FFC#09 - Color Challenge

Good morning friends.  It's graduation day for our youngest and I'm going to share a Christmas card?  Some things in life just don't make sense do they?!  But yes, I'm going to share my card for the latest Festive Friday challenge, which is a color challenge.

Because I am such a traditional girl at heart, I thought this challenge would be easy for me, but I struggled.  If I'm honest though, it wasn't the colors that I struggled with so much as the idea I had in my head.  I'm sure all you stampers out there know exactly what I'm talking about, where you have what seems like a great idea, but it just doesn't come together like what you were thinking in your head!  This is one of those cards.  There are parts of it I really like and other parts that just don't seem to line up in my mind...maybe I'm being too critical???  Take a look:

The idea started with using Flourishes "Santa I Believe" stamp and using only half of his face...this is the part of the card I really like.  I do like the right side of the card with the negative die cut of the holly leaves (Cheery Lyn die), but I guess I'm struggling with whether I like it with the half Santa face.  My daughter loves it and thinks it's one of my best cards yet, so maybe I'm just being too critical.  Anyway, it is what it is, and again, there are parts I really do like, including the glittery gold "merry" and star (PTI dies).  Lots of other great Christmas inspiration over at the Festive Friday blog, so make sure you check it out!

Busy, busy day with family coming for the ceremony and dinner tonight, so I better get motating!  Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing part of your day with me! :0)

Happy Birthday MJ

Good morning friends.  I know I said yesterday I would be back with some graduation inspiration today, but completely forgot I have a birthday to celebrate (that's what happens when you get old!!).  One of my college roommates is celebrating a birthday today (Happy Birthday MJ!!) and so I'm going to share her card today.  MJ had stopped by for a visit last week and commented (when raiding my card stockpile! :0) that she really liked my Lily of the Valley cards, sooooo.......

There's always a lot of detail on Lily of the Valley images, so click on the photo to enlarge it and see all it's yummy goodness! :0)  This is a 5 x 5 card base, and I layered with SU!'s Pixie Pink (retired color) cs and design paper from The Paper Studio.  After stamping the image and coloring with my Copics, I used the largest circle die (Spellbinders) and largest scalloped circle die before adhering to the dp.  I added a turquoise blue tulle bow and the Just for You circle sentiment (Lily of the Valley) off to the left.  I also used a Martha Stewart punch to add a cupcake to the center of the sentiment circle so it would coordinate with the dp.  And a little flower too to add a little more dimension.  I know it's a "busy" card, but I like how it turned out and hope MJ will too!

OK, I seriously need to get some graduation things done (my baby graduates tomorrow night and her open house is Sunday) today, but I will be back with some inspiration soon for graduation, and also have a new Festive Friday challenge card to share too.  Have a wonderful Wednesday friends, and thanks so much for stopping by and spending a part of your day with me...I LOVE it when you do!! 

Sweet Baby Allison

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day...ours was a little soggy!  Oh well, forced me to do a little graduation stuff!  It's raining like crazy right now...does that mean I have to do more graduation things today?  We'll see.....

On Sunday we went to my cousin's daughters graduation open house, and I got to meet the newest member of my family...sweet little baby Allison.  She's just a little over 2 weeks old now and just a little peanut!  Got to hold her for a while and just couldn't keep a smile off my face...amazing what a newborn can do to us! :0)  Of course I had to make a card, and what better way to make use of PTI's designer Melissa Bickford's newest stamp set "Polka Dot Parade #4".  Take a look:

There isn't a lot of stamping on this card, but it was just too much fun to use designer paper and the coordinating dies for this card.  The design paper is from my scrap pile, and unfortunately no name on the pieces I had left, so I'm afraid I can't tell you the manufacturer.  But I loved the bright pink and turquoise blue...very "girly"!  I also used PTI's Jumbo Rick Rack die to add a little interest.  Definitely a quick and simple card, but I love how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday.  I'll be back later this week with some graduation inspiration. :0) 

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

Good morning friends.  It's time for Papertrey's monthly blog hop challenge, and of course I had to play!  It was a color challenge this time, and then add flowers to that also, and I just couldn't have been any happier!  I chose the orange bouquet, and although my colors look a bit more "fallish" than the photo, I'm still really happy with the way my card turned out.

