Jackapp Souffle

M is for Monogram

2009-08-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

The challenge today at 365 cards was to use a monogram. I made a wedding card for Ashley and Bryce who will be married in less than a month now. I've been helping out A LOT with this wedding, so I'm happy it's almost here. It will be great to see everything come to fruition. I think this card is still missing a little something, but I want it to be simple, and I like that it looks vintage since that is a major theme of the wedding.

Here's the back:
details:
The shape is lily bee French Couture die cut.
Jenny Bowlin Chipboard buttons
Marcella K sticker letters for monogram
Vellum stickers on back and front K & Company.
Thread and ribbon is from my stash.

This one is for Card-A-Licious ~ Pink, Green and Orange Friendship card
I used my Tim Holtz mask and blended pink ink all over white card stock. Then I used some orange scraps I had to make the frame. Outlined with my black flair marker and slapped on the Spoil Yourself stamp from Craft Affair. Then the inside (below) is a Inkadinkado set. I stamped both in distress ink peeled paint. I don't know why, but neither stamp photographed well.

That's it for me. Now I need to clean up around here, so maybe the hubs and I can shake this funk we've been in!

Me, I'm doing well...

2009-08-23T09:14:00.001-07:00

I've been in a bit of a crap mood the last couple days. It doesn't help that the hubs is out of town. Well, it does and it doesn't. I just got a bunch of new crafty stuff and now am on a spending freeze b/c it got a little crazy there for a while. So, here I am trying to look on the bright side...

Super Sketch Sunday over at 365 Cards: Sorry for the fuzzy photo, but here's my take:
I wanted to do a tiny card b/c I thought that would be faster. Not really! The card base came from a Mackenzie Mae kit, the patterned paper is Sassafras as are the stickers (pop dotted), and the ribbon is Cosmo Cricket. I did some faux stitching to give the illusion of a pocket and that stamp is Inkadinkado.

365 Day #175 Stampin' Saturday

I'll let Pam explain this one, "The challenge for today is all about layering stamps. Now, I'm not talking about masking, but actually overlapping stamps to create a really neat effect. Probably the best way to do this is to create a background, but it's not necessary." This was my first time doing this and I really enjoyed it. Other than it being messy... I hate creating a mess. It helped that I just got all my Ebay purchases yesterday! Including 7 sets of Tim Holtz stamps for only $25! Anyway, I used the script stamp and stamped lightly in Colorbox "Stucco," then stamped the frame and the bird in black and heat embossed the Love stamp. I also added the flower stamp as an after thought also in the Stucco... wish I didn't. Then I just used the blending tool around the edges so the middle would appear brighter. Oh, and the paper is Sassafras.

Day #174 ~ Just Peachy

Peach had to be the predominant color on the card. I think I achieved that, although I do think one girl's peach is another girl's coral, but whatever. I used the same flower stamp as above (no clue what company) and stamped it with the same "Stucco" ink on the peach scrap I had. Then I layered some vellum over it that is printed with leaves. Then I put the Cosmo "Jack's World" rub-on over that, added some brads in the corners and voila!

Day #166 ~ Recipe

I had to wait to do this one b/c I didn't have any embossing powder.

The recipe:

4x7 card

5 blossoms

glitter

wet embossed statement

3 different patterned papers

OK, so this turned out alright... not great, but it'll do. The patterned papers are all Sassafras. The Thank you stamp is "Jack's World" from Cosmo Cricket. I just got the Martha Stewart doily edge punch, so I HAD to use it. The flowers are prima and I used glitter pens on them. I despise loose glitter. This was my first time doing any embossing with my heat gun. I had a lot of fun with it... The only thing I don't like is the way it warps the paper. Am I holding the gun too close??

OK, that's all for now. Have a lovely Sunday!

Candy Girl

2009-08-19T23:12:00.001-07:00

There are lots and lots of people out there being super generous, so I thought I'd try to take a few of them up on their generosity!

Here's what they are offering up at the Crafty Den: And the loot at Scrapping with Vision:
More stuff at Sassy Designs by Susie:

I think they have some stamps at Priscilla Styles:

A Scrap Addict has candy!

Butterfly Kisses has candy!
Keepsakes by Melissa has candy!

AND I WANT IT!

One of these days I will post my own candy... but for now I'm still trying to win win win! Wish me luck!

I'll think of a title later...

2009-08-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

2 Sketches 4 You Mine:

This also works for 365 #43 ~ Gift Card holder

Cosmo Cricket tag, BG Junebug paper, CC Jack's World scalloped ribbon. The rest is random stuff.

Day 171 ~ Trio = Button, Triangle, Sticker

I used Sassafras stickers (buttons at corners and star), the star has 10 triangles in there (count em!), and if you can't figure out the buttons... The tag itself is My Mind's Eye. It took me a while to get my head wrapped around this one, but I like the result. Tammy's DT example was so good, I couldn't think of anything but trees for days. LOL

Day #172 ~ ABC's and 123's

Had to use letter stickers and a number. I don't know what company these letter stickers are, all I know is I have A LOT of them. My guess is American Crafts. The card base came from the Michael's dollar bin. This is another inside joke card. It's in celebration of being friends for 10 years. The joke centers around a rap song (Drama "Left, Right, Left"). They spell out stuff in the song and we could never figure out what it spelled. It was later pointed out to us (several years later) that we could have written down the lyrics or maybe looked up the lyrics. Anyway, this all probably falls under the category of "You had to be there...", so I'll spare you the rest.

Day #173 ~ Mixed Message

I'll let Pam explain this one in her own words:

Incorporate THREE ways to create a sentiment to make one big sentiment. Mix and match things like stamped, alpha stickers, handwritten, computer-generated, transfers, etc.
I'm not sure I quite met the challenge, but I used the ribbon, some thickers and my dymo. I was really just messing with some ribbon scraps and playing with my glue dispenser and noticed there was a new challenge up. I was already half done with the card. I was also playing with some embossing. LOL. This card is such a mixed bag, I'm not sure what to think of it. Do not ask me where I got any of this stuff b/c it was all scattered across my desk.

That's it for me. Night Y'all!

Double Duty

2009-08-17T00:13:00.001-07:00

Pam posted this challenge at 365 ~ Today's challenge is called Double Duty because I want you to make a card that doubles as something else.... examples would be a bookmark, a place card, or some sort of pocket card. HOWEVER - NO GIFT CARD HOLDERS OR MONEY HOLDERS!

I was already in the process of making this box for our neighbors. How very serendipitous! This will hold some cookies for our neighbors who are always helping us out with something.
Top of the box is above (you'll see lots of my messy craft space in the background). The envelope is attached to the top of the box and there is an insert that slides out to express our gratitude in a few more words.

Another look...

Here's the inside:

And the bottom of the box which will be covered in cookies very soon!
Paper = October Afternoon Vacationer Motel (box top)

Ribbon = Cosmo Cricket Jack's World

Envelope = Sassafras Sunshine Lollipops

Bamboo Letters = Making Memories

I made the box with the Ultimate Crafter's Companion. I bought this a while ago and haven't really used it... then I started making some boxes and envelopes and tying bows... I'M IN LOVE! It's so helpful. Speaking of love... I want 20 more sets of those bamboo letters. They are fabulous.

OK, that's it. You think the neighbors will like it?

Sweetness

2009-08-16T22:30:00.001-07:00

My girlfriend broke plans with me tomorrow, so I can sleep in... And what am I doing? Staying up late (obvs).

Here is Super Sketchy Sunday over at 365 and a color scheme ala Double Dutch Everything on here is Sassafras and from Mackenzie Mae card kits. It's looking a little sloppy. More early am crafting from me. The sketch is below. This is one of my favorites from Pam so far. I hope to use it again (maybe not at 1am).

Double Dutch's color scheme was pink, brown and cream from what I can tell.

Cupcake, anyone?

Above is so you can see the dimension. This is one of my favorite cards ever! It looks better IRL.

This is for a few challenges:

365 #9 Use only scraps ~ All Sass and cs from Mackenzie Mae kit

Heart Hugs ~ inspired by picture below

Cinema Saturday ~ inspired by Sixteen Candles (so fun)

3 Clovers ~Use something digital (digi stamp)

Last, but not least...

Pile It On ~ Make it Masculine

Tim Holtz stamp says "to be all that is possible, we must attempt the impossible. to be all that we can be, we must dream of being more."

Rubbernecker ~ make a card using a favorite memory in your past as inspiration. It can be a favorite moment, event, trip, article of clothing...anything that brings a smile or a giggle. Oh, one more thing....you must tell us the story behind the memory!!!

I've been to Venice twice. Once as a 5 year old as seen below (and that's my little brother, Lance).

That hat I'm wearing was given to me by one of the Gondola drivers. I was obsessed with it for quite some time. I loved everything about it and jumped at the chance to go back when I was a freshman in high school. I loved it again at 14 and was thrilled to get hit on by Italian men and have the Gondola drivers sing to me. It's been far too long since I've been back to Italy and this pic always puts a smile on my face.

Seems like I'm always coming from behind...

