Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge #223

Good evening!  I just got back from Jordan's football practice.    As well as being an athlete, he also plays guitar. 
I wanted to do a card for the challenge at the Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge so I decided to use him as my inspiration.  I combined how I feel (he is always a star to me) with his music and this is what I came up with:

I used the Stampin' Wheel with the stars and Versa Mark to stamp the stars on the background (which I made by applying acrylic paint to Whisper White card stock with my brayer). I embossed this with white embossing powder.  I then stamped the guitar player on blue card stock with Versa Mark and embossed it as well (with white) and then cut it out.  I attached it to the card front with dimensionals. I added the purple and blue strips, stamped "Happy Birthday" with Versa Mark, embossed it as well and then cut and folded a banner. All this is mounted on a Whisper White card.
Hope you like it and I hope you join in the blog hop at the Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge to see all the cards entered this week.
Thanks for visiting!

Late Nite Stampers #175

Hi there!
Today I have a card for our challenge over at Late Nite Stampers.  The theme this week is "Love" (wedding, anniversary, any kind of love).  I need an anniversary card for a couple I know so I came up with this card.

Both members of the couple know how much of a naturalist I am so I thought I would use that theme.  The turtles are from  Nature's Nest.  The one on the right is reflection stamped.  I stamped them in Stazon and then coloured them with markers.  I stamped off the grass from Inspired By Nature and then background stamped it on Very Vanilla card stock with Old Olive ink.  I decided to grunge up the edges of the card to give it a bit of a more natural feel as well.

I am not very good at cards which are a bit "mushy" so I took this different approach to this week's challenge.  And, in the end, I think it is kind of cute.
Thanks so much for visiting.  Enjoy your day!!

Try Stampin' #68

This will be a very quick post; I am running late for work.

Today I have my card for the challenge at Try Stampin' On Tuesday .  Jenn came up with another interesting sketch, and here is my take on it.

I used an old stamp set (Tractor Time) and a sentiment from Bring On The Cake.  I coloured the tractors quickly and sponged all the edges.  I do not very often tear the edges of my paper but it just seemed to suit this card.
Hope you pop over to Try Stampin' and check out the challenge there.
Have a great day!

Tree In Bloom

I love taking pictures and I just had to take one of our neighbour's crab apple tree.  It is so full of blossoms this year.  Isn't it beautiful?

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Happy Sunday afternoon, everybody!

It is a rare thing when I am home on Sunday afternoon so I have decided to make the most of it.  It is a dull day here and I used this opportunity to make a card for the challenge at Sunny Challenges and Creations.  The girls over there have added a piggyback to their sketch - use the baby wipe technique.
There are a couple of different methods to this technique - you can use the wipe as a stamp pad or you can wipe colour across the paper.  I chose the first.  I had never really used this method before but I am so pleased with the effect.

I used three re-inkers (Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo and Kiwi Kiss) to create my butterflies.  After I stamped them, I punched out the large one and cut out the small one.  After I stamped the wording, I ran the whisper white card stock through the Big Shot with my polka dot embossing folder.  I had punched 2 large butterflies, sandwiched them and added dimensionals to make the wings stand up a bit.  I mounted the tiny butterfly on top of a purchased daisy I had hanging around.  I am trying to use up bits and pieces so the ribbon was chosen simply because I had a piece left over from another project.  Luckily the colour is close to melon Mambo so it works pretty well.

It has been a long time since I did a challenge at Sunny Challenges and I forgot how great the sketches at that site are.  Please visit the site and check it out for yourself.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Sketch Frenzy Friday 052512

I am off this weekend so am hoping to get some stamping done.  We were supposed to go golfing but that is now on the back burner.  We will see for tomorrow.

Today I have the card I did for the challenge at Sketch Frenzy Friday this week.  
I decided to do this card in all rusts and yellows.  My stamp sets are the big sunflower and Well Scripted.  I used a technique for the background where I glued a book page on to white card stock, embossed this with the lattice embossing folder and then spritzed it with my homemade shimmer mist.  Then I sponged rust ink over this whole piece to give different shades.
The butterfly trim is lace I purchased in Curacao at a little fabric store.  I stamped the sunflower with rust and then sponged a few shades of yellow, orange and brown on it.  Since it was too big for the card, I simply cut off the corner until I liked the fit.
Hope you visit Sketch Frenzy Friday this weekend and please, I would appreciate any comments you may have.
Happy weekend!!

Unscripted Sketches #160

Hooray!! It is the weekend and I am off for two whole days.

