Super Simple Holiday

Here's my take on a Clean and Simple one layer card, holiday style. Stamps are from Kitchen Sink Stamps, Playful Christmas. This set is dated 2007, but I still love it! I have to fight the urge to add something else, and just call it done. Is there too much white space at the bottom? I added a rhinestone to one of the trees, then took it off. Then I added it again, and took it off again. I thought of piercing the lower right corner, but I'm putting it aside and calling it finished. Why is it so hard to make a one layer card??

Thanks for looking!

Damask Butterfly

A few weeks ago I made a bunch of vellum butterflies with the Cuttlebug die. Some were embossed, some I left plain. This one, I added a damask stamp to in silver chalk ink. The color combination is very different - Always Artichoke, black, and some pale yellow textured card stock. The sentiment is from Sheetload of Cards last year - they are digital sentiments and I only had them printed on white stock. Ribbon is May Arts silk from my stash, and the silhouette stamp is SU! Just Believe. The damask stamps (on the butterfly and on the yellow layer) are from Prima. I'm entering this card into the Moxie Fab World damask challenge. It's not the most unusual use of damask, but it's getting my creativity flowing and I hope to make some others this week.



We've already had a busy day with Fall Festival at Justin's school. Tomorrow is pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating. Have a Happy Halloween!! Thanks for looking!

Always Moss

A few weeks ago, one of the challenges on SCS was to split an image. I have to go back and search the challenges, but this is my take on it. I have had the Always stamp set since last year, and knew I wanted to ink up that pretty heart. I used Mellow Moss and cut it into 4 pieces, then mounted those on Mellow Moss cs, and the rest is self-explanatory. The ribbon is not SU!, but it matched perfectly :) The scallops are an EK Success scalloped scallops edge punch. A few new punches have added themselves to my collection lately, and I've been having fun with them.

There are a few more Halloween cards for me to post before Sunday, so I hope you come back to see them! Have a good weekend. Thanks for looking!

CPS Christmas

I recently bought some baker's twine from Monika for a great deal! I got a ton of twine, and she shipped it very quickly. If you are in the market for some, go check out her site and send her an email!! I wanted to use the twine and the red and white was perfect for this Christmas card, made using the CPS Sketch 190. The stamps are Tree Trimmings and the papers are kraft, white and Cherry Cobbler. The ornaments are stamped in Cherry Cobbler and then clear embossed. The sentiment is from Martha Stewart.

That's it for today. I can't believe it's already Wednesday. Being sick on Monday and not getting anything done has thrown off my entire week. Justin has an allergy appointment today - he was recently tested again and his milk allergy levels have tripled since last time he was tested. I have a ton of questions for the doctor that I have to get down on paper so I don't forget. And there's more laundry to get to today, and the usual dinner, cleaning, etc. Maybe some stamping, too ;)

Thanks for looking!

Vintage Fall Butterfly

I'm hooked on the challenges at Embellish Magazine lately! I think it's because the really stretch my brain, but they are so much fun. This challenge was to use rust, green and yellow, and make a vintage card. Vintage is hard for me. This card uses some paper from my stash (I bought it several years ago and keep finding small bits of it), along with green flowers from my Prima basket. The button is from my grandmother along with the lace. I used a Nesties label die and stamped it with the script stamp from SU! Botanicals to layer under the butterfly, which is from a Cuttlebug die and embossing set.

Here's a closer picture of the butterfly and flower:


That's it for today. I was sick yesterday and am still fighting a headache. And I am SO tired, I want to lie down and sleep all day. BUT, there is laundry to catch up on and Carter is waking up from his nap. Have a good day and Thanks for looking!

Sketchy Penguin

I love this little penguin from The Cat's Pajamas! The set is You Say It's Your Birthday, and I've had it for a while and just inked it up this week for the SCS sketch 303 challenge. The papers are from Heidi Grace Designs for Fiskars. I flipped the sketch on it's side and used the Scalloped and regular Ovals, along with the Scalloped and regular circle dies from Nestabilities for the mats. The chocolate layers are from my scrap pile, which is only growing, no matter how much I use from it!

Here's a close-up of the chalked background. It barely shows, but adds a little interest IRL.

Hope you are having a good weekend. Ours went by MUCH too quickly for my liking. Thanks for looking!

Happy Bird-day!

Here's a simple, SIMPLE, birthday card that I made with Pun Fun and some pre-printed card bases. I made a set of them, and have actually used a couple of them!