2009-08-16T20:55:00.001-07:00

It was a rainy weekend here, so the hubs and I had a Dexter marathon and I didn't craft AT ALL! I didn't think this was possible... so here I am at midnight on Sunday getting last weeks cards done.

365 #168 Toile Well, this is something I know about. I worked in a fabric store for several years and actually sold this very print for several nurseries. I just found the picture online. I think I'll make some note cards like this. I wish I hadn't added the ribbon. I like the button though (Jenni Bowlin chipboard buttons).

365 #167 Gift
The challenge was to make this look like a wrapped gift. I think Pam said beautifully wrapped gift, but mine is just wrapped. I used Sass papers and CC ribbon. I'll fill out the heart tag when I decide where this is going.

365 #165 Shape Up

We had to make a star the dominant shape (it didn't have to be a star shaped card). I bought these shape card templates from the Cutting Cafe and then forgot about them. I love the star shape and thought it was perfect for my cousin that just went through a very difficult labor (she now has a beautiful baby girl to show for it). I wanted to recognize her and not just the baby, so this is for Jess! I used BG paper and a Sass sticker that I put on cs and pop dotted.

365 #164 Color Scheme

Well, I completed the challenge, but boy is this blah! The stitching got really wonky and overall this doesn't make me want to jump up and down. Oh, well! I almost forgot.... Sass polka dots. The blue filmstrip is from a Mackenzie Mae kit and the letters are Pink Paislee.

365 #163 Mask

I haven't done much masking. I generally don't like to get too messy. I did buy a bunch of Heidi Swapp masks on clearance, so I'm glad we had this challenge. I used the frame mask and my branch mask and the polka dot mask. This is a very sparkly card. I doused it in glimmer mist and used A LOT of my gold glitter pen.

Hope you enjoy the catch up!

I lied...

2009-08-08T23:21:00.000-07:00

Here's 365's sketch for the day:And here's my card:I apologize for the fact that it looks like a fraggle is growing out of the upper right and this picture is really bad! I used Sass papers and a CC tag (surprise). The button and jewels are Bo Bunny (be careful those jewels will blind you in the right light). Again, I really shouldn't craft at this hour... it always turns out kind of crappy.

Here's an old one I never got around to posting.

Day #52 at 365 Trio You had to have a brad a blossom and a circle... accomplished plus a very strange tag card for my niece who's birthday is right around the corner (in December).

365 Day #56 See through

You had to do something see-through. I used a transparency from a company that has escaped my mind (I can describe its exact location in Michael's if that helps...). Inkadinkado stamp. Does anyone know what Hullaboo is? me neither.

Now maybe I will sleep... probably not b/c I just ate half a bag of twizzlers.

Today was a good day...

2009-08-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

I've had that Ice Cube song in my head ALL DAY LONG. My husband has yelled at me quite a few times for singing it out loud. LOL

Ok, so here's a sketch from Basic Grey: Here's my card:
This is also for 365's collage. This did not photograph well no matter how hard I tried. Oh, well, pretty much everything on here is Basic Grey Lime Ricky. The ribbon is Cosmo Cricket Jack's World and the letters are American Craft Thickers. The brad is Chatter Box... the card is a mystery as well as the flowers.
365 day #57 sketch

Mine:

Strange? yes? Brads are Chatterbox. The squiggle loops are from Mackenzie Mae card kit from May (I think). Yellow paper is Basic Grey and Giggle is from Cosmo Cricket, of course!

365 # 55 Recipe

The recipe is:

5x5 card (solid cardstock)

4x4 patterned paper (Sassafrass)

1 shape (solid color also Sass)

3 jewels

alpha stickers (American crafts thickers)

365 #53 Fun with fruit

I found some more lace... and more Cosmo Cricket and more Sassafrass scraps.

Good night all... I've got to go walk the dog since he decided to eat his dinner at 1 in the morning! I hate going outside in the pitch black. This is the only time I miss city living.

Time marches on...

2009-08-06T22:40:00.000-07:00

Day 160 at 365... LACE Now, you would think that I would like lace since the name that most people call me is Laci... not so! And while we're on the subject... I hate this card. I can hear my mother saying, "Hate's a strong word." But really... I hate it. I'll probably have another go tomorrow when it isn't 2 am. The pom poms and the ribbon are from a Mackenzie Mae kit. The lace is from a My Creative Scrapbook kit (only lace I have). The frame is from a Sassafras paper that I'm not so fond of and the rest is pretty random...

Day 159 ~Make a scene Indoors
I used my texture plates to create some wallpaper and found the clipart online. Then I just penciled in some flooring, added some thickers and all done! I really liked the wallpaper... the rest is eh.

Day 158 ~ Use a sign

I used my October Afternoon diecuts for this and my texture plates again. This was simple and easy... don't know what I'm going to do with a vacation card, though.

Day 157 ~ Sunflowers

So, you didn't have to use sunflowers, just be inspired by them. I wasn't going to use them b/c I have sort of a love hate thing (my Dad bought me a sunflower sweatshirt that I am still traumatized by) going with sunflowers, but at the last minute I found these in the back of a drawer and thought, what the heck. I think this is cute and anything with Cosmo Cricket works for me! The flowers were in one of the discount bins at Michael's.

All done... good night!

Quickie

2009-08-04T07:08:00.001-07:00

This is day 156 over at 365 cards... We were to be inspired by the ad above... I wasn't really, but I made a card, anyway.
This really still needs something. I like the crumpled paper I used and inked, but that's where it ends...

The only real supplies to list for this is the Prima flower. Everything else is random stash stuff. Oh, and I used vintage photo distress ink on the tan crumpled up paper.

The rest of these are 365 catch up. I'm out the door, so I'll post details later.

Thanks for looking!

Butterflies and Moonbeams and Fairytales...

2009-08-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

OK... details now that I am semi-awake.

Super Sketchy Sunday at 365:

My spin:

I really liked this sketch and this card. I know it looks odd, but it was perfect for a joke birthday card. Inside it says, "Mom hates birthdays." It's a joke about an old coworker that needed to cut the cord and anything we ever talked about she would tell us her Mom's opinion, which was usually, "Mom hates..."

Supplies:

Sassafras background paper

Cosmo Cricket sticker and diecut

Jenni Bowlin buttons

Mackenzie Mae base card

365 Day #66 and some Paperplay

The challenge for 365 was to use the sentiment, "I am here. you are there." I took some liberty. I feel better doing that when the challenge has long since passed. Paperplay was to add dimension. The diecuts, thickers and I popdotted the black arrow... dimension! I haven't done the inside yet, but I'm thinking something like, "Let's meet in the middle." Thought it would make sense with the star in the middle of the card.

Supplies:

Mystery background paper

Map, star and black arrow October Afternoon

Cosmo Cricket blue arrow sticker

American Craft thickers (inked from green to black)

Red Zig Marker

Sweetie's Sketches for August

My take:

This is for 365 #65. The challenge was to make a card for a woman in your life. I made this for my Grandmother. She is always sending me cards, so I wanted to send her one for no special reason. It didn't turn out quite as planned. Definitely needs some tweaking!

Supplies:

Mackenzie Mae 3x3 card base

brads with jewels Label Tulip

corduroy brad Pink Paislee

Pink Paislee rub-on

365 #64 Sketch

My take:

Pretty straight forward... I still think it needs something.

Supplies:

Mackenzie Mae Card Base

Sassafrass paper

rickrack from old My Creative Scrapbook kit

Die Cut GCD Studios Margarita pack (Clearance)

365 Day #63 Floral Fest

The challenge was to use 8 flowers which I more than accomplished. This card looks better in person. It's a little busy and I used all of these flowers, but I like it.

Supplies:

Sassafras paper

Mackenzie Mae base card

Making Memories layered button flowers

Cosmo Cricket heart sticker

365 #62

Use a number... any number. Well, my dating anniversary is coming up soon. It always sneaks up on me. My husband and I will have been together for 9 years. I wanted something sweet and simple and I think I achieved it. I just wish I was able to make a ring around the 9 that didn't look like I let the dog do it.

Supplies:

Mackenzie Mae card base

Sassafras paper

October Afternoon numbers die cut border

Pink Paislee letter stickers

Sorry, I don't know what happened to the formatting in the middle... bizarre! Anyway, shout out to Mackenzie Mae for an awesome card kit. Those base cards are such a time saver. I think I'm going to start making myself base cards ahead of time.

In other business... Papertrey ink blog candy is going until the 9th (I think).

Also, a shout to Label Tulip. I love their kits. This week has been like Christmas (it was my b-day). I got a lot of gift cards and the stuff is arriving... fun fun fun!

OK... that's it. Enjoy your Sunday!

just can't wait to be on the road again...

2009-08-01T07:06:00.001-07:00

Quick one today. I got this done for 365 last night, but the Internet went out... Anyway, had breakfast in bed this morning. Kind of a take 2 on the birthday today since Wednesday was a major bust. The challenge at 365 was to use a form of transportation. I was worried... then I remembered the recent Label Tulip kit I have. It's a vacation theme and there was one car die cut. All of the elements on the card are October Afternoon from the Label Tulip July kit. The paper is a mystery at this point b/c I have no clue what pack I ripped it out of last night. I still think this card needs something, but I think it would be a nice moving card.

