Ahoy Matey!

Ahoy Matey!!!  How is your week going?  Well, I would love to say my week is going fabulous, but I got stuck in an airport yesterday late afternoon with flight delays (without my laptop and a dead cell phone battery) so I'm ready to start today off fresh with one of newly created favorite cards.

Last week I had a few evenings to stamp/color and came across this challenge that I knew I needed to try this month.  It's a new one over at the Paper Smooches blog and this month the July Sparks Challenge to use one of the free sketches and/or color combinations.  You can use any of the Paper Smooches stamps or any stamps from the "Kim Hughes Collection" from Cornish Heritage Farms.

This card uses one of the sketches provided for the month of July as you all know I am a HUGE fan of sketches so how could I resist that challenge?  I used the top right hand sketch for my card.

I pulled out an old favorite of mine, Ahoy Matey-I love this set! As much as I keep thinking I'll sell off some of my older sets, I keep on holding onto this one.  I think it's destined to be with me, I've made some of my favorite cards with this set.

So along with the sketch I also used the current Papercrafts Connection Color Challenge #7 which was to use the color combo on p. 60 of Color Inspiration of Card Makers. The Bazzill equivalents are Caribbean Breeze, Petty Cash shimmer, Mango and Candlelight of which I interpreted to be Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Creamsicle Cardigan and for the yellow I would have used So Saffron but didn't end up using the cardstock...I colored instead.

I love this color combination!!!  It's one that I can see myself using again and again (and one I've probably used several times before).

With my image, I added in one of the Paper Smooches sentiments from Birthday Buddies.  I thought it was appropriate for this cute little image.  I stamped my favorite stamps (the skulls) to create my own background paper and the dyed some seam binding to tie in the orange.  I love how the finished card looks even though it's larger than my "normal" sized cards (it's 5.5 x 5.5)

Off to get my day going in my comatose state of mind from lack of sleep last night 

(or this morning I should say).

**************************************************************

Card details:

Stamps: Ahoy Matey and Cute Curls from the Kim Hughes Collection from Cornish Heritage Farms, Birthday Buddies from Paper Smooches

Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery (SU!), Creamsicle Cardigan and A Blanc Check (Clear & Simple Stamps)

Inks: Perfect Little Black Dress (Clear & Simple Stamps), Tempting Turquoise (SU!), copic markers

Embellishments: circle punch, seam binding colored with YR20 copic, card candy

Happy Bird*day

Today over at Going Grey with Scrap-creations are theme is "Birthdays".  I got this adorable set a few weeks ago and have played with it a few times but this is the first time I'm sharing one of my cards with it.  It's one of Kim Hughes' new sets Birthday Buddies.  She has 3 new sets from her company Paper Smooches that are all darling.  

Kim also has a bunch of sketches available on the blog, called Designer Drafts and I created this based off one of them.  Pretty simple card, but I guess that's more where I'm leaning towards these days.    I colored the little birdie with my Copics and I created a little card on the front that also opens up.  I've had these little crocheted flowers in my stash for a long time but never found a place to use them, I thought it looked pretty cute here.

Make sure you take a look at what the design team created for the birthday theme.  Would love for you to join us this week, you can link up over at the Going Grey with Scrap-creations.

• Jackie Randolph
• Kristen Catalano
• Kristine Breach (permanent guest DT)
• Marie Bridgeman
• Mary Castonquay
• Peggy Regan

Card details:

Stamps: Birthday Buddies from Paper Smooches, Little Gals (&) from Cornish Heritage Farms

Cardstock: My Mind's Eye Fine & Dandy Collection, Raspberry Fizz, Certainly Celery, Sweet Blush

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers

Accessories: crocheted flower

BC156: Sketch

I've been pretty sparse around blog land this past week as I've been putting in some extra hours at work preparing for my vacation to NY with my oldest son.  He's playing in a travel baseball tournament in Cooperstown, NY.  That means I had to put my stamps aside this week and get everything ready for us to be gone (me from work & hubby).

This week Lisa gave us a sketch to work with and I found this one pretty easy to use.  I kept my card super simple and sent it off in the mail already to Ethan who you can read more about here 

.

