Be still ...

Happy Sunday, friends.   Lately, I haven't been all that enthused about blogging so I'm making a bit of a change to my blogging style to see if it works for me.  Today's card is one that I think would make a beautiful gift set.  In fact, I think I'm gonna whip up a few more using the other fab prints in Damask Designs when I'm done here.  The reality that the house is clean(ish), empty, and quiet is also a motivating factor to hide & stamp.  LOL
 

All Supplies PTI unless otherwise noted:

Paper:  solar white (Neenah), Damask Designs

Stamps:  Daydreamer, Happy Trails, and Plain Jane (Verve)
Ink:  Stick Candy (Jenni Bowlin), lilac and purple (Memento)

Other:  white grosgrain ribbon, Happy Trails & Mat Stack 3 die, Spica glitter pen

So, what do you think about the CAS approach to blogging?  Thanks to all of my followers and those of you who leave comments for me.  It puts such a smile on my face to know that you took the time to leave me some love.  {{hugs}}

spring tulips

Of all the Friendship Jar Fillers, this image is possibly my absolute favorite, yet my greatest challenge.  Man, these flowers are NOT easy to colour.  I think know I spent more time Copic-ing than I did making the rest of the card.  But, my only regret is that I didn't have a Happy Mother's Day sentiment that fit the Jar Label die. 

The embossed border is a Stampin' Up folder that I had ordered yet never used.  It is so perfect with the gorgeous bouquet of tulips.  Don't you think?  This is definitely a card that I will be recreating in the near future. 

Thanks for dropping by!

April Showers ....

Hello again!  I've been bad.  My "to be inked" stamp pile is getting out of control which means only one thing.  I need to frantically get stamping before April 14th.  Today's newbie is one that I've been wanting for ages.  I just LOVE the umbrellas in Scattered Showers when you paper piece them.  The little guy is Emery from Verve.  Isn't he precious?  So, here's the card and the deets follow.

Stamps:  Scattered Showers (PTI), Emery (Verve)

Paper:  Crumb Cake (SU), Aqua Mist, White (PTI), Hopscotch (BG)

Ink:  Pumice & Broken China Distressed Inks, VersaMark

Other:  Spellbinders dies, rick rack trim, clear EP

I had a bit of an oops with the sentiment.  The first blue I chose was too light for the kraft base.  When I tried to stamp over it with a darker ink, it wasn't quite perfect.  Oh well.  The shadowing looks kinda intentional to me.  LOL  Then again, I may just have to cut & stamp a cute tag to go over top.  When I have time that is. 

Thanks for dropping by.

Irish Bingo

Happy Thursday!  After blog surfing last week, I realized that there were a few stamps in It's Official that were seriously unloved.  But, it's not my fault.  You see, I'm not a bingo person.  I don't know any bingo people.  So, guess which stamp had yet to see ink?  I'm clearly still in a St. Patty's Day frame of mind so I grabbed Luck of the Irish to complement what any game player needs - luck.

I covered the entire cardbase with a fun BasicGrey print from the Hopscotch collection.  If you're a cardmaker who only buys BG paper in the 12 x 12 sheets, you should check out their 6 x 6 paper pads.  I love that they are the same great prints, but perfectly scaled for smaller projects.  The packs are big (36 sheets, 18 prints) but you use them SO quickly and they're cheap too.  Now if only my LSS would get the Marjolaine pad back in stock ... 

Thanks for visiting and for leaving me some love below.  I appreciate it!


Supplies:
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah), Hopscotch (BasicGrey)
Stamps:  It's Official, Luck of the Irish (both PTI)
Ink:  Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake (SU), Worn Lipstick Distress Ink (Ranger), Tea Dye Duo (PTI), blue, brown, & yellow stars (all Memento)
Other:  2 way glue pen, crystal glitter (MS)

fyi ... flutterby friend

I am always excited to find a new source of inspiration or a challenge to get me in a crafty frame of mind.  Last week, I discovered a brand new challenge blog called For Your Inspiration when visiting one of the uber-talented ladies in my PTI blog group.  Each week FYI gives you a photo that should jumpstart the old mojo.  This week, the challenge was to use this:

A few months ago I was crazy desperate to get my hands on Flutterby Friend.  Well, do you think I've used it once since it came home to roost?  I love that all of the images are open outlines just waiting to be coloured or paper pieced.  The FYI photo of the week is such a contrast in textures and colours, but I focused on the soft and sweet aspect instead.

