Orchid Thoughts

You can tell a day that Carter naps well, because I not only get to create a card, but I get to blog about it, too! He is due to wake up any minute, so this will be quick. This card is for the SCS Color Challenge and also for the Monday Lunchtime Sketch. I love these colors together and got to play with my new Extra Large Flower Punch from SU! I embossed the Razzleberry and Vanilla panels, and the large layer of the flower with the Swirl folder and the Cuttlebug. The leaves are actually cut with another Cuttlebug die and are in Basic Grey Perhaps paper.

The Old Olive layer of dp is from the SU! SAB Welcome Friends paper pad. Love that paper!! I wish SU! had a sampler pack of In Color dsp, though. I know they sell each color separately with the Patterns packs, but a sampler would be nice, don't you think? Any demos reading with some influence?

The ribbon is Rich Razzleberry dotted grosgrain and the button is from my stash. Sentiment is from the SAB Whimsical Words set (yes, I got a ton of SAB stuff :)).

As predicted, Carter is waking up, so time to play. We finally have sunshine today and I hope you do, too! Thanks for looking!

EONAC: Coloring with Chalks

Here we are at Monday again, and the weekend is a distant memory. I did have some time to play in my stamp room yesterday, but Justin wanted to create with me and I spent most of my time helping him make his cards (he CASEd two of mine from last week!). I also had a killer headache most of the day and that cramped my mojo a little, too.

These little notes are all I managed to make this weekend - using the SU! hostess set, Of The Earth. I colored the images using the Chalkboard Technique, which satisfies the EONAC challenge to use a forgotten coloring too. My chalks were buried in the back of a drawer and it was fun to use them again with this cool technique! The papers are all from the scrap pile, with the exception of the Kraft card bases on the larger cards. The embossing is done with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder. The most used folder in my collection, how about yours?

We are drying out after a horrifically rainy weekend. So many of our friends have flooded basements, but somehow we managed to avoid that. We did move most of our things up from the basement just in case, though. I hope you are all doing well and are spared from any wicked weather. Bring on the sunshine! Thanks for looking!

Mocha Chica Wishes

Each week, I make a list of the challenges I want to complete. Each week, I get to a small percentage of them. Today, I dove in with the CPS Sketch, #156 while Carter took a good morning nap. This stamp set and papers (both Kim Hughes for CHF) have been in my stash for over a year and I knew I wanted to use them today. Maybe it's the anticipation of getting the new bird punch from SU! that had me thinking of birds. They are everywhere right now, it seems.

The card size is 7 1/4 by 3 3/4 inches. I made this size because I have a stash of random envelopes, and it fit the 8x8 inch papers! The green embellies are from Stamping Bella, the swirl is stamped with Soft Suede, and the bird is cut from the green paper. The wing is paper pieced.

Well, I have been saying that I have not been to a craft store since before Christmas, but I just sent a HUGE SU! order in and can't wait for stuff to arrive. I took full advantage of the SAB and am getting 7 free items from the SAB catalog!! Woohoo! Now if only I had more time to play :))

Have a good Monday, and thanks for looking!

Lost Treasures

For this week's EONAC (number 6 already), the task was to use Primas or other flowers. We ALL have buckets of them, don't we? I know I do. Mine are in a pretty square glass bowl that is overflowing! I dug through the bowl for all these white and turquoise ones, and a few browns and assembled them with antique pewter brads. The paper was discovered in my stash as I was cleaning out and filling up my new paper rack. I was able to make this set of 4 note cards using the MFT sentiments. These were super-simple and highlight the pretty primas. I found lots of cool papers in my stash as I was filling the rack, so there are more sets like this to come as I try to USE everything!
That's it for today. I didn't get to stamp this weekend as my brother and family were visiting. My mom came down also, but had to leave earlier than expected because they were getting more snow at home. We had a great time seeing my brother and family and watching the cousins run around together. Makes me wish we lived closer every time we get together!
Hope you are having better weather than is coming our way. Stay warm and Thanks for looking!