Well, how's that for a short post? I'm watching My Sister's Keeper and don't want to cry on my keyboard. Have you seen it?

Have a good weekend. Thanks for looking!

Live Like You Mean It

I made this bright card a few weeks ago, and it has been sitting in my post list. Today is a good day to share it. It is something I have been striving for lately - to enjoy (almost) every moment. Not always easy, but I am reading The Happiness Project and it has opened my eyes to many qualities I don't love about myself. The good news is that there is always room for improvement, and I have already noticed that our morning routine is smoother, just for one example.

There isn't much to explain about the card itself - the main panel is stamped with Versamark and I added some bling to the flower centers. The sentiment is embossed in black and adhered over a strip of ribbon. Easy, easy!

I hope you are living like you mean it today! Thanks for looking!

CPS Love Letter

With my recent SU! order, I got this lovely Love Letter dsp. I love the mix of vanilla, black and red. I have had these gate fold cards in my stash FOREVER, but never use them because they are so big! They are #10 size and can be intimidating. However, when I saw the CPS sketch for this week, I knew they would be just right.

The main image is from Kim Hughes for CHF (so sad that they closed!). I stamped it in Red Riding Hood, then stamped it again with Versamark (there was still red on the stamp and I probably stained my Versamark pad) and embossed with clear EP. The sentiment is from the same set and I finished it off with some silk May Arts ribbon. I was so happy that the sentiment fit on the lines of the paper!

Here's a close-up of the main image panel:



I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Have a great day. Thanks for looking!

Flopsey Gets Embellished

The current challenge at Embellish Magazine is to use the colors brown, red, pink and yellow and to incorporate felt. Since this challenge is sponsored by MFT, I got out my Flopsey Cupcake and found some pink felt in my stash. The rick rack strips are made with the MFT die, and I ran the brown and yellow layers through two times to get different thicknesses of the rick rack. I love how it turned out! And I have to mention that the die ran through the pink self-adhesive felt like magic! I LOVE their dies and am restraining myself from running over to buy them all!

Flopsey is colored with brown pencils and then flocked, and has tiny black pearls for eyes. Let me tell you, I think Fun Flock is NOT. I never used it before and maybe it takes practice, but I wasn't sure how to best apply it. The frosting of the cupcake is also in the pink felt, colored over with a glitter pen. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey, the Junebug 6x6 pad. I love those patterns but am never sure when to use them (never mind mixing them!). This one has pink red and yellow, though, so here it is!

Here's a close-up of the cupcake:



Phew! This card did me in for today. I've got low energy anyway because our house alarm went off in the middle of the night and I couldn't get back to sleep till about 2, and I get up at 6. Justin heard the alarm and thought it was morning! Luckily Carter slept right through it. Thanks for looking!

Too Cute To Spook!

Did you see that Elzybells is going out of business? Another cute stamp company gone by the wayside. I love their images and made some purchases since they won't be available anymore. I chose this cute Halloween trio and it arrived last week, just as I was ready to put away the Halloween supplies. Then I found more, so they are out again, LOL. I might have to try an inspiration basket at the beginning of each month to address the card needs that are coming up. Maybe I'd feel more organized?

Anyway, the image here is colored in Prismacolor pencils and blended with OMS. The paper is from Basic Grey's Ambrosia pad and it reminds me of little spiderwebs. The ribbon is from my stash, the sentiment is from a set of dollar stamps. I have more Halloween cards coming up in the next few weeks. For some reason, I felt compelled to make them this year, even though it is not my favorite holiday. Now I just have to drop them in the mail!

Have a good Sunday! We are off to the neighborhood Fall Festival and I still have to get Carter's costume together and make cookies. Thanks for looking!

Playful Color Throwdown

This is my Take One attempt at the Color Throwdown combo this week. I used the CPS sketch as a starting point, but I'm not sure of my execution. I have more papers on my desk and ideas in my head, so I'll try again later. Meanwhile, I have yet another card for the Christmas stash!

I used the patterned papers from the In Color pack from the SU! Hostess level 1. The stamps are Kitchen Sink Stamps, Playful Christmas. Ribbon is from my stash. The trees are embossed with a pattern over the color, but you can't really see it. Bummer.

We have another busy weekend ahead of us. Our neighborhood is having a Fall Festival on Sunday, and tomorrow we are headed to get our own pumpkins. I don't know if we'll get to carving them just yet, but we'll see. I hope you all have a great one!