Make sure to check out the other blogger's challenge cards here and see how they used this sketch this week.

Card details:

Stamps: Ahoy Matey by Cornish Heritage Farms

Cardstock: Real Red, Basic Black, YoYo Yellow, Basic Grey Granola, Stamper's Select

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

Accessories:  Brads, Nestabilities, Distrezz it all

Happy Sailors: Critter Sketch Challenge #18

I'm very excited that this week is my first official post as a new member of Critter Sketch Challenge Blog!  I did a stint as a guest designer last month and put my name in the hat for the Design Team this time around.  I was thrilled that Melanie asked me and have had a great time getting to know the girls.

This week Melanie gave us a sketch to work with-and an added challenge to use ribbon somewhere on the card.  I loved this sketch (I did rotate mine) and so I picked this cute image from Softpencil digital designs, who is our sponsor this month, to work with.  I really love cute little images like this and they were fun to color!  The stamp seemed like it was just meant for this sketch and I kept it really simple.

Make sure to check out the other Design Team members creations this week to see how they used this sketch on their creations, I can't wait to see what they did!

Nancy Hagen
Jacquie Lankester
Kathryn Berthiaume
Michele Tinsley
Jackie Randolph
Kristen Catalano 

Card details:

Stamps: Happy Sailors digital by Softpencil, Sentiment from Ahoy Matey from CHF

Cardstock: Confetti White, Real Red, Night of Navy, retired designer paper

Inks: Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Ribbon punch, Enchanted Evening Twill ribbon from PTI

Yo Matey!

I needed a boy's birthday card for a birthday party my daughter will be going to this next weekend.  I had never inked up this Pirate single from Lizzie Anne Designs.  Our challenge this week with Going Grey with Scrap-creations was to use a sketch Kristen created.

It was the perfect sketch to pair with some Basic Grey paper and this image.  I really like how it turned out although it was hard not to color a lot of this image black since he is a pirate.  I kept it accessory free since it's for a 4 yr old, just added a little bit of twine around the sentiment.

If you would like to see some more creations using this sketch and BASIC GREY PAPERS, you can visit the other DT for some inspiration and we hope you will join us this week:

• Crystal Irwin
• Kristen Catalano
• Lisa Somerville-April Guest Designer
• Mary Castonquay
• Peggy Regan

Card details:

Stamps: Pirate from Lizzie Anne Designs, Ahoy Matey by Cornish Heritage Farms

Cardstock: Mellow from Basic Grey, Chocolate Chip, Stamper's Select White

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Dish All the Dirt Brown, Copics

Accessories: twine, clear star jelly roll

Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #105

This week is a very easy sketch from Mary Jo and I just realized now when I uploaded it that I misplaced my sentiment.  Oh well!  Card is done and about to be posted so I'm going to call it good to go.

I literally threw this card together in a matter of minutes using scraps I had in my scrap bin.  I combined it with a few other challenges this week that I wanted to participate in.  The first one was one of my favorite color combinations TCPTUES92 with chocolate, kraft & ligth blue.  The other challenge is brand new one two of my online stamp buddies, Allison & Sue are doing, the Everything Old is New Again.  This was EASY as there are a ton of stamps of mine that have either never seen the light of day, or haven't seen it in a long time.

 

I have 4 more days until I venture out to CHA to help Clear & Simple Stamps.  I'm so excited to meet Reenee & Nicki (the owners) as well as several members of the design team.  If you missed them on blog radio today you can check out At Home with Victoria, she has podcasts that you can download & replay.  It was a great show and I'll definitely tune into her again.

Card details:

Stamp Set:  Kim Hughes' Baby Love, Yappy from The Cat's Pajamas

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze

Cardstock: Kraft, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, retired SU! Parisian Breeze dsp

Accessories: Choco Chip grosgrain ribbon

BC107: Case Another Challenger

This week our challenge was to case another blogger's challenge member. This was a challenge as how can you just choose one of these talented ladies??? So, I decided to CASE two of them.

First I had to choose just one of Rachel Hope's cards. There are so many of hers I like that I had a hard time narrowing it down but in the end I really liked this one as it had a simple design layout and I needed to make a baby card for our cousins who just had twins (boy/girl).

