SG4 Card and Contest

It's time again for another great sketch from Annie B! I decided to rotate the sketch and came up with this alternative wedding card.



The towels were stamped with black on kraft and then colored in white with chalks. I haven't used those is FOREVER!! The other parts of the image were colored in using Copics. Now for the fun part . . . the main panel is intended to be a removable tag that you can turn over and use as a Do Not Disturb sign ;0)

I didn't realize until just now that the pp stripes are going in different directions and the fonts are different, oh well - handmade right?? :0) So I'm telling you, you need to head on over to the Sketch Girl Blog to see the other girls awesome creations (just click the logo on the left). And check out all of the details for participating this time. Sketch Girl is offering up some goodies as well as a Guest Designer position!! How fun is that ?!?!

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous start of the week. Happy Monday!!

Recipe:

Stamps: Fiskars

Ink: Copics, Memento, Whit Chalks, Sakkura Black Gel Pen

Paper: SU!

Accessories: CB, embossing folder, Offray ribbon, SU! Hodgepodge Hardware. glitter stickers and rub-ons

Krafty Christmas

This is a card I made for a SU! Workshop make and take last night. I don't know why I put the kraft snowflake on top and the white behind. Some of the customers made it the reverse way and I think I liked that better. Not an original idea, I saw the layout in a card magazine, but don't remember the details.
I love this bigz snowflake die from SU! very fun to work with and it's big! I punched both the whisper white snowflake and the chipboard kraft at the sametime with NO problem. I used some chunky Martha Stewart snowflake glitter and a random bling for the center.

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who left comments and tips on organizing my craftspace. The dining room table is now clean and my downstairs is starting to see some organization - stay tuned! :0)

We're off to see Jimmy Buffet with some friends tonight, the cheeseburgers and margaritas are calling!! Have a great Saturday!

Recipe:
All supplies SU!

NOT Going My Way!

Hello there! It's been a busy week trying to get back into the swing of things. The boys are having a hard time getting up and out the door in the morning. It seems the newness and excitement of school have worn off and the monotony has already set in . . . and it's only been 3 days :0) I was able to stay up late a couple of nights and created this card for this weeks 2Sketches 4U and CAARDVarks challenge to use black, pink and white.
This ended up being one of THOSE cards. You know, the ones you keep fiddling with and just can't seem to get right. I paper pushed, cut, glued, recut, reglued for what seemed like hours!! One of the best things for me to do when that happens is to just leave it, let it sit and come back to it later. Usually I either decide that I like it or know exactly what to do to change it. That didn't happen with this card. Maybe it was because I was stuck trying to incorporate both challenges - not enough room to change things.

Anywhoo. It's done. Either tell me what you like about it and make me feel better, or tell me what you don't like about it and how I should improve it :0)

Thanks for stopping by. I've got a couple of posts coming up this weekend, including Sketch Girl 4 on Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

Embrace Life

Hello everyone. School is back in session!! Early and busy morning to get the boys up and out the door. It's usually one of the only days of the school year that they are acutally excited to get up and go to school :0)

This is a quick post for a quick card I did for a shoebox night with my SU! wonderful Web girls.
I used the new SU! In Colors and one of the few un-retired sets I have (looks like someone needs to do some shopping :0)

Simple and Easy Peasy. Thanks for stopping by and looking. Have a great day - make it a fesh new start!

Recipe:
All supplies SU!

PMS House at 2Sketches4U

2 posts in one day?? What the heck ?!?! I really wanted to get this posted before the 2Sketches 4U and PMS weekly challenges were over. The challenge over at PMS was to use the colors blue, black and green.

I used this adorable cottage image that I hadn't inked up yet to come up with this;

I tried my hand at paper tolling to give my little house some dimension. We're talking lots and lots of layers on this card - I count 10!! I drew inspiration from Kim Teasdale for this card. She does some amazing things with layers, absolutely gorgeous! I can't even imagine the time it takes for some of the cards she creates.

O.K. I have to go now my DH is reading over my shoulder and driving me crazy!!

Have a great weekend!

Recipe:

Stamps: PMS

Paper: SU!

