You are Special

What a CRAZY week it's been here! I have been up to my eyeballs in school projects (also known as "mom" projects). You moms out there know what I am talking about! Between working and school, I have had very little studio time. My kids have off today, so I stole a few minutes this morning to get creative. I set out to meet the Red Hearts challenge at Cardvaarks. I also needed a valentine's card for daughter #2, so I chose the sentiment "You are special". Nothing fancy here - a simple layout, girly valentine colors and a bow - it doesn't get any better than that!

I also wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all you ladies out there who have made such kind comments over the last 7 months of this blog venture. Your comments are what keep me motivated to post and participate in challenges. I think you are all so special! Thank you!!

Replenishing My Stash

It was time to replenish my stash of birthday cards for the month of February. UPS happened to deliver my new stamp set from CTMH called Candlelight last night, so I knew this is what I was going to use on my cards.

I searched through the sketch challenges this week, and chose 2 that had a large focal image. This first card is based on the sketch from Unscripted Sketches.

I used the sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You on this next card (rotated). I still need to make a few more cards for all the February birthdays in my life - maybe I'll get a couple more done this week to post. Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Candlelight, PTI Mega Mixed Messages and Everyday Buttons

Cardstock: PTI Kraft, Rustic White, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy

Inks: CTMH Desert Sand, Clover Meadow, Honey, Orange, PTI Pure Poppy

Accessories: PTI Ribbon, Button from stash

Sweet Wishes

Well, here's some more new stamp sets from Close To My Heart that I have been wanting to play with. The first is the February Stamp of the Month called "Piece of Cake" - so darling!, and the other is Noted Backgrounds (I have used this on other cards, but still haven't used it to it's full potential - so versatile). Once again, I searched through the sketch challenges out there, and ran across this one from Everything But The Kitchen Sink. It's a great sketch that was inspired by a tv cabinet, of all things! Anyhow, I have read about their various challenges in the past, and have often thought about joining in, so I made it a point to participate this time. I also read on this blog about a valentine card drive that Winter Sims is hosting for the Texas Children's Hospital. Now I have a great home for this card (along with a few others I've made in the last couple of weeks). If you're interested in finding out more about this card drive, you can go here to read about it. So glad I partcipated!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Noted Backgrounds and Piece of Cake, PTI Everday Button (sentiment)

Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy, Tulip, Blush

Patterned Paper: CTMH Jingle and That's Amore

Inks: CTMH Black, Blush, Tulip, Cocoa, White Daisy; Sakura White Gel Pen

Accessories: Offray Ribbon

Tools: Marvy Circle and Scalloped Circle punch

Hi There!

So, I was dying to play with this new stamp set from Close To My Heart. Isn't that umbrella just darling?? I was cancelled at my job today, so I took some time to play. I searched through the various sketch challenges out there this week, and ran across this one from Unscripted Sketches. I knew it would be a perfect starting point. I flipped it upside down and went from there. Nothing overly fancy, but I thought it turned out okay. I stamped the raindrops in Colonial White and added some prisma glitter. It's hard to see, but it does sparkle so nice. Thanks so much for stopping by today! (P.S. i've got another card to post, hopefully later tonight - the family needs some attention first)

Supplies

Stamps: CTMH Springtime, PTI Mega Mixed Messages

Cardstock: PTI Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist, CTMH Colonial White

Patterned Paper: October Afternoon

Inks: CTMH Colonial White, Sweet Leaf, Versamark

Accessories: PTI Button Twine, Ivory embossing powder

Tools: Quickutz

Start to Finish

ETA: This card was featured on the CARDS blog AND was one of the challenge winners at the Moxie Fab World Blog. Thank you, Paige and Cath!!!

Hey Y'all! Took a few minutes today to make a card for the Moxie Fab World Start to Finish Challenge. The challenge was to make a card that carries the design to the inside of the card. I have to be honest with you, I rarely carry the design to the inside. At most, I stamp a sentiment, so this was truly a challenge. And, I gotta tell you that it was FUN! Definately gonna have to do it again!
Paige, over at Cards Blog, challenged us to make a card with trees/branches, so I used CTMH's Grown with Love stamp set for this one. I stamped half of the tree trunk on the edge of the front and continued with the other half on the inside edge. I added some stamped "hills", and sponged some Heavenly Blue ink to the top portion of the card. Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Grown With Love and Vintage Valentine (inside sentiment), PTI Everyday Buttons (front sentiment)

Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy, Clover Meadow, Blush

Patterned Paper: Red/Pink Polka Dot from Colorbok

Inks: CTMH Tulip, Clover Meadow, Heavenly Blue

Accessories: CTMH Tulip Grosgrain Ribbon

Stamp It Magazine

I'm so excited! I just received my complimentary copy of the NEW Stamp It Magazine. I have a card in the "Baby" section of this publication, and I thought I would share. This is my first card publication (I had scrapbook pages published ages ago when Creating Keepsakes was a start-up magazine). I stopped submitting years ago, because the time and cost wasn't worth it - boy has that changed!