Prima Christmas Wreath

This card is for the Ways To Use It challenge at Splitcoast today. Julia challenged us to use an embellishment in a new way. This is the most original I could think of this morning, and was able to put the card together during Carter's naps. Not that he slept, but he was in his crib and not crying! I got down my basket of Prima flowers and found that I had a bunch of this green color that I cannot see using on a floral card. Green just doesn't say pretty flower to me. However, it is a nice color for an evergreen wreath, especially when attached with the silver, gold and red brads. The bow on the wreath is another Prima with one of the petals folded back.

The papers are Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler along with some My Mind's Eye Christmas paper. I mounted the whole thing onto Whisper White. Let me ask a question about Whisper White cs. I have a pack that seems to be rather thinner than the other SU! cardstocks I have (I have almost all the other colors!). It is marked 80lb just like the others, but it just doesn't feel as robust. Does anyone have any insight into this issue? I don't want to order another pack just to see, because the last thing I need right now is more paper! Your thoughts are appreciated :)

Here is a close up of the wreath:



Another Christmas card for the stash - yay! Thanks for looking!

TSSC143 + CC292

This was my first attempt at this week's Monday Lunchtime Sketch, but I'm still not sure if I love it. I think the black is too much and the color doesn't show enough on the butterfly's wings. I tried to ink the embossed dots with pale blue chalk ink, but you can only see it close up. I also opted not to use the big bow on the bottom strip, and wish the ribbon was lighter. Oh, well, that's why I tackled the sketch again, this time flipping it onto its side. The second card uses today's Color Challenge at SCS as well.



Here's a close up of the detail in the image. I added Stickles to Cosmo's party hat, and pieced it in pink. The lolly is also embossed with Dazzle Versamark and clear EP on Real Red cs. The spots on Cosmo's shell have some glitter on them.



This card was fun to make, although I was stumped for a while about the red. I think it works though, with the felt flower border. In the centers of the flowers are small pink Bella Dots that I got forever ago. Can you tell I'm really starting to dig through my stash to use some stuff up? It will take me years! BUT, I got a new desk chair and can sit longer at my craft desk now! My old chair made my back hurt no matter how long I sat in it. I only wish they made cutely upholstered chairs!

That's enough rambling today. I have to remind myself that today is Tuesday because of the holiday yesterday. Hope you're having a good one. Thanks for looking!

Understated Elegance Wedding Card

Don't you love when a card falls directly from your imagination into reality? This is what happened with this card, and I am loving how it turned out!! I have a cousin who is getting married next weekend, and we can't be there. It's too bad, because our family has FUN weddings! I will send this card out to them after they return home.

I used Just Believe, which is another set I just ordered from SU! I love this big floral silhouette image. Here, I stamped it in some light blue Cat's Eye Chalk ink, then embossed it using Versamark Dazzle and clear embossing powder. The main image panel is Very Vanilla and all the layers are from an old pad I have - Story of Us by Momenta (which just happens to be in NH, where I am from!). I added a small strip of vanilla organdy ribbon across the center. What's a wedding card without a touch of ribbon?

To give credit for the sketch - it is from OWH Stars and Stamps blog. Go check it out! What fun sketches and challenges each week :) I keep collecting cards to send to them to forward to our overseas troops and one of these days I just have to get them in the mail!! I had a big box all ready and they got smashed in our move, so they all need some TLC before I can send them. I was upset, but now I just have an excuse to make more!

Thanks for looking!

Funky Four Fun

Funky Four has been on my SU! wish list for some time, and finally I placed an order (thanks, Cindy!) and got it! I also got all the updated colors so my ink collection is complete. Well, except for one that I forgot to include, but I'll get that next time! I had this Crate Paper patterned paper from last year and just knew I wanted to use the two together. The "happy" tag is from Target - years ago, and the "birthday" sentiment is from Curly Cute, also in my latest SU! order. I used some Cat's Eye Chalk inks for the stamping, and I love how all the colors coordinated.

For the sketch, I used Mary Jo's Monday Lunchtime Sketch and changed the size of the main image panel just a bit. On the original sketch, it is larger, but the mushrooms would have been floating in space on a larger panel.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, everyone! Thanks for looking!

