Monday, August 23, 2010

Monday Monday

 



I love my compter and I hate my computer. Last week we had to buy a new desktop and in the transfer, I lost my new wonderful photo editing program. Hopefully using Picassa will give me some good photo shots, at least until I get a new program.

In the interim, I have been able to create, just not upload. Here is the latest color craze I have been going through, Pink and Brown! Love love love these colors together!

Created for the following blogs:
our creative corner weekly sketch: sketch
aud sentiments challenge: #9 anything goes
party time tuesdays #12 pink brown and white and b'day sentiment
Posted by Picasa

Friday, August 6, 2010

Back to the Beach- more cards




I couldn't resist playing with more of the scraps and beach shells that I had sitting on my craft table. I have a habit of using up the supplies on my table while they are out. What surprised me is how much "beach themed" items I had in my stash. Don't get me wrong, I love the beach, but we are not beach people. Our summers are not booked with trips to the shore and when we do go, it is for the day. Hubby does NOT enjoy the sand, kids don't know their limitations with the ocean, and the traffic makes the day very LONG. As a kid, every year my mother booked us a week in September after the "season" was over. The weather was perfect, the boardwalk still open, the prices dropped, oh the memories!

These are for the challenges: Curtain Call #41: desert sand, navy, light blue and white and for The ABC-challenge: A is for August and Cute Card Thursday #124 "Whateva" is the theme.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Beach Cards- the Dog Days of Summer....

I love the beach. However, the other half of me, doesn't. Plus, the state of New Jersey charges for the use of the PUBLIC beach...don't ask me why, I think it is a dumb rule. I grew up in MD and the beach was free. So we take our yearly jaunt in September, after the crowds, the weather is perfect, and the roads are not congested with shore traffic. Here are some of my tributes to the wonderful sandy beaches...


This card is for the challenges: Crazy 4 Challenges 48: sketch


Challenges: ABC-challenges: A is for August (vacations) and for fun challenges: water as a theme (i think the beach counts...)


For the challenge: Unscripted Sketches #66

Weddings Abound



And they say that the month of June is wedding month....I guess our cousins didn't get the latest memo! Our anniversary is in September and DH's cousin is getting married in September. I made this card with them in mind. Elegant, yet casual. No kids, but I think the girls will be excited just to witness a wedding in the family- most likely the last one!

CARDS blog was asking for a challenge to use pearls, so I incorporated some baby blues in with embossed diamonds on the cardstock. The large round gels are Anna Griffin. Large satin ribbon and a small tag with the sentiment BLESSINGS finish off the card.

Challenges:
Cards Blog: pearls
Twisted Sketches #18: sketch and to use a tag
The Wildflower Patch: use embossing (the diamonds with my score blade)
Crafty Creations: #79 to make a wedding or anniversary card
also for Sarah Hurleys Challenges: #4 Romance (someone was kind enough to send me a link to this new challenge site! Thank you!)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Blinged Out!


Challenges for Snow Card: fresh brewed designs #11, Christmas in July, Cute Card Thursday #121, Head Start on Christmas , Christmas Stampin' #57, Bling it up! and The Pink Elephant #76, BROWN color challenge

Challenge for this card: DRS Designs Sketch Challenge and Charisma Cardz #28 PINK color challenge

Challenge for this card: CARDS blog

Bling is the operative word today. Gems and glitter- 2 accessories a girl should not live without!! The Let it Snow card is probably my favorite Chrismtas card that I have designed to date! I love the browns and blues together, and the pop of orange... yummy! The snowflakes are MS snowflake punch, bobunny papers, the snowman stamp I won from a challenge site, watercolor pencils and gems are miscellaneous.

The Confident card came together this morning. I woke up to absolutely no electricity. Called PECO and was told that power would be restored at 8:20 am (of course it is 6:20am by my watch...) so, is PECO doing scheduled outages during this horrible heat wave the east coast is having? So somewhat in a dark and foggy lit room, I was able to use the remaining pieces of the Sabrina MM line and "button" as well as Kaiser bling rhinestones. It is also my second entry in the Charisma Color challenge of PINK.

The last card incorporates PINWHEELS, per the Cards Blog challenge this week. This was a card I designed for a workshop where the guests made handmade flowers for their projects. This seemed easy at the time, but actually took some nimble fingers and patience! Paper is Bobunny, stamp sentiment was gifted to me from my sister, MS leaf punch. Glitter and buttons finish off the card.