Cuttlebugger's Shoulder?

Anyone else suffering from this? I'm cranking out about 100 circles for my Christmas cards and my shoulder is sore!! Maybe I'm just out of stamping shape?

This is not a Christmas card, but is one that I had time to make this week for when someone needs a pick-up. I used BG Junebug and decided that the paper was pretty enough to star in the card, so I only stamped the sentiment.

I'm not sure who will get this, but it will go in the mail soon. I'm on a mission to USE what I have, clean out what I don't use, and not let stuff accumulate. This applies to my entire house, not just the craft room. So far, I'm making good progress. Let's hope it keeps up before the holidays and more stuff arrives! I hope you are all having a good day, and are safe from the remnants of Ida if you are on the East Coast. We are having a cold and rainy and windy day here as she blows by. Tomorrow should be nicer. Thanks for looking!

For You, But For Who?

I made this card this morning while (miracle of miracles!) Carter actually napped in his pack n play for more than 20 minutes. Not quite the crib, but a close second. Better than the bouncy chair or my arms! I'm not saying who this card is going to just yet, they will find out when it arrives in their mailbox...

The layout is from this week's Techno Stamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch by Mary Jo. It's amazing that I got to it so early in the week! I used the new In Colors and found that this Making Memories dp matched the Rich Razzleberry pretty closely. The pale yellow is from Bazzill scrap from my ever-growing pile. The stamps are from SU! Great Friend and the butterfly is popped up on a foam dot. The ribbon is SU! dotted grosgrain. For the layers under the sentiment, I connected two word window punched pieces and topped them with the new label punch from SU!

Hopefully this card will make it's way to the mailbox this afternoon. Right now, I have to run and get ready for lunch. A friend is coming over and I'm hoping Carter sleeps long enough for me to eat some. I had apple pie for breakfast because I could eat it with one hand - at least it's fruit, right?

Here's hoping you are all enjoying a nice day. We have some nice fall weather here today and my goal is to get out for a walk after picking up DS1 from school later. Thanks for looking!

Use It #19 Challenge

This week's Use It challenge was to use monochromatic scraps, a tag or label, at least one of your favorite stamps, and a layered flower. I pulled some blues out of my scrap bin and put this together using Kraft as a neutral. The flowers are made from the Cuttlebug die and I added the image from A Little Bit of Happiness colored with Prismacolor pencils to the small Nesties Labels One die. The rhinestones are from my stash and the mini brad is a Queen & Co mini sprinkles brad. The large blue panel is embosses with a Cuttlebug folder, as is the layer behind the flowers. I wish I could tell the exact colors of the papers, but since I am not exclusively using SU! papers, items from my stash could be anything.

This past weekend was spent with my two best girlfriends and I am still recovering from being so tired. Who knew that shopping and chatting could make one so tired? And this baby is kicking up a storm and keeping me up at night. DS is having a blast at his day camp, but I pick him up at noon and each afternoon we have been spending time in the pool, too. I'm more tired staying home than I was working!!

Hope you are all having a good summer. Thanks for looking!

Patriotic Wishes

I made this card on Thursday for the Ways to Use It challenge on SCS, which was to use corrugated cardboard on your card.

The stars are stamped with Verve Seeing Stars onto some corrugated scraps I had in my stash from forever ago. I cut them out and spread them around. The sentiment is also from Verve, mounted on a Nesties Labels One and outlined with the Stardust Gelly Roll pen.

We are off to a barbecue with friends today, and I still have to make a pasta salad. I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!! Thanks for looking!

Sprinkle Each Day With Kindness

This sentiment by Verve Stamps is just perfect. I love all of Julee's sentiments and find they mix well with any other stamps. I created this card for Jen Tapler's blogaversary celebration. She is collecting cards to create kits to auction and raise money for Alzheimer's Disease. What a generous way to celebrate a blogging milestone. Another example of the huge hearts of all the stampers in the world!