Have a lovely day, ladies!

July = DONE!

2009-07-31T10:12:00.001-07:00

Aah... caught up, again! Here I am sneezing, coughing, cramping, etc... and all I can think about is that it's the last day of July. If I don't get my cards done, I won't be on the list for the people that have done all the cards for the month! The tragedy! The embarrassment! The craziness!

Day 150 at 365

The challenge was to use a homophone. I chose dear/deer. I think the inside will say "You're old!" or something else really sweet like that. We'll see. I usually leave insides blank until I'm going to use the card. I used Friendly Forest papers from Colorbok. These are really awesome. The card not so much. This is apparently what your brain looks like on ink.

Here's the sketch for day 148
My take:

I started this on Sunday... It is now Friday. I am angry at this card. It may show in my treatment of it. I had the embossed cardstock and the brads on Sunday then I did various other things that amazingly looked worse than this. All I can say is that this should make you smile if for nothing else that you're laughing at the horribly awful card. So that's it... done with the self-deprecating humor for now.

Happy weekend to all you suckers that work! lol!

Just keep it rolling...

2009-07-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some more for today... Getting my butt in gear!

I used this sketch from 2 Sketches 4 You... loosely My spin:
This is for day #153 at 365 cards. We had to use a journaling tag. This one is from Cosmo Cricket. I inked everything. I've been playing with my new Cuttlebug and Fiskars plates, so I had all these scraps that I'd already embossed. I inked them and pretty much just stuck them on the card. I even inked the buttons! This didn't photograph very well. In real life, it's pretty cool and fairly odd! Lol

And the bonus sketch from 2 sketches for you:

my take:

This one is such crap... lol! This is for day 152. You had to make a flap on your card. I don't know why, but I really don't like things like that. The scallop is a flap that lifts up to show an orange Clemson paw print on a navy background. I made this for a friend of mine. This fall we'll have known each other 10 years. The Clemson theme is an homage to where we met.

Last but not least... day 151 "YOU CAN DO IT!" I've never even watched the Waterboy the entire way through, but I can't seem to say that without making the Rob Schneider voice. Am I the only one? Probably. Anyway, I used some Colorbok chipboard and some Cosmo Cricket papers, a fine tip sharpie and voila. Easy peasy!

Probably more coming from me today... so head back!

Argh...

2009-07-31T06:40:00.001-07:00

Once again, I am sick! My birthday was Wednesday and instead of being out doing something fun... I was in the house drowning in Kleenex and... well, you can guess the other things I was drowning in. And now... now, I still have a cold (it's getting better), but my husband has caught the cold (so no taking care of me) and I got my period the night of my birthday. I know that's too much info, but seriously, I must be being punished for something!! LOL. I do have to say I am amazingly lucky in life all year round, so I guess I can deal with a bad week... couldn't it have been next week, though?

So, I'm hopping back on the card train. Want to make sure this reader is appreciated ;-)

Here's my sponging card: The arrow is a little 'off', but I like it anyway. The tag is from Cosmo Cricket. I used the raindrops fiskars texture plate. Broken china distress ink and then some random browns for the card. Anyway, tons of sponging, so challenge complete!

Now for last Saturday's challenge, I chose to scraplift Gloria:
I love everything about this card and I thought Cosmo Cricket week was awesome! Here's my take... it pails in comparison, but it's not bad.

I think the flower didn't quite do what I wanted it to, but that's ok. Also, you can't really see my embossing on the white. It's another fiskars texture plate. I love working with them!

I'm looking at the man in the mirror...

2009-07-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

It seems wrong to just be blogging about one card...

So, I'm posting this video from Wed's So You Think You Can Dance. I thought it was pretty powerful. You'll like it even if you're not interested in dance! Plus it's only really a little over 2 minutes... the rest is just the judges praising the piece and bawling.

Now here's my card for day 146 at 365

Here's the Limelight sketch I used. Which was inspired by the sweet Amy! Way to go Amy! So, the sketch is obvious... 365's challenge was to make it symmetrical. The sentiment didn't have to be, but I didn't add one, so that solves that. i thought the ornament spoke for its self. I'm not too sure what the smudge is on the card, but that was unintentional. Oh, well! Hmm... now let me think about the details. Ek Success scallop punch. Cosmo Cricket "Early Bird" paper. Anna Griffin rub-on. Random ribbon. Oh, and you're just going to have to pretend that the ribbons are symmetrical. That's the best I can do.

I was sort of hoping tomorrow's challenge would pop up before I went to bed. Tomorrow is going to be crazy and I like to finish these things in the same week. I think I'm getting a tad OCD with these things. It's not like I have any real need to do these... but it really stresses me out when I don't finish them on these days. I think 365 is giving me a new mental disorder (to add to my arsenal). lol

Night ladies!

It's a long one...

2009-07-23T21:08:00.001-07:00

I'm back... with a vengeance! I've been extremely sick, the dog got neutered, we went out of town and we're having a house guest this weekend... So, crafting has taken a backseat, until today!

365' s

inspiration:
My take:

My husband looked at me like I was nuts when he saw this one... whatever. It's bizarre and I don't really care. I do feel like I whipped through some of these just to catch up!

Paper and parrot are from DCWV Animal Crackers
Cosmo Cricket letters
Inkadinkado butterfly stamp and crayola colored pencils

the sketch:
the inspiration:

the card:

This one is for a lot of challenges... Again, I am obsessed with catching up!

Here we go:

365 cards ~ 144 layers (pop dotted circle, I didn't glue down the leaves, brads and distressing on the strips)

Mojo Monday ~ sketch above

Lili of the valley ~ use animals (owl)

Rubbernecker stamps ~ circles (main circle and brads)

Pink Elephant ~ animals

Paper Bloom ~ animals

Heart Hugs ~ etsy inspired, see the pin cushion above (I found this one afterward, but thought the paper went perfectly!)

Supplies:

owl and flower paper ~ DCWV Green stack (my new fave... love the wonky eyes on the owl!)

brads ~ we r memory keepers

random cardstock

ooh... and I used my new Tim Holtz edge distresser. A lovely time saver!

#143

365's challenge was to create a sympathy card without a sentiment on the outside.

Stampin' B's just wants to use a butterfly (easy enough)

The paper is DCWV luxury stack and I used my new Heidi Swapp butterfly masks.

Twilight...

365 was to be inspired by Twilight (movie or books) and you had to use a black card base, red patterned paper and bling or sparkles.

I am an avid reader, but have managed to stay away from Twilight. Not really my cup of tea... different strokes for different folks, I guess.

So, I had to do some research and found this quote online. It's from one of the books, I think.

Paper is Autumn Leaves "Pretty Poppies" collection. This has been in the clearance section at Michael's for the last few weeks. Oh, and all the brads are We R Memory Keepers. My husband made a comment that I'm never going to use up all my brads (I have a ridiculous amount), so I've set out to prove him wrong!

365 sketchy Sunday

My take:

I got a bridal shower invite in the mail today and I promptly dismantled it! lol. So, the drinks are from the invite (should be a good shower). The background paper is from the DCWV animal crackers stack and the rub on is Anna Griffin.

I thought this would be a great Christmas card for some of my Fl. friends.

Truly Scrumptious sketch

My take:

Sorry the pic is blurry. It's for a couple challenges, again:

Truly Scrumptious ~ sketch

365 ~ use paint ( the background is completely painted and inked and I dry brushed over cuttlebug embossed paper)

Pile It On ~ use orange on the majority of your card.

Ooh, did I tell you guys I finally got a Cuttlebug?? I also got a bunch of fiskars plates and have been going nuts!! I LOVE BIRTHDAYS! and it's not even here yet!

Last one...

This one is just paper piercing for 365. You can't tell, but it is pierced around the bird. I used my Heidi Swapp masks again and a Cuttlebug folder. This was a throw together, but I kind of like it.

If any of you are still reading, thanks! Have a great night. I vow never to get this behind again. It stresses me out!

Oh, and here's a video of the dog with his collar on after his surgery. Awesome!

Typical...

2009-07-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies (and gents)! I hope everyone is enjoying their Thursday.

Here's a pic of a baby lizard I found outside the house. Just remember he is on one book. His body is about as long as my middle finger. These things are everywhere. They seem to finally have learned not to come inside the house after the cat killed half of their population. I've never seen a little one before, so I had to take a few snaps. On to today's challenges... I loosely based my card on this kitchen sink sketch:

I love their stamp sets! Here's mine:

I couldn't get this picture or the colors right... Oh, well. This is for 365 day 138 and SPCC color challenge (kiwi, chocolate chip, baja breeze or aqua, and deep raspberry). I added some yellow, but it was obviously necessary for the cake! My quote is from the 50 cent song, "21 Questions." Typical suburban white girl rockin' my gansta' rap. LOL. I'm not too thrilled with this, but I still love the quote and might try this again sometime. If I were business minded, I think I would make some stamp sets with semi-irreverent sayings... for "wrong" sense of humors like mine.

Oh, and if you haven't checked Pandora out yet... DO IT NOW!

