life is about...

Hello friends!!  Have a fun little card that I made for a couple of challenges, ColourQ and CAS(E) this Sketch.  I used a sentiment from the Reverse Confetti set Dream in Color so I will be linking this up to their "Fetti Finds" link list. 

 

When I saw new sketch from CTS I knew I would be making something with it and I almost went with a literal interpretation of the sketch... i.e. to use fishtail banners.  But then I stopped myself and decided to think outside the box a bit more.  After trying one idea and rejecting it I remembered all the buttons I had and my idea was born.   I adhered the yellow and aqua buttons, then the sentiment strip and finally the red button.  After I was done I felt that the card was just a bit too simple and so I decided to ink up the sentiment using red, yellow and aqua inks, trim out the three words you see and adhere them with foam dimensionals.  I think it provides that little "something extra" the card needed.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  Reverse Confetti; Ink:  Memento Dandelion and London Fog, SU! Real Red and Pool Party

CCC #46... birthday wishes

Hello from soggy Washington!! Tuesday is here and that means time for a brand new CASology challenge!!  This week our cue word is "furry"... so many directions you could go with this one for sure!  This week we welcome as our guest designer the amazingly talented, Lucy!!    All the challenge deets can be found here.   Now... on to my card.

I wanted to use some felt for my project and to stamp on it, but found that the stamps I wanted to use just weren't working very well with the felt and honestly stamping on felt isn't the easiest thing to do as the ink had a tendency to rub off even after it was dry.  If anyone knows of a good ink to use on felt, I would love to know.  So, it was plan "B" for me!  I used three different SU! sets for my card:  Fox & Friends, Hearts A Flutter and So Happy for You.  I stamped the stripped banner from Hearts A Flutter using Crumb Cake ink and then die cut each one using the matching die.  The monkey, lion and fox from Fox & Friends were stamped using So Saffron, Riding Hood Red and Chocolate Chip inks, trimmed out and layered on the banners.  A bit of kraft colored baker"s twine was tied in a bow on each end and then adhered to the card.  Once the glue had dried each banner was attached to the baker's twine and then the sentiment was stamped using black ink. 

Thanks for stopping by... I cannot wait to see what "furry" related ideas all you super talented papercrafters come up with for this challenge!! In the meantime make sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team: Melissa, Tracey, Jen, Ardyth, Judy, Maureen, and Meghan
and our guest designer, Lucy!

a card and a woot...

Hello friends!!  Hope everyone in the US has a wonderful Memorial Day and that we all take time to remember all those who gave so much for our freedom!  

I have a little card I made using the current My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch challenge sketch and the current Dynamic Duos color combo of light blue and navy.    For my card I used the MFT/LLD Border It - Mod Borders set, as well as the MFT set You Make My Day.  The MFTWSC sketch is super clean and simple this week and so that is how I kept it.

I stamped the chevron image from the set using SU!'s Midnight Muse and Memento's Summer Sky inks.  The card base is PTI's Spring Rain and the dark blue mat is SU! Midnight Muse.  I used my MFT Fishtail Flag Stax dies to cut the fishtail flag and then added a PTI Spring Rain button.  I thought I had some dark blue and white bakers twine, but I guess I was dreaming because I don't, lol!  Thank goodness I have lots DMC embroidery floss and found one to match!   Guess I gotta pick up some dark blue and white baker's twine!! 

I mentioned in the time that I had a "woot" to share and for me this is a pretty darn big "woot".   A few months ago I got an email from the editor of Stamper's Sampler Take Ten informing me that they had picked me to be their guest artist for the Summer 2013 issue!!  I can't tell you how excited I was.  Being picked as a guest artist has been a dream for me.  The Summer 2013 issue is now on newsstands so I hope you check it out (and not just because I'm in it, either!).

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock: PTI white, Spring Rain, SU! Midnight Muse; Ink:  Memento & Stampin Up!; Stamps:  MFT; Button:  PTI; Dies:  MFT

birthdays are like...

