Be My Valentine, Color Challenge Style

The SCS color challenge this week was Soft Suede, Red Riding Hood and Elegant Eggplant. Turns out I have a partial pack of Eggplant and a new pack of Red Riding Hood in my stash of papers. I put this together rather quickly this morning, and I have other ideas for this combo rolling around my brain.

The dessert option for the color challenge was to use nesties or die cuts in a new way. I simply cut a Classic Scallop Circle and a slightly smaller Inverted Scallop Circle and layered them. I think I need to pierce or put bling in the little spaces it created, though.

That's about all I have for you today. DH has been out of town since Saturday morning, so I'm wiped out by the time the kids are in bed and I get the kitchen cleaned up. At least Carter has been taking good naps and I have a little break in the day. We've also been heading to the gym at least 5 mornings a week. Gotta keep busy. If only he would play quietly while I craft, instead of pulling out all my ribbons and whatever else he can reach!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Inspired by Petunia Pickle Bottom

For the Inspiration Challenge at SCS on Saturday, we had to choose an item from Elizabeth's Embellishments and use it as our springboard. I chose this diaper backpack by Petunia Pickle Bottom. I love it! The card is a combination of black and So Saffron, the damask stamp is embossed with clear embossing powder, and the buckle is from SU! The sentiment is a Class A Peels sticker that I put on the ribbon. Very simple, but I love how this card turned out. I almost covered the damask in Fun Flock, but since I haven't played with my Fun Flock yet, I didn't want to totally screw it up. Maybe in the next version...

Have a good week everyone! I hope to be back with more :) Thanks for looking!

One Sheet Card

Finally, I'm finding some time to sneak in to my craft room and create again! It has been so long, and I have a pile of new toys to play with that I don't know where to begin. For ideas this week, I headed over to Splitcoast Stampers and checked out the daily challenges. On Thursday, for the Ways to Use It challenge, we were to use only one sheet of card stock, and no patterned papers! Here is my take on the challenge. I used a piece of Vintage Violet cs, which I still love and have quite a bit of. I stamped the card with the Linen background stamp from SU! in Versamark just to give some interest. The butterflies are cut using the Embosslits die and the Cuttlebug. The sentiment is an old stamp of mine, and I am not even sure of the brand. It was one of my first and still one of my favorite sentiments. Finally, I added three tiny black pearls under the sentiment.

We upgraded our home pc to a MAC today, and I can't wait to play with the photo editing software we had put on. I will now be able to access my photos from my laptop using our home network and everything will be stored in one place. I am so excited! I also registered for Stamping Around TX today, and am looking forward to a getaway just for ME!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend. Thanks for looking!

Color Challenge Friends Card

This is the most I have stamped in a long time. I mean actually putting the ink to the rubber - many of the cards I've made in the last week or so have included assembling elements like die cuts. The Color Challenge on SCS today was Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Blush Blossom and an option of Creamy Caramel or Close to Cocoa. I chose to add the Creamy Caramel and layered it all on top of Very Vanilla. The floral layer was created by stamping the flowers from Vintage Vogue onto the Blush cs since I didn't have any dp in the right colors. The F is stamped in Cameo Coral on Blush Blossom and so is the sentiment. I stamped the small flower in Ruby Red and cut it out twice to add some dimension.

I had Carter to the doctor this morning for his re-check after being sick, and he still has some crackling in his lungs. That means another week on the nebulizer, which in turn means another week of cruddy sleep. I think I want a nanny just so I can go take a nap and hand him off when he is cranky! He's also been VERY hungry lately and to top it off, I think his teeth are finally going to come in. Fun fun fun!

I hope you are all having a good day. Thanks for looking!

Mom, Don't Look!

This card combines the F4A7 challenge at SCS (it used to be the Limited Supply challenge), the sketch from Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch 116, and the EONAC 12 to use up scraps. Who doesn't have scraps? I save every last bit of paper and am embarrassed to see how big my scrap stash really is. It's fun to go through the stash and try to remember what the original project was. Sometimes I think, "Oh, yeah, I loved that card." And sometimes "Oh, WHAT was I thinking?"

