"We do not remember days, we remember moments." Cesare Pavese

Thursday, May 31, 2012

thanks... ever so much!

Hello, friends!   Have a card today that I made using the current sketch from Retro Sketches, as well as the colors from CR84FN.  Haven't done a CR84FN challenge in ages.   Couldn't resist the beautiful color combo of lavendar, celery and grey.  I used a couple of older Hero Arts stamps for this one.



The tag for the card was die cut using my ODBD tag die and then stamped with the Hero Arts rose image using  SU! Certain Celery ink.  I stamped the flowers again using SU!'s Wisteria Wonder ink, colored them with a Copic marker and then trimmed them out.  A bit of lace from the Funkie Junkie was colored with a Copic Marker (T1) and added to the tag after I stamped the sentiment using London Fog ink.  To give a bit more interest to the card front I added a strip of white cardstock that was stamped with the Hero Arts Envelope Pattern background stamp using London Fog ink.  Some of the same lace was added to the bottom of that piece.   For additional interest I added a strip of embossed dots to the card base using a little strip embossing folder that I have had for ages and never used!  The tag was finished with some Certain Celery ribbon and bakers twine in the same Wisteria Wonder color.   As the lace I used is from the Funkie Junkie, I'm going to be popping this into the "Sunday Share" over at the Frilly and Funkie challenge blog.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; SU! Wisteria Wonder; Ink:  London Fog, Certain Celery & Wisteria Wonder; Ribbon:  SU! Certain Celery; Bakers Twine:  SU! Wisteria Wonder; Lace:   7/8 Venise Lace Trim; Copic marker; Die:  ODBD tag die

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Gettin' a Little Shabby...

Hello friends!  I have a shabby little card to share today and I hope that it passes muster with my sweet Kiwi friend, Sue.   This is my hope because you see Sue is quite adept at the shabby chic style of cardmaking and this week she is the hostess with the most-est over at Our Creative Corner.  Her choice of challenge?  Shabby chic, of course.  Now, when Sue made mention of the fact that she would be hosting an OCC challenge I mused in my comment on her blog that I should play along.   Well, Sue took me up on that little comment and challenged me to, and I'm quoting her, "see as much Shabby as you can possibly do, extend yourself and let go, shove CAS out the window, down the path and over the wall".   See, I love CAS and I'm not overly comfortable with layering things up and adding multiple embellishments.  Sue, on the other hand, finds creating CAS cards difficult and has no problem layering and embellishing.   I tried my best to add as many layers and embellishments as I could.  I hope that this card meet with Sue's approval.

I used some papers from the My Mind's Eye Ms. Caroline Howdy Doody 6x6 papers and a stamp set from the Stampin Up! called Apothecary Art that really lends itself to the shabby chic look.  I stamped the image using Rich Cocoa ink, colored the image with Copic makers and then die cut the image using the matching Sizzix Labels die.  All the edges of the paper and cardstock were distressed with a distressing tool.   A bit of lace was added to the bottom of the gingham strip and then I added all the roses, leaves and pearls.  I die cut the leaves from green felt for a more softer look.  I will be putting this card into the current Catered Crop challenge to use felt on your project, as well.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Vintage Cream; PP:  My Minds Eye; Stamps:  Stampin Up!; Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa; Felt:  My Favorite Things; Pearls:  Stampin Up!; Roses:  Prima and unknown; Lace:  unknown; Copic markers; Dies:  My Favorite Things Royal Leaves & Sizzix/Stampin Up! Labels dies

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sunday Evening Post...

Hello, friends!!   Hope everyone in the US is enjoying the long weekend.  Have a couple of cards to share.  I made one using the current colors from ColourQ, but missed out on getting it posted in time for the challenge and the current Deconstructed Sketch.  I'm not entirely happy with the card as I don't think I combined the colors very well, but that is the point of a challenge... to challenge yourself!   The stamps are from the Taylored Expressions limited edition set "Vintage Dreams", as well as another TE set "Make it Amazing".   The patterned paper and the brads are from one of my TE Key Ingredients kits -- March, I think.  The cardstock is PTI.  And I think I can officially say that I absolutely LOVE my Fishtail Flag Stax Die-namics dies from My Favorite Things.  They are the coolest dies evah!!  I couldn't figure out where to put a sentiment so I cut a fishtail flag using the smallest die in the set and stamped it with the sentiment from "Make it Amazing".  I clipped it to the larger fishtail flag using a mini binder clip that was embellished with a twine bow.