Ink: Memento, copics

Accessories: CB, embossing folder, Nestabilities, Ribbon, Sticker brads, Large scallop punch

WARNING! Stamping Disaster Zone!

As promised here are a couple pics of my choatic stamping life. The first one is of my soon to be craft space, still in a state of flux. Reluctantly I agreed to move all of my stuff to the basement. Our basement is a real basement; damp, musty and dark. And I am not a bottom dweller. But, I figured it was better than having everything stored in 3 different places, and I could leave it a mess if I wanted to and not have to worry. I am working on organinzing it all, and getting it suitable for stamping. I've realized I have about 10 years worth of stamping supplies that is in great need of a Clean Sweep!!


And here's where I've been lately showing what I still need to move downstairs. This is supposed to be a dining room. I don't think we've seen the bottom of this table, let alone sat and ate at it for about 4-5 weeks now!


So, these are the "before" pictures. I am praying there will be an "after" with lots of oohs and aahs and big smiles from me :0) If you've got any tips on storage, please let me know. I'm going to try to head down to IKEA tomorrow to pick some things up. My biggest organization nightmare is patterned paper and scrap paper storage. How do you do it? By vendor, by line, by color, by theme? Any suggestions would be helpful . . .

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Chandelier Revisited

Hey there!! Hope everyone had a good Wednesday. It was ugly rainy weather afterwork yesterday. I feel sorry for the kiddos 'cause they've only got a few days left of summer, but secretly I was smiling 'cause it's perfect stamping weather!!. I decided to work on the other swap I'm behind in - "Happy Birthday". I originally was planning on using this card. But I didn't think it was fun enough for a girlfriend so I decided to revisit the whole idea. This is what I came up with:



I like this one better because it's a little more lighthearted - what girlfriend wouldn't like a chandelier full of martini's !! Too cute and fun! The inside reads "Hang in there!" This isn't a very good photograph, but I colored in the bead/baubbles on the chandelier with my Sakkura Stardust glitter pen to given them some shimmery sparkle. And, I even added a couple of small rhinestones in the button holes. What do you think?


Today looks like more of the same weather ;0) I've really got to work on organizing my craft space. It's getting REALLY out of hand and like a bad plague, rapidly infecting the rest of the house. Maybe I'll take some pictures so you can see . . .


Have a GREAT DAY - whatever the weather!


Recipe:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets
Paper: SU!
InK: Memento, Sakurra, Copics
Accessories: Offray Ribbon, Button, rhinestones

Christmas in July in August!

I've been a little behind in some swaps lately so last night I was determined to get my Christmas in July done - in August hee hee!

OUT FOR PUBLICATION

I had bought these glittery felt snowflakes at Michaels eons ago with plans to use them on a school craft project (maybe for teachers x-mas grifts - can't remember). Anywhoo they are just peel and stick and super easy to work with. I paired that with a die cut birdie from SU and a branch from Quick Kutz. The Silvery sentiment is a sticker too! No stamping and easy peasy!!

Thanks for looking, have a simple easy peasy day today!.

Sketch Girl 3

I received this little robot stamp as one of the prizes in the 2 Sketches 4 You Ultimate Card Showdown. I didn't make it past Top 20, but hey! I got this cute little stamp out of it!! And then when I saw the Cogsmo line by Cosmo Cricket, I thought it was the perfect fit!


I was very excited to see this Sketch Girl layout. Mostly because it's very close to my "go to" layout. You can read more about that here. I kinda deviated from the sketch and moved my circle, but this way worked for me better. All of the cogs and wheels and paper are from the Cogsmo line. I love the bright colors, fun shapes and robots.

Be sure to check out all of the other Sketch Girls creations, and if you havevn't done so already, sign up to be a follower. There are FREE stamps up for grabs if you do!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Recipe:
Stamps: Inky Antics
Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Bazzil
Ink: Memento black, copics
Accessories: Cosmo Cricket blackboard, tracing wheel

Shine On

I've had this image colored in for quite awhile now, just sitting there in my box waiting for the chance to be crafted into something cute and sendable :0)

I added some bling and then paper pieced and popped up one of the lampshades. I used a Tombow N89 grey marker to add subtle shadows around the shades. I stamped the sentiment on the card base and colored in the flower with a white gel pen.

