A Merry Cas-ual Song!!

I have planned all week to get to this week's Merry Monday Challenge but didn't have any great ideas until the CAS-ual Friday Challenge was to be inspired by a song!

Have a holly, jolly Christmas...It's the best time of the year...!!!

It did me good to use a snowman.  We are likely to set a heat record today - mid-80s - and March is supposed to be our snowiest month.  I love snow.  I hate heat.  So playing with a snowman today started my day off right!

I'll be off for a couple of days - just hauled home a carpet cleaner, so all of my "toys" need to be tucked away while the carpets and cleaned and dried!

• Stamps: Hero Arts Let It Snow, Stampin' Up Christmas Punch
• Paper: Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade, silver glimmer
• Ink: Stampin' Up Lucky Limeade, Memento Black, copics
• Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampin' Up Scallop Punch and Label Punch, Silver Stickles (above hat), red gems

Heaven Knows You're Special

I realized this morning that I have been very bad at sending cards to a very special family.  Amongst a lot of other stuff, the sweet little seven-year-old is going through chemo for the fourth time in her young life.  My card today is actually for her big sister - when I send cards to the family, I never want to forget her.

I find her very difficult to make cards for - she is only in 4th grade but has seen so much already.  Cutesy just doesn't seem right, yet she is still very young.  I had earmarked the colors at this week's colourQ challenge as being the perfect bright and cheerful colors for her.  I also stumbled on a Stampin' Up set that I had never used that had the perfect sentiment.  Then I pulled out some simple tulips to finish it off.

When I was trying to figure out what to do - I realized that I hadn't played along with the Sweet Sunday sketch challenge in a long time and it is one of my favorites!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Flower Fusion 11 (for the tulip) and various stems from other Flower Fusion sets, Stampin' Up Blessings from Heaven
• Paper: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise
• Ink:  Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Word Window Punch and Celery Grosgrain, Martha Stewart butterfly punch. gems colored with Copics

To God be the GLORY!

A morning glory set...and one of the sentiments is "To God be the GLORY!"...how totally perfect!!

As I looked at photos of morning glories, I saw that the inner section absolutely glows.  I wasn't quite sure how to capture this.  I tried pink and yellow glitter pens and really like the way it turned out.

I used today's sketch challenge at Splitcoast Stampers:

• Stamps:  Sweet 'n Sassy Morning Glory
• Paper: Stampin' Up Concord Crush CS and dsp, Lucky Limeade CS
• Ink: Memento black and copics
• Accessories: Martha Stewart border punch, Stampin' Up Oval and Scalloped Oval punches, The Twinery Honeydew Twine

FYI: If you downloaded my Copic charts with matches to Stampin' Up

and Papertrey (see the sidebar), be sure you have the most recent copy,

dated February 2012.  It adds the great matches from the new Copic release.

Take 2 on Balloons

I made and posted a card earlier today that I loved in every way except for the colors.  It was pink and purple as per today's Splitcoast color challenge - and I really don't like pink and purple (or I simply don't know how to use them!)  It has bugged me all day - and I finally sat down and remade the card in my style!!

Better??

• Stamps: Papertrey Heart-2-Heart #2
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Peach Parfait dsp
• Ink: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Peach Parfait
• Accesories: Papertrey die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, various punches

Pink and Purple for the Tweens

I am sorry that I haven't been here in so long.  The crud escalated into a sinus/ear infection.  Besides not wanting to move my head, my poor body was exhausted from fighting!  I have been lucky to get the family fed and a few clothes washed!

I'm feeling SO much better today so decided to play along with today's Splitcoast Color Challenge.  It is WAY out of my comfort zone - Eggplant Grape Melons - pinks and purples.  But I did think it might work for a tween girl card...

ETA: I LOVE this layout...I LOVE the balloons...I still don't like pink and purple (or maybe I just don't know how to use them well!)  So I remade this card and included it in the next post!

I used this week's sketch at retrosketches:

Speaking of strange tweens...

That's my Erik...yes, those are wings and a tutu to coordinate with the dinosaur helmet.  Lacrosse is a strange and unusual sport...or perhaps it's just this team that's strange and unusual!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Heart-2-Heart #2
• Paper: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo CS and dsp, Eggplant dsp, Concord Crush dsp
• Ink: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Eggplant, Concord
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Heart-2-Heart #2 die, misc circle and scalloped circle punches, American Crafts glitter brads, The Twinery Pink Sorbet

God Bless...Tim Holtz!!

I have watched two days of videos from Online Card Classes: Creative Chemistry with Tim Holtz.  I am really not a grungy, vintage type person but I absolutely adore some of the brilliant color effects that can be achieved with Tim Holtz products.  My card today uses his Brushless Watercolor technique.  This card is about as "grungy" as I get (not up to Tim Holtz standards!) - but I am in love with my colored flowers!!

