CAS(E) this Sketch! Believe You Can

It's time for a new sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!

Sadly, this will be my last sketch with the team (although I am sure you will see many, many more CtS cards from me as a "player"!)  I have been with CAS(E) this Sketch since the beginning - October 11, 2012.  It's been sixty-six sketches and now I need to step away.  I made the decision at the beginning of the year to step away from most of my design teams so I can focus on the last year of my college program and begin the hunt for a new career.  Leaving this team was the hardest decision that I had to make - but it's probably time for some new blood for them too!!  A big thank you to Chrissy and to the rest of my teammates - many of whom have been there from the beginning.

For my card today, I didn't quite stick with the square.  I recently picked up a cloud die that I liked for the line along the bottom and then, with the Mama Elephant cloud die, I had to use one of their sweet animals from Up and Away (along with the new coordinating dies!) Besides, the message works for me right now - and this card still stay propped on my desk as I finish up my classes.


Head over to CAS(E) this Sketch! and then play along.  I look forward to seeing what you create!

• Stamps: Mama Elephant Up and Away, True Friend (sentiment)
• Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Papertrey Ink Summer Sunrise
• Paper Papertrey Ink Sweet Blush, Summer Sunrise
• Accessories: Landscape Trio dies, Up and Away dies, clear sequins

Merry Monday: Aqua Christmas Wishes

This week's challenge at Merry Monday is to use aqua, silver and white - what a fabulous winter combination!

I dug through my stash looking for snowflakes that hadn't yet seen ink and I came up with the Stampin' Up clear set (really clear, not just unmounted) called Endless Wishes.  It's the first photopolymer set that I had gotten from them.  I like the hand-drawn look of the snowflakes and of the sentiments.

I've had a wonderful time being the featured designer this month for Merry Monday.  Thank you to Lesley and the rest of the team. I have some Christmas momentum going now - I need to keep it going so I can go into the next holiday season feeling refreshed.  
I hope you all pull out your aqua and silver and play along!

• Stamps: Stampin' Up Endless Wishes
• Paper: Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana, Brushed Silver
• Ink: Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana, Versamark
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist button, Magic Dust Fine Silver Embossing Powder, Pretty Pink Posh sequins. Hemptique 10-lb white twine

Viva la Verve: Birthday Cheer

It's time for some birthday cheer!!  The current challenge at Catered Crop is "birthdays" so I figured it was a good time to add to my birthday card stash.  (This card is actually destined for my 95-year old grandma!)


I'm playing along with the current Viva la Verve sketch.

In the third week of Viva la Verve, there is also inspiration photo.  I really didn't end up using it - but it did start me down this color path - greens, pink (although more coral in this photo) and a black/gray.  I just could not make this birthday card for my grandma work with the bold greens and pinks.

• Stamps: Verve Stamps With Love (cupcake), Big Wish (sentiment)
• Paper: Fancy Pants Memories Captured, MFT Whip Cream (it's just slightly off-white!), Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow, Copics, Versamark
• Accessories: Verve Pastel Sequin Mix, Stampin' Up Vanilla ribbon, Papertrey Ink Doily Details die, Stampin' Up Heat and Stick Powder, Martha Stewart Fine Crystal glitter.

WPlus9 Birthday Celebration: Trend Watch

It's the third week of WPlus9's birthday celebration and the theme for this week is Trend Watch.

I studied their trend board for quite awhile trying to figure out what to do.  I definitely like diagonal stripes - my favorite thing is a diagonal stripe dsp or stamped pattern behind a clean card.  I most definitely do sequins.  In fact, I was quite glad to see them on the trend watch board because I don't see myself quitting anytime soon - I love the way they fill in space on a clean card.  (Having said that - no sequins on my card!)  Enamel dots are great.  Misting...not so much for me...not enough control!

But I went for it today.  I love what I have been seeing on the WPlus9 blog.  Also some of my favorite designers have gone for the misty, soft, vellum look. So here's my try...

In honor of WPlus9's birthday, I included a bird from the first set that I owned and the "happy" from my most recent order.

