Thursday, December 8, 2011

DYSU Challenge #49

So glad you could join us once again for a new challenge at Do You Stack Up?!
This week we want to see Something Old!
It could truly be something old, or just a vintage style or image.


This week's Sponsors:







Saturated Canary Digis
Winner’s Choice of 2 Digis



Gecko Galz
Prize Package: Pack of paper of the winners choice, 4 collage sets of the winners choice, a stamp set of the winners choice, and vintage pearl button pack, vintage lace, and Gecko Galz fibers
I really fell in love with this image from Saturated Canary!
I actually split the digital in two on Photoshop and used it as seperate images.
I love the way it turned out!
It reminded me of when I was a young girl (yes, THAT long ago) and we used to play with cups as phones! This new generation doesn't have a clue how to use their imagination!
I still love using all the banners!


Aren't they adorable?
I carefully planned the placement so that the little gal inside the card wasn't showing from the cover.

I'm still good  friends and stay in touch with my grade school buddy, and she so enjoys getting my cards. 

Now, Go check out the rest of the Design Team's creations this week!
FUN!

This card is also entered into the CONTEST:
"Celebrating Relationships Challenge in the Moxie Fab World"



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Flashback Friday 18.0! OWLS!!!

Wow, I am not a huge fan of the owls...although I used one just a short while back. But this was my first "owl" card that I made not so long ago...May, 2010 to be exact.  It was for "Send Love Today" for kids with brain tumors.

I remember the stamp I had with me at this particular retreat had only the words "Whoooo... "  and then "thinking of you" so I had to adlib and add the "is" and the "?"
Looking back, I would definaltely do it differently today. 
Like I said, this blog challenge really takes you back.

Flashback Fridays

DYSU Challenge #48

Tied it up!
Sorry to be late posting...apparently the time I spend with my elderly parent's totally messes with my calendar!  This was to have posted earlier, like on December 1st!   Hope you enjoy it anyway!
Ribbon (or anything that ties)!

Yep, this week the challenge at Do You Stack Up was to use anything you can tie-
string, ribbon, twine, jute, shoelaces...well, you get the picture!


This week's Sponsors:











Stamp Fairy
Winner’s Choice of 3 Digis





Copic Marker Scrapbooking
6 Copic Ciao Markers (North/South America), Martha Stewart punch (rest of the world)





Sparkle Creations Rubber Stamps
Charlotte with a Rose and Scooter Chloe Rubber Stamps



The frame is one I found in Michael's Dollar Bin, already white and ready to go!
This was also my first card using my Viva-Decor Pearl Pen!
 I love the way it makes perfect, tiny little pearls every time!

Inside of card:
I attempted to highlight the image of the pocketwatch with glitter glass, and what it ended up looking like was a crystalline coffee ring...LOL!  Oh well, it's pretty, too.

The sillouette is from Stampendous,
and I never miss a chance to use their Fran*tage Essentials Glitter Glass! 
The paper is from GCD's , "Antiquities" paper pack! Gorgeous stuff!

NOW, Stop over at the DYSU blog
and check out all the other Design Team's cards! 
Again, sorry I totally blanked on the date!  Had it pre-posted a week ago and everything!!!  Kicking myself!Eeeek!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Craft's Meow wishes...


This is my favorite fairy stamp ever!  Wait, I've never really been much of a fairy person, so where is this coming from?  Only the fact that this little stamp won my heart about a year ago and I just can't get enough of her!
This week's sketch challenge at Craft's Meow is ideal for a simple, yet elegant card.


I heat embossed the sillouette in black to make it POP off the pattern paper.
I love the delicate little wings...
Paper used was Basic Grey, "Origins" and Nestie used was Labels Eleven.


Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Merry Mistletoe!

 "A Handmade Christmas" project,
using your Verve stamps,
of course!

 I love the way the "Leafy Sprigs" die works with the "Bloom and Grow" stamps to make a perfect mistletoe branch! I simply cut and stamped 7 of the larger sprigs, and layered them with pop dots between to give it dimension. I wanted berries with some "umph" too, so I used round pearl buttons I had saved from an old sweater that had long ago been discarded.  I think it came out really nice.  I won't mind at all hanging this up over the entry during the holidays!  Off to my closet to find more buttons!  LOL!

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Christmas Challenges

Simon Says Stamp  and Show has a challenge this week to "show some stars" on your card!  I pulled out this little Magnolia image from several years ago and sat her on a sparkly snow drift.  I love the Stampendous Fran*tage collection, but it doesn't show up very well in photos...



Also, this card is entered at Magnolia-licious!
(Because I could really use some new Magnolia holiday images!)

Fall's not over yet!

