Damask Thanks

Today I am officially half-way through my pregnancy. It was fun to see the little baby icon on my sidebar that the number of days I have left are exactly the number of days so far; and from now on, the number of days left will always be less than the number of days so far! Yay! I think we have finally come up with a name; that is if it really is what the doctor and I think it is! LOL! If not, we are back to the drawing board.
I decided to whip up a few more thank you cards to finally get them done and to use up even more of my dwindling scraps of DSP. I think the scraps that are left will be going into the trash. I had an old Sketch Challenge layout hanging in front of me, so I decided to use it for my card today. I made two of the exact same card, and another different one that I didn't show.

I still had everything out from Saturday's card, so I used the Damask image from Friends {24-7}. I really love that image and I had fun embellishing it with tiny silver gems. Again, I used the sentiment from "Pocket Silhouettes" for this design. Everything else is pretty straightforward.

My son's football team won again this week! Yay! They always do such a great job. They ended up winning 45-0, but they stopped putting it up on the scoreboard after they reached 33 points. I guess if the other team doesn't score any points, they don't keep putting them up. We will be going off track in the next few weeks, so my kids will be having fun with swimming lessons and such. I always look forward to them going off track so that we can have some fun together; especially this time, since they only got an 18 day summer vacation. Hopefully we can go and do some fun things and it won't be so hot. Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. Last week I bought some fun paper to make a new Autumn banner, so stay tuned for that. Also, I am in charge of the door prize that we do at our PTA meetings, so I may make a handmade something or other for tomorrow's meeting so stay tuned for that as well.

Friends

I am a little behind, but I decided to check out this week's Sketch Challenge on SCS. I have been wanting to use this pattern paper from "Little Yellow Bicycle", so I started using that. Once I had the base done, I was at a loss for which stamps to use. I rummaged through my stamps and settled on "Boho Backgrounds" which is one of those sets that sits untouched. I thought the medallion image looked nice with the circles on the paper and it was fun to create all of the different colored layers. I stamped the medallion once onto the focal piece using Crushed Curry ink, I then stamped it again onto a piece of scrap paper using Certainly Celery. I punched that out using the 1 1/4 inch circle punch and used dimensionals to attach it to the focal piece. I stamped it again using Lavendar Lace, but before I added it to the card, I used a styled silver brad for the center. Once that was done, I stamped the friends sentiment from "Friends 24-7" using Basic Gray ink. I thought the celery panel looked a little naked, so before I adhered the focal piece, I used the circle background from boho backgrounds to give it a little pop. It was just the right thing. I added a little paper clip and knotted some ribbon for the finishing touch.

By the time I was done making the card and photographing it, I was seriously nauseated, so it took me until this morning to get it uploaded. I really think this baby is sucking all of the creativity from me! LOL! I will be back tomorrow with another one of Jen's "Sketch for You to Try" cards.

I have taken the week off from stamping as you can see. My kids start school on Monday, so I have been hanging out with them. I will be back on a regular schedule once Monday rolls around.

I want to thank all of you again for all of your sweet comments in regards to the baby! How lucky I am to have such great friends that I don't even know! You really are the best! Thanks for fluttering by!

My Little Champion

My daughter will be starting soccer in a few days, so I thought that she was in need of her own girly sports card. She saw me working on it and all she could see was the blue pennant that I was trimming. She asked if I was making a sailboat and I told her that it was a pennant and that people use them to show team spirit. She started crying and asked why I kept making sports things for my son and not for her. She, of course, didn't know that it was actually for her, but I still wanted it to be a surprise, so she will have to wait.

I used the new Papertreyink "All Star Team" and "All Star Team Additions" to create my card. I also used today's SC over on SCS. I haven't participated in a challenge for a while. I used some My Mind's Eye scraps that I lying around. I like the mix of colors and polka dots.

I stamped the images using Walnut Stain ink and the pink sentiment is Rasberry Fizz by PTI. I added some lace, ribbon and a little stitching for some texture. I had fun with this and hope my daughter will like it and feel appreciated.

Thanks for fluttering by! P.S. Here is the link for the box template in case you missed it.



Stamps: All Star Team and All Star Team Additions

Ink: Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Ink, Rasberry Fizz by PTI
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, My Mind's Eye
Accessories: Lace, Ribbon, Aqua Mist Button by PTI, sewing machine and thread, dimensionals, sponge, 1 3/4 inch circle punch

You are my All Star!