You can create your own radio station. It's awesome to be able to combine Counting Crows, 50 Cent, Anne Murray ... whatever your eclectic taste is. It's awesome! Trust me!

p.s. I found someone else's blog that said they hated blogger's spell check and I agree... It doesn't recognize lol, scrapping, gangsta'... come on, blogger get with the times!

The ties that bind

2009-07-15T00:50:00.001-07:00

OK, now that I'm semi-awake...

Here's all the stuff I did yesterday. Check out the post below, too for some blog candy and my return to Scrapbooking. On a side note, Internet, have you tried coconut M&M's?? I was a little scared, but they are really good. The first one you eat is a little weird as you get used to it, but I find the next 50 go down just fine!

Here's the current Mojo sketch:And here's my spin: Not much of a spin, I know...

This one also worked for Stampin' B's who wanted only neutrals this week. I thought that was going to be super difficult, but it resulted in one of my favorite cards, go figure... Just saw that Rubber Necker's latest challenge totally works with this (I think).

Supplies:

inked background paper ~ fiskars black ink (I have a small square ink pad that came with something and I just stamped it randomly on the background)

bird stamp ~ Hampton Art

patterned paper ~ ?? wish I knew... I have a HUGE pile of paper that all came from the same manufacturer and no idea where it came from.

wood grain ribbon ~ Label tulip kit (some of their previous kits are on sale!)

Flowers ~ Prima and they're velvet!

brad ~ creative imaginations

Now for 365's card of the day...
Here's the outside. Lots and lots of Cosmo Cricket going on here! For this challenge we had to bind something. I used my gromlets since I have about 3 million of them (We R Memory Keepers). Does anyone else just use their crop-a-dile as an expensive hole-punch/paper weight? The brown paper is My mind's Eye and the ribbon is SEI or SIE... I think it's SEI. I'm sure you all know, anyway!

Now for the inside...

Ugh! I thought I was going to bed yesterday at around 2 and then came these rub-ons. They are from October Afternoon and they came in last month's Label Tulip kit. I generally don't like letter rub-ons anyway, because I just would rather have stickers. These were a nightmare. I had to use my bone folder and each letter took at least 10 minutes to put on. The green paper will actually not lay flat on the inside of the card b/c I had to press so hard on the letters so the center is bowed. I hope this is not normal for their rub-ons, but I'm pretty sure I won't be buying any in the near future! Oh, and this card will say Happy 55 on the bottom... my Mom will be officially a senior in a little over a month. She really enjoys being reminded of this fact. (p.s. peak at the post below for some photos of Mom and me in the 80's).

This is a Truly Scrumptious sketch:

Here's what I did:

This is the one where I can tell that I'm tired... LOL! The cards just get weird! I have no idea what this will be for, but it is making me laugh at how ridiculous it is. The monster/cutie is a digi stamp that I found in one of my obsessive searches (don't know from where - I'll get back to you on that one). The rest of it is random scraps and some thickers (my new love) and some Colorbok jewels that I placed together to try to make a flower...

Super Sketchy Sunday at 365...

My spin:

I really wish you could see my creative process... It really involves what I can find in front of me at that very moment. LOL. I feel like this would have been better if i had sought out some different papers, but it's not my favorite color combo, so maybe that's the problem. Also, this was for the Rubber Necker challenge, but it ended... oh well!

Supplies:

more paper that I can not identify... the green piece is Jenny Bowlin

ribbon ~ 5 for $1 AC Moore

stamp ~ Label Tulip

I think the inside will say... "You are old." I'm pretty sure all my older relatives really like getting these cards. They may cry, but secretly, I think they're really glad to get something from the heart... They're really secretive about it, though.

Now, go check out the post below for the candy! and the Scrapbooking!

You know you want to!

Sweet like candy to my soul...

2009-07-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

First things first, here are the latest candy listings I've found:

http://franmade.blogspot.com/2009/07/birthday-candy.html

and

http://crystalkbk.blogspot.com/

One of these times I'm bound to win... right??

Here's a sketch from Studio Calico: Here are some close ups of the small pics... sorry they're blurry.
Mom and I on the steps in Germany around 1985.

Mom, Lance and I on the street in Augsburg around 1985.

I finally got back to scrapping. I opened up my Label Tulip kit from June and couldn't help myself. The journaling reads "My mother 1972 to circa 1985. I was always told I looked like my Dad, but the older I get I see a lot of my Mom. I love having her senior picture! The pictures of us in Germany bring back my best memories!" "Ever the fashion plates! From Mom's flannel shirt to my overalls (Osh Kosh no doubt) to Lance's 'fest' hat and my red coat. Love it all!" Title reads "A Mother holds her child's hand for a while and forever holds their heart."

Almost everything here is Cosmo Cricket.

This one is a scraplift, so here is Danielle's original:

Here's mine:

Pretty darn similar... Again, I think it's all Cosmo Cricket... maybe a little Jenny Bowlin here and there. The only things I really changed from the original was adding journaling around the edges and I punched out the die-cuts and no ribbon. Oh, and the croc paper in the background (not attached just a bg for the photo) is Anna Griffin and it is as awesome as you might imagine! The title here is "This makes my heart sing." and all the journaling reads"This was taken at our Rehearsal dinner. One of my favorite pictures of Mom-mom! It captures her spirit so well!" And around the circle, "Always on the move, never sitting still. Full of Life. She never misses a beat and would really be upset if she did miss something. Stylin' in her pink 'suit'. Fun and witty. Always ready to eat. Staying up with the times. Loving Grandmother."

Also, check out this link for some great freebies:

http://labeltulip.blogspot.com/2009/07/birthday-countdown-8-more-days-freebie.html

p.s. I just found out that Label Tulip's July kit features bamboo letters. I have been coveting these for a while! I'm super excited to get them in the mail so I can drool over them and never use them in a project (b/c I don't want to waste them... lol).

Another day... another challenge

2009-07-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here staring at this screen and completely blanking out on what I wanted to say. I have been ridiculously tired for about 2 weeks now and it's really affecting the creative energy. Anyway, here's my stuff for today:

Day 136 at 365 cards What's Black and white and red all over. I did this card a couple of times and I'm still not really sure about it... I guess it turned out OK, but really not my favorite. Everything used is from the Autumn Leaves "Pretty Poppy" Collection.

Then this one is day 135 at 365
You have to create a window using plastic. Again, I completed the challenge, but I feel like I phoned it in. I really liked the idea behind this one, but the end result just looks sloppy. I wanted to make the background paper (which I did), but I wanted it to look like it was raining sprinkles and ice cream cones. I guess it does, but again, it just doesn't look like what I pictured. I do want to give a shout to Purple Onion Designs. I ordered some stuff from there and they throw in some extra little stamps, one of which was this little ice cream cone. I think it's adorable! You just have to ignore my crappy coloring!

This one is for a few challenges... details below:

Challenges:

Use it! ~ add some texture (ribbon, inking, paper piecing)

at least 2 punches (flourish and photo corner both EK Success)

Paper from your favorite manufacturer (DCWV and Me and my big Ideas
Bonus * pearls (don't have any, so no bonus for me).
365 cards ~ Day #6 make it sparkly (I used glitter pens on the outfits and the punches and the actual card base has some glitter on it, trust me)

Kelly Jo's Stamp pad ~ yellow, black and white (I was late on this one, but what the heck)

Paperplay ~ fashion (I think my Hero Arts ladies are very fashionable)

Last, but not least...

Challenges:

365 cards ~ day #4 ad inspired

Cinema Saturday ~ Inspired by National Treasure (1 or 2)... tell us what you treasure.

So, I used the colors from the ad inspired challenge. Then I was thinking about what I treasure and I was looking straight at the flowers on my desk. I thought that I do treasure when my husband surprises me with flowers and getting to look at them all week while I'm working. I also treasure his smiles and him making me smile. Also, since my b-day is getting closer... I treasure rubies and red for my July/Leo b-day! I hope that's not too much of a stretch! lol.

'Cause that's my fun day...

2009-07-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Pretty chill day here... nothing out of the ordinary to report. We did go out to dinner last night. If anyone is in the Va. Beach area, I suggest you check out the Wicked Sisters Cafe. Good food and good atmosphere in the Va. Beach Courthouse area. I recommend the fried shrimp. It's usually a safe choice, but this was actually amazing... best I've ever had!

Now, here is the inspiration over at Libby's Little Addiction: This is Mattea. I have to say thanks to Libby for the mention on her blog! In case you were wondering, my header is a photo my husband took on one of our trips to San Fran's Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. This is a must see if you're ever in SanFrancisco!

Here is the sketch from Sweetie's sketches:

My take:

Challenges:

Simon Says ~ Paper piecing (butterfly is 2 different papers)

Sweetie's Sketches ~ Sketch (obviously)

High Hopes Stamps ~ Use Daisies (Prima flower and the flowers on the paper remind me of different kinds of daisies)

365 Cards ~ #3 trio is butterfly, flower and ribbon (check)

#59 "I Miss You" (check)

Libby's Little Addiction ~ Use Miss Mattea and her dress as inspiration ( I used the colors and took some cues from the simple floral pattern)

Supplies:

Prima flower

Crate Paper "Lillian" Collection
rick rack from May My Creative Scrapbook kit

Hope your weekend was wonderful!