The second card is for the current The Craft's Meow sketch challenge.   The challenge lasts for the entire month, but for some reason I just can't seem to get my card done any earlier than several days before the challenge closes!   Anywhoo... for this card I used some really pretty papers from a Me & My Big Ideas 8x8 paper pad.  My sister-in-law gave me the pad for Christmas and for someone who knows nothing about papercrafting she managed to pick a really good one!  The stamps are from The Craft's Meow, of course, two different sets, Beautiful Spring and Thanks Bee to Thee.   The sentiment from Thanks Bee to Thee didn't fit on the fishtail flag I diecut, so I masked off the bottom portion and inked up only the "thanks".  Worked pretty good.  I stamped the large butterfly on some of the patterned paper using black ink and trimmed it out.  The smaller one was stamped on white cardstock using pink ink and trimmed out.  The two were then layered together and the rhinestone added.  I really like the very clean look of this card.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI - white & kraft; PP:  Echo Park This & That; Me & My Big Ideas; Stamps:  Taylored Expressions & The Craft's Meow; Brads:  Echo Park; Border punch:  EK Success

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Happiest Birthday...

Hello, again, friends!!  Saturday has slipped away in most of the world and will soon be gone in mine, as well, but I wanted to get this card posted before that happened.   This is for this week's Less is More challenge to make a card that is not square or rectangular in shape.   I recently got the  SU!/Sizzix Framelits Labels collection, as well as the SU! set Apothecary Art that coordinated with the Labels collection and thought I would make my card using both items.



I die cut the card from white cardstock, leaving just a smallish "hinge" at the top.  Next time I will make the "hinge" a bit larger (live and learn... ha!).   I then stamped the largest image from the Apothecary Arts set using Tuxedo Black ink and colored the image with Copic markers.  (I do not think I will be doing that again as it was actually a rather difficult image to color... at least for me!).  The image was then die cut using the corresponding die.  I created the purple mat by tracing the outside of the die on to cardstock, trimming it out and adhering it to the stamped piece.  I trimmed the mat down a bit more before adhering it to the card front with foam dimensionals.  The little banner portion of the image was stamped on white cardstock, trimmed out, the sentiment added and then adhered to the piece with foam dimensionals, as well.   I do like how it turned out.  I'm also going to be putting this into this week's Timeless Tuesday challenge to use a floral image on your card.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & plum pudding; Ink:  Tuxedo Black; Stamps:  Stampin Up!; Dies:  Stampin Up!; Copic Markers

ODBDSLC110.... A Color Challenge!!

Hello, friends!!!  Its Saturday and that means time for another ODBD Shining the Light challenge!!  This week the challenge is to use the colors of pink, black or grey and white or cream.  This challenge will be a two week challenge.  Before I get to my card I want to let you know about a great sale going on at the ODBD store this weekend!  All stamps with a patriotic theme (a list can be found on the blog) will be 20% off and shipping is free on all orders of $20.00 or more.  What a fantastic deal!!!   Just use the code MEMORIAL to get the 20% off.  Now... on to my card!

I went with a pink, grey & cream combo for my card.  I used some papers from the Glitz Design Pretty in Pink 6x6 pad.   The stamp set I used is the ODBD set Flourished Christian Symbols.   It is such a pretty set.    The flowers are a combination of a gardenia in pink and white from Irene's Garden and two pale pink roses that my super sweet teamie Sabrina sent me along with many other goodies!  The fishtail flag was created using my My Favorite Things Fishtail Flag Stax (those dies have fast become some of my favorites!!).   The cross image from the set was stamped on the patterned paper using Memento London Fog ink.  I also used London Fog for the sentiment.  

As with all ODBD challenges we will be giving out a prize, a $15 gift certificate to be used toward stamps at the Our Daily Bread Designs store!! Entries for the prize must be submitted by Friday, June 8th at 8 a.m. EST. One random winner will be chosen and announced  next Saturday. If you are not using ODBD stamps, please do not enter more than once. Additional entries that are made without using ODBD stamps will not be commented on nor will they qualify for prizes. While it is not required to use Our Daily Bread Designs images and sentiments on your creations, we would love to see them if you have them. As a way of recognizing those who do use Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, we will again be choosing 1 to 2 creations to spotlight for our Shining the Light Award. In order to qualify for this award, however, you must use Our Daily Bread stamps and have your submission added to Mr. Linky by Friday, June 8th at 8 a.m. EST. If you upload your creations to Splitcoaststampers or any other online gallery, please use the keyword is ODBDSLC110. When creating your posts on blogs please include a link to the challenge.


Thanks for stopping by....  please take some time to check out the beautiful projects created by my fellow "sticks" LoriJan MarieJanDebiKathy, Chris and Sabrina! To join in the fun, please click here.


