/4 square.

Thanks for looking!

Blog Candy Alert

Have you been to Kelly's Art Journaling to see her great giveaway? Go HERE now and see how you can enter. While you're there, check out her fabulous creations!

Warm Thoughts for a Cold Day

Friday afternoon, I left work early and came home to stamp. I am waaaaaay behind on challenges, but had an idea for the SCS Sketch Challenge 159. The last release by CHF Kim Hughes Collection included this cute set called Hugs and Kisses that can be used for winter, Valentine, and all occasion cards. I am loving it and can't wait to see the new releases tomorrow :) DH is going to take my wallet away soon if he finds out how much I've been shopping!

Here's the card. Of course, bad stamper that I am, I don't have the proper name for the DP. It's some that I won in a blog candy along the way. The ribbon is from Target dollar spot. Image is colored with Prismacolors and blended. Oh, and I used my new Spellbinders oval dies to mat the main image. Can't wait to get more shapes!

I have to give a little commercial for the adhesive I used on this project. UHU was giving away samples of the new Scrapbooker's Glue Pen and that's the adhesive I used. Go and get yourself a sample if they are still available. This stuff is STICKY! The tip is slanted to give smooth application and the adhesive has "less liquid and more glue ingredients than ordinary liquid glues." Since I'm always afraid my creations will fall apart, I am very liberal with adhesive. I was a little more conservative applying this new product, and let me tell you, this card is NOT falling apart!

Off to stamp more - it's a holiday and ds is at school, so the day is MINE :) Thanks for looking!

Diamond Cakes

I am on a pink/orange kick lately. Must be all the Valentine's Day influences flying around! Today, I was finally able to take 1/2 day off from work. I've been trying to do this all week, and the stars finally aligned today. All staff members present and accounted for. Slow patron traffic. No crises. To-do list checked off. See Ya!

Of course, I first went to Target where I scored in the dollar spot! My Target had packs of dp (spring and Valentine), paper flowers, flower brads, ribbon, cute frames to alter, and more! I stopped there, though. Those dollar items quickly add up and I've almost spent all my allowance for the month!

Here's what I created after lunch: The dp is Making Memories, but I cut off the pattern before writing it down. CS is a confetti cream that I picked up at the craft store. The yelllow is from my scrap pile. Hardware is Hodgepodge Hardware, the tiny brads on the "cherries" are from Queen & Co. The cupcakes are iced with pink pencil, blended and covered in Dazzling Diamonds. Ribbon is from today's trip to Target. The cupcake stamp is from MFT, Icing on the Cake and the sentiment and circles are from Verve Visual. Oh, and the background is stamped with the stars from Icing on the Cake.

Here's to a long weekend! Thanks for looking!

Is It Really Thursday Already?

And have I really not posted since Saturday? Yikes! I don't know where the week has gone! Well, I do have an idea - work, housework, dinners, bedtimes, you know...

But tonight my mojo returned. I played with my new Cuttlebug and the Spellbinders dies I got from Joann.com. They are called Shapeabilities, but does anyone know if these are the same as Nestabilities??????????? I'm so confused.

Here's my card for today, though. A rather elegant one if I do say so myself. I used the tapestry embossing folder for the Cuttlebug, and SU! Baroque Motifs, French Script BG, and Small Script stamps. The base color is Marigold Morning, the embossed layer is Vintage Violet, and the flourish is stamped in True Thyme. The flowers on the flourish are stamped in Marigold Morning. The hardware is WeRMemory Keepers, and the sentiment is stamped with Vintage Violet. I had the ribbon (American Crafts) in my stash, and it happened to match perfectly. I know that if I dig deep enough in that ribbon box, I'll find just the right thing! It's time to organize the ribbons, though, since it took a good few minutes to dig today :)

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday. I'm planning on taking the day off, but first have to check in at work to make sure nobody has called out sick. There hasn't been a day this week that everyone has been there and my plans for a day off keep getting pushed back. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Have a good night, everyone and Thanks for looking!

What A Day!

This morning, I got up at 6, rushed out of the house and drove to Philadelphia for a library conference. Well, I didn't go for the whole conference, just to view the exhibits. For those of you not familiar with library conferences, exhibits mean FREE advance reader copies of books!!! I was on the fence about going at all, but my pass was paid for and it would be a nice day out, so off I went...and came home with two huge bags of things to read! If you're a reader, there are some fantastic books coming out this Spring :) Now the decision: to stamp or to read?

This evening, it's neither, since after gettting home around mid-day, I took ds to the park to ride his bike and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. Two hours later I convinced him to leave, but we had a blast! And the way he rides his bike, I got a great power-walk in!

Also, tackled the grocery store and am exhausted now. Couldn't even find the energy to stamp, so I watched The Nanny Diaries. It was cute, but definitely a chick flick.

Even though I'm too tired to create today, I did want to post this card that I made the other night. Don't remember which night, mind you. Oh, yes, it was the Gina K release party on SCS. They posted a few sketch challenges and this was my entry for one of them. The dp is from DCWV Mini Stack 3. The mailbox stamp and sentiment are from the Kim Hughes Collection at Cornish Heritage Farms, Hugs and Kisses. The "stamp" stamp is actually from Lizzie Anne Designs, Celebrations and Celebrations Frames. The grassy patch under the mailbox is My Favorite Things, from Icing on the Cake. Can you guess how I colored the images?

Thanks for looking! Enjoy the rest of the weekend. We are expecting snow tomorrow night, so keep your fingers crossed for a snow day on Monday!

A Challenge for Myself (Try It!)

When I walked into my stamp room tonight, this is what the desk looked like:

Being tired and wanting to get right to stamping, I created a challenge for myself that removed the need to clean up first. I decided that I could use ONLY what was already out on the desk to create cards tonight.