And here's my take on it:

I chose to use PTI's "Life" stamp set for this challenge as I haven't used it in quite a while, but once I started stamping away, I remembered exactly why I do like this set so much!  Because I don't have any PTI ink pads yet (I get too excited by all the stamp sets and then there's no money left for ink pads!!), I used SU! pads instead: Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Groovey Guava, So Saffron, & Kiwi Kiss.  It's hard to see in this picture, but if you click on it to enlarge, you will see that I embossed the "First Edition" design paper (SU!) with my chevron folder, and then sponged it a bit so it would stand out with Crumb Cake ink.  I also added some cotton lace (Michael's dollar spot), Milk Chocolate seam binding ribbon (The Craft Spot), twine and tag (PTI - Tiny Tags), and a sponged fabric flower (SU!) to finish off the card.  Again, more of a fall feeling card than spring, but I still love all the colors together and just how all the little details came together on this card. :0)

Can't wait to see all the creations today by everyone else,,,make sure to check it out over at Nicole's blog ( http://nicholeheady.typepad.com/capture_the_moment/ ).  Thanks for stopping by today and have a great holiday weekend! :0)

Make it Monday #117 - Paper Piecing

Good morning friends.  Back with another PTI challenge and I have to tell you I LOVED this one!  I was so glad to hear Melissa say that she loves paper piecing in her video because that is something I have always enjoyed doing!  Most people don't like to take the time to do "fussy cutting", but I really like it.  I just turn on my ipod or the tv, get my really sharp Cutterbee paper snips, paper, and color me happy!! :0)  If that makes me different, well, so be it!  Anyway, on to the card!  I have a Gina K flower stamp ("Year of Flowers") that is very similar to the stamp Melissa used, so that is what I started with.  My dp is all from a Lily of the Valley pad.  Take a look:

If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you'll be able to better see the different dp.  I started with a white card base and embossed just the end with SU!'s Striped embossing folder.  I added my sentiment (from PTI's "Blooming Button Bits") right above the embossing, and then added my background piece of dp.  After stamping the flower directly onto the striped dp and then again onto 5 different coordinating floral design papers, I started the fun of cutting and paper piecing.  Since my flower is a bit smaller than the one Melissa used, I couldn't add all the fun to the center like she did without totally covering up my flower.  I did use the dies from PTI's "Lovely Layers" and felt to make my leaves (first time I ever stamped directly onto felt...fun, fun!!) and flower center, and then added a button and embroidery floss for the very center.  Next I did some faux stitching around the striped background paper, and then added some turquoise blue tulle, a few pearls, and part of a Cheery Lynn leaf die to finish off the card.  Not a quick and simple card, but definitely a fun one for me! :0) 

Want to play in PTI's May Blog Hop yet this week, but will have to see if time permits...been busy making lots of graduation cards this week.  Also only have a little over a week left to pull together a lifetime of pictures and school achievements onto poster boards and books for my youngest' open house...I think I've mentioned before I do some of my best work under pressure, so let's hope that holds true for this next week!  Hard to believe this is my baby's last day of high school today...bittersweet, but kind of glad to be leaving this phase of life behind. 

Thanks for stopping by today and hopefully I'll be back before week's end with some more inspiration!  Have a terrific Thursday! :0) 

Hello

Good morning friends.  Back today with a couple cheery cards from a PTI set that I've had for over a year and JUST used for the first time!  And now I ask myself "why was I waiting?!", because this is such a fun set!  It's called "Strawberry Patch", and I remember when I bought it, I also bought the basket die, and used that right away but not the stamp set.  Temporary loss of mind I guess!  But anyway, had lots of fun creating these 2 bright AND simple cards.  Take a look:

Both are pretty self explanatory, but if you have any questions, just email me.  The "thanks" on the bottom card was pieced together from 2 PTI dies - thankful and blessed.  I knew I didn't have room for "thankful" to go across the bottom of the card, so I cut off the "ful" part and then cut out one of the "s"'s from "blessed" and attached it to the "thank".  The "many" came from an old SU! stamp that says "many thanks" and I just inked up the "many".  This is definitely a set I will be using again...lots of fun! :0)

 Have one more picture to share with you today.  My husband had taken out a shrub this spring that had been dying for the past few years, and because it had gotten so big, I had forgotten there were all kinds of Lily of the Valley planted underneath it.  With the shrub gone, they just went crazy this year and I had to bring a bouquet in for my dining room table.  My mom used to do the same thing, and it brings back fond memories and a smile to my face.

