Dynamic Trio Tag

I love creating tags and this week's Cardabilities sketch was the perfect excuse to make one :)   I combined it with this week's Dynamic Duos with pink being my extra colour of choice and as luck would have it, Crazy 4 Challenges has a tag challenge this week.  Gotta love a three for!

I just love pink and white and kraft together.   Another colour combo that just makes me hapyp :)   I went on the girly side with this tag and was doing a happy dance because I used two things from my discard die pile - whoo hoo! Need to use a ton more to make a dint in it, but at least it is a start.

I celebrated the start of summer vacation (aka: not having to get up early) by staying up well past midnight reading a book - grin :)  Summer is my oppurtunity to put a dint in my ever growing reading list, and I must say I am very much enjoying my Kindle as well as becoming fast friends with the library again...happy sigh.

As a celebratory gift for the kids doing so well in school this year (4.0 for my daughter's first year in high school and 5 As and 2 Bs for my son - yes, I'm a very proud mommy!) we got a three pack of Nerf water guns.  Mommy nixed the battery operated one (makes it automatically shoot water instead of having to pump it to spray) and managed to coerse them into getting a 3 pack of pump guns so we could have family water gun fights.  HUGE shout out to Nerf for making the three pack and for being brilliant in their design as you can attach a regular water bottle to the end, versus the smallish water pack you get with the gun, making for longer lasting water ammo.  Mommy (being just a tad competative) tried a large pop bottle on the end and it fit like a charm, thus providing me with a very large and long lasting water supply and the opportunity to soak my kids well after their water supply had run out.  Needless to say, my son had THE biggest grin on his face when he realized the potential for future encounters :)  Let the water gun wars begin!!!



What's In It?
Paper: Kraft, Rose Romance 
Accessories:  Labels 4 Nestabilities, Flutterby Die (Verve), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Flourish Die (MFT), Crimper, Jumbo Brad, Lace, Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dots 

Retro Nuts

 I've made it back home after running for the hills when I saw last week's Retro Sketch LOL!  Yes....I'm a wimp...grin :)   However, this week's sketch is much more up my alley and I had fun making this card.

In my attempt to yet again break away from my flower and butterfly rut, I pulled out PTI's Autumn Acorn set.  Love the various shapes and sizes of the acorns as well as the different tops you can put on them.  Needless to say, I chose the polka dotted tops ;)  Leaves gave me a bit of grief as I wasn't sure how to place them so after some fussing, what you see is what you get LOL!   Tim Holtz's woodgrain embossing folder provided a "tree" for the acorns and I cased the button placement from one of the DT's card samples.

Just love working with these colours and am already getting giddy about using my beloved PTI maple leaf die come Fall :)  Mind you, with the weather we've been having the past few months, it could definitely be Fall now -ugh!!  Come on summer!!

Thanks for popping in today - your company is always appreciated :)

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Autumn Acorns
Paper: Early Espresso, More Mustard, Kraft
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, More Mustard, Mellow Moss
Accessories:  Autumn Acorn Die Set (PTI), Woodgrain Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz), Scalloped Border Punch (SU), Corner Rounder, Button, Half Pearls, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Playing With Some Mojo and a Splash Colour

Time for another round card  as it's round or square week over at the Mojo Monday blog.  I combined the sketch with this week's Play Date Cafe's Color Splash challenge.  Such a dramatic colour combo I just had to give it a try.  Plus I just love black and white cards, and when you add a pop of colour it is always a great way to add some of pizzaz :)

I enabled myself by using some of my favorite things on this card: a round card, lacy circle nesties, polka dots and a butterfly.  Yes, I was a happy girl making this card :)

Down to just a few days of school left and then we are into summer full swing.  Still doesn't feel right due to the severe lack of sunshine and warm weather the past three months!!  Here's hoping the weather turns around because cold, wet weather and kids home 24/7 is not a good combination for a mom's sanity to stay in tact LOL!

   

What's In It?
Stamps: Joyful Blooms (Verve) 
Paper: Sugar Dots (Bo Bunny), Black, Brilliant Blue 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Flutterby Die (Verve), Seeing Spots Embossing Folder, 5/8" Sheer Black Ribbon, Crimper, Button, 1/4" Black Satin Ribbon, Bling, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

PTI June Blog Hop

Welcome to June's PTI blog hop.  The inspiration picture this month brought green, yellow and grey as well as flowers, pleats and ruffles.

