IBS Sketch and Birthday Challenge

Hello, blogger friends!  Long time, no blogging, huh?  Several vacations AND a new job have been keeping me busy.  I've actually been making cards, but I have not been making deadlines for the challenges.  I've also started back into scrapbooking, in an effort to catch up with my youngest child's childhood pictures (she is 30).  So, I have been a little busy.

When I saw the latest Inspired by Stamping 2 year birthday challenge, I just had to play.  I love the Inspired by Stamping stamps and flowers and ribbons.  For this card, I used the Happy Sentiment set to stamp the greeting.  The size of the letters makes a great focal point for my card.  My paper is from the Happy Harvest fall line from Doodlebug Designs.  I also used some crochet lace from the Inspired by stamping store.  Love it!

I think this card will also qualify for the Inspired by Stamping Sketch challenge.  I used Sketch #1.  Happy birthday, Inspired by Stamping!

Freshly Made Sketches 88

Happy Sunday afternoon, blogger friends.  I made this card for the Freshly Made Sketches #88 challenge. I love this sketch by Jen M.  There are so many possiblities!

DSP:  Kate and Co. by My Mind's Eye, Cambridge Flowers Paper
Card stock:  Bermuda Bay and Whisper White
Ink:  Bermuda Bay
Ribbon came from my stash, as did the pearl bling.

I worked on Thursday and Friday at the Creating Keepsakes Scrapbook Convention here in Fort Wayne.  The vendor I worked for had the most beautiful new paper, and the paper above was from one of them.  I had so much fun shopping with the vendors.  If they come again, maybe I will even take a few classes.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!   Thanks for stopping by:  I love reading your comments.

The Paper Players Sketch Challenge #147

Hello, blogger friends!  I saw this challenge at The Paper Players and thought it would be great for a graduation card.  My niece Abi and my former student Jen just graduated from Triad High School (THS) in Troy, IL.  Their school colors are red, black, and white.  With those colors in mind, the card came together easily.  The star is from a retired SU set, In the Stars.  I stamped it in black, and then I covered it with versamark ink and embossed the star with Iridescent Ice.  The 2013 is from the Harvest Mini Alphabet set.

Sorry so short!  I am working to help set up a vendor display at the Creative Keepsakes scrapbook convention here in Fort Wayne.  I've never done this before, but it sounded like fun.  If you have any questions, just let me know.  I love reading your comments.

Merry Monday #63

Happy Friday, blogger friends!  Today I finished my card for the Merry Monday #63 challenge.  I've had it in mind ever since I saw the sketch on Monday.  I've been wondering how to use this patterned paper, Sweet Christmas Holiday Cookies from TPC Studio, and this sketch was the perfect place to use it.  The green polka dot paper was on the reverse side of the gingerbread paper!  I matted the patterned paper with some pear pizzazz and stamped and embossed the sentiment on more pear pizzazz.  My gingerbread boy came from a punch.  I added the white gel pen around the edges and a few sparkly "buttons".  It's not my usual Christmas card, but I like it just the same.

Thanks for stopping by.  I enjoy reading all your comments.  Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

IBSIC #54 White, Yellow, and Green and Mojo Monday 293

Hi, blogger friends!  I've been wanting to get back to doing the Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge, and I'm happy to say that I finished a card for IBSIC Challenge54- White, Yellow, and Green.  I have to admit that yellow is way out of my comfort zone for colors, but I did find some gorgeous pattern paper with little yellow roses from Jillibean Soup paper called Parsnip.  The rose image came from a Close to My Heart stamp set I found at a yard sale, Flower Garden.  I liked it with one of the yellow roses from the Inspired by Stamping store.  The sentiment is also from the IBS store, Fancy Sentiments.  I added a little bling with some yellow pearls.   Last but not least, the sketch for the card came from Mojo Monday #293.

Thanks for stopping by!  I have another picture here from our trip to Holland, Michigan.  I did think the yellow tulips were beautiful, especially with a few orange ones among them.  Have a great rest of your Sunday!

Merry Monday #62

Hello, blogger friends!  I just finished my Christmas card for the Merry Monday Challenge #62.  My image today comes from December 25 Labels from Inspired by Stamping.  The sentiment is from Elegant Christmas Sentiments which is also from Inspired by Stamping.  I stamped the picture in midnight muse.  When it was dry, I used versamark and Iridescent Ice embossing powder to emboss the whole picture. The image is matted with silver glitter paper to add some more sparkle.  Love that blue bling!

Thanks for stopping by!  The flower picture is from our trip to the Windmill Gardens in Holland, Michigan.  These tulips reminded me of lilies.  So pretty!

Merry Monday #61

Hello Blogger Friends!  Happy day before Mother's Day!  I just finished the card for the Merry Monday #61 Challenge.  Did you ever have an idea for a card while you were trying to go to sleep?  That's where the idea came for this one.  I stamped part of Penny Black's Winter berries stamp with silver ink and embossed it in silver on this gold shimmer paper.  The sentiment came from a TPC set I have.  I layered the gold on some silver glitter paper, and I layered that on some night of navy paper.  Simple, but elegant, and it is much prettier in person because it sparkles!