Hello friends!  It's a rainy, dreary day here in the PacNW... typical weather for a Memorial Day weekend around here, lol!!  The perfect day to stay inside and make cards... something I plan to do!  Right now I have a card to share that I made for the current LIM challenge.  This week is recipe week and we are asked to use humor on our project.   Oh dear... that was going to be a problem for me.  I don't tend to buy stamp sets that contain humorous sayings and/or images.   Then I remembered that I had just received a fun little set of stamps from my friend, Lisa, that she had designed for A Jillian Vance Design.  The set is called "Doodle Birthday".

The card took me less than 10 minutes to create and I used bits and pieces that I had laying out on the kitchen counter: some fun chevron printed paper, cardstock and black ink.  I stamped the boxer shorts image on the patterned paper and trimmed it out.  A piece of PTI's rustic white cardstock was trimmed to fit the card base (PTI's Lemon Tart) and then I stamped the sentiment "birthdays are like...".  The boxer shorts were adhered underneath that using foam dimensionals, then the second sentiment was stamped below that and I was done.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  PTI cardstock; A Jillian Vance Design stamps; Memento Ink; Patterned paper:  Echo Park (I think!)

pti may blog hop...

Hello friends!!  Happy Saturday!!  I have a card to share that I made for this month's PTI blog hop.  Each month I tell myself that I'm going to participate in the PTI blog hop and then the 25th of the month arrives and I haven't done a thing.  This month I was determined to get a jump on things and get my card made in advance and I did... YAY!!   This month the challenge is to use one of the yummy color combos that Nichole put together and I decided to go with the combo of Raspberry Fizz, Hibiscus Burst, Orange Zest, Summer Sunrise & Ripe Avocado and put together this little number:



Inside of Card

I was cruising around the blog-o-sphere one day and stopped at the blog of the wildly talented Linda McLain and my jaw dropped when I saw this card.   She used a newly released MFT Die-namics die call Chicken Wire and I knew that what she had done with that die would word perfectly with PTI's cover plate dies because of the similarities between the dies.   Following Linda's instructions found here I cut a piece of cardstock 4 1/4" by 5 3/8" and then scored the cardstock at 5 1/2".  This leaves a 1/8" piece to attach the die cut front to the back of the card.  The front piece was die cut using the Quatrefoil cover plate and then attached to the Ripe Avocado base using 1/8" Scor-Tape.   Then I got to work die cutting and stamping all the floral images using PTI's Cutting Garden stamps and dies.  The patterned paper is PTI's Bitty Dot Basics in Hibiscus Burst and Orange Zest.  I finished off the outside of the card with some Summer Sunrise saddle stitched ribbon and a few gems.   The interior of the card was finished with additional die cut, some Hibiscus Burst bitty dot paper and the sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by...

miss you...

Hello friends!!  A crappy rainy day here in my neck of the woods, but it was brightened up considerably by the fact that I got to meet up at Hobby Lobby with my friend and stamp designer extraordinaire, Lisa Lara!!  It is so much fun when you actually get to meet fellow crafters and get to know them.   Prior to going to meet Lisa I started working on a card for this week's PTI Make it Monday challenge and when I got back finished it all up.  This week the challenge is paper piecing.. one of my favorite techniques. 

For my card I used the PTI anniversary set Pretty Peonies.  I just love that set... all the images and sentiments in that set are just beautiful.  The patterned papers are from Stampin Up!   The layout for the card is based on the current Cardabilities sketch.  For my paper piecing I was helped along a little bit by the fact that I used the matching Pretty Peonies dies to cut out the main flower and the leaves.  I then stamped a second flower and cut out the center portion.  All the pieces were layered using foam dimensionals.  I realize this isn't the classic paper piecing technique of stamping and then trimming out the images by hand, but I think it is a new twist on the technique.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Card stock:  PTI Rustic White; PP:  Stampin Up! Time for Tea; Stamps:  PTI; Dies: PTI and MFT; Border punch:  EK Success; Inks: Stampin Up!, Memento & Ranger 

CCC #45... you are a treasure

Hello friends!!  Happy Tuesday!  Time for a brand new CASology challenge... YAY!  This week our cue word is "royal" which I know is going to lead to some very clever takes on the word.  This week our guest designer is none other than the amazingly talent Kim of Joyful Creations with Kim!  All the deets for this week's challenge can be found on the CASology blog.