And a close up on the star of the show:  

 

Isn't this little fella adorable?!?  I usually include a supply list, but time's short, it's late, and I need to get to bed.  Sorry.  LOL.  Thanks Keva for introducing me to yet another colour challenge website.  And congratulations on winning last week's challenge.  You deserved it!!

absolutely, fabulous

I'm surprised at myself these days.  Lately, a card just doesn't seem "done" to me unless I've added some sparkle.  I wanted to try out the Delightful Doilies from last month's release and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I'm not one to lean towards the vintage look, but it seems as though that's where I ended up anyways.  Now, on to the main event:

Paper: Solar White (Neenah), New Leaf, Aqua Mist

Stamps: Say It With Style, Delightful Doilies

Ink: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, and Wild Wasabi (SU), Tea Dye Duo

Other: punch (SU), crystal glitter (Martha Stewart)

Have a fabulous day, Friends.
 

my all star

Well, hello again.  So, did you remember to set your clocks forward last night?  Every year I am SO paranoid that I'll forget.  Thank heavens for my alarm clock which automatically springs forward and falls back all on its own.  (Thank you Sony).  I've sorely depeleted my stash of cards to give away, and have been trying to fill that box back up.  The baby card mojo has been free flowing lately, but I need to focus on making masculine cards.  Like this one.

The patterned papers are from BasicGrey's Marjolaine collection (you must be getting sick of this stuff.  I use it on almost everything.) and two of my favorite PTI colours, Spring Moss and Rustic Cream.  The card base was impressed with the Woodgrain plate, then I used a foam blender and some Pumice Distress Ink, to bring out the impression.  Of all the Fillable Frames, this is my favorite.  I stamped the frame in Baja Breeze (SU)and the sentiment in Pear Tart (Memento) and Pumice before I stuck it on with foam dots. 

Hope you like.  Hope you have a great rest of the weekend.  And, I hope you'll drop by for another visit.  Happy Sunday!
 

crazy rejects

A couple of us in the Papertrey Posse decided to try our hand at some of the crazy sketches put out during the last Paper Crafts call.  Well, here's my take on Sketch #35.  Thanks Becky for the challenge.  This card is pretty much all Papertrey products.  I had planned a wedding cake type card, but really wanted to use some fun and bright colours.  The cake layers are impressed with the In Bloom plate and I switched out the top layer of squares for candles.

The last one that I wanted to share is one of my least favorites of the lot.  I can't remember which sketch I used, but I did flip it to make the layout in my head work.  For this one, I combined dies from Papertrey, Lawn Fawn stamps, and glitter (yes, I used more glitter) to create this sparkly number.

I can't remember all the details, so I won't even try.  Thanks for dropping by and I promise, no more rejects.  On to cards I like and can't wait to share.  My March Challenge card should be up and ready for tomorrow.  Hope you come by and check it out.  Or better yet, why not play along with this month's challenge.

Have a fantastic evening.

viva la verve

Happy Monday!!  To make up for lost stamping time, I spent most of this weekend working with sketch layouts for the Viva La Verve challenges.  Since I was late getting last week's done, I decided that I would just do weeks 1 & 2 at once.  So, sit back, relax and enjoy!

These were the two sketches I was working with:

 

And here are my takes on the first two sketches for February.