Card details:
Stamps: Baby Love (sentiment) from CHF, Little Fruit from Stampendous
Cardstock: Wild Asparagus dsp-"Play" stripe/blue paper, Certainly Celery, Confetti White
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Rhinestone brads ice circles, Amuse creativity candy, square nestabilities

Of course I couldn't go without CASE'ing our List Mom Lisa Somerville When she started posting cards using the Parisian Breeze dsp I fell in love! I love the brown and blue together and the more she used it, the more I had to have it. I love Lisa's style and it's so much different than my own and I couldn't even come close to recreating ;-) I did my best though. I tried some versamark resist with my chalks who haven't seen the light of day in about 2 years.

Card details:
Stamps: Ahoy Matey by CHF
Cardstock: Parisian Breeze dsp, Soft Sky
Inks: Versamark
Accessories: Chalks, 1/4" circle punch, circle nestabilities, chocolate chip pen for faux stitching

Make sure to check out all the cards created by the other blogger's participants here.

Technostampers Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge

I was on a roll this weekend and stamped my heart out on Friday night. I wish that I could have stayed up all night and continued but I was wiped out. Unfortunately when I tried to pick up where I left off on Saturday night, I didn't get anywhere :-(

Always late, I was making Mother's Day cards. This one is going to my Mother-in-law which will be late since it has yet to be mailed.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Joe's Crab Shack followed by a little shopping for me at Impressive Ideas where I could have gotten lost, but I managed to walk out with some new stamps, paper and great ribbon that I can't wait to try out! We then ran some other errands and had a nice time. I really want to share one of the Mother's Day gifts I got, but I have to wait until later in the week to do that.

I managed to get 2 cards out of this sketch. They are almost exactly the same except 2 different images. One is going to a blogger that I follow, who just announced she was pregnant. I was thrilled for her, so this is going in the mail tomorrow.

Make sure to check out Mary Jo's sketch and the other participants, there's sure to be some creative cards popping up today!

If you need any of the card details, please let me know as I don't have any of them in front of me and I'm being super lazy blogging on the couch, don't want to get up ;-)

Bloggers Challenge 97: Sketch

This week Lisa challenged us to use this sketch. Right up my alley, clean, straight lines. I knew exactly what I was going to do with this one and it came together quite nicely.

I combined it with my buddy Libby's From Courtney's Closet Challenge. Libby has challenged me in more ways than one with her outfits and color challenges!

I've been having a great week!! I just was asked to return to Clear & Simple Stamps as a Guest Designer through mid-June and am excited about the opportunity. Make sure to check out all their awesome stamps and keep an eye out for more details for their DT coming soon.

This sketch is sure to produce some fabulous works of art from the others participating in the blogger's challenge which you can view here. Or join in the fun and post your creations to any of our blogs, SCS or PCP with keyword BC97.

Card details:
Stamp Sets: Little Gal by Cornish Heritage Farms, Happy Day by CTMH
Cardstock: DSP by SU!, Green Galore, Apricot Appeal, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Inks: Memento Black, Copics
Accessories: Green Apple & Turquoise ribbon, Crystal effects, Frosted Lace Stickles, dimensionals

Welcome to the Jungle

Inspired by Guns'N'Roses and Courtney's Closet Challenge. Ha ha! I'm listening to Classic Rewind on Sirius while stamping and this song came on...though it the perfect title for this card.

This is a pretty basic card, no bells & whistles to it, but I like the scene I created for it. This sketch was based on Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge and the card was based off Courtney's Closet Challenge as well. Isn't Courtney just a little doll baby, so adorable?

Card Details:
Stamp Sets- Baby Love & Little Gal by Kim Hughes (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Cardstock: Papertreyink White, So Saffron, Garden Green
Inks: Memento Black, Copic markers
Accessories: ribbon unknown

Birthday Blog Bash- Week 1

For Paper Garden Projects Birthday challenge number 1 was to make a humorous or funny card using primary colors. I gave up on the funny as I really wanted to use this image but the only things popping in to my head were inappropriate :-)

I decided to just go with the primary colors for which this Basic Grey Cupcake was perfect for. I combined it with Paper Pretties sketch challenge this week but left off one of the components as I just didn't want to overdo the card with it. I really liked this sketch and will definitely use it again.