I stuck to the colour combo and used more of my Recollections DP pack from Michael's for the papers.  Some crimping of the flower die (my favorite PTI flower die to date) and ruffling of the ribbon brought in the texture of the inspiration picture.  If I had a sewing machine I would have pleated the ribbon, but since it is still on my wish list I opted for ruffling my ribbon instead.

I used this week's Verve sketch, which I tweaked just a bit so I could get the flower in.  The small thank you sentiment from A Year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley was the perfect size and font to squeeze in.  Will use this as another of my teacher thank you cards this coming week.

Thanks for stopping by and wishing you a great day :)

 

What's In It?
Stamps: A year of Flowers: Lily of the Valley (PTI), Bloom and Grow (Verve) 
Paper: Recollections DP (Michael's), Mint Medley, Going Grey, So Saffron 
Ink:  Black, Going Grey 
Accessories:  Beautiful Blooms II  Die #1 (PTI), Elegant Leaves Die (Verve), Notebook Die (MFT), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Crimper, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, 5/8" Grey Grosgrain Ribbon, Double Sided Tape, Half Pearls, Dimensioanls

Thank You Recollections

 
 I wanted to use this previous Cards and Things sketch as I liked the layout.  I altered it to a standard sized card instead of a square one and since I am in need of a few thank you notes for teachers, it was my mission for this card.

The paper in the background is a pack of Recollections DP I picked up at Michael's at 50% off - score!  I'm loving a lot of the papers in it and though I wasn't sure about this one when I first saw it,  I quite like what it adds to this card.  Lots of dies and punches finished things off.  As luck would have it, it also qualifies for this week's CR84FN challenge :)


One child home from school for the summer and one week left for the other one!   I'll be donning my "eau de chlorine" once again in a few weeks time as we delve right  into swimming lessons.  My fasciitis is just about healed so I get to go swim laps and suck wind for the first few days of the kids' lessons LOL!  Will feel great to exercise again, and I can get back to my fit and firm at fifty and beat down the flab factor a bit :)

Wishing you a wonderful day!

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Celebration of Thanks (Verve), French Script
Paper: Kraft, So Saffron, Going Grey, Certainly Celery, Recollections DP (Michael's)  
Ink: Black, Going Grey
Accessories:  Lacy Circle Nesties, Curvy Bookplate Die (Verve), Monarch Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Rolled Rose Die (My Favorite Things), Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensinoals

Sorry...More Verve Flowers...

We got a bit of a shake up with the Verve sketch order as this week is CAS sketch instead of next week.  No worries here, I was short on time so CAS was great! 

Had a left over flower and leaf from another card I was working which ended up in my scrap bin so decided to use them (need to do that more often as my scarp bin is full to over flowing!).  Paired them with kraft as this colour combo makes me swoon...not chocolates or flowers, but a colour combo....go figure...I know, I'm not normal LOL!   A touch of twine and some green half pearls called it a card.

Can not believe it is my daughter's last day of school today!!  Reality of summer vacation is hitting hard!!  Two more weeks until my son is off so still a little bit of me time as my daughter is our introvert who will sit and read for hours but my son is our extrovert who needs to be on the move and stimulated so he is harder to keep busy.  When he was a kid he only  had two speeds - go and sleep.  He definitely loves and lives life to the fullest :)  Love him to bits but he wears me out at times LOL!

Thanks for dropping by and a big thank you to my new followers :)  




What's In It?
Stamps: Dream Big (Verve), Hero Arts
Paper: So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Kraft
Ink: Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Elegant Leaf Die (Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), White Embossing Powder, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Half Pearls, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Colours

Loved this week's colour combo at the ColourQ.  The blues and olive are so striking together - hmmm, hmmm good :)  Paired them with this week's Freshly Made Sketch.

Decided to buck the masculine option and play with some more of my Verve flowers.  These are from the Dream Big set.  I fussy cut the two largest and then layered them.  The two butterflies were the finishing touch as the circle seemed a bit plain to me.

Yes, the flower and butterfly rut continues...sorry!  Just that time of year.  Take them while you can get them because soon enough I'll be using my beloved PTI maple leaf die all the time LOL!