I was thrilled to be able to play in today's SC on SCS. It has been a while since I have done some of my favorite challenges. I realize that I may have strayed a bit with the sketch, but I had fun nontheless! I wanted to make a coordinating card for my son to go with his new "Champ" banner that I made. I used "All Star Team" and "All Star Team Additions" from PapertreyInk to create the card.
I can tell this is going to be my *go-to* sports set as I may have already mentioned. I used all of the same elements; colors, paper, etc. that I used on the banner. I hope he likes it as much as he did the banner. I will give this to him when he has his first baseball game.


One of the reasons I like this set so much is how easy everything is to use. The penant is one stamp and then you can add in an assortment of different words. It is quick to cut out, and you dont' even have to do that if you don't want to. This card came together so quickly. I had a lot of fun with it! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. Thank you for *ALL* of your sweet comment you left on my Papertrey projects.

True Friend

I spent the morning volunteering in my daughter's kindergarten class, made lunch and then decided to check out this week's sketch challenge on SCS. It looked quite fun, so I sat down and gave it a try! I decided to start out creating the base layers using the Bella Bird DSP. Once I had the card *built*, I decided on using the "True Friend" stamp set. I had used this set with this paper on another project and I felt like they went well together. There really isn't much stamping on this at all...the DSP does all the work.
I did add a little accordian flower under the butterfly for some texture.

Once I was done, I photographed my card, did all of my editing and then went to do my post. I had zero luck since my internet wasn't even working! Ughh! I was so frustrated! It is now 5:30 and I am finally getting it posted! Oh well! Better late than never!

Now it is time for dinner, so I better run!

Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies: True Friend Stamp Set

Ink: Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Bordering Blue, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Pink Pirouette, PTI White, Bella Bird DSP

Accessories: White Taffeta Ribbon, Paper Piercer and mat pack, ribbon style tag, pearls, and doily lace edge punch by Martha Stewart, Foam Squares, Sponge

Bird on a Branch

I decided that I haven't been posting much SU! these days, so I thought I would make a SUO card today. What is SUO you ask? Stampin' Up! Only. Very rarely do I make something that is completely SU! because I sneak in different paper, glitter, etc. but today I made it a point to use everything SU! even down to the scissors I used! LOL!

I used today's Sketch Challenge over at SCS. I needed to flip the sketch to have it accomodate this particular set. I love the coordinating papers. It is pretty straightforward. I did have to add the sentiment piece to the top because what is underneath is crooked! LOL! Often times my designs get little additions here or there to cover up my mistakes.

I want to say thank you to all of you who said such nice things about my new photo. My old photo was taken for the Dirty Dozen and I have used it ever since. I thought it was time to freshen things up a bit.

I have been getting quite a few questions about some of the things I do on my cards, so look for a Q and A coming up in the next few days as well as a tutorial! Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Bird on Branch
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Tempting Turquoise
Paper: Naturals Vanilla, Ultrasmooth Vanilla, Tempting Turquoise, Flock Together DSP
Accessories: SuperNova glitter, Tombow Mono Multi, Chocolate Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals

Dazzling Citrus

I am seriously behind on this week's SCS challenges. Normally I would just forgo them, but I really wanted to try and get them done this week. I decided to combine yesterday's sketch challenge and Tuesday's Color Challenge. I haven't used Tart and Tangy for some time and I thought it would work well for both challenges. I couldn't find a way to make this fit into today's WT challenge or I would have! LOL! This card is clean and crisp...I was in the mood. I have been doing a lot of vintage lately.

I started out by stamping the fruit images onto white cardstock and then punching them out with my 1 1/4 inch square punch. I then mounted them onto a piece of "Good Morning Sunshine" DSP. I added crystal effects to the center of the lemon and orange and the peel of the apple and then poured dazzling diamonds glitter over the top.

I also used my texture plates from SU!. If anyone has any tips for getting them to work in a Cuttlebug I would love to hear them. This is what I did: A plate, texture plate face up, cardstock, two tan rubber mats from Spellbinders, B plate and then I ran it through my cuttlebug. You can hardly see it, but I used it on the back Pumpkin Pie layer. It is super subtle, but in real life you can see it better. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory, but I did add a corduroy button that I love. I really need to get a few more colors.

I really liked making this card because I used a set I haven't used in a while as well as the pumpkin pie cardstock. The top pieces were completely faded. Hmmmm....that is not so good! LOL!

Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Tart and Tangy, Best Yet

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Summer Sun

Paper: White, Pumpkin Pie, Good Morning Sunshine DSP

Accessories: Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain ribbon, corduroy button, linen thread, dimensionals, dazzling diamonds glitter, crystal effects, 1 1/4 inch square punch, SU! Texture Plates

It's a Boy!

There is nothing that I love more than a baby shower! I love shopping for the gift, wrapping the gift, and usually making something to go with the gift. I usually make the card last so that it all *goes*, but I decided that the gift is going to need to *go* with the card! LOL! I had some time to stamp while the kids were watching "Prince Caspian". We only have a few more *late nights* before school starts up again. I have loved having them home so that we could have fun, but I can tell that they are ready to go back and get back into the learning routine. I have to admit that I have been super lax while they have been out.

I decided not to pick up where I left off on this week's SCS sketch challenge, but start over completely. Like I said, I needed a baby card and this seemed like the perfect layout. I went with the same paper and stamp set that I used on the last baby card I made. I am sure you all may be wondering if you saw this card before. Other than the layout, all of the colors, stamps, etc. are the same. I used the "Delicate Dots" DSP that is available now through Stampin' Up! during Sale-a-bration. You can get it free with a $50 order. The ribbon is also part of the Sale-a-bration promotion and you can get this free also. I used my nestabilities for the focal image and scalloped mat. I stamped the sailboat three times; once in Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Celery. I cut out each sail and popped them up with foam squares. The small flag is adhered with 2 way glue.

The rest of the panels are matted onto white cardstock and mounted with foam squares. I did some zig-zag stitching down the side, added a button and celery polytwill ribbon. I used my exacto knife to cut a slit for the ribbon to wrap around. I usually hate doing stuff like that, but I didn't like the empty space on the right hand side, so I used the ribbon to fill it. It also felt unbalanced, so I added a strip of the bashful polka dot paper to create a little more balance.

Wish me luck in finding the perfect gift to *go* with my card! LOL! Like I said, I love baby showers, so I will have fun putting it all together! I know that I promised photos of all of the *bridal shower* stuff. It is coming....it just takes me a while to edit and all that fun stuff. I couldn't get the best pictures of the favors even though I thought they turned out super cute. They seemed to be a big hit!Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. I am always looking for new ways to improve my blog! If there is a brand of stamps that you have seen me use that you prefer to any others, would you please leave me a comment letting me know. I try and give them all a little love, but I value your input! Thanks!

Stamps: Nursery Necessities

Ink: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Sahara Sand

Paper: PTI White, Delicate Dots DSP

Accessories: Square and Scallop square nestabilities, foam squares, sewing machine and thread, button from the paper studio, celery poly-twill ribbon

Thinking of You

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments yesterday! I loved hearing all of your own stories to make me laugh. Kids will be kids, won't they? I gave my daughter her card and she started crying. She really loved it. She is a sap just like her Mom! I wrote a lot of nice things in there, including how proud I am of her creativity. She really impresses me. I can't wait to see how she blossoms the older she gets.

I have been really anxious to use all of my new SU! goodies, but I have been really good to pace myself. I have so many other new stamp sets as well, so I am trying to alternate. Today's SCS sketch challenge was a perfect fit for my new "Good Morning Sunshine" DSP and "Trendy Trees" Stamp set. I have to admit that I struggled getting the trees to look right, so I headed to my catty to see how they used it. I fell in love with the little card they had made so I used the same details in my rectangle as they used on their card. It also gave me a chance to break into my new corduroy buttons. I love those things!

I didn't realize that there are brads and buttons! I was excited to see that. I paired it with "Think Happy Thoughts" an older SU! set, but I thought it worked nicely with the card. The sentiment looked straight until I pierced the holes at the bottom and then I could see how crooked it was. I had reworked the focal piece too many times, so left it. I did a little sewing down the vertical panel with my sewing machine and thread. I can't wait to experiment more with this set. It is fun! Thanks for fluttering by!

Stamps: Trendy Trees, Think Happy ThoughtsInk: Old Olive, Summer Sun, Chocolate ChipPaper: Chocolate Chip, White, Good Morning Sunshine DSPAccessories: Chocolate Chip 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon, Mini Library Clip, Corduroy Buttons, Linen thread, silver brads, circle punches, sewing machine and thread, paper piercer and mat pack, stamp-a-majig

Vintage Songbirds

I was able to get my friend's cards delivered to her last night. She was so excited. I love creating my projects with specific people in mind and usually the end result has much more thought and detail. I had so much fun over the last few weeks adding new designs to her pile. As I made today's card, I realized that it wouldn't be going into her special pile, but ending up in one of my storage containers. I have decided to start a stash each month and then surprise someone with a bundle of cards who might not be expecting a gift or a *thinking of you*. The thing I love about cards is that everyone needs them, everyone uses them and they are sure to brighten someone's day.

