Havin A Blast!

It has been so nice this week to have a few minutes to myself while my children were at Vacation Bible School. I used my 3 hours every day to do something alone that is generally more difficult with kids around. As you can tell from my title, I have had a blast! This brings me to the card I have to show you today. I am coming in right under the wire with the Mojo Monday sketch from June 22nd. It was a cute one so I really wanted to play with it. Take a look!

This card also works for the challenge over at Our Creative Corner this week that asks us to create something with stars. Since the Fabulous 4th is almost here, I thought a little patriotism would be in order. I have been waiting to try the cute little ribbon technique I have seen everywhere so I used it here. I have always loved red, white, and blue on paper projects! The Doodlebug DP is a perfect pattern for a sketch like this that uses a half & half arrangement. I like how a stripe brings the eye down to the focal point of the card.

I will probably give one of these to each of my little firecrackers next week. I made a few extras to list in my shop too so if you need a card for your own little firecrackers ( and you don't make your own), check out my Etsy shop!

Have a great rest of the weekend. Stay cool!

Papers- Gina K Pure Luxury 80#; Doodlebug Stars & Stripes. Stamps- Stampendous Fire Crackers. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black. Tools- CB Swiss Dots embossing folder; Nestie deckle rectangles (lg). Embellishments- Offray Metallic ribbon; Favorite Findings star buttons. Pens- Copic @29, B18; Sakura jelly roll silver, clear. Font- Designers 18pt.

Beautiful Kindness

Every now and then a line of papers comes along that is just so pretty, it doesn't even need stamps to showcase it. Well, K&Co has done just that. The Addison collection is simply luscious! I found a few of the coordinates recently and they have been at the top of my "pile" ever since. When the challenge at OCC came out Saturday, asking us for cards that use a sentiment as the focal point, I knew which papers to pull out. My card also works for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge (FTTC17) that asks for sponging on cards this week. Let me show you my card so I can tell you more about it...


The 2nd photo is of the inside of the card. I had very little of my paper left so I was limited with what I could use to embellish the inside of the card. I may go back and add to it if I can get more of the papers. I chose a quote that I really love and printed it on my computer since setting up that many letters individually would be impossible. That is 3 days in a row that I have had no stamping on my cards! I did sponge the edges of my focal point panel though.

I used my trusty Coluzzle to cut the ovals after I printed the quote which allows perfect centering every time. The flourishes are cut using the Quick Cutz Revolution die. I only had one of those gorgeous buttons so for my extra cards, I used similar brass buttons but I really love this one in the picture. For the rest of the details, please check my supply list below. Since I have been asked to show photos of the custom album job I just finished, check back tomorrow to see that and hear about my challenges. Thanks for stopping by!

It's Been Awhile!

Not only have I been a few days with no posts but it has been several weeks since I played along with a challenge. There have been so many cute sketches but I have been too busy to jump in. When I am strapped for time, the only way I make challenge cards is if the sketch "calls to me" with an immediate idea. Otherwise, I make something that is already in the hopper. Since my "hopper" pile is a mile high already, I have pulled from my prepped ideas to speed things up. I am ready for this break neck pace of life to slow down before I blow a gasket. I am pooped lately! Only a little longer and the kids will be out of school, my part time work will be over for the season, and my hubby will be done with his doctorate as well as all work travel for the year.

So, did you come to read my whining or to see a card? I thought so! Today's card is my contribution to the Our Creative Corner Challenge that asked us to make a card using our favorite color combination. That was easy enough! I simply love blue and green together so I pulled out a piece of plaid from my older stash and got to work. Baby cards are always handy so this one came together quickly. I may make a girly version when I get back to having some free time but for now, the boys will be solely represented in my card closet.


My techniques are pretty simple and my supply list is too. I doubt there are any surprises on there for the scrampers among us. For those that don't stamp, I doubt you even care what I used for this card, right? As always, I thank you VERY much for stopping by to read my blog and I hope you will hang in a little longer until I am back with full devotion. Be back soon!

Papers- Scrapbook Wizard plaid; bluebell CS by Bazzill; green CS by DCWV. Stamps- giraffe by Imaginisce; tiny miracle by Studio G. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black; SU Ballet Blue craft. Tools- corner rounder; 2in Marvy circle punch; 1 3/4in EK circle punch. Embellishments- Autumn Leaves buttons; Offray 1/8in white satin ribbon; Doodlebug eyelets (limeade and blue jeans).Pens- copic B21; SU certainly celery.

Long Time, No Challenge

Hello there! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. We finally got some pretty spring weather in my neck of the woods so we spent lots of time outdoors. It was glorious! My kids are back to school today. Spring Break is over...finally! I love to spend time with them but by the end of the week, they were getting bored and they picked at each other a lot. I always consider Spring Break a dress rehearsal for summer vacation coming up. I learned that I need to plan some fun things to do or I am going to be listening to a lot of arguing.

But on with today's card! I got some stamping time in and decided to work on a wedding card using this week's sketch from the girls at Our Creative Corner. You may check out their blog by clicking on the badge for their site to the left of my blog. I love to play along with their challenges and this week was no different. They posted a great sketch for us. There is no time limit for their challenges so you should come on and play too. Here is my card! The 2nd photo is of the inside of the card. Sorry the inside photo is so blurry. It was too dark to retake it by the time I looked at it in Image Pro on my computer.



My card is slightly different than the sketch since my stamped image was larger than the example. Where they included a star (or space for embellishment of some kind), I had to leave it empty since my "bride to be" was almost as wide as my card. I like how it turned out anyway. I needed a new wedding shower card for my stash anyway. I am sure someone I know will be getting married soon! If not, I will certainly be listing the extras in my Etsy shop so 1 more to sell won't hurt.