My other two pictures are from a day trip Jim and I took to Holland, Michigan this week.  Tulip Time is in full swing there, and the tulips were gorgeous.  These pictures were taken at Windmill Gardens.  Don't you just love the pink tulips?

Thanks for stopping by.  I love reading your comments.

Merry Monday #59

Hello, blogger friends!  It's been awhile since I've posted a card on my blog, hasn't it?  Life got very busy at work, and I had very little spare time to make cards.  I missed my card making.  I found out on April 1st that the store where I was working was going out of business in Fort Wayne.  Ahhhh!  It was not a cruel April Fool's joke, either.  We started with a 25% off sale, and then went to a 40% off sale, and we were all crazy busy.  The last week was spent packing up the store, and then we sold fixtures.  I'm sad that this chapter of my life has closed, but now I'm looking forward to more time to make cards and scrapbook and maybe even do some traveling to see the grand-kids.   

So, this afternoon, I turned to Merry Monday sketch #59, and I came up with a snowman card.  I used SU's Snow Much Fun stamp set, Little Yellow Bicycle Winterings pattern paper, whisper white and real red card stock, and my oval die cuts.  I stamped the snowman on water color paper, and used various Copics to color him.  I also used a little Marina Mist ink to sponge the edges of my banners.  

Thanks for stopping by today.  It is wonderful to have time to stamp!

Seize the Birthday #6

Hi again, blogger friends!  Yes, I missed the deadline for the Seize the Birthday Challenge #5, but here I am with two cards for the Seize the Birthday challenge #6.  For these cards, I used two images from the Tim Holtz set, Travel Blueprint.  I saw the set at work and immediately decided it would work for masculine cards.  Now I have to think of something witty for the inside, but at least the main part of the card is done in time for my oldest son's birthday next week.  Not sure which one I like better.

The paper comes from Stampin Up on both cards.  I used Not Quite Navy card stock and Midnight Muse Ink.

Got to go:  have to be at work at 2 and it's 1:33.  Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Merry Monday Challenge #49

Hello blogger friends!  Last week the Merry Monday Challenge got away from me before the deadline.  I had the day off yesterday so decided to play before it was too late.  This is what I came up with for this week.

I used bashful blue for the background card stock and placed it on a piece of whisper white.  I added some Bo Bunny paper which I matted on brilliant blue (I think!).  My sentiment come from the Inspired by Stamping store, Christmas labels.  Of course, I had to add a bit of bling and some organza ribbon.  What do you think?  I like it!  Have a great day everyone.

Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge #45

Hello, blogger friends!  Hope everyone has had a wonderful week as another Friday comes to a close.  I didn't manage to get to IBSIC #44, but here I am for Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge #45.  I loved the colors this week and the gorgeous inspiration photo.  My layout for this week from Mojo Monday challenge # 279.

My patterned papers come from My Mind's Eye.  I stamped the Love You from the Fancy Sentiments set by Inspired by Stamping.  The rose also comes from the Inspired by Stamping store:  it was originally pink, and I sponged some riding hood red ink on the petals.  As I was creating this, I was thinking of Valentine's Day, but as I write this, I think it could be a good birthday or thinking of you card, too.  Thanks for the inspiration, Joanna!

And, thank you for stopping by.  I love reading your comments!

IBSIC #43

Good afternoon, blogger friends!  It's Wednesday, and I have to be at work by 5, but I had a little time to myself this morning and decided to play with the Inspired by Stamping #43 challenge.  Isn't Joanna's inspiration picture lovely?

I used mostly pretty in pink (with one rectangle of pink pirouette), whisper white,  and so saffron for my colors today.  My sentiment and flowers came from two Inspired by Stamping sets:  Fancy Sentiments and Little Flowers.  My "real" flowers came from the Inspired by Stamping store.  The bling came from a Doodlebug assortment called Lily White.  Almost forgot:  my card sketch came from an old post on Unscripted Sketches.  I've been saving sketch designs, and I often miss the deadline for posting as is the case with this one.

I made this card for a friend who is recovering from back surgery and must be in a brace for several months. I thought she could use a little cheering up.  Thanks for stopping by:  I love reading your comments.

Merry Monday #46

Hello, blogger friends!  I've had off since Friday, and my husband has had to work all the time I have been off, so I've been doing a lot of card making.  I actually finished my Merry Monday #46 card last night.  I got this Dooldlebug Christmas paper at the store when I first saw it:  love at first sight!  I put it on a white mat on Gumball Green SU card stock   I added some white satin ribbon and a little bird Doodlebug sticker.  My label sentiment comes from the Inspired by Stamping Store, December 25th Labels.

I liked it so much, I made 4 of this one.  Thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate your comments.