Supplies:  Cardstock:  Bazzill pink; SU! grey; PTI Vintage Cream; PP:  Glitz Design; Flowers:  Irene's Garden & unknown; Dies:  My Favorite Things; Ink:  London Fog; Leaves:  Prima

Friday, May 25, 2012

TESC158

Hello friends!!!  I have some fun news to share that is tinged with a bit of sadness.   Several weeks ago I received the honor of being the "Top Chef" winner of the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge (#157).  Being picked as the "Top Chef" meant that I got the opportunity to be a guest designer for the next TE Sketch Challenge.  How fun is that and not a bit sad, either!   The reason there is a bit of sadness is because this week's TE Sketch challenge (#158) is the final TE Sketch Challenge (insert sad face).  Taylor (owner of Taylored Expressions) has decided to end her long running sketch challenge.  But don't be too sad because there is still a ton of fun to be had over at the Taylored Expressions blog!!  Taylor is ending her sketch challenge with a bang!  You can find out all the details here, but here a few details I want to share:

One winner from each sketch will receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store.

One lucky person who participates in ALL FOUR SKETCHES will receive a $40 gift certificate to the TE store!!



Now, on to my card.  I used the TE set Spring Tulips and one of the four sketches.  All the papers and card stock used are from my March TE Key Ingredients Kit.  I love those TE Key Ingredients kits!   I went with a fairly clean and simple interpretation of the sketch.  The tulip image was stamped on cream cardstock using Tuxedo Black ink, colored with Copic markers and then trimmed out.  The sentiment is from the TE set Creativ-Tea.

Thanks for stopping by and please make sure that you stop by the TE blog and play along with the final sketch challenge!   And please make sure to check out the blogs of the following TE designers:  Cassie Trask, Jami Sibley, Lisa Hjulberg, Lori Craig, Monika Davis, Rachel Sztonyk, Tracy Clemente, and Taylor VanBruggen


Thursday, May 24, 2012

ODBD For the Love of Hop... Celebrations!!

Welcome to Our Daily Bread Design's Alumni Team's bi-monthly For the Love Blog Hop. This week the Alumni team along with some of the ODBD designers are featuring a hop for the For the Love of ODBD Celebrations stamp sets! Check out each link and leave a comment. If you get lost along the way, go back to the ODBD blog for a full list of links. One of the post is a hop hot spot and a name will be drawn from that list of comments to win a $15 ODBD store gift certificate. So, all you have to do is hop along and see all the creations and leave a little love! You have until Wednesday, June 6th at 6 pm. Enjoy all the awesome inspiration using For the Love of ODBD Celebration sets!






Inside of card
Hey there!!  If you got here from the blog of the sweet and uber talented Betty, then you are on the right track.  If not, you will want to head back to the ODBD blog and start the hop from the beginning.  My card for the hop uses the lovely ODBD set "As You Graduate".  When I first saw that set I knew I needed to own it.  I love the beautiful scene of the garden path leading off into the trees.  The scene is perfect for creating cards for either boys or girls.  For my card I used some recently acquired papers from the Pebbles Fresh Goods collection.  I really liked the bright colors in the pack and felt they were perfect for a gender neutral graduation card.  The layout for the card is based on this week's Mojo Monday sketch.  I finished off the interior of the card with the verse from Psalm 20:4.   You next stop on the hop is the blog of the ever so sweet and talented Kathy.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  Bazzill; Stamps:  ODBD; Inks:  Stampin Up! Baja Breeze & Night of Navy; PP:  Pebbles Fresh Goods; Dies:  My Favorite Things Fishtail Flag Stax

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Button, Button...

Another weekend is gone and so is our good weather!  Back to yucky rain... oh well!  That's western Washington for you!   I have a card that is nice and bright to share.  I haven't done a Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger challenge in along time, but was really struck by the bright colors in the trigger photo and so decided to play along.  I'm also going to be putting this into the current CAS-ual Fridays challenge to use punches or dies.



Inside
My card is a take on a card I made that was published in the March 2012 issue of CardMaker magazine. Instead of using one color for the buttons as I did with the baby card, I used rows of buttons in the same colors as the cookies.  I then die cut the flower from white cardstock and added the rhinestone to the center to bring in the hint of sparkle you can see on the cookies.   I backed the white square with the dark grey cardstock to bring out the color of the buttons a bit more.    I decided to not put a sentiment on the front of the card, but instead finished off the interior with the sentiment.  I decided to stamp it using the new Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink making it a bit hard to see!  The sentiment says "Live in the sunshine" which I thought was very appropriate for the card.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & Smoky Shadow; Stamps:  Stampin Up! Pursuit of Happiness; Ink:  Ranger Squeeze Lemonade DI; Buttons:  DeNami Designs Tutti Frutti mix; Die:  PTI flower die; Rhinestone:  Want2Scrap

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Its a Boy!