Let's not jump into Christmas just yet!  It's only the end of November...almost another month until Christmas.  Fall always gets cheated when it comes to celebrating.  We put up our Thanksgiving decorations and 2-3 weeks later, we take it all down.  I like to enjoy this season as long as possible.


I love owls.  I'm not obsessed like some folks (and you know whooo you are!) , but I like them.  When I moved to the desert, I was only acquainted with very different type of owls that I knew back in the Midwest.  In Arizona, you have the tiny little burrowing owls that live everywhere; in school yards, along freeways, in our subdivisions.  Then we have these amazing, huge desert creatures that fly over and leave a shadow to be feared on the ground!  I have long been aware that they could easily attack and pick up my little dog.  But, they are still so cool!


So, let's not say "goodbye" to Fall just yet!
Enjoy!

Supplies:
Papers: Jillibean Soup
Stamp; Studio 112
Die; Verve

This card will be entered in the challenge at:
Wee Memories  (woodland animal, esp. OWLS!)

Challenges Galore!

This month HAS to be the most inspiring of the year! So many challenges to help you get your Christmas/Holiday cards finished!

"Capture the Moment", has a "ruffle" challenge! I love ruffles, whether handmade out of ribbon or paper, or store bought.  I chose to make mine out of my Hug Snug ribbon to keep a soft, cream color to my card.

The sketch I used was from Card Patterns blog, flipped, of course! 



Supplies:
Stamps; Papertrey Ink, "Button Boutique"
Ribbon; Hug Snug (internet purchase)
Ink; Tim Holtz, Distress Ink, "Vintage Photo", and Quick Quotes, "Banana Bliss"

Enjoy the season, and take advantage of all the great ideas and inspiration out there!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Holiday Flourishes!

There's a new Christmas challenge at Flourishes!
The challenge is to make your card round like a wreath!
Cute idea, eh?

My Flourishes "Medallion" stamp
worked perfectly for this challenge! 
I love the romantic, detailed look of the design.
Heat embossing it in black made it really POP off the blue!

The gold tulle bow is much softer and less bulky than it looks in the picture.


The little center glass piece is one that I found at Michael's in the Dollar Bin.  It had a magnet attached to the back, but that peeled off easily!
The real bonus was the matching rub-ons!
So, I decided to finish the inside of the card by stamping the music again
and adding the vintage phonograph rub-on.


Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  Bazzill Shimmer Blue
Stamps: Flourishes "Medallion"; Hampton Art, "PS0576" (Cosmo Cricket)
Die Cut: Cricut, "Art Philosophy" cartridge
Rub-Ons;  Michael's, "Vintage Finds"
Adhesive: Helmar's 450

Having a great Monday, with the weather in the 70's and sun shining all day!
Gotta love these Arizona Fall days!

Welcome Santa!


I always hang one of my Christmas wreaths on my front door, along with several others in the windows. This year may pose a bit of a problem since we have so MANY front windows...may just stick to the downstairs windows! LOL!

But this sketch from the Skipping Stones Challenge this week inspired me.  As soon as I saw it, I immediately saw a window and house siding...hmmm...I'm more a home decorator than a card maker perhaps.

So, here's my take on that sketch.  Pretty much resembles my windows...I love hanging my extra ornaments from the top and a big red ribbon holds the wreath.  Multiply that by three windows plus the front door and it makes a nice holiday statement!


The adorable wreath is part of the Skipping Stones "Everyday Blessings" set, which I embossed in deep green and then colored in with Copics.
I used an older stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms, ""Weathered Wood Backgrounder" for the house siding. I love the way the rubber is cut so deeply that the heat embossing brings out all of the detail!

Even though it's a simple card,
I think it's quickly become one of my favorites this year...

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Waltzing into the holidays!

I am not a big Sunday night football fan, so I decided to start on my Christmas decorations...  I know, some of you have already finished or gotten a really good start on yours! Well, I'm a bit of a procrastinator, so I wait until one holiday gets put away before thinking about the next! With Thanksgiving and Christmas, that can be a bit dangerous.
    Waltzing Mouse has a challenge for the holidays to make place cards for our Christmas dinner table.  Whether I host at my house again this year, or we have it at someone else's, I'll be one step ahead with my cards all made for Christmas Day!

I used my Spellbinders Nestibilities Labels 18, which made it so easy to cut out the white standing cards.  Next, the coordinating Waltzing Mouse Stamp Set, "Vintage Labels 18", made the perfect highlight of gold embossing on red to turn a simple place card into a thing of beauty!  I placed a Bazzill paper Poinsettia and a few tiny sprinkles of holly and Stickles to add some sparkle to each.

I have quite a few more to go before I finish this project!


Thursday, November 24, 2011

DYSU Challenge #47

Good morning and welcome to a new challenge at Do You Stack Up?! We're so glad you've joined us! This week we want to see Grass somewhere on your project!


