Line image

Can you make a Christmas card with the colors white, blue, coral, and navy? Yes, you can! I wasn't sure at first, but I like the results. Those are the colors for the Pretty Palette #6 challenge. I combined that with the Make it Monday challenge from Papertrey Ink to draw a line frame around your image. I used enchanted evening and melon berry cs from PTI and brocade blue ink from SU!. The sentiment is from Damask Designs by PTI and the snowflakes are from Inkadinkado. I don't like to measure and erase like Nicole does in her video, so I use a clear ruler and just eyeball it.

You Go Girl

I can't decide if this should be a birthday card for a little princess or an encouragement card for a girlfriend princess. It could be either! It uses the Waltzingmouse sketch challenge for this week. They have recently changed their rules so you have to use a Waltzingmouse image in order to enter. I so need to win so I can get an actual set! I only have a digital set that was part of a package to raise money for a young woman who is battling cancer. You can read more here. This image is actually a prince, but I wanted a princess, so I drew in hair with a fine-tipped pen. I colored the image with colored pencils except the crown on which I used a gold pen. In the close up picture you can see I added some sparkly red jewels with a red marker and a glitter pen. I used a cuttlebug embossing folder on the bottom of the card. I created my own "stick pins" out of 20g wire; one is a star and the second is a spiral with a rhinestone glued on top. Was kind of going for a diadem look.

Hope

This card is based on the Our Daily Bread Designs sketch challenge. Another Christmas card down. : ) The papers are all DCWV. For the focal point, I used labels one (embossed with a snowflake cuttlebug embossing folder), scalloped ovals large and classic ovals large from spellbinders. "Hope" is from Richly Blessed by Verve and is overstamped with two small snowflakes from an Inkadinkado Christmas set.

Box of Spring

Spring has finally arrived here in the Northeast! This week's JUGS challenge was to create something 3-D with a spin: it had to reflect spring. I created a 3x3 box to hold notecards (maybe). I used this tutorial by Laurie Schmidlin, or at least I tried, but had to change it a bit due to the fact my top paper didn't FIT! Measuring is not my thing, so I just trimmed it down and used it as a layer. The blue and green cs are from PTI, the dotted paper is DCWV and the jeweled brad is from SU! I used a labels one die, and three of the standard circles large dies to create the flower. I drew the leaves and cut them out by hand.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Verve is running their April Diva Dare. The theme is April Showers Bring May Flowers. This card uses the Viva La Verve April week 4 sketch and as was mentioned by Shannon Teubner (the creator of the sketch) it really makes a perfect rainbow. And what is associated with rain and sun more than rainbows? The dp is all from DCWV and the ribbon is from SU! The sentiment is from Verve's Accent Notes. I created my sun with a classis circle large die and scalloped circles large die (that I trimmed to created points) from spellbinders.

Warm Holiday Wishes

Still working on my Christmas cards, I must have al least 10 done now. 10 less to do at Christmas time! This card uses the Pretty Pattern 6 challenge from My Time Made Easy. The blue cardstock and ink is from SU!, the paper is from a DCWV Christmas pack. I also used the scalloped border punch from SU! and the Labels 5 die from spellbinders. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado and is overstamped with a snowflake from the same set. and I actually used really buttons on this one! (see my previous posts for my love affair with PTI's Button #1 dies).

Celebrate Christmas

This is my first entry into a Skipping Stones Designs sketch challenge. I learned about them when Laurie Schmidlin became their guest designer. (She is one of the blogs I visit regularly). I love her work and decided to give the sketch a try. I used the buttons #1 die from PTI to make the buttons. Love that die! Paper: DCWV, SU!
Ink: SU!
Dies: Labels 5: spellbinders; star: sizzix; buttons: PTI

Make it Monday

This week's Make it Monday challenge from Papertrey Ink was to use your dies to emboss. I all ready have a long list of dies I want to buy from them, but this made me want them even more. I don't have very many, so I used the only one I thought would work: Mat Stack 2. So I used it to make a personalized card. I used a coordinating image from the Mat Stack 2 stamp set and added an "H" from a monogram set I bought years ago on clearance at Michaels. I used ocean tides card stock and ribbon also from PTI. Using my scor-pal I scored lines above and below the ribbon.