{For my Shining the Light post click here}

Hello, again!  Saturday is almost done and I have another card to share.  This one works for several challenges:  Less Is More (Baby or Child - I went with Baby), Flourishes Timeless Tuesday (Use 3 of something starting with one letter.  I went with "b") and Sketchbook Saturday.



When I saw the LIM challenge this morning I was so thankful that last month I won a super cute baby set that was included in the April Flourishes release.  I was also thankful that Chupa's wonderful sketch this week would work perfectly for a CAS style card!  Since I'm still in my white on white with a pop of color mood I went with using just white and baby blue (one of my "b" items... the others are bow, buttons, baby & boy).  I cut a piece of PTI's Bitty Box Basics paper in Spring Rain and adhered it to my card front.  The fishtail flag was cut from PTI's white cardstock using the largest Fishtail Flag die from the MFT Fishtail Flag Stax set (I absolutely LOVE those dies!!) and adhered over the patterned paper.   Then I added the Spring Rain double stitched ribbon.  The onesie was stamped on the patterned paper using black ink, trimmed out and adhered to the card using foam dimensionals.  The sentiment was added using black ink followed by three little Spring Rain buttons.  I matted the white piece with some Spring Rain cardstock.   Pretty cute, don't ya think?

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & Spring Rain; PP:  PTI Bitty Box Basics; Stamps:  Flourishes Hello Baby; Ink:  Tuxedo Black; Buttons:  PTI Spring Rain; Ribbon:  PTI Spring Rain double stitch

ODBDSLC109... Gettin' Sketchy

Hello!!!  It is Saturday and that means time for another fabulous ODBD Shining the Light challenge!!!  Yay!!!  This week the challenge is to create your project based on a fabulous sketch!  I just love sketches... don't you??   For my card this week I used the newly released ODBD set Dreams.  I just love that set... the quotes are beautiful and it coordinates with the ODBD/Spellbinders exclusive Elegant Ovals dies!  What more could you ask for???  The papers I used are from the My Mind's Eye Paris & Co 6x6 pad.  All the cardstock is from PTI.  The sentiment was stamped on white cardstock using dark brown ink, die cut using the largest Elegant Oval die and then ink distressed with Old Paper DI.  The dove and olive branch from the set were stamped using dark brown and light blue inks, trimmed out and ink distressed, as well.  They were then popped up on the sentiment using foam dimensionals.  The larger oval shaped die (a Heartfelt Creations dies) was cut from Fine Linen cardstock, left in the die and embossed.  The oval sentiment piece was then placed inside as you see.  All the edges of the cardstock and patterned paper were distressed with a distressing tool before the card was assembled.  A strip of burlap ribbon was adhered to the card front (you can just see the edges of it peeking out).  A twine bow finished everything off.

 We will be giving out a prize, a $15 gift certificate to be used toward stamps at the Our Daily Bread Designs store!! Entries for the prize must be submitted by Friday, May 25th at 8 a.m. EST. One random winner will be chosen and announced  next Saturday. If you are not using ODBD stamps, please do not enter more than once. Additional entries that are made without using ODBD stamps will not be commented on nor will they qualify for prizes. While it is not required to use Our Daily Bread Designs images and sentiments on your creations, we would love to see them if you have them. As a way of recognizing those who do use Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, we will again be choosing 1 to 2 creations to spotlight for our Shining the Light Award. In order to qualify for this award, however, you must use Our Daily Bread stamps and have your submission added to Mr. Linky by Friday, May 25th at 8 a.m. EST. If you upload your creations to Splitcoaststampers or any other online gallery, please use the keyword is ODBDSLC109. When creating your posts on blogs please include a link to the challenge.


Thanks for stopping by....  please take some time to check out the beautiful projects created by my fellow "sticks" LoriJan MarieJanDebiKathy, Chris and Sabrina! To join in the fun, please click here.

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & fine linen; SU! Baja Breeze; Stamps:  ODBD, Ink:  SU! Choc. Chip & Baja Breeze; PP  My Mind's Eye; Burlap Ribbon:  The Funkie Junkie; Twine:  PTI; Dies:  ODBD & Heartfelt Creations

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

sending you warm thoughts...

Hello... been busy working on some stuff I can't share yet, but thought I would take the time to make a really simple little card for several challenges:  Moxie Fab - Gingham; Dynamic Duos & Sketchbook Saturday.



Thanks to a bloggy friend, Michelle, I learned about a new color challenge blog called Dynamic Duos.  Intrigued by the idea of using just two colors and a neutral I decided to give them a try.  The current challenge colors are Pool Party (Aqua) and So Saffron (Yellow).   As I was rummaging around in my stuff I came across one of the remaining stamps I have from Cornish Heritage Farms. (I was so bummed when they closed up business!  I believe someone bought the rights to the images and are now selling them, again.)  It is a really fun gingham background stamp and made me think of the Moxie Fab gingham challenge.  So, I threw the Sketchbook Saturday sketch in the mix and this came up with this super simple card.  I initially had the idea to add something to the gingham background, but that idea didn't quite work.  So I went back to just letting the gingham shine and added a bit of the yellow ribbon.     I quite like how it turned out.   The sentiment is from the Hero Arts set Thoughtful Messages.