I used today's sketch challenge at Splitcoast:

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Sweet Silhouettes, Rose Collage (sentiment)
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Tile, Ripe Avocado, Royal Velvet, Stampin' Up First Edition dsp, watercolor paper
• Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks: Seedless Preserves, Wild Honey, Fired Brick, Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint and on the edges I used Broken China and Walnut Stain
• Accessories: Nestabilities Oval die, Papertrey Terracotta Ribbon

Magic Card with Egg-Cited Cocoa

Every Tuesday in the Sweet 'n Sassy Forum on Splitcoast stampers, there is a tutorial and I got to put together today's tutorial!!  I have made magic cards in the past - but today I used this darling Egg-Cited Cocoa image.  I think it is SO fun to see the surprise when the recipient pulls the tag up and the image goes from black and white to color.

You can find the tutorial here.  

Have fun!!

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Egg-Cited Cocoa
• Paper: Stampin' Up Peach Parfait, YoYo Yellow, Kiwi Kiss
• Ink: Memento black, copics
• Accessories: Nestabilities square and scalloped square, acrylic sheet, SU Crushed Curry ribbon

CAS Sketch: Peace be unto you

Today's Clean and Simple challenge at Splitcoast was to use a sketch as found on a card by Arizona Maine.  What a stunning card!  Then I made the mistake of peeking at the gallery before I did my card (usually a big NO-NO because I get intimidated).  Sure enough, amongst all the other beautiful cards were two by design team buddies of mine that you HAVE to check out - Blue Skies by Bridget and Easter Tulips.  I was definitely intimidated.

So I sat down to watch the first video of this session of Online Card Classes called Creative Chemistry 101 by Tim Holtz.  I am GOING to learn all of those amazing blending techniques that, right now, I can only drool over, but this video was all about terminology and product types.  I decided to sit down with some distress pads and do a pre-class card using a minimal amount of blending and a spritz of Perfect Pearls...

I am happy with the results - although it would be hard to be unhappy given the theme of the card! - and I am anxious to see what I am able to do after a few weeks of classes.

• Stamps: DRS Designs (crosses), sentiment in Close To My Heart He Is Risen
• Paper: Papertrey Lavender Moon and Classic Kraft
• Ink: Ranger Distress Inks in Milled Lavender, Evergreen Bough, Stormy Sky, Versafine black
• Accessories: Fiskars squeeze punch, Perfect Pearls mist, Ranger blending handle and foam.

Unity Primitive Wilderness

I was busily indexing and putting away new stamp orders and just HAD to play with this new-to-me stamp by Unity, particularly given I remembered that the sketch challenge at Pals Paper Arts had a large enough panel for these trees and the color challenge at Color Throwdown had natural colors including a blue for the birds!!

• Stamps: Unity Primitive Wilderness, Papertrey sentiment from Pretty Peonies
• Ink: Memento black and copics
• Paper: Stampin' Up Really Rust, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake DS and Baja Breeze dsp
• Accessories: Tim Holtz embossing folder, misc hemp and brads

Whoop-de-do!

My pictures have been showing up blurry on blogger, for unknown
reasons, as they are perfectly clear in Photoshop...but if you click on
it to make it bigger - it looks much better!!

It's my birthday today!!

And I can't quite decide how I feel about it??!!

It's a big one...an unmentionable big one.  And I have worked really hard to  feel good about it.  I've been on a nutrition/diet program and have easily and happily dropped weight, but more importantly, I have more energy that I have in a decade or more.  But I have had the horrible two-week cold and, after 11 days, still feel drained.

I ordered new glasses to update my look and, after the eye test and realizing how bad my eyes had gotten, to see the world clearly!!  But they are delayed and aren't here yet.

The worst part about the glasses is that I need to renew my driver's license...today...and I'm afraid to take the vision test without my new glasses - so after today, I can't drive.  (Not that I should be driving today with the old glasses!!)

On the positive side, my MIL sent me a big box of luscious chocolate-covered strawberries and the instructions say that they HAVE to be eaten within 48 hours.  Nothing like a good cup of coffee and chocolate-covered strawberries for breakfast!!

And I have an easy day in front of me - that I am planning to spend at my craft table - so how bad can life be??!!

Off of the whining and on to the card...

I have had this very old Basic Grey paper forever with plans to use it on any of the Emerson cartoon images that I have.  It came with a coordinating package of unique fibers - so I knew the whole thing would be perfect for these "frazzled" images!!  Today seemed like a great day to use it up!

The inside sentiment is perfect too...it's a Bette Davis quote - "Gettin' old ain't for sissies" ... SO true!!

I am using the second sketch from retrosketches.