Phew!  Survived yet another Sports Day!  The weather was absolutely perfect this year - warm but not too warm with a small breeze.  Kids had a great time, did my stint at the concession stand, took some pictures, and got to catch up with lots of parents I don't get to chat with very often (that's what happens when your kids get older and you don't all hang out in the playground after school any more).  Great fun was had by all and our Juneuary weather (it's the coldest June we have had here in about 45 years!) took a tiny vacation and we all got a bit sun kissed today :)

Wishing you all glorious weekend!

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Dream Big (Verve)
Paper:  Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, Old Olive
Ink: Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Border Punch (SU), Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Psalm 37:4

This week's Card Patterns sketch drew me in like a magnet because of the large circle.  I combined it with this week's Ribbon Reel inspiration challenge and getting the red in there was definitely a challenge!

After a wide variety of attempts, I finally settled on adding this prima flower since it was a darker pink and toned down the the red button on the bow.  I also added (aka:tried) a bit of distressing around the edges to tone down and soften the cream so the the red didn't stand out so much.  Needless to say, my sponging has much to be desired, but it did the trick so mission accomplished.

I'm also entering this in to this week's Word Art Wednesday challenge to make a card with an inspirational or encouraging sentiment.  This verse is such a great verse and encourages me often so I figured it qualified :)

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Psalm 37:4 Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper:  Kraft, Sahara Sand, Pretty in Pink, Making Memories DP, Cream Linen
Ink: Black, Sahara Sand, Antique Linen Distress Ink (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Elegant Leaf Die (Verve), Butterfly Punch (Martha Stewart), Prima Flower, 5/8" Pink Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Being Confident

This sketch had me swallowing hard when I first saw it due to all the panels on it.  I lean more toward the CAS side of things so this one was a stretch, but good for exercising the old creative genes :)

I decided to go a-la Tosh (a far cry from her work, but she was my inspiration) and dress this puppy up.  The starting point was my life verse of Phil 1:6 which Julee so blessed me with by putting it into stamp form.

Three quarters of the card came together quite quickly, but the flower cluster area and what to put on the left hand corner of the sentiment panel brought production speed to a near stop - ugh!  I tried a what seemed like a bazillion things, from colours, to ribbon, to lace and thankfully, I tripped across this perfectly coloured seam binding or I think I would have gone insane LOL!  Did some major surgery on the flower (cut it down and opened it up quite a bit) and thankfully it still held together - phew.

That's it for today.  Enjoy your day and thanks for sharing a bit of yours with me :)



What's In It?
Stamps: Phil 1:6 Plain Jane (Verve)
Paper: Early Espresso, Cameo Coral, Tan, Cream Linen, Recollections DP (Michael's)
Ink: Black
Accessories:  Heart Circle Nesties, Martha Stewart Border and Butterfly Punches, Flourish Die (My Favorite Things), Seam Binding, Flower, Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Retro Smile

 I'm quite enjoying the Retro Sketch challenges (no doubt fueled by the fact I've received an honorable mention for a few wink, wink) and this one looked like another fun sketch to play around with.  

I combined it with this week's CR84FN challenge as I just love yellow and grey together.   I must admit I did a bit of a double take when I saw this week's colours as I recall using them before, but when I checked things out (it's the anal part of me), challenge #49 had yellow, grey and kraft.  Close but not the same.  Phew, I'm not losing my mind LOL!

Just "had" to use another Verve flower - yah, I'm addicted.  Embossed the Dream Big flower with black on saffron paper, and darn it all if some embossing powder splatter did not occur - ugh!  Too lazy to go back and do another so left it as is....hanging my head in shame....but since the other layers also have some flecks, I'm chalking it up to a splatter effect....okay....I lied....I was just too lazy to redo them!


Thanks for popping by :)



What's In It?
Stamps: Dream Big, Great Friend and Celebration of Thanks (Verve) 
Paper: So Saffron, Basic Grey DSP and Going Grey (Stampin' Up) 
Ink:  Going Grey, Black 
Accessories:  Labels 8 Nesties, 5/8" Satin Saffron Ribbon, Black Half Pearls, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Getting Some Java Joy

Haven't played with this wonderful Better With You coffee set from Verve for some time so decided to pull it out and use it on this week's sketch.  Was great fun making a square card again too. Forget how much I enjoy making them.

