Playing with Paper Designs

How Time Flies!

2011-08-25T22:13:00.005-04:00

Hello fellow bloggers! I can't believe that summer is almost over! We went on a camping trip last week, which was so much fun, but this week it's back to reality! This was the view from our campsite and it was really difficult to leave!

We were able to launch our canoe right from our site and enjoyed going for a paddle almost every day. It was so peaceful and relaxing. But all good things must come to an end, and now I am in the midst of preparing for another school year. I spent 10 hours today moving my classroom to the new school and unpacking box after box after box after box....and I am still not done! Thankfully I had some time yesterday to make a couple of cards. I made this card based on a sketch from Crafting By Design and chose the patterned paper based on the challenge at Little Red Wagon which calls for the use of Newsprint. I chose the colour of the heart based on the challenge at Truly Scrumptious which calls for pink and based the design of the heart on the challenge at Paper Shelter Challenge which calls for the use of punches.

Well, I am pooped! Time for this little lady to hit the hay! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will visit again soon! Have a great day!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - First Edition DSP (Stampin' Up), Pink (Unknown)
Stamps - Everyday Button Bits (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Chipboard Heart (Rusty Pickle), Small Heart Punch (EK Success)

A Little Behind...

2011-08-05T11:42:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer! I have been quite busy the last week with BBQs, golfing, and hanging in the pool with my friends and haven't had any time to post! In fact, I made two cards last week for two different challenges and didn't get to posting them in time! I thought I would still share them with you though. The first card I made for the challenge at Peachy Keen Stamps based on this colour combo and this sketch:

And this is the card I made:

The second card I made was for the colour challenge at Color Throwdown.

I have been trying to use up my scraps and these challenges were perfect for that! I hope to play along with a couple of challenges this week and get them posted, so I hope you will come back to see if I accomplished my goal! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend! The weather is beautiful here and I hope it is in your little corner of the world too!

CFC 12

2011-07-25T23:13:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! I hope you all had a good weekend! We went camping and it was HOT!!! Our site did not have any shade whatsoever and we baked! Thank God our new trailer has air conditioning! I know, I know, it's ridiculous to have air conditioning while you are camping. I fought my husband on getting it, but man, did I ever appreciate it this weekend! We got rained out of our campfire Saturday night, so I made this card for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays. Good thing I brought some supplies with me!

This week's challenge was to use rub-ons or stickers. I used some rub-ons from Stampin' Up that I had in my stash. I used the numbers on the vertical strips then used the chevrons on the yellow star. The sentiment is from PTI's Signature Greetings, which is one of my newest stamp sets and I love it!

Well, I guess I better hit the hay. Yoga class is bright and early tomorrow morning! Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas in July!

2011-07-21T14:29:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! I am just taking a quick break to post this card I made for the CAS challenge at Crafting by Designs and the colour challenge at The Play Date Cafe. The theme this week at Crafting by Design is Christmas in July. I have to admit it was difficult to make a Christmas card with this heat wave we're having!

On their blog it says: Remember...just one color of your choice...and just a splash! I think this card qualifies for that even though it has a green button! I didn't have a red button that matched the ribbon, so I went with green! And the Kraft is a neutral, so I think I'm okay on that as well! At least, I hope I am!

Well, I guess I better get back to work! Only one week left in my courses and then I'll be free for the rest of the summer! Enjoy your day! Thanks for stopping by!

LRW Challenge #90 - Music Notes

2011-07-20T23:05:00.002-04:00

Hello! I hope everyone is keeping cool in this heat wave! I checked the Weather Network this afternoon and it said that it was 43 with the humidex! Tomorrow is supposed to be even worse with the actual temperature being 41 and 51 with the humidex! That's insane! But don't worry, Steven Harper says there is no climate change, so we can keep our air conditioners running! (I'm being sarcastic in case you missed it!) Anyhoo, I finished my curriculum project and my hubby was golfing, so I pulled out some supplies and made a card! For inspiration, I decided to make a card for the challenge at Crafting by Designs, which called for using your latest die and the challenge at Little Red Wagon, which calls for music notes. The last die I bought was PTI's Delightful Dahlia with the matching stamp set. My sister-in-law is very musical and her birthday is coming up, so I made this card with her in mind.

It's a little difficult to see in photo, but I used my SU music wheel and stamped it in versamark ink. Then I heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I also realized that the last time I used glitter, I didn't clean out the tray and now there's glitter mixed in with my embossing powder :( Well, I'm off to watch True Blood on DVD. We don't have HBO, so we're a season behind, which sucks!!! No pun intended :) Thanks for stopping by and stay cool!

JAI 76 - Inspiration Challenge

2011-07-16T08:18:00.001-04:00

Good morning! I hope that the sun greeted you this morning as it greeted me! I have a busy day ahead of me, full of shopping, gardening, cleaning and to end the day, dinner and drinks with a couple of my girlfriends! I did want to pop in though and share this card I made this week's challenge at Just Add Ink and Crafting by Design. These are the inspiration photos:

And this is my card:

Well, I better get to work! I have a lot to do today! I hope you have a great day! Thanks for stopping by!

PDCC #90

2011-07-15T10:37:00.011-04:00

Hello! How is everyone today? I hope the weather is as beautiful where you are as it is here! I just wish I could get out and enjoy it. Instead, I am stuck inside developing my curriculum unit for my religion course :( Hopefully I will be finished soon and go out for a round of golf later this afternoon. But right now, I am taking a break to post this card I made for this week's colour challenge at The Play Date Cafe.

In the photo, the colours look like light purple, dark purple and a yellowy-orange. On their website, they describe the colours as Eggplant...Fuschia...Orangesicle, so I went with orange instead of yellow!

I am thinking about giving it to my niece for her birthday, but I think it might a bit too childish for her. She's turning 12, what do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts! Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

It's a White Party!

2011-07-11T21:11:00.001-04:00

Hello fellow papercrafters! I had a chance to make a few cards on the weekend, including these two I made for the photo inspiration challenge at Our Creative Corner. The challenge was to make an all white card based on this beautiful photo collage.

The first card I made for a friend who is getting married in the fall and the second one I made for a friend who is having a baby. I hope she has a girl because this card is a little on the girly side!

The first one I made in pure white and the second one I made in off-white or cream. They both have simple designs that I love, stitching and crocheted lace. Well, I guess I better fold the huge basket of laundry sitting beside me! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

FTL 147

2011-07-06T06:24:00.005-04:00

Hello again! I am back today with a card I made for this week's challenge at the Clean & Simple Stamping blog. It was based on a sketch. This sketch to be exact!

I based this card on the sketch and on the felt circles that I had cut out a while ago but never used. All of the other elements for the circles came from my stash of embellishments that I punched out or die cut, but never used. We all have these stashes right? I also used scraps from my scrap pile that never seems to shrink! You all have one of these too, right?

I added some stitching to each of the circles and around the border of the card and between the two papers. I also sponged some Crumb cake ink to age it a bit. The papers and die cut are from My Mind's Eye, which I love! I originally bought them for a scrapbook layout, but have made a couple of cards with them instead. Ooops! Good thing the store I bought them from is having a sidewalk sale this week! The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and the punches I used are from Martha Stewart and Stampin' Up. I really love this card and I hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by!

DYSU #26

2011-07-05T18:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, it looks like every challenge I made a card for on the weekend closes today! So, yes, this is post number 3! I made this one for the challenge at the Do You Stack Up Blog, which called for using squares.

I wanted to make a cute baby card using up some of my scraps for my huge scrap pile. These polka dots squares fit the bill! I added some stitching to dress them up a bit. I am also trying to use up some of the stickers I have but never use, and this giraffe was the perfect accent for this card! The sentiment is from Verve and the ribbon from Stampin' Up. I have no idea where the buttons came from! Thanks for peeking....again!

PDCC 88

2011-07-05T18:09:00.000-04:00

I know, two posts in one day! But, I didn't want to miss the deadline for this week's challenge at The Play Date Cafe. These colours feel like summer to me!

I kept this one nice and simple and summery! Thanks for peeking!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC9

2011-07-05T17:59:00.000-04:00

Happy summer everyone! I hope you are taking some time to enjoy this beautiful summer weather. I have been trying to, but it's been really busy! My classroom is moving a to new school, so I have been busy trying to pack everything up. I am also taking two courses online and they are heavy! I did manage to take some time off on the weekend and was able to sneak in some craftiness! The card I have for you today is for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays. They challenged us to make a masculine card using Kraft as the main colour.

I used an Inkadinkadoo stamp set that I picked up on clearance for $1 to make the background, which I stamped in Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla CS. For the bottom, I used paper from Basic Grey and for the star I used some new My Mind's Eye paper. The sentiment is from Verve Stamps. That's it for me. I have to get back to studying! Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday Sketch Challenge 208

2011-06-22T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hola! Just popping in with a card I made for the sketch challenge at Stamping 411. I used some current and retired SU products for this one and opted not to use a sentiment. Thanks for stopping by!

Inkspirations Colour Challenge 74

2011-06-21T07:08:00.000-04:00

Hey There! How are you this fine day? I hope all is well in your little corner of the world! I am having a great day so far! Mind you, I haven't actually left my house yet or started work, so it's great day so far! Today I have a card that I made for the Inkspirations Colour Challenge.

Once again, I used scraps to make this card, and the colour blocking technique. It didn't quite turn out as I had envisioned, but sometimes life is like that! Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by!

PDCC 86

2011-06-20T19:19:00.000-04:00

Salut Mes Amies! I hope you are enjoying your day! I am just popping in with a card I made for this week's colour challenge at The Play Date Cafe. Again, I made a card using scraps for my scrap pile and using the colour blocking technique. I have found that this technique is great for using up your scraps!

All of the colours on my card look darker than in real life...not sure what happened with the picture...I am still trying to figure out my new camera and photo editing software. Guess I still need more practice! Thanks for dropping by today!

Color Round Up 36

2011-06-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

Good Day! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! I'm just popping in with a card I made for this week's challenge over at the Rubber Redneck, which is based on these colours.

I thought they were perfect for a card for a baby boy, so I made this.

Once again, I based the design on scraps I had in my scrap pile. And it just so happened that I had scraps in these colours! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

otwc-challenge-54

2011-06-19T06:58:00.001-04:00

Good morning and welcome back! It's a beautiful morning and I woke up early to enjoy it. Today is an extra special day as my husband returns from a week long trip to Ottawa where he was taking care of his mom after her surgery. So, I got up early to make sure the house was clean and the fridge full of groceries for his return! Aren't a good wife! Anyway, I made this card the other day for the colour challenge at Off The Wall Craftiness. I really like this colour combo and the inspiration photo.

Such elegance! I wish that my card was as elegant!