Emergency hugs

I don't have an intended recipient for this card, I will just hold it in reserve for someone who needs an emergency hug. The card uses the waltzingmouse #43 sketch challenge. They have changed their requirements to enter: you must use a waltzingmouse image. This adorable little fire truck came from a digital package that was put together to raise money for a woman, named Katie, who is battling cancer. You can read about her and the available packages here. The sentiment is also from the same package. I cut out the image using labels 5 by spellbinders, colored it in using colored pencils and added hand drawn flames coming out the back.

Happy New Baby

This card uses the Mojo Monday 187 sketch and the Timeless Tuesday 114 challenge to use the color combo brown/aqua/yellow which is really a perfect combo for a baby card (specially when the gender is not known). The yellow and chocolate cardstock are from Papertrey Ink, the aqua and dotted paper are from DCWV. The onsie and little ducks are from SU!'s "By Ones and By Twos" and the chocolate ribbon is also SU! The sentiment is from "To the Moon" by Verve

Bring on the Happy

The JUGS challenge for this week: kraft/black/aqua/coral and make a birthday card. This color combo was sooooo hard for me! Not ones I would put together, but I am happy with how the card came out. I am also entering the card in the Our Daily Bread Designs blog challenge to use NO coloring. And the sketch is the Viva La Verve April week 3 sketch. I made the flower out of three circles cut using spellbinders classis circles large dies then fringed the edges, crumpled them up a bit and layered them together with a black brad. Leaf stamps are from an OLD SU! set, sentiment is from a new birthday set from PTI that I can't remember the name of. I made the buttons using on of the PTI button dies. I may never buy buttons again!

Winged Things

"Winged Things" is the spin that the Sweet Stop added to their sketch challenge for the week; I used the colors from Pretty Palette #05 (white/green/orchid) for the color scheme of this card. After some of the color challenges I have entered lately, this was such a nice change! I love this colors and it is so much easier to use colors that you really like. : ) All papers are from a pack from Hot Off the Press. The stamps are both from Mat Stack 2 by PTI (one of my newest toys!). I used a Martha Stewart punch for the butterflies, the one in the center is vellum.

Happy 4th Birthday!

My final card for today is for a sweet little friend of my daughter's who just turned four last week. I used the mojo monday sketch and the Clearly Inspired Challenge #26 sponsored by Clear Dollar Stamps which is to use bling of some sort. Mine is the glittered chipboard number 4. The stamp is from All in the Family by SU! and I colored it to look like the little sweetie (a pretty strawberry blonde). She definitely is a girly-girl so I used lots of pink and the glitter. I used a marvy flower punch, Martha Stewart border punch and my new spellbinders circle impressibility template which you can see much better in the second picture.

My Time Made Easy

My second card for today uses both the Pretty Palettes 04 (ivory, peach, seafoam, kraft) and the Pretty Patterns 05 challenges by My Time Made Easy. I am also using the Off The Wall Craftiness challenge to make an Easter card using bright colors. I don't have any Easter stamps, so I used the set Richly Blessed by Verve which is designed to be a Christmas set. But as Jesus and the Cross are the real reason to celebrate Easter, I figured it was a good substitute. It looks reather bluish in this picture, but I promise the green really is seafoam. I used the Mat Stack 2 die from Papertrey Ink and a scalloped circle by spellbinders, a fiskars border punch and a flourish stamp by Inkadinkado.