Can you tell that I am a fairly tentative "mister"?  It's hard for me.  I am so afraid of a big blotch exactly where I don't want it.  Most people embrace the beauty of that random blotch - not me!  I'm thinking I need a good stamps set of blotches - then I'm in control!  I love the blotches on this WPlus9 card. I also like the colors - WPlus9 is coming out with new inks - check out the colors on the bottom card here.  No...I don't work for WPlus9 - I'm just really excited by what I am seeing!
Anybody have any recommendations on good "blotch" stamp sets??

• Stamps: WPlus9 Love Birds, Whole Lotta Happy
• Paper: MME Just Splendid 6x6, Papertrey Ink Limeade Ice, MFT Grout Gray
• Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Sky, Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Accessories: WPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy dies, Timeless Tags 2, Tattered Angels Frost Glimmer Mist, Hemptique 10-lb white twine, MME Adorbs Hello Enamel Dots

Curtain Call: Cozy Quilt with Lil' Inkers

This is my second post today. My easy peasy

lemon squeezy card is just a short scroll away!

There is still time to play along with the current challenge at Curtain Call.

Isn't this fabulous inspiration for the cold weather?  (Sorry for those of you on the other side of the world posting pictures of your thermometers at 122°!)

Our sponsor for this challenge is Lil' Inker Designs.  Please know that you do not have to use Lil' Inkers products to enter this challenge.  You can enter with anything and you stand a chance to win some Lil' Inkers products.  But I do get the thrill of using their products on this card!

I have my fair share of Lil' Inkers products but very little that works for the quilt challenge.  I actually ordered more last week and it was scheduled to get here yesterday.  The post office link still shows that it was supposed to be here yesterday - but it also shows that the product is sitting in New Hampshire.  Bummer. So I had to improvise, which is not my strong suit.  I found a sentiment in the Cutie Cat set which talks about "warm" thoughts.  It also talked about "fuzzy" thoughts and that wasn't quite what I wanted - but I added some felt to work with the fuzzy. Then I used Lil' Inkers star dies to hopefully add a night-time look.  I love the star dies because they adds stitching on the inside and outside of the cut - check out my window star and the fact that the stitching is around the outside!


Be sure to check out all of the Lil' Inker goodies from the rest of the design team on today's reminder post and on the original challenge post. Then join us with your Cozy Quilt inspired card!!

• Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Cutie Cat
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Melon Berry and Smokey Shadow, My Mind's Eye Happy Day 6x6 dsp
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangle die, Stitched Stars die, Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Hemptique 10-lb. white twine, Papertrey Ink Melon Berry and Aqua mist felt, Aqua mist button

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

When Fresh Squeezed did a spring cleaning a few weeks ago, one of the sets really caught my eye.  It's funny how that works - a set will come out but until you see it used in a certain way, you manage to keep it out of your personal stash.  Then suddenly, you see someone use it, or you notice a particular sentiment - and it becomes a favorite!  That's what happened to me with Sublime Citrus.  I finally noticed that cute little citrus slice with a heart and I noticed the fantastic sentiment "Easy peasy, lemon squeezy"!  LOVE it!


Check out the bitty heart...

Today is my last post as part of the Fresh Squeezed design team. I've had a great time using their fun, unique and very fresh(!) stamps and the design team is incredible!  In honor of my last post I thought I would add some of my long-time favorites with my new discovery of the citrus slice. The simple little circles come from a set that has been a favorite of mine since the beginning - On Trend 2013.  It's full of sparkles and circles and gems - also city skylines and photo frames.  It's just a wonderful all-around set!  And the border is from Background Check - I'm going to wear out that diagonal border!

Hope you have an "easy peasy" relaxed weekend!

• Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps Sublime Citrus, On Trend 2013, Background Check
• Paper: black and white
• Ink: Hero Art Neon Inks - Sunshin, Green, Orange, Blue, Pink
• Accessories: Hemptique 10-lb twine

CAS(E) this Sketch AND Catered Crop: Wishes

It's time for a new sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!