I ran into a couple of problems when I made this card. I started inking the butterfly in one ink, but found it too dark. So, I switched to a lighter ink, but half of the butterfly is slightly darker than the other half. I didn't want to waste materials, so I used it anyway! Then, when I stamped the sentiment, it didn't stamp clearly or straight, so I had to stamp it again on the same paper and punch it out to cover the original stamp. Oh well! Sometimes things go perfectly the first time, most often they don't! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC7

2011-06-18T22:36:00.000-04:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a super Saturday! Mine was uneventful with the day spent cleaning and gardening. I did take some time this morning to make this card for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Friday's, which calls for the use of colour blocking and Kerry's Colour Throwdown which is based on these colours.

And here is what I came up with.

I stamped the flowers and sentiment in versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder. I used scraps from my ever growing scrap pile, which I am very happy about! I have been trying not to use any new paper, with the exception of card bases, with the hopes that I will get rid of my huge pile of scraps! This card was perfect for that. Now I just need to make 100 more like it!!! Thanks for stopping by!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC6

2011-06-15T22:30:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone. I have been having a crazy week with a lot of ups and downs. Today was full of downs. All I can say is that some days it is very difficult to teach children with Autism. So, I made this card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge to try and cheer myself up. This week's challenge was a fun one based on the game tic-tac-toe. I've never done a challenge like this before and it was fun! I really like this idea. For my card, I chose the chipboard, ribbon and button row.

I'm trying to use up some of the scraps in my huge scrap pile and this card was perfect for this goal! That's it for me tonight. I need to get some sleep and pray that tomorrow will be a better day! I hope you all have a great day tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by!

Blooming Good Fun at the 4 Crafty Chicks!

2011-06-12T22:27:00.001-04:00

Okay, I have one post for tonight. I have already missed the deadline for the sketch challenge at Papercraft Star (by one hour) and don't want to miss the deadline for the other challenges. I made this card for my MIL who has just had surgery. I tried a new technique to make the flower for this card. I punched five of these using SU's Scallop Circle Punch. One for the base and four for the petals. I folded the circles in half and then folded them again. Next, I inked the edges using Distress Ink in Antique Linen. I glued the folded pieces to the base and then added a button in the center. I used this sketch as inspiration, and also the challenge at 4 Crafty Chicks which calls for the use of handmade flowers.

Well, I guess I better get ready for bed! Thanks for stopping by!

Mojo Monday 194

2011-06-12T21:44:00.000-04:00

This is a really quick post...I almost forgot to post this card for this week's Mojo Monday challenge and now there are only 21 minutes left to enter!!! Without further ado here is my card!

I got some new papers from My Mind's Eye and just had to use them! Off to enter the challenge! Thanks for stopping by!

Kerry's Color Throwdown #4 and Color Throwdown #145

2011-06-09T06:02:00.002-04:00

Just popping in with a card I made for my SIL's birthday using these colours as inspiration:

I stamped the flowers using SU's Eastern Blooms set in Versamark ink and then heat embossed them with SU's Iridescent Ice Embossing Poweder, which makes them sparkly. I used Liquid Pearls for the centers, which I am not sure I would use again. I had a hard time controlling how much came out and it left a pointy tip, which I tried to flatten out, but just ended up smudging it. Next time, I think I will just use pearl stickers. Well, I'm off to yoga class! Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC5

2011-06-08T17:44:00.001-04:00

Wow, is it ever hot here today! I broke out in a sweat just walking to my car! Thank God for air conditioning! I made this card for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays, which is based on this sketch:

I stamped the background with a sentiment from PTI's Birthday Basics set and then added the border at the bottom. I don't have a sewing machine, so I stitched the two pieces together by hand, using SU's mat pack to ensure straight stitching. I made the pennant banner by cutting out stars using the Stars #2 die from Sizzix and then cutting the points off and gluing to the string. Et volia! A cute card to give my neice on her bday! Thanks for stopping by!

Color Cue 15

2011-06-07T20:30:00.000-04:00

Hello! And how is everyone this fine day? It was a hot one here with a 33 degree high. And let me tell you, allergy season is in full swing! I spent the last 3 days with a kleenex box by my side! But, that didn't stop me from making some cards and layouts! Today, I have a card I made for the latest Color Cue challenge. These are the colours:

And this is the card I made:

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Melon Mambo, Crumb Cake, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Delightful Dahlia (Papertrey Ink), So Sentimental (My Time Made Easy)
Ink - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Border Punch (Fiskars), Baja Breeze Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Delightful Dahlia Die (Papertrey Ink), Library Card (Unknown)

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #113

2011-06-01T18:04:00.001-04:00

What a crazy day it has been! And I am tired! This post will be short and sweet, so I can go relax on my deck! I made this layout for the challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts and Cupcake Inspirations.

I used the colours, the flowers, the bugs and arrangement of the cupcakes as my inspiration for this layout:

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Sketches in Thyme Thursday Takes #48

2011-05-31T18:42:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! I am back today with another layout I did using a sketch from Sketches in Thyme. I flipped this one too!

I took these photos of my nephew when he had his hair done by his cousin, who is an aspiring hair stylist. I think he rather enjoyed being a model! That's it for me today. I'm off for my first golf lesson. Hopefully I don't hit anyone with a ball....or club! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Not Quite Navy, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Basic Kraft (Basic Grey), Plaid Just Chillin' Boy (Making Memories)
Ink - Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Chipboard Letters (Dollarama), Sticker Letters (Basic Grey), Phrases Chipboard Sticker (Crate Paper), Sizzix Stars #2 Die (Stampin' Up)Circle Stitching Template (Bazill Basics), White Embridery Floss, Buttons (Fabricland), Ribbon (Unknown)

Sketches in Thyme Thursday Takes #47

2011-05-30T16:23:00.000-04:00

Hello fellow crafters! I hope you are enjoying a sunny, warm day! It's 31 degrees and it is hot! I am not complaining though. I am loving seeing the sun again! Today I have a layout to share with you that I made of my neice using a sketch from Sketches in Thyme. I flipped the sketch (as you can see) for my layout.

My neice was about 1 and a half when this photo was taken. She found an old pair of sunglasses from somewhere in the house and thought it was hilarious to play peek-a-boo with them!

Most of the materials I used are from a Stampin' Up kit that is now retired called "The Write Stuff". I drew a border around the page using an Old Olive marker and distressed the edges of the patterned paper. I made the banner by punching a bunch of circles and folding them in half. I stamped the circle using a circle border stamp and crumpled them up to add dimension. The felt flowers are also from Stampin' Up and are now retired. Well, I think I will go work on weeding the garden. All of the rain we've had lately has sped up their growth! Thanks for stopping by!

Scrapmaster's Paradise Colour Combo #101

2011-05-29T17:44:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I am just popping in with a layout I made for this week's colour challenge at Scrapmaster's Paradise.

I also used this sketch from Simply Scrapping Crafts.

And came up with this layout.

I changed my mind about how I was going to do this layout, when I was half done and ended up with a section of the layered borders that I didn't want to go to waste, so I decided to throw them onto a card!

I think I like the layers better on the layout! Well, I 'm off to finish weeding my garden! Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge #2 'Shabby Strawberries & Cream'

2011-05-28T11:30:00.000-04:00

It's another dreary day here in Southwestern Ontario. This is the fourth day in a row without any sunshine. I was hoping to do some gardening today, but it looks like that plan is out the window! I made this card the other day for the challenge at The Ribbon Reel. They posted this photo to use as inspiration.

I love the soft colours in it! It looks like to perfect place for a tea party! Shabby really isn't a style I use often, but I do like it, so I thought I would give it a go. I used this sketch from Stars and Stamps as more inspiration.

And this is the card I came up with. It ended up being more CAS than shabby, but I still like it!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are able to see the sun in your little corner of the world! If you do, please tell him I miss him and want him to come and visit soon!!! :)

Supplies:
Cardstock - Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Classic K Mat Stack (K & Company)
Stamps - Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Cream Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Paper Daisies (Stampin' Up), Adhesive Pearls (Recollections), Large Circle Nestabilities Die (Spellbinders)

Plaisir d'ètè

2011-05-26T20:19:00.000-04:00

Well, it's raining here...again. I hope the rest of you had better weather today! I thought I would bring some summer cheer to the day by posting this layout I made for this week's challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts and Sketches in Thyme.

I made this layout of my neice using pictures I took last summer. She was tired that day and didn't want to take a nap. We went outside to play and she refused to look at the camera or smile for pictures. The only way I could get her to smile was to hold her midair in her swing and snap some photos. Thankfully it worked!

I decided to make some fan fold flowers for this layout. I had never made them before and they were pretty simple. I found the tutorial here on Splitcoaststampers. I really like how this turned out and I hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Blush (Basic Grey), Wild Saffron (K & Company), Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery DSP (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Scallop Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Scallop Rotary Blade (Fiskars), Chipboard Letters (Maya Road), Buttons and Embroidery Floss (Fabricland), Border Sticker (Basic Grey)

Bonne Fete!

2011-05-25T14:15:00.001-04:00

I decided to play along again with this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays which calls for some bling!.

I made this card for my niece's birthday in August. Quick and simple with a little bling!

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your day!

PDC Challenge #82

2011-05-24T19:17:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope you were all able to enjoy the sunshine today! I am just popping in to post this card I made for this week's colour challenge at the Play Date Cafe and the sketch challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts. Here are the colours and sketch:

And here is what I came up with:

I wouldn't normally put these colours together, but I rather like how this came out! I wish I could say the same about the photo! I got a new camera and am still trying to figure out how to work and the editing software that came with it. This new camera is a lot fancier than my old "point and shoot". I think I may have to actually read the manual!!! LOL!!! Enjoy your evening and I hope you will stop by again soon!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Basics Kraft (Basic Grey), Wild Saffron (K & Company)
Stamps - Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - 1" circle punch (Stampin' Up), Classic Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Border Stickers: Toy Box Collection (Crate Paper)

DYSU #20

2011-05-23T19:56:00.001-04:00

Hello fellow paper crafters! I hope everyone had a great weekend! It was a 3 day weekend here in Canada and mine was very busy. My sister came down for the weekend and we had a family BBQ and surprise birthday party for my mom on Saturday. It was a great day and the weather was perfect! I made this card for my sister's birthday which is in June, but we celebrated yesterday when she was here. I used the colour challenges from DYSU and Simply Scrapping Crafts for my inspiration.