Today I have my dt card for the challenge at Unscripted Sketches this week.  I decided to do one more masculine card for this challenge.  I used the stamp set "The Open Sea" and did the entire card in cherry cobbler, grey and water color paper.  The only exception is the ship which I water colored in Marina Mist.  I thought that the soft look of the ship is a very soft contrast to the rest of the card - a look I like.

I sponged all the edges of my card in multiple shades of brown to give it an older, antique feel.
Please visit Unscripted Sketches to see the examples from the team and to attempt our challenge.
Thanks and have a great weekend!

ToolTime Gift

Over on LateNite Stampers, our theme this week is masculine cards.  I decided to show you the project that I did at Stampin' Fun And Friends for Father's Day.  My grandson needed something for grampa and this is what I came up with:

This folder/gift could be easily adapted to hold any items that grampa or dad might like.  Not everyone is a "tool man".
I hope you take the time to create something masculine before Father's Day.  Even though he may not show it, dad enjoys gifts from the heart as well.
Thanks for stopping by.

Try Stampin' #67

Today I have my dt card for the challenge over at Try Stampin' On Tuesday.  Sketch #67 is another from Jenn Picard.  I really struggled with this sketch and spent more time staring and thinking than it took to make the card.
In the end, I decided to pull out my old friend, the sock monkey and make a birthday card.

I used some left over dsp (do not remember the pattern) and Brilliant Blue card stock.  The card body is white.  For the "Happy Birthday" sentiment, I stamped this image from an old SU set-from 2001.  The stamp set has four different vertical sentiments for different occasions.
Sock monkey's body is coloured in grays and his hat is the same stripes as in the dsp.
Oh, I almost forgot - the card is 9" high by 3 1/2" wide.  It will fit in a 10" envelope.
Thank you for visiting my blog and for stopping by Try Stampin' On Tuesday this week.  I am sure you will want to see the samples from the other gals on the team.  They really rocked the sketch this week.
See you later!

Birds! Birds! Birds!

It is Victoria Day in Canada - the unofficial start of summer.  I was sitting in my back yard yesterday and was playing around with my camera.  Here are a few pictures.

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Hello everyone!

Today I have the card I made for the challenge at Sketch Frenzy Friday this week.  This site has the most amazing design team and I am so glad I discovered it.
My card takes a few liberties with the sketch (again).  I decided to do some water coloring using the Water Color Trio stamp set.

I mirrored the sketch since I thought it looked a bit more natural for my image insets.  My colors are Old Olive, Peach Parfait and a touch of Real red and Green Galore.  The little dragon fly is a trinket I found somewhere.  
I do not know why but i really struggled with this sketch.  It took me hours and several experiments to decide what to do.  I very much like the result.
I hope you visit Sketch Frenzy Friday.  As I said, you will not want to miss the examples from the talented team.
Thanks for visiting. 

Unscripted Sketches #159

Good morning!  It is a long weekend in Canada (Hooray!) so if I can just get through working today and tomorrow I will have Monday off.  I wish I had the entire weekend - especially since no one shops for furniture during a holiday weekend so it will be very boring at work.  Oh, well.

Today I have my dt example for the sketch at Unscripted Sketches.  This is a piggyback week so, besides the sketch, the focus is on ink.  Well, as a stamper, I use ink everyday.

My ink focus is on the background (surprised?).  I used some alcohol inks, blobbed them on my craft sheet and smooshed glossy card stock around in the mess - and this is what I came up with - LOVED IT!!!
The stamp is an old one that I was given as a gift.  I decided to keep the rest of the card pretty plain so the focus is on the center of the card.  The butterflies are metal ones cut out with my Big Shot.  
I hope you like this card.  It is a bit difficult to get the entire effect on the computer but the center is so shimmery and vibrant.
Please visit Unscripted Sketches and check out the samples from the remainder of the team and possibly enter our challenge.
Happy Victoria Day weekend, Canada, and happy weekend, the rest of the world!  Thanks for stopping by.

The Finished Set

The set of note cards is finished but I have not decided on a box.  I thought I would show you the four colours and also explain how I made the Dresden Plate.

Start with a circle the size you want the finished plate to be.  Fold it in half, then in half again (fourths), then in half again (8ths), and then one last time (16ths).  Now open it out and cut one of the pie segments out.  This is 1/16th of the circle.
Measure down 1/2" on each side of that wedge from the widest part and put a pencil tick.  With a ruler, draw lines from this tick up to the center of the widest end  of your pie wedge.