Today's card was made for the sketch challenge over at SCS. I quickly looked at it last night before I went to bed, but I knew that I would be too tired to finish. I am glad I left it for this morning. Fresh Day...Fresh Ideas. If you know me than you know that I have weakness for all things *bird* related;nests, eggs, etc. My house is filled with these little gifts from nature. Now...they are not *real*. I have quite an assortment of *real* nests in many nooks and crannies of my numerous trees. Once the leaves fell, it was so fun seeing where they all were. I knew we had quite a few because of all of the commotion in them. LOL! Anyway...yesterday I added a nest to my tree card, today I am using bird images and sentiments. The images are from two of the sets from TJ Designs; Design Elements (a must have set) and Songbirds. You can find these stamps at http://www.tweetyjill.com/ . I started out by using some of my scrumptious My Mind's Eye paper from my huge slab. I then sewed, distressed, sponged and glittered my way to completion. I had a lot of fun making this and maybe a little too much...there is alot going on! LOL! Rather than making a single image focal point, I decided to make it a collage image instead.

I added a few buttons (not naked, Jodi) LOL! I also added a bow of satin ribbon. The finishing touch is a punched butterfly from Martha Stewat. I added a pearl gem to the center for continuity. I am off to upload this to SCS! Thanks for fluttering by!



Stamps: Design Elements and Songbirds by TJ Designs (http://www.tweetyjill.com/)
Ink: Vintage Photo Distress Ink by Ranger, Soft Sky, Groovy Guava, Walnut Stain Distress Ink by Ranger
Paper: My Mind's Eye, PTI Vintage Cream
Accessories: Satin Ribbon by Offray, Buttons from my stash, linen thread, Martha Stewart Glitter, punch, liquid glue and pearl gems, sewing machine and thread, sponge, glue dots

Rock-a-Bye Baby Sketch Challenge

Thank you for all of your well wishes concerning my back. It is feeling much better today, although it is not quite 100% yet. You are sweet!

I recieved my Sale-a-bration goodies yesterday, so I thought I would use some of the new designer series paper "Delicate Dots" and the 5/8 inch Saffron ribbon. I think it is saffron, anyway! LOL! I thought that my friend might need a few baby cards for her stash, so I started out with this one. Although it is on the boy side, I think it could also be gender neutral as well. I can't wait to play around with this paper some more. It has some fun possibilities. I especially like one of the pattens with the hearts.

I also recieved my new labels 1 dies from spellbinders. I ordered them ages ago and I finally called them to see what was up. They said they were out of stock, but then these magically appeared on my doorstep a day or two later. Hmmmm..... ! I had really wanted to use them for Christmas projects but they never came. Oh well...many more holidays and many more projects! LOL! I decided to double mat the labels, one with the focal image and one with Sahara Sand that had been embossed with the swiss dots embossing folder and my cuttlebug. I thought it went nicely with the dots of the paper.

I followed today's sketch challenge over at SCS...one of my favorite challenges of the week. The original sketch called for two large stars on either corner, but my design felt too heavy, so I opted for on star and a knot of ribbon to replace the other star. I like how it came out much better when I removed the 2nd star. Also, I didnt' stamp the sailboat onto the focal piece, I stamped it three different times onto Ultrasmooth cardstock and then cut each piece out so that I could pop it up with dimensionals. The only image that was stamped directly onto the focal piece was the Sahara Sand flag. I only inked up the flag and then stamped it, that way I would have a reference for where the other pieces needed to go for proper alignment. Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies: Nursery Necessities Stamp Set

Ink: Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery

Paper: PTI White, Ultrasmooth White, Sahara Sand, Delicate Dots DSP

Accessories: SU! Button, Saffron 5/8 inch ribbon, foam squares and dimensionals, mini library clip, labels 1 die from Nestabilities, Cuttlebug and Swiss Dot Embossing Folder

Smiles and Snowmen

I am still trying to get my thank you cards done for Christmas. I still haven't sent out a single one. I thought I would combine a winter and thank you card all in one. I decided to use another of my neglected (actually, never opened) stamp sets. This one if from Inkadinkado and is called "Winter Sketches". I loved coloring the cute snowman and birdie.

