CardPatterns Sketch Challenge #52

I decided to play along with the CardPatterns sketch challenge this week, using some brand new imaginisce paper that I picked up at Wholly Scrap this week. (The one downside to working at a scrapbook store is that you get first dibs on all the new stuff!) Here's the sketch: And here's my take on the sketch! This paper line, called Live Loud, is filled with wonderful band-inspired images, a perfect match with my "Rock On" guitar and sentiment from Unity. Instead of using small squares at the top and bottom of my card, I decided to add some hardware...a must for a rock 'n roll inspired card! :-)

I'll have to take some pictures of the entire imaginisce Live Loud line to share...Oh, I should mention that I have the ability to ship product from the store to out-of-state customers so...if you have any special paper or supply requests, let me know! Enjoy today's card and check back tomorrow for a Sweet 'n Sassy challenge card! Hey, it's a week full of challenges - love that!

Stamping Around Challenge - And Prize!

Goodness, I am soooo late in posting this challenge!! Almost so late that there is little more thatn 24 hours for you to participate. The prize is a bag of Unity rubba! It's good stuff, a wonderful collection of never-been-used unmounted Unity stamps! And it can be yours for just participating in the Stamping Around Inspiration Challenge! The challenge was posted by the other half of Stamping Around and my all time good buddy, Julie, who gave us a beautiful Lands End catalog as a jumping off point. And you should see the pretty card Julie created! It's on the web site here!

This is the card I came up with, mixing those pretty soft colors of the sweater and flowers with the khaki color of the model's pants. All the images, with the exception of the polka dot image, which is from SU!, are from Papertreyink. The tiny rhinestones are from Taylored Expressions. So head on over to the Stamping Around blog and get your name entered into the drawing!!

Enjoy!

Sweet Shop Challenge - SSS44

It's time for another Sweet Shop skech challenge! I choose three newly released images from Sweet 'n Sassy on my card...but just a sneak peek of each! I'll share cards in the next few days that showcase the entire image. But if you just can't wait then head on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy home page, Korin has posted a link that will take you to all of the newest releases. I live in New England so Spring has definitely not sprung yet but the sun is shining today and the weatherman is calling for rain tomorrow instead of snow so...I think we're on our way and I have to say that I can't wait!! We haven't had a bad winter, especially in comparison to some of my DT members who have been hit with many feet of snow, but the cold keeps us in and I'm ready for some warm weather. :-) Quick post today as I'm off to work for the day!! Please stop by The Sweet Shop to check out all of the other beautiful DT creations and try out your hand at this week's challenge! Remember that if you participate in the sketch challenge, you'll be entered into a drawing for free goodies!!

Keep it Simple Sunday

Today's Tip: Create a main focal point on your card, leaving the

background unembellished! (**gasp!**)

Psssttt...I know it's only Saturday night but I thought I'd get a head start on my Keep it Simple post since I have lots to share this week!! This week's card is in response to a CAS challenge over at Splitcoast. The challenge was to create a Spring CAS card and since I haven't inked up my PTI sets in awhile, I decided to use the Everyday Button Bits and Borders & Corners/Square sets to create a card. I first stamped a frame from Borders set and then layered a scalloped square, the frame, and then the flowers and buttons. I used my Scor-Pal to create just a few lines in the back of the square...just for a little something extra! I also added some distress ink to the edges of the card and the sentiment smack dab in the middle! I'm not sure how Springy kraft cardstock is but then it's hard to take the grunge out of a grunge girl! LOL! Enjoy!

Can You Handle More Chocolate?

I'm reminded of that Jack Nicholson line, "you can't handle the truth" in relation to today's post title! LOL! But we can all handle some more chocolate, right? I just can't help myself...I love these Sweet 'n Sassy digital chocolate images!! I confess that this card is a bit of a throwback to a Valentine's Day theme but I think any day is a good day when we tell our loved ones that a day without them is as tragic as a day without chocolate!! Speaking of chocolate...do you know what time of the year it is (almost)? Easter...and do you know what that means? You can now get Cadbury Mini Eggs!! Do you know how much I love Cadbury Mini Eggs? I think I may need an intervention...LOL! Today's card showcases my beloved but retired SU! DP and a cupcake from the Chocoholic set that has been attached to one of those metal edged rings. Remember when those were all the rage? I actually found a swap from years ago that someone in my SU! team had created with this layout and realized it would work perfectly for this sweet cupcake image. So, thanks Trish...whevever you are now! :-) Enjoy...hey, it's Friday!!