VLVFeb2011 - Week 1



Details: 

Paper:  damask print (SU), aqua mist (PTI), solar white (Neenah)

Stamps:  Kind Words (Verve), Fancy Flourishes (PTI)

Ink:  VersaMark

Other:  white seam binding (Hug Snug), C3 (Copic), silver EP (AC), large circles (Nesties), limitless layers (PTI)

 

VLVFeb2011 - Week 2



Details:

Paper:  rustic cream & enchanted evening (PTI),

dictionary print (SU), cork (unknown)

Stamps:  Upsy Daisy (SU), Butterfly Dreams (PTI)

Ink:  new sprout, rhubarb & london fog (Memento), tea dye duo (PTI)

Other:  book print impression plate, butterfly dreams, & notebook die (PTI), baker's twine

A big thanks to the ladies at Verve for two great sketches.  I can't wait to see what they have in store for week three. 

And an even bigger thanks to you all for dropping by.  I love having company and reading your comments really makes my day.  {{hugs}}

Have a blessed day.

January Blog Hop

New Year's Resolution

With the new year comes a clean slate along with many resolutions. This month's blog hop challenge involves you challenging yourself to use a Papertrey stamp set that has yet to see ink or even one that might be collecting a little dust! Go through your stash and see what little used treasure it might hold. 2011 is the year where what's old is new again!

This month's challenge was a bit of a challenge because I didn't know which set to use.  Yes, I have lots of sets that need to be inked up.  Saturday was a glorious snow day so I made two cards for this month's hop.  I think a personal challenge for the year will be to ink them all before ordering more.  HA!  That should last until 11:59 PM Feb. 14th.  Then all willpower seems to go straight out the window. 

First Set:  All Star

 

I needed a card for my teenaged nephew and I just know that cutesy Tiny Treats or heartsy everything else would not work for him.  So, I zeroed in on one of his great loves, soccer.  Even though this Valentine doesn't say I love him, he knows that I really am one of his biggest fans.

Second Set:  Little Bitty Bird

Can I just say that Audrey was absolutely right.  She told me I'd love this set and oh how I do.  In fact, I've got another idea rattling around in my head just dying to get out.  Hopefully I won't forget before I find time to hide out in my craft room. 

This year, I'm aiming to participate in all 12 Blog Hop's.  Wish me luck!!  Thanks for stopping by.  Follow along if you like what you see, and hopefully I'll see you next month, if not sooner. 

Happy Hopping!!

Catch-Up Time

This month, Sarah has posted a couple of great challenges for January over on our group blog. After checking out Debbie's post today, I was inspired to finish the cards on my table and get them uploaded tonight in one photo laden post. 

Challenge #1 - The One Layer Card

Keeping it simple and one layer is a bit of a challenge for me.  I decided to layer some Lemon Tart with a pale green woodgrain print.  Then, I used Turning a New Leaf and some clear embossing powder to create my leaf pattern.  To bring it out, I used some green Memento inks and the Tea Dye duo inks and a sponge blender to add depth and definition.
 

Fillable Frames #10 provided the cutout and frame around one of my favorite sentiments from Signature Greetings.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with this.

Challenge #2 - The Black Base Card

Isn't this adorable.  It's amazing what you can do when you start with a funky piece of ribbon.  I combined the butterfly from Baby Button Bits, a sentiment from Spring Tags, and the Take Three die for this little gem.  I'm a little hooked on Crystal Effects and had to gloss up the wings just for fun. 

Hope you like it!

life is good

In keeping with my 2011 goal to get published, I'm trying to submit, submit, submit to at least one magazine call per month.  This card was done for CARDS Magazine's call for their June 2011 edition.  Since it didn't get picked up, I thought I'd post it here.  Of the four I sent them, this is one of my favorites so I thought I'd share it with you first.  I just love the sparkly coconuts.

Not much else to say other than, thanks for dropping by.  Gotta run the car over to the dealership for a little bit of work.  Stay tuned for the remaining rejects to hit my blog.  They are actually pretty good, if I do say so myself.  Later!!

Supplies:
Paper:  solar white (Neenah, spring rain (PTI), cork (unknown)
Stamps: palm tree, surfboards, Life is Good sentiment all from Relax set (Verve)
Inks: tuxedo black, VersaMark, cranberry (ColorBox)
Other:  green felt (PTI), black detail EP (Stampendous), book print impression plate (PTI), labels three (Spellbinders), rhinestones (Studio 18), (BG10, BG23, R17, R59) Copics

PTI Blog Hop - Holiday Leftovers

December's Challenge: 

It's that time again for our annual holiday leftovers challenge! Use scraps of wrapping paper, parts of holiday cards, recycle gift tags or bits of ribbon on a paper crafting project. We all have plenty of it laying around after all the holiday excitement and this is your chance to incorporate some of those pretty little things into an amazing piece of art!