The image came to me via a RAK, and I don't know the name of it. If you know, please comment and let me in on it! The paper is from Imagination Project, Take a Vacation. I used my Nestabilities Labels 2 and the Cuttlebug for the layers. The yellow layer is Bazzill, the base card is Certainly Celery. Flowers are Primas and there is a Bella Dot next to the sentiment. The brads on the flowers are Queen and Co, and I used some Diamond Glaze on the puddle and water splashes.

Go on over and check out the details on Jen's blog! I'm off to play with my new SU! goodies (the UPS man just came!). Thanks for looking!

My Scrapbook Table Sketch Challenge

Sarah posted this challenge for blog candy on her blog, My Scrapbook Table. To enter, you must use this sketch as an inspiration, sign her guestbook and send her some inspiring ideas for those days her mojo is missing.

Here's my take on the sketch, using Verve Visual's Petals & Stems and Fluttering By. They are stamped on paper from the Making Memories Funky Vintage- Ruby Collection 6x6 paper pack. I found them at Target earlier this year and love the rich colors! The base card is SU! Purely Pomegranate. The rick rack used in the stems and under the sentiment panel is also from the dollar section of Target. The butterflies are embossed with holographic EP and folded so they look like they are in flight. Each layer of the flowers are popped up with foam adhesive.

In an effort to save paper and printer ink, I have started a notebook of sketches. Not surprisingly, I have discovered I can't even draw a straight line when copying a sketch! But at least I know they are squares or rectangles. With them listed in a notebook, I can jot down the date that I completed each one. If I'm organized enough, I'll also list the number of the photo in my computer file.

Since I took a sick day today, I plan on catching up on more sketches. I have had a bad sore throat for the past few days and also have been exhausted - fell dead asleep by 9:30 last night, and could use another nap now. I'm going to search for caffeine instead. Have a good day and thanks for looking!

Sheetload of Cards!

This month's Sheetload of Cards is a great, universal layout. Go check it out HERE. I took some liberty and changed up the sketch for each card just a bit. But it was a successful day of producing 8 cards that I can use for any occasion!

I hope the photos are OK. It is dark and gloomy here and not the best day for photography.

As I was looking through my stash of embellishments last week, I came across this sheet of cardstock stickers by Fiskars. The pattern is Heidi Grace Wild Daisy Lane. Now, I thought, that pattern looks familiar. Why? Because I had the papers in my paper stash, that's why! So that's the paper I used also, Wild Daisy Road by Heidi Grace. Seriously, they have both been in my stash for about a year and I just made the connection. You may even recognize it from the double-pocket card I made a while ago. Sometimes I'm a little slow...

For this batch, I used a combination of Studio G dollar stamps, SU! All Year Cheer, Love Without End, and Best Blossoms. Embellies include the stickers, round and square snaps, Primas and brads, along with thin twine. I think I'm going to make another Sheetload and make a batch of Father's Day cards, and another for kids' birthday cards. It feels so good to crank out a whole collection of cards in one day, rather than the usual 2-3 I get to in a week.

Ok, time to cook dinner before DH and DS get home. I'll hopefully get some more time in my stamp room tonight, but I have a headache starting, so might veg on the couch instead. Thanks for looking!

I Made a Sheetload!!

Of cards, that is. Have you seen this monthly newsletter yet, Sheetload of Cards? I kept hearing about it, and subscribe to the blog, but this was the first time I actually downloaded an entire issue and followed the plan. Each month, they give you a layout, and a template for the cuts of paper you'll need. With only 4 sheets of paper, I created these 6 cute cards, and have scraps to make a couple more. It's so easy, a great way to increase your stash!! I chose the October 2007 issue to follow. Just link to the archives from their blog site and you can quickly view and download all the issues.