(I was thrilled to get a Shout Out for my entry for their first ever sketch!)

• Stamps: American Art Stamps
• Paper: Basic Grey Fusion, Papertrey Plum Pudding and Terracotta Tile
• Ink: black
• Accessories: Basic Grey Fusion fibers

Sweet 'n Sassy: You Are Amazing!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps has a fun new Ticket Sentiments set.  It's been fun to watch how other members of their design team have used the set - I use it in bright and colorful ways, and others have made it fit into soft and gentle vintage cards.  And the set works either way!  Just browse the Sweet 'n Sassy blog and you will be amazed at the variety.

For this card, I used various star dies from Sweet 'n Sassy - the Hearts and Stars Scallop Border die and the Stars Die Set.  The set comes with four stars and I have kept them attached to each other, mainly so I don't lose any, but I also like the scenes that I can create with all of the stars!

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Ticket Sentiments
• Paper: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Not Quite Navy
• Ink: Stampin' Up Night of Navy, Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight
• Accessories: Sweet 'n Sassy Star dies, stars border die, Sizzix embossing folder, Martha Stewart glitter, misc baker's twine

Warm Hello with Merry Monday

I am feeling like a rebel this morning.  At least as much of a rebel as I ever get...and that ain't much!!??  Oh, look, I just used "ain't" - that's two acts of rebellion this morning.  So what have I done?  Today's Splitcoast Color Challenge specifically says "It's a bright color trio and definitely will lend itself to spring cards" but I made a winter card.  Ooooh!!

Actually, I'm sure it has something to do with the weather.  I love winter.  I love snow.  March is supposed to be Colorado's snowiest month.  But it's been high to mid-60s this week.  I got my flip-flops out.  That's just wrong...so I made a snowman!

I used the Merry Monday sketch, but flipped sideways.

I am still struggling with getting clear pictures onBblogger - and, I have read other bloggers that recently have felt the same way.  I'm thinking something changed in Blogger, I just haven't researched it yet.  If you click on the photo - it will get bigger and clearer!!

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Warm Hello
• Paper: Stampin' Up Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade and Sunny Garden dsp
• Ink: Memento black and copics
• Accessories: Stampin' Up heart punch and scalloped heart embosslit, Daffodil grosgrain, nestabilities oval, misc gems, stickles

FYI - if you have downloaded the Copic charts on my sidebar, 

they have recently been updated with the new 2012 Copics!!

CAS: Shades of Blue and a Sentiment

I have been really quiet on my blog for the last week - I have had a doozy of a cold going on ten days now.  Actually I felt better in the middle - but this weekend, it hit me again - so I guess I have had multiple colds.  Yesterday, I came home from church, took a 4 hour nap, got up for dinner and a quick family walk - then headed back to bed.

So...it's a good thing that I like playing Splitcoast's Clean and Simple challenge on Monday mornings because I don't have the energy for much more!  Today we were to use shades of blue and I thought it was the perfect challenge to pull out this cute die from WPlus9.  And I also used the CAS-ual Friday challenge which was to use a sentiment as a focal point.  With those challenges, my fuzzy, tired brain came up with a card!!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Healing Touch Sentiments
• Paper: Stampin' Up Marina Mist CS and dsp, Bashful Blue dsp
• Ink: Stampin' Up Marina Mist
• Accessories: WPlus9 die, Cuttlebug embossing folder

retrosketches #1: Wax Fruit Company

I almost missed a brand new sketch challenge that began last week and involves some of my favorite designers...it's called "retrosketches: where every sketch is a blast from our past".

This week's sketch is from Arielle who besides running the weekly colourQ challenge also has a digital stamp company called Wax Fruit Company.  I need a really cheerful birthday card and I have the perfect image from Wax Fruit...

Pin It

• Stamps: Wax Fruit Company, Papertrey Ink sentiment
• Paper: Stampin' Up Summer Sun, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, black, Making Memories dp
• Ink: Memento black, copics
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink ric-rac die

A Cheerful Spring Card for Grandma

My grandmother's birthday is this weekend.  She is into her 90s and until just the last year has been active and spry.  In fact, she would entertain at old-folks homes!!  But this has been a tough year for her so I definitely wanted a very cheerful and full-of-life birthday card.

I started out just planning to play along with The Paper Players challenge: Spring Has Sprung, but I am not a spring color person - I love the brights of summer and the regals of fall - so I needed a little more help.

I checked the Splitcoast Color Challenge which is A Very Wild Bride - which, as crazy as it sounds, is actually the subtles Vanilla, Wasabi and Blushing Bride.  That works!!

And then clearly, not feeling particularly inspired - I had to find a sketch challenge to help me and I used The Sweet Stop Sketch for this week, but I turned it on its side.