SALT Challenge - Continue in Prayer

This week it was Julie's turn to set the SALT challenge and she picked "continue in prayer." She also posted a wonderful write up, which I've copied here for you: My topic today is taken from Colossians 4:2 "Continue in prayer." I have been thinking a lot lately about prayer and it's importance in the life of God's children. As a busy wife and mother it's often difficult to find time for a meaningful conversation with anyone!! And yet, prayer is most important especially when we are busy! I remember hearing this quote from John Wesley, "I have so much to do that I spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it." When I read the morning reading from January 2 out of Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon which used this verse as it's text I was convicted to be more prayerful this year. Here is an excerpt of that reading: It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, "Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;" and just as we are about to close the volume, the "Amen" of an earnest supplication meets our ear. Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob—there a Daniel who prayed three times a day—and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises. What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. . . .If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of His love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master. I have to agree with Julie...it is so hard to find time to really pray when one has a busy life and a household and children to care for. I find that some days I'm not really praying until my head is on the pillow! The verse that has been going through my mind this week is from I Thessalonians 5:17, "pray without ceasing" and it has reminded me that I can have more prayer time but that it may be in shorter bursts, throughout the day. So I used this verse as the main focal point on my card and surrounded it with chipboard leaves and felt flowers from SU! and Wholly Scrap. The ribbon is from Papertreyink and the dp is a scrap found in my stash. Thanks so much for stopping by today! The SALT team would love to see what you create using Julie's inspiration - please leave us a link on the blog to your project.

Scrapbook News & Review Published Creation

Today's card is a flashback to the holidays...I know, noooo....I just got the decorations packed! LOL! This is actually a card that was published in Scrapbook News & Reivew to support one of their sponsors, Shirley's 2 Girls. (From the looks of their web site they've gone all digital, all the time and their clear stamps are 50% off!!) This card, along with another one that I'll post later, is from before the holidays and was part of a lovely package I received from SNR. I love packages that contain free stamps!! I was asked to help out with some last minute stamping and of course how could I refuse!! I really liked the design of their images and enjoyed creating with them! The DP is from Stampin' Up! and the image was colored with Copics. And speaking of SNR...I've made the difficult decision to step down from the team. I've recently taken on a larger teaching role at Wholly Scrap (the store where I work P/T and have taught for a number of years) and that combined with my current design team work was making it too difficult to keep up with the workload required by SNR. However, I loved my time on the team and was thrilled to have been given a number of writing assignments (I love to write!). I'm hoping for a few guest spots here and there but would encourage you to check out their site...it's a fantastic resource and a great group of people!! Enjoy! (We finally got hit with about seven inches of snow yesterday...it was nice to feel like we actually live in New England yesterday instead of Florida - it's been so warm...well by NE winter standards!!)

The Sweet Shop Challenge - SSS-43

It's time for a new Sweet Shop sketch challenge! And this week, we have a fun one! I love the scalloped half circle on this card. My card is a variation of the sketch...everything just seemed to fit better with this format. This bit 'ol piece of cake is part of the newly released chocolate-themed digi images from Sweet 'n Sassy. I used some of the images on a card posted last week and this cake is another one of the images included in the Chocoholic set. I made a little plate for my cake slice and although it's not easily seen in this photo, I lined the place in a gold glitter. The paper is from K& Co. Be sure to hop on over to The Sweet Shop to check out all the other wonderful DT creations! Enjoy!

Keep it Simple Sunday

Today's Tip: Use those solid image stamps to create quick cards!

Hey...it's 10:30 pm and I totally forgot about today's post! Yikes! It's been one of those days, which I think might turn into one of those weeks! I've got a busy week ahead of me, with classes to teach, cards to create, and a new Science class to start with my first grader! I'm already having that "Calgone take me away" feeling! LOL! Tonight's card is actually a sneak peek from a class I'll be teaching next month at Wholly Scrap. We've started a PMS night...That would be pizza, music, and stamping, you crazy girls! During the class, I'll teach three techniques. Can you guess what technique I used on this card? That's right...rock 'n roll! My sweet little owl, who comes from the most adorable set from TPC Studio, Woodland Whimsy, was stamped first in a gray and then "rolled" in a dark blue, which is seen on the edges of the image. I used the same technique on the decorative swirls behind the owl. During the class, we'll also create two more cards, using the same stamp set, showcasing the faux stitching and spotlighting techniques. That's it for me tonight! My hubby is painting a very dark color (oh man, I hope I'm made the right color decision) on one wall in our living room and I'm off to stamp so that I don't have to panic about the wall color until it's too late! hee hee

Enjoy!