Right now they are running a contest with the current e-zine and I hope to get to it this weekend. For now, here are my cards:

I used Miss Elizabeth's dp from the dollar store, along with solid blue and green from my stash. The flower stamp is Lizzie Anne Designs and the bird is Studio G. The sentiment on the bird card is MFT Icing on the Cake. I used Colorbox Chalk inks and colored the flower with Prismacolors. The little bird is paper pieced. The ribbon is American Crafts and the brads are Queen & Co and Making Memories. The holographic flowers are from some candy I won. Oh, and I used my Mat Pack and paper piercer for the piercing, and the ticket corner punch, too. Seriously, it took me a total of about 1.5 hours to crank out all these cards!

Here's a close up of the little bird:

Last night I got to clean off my desk, which was littered with scraps and bits and bobs of things. Tonight I'm going to give it a rest and let it stay clean one more day. I'm tired and could use some couch time! I'll be back tomorrow with another post, I hope! Thanks for looking!

A New SFYTT and A Re-Do

I've been thinking about how this card would come together all week, and finally had a chance last night to create it. I have two packs of these gate fold cards, in white and black, and broke into the white pack for this great sketch from Jen Del Muro. The only stamp on the whole card is the sentiment. I don't have the name of the set, but it contains a ton of great sentiments.

The DP is Making Memories, Maddi Paisley and Maddi Narr Stripe. The ribbon is from Ribbons and Bows, Oh My! Brads are from Queen & Co and the flowers are Primas. The flower vase is punched from the striped paper using the Convex Square SU! punch. I pierced the stems and drew in green, then stamped that little leaf stamp a few times (from Inkadinkadoo!).

The next card is the remix of another SFFTY that I made a few weeks ago. I added some layers and used the SU! Cosmo glitter in the flower centers. I also used the Cuttlebug to emboss the white panel and make it a little more interesting. I still feel there is too much white on this card, but I do like it better this time around.

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!

Star Light...

Just two more of Angel's sketches, and then I'll move onto something else. But they were all fabulous, so you will probably see them again!

For the colors in this first one, Sketch #19, I was inspired while doing laundry. My red blouse came out of the washer next to my husbands True Thyme-ish shirt, and voila! I hope you like it! The base is True Thyme, stamped with the swirls from SU! In the Sky. The dp panel is Perhaps, by Basic Grey. Ribbon is from the craft store. Sentiment is hand stamped with SU! Brushstroke Alphabet and the stars are SU! In the Sky embossed with holographic ep. The star and layers are scraps that were on my table. Enjoy :)

The next card is for Sketch #28 and is MUCH

busier than most of my creations. Again, I wasn't sure of the final product, but it's not so bad... The dp is from my new DCVW The Mini Stack 3. I picked it up today at the craft store. Flower stamps are from SU! Teeny Tinies, stamped in Gable Green, Rose Red and Apricot Appeal. The "to you" is made with rub-ons. I sponged the oval with Gable Green because it stuck out way too much when it was just white.

I am working tomorrow night and then am going away for the weekend Friday afternoon. So I may not be blogging while I'm away. See you next week! Thanks for looking!

Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts...

I was uncertain what this card was going to look like upon completion. But overall, I think it came out pretty well (it's ok if you disagree - my feelings won't be hurt). The paper is bolder in color than I usually use and it uses *GASP* two patterns on the same card! The paper is from CTMH, but I'm afraid I don't know which collection. The stamps are SU! Year Round Cheer, stamped with True Thyme ink. I was afraid the sentiment was a bit lost, but it fits nicely in the circle. The base card was Certainly Celery and the ribbon is a piece of scrap. The image and sentiment panels are layered with True Thyme and a bit of the striped paper, laid horizontally so that the white strip shows at the top and the red at the bottom.

This is one of my final entries for Angel's birthday celebration. Thanks for looking!

Angelosity Guest Sketch

While I had that gorgeous paper out last night, I decided to do just one more card before going to bed. (It's always just one more, isn't it?)

Angel chose this sketch as a winner from her sketch contest. It's from Monica, at Monica's Crafts. The paper is the same Making Memories Maddi Narr Stripe and Maddi Paisley from the last card. I used a piece of Bazzill Basics shimmery orange cs to mat the main image, though. The butterfly is from the Rhonna Farrer Autumn Leaves set, same as the sun from the previous card. I watercolored the image with Regal Rose. Brads are also Making Memories.