Aren't they pretty?  And they smell SO good! :0) 

Remember to keep all the families in Moore, OK in your prayers...the loss of life and destruction there is just incomprehensible.  I think I need to turn the news off as I just can't seem to stop the tears from coming.  Another example of just how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away.  Make sure you let those around you know they are loved on a daily basis!!

Thanks for stopping by today and have a wonderful Tuesday.

Make it Monday #116 - Adding Texture to Stamps

Good morning friends and happy Friday!  Found some time to play along with PTI's Make it Monday challenge this  week, and Betsy challenged us to use a comb (or something similar) to add texture to our stamps.  My card's very simple, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.  Take a look:

If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll be able to see the texture better.  I started with the leaves from PTI's "Beautiful Blooms" stamp set and SU!'s Gumball Green ink.  After inking the stamp, I used my comb in two directions to add the texture to the leaves.  I then added the flowers from the stamp set with different colors (SU!'s Tangerine Tango, Wisteria Wonder, YoYo Yellow, Pool Party, Melon Mambo, & So Saffron).  I added a black center to all the flowers to make them pop a bit more, and then after adding the sentiment (PTI's "Flower Fusion #11), I added a few clear iridescent sequins to the background and also over the black centers of the flowers.  My card base is SU!'s Tangerine Tango, which also adds a pop of color to the card.  A quick and easy card, but sure to bring a smile with it's brightness to someone's day! :0)

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope you all have a wonderful and JOY filled weekend!  See you next week with more inspiration! :0) 

FFC08 - Trigger Challenge

Good morning friends.  I'm back with another Christmas card for the Festive Friday Challenge.  I am loving how my stash is growing and know I'll be even more excited when the holidays arrive and I'm not in a panic because I don't have my cards done! :0)  (let me tell ya, it's serious stress for a stamper!!)  But anyway, the challenge this time around is a trigger challenge, and the trigger word is: sweet.

My first thought was candy (spoken like a true chocoholic, right?!), and an idea popped into my head.  But while looking for a particular stamp, I came across another stamp I'd forgotten I had, and all I could think was "Isn't she SWEET?"  What do you think?

Her little face just makes me smile and I'm glad I found her again!  I colored her with my Copics, and then used a couple Spellbinder dies to cut her out (the stamp is from Stampendous).  The design paper is from The Paper Studio, and I thought the candy canes added to the "sweetness" of the card.  My sentiment is from PTI's "Winter Hills" stamp set and I added a silver button and red and white bakers twine (The Twinery) to finish off the banner. I have a few more of her already colored, so I just need to put the cards together, and will have even a few more to add to my stash! :0) 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope I've brought a smile to your face today!  :0)

C.A.S.E.

Good morning friends.  Quick post today as I want to get outside and do some planting now that the danger of frost is past! :0)  I love this time of year when I get to add color to the outside of my home, but I wonder how many of you are like me, and when July rolls around I'm so sick of the heat and watering, that my flowers only survive if we have a lot of rain or my husband takes pity on them?  We'll see what this year brings! :0)

My card today is a complete CASE of a card that won the CAS challenge by Sally Sherfield.  I was drawn to it immediately by its simplicity and couldn't help but copy it.  I left off the sentiment and the bling she added to hers, and my colors are a tiny bit different, but otherwise, it's pretty much the same.  Take a look:

The card base is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4", and then I made a template with a 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" opening, so I could stamp the image (SU!'s "Because I Care" stamp set) inside the opening.  I used SU!'s Pool Party, Tempting Turquoise, and Old Olive ink for the flower, and then made a mask of the flower so I could sponge the background lightly with Pool Party and Tempting Turquoise.  I made a few of these and left off any sentiments, so I could use them as note cards for any occasion.  Very clean and simple, AND elegant in my humble opinion! :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