Stay cool!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Pretty in PInk



Remember John Hughes, all of his teen angst movies? Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink....the brat pack. Oh, how I miss those movies. Funny to look back upon them now and see how young the actors were and how lame the story lines are. But in the 80's, so appropriate for our generation.

I created this card in part for my oldest daughter- aged 13. The lovely teen years. Can I fast forward 5 years??? She loves to shop and is caught in between the "junior" styled clothes and the clothes that I will approve of. Not childish, but "appropriate". And if any of you are going through this, they don't mean the same thing. Boy friend shorts? Are you for real- the line from the limbo comes to mind "how low can you go".... So I have been trying to show her how to dress smartly, trendy, classy and she will end up being fabulous. The image has the same styled top that she is wearing today, with a ribbed tank under it. Still in keeping with fashion, but hiding things I am not ready for the world (code for boys) to see.

2 Sketches 4 you #56
Charisma Cardz: PINK
Just for Fun challenges: use an image and color in
Colour Q: #41, dark pink, light pink, gray, black and white

supplies: Flair clear sticker sentiment, Hannah Stamps "vogue", CTMH glitter, watercolor pencils, lace doily, Making Memories Sabrina paper line.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Vintage


Challenges: Mojo Monday sketch #147, Party Time Tuesdays #7: anything goes birthday card, Crazy Challenges "it's hip to be square", and The Play Date Cafe: #37 Provencial Theme, and CAS-tastic #12 SIMPLE (stamped image, inked edges, lace doily)

Challenges: Unscripted Sketches #63, Just Scraps "Create a Wedding Card", Stamping Sisters in Christ #47 "what brings you peace or rest?"


I have gotten into the vintage look lately. Love the papers- creams, blacks, pinks, greens and blues all together in muted designs....yummy! For me, though, finding the right embellishments was always tricky. I was able to find some old stash: prima flowers, ribbons, and pearls that I was finally able to put to use. If you were to see my table, you would be amazed that I could actually find anything! All items were set out- separate piles of goodies to sort through for each card.... add in punches, scissors, glitter and glue, buttons, 3d foam tape, stamps and doilies, more paper (see the emerging pic in your head...?) Total chaos on the table. A cluttered table leads to a cluttered mind.

Onto the cards...
The butterfly wish card was such a fun card to make! The scrunched ribbon is American Crafts that was found in the clearance aisle of Michael's. Found doilies too, which seem to be the in/out new/past fad that I finally decided to try. The papers are Websters, Lullaby Lane. Don'tcha love the vintage?

The Cherish card evokes feelings of love for me. The romantic colors, flowers, butterflies with glitter....Simple elegance. In keeping with the feeling of love, God loves me. It is a constant reminder daily that even when I fail here on earth, my heavenly Father cherishes me, gives me this beautiful gift of Encouragement to which I use heartily here (making and sending the homemade cards) and that as long as I believe in Him and follow his ways- my hiccups along the road can be turned to good for His purposes.

I am ending my entry with this thought as I have been going through some growing pains. My daily walk has suffered, my mind/table are cluttered with too much mediocre stuff, and our family's faith/relationships have been put upon the shelf lately. Time to get back to what really matters in this life. Tonight I will go to bed with the last thought that I am loved and that I am cherished.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

How many cards could a cardmaker make.....

if a cardmaker could make cards? 13. Yes, that is how many I made on a rainy weekend. I was bound a determined to use up a mat stack from DCWV that I purchased sometime last year. Used the stash of flowers, brads, twine and.... some stampable linen that I purchased from CTMH about 3 years ago. Love this stuff- makes its own statement and when you pull on the threads, you can make it look like a well worn garment label.


This card was made using the sketch over at Clean and Simple Stamping #98. Though my card is clean, simple it is not. I had to add the flowers, twine, leaves and brads to finish off my card.


This card is inspired by the sketch challenge at Get Sketchy #46. The base of the card is just a patterned piece of paper from the stack, added the scraps to make the top sentiment focal piece. Chocolate grosgrain and LOTS of gems finish off this card.


Hoot loves u? I have seen so many lovely banner cards I wanted to try my own. This used the sketch from Christmas Card challenges #31, Charisma Cardz #27 Watch the birdie, and 365 cards day #131 banners, and Paper sundaes #26, lots of layers.