Thanks for stopping by.....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Inks:  Stampin Up! Pool Party & So Saffron; Stamps:  CHF Gingham backgrounder, Hero Arts; Ribbon:  Stampin Up! So Saffron grosgrain

Sunday, May 13, 2012

you inspire me...

Hello!  Have a card today for the current Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge.  Silke is the challenge hostess this week and she has asked us to make a project using  pink.  This was the perfect opportunity for me to finally use the Glitz Design Pretty In Pink 6x6 pad that I received with my Flourishes 123Create April kit.  The stamps I used are the Flourishes Year of Flowers 2 and Sweet Violets.    The layout is from this month's Sketch for You to Try.  



Once, again, I have found myself feeling like I'm not very creative right now and so I kept things simple.  I colored the rose image from YoF 2 with Copic markers and then trimmed it out.   It was then popped up on some white cardstock that was matted with pink.   The sentiment was stamped on the bottom strip and the pearls added to add a bit more interest.   I thought about adding some lace to the upper strip, but in the end decided not to as it just didn't look right.  I still in my white on white with some pops of color mode, too.   Mainly because I just love how clean and crisp it makes everything look.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & fine linen; SU! light pink; PP:  Glitz Design; Stamps:  Flourishes; Ink:  Memento Rich Cocoa; Pearls:  KaiserCraft; Copic makers

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Just Three, Please....

Well, Saturday is winding to a close here in my corner of the world and what a gorgeous Saturday it has been!  And tomorrow is supposed to be even better!    Western Washington is beautiful place to live and especially so on glorious sunny days!   Anywhoo... on to my card.   This week at Less is More Chrissie and Mandi have challenged us to make a one layer card and we can only used THREE stamps.  Oh those divas sure know how to pick some challenges!!   Now... I'm sure some of you are thinking "well, that's not so hard".   Trust me it is!!  I spent the better part of the day fiddling around with about 5 different stamp sets before I finally came up with my card.  Seriously!    In the end I used the Eiffel Tower stamp from the SU! set Artistic Etching, the damask image from the SU! set Bliss and the "Hello" from a Hero Arts set Luscious Frames.  Once I finally hit on what I wanted to do I needed to figure out what inks to use.  That took me even more time.  In the end I settled on SU!'s Crumb Cake and Memento Rich Cocoa.  I added a few little pearls in a mocha color for a bit more interest and to make the card well... a little less drab.   Thinking about putting this into the Moxie Fab damask & brocade challenge... what do you think??  ETA:  Going to add this to the Moxie Fab damask & brocade challenge.

Thanks for stopping by.....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  Stampin Up! and Hero Arts; Ink:  Stampin Up! & Memento; Pearls:  KaiserCraft

ODBDSLC108 - Photo Inspiration

Hey there!!  It's Saturday and time for another Shining the Light challenge.  Here in the US Mother's Day is tomorrow (May 13th) and most of you have probably already made a card and/or gift for your mom.  So, we want you to make something inspired by one of the following photos.   Please make sure that to let us know which photo inspired you.


We will be giving out a prize, a $15 gift certificate to be used toward stamps at the Our Daily Bread Designs store!! Entries for the prize must be submitted by Friday, May 18th at 8 a.m. EST. One random winner will be chosen and announced  next Saturday. If you are not using ODBD stamps, please do not enter more than once. Additional entries that are made without using ODBD stamps will not be commented on nor will they qualify for prizes. While it is not required to use Our Daily Bread Designs images and sentiments on your creations, we would love to see them if you have them. As a way of recognizing those who do use Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, we will again be choosing 1 to 2 creations to spotlight for our Shining the Light Award. In order to qualify for this award, however, you must use Our Daily Bread stamps and have your submission added to Mr. Linky by Friday, May 18th at 8 a.m. EST. If you upload your creations to Splitcoaststampers or any other online gallery, please use the keyword is ODBDSLC108. When creating your posts on blogs please include a link to the challenge.


My card was inspired by photo #1.  I used the ODBD set Serve the Lord and some papers from the My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Christmas 6x6 pad. That is one of the things I love about My Mind's Eye is that the papers in most of their pads are versatile enough to be used for any kind of occasion.  The papers from the Lost & Found Christmas pad were a perfect match for photo #1.  The circular image from Serve the Lord was die cut using the matching ODBD die, Crocheted Circle.   The layout for the card is from this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

Thanks for stopping by... please take some time to check out the beautiful projects created by my fellow "sticks" LoriJan MarieJanDebiKathy, and Sabrina! To join in the fun, please click here.


Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Vintage Cream & Fine Linen; PP:  My Mind's Eye; Stamps:  ODBD; Dies:  ODBD and My Favorite Things; Ribbon:  May Arts; Rose:  Prima; Ink:  Stampin Up! Bravo Burgundy

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Hellooo....

Hey... wow... can't believe the last time I posted anything was Sunday!!   And honestly... I don't think that is such a bad thing.  I have made a couple of cards over the last week, just can't post them yet.   And I haven't really felt like doing any challenges until today.   So...I have two cards to share.  Both cards are for Flourishes noontime challenges.  This week is release week at Flourishes and when it is a Flourishes release week I like to try to participate in at one or two of their challenges.  Last month it paid off because I was one of the lucky winners of the entire Flourishes April release!!!


Inside of Card
The first card is for their "Pretty in Purple" challenge.  Pretty self-explanatory I think... make a project using purple.  After I got done with my card I realized that it was a little on the severe side, but I think my mother-in-law will like it all the same since I made it to give to her for Mother's Day.  I used one of the sets I won last month, Love and Lace, as well as the Sweet Violets set.  The purple I used the new Stampin Up! Wisteria Wonder.   It is more of a blue-purple and I love it!!   Along with the Wisteria Wonder color I used some grey cardstock to make the purple pop a bit more, but not sure it was the best choice.  Anywhoo... I stamped the images and diecut them.  Everything was layered on a white cardstock piece that was run through my Big Shot in a Sizzix embossing folder.  Some tiny rhinestones were added at the cross points on the embossed design.  I also finished the interior of the card with the circular design used on the front and the sentiment.


The second card is for their "Let's Hear it for the Boys" challenge.  Again, pretty self-explanatory I think... make a masculine project.  For this card I used the Flourishes set "What a Catch".  I went with a very simple design for this card.  I got some goodies today from the Funkie Junkie Etsy shop and used a few on this card.  The burlap ribbon and the little clothes pin.  The little tag is from Stampin Up! and was perfect to stamp the word "Dad" on.  The interior was finished off very simply with just a piece of white cardstock stamped with the sentiment.  This card will be going to my father-in-law come Father's Day.

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white & brown; SU! Wisteria Wonder & light brown; Ink:  SU! Wisteria Wonder & Chocolate Chip; Memento Tuxedo Black; Spellbinders circle dies; My Favorite Things Fishtail Flags Stax; Sizzix embossing folder; Want2Scrap rhinestones; SU! tag; Burlap ribbon & clothes pin - the Funkie Junkie.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

When I'm Sad....

Hey there... another weekend has come to a close (boo hoo!)!   We had a lovely day today and it seems that the week ahead is going to be nice as well.  I hope so as my wee one has a birthday party to attend on Wednesday and it is outside!  


Inside of card
I have a card I put together using the current sketch from the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge.  This time I used a sweet little PI set called Scientist.  When I first saw the little PI I thought it was a boy, but then I saw the tiny heart in her hair and realized I was wrong!  Anywhoo... I used some papers from the My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Howdy Doody pad, as well as a brad from the same line.  The little scientist's outfit was paper pieced and then the rest of her was colored with Copic markers.  The zig zag dies, Fishtail Flag as well as the little mini doily die are from My Favorite Things.   The circle dies are Spellbinders.    Sentiment is a "two-parter" so I stamped the first portion on the fishtail flag and then finished off the interior of the card with the second part of the sentiment, as well as second stamping of the little PI.  

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; PP:  My Mind's Eye; Stamps:  MFT; Dies:  MFT & Spellbinders; Brad:  My Favorite Things; Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Mellow Yellow...

Hey there... Hope your weekend has been going well.   Spent part of the day helping my oldest write a report for his Social Studies class on the Crusades.   And I have to say I learned a thing or two along the way!  Anywhoo... have a card that works for several different challenges:  Less is More (color challenge:  yellow); Retro Sketches, Flourishes (use a butterfly) and Catered Crop (use something starting with the letter B - butterfly).   This also works for CAS-ual Fridays... so maybe I will pop it into that challenge, as well.


