Caardvarks Challenge

This is the first time I've participated in a Caardvarks challenge. They post challenges twice a month and this particular challenge was a sketch challenge. You can read more details about it HERE. You do have to scroll quite a ways down the page to view the challenge, if you're interested.

Anyhoo.... here's my card...

I wanted to create something fun and summery. This little monkey did the trick! I love using summer sun and chocolate chip cardstock together and it makes me think of bananas! Perfect for this little guy!

RECIPE:
Stamps: Monkey Love (C.C. Designs)
Paper: Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, White, Good Morning Sunshine dp
Ink: Momento black
Accessories: Copic Markers, 1/4 inch chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, Bazill flowers, buttons, twine, scallop border punch, Classic and scalloped square nestabilities, corner rounder punch

That's all for now! I may be back later to post more. I pretty much have a free day today which means lots of time to stamp!!! Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific day!!! :)

Where's my mojo?

I've lost my mojo. Have you seen it? I think it took a vacation today. Ughhh! I'm just not in the mood to stamp today, and I don't like what I've created at all. But I guess there are days like that.

Here's my card for today's "Ways to Use It" challenge on SCS. You had to double up on something. It could be the main image, embellishments, anything. I chose to double the focal point image, but like I said I'm just not feeling my card today.

What do you think?
RECIPE:
Stamps: Cheers to You
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, White, Razzleberry Lemonade dp
Ink: black, SU Markers
Accessories: Circle punches in 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 inches, Scalloped circle punch, sewing machine

On the up side, I did pull out my sewing machine and use it on this card. I don't always pull it out and play, but I'm proud of myself for stitching in a straight line!!!

I also did yesterday's sketch challenge on SCS, but didn't have time to blog about it. My mojo was definitely there yesterday and I LOVE how this card turned out. But then again, it is a Halloween card and I love to create those.

Here's my spooky card...

Don't you just love this?!?!?!?! I know it's kind of a gory image, but I just love how it pops off the page. I think it would make a really cool tatoo, if you were into permenantly putting gothic stuff on your body.

RECIPE:
Stamps: From the Crypt
Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black, White, Cast a Spell dp
Ink: Black
Accessories: Black embossing powder, Labels Nestabilities, Ticket corner punch, bat punch from Martha Stewart, 5/8 inch black grosgrain ribbon, silver bat brads

That's all for today. Thanks so much for looking! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Two Cards Today! TLC229 & CPS124

I told you I'd be posting soon with Halloween cards and today's the day!!! I just love to create spooky cards! Today's technique challenge in SCS was to create a grid card that would "pop" the images stamped. I used the new "Scary Skeleton" set for this technique.

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Scary Skeleton
Paper: Old Olive, Basic Black, Perfect Plum, White, Cast-a-Spell dp
Ink: Momento Black, Markers in Perfect Plum and Old Olive
Accessories: 1/4 inch old olive ribbon, black brads, word window punch, modern label punch, ruler & black marker
Technique: grid

Isn't it fun!?!? I know it's a little early for Halloween, but that skeleton is just too cute not to use!
I also participated in the newest sketch on Card Positioning Systems. Here's my card for CPS124...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Trendy Trees
Paper: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, White, Tall Tales dp
Ink: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Old Olive (marker)
Accessories: 1/4 inch So Saffron ribbon, Old Olive buttons, So Saffron button, linen thread, flower from Bazzil

That's all for today! I gotta run and take my parents to the airport. Thanks for stopping by and looking! Have a terrific day!!! :)

A Cardinal Christmas- More Christmas in July

More Christmas in July for you today. My card today was created for the featured stamper challenge on SCS. I cased THIS CARD in Schirmcat's gallery, but had to change at least 2 things about it.

As you can probably see, I left the layout the same but changed the stamp set. I stayed with the bird theme, but my image was colored with prismacolor pencils and blended with gamsol. I changed up the colors on the card some too... adding the green. I used a chipboard star covered with dp and sanded the edges and then added a button on top of it.

Here's my card...


RECIPE:
Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas, Canvas BG
Paper: Kraft, Riding hood red, Very vanilla, Merry Moments dp
Ink: Close to Cocoa, River Rock, Black
Accessories: prismacolor pencils & gamsol, chipboard star, button, linen thread, scallop border punch, ridinghood red tafetta ribbon
Technique: sponging, prismacolors & gamsol

That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!! :)

And Many Mower

Two posts today! You'll need to scroll down to view both.

I'm in the stamping mood lately and decided to participate in my first evah' Mojo Monday sketch challenge. Deets can be found HERE.

I haven't been very good at inking up my newer sets lately, so I'm really trying to get more use out of them. Plus, I can always use birthday cards and masculine birthday cards are even harder to come up with... so I know I'll use this card fairly quickly.

Here's what I created....


I hope the colors aren't too "Christmasy", but I wanted the red to compliment the mower and the green to signify the grass. Make sense?

RECIPE:
Stamps: And Many Mower
Paper: White, Old Olive, Real Red, Summer Picnic dp, Real Red Patterns dp
Ink: Black Momento
Accessories: Copic Markers, Labels Nestibilities, Circle Punches, 1/4 inch Real Red grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

This was a tough sketch for me, but I think it turned out okay. What do you think?

Thanks for looking! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Greetings, Earthling!

Hiya! Today's inspiration challenge on SCS came from THIS WEBSITE. It's full of adorable children's clothing, furniture, toys, etc. After looking through the site, I was inspired by these two items... the alien costume and the space alien hoodie. I pulled colors from both items and of course had to use aliens! I also combined the challenge with the sketch (AMYRS71) from Amy Rysavy's blog which can be found HERE.

Here's my card...


I was just itching to use one of my new SU stamp sets that arrived on Wednesday and this challenge gave me the perfect chance!

RECIPE:
Stamps: Greetings, Earthing!
Paper: White, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Good Morning Sunshine dp
Ink: Pacific Point, Momento black
Accessories: Copic Markers, Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, Tags dies from Spellbinders, green brad (SU), Pacific Point striped grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

Isn't he a cutie? There are other adorable aliens in this set, but I personally think he's the cutest!

Thanks for looking! Have a wonderful day!!! :)

Palm Tree

I didn't get in any new stamping today. Instead I cleaned out my closet, which was a BIG job that needed to get done. I think my clothes were reproducing in there! This time I have 3 garbage bags of clothing, 1 bag with shoes, and 1 bag with purses to give to the Am Vets. But now I can actually SEE what clothes I have in my closet that fit me and I'm pretty much done with the giant clothing purge. I hadn't done it in over 5 years... so it really needed to get done. I also recommited myself to losing weight. I think it's a battle most of us go through, but it really made me sad to see all the clothes that I couldn't fit into anymore. I kept 2 rubbermaid bins of them in hopes of getting back into them someday soon and got rid of the rest. No more snacking for me and I'm going to try to get more active. For real this time!

Since I didn't stamp this afternoon, here's a card I created a little while ago but I don't think