I haven't taken too much time to soak in all of the fabulous card ideas, but what I've seen so far is fantastic!! This is a definite "must have" if you're a stamper!

I thought I'd also share what has been keeping me busy this past weekend (besides taking some much needed time to do some purging in the studio - it felt so good!). My husband has just started a 3 year term as a Care Deacon at our church, and we have been getting a flood of emails of people in our church who are hurting either emotionally or physically. He needed to have some cards on hand to send out to those people so I used my leftover Christmas card paper to whip up about 2 dozen cards for him. I kept them simple so he wouldn't be embarrassed to sign his name to them. Men! I don't know what their problem is with bows! Anyhow, thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Birthday to you....

This is my second post for today. Scroll down to see my other post.


Cardvaarks has a fabulous sketch challenge, and I finally found time today to participate. I was also able to incorporate the Just Us Girls stitching challenge, again, and I couldn't be happier with the results! While curled up on my couch, I handstitched the "stripes" and stitched on the buttons. So relaxing! I thought the colors were so cheery, it brightened my day! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Happy Birthday

Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy, PTI Pure Poppy

Patterned Paper: Colorbok

Inks: PTI Pure Poppy

Accessories: CTMH Craft Buttons, Moxxie Buttons, DMC Embroidery Floss

Special Friend

When I saw the Laura's sketch for the week at 2 Sketches 4 You, for some reason this color scheme came to my head. I have always loved those preppy colors of navy, green and yellow for spring. I remembered that Just Us Girls was having a technique challenge this week to incorporate stitching on a project, so this is how this card came to be. I started by stamping some Noted Background onto white cs and punched a flower with my Marvy punch. I inked up the edges with some Sunny Yellow ink, and then added some stitching around the edge. Finished up with a large button. Too cute! Now I needed to figure out the stem and leaves. I'm not much of an embroiderer, but I cuddled up in the corner of the couch, turned on "I Love Lucy" and sewed away. I have forgotten how much fun embroidery is! I realize it can be a bit time consuming, but it made for a very relaxing lunch for me! After the stem and leaves I stamped the sentiment, and then sponged some brown ink onto the white because I managed to leave a bit of a fingerprint in the sewing process. (There's a fix for everything, right?). I stamped some polka dots onto the outdoor denim cs with White Daisy ink, and the rest is self-explanatory.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Noted Backgrounds, PTI Polka Dot Basics II, Heartfelt Basics, and Limitless Labels

Cardstock: CTMH Outdoor Denim, Sunny Yellow, and White Daisy

Inks: CTMH Topiary, Sunny Yellow, White Daisy

Accessories: CTMH Summer Craft Buttons, DMC embroidery floss

Tools: Marvy flower punch, Spellbinders Scalloped Rectangle

i love you

Here's my take on the Mojo Monday #121 sketch. I used lots of heat embossing and my white gel pen on this card. I started with a brown card base and clear embossed some polka dots. Then I heat embossed the "i love you" in white, and added some lines and dots with my white gel pen. Next I heat embossed a grid pattern (CTMH Noted Backgrounds) in white on fuschia cs, and cut out a heart. Punched another small heart out of fuschia cs and added some stitching lines with my gel pen. I love this color scheme, and thought this layout was adorable. I'm thinking I'll save this card for my daughter.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Noted Background and Adorable; PTI Polka Dot Basics II

Cardstock: PTI Dark Chocolate, Raspberry Fizz, CTMH White Daisy

Inks: Versamark Watermark Pad, Sakura Gelly Roll Pen

Accessories: American Crafts Aqua Ribbon, PTI Aqua Mist Vintage Button

Tools: Fiskars Heart Punch and Scalloped Edge Punch

Sweet Baby Boy

Here's a sweet card for the Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #55, yet another sketch challenge blog I found while blog hopping this week. So fun! Anyhow, I have a couple of girls in my life expecting babies, and one is going to have a boy! I love this sweet stamp set from Close To My Heart - this silhouette of the boy on a rocking horse is just darling, isn't it? It is just perfect for this sweet baby boy card.