This week's Sponsors:





Dearie Dolls
Winner’s Choice of 4 Digis


Love to Stamp
Winner’s Choice of 1 Little Darlings Rubber Stamp


Stitchy Bear Designs $10 Gift Voucher
Grass in December you say?
When everyone else is seeing snow outside,
those of us in Arizona are still watering our lawns and wearing short sleeves!  LOL!

I decided to go with a birthday card for a friend who's favorite color is RED!
She always comments on my red purse and is never afraid to wear a splash of color!
What better image to represent her personality?  Ladybugs, of course!

It's hard to see in the picture, but I even made the grass look "dewey" and the little ladybug's heads are 3D "puffy" paint.


Supplies used:
Digi image:  Dearie Dolls, "Ladybugs in Grass"
Cardstock: Coordinations, "Black Magic Collection"
Paper: Cosmo Cricket, "Odds and Ends"
Embossing Folder: Paper Studio, "Music Notes"
Die Cuts:  Spellbinders, Nesties, "Blossom", and Sizzix, "Flower Layers #3"
Stamp: Inkadinkado, "Paperwork Greetings"
Paint: Polymark Black paint pen
Twine and brads: my stash





I hope you enjoy the team's projects today!



Friday, November 18, 2011

Flashback Friday's - It's a Banner Day!

This week, the challenge at Flashback Friday's is to post your old first "banner" project. Well, like everyone else, I jumped on the banner bandwagon about two years ago. But before I started using the typical triangle and various shaped paper flags, I found this Christmas card that I had made using the ornaments as my "banner" hanging from a gold chain.  I still look back on it and think it was pretty nice...

Christmas 2009
 Since it IS the holiday season once again, I figured this old project would fit in nicely with the challenge.
I know you've heard me say it before, but really...these challenges are so much fun! Every time I go back into my archives of old cards and projects, I find myself laughing and sometimes crying over the memories they bring back.  Join in the fun and you will not regret it!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Vintage Handmade Christmas


I love the old, vintage look of all of the latest scrapbook products out there! One of my favorites is the "Button Boutique" set from Papertrey Ink.
I use it for all occasions, and on all sorts of projects.
This week, the Make it Monday challenge at Papertrey Ink is to put
glitter, flocking, or Perfect Pearls on your project! 

Here's my entry!
1. I started by covering a white card base with my pattern paper and rounding the two outside corners.  Attached it to the cardbase.
2. I cut my red pattern paper and rounded those corners as well to match the corners of the button card.
3. I then die cut the button card and stamped it in red.  ( Inking all the edges as I went )
4. The fun part was die cutting all of the little buttons along with the sentiment and label in chipboard and then covering them with glitter!  (Notice I slipped one little Jenni Bowlin chipboard button onto the card! And even that I clear embossed for shine!)

5. To finish, I simply layered my card, and added the gold bow and the glittered blue and green buttons and label strip.

At first, I wasn't sure I liked the vintage look combined with the sparkly glitter,
but it's growing on me!

Supplies:
Papers:  Paper Studio, "A Heartwarming Holiday", and Cosmo Cricket,
"Odds and Ends"
Stamps: Papertrey ink, "Button Boutique" and Inkadinakdo "Doodle Frames Holiday"
Glitter: Stampendous
 
Also entered at the challenge at:
Stampendous Impressions, ( Using chipboard -and used their wonderful glitter, of course)

DYSU Challenge #46

Hey everyone! Welcome back to a new challenge at Do You Stack Up?! I'm so glad you could join us! This week we want to see a Splash of Blue on your project!



This week's Sponsors:













Robyn’s Fetish
Winner’s Choice of EITHER 5 Digital Stamps OR 4 Digital Stamps and 1 Paper Pack






Raindrop Echo Designs
Winner’s Choice of 4 Digi Sentiment Sets






Mami Doodles
4 Digital Images

My card for this week:

The image I chose is the adorable
"Jake" from Mami Doodles playing dress up as a Pirate.
I love this paper from Quick Quotes
and the sentiment is an old ready-made by My Mind's Eye.
I just trimmed up the bottom edge with decorative scissors and inked it up!
The really cool sparkly glitters are actually the new Fran*tage Shaved Ice and Mica products from
Is that not the most amazing stuff ever?! A bit of glue/adhesive,
let it set up just enough to keep the flakes from flying away,
simply hit it with your heat gun, and it melts to your card. 
The ultimate in embossing!
I was experimenting and mixed several different colors and grains,
so no one product name to give you.  Besides, I love them all!


Come on over to "Do You Stack Up"
and see what all the other Design Team gals have created!

MFT November Sketch Challenge!

This week at MFT ,  the sketch challenge #462 is  a fairly simple one!.   Here's my take on a much needed Get Well card for my ...