Shades of Blue

I made this card for a recent Gina K. swap I participated in. By now everyone should have received their swap so no surprises spoiled. LOL! I made these back in January and it was so neat to create a set of these cards while looking out my window and actually see snow falling! For North Carolina, snow seems relatively rare so I am thankful we had a good one.

My trip to the craft store yesterday wasn't as good as I was hoping...the Nestabilities were sold out at Hobby Lobby, the stamps weren't on sale (I won't pay full price for stamps there...or any box store) and Michaels' didn't have all of their new stuff out yet. But to look on the upside of it...I will try again another day :o)))) I did find some great My Mind's Eye scrapbooking paper and some neat prima type flowers on sale so that was good! I have a busy day here...along with everything else the normal Friday house cleaning so maybe I can stamp tomorrow for a good bit!

Hope you have a great day!

Thankful Thursday Sketch Challenge

This week Latrice from InStyle Stamps has this weeks Thankful Thursday sketch challenge and it is just a lovely one! I used the new Retro girl Steph for mine...she is just so hip! I swapped sides for the sentiment and ribbon just because it worked best for my image and the empty space beneath the phone. I know that this week there is a real special prize up for grabs so be sure and check out the InStyle Stamps Blog to get all of the details!

Everyone is well and seemingly recovered from the sickness that has been hanging around my family so I am off to the craft stores to see what is new... ;o) Have a great day!

Birthday Wishes

I made this card for a sketch challenge on the MFT forum on SCS. It looked like such a fun sketch that I just had to give it a whirl...and the best thing is I didn't cut into one new piece of cardstock or designer paper. :o) It is completely made of scraps (including the card base which I found in my Rich Regals stash).

The present image is from a MFT image swap I participated in back before Christmas and I colored it with Copics to match as closely as possible the dp. The ribbon is from the Target Dollar spot way back in June/July. I am tickled with how this turned out and know it will be perfect for one of my daughter's friends who is soon to have a birthday!

Have a great day!

Thumped Floral

Gina K. has a brand new website...StampTV. It is such a cool website with lots of fun threads as well as challenges Monday through Friday! I made this card using the Thumping Technique with the stamp set Comfort and Peace. If you have water based markers you should give it a try. I am just pleased to have another use for my SU markers (with the Copic craze you don't hear much about regular markers anymore).

Have a great day!

Clean and Simple Card

I made this card for last week's CAS challenge (which was to use a button on your card).  CAS stands for Clean and Simple.  A simple definition from SCS is: A clean and simple card has limited layers and sometimes just a card base. It leaves a lot of "open space". It uses little or no embellishments. Any techniques should be the old standard everyday kind like sponging, distressing and piercing. Limit the number of tools you use. Any colored images should be small and quick. Don't go overboard on tons of punches and embossing. CAS cards should be easy and quick.

Oftentimes I overcomplicate cards and this challenge really helps me to simplify (not to even mention taking it easy on postage due upon mailing.... LOL!)   I must say I am not a huge fan of this card, I am really trying to like the white space and with time I think it will grow on me.

This week's challenge is a sketch and you can find this week's challenge HERE.  I know this is a challenge I hope to do each week...simple is good! :o)  Have a great day!

Limelight Sketch Challenge #15

Mandy over at Limelight Papercrafts has another great sketch challenge for this week. Can you believe it is the 15th sketch challenge? She also wanted us to include some flowers in our design since at some point spring will come... Tomorrow is supposed to be awfully cold (and a chance of snow), but I am sure it will be warmer than we want in the not too distant future.

I used a stamp from Great Impressions. I remember I bought this stamp a year ago at the Enchanted Cottage... I was pregnant with my son (how can he already be almost 1 year old???). It was my last trip before my little one was due to be born... Now that I think about it, I need to go back :o))) you ready Susan? LOL! I certainly have more energy this year than last...

Well, I hope you have a great weekend!

Artfully Asian: Thank You

This card came together relatively quickly, what did I do before I had a Cuttlebug? I honestly think the Cuttlebug is the very best purchase I have made all in all. I used the Stylized Flower folder and paired it with this lovely Basic Grey designer paper and the SU stamp set Artfully Asian. The colors are from last years In Colors: Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi.
I hope you have a great day!

Sympathy Card

I made this card using the stamp set Comfort and Peace for a friend who recently lost her father to cancer. Cancer touches so many...I would think it is hard to think of a family one knows that has not had someone affected by this dreadful disease.

I used a similar layout from a time before just changed up the colors a bit... I know that at a time when someone has lost a loved one, a card may encourage them in knowing that others are concerned and praying for them.
I pray you have a great day...

Tea for Two

Last Monday I received a new stamp set from My Favorite Things: Tea for Two...the little mouse in the tea cup is so cute! Now I am not a fan in the least of mice (I am one that will shriek and stand on a chair when I see one), but I don't mind the paper kind and this one is just too cute! After I stamped the mouse twice, I colored him with Copics and popped him up on a dimensional to give it a little lift ;o) The tea cup is paper pieced using Basic Grey dp, just love this dp and I colored the inside of the mug with Copics. I love coffee mugs that have a nice solid color on the inside...don't know why, just my thing... Does the layout look familiar? I just used it on a card I showed yesterday and think I will use it one quite a bit (LOL!)

Have a great Tuesday!

Best Things...