Cut on these two lines to make a point.  This pointed pie wedge makes the template for your petals.  Cut 16 of them.  
Cut a circle about 1" smaller than you want your finished image and apply adhesive all over one side of it.  Glue your wedges back on to form a circle again.
Cut a center circle about 2" across and glue it over the center of your Dresden Plate.
That is all there is to it.
 You can use different patterns, colours, and rounded ends instead of pointed ones if you want.
Also, remember to co-ordinate envelopes with your cards.  I altered white envelopes by adding patterned flaps.
Hope you have fun making these quilt block cards.

Challenge #173 -The Yellow Version

These note cards go together so quickly that I have the yellow version done already.  Now for the other two and the envelopes.  

Thanks again for stopping by!

LateNite Stampers Challenge #173 Paper, Glorious paper

Hello!  Hope you are having a great week so far.
Today my card is one I did as my example for the Stampin'Up Late Nite Stampers site.  Our challenge this week is to use up DSP that we may have lurking around.  Well, I have LOTS of it.  
The first thing which came to mind was quilting.  You use lots of scraps in quilting, especially when you make mini quilts like I do.  The next thing I thought of was the Dresden Plate block - which I love.  So I decided to combine the two and make a quilt block note card.

I used all different blue scraps for the "petals" and Not Quite Navy" for the center ans the card background.  The stitching is also NQN.  The note card is 4"X 4".  This was so simple to put together.  The only thing you have to remember is to be very exact with your cutting.  I used a craft knife and nor scissors.
Now, this card gave me an idea.  I am going to do four cards altogether and use different colours for each.  I can then package them up and I have a quick and easy gift.  Stay tuned for the rest tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting!!

Happy Mother's Day & Sketchbook Saturday #59

Good morning and happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers, daughters, and sisters out there.
Today I have the card I made for my mother. 

Now, most moms like flowers and plants - mine, even though she is 79 years old, does not.  But she LOVES trees so that is what I did.  She also does not like anything frilly so I kept this card very clean and simple.  I stamped  this image from Simply As A Tree and then I shadow stamped it to give some dimension.  The background is different yellows sponged and blended and the DSP is Daffodil Delight.  My card base is More Mustard.  The only other thing I did was stamp the sentiment from Well Scripted and added a string bow.  
 This card complies with the sketch at Sketchbook Saturday this week and I hope you agree that, even though it is very simple, it is also a work of love.
Happy Mother's Day!

Unscripted Sketches #158

Good Saturday morning!  I hope you are enjoying your weekend and that you have a great Mother's Day tomorrow.
Today I have my dt sample for the challenge at Unscripted Sketches.  
I really struggled with this sketch but here is what I came up with:

My colours are crumb cake and ivory.  To make the background, I took a 5 1/4"X4" piece of crumb cake cardstock and glued  lace to it (spread the Mod Podge all over the cardstock) and then I mitered the corners and adhered the edges down in the back to make a smooth finish).  I stamped the image on 3 1/2"X3 1/2" ivory cardstock using crumb cake.  The image is from Elements of Style.  Then I cut it into 4 - 1 3/4"X1  3/4" pieces. And sponged around each.  The "Friends" stamp is from Vintage Vogue.  I stamped it on another  1 3/4" square, sponged the edges and replaced the bottom left corner of the large image.  Then I glued them down on the card front with sticky strip.  I mounted the entire piece on an ivory 5 1/2"X 4 1/4" card.
The embellishment is something I had in the drawer.  The leaves are jewelry findings and the metal flower is from Graphic 45.  The brad in the centre of the flower is out of my stash but I do not remember who made it.  These embellishments are stuck on with dimensionals.
I really love how this card turned out.
Please visit Unscripted Sketches.  We have an awesome design team and a great sketch.  You will want to check it out.
Thanks for visiting today!

Sketch Frenzy Friday051112

Hi, today I have a card for the challenge at Sketch Frenzy Friday.  I have never done a card for that challenge but I saw Maria's sketch and decided to give it a try.  Here is what I came up with:

The colours I used are More Mustard, Real Red and Calypso Coral (although you cannot see the coral).  I hope it is alright with the ladies that I rotated the sketch.
I have also included a video showing how I made the patterned paper.  




Thanks so much to the SFF team for such a lovely challenge.

Monday Lunchtime Sketch # 220

Hi,

Wow - two posts in two days.  it has been a long time since that happened.
Today, I have my card for the challenge at the Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge site.  I decided to use the same basic colours as yesterday PLUS another retiring stamp set (Upsy Daisy).
Yellow and peach are not really my colours but they really work for this card.  The central image is a paint embossed one. And the sentiment is on a clear tag from Tim Holtz.  Everything else is Stampin' Up.

I am not quite sure about the white background paper but I just could not find anything else that worked for me.

The challenge is a blog hop so that you can easily skip to the other entries and I am sure these ladies will like to have you visit.

