Happy Easter

Yesterday while hubby was working and kids were keeping themselves entertained I decided to sit down to create some cards and finish binge-watching Northern Rescue on Netfix.

I always love creating a few cards at a time, either with the same layout/design or using the same pack of patterned paper.  As I was digging through my sketches I came across these sketches from Julee Tilman and decided to give it a whirl and have to say it's a few of my favorite cards I've made in a while and I kept them embellishment free which was hard to do for me.

I grabbed a few pieces of patterned paper from My Minds Eye Now & Then and some kraft and pink pirouette paper to compliment it.  I started off by cutting all my paper pieces and die cutting my shapes.  Broke out the new stamps that I just got from Butterfly Reflections-Avery Elle's Easter Chicks.

I apologize for my horrible picture taking abilities these days-it's pure laziness in not wanting to take out on all the photo equipment.

Hope you enjoy a little happiness today!

Back in the Groove

Well hello, my friends who may still be following my lonely little blog.  I know it's been a while since I've posted here, but I think I've finally got my groove back.

I've been on a creating frenzy over the last 2 months or so, trying to use up some of my 30+ packs of 6 x 6 patterned paper.  I came across this fantastic blog called The Best Things in life are pink and tried my hand at one of them which I have been posting on Instagram.  I had fun and found it forced me to use paper I've had sitting around and I loved the cards that I made with them.

For this first card, I tried my hand at the Freshly Made Sketches 419, I love sketches as my starting point and go back to FMS ones all the time.  I added some 3D Crystal Lacquer on the fish although it was hard to capture on this card.

I used the Authentique Fresh patterned paper and Memory Box Fish Tales Shadow on both of my cards.  For my second card, I went back to a favorite sketch blog-MojoMonday 529 although I screwed up my measurements a bit on this one, I still like the outcome.  I also used the 3D Crystal Lacquer to make the fish bubbles.

Those who have followed me over the years know I'm pretty clean & simple style.  Sometimes I don't even use embellishments, but I'm happy with that and crafting is a stress reliever that I'm finding my way back into and loving it.

So be patient, I may not blog a lot still but I am going to make an effort to share more of what I make no matter how old the sets I use are.  I know my blog needs a major overhaul so if anyone knows someone that does this, please send me their info-I may need to get it updated soon.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

SDC186: Stars

Carol Fox is our hostess this week at Stampotique Designer's Challenge and she's got stars in her eyes:

Feature stars this week, one or more on your arty creation.  As part of your background or a main feature, it's up to you.  Just have fun with the challenge.

For my card I used the Mojo Monday sketch and while my card is pretty simple, I love making the sentiment the focal point of a card.

Card details:

Stamps: 3051 Jo's Star, 7321 Grow Your Dreams from Stampotique Originals

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Gold cardstock

Inks: Archival Ink Jet Black

Embellishments: flower and card candy

Just For You

Yeah, two weeks in a row I was able to play with the Mojo Monday challenge :-)

This card was a little bit out of the norm for me being that it's a tall card but I've been making a few of those lately.  

Along with the long card I also tried to make somewhat of a shaker card with some of the zillion sequins I have in my stash.  It was fun to do and I think I might need to do more of them.

I also used some of the new sequins ribbon I received in my last order from SU!

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Card details:

Stamps: Sweet Treats from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Pool Party, Not Quite Navy, My Mind's Eye Now & Then "Milo"

Inks: Not Quite Navy

Embellishments: sequins, sequin ribbon from Stampin'Up

With Sympathy

This week my new online friend, Eileen Flannery and I decided to challenge each other to use up some of our goodies we've been buying.  We share a love of Verve stamps and so the Mojo Sketch of the week seemed like the perfect challenge.

I also used a few color combinations to include with my cards, my first one created for a family friend who passed away this past weekend:

for the card on the right I used CQC276

and then a wedding color combination on the left one.

I was pleased that these cards came so easily to me.  After I created the one on the left I was feeling on such a roll I completed 2 of the one on the right.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you are having a great weekend!

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Card details:

Stamps: Bloom & Grow and One Person from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, VIP Purple, Purpilicious, You're Such a Graycious Host, Create Paper The Pier

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Smoky Slate, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Cool Carribean, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Pearl, brad, Webster's Pages Designer Trim

SDC175: In the words of Edgar Allan Poe

Kay is our hostess this week and she has a fun challenge for us this week over at Stampotique Designer's Challenge:

My challenge this week is a simple one, but requires a bit of research on your part.  Just as many of the Stampotique Originals' artists design stamps that might be described as a bit "quirky," so, too, was Edgar Allan Poe a bit quirky.  He is a well known author and poet, living from 1809-1849.  His quotes range from the romantic to the melancholy, and from the thoughtful to the murderous!  The choice is yours.  Allow yourself some time this week to combine a quote from Edgar Allan Poe with one or more stamped images to create something unique!

