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}}

all things grow with love

Happy Saturday! Now that the Paper Crafts call has closed and submission notices have gone out, I can share the first of five cards that weren't picked up. I won't call them rejects because frankly, I think they're pretty darn good. I had a bit of a "oh darn, it's crooked" moment when I stuck down the mat. Which was followed by a heat-gun fueled removal which caused one corner not to stay stuck flat for long. Unfortunately, I just realized the lifting corner today when loading the pic. I wonder if the editors saw it?  LOL

Oh how I love the weekend. Even if it's rainy, grey, and I've got a wicked migraine ... I'm still in jammies, not at work, and have a stack of good books and blogs to keep me company. Absolute bliss, I tell ya.

Have a great rest of the weekend, peeps.




** all supplies Papertrey Ink, unless otherwise noted.

Paper:  Rustic Cream & Sweet Blush, Penny Candy print (Hopscotch collection from BasicGrey)
Felt: Fine Linen, Harvest Gold, and Ocean Tides
Stamps: To The Moon (Verve), “all things grow” sentiment from Everyday Button Bits
Ink: black (StazOn), Bahama Blue & Rose Bud (Tsunkineko)
Other:  Take 3 die, Double Ended banner die, spring and holiday vintage mix buttons, ecru floss (DMC)

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.

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

ribbons & bows

Am I the only crazy person who picks a ribbon then tries to design an entire card around it?  Well, that's what I did with this card and it took me forever.  Thankfully, this birthday card was for a very special friend of mine so I didn't mind spending the time to make it perfect.

I really like the In Bloom paper pack and am thinking that I should invest in the matching stamp set to create my own paper.  It would eventually pay for itself right?  I realized after the fact that the bow was way too big to fit into an envelope.  Lucky for me, my sweet friend lives nearby so I tucked the card inside the bag and hand delivered the gift.  

Not much else to say other than thanks for dropping by again.  It means a lot that people take the time to visit and comment.  And a big special thanks to my followers.  Wow ... when did I get up to 14?  I am humbled.  Really.

Have a great one!

Supplies (all PTI unless otherwise noted)
Paper:  In Bloom (print), spring moss, hibiscus burst (I think)
Stamps:  Plain Jane sentiment (Verve), BB: Retro
Ink:  tuxedo black (Memento), VersaMark
Other:  Tag Sale #1 die & Limitless Layers die set, ribbons (unknown)

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

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)

Give Thanks ...

This started out as my card for last month's Petite Challenge. But, when I finally found a sentiment that didn't cover up too much of the background, I realized that my card was better suited for the holiday. So, Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends! This one's for you! Enjoy your time with family and friends.



Details:
Paper - white (Neenah), terracotta tile (PTI), certainly celery (SU)
Stamps - French Foliage (SU), Verse (Verve)
Ink - all Memento
Other - Labels 14 (Nesties), Corner Chomper, ribbon (unknown)