Back in April I was super lucky and won the entire April Flourishes release... three beautiful stamp sets and a gorgeous background stamp!  For my card I decided to use the background stamp, Antique Lace, along with stamps from two other Flourishes sets:  Clematis & Butterflies & Botanical Bookplates.   I stamped the Antique Lace on white cardstock using SU!'s So Saffron, trimmed it to fit the card front and adhered using foam dimensionals.  I cut another piece of white cardstock and stamped the sentiment in bottom corner and then the butterflies were stamped using So Saffron ink.  A piece of So Saffron grosgrain ribbon was then tied around the piece.  This piece was then adhered using more foam dimensionals.  I stamped the another butterfly using Tuxedo Black ink, colored it with Copic markers and trimmed it out.  A light coating of Diamond Stickles was applied and then the butterfly was adhered to the card as shown.  I seem to be in a white on white with a pop of color mood right now as this is the third one I have made in the last several days.  IThe is just something about a crisp white card that makes me happy!

Thanks for stopping by....

Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  Flourishes; Inks:  Memento & Stampin Up!; Ribbon:  Stampin Up!; Rhinestones:  Stampin Up!

ODBDSLC107 - Let's Scrap!!

Hey there!!  Its Saturday and that means time for a new Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light challenge!  Today is National Scrapbooking Day and in honor of that day the challenge this week is to create a scrapbook page.  Okay... now I will admit this was a bit of a challenge for me, too!   I have made plenty of scrapbook pages, but it has been quite sometime since I created the last one.  My biggest challenge was finding the mojo to create a page and for that I turned to PageMaps for help with layouts.  If you have never checked out PageMaps, you really should because not only does Becky Fleck create amazing scrapbook layouts she also creates fabulous sketches for cards.   And did you know that Our Daily Bread Designs has a scrapbook challenge?  Well, they do and it is called Let Your Light Shine.  If this week's challenge gets you excited to scrapbook, then you need to check out that challenge, too!


The first page I'm going to share is of my two boys, Levi and Gabriel, and was taken last summer on a little day trip we took to local tourist attraction, Snoqualmie Falls.  It was one of those moments when the two of them were actually getting along and behaving for the camera!  If you are wondering, there is a 7 1/2 year age difference between the two... makes for interesting times!!  The stamps I used for the layout come from the ODBD sets Never Give Up and Sweet Friendship.  I cannot take credit for coming up with the layout... for that I turned to PageMaps because Becky Fleck has some of the best scrapbook layouts to be found.   The papers are from a really, really old BasicGrey paper line called Archaic.  I was so thankful I had those papers because it made putting the layout together so much easier that I had needed to dig around for matching items.

The second page I'm sharing I actually made before I made the one of the boys and I was going to stop with just that page, but I just wasn't happy with it and so I decided to make the second one.  The layout for this page is also based on a PageMaps layout.  The subject is my kitty, Cleo, and I used the recently released Cat Sympathy set on the layout.   I think I'm mainly dissatisfied with this layout because I placed the two photos and the sentiment too far up on the page and I don't like where I ended up putting the journaling.  This page was also created using a older line of BasicGrey papers called Periphery.  The papers are really beautiful and I know I'm going to figure out another page to make with them.   I'm a bit rusty in the scrapbook department, but I this challenge has gotten me thinking that maybe I need to create some more scrapbook pages.   Now... on to the details of the challenge.


We will be giving out a prize, a $15 gift certificate to be used toward stamps at the Our Daily Bread Designs store!! Entries for the prize must be submitted by Friday, May 11th at 8 a.m. EST. One random winner will be chosen and announced  next Saturday. If you are not using ODBD stamps, please do not enter more than once. Additional entries that are made without using ODBD stamps will not be commented on nor will they qualify for prizes. While it is not required to use Our Daily Bread Designs images and sentiments on your creations, we would love to see them if you have them. As a way of recognizing those who do use Our Daily Bread Designs stamps, we will again be choosing 1 to 2 creations to spotlight for our Shining the Light Award. In order to qualify for this award, however, you must use Our Daily Bread stamps and have your submission added to Mr. Linky by Friday, May 11th at 8 a.m. EST. If you upload your creations to Splitcoast Stampers or any other online gallery, please use the keyword is ODBDSLC107. When creating your posts on blogs please include a link to the challenge.

Thanks for stopping by... please take some time to check out the beautiful projects created by my fellow "sticks" LoriJan MarieJanDebiKathy, Chris and Sabrina! To join in the fun, please click here.


Supplies:  Cardstock:  Bazzill; PP:  Basic Grey; Stamps:  ODBD; Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black & VersaFine Vintage Sepia; Twine:  May Arts; Charm:  Ebay; Dies:  Spellbinders; Chipboard Alpha stickers

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Thinking of You...

Hey there... here with a little card I made using Taylored Expressions Sketch challenge 157 and I made the card using all the items from my April Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients (I think one of the ribbons I used is from the March TE KI kit, though) kit!   The only think that wasn't in the kit is the felt I used as a mat.  The felt is from My Favorite Things.