I made this card for a challenge that Joanne has on the Gina K. forum on SCS. The challenge was to use Kraft on a project so I made a card using Kraft cardstock as well as three different GKD stamp sets: The Best of Life, Sweetest Blessings and My Cuppa' Joe. I love how they all worked together for this card. The Pink Pirouette didn't show up quite as dark in the picture, but you get the idea.
Hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

Steph from InStyle Stamps

Sorry I have been MIA... It has been quite a week and so thankful for what the Lord has done in the lives of some dear friends. Some will know what I mean and I will leave it at that. :o)

InStyle Stamps just released some new stamps yesterday. I would like to introduce you to Steph, she is definitely a chatty gal. I myself enjoy talking on the phone and sometimes am surprised with how long I can chat (LOL!) However, when you are catching up with a friend from a state away (Hello, Linda...) time definitely flies! ;o)

It is going to be a busy day here..I have some running around to do and then straightening the house a bit. I also hope to get in a little stamping time as well :o)
Have a wonderful day!

MFT: Rain or Shine

A favorite color combination of mine is various shades of pink and brown which just happens to be part of the color scheme of the new Basic Grey Bittersweet designer paper. I paper pieced the coat/dress (and the dog just had to match!) and colored her and her boots with Copic markers adding a bit of sparkle with Cotton Candy stickles. The background was also colored with Copics and I added a little grass with a small grass stamp. I did add some rain with Versamark, but sadly, it doesn't show up well in the photo.

Well, I am off for a busy day here... Have a great one!

Limelight Sketch Challenge

You all are so nice (no one mentioned the red line stamp dimensional on my card)...I noticed when I was cleaning my craft space the red backing of a dimensional on top of this card and immediately went to my photo file and sure enough there it was...I totally missed it. haha, LOL! Can you find it in the second photo?



Limelight Papercrafts blog has a great sketch challenge on their blog that I just had to try. You can find the sketch HERE and the challenge was to use pink bling. Now pink is my absolute favorite color (I am quite a girly girl) so I was excited to try this one!  The cupcake image is from the new Gina K. set Sweetest Blessings...it is just the most adorable stamp :o)

After coloring the cupcakes with Copics, I covered them with Cotton Candy stickles to make them sparkle (that is where the "bling" comes in).  The sweet sentiment is from the retired SU set: Love Matters.  And don't you just love the designer paper?  It is a sheet in the Basic Grey Bittersweet line...and it is sooo pretty! I am already sad because I am running out... :o(   I know Mandy carries it in here store...you can find it here.

Have a great weekend!

InStyle Stamps Sneak Peek #4

Oh-my, do I have something special to share today....In Style Stamps has a brand new line of Anime stamps that will be released tonight.

I would like to introduce the fella in the line: Jet, isn't he a cutie? I really like these images..it reminds me of Japanese cartoons (I lived in Japan for six years: three when I was a young child and then another three during my teen years until I graduated high school and returned to the States for college so these images have a special appeal to me). I haven't seen anything like them and I love anything *new*.... Jet has some friends that you can find on the InStyle Stamps Blog.

Jet was colored using Copic markers and his vest was paper pieced from a scrap piece that I had in my scrap bin. This new stamp line is wonderful for paper piecing and puts to excellent use all of those little scraps you have laying around!

Jet must be thinking about one of his girlfriends...either Mellie, Lilah or Yuki....but I wonder which one??? Jet and the other adorable stamps in the Anime line will be released tonight on the InStyle Stamps website. I am looking forward to seeing what other ones will follow these four :o)
Have a great day!

Cherish~True Love

I made this card for the Cinema Saturday Creative Challenge.  Each week Sankari and Brooke choose a movie and release little hints on their CSCC blog and everyone will guess what the movie is... This past Saturday the movie was The Princess Bride, and my guess was soooo off!  Oh-well! :o)  It is quite fun to guess..past movies they have done are: Gone With The Wind, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, The Sound of Music and Pride and Prejudice (as well as numerous others).

The card I made is just a simple take on the *true love* between Westley and Buttercup. For this card, I also used the sketch from PaperCraftPlanet for this week. The large Pink Pirouette background circle was made using a Coluzzle and then I used my corner rounder punch to scallop the edges. The hearts were stamped with Versamark and embossed with White Embossing powder. Every layer (including the Basic Grey dp) was thoroughly sponged with Pretty in Pink ink. I do love this card...it is one of my favorites that I have made in a long time and so far hubby hasn't seen his Valentine card(hehe) ;o) I just need to do is write something mushy on the inside :o)...
Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Priceless

The Color Challenge on SCS yesterday was to use Creamy Caramel, Cameo Coral and Old Olive. Just so you know, Cameo Coral is probably one of my least favorite SU colors so this was a "challenge" in the true sense of the word. However, from ordering Assorted Cardstock packs of paper I do have about 12 sheets of this cardstock so figured I would go ahead and give it a try (if nothing else this poor color will get used). To jazz it up a bit, I stamped some extra butterflies and popped them up, it looks as though they are floating right off of the card.

***Just wanted to let you know that In Style Stamps is having a Design Team call...you can find out all of the details HERE***

Have a great day!

TECC#53

Today I wanted to try Taylor's Cupcake Challenge #53. It is a first time for me doing a challenge from her blog and this sketch just really drew me in to give it a whirl. I think I could get hooked doing these each week (especially since I always need these kind of cards in my stash!).

Sweetest Blessings from Gina K. has the cutest cupcake image and fit perfectly with Taylor's challenge. I used the colors Pink Pirouette and Sage Shadow and some older Basic Grey paper that matched very nicely. The top of the cupcake was colored using a pink Copic and then covered with Cotton Candy stickles...created a great sparkle. The bottom of the cupcake is paper pieced using the same dp as the bottom panel. The heart brads were a Target $ spot find and matched up nicely (and most of all fit with the sketch :o)).

Right now pre-game Superbowl coverage is on so the family is pretty much centered around the TV.
I can stamp and enjoy time together with the family :o)
Have a great Sunday!