 This was not an easy challenge for me as I don't know a lot about Edgar Allen Poe so I used my handy dandy google function and came across one of his poems.

A Dream Within A Dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow-

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flow away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand-

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep-while I weep!

O God! can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

So with that poem, I found the perfect stamp for one of the quotes within the poem.  I decided to stamp it directly on my cardstock and then stamped my image and paper pieced her.

I used the Mojo 368 sketch for my card except turned on its side.

Hope you will join us for the Stampotique Designer's Challenge this week for your chance to win a $30 gift certificate for Stampotique stamps.

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Card details:

Stamps: 12003 Dreamer by Stampotique Originals

Cardstock: Basic Gray, My Mind's Eye Lost & Found Portebello Rd.

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, copic markers

Embellishment: typewriter

To Love and be loved

My kiddos are vacationing with their grandparents this week in FL, so I've had a few minutes to stamp uninterrupted.  Miss them, but am also trying to relax and enjoy not having to run around every night.

I love the Mojo sketches, always have, but don't always get to play.  This week they are celebrating their 300th sketch and have lots of prizes to give away and you can join as many times as you want.  I'm thinking I should have cut multiple ones in different patterns at the same time I was doing this card. Oh well!

 I knew I wanted to use that little flower from the Feel the Sun set and so I stamped it on patterned paper three times and cut it out to give it some dimension.  The center was stamped on the green polka dotted card stock to give the center some contrast to the yellow.  I'm so happy with how this turned out.

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Card details:

Stamps: Dude and Feel the Sun from Verve Stamps

Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Confetti Cream and My Mind's Eye Sunshine patterned paper

Inks: Dish All the Dirt Brown

Embellishment: dimensionals, distresser

Birthday Wishes

Using up some of my scraps of patterned paper is always a great thing.  I pulled out some of the My Mind's Eye Bluebell scraps I had and punched them with some circles.

This is a sketch from Mojo Monday that I normally don't think I would use, but after doing it, I love it and need to break out of the comfort zone of mine more often.  

I wanted to make the flower bold against the blues so I colored it with some mustard yellows.  My sewing is definitely NOT up to par.  I originally was paper piercing the edges and was so off I broke out my sewing machine and successfully covered it up.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you have a wonderful weekend!

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Card details:

Stamps: Blessings and Borderline from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Whisper White, More Mustard, My Mind's Eye Bluebell

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Not Quite Navy (sponging), copic markers

Embellishments: circle punches, Janome sewing machine, ribbon unknown, Sprinkles glitter from The {Stamps} of Life

Anni-VERVE-sary PARADE

Okay bear with me as I show you the glorious cards I made this weekend for the Anni-VERVE-sary challenges at VERVE.  I was able to get up bright and early on Sunday, the kids were playing well together and I decided to do some fun stamping.  I combined a few of my favorite challenges with the Verve challenges.  I have to say I had a really fun time and was surprised at how many cards I was able to get completed.

I also threw my "hat" in the ring for the CAS-DT over at SCS and so I created an additional card this week for that using some Verve stamps.

So here goes, hope you enjoy.  Would love to hear which one is your favorite.

First card uses the OWH134 sketch and is the VSAVS12A to use green, pink and brown.

Stamps: Blessings from Verve Stamps Paper: My Mind's Eye-Dwell, Crumb Cake Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, copic markers Accessories: Stickles

This is probably one of my favorite cards using the MOJO254 sketch and the VSAVS12B challenge of an anniversary theme and the VSAVS12E challenge of anything but a card.  I used a pillow box and created a belly band to go over it.  Unfortunately I didn't follow directions very well and may need to go back and re-vise my card to include wood or silver on it :-(

Stamps: Text Objects from Verve Stamps Paper: My Mind's Eye Blush, Mauved by the Paprazzi, Dish All the Dirt Brown Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown Accessories: Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Melissa Frances Vintage Attic Treasure Jewels, Pillow Box from Clear & Simple Stamps

Okay, I lied...I think this is my favorite card!  This uses the CR84FN61 colors of aqua, brown and cream along with the VSAVS12C sketch.