For the Love of Chocolate

Who doesn't love chocolate...oh my, it's one of my all time favorites!! We're in the midst of potty-training child #2 (who wants nothing to do with the potty!) and we have a never ending supply of chocolate goodies on hand to serve as a bribe...errr, reward...should he decide to tell us he has to go. The problem is...the adults in the house tend to eat the chocolate faster than we give out the bribe...err, reward. I think that might be a problem... Anyway...I decided to play along with the Splitcoast sketch challenge this week and knew that Sweet 'n Sassy's latest digital chocolate-themed images would be perfect for this layout. The cupcake and chocolates are part of a Chocoholic set that also includes a piece of cake and Hersey kiss and the sentiment is part of a eight pack of hysterical sayings, Chocoholic Sentiments, that are perfectly paired with all kinds of snacky creations! My DP on my card is made up of a bunch of scraps left over from a scrapbook album I made for a friend of mine. Love the color combo...bright and cheery, in anticipation that Spring really will arrive sometime... Enjoy!

Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Day!

It's digi day over at the Sweet 'n Sassy Scrapbook News & Reivew group! And today, Korin is offering a free digi because our group has reached 300!! And now...I have a confession to make...it's digi day but I didn't use a digi on my creation! LOL! However, this is a Sweet 'n Sassy clear stamp set, Warm Up, that is on sale for $7.50! This darling set includes nine images, that can be mixed and matched, and 12 sentiments! And since today's theme on SNR was "so sweet" (hey, I should have used yesterday's card today!), I decided to go with a "so sweet" Valentine with a saying for "so sweet" friends!

This cute candy holder was created following a quick and easy tutorial on SCS. The dp, which is one of my all time favorites, is a long retired paper from SU! My cup was colored with Copics and I even added a bit of texture to the mug by removing some of the color with a Copic colorless blender. The tag was cut out using one of my new Nestibilities dies and sponged with a little pink ink. A sweet bow and some stickles on top of my whipped cream finished off my Valentine. Now...if I can just resist breaking into that bag of M&M's... Enjoy and head over to the SNR group to check out all of the amazing creations posted by the DT! PS - We've posted a new challenge over on the Stamping Around site! Check it out for a chance to win free Unity goodies!

Sew Sweet

I just couldn't resist creating another card with an adorable Cocoa image from Sweet 'n Sassy...isn't he so, or should I say sew, sweet? I'm not a big fan of mice but for Cocoa I'll make an exception because that little face is so cute! :-) This is a newly released image, Sew Happy Cocoa, which can be downloaded from the SNSS web site for a mere $3.00! The sentiments set, Sew Many Thoughts, is available for $4.50 and includes nine "sew" sayings. You just can't beat the cost of digital images and the ease of use. I like being able to print the images out at any size and Korin has sized the sentiment files so they are easy to use with punches and dies. This is a pretty straight forward card, not requiring much in the way of instruction but I will point out my lovely scalloped square. That's right...I finally, finally managed to get a set of oval and square scalloped Nestibilities dies! And that makes me very happy indeed! :-) Don't forget that tomorrow is the Sweet n' Sassy challenge day over at Scrapbook News & Review!! Everyone who participates will be entered into a drawing for some free goodies!! Enjoy!!