I used an image I've stamped and colored a hundred times but then tossed as I really didn't like what I did in the end. This one I'm really pleased with how it turned out. My kids LOVE sprinkles on their ice cream so I used my copics to create the sprinkles on the ice cream. This stamp is from Kim Hughes Little Gal set. The sentiment is from one of my new favorite sets Little Fruits.

Hope you enjoy the card and have a wonderful day!

Mix & Match Challenge

Created for the Mix and Match Challenge at Cornish Heritage Farms. Very simple, straight forward card, not too much umph to it. I did add stickles and really wanted to incorporate the little diamond from Ahoy Matey but just had to eliminate it with this layout.

Stamps: Little Gal, Ahoy Matey

Paper: Basic Black, Real Red, Gable Green, Apricot Appeal

Ink: Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black

Accessories: Scallop, Circle punches, Silver stickles

Blogger's Challenge- Birthdays #84

This weeks challenge was birthdays. I was short on time, so a quick card was in order for me. I chose some background paper from Kim Hughes' Mocha collection and started with this 4 1/4" square card.

My friend Pam was kind enough to stamp me a bunch of images with some Memento ink for me to try with my copics (love it!) and this was one called Crazy Cupcakes from Stampin'Up!

I didn't have a quote that fit this card so I handwrote it in and on the inside I stamped "It's Your Day" with a CTMH set.

Can't wait to see what everyone else has come up with this week. Make sure to check out there cards to the right under the icon "Blogger's Challenge" and if you care to join us, link it here, or any of our posts or on SCS with keyword BC84

Happy New Year!

I completed the Holiday Extravanganza Challenge on SCS today. I rang in 2009 stamping last night for a bit even though I only got 4 cards completed but I was playing pathwords on Facebook so that wasn't helping me. DISTRACTING AND ADDICTING!!!

I pulled out some scrap paper for this card, so I'm not sure who made the designer paper but I love the colors in it. It's the colors of my stamp room (office). I used a set I had yet to use but have had forever called Mocha Chica from one of my favorites, Kim Hughes Collection. She's got such cool designs.

I used some old olive, bordering blue, papertrey white with this card.

Hope you enjoy and have a healthy and prosperous 2009!

Technostamper's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge

Easy sketch? I thought so! As soon as I saw what Mary Jo had in store for us this week, I went to work. I already had everything in my head on how I wanted to do it. I love when that happens for me!

It did help that I was working with one of the color challenges posted this week at All That Scraps Design Team Challenge (Bravo Burgundy, Sahara Sand and Old Olive).

Make sure to join in on the sketch challenge and post your creation to Mary Jo's original post or to SCS with keyword TSSC41. Would love to see your creation!

Card Details:
Stamp Sets: Ahoy Matey by Kim Hughes for Cornish Heritage Farms, Best Mates by Pink Poison
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White Cardstock, SU! Sahara Sand, Old Olive and Bravo Burgundy
Inks: Bravo Burgundy, Old Olive, Sahara Sand, Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories: Circle Nestabilities

Bloggers Challenge #68: Inspiration Piece

This weeks blogger's challenge was to use the inspiration piece above to create our card. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use my new sets Ahoy Matey (another of my Kim Hughes favorite...and I bought 2 others as well as her cute Mocha Chica Paper Pack) and Best Mates . I'm in love with both of these illustrators and their creative stamps...so cute!!!

I based my card off one of Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #31 which can be seen here.

I used the exact colors in the picture, Basic Black, Real Red and Papertrey Ink's Stampers Select White. I used the Versafine Onyx Black ink and my real red reinker with the Aquapainter. I have been using my Janome sewing machine a bit more and LOVED seeing samples with the curvy sewing and thought that would be perfect for this card. I used some basic black brads along with my oval punches for the sentiment. I colored my ribbon with a black permanent marker as that seemed a little sharper than my SU! marker did and hoping the smell of it doesn't knock someone over ;-)

Please check out the other Blogger's Challenge girls here to see their fabulous creations, they never cease to amaze me with how different everyone's creations are.