Stamps: Great Friend from Verve Stamps Paper: My Mind's Eye Breeze, Aqua Mist, Crumb Cake Ink: Versamark, Cool Carribean, Dish All the Dirt Brown Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Candy Dots, Dots embossing folder, twine

This card is a little bit different for me, I don't always do bright colored cards.  I was kind of stumped as to what to create for my clean & simple card, so hoping this is good.  This combines the VSAVS12D for a Clean & Simple card and for the CAS-ual Friday challenge to create something you might see at or in the ocean.  Since I just finished watching a full week of Shark Week and seeing many surfers and their shark stories I pulled out the RELAX set.    This is also for the Repetition Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Stamps: Relax from Verve Stamps Paper: Creamsicle Cardigan, Spring Rain, Gina K. Luxury White Ink: Perfect Little Black Dress, copic markers, Pumpkin Piet Accessories: Wavy Border Die from The {Stamps} of Life

If you are still with me, thank you!!!  Here is my last card which was one I did for the CAS-DT call over at SCS using "team colors".  My colors reflect one of our favorite baseball teams, the Atlanta Braves.

Stamps: Feel The Sun Paper: Gina K. Luxury White, You're Style Blue me Away, Cherry Cobbler Ink: You're Style Blue Me Away, copic Accessories: Lemondrop Twine from The Twinery

One Person

Today at Blogger's Challenge is to use words as our focal point.    I made this card for my love for our anniversary which was 6/29-celebrating 16 years of marriage.

I love this card, these colors are some of my FAVORITE!  Love the combination of them together and I added some distressing as it just seemed to fit with this paper.

This sentiment, isn't it great?  Works in so many situations but wanted to let him know how important he is to me.  He surprised me with a get away to a spa resort for our anniversary where we went to a wine tasting festival, dinner at the spa and then an hour massage the next morning.  It was GLORIOUS!

I used the Mojo Monday sketch for this card and the current challenge for Stamp It! Cards Love Card Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

Hope you will join us for Blogger's Challenge and showcase those sentiments.

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Card details:

Stamps: One Person from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Confetti White, Authentique- Gathering

Inks: Dish All the Dirt Brown

Embellishments: Memory Box Halloween Jewels, square and scalloped square spellbinders

SDC57: Outside the Box & Some Announcements

Today over at Stampotique Designer's Challenge we were to think out of the box.  This is never a fun challenge for me as I do have a hard time thinking out of the box and I have a phobia of techniques as well but saw something I knew I needed to try.

So trying new techniques are out of the box for me, but this is definitely one I'll be trying again.  I have a lot of these fragments to be used up, so this will not be the last one I do.  For more info on the technique I used, please see the link below.

Mojo Monday Sketch #247 and uses the Frosted Glass Technique by Julia Stainton.  This is for the Make it Monday Challenge with Kraft Outlet which is Anything Goes this week. Moxie Fab is also having a challenge to create a Thank you Card with stamping as the primary technique.

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Card details:

Stamps: Thank you 9009 and Ladybug 2207 from Stampotique Originals

Cardstock: Basic Black, Always Artichoke, Simple Stories Year.o.graphy

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Embellishments: Tim Holtz Fragments, circle and scalloped circle spellbinders, clear embossing powder, basic black grosgrain ribbon

Getting Krafty

I'm on a HUGE Kraft kick, for some reason it is my go to neutral these days.

These are some quick cards using some scraps I had laying on my desk.  The flower was already colored and so this card came together easy using the Mojo Monday sketch and the Play Date Cafe Challenge colors as well as the Make It Monday with Kraft Outlet.

Stamps: Great Friend, Relax from Verve Stamps (sentiment also from Verve) Paper: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler, My Mind's Eye Indie Chic "Nutmeg" Ink: Night of Navy, Crumb Cake Accessories: Pearls from SU!, Swiss Dots embossing folder from Cuttle Bug

My second card is using the CAS171 sketch for last week, which I'm a little late in posting-I had it sitting on my desk for a few days.  I'm also including it for the CAS-ual Friday "For the Guys".

Stamps: onesie4baby from The {Stamps} of Life Paper: Crumb Cake, Enchanted Evening Ink: Dish All the Dirt Brown, Enchanted Evening Accessories: dimensionals

SDC55: Bright Colors

Yeah!  It's Stampotique Designer's Challenge today and my good friend Vicki is our hostess and she has challenged us with the following:

Summer's ALMOST here and when I think Summer, I think BRIGHT......the Brilliant Yellow Sun, the bright green grass, bold blues in the lake and the variances of bright and cheerful flowers....so I challenge you to create a Bright Card!!!! 