And finally this card is for a dear friend of mine. Haven't seen her since school let out- between the 2 of us, our 6 kids keeps us running around to camps and the pool. Not much of a mommy social life during the summer! The bird stamp is from the dollar section of Mike's! What a bargain! Used the sketch at Inspirational Card Sketches #73, Charisma CArdz watch the birdie, and Stamp Challenges recipe: 1 image, 1 Designer paper and 1 ribbon (twine).

Friday, July 9, 2010

monochromatic blues






Have you ever worked on an acetate card? This was my first try and I love how it turned out! I will do these more in the future for workshops- great technique idea!

I decided to enter the CARDS blog challenge again, monochromatic in all blues. I thought that the acetate would work perfectly with a Snowflake design, add to the cold frozen image. The stamp is from CTMH and used MS glitter to add pizazz. Blue rhinestone to finish it off. Also used lots of scraps for this card. The only part that becomes tedious is making sure to hide the glue strips, using lots of larger cardstock pieces inside the card (one to write a sentiment on and the other to finish off the front.

Also for the challenges:
Paper Sundaes#25: white plus one color
AudSentimentsChallenge: #6 no sentiment
Christmas Stamping: #56, free challenge

Thursday, July 8, 2010

More Christmas in July

Yes, I have officially cleaned off my table and put away all of the Christmas papers! Whew! Finished making the workshop samples and am looking forward to making some "vintage" cards. Have to say that my mojo took a beating this week. With this heat wave of 100+ temps, making cool cards took more of an effort. But, here are some cards that I designed for some blog challenges:



This card is for CARDS blog, to make a monochromatic project, as well as for TreeHouse Stamps blog (mono). I also took the sketch over at STamping411.blog. I decided to make a blush/wine colored card- a combo that I adore for winter. My sister gave me this stamp from TAC and the idea for this card. It is one for the workshop, I think the girls will LOVE! Used the technique of paper piecing for the scarf and hat (took patience cutting pieces this small!!!) Misc papers, bobunny word paper, misc button, twine, glitter, markers and CTMH HO HO HO set for Merry Christmas.

This card uses the sketch at CPS, sketch #174. The only change I made was to move the circle embellishment to the other side of the card. For some reason, the more I looked at the sentiment on the bottom left- it just made the right side off kilter. Moving it made more sense and complete. This is also another card for the workshop. Papers are CTMH and Cosmo Cricket.

And this card, came from the Get Sketchy challenge, #45. I am one of those people that haven't gotten on board with the coloring in. I prefer sentiment stamps. I guess less thinking about coloring matching and quite frankly- there are some PHENOM copic masters out there and I just don't want to compete! Those of you that do, I bow down to the floor to you. Wow, that just takes some serious patience to master the coloring and shading! Cosmo Cricket papers, ctmh stamp set, juniper ribbon- ctmh, MS snowflake punch, markers to color.

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a lovely "cool" day!

Monday, July 5, 2010

Christmas In July







"Oh the weather outside is frightful...." Today, the temps in PA are to be 100', very hot, humid, and hazy. What a great day to spend inside crafting winter themed cards! Actually, I am doing a workshop in a few weeks with "Christmas" being the theme. So, with a table full of winter papers, I couldn't resist doing a fun mitten card! In making this I was able to meet a few challenges:

Color Throwdown: #99 Cream, Chocolate and turquoise (with a bit of green and red too!)
a lot a rubber stamps: #38 Inside and Out ...decorate the inside of your card too!
the pink elephant: #74 3 layers, 2 die cuts and ribbon
stamp for the weekend: #42 christmas in july
corrosive challenges by janet: christmas in july
crazy challenges: make it in an hour
stamping sisters in christ: #46 to red and/or blue
just scraps: #14 make it a double...to use at least 2 of something and use what is on your table
one stitch at a time: #20 use ribbon, lace or a bow (used ric rac and waxy flax)
crazy 4 challenges: use 2 or more ribbons

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Tuesday "blues"




No, this isn't a sad post! Quite the contrary! I am happy that I was able to make a "blue" card at 6:30am, no interruptions, no kids, no dogs, no hubby around....pure joy at being able to craft for a bit!