I didn't colour the coffee cup as I am not a colourer (not a proper word I'm sure but you know what I mean LOL!) so I pulled in the green by paper piecing the heart.   VersaMarked the coffee ring stamp to create the background and finished things off with some fun polka dotted ribbon.

Now I'm craving a tall, non-fat decaf latte so may just have to jump in the car and head to Starbucks to get my fill of java joy LOL!

Have a great day!

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Better With You (Verve)
Paper:  Early Espresso, Mellow Moss, Tan, Cream Linen
Ink:  Black, VersaMark
Accessories:  Scalloped Square, Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, Crimper, Brown Half Pearls, Ribbon, Dimensionals

Mojo 244 Sketch

Can I have some mommy gush time for just a bit....thanks ;)  SO proud of my daughter who won the junior poetry writing contest at her school this past week!  She got $75 and a bound book with all the winner's submissions for all three categories (poetry, fiction, and non-fiction).  Funny thing is she didn't even hear the announcement as she was in the gym change rooms where they are hard to hear so when she went to the cafeteria for lunch she got mauled by people giving her hugs and congratulating her and she didn't know why LOL!  She has an amazing ability to write poetry and though she doesn't think hers is anything special, I think this has told her otherwise and will encourage her to keep writing. 

Okay, mommy gush is now over....on to the card :)  This week's Mojo sketch was a great one and since I have been in a rather large flower rut lately...okay....again...lol, I figured I would go to the cutesy side as I don't do that very often.

Haven't used my Stampin' Up owl punch for some time so pulled it out and enjoyed creating a cute girl owl and card in one of my favorite colour combos - pink and brown.  I always second guess myself with the pupil placement of the eyes when I use this punch as I'm never quite sure if I get the location right. Just don't want them to look cross eyed!

Back to my craft area I go in order to cram in as much time as possible before school is out and the kids are home 24/7.  I giggle as all my teacher stamping friends have the opposite reaction to the countdown - they can't wait for school to be done so they have more time to stamp.  Gotta love life :) 

 

What's In It?
Paper: Early Espresso, Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Costco DP, Making Memories DP
Accessories: Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, Owl, Bird and Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up!), Distressed Stripes Embossing Folder, 5/8" Pink Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Roses For "U"

Here's my kick at the can for this week's Freshly Made sketch.  Loved the simplicity of the sketch and had great fun going with one of my favorite colour combos:  pink, brown, kraft and celery.  This combo just makes my heart sing :)  

My on going addition to rolled roses provided me with a substitution for the ribbon on the sketch and my beloved "U" and Flutterby dies from Verve came out to play again.  Must say I am quite happy with the outcome and can't wait to send it to a friend for her birthday :)  One of my favorite things about this card making hobby - you can personalize the card to fit the person to a tee.  Think she'll be giddy when she receives this.

Another busy weekend in the making - never a dull moment around here this time of year!    Hope yours is an enjoyable one.

 

What's In It?
Stamps: French Script (SU)
Paper: Early Espresso, Kraft, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Rose Romance
Ink:  VersaMark
Accessories:  Lattice Embossing Folder (SU), U and Flutterby Dies (Verve), Martha Stewart Leaf Punch, Rolled Rose Die (MFT), Ribbon, Twine, Button, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Smile

Wanted to get this month's Sketch For You To Try done early as June is always insanely busy with it being the last month of school before summer vacation.  Parent and teacher teas, Sports Day, year end field trips and parties, soccer tournaments, piano recitals and exams, and the list goes on!  Tired just thinking about it!

Sorry...enough complaining! Back to the card.  I combined this month's SFYTT with this week's ColourQ which had a wonderful mix of colours to work with.  After a brief hiatus, I'm back to flowers and polka dots....sorry...well, not really....LOL...I just love making cards with them.


Lots of Verve goodies on this card - happy sigh.  Used three different sets for this card.  Just love how you can mix and match Verve stamps and dies - just in case you hadn't noticed how much I use them :)   

Wishing you a fabulous day!  Thanks for dropping by.

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Celebration of Thanks, Bloom and Grow, Great Friend (Verve)
Paper:  Certainly Celery, Read Red DSP, Teal, Turquoise
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Elegant Leaves Die (Verve) Martha Stewart Butterfly Punches, Scalloped Border Punch (SU), Black Half Pearls, Dimensionals