Blogger's Challenge #67

This week our bloggers challenge was to use the theme "Falling into you" Love/Anniversary. I hadn't used my Cute Curls set by Kim Hughes so I thought this card would be perfect for the theme this week. I just placed another order for some more Kim Hughes sets from Cornish Heritage Farms, I LOVE her sets!!!

I used Beate's weekend Sketch Challenge #59 for the layout on this card.

Please make sure to check out all the blogger's participating this week by clicking on the Blogger's Challenge logo to the right ------------------------------------------------->

Card details:
Stamp Set: Cute Curls (Kim Hughes for Cornish Heritage Farms)
Cardstock: Papertrey White, Basic Black, Old Olive, Rose Red
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Old Olive, Rose Red
Accessories: Scallop punch, circle punch

Thought I would share a picture of the family in our Bronco's getup before one of Tristan's football games. I was thankful to have this picture to show as I lost my camera at the game (my Canon Digital Rebel) and was fortunate that some kind soul turned it in to the county parks and rec the following Monday. It was not a fun weekend knowing that I had left it on the bleachers and that someone could have walked off with it. But, like I said, there was someone out there looking out for it and honest enough to turn it in.

Have a great weekend!

Shower Card

This past weekend I got to visit with my bestest friend from grade school and some other friends, attending her shower. It was a lot of fun, very relaxing, with lots of laughs. She's so cute and I relished in the memories of being pregnant for the first time, feeling overwhelmed and overjoyed all at the same time.

She looks so cute as she's tiny and has this little basketball growing out, and she still has about 12 weeks to go. She loved the thank you cards I made for her, and I wish I had time to do more, but I didn't. I have some other things in mind for her though ;-)

I'm thrilled as they will be out here in less than a month and although she'll still be over an hour away, it's a lot closer than a visit every few years!!!

Here is the card I made (last minute) inspired by Kristina Werner. I attempted my hand at sewing but got frusterated with my sewing machine and not being able to thread it correctly (thank God my Mom will be here this weekend). Needless to say I broke out the needle and thread.

This has to be one of my favorite sets Baby Love from Cornish Heritage Farms. I used my aquapainters, Cool Carribean cardstock and inks (retired), Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery and Barely Banana. My patterned paper is from a scrapbook kit from Close to my Heart which matched the card perfectly.

I miss stamping but have been swamped with work, travel, birthdays, family coming in to town so I have been otherwise occupied but hoping next week I'll have some more down time (is that wishful thinking??).

Baby Thank You's

I'm sorry these pictures are horrible, it was dark and dreary most of the day today.

I am heading to my friends baby shower this week and I wanted to make her some thank you cards so these are pretty simple ones. It only took me a few hours to make 30 of them, I made 5 of each animal using my Kim Hughes Baby Love from Cornish Heritage Farms along with various forms of Thank you's. I used some Fabriano cards I've had for a little while and also my nestabilities.

I've got some more that I did as well this weekend when I was working on Verve Visual's challenge but screwed up so just went my own way on the sketches.

Don't forget to check out the post on the top for some blog candy!

Challenge #2- Sketch

Going for day 2 in participating in Tanis' challenge to celebrate Queen Kat Designs 3rd anniversary. Today's challenge was to use the sketch above and as you'll see from my card...I'm on a baby kick. I only know a handful of people pregnant right now but I love this set from Cornish Heritage Farms, Baby Love...I don't know what took me so darn long to buy it!!!

I LOVE how it turned out, with the exception of the colors I chose for the circles. I started off using the SCS Color Challenge this week (black, ruby red and kraft) but got sidetracked with the other colors. My sentiment didn't show up too well, but in the corner I stamped Congrats in Craft Vanilla.

Card details:
Stamp Set: Baby Love by CHF, Just Rite Stamper
Cardstock: Basic Black, Kraft, Blue Bayou, Old Olive, Party Collection by Nicole Iehle
Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Blue Bayou, Old Olive, Craft Vanilla
Accessories: Twill Ribbon, Aquapainters, Marvy Uchida punches

**check back on Thursday or Friday...I've ordered some extra goodies to give away some blog candy and hoping tomorrow to hit my local stamp store (Impressive Ideas) which has lots of great stuff**