I Appreciate You

Hey bloggers! Made a card today with a color scheme I have been wanting to try for awhile. I used CTMH's Moonstruck, Lilac Mist and Petal. I am NOT a fan of purple, so I seldom use it. I really wanted to challenge myself to find a color scheme with purple that I could live with. The jury's still out on this one.

For the card, I used Laura's sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You. I kept it clean and simple - no special techniques on this one. Anyhow, thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: CTMH Thank You, Damask tiles, Hit the Spot, Spot On Backgrounds; PTI Big & Bold Wishes
Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy, Moonstruck, Petal, Lilac Mist

Inks: CTMH White Daisy, Moonstruck, Lilac Mist

Accessories: Ric Rac (unknown), CTMH Clear Sparkles

Tools: Spellbinders Butterfly Die, Marvy Circle Punch (yellow)

Special Friend

Well, today I decided to try my hand at a new challenge blog I found called Color Combos Galore. What fun colors to work with and an ultra feminine inspiration photo. For my card I used CTMH's Sweet Leaf, Olive and Baby Pink. I was inspired by the mix of patterns in the photo, so I used lots of different stamp sets to create all the different patterns you see on the card. I started by stamping up a piece of the berries/plaid pattern with included all of the colors from the inspiration board. I added a bit of a damask print on the pink scallop piece and some polka dots along the bottom. I thought the card looked a bit shabby chic and a lot feminine, which would be a perfect card for a special friend. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: PTI Polka Dot Basics II, Vintage Picnic, Background Basics: Retro; CTMH Intrinsic Backgrounds, Damask Tiles, True Friends

Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy, Olive, Baby Pink

Inks: CTMH White Daisy, Olive, Sweet Leaf, Baby Pink and Black

Signs of Peace

There is a challenge over at the Moxie Fab World blog called "Signs of Peace". When I saw this post I immediately thought of this darling tank top from Crazy 8 (which my daughter happens to own). This card was completely inspired by my daughter's outfit. It's hard to tell on the tank top and my card, but the floral image on the peace sign has tiny sparkles in the centers of the flowers. It took some time to add all 25+ rhinestones, but it was so worth it! I used CTMH's Outdoor Denim Textured Cardstock for the background, which I lightly sanded to bring out the texture even more. I hand cut the peace sign with my coluzzle circles and a ruler, and then stamped it with the floral image from CTMH's Intrinsic Backgrounds in Outdoor Denim ink. It was a pretty simple and easy card to put together.

The hardest part of this card was trying to find the right sentiment. This phrase from PTI's Through The Trees was a perfect fit. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: CTMH Intrinsic Backgrounds; PTI Through the Trees

Cardstock: CTMH Textured Outdoor Denim; PTI Rustic White

Inks: CTMH Outdoor Denim; Versamark

Accesssories: CTMH Clear Sparkles; American Crafts Ribbon; Ivory Pearl Embossing Powder

Technical Difficulties

Hello fellow bloggers! Just a quick post to let you know my computer is having technical difficulties. I am borrowing my husband's laptop to let you know I am not falling off the face of the earth, again. I will hopefully be posting again in the next day or two, but do not know how long it will take to resolve our problem. Thanks for you patience!

Make A Wish

Hi fellow bloggers! Tonight I set out to meet the Embellish Color Challenge w/ ric rac. I knew I wanted to use a ric rac stamp to make a background, and I love how it turned out! I used CTMH's Cocoa, Bamboo, Twilight and Goldrush. However, I had a tough time with the focal image. The background was so busy that all the things I tried (4 total) just made the card feel too fussy. I ended up with this simple cupcake image w/ just a touch of color in the button accents. I'm pleased.

I thought this color scheme was fun to work with, and the final product is perfect for male or female of all ages. How much fun would this ric rac background paper look in lots of different colors schemes? HMMM! Might have to ink up some more of this!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: CTMH Cupcake Sprinkles, Ritzy Ribbon (retired?) and Pieces of Cake (sentiment)

Cardstock: CTMH Cocoa; PTI Rustic White

Inks: CTMH Cocoa, Bamboo, Goldrush and Twilight

Accessories: CTMH Craft Buttons, Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon; PTI button twine

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's 65th birthday. My sisters and I (our families, too), went out to dinner to celebrate last night. We had a great time. It's always fun to get together with family, especially when all 11 of the grandchildren are there. The 11 were born within 7 years, so they're all close in age. (I shared each of my pregnancies with one or both of my sisters). The roll count is as follows: one 14 year old, one 13 year old, three 11 year olds, three 9 year olds, two 8 year olds and one 7 year old. Christmas is a blast!