The images worked perfectly with today's sketch challenge over at SCS. I usually like having rectangles to work with, because most images fit nicely. It has been so snowy here in Utah, so I thought a snowman card would be fitting, also. I stamped the snowman with Palette Noir and then colored with copic and prismacolor markers. I added (of course) some diamond stickles to the snowman and the snowflakes. I used the pattern prints dsp from SU! for the background. I thought the red and blue were cute with the little snowman. I added some big brads from queen and co. that I haven't opened either, punched a Martha Stewart snowflake and added a button. The finishing touch is a bow of white taffeta ribbon. It all came together nicely, I think. Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies: Inkadinkado "Winter Sketches" stamp set, small sayings stamp set from SU!
Ink: Palette Noir, Sage Shadow, Baja Breeze, Not quite Navy, copic and prismacolor markers, vintage photo distress ink
Paper: PTI White, Prints Pattern DSP from SU! (hostess pack)
Accessories: Button by The Paper Studio, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, queen and co. brads, foam squares, white taffeta ribbon, diamond stickles, glue dots

So Tired!!!

I have been creating all day long and I am *Finally* done with my projects. I sat here thinking I may as well crank one more out! LOL! I checked the SC over at SCS and it had been posted, so I decided to quickly make a card. Super simple since I used a lot of DSP. My DH got me a new stamp shelf for Christmas, so I have been trying to get things organized a little along the way. I am still far away from where it needs to be! I couldn't get to all of my stamps, so I chose to use "Wild About You" since the tall giraffe fit the rectangle panel quite nicely. I paired it with the "Sweet Always" DSP that I *had* to have and have only used twice! I know...it is sad! I kept everything clean and crisp; simple! I decided to add a little interest to all of the square corners by punching out the sentiment with my oval punch. I also added a strip of scalloped vellum to the side. It looks cuter in real life. My *photo setup* got moved when I moved my stamps, so this photo isn't the best. I guess I am rambling...Must get to bed! Thanks for fluttering by!

Supplies:

Wild About You stamp set

PTI White cardstock, regal rose, chocolate chip, Sweet Always DSP

Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie ink

Chocolate Taffeta Ribbon, Oval Punch, Pretty in Pink Brads, foam squares, scallop edge punch

A Cardinal Christmas

This was one of the *must have* sets for me from the Holiday Mini Catalog, yet I put off getting it for so long. I have played around with it, but this is it's first appearance on an actual card. I have a few more sets that still haven't made it onto a card, either. LOL! I decided to play along in today's sketch Challenge over at SCS...not only does it make for a fast card, but I was able to add one more to my stash. I am going to be mailing tomorrow, so I think this may be the last Holiday card of the season. Don't fret, though, I still have teacher's gifts, neighbor gifts, etc. to get together, so I will be posting those as soon as I get them done. The kid's get out of school on Friday and don't go back until the New Year, so I have quite a bit to get done between today and Friday. Wish Me Luck!!!!

I watercolored the cardinal with an aquapainter and ink refills. I usually mat my cardstock before I begin the watercoloring process so that the paper doesn't curl. I try not to use too much water flowing from the aquapainter as well. This helps me getter better results. I *of course* added some stickles to bits of the entire image. To me, sparkly cards say Christmas. It seems like when I was young, everything had sparkles. Yummy! I also used some DSP paper from Stampin' Up! in real red. It is the prints pattern for this year. I think I liked last year's better, but I do like some of these as well, so it is worth having. I sponged all of the edges for a vintage feel, added some gold brads and punched out the sentiment. I then tied it up with a bit of mellow moss taffeta ribbon and called it *done*! yipee!

Stay Tuned for more projects and thanks for fluttering by!

Friends Forever

Can you tell I love using Parisian Summer DSP and One of a Kind together. They both worked so well for today's sketch challenge over at SCS. I knew I didn't want to stamp a circle image and then punch it out, so I decided on punching out the flowers from one of a kind and have them trail down the card. I am seriously in love with the sentiments from "Best Yet" as well, so I thought I could punch one out with a circle punch. It was a tight fit, but I made it work. I was so wishing I had the right color thread in my sewing machine, because I thought this design was needing some, but I didnt' want to change the bobbin and thread color. You should see my crazy stamp area...it looks like a bomb went off leaving bits of projects here and there. LOL!