You know you're addicted to stamping when someone hands you a present and your first though is, "Oooh.  That paper would be gorgeous on a card."  However, when your second thought is, "YES!!  There's at least 6 yards of ribbon." and you start to happy dance in your head, it's time to get help.  Or prepare to hop, PTI style.

I created an assymetrical frame using a print from The Girl's Paperie that I used for Christmas cards.  The green flower was die cut from a linen textured wrapping paper using Beautiful Blooms #1.  I tucked in a few snippets of the gold ribbon from the same gift instead of making real leaves.  The final step was to put it all on a Pure Poppy scallop base.  Or so I thought. 

 

This card just wasn't doing it for me so I grabbed some rustic cream cardstock, my woodgrain impression plate, and a little tea dye duo.  Et, voila!  C'est fini. 

Now this card works.  Hope you like it.

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted)
Paper:  spring rain, pure poppy, rustic cream, print (the girl's paperie),
Sentiment:  Kind Words (Verve)
Ink:  Rich Cocoa (Memento), Tea Dye Duo
Embellishments:  beautiful blooms die, lemon tart button, rustic button twine
Other:  woodgrain impression plate, large scallop & circle Nestabilities

P.S. I Love You

The minute I saw this week's Play Date Cafe colour challenge I thought of PTI's Beautiful Blooms patterned paper stack.  I absolutely love this paper and was thrilled to have a reason to pull it out again.  I got a few new-to-me stamp sets in the mail this week, so I immediately decided to ink up Love Songs.

It's funny how quickly a card can come together when you start with something you love.  Hopefully I can put some more of this to good use.  I've finally started my bookmark and book plate gift sets for Christmas and think this would be perfect.  Be sure to come back soon.  I'll be posting the set I did for my littlest nephew shortly.  Until then, happy stamping!

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted)

Paper - Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, & Beautiful Blooms, Solar White (Neenah)

Stamps - Love Songs & Everyday Button Bits

Ink - Fresh Snow, Black Staz-On

Other - white EP (Stampendous), Labels 3 (Nesties), Ocean Tides buttons, Button Twine

Vintage Picnic revisited

The second stamp for Bethie's challenge this week was a personal favorite of mine, Vintage Picnic. This card was done a few months ago for a Paper Crafts mag fall call, but wasn't picked up. Nevertheless, I love the fall colours in it and thought it deserved it's 15 seconds of fame. Hope you like it as much as I do.



Thanks for dropping by. And if you like what you see, feel free to follow me. I've got lots of great Christmas cards to share with you over the next few weeks! Not to mention, I don't always remember to post updates in the PTI forum.

Details:
Paper - white (Neenah), rust & dark grey (Bazzill), print (SU)
Stamps - Vintage Picnic (PTI), Forever in Our Hearts (Verve)
Colouring Mediums - all inks (Memento), PrismaColor pencils
Other - circle punch (EK), ribbon & button (from my stash), floss (DMC)

September Parade of Blogs

Our challenge was to ink up a never been used set or to dig out one that we've been neglecting. Admit it ladies, we've ALL got one or two of those in our craft rooms. This card uses a lot of fabulous products from the Papertrey Ink July release that I haven't been motivated to put to good use. So, I'm finally introducing the Just the Ticket set to ink.



Can I tell you that I am crazy about the emboss-resist technique? This time I paired it with one of my PTI favorites, Text Style II to create antique paper. The note paper was die cut & stamped with the lines from the It's Official set and inked to soften the edges. To give the focal image a little oomph, I folded one ticket underneath and pop-dotted it to the sentiment. This makes the Just a Note ticket stand out from the notepaper.

Thanks for stopping by. And if you're inspired to get something new all inky, be sure to visit the challenge page and Mr. Linky your own entry. I'd love to see your handiwork. Catch ya later!!