And this is the card I made:

Well I'm off to enjoy what's left of the weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Cardstock - Whisper White, Certainely Celery, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up)

Ink - Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)

Stamps - Happy Birthday (Heidi Swapp), Birthday Basics (Papertrey Ink), Fine & Dandy (Autumn Leaves)

Accessories - Extra Large Butterfly Punch (Stampin' Up), Rhinestone Stickers (Recollections)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC2

2011-05-15T19:13:00.000-04:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a good weekend! Mine flew by and didn't feel very productive. I did manage to make this card for this week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays. The challenge called for using twine and buttons. I kept it really, really, really simple. Well, I'm off to do some planning for school tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Birthday Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Black and White Twine (Annie 42 on Etsy), Buttons (Fabricland)

SSC Colour Challenge Week 1

2011-05-09T16:41:00.000-04:00

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great day! I made this card for last week's colour challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts. Here are the colours:

And here's my card:

I wanted to use up some of my scraps, so I came up with this design. Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Whisper White, Basic Grey, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Elephant Punch (Martha Stewart), Word Window Punch, 1 1/4" Punch (Stampin' Up), White Grosgrain Ribbon (Fabricland)

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge CFC1

2011-05-06T16:08:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful week! It was cold and rainy here for most of the week. I'm starting to think that summer is never going to get here! Regardless of the weather, there are only two months left until summer vacation! Don't get me wrong, I love my job and my students, but I also really love having two months off! Anyhoo...the card I have for today's post is for the first ever challenge at the Cas-ual Fridays blog. I love using clean and simple designs for cards and scrapbook layouts and am always up for a new challenge! This week's challenge was to make text the focus of your card. This is what I came up with:

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Page from an old book
Stamps - Inspired by Nature (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Black Crocheted Lace (Fabricland), Ivory Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique)Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up)

Petite Danceuse

2011-04-27T18:33:00.001-04:00

Just popping in to post this layout I made on the weekend of my neice's dance recital. I used this sketch from Simply Scrapping Crafts...

And came up this layout. I really like how it turned out and I hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Cardstock - Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Chocolat (SEI)
Accessories - Chipboard and Tin Letters (Dollarama), Crochet Flowers, Paper Daisies, Scallop Circle Punch Beautiful Butterflies Die (Stampin' Up), Plastic Flowers (Maya Road), Classic Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Embossed Felt, Rhinestones, Button (Micheal's)

Birthday Cupcake

2011-04-26T17:37:00.000-04:00

I'm back with another card that I made in preparation for all the birthdays this summer! This one is for my niece's birthday in June. I played along with this week's CAS challenge at Simply Scrapping Crafts, which required paper piecing. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Pink Pirouette DSP (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Un Petit Plaisir de Fete (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch (Stampin' Up), Folk Heart Punch (EK Success), Ribbon (Fabricland), Adhesive Pearl (Micheal's)

Getting a Head Start

2011-04-25T11:06:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with their families! Ours was quiet, just dinner with my parents, but still fun! While we were there I found a bag of old wooden games and brainteaser puzzles my dad had made years ago. We spent an hour playing with all of them! It was a lot of fun to see who solve the puzzles the quickest! I don't have any Easter projects to share, but I am trying to get a head start on all of the cards I will need this summer. There are a lot of birthdays among my families and friends in the summer, as well as Mother's and Father's day, so I need to get started making cards and gifts now. I used this sketch from this week's challenge at My Time Made Easy.

And this is the card I made for my mom for Mother's Day. Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Cardstock - Whisper White, Basic Grey, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up)

Stamps - Happy Harmony (Stampin' Up), So Sentimental (My Time Made Easy)

Ink - Basic Grey, Old Olive, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up)

Accessories - Buttons and Embroidery Floss (Fabricland)

Hello old friend!

2011-04-23T21:05:00.003-04:00

Our old friend Spring finally decided to pay us a visit today! It was an absolutely perfect spring day. The sun was out, the birds were singing and lots of families were out enjoying the gorgeous weather. I made this card yesterday for the sketch challenge at Pals Paper Arts while dreaming of warm spring weather. I kept it really simple and light. Thanks for looking and I hope it's warm and sunny in your little corner of the world!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Spring Blooms (Impression Obsession Inc.), Birds of a Feather (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories - Pink, White and Green Embroidery Floss (Fabricland)

It feels good to be back!

2011-04-19T20:58:00.001-04:00

Wow! I can't believe the last time I posted was in October! Time truly does fly! Where have I been you might ask? Well, let me tell you I have not been away by choice. We have had an incredibly difficult time these last 6 months. We have had a lot of family stuff to deal with and it left me with no time to scrapbook or make cards, let alone blog about it. Let me just sum it up this way: 7 hospitalizations, 4 surgeries, one close call and one not so close. Needless to say, my husband and I have spent a lot of the last six months taking care of our parents. As a matter of fact, my husband is in Ottawa as I type this sitting at the hospital with his mother. I am praying that this is the last time one of us is at the hospital with one of our parents this year! As life starts to get back to normal, I recently found some time to make this layout of my niece.

The colour scheme I used was based on the photo, but also on a couple of challenges that I came across. This week I discovered this awesome online community for scrapbookers called Simply Scrapping Crafts, and they just happened to have a perfect colour combo for my layout! Check it out:

My Partner in Crafting Crime had a similar colour challenge, so I thought I'd enter my layout in their challenge too!

I love these flowers! Tulips are my favourite and this colour combo is absolutely beautiful! I can't wait until the tulips start blooming in my garden. Unfortunately, winter has decided to stick around in my little corner of the world :( Anyway, I hope you like it!

Fallin' Behind!

2010-10-18T20:57:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! Wow, time is flying by! I have not had any time to create, let alone post anything! School is soooo busy! I have also been busy making some holiday items to add to my Etsy shop, which I am not quite ready to share! Anyhoo, I made this card last week for the colour challenge at JUGS, at least I think it was JUGS, but didn't get around to posting it! The colours were pink, white and green. Hope you like it! I will be back later this week with more projects. I hope you'll come back and see what I've been up to! Ciao!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Pink Pirouette, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Just For You (My Time Made Easy), Worn Music (Unity)
Ink - Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Pink Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Eyelet Lace Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Pink Flower (Unknown)

Oh, before I forget, check out Karen Howard's blog. She posts a list of challenges everyday so you will never be short of inspiration! She is also offering this great blog candy. So, stop by her blog and check it out! You might even win all these awesome goodies!

Vintage Hallowe'en

2010-10-13T20:48:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! Wow, what a busy week I am having! I don't have any time to stamp this week at all :( Hopefully, I will be able to squeeze some time in the old studio this weekend! I made this card for this week's challenge at Stampin' Royalty and The Creative Cottage. This card was really simple and quick to make, perfect for the gal on the go!

Thanks for visiting today! I hope you will come back soon!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Recycled Kraft (Paper Reflections), Pumpkin Pie (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Vintage Image, Black Crepe Paper (Unknown)
Accessories - Black Buttons, Orange Embroidery Floss (Fabricland)

I'm dreaming of a pink Christmas!

2010-10-10T12:49:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! What a beautiful Sunday morning! The sun is out, the temperature is up and the birds are singing! We had a very successful day of landscaping yesterday and were able to get everything done! One of the items on our "to do" list was to rip out this honeysuckle vine that was taking over a good portion of our garden on the north side of our yard. And let me tell you, this was no easy feat! This vine was very well established and had spread to 12 feet across and had climbed up into our lilac tree, over the shed and down into the flower beds! It had interwoven itself between the fence boards and had rooted itself in several spots in the flower bed. We got most of it out, but the roots are impossible! I dug up one flower bed completely to get all of the roots out, and still couldn't get them all! This was one stubborn and invasive vine! But, now it's gone, and I can't believe how much more sunlight gets through now! With it gone, hopefully my flowers will do much better next summer!

Enough about my garden! Onto today's card. I made this card for the Hope You Can Cling To - Pink Holidays challenge at Splitcoaststampers and this week's challenge at the Alphabet Challenge blog.

I absolutely love this card! It's so pink and pretty! I started with a base made from Pink Pirouette CS and then added a smaller piece stamped with my Worn Music stamp from Unity in Tattered Rose ink. I also inked the edges with the same Tattered Rose ink before adhering it to the base. Then I added a piece of pink wrinkle ribbon and stamped the sentiment in Basic Black ink. I cut a square from Pink Pirouette CS, taped the edges with Scor-tape and sprinkled some glitter on the tape. You can't really tell in the photo, but it's so sparkly in person!

Then I cut a smaller square from a vintage music sheet and adhered it to the pink square using foam tape. I cut the star from Pink Pirouette and painted it with white shimmer paint. I had this pink button in my stash and threaded it with the pink wrinkle ribbon and tied a knot. A perfectly girly Christmas card! Thanks for peeking! And to my Canadian friends, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Vintage Music Sheet (Unknown)
Stamps - Worn Music (Unity), Tous Mes Voeux Pour Noel (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Basic Black (Stampin' Up), Tattered Rose Distress Ink (Ranger)
Accessories - Pink Button (Unknown), Pink Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Fine Glitter (Martha Stewart), White Shimmer Paint (Stampin' up)

Card for a Cure!

2010-10-09T09:36:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! I have a busy weekend ahead of me, so I am just taking a minute to post this before I start all of my chores! It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, which means a 3 day weekend for us. Since we have a long weekend, my husband and I have planned work on the landscaping. Hopefully, we won't get rained out this weekend! The last two weekends we planned to do this, the weather didn't cooperate! But, they are calling for sunny skies and warm temperatures all weekend long, so hopefully we will finally get it done! Today I want to share with you a card I made for the "Hope You Can Cling To - Bring in the Brown" challenge over at Splitcoaststampers. This challenge is to use pink and brown on your card. I also used a sketch from Verve for more inspiration. I wanted to post this card for the contest at Verve as well, but we went out with friends last night and I forgot to! Oh well!!! Anyway, here's the sketch:

And here's my take on the two challenges:

When I first started making cards, pink and brown was my favourite colour combination. I made a lot of cards using these two colours! I'm off to have a hearty breakfast before my day of hard labour ;) Enjoy your Saturday!!! And thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Cardstock - Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)

Patterned Paper - Papillion (SEI)

Stamps - Worn Music (Unity), Sanded (Stampin' Up), Flower Sentiments (Inkadinkadoo)

Ink - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up), Tattered Rose Distress Ink (Ranger)

Accessories - Pink Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique)

Fall Dreams

2010-10-07T17:39:00.001-04:00

I almost forgot to post this card! I forgot to link the card I made this week's challenge at Stamping 411, and I don't want to do that twice in one week! I combined this week's Curtain Call colour challenge with the sketch challenge at Taylored Expressions. Here are the colours and sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