Wonderful Mother

Good morning friends.  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and a fabulous Mother's Day!  I spent my Mother's Day watching my youngest daughter dance at her last competition...bittersweet!  Part of me is glad to be done with this phase of my life, but at the same time I know I will miss watching the beauty of her dance...she is an amazing dancer! :0) 

We spent time with my mom a week ago for a mother's day dinner and then brought flowers on Saturday night to brighten up her deck space.  Of course I had to make a Mother's Day card that was bright too...take a look:

I used PTI's "Embroidered Blooms" stamp set for the background, and Gina K's "Year of Flowers" stamp set for the rose, which I embossed with white and then used a re-inker and Aqua Painter to give a little shading and depth.  I used a striped embossing folder on the bottom of the card, and then added a border with SU!'s Scalloped Trim punch in Bashful Blue, and then added another border with SU!'s Delicate Details Lace Tape.  After I took this photo, I ended up and added little tiny pearls to the center of each flower of the Lace Tape...made the Lace Tape look even more delicate and pretty. 

That's all for today friends.  Have a wonderful Monday and thanks so much for stopping by...I love it when you do! :0)

Harvest Berries

Good morning friends.  Sorry I've been missing for a few days...not much stamping this past week.  I've been busy working on graduation stuff for our youngest, and reading (my other love!).  I know with Mother's Day just a few days away, I really need to get motating, but sometimes I work best under pressure! :0)

The card I'd like to share with you today though, is a thank you card I made for my girlfriend Sue using PTI's "Harvest Berries" stamp set.  It's a very clean and simple card, but I was happy with how pretty it turned out.  Take a look:

This photo was taken before all our sunshine arrived, so it's hard to tell that the color of the berries, the sentiment, and the colored layer are all Elegant Eggplant, which is a very deep purple (the photo makes these items look black rather than a deep purple)...grrrrr!  But anyway, I stamped the leaves in SU!'s Certainly Celery first, and then stamped a second time using SU!'s Always Artichoke.  The berries were stamped with Elegant Eggplant and then I stamped off to create a little bit of shading.  The sentiment is from PTI's  "Embroidered Blooms" stamp set, and then I added a few silver nailheads from Gina K.

That's all for today, but hopefully I'll be back soon with a Mother's Day card.  Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful Thursday! :0)

Elikem's Birthday

Good morning friends.  Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  With all the beautiful weather we had here it almost impossible not to have a wonderful weekend...I am LOVING it! 

The card I am sharing with you today is very similar to one I posted a while back, but couldn't help using PTI's "Birthday Style" stamp set again to make a card for my niece's newly adopted son Elikem.  Elikem is from Ghana, and arrived in the U.S. last Wednesday and turned 7 on Friday.  Because he is now an American citizen, I decided a red, white and blue card was definitely appropriate!  Take a look:

I am loving this stamp set, as it is perfect for kids and adults, and is just so easy to use!  I used SU!'s Real Red, Not Quite Navy, and Bashful Blue inks to do the stamping, and the die cuts are from PTI (Wonderful Words: Birthday, and stars).  I did emboss the birthday die with clear embossing powder, and that does make it a bit deeper in color than the red ink.  Quick and easy, but FUN card! :0)

Thanks for stopping by today, and have a wonderful Monday!

Make it Monday #114 - Blown Ink

Good morning friends and a happy Friday to all of you!  I am SO enjoying this beautiful weather we've had this past week and watching everything start to bloom...God's masterpieces in all their glory! :0)

My card today is for PTI's Make it Monday challenge.  This was a technique I remember doing with the girls when they were little, but if I remember right, there was little control and LOTS of mess!  I have to admit though, that it was a lot of fun after I got the hang of it!  Take a look:

I didn't have much success using regular card stock (ink sank in too quickly and would not spread), but once I tried using a glossy card stock, it worked like a charm.  I used SU!'s striped embossing folder first, and then used SU!'s Certainly Celery and Melon Mambo re-inkers and a straw to make the "blown ink" look. (Dawn McVey made it look so easy on her video, but you really have to blow hard to get that ink to move!!)  I used PTI's Framed Out #12 die to cut out the little frame in Melon Mambo cs, and then stamped a few flowers on it with PTI's "Beautiful Blooms" stamp set (easier to see if you click on the picture to enlarge it). I used the "HAPPY" from PTI's "Big Birthday Wishes" to stamp inside the frame, and then die cut the word birthday using PTI's Wonderful Words: Birthday Die with Certainly Celery cs. I embossed the die cut with clear embossing powder and that is why the color is so much deeper than the blown ink.  I added a silver nailhead (Gina K) to the center of one of the stamped flowers on the frame, and then layered with a piece of Melon Mambo cs and attached that layer to a white card base.  I have a teenage niece whose birthday is coming up in a couple weeks that this card will be perfect for. :0)

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you all have a terrific weekend! 