Candy on the beach there's nothing better... I like candy wrapped up in a sweater!

2009-07-11T22:45:00.001-07:00

Day 133 ... Be inspired by bubbles. This looks more like baseballs or outer space or something... This is what I get when I wait until midnight to start making something... blah blah blah. Anyway, this one would also work for challenge #7 at 365. I will get all of these done... I'm determined!And now, the real reason for this post and the crazy title... drum roll, please

CANDY!

above is candy from:
http://stampaddicts-thepurplezone.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-candy.html

above is candy from: http://kaycarley.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-2nd-blog-candy.html

above is candy from: http://sassydesignsbysusie.blogspot.com/

And here are about 3,000 more sites with candy... I hope you ladies win b/c this took me forever!!

http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/2009/07/are-you-ready-for-giveaway.html
http://poppy-petal-designs.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-post-will-remain-at-top-please.html?showComment=1247374971302#c7096108321084819460
http://mymemorycorner.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-layout-and-rak.html
http://keeponscrappin.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-first-pink-blog-candy.html
http://priscillastyles.blogspot.com/2009/07/this-blog-candy-post-will-stay-at-top.html?showComment=1247365257177#c5673139644336193370
http://mypaperprojects.blogspot.com/2008/06/northern-papercraft-retreat-blog-candy.html
http://lilacanglia.blogspot.com/2009/07/my-birthday-candy.html
http://stampwithann.blogspot.com/2007/12/tons-of-blog-candy.html
http://craftbugs.blogspot.com/2009/07/11146-hits-in-just-11-months-its-gotta.html
http://pinknickels.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-candy-alert.html
http://passionforpapercraft.blogspot.com/
http://rockstardj1.blogspot.com/
http://inkedinspirations.blogspot.com/

It's 4 am... I should be sleeping!

2009-07-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hello again...

This card was so simple. I used my new Ranger distress ink (vintage photo) and stamped this lovely bird (Hampton Art) on some packaging I had. It took forever to dry, but I like the effect. The little charm is from a Baby Shower I went to recently. The paper and rickrack are both Crate Paper from the May My Creative Scrapbook kit.

Challenges:

365 ~ Day 54 Recycle... charm and packaging

Paper Bloom ~ make a shaped card

Rubberneck Stamps ~ metal and ribbon

Stampin' B's ~ use metal

Crafty Creations ~ birds

Maybe I will go to bed now... maybe not.

Puppy for your thoughts...

2009-07-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

Today is Toby's 1/2 birthday. He is 6 months old now (or yesterday, by this time). He wants to give you all a high five to celebrate and he gave me the present of cleaning off that bed one more time. WOO HOO! Now, here's an interesting little tid bit from my life... I have a facebook account and I have friends from different times of my life... blah, blah, blah. About months ago, my Mom joined facebook. I don't exactly love her being on there and have definitely found myself censoring what I say more and more (no family members have found this blog... yet). Now this morning I wake up, check my e-mail and find that my MIL has requested me as a friend. UGH! This means much more censorship, so I was already not relishing this new friendship. Then, I go on her page and she has acquired 3 friends and her very first friend is my hubby's ex-girlfriend. Now, I know this shouldn't bother me. We've been together for almost 9 years now... married for 2, but it was just something I really didn't need or want to think about today. Also, now I know this woman's name and see her picture (I knew her first name before ... but now I know the full name and am going to find it hard not to google her... I really have no self control.). If any of you have gotten to the end of this never-ending paragraph... I would like to know, would you be upset? I'm trying to let it roll off my back ... it's working really well as you can see!

Now... here are the cards:

Inspiration:

My interpretation:

This is day 132... the days are really flying by. I used my new wood grain stamp (All Night Media) and I must say that I'm in love! I think my interpretation is pretty obvious... wood for wood, candle for candles, stars for stars.... and I picked up some of the colors.

This sketch is from 2 sketches 4 you.

And here's our inspiration:

Here's my take:

Day 131 ~ the circle is a direct take from the rug in the picture. I used my polka dot stamp from Savvy stamps. The letters are chipboard thickers. The stripes are more from the American Crafts X-mas collection. Also, i went over the jewels (darice?) with my white chalk marker to make them look more like bubbles and less like jewels and I pop dotted (is this a new verb) the fish. Also pop dotted the candle on the previous card and the stars... one of these days, I may even remember to take an angle shot, so you can actually see the levels.

Also submitting this for High Hopes polka dot challenge.

I must say this has been one of the more interesting weeks over at 365! I'm enjoying the diverse challenges!

Back in the saddle...

2009-07-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

So, I've been MIA for a couple of days. I am extraordinarily tired recently and can't seem to find the energy to do anything. I've been sleeping upwards of 10 hours a day and feeling so tired I can't hold my head up while I'm awake.

Good thing to report is I did happen to watch the Kite Runner on DVD and it's terrific. I read the book some time ago. The book was beautiful and haunting and a learning experience all at once. I think probably one of the best books I've ever read. Anyway, I think you should all check it out as well as A Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaled Hosseini.

Now here's my submission for day #130 for 365 cards. This time It's supposed to be humorous. I hope it fits the bill. Mostly I think it's just kind of silly. My sense of humor is generally a little "wrong", so I thought I'd spare you the offense.

Supplies:

paper ~ American Crafts X-mas collection

letters ~ computer generated

penguin image ~ google image search

penguin stamp ~ Hampton Art

markers ~ sharpie and bic flair

Day #129

This one is for the stitching challenge at 365 and for Card-A-Licious (baby card with stitching and ribbon).

Supplies:

paper ~ see above

stamps ~ both from Dollar Tree

coloring instruments ~ chalk markers, prisma color colored pencils

**tip ~ I used some packaging from some stickers I had to stitch on... much more sturdy than paper, especially when you're working on the edges and don't want it to tear.

Challenge Crazy

2009-07-06T22:18:00.000-07:00

I've found a lot of new challenge sites, or new to me, anyway. So, I'm doing some crazy combos here. Here is a sketch from Truly Scrumptious: This is my take:
Challenges:
Truly Scrumptious ~ use your stash and the above sketch
Saturday Challenge ~ use 3 ribbons (3 pieces or 3 different)
Paperplay ~ Paper flowers not store bought
365 cards ~ day 14 paper flowers
Twinkling Tuesday ~ Citrus inspiration
Simon Says ~ lemon, orange, apple green and pink

Got them all... whew! Now, supplies:
orange and striped papers ~ DCWV Citrus stack (btw DCWV on sale at AC Moore this week)
ribbon -Basicbasic floral satin (stash item)
pink papers for flowers from stash and inked with pink chalk marker
owl stamp ~ Hampton art (can't get enough owlies!)
alphas ~ crate paper
various prisma color colored pencils, flair markers and chalk markers.

The flowers were cut with a scallop punch and I just did a scrolling pattern with my chalk marker.

Next... Mojo Monday sketch:

Challenges:
Mojo Monday ~ sketch
365 ~ day 37 Dress up Chipboard
Pile it On ~ 3 different embellishments (chipboard, rub-on and jewels)

Supplies:
All Cardstock and patterned papers ~ American Crafts
Chipboard ~ Colorbok
ink ~ Fiskars hunter green
gold ~ Sharpie paint pen
fa la la rub-on ~ Anna Griffin
jewels ~ Colorbok

That makes me ready for bed... I'll be trying to sleep and wrestling over what to do with the latest 365 challenge... stitch an image. Oh boy, carpal tunnel, here we come!

Night y'all!

Monday double feature

2009-07-06T12:11:00.001-07:00

It's a card recipe today at 365! I reread the entry about 20 times, so I'm pretty sure I got it right. The recipe is:

1 5x5 card

1 Rub-on image

1 Piece of patterned paper

1 piece of ribbon - NO BOW

1 Sentiment inside the card

check, check, check, check, and check! Also, I was honored today with top trio! I was so excited I called my husband right away! LOL... He was underwhelmed, at best. So, thanks 365 for making my Monday!
Here's the inside: I could not get it to scan or photograph well... Just imagine that it's the same colors as the outside of the card!

Background paper - We R Memory keepers Boho Chic collection
Patterned Paper - Crate Paper Lillian Collection "Enchanted"
Buttons - My Creative Scrapbook May kit... maybe Pink Paislee?
Butterfly Rub-on - Tinkering Ink (love these!)
"Just for you" Rub-on - K & Company
Ribbon - random Costco purchase (I think??)

Now here is the sketch for Super Sketchy Sunday over at 365.

I flipped it, changed it rearranged it and also submitted to the Use it challenge of the week

Use it rules were:

1- Use your newest papers.(Bought that Lillian paper last week!)

2- There has to be a name on the card (Miss Abby Layne will be born in a couple months)

3- Use at least one button. (3)

4- Use your sewing machine, if you have,or try to stitch, a tiny piece, by hand. ( I am getting around to learning how to use my sewing machine, so you got some black hand stitching and some drawn on stitching...)

Patterned papers - Crate Paper Both sides of "Enchanting"

glitter - A big old mess from K & Company (never again with the glitter!)

buttons - same as the last card...