I love the fall colours in this week's challenge! They were very easy to coordinate to make this card. I have had the ruler twill tape for a while now, but hadn't used it, so decided to incorporate into this card. I have also been playing around with using Ranger's Distressing inks to age paper, and I really love how the paper with the sentiment on it turned out! Once I start distressing, I can't stop! I used my edge distresser from Heidi Swapp to give the background paper rough edges. I also inked the edges of the patterened paper with chocolate chip ink before I distressed them for more of an aged look. The sentiment is stamped on a journalling card from a now retired Stampin' Up kit that I aged with Ranger's antique linen ink and Chocolate Chip ink from Stampin' Up. I cut the flower using the Birds and Blooms die from Stampin' Up, inked the edges of the flower and leaves with Chocolate Chip ink and then crumbled them up. I think it adds to that aged and distressed look I was going for. I have to admit that I really love this card! I even put it up on my mantle so I could look at every now and then! I hope you like it that much too! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Old Olive (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Write Stuff DSP (Stampin' Up)
Stamps - Happy Harmony (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up), Antique Linen (Ranger)
Accessories - Twill Taper (Bobbin Ribbon) , Edge Distresser (Heidi Swapp), Birds and Blooms Die, Spiral Punch (Stampin' Up), Button (Basic Grey), Twine (Micheal's)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge

2010-10-07T16:54:00.002-04:00

Bonjour! Ca va bien? What a beautiful fall day here! The sun was out, the temperature was up and there was not one cloud in the sky! How can you not be in a good mood with weather like this? I just hope it lasts for the weekend! It's Thanksgiving this weekend here in Canada and it would be great if we could have our meal on the deck! We did that 2 years ago and it was great! Maybe we could cook the turkey on the BBQ! But, then again, maybe not! Anyway, today I want to share with you a card I made for this week's sketch challenge at Waltzingmouse Stamps. I discovered their site through Jennifer Holmes' blog. They have some great stamps, I especially like the border stamps that coordinate with Spellbinders Nestabilities. I would love to order some of these, but they are based in Britain and overseas shipping is a little too steep for me! Here's this week's sketch:

And here's my creation:

I really like how this card turned out! I love this colour combo and all of the girly touches! I started with by making the card base out of Whisper White CS, then I cut a piece of Melon Mambo CS and adhered it to the card base. Then I added a piece of So Saffron CS which I punched with a border punch from Martha Stewart. Next, I stamped the background on an overhead sheet using White Stazon ink. I love how crisp this ink stamped! I have tried several different white inks over the years and was never totally happy with the end result. But this ink did such a great job, I think I'm going to use all of the time! I adhered that to the Melon Mambo and then added a strip of pearls where the Melon Mambo meets the So Saffron CS. At the top, I added a piece of So Saffron Grosgrain ribbon and tied a knot. Finally, I stamped the sentiment in Melon Mambo on Whipser White CS using a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Birds of a Feather set. The final detail is the butterfly punched from Melon Mambo CS that I painted with White Shimmer paint and added pearls for the body. I hope you like as much as I do! Thanks for taking the time to visit today!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Whisper White, Melon Mambo, So Saffron (Stampin' Up), Overhead Sheet (Staples)
Stamps - En Francais (Stampin' Up), Birds of a Feather (Papertrey Ink)
Ink - Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up), Cotton White (Stazon)
Accessories - Border Punch (Martha Stewart), So Saffron Grosgrain Ribbon (Stampin' Up), White Pearl Stickers (Recollections)

2 More Challenges, 2 More Cards!

2010-10-06T19:44:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone! Hope you had a good day! I'm just popping in to post these cards I made for this week's challenges at JUGS and Stamping 411. First up, the Stamping 411 challenge! Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I kept it really simple, as you can see! Now, for the JUGS challenge. By the way, if you do a Google search for their blog, DO NOT type in JUGS!!! You won't believe the stuff that comes up! Anyway, here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

The two sketches are very similiar, aren't they? I love that I can use virtually the sketch and come up with 2 completely different cards! Fun! Fun! Fun! I also love that I am getting good headstart on my Christmas cards! Only 12 weeks until Christmas! Are you getting ready yet? Thanks for peeking! See ya soon! (I hope!)

Supplies:

Card #1
Cardstock - Kraft, Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - (Basic Grey)
Stamps - Four the Holidays (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Vintage Metal Brad (Dollarama)

Card #2

Cardstock - Kraft (Stampin' Up)

Patterned Paper - (Basic Grey)

Stamps - Happy Holidays (MFT Stamps)

Ink - Kraft (Stampin' Up)

Accessories - Edge Distresser (Heidi Swapp), Twine (Micheal's), Metal Button (Walmart)

Unscripted Sketch Challenge

2010-10-05T20:57:00.001-04:00

Allo! Hope everyone had a great day! Myself, I had an okay day at school. We had a few issues, not a terrible day, but not a great day either. After work, I went to my pilates class and now I am in a much better mood! I have only been to three classes so far, but I love it! I find it helps with alleviating stress, but is also a great workout. Our teacher is great, the facilities are beautiful and calming, my only complaint is that it's only once a week :( We had a hard workout tonight that focused on our legs, and I know I'll be sore tomorrow! Especially when I go for my run! I also started jogging this summer as part of my "get into better shape" resolution.

You see, both my mother and my mother-in-law suffer from debilitating arthritis. To compound this, they are both overweight, which does not help with the arthritis at all, not to mention the other health problems they suffer from because of their weight. Due to these health problems, neither of them are able to enjoy their retirements as they should be able to, at least in my opinion. Now, I am not a big girl, in fact I am rather petite and fall within the BMI range that I should. BUT, I am not in good shape. When I play tag with my students or neices and nephew, I get out of breath really quickly. I do not have the strength or stamina that I think a person my age (which I am NOT going to disclose here!) should have. When I retire, I want to be able to enjoy it!!! I want to be able travel, garden, and do whatever I want to do! A couple of years ago one of my colleagues told me about her 77 year old mother who went on an expedition to Antarctica. ANARCTICA! AT 77! Can you believe that? That's what I want to be like. I want to be the lady who travels the world in my retirement! But I know that won't happen unless I take care of myself and get in better shape. Hence the jogging and pilates.

If you're interested in starting running, but don't think you can, check out this plan from Fitness Magazine. I used the Beginner 5K Training Plan and it's very easy! If I can do it, you can too! Before I started this plan, I was a complete couch potato! The other thing that I find really helpful is Wii Active. I am not really a "workout in the gym" type person, so this is perfect for me! You can choose different fitness levels and workout plans and it graphs and scores your performance, which I find encouraging. I started this plan in the summer when I wasn't working, and have found it a bit difficult to stick to my routine. I have had to adjust my schedule and build a new routine, and am still working out the kinks. Anyway, I'd love to hear about your health goals, or any tips you have for sticking to a routine!

Now, onto today's card. I made this one for this week's challenge at Unscripted Sketches. Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I kept this card really this soft and delicate. I used some new paper I got from Kaiser and some lace I picked up at Fabricland. This lace is so delicate! I love it! I have seen a lot of cards using doilies on them lately and wanted to use one. This sketch was perfect for that! I added some brown pearls on the outer edges of the doily to dress it up a bit. Personally, I really like how this card turned out! And I hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by! Until next time!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Secret Bird Society (Kaiser)
Stamps - Just for You (My Time Made Easy)
Ink - Jumbo Java (Tsunikeko)
Accessories - Doily (Wilton), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Lace Ribbon (Fabricland)

Happy Holidays!

2010-10-04T20:04:00.001-04:00

Hello There! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall weather! Today was much nicer here (in terms of the weather) than the weekend. It was a great day, with the exception that everyone around me seems to be getting sick! I really hope I don't catch what they have! My husband has a cold (and is being a big baby about it, as most men do!) and some of my colleagues are having cramping in their abdominal area and just general achiness and fatigue. Whatever it is, I don't want it!!!

I want to send a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who commented on yesterday's post. You are all very kind!!! It's so nice to get such encouraging feedback!

Before I get to today's card, I want to share some info about a technique class that Jennifer McGuire posted on her blog today. I love Jennifer's cards and tutorials, she has such a great style! The class is one she did last summer called Thinking Inking. It's a 9-week free online class and includes 27 videos and shows lots of inking techniques using Hero Arts and Ranger. Each week has 3 parts and each video shows several techniques… meaning almost 100 techniques are shared! It's all listed in one blog post, so you can pick and choose the weeks you are interested in! How great is that!?!

Now, for today's card! I made this one for this week's challenge at Clean & Simple Stamping. This is the sketch:

And this is my card:

This card was so quick and easy to make! It could easily be mass produced for everyone on your Christmas card list! I used some Basic Grey paper I had in my stash and mounted it on some burgundy cardstock. I love this paper and stocked up on it, so I still have lots left! I adhered it to the card base made of Kraft cardstock and added the tag and felt snowflake. Easy peasy! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Cardstock - Kraft, Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up)

Patterned Paper - Figgy Pudding (Basic grey)

Stamps - Happy Holidays (MFT Stamps)

Ink - Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up)

Accessories - Lots of Tags Die, Felt Flurry Snowflake (Stampin' Up), Burgundy Button (Unknown), Twine (Micheal's)

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Lose!

2010-10-03T22:25:00.001-04:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! The weather was miserable here! We had planned on working on landscaping, but the weather didn't quite cooperate for that! So, can you guess what I did instead? That's right, I made a few cards! Actually, I made a lot of cards! But, I didn't get to posting them yesterday, so I am posting today! The first card I made yesterday is for this week's colour challenge at Play Date Cafe. Here's the colour combo:

Now, I have to admit, I would never come up with this colour combination. To be honest, I don't really like these colours together. But, I want to challenge myself, and I knew this would be a challenge! This card took me a long time to make. I just couldn't figure out how to use these colours together. This is what I ended up with:

I do not like this card. At all. I don't even want to give this card to anyone. That's how much I don't like it! So, not only do I have a card that I don't like, I feel guilty about wasting so much time on it, not to mention the supplies I used! So, I have decided that I am not going to make cards based on colour challenges, just to challenge myself. If I don't like the colours, then that's not the challenge for me! I would love to know, am I the only who does this? Have you ever decided to do a challenge and then hated the card you made? I'd love to hear from you :)

Supplies:

Cardstock - Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up)

Patterened Paper - Razzleberry Lemonade (Stampin' Up)

Stamps - Much Appreciated (Stampin' Up), Text Border (Hampton Arts)

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up), Aquamarine Blue (Clearsnap)

Accessories - Mat Pack, Blooms and Blossoms Die (Stampin' Up), Border Punch (Fiskars), Pearl Sticker (Recollections)

The second card I made is for this week's challenge at Skipping Stones Design. This is the sketch:

And this is my card:

This card also took me a while to make. I don't have a sewing machine, so all of the stitching is done by hand. And, I am not a sewer, but I am a bit of a perfectionist. So, in order to get the stitches nice and neat, I pierced all of the holes using my Mat Pack from SU, and then sewed it. It reminded me of the lacing cards I used to do as a kid! Now, I really liked this card...until I put the crochet ribbon on. That's where it all fell apart! When I was lining up the ribbon to adhere it, I sneezed and pushed the ribbon onto the card...in the wrong place. I used extra sticky tape to adhere it, and when I tried to remove it, the paper ripped :( So...I put the ribbon back and tried to be happy with the result. I had spent so much time sewing on this card that I really didn't want to start all over! If you're keeping score, that would be the Universe 2, Nicole 0! I guess it's a good thing I am persistent! I got back on my horse and made some wonderful cards that I will be sharing all of this week. Stop by and see if I've improved ;) Thanks for looking (and listening)!!!