Nothing say "royal" like the color purple and a crown so for my card I used both and did a bit of layered stamping.  Layered stamping is perfect for clean and simple card making.  You can layer a couple of images and still have a plenty of white space on your card.   I used two different Stampin Up! sets, Bliss and Artistic Etchings, as well as a PTI mini set that contained the sentiment "You are a treasure".   I stamped the large damask image using PTI's Winter Wisteria and then layered the crown image over that using Memento Grape Jelly.  The sentiment was stamped using Tuxedo Black ink.  To finish things off I added some small clear rhinestones to the crown and then mounted the piece on a dark purple card base.

Thanks for stopping by... I cannot wait to see what "royal" related ideas all you super talented papercrafters come up with for this challenge!! In the meantime make sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team: Melissa, Tracey, Jen, Ardyth, Judy, Maureen, and Meghan
and our guest designer, Kim!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  Gina K Designs & PTI; Stamps:  Stampin Up! and PTI; Inks:  PTI and Memento; Rhinestones:  Stampin Up!

time to relax...

Hello friends!  Hope all is well in your part of the world.  Our sunny weather has departed and the rain has returned.  Oh well... that is western Washington in the spring time!   Have a little card I made this morning for the new Less is More challenge.  Chrissie and Jen want us to use either  a dog or a cat on our card this week and I will just say upfront that I almost gave up on this one.  I do not have a lot of dogs or cats in my stamp collection and I tried to make something with several of them, but could come up with anything.  Basically it came down to this: all the images needed to be colored and I just wasn't in the mood to spend the morning coloring an image.  So finally I decided to use my PTI On My Couch and On My Couch Additions because there is a little cat in the On My Couch Additions.  

On Tuesday the hubster and I decided to go furniture shopping and ended up purchasing a sectional, coffee table and tv stand for our family room.  The sectional is going to be a beautiful pale shade of green and will come with two accent pillows that have green, teal, yellow and orange in them.  You are probably wondering why I'm telling you all this (or maybe you aren't, lol).  The reason I am is because my card is based on our new sectional and the accent pillows.  I first stamped the rug using SU!'s Taken with Teal.  I then stamped the couch outline image from On My Couch using black ink and then stamped the solid couch image using SU!'s Pear Pizzazz.  The little cat was stamped using Memento's Rich Cocoa.  The pillow was stamped in Memento Tangelo, trimmed it out and adhered it to the couch.  Since cats spend a lot of time relaxing I thought the sentiment was most appropriate.  The entire piece was then mounted on a yellow card base and I was done.  I do realize that the cat isn't exactly the focus of the card, but I hope it passes muster with Chrissie and Jen.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Lemon Tart & white; Stamps:  PTI; Inks:  Stampin Up! and Memento

imagination...

Hello friends!!  Have a little card to share today that I made for a couple of challenges, ColourQ and Sketchbook Saturday.  My card uses some super yummy new stamps from a brand spankin' new stamp company called Reverse Confetti.  The company was started by the wildly talented Jen del Muro and I have to say that she really knows how to design stamps!!  The set I used today is called Peacock Pretties. 

Kept things on the clean and simple side by using lots of white and the ColourQ combo of black, white, coral, ruby red and light green in smaller doses.  The peacock feather image from the Peacock Pretties set was stamped using Ruby Red and Calypso Coral inks and then trimmed out.  The background piece was stamped using another image from Peacock Pretties using Certain Celery.  Everything was layered up as you see and then I finished things off with a couple of clear crystal stick pins.   Reverse Confetti has a weekly contest, 'Fetti Finds and so I will be linking this up to that as well.