Sweet Shop Challenge - SSS42

I decided to play along with the Sugar Babies over at The Sweet Shop today and create a card based on this week's sketch...a round card - how fun! Of course I think I got way too carried away with DP and embellishments on my card...it's got everything but the kitchen sink on there! LOL! My circle was created with my largest plain circle Nestibilities die and then I simply added smaller scalloped and plain circles to create the layers. The DP is my "I can't stop using it" stash of Bo Bunny. This darling image, One of a Kind, is a new release from Sweet 'n Sassy...isn't is adorable! I love the look at the bird's faces as they contemplate their friend's purple feathers! And how about that square paper behind the birds...it's wood! Real wood! Isn't that cool? It's a new product that I picked up at Wholly Scrap. It's thin like paper but made of real wood, like a veneer. It looks awesome embossed and I've got to find a way to use it in a larger format so you can see the wood grain. Well...the grocery store is calling me, poor kids have asked if they can eat candy for breakfast since there's nothing else....so I think it's about time! Enjoy today's card and be sure to hop on over to The Sweet Shop to see the other fabulous creations!

Keep it Simple Sunday

Today's Tip: Create a mat and frame with beautiful paper and Nestibilities!

Today's card is a bit of a twist...I used a Papertreyink sentiment stamp for the center of my card and some darling, tiny round stamps to create the 'wreath' around the sentiment. The stamps are from a wonderful little Etsy store, Norajane. However, I did not buy stamps from this store...I purchased two wonderful pillows and when my pillows arrived I was pleasantly surprised to find that three little stamps has magically made their way in to my package. Now how did Ms. Norajane know that I was a stamper? ;-) (Aren't the pillows darling!! As it that sweet face!) To create my card I stamped the sentiment and then used the small stamps to create a circle around the saying. I used three different colors for each stamp. Then I used a die cut and a piece of designer paper to create the top layer of the card. A circle was next cut out of the center, the sentiment, etc. was added behind the circle, and a frame was added around the opening. This entire section was adhered to the card with foam tape. Head on over to Norajane's Etsy store to check out her amazing pillows and adorable stamps! And enjoy today's Keep it Simple card!

Papertreyink Third Anniversary Challenge

That's right...I'm posting two times today! I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to participate in the Papertrey anniversary celebration and challenge. Nichole has been posting some amazing contests, giveaways, and news on her blog and since I like nothing more than a challenge...(and a chance to win some free PTI goodies!), I decided to play along with today's 'Resist Emboss' challenge. The goal of the challenge was to create a project using the resist emboss technique. For those of you who have never done this technique before, it's super easy. You simply stamp a solid image in VersaMark ink onto write or cream cardstock, emboss with clear embossing powder, and then rub ink over the image so that it "pops" out. The embossed section "resists" the ink. Nichole has a nifty video on her blog demonstrating the technique. I opted for a tag tonight and wanted to grunge it up a bit...ala Tim Holtz style. I've been missing my crazy days of tag creating during the holidays...Although my family sure is happy to be eating again... To begin, I first stamped a script image, from the Background Basics: Text Style stamp set, over the entire tag. I then stamped and embossed a leaf image from the Turning a New Leaf set directly over the top of the script image. Next came lots and lots of ink, which I applied using a blending tool. I added a tiny scalloped trim on the top and bottom of the tag 'cause I like all things scalloped! The next step was the lengthy, but oh so enjoyable, one of stamping, coloring, and cutting out the leaves and flower from the Friends 'til the End set. And since I can't bear to not crinkle, age, or distress my projects I added some depth to the flower and leaves by...well...can you guess? By crinkling, aging, and distressing the edges of my floral pieces so that they were more life like and had more dimension. In case you hadn't noticed...I dig dimension...

My piece was finished by added some ribbon and a button (from PTI) along with a sentiment, which is also from the Friends 'til the End set. Oh yeah, I should also mention that I added some glossy accents to the center of the flower for...well...cough, cough...dimension (and shine). Enjoy and hop on over to Nichole's blog to check out all the fun stuff!

Sweet 'n Sassy Digi Day Challenge

OK...I'm technically a day late for the Sweet 'n Sassy challenge that was hosted over at Scrapbook News & Review yesterday but better late than never, right? :-) Yesterday our digi day started with a BIG announcement...Every day is going to be digi day at Sweet 'n Sassy!! No more waiting until Thursday for the digital releases, they'll be released as they're developed! And Korin has already posted ALL of March's releases here! The challenge, issued by Micki, was to use buttons on our creations. I decided to use an adorable Cocoa Mouse image on my tag, along with a newly released sentiment that is part of the "One of a Kind" image set. My dp is from Basic Gray and my sweet heart button is from Papertreyink. Enjoy and be sure to head over to SNR to check out the other wonderful creations posted by our DT and members of our group!