For my stamp, I used one from SU's Big on Spring which I just recently purchased from Karen Giron, author of The Sweetest Thing blog. She decided to part with some of her older sets and had them listed for GREAT prices. Thanks, Karen!

As always, my supply list is below. If you are interested in purchasing this card, it will be listed in my Etsy shop very soon. I hope your week is off to a fantastic start. Thanks for stopping by!

Papers- DP by Anna Griffin (#s AG1118 & AG1129); teal colobok CS. Stamps- SU Big on Spring. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black. Tools- Paper Studio 2 5/16 circle punch; Marvy 2 1/2in circle punch. Embellishments- Mark Richards #1952 5mm self adhesive pearls. Pens- Copic G21, B21, BG72, YR31. Font for inner sentiment- Whackadoo 14 & 20pt.

Hello, Baby!

Well, hello there! I know I am a little late so I'll just jump right in. I decided to play along with the Our Creative Corner Challenge this week. They have asked us to make a card using a tag. I figured that was within my realm of possibilities so I made my contribution as a baby card. I printed the sentiment for my tag on the computer in MS Word using the tweed font in 20pt bold. I love this font and I seem to go to it a lot lately.

The rest of the details for this card are below. If you are interested in purchasing this card, it will be available in my Etsy shop very soon. In a hurry? Send me an email or a comment and I will list it quickly. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

Papers- Scrapbook Wizard (stripe); DCWV (blue, yellow, green) CS. Stamps- SU Baby's Firsts. Inks- Versafine Onyx. Tools- SU Scallop edge punch; CB Swiss Dots folder; paper piercer; EK(1 1/4, 1 1/2in) circ punches. Embellishments- Blue 1/2in organdy ribbon; DMC #6131 embroid cotton; MM springtime button brads. Pens- Copic (E00, B23, B91, YG13, C1, Y11, RV11, YR65); Sakura Jelly Roll white. Font- tweed 20pt bold (RGB= 97-134-205).

Sunfowers and Thank Yous

Hello hello! Happy Monday morning! If a Monday morning could ever be called happy...I always want just one more weekend day when my alarm goes off on Monday mornings. But I finally got up because I have new card to show you and it is for the Sketch Challenge over at Our Creative Corner. I decided to play along last night and whipped up this little thank you note while hubby and I watched tv. I love this sketch and I bet I will use it again soon. The circles add a nice focal point to the center of the card while still giving the arrangement a pleasing asymmetry. Laurie Schmidlin, author of Just Give Me Stamps, is hosting this challenge and she came up with the sketch. Thanks so much, Laurie!

The only thing I would change if I use the sketch again is my type of background paper where I used the plaid. The sketch was designed with a space between two vertical strips of paper. Well, because I chose a plaid with a green stripe, the green space in between my strips doesn't jump out and it makes the card look like it has one large area of plaid. I think maybe next time I would use a solid or a small print that does not include my background color so that I get the gradation between papers.

This card will eventually be for sale in my Etsy shop. If you are a stamper and you just want to know the supplies used, they are listed below. Have a wonderful Monday and thanks for stopping by!

Papers- Daisy D's Butterfly Plaid and Butterfly Dot Multi; Bazzill CS (blue, green, yellow); DCWV red CS. Stamps- SU Family Phrases and A Flower for All Seasons. Inks- Tsukineko Graphite Black Brilliance. Tools- EK (1 1/2, 1 3/4in) circle punches; Marvy Super Circle Punch. Embellishments- 1/2in ecru cotton twill tape. Pens- Copic E29, G85, G82, Y21, R27, B34.

Jumpin Into a A Challenge!

Better late than never I always say! Up until now, I have tried to write my entries the night before so that they publish at midnight. Obviously, today, I am wayyyyyy behind. Hub is out of town and our playroom was a disaster that only a mom could fix. But here I am now and I have a cute card to show you.

I decided to participate in the Inspiration Challenge over at Our Creative Corner. They are a fun group of girls that are all so very talented. This month they have invited everyone to join them in creating cards that use a favorite embellishment. You pick a favorite embellishment and plan your whole card around it. I have had a lovely piece of ribbon stashed away for several months so I decided to pull it out and make it the focal point of the card. It was harder than I thought! I use ribbon often but this piece had 4 different colors on a white background. I also had my retired SU Unfrogettable stamp set on my desk. Weeks ago, I remembered this set and pulled it out to use somehow but there it sat, unloved and uninked. Well, the colors of the ribbon made me think of frogs and flowers so a card was born! I chose my favorite to feature here but I made 3 other cards as well. They all use a phrase and some combination of images from the frog set. I also used the SU Lily Pad SA wheel on the cards. (I love how that wheel accents the frogs so well.) Eventually, I will list them in my Etsy shop but for now, I only photographed the one above. For a better look at the sparkle on the dragonfly's wings, click on the smaller photo.

For the card, I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored them with my Copics. I found a list of comparable Copic colors to match the SU line, here. The dragonfly is finished with my Sakura Clear jelly roll pen for a little shimmer on his wings. The inside of the card, of which I forgot to snap a photo, includes a portion of the lily pad stamp wheel but is blank to allow for a hand written sentiment. As always, if you are not a stamper yourself, this card will be available for purchase in my Etsy shop. If you are, the recipe is below. Thanks for stopping by! I will be more prompt with tomorrow's entry. ;)

Papers- SU Brocade Blue, Cameo Coral, Always Artichoke, & Kraft CS. Stamps- SU Unfrogettable, Lily Pad SA wheel. Inks- Memento Tuxedo Black. Tools- paper piercer. Embellishments- ribbon, SU dimensionals. Pens- Copic G99, G85, B91, B95, G82, R22, RV02, R27, E27; Sakura Clear Jelly roll pen.