Thanks for stopping by... make sure you check out Reverse Confetti, you won't be disappointed!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  Reverse Confetti; Ink:  Stampin Up!; Ribbon:  PTI; Dies:  Spellbinders and Verve; Stick pins:  unknown

CCC #44... bloom

Hello friends!!  Tuesday has arrived and with it comes a brand new CASology challenge!  YAY!  This week our cue word is one that will have you thinking about all those beautiful spring flowers that are blooming right now because the cue word is "bloom".   Joining us this week as guest d
esigner is the very talented Barb!!   All the challenge deets can be found here.

 

So... despite I have more flower stamps in my collection than I care to admit to owing I had a really hard time with this week's cue word.  That was partly due to the fact that my mojo decided to take a short break and left me high and dry.    I fiddled around with several different stamps but nothing was really working so I decided to make something using one of my favorite floral stamp sets... Stampin Up! Fabulous Florets and a lovely Penny Black sentiment.   Dynamic Duos is celebrating their one year anniversary and have asked everyone playing to pick a past color duo to use to make their card.  I went with DD #10 Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive and did some very simple stamping... something that is perfect for a clean and simple design, as well as a lack of creativity, lol!!    A few sequins were applied for just a tiny bit of shimmer.

Thanks for stopping by... I cannot wait to see what "bloom" related ideas all you super talented papercrafters come up with for this challenge!! In the meantime make sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team: Melissa, Tracey, Jen, Ardyth, Judy, Maureen, and Meghan
and our guest designer, Barb!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  Stampin Up! and Penny Black; Inks:  Stampin Up!; Sequins:  Ellen Hutson

warmest wishes...

Hello... The week has rolled around to weekend and that means a new challenge is up over at Less is More.  This week is the dreaded one layer challenge and to make things even more difficult Chrissie and Jen are asking to use a card base that is not white, cream, kraft or black.  It must be a color!  Good thing my first card turned out to be a complete hot mess because I would have had to redo it anyway as I made it using a black card base!   So... went back to a tried and true layout and I came up with this little number:

The card base is PTI's Winter Wisteria and the stamps are from the Stampin Up! set Blooming with Kindness.   I stamped the flower using the very old SU! in color ink Vintage Violet and the sentiment using black it.  To add a bit more interest to the card I painted on some Diamond Stickles to portions of the flower.   Easy peasy lemon squeezy!! 

Thank you kindly for stoppin' by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI Winter Wisteria; Stamps:  Stampin Up!; Inks:  Stampin Up! and Memento; Diamond Stickles

hello....

Hello....  Beautiful day here in my corner of the world.  Didn't start out that way, though!  Have a little card I made for the new CAS(E) this Sketch challenge.  Yesterday I got the opportunity to go to the best little stamp store in my area... Impress Rubber Stamps for a little bit of retail therapy with my good friend, Cindy.  While I was there I found this fun roll of plaid washi tape and I just had to make a card with it and CAS(E) this Sketch was the perfect fit.

The card is pretty straight forward... three strips of washi tape, a speech bubble stamped in yellow and then trimmed out, the sentiment stamped in green on the speech bubble and a little arrow clip attached.  Speech bubble was attached with foam dimensionals and the card was done... took me all of maybe 15 minutes... love those kind of cards!

Thank you kindly for stoppin' by...

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  My Mind's Eye and Hero Arts; Washi Tape:  Impress Rubber Stamps; Ink:  Memento Dandelion & Bamboo Leaves; Arrow clip:  Stampin Up!

CCC #43... hello, hexagons!

Hello friends!!  Happy Tuesday and it is indeed a happy one in my corner of the world because our splendidly fine weather continues... YAY!  And it is also a happy day because it means that a brand new CASology challenge is awaiting you on the CASology blog!  This week our cue word is "hexagon" and I know there will be a ton of fabulous hexagon related designs in the gallery.   And if that isn't enough our guest designer this week is none other than the fabulously talented Jenny of Crafting in the Country!!!   We are being sponsored this week by Cindy Coutts.  All the details can be found here.

