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