This card came together quite easily today. The cupcakes (EK success dimensional stickers) were my starting point. Then, found paper that coordinated with the paper on the cupcakes, and viola! Instant birthday card!

Today, this card meets the following challenges:

2 Sketches 4 You: sketch #55
CAS-tastic: #9, blue, yellow and neutral
Stampin' for the weekend: #41, blue and yellow combo
Party Time Tuesday: #5 Anything Goes Birthday

Monday, June 28, 2010

Scrap Happy





What to do with the left over pieces on the crafting table? Sometimes, if they are small, honestly I pitch them. Usually when the pieces are that small, I am just plum tired of seeing the paper and don't want to even begin to think of another use. If the pieces are still salvagable, I may put them away for another day. However....lately, I have been making extra cards. For sale. The first card (pink and brown) I only had a 4" piece of the flowered DP. But I adore the bracket edge and wanted to make just one more card. So, using the same Get Sketchy sketch, just on a smaller card, put my scraps to work. Even the ribbon is a scrap about 10" long- and it was completely used up! The chocolate background paper is down to a 1x4" scrap- tossed (quite freeing actually!) I looked at my challenges for the day and it even met the Corrosive Challenge: use lots of flowers.

The next card uses up the remains of K&Co paper. But I totally LOVE this card, the color combo just pops! Now, this makes me wish I had more of the paper to make a few more cards with this combo!! The tissue flowers are a kick of mine lately. Just about finished off the sewing pattern on the table as well. The thicker the layers the puffier the flower. The button is from K&Co as well. Twine instead of ribbon (which I rec'd a package in the mail and my order was wrapped in this raffia. I kept it for a "rainy" day and love being able to recycle!) The card meets 2 challenges: Unscripted Sketches #61 (I used to be on the DT and LOVE the sketches! It was fun to participate again!) The other challenge was for Our CReative Corner: color combo keep it cool to use greens and blues.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Happy Birthday America!





I cannot believe that the 4th of July is next weekend! Seems like summer is just starting, the 4th hits, then BAM! back to school will be here before you know it!

Using some old papers that have been lying around in a pile, these papers were perfect for creating the card that I wanted to today to CELEBRATE the upcoming holiday. Perfect for the CARDS Blog challenge: 4th of July.

Here are the other challenges that I was able to meet:

Card Positioning Systems #173 sketch (turned sideways)
Paper Sundaes: create a birthday card (happy birthday America!)
Stampin' Sisters in Christ: #45, use stripes on the card (on the DP, swirling like a flag in the breeze...)
Stamptacular Sunday Challenges: #65, to use stars and stripes on your card

come back tomorrow for 2 more cards that I made for blog challenges......

Friday, June 25, 2010

challenge friday




On a roll! This is my second post for today, but this card meets a few challenges:

Get Sketchy #44
Crazy 4 Challenges: paper flowers (I love making these flowers out of old sewing patterns!)
Sew Many Challenges #19: anything goes
A Different Challenge: flora and fauna (however my card is 8x3, not 5x3)
Stamp Something: Flowers and Vintage (right up my alley!)
color Throwdown: pink, chocolate and green

Fun Friday





Up and at 'em! Yes, I am a total early bird. While waiting for the kiddos to awaken (and as I type they are STILL sleeping..!LOL!) I wanted to play some more. These papers are all BoBunny- kindly donated to me from Kristen, my fabo sister!

The bottom card is for the challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches #51(I love this site! Great sketches to help me along in crafting!). I changed the direction of the sentiment and added the flower to the side, instead of the bottom.

The black Blessing card is for A Crafty Little Place #44, sketch. I decided to use a prestamped diecut "index card" to hold my punched flowers. The sentiments are both from Stampin'Up!

Other items: MS leaves stamp cut out, CTMH sweet leaf and black inks, twine, flowers from the wedding aisle in LSS, black satin ribbon, twine, buttons, mini rhinestones, fiskers punches.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Sweet Cherry Time





Oh did I have fun today making some cards! I have been hesitating creating- just feel a bit overwhelmed with my craft room lately. Stifled is more like it.

I had picked up this adorable mat stack from DCWV- nana's girl nursery and couldn't wait to start playing. But, life took a bit of a detour and I put it away. As I was going through the papers, I came acrossed it again and inspiration hit. Plus....I bought a new stamp set from Close to My Heart, So Sweet. Ain't it cute?