Sweet baby rub-on - K & Company

flower - Crate Paper (came with May Creative Scrapbook kit)

That's all for me today... I have loads of glitter to clean up before my husband gets home and has a cow. Actually, I'm about to have a cow myself because it is EVERYWHERE!

Thanks again to 365 for the honour!

What's with today, today...

2009-07-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Weird day... we were supposed to attend a BBQ, but it was cancelled. So, I decided to do summer cleaning. I vacuumed everything and this little monster has it all looking yellow/white again! Good thing he's adorable!

I also did some crafty stuff (obviously)... I've been scouring challenge sites and other paper crafting blogs to find new techniques, new challenges and just familiarize myself with the community. After all, I've only been doing this for a little over a month and a half now.

What I have found is blog candy galore...

There is Posh Scrapbook Store and their loot! Then Mushi and Ann have some candy for their blogaversary (that was awkward to type)... Also, Tammy is celebrating 10,000 hits with more free stuff. Now, go on and click these links and get yourself entered. The luck of the Irish is not with me, but maybe just maybe it will be with you!

I'm just adding a quick pic of the roses the hubby brought home the other night. They've been keeping me company here in my craft spot and they smell amazing!

I also did a quick card for our engagement anniversary in a couple weeks... it qualifies for 365's #2 challenge which is to only use two embellishments. I used the chipboard chunk I have which I finally discovered was from Colorbok and seems to be discontinued, but I've seen them on Ebay and at Michaels.
The background paper was a freebie from Paper Crave. They have some other freebies too that are super cute... my printer conked out after the first one, though!

So, that's all for now... Hope you had fun and were safe!

Happy 4th!

2009-07-04T10:38:00.000-07:00

Today is the 4th of July and most people in the states are gearing up for food and fireworks... I, however; am making cards! LOL! There will be plenty of food and fireworks later, especially the later. The neighbors already started last night and I just saw them with what looked like the entire states stash of fireworks... looks like we're in for a noisy night!

So without further ado, here is my card:The rules were simple... just use red, white and blue! I don't have a lot of these colors, so everything is inked! The background paper is actually a pale pink that I went over with my Marcella K red ink pad. The blue circle is from a chipboard chunk from Michaels. Someone gave me this chunk and I really don't like most of the designs and haven't been using it... Then, I discovered inking and that I could use the back of some of these shapes and letters! So, I've started turning them over and making them whatever color I want! Then the ribbon is plain Christmas white ribbon (one of those dollar store things that comes with red, green, gold and white all on the same spindle) that I just inked every half inch or so with blue ink. The stamp came from the Fiskars "Plumage" set.

Have a great day and be safe!

U is for United

2009-07-03T15:04:00.000-07:00

I found a new challenge blog today, so I thought I'd try it out. It's called ABC Challenge. It's celebrating it's year anniversary, so you've probably heard of it. I doubled up and did the 1st ever sketch on 365 as well. Here's my take... This is the first time I've used my pop out star punch. It turned out OK, and it's definitely patriotic!

Stars - cut out with Silhouette and inked
It's your Birthday stamp - inkadinkadoo
sparkly brad - we r memory keepers
stickles (on half stars) - ruby slippers

It's a Snap...

2009-07-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday morning to y'all! I've been hunting this morning... looking on Etsy, Burke Decor, Baker's Dozen, (love the Polaroid prints) and The Curiosity Shop for what I might like for my birthday.

I like to whittle down my list at the beginning of July, so at the end of July I actually know what I want when people ask.

I'm also debating asking for a cuttlebug or maybe a wizard... Does anyone have some advice about which one to go for? I'm going to use it more for embossing than cutting as I do have a Silhouette SD.

Anyway, enough of that... Here's my card for day #125 at 365 cards. I got a new owl stamp that I was itching to use even if it doesn't really go with the card. I like weird contrast.

Paper - Prima "Rock on Love" Collection

Gromlets - We R Memory Keepers (came with the crop o dile)

Ribbon - random Michaels purchase

stamp - Hampton Art - got this from Michaels yesterday... all rubber stamps are 40 % off until the 4th!

markers - I used, flair, prismacolor, and chalk markers

Happy 4th of July!!

Ahead of the game...

2009-07-01T23:37:00.001-07:00

Here is my card for day 124 over at 365 cards. I was looking for a black and white (only thing my printer will print at the moment) wedding image and somehow got this... So, Halloween in July! I used my yellow chalk marker (EK success) and an orange prismacolor colored pencil over it. It really does glow! The paper is Prima "Rock on Love" Collection. Oh, and this is an updated version of day 123. Sorry for the blur... seems that 2 am is not optimal picture taking time, go figure! It says "It's a Boy!" and the slider actually works! I've been playing with it for a while!

OK, well, goodnight all! Good morning to those overseas.

123... and mental meltdowns

2009-07-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

Ahh... Day 123, what can I say. I do not like white space, Pam ( I do not like green eggs and ham). This challenge sent me into a tizzy. It was coming on anyway, but this was what sent me over the edge. So, sorry to that guy in line at the store... I'm sure what you were contemplating for 1/2 an hour while I waited behind you was really important. Sorry to my mother (mostly) for telling her how much I care about her new mattress and china cabinet. She really doesn't need more furniture in her house, but I could have possibly put it in a nicer way... or kept my mouth shut. There should really be a five minute delay on phone calls with mothers... then you could just erase what your first reaction is and go with a much more rational/calm response.

Now, here is Pam's challenge (evil, evil Pam): See that space in the middle? That should remain white. I told you it was evil and wrong, might I add.

I took two cracks at this one b/c it's been bothering me ALL DAY LONG!

This slides... or it will when I get some dimensional dots. Actually, the hubs is bringing some home b/c he's trying to get on my good side.

Well, in the end, this was one of the best challenges because it was just that, A CHALLENGE! I've been having a bad week mental health wise and creativity always seems to bring out what's really bothering me. This did and it got me on youtube and other sites looking for inspiration. Because of this challenge, I learned some new methods, so THANK YOU PAM!!!! I REALLY LOVE 365! Some days it's what gets me through!

Day

Addicted to 365 cards...

2009-06-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

Obviously, I am...

Here is the sketch for Day # 71

#71
Here's my interpretation... I thought this would be better than it is. I think I'm going to cover that "to you" with printed letters. I'm not feeling it the way it is.

#70 ad

#70

This is my puppy! He kind of looks like the dog in the ad, but obviously way cuter! He's about 4 1/2 months in this photo (6 months at present). This is his birthday card to my Mom (her request). Inside it says " I rike roo!" Rike is then crossed out to say "ruv." I signed it with a paw print. I stopped myself before I actually dipped his paws in ink. Then I put Toby in parenthesis. Just in case there are any other crazy adorable puppies that she's getting cards from. The stitching took me FOREVER!

#69

Graduation card... This is for my friend Courtney! She just received her Bachelor's degree. I'm so excited for her! She's worked really hard and she's just a great person. I used my bone folder to emboss a pattern.

#68

I want candy!!! This is a paper from the Sweet Stack. Then I used this ticket stamp and cut it out, stuck it on there with some mini brads and called it a day. I also used an EK Success scallop punch on this one. I was going for a play on the Willy Wonka golden ticket.

#67

Think Pink... I used my Martha Stewart glitter pens (again) to color over this flower to give it some shine. I love the glitter pens b/c I hate working with loose glitter! I embossed a swiss dot sort of pattern with my bone folder (serious cuttlebug envy). Doesn't get much more pink than this.

OK, I can tell by my typing that I am way too tired to be posting. Good night to all! Thanks for taking a look!

and many more...

2009-06-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

OK, this is the end of my catch up... for now, but as far as I know, I have no plans for tonight...

#76 The challenge = use embellies in the corners of the card (all of them! and nowhere else). I used a transparency over the middle... this whole card didn't have much of a vision behind it, so it came out discombobulated. Not my favorite...

#76
Coffee themed or use an image of coffee... I don't like coffee and I am definitely Starbucks challenged! But for a non-coffee drinker, I love this. The coffee cup and lettering were cut out using the Silhouette and I stitched two different pieces of paper together for the sides of the card again. I used scrap ribbon and nothing but scraps for the card... that just makes me happy!

#74

This challenge was to hand write the sentiment... and I did. Love the simple layout here.

#73

This was a trio:

Circle

Scallop

Bling

Mission accomplished: I inked the heck out of this one. I even inked the bling, so it wasn't so shiny with all the dull colors around it. About half way through, I almost threw this away, so glad I didn't! I love it now!

#72

Musical Monday... It's not Monday, but I did use music. The impetus for this one was a simple google image search for music. I found "Angels We Have Heard on High" and thought that would be perfect for a Christmas card. I'm not religious, but my Mom LOVES angels (she's a little obsessed, in fact). Anyway, I thought this would be perfect for her. The angel was also a search for angel outline on google images. I colored in the middle using mostly Martha Stewart glitter pens and a white gel pen (stripes to give it some texture). Then I used my cool (cool as in the opposite of warm, colors) stickles for the outside. This is another one that will probably dry sometime before Christmas (fingers crossed)!

Thanks for looking!

MORE!

2009-06-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

When I started doing these challenges, I thought I'd start where you guys were when I discovered 365. Then maybe I would do some of the older ones as I felt like it or out of necessity (oh, yes a card necessity ~ I can hear my husband explaining now how that's an oxymoron). Anyway, then I realized I'm nuts and more than a little OCD, so of course I will completely catch up (faster than I think at this rate), and then I'll be thinking... just one card a day?? that's it? Challenge... my ass!

#80No real challenge... just use plaid. I think it's cute and it could not have been easier! And as I'm going through these cards, I'm seeing my style is more simple and clean than anything else, so I'm going to try not to go overboard from here on out... that being said.

#79
Use your favorite manufacturer. I have many, but for this particular one, I used Sassafras Lass. I love these papers and letters and then I went a little nutty with the jewels, but I like it!

#78 sketch

#78

More Sass Lass papers. This one was not my favorite, but I didn't feel like scrapping it and starting a new... I had a bit of a block on this sketch. As it is, the sketches aren't my favorite anyway. I always have a bit of trouble interpreting them.

#77 For this one, you had to use notebook paper. Again, I like how simple this is. I actually used two different scraps and stitched them together to make the sides of the card. I'm thinking you're going to see this technique from me quite a few more times. I love it! It's green and it looks cute!

Major catch up...

2009-06-30T12:18:00.001-07:00

#81

Hip to be Square. You had to use five squares in this challenge and if you count the card itself, I have done so. Also, you have to use your imagination with my cutting and measuring that these are definitely squares. I just used a bunch of random scraps here and I think it worked out well.

#82

Living on the Edge... not much to do with the Aerosmith song... everything to do with decorating the borders of the card. I did so with a border stamp I got from who knows where. I wanted a simple thank you for a friend of mine that just threw a garden party that was super sweet and this motif reminded me of the party. It's simple and isn't really a masterpiece, but if I had to, I could do 50 of these in a snap!

#83

The challenge here was to make the card match the envelope. This is actually the first card I ever made for my cousin's baby shower that was this past weekend. I don't love it, but a lot of heart went into it and I credit her with getting me on a card making roll!

#84

This one was a card recipe:

3x3 card (super tiny)

1 flower

1 brad

1 piece of ribbon

NO PATTERNED PAPER!!

I of course didn't read and started with patterned paper and had to redo... one of these days, I'll start actually reading these posts thoroughly. I'll blame it on my eagerness to start the card... yeah, that's it! lol. The flower is from the Prima rockstar collection (or rock something).

Thanks for looking... sorry the layout is all wonky. I'm not really sure what happened there!?!

#122 - It's a WRAP!

2009-06-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

I loved this challenge! I never even thought about using wrapping paper on a card! I don't know why... it's so obvious! I think this was a Hallmark wrapping paper, but I'm not sure. I have been banned from buying any new wrapping paper until I use what I have. I've also been banned from buying new paper, but those keep mysteriously showing up... lol! I used Martha Stewart glitter pens on certain parts of the wrapping paper (ladybug body, butterfly body, orange stripes of the bee)... It looks good, but it's more than an hour later and it's not even kind of dry... Maybe, it wasn't the best idea (oh, well). The frame is more of the chipboard chunk I'm trying to use up and probably will be well into my 80's (that's 50 + years from now for those of you that are counting). This card makes me happy and will probably live on my desk for a while.

Thanks for looking! Check back later today for some of my catch up from older challenges...

Catch up from when i was out of town

2009-06-29T11:23:00.001-07:00

Today's challenge is to use all the seasons... This was a REAL challenge... I think I'll probably mess with it some more. I'm not a big fan of how it turned out. Here is the sketch from yesterday's challenge:
Here's my take on it... pretty straight forward, but I love these Sassafrass Lass papers!

This is the silhouette challenge. I found this image of a deer online. I traced it with my SD and Voila! I like the simplicity of this challenge!

I used another one of the deer I cut out for the frame challenge below. I have all these chipboard frames from a chipboard chunk that I bought years ago. I'm not a big fan of the set, but I liked using it here.

I hope you all had a great weekend... mine was so-so.

Thanks for looking!

117 the RIGHT way... and a simple idea!

2009-06-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

OK, here it is with no patterned paper... see post below for my screw up.And here are a sampling of cards I made this morning... I was searching frantically for something to take to my Grandmother tomorrow and I thought why not some note cards (blank and thank yous) for her to use. I wanted to make something simple and fast. So... I have this mat stack that matches nothing and it has a hole at the top of each page. I simply folded them over into cards and put a large brad through the hole. Then I used some scraps to put a strip of paper across some of them. This was so easy and would be fantastic for anyone who has to make 20 thank you cards in half hour. There are 2 of each of these designs below and it definitely didn't take more than 30 minutes to make them!

Thanks for looking! Enjoy your weekend... I'll be back Sunday.

Day 117

2009-06-25T04:17:00.000-07:00

Ugh! I just read the post and saw "no patterned paper." I'll redo in a bit... It's just a little tiny pattern, though. I added another pic with the flash to show you that the flame and the frosting are sparkly. I used Martha Stewart glitter pens and chalk markers for the rest. The stamps are an Inkadinkado set that was at AC Moore for $5 (score)!
Sorry, I didn't read carefully. The cat got us up at 5:30 (not my normal wake-up call by a long shot) to catch a mouse... mostly she finds it, and we catch it.

More Catch up... on hold with the cable company!

2009-06-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what you can get done when waiting for the cable company! I was on hold, so I put my phone on speaker and worked with some scraps...

#89This challenge was to use a watermelon. I pulled up an image on google and then just drew some slices free hand. I used some scraps that were already on the table, inked them up and put it together. The stamp was another AC Moore or Michaels dollar bin find. This card doesn't open, so I thought it would be great for an invite... or anything really. Right now it's making me happy, so I'm leaving it on a stand on my desk.

#88 I wanted to make this one super simple. It is for my husband and he is not a fan of all the bling and embellishments. Let's be honest, he's just not a fan of paper crafting. I know, I know, how is this possible? Anyway, so I made something that may not look so great to all of you, but I know he will appreciate. I just wrote out the lyrics to Tim McGraw's "My Best Friend" and then wrote out the greeting. This was the song we danced to at our wedding and we still dance to at home.

#87

This challenge was to use the word "eye" in our sentiment. I've always loved this quote, so I knew exactly what I wanted to do. i have a friend that will be graduating college soon and I thought this would work as sort of a life philosophy for life after school...

#86

Ugh... another purple challenge! I'm not a big fan, although the richer, deeper purples are much better for me. I just grabbed one of my few purple papers (say that five times fast) and stuck a ribbon and a sentiment on there... super simple!

#85 sketch

This is the sketch... and here's my take:

Ok, ok, I know it's strange, but it's for a strange person. I was going for some kind of mystical forest... If you look at it upside down it could in some way come from the sketch. I started making a completely different card and while I was playing around this kind of happened. Does that happen to anyone else?? I stamped the background with red and black and wiped it with a baby wipe then paper towels to dry. I inked up the butterfly that I traced from one of my Silhouette cuttings and did a faux wood grain on the tree with my zig pen.

All of these were fairly simple seeing as i was constantly checking the phone and at points talking to different people so they could also put me on hold...

Happy Crafting!

See you next time!

Another Wedding Card...

2009-06-24T06:52:00.001-07:00

Here is today's card. The challenge was to make a wedding card with no sentiment. I got this idea from a wedding card I received a couple years back. I always remembered it b/c it was the only card I received that wasn't pastel blue or pink. I hope you can see the bling on the ring finger. Also, in real life, he hand is pop dotted so it stands out even more. This is catch up for card #90. The challenge was to use 2 colors and only 2 colors. I chose blue and red (one of my favorite combos when the blue is going towards aqua). I like this one, but I really need to work on my stamping...
Also, I wanted to post a link to Button Junkie and her blog candy.
http://buttonjunkie.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-116-blog-candy.html#comments
This is not the sort of thing that I ever win, but her card is fabulous and it deserves a link anyway. Plus it's making me salivate and yearn to get an embossing machine... maybe for my birthday (hint, hint).

Have a good one, ladies!

Paper piecing

2009-06-23T12:47:00.001-07:00

I tried to paper piece for the challenge. The silhouette was not too fond of this image, though. It's a gsd file from http://einnej.typepad.com/einnej/more-free-gsd-files.html . She has lots of them and they're all free! And this one is a catch up for #91 - keeping it all in the center. It's in the center, or pretty close.
Thanks for looking and all your kind words that keep me going!

Catch up... 5/31 - 6/6

2009-06-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

More Catch-up here for the 365 card challenge... I'm not sure that I'll catch up fully. I can't keep up with the pace I'm going right now. My creative mojo is definitely hitting some road blocks, not to mention, I keep seeing more products that I want.

#98

This challenge was to create an Anniversary card with white being the dominant color. This is a tri-fold card (first one I've tried), and that's about all I really like on this one.

#97

This card is definitely going to http://cardsforheroes.org . The challenge was to use the diamond shape.

