The Lamb of God

I was sorting out Easter cards and realized that I did not have anything quite right for my 6-year old niece. She's all about the bright colors so I went with hot pinks and bright greens and, of course, sequins!


The set is Easter Joy from Taylored Expressions.  I have always loved the set for its sweet and simple images.
If I had all of the time in the world, I would remake this with a little less of the green - it feels bottom heavy. I have a terrible tendency to analyze my cards when they are all done and I am looking at the photo.  I don't know why I see things in the photo that I don't see in real life.  I hate to admit how often I go back with fingers crossed that the glue hasn't dried, and do it again.  Not this time - my niece is only six!!

• Stamps: Taylored Expressions Easter Joy
• Paper: Papertrey Raspberry Fizz, Doodlebug Springtime 6x6
• Ink: Memento black and Copics
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangles, PTI Raspberry Fizz button, Stampin' Up embossing folder, Avery Elle sequins, The Twinery Marigold twine

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Confetti Crush

It's time for a new challenge at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge!!

 photo source: polkadotprintsstudio.blogspot.com

Can you imagine the fun you will have with this challenge?  Confetti!  Bright and cheerful colors! Dots or bokeh or birthday or any other celebration!  I am excited to see what you come up with!

We have a fantastic new sponsor, Reverse Confetti and the LEAD of this challenge will receive a gift certificate to the Reverse Confetti store!

I do love Reverse Confetti.  All their products work so well together.  The sentiment fonts are so current and fresh. The images are just plain fun.  I put together their Petals 'n Posies set along with Beautiful Banners.

Do you see what I mean about fun and fresh!!?

Be sure to check out all the other Confetti Crush fun.  I hope you play along!

Jen del Muro, Reverse Confetti

Amber Kroening

Amy Tsuruta

Gayatri Murali

Kim Singdahlsen

Laurie Willison
Lisa Henke

Marisa Ritzen

Maureen Plut

Monika Davis

Sheri Gilson

Sarah Gough

Stacey Schafer

Tenia Nelson

Tracey McNeely

• Stamps: Reverse Confetti Petals 'n Posies, Beautiful Banners
• Paper: Simon Says Stamp Khaki and Sunshine, scrap of diagonal stripe
• Ink: Simon Says Stamp Doll Pink, Orange Peel, Audrey Blue, Green Apple, Versamark
• Accessories: Reverse Confetti Petals 'n Posies and Beautiful Banners dies, Heidi Swapp Confetti Stencil (appropriate,  huh?!!), Dreamweaver Embossing Paste, Pretty Pink Posh 4 mm Sparkling Clear Sequins, Wow White Embossing Powder, misc yellow button and enamel dots

Viva la Verve and ColourQ: Birthday Wishes

I had plans to meet a friend for lunch today.  She's a church pianist, as I was for years, and I wanted to give her a break as she begins Holy H*** Week.  Yes, I'm sure that's blasphemous, but it's a very tough week for the pianist.  Services on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and extras on Sunday.  Usually extra rehearsals for the choir and other musical groups. And the music is "bigger" and harder.  It's tough.  Church pianists don't celebrate Easter until after the last service and a long nap.

Now that I've made you feel sorry for her, let me tell you about the year that she had a baby early.  She called me on that Wednesday morning to share her happy news, which was my worst nightmare as I had to sight-read the music for all of Holy H*** Week's services and rehearsals!  Can you tell that I haven't quite forgiven her for that?

Sadly, I had plans today - she just called to tell me her son was home sick.  But we rescheduled for Monday, right after Easter, with plans to drink heavily!

To top off her long week, it's also her birthday - and I wanted to create something bright and cheerful!  I just got the Lean on Me set from Verve.  I don't know why I waited this long - the flowers are so fun to color!


The colors are from colourQ.  Orange/blue or peach/aqua combinations are my all-time favorites!  (I did use a more aqua color instead of the Cool Caribbean simply because I liked the patterned paper.)

I'm also playing along with this week's Viva la Verve sketch.

• Stamps: Verve Lean on Me (flower), Birthday Surprise (sentiment)
• Paper: Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist CS and dsp
• Ink: Memento black and Copics
• Accessories: Verve Pointed Flower die, Stampin' Up tag punch, Memory Box Tender Leaves, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Doodlebug sequins, Hemptique 10-lb white twine, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist button

Addicted to CAS: Take 2

Yesterday's card took on a life of its own.  Have you had that happen?  I started out being inspired by a CAS challenge but my card kept evolving to the point where it was not my definition of CAS.  Sadly, I didn't realize what had happened until this morning when I was reading blogs in my blog reader (yes, my own blog is in my blog reader!)  I looked at the card - I still liked it - but I cringed when I realized I had submitted it to a CAS challenge.