Front of card


Inside of card
The patterned paper that I die cut using a Spellbinders plain circle die is what inspired me to use the TE set Birds of a Feather.  The patterned paper circle was matted with green felt die cut using a larger Spellbinders circle die.    I stamped the branch image using dark, dark brown ink and then trimmed it out.  The birdcage was stamped using yellow ink and trimmed out as well.   Both images were then popped up on the circles for more dimension.  I stamped a couple of little birds using a light aqua ink, trimmed them out and added them as you seen.  The sketch called for the sentiment to be on the front, but I decided to finish off the interior of the card with a strip of the same paper that was used for the die cut circle.  The left over paper just happened to have the little frame image already on it... the perfect spot to stamp my sentiment.  I have to tell you that I have been having a bit of a laugh over some of the comments left for me on cards that I have posted where I have finished the inside because many of you think I have made two separate cards!   If you take a look at the finished card, you can see the interior just peeking out on the one side.  I can see, though, how it might seem like two different cards since I have been taking a picture of the interior before I have adhered the finished card front to the card base.  (Ha!! I just discovered that I can add a caption to my pictures, so I have given both photos a caption!)

Thanks for stopping by....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  Bazzill cream & rusty orange; PP:  Simple Stories Fabulous; Felt:  My Favorite Things Sour Apple; Dies:  Spellbinders Circle dies; Inks:  Stampin Up!; Ribbon:  TE Key Ingredients kits

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

3 Flowers....

Hey there.... happy Wednesday!  Have a little card I made for three challenges:  A Blog Named Hero's Topsy-Turvy,  ColourQ and Retro Sketches.  I love it when I can make one card and have it work for several different challenges!


The ColourQ combo this week was another tough one for me, but I knew that the graphic style of this week's Retro Sketch would work well with them.   I had planned on using one of the text image stamps from PTI's Text Styles border set to create the strip across the card front, but when I saw the new A Blog Named Hero challenge to use sentiment stamps in a way different from what they were meant to be used as I decided to use a couple of sentiments from the HA set Year Round Sentiments.  The flowers are from another HA set Bold Pop Designs.   Despite the fact that the flowers do cover up some of the sentiments, you can still figure out that it says "I miss you" and "Thinking of you".   I was quite impressed that I managed to get everything to line up so well just by eyeballing it!   I stamped a flower in the following colors, Ruby Red, Pool Party & So Saffron and then cut them out using the matching die.  Clear rhinestones were added to the centers.   The sentiments were stamped using Early Espresso.  I rounded the opposite corners of the card front to add an additional bit of interest.

Thanks for stopping by.....

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  Bold Pop Designs & Year Round Sentiments; Inks:  Stampin Up!; Dies:  Sizzix; Rhinestones: Want2Scrap & Stampin Up!


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

ODBD May Release Blog Hop!!

Hey there!!!  Happy Tuesday and it is indeed a happy one because today ODBD is releasing their new stamps for May... YAY!!!  And I'm getting the chance to join in the release day blog hop with the amazingly talented ODBD design team... double YAY!!!!   ODBD is releasing four fabulous sets that will help you create wonderful faith based cards for the graduates in your life and for anyone you know who is going to be retiring.  Before I get to my card I have a few details to share.   The blog hop runs from 8:00 am EDT May 1st until 8:00 pm EDT May 2nd.  Winners will be announced on May 3rd.   Please make sure you leave a comment on all the blogs participating in the blog hop and on the ODBD blog telling us that you completed the hop and if there were any blogs that you were not able to leave a comment on.   The winners will be randomly selected from everyone who completes the hop and answer the question posted on the ODBD blog.   And what can you win??  There will be three winners of a free set and one winner of the entire May ODBD Bread Basket Bundle!!!



Now... if you got here from the blog of the super talented Suzanne (and wasn't her project simply AMAZING??!!), then you are on the right track.  If not, then you will want to head to the ODBD blog and start from the beginning.   For my card I decided to make a feminine graduation card.  I used the Eleanor Roosevelt quote for the outside of my card and then finished the interior of the card with the sentiment "Congratulations Graduate".  I created the sentiment by using the single words "Congratulations" and "Graduate" that come with the set.  The butterfly was created using the ODBD Two Step Butterflies and matching die.  Papers are from the My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Howdy Doody 6x6 pad.  The layout for the card is based on the current CASE study challenge.  Your next stop is the blog of the wildly talented Betty and I just know that she is going to knock your socks off !!!  Happy hoping!!!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI kraft & cream; PP:  My Mind's Eye; Stamps:  ODBD Dreams & Two Step Butterfly; Inks:  SU! So Saffron & Regal Rose, Hero Arts Punch Chalk Ink; Buttons:  PTI; Twine:  May Arts; clip: SU!; Dies:  MFT Fishtail Flag Stax & ODBD Two Step Butterfly die