When I saw this sketch I saw candles.  (Maybe because I had a new-to-me candle set!!)  But this thought worked out perfectly because the current challenge at Catered Crop is "birthday".  In the whole life of Catered Crop, there had never been a birthday challenge we are remedying that now!

I do have to say that this card started out more true to the sketch.  I started horizontal and in the middle.  I changed to vertical at the top, then to the bottom - and then it just moved itself over to the right!!  But I think you can see the fundamentals of the sketch in this.

I'm sure you all could use birthday cards so be sure to play along at Catered Crop.  There's also this really nice sketch for you at CAS(E) this Sketch!  I hope to see you playing along!

• Stamps: Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Parade #12, Birthday Bash Sentiments
• Paper: Papertrey Terracotta Tile
• Ink: Papertrey Smokey Shadow, Terracotta Tile, Orange Zest, Summer Sunshine, Harvest Gold, Hawaiian Shores
• Accessories: Papertrey Ink Terracotta Tile, Hemptique 10-lb. white twine, Neat & Tangled Summer Sun sequins, MFT Fishtail Layers die

Viva la Verve: Thanks for Guiding Me

When Viva La Verve's second sketch in February came out - even with all of those hearts, I saw a nautical card.  Verve was the sponsor of the very first Curtain Call challenge and it was a nautical theme.  This set of stamps has been sitting unused since then and it really shouldn't have.  Not only are the nautical images just right - the sentiments are stunning.

Now I have to go hide the card.  My poor husband spent a half an hour last night with some nautical looking cord creating nautical knots for me.  But when I got up this morning, the cord with the cool knots just disappeared on these rich colors and patterns.  So his knots got pushed to the side and I added some gold twine.  Fingers crossed that he doesn't ask!

• Stamps: Verve Strong Anchor
• Paper: Stampin' Up Crushed Curry, Maple Woodgrain Cardstock (from Avery Elle). Fancy Pants Down by the Shore 6x6 dsp
• Ink: Memento Rhubarb Stalk, Teal Zeal, Nautical Blue, Stampin' Up Crushed Curry
• Accessories: Hemptique 10-lb gold twine, Papertrey Enchanted Evening button

Merry Monday: Peace with Holly

This week's challenge at Merry Monday is to use Holly on your Christmas card.

Sometimes it is funny how a card takes on a life of its own.  I had rich red and green papers out on my craft desk - I had holly die cuts - I had golden glitter.  But somehow, I ended up with this...


I'm not sure why I ended up with a subtle and peaceful.  I made this early Saturday morning and my boys were actually up at 5:30 a.m. to watch Russia/U.S.A. hockey - so it was most definitely not peaceful in my house.  Maybe that was the issue - my usual peaceful morning was interrupted so my desire for peace came out in my card!!
There are lots of other cards to check out over at Merry Monday - then play along!  I love to see what you create.

• Stamps: Clearly Besotted Stamps Holiday Sentiments
• Paper: Papertrey Ink Soft Stone
• Ink: Papertrey Ink New Leaf, Versamark
• Accessories: Lifestyle Crafts Embossing Folder, Wow! Opaque Bright White Super Fine Embossing Powder, misc glitter gems

Curtain Call: Cozy Quilt with Lil' Inker Designs

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

And another great sponsor -  Lil' Inker Designs with A.G.!  The LEAD of this challenge will receive a $30 gift certificate to Lil' Inker Design!

Lil' Inker Designs is just perfect for a Cozy Quilt challenge because they really pioneered the stitched die look.  If you don't have their stitched rectangles in your collection, you need them NOW.  And you might add the stitched square, circles, stars, hearts, tags....  

They also have a fun add-on type die.  It's the On the Diagonal Die.  You cut a stitched rectangle and then right through the middle you cut the diagonal die.  The diagonal has stitching AND it adds stitched to the edges of the rectangle.  Unfortunately, I picked a pattern for my card that hides the stitching - I tried a close-up as the second picture and it's a bit better.

Be sure to head over to Curtain Call to check out all of the Lil' Inkers cards by the rest of the design team.  Then get cozy and play along with our Cozy Quilt challenge!

• Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Of the Heart
• Paper: Studio Calico Printshop! 6x6 dsp, Stampin' Up Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangle die, On the Diagonal die, Of the Heart dies, Hemptique 10-lb white twine, Papertrey Ink Smokey Shadow button

A Pizza My Heart

This is my THIRD post today - - - 

and now I have to get back to schoolwork!

The first thing I did when I got up was pull out various chocolate/Valentine's gifts and get my guys cards signed and ready for envelopes.  Unfortunately...I didn't have a card for Erik (my 14-year old).  I swear that I took inventory last weekend when I was getting Valentines ready to mail.  All I can think of is that I knew that I had a stamp set I had gotten just for Erik so I ticked his card off my mental list and promptly forgot about it.

At the point that I figured this out, the clock showed 12 minutes until he was up.  I am not a fast card-maker - but didn't have a choice this morning.  I cut corners by coloring only part of an image. (Luckily, it's really cute so stands alone well).  It's a cute stamp set and just perfect for my son who is quite a foodie.  He loves a huge variety of foods, but really isn't discriminating.  He'll happily eat high-end sushi, he'll seek out new restaurants and try anything unique, but he's equally happy sitting at Waffle House.  He also loves Food Network and The Cooking Channel.  He loves the shows with brick ovens and pizzas. This pizza guy was a great choice for him!

Update: He smiled sweetly at the card, but then he saw his candy gift and his eyes popped.  I don't think I ever knew quite how regional candy could be.  Erik found a package of these at a cute little candy store up in the mountains, but we've never seen them in the Denver area.  (We have Pop Rocks but not Dips.)  Luckily, Amazon has everything - so he's got all he can eat - hopefully not all this weekend!

• Stamps: SugarPea Designs Pizza My Heart
• Paper: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade
• Ink: Memento Black and Copics
• Accessories: PTI Fine Linen button, Hemptique 10-lb red twine, Avery Elle Gold Sequins 

WPlus9: Step It Up Take 2

This is my second post today. Fresh Squeezed Love Sweet Love

is just a short scroll away.

I quickly posted a card last night for the second WPlus9 Birthday Challenge to Step It Up by adding dimension, but I just wasn't happy with the card.  I hate having products that I love and then not showing them off at their best.  So I am trying again today.  This one doesn't have triangles and it doesn't use gold so I should be in better shape!


I used a WPlus9 impression plate on this card (I think it's their only impression plate).  I love the subtle look of impression plates, but I find them very hard to photograph.  You'd have to leave some shadow on the card to see the texture.  So here's a close-up with some shadow.

Their new set, Whole Lotta Happy, has a number of shaped balloons along with a variety of "happy" sentiments.  I saw that the new challenge at Seize the Birthday was to use a topping of a heart on a birthday card so clearly my heart balloon had to see ink today!

• Stamps: WPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy
• Paper: MFT Berrylicious, Lemon Tart, Blu Raspberry
• Ink: MFT Berrylicious
• Accessories: WPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy dies, Happy Trio die, Chevron Impression Plate, Hemptique 10-lb kraft twine, Neat & Tangled sequins, MFT Fishtail Layers die

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Love Sweet Love

It's my day to post over at Fresh Squeezed Stamps.  They have a couple of love/heart stamps that have become my favorites because of the wide-variety of styles and the fun sentiments in each.  So clearly I had to do a Valentine's card for Valentine's day!

What I didn't plan on using was the new deer from Close Your Ears: Deer, but isn't he just perfect with that sentiment?!


Besides, after making three or four cards that I thought would be for my husband, but really weren't quite right - I finally have one that I like.  This is perfect for him.  I did think about adding the arrow that comes with the heart, but it just looked wrong with an arrow through the deer.  My husband would have loved it though!