So, I am entering this into the blog challenge: Friday Sketchers #107, cute cute sketch that I will be using again (it is the card with the big white satin bow!!)

Off to make some more cute cute fruity cards to "cherry" me up!!

Vintage Cards





I struggle with masculine cards. However, I stumbled upon this image and realized that it would make a great card for the men in my life. I made my father one (he collects lighthouses) and my FIL (who loves to visit his daughter in Maine and visit 2 Lights Park.) I used my trusty old watercolor pencils and waterbrush, inked the edges, and that is about it. Hubby thought they were perfect!

The other 2 cards I am in love with! Webster pages are new to me and I adore how these turned out! I have one more, but haven't taken its photo yet. I will when it ain't so danged hot outside (97' here in PA...) I think I am really onto doing more vintage styled cards!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

What a Crazy Month!




It has been a bit since I have last posted. I know, I should have done SOMETHING....I did and it was involving all of my girls! The last few weeks of school have been so busy and on top of it, I got incredibly sick. It has been 3 weeks since I got an upper respiratory infection and I am still not 100%. I have a persistant cough that gets so bad, I cannot breathe. I completely understand how asthmatics feel, it is truly scary not being able to catch a breath..... I am sleeping now, which makes all of the difference in the world. My girls are enjoying sleeping in and .... staying up late which cuts in on our couple time. Still working on those kinks. My DD broke a finger this weekend playing in an all-star softball game. Guess this is going to be a regular. This is the 3rd time being at the orthopedic office for broken bones. Of course, this puts her softball 'career' on hold for the summer..... always something with her!

I decided that today I would play, no matter how the outcome was for the cards. I needed to get the mojo out and working again. Though, I have had 2 big workshops in the past week and made oodles of card designs for those. So, cruising the blogs, I came across these 2 that I wanted to participate in: Caardvarks- dry embossing for their June challenge and Krista-Kris-challenges #37: color challenge of Kraft, dark pink, and black.

My sister Kris, gave me some Heidi Grace stickers that I have been wanting to use, but they are BIG. So I cut one in 1/2 to use 2 ways. I like how the black makes everything POP!

Thanks for coming back and visiting! I am working on a schedule to post and have GOBS of ideas floating through my head now! Can't wait to make more!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Winner!

Congrats to Wendy! She is the winner of my One Year Blog-iversary candy prize!

Lots of goodies coming your way Wendy! Send me your address kbecker (dot) ctmh (at) gmail (dot) com. You have until Thursday or a new winner will be chosen.....

Thanks for entering- Kelly

Vintage Card




I am Sew happy! I received some wonderful goodies in the mail yesterday from Crafty Secrets and had to play! I got this new sewing stamp set and some vintage cardstock die cuts. My morning yesterday found me at a local second hand store where I had a ball!!! I found some old crochet doilies for 25cents (I cut these circles down to fit my card), some satin ribbon (50 yeards for 75cents), old buttons, OLD childrens book that I can cut to my hearts content (35cents each) and even a cute pair of shorts for me!

I used some Wild Asparagus paper, inked in black to add distressing (age), used some seam binding for my ribbon. I love the final look even though I am not crazy about the brown and blues.

I am showcasing this card in the CARDS blog challenge of punny sayings "I am SEW happy we're friends" and also Moxie Fab challenge: Fabric. I think I used fabric in a new way....doilies on my card, seam binding instead of satin ribbon, and the use of busts on the card where you would hang a garment to hem and tuck before final fittings. That could be a bit of a stretch.....hehehe! This card also works for the stamp something challenge of using 2's of things for their 2 year anniversary (2 doilies, 2 patterned papers) and for the Stampin'Sisters in Christ challenge to add Distressing to your card to give a vintage look.

I just love happy days and recycling old stuff. Do you shop a thrift stores? Any good or favorite finds?

Friday, May 21, 2010

Free Friday!

I love Fridays! I give myself the day off- no housework, no laundry, no dinner plans. Just do what I want. Today, hubby off on a business appointment, leaving me with no guilt to play the morning away!

This card is a bit different for me. I typically don't do chipboard, but after seeing the fun things that can be done with it, I opted to try something new. I covered this heart in pink DP, then added lots of "sugary" glitter to it. The bird is from Inkadinkado that I cut out. All pieces are added with foam tape for dimension! I made the flower using seam binding tape that I did a loose stitch and pulled tight, then sewed the ends together making a circle. Quick and easy! Love to make these new flowers (between this type and the tissue paper flowers, my table is covered in blooms!!!)