Also, you can watch my Paint Resist video here.


Thanks for visiting today!

LateNite Stampers Challenge #172

With the onset of the new Stampin' Up catelogue, comes the retired list - stamps and accessories which will no longer be available to purchase.  I have quite a few of these stamp sets.  
Challenge 172 - Sorry To see You Go- is  my first challenge as a member of the LateNite Stampers design team.
The stamp set I chose is Nature's Nest, and in particular, the dragon fly image.

I used emboss resist and lots of sponging for the background.  Sometimes, I put more effort in the background than the image - have to work on that.  My colours are Calypso Coral, Pretty In Pink and Daffodil Delight.  I loved the effect so much that I did not want to clutter it up so I simply cut two ovals, stamped a sentiment from Well Scripted and added a cut out dragonfly.
Hint:  Colour white pearls with your markers if you do not have the right ones for your design.
Thanks so much for visiting today!  See you soon.

Try Stampin' 65

Hi everyone!  It is Tuesday so today I have my card for the sketch challenge at TRY STAMPIN' ON TUESDAY.  Our sketch this week is another great one from Jenn.
And here is my take on the sketch:

I decided to rotate the sketch and use stamps from the Sew Suite set.  I stamped the dress form and ruler with Versa Mark and then embossed them with bronze.  Since the paper is antique-y, I thought the bronze works well.  I carried the sewing theme further with a scrap of lace and some white buttons.  I chose not to put any sentiment on the front and use this as a note card for a friend of mine.  I love using non-traditional embellishments on cards (partly because they are cool and partly because I get to recycle all kinds of objects).
I hope you find the time to visit TRY STAMPIN' ON TUESDAY and view the amazing cards from the design team.  You may even want to give our sketch a try.
Thanks for visiting!

Unscripted Sketches # 157

Well, it is the weekend and I hope you have a great one planned.  I on the other hand have to work all weekend (groan).
Today I have my DT sample for the sketch challenge at Unscripted Sketches.  The sketch this week is a really cool one and, surprisingly, I knew exactly what I wanted to use as soon as I saw it.  I have had this stamp for a very long time.   In fact, I do not even remember where I got it.

And I think the wording is so pretty.
To make the background, I sponged various pastel inks on white card stock and blended them.  Then I spritzed the piece with water.  When it dried, I stamped it with black Stazon.  The orange butterfly is fun foam which I ran through the Big Shot using an embosslits folder.  I sponged the edges, added the pearls and then adhered the butterfly with dimensionals.
This was such a simple to do card but I think it is so pretty. I hope you agree.
Please visit Unscripted Sketches to see the awesome designs by the remainder of the team and to enter our challenge.
Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge

It has been a long time since I was able to fit an extra challenge into my week - but I managed to do the sketch  at Mary Jo Price's Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenges - and I have to tell you, it was really hard for me.  I do not know why but I struggled for almost two days on this card.

And, even now, I cannot say I am 100% thrilled with it.
I tried some multi-colour stamping on the butterfly and, although you cannot see it very well, it turned out very well.  If I was to do it over again, I would, however, change the stamped background pattern and make it more "flourishy".
I am glad I did the challenge, though, because I was struggling with my project for "Mothers And Fathers" and I did get an idea while doing this card.
The Monday Lunchtime Challenge is a blog hop so it will be easy to visit the blogs of all the entrants.
Thanks for visiting today!

Sunset On Vacation

Just wanted to take a second to show you what the sunset was like when we were in Curacao.  Isn't it beautiful?

Try Stampin' On Tuesday #64

Good morning.  It has been a very busy week getting Mothers And Fathers up and running.  But, now that is is on the go, I can return my energies to my blog. 

This week, Jenn has created another awesome sketch for TRY STAMPIN' ON TUESDAY .  
I decided to dig into my older, discontinued stamp sets to make my DT example.

I do not even know how old this stamp set is...but I absolutely love it.  It is all "Aboriginal Art" style animals.
The background uses the ironed waxed  paper technique.  I crumpled waxed paper and then ironed it on to glossy card stock.  Then I brayered caramel ink over the surface.  Lastly, I wiped it off with a paper towel to take the ink off the resist areas.
The tiger stripe is a piece of fabric and I used a few twigs behind the central square.  I distressed the edges of the square and its backing and then dragged them across my caramel ink pad. The little metal tag is something I found goodness-only-knows-where.  I have to say, this is one of my very favourite cards ever!


The inspirations by the designers at TRY STAMPIN' are all so unique and I hope you take the time to pop over and see them.  Who knows, you may even want to enter our challenge.