Get Your Diva On

Verve is hosting their monthly Get Your Diva On challenge this week. It is a recipe challenge based on the first letter of your name. My challenge (since I start with an H) was to used twine, buttons and brads as my embellishments, the colors pink, turquoise and brown, and 4 layers or a circle card. I made a card for a bridal shower I attended today (hence the love theme). I used a bunch of new "toys" I just got this week from Papertrey Ink: the mat stack 2 die and the coordinating mat stack 2 stamp set. LOVE it!! Oh yeah, I also used the button (#1 I think) die to make my buttons. This twine treatment was inspired by Julee (Verve's owner) on this card she posted this week. So fun! The sentiment on the inside is from SU!'s Versatile Verses and the flourishes are from the Mat Stack 2 set.

Just Because

This card uses the JUGS #79 technique challenge to use baby wipes and reinkers as a stamp pad, and the Sweet Stop Challenge #103 sketch. I don't own any reinkers so I tried using markers on the baby wipe (I do have plenty of those around with a set of 2 year old twins!). It maybe didn't work as well as the reinkers, but it did give a really cool watercolor effect. I used an image from Damask Designs by PTI and stamped it three different times trying to reink between each. The "just because" sentiment is from Celebrating You by Verve. I used a standard circles large die from spellbinders and embossed it using the small pendant die from the fleur de lis set. You will notice the third picture doesn't fit at all, but there is a method to the madness. : ) That card showcases two zipper flowers that I made for the JUGS challenge two weeks ago and was not able to enter it due to computer troubles. I guess I just wanted to show it off. Love how they came out and might have to try them again.

The reason for the season

Another Christmas card down and two more items used that were just hanging around on my desk. I used the Pretty Pattern 04 sketch from My Time Made Easy. The paper is from a DCWV Christmas stack, the sentiment is from Richly Blessed by Verve and the snowflakes are from Inkadinkado, I also used the labels four die from spellbinders.

Spring Time

Doesn't this picture make you feel like spring? It is the inspiration photo for this week's timeless tuesday challenge (from Flourishes). For my card, I took inspiration from the circles (used the circles impressabilities plate from spellbinders), the stitching on the quilt (pierced around my sentiment banner) and the colors yellow, green and blue which are also the colors for Flourishes Spring Has Sprung challenge (grass green, robin's egg blue and daffadil yellow). I am also using the walzingmouse sketch challenge #42 and the Our Daily Bread Designs challenge to use no ribbon. As soon as I saw that one of the colors for the Spring Has sprung challenge was grass green, I knew I had to use this grass paper from DCWV. I was convinced this would never fit on a card, guess I was wrong. The circle embossing on the blue layer did not photograph well, but you can see it better in the second photo. The sentiment is from Damask Designs by PTI (anyone that reads this blog very often will see that is one of my most used sets). And I just "had" to make a daffodil for my flower.

For You

Using the Sweet Stop sketch #102 and the waltzingmouse sketch challenge to make mini cards, I created a thank you gift set for my daughter's Awana teacher. Tomorrow night is the last class so the mini card challenge was perfect. Oh yeah, I also used the Pretty Palette 03 challenge (from my time made easy) to use white/tangerine/light blue/aqua. For the card, I used the Hebrews 11:1 plain Jane from Verve overstamped with the large damask image from Damask Designs by Papertrey Ink. For the light blue layer, I used guide lines 2 also from PTI.

The little gift box was made using the creative card candy template from My Time Made Easy (Lauren Meader is so amazingly talented!!) and I forgot to put the ribbon closure on before I adhered the layers together, so I had to make my own slip in closure. The box and the mini cards are simply decorated using (once again) the large damask image from Damask Designs and the "for you" from a Verve set. I used a small damask image to decorate the front of the envelope.

The little cards measure 3x3, just perfect to fit into the little gift box. Aren't they so cute!

Peace!