The papers here were sent to me in a swap a looong time ago, and the base is Rose Red. The letters are from MFT's Bling Bet and are decorated with Liquid Pearls. They are mounted on circles and Blossom One die cuts. I realize the Blossom layers should have been a lighter color to make them stand out a little more, but it's done.

We have had quite a week around here and are looking forward to a quiet weekend. I hope you have a good one! Thanks for looking!

Spring Tulips

Today's Color Challenge at SCS included my absolute favorite, Certainly Celery, combined with Melon Mambo and Bashful Blue. I had one last sheet of Delicate Dots dp from last year's Sale-a-Bration and used part of it to make the mat. That will be the first paper pack that I have used every bit of when this last sheet is gone. I may make a few more of this card to use it up. I love this stamp, an old one from PSX. I think it was one of my first stamp purchases and it just makes me happy. Usually, I color the tulips different colors, but today they are all Melon Mambo and they make me smile.

The ribbon is Melon Mambo also and the base is Certainly Celery. I left off a sentiment so that the focus is on the flowers. Have a great day and thanks for looking!

Happy Birthday, DH!

I made this card for the Ways to Use It Challenge on Thursday over at SCS, but couldn't post it because DH actually looks at my blog! I had such fun making this card, using a website listed on my son's school site. It's Spelling City and you can make all kinds of word games using your own lists of words!

The papers are from my scrap pile, CTMH, maybe? The brads are Making Memories Antique Copper Squares and I used my star and circle punches. On the puzzle, I popped up the letters of Happy Birthday with foam dots. They just happened to be the exact size of the punched circles. Love when that happens!

Have a good day everyone! Thanks for looking!

It's A Faux Party!

I made this for TLC262. The challenge was to make a shaped mat without using Nesties! Yikes! It has been AGES since I completed an SCS challenge, and posted something new to my gallery.

The image panel and mats are made with the Fiskars Upper Crest Border punch. I started with a 3.5" Kraft square, then a 3" green square, then a 2.5" white square. The cupcake is stamped with Soft Suede and Aquamarine (Cat's Eye). The sentiment is punched with the Word Window Punch, then mounted on a Modern Label punch, then mounted on a strip that was edged with the Fiskars punch again. I added Stickles to the cupcake top and candle flames. The Heidi Grace dp was on the top of my scrap pile from last week, so I grabbed that. It is from 2007 and probably not available any more, but is so pretty! I will get every last bit out of that one sheet - I have enough for one or two small cards left. Gift tags, maybe?

Have a good rest of the week! Thanks for looking!

A Lost Cause-a-Bella

I sat down to make this card last night and realized that I have lost my Causabella stamp. I makes me crazy to think that I have lost anything, so I'm going to have to tear my room apart to look for her over the next week. But hey, it needs a good clean anyway! After I gave up the search last night and went to bed, I realized that I had a few sheets of the image stamped off, so got back to work today.

This card almost consolidates 2 challenges from the past week. Kerry's sketch from Three Clovers Designs, the Girlie theme from SCS Limited Supplies Challenge. {ETA: I just realized that the LSC was to use NO patterned paper unless it was made with stamps. So I'm not as far ahead of the game as I thought :(} The dp is from Perhaps by BG and the cardstocks are Pretty in Pink and Sahara Sand from SU! The hardware is also SU and the pearls are from my stash.

Since I've been making cards as needed lately (if I have the time), this one is headed out in the mail tomorrow to an aunt of mine who is undergoing radiation for breast cancer. Between DH's and my families, we have 3 aunts currently undergoing treatment for various cancers. Please keep them in your thoughts! We went from no family history to this in less than 6 weeks!

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. Carter is sleeping in his bouncy chair right now and I'm thanking him for taking a nap so I could play in my craft room! I took Justin to a "Touch-a-Truck" event this morning and we had fun while Carter hung out with Daddy. So this afternoon was a little time for ME! Imagine...

Thanks for looking!