Anyhow, back to the art. This was the card I made for my mom, which I thought I would enter in the Moxie Fab World's "Let's do Classy & Elegant".

For her gift, I made a money pocket/wallet to put some cash in. My mom desperately wants a new kitchen, so my sisters and I thought we may as well inch her to it. That is why the front sentiment reads: "Fresh Baked Kitchen".

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies

Stamps: CTMH Tasty Treats, Cherished Flourishes; PTI Background Basics Text Style' Round & Round

Cardstock: CTMH Textured Cocoa; PTI Rustic White

Patterned Paper: MME Quite Contrary and Luxurious & Hip

Inks: CTMH Cocoa and Desert Sand

Accessories: CTMH Craft buttons; Brown grosgrain ribbon

Hip Hip Hooray!

I made a card today for my cousin's daughter. We will be attending her 1st Birthday party in a couple of weeks, and are thrilled to be able to celebrate with her. I knew I wanted it to be fun & cute & since it is an "animal" themed party, I went with the hippo. Thought I'd also enter this in the Moxie Fab World's "Let's Do Fun & Cute" challenge.

I started with the hippo stamped on some hand-created plaid (it wouldn't be a "Karla" card w/o stamped backgrounds). I stamped the polka dots with Goldrush ink onto Creme Brulee cardstock. I love goldrush & baby pink together. Added a hint of Hollyhock (darker pink) with the scalloped circle and rick rack. The inside reads, "It's Your First Birthday!". So fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!


Supplies
Stamps: CTMH Life's A Jungle and Tiny Typewriter Alphabet; PTI Polka Dot Basics II and Distressed Stripes
Cardstock: CTMH Creme Brulee and Hollyhock; PTI Rustic White and Sweet Blush
Inks: CTMH Baby Pink and Goldrush
Accessories: Hollyhock rick rack

Celebrate Today

Just a quick post today with a card I made for my nephew a while back. Though I was on hiatus from blogging, I was still creating in the studio! This is a one layer card with an added ribbon knot. Because I had to mail this card, I needed to keep it light and less bulky. I started by masking off the top portion of the card with post-it notes. I stamped up the diagonal stripes using PTI's distressed stripes with Aqua Mist (PTI) and Goldrush (CTMH). I added a Chocolate stripe with my marker. Then I stamped the candles from CTMH's Candlelight in Aqua Mist and the flames in Goldrush. I sponged a little more goldrush ink over the flames to give it a "glow". Inked up the edges of the card with Goldrush, stamped the sentiment in Chocolate (CTMH), tied a ribbon knot, and DONE! A 15 minute card that I will certainly repeat in lots of color combos. Have a great day!

Back From Hiatus

Hello Bloggers! I'm back from my hiatus. My family and I just needed some time in this crazy thing called "life" to put things back in perspective and proper priority. I have missed the crafting world and am happy to be back at it again. I haven't participated in a challenge in nearly 3 months, so I stole some time in the studio Friday to meet the sketch challenge at CPS. What fun I had inking up my stamps and enjoying some "me" time. Thank you so much for patience!

I started out this card with a stamped plaid background, and then added the ever-so-popular library card. I had a friend in mind for this card - she happens to love to read. Wouldn't a gift card to Borders or Barnes & Noble be a perfect fit? I distressed all the edges with a little Desert Sand ink, and used CTMH's Edge Distresser on the plaid piece.

I'm hoping to blog more regularly for the rest of the summer, and we'll see what the fall brings. I appreciate, though, the emails I received from a few readers. It helped to give me the motivation I needed to start up again. Thank you so much for stopping by today!!

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI Distressed Stripes & Circle Around; CTMH Library Cards

Cardstock: CTMH Sorbet; PTI Rustic White

Patterned Paper: CTMH Perfect Day; Bo Bunny Green Polka Dot

Inks: CTMH Creme Brulee, Sorbet and Desert Sand

Accessories: CTMH Pizzazz Irresistables; Ivory Grosgrain Ribbon

Tools: PTI Blossom Die; Cuttlebug Leaf Die