SALT Challenge - The Beatitudes

The SALT challenge blog has posted a new challenge this morning! Our challenge topic is the beatitudes from the book of Matthew. You can read Hazel's write up on the SALT blog. Just a quick note on my creation this morning as I'm running late with my posting! :-) Since I really wanted to include the entire beatitudes section from Matthew, I decided to go with a digital scrapbook page. I adore digital scrapbooking, although I'm not all that good at it, not having a ton of experience but I enjoy it all the same and hope to learn more as time goes on. I chose to focus my layout on my two sweet boys, the best kind of scrapbooking is highlighting the kiddies! Since the writing is small on the screen, simply click on the photo to enlarge the picture.

And now, my friends, I must depart!! Much to do today...sorry for such a short post!! Be sure to stop by the SALT blog to see the other amazing work submitted by our DT!

Happy Spring!

Oh baby, I wish it were Spring outside today! We woke up to no heat in the house and snow falling outside. Brrrr...Thankfully, we have a fireplace so we were able to get a bit of warmth downstairs before the furnace guy got here to fix our almost $200 problem that only took five minutes to fix....Humm....I think I'm in the wrong line of work! LOL! Either that or I'm going to start heating with wood. Ever feel like you'd like to be more in control of your own "stuff", like food, heat, electricity? That's it, I'm moving to a farm in the mountains! Right...me, the bears, and the great outdoors that should make for quite a combination!! LOL! Anyway, today's card features another soon-to-be released Sweet 'n Sassy digi image, Early Bird. Isn't it wonderful? I'm thinking this would be a great image for a window card...And how do you like my birch tree? I didn't want there to be too much brown in the picture since the nest was brown. I found that if I colored the little lines to the tree in brown and then went over the lines with a colorless blender, that a tiny bit of the brown ran and created a great very pale color for the trees. The lovely papers used are from Bo Bunny, purchased at Wholly Scrap. My fab layout is from today's Splitcoast sketch challenge, which is being hosted by Korin...owner of Sweet 'n Sassy! Why not hop on over to SCS and participate in today's challenge.... Enjoy! PS - And if you didn't weigh in on yesterday's cards, scroll down and check 'em out!

Keep it Simple Sunday (or Tuesday)

Today's Tip: You only need a few scraps of paper and one stamp to create quick and easy cards!! Sorry for the delay in Sunday's posting. I needed to make room for the Sweet 'n Sassy blog hop yesterday!! Yeah!! How exciting that we're going all digital! The images that will be announced in the next few months are amazing!! OK...today I'm calling all bloggers and card makers to weigh in on a few card designs...the ones posted today. And I want honest opinions!! Seriously! As long as you don't call me names, I can take the criticism...LOL! Here's the deal...I recently started working a few hours a week at the scrapbook store where I teach, Wholly Scrap. And I've suggested that we start offering a beginner card making class, where I'll discuss the basics of stamping and then we'll make four quick and easy cards. The goal is for the class attendees to not feel overwhelmed by card making but enjoy it and want to dive further into the hobby. So...for these cards, I used this darling line from imaginisce called Scooter's Vacation and let me tell you, the paper is to die for! Also included are some sweet little stamps that retail for a whopping $1.99! I used half a sheet of 12x12 paper and sweet little Scooter to make these cards. They were super easy, I made all four in less than an hour!

And all of the sentiments were cut from a piece of the patterned paper. Isn't that fun? I only needed one stamp to create four cards. Love that idea! However, my concern is that they're too plain, you know? Maybe that's just because we've all grown so used to layers, ribbons, and bling that a simple card can seem dull...what do you think?

My other concern was that Scooter was too light (although this is the color he is on the paper...you can see him peeking out from behind my paper strip on this last card). I tried coloring one but decided I liked him better in a cream color. I might try making these same cards but using a blue or red background paper. Humm...I'm indecisive. When I first made them, I thought they were so cute but maybe I'm just trying to convince myself! ha ha ha Anyway...that's my winded post for today! Thanks for leaving an opinion on these cards. We hope to announce the new class soon so I need to finalize my samples. At the very least, you can see how easy it is to make a boatload of cards with minimal supplies! Now someone remind of that the next time I declare that I need a new "thing" to add to my already too large collection! Enjoy!