Yesterday I went to Target to do a little Christmas shopping and found some delicious satin ribbon in the wedding section. I really liked the width and the price...15 yards for 2.99. I thought it seemed reasonable, so threw 3 different spools into my cart. I am sure I will be incorporating the other 2 colors in my next designs. I think my Saltbox Stamps are getting lonely...I will be pulling some out today and working on a few designs.

Has everyone seen the Stampin' Up! retirement list? I am losing some serious rubber. I told my husband that I wanted a new shelving system for my stamps, but maybe I won't need one, since I move my retired sets to a different system. I am really sad that so many are going...but I know that I will have to have a ton of new ones, too! Enough of my rambling! Thanks for fluttering by!

Victorian Christmas

I guess this is where Parisian Summer meets Winter Post. When I first got the Parisian Summer DSP, I thought it would also work well for a Christmas card. Today's Sketch Challenge over at SCS gave me the perfect opportunity. The layout worked well for the images included in the "Winter Post" Stamp Set from SU! I sponged all of the edges with Vintage Photo Distress ink from Ranger (love that stuff) and added a large glitter snowflake that I picked up from Michael's last year. I also added a strip of Pink Pirouette that has been scalloped and embossed with my crop-a-dile.

Also, as promised; Here is the rag quilt that I have been working on. I think it turned out super cute and I can't wait to give it to my friend. There are quite a few funny stories regarding this blanket. I almost lost a finger, a sewing machine and the quilt. When I sew the strips together, I pin each intersecting square to get a them to line up perfectly. So...my daughter was fascinated with the whole process and watched every step. I stopped the sewing machine to remove the pin, and you need to go slowly because at each intersection there is alot of fabric. Before I know it, my sewing machine is going a million miles with my fingers right at the needle. I was so disoriented and confused and then I saw my little daughter standing full throttle on the foot pump. I was *really* mad. Now I can just laugh about it because the quilt is done and no one was hurt. Also, when I was clipping each seam to get the *rag* look, my daughter informed me that my friend wouldn't like it because it was all cut up! LOL!

For those who don't know, I have another blog called Thimbles and Thread and I will be uploading a few basic directions on how to make a rag quilt if you are interested. Check back after Thanksgiving and I will post a link their if I get it all uploaded. Thanks for fluttering by!

Parisian Dreams and Ho Ho Ho!

Yesterday, Mr. Brown brought me some great new SU! DSP including Parisian Summer. This has been one that I have wanted since the catalog came out, but kept putting it off. It is finally here and it is positively scrumptious. I haven't seen much done with it, but who knows, maybe I am just out of it? LOL! Anyway, I thought it would work well with today's sketch challenge over at SCS. I also paired it with "Dreams du Jour" Stamp Set. The flowers in this paper reminded me of the flower from this set. I did minimal sewing because I am lazy today! LOL! Anyway, I thought the sewing that I did worked well with this design to mimic a quilt square. I colored the images with a blender pen and ink refills. I also added some pink taffeta ribbon. Yummy! Of course it couldn't be complete without a little glitter, so I added some diamond stickles.

My second card started out as an attempt at yesterday's color challenge, but I decided I wanted it to not be so bright red; more vintage. So...I pulled out some of the Paper Salon paper I picked up the other day at Hobby Lobby and started creating. I realized after I was done that this card looked familiar. This is almost the exact same layout I already used for this exact santa for my Design Team assignment. I CASED myself! LOL! This santa and sentiment are from The Saltbox Studio which can be found here: http://www.amuseartstamps.com/ Thanks for fluttering by!

A Springy card for Today's Sketch Challenge

My daughter has been fighting a nasty cold and my son is off-track (year round school), so I have been able to just relax and stamp. Yesterday was a full-on Jammie Day. Don't you just love those once in a while? I know that I do. My daughter is feeling better today, I can tell, but I don't dare push it. I think we will take it easy again today. I participated in Today's sketch challenge over at splitcoaststampers. I wanted to use springy colors so I chose Saffron, Celery and Artichoke.I also added a fun design element that I have noticed recently on the SU! samples; add embossed circles to the scallops with the crop-a-dile. I really like how it turned out. It has the feel that I was trying to achieve. Also, as I mentioned in my previous post, I will be trying to add things to my blog daily, and don't miss out on the blog candy coming up soon! Thanks for fluttering by!

Stamps: Garden Whimsy, Tres Chic

Cardstock: Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Certainly Celery, So Saffron

Ink: Artichoke, celery, saffron

Accessories: pretties kit, vanilla 5/8 inch grosgrain, saffron brads, slit punch, crop-a-dile