FFC#07 - Element Theme Challenge

Good morning friends.  The challenge this week at Festive Fridays is a element theme...to use a bird in your card.

 
 I had all kinds of ideas floating around in my head for this card, and the one I ended up making is SO different from any of those thoughts in my head.  It was also one of those cards that when I finished, I wasn't sure I liked it.  The colors were definitely what I had planned on using all along, but the card seemed so....simple...quiet.  The more I looked at it through the day though, it grew on me - to the point that the simple and clean simplicity of it made me think this might be one of my all time favorite cards!  Take a look:

I used Hero Arts "Merriest Christmas Wish" stamp set with SU!'s Bashful Blue ink, and then did some layering with SU!'s Wisteria Wonder and Bashful Blue cardstock and an oversized white card base (5 1/2 x 5 1/2).  I used PTI's die for the "Peace" and cut it out with Wisteria Wonder cs and then glittered it with SU!'s Dazzling Diamonds.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, the glittering Peace shows up a lot better.

I mentioned yesterday about the tree in our backyard that blooms every May 1st and thought I would share a picture with you today.

 

 

 

  Now I'm sure there are going to be some of you out there that will say "What's wrong with your eyes?!!  The tree is half dead!!"  And technically you would be right.  But there are a bunch of reasons that this tree is just too beautiful to cut down.  One, the part of the tree that is alive produces the most beautiful white flowers that I could just never cut it down...I look forward to those flowers every spring!  Secondly, our oldest daughter's birthday is May 1st, so we've always considered that her "birthday tree".  Thirdly, there is a family of woodpeckers that lives in the dead part of the tree, and we LOVE to watch the mama and her babies...I know, I know, simple entertainment! :0)  And lastly, our dog Brinkley loves that tree that the squirrels use as sanctuary from him!  Brinkley will sit for hours (literally!!) at the base of that tree with a squirrel cornered up there at chattering away at him...just TOO FUNNY!!! :0)

That's all for today friends.  Have a wonderful Thursday and thanks so much for stopping by...I love it when you do! :0)



   

Year of Flowers

Good morning friends.  Today I'd like to share a card that was inspired by the colors Soft Suede and Cool Caribbean.  It was actually a beach scene card, but I decided to make mine a floral card (yes, I love the pretty flowery cards the best!!).  Take a look:

I started with a white card base, a layer of Soft Suede cs, and then a layer of white that I embossed with SU!'s "Lacey Brocade" embossing folder and then sponged with Soft Suede and Cool Caribbean.  Then I used one of the flowers from Gina K's "Year of Flowers" stamp set and stamped the flower image twice in Cool Caribbean and then added the leaves with Old Olive ink.  It looked too plain and stark on the white card stock, so I added SU!'s "French Script" background with Crumb Cake ink for a subtle background.  I mounted this layer with another piece of Soft Suede cs and then used a piece of seam binding ribbon (color is "Pinecone" from My Craft Spot) to make a bow around this layer before attaching it to the embossed layer.  I also added a little tag from PTI's "Tiny Tags" die set, but left it blank as I didn't know what occasion I would use the card for yet.  (I tend to leave a lot of my cards blank, so that when I need a card quickly, all I have to do is add the sentiment and it looks like I'm totally prepared!)

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!  I'm looking forward to watching my favorite tree in the backyard (the one Brinkley chases the squirrels up!) bloom today.  I am always amazed that it is almost every year that it blooms on May 1st...how does it know to do that?!!  It is also my oldest daughters birthday today (Happy Birthday sweetie!!) and I always tell people that my favorite tree blooms on Caitlin's birthday...how sweet is that?!  Thank you Lord!  You are SO good!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing part of your day with me...I love it when you do! :0)