So this is Take 2!  The Paper Smooches Scooter set was still out on my desk, but I took it a different direction.

I did some surgery on the squirrel just like on yesterday's puppy.  The squirrel is intended to hang normally so his tail actually goes straight down.  I snipped it off and angled it for a little more upside-down, sideways momentum!!
The other fun thing on this card is the Pretty Pink Posh Nature Embellishment Kit.  The mix of sequins, the wood veneer stars and the twine are all part of the kit.  There are also clothespins, ribbon and another twine. I am so totally matchy-matchy, it's nice to have a bag of embellishments that work so well together!
Just like yesterday, this is for Addicted to CAS and Paper Smooches SPARKS.

• Stamps: Paper Smooches Scooters, Hang Ups (squirrel), Chit Chat (amazing), Word Salad (dude), miscellaneous alphabet set for comma and exclamation point
• Paper: scrap of diagonal stripe
• Ink: Memento black and Copics
• Accessories: Paper Smooches Scooters die, Pretty Pink Posh Nature Embellishment Kit

Addicted to CAS: Just Roll With It

Mid-afternoon today, I only had one more thing to do for school this week (yay!) - watch a YouTube video on auditing (boo!).  Then I realized that the video was 2 hours long (double boo!).  BUT...it turned out that the "video" was all talking with a few PowerPoint slides so I didn't actually have to watch - I could listen while I happened to be sitting at my craft desk (double yay!!)

So...what to work on?  I need to re-stock my stash of cards for my guys.  When they have great days or hard days, I like to have something ready.  Lately - given they are both teenagers - there seem to be more hard days than I good, and I am getting very low on cards of encouragement.

I've also had this fun Paper Smooches set calling my name.  "Scooters" isn't a set that I would normally get, but I saw this card and fell in love. ( Be sure you take time to click on that link, I promise that the card will make you grin!)  I don't actually have the cat.  It was in my cart but by the time I got the dies too, that's an expensive purchase to CASE one card!  I thought I'd try a Chubby Chum on the scooter.  I like it, but I think the cat set will go back on my wishlist because that guy's grin will lift anybody's day!


I did change this Chubby Chum up a bit.  I cut off one of his ears that was hanging down, then added a different ear so it appeared to be flapping in the wind.
My inspiration for finally creating this card is this week's Addicted to CAS.

And of course, I will add it to this week's Paper Smooches Anything Goes Challenge.

• Stamps: Paper Smooches Scooters, Chubby Chums
• Paper: Lily Bee Design We Are Family 6x6, MFT Nightshift Blue, SU Poppy Parade, PTI Ocean Tides
• Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Versamark
• Accessories: Paper Smooches Scooters, Chubby Chumbs and Word Bubbles dies, PTI Ocean Tides button, Hero Arts white embossing powder, Hemptique 10-lb white twine, misc enamel dots

Curtain Call: Baby Booties

The curtain is still up on Curtain Call's Baby Booties challenge.

The design team was able to work with the Winged Wishes set from Newton's Nook.  For the original Curtain Call post I used baby clothes and a thanks banner.  I also wanted to show you that there are also words that work for baby - but could definitely work for other occasions also.


I stuck with a baby theme because, after all, that's the challenge theme!!  And I also just got the flat pastel sequins and the tiny clear sequins so wanted them to appear on a card.  They are from Pretty Pink Posh.  I was sadly lacking in pastel sequins, then I decided to go a little crazy(?) and I ordered flat sequins.  (It's only "crazy" in that it is different from my usual!)
FYI - if I had time to re-do this, I would straighten out the hello a little.  I was envisioning the look of a banner, but as I look at it in the photo, it just looks crooked!!

• Stamps: Newton's Nook Winged Wishes
• Paper: MFT Whip Cream
• Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Copics
• Accessories: Silver Pearl Embossing Powder, Pretty Pink Posh sequins in Aquamarine, Lemon Meringue, Pink Blush and 4mm Sparkline Clear, PTI Large Scallop Border die and Woodgrain Impression Plate

Catered Crop: Put a Bird On It

It's time for a new challenge at Catered Crop.  We are challenge to "put a bird on it"!

I have an all-time favorite bird.  I can't look at this guy's eyes without chuckling.  So I decided to add him to a subtle card with a few bright pops of color and a funky twine top to the tag.




Admit it...you chuckled!!!

• Stamps: The Alley Way Stamps All About YOU, Bird Brain
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Soft Stone
• Ink: Versamark
• Accessories: Freckled Fawn Neon Enamel Dots, WPlus9 tag, MFT Fishtail Layer Banners (cut in both directions), Hemptique 1o-lb white twine, Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder