Mojo Monday #267

 This week's sketch is brought to us by Julee and the large focal panel provides all sorts of options.

Continuing on my Christmas card binge, I pulled out some of my favorite MME papers which I loaded up on last year after Christmas when they were on sale.

Just love the sentiments and fonts from Verve's Richly Blessed set and selected this one for the card.  Since Christmas and Easter go hand in hand, I over stamped the cross in gold to make the connection and to add a little something to the sentiment panel.  Being that I am still smitten by my Martha Stewart jumbo snowflake punch, I just had to use it again.  Some red and gold twine as well as some faux stitching and a few gold bells finished things off nicely.

You can check out all the challenge details over on the  Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples!  Should you wish more details on their cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

Have a fabulous day and enjoy playing with this great sketch!  

 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Richly Blessed (Verve), All In A Row (Stampin' Up)
Paper:  Lost and Found (My Mind's Eye), Early Espresso, Real Red, Cream Linen
Ink:  Black, Chocolate Chip, Gold
Accessories:  Jumbo Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart), Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), 5/8" Red Satin Ribbon, Button, Gold and Red Twine, White Half Pearls, Gold Bells, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Lest We Forget

Today, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to those who have served, fought, and in many cases, given their life while defending our country's freedom. 

Personally, Remembrance Day has taken on an even deeper meaning since my husband's nephew joined the Canadian military about ten years ago and now serves as a major in the artillery division.  He has completed two tours in Afghanistan, with his second tour being an unexpected and very hard tour to walk into.  You see, he was called upon to be the captain of a regiment which had lost its captain.  That is harsh in of itself, as they are a very tight group, but what made it all the more difficult, was discovering the fallen captain he was to replace was his wife's best friend (and a good friend of his) who died while she and the men under her command were defending themselves against a roadside attack.  I met her and spoke with her at his wedding about two years prior to her death.  Needless to say, the reality and face of war rose to a whole new level.

In addition, today when we went to thank a veteran who was selling poppies for his service on behalf of our country, he shared with us that he was one of the men who was part of the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy.  The pages of history came alive right before our eyes!

Freedom has a cost....  May we never.  Ever. Take it for granted.

Just Us Girls #162 - Ribbon Wreath

 

This week is technique week over on the Just Us Girls blog and I am your hostess.

For this week's challenge, I thought I would share this fabulous ribbon wreath tutorial I tripped across last year and just loved!  It is a bit heavy on the ribbon (takes about two yards of ribbon), but the out come is well worth it - at least in my books anyway!    Here is the link to the You-Tube tutorial.

I used 1/4" satin ribbon on this wreath, but have also made one with 3/8" grosgrain ribbon (here is the link to that post) so you aren't limited to any particular width of ribbon.  You could even use 1" ribbon and make a Christmas tree ornament if you like, or use some gold or silver twine and to make yourself some cute earrings.  Kids love making these too!!  I made them with my daycare kids last year and they loved them!   Just have fun with it and see what you come up with.

I pulled out some of last year's Lost and Found Christmas paper by MME, which I just looooove, and combined it with an old There She Goes sketch.  Dimensionals were a great way to adhere the wreath to the crimped panel and to give it some depth.  A few red bells finished things off nicely.

I'd love to see your ribbon wreaths fill the JUGS gallery this week.  For some inspiration to get you going, just hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out what the Design Team and our November Guest Designer Jan Del Bone have created.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your wreath card/project to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chick of the Week.

Sunshine in the forecast for my son's soccer game, so I'm a happy soccer mom LOL!  Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Glad Tidings (Verve) 
Paper: Lost and Found (My Mind's Eye), Kraft, Cream Linen  
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Crimper, Tag Die (PTI), 1/4" Green and Red Satin Ribbon, Brown Half Pearls, Red and Gold Twine, 5/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Red Bells, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Tuesday Trigger

This week's Tuesday Trigger over at the Moxie Fab blog was a fun one so I decided to play along.  Just love the colour combo and the felt, rolled flowers were such a great idea for a wreath theme.

I decided to make some rolled roses in various sizes as per the inspiration picture, and then placed them them around the edge of a round card in an attempt to mimic the wreath.  Used Verve's Lean On Me set as I just love the mix of fonts and how the sentiments just pop because of the big bold word in them.

The sunshine has finally returned again so we are all happy campers here.  A bit nippy, but I'll take it!  Provides a good chance to clean up the flower beds etc. for the winter, and of course, rake more maple leaves off the grass.

Have a fabulous day, and as the card says, know you are special :)  Your visits and comments always encourage me.

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Lean On Me (Verve), French Script (Stampin' Up) 
Paper: Early Espresso, Mellow Moss, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Kraft, Brown, Cream Linen 
Ink: Black, Sahara Sand 
Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties,  Rolled Rose Dies (My Favorite Things), Pennant Trim Die (Verve), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Bird Punch (Stampin' Up), Leaf Punch (Martha Stewart), Black Half Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Happy Holidays

Time to start the November Verve sketches.  This week's sketch is brought to us by Amber and it was a fun one to work with.

Not sure what possessed me, but I ended up making a totally non-traditional Christmas card.  Nothing like pink polka dots and yellow stripes to stir things up a bit!  Love being a rebel sometimes :)   Or maybe it was just Diva Moe whispering loudly in my ear when I was pondering what to do with this sketch (wink, wink, Moe!).

All in all, it was a lot of fun to make, and I enjoyed walking on the wild side of non-traditional Christmas card colours {grin}.

The kids have a four day weekend coming up so it's a short week times two for me!  Think we'll try to get our Christmas shopping done and rake up the next batch of maple leaves that have fallen to the ground.   Then it's some R & R with a Netflix movie or two and some popcorn.  Love hanging out with my kids and will take all the time I can get with them as they are growing up waaaay too quickly!    

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Glad Tidings (Verve) 
Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Stampin' Up DSP 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Snowflake Cut Up (The Cat's Pajama's), Lacy Oval and Oval Nesties, 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

November SFYTT

 
Hard to believe this is the second to last SFYTT sketch!  Where has the year gone?!  Jumped on it early this month as I wanted to change things up from all the Christmas cards I've been making.

Love these MME papers and dove in and used this bold, flower patterned piece as my starting point.  The rest flowed from there.  Even used a sentiment from this "Jen inspired" Verve sentiment set.  It's been a while since I've used a butterfly so was happy to do crimp one and add it to the card.

Wasn't totally satisfied with the card as the cream just jumped out at me, so I distressed the edges to give it a little something and was happy with the result.

So proud of my son who played his best soccer game this season over the weekend.  He scored a goal and set up the assist for the second - all as the rain just poured down on them the entire game.  He even won the best offensive player of the game jersey.  Yes, I am a proud mama :)

Thanks for dropping by today!

 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Treasured Words (Verve)  
Paper: Stella and Rose (MME), Kraft, Old Olive, So Saffron, Cream Linen 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle and Circle Nesties, Medium Scalloped Border Die (PTI), Flutterby Butterfly Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Distressing Tool (Stampin' Up), 5/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Button, Glue Dots, Twine, Dimensionals

Mojo Monday #266

 
It's the first Monday of the month which that means it's contest week over on the Mojo Monday blog, and Julee has provided this wonderful sketch for you to work with.

I dug into my Christmas paper pack and pulled out some papers.  It's hard to see, but there are glitter patterns on the red and brown panels which gives it a bit of texture and shine.

I'm in love with my new Martha Stewart jumbo snowflake punch and jumped at the chance to use it.  Snowflake colours to date:  brown, green and red LOL.  I folded over and tied the end of my ribbon for a little something and added a "joy" tag as it is my favorite word for the Christmas season.

It's actually a word I love to ponder all year round, but it gets a little extra emphasis this time of year.  Since doing Ann Voskamp's Joy Dare it has become an even more profound word in my life.  Joy.   She's the author of One Thousand Gifts who puts out a monthly "joy dare" with a topic every day around which you journal three things you are thankful for.  Here is a link to her blog if you are interested.  Joy in everything!  Even when the going gets tough...  Joy can do so much...from changing your attitude to being something you can freely give to anyone through a smile or otherwise.  Love it!

You can check out all the challenge details are over on the  Mojo Monday blog and also get a chance to view all the wonderful Mojo Makers samples!  Should you wish more details on their cards, you can also visit their individual blogs noted below.

Carole Burrage

Debbie Carriere

Julee Tilman (Owner)

Marisa Ritzen (you are here)

Mary Fish

Sarah Biglow

Teresa Kline

Stephanie Kraft

Wanda Cullen

Have a great day and make sure to spread some joy.  People will be glad you did, and you will be changed for having done so :) 

 

What's In It?
Stamps:  Tag Time (Verve)
Paper:  On the Bright Side (My Mind's Eye),Kraft, Cream Linen, Old Olive
Ink:  Black
Accessories:  Scalloped Circle  Nesties, Snowflake Punch (Martha Stewart), Snowflake Punch (Marvy) Lattice Embossing Folder (Stampin' Up), 5/8" Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Button, Gold Twine, White Half Pearls, ,  Black Half Pearls, Gold Twine, Button, Glue Dot, Dimensionals

Just Us Girls #161

This week's Just Us Girls challenge is a sketch challenge and it's brought to us by Lynn.  Love the large panel on the sketch as it opens the door for endless options :) 

I chose to flip the sketch so the scallop would be along the top, mainly due to the fact I got these PTI edger dies some time ago and haven't used them yet!!  I know...the shame of it!  In addition, it was the perfect opportunity to use this wonderful MFT tea pot die my wonderful blogging buddy Vickie gave me.  Love all the sentiments and tea pot accessories and decorating options in this set!  Thank you again, Vickie ((hugs))!!

We would love to see what you create with this week's sketch, so hop on over to the Just Us Girls blog, and check out.what the Design Team and our November Guest Designer Jan Del Bone have created for your inspiration.  Then put your creative genes to work and add your card to the challenge post on the JUGS blog for the chance to be selected as Chick of the Week.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Always Time for Tea, All Year Cheer I (Stampin' Up)
Paper: DSP (Statmpin' Up), Brocade Blue, Small Dots (Making Memories) 
Ink: Black, VersaMark 
Accessories:  Always Time for Tea Dynamics (MFT), Edger Die (PTI), Lacy Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Flower Punch (Marvy), 5/8" Pink Satin Ribbon, Button, Twine, Dimensionals

Deconstructed Sketch #76

 If you have followed my blog for any amount of time you know I just love making round cards.  Therefore, when I saw this fabulous Deconstructed Sketch, I just had to play along :)

I'm still in love with making folded trees, and this time round, I found some double sided designer paper that worked perfectly for what I needed.  A nice little trio was created and became the focal panel of the card.   Again, the tutorial for these can be found here.   They are quick and easy and loads of fun to make.  Worth giving them a try.  Was even thinking of showing my kids how to make them so they can put them on their teacher's Christmas cards.

Doing a happy dance because today is Friday and it has been a very long week...  Good news is, there is  Verve release party tonite and that is a great way to start the weekend.  If you want to join in on the fun, here is the link to the party forum on SCS.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and I'll be back later tonite, or tomorrow morning depending on which time zone you are in, with my Just Us Girls card.

Bye for now :)

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Glad Tidings (Verve) 
Paper: DSP (SU), Kraft, Real Red, Cream 
Ink: Black  
Accessories:  Lacy Circle and Circle Nesties, Scalloped Border Punch (Stampin' Up), Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, (Provo) Button, Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

The Snowflakes Are Falling

Diva Laurie provided this week's Verve CAS sketch.  I'm glad it's CAS week because time was short and I needed to get the last Verve sketch of the month done in order to qualify for the draw.

Since it's Christmas on my blog now, I was sorting through my Christmas papers and came across this absolutely delicious Snowfall Blizzard paper by Bo Bunny which I got on sale after Christmas last year.  Just love this colour combo and the glittered snowflake and flourish pattern is sooo pretty that it was hard to cut into!  Ever have that problem?!

I crimped Verve's Tagged Rectangle die and added a brown snowflake to it -- heck figured since I had a red snowflake on Monday's card, why not have a brown one today.  Added some silver bells and a bit of cording to add to the sparkle.  Gotta love it when Mike's has a 50% off coupon and you have two kids in tow who can each use a coupon for you.  Needless to say, I am a happy mama as I now have gold, silver and multi-coloured bells in my stash :) 

So excited to see what Julee has put together for this Friday's Verve release!  Keeping my fingers crossed in the hopes of being the lucky person who wins the entire release (sending subliminal messages to Random.org as we speak LOL!).

Have a fabulous day and just want to let you know how much I appreciate all of you who share a bit of your time with me in my tiny corner of blog land ((hugs))! 

 

What's In It?
Stamps: Glad Tidings (Verve) 
Paper: Snowfall Blizzard (Bo Bunny) Cocoa, Cool Caribbean 
Ink: Black 
Accessories:  Tagged Rectangle Die (A Cut Above by Verve), Snowflake Die (Cuttlebug), 5/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Button, Silver Twine, Silver Bells, Glue Dots, Dimensionals