#96

This was a fabric challenge. I used to work at a fabric store, so I have TONS of fabric remnants. These were some discontinued kids samples. It's all fabric and I just used some random cardstock for the base. I think it came out cute, not perfect, but kind of haphazard like a kid did it.

#95

Wacky Color Combo Challenge to use blue, orange, and pink. I didn't think it was too wacky, because I love these colors together. I did use a tiny bit of yellow coloring the stamp. The ribbon and the blue paper are almost the exact color, but the scanner was not in agreement with this fact.

#94

This one was based on this ad: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_iPtgN0M4UjY/SiTB9gIjyDI/AAAAAAAABXk/lCwow_Zmi6c/s1600-h/ad%2520inspiration%2520Jun%25202_500.jpg

I keep forgetting to upload the pics. I think I'm going to use this as a wedding card, but since it's blank... we'll see!

#93

This challenge was to use a phone or call me... I did both, to no avail. This card was a mess from the beginning and instead of starting over, I just kept adding and adding and adding. Oh well, challenge done... no clue what to do with the card, though. It doesn't really make sense for the troops, and I don't have any one to send it to.

#92

This is for Super Sketchy Sunday. I used some red ink to give it a little bit of interest and some more Michaels dollar stamps. I'm lovin' the bright color combo and I suppose I have babies on the brain as usual. My hubby will be thrilled! LOL.

Oh, and here's the link for the sketch... like I said, I always forget to add the pic!

http://365cards.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

#114

2009-06-22T10:32:00.000-07:00

The challenge this week was to use lavender. This is NOT my favorite color. In fact, I could only find one paper with lavender in it. I'm not a pastel or a purple person, so I had to use colored pencil on the tag (seriously, no lavender paper). This card is probably going to http://cardsforheroes.org .

All of you card makers should really check them out!

#113

2009-06-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Here's the sketch for Sunday at 365 cards. The people over there do an amazing job at these things! I had a bit of challenging day today, but making these cards really calms my anxiety... Plus, I got to use my new Silhouette SD, fresh out of the box. I'm still working out the kinks, so I'm not ready to give my seal of approval just yet, but it was nice not to have to do any cutting myself. I just had to stitch those arrows, which was really enough work for me!
I hope everyone enjoyed their Father's Day!!

365 cards - week of 6/7 - 6/13

2009-06-20T21:36:00.000-07:00

It rained here today, so I got to craft ALL DAY!! Now I need to go to bed, but I thought I'd put these up really quickly.

#105 inside (sorry these are uploaded backwards)

#105 The theme for this one was the song "Rainbow Connection". I went with it and used a little bit of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The paper is Sassafras Lass and the silver words are dollar finds from Michaels. The Dream letters are from the My Creative Scrapbook May kit.

#104

The challenge here was to picture or give off the feeling of grass... As you can see, I went literal. More stuff here from the My Creative Scrapbook May kit.

#103

This one was a Recipe:

Solid Background

2 patterned papers

3 jewels

stamped sentiment

Papers are all My Creative Scrapbook May kit. Jewels and stamp came from Michaels dollar bins.

#102

This is for the challenge combo. You had to combine 3 different challenges from May, April and March. I chose to do #79 - Use your favorite manufacturer in the majority of the card. #38 - Use this quilt pattern as a guide http://365cards.blogspot.com/2009/04/day-38-thats-it-i-quilt.html #18 - Going Green (use mostly green in your layout.

All papers are Me & My Big Ideas.

#101 inside

#101

The challenge here is to theme your card after a vegetable. This one had me stumped. I don't have any vegie stamps, papers... nothing! I cut out some carrots and came up with a corny card.

#100

For this one you had to use Green, Orange, Blue, Red and Yellow. All bright and no pastels... This one is going in to my junk pile. I think I will use the weaving method again, though.

#99

Last, but not least, the Super sketch Sunday... This was the last one i made today. I think my tiredness (is that a word) is starting to show.

That's all for now... Enjoy Father's Day (don't work to hard, ladies)!

365 cards

2009-06-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

In the last month, I have discovered scrapbooking and now card-making. I have quickly become addicted! I am posting the 7 cards I made this week for the 365 card challenge. I couldn't resist a chance to win those Cosmo Cricket papers (as if I needed more paper).

#106

This was made with the Boho Chic kit from We R Memory Keepers. It follows the Sunday sketch.

#107 Sorry this came out so blurry. I've used my scanner only a handful of times. It didn't like the ribbon and there was no way I was untying it and retying! It took me long enough the first time. The papers here are from the DCWV sweet stack. The challenge was to use the word "Girl" and make it girly. It does say Bday Girl whether you can read it or not and I love these papers for all things girly.

#108
inside

This was for the little boy birthday card. I don't know what company's I used. I think they came from Michaels, though. This was such a simple card and I really liked the way it came out... unlike the two above.

#109

The challenge here was to use these colors: orange, green, aqua, ochre and brown and make it girly. I used the Boho Chic collection again (trying to use it up) and I think this will be a good b-day card for one of my friends.

#110

This challenge was to make a masculine card with argyle. I think the aim was to be more adult, but I couldn't stop myself from making a card for my nephew, Evan who will be 6 this year. I liked the affect even with some of the smudges I got on it (oops!).

#111

This challenge was to use bold stripes. I can't really say I had a plan here. I used a mat pad from Me & My Big Ideas ( I really love that company) and before I knew it I had a b-day card for my Mom.

#112

This didn't scan so well. I don't think the scanner liked the metallic ink. My friend Ashley is getting married in a couple months so this challenge was perfect timing! The challenge was to make a wedding card and use "love" in the title/message. I'm not in love with this card, but I'm happy to have gotten all the cards done for the week... win or lose!

Thanks to the host of this challenge! I plan to try to participate from now on... and hopefully get better!

Typical Sunday Night

2009-04-21T11:20:00.001-07:00

Sunday Night:

Wife: "I just put the UPS notice on your wallet, so you won't forget to put it on the door in the morning."

Husband: "I already signed the other one and put it somewhere I won't forget it."

Wife: "Somewhere better than your wallet?"

Husband: "It's taken care of."

Wife: "Ok, I was just trying to help you out."

-------

Monday Afternoon:

Wife is outside taking the dog for a walk. She thinks she hears the doorbell, but she hasn't showered or put a bra on or brushed her teeth or combed her hair, so she disregards it. Moments later she walks in the house and hears the UPS truck leaving. She thinks nothing of it because she knows there will be a package at the door. Her loving husband has obviously put the notice on the door because he put it in a spot that he couldn't possibly forget.

Imagine the wife's surprise when she sees the final notice attached to her door and NO PACKAGE!

***Note to all the wives out there. Just do it yourself!

The One in Which I'm Going to HELL

2009-04-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I decided to drive down a street I've never been down before. We're relatively new to the area, so every now and then I explore different neighborhoods. This neighborhood was really cute with lots of houses probably built in the 70's and 80's with well kept lawns and cute dogs and people that wave when you pass by. I was enjoying my little side trip until I was stuck behind a biker that was driving in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD! Not only was this biker impeding my progress, but it was 1pm on a school day and from the back of him he appeared to be a 14 year old boy. Why was he not in school, I wondered. Also, what the hell kind of bike was that? It was a full sized bike with GIANT training wheels. I am cursing this kid with all I've got and his parents for not teaching him not to ride in the middle of the street. I definitely said at one point, "Where do you even get a bike like that? Retards 'R' Us?" I was annoyed for absolutely no reason, since it was 1 o'clock in the afternoon and I had nothing better to do than drive around, but I continued to get more and more bothered...

Then we reached the cul-de-sac and he saw me and pulled into a driveway and waved with the biggest grin I've ever seen. Yeah, he definitely had down syndrome.

Upon recounting this story to my husband, he said, "You're definitely going to hell if there is one, which will be nice because I'll have company when you get there."

2009-04-15T13:54:00.000-07:00

This is Toby, who almost died today. He didn't really, but you can imagine.

TOBY, THE SCALDED PUP

2009-04-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

Today, I almost killed my dog. Our puppy is 13 weeks old and has had a bad case of diarrhea for a few days. I was going to take him to the vet and then it started getting better, but then it definitely got worse. I would like to blame almost killing the dog on my husband. He read up on diarrhea cures on the Internet, and if we've learned anything from webmd, it's just to go ahead and go to the doctor already. Unfortunately, we hate doctors and vets for that matter, so we chose the home remedy. The home remedy was rice made in broth. First I will tell you that I was sooo proud of myself for making this rice for my puppy. While that sounds endlessly stupid, wait it gets better. When I was done making the rice (heating it up in the microwave), I was so excited that I just dumped it in Toby's food bowl, set it down (maybe for a minute), and opened his crate. What happened next is probably obvious to most of you, but was clearly not obvious to me. Food that has been put in a microwave for ten minutes is hot, like boiling hot and dogs will stick their snout in and then spray rice all over your walls and floor. It was at this point that I put Toby back in his crate and tortured him with having to sit there for 20 minutes while the rice cooled to an acceptable temperature.

I then called my husband and asked him never to procreate with me, because I should not be allowed to be in charge of an infant, let alone a dog. Also, I learned that my husband should never be trusted because the rice has so not worked and if you really think about it, this is ALL HIS FAULT!