It's a busy weekend here. We have our towns summerfest this weekend so it will be filled with building a Cub Scout Pirate Ship float for the parade, carnival rides, good music, food and fun with friends!

Hope your weekend is filled with fun too! Check back tomorrow for the 3rd Sketch Girls challenge :0)

Recipe:
Stamps: Unity-Shine On
Paper: SU!, Making Memories
Ink: Memento black, copics, white gel pen
Accessories: Assorted bling

Chandelier Fun!

WOW! Seems like forever since my last post. It's been a crazy week and I'm glad to get back to the routine. We went back to Iowa to pick up the boys. I was soo glad to see them. I didn't realize how much I missed them until they were actually in my arms. I decided to play around with some ideas for an upcoming swap but I just couldn't get the juices flowing and this is what I ended up with :
This is my "GO-TO" layout. I think everyone has one. This is the layout I seem to use over and over again and just feels comfortable, especially when the MOJO isn't flowing. The main image centered smack dab in the center of the card with some layers - It works for me :0)

I decided to use a set by Crafty Secrets called Chandelier Fun. It comes with an assortment of stamps that you can put into the candleholders including; cupcake, heart, martini glass, rose, candle. There are a couple of cute sayings too. The one I chose for the inside reads "Happy Birthday Girlfriend".

I think my mind is still on vacation, so I kept it simple :0). Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Recipe:
Stamps: Crafty Secrets
Paper: Bazzil, Paper Studio, SU!
InK: Memento black, copic
Accessories: Offray Ribbon, Vintage button, twine, tracing wheel

Birthday Thanks!

I loved the PTI Everday Buttons Bits set as soon as I saw the sneak peaks! I decided to use this set to create a couple of Birthday thank you cards for a couple of friends.

Very simple, but way up there on the cuteness factor don't you think?? I used the Thanks CB embossing folder for the background. The inside has a sentiment from this PTI set that reads "you've been so kind".

Short post today. We leave to pick up the boys on Friday. Withdrawls are starting to kick in and I can't wait to give them big hugs and kisses :0)

Thanks for stopping by and have a "Tweet" day!

Recipe:Stamps: Papertrey Ink- Everday Buttons Bits, Paper: SU!, Ink: SU! Kiwi Kiss, Marigold Morning, Memento black, copics. Accessories: Making Memeories ribbon, CB and Thanks you embossing folder, PTI button

Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop!

Welcome to the first ever official Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop!


Verve turns two today!! I'm soo excited to be a part of this hop, hop, hop! I fell in love with Julee's images the first time I saw them and I am soo happy for her and the success of Verve. The party kicked off over on the Verve blog, so if you’ve just happened along, be sure to hop on over there and start from the beginning!

I decide since it WAS an anniversary party, to use the Anniversary Birds set :0) Here's my card;



I decided to give the card a vintage feel by adding book text on the sides and the black birds wing. I aged them a bit with ranger distress ink and did the same around the edges of the circle. I also used a white gel pen to give my little birdie some polkie's to match the pp :0)

I hope you like the card. I cant wait to hop and see what everyone else has done. What a fun way to party!!

And to make this party a real shindig, there’s a mystery jackpot hidden at one of the stops along the hop. One lucky "love leaver" on the mystery blog will win Verve’s entire August release! But of course, it wouldn’t be a mystery if you knew which blog, would it? So, if you’re feeling the love, give me and the rest of the bloggers a little shout out and you just might have a reason to jump for joy!

Thanks for stopping by! Now it’s time to hop on over to SPIKE’s blog, for a little more Verve-y goodness. Have a wonderful day!!

Recipe:

Stamps: Verve Anniversary Birds

Paper: SU!, Book text

Ink: Memento Black, Ranger Distress Ink - Sepia, White Gel pen, Copics

Accessories: Offray ribbon, EK Success Scallop punch, CB and nestabilities, Colorbok accents (heart and brads), stitching