Monday, February 27, 2012

Merry Monday Challenge #9



Hi, blogger friends!  I hope everyone had a good start to their week on this last Monday in February.  I did some cleaning, finished my laundry, made a pot of chicken noodle soup, and made my Christmas cards for the Merry Monday challenge.  I had fun with this sketch.



Today I got out the Stampin Up color coach and saw that baja breeze and crumb cake went with bravo burgundy.  I figured the tan DSP was close enough to crumb cake (Paper Studio, Faith Words).  The next DSP is a sparkly paper from My Mind's Eye.  I embossed the baja breeze paper.  My focal point is a snowman from a retired SU set, Deer Friends, layered on top a snowflake from the Northern Hearts set.  Of course, I had to use the silver glimmer paper and add a few rhinestones for some bling.  I tried to get a close up of the snowman:  I embossed his hat and popped it up with a dimensional.

It's easier to see the sparkle in the close up.  And, I just noticed that in this  one I used pearls  instead of rhinestones.  I like them both!   Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Paper Players Challenge #84


Hi again!  I used my new paper from My Mind's Eye for this sketch, too, only I decided to do just a little stamping.



I love the different shades of pink in this paper pad and the flowers are so pretty!  I decided to put the sentiment on my third image.  Maybe I'm getting just a little braver about making the sketch my own.  Not a lot, mind you, but a little!   By the way, I do enjoy your comments.  Since I've started blogging, I've realized how much those comments mean, and I've been trying to add them to the blogs I visit.   Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches #23


Happy Sunday afternoon, blogger friends!  The sun is shining here in Fort Wayne, and I got to do a little card making this afternoon.  What could be better?



The card I made for this challenge today actually has no stamping on it.  How about that?  Jim and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby on Friday, and I found this beautiful 6 by 6 pad of paper by My Mind's Eye.  I love to use stamps, but this paper is so gorgeous that I don't think it needs anything else.  Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Merry Monday Challenge #8



Hello blogger friends!  What a week it has been!  My husband and I spent most of the week cleaning and decluttering our apartment because we were getting some company due to a death in his ex-wife's family.  Complicated, huh?  We knew we would be babysitting my husband's 18 month old granddaughter, so did some major baby proofing.  No time for card making!



I finally got to sit down and create this afternoon and I did my card for the merry Monday challenge.  I used some retired Stampin Up DSP, forest foliage, and early expresso on whisper white card stock.  I did the embossing with silver and added a little ribbon.  The light in here is not the greatest today and white on white doesn't photograph well.  But here it is, and I'm four cards closer to Christmas (I usually make 4 of each).  I am noticing it is 10 more months until Christmas!  I will be ready this year!

Saturday, February 18, 2012

OLW 79



Hello!  The challenge at OLW this week was to make a one layer card using at least three stamps.  It is not even close to being spring here in Fort Wayne, but I am thinking about spring flowers and blossoms on the trees, so I got out my Easter Blossoms set.  I also used Petite Pairs for the sentiment.  I liked the way it looked in black and white but decided to color in the blossoms, something I usually don't do.  But, I do like the way it looks.  Hurry up spring!  I am ready for some color in the trees.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Freshly Made Sketches #22



Hi again:  one more post tonight.  My daughter gave me the idea for the theme of this card when she called me after her ultrasound appointment yesterday.  Amanda and Josh are expecting their second baby the end of June, and the ultrasound showed beyond any shadow of doubt that they are having a little boy.  Exciting news!  Caleb will now have a little brother.  And, I can start working on ideas for the birth announcements, too.



For this card, I used the dots embossing folder to emboss the marina mist background.  I then added papers from the Nursery Nest DSP.  The image and sentiment came from Nursery Necessities.

Aren't grand-babies wonderful?

Paper Players challenge #82


Hello blogger friends!  Been busy creating this afternoon.  I tried to combine challenges again and had some trouble again, so this time I made two different cards.  We have several birthdays in the family coming up in the next two weeks, and I thought these colors would look good on a birthday card.



With poppy parade as my base, I layered vanilla embossed with a Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder.  I made the flower using the Triple Treat Flower stamp from Stampin Up.  The sentiment came from the Wow Flowers set.   I thought I was finished until I took the pictures and looked at them.  Yes, it needed a little bling, so I added the pearls.  I think the pearls definitely make the card!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Mojo Monday 228


Hello again!  Here is the second card I'm posting today for the Mojo Monday sketch.  For this card, I decided to go with more retired stamping DSP.  In fact, the only stamping I did was for the sentiment.



I've been trying to make a card for the secretary at the school where I taught before we moved to Fort Wayne.  She is celebrating her 25th year at St. Paul's Lutheran School, and I want the card to be special.  I like this card, but I'm still thinking it isn't really the one I want to give her.  It's fun coming up with possibilities, though.  I used riding hood red and kiwi kiss for the cardstock with riding hood red on whisper white for the sentiment.

Merry Monday Challenge #7


Good afternoon, blogger friends!  I finished my challenge card for Merry Monday yesterday, but since it was Valentine's Day, I decided to spend the evening with my husband.  He took me out to eat at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  Yummy!



This card uses more retired Stampin Up DSP and that amazing red glimmer paper all on a real red background.  I stamped the snowman from another retired stamp set, Holiday Tag Team, and I colored it in with real red, baja breeze, pumpkin pie, and some clear star jelly roll sparkle pen.  The greeting comes from the Short and Sweet set.  I've been making 4 of each for my stash so I'm thinking this is a great way to use up that retired DSP, so I can justify buying some new paper, maybe even before the year is up.  Yes!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Two Challenges, One Card




Hello blogger friends!
Today I decided to try to combine two challenges:  the Paper Players Challenge #81  and  Freshly Made  Sketch #21.  I thought it would be easy, but I had a hard time deciding what to do.  I ended up with three completely different cards and not crazy about any of them.  I finally decided on this one.



I used Domestic goddess DSP with Calypso Coral.  I stamped the sentiment with the SU Well Scripted set and punched the parts of the flower.  When I finished, I thought it needed something more, so I added a few pearls.  Next week, I think I'll stick with doing the challenges one at a time!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Merry Monday Challenge #6

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Hello!  I finished the Merry Monday challenge today but haven't had time to post until now.  Today I once again played with a stamp set I haven't used in a long time, Trim the Tree.


I think the sketch works perfectly for this stamp set.  I bought the DSP at Archiver's and added it to a crumb cake background.  I stamped the tree in some forest foliage ink and embossed the tree with the swirls stamp in gold embossing powder.  My greeting is punched from Petite Pairs and matted with gold paper.  I'm loving this challenge:  it's Christmas once a week in my stamp room!  I'm trying to do 4 of the same each week, and I'm trying for postal friendly cards.  So far, so good.  Just wish I hadn't missed the first week.  Maybe I should go back and do it anyway.  It's a thought!

Friday, February 3, 2012

Freshly Made Sketches #20



Hello blogger friends!  It's the first Friday of February, and here I am today with the first of two sketches that I did.  On Freshly Made, we were to make a long card, something I don't usually make.  I had an idea to use my Mod Tree Border punch that I bought at Archiver's.   I also dusted off my Color Coach and came up with melon mambo, tempting turquoise, and daffodil delight for the cardstock.  I used shades of melon mambo for the inks.



I used the Valentine Defined set to stamp the large tree.  I then cut it out and popped it up with dimensionals.  The sentiment comes from the Something to Celebrate set.  I also made a version with a pear pizzazz DSP border.




I'm not sure which one I like better,  but it was fun making them both!