Seize the Birthday Challenge #2

Hello again, blogger friends!  This is the card I made for the Seize the Birthday Challenge #2 which challenged us to use the same sketch from last week and make the card masculine.  Good idea!  My only problem (maybe challenge) is that I don't have many masculine stamps.  I think I need to remedy that situation in the near future.  

For this card, I used Artichoke paper as my background, Early Espresso for my matting, and some My Mind's Eye patterned paper.  I stamped the trees with an Inkadinkadoo stamp my husband got me.  I used a little bit of twine, too.  

I like this challenge:  I do need more masculine cards in my stash.  Thanks for stopping by!

IBSIC #42 and Mojo Monday #276

Good afternoon, blogger friends!  Today I combined two stamping challenges to come up with my card.  The basic sketch came from Mojo Monday #237.  The colors and flowers come from Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge #42.    I took two pictures:  one with the sentiment and one without.  ( I think I like it better with the sentiment. ) The hydrangea, sentiment, and crochet lace tape came from the Inspired by Stamping store.  My colors are Midnight Muse, Old Olive, and Whisper White.  I did some dry embossing on the background and added some flowers I found in the clearance rack at one of the craft stores here in town.  If you look closely you can see a little bling on the flower.

Thanks for stopping by on this cold Indiana day.  I see a few snowflakes fluttering down, too.  Brrr!

Merry Monday #45

Hello, blogger friends!  Tonight I'm posting the card I made for the Merry Monday challenge #45 a few days ago.  The image is from Art Impression's Animal Nativity.  I colored it in with markers and placed the image on a Midnight Muse background on Kraft card stock   The silver glitter tape is from the Inspired by Stamping Store.  I punched out a gold star.  The sentiment is from SU's Come to Bethlehem set.

Yes, I still have my little Christmas tree up, but it doesn't look like it will be staying up all year.  My husband found out a couple days ago that he got the job he interviewed for last week.  We'll be packing up and moving to another Indiana city about 50 miles from here.  Woo hoo!  We need a bigger place, so we are both looking forward to the change, although not necessarily to the packing and unpacking part.

Thanks for stopping by!

IBSIC #41

Hello again blogger friends!  This is my third and last post of the night, I promise!  I made this card for the Inspired by Stamping Inspiration Challenge #41.  We have the lovely inspiration photo above, along with the colors rose, tan, and brown.  The base of my card is brown, the patterned paper from My Mind's Eye is tan and brown, and my hearts and ribbon are rose.  I stamped and cut out the hearts with two sets from the Hero Art's Stamp and Cut sets, Scalloped Heart and Cute Heart.  I punched the little heart with a SU punch.  The rose seam binding came from the IBS store and the flowers on tulle came from Maya Road .  I colored the flowers rose.  I added some rhinestones for bling and a few pearls for good measure.  I think it's an unusual valentine, but I like it a lot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Seize the Birthday #1

Hello again blogger friends!  It's almost midnight, but I want to get the cards posted that I finished yesterday so this is my second post of the night.  I had time to play with the very first Seize the Birthday challenge, which was to make a feminine card with the above sketch.  I used the same Doodlebug patterned paper which is in their new Valentine collection.  I thought it would make a pretty birthday card, so that's what I made.  I added a bit of ribbon, some dry embossing, a little stamping with the Delicate Doilies 2 and Fancy Sentiments from the IBS store Then I decided to add a lot of little red Doodlebug pearls.   I love it!

I'm looking forward to building up my birthday card stash with this challenge.  Thanks, Lesley!

Try Stampin' on Tuesday #100

Hello blogger friends!  Here's my card for the Try Stampin' on Tuesday Challenge #100 which I finished yesterday.  I started with a white card stock base and added layers of Doodlebug patterned paper from the Lovebirds Series.  I added some crochet tape from the Inspired by Stamping store.  The sentiment is also from the IBS store,  Graceful Hydrangea.  I usually stamp my flowers, but I loved the stickers that go with this series of paper so I added two of them to the edge of my sentiment.  I love the papers and the colors together.  

Thanks for stopping by tonight!  I love reading your comments.

Merry Monday #44

Hello blogger friends!  Happy New Year!  It's time to get back to the Merry Monday Blog Challenge with Challenge #44.  Today's challenge was a color one, and we were to use Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Real Red.  I bought this stamp set from Our Daily Bread called Joy Tree,  before Christmas, but since I had all the Christmas cards I needed thanks to the Merry Monday challenges, I didn't ink it up.  I love it!  I also think it would look great embossed, but I'll save that for another time.

I'm looking forward to the challenges in the weeks to come.  It was wonderful to have the cards all finished and ready to go this year, so I want to do the same in 2013.  Thanks for the great ideas, Lesley!

By the way, I do need to take my Christmas tree down.  We live in a little upstairs apartment, so I bought a 3 foot tree I could put on my buffet/sideboard where it wouldn't take up any floor space.  It worked perfectly!  I like it so much, I'm in no hurry to take it down.  Maybe next week. . .