Wedded Bliss

Yesterday's SCS Sketch was an easy one, and I needed a wedding card. Here is the result. I'm not sure if it's the final card I will give the happy couple, but I have a few weeks before the big day to change my mind. I used Basic Grey Periphery dp in Cork, and some BG Periphery die cuts. The yellow ribbon is from Ribbons and Bow, Oh My! Pearls are Queen and Co. I also added a strip of embossed gray and trimmed around the embossing (Frills edge folder and Cuttlebug).

I'm headed off for a weekend with some girlfriends and can't wait to leave tomorrow! So today I have to get the house cleaned up for the boys. What I really want to do is take a nap, and I might try to convince DS to do that after lunch. Wish me luck. Thanks for looking!

Gerber Inpired CAS23

This week's CAS challenge is to choose an image from Art.com and use it as inspiration. Here's the image I chose: Three Gerberas. Of all the challenges posted in a week, this is one of my favorites of all. The base of my card is Kraft, and the green layer is a sheet of Making Memories from a Christmas dp pack. The flower stamp is unknown, and I know it's not really a gerber daisy, but it worked! The colors are Summer Sun, Cameo Coral and Rose Red. The white panel is scored to make a frame and I also scored the Kraft layer on either side of the sentiment. The sentiment is from MFT.

Almost time to pick up DS from camp. Hopefully he'll want to craft later and I can get more done! Have a good afternoon and 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!

Anniversary Hearts CC225

Looking ahead in my calendar, I saw that the wedding anniversary of DH's father and step-mother is next week. I used Splitcoast Stampers CC225 as an inspiration. It is hard to see the saffron panels - it says "love" in the lower right corner, but it shows up on the navy panel. The DP is from the BG Boxer pad. The sentiment in the frame is MFT. Hardware is from We R Memory Keepers.

I'm keeping it short and sweet today. It's hot and I'm sleepy this afternoon. We'll see if DS will read some books or play while I catch a nap. Have a good one, everyone! Thanks for looking!

Krafty Teacher

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my son's school. I think it's everywhere, but I always wait until the last minute to do anything. This is the card I made for DS's teacher, who is really very sweet. This is her first year teaching and I think the Kindergarten class really gives her a run for her money!

For inspiration, I used the Ways to Use It Challenge on SCS and the sketch challenge on Stamps and Smiles blog. The image is Teachabella and after coloring it I realized I colored the space between her shirt and arms. Oh well, a chubby Bella! The sentiment is SU! stamped in Tangerine Cat's Eye chalk ink. The ribbon is from my stash and I found that button that matched almost perfectly! The dp is from DCWV.

Well, I'm off to the couch for Thursday night TV. If the stamping gods are with me, I'll be back again tomorrow with another creation. Thanks for looking!

Clean and Simple Monday

This week's Clean and Simple challenge at SCS was to copy a sketch. Why is it so hard to make a truly clean and simple card? I feel like this is missing something. The base is Kraft and the cirlces are punched with scraps and are popped up for dimension. The stamps are from Little Layers Plus, New Beginnings and Announcements, stamped in Close to Cocoa.

So clean and simple there's not much else to say. This week is Teacher Appreciation week at DS's school, so I have to make some cards for his teachers. I forgot all about it.

I hope you all had a good weekend. Despite the rain, we had fun. Saturday morning we took DS to a children's theater show of If You Give a Pig a Pancake and other stories. They performed mini-musicals of 6 children's books and he loved it! Yesterday, we had friends over for dinner and I'm exhausted! Today is rainy again, so it's a great day to stay in and stamp (and maybe get all the ironing done!). Thanks for looking!

Celebrate WT216

I decided to participate in some challenges this week, and here is today's. It's the SCS Ways to Use It challenge. This week, the challenge was to use Basic Black. I love how the color pops against a black background. The stamps is from Lexicon of Love and the paper is from a Story of Us pad I picked up a while ago. I don't even remember where I got it, but the papers are gorgeous mixes of black, vanilla, gray and blue. I colored the brads with a black Sharpie, since I only had silver ones. The flowers are from my stash and the ribbon is black silk from May Arts.

Since getting more organized in my craft room this week, I have noticed just how much stuff I have. I'm going to try not to bring anything new into the collection for a while. Hopefully I can whittle down the stuff over the next few months making baby announcements and thank you cards and such. Wish me luck! Thanks for looking!