Hope you will join us this week for your chance to win a $30 gift certificate to Stampotique for stamps.  Please remember that in order to qualify you must use your Stampotique stamps and only one entry per person.  

For my card I broke out my Horse stamp and instead of coloring him, I stamped it onto some of My Mind's Eye Love Me Do and then added some color to it.  I couldn't decide on what sentiment to use and I can always use some for any occasion so I stamped my Just Because sentiment .  I added some stickles onto the top of the hat to really make it pop.

I used the current Mojo sketch which I don't always get to play along with.  I really like this layout and think I would use it over and over again.

Hope you will join us over at Stampotique Designer's Challenge for your chance to win a $30 gift card for Stampotique stamps.

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Card details:

Stamps: Horse 2408 and Just Because 5239 from Stampotique Originals

Cardstock: Basic Black, Real Red, Baja Breeze from SU and My Mind's Eye Love Me Do

Inks: Perfect Little Black Dress from Clear & Simple Stamps

Embellishments: Xmas Red Stickles, dimensionals, Parisian punch by EK Success

I'm thankful for...

Happy New Year!  Hope you all had a great ringing in of the new year and weren't asleep before midnight.  We just barely made it, but we heard the fireworks around the neighborhood for awhile after midnight.

Last year I was very thankful for the creative endeavors I was able to explore and the wonderful opportunities I was given to design.  I've enjoyed being on great teams and making great friends, and for that I'm very thankful!

The new release, list2write from The {Stamps} of Life is one I can see myself using a lot this year as I try to complete my 2nd year of Project Life.  I have not been doing a week layout like it's meant to, but more used it as a guide to keep up with some scrapbooking.  I plan to continue it this way in 2012 along with integrating some digital and regular scrapbooking pages.  This page fits the CR84FN color challenge this week, the yellow is subtle but there is some in the designer papers.  I'm definitely going to be using this color combo again.

Above is a cute pic I took of my youngest earlier in the year at a baseball game.  I love his many faces and thought this would make a great scrapbook page.  I also used the boxes4abc for my banner along with the rounded tags framelits from Sizzix.

My second cards I was inspired by a card I saw online with this color combination.  I thought these would make a cute notecard set.  My goal for 2012 is to use more bright yellow, which I rarely use now.

I for one always have a "honey-do" list going for the hubby.  Right now as I type this up, he is busy hanging a new t.v. from the wall...something that has been taking him 1/2 the day to do, but he's getting there.  That's after he helped take down decorations, built a desk for our oldest son, etc.  So this notepad that hangs on the fridge will come in handy.  It has a perforated top so I can just tear the pages out when done.

For my last card I decided to use a size I don't create much with, it's a 2.75 x 4.75" card.  I used the Mojo Monday sketch #221 for this.  My petals are created using the creations2fill set and I added some stickles to my center flower.  I adore this color combination and it's one I will be using more frequently.

Hope you enjoyed these cards/creations and if you want to see some more spectacular creations with this set, visit The {Stamps} of Life gallery where there are hundreds of samples.

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Cutie Pie Scrapbook page:

Stamps: list2write and boxes4abc from The {Stamps} of Life

Cardstock: Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Barefoot & Bliss from Bo Bunny, Neenah White

Inks: Blueberry, Tangerine and Licorice from Color Box by Stephanie Barnard

Embellishments: Janome sewing, rounded tags framelits from Sizzix

Just a Note:

Stamps: list2write from The {Stamps} of Life

Cardstock: Yo Yo Yellow, Spring Rain, Kraft Like a Rockstar,  Neenah White

Inks: Chocolate from Color Box by Stephanie Barnard, copic markers

Embellishments:Yo Yo Yellow grosgrain ribbon, stapler

"Honey-do" List:

Stamps: list2write from The {Stamps} of Life

Cardstock: Taken with Teal, Neenah White

Inks: Chocolate from Color Box by Stephanie Barnard, Taken with Teal

Embellishments: dimensionals

I'm Thankful For:

Stamps: list2write and creations2fill from The {Stamps} of Life

Cardstock: Kraft Like a Rockstar, Always Artichoke, Old Olive, Rose Red, Neenah White

Inks: Chocolate from Color Box by Stephanie Barnard, Rose Red and Old Olive

Embellishments: Fruit Punch stickles, dimensionals