Supplies:

Cardstock - Pink Pirouette, Whisper White (Stampin' Up)

Patterened Paper - Unknown

Stamps - So Many Scallops (Stampin' Up)

Ink: Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)

Accessories - Mat Pack, 1 3/4 inch circle punch (Stampin' Up), Large Circles and Large Scallop Circles Dies (Spellbinders), Crochet Ribbon (Fabricland), Pink Thread (Gutterman)

Get Sketchy 57

2010-09-30T21:08:00.000-04:00

Hello there! What a day! What a week! School is keeping my super busy these days, but I was able to sneak in an hour to make this card for this week's challenge at Get Sketchy. This is the sketch:

And this is my take on it:

This card is made from 100% recycled cardstock. I bought these cards and matching envelopes (made from recycled grocery bags) at a local shop. I added a piece of Basic Grey patterened paper and then adhered snowflakes punched from cork paper. Then I added some red crystal stickers to the centers of the snowflakes for some sparkle! I layered that with some more patterned paper from Basic Grey and then stamped the sentiment in Riding Hood Red ink on some vanilla cardstock. I'm can't decide if I like it or not! I'd love to hear what you think! Maybe you can help me decide! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock - Recycled Kraft , Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper - Cork Sheets (Artist's Loft), Kraft, Wassail (Basic Grey)
Stamps - Four the Holidays (Stampin' Up)
Ink - Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up)
Accessories - Red Crystal Stickers (Recollections), Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart)

Basic Grey Challenge 29

2010-09-29T21:20:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! Wow, life has been busy lately around here! I won't bore you with everything that's keeping me busy, but I don't expect to be doing much crafting in the next month :( Anyway, I just wanted to pop in and post this card I made for this week's challenge at Basic Grey. This is the sketch:

I used some paper and chipboard stickers that are leftover from a scrapbook layout I made about 2 years ago. Needless to say, they were collecting some dust and needed to be used! Thanks for peeking!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Dark Brown (Bazill Basics)
Patterned Paper: Sultry (Basic Grey)
Stamps: In the Spotlight (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Sultry Chipboard Stickers (Basic Grey), 3/4 inch circle punch (EK Success), Edge Distresser (Heidi Swapp)

Green Christmas!

2010-09-26T22:09:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Ours was nice and relaxing. It was our 5th wedding anniversary on Friday and my sweet hubbie had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to me at school. It's an all white bouquet with lilies and roses. My faves! That night we went out to a nice dinner at our favourite Italian restaurant. It was a beautiful night, and we live close to downtown, so we decided to walk. The moon was absolutely beautiful! It was so nice having a nice stroll under the harvest moon. I got my wonderful husband (and myself) tickets to see Stuart Mclean at Christmas. Every year we listen to his Christmas CD on our way to visit my inlaws and it has become one of our Christmas traditions. We love listening to the story of Butch the Turkey! Anyway, I've had Christmas on my brain this weekend, so decided to get ahead on my Christmas cards. Today's card is inspired by this week's Anything But Cute challenge at Papercraft Planet, Bah Humbug, Totally Gorjuss, and 2 Sisters.

The base of this card is made from a 100% recycled cardstock. I picked up a pack of 50 cards and matching envelopes made from recycled shopping bags at a local store. I love it when I can be eco-friendly in my cardmaking! The one downfall...the cards are 5x7, a little bigger than I usual make. The other green features of this card are the recycled sheet music that I used for the band and the tag and the patterned paper is also made from recycled paper and printed with soy ink. I was also able to use some scraps leftover from last year's Christmas card and tags. I love it when I can find a use for the scraps in my ever growing pile! I hope this gets you in the Christmas spirit! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Recycled Kraft (Paper Reflections), Burgundy (Bazill Basics)

Patterned Paper: Red Polka Dot (Creative Imaginations)

Stamps: Merry Christmas (Stamping Bella)

Ink: Cranberry Crisp (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Little Leaves Die, Big Stars Die, Lots of Tags Die (Stampin' Up), Cream Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Button (Unknown)

Un Cadeau de Moi

2010-09-23T20:30:00.000-04:00

Bonjour mes amies! For those of you who don't speak french, hello! What a week! School is officially back in session and I have been busy this week with IEP and transition planning meetings. This is going to be a very busy term! I needed a break from my work and decided to make a card for this week's challenge at Unscripted Sketches. This week is a "piggyback" as they call it, and included the sketch and using a monochromatic colour scheme. I also decided to enter it at Prairie Fairy for their Embossing challenge this week. Here's the sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

I love the simplicity of this card! I started with a Kraft cardstock base, then embossed a piece of Kraft CS using my Victoria embossing folder. Once it was embossed, I applied Kraft ink to the raised portions of the CS to give it more depth. Next I added a piece of taffeta Kraft ribbon from my stash. I stamped the sentiment on another piece of Kraft CS in Chocolate Chip ink and inked the edges to add more depth. Finally, I added 3 paper flowers in a light brown colour and added brown pearls to the center. Et voila! Une belle carte pour toi, de moi! Merci pour voir aujourdhui! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Le Meilleur de Tout (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Victoria Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Kraft Taffeta Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Paper Flowers (Prima), Pearl Stickers (Recollections)

Birthday Star!

2010-09-21T13:36:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! It's another beautiful day here! Maybe we'll have an extended summer after all! I have been trying to replenish my stock of birthday cards after using all of them this summer. It's seems like all of my family and friends were born during the summer months! I made this card using the now retired Write Stuff kit from Stampin' Up. I really like this kit. It comes with great textured paper and 3 sheets of journalling cards. The inspiration for this comes from this week's challenges at Little Red Wagon, Mark's Finest Papers and Stamp, Scrap and Doodle.

I'd love to hear what you think! Thanks for stopping by today and hope you come back tomorrow!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, So Suede (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Write Stuff DSP (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Journalling Cards, Stars Die, So Suede Polka Dot Ribbon, Metal Clip (Stampin' Up)

Shabby Chic Butterfly

2010-09-20T20:33:00.000-04:00

Hello! I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather! At least, I hope the weather was beautiful in your neck of the woods! Before I get to today's card, I thought I'd share some news with you! I made the top 5 at Get Sketchy this week! They have fabulous sketch challenges each week, be sure to check out their blog. If you want to see my card, you can view it here. Onto today's card. I made this card on the weekend based on this sketch from Skipping Stones.

I decided to use the chipboard butterfly embellie so I could enter the card into the challenge at Daring Cardmakers and Cute Card Thursday, which calls for things that flutter or fly. I inked the chipboard with fluid chalk ink in Prussian Blue and chestnut roan and then used versamark ink to stamp the text background stamp, which I then heat embossed with a metallic copper embossing powder. I used the embossing because I like the effect, but also so I could enter this week's challenge at Prairie Fairy Designs!

I got a new Unity stamp which I couldn't wait to use and used it to create the background of the frame. I even used the cardboard that the stamp came on for the frame! I cut it out using the Petite Scallop Oval Nestie and then inked it with Chestnut Roan chalk ink. I cut the background using the Petite Oval Nestie and adhered it to the back of the frame. I added some cream coloured wrinkle ribbon onto the card base, and then adhered the frame over top. I also added some copper metal buttons I had in my stash and then stamped the sentiment in Chestnut Roan. I rather like how it turned out and hope you do too! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Worn Music Background (Unity), Just For You (My Time Made Easy), Text Background (Inkadinkadoo)
Ink: Chestnut Roan, Prussian Blue Fluid Chalk Ink (Clearsnap)
Accessories: Chipboard Butterfly (Magenta, Cream Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Metal Buttons (Walmart), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Embroidery Floss (Fabricland)

Limelight Sketch Challenge

2010-09-18T21:44:00.000-04:00

Howdy Folks! I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday! I had some time to create last night and made this card for this week's challenges at Limelight and Stamp Man. I got some new "toys" at my local scrapbooking store yesterday after work and couldn't wait to play with them! The image is from a new Inkadinkadoo stamp set I got and I tried some new Ranger distressing inks too. I also made a cool discovery! I wanted to distress some SU patterened paper that I have in my stash and when I started rubbing the ink over it, I discovered that the pattern raised up a bit so that it had a slightly embossed look. How cool is that! You can't really tell in the picture, but it looks cool in person. Without further ado, here is my creation. It didn't turn out exactly how I imagined it in my head, but I enjoyed playing around with the distressing inks. I will have to go back and try this again another day. If you have any tips for distressing paper, I'd love to hear them! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Pink Pirouette DSP (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Flower Sentiments (Inkadinkadoo)
Ink: Tattered Rose, Antique Linen Distressing Inks (Ranger), Dark Brown Fluid Chalk Ink (Clearsnap)
Accessories: Scallop Rotary Blade (Fiskars), Crocheted Lace (Dollarama), Pearl Sticker (Recollections)

Thank You

2010-09-17T22:33:00.000-04:00

Back again with another challenge card! I made this one for the Curtain Call and CPS challenges this week. Here are the colours and sketch:

And here's what I came up with. Hope you like it!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Fine and Dandy (Stampology), Just for You (My Time Made Easy)
Ink: Dark Brown Fluid Chalk Ink (Clearsnap)
Accessories: Classic Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Large Corner Rounder Punch (EK Success), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Always Artichoke Ribbon (Stampin' Up)

Crazy for Challenges!

2010-09-17T22:12:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone! I hope you had a good day! I know I did! My students are starting to get into the routine, my classroom is going to be featured in an article about Structured Learning and my husband is coming home this weekend! Yay! With him away all week, I have had lots of time to play! I made this card for this week's challenge at Crazy 4 Challenges and Card Patterns. Here are the colours and sketch:

And here's my card. Enjoy!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Sleigh Ride DSP (Stampin' Up), Polka Dot Kraft (Bazill Basics)
Stamps: Sensational Sentiments (My time Made Easy), Very Versatile (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Tafeta Ribbon (Stampin' Up), Pearl Stickers (Recollections)

Kazan's Sketch Challenge 61 and Crafty Catz Challenge 50

2010-09-16T18:42:00.003-04:00

This is my second post for today. Please scroll down to read my extra special first post!