Luckily, I haven't cleaned up after myself for a few stamping sessions, so I had quite a selection of stamps, ink and papers to choose from. Here is what I came up with:

This first card is also for Barb's Bingo Game. The challenge this round is to create Bella cards. Although I don't own a lot of Bella stamps, I have a nice little pile of images that I received from RAKs. The sentiment is Verve Visual. The cute flower brads are from Queen & Co. If you look closely, her slippers are "fuzzy" and puffed up with Puffy Paint.

The second card is for my friend's birthday that is coming up later this month. I hope she isn't reading this before it gets to her!! I used MFT's Icing on the Cake and topped the cupcakes with Diamond Dust. Man, I have to get myself more of that! All images are colored with Prismacolors and blended. DP is Hot off the Press, but I cut off the name before I wrote it down. Ribbon is from my stash.

Who else is thrilled that tomorrow is Friday????? I'm exhausted from this full week at work and am ready for the weekend. I think I'm heading to Philadelphia on Saturday for a conference, though. How bad is it that I haven't decided to go or not? We'll see how the weather is. After all, I could stay home and stamp...

Thanks for looking!

Multitasking Bella

This card is doing double duty for me. First, it's a card for a woman named Debbi who is recovering from a stem cell transplant. You can read more about it at Crafty Kid. I hope it brings her a smile!

The other task of this card is an entry to Barb's Bingo game, which is now in Round 2. Today is the first day I had time to sit and play with Bellas, and this is what I came up with.

DP is DCWV, and the sentiments are from Verve Visual and SU!, punched with the word punch. IRL the sheer ribbon shows more than in the photo. I used puffy paint on the "fur" of Snowbunnybella, and she is colored with Prismacolor pencils and blended. Can I say again how much I loooooooooooove these pencils? Thanks again, Santa!!

Off to bed now. This is the first full week back to work for me since before Thanksgiving, and I'm beat! Thanks for looking!

I'm Usually Not Excited About Valentine's Day...

But with all my new stamps and toys, I'm embracing any holiday there is as a reason to make cards! Recently, I was the lucky recipient of the Kim Hughes collection Hugs and Kisses, available from Cornish Heritage Farms. Be sure to check out Kim's blog - her cards are beautiful and she gives little tips with each post. ALL of the stamps are so cute, I have been itching to play with them. This weekend, I made the time. Chores and laundry can wait :)

This card also follows SCS Sketch Challenge 157. The dp is from DCVW Mini Stack 3. The base is Certainly Celery, the shimmery orange panel under the sentiment is Bazzill Basics, Spoiled Brat, I think. The blue is from my scrap pile, and the ribbon is from SU! I believe. The hardware is from a few pieces I got somewhere. Sometimes there is too much stuff to track where it comes from!

The butterfly is from SU! Border Builders, and the inks are Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal and Basic Black. Oh and the base card is stamped in CC with one of the SU! Beyond the Basics backgrounds. The image is colored with Prismacolors and blended. Can I say how much I LOVE my new Prismacolors? So many color choices!!

Almost time for the Amazing Race. One of only 3 shows a week I MUST watch. Hope you all had a good weekend. Thanks for looking!

Ever Have a Card Kick Your Butt?

OMG! The idea for this card has been swimming around in my head since I saw this tutorial on Poekietoe's Corner. One small problem that I knew had to be encountered right away was the conversion from centimeters to inches. Not so difficult, if you have the right ruler (luckily, I did!). However, the construction of this card took me most of the afternoon, with a short break to put ds to bed and then have dinner with dh. It sapped all my creative juices for the day and after this post I am retiring to my comfy bed to snuggle under the down comforter and try to keep warm...

Here it is: A Hanna Viewmaster! What girl can choose between new bags and new shoes? Of course we need them all :) The base is Bazzill Basics shimmery purple textured cs. The dress is paper pieced, as are the bags. Please forgive me for not saving the dp makers and patterns. They might be under the pile o' stuff on the desk, but I'm not digging for them right now. The yellow is a nice buttery color IRL and the sentiment is stamped with Lavendar Lace ink. Hanna is colored with my NEW Prismacolor pencils and blended. The flower is a Prima with a tiny piece of flower glitter in the center.

I hope you enjoy this card. I can't look at it any longer because all I am seeing are the little things that should be tweaked to improve it. And I really have to get to bed. DS was in my face begging for breakfast at 5:38 this morning. I growled at him to go back to bed. He did, and returned at the more acceptable time of 7:15 only to remind me that one of my resolutions is to not get angry and yell, which is what I did at 5:38... Oh, the minds of the babes!

With that, good night and keep warm! Thanks for looking :)

My Flowery Valentine

Donna, over at My Happy Place posted a challenge for some blog candy. The challenge is to create a Valentine card WITHOUT using pink or red. Here's my take on the challenge:I used a piece of BG Perhaps dp, cut the butterflies (moths?) and mounted them on a panel of Vintage Violet. The corners are punched with the Southwest corner punch, and then mounted on a panel of river-rock like color. This was the 2nd to last piece of paper in my pile of papers, and I was getting desperate to find the exact color I needed. Others were either too white or too yellow to match the dp! Falling down the side of the card are my new fave embellishment - primas! I have so many, I have to start using them! They are attached with antique copper brads. The sentiment is from MFT, Icing on the Cake, punched with the word window punch. I added stickles to the butterflies to make them stand out a tiny bit more. The sparkle shows more IRL.

This was a fun card for me to make and I'm happy that I finally got to use this Vintage Violet. It's a color that I love, but never know what to coordinate with it. Thanks for looking!