This sketch is so fun! I flipped it to make it my own, added some stitching and a button cluster to give it that homemade feel. Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Childhood Portraits and Solo B, PTI Mega Mixed Messages and Polka Dot Basics

Cardstock: CTMH Colonial White, Textured Cocoa

Patterned Paper: DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby boy

Inks: CTMH Cocoa

Accessories: CTMH Craft Buttons, Ribbon from stash

Be Still...

So, I set out last night to meet the Just Us Girls Sketch Challenge this week. I received some of my new product from the Close To My Heart Spring Catalog yesterday, and pulled out this pretty bird and branch stamp set called "A Tweet" to work with.

I also received the new Ballard Design catalog last week, and was inspired to create a card using purple, brown and cream. I know this photo of the catalog is hard to see, but the chair covers are a cool, brown overlapping square pattern. I immediately thought of my Anna Griffin Darcy Collection Stamp set. This card ended up being not really my style (too busy and detailed), but for that reason I was kind of happy with the outcome - it meant I stretched myself.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: CTMH (A Tweet & Argyle Backgrounds), Anna Griffin (Darcy), Verve (Be Still)

Cardstock: CTMH (Colonial White, Cocoa, Tulip)

Inks: CTMH (Cocoa, Tulip)

Accessories: Offray (Ivory Satin Ribbon)

Happy Birthday, Makenna!

Today is my niece's 11th birthday - Happy Birthday, Makenna! This card is not the card I am giving to her (you can view hers here), but I am posting a birthday card in her honor. This is the card I made for the CPS sketch challenge #148 this week. I loved working with this sketch, and will come back to this one again! It's clean and simple - just what I need when I'm strapped for a last minute card.

I used some scraps of paper from Bo bunny and a die cut sticker from Doodlebug Designs. I stamped the plaid background with my Martha Stewart stamp. It could not get any easier!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: Martha Stewart, PTI (Mega Mixed Messages)

Cardstock: CTMH White Daisy

Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny (Blush Dot)

Inks: CTMH (Juniper, Bubblegum), Versamark

Accessories: Ribbon (stash), Doodlebug Designs (sticker), CTMH (white embossing powder)

Thanks a Latte

( Scroll down if you want to see the artwork.)

The story behind the card:
A dear friend of mine, who happens to be the secretary at our church, went above and beyond for me this Christmas. My oldest son is a HUGE Utah Jazz fan (well, really a Kyle Korver fan). The one thing he asked for for Christmas was a signed basketball card of Kyle on the Jazz. Wanting to be a good mom, I browsed the web in search of a signed card, but none was to be found. So I did what any mom would do for her son, I called the lady who could "hook me up". You see, my friend's son and husband are avid card collectors/traders, so she sent them out in search of a card. They came back with several Kyle Korver cards, but none were signed. She went the next step and contacted our (semi-retired) pastor, who happens to be the grandfather of Kyle, and got the cards to him to get signed. The Jazz were in town Dec. 9, playing the Lakers and our pastor took Kyle out for dinner and asked him to sign a couple of cards. My son was elated with the gift, as you can see. (Now we need to get Kyle healed so he can play a little more. My son has been missing watching him play.)

My friend would not accept any money for the cards or her time and energy, so I got her a gift card to Starbucks (her favorite treat). I needed a thank you card to go with it, and that is how this card came to be. I knew I wanted to use my Verve stamp set "Delightful & Delicious", but I needed a starting point. I saw this sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You, and knew this was my starting point!

Thank you, dear friend!! And, thank you, blog friends, for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Verve Delightful & Delicious

Cardstock: CTMH Colonial White and Cocoa

Patterned Paper: Basic Grey & CTMH

Accessories: CTMH Twill Ribbon

Scraps to Treasures

What a beautiful day here in Southern California! It was about 78 degrees with sunny clear skies! I could see the snow-capped mountains of Big Bear, as well as the picturesque, Catalina Island! We spent most of the day outside - dining and shopping in downtown Brea. It was too nice of a day to spend inside the studio, so only took about a half hour after church this morning. I set out to meet the color challenge at Embellish Magazine, and then decided to also incorporate the Scrap-tastic challenge at Nichole's blog, Capture the Moment. Below is the scraps I started with.

All of these little cards were made using scraps, except for the card base of this first one, but since I didn't cut a new sheet of cardstock, I guess it would be considered a scrap, too?? All of the cards were made with PTI's Pure Poppy and Sweet Blush. The Black and Colonial White are from CTMH. The first card is a standard A2, and the other two are 4x2.5 (because that's what size my scraps were).

This last one also incorporated the sketch challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You, only I missed the deadline. Bummer! I was busy yesterday helping my husband clean out and organize the garage, so no blogging time.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!