I almost forgot to post this card that I made for this week's sketch challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You! I decided to use the colours posted on this week's Crafty Catz Blog for this card; brown and green. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

No stamping on this one! Hope you like it!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterened Paper: Artichoke (American Crafts)
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Chipboard Sticker (Karen Foster Design), Brown Polka Dot Ribbon (Walmart), Cream Buttons and Embroidery Floss (Fabricland)

Card for a Special Cause

2010-09-16T18:26:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! Hope you are having a great day! It's rainy and stormy here; the perfect weather for staying iniside and making cards! Before I get started, I must warn you that today's post is going to be long, so if you don't want to read it, scroll down to see the card. But, I hope you will take a few minutes to read it, and support a worthy cause at the same time.

Today's card is for a cause that I support 100%. Two blogs posted challenges this week for making cards that include rainbows or the colours of the rainbow in support of Autism Awareness and research. As I have mentioned to in past posts, I am a teacher, and my students are extra special. They all have Autism. I have been teaching children with Autism for about 10 years now and absolutely love it! When I tell people that I teach children with Autism, they often say, "You must be so patient!" Well, to be honest, that is one of the reasons I love my job. It teaches me to be patient. It also teaches me to be creative, resourceful, positive and empathetic. I learn something new everyday because of my students and am constantly growing as a teacher, so my students can learn and reach their maximum potential. I think that everyone now knows what Autism is, but in case you don't, I have pulled together some information for you.

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a "spectrum disorder" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism, but increased awareness and funding can help families today.

Prevalence of autism in Canada:
Autism is now recognized as the most common neurological disorder affecting children and one of the most common developmental disabilities: Most recent epidemiological studies show that the prevalence has increased from 40 to 60 per 10,000 which represents approximately 190,000 Canadians. Approximately one in 165 children have an ASD and the number of cases is increasing worldwide.

Reference:
Fombonne, E., 2003: Modern Views of Autism, Can. J. Psychiatry, 48:503-505.
Fombonne, E., 2003: Epidemiology of autism and other pervasive developmental disorders: an update. J. Autism.Dev. Disord. 33:365-381
(Fombonne E, Zakarian R, Bennett A, Meng L, McLean-Heywood D. Pervasive developmental disorders in Montreal, Quebec, Canada: prevalence and links with immunizations. Pediatrics. 2006 Jul;118(1):e139-50).

In the medical sense, there is no cure for the differences in the brain which result in autism. However, better understanding of the disorder has led to the development of better coping mechanisms and strategies for the various manifestations of the disability. Some of these symptoms may lessen as the child ages; others may disappear altogether. With appropriate intervention, many of the associated behaviours can be positively changed, even to the point in some cases, that the child or adult may appear to the untrained person to no longer have autism. The majority of children and adults will, however, continue to exhibit some manifestations of autism to some degree throughout their entire lives.

For more information on Autism, or to make a donation to increase funding for awareness and research, please visit Autism Ontario or the Autism Society of America.
Okay, now for my card. I don't have any rainbow images or paper or stamps, so I decided to use the colours in the rainbow.

This challenge comes from One Stitch At A Time and I Did It Creations Challenge blogs. Please visit their blogs to find out why there are hosting this challenge this week and consider playing along to raise awareness. This card is pretty clean and simple. I used the Classic Butterflies punch from Martha Stewart to punch out the butterflies and then adhered them to the card. There are 21 butterflies in all! That's a record for me! Then I stamped the sentiment, cut it out and adhered it to the card using pop dots. I chose this sentiment because I feel lucky to know people with Autism. They bring so much joy to my life and have made me a better person through my work with them. Anyway, I think I've babbled enough for today! I do hope that you have learned something about Autism and that you will check back tomorrow for more cards!

Supplies:
Cardstock, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Bermuada Bay, Perfectly Plum (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: So Sentimental (My Time Made Easy)
Ink: Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Classic Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart)

2 Challenges = 2 Cards

2010-09-15T19:27:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone! I'm back today with 2 cards that I whipped up for 2 more challenges. I kept them both pretty clean and simple. The first card is for the sketch challenge over at Get Sketchy. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I love how bright and cheery this card turned out, even though I only used two colours.

The next challenge is from the OWH Stars & Stamps blog. They are starting to gather Christmas cards for the troops in Afghanistan now, so I thought I would play along and then mail my card along with some others for the soldiers. It was a sketch challenge this week with a holiday theme. Here's the sketch:

And here's what I came up with:

This card was so simple and quick to make! It could easily be mass produced for everyone on your Christmas list! That's it for me today. I am still trying to get used to being back at school and today it's caught up with me. I am exhausted! Early to bed tonight! Hopefully more stamping tomorrow!

Supplies:
Card #1
Cardstock: Whipser White, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Round and Round (Papertry Ink)
Ink: Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle Punch (Stampin' up), Scallop Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), Border Punch (Fiskars), Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon, Clear Button (Stampin' Up), White Embroidery Floss
(Fabricland)

Card #2
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper /white, Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up)
Patterened Paper: Baja Blue DSP (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Text background (Inkadinkadoo), Joyeux (Stampin' up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Tafeta Ribbon, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch (Stampin' Up), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart)

Christmas Already?

2010-09-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's coming. Halloween hasn't even come yet, but Christmas is lurking right around the corner. For those of us who like to make handmade gifts and cards for our family and friends, we know it's better to start early to avoid a lot of stress during the holiday season. Usually, I start making Christmas cards in the summer, but this year I just didn't get around to it. Until now, that is! I found this week's challenge at Sentimental Sundays is for Christmas cards. So, I decided to make a card in non-traditional colours and use trees as a feature so I could also play along with this week's challenge at the Weekly Christmas Card Challenges blog.

You can't really tell in the photo, but the trees are all shimmery. I used shimmer paint mixed with a few drops of Melon Mambo ink refiller and then dabbed the mixture onto the stamps with a sponge. Then I stamped the images onto some Whisper White CS and cut the trees out. The effect is really pretty! I adhered the trees onto a circle of Kraft CS and pierced a line of holes along the bottom. Then I layered the circle onto a piece of Whisper White CS stamped with the En Francais background stamp. I adhered this to a piece of Basic Black CS and then the card base made out of Kraft CS. Then I added a piece of Melon Mambo ribbon and a stamped tag. It's not your traditional Christmas card, but I like it! And I hope you do too!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White, Basic Black, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Patterened Pines, En Francais (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Shimmer Paint (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Melon Mambo Polka Dot Riboon, Tag Corner Punch (Stampin' Up)

Change in Plans

2010-09-11T23:37:00.005-04:00

Back again! My day of gardening got rained out, so we went shopping and bought a treadmill instead. We have been looking for a couple of weeks now and found one that we liked and within our price range on Kijiji. It's exactly what I was looking for. I started jogging this summer and wanted a way to run when the weather isn't cooperating. I'm just a beginner and am not hard core enough to battle the weather to get a run in! Plus, we want to use it with our dog as well. We got a new dog in May and she is high energy! We are following Cesar Milan's method of training, and were able to find a guy locally who uses his methodology to help us with the training. We chose to use his method, #1 because he uses Applied Behaviour Analysis, of which I am a big proponent, and #2, he uses dog psychology. We will still be walking our dog, but this will help her get more exercise, which she needs. If she doesn't get enough exercise, she goes crazy! She runs around the house like a wild beast and goes into the garbage and chews dirty kleenexes. Yuck!

After our big shopping trip, I was able to spend some time in my studio, aka my basement, and whip up a couple of cards. The first one is based on this week's 2 Sketches 4 You sketch challenge and the colour challenge at Splitcoaststampers. Here's the sketch and colours:

I decided to flip the sketch, and here's what I came up with:

I started with a card base made out of Rich Razzleberry CS and then added a piece of White CS. Then I layered that with a strip of the Razzleberry that I embossed and a smaller strip of So Safrron CS. I stamped the sentiment in Fluid Chalk Ink directly on the white CS. Then I added the stamped the leafy branch image, which I punched out with a circle punch and added some crystal rhinestones for a little bit of sparkle. Lastly, I punched out some butterflies in Baja Breeze and added some crystal rhinestones to them too. It's a pretty simple card, but I love how the colours look together and how the layout gives it a bit of visual interest.

The next card I made is for this week's Moxie Trigger Challenge and Mercy's Sketch Challenge. Here are the sketch and colours:

And here's my creation:

This card is an ode to all of the talented and creative people who host these sketch and colour challenges that I like to play along with. All of you provide me with a great source of inspiration! Thank you so much for sharing your talent and creativity. Without you, I wouldn't be able to create many of the cards that I have posted on this blog. Enough of my babbling, and onto the details! This card has a pretty clean and simple design, and I love these colours together! I simply cut 3 strips of CS, embossed them, adhered them to the Kraft card base and stitched both sides. Next I stamped the image and sentiment on Kraft CS, cut it out using a circle die and added some pearls to it. A clean and simple thank you to those who inspire me most!

Supplies:

Card #1:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron (Stampin' Up)

Stamps: Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Warm Violet Fluid Chalk Ink (Clearsnap)

Accessories: Classic Butterflies Punch (Martha Stewart), Clear Rhinestone Stickers (Recollections), 1 3\4" Punch (Stampin' Up), Victoria Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug)

Card #2:

Cardstock: Kraft, Rich Razzleberry, Cranberry Crisp, Bravo Burgundy (Stampin' Up)

Stamps: Birds (Inkadinkadoo), Sensational Sentiments (My Time Made Easy)

Ink: Warm Violet Fluid Chalk Ink (Clearsnap)

Accessories: Swiss Dots Embossing Folder (Cuttlebug), Large Circles Nestabilities Die (Spellbinder), Pearl Stickers (Recollections)

Splitcoast Sketch Challenge 292

2010-09-08T22:26:00.000-04:00

Back again with another card. I made this one for the sketch challenge at Splitcoast . This sketch was a tough one for me.

But I managed to come up with a card I really like.