For my card this week I went masculine and used the hexagon images from the PTI set Rosie Posie.  I'm still trying to figure out why it took me so long to purchase that set because it is absolutely fabulous!!  Anywhoo... I paired the hexagon images with a sentiment from one of my favorite Hero Arts set Year Round Sentiments and a masculine color combo from CAS Colours & Sketches.   I did take some time to do a few test runs to make sure that I liked the layout of the images before stamping the final version.   When stamping with images like the ones I used it isn't a bad idea to spend the time doing a few test runs so that you end up with a clean and simple design that makes sense.

Thanks for stopping by... I cannot wait to see what "hexagon" related ideas all you super talented papercrafters come up with for this challenge!! In the meantime make sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team: Melissa, Tracey, Jen, Ardyth, Judy, Maureen, and Meghan
and our guest designer, Jenny!

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  PTI Rosie Posie & Hero Arts; Inks:  SU! Midnight Muse & So Saffron; Memento Tangelo & Tuxedo Black

birthday cards...

Hello friends!  Got my LIM cards done early, again... YAY!  And for good reason... today is an absolutely sparkling gorgeous day here in my corner of the world.  It is days like today that remind me why I love the Puget Sound area of Washington state so much.  The sky is brilliant blue, the mountains brilliantly white against the sky and a nice breeze is blowing to keep things cool!  Fabulous!   Anywhoo... I do have some cards to share, lol!!

The LIM challenge this week is a color challenge and Chrissie and Jen have asked us to use colors on the opposite sides of the color wheel.  I decided to go with blue/orange and yellow/purple.  The first card is my favorite although it didn't start out that way.  I recently purchased the MFT/Liana Lane Designs Border It - Mod Borders set.  I thought it would be good for making masculine cards.   When I first started making this card I used a different border image and didn't really like how it looked with the "happy birthday" sentiment I was using (also a MFT set).  So I switch that border image for the one you see and I love how the card turned out.  A few sequins were added to make the card a bit more girly... seriously what guy would want a purple and yellow birthday card? 

The second card was made using the PTI set Irresistibly Ikat and is definitely more masculine that the first card.  For this card I used the blue and order combo.  When I first stamped the diamond shaped images they didn't have anything in the center and the card looked a bit plain.  So I decided to add the little center dots and it changed the look of the card immediately! 

Thanks for stopping by... 

Supplies:  Cardstock:  PTI white; Stamps:  My Favorite Things and PTI; Inks:  Memento:  Tuxedo Black; Tangelo, Danube Blue, Grape Jelly & Dandelion

a mother's day card...

Hello friends!!   We have been having some wonderfully sunny weather here in the Puget Sound area of Washington and it is supposed last into next week!  YAY!!  Even though it has been nice I did find some time to make a Mother's Day card for a couple of challenges:  CAS(E) this Sketch and ColourQ.

 

When I used Rosie Posie last week I had a few die cut pieces that I didn't use and so decided to put them to use on my card.  I stamped the rose image using SU!'s Marina Mist and then added the step 2 image using SU!'s Midnight Muse.  Two smaller roses were die cut and then stamped with SU!'s Wisteria Wonder and Midnight Muse.  The sketch image on the background was stamped using SU!'s Pretty in Pink and a text image from PTI's Background Basics Text Style.  The sentiment from a My Favorite Things/Lisa Johnson Designs set was stamped using Midnight Muse.  Instead of using my usual white card base I decided to use one made from Wisteria Wonder.  A few rhinestones finished things off.

Thanks for stopping by...

Supplies:  Cardstock: PTI white, SU! Wisteria Wonder; Inks:  Stamping Up!; Stamps:  PTI and MFT; Dies:  PTI; Rhinestones: Stampin Up!