Details:
Stamps: Just the Ticket, Text Style II, It's Official (all PTI)
Ink: VersaMark, Desert Sand, Rich Cocoa, Rhubarb Stalk, Summer Sky, Potter's Clay (Memento)
Paper: kraft & light blue (SU), white (Neenah)
Other: clear embossing powder, sponge daubers, spiral notebook & ticket border dies (PTI), satin ribbon (from my stash)

Back to School

Do you ever make cards and have no clue what they're for or who to give them to? Well, this is one of those. After seeing Dawn McVey's July countdown creation here where she made a happy yellow measuring tape, I had to copy that element for myself. It's pretty clear that I had going back to school on the brain when I stamped this a few weeks ago.



I love the chalkboard look, but wanted a classier twist. Instead of using my go-to set of Text Style II, I chose a retired SU background that has the bold, old-world look. As a former French teacher, I thought it was very appropriate. I also love how the swirls mirror the damask peeking out from under the twill.



I intentionally left the license plate blank so I can pick an appropriate sentiment when I'm ready to send the card. Unless I forget. Which has about a 95% chance of happening. But if (when) I do, hopefully the recipient won't notice. And if they do? I hope I never find out! LOL

Have a great one, guys!!

Details:
Stamps: Enjoy the Ride, It's Official (PTI), French Script (SU)
Ink: Rich Cocoa, Bamboo Leaves, Cottage Ivy, and Pear Tart (Memento)
Paper: More Mustard (SU), Solar White (Neenah), damask print (MME), Harvest Gold (PTI)
Other: cream twill tape, clear embossing powder, car die (PTI)

Impress-ive Petite Challenge #7

The first petite challenge of the month was all about making impressions. Letterpress seems to be all the rage these days, so I decided to use Spellbinders' Impressabilities and a little Fresh Snow ink to create this fab letterpress-inspired background.



To create the window, I lined the opening with a larger cut out of an acetate transparency. After carefully stamping the sentiment, I heat set the ink. At this point, smudges would've killed me. LOL

The felt flower was cut using the Beautiful Blooms #1 dies. A folded insert was the final touch so my handwritten greeting wouldn't be visible through the window.

Hope you'll drop by the Posse blog and give this petite challenge a whirl for yourself!

Details
Cardstock - pink passion (SU), white (Neenah)
Stamp - Twinkle, Twinkle (Verve)
Ink - fresh snow (PTI), black (Staz-on)
Other - Labels 3 and Diamonds & Stars (spellbinders), flower dies (PTI)

happy thoughts

It's hard to think of smiling when my summer vacation is officially over. I can't complain though: it's been FANTASTIC!! So, instead of moping I'm channelling positive thoughts about the upcoming school year & wishing all my teacher friends an equally fantastic year. Now, excuse me while I go enjoy the last long weekend of the summer!!

Details:
Cardstock - plum pudding (PTI), white (Neenah), green (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper - Kioshi collection (BasicGrey)
Stamps - Up, Up, & Away and Polka Dots II (both PTI)
Ink - VersaMark, sweet plum, tuxedo black, & summer sky (Memento)
Other - clear embossing powder (Stampendous), ribbon (unknown)

Happy for You

Just a quick post. I've been stamp-happy lately and getting lots accomplished on the cardmaking front. There's such a freedom in simply using what you're inspired to use and letting the mojo have free reign.

I love this combination of old and new prints. This fun & happy card started with the daisy print from BasicGrey's green at heart collection (I {heart} BasicGrey). The fab summer dress was pieced from the Egg Drop Soup collection by Jillibean Soup. The picnic plaid is a retired K&Co print from their Sea Glass collection.

Hope you like it!!

Stamps - dress (Crescendoh), sentiment (Enjoy the Ride - PTI)
Ink - fresh snow (PTI), rhubarb stalk & tuxedo black (memento)
Paper - yellow (SU), green onions (JS), plaid (K&Co), emerald (BG)
Tools - med. scallop die (PTI), labels three (nesties), sponge daubers