I took some liberties with this one, and though it's a little hard to tell in the picture, there are 3 leaf sprigs that are simliar to the 3 pieces fanning out the sketch. I started with a base made out of Chocolate Chip CS, then layered it with some retired DSP in Groovy Guava. The sentiment is stamped on a piece of patterened paper from the Wild Saffron paper pad and the the leafy branches are cut from the same retired DSP on the base, as are the butterflies. I inked all of the edges of the patterned paper with Chocolate Chip ink and finished it off with some matching wrinkle ribbon and a brown button. I absolutely love how this card turned out!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Wild Saffron (K&Company), Groovy Guava (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Just for You (My Time Made Easy)
Ink: Dark Brown Fluid Chalk Ink (Clearsnap)
Accessories: Classic Butterflies Punch (Martha Stewart), Little Leaves Die (Stampin' Up), Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Brown Button (Basic Grey)

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 84

2010-09-08T22:17:00.000-04:00

This is a card I made for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and the very first Color Round Up Challenge. Here's the sketch:

and the colours:

And here's what I came up with:

Perfect for the upcoming fall season! I love fall. The leaves changing colours, the cooler weather, and the warm fires in the fireplace. For this card I kept it pretty simple. I used my Stampin' Up markers to colour the the stamp and then added brown pearls to the center of the each flower. I inked the edges of each piece of cardstock and patterned paper with chocolate chip ink and added some brown organza ruffled ribbon to the edge of the stamped image. I really liked how this one turned out!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)

Patterened Paper: Walk in the Park (Stampin' Up)

Stamps: Eastern Blooms (Stampin' Up), Round and Round (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron Markers (Stampin' Up), Scallop Border Punch (Fiskars), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Ruffled Ribbon (Fabricland)

Saturday Sketch Challenge 167

2010-09-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

Today's card is for this week's sketch challenge from Stamping 411. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I wanted to something a bit different for this sketch and not just cut apart a stamped image. So I tried this! I cut the pieces of cardstock into 1" strips and then cut the corners with my tag corner punch. Then, I slightly distressed the edges, adhered some ribbon, tied some buttons onto the ribbon and then added some stars. The patterened paper is the now retired Razzleberry Lemonade from Stampin' Up. I distressed the edges of this paper as well, punched a scallop border on the bottom piece and stitched the two pieces together. I find it bright and cheery! The perfect contrast to today's blustery weather!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Bermuada Bay (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Short & Sweet (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Crushed Curry, Bermuada Bay Polka Dot Ribbon, Stars Die (Stampin' Up), Scallop Punch (Martha Stewart), Pearl Stickers (Recollections), Buttons, Twine (Unknown)

Get Sketchy 54

2010-09-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

Well, I survived the first day of school! But, I did need to do a bit of crafting to unwind afterwards! This is a card I made for this week's challenge over at Get Sketchy. Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I have been trying to use a lot of different supplies in my ever growing stash, and came across these vellum sentiments and quotes that I bought ages ago. The paper is from a mini scrapbook kit that I picked up a couple of weeks ago at Winners and I added the black rhinestone flourish to dress it up a bit. Hope you like it! Well, that's all for me today...I am bushed!!! I will definitely be in bed early tonight!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Provocraft
Accessories: Rhinestone Embellishment (Prima)

CC286 Colour Challenge

2010-09-06T18:32:00.005-04:00

I hope everyone is having a great Labour Day weekend! I can't believe it's the last day of summer! School starts tomorrow, so it's back to the grind for me. I had a busy weekend getting all my back to school preparations done, but I did take some time to do some shopping and whip up a couple of cards for some challenges. Before I get to today's card, I have a couple of fun things to share.

First, my card for last week's sketch challenge at 2 Sketches for You was chosen as one of the Fab 5! I can't tell you how excited I am! I haven't been doing these challenges for very long, and it's so encouraging to be chosen! You can see my card here: http://playingwithpaperdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/09/2-sketches-for-you-challenge-cards.html. To see the other Fab 5 and this week's winner, visit the the 2 Sketches for You blog here: http://2sketches4you.blogspot.com/.

Secondly, I want to thank Karen for letting me know about her fabulous blog. Every day Karen posts a list of challenges for that day! How awesome is that? So, next time, you need something to get your mojo going, visit her blog: http://felineplayful.blogspot.com/. Plus, she has some great blog candy up for grabs! She is giving one lucky reader (I hope it's me!) a ton of awesome stuff! Check it out:

Now, for today's card. I found this challenge at the Splitcoast Stampers site. This week's colour challenge was a great one and uses Melon, Mambo, Baja Breeze and More Mustard. I didn't have any paper in More Mustard, so I used Crushed Curry instead.

So bright and cheerful! I would have never combined these colours on my own, but love how they coordinate! That's it for me today. Gotta go soak up the last few hours of freedom!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, Crushed Curry (Stampin' Up)
Patterened Paper: Baja Breeze DSP, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Short & Sweet, Baroque Motifs (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Pink Rhinstone Stickers (Dollarama), Edge Distresser (Heidi Swapp)

2 Sketches for You Challenge Cards

2010-09-03T22:48:00.000-04:00

I'm back with more cards! This time I played along with the 2 Sketches for You challenge. This is the first sketch:

And here is the card I came up with:

The photo doesn't do this card justice. ( I need a new camera...) The patterend paper is from a K&Company paper pad that I got at Walmart. I love how these coordinate perfectly! I cut the edge of the card with my scallop blade on my trimmer to give it a little something extra! I made the tag from Wild Wasabi and Very Vanilla cardstock, and stamped the sentiment in brown ink. Then I added ribbon behind it and a crocheted flower on top with a matching green button center. I love the colours on this card!

My second card is based on this sketch:

And here's my card:

This card didn't exactly turn out how I imagined it in my head! I added the layers under the main image, but I don't think I should have. Oh well! I decide to try to go masculine with this card, as I need some more birthday cards for the men in my life! I will probably redo this one without all the layers. That's it for me today! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Card #1
Cardstock: Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Wild Raspberry (K&Company)
Stamps: (My Time Made Easy)
Ink: Chestnut Roan Fluid Chalk (Clearsnap)
Accessories: Crochet Flower (Stampin' Up), Ribbon, Button & Twine (Dollarama)

Card #2
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Kraft (Stampin' Up)
Stamps: Birthday (See D's)
Ink: Charcoal Fluid Chalk (Clearsnap)
Accessories: Buttons (Walmart), Twine (Dollarama)

New Blog Design

2010-09-03T11:27:00.000-04:00

I decided to try out a new layout and design for my blog. I found this great site with tons of free layouts. She also has pre-made designs for sale and will do custom ones here. You can check it out by clicking on the banner at the top of the blog. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think about the new design!

Unscripted Sketches #70

2010-09-02T20:33:00.001-04:00

Okay, now that I've started playing along with these colour and sketch challenges, I must admit that I am addicted!!! I don't know why I haven't tried them before. They are such a great way to get your creative mojo going! And I am also really enjoying viewing other people's interpretations of the challenges. There are some extraordinarily talented people out there! Today's card is based on the Unscripted Sketch #70.

And here's what I came up with:

This card is pretty simple, yet I love how it turned out. The card is made from black cardstock and then I stamped the images on a page from an old book. (I just love this look!) I adhered some cream coloured wrinkle ribbon and tied a silver button from my stash around it. I stamped the sentiment on the paper from the book, punched it out and adhered a small silver pearl to the end. This card was super quick to put together - 15 minutes from conception to creation. Thanks for peeking!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Black (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Page from an old book
Stamps: Butterflies (Martha Stewart), Round and Round (Papertrey Ink), Fine and Dandy (Stampology)
Accessories: Cream Wrinkle Ribbon (Prairie Bird Boutique), Silver Button (Walmart), Silver Pearl Sticker (Recollections)

Etsy Treasury

2010-09-02T12:59:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to let you know that my Etsy shop has been featured in an Etsy Treasury, called "Undiscovered Wonders". Check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c7ee73dd98e6d91009cbc35/undiscovered-wonders#4c7fd65233778eef30cabd9b There are alot of great shops featured in it. Thanks!

Mojo Monday 154

2010-09-01T10:28:00.001-04:00

I've been receiving the Mojo Monday emails for a while now and have never actually played along. So, this week I decided to give it a try! Here's the sketch for this week:

I decided to use the square sketch and here's what I came up with:

I decided to use the other half of the paper from the card I made for the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge, so it's big! I also decided to use cork again, since I still have some leftover. Both pieces of patterened paper are from the Wild Saffron paper pad and the crochet lace is from Fabricland. The sentiment is from a retired SU set from last year's Occasions Mini and I used a Martha Stewart punch for the butterflies. Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Carstock: Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up)
Patterned Paper: Wild Saffron Paper Pad (K&Company)
Stamps: Very Versatile (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up)
Ribbon: Fabricland
Punch: Classic Butterfly (Martha Stewart)

Two Challenges in One!

2010-08-30T11:24:00.001-04:00

I decided to combine two challenges into one for this card. The first challenge is the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge SSSC83 posted on Karen Giron's blog: http://kgiron.blogspot.com/. This is the challenge:

I decided to combine this sketch with the colours in this week's Colour Cue challenge on the Wplus9 Studio blog: http://www.stampawaywithme.blogspot.com/. These are the colours:

And here's what I came up with for both challenges rolled into one:

I used the yellow notebook paper from K & Comapny's Wild Saffron Paper Pad for the background and then adhered a round cork coaster I got from the Dollar Store onto it. From the same paper pad, I took the cream grid paper and used SU's Top Note Die to cut out the shape. I cut the die in half and then stamped my sentiment on it in Red Riding Hood ink. Then I cut a large scalloped border from Red Riding Hood CS and adhered a piece of SU's Bermuada BayPolka Dot ribbon to it. Lastly I put the three flower stickers from K & Comapny that coordinate with the paper. This is a big card (6x6) loaded with stuff and not my usual style, but I like it! I hope you do too! Thanks for peeking.

Recipe:
Paper - SU Very Vanilla, K & Company Wild Saffron Paper Pad
Stamps - MTME Just For You
Ink - SU Red Riding Hood
Accessories - EK Success Scalloped Border Punch, SU Polka Dot Ribbon, K & Company Wild Saffron Chipboard Flower Stickers, Cork Coaster from Dollar Store

OCLDT Sketch Challenge 28.

2010-08-28T23:44:00.001-04:00

Okay, I am starting to think I need an intervention! I found this sketch challenge from Our Craft Lounge and just had to play along! Here's the sketch:

And here's my card:

I am going to give it to my MIL whose birthday is coming up. I hope she likes it! And I hope you do too!

Recipe:
Paper - SU Kraft CS, Unknown DSP from Michael's
Stamps - MTME So Sentimental, Inkadinkadoo Birds and Text Background
Ink - Antique Linen Distress Ink, Versamark Umber
Accessories - Antique Brads from the Dollar Store

Saturday Sketch Challenge 166

2010-08-28T23:26:00.001-04:00

Yes, I did yet another challenge this week! This one is from Stamping 411, check it out here: http://stamping411.blogspot.com/2010/08/saturday-sketch-challenge-166.html. Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I embossed the background with a lattice embossing folder from Quickcutz and then layered a piece of Kraft CS stamped with a text background in Jumbo Java Ink on top of it. I inked the edges of both pieces with the Jumbo Java ink. Then I stamped the butterfly with Cat's Eye Fluid chalk ink in Coral Rose on white CS and stamped the sentiment over top of it in Jumbo Java. I cut the image out with the large oval nestabilities die and adhered it to a piece of dark brown CS that was cut with the large scalloped oval nestabilities die. I used the same brown CS to punch the scalloped boder and adhered it to the back of the Kraft CS. To finish it off, I added a strip of white pearl stickers. I like how it turned out and I hope you do too!