I am slowly accomplishing my goal of having my Christmas cards finished in plenty of time for Christmas this year: I have 7 done so far! Not a lot, I know, but 7 more than this time last year. This card uses the sketch for Viva La Verve April week 1, allthough it is a definite stretch. I am usually very strict in my interpretation but I just couldn't make it all work with the elements I chose. It is there if you look really hard, promise! It also uses the Our Daily Bread Designs challene to used birds. I am NOT into the latest craze of birds so I do not have any real bird stamps. But I figured a good way to use a bird was to really make it stand out, hence the red (cardinal) bird on the tree. Didn't really think one was enough, so I added more to the inside on the sentiment. The birds, the "Peace" (inked from a word in a longer quote) and the tree are from PTI's "Through the trees" The sentiment on the inside is from Verve's "Richly Blessed". I used spellbinders classic oval large, labels one and fleur de lis pendant dies, cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder and Martha Stewart snowflake punch. Rhinestone and red paper are from SU!

Another nautical birthday

A few posts ago, I used a lighthouse stamp for a birthday card and today I have used a different lighthouse from the same set from Clear Dollar Stamps. My father's birthday is Friday, which reminds me that I have to get this in the mail today (it may already be too late), and it is sooooo hard to make masculine cards since I mostly have floral stamps. But since his favorite color is brown, I decided to go with that and tried to create a vintage card. It made the coloring easy since I only added a little hint of brown to the image. The sketch is this week's mojo monday sketch #185 and I combined that with the make it monday challenge to use heat embossing. Sometimes I get over my head trying to combine challenges before I really think it through and I was at a loss for the heat embossing until I discovered that a stamp from PTI's simply stationery set sort of looked like a compass. So I stamped that on the top background panel and heat embossed it and then added little "N", "E", "W", and "S" with a watermark pen. I also heat embossed "Father" which is from Verve (can't remember which set).

Color Me Spring!

Verve is having another Diva Dare: Color me Spring. This card might be one of my absolute favorites! love it! The pink and flowers are making me sooooo ready for spring! The large flower is a dollar stamp I picked up at JoAnn's. I have used it so many times in the past two weeks. It makes such a great background stamp. I also used a small flower from an SU! set (By ones and by twos) and the sentiment is from PTI's Through the Trees. I used a bit of pink ink on an ink dauber to enhance the center of the large flowers.

Unloved stamps

The last card for today combines the Pretty Patterns 02 sketch challenge (from My Time Made Easy) and the Timeless Challenges (Flourishes) challenge to use stamps you haven't used from a set (I like to call them Unloved stamps). This flower is from a whole set of flower flourishes from Inkadinkado. I have used three of the stamps many times, but this one had yet to be "loved" It seemed to be just too big for a focal image. But this sketch with its extra long matted section seemed to fit perfectly. I use the "blackboard" technique: stamping with white on black and coloring the image with colored pencils. It is the first time I tried it and it is really dramatic! I think I love it. : ) The "make a wish" stamp is from "She's All That" by SU! as is the red paper the black is matted on. The background paper looks a bit orange in the picture, but it is definitely red.

CAS Thank you

Today's card combines the Make it Monday Ink Blending challenge (from Papertrey Ink), the Off the Wall Craftiness color challenge of pink/yellow/green and the Cleary I Stamp challenge (from Clear Dollar Stamps) to make a CAS (clean and simple) card. The flower stamp is an awesome dollar stamp I got from JoAnn's that I am absolutely in love with!!! I have been using is a ton and you will probably see a lot more of it in the future. I added a leaf from an SU! set to add a little interest. The small flower is also from SU!, "Thank you" is from PTI (Through the Trees) and I used the labels four die from Spellbinders.

A nautical birthday

Hi, all! I'm back after a {forced} two week hiatus due to computer problems. But a wonderful friend fixed me up and I'm all set to go. Yeay! This card used the Pretty Palette 02 (from My Time Made Easy): white/blue/green/brown (although they have some nice SU! names for them) and the JUGS 78 sketch challenge. This stamp is one I have had from last summer (from Clear Dollar Stamps) and have yet to use. The happy birthday stamp is from Damask Designs by PTI. The papers are all DCWV and I thought the blue looked like ripples in water.