I am entering this card in a few challenges:
Stamping Sisters in Christ #39: make a joyful noise or something showing music. What better way to celebrate the new spring than to listen to the birds chirping. My youngest wanted to do bird feeders this year and it has been a pleasure to see all of different birds that eat from the feeder. But boy to they make a mess!! seeds are everywhere- find myself yelling at them just like I do the kiddos about eating what is here before giving them more! yikes!

Papertake weekly: say it with flowers. Made my own and the bird has flowers on her belly!
Tuesday Morning Sketches: #46: use your fave color combo and glitter. I love PINK and GREEN together!
Charisma Cardz: #20 3D- the bird and saying on 3d foam tape, then twine and flower add texture and dimension
Stamp Something Challenge: use 2 of something. they are celebrating their 2nd birthday. I have 2 kinds of hemp, 2 types of flowers (stamp and made) and 2 types of curves- apron punch and the heart which add softness to the card with the other hard lines
Stamping 411: loose interpretation of the #151 sketch this week9 use a shape on the front and I used a heart.

Thanks for stopping over today, have a great weekend and enjoy the spring!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Manic Monday- 3 cards, same paper set

I bought some paper a bit ago because, well, I loved the colors of it. No other reason, very different for me, but once I got it.....a new story developed. I had NO idea what to do with them. No mojo, nada. What kind of project could I make? The gray is dark, I don't do much with blue, the prints on the paper were very large......so they sat. And sat. And sat. So, I told myself to make something, anything, that would use up the papers. "Waste not want not" my mom's voice rang in my head. So, pulling out my sketch book and researching some challenges for the week. Here are my creations.This card is based on the sketch over at Friday Sketchers #102. Ironically, I found this covered button in my stash looking for some rhinestones and guess what? It is the perfect match for this set....K&Co Amy Butler "lotus" and the button is by K&Co...how's that for karma? Tissue pattern for the flower, SU! sentiment and lace that I "coffee" dyed to antique it a bit. The black distressed edges really make the layers stand out. Also on Just Scraps, the challenge was to use scraps of GRAY- I was able to make 3 cards and only cut 3 papers, using the left overs to make the additional cards! Still have lots on my table, but I will save them for a rainy day.
This card was made using the Get Sketchy #38 sketch, 365 CArds #73- Tri colored challenge: gray, blue and black- cream being a neutral. And for Stamp Something: celebrate something (always need those birthday cards!) The flower was made using the cricut with decreasing sizes (2",1.5",1" etc...) black grograin, rhinestones, button, hemp...

And this card, is for an older sketch over at Totally Stampalicious. I bought this ribbon on clearance today- it is Anna Griffin wedding satin, precut into 18" lengths, 20 of them for $1.50 - bargain since I can't buy satin ribbon for close to that price! K&Co button on a ribbon flower I made using seam binding. Love IT! Thanks for stopping over today!


Blog Candy Alert: go HERE to see the post and to leave a comment (and see the goodies!)






Saturday, May 15, 2010

Happy Saturday and Blog Candy Extension

Here is the photo of some goodies that I have up for grabs for my One Year Blog-iversary! And to celebrate 20K hits! It has been an awesome year! For US residents only please due to increased shipping costs. I have extended the drawing another week to 1) be able to finally show a pic of the goodies and 2) change the link to enter. Leave me a comment here by 5/22 for a chance to win- tell me what new trends are you seeing in the crafting world and how you are going to use them. Entrants must have a valid email address so I can notify you AND you will only have 3 days to get in touch with me or I will choose another winner! Onto my card..........