It took a lot of help - but I think Grandma is going to smile at her birthday card.

• Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Happy Day
• Paper: Stampin' Up Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi CS and dsp, Blushing Bride CS and dsp
• Ink: Memento black, copics
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Wasabi ribbon, three flower punch, Stickles on the water drops, misc yellow pearls

My Creative Boys

My boys (including the husband) asked me to make a card for a nice young man in our church who is a freshman in college, on a lacrosse scholarship, and blew out his knee during his first college game.

First, I was very impressed that my boys actually thought about sending a card - AND they splurged on an Inta Juice gift card.

Second, I was a little annoyed when I got the list of don'ts: no bling, no ribbon, no patterned paper, no coloring, nothing popped or dangling, and definitely, without a doubt, no glitter.  (Have they ever looked at my cards, how often do I ever use glitter??!)

Third, then they impressed me with a very creative idea.  They wanted a lacrosse stick, broken, with a band-aid and a "OOPS".  I had to let them down with the "oops" but I did have an "uh-oh".

Not quite my usual card - but my boys are thrilled!!  (I really should have added some bling just to be annoying!)

• Stamps: Judikins
• Paper: Stampin' Up Confetti Tan, Naturals White, black, PTI Smokey Shadow
• Ink: black
• Accessories: bandaid, Quickutz lacrosse stick

Needlework Birthday

No challenge.

No fancy layout.

No new techniques.

But...I like it!

• Stamps: GinaK Nana's Needlework
• Paper: Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie, Stampin' Up Old Olive, Crushed Curry Rose Red
• Ink: Stampin' Up Old Olive
• Accessories: Stampin' Up Old Olive Taffeta, Heart Embosslit, Nestabilities rectangle and scalloped rectangle

Sweet 'n Sassy March Release Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps March New Release Celebration!  The Design Divas are so excited to be kicking off this month's amazing stamp release with a blog hop today.  You are probably joining me from Jessica's blog; if not, be sure to head back to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps blog so you don't miss a thing!

For this release, I received the two most different stamps ever possible to work with!  My first set is Ticket Sentiments - one big ticket stamp with eight different stamps to fit inside it.  Here's the card...
Pin It

Can you guess what it does?

See the little "pull here" at the top?  If you pull on the ribbon, here's what happens...Surprise!!

And the best part is that the card is very simple to make.  Decorating with these great ticket stamps is what makes it extra special!  And...the star border...also from Sweet 'n Sassy!!

FYI: Instructions for this ribbon pull card are all over the internet.  I based mine on this post from years ago, but I resized it to fit a 3 1/4 x 6 1/4 envelope to give me more space to showcase the tickets.

Cut main paper to 5 1/2" x 6".  The 5 1/2"
is the vertical dimension.  Score at 2 3/4"
and 5 1/2" to create two flaps.  Add a
little tape along the flap and adhere it
closed to create a pouch.

Cut an inner piece to 2 1/2" x 4".
Use a hole punch to punch through the
inner piece and the pouch...

...to look like this.

Flip the inner piece around, tuck it inside
the pouch to the punched holes line up.
Stick a 12" piece of ribbon through the
hole bringing it up on both sides.

Then tie off the top of the ribbon.  In this
case I tied a button on, but you could also
just knot the ribbon.  In this picture, I have
also slipped my gift card in and begun
decorating the outside.

Can you see why I was utterly thrilled to receive the "Ticket Sentiments" set? What a perfect way to decorate this gift card holder!!!

Now...for a total change in mood...I also received the "Friendship Script Background".   I have been so struggling with this set.  Don't get me wrong - I LOVE it.  In fact, I love it so much, I wanted the background to be the focus so that the recipient could read ALL of the beautiful words.  Unfortunately, a card that consists of just a background isn't very exciting.  Here's my attempt at keeping as many of the words as possible...
Pin It

On top of the Friendship Script Background, I white embossed the flowers from "Wildflowers".  The sentiment is from "Blessings and Thanks".


Do you see what I mean?  I really couldn't have had two stamps that were so totally different - and THAT is one of the big reasons that I love Sweet 'n Sassy stamps!

Your next stop is Cathy's blog.

And just in case,  here is the whole list of team members hopping along with us today:

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog

Korin Sutherland

Jessica Fick

Kim Singdahlsen <---You are Here

Cathy McCauley

Mary Faus

DJ Rants

Amber Hillman

Monika Davis

Kim Schofield

Giovana Smith

Holly McMillen

Dina Kowal

Bridget Finlay

Taylor Usry

After the hop, make plans to join us for our New Release Party over in our Member Company Forums on Splitcoaststampers.  We'll have full reveals of all the stamp and dies sets being released this month, challenges to inspire you, and of course fun chatter with great friends!  See you there!