Recipe:

Paper - SU Whisper White, Kraft CS, Brown Bazill Basics, London Blush DSP from Upsy Daisy Designs

Stamps - Martha Stewart Butterflies, MTME Just for You, Inkadinkadoo Text Background

Ink - Dewdrop Jumbo Java, Cat's Eye Coral Rose Fluid Chalk

Accessories - Quickcutz Embossing Folder, Spellbinders Large Oval and Scalloped Oval Nestabilities, EK Success Large Scallop Border Punch, Recollections Pearl Stickers

Moxie Fab Trigger Challenge

2010-08-28T15:48:00.001-04:00

With school starting on the 7th, I've decided to get in as many challenges as I can this week. Once school starts, who knows when I will have a chance to play again! This week's Trigger Challenge is based on this photo:

This seems to be a popular colour scheme this week...I have seen it in a few colour challenges. I think it's perfect for the end of summer. One last reminder of beautiful summer weather by the beach! For my card, I decided to keep it clean and simple. I got this great K&Company paper pad at Walmart and found the perfect paper for this challenge in it. I used three different patterned papers from this pack on the card, and although you can't really tell, I stamped on the blue scalloped circle with a text background stamp to add a little more depth. The only other element I added was small silver pearls to give it a bit of sparkle! Enjoy!

Recipe:
Paper - SU Very Vanilla, K & Company Wild Raspberry Paper Pad
Stamps - PTI Round and Round
Ink - SU Baja Breeze
Accessories - SU Modern Label Punch, Beautiful Butterflies, Spellbinders Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, Recollections Silver Pearls

C4C52 Weekly Challenge

2010-08-28T13:25:00.001-04:00

I decided to play along with this week's challenge at Crazy for Challenges. Click here to see this week's challenge: http://crazy4challenges.blogspot.com/2010/08/crazy4challenges-c4c52.html. I originally made this card for a baptism and thought it applied to this week's challenge, which is to use lattice on your card. I made the embossed lattice background with a folder from Sizzix. Thanks for peeking!

Recipe:
Stamps: PTI Round and Round
Paper: SU Whisper White, Soft Sky CS
Ink: SU Soft Sky, Top Boss Embossing Ink
Accessories: Sizzix Embossing Folder, Fiskars Rotary Trimmer Scalloped Blade, White Pearls, White Crochet Lace, White Embossing Powder
Techniques: Stamping, Dry and Heat Embossing

Embellish Magazine Colour Challenge

2010-08-27T22:25:00.003-04:00

I thought I would play along with this week's challenge at embellishmagazine.com.

This is the card I made. Hope you like it!

Recipe:

Paper - SU Very Vanilla, Basic Black, River Rock Almost Amethyst CS, River Rock DSP, Black Dictionary

Stamps - MTME Just for You, Inkadinkadoo Text Background

Accessories - EK Success Large corner Rounder Punch, SU 1 1/4" Square Punch, Fiskars Scallop Edge Rotary Trimmer Blade, Recollections White Pearl Stickers, White Pearl Button

SCS295 Sketch Challenge

2010-08-27T22:01:00.001-04:00

Here is a card I quickly put together for the weekly sketch challenge at Splitcoaststampers. Thanks for peeking!

Details:
Stamps - TSG Flourishes & SU Sincere Salutations
Paper - Very Vanilla & Chocolate Chip CS
Accessories - Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities, Textile Texture Embossing Folder, Brown Polka Dot Ruffle Ribbon, Brown and White Pearls

Sweet and Simple Sunday!

2010-08-22T19:42:00.000-04:00

Here's a super quick card I whipped up in about 2 minutes. I used Charcoal Fluid Chalk ink, and Kraft CS. The butterfly stamp is from a Martha Stewart set I picked up at Walmart and the sentiment is from PTI's Round and Round set. Thanks for peeking!

Simple Thank You

2010-08-19T23:03:00.000-04:00

This is a quick and easy thank you card that could be mass produced. The base is made from vanilla CS and is layered with a piece of Kraft CS. I inked the edges of the Kraft CS to distress it. Then I punched squares from K and Company's Wild Saffron paper pad using SU's 1 1/4" square punch. Next, I adhered a peice of brown ribbon with loops and then added the sentiment stamped in SU's Chocolate Chip ink on Vanilla CS. I also inked the edges of this piece before adhereing it. Finally I punched a butterfly from the same paper as the squares and adhered it to the sentiment. Quick, simple, easy!

Handmade Embellies!

2010-08-19T16:21:00.000-04:00

I was playing around yesterday and wanted to make something with fabric and vintage-looking, as that seems to be trendy right now, and came up with these butterflies. I found some old curtains made from a thin, cream coloured cotton and decided they were perfect to make my own fabric embellies! I ran the fabric through my cuttlebug, using SU's Big Bold Butterflies to die cut the fabric. Then I stamped them with SU's Chocolate Chip ink using a text background stamp from Inkadoo. I also inked the edges to give them a more distressed and aged look. Then I popped a couple of vintage brads I got from the Dollaer Store in the middle, and voila! I also made some of different colours by dying the fabric after I cut, but before I stamped them. I used a few drops SU ink refills in Soft Sky and Melon Mambo and water and let them soak for about an hour. I had so much fun making these, that I decided to make a few in cork as well! I used Brown Stazon ink for the stamping on the cork ones. I'd love to hear what you think!

SIL's Bday Card

2010-08-18T11:54:00.000-04:00

Today I thought I would share the card I made for my SIL's birthday. It's made from Melon Mambo and white CS which I stamped with the "En Francais" background stamp. I added the balck rhinestone flourish for a bit of elegance and embossed the butterfly. Thanks for peeking!

My SIL's Bday Gift

2010-08-16T22:19:00.001-04:00

This is the gift I made for my sister-in-law's birthday in June. I got her into scrapbooking and cardmaking, but with a full-time job and 3 kids, she doesn't have a lot of time create. So, I made her this kit of pre-made embellies and die-cuts to give her more time to play! She loved it! I'm off to finish watching Crazy Heart!

Wow! It's been a while!

2010-08-15T23:17:00.000-04:00

I have really neglected this blog! With the new school year fast approaching, I have been making my "new year's" resolutions. For me, the new year always begins with the start of school and I always start thinking of what I want to improve in my classroom and in my life. This year, one of my resolutions is to start blogging again. So, here I am! Today's card is one that I think fits in my theme of resolutions. The card base is made from Clearly Cards cardstock, with Basic Gray CS adhered to the inside with a peice of Groovy Guava DSP cut with the Top Note die adhered to it. On the front I stamped the corners with White Stazon ink and adhered the circle embellishment with sentiment to it. Hope you like it!

A few Cards from the Crop

2009-05-25T15:29:00.012-04:00

Here are a few cards I made at the crop on the weekend. This one is nice and simple and quick to put together. I used Whisper White and Baja Breeze CS, and the coordinating Baja Breeze DSP for the the circles. I punched the butterflies in Baja Breeze as well. The stamp is from Studio G and was in the $1 sales bin at Michael's a while ago. Easy Peasy!

This one has the retired In Colour CS and DSP from the last Stampin' Up catalogue. The card is whisper white and background is river rock on top with the coodinating DSP on the bottom. I used river rock grosgrain ribbon in the middle of the card. The strips behing the sentiment are purely pomegrante CS and the sentiment is framed with Pink Pirouette CS from the current catalogue. The butterfly and ink are also purely pomegrante. For a finishing touch, I added tiny pearl stickers to the butterfly. Just lovely, isn't it!?!

I love this last card! It's so cute! For this one I used whisper white for the card, bashful blue for the top of the background and coordinating patterned paper I picked up at the dollar store a while ago. I cut the top of the patterened paper with a template from Fiskars that I have to make it look like waves. I stitched the outside edges of each piece before adhereing it to the card. Then I cut a square (2 1/2 inches) using Blue Bayou CS, and cut it in half to make the triangle for the sail. Next I did the same thing using So Saffron, and made the square a bit smaller, 2 1/4", I think. I ran the square through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dots embossing folder, and then cut it in half. I layered the yellow on top of the blue, and then adhered it to the card. Next I cut a circle out of Kraft CS with the 3rd biggest circle in the Nestabilities die set and then ran it through the cuttlebug with the Distressed Stripes embossing folder. I took a piece of hemp twine, laced it through the top of the boat and tied a knot at each end. I love how this small detail adds to the look of this card! Then I took a piece of blue striped ribbon I had in my stash tied a knot in it and adhered it to a clear button using a glue dot. I adhered the button to the top of the sail using another glue dot. Finally I punched the sentiment, cut it out and adhered it to the card. Voila, un beau carte pour un petit garçon! Enjoy!

It Was A Big Success!

2009-05-24T17:52:00.004-04:00

Our crop fundraiser was a big success and we were able to raise enough money for plenty of activities for our summer camp program! A big thank-you to everyone who came out to support our program! Here is the project I did for one of the make and takes. It was a big hit! I used the All Boxed Template from Papertrey Ink to create this case perfect for packaging cards and envelopes. All of the other supplies are from Stampin' Up, with the exception of the Labels One die from Nestabilities. I am totally in love with the beautiful butterflies die! Enjoy!

Crop & Cardmaking Extravaganza

2009-05-07T21:52:00.023-04:00

Saturday, May 23, 10am - 4pm
Chatham-Kent Children's Services

495 Grand Ave. West, Chatham, ON

Your registration fee of $25 provides you with uninterrupted cropping/card making time, unlimited use of punches, Cricut and Cuttlebug machines, a goodie bag, an opportunity to complete make & take projects, sell your gently used scrapbooking or cardmaking items at our yard sale table, bidding on silent auction items, lunch and snacks!

All proceeds benefit the Power of Youth Summer Camp Program run by Chatham Kent Children's Services

For more information please phone: Diane or Jacquie at 519-358-1451

A Card to Share!

2009-05-07T21:49:00.002-04:00

This is a card I made for a contest. I didn't win, but I still like this card!

Things are coming along...

2009-05-07T20:20:00.002-04:00

Yay!!! I figured out how to add music! I hope you enjoy my latest faves. I also have a new card for you. Hope you like it!

A Butterfly Card

2009-05-06T22:08:00.003-04:00

I absolutely love this card! I love the colour combination and the layout! I hope you love it as much as I do!

How do I add music?

2009-05-05T23:02:00.003-04:00

I am trying to figure out how to add music and can't!!! I have visited other blogs that automatically play music when you arrive, but I can't seem to find the application to do that. Aaaargh!!! Anyway, here is a link to my new favourite band http://www.myspace.com/kingsofleon. Let me know what you think.

My First Post!

2009-05-05T22:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I finally broke down and created a blog! I have been contemplating it for a while, and decided to go for it! I am looking forward to playing with it over the next few days to see what I can do with it. So...be patient while I play and learn!