• Stamps: Fresh Squeezed Stamps When Hearts Collide, Close Your Ears: Deer
• Paper: Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana, unknown scrap
• Ink: Papertrey Ink Soft Stone, Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana, Versafine Onyx Black
• Accessories: Lil' Inkers Stitched Rectangles, MFT Fishtail dies, Hemptique 10-lb kraft twine, Anna Marie Sugardot Stickers enamel heart

WPlus9: Step It Up with a Whole Lotta Happy

WPlus9 is having a weekly challenge throughout February in celebration of their 4th birthday!  The first week's was to stay in your comfort zone.  This week is to step it up by adding dimension.  I've been waiting all week for my new order from them - the post office said Tuesday, it showed up late today (Thursday), but there's still 12 hours until the challenge closes - so here's my dimension.


Here's a better look at the dimension...

I challenged myself in other ways on this card too. I don't have geometric shape stamps - but I really liked the look of this new set Just Geometrics: Triangles so I am stretching a little.  (Check the set out on Dawn's card here.)  I also don't do gold - but it certainly is showing up everywhere.  (Check out Dawn's card here.)  By the point that I am writing this post, I have realized that the reason that I don't do gold is that it's impossible to photograph.  So the card was frustrating and I got careless near the end with crooked triangles and a sentiment...but given the challenge is offering up $100 WPlus gift card to a random winner - I'm entering it anyway!!  (And I'll do better on next week's challenge!)

• Stamps: WPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy, Just Geometrics: Triangle
• Paper: Stampin' Up Coastal Cabana, misc gold
• Ink: Stampin' Up Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana
• Accessories: WPlus9 Whole Lotta Love dies, Hemptique 10-lb white twine

CAS(E) this Sketch: Oh Chute!

It's time for a new sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!

This bunny gives me such a chuckle.  I've used him before with a different sentiment from the set that says "You're Miles Above the Rest", but lately I seem to have more need of cards that say "I'm sorry I forgot" - so this particular sentiment seemed appropriate!


I think I'd be forgiven most anything with this cute bunny floating down from the sky!!

• Stamps: The Cat's Pajamas Oh Chute
• Paper: Stampin' U Bermuda Bay
• Ink: Memento Black and Copics
• Accessories: Two sizes of Fiskars cloud punches

Curtain Call: My Secret Admirer

Stacey Schafer, the founder and director of the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge does such a great job at building friendships among her design team members and keeping us all enthused.  Lately, we have been doing swaps!  We've had Secret Santas and Secret Admirers...and there's a Spring Fever swap coming up soon.

We're in the middle of our Secret Admirer swap and I was thrilled to find out that my "Secret Admirer" was Gayatri Murali. She is so amazing - she has cards on the covers of magazines and big names in the business becoming her fans.  I love her work. Every card she makes has some special touch - not a complicated touch - just something  unique that makes you go "wow".  If she isn't on your blog list yet - add her now!!

This is the package of goodies that she sent to me (all the way from Australia!)


So where do I even start with all of these goodies??
Also she sent a card...this is Gayatri's card - NOT mine, but I get to show it off anyway!

First, I decided to show off the stamp set.  It's Clearly Besotted Post It: Love.  The stamp and cancellation images are separate and then there are a number of images and sentiments that fit inside.  She also sent me the twine, the hearts and the dsp which is Pink Paislee's Secret Crush - you'll see it on all of my cards.  I added the "love you" which is from Simon Says Stamps.

Then I decided one of the die cuts was calling my name - a tandem bike!!  Then for reasons that I can't recall at this point, I decided to individually glue the itty-bitty stars.

Finally, I had to use a heart.  She sent me a number of card fronts already cut with this patterned heart.  The stamp is also from the Clearly Besotted set - and the sequins also came in my package!

Aren't I lucky??
If you want to see what everybody got and what they did with it - Curtain Call will have a post on Valentine's Day to show off all of our cards!

Merry Monday: Sleigh Bells Ring

I am thrilled to be the featured designer at Merry Monday this month!!  It's a wonderful team - they have been so welcoming and left such sweet comments on my first post last week.  And it's always fun to get a sneak peek at the challenges.