I am having a workshop in a few weeks showcasing how easy it is to make flowers for your cards! This is a fancy version of the one that we will be making, but I like to have an extra sample so my guests can see the variety of choices they can make when they craft on their own. I used some tissue paper (you know, the good sheets you keep when you receive a present...???) and the paper is Wild Asparagus that I have had since last summer and haven't figured out how to go through this HUGE stack! I am not a big purple fan, but this card works for me! The green has a gray tone which works with the DP paper I chose, rhinestones and dew drops add the extra dimension to this card. I am entering this card in a few challenges this week:
365 cards #73- Tri Colored: use only 3 colors (green, purple and cream)
ABC challenge: U for unused stash (1 year old DP by wild asparagus and the flourish stamp I have had for a few years when they were first popular)
For Fun Challenges: use a stamp no digi (flourish stamp and birthday sentiment)
character cafe #18: recycle and reuse (tissue paper for the flowers)
STamp challenges: to celebrate something (birthday)
scrap and stamp something: ribbon and stamped image
totally gorjuss: round and round (used round punch to make tissue flower, round dew drops, round rhinestones, rounded apron punch for softness....)
supplies: Wild Asparagus paper, tissue paper, fiskars 2" scallop punch, hemp and button, green ribbon from michaels, flourish stamp, green ink and cardstock CTMH, birthday stamp from sweet and sassy, dew drops and rhinestones, MS double apron punch, smokey plum cardstock CTMH




Friday, May 7, 2010

Happy Friday! Dont' forget to enter for some blog candy


I am trying to get a little bit of a start on end of year teacher's gifts. I usually like to write a nice card to show our appreciation for the hard work that they put out teaching and a small gift card to a local ice cream parlour. This year I am opting to put a small pack of greeting cards together. This is one of them.....

For Challenges:
Totally Stampalicious: flower power
CAS-tastic challenges: b'day cards
Belli Challenges: b'day cards
Paper Play Challenges: stamp something and bling (glitter and rhinestones)
Stamp challenge: b'day challenge
Clearly Inspired: may flowers

Supplies: pink cardstock from CTMH, Happy Birthday greeting from CTMH, tulips from the Springtime set CTMH, the white cardstock is scored with a fiskars tool (took out the blade and used a scoring blade- makes it very easy to figure out my lines!), colored in with more CTMH markers, prisma glitter, ribbon from Tuesday Morning and the pink rhinestones from Taylored Expressions.

Blog Candy alert: see here



Thursday, May 6, 2010

Wedding Card Challenge


This is my last week designing for Charisma Cardz and I thought I would go out with a bang! Schedules at our home are CRAZY with the kids in sports, traveling hubby, and my own business blooming. This week's challenge was issued by Jan and it was to create a Wedding Card. I made a very similar card for the Shabby Tea Room challenge a few weeks ago, but found this ribbon and these great black rhinestones while cleaning, and well you know, along came another card using these scraps of Anna Griffin paper....!!! I actually was able to sell the original one at a craft show that my sister, Kris, and I participate in. The purchaser was quite impressed with the rather large gray satin bow on it!
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Mothers Day Card- challenge crazy/Blog Candy Alert

I love the softness of yellow and when paired with white, to me it is a stunning combination! I scoped out my sisters blog the other day and was reminded of some of the same tools sitting in my cupboard that she pulled out and used: the scallop punch and score tool. Kris makes some amazing cards and I am always inspired by her work. We have different tastes- I love vintage and stamps, she is into graphic designs and she loves to use chipboard and stickers on her cards.

Her yellow card inspired me to make a SIMILAR design for mothers day. Sad thing....I just bought some cards because I wasn't sure I would have the time to make them :( Life of a cardmaker!LOL!

This card uses all scraps from my bin: white 7x6 cut down to fit the 5x7 card. The yellow for the border and rose flower used an old bobunny patterned paper, they were 12x1.5" strips (which I cannot believe I kept!) Rhinestones, satin ribbon, prisma glitter finish off the card. The mothers day sentiment was typed on the computer and cut with my nesties.

Click here for the blog candy information: HERE

Cards Blog challenge: mothers day card

For fun challenges: mom

Crafty cardmakers: distressed (I inked all of my edges with a dark yellow ink to add depth) and I crumpled the edges of the flower to bend the edges back to make it more realistic.

The Pink Elephant: Mommy I love you

Totally Stampalicious: flower power

Ooh-la-la creations challenges: minimalist, white space essential

just scraps: scraps only and shades of yellow

The Shabby Tea Room: Blinged out ( lots and lots of glitter on the flower for shine!!)

Delightful Sketches: use your punches (I used the ek success scallop to make the border and the make the rose flower...!)

Cheers and challenges eclectic ensemble: new challenge, celebrate mothers day

Raise the Bar: mothers day challenge

no time to stamp: mothers day