Saturday Inspiration

So I think I finally figured out some tricks in uploading from iPhoto to the web. I tell you, I need a Dummies class!! Thank goodness the "Help" is good in the iPhoto program :)

This card is for the Inspiration Challenge at SCS. I used colors I NEVER would have chosen together on my own, but I think they really work! They are Bordering Blue, Going Gray and Kiwi Kiss, along with Vanilla. I love this nature set from Clear Artistic Stamps and haven't used it in quite some time. I stamped the background with the tiny dandelion fluffs (what are they called, anyway?) and then used the larger dandelion stamps for the main images. The sentiment is anchored with some Going Gray taffeta ribbon.

We had a great day today - went to explore a really cool park close by, I got pampered at the salon, and then we took in a free concert at the nearby outdoor shopping center. They have interactive fountains that the kids can run and splash in, and Justin had a blast. We brought dinner and had a little picnic. Carter charmed all the ladies with his dance moves! Ah, and now they are sound asleep :) Thanks for looking!

Basic Grey Meets Basic Gray

I liked this Ambrosia paper so much, I bought it twice! I got a great deal online for the kit of paper pad, rub-ons, chipboard stickers and some other elements for the Ambrosia collection by Basic Grey and I finally opened it up. I LOVE the big butterfly and found this SU! Basic Gray taffeta ribbon that matched nicely. The sentiment is a Verve sentiment (don't you love their sentiments?).

This week has been SO busy for us, we've had something going on every day and evening! Justin wants to participate in the Run Club at school (Tuesdays), goes to gymnastics on Wednesdays, and now is joining Chess Club on Thursdays. Add to that his growing circle of friends in the new neighborhood and play dates! He's got a full social calendar! It's nice to see him so willing to join and try new things, so we aren't saying no. I feel like just as we settle into a routine, things change and we start over!

Anyway, that's my rambling for tonight. I can't believe it is already the end of another week. Here's to some relaxation this weekend! Thanks for looking :)

More Fall Cards

When I had all the supplies out from the previous post's card, I went ahead and made these as well. This time, I added the bird punch and used the leaf dies from the Cuttlebug collection. The backgrounds are embossed with the fall embossing folder, too. On all of these cards I used Marigold Morning and True Thyme - how are those colors for a blast from the past? Old, I know, but I still love them and have a bit of each left. However, I did get my new SU! order yesterday with the new colors of ink and papers, so I may put the old back on the shelf for a bit.

I have tons of card ideas floating through my head, but I swear Carter has a sixth sense about me. Whenever I stop chores and decide to sit in my craft room, he wakes up. I'm going to have to get in the habit of sneaking up there after the boys are in bed to have any quality blocks of crafting time. But that will mean no quality time with hubby. Hmmmmm, what to do?

Here's hoping you are all having a good day. Thanks for looking!

A New Use for Mulberry Paper

I've seen everyone making such beautiful layered flowers with fabric, patterned paper, tissue, etc. I found some old mulberry paper in my piles of stuff and decided to give it a try myself. I used some orange and some brown mulberry paper, and cut out several sizes of Nesties Blossoms Two shapes. There are 6 layers of each size, attached with a fancy brad in the center. In real life, it just pops off the page! It will definitely need a padded envelope and extra postage, but it's worth it.

I was in the mood to make a fall card, and scrounged up my last scraps fo this Crate Paper striped pp. Not that I don't have new fall paper to use (I found an entire paper caddy of pp that I never unpacked!). I eked out a few of the rick rack shape (die from MFT) and used the rest of it on some cards I'll show tomorrow.



I hope you had a beautiful weekend. It's been gorgeous weather-wise for us. We had a huge yard sale Saturday, so my crafting time was cut out last week, and hubby was out of town all week. Yesterday, he let me take a few hours to hole up in my craft room and I cranked out several cards. I'm hoping to catch up with all the laundry today and be able to sneak back up during naptimes. Wish me luck!

Thanks for looking!

Now That's A LOT of Pumpkins!

Normally, I don't make Halloween cards. A few weeks ago, though, I gathered all my orange, black, purple and green supplies and dug out the few Halloween stamps I have. Here is one of the cards I made. The pumpkins are from a Studio G dollar set and are embossed with Zing EP in Apricot. Love that embossing powder!! The sentiment is also from a dollar set. I even mailed the few Halloween cards I did make! How about that?

Here's a close-up of the embossed pumpkins:



Today, I hope to get some cards made for the Hope You Can Cling To challenges at Splitcoast. I am way behind and don't know if I'll be able to complete all of them by the deadline of Nov 7. That would mean creating 27 unique cards in 7 days? What do you think? Maybe if it wasn't Halloween weekend and I didn't have 2 kids...

Have a good day! Thanks for looking!