I was quite excited over this one because I have a charming set with animals that hadn't yet seen ink.  I fell in love with these deer as soon as I saw them.  That little fawn makes my heart go pitter-pat.   He's looking up at daddy deer with such awe.  You can also stamp dad without his antlers so he becomes mommy deer(!) - can you imagine the sweet scenes you could create with mom and baby.

I know you all have animal Christmas stamps.  And I know you all want a head-start on Christmas cards. So I look forward to seeing what you create!

• Stamps: Mama Elephant Winter Wonderland
• Paper: Stampin' Up Sahara Sand, Real Red
• Ink: Stampin' Up Soft Suede, Sahara Sand, Real Red, Versamark
• Accessories: Lawn Fawn twine, misc jingle bell and rhinestones (on the snowflakes), Wow Opaque Bright White Super Fine Embossing Powder (wow!  I think they need to shorten the name!)

Just Add Ink to CAS-ual Fridays: Super Lots!

If you visited my blog yesterday, you saw a very pink Valentine card for my 8-year-old niece that I made for "The Heart of the Matter" challenge at Catered Crop.  But that wasn't actually the first "heart" card that I had made.  I still like my first card - and I want to show it to you today - but when one realizes that one has forgotten one's sweet little niece, one tends to panic and instantly create a card!!

Anyway, here's the first card.  I was definitely inspired by the Over the Edge challenge at CAS-ual Fridays, particularly since I had a great stamp and die set by CAS-ual Fridays sitting in my NBUS stash that was begging to be used before Valentine's Day!

I have to admit that those three arrows in the bottom left of the card were intended to be haphazard - as if they were shot into a target, but I just don't do haphazard well.  

I stacked the indigo heart with three pieces of cardstock and the light blue heart with two pieces.  I wish I would have added a few more to the stacks for a more dramatic look, but it's not bad.

I love these colors together.  They came from the current challenge at Just Add Ink.

• Stamps: CAS-ual Fridays Cupid's Arrow
• Paper: Stampin' Up Sahara Sand CS, Pool Party CS, Island Indigo CS and dsp, Real Red dsp
• Ink: Memento Black and Copics
• Accessories: CAS-ual Fridays Heartboard Fri-Dies

Catered Crop: The Heart of the Matter

It is time for a new challenge at Catered Crop and once again, our amazing hostess, Linda, has gotten right to the heart of the matter when she says...


Without hearts and Valentines and all things Love-ly, February would just be another cold month between Christmas and Spring. So, for our first challenge of 2014 we want to give you every opportunity to share your heart. Just use a heart somewhere in your project and join the party.


I decided this was an opportunity to make sure that I had everybody covered for Valentine's Day and to my surprise, I had missed someone very important - my sweet 8-year old niece!  It was extra surprising because I had purchased a stamp set to use just for her!  Of course, even though I am a CAS designer who uses lots and lots of white space - and rarely any pinks - I threw caution to the wind for my 8-year old niece !!


I thought her sunglasses would be perfect for a "heart" challenge - aren't they cute?  Check out the sparkle on them close-up.

And five patterned papers!!!  Count 'em!!  (Don't miss the polka dots in the hearts)  Absolutely shocking for me.
I used the sketch and colors from Viva la Verve.  I'm feeling a little guilty because, although they clearly say that you don't have to use Verve stamps, I've always used their product.  But the sketch was just perfect for what I had in mind for this card!

It is definitely a week for hearts - so I know you'll play along!  If you are ahead of the game and have your Valentines all made - how about anniversary's or thank you (from the bottom of my heart).  I look forward to seeing what you create.  Be sure to link up over at Catered Crop.

• Stamps: My Favorite Things Pure Innocence Guess Who Loves You
• Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red CS and dsp, Pretty in Pink dsp, Papertrey Ink Soft Stone dsp (pants), American Crafts My Girl (shirt and text paper)
• Ink: Memento Black and Copics
• Accessories: My Favorite Things Staggered Heart border, Red Spica Glitter pen, Ranger Glossy Accents (sunglasses), Hemptique 10-lb white twine, Neat & Tangled sequins: Cotton Candy, Raspberry Red and Crystal Clear