I purposely left off a sentiment so that this could be used for any occasion. Hopefully tonight I will be able to get one or two more cards done. I hope you all stop over to wish Angel a very Happy Birthday tomorrow! (and keep your fingers crossed that I win all the goodies from the drawing!)

Thanks for looking!

Angelosity Sketch 27

Well, it looks like I won't get to complete ALL of Angel's sketches in the appropriate time frame, but I will definitely keep them on record to try in the future. Here is my card for day 27. I have to say that this card pretty much pulled itself together. Don't you love when that happens?

I've had the paper for a while, and haven't had just the right project for it. But then I saw these stamps that Laura sent me for the October Aloha RAK and it came to me. The base is a soft butter yellow and the dp is Making Memories Maddi Narr Stripe and Maddi Paisley. The stamp is Rhonna Farrer for Autumn Leaves. Sentiment is Verve Visual Thoughtful phrases. (These little sentiments are perfect for fitting in the SU! Word Window Punch! I can't wait to see what's new, coming out on November 10!...) The ribbon is some scrap ribbon that was in my bin. The ink is Marigold Morning. I think it should be a little darker on the sentiment, but IRL you can see it more.

Thanks for looking!

A Very Productive Weekend So Far...

So what are YOU doing with the extra hour this weekend? I plan on stamping some more tomorrow and also finishing The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It's great so far!

I've been plugging away at Angel's sketches, and completed 4 between last night and today. Here is Number 9. Although I think it looks like a paintball exploded on the pickup truck, I like this color combination. The base is True Thyme and then I used dark green and Soft Sky panels also. The dp is from the Provo Craft Holiday Slab V. I'm getting tons of use out of that pack that Cindy sent me a few months back. Thanks, Cindy! The images are from SU! Loads of Love, the tree and sentiment stamped in True Thyme, the truck in Basic Black. The polka dot ribbon is from Target.

This next card is from Angel's sketch #11. I really like this sketch, and can see myself using it lots and lots. I have printed out all her sketches and they will be kept in my sketch book for future reference. It really helps me if I have a starting point and Angel has made some great sketches this month! The base of this card is Soft Sky and the inks are Soft Sky, Vintage Violet and Pretty in Pink. The panels for the image are scrap, not SU! papers. The stamps are Lizzie Anne Designs flower from Celebration Frames and sentiment from a set I just got and threw away the label for. Sorry! I watercolored them with the above inks and Stickled the centers. The only thing I have to complain about here is Vintage Violet. As cs, I love it, but the ink on paper always looks a little muddy to me. Maybe that's the "vintage" part, but I never can decide if I like it or not. What do you think?

I don't want to make this post too long, so the next two cards will be in another post. Thanks for looking!

Monday again already?

Where oh where has the weekend gone? Granted I worked Saturday, but yesterday went by much too quickly!

My DS is sick with cold/allergies and asthma flare-up, so we had a quiet day at home yesterday. Well, quiet if you blocked out all the whining! That means I got to play for a bit in my stamping space. He likes to "be busy" with me and will color while I stamp for short amounts of time...

This card is actually from a couple months ago. Here are the details: black background, pale blue patterned paper (not sure from which company - can update when I get home and look). Black torn panel tied over with pale blue organdy ribbon from Michael's. The stamp is Anita's and has been in my collection forever, but I love the simple flower. It is stamped on 3 white panels and colored in with chalks. I hope you can click on the photo to get a closer image, because it really is a pretty card. I haven't given it away yet because I'm waiting for just the right occasion...

This week, my plan is to spend a little time each evening in my stamping space. This will have to be after I deal with the bounty of our garden, though! Tomatoes and zucchini and eggplant have taken over the kitchen counters and must be cooked, canned and frozen as we can't possibly eat them all. It's that time of year when our neighbors see us coming with zucchini and run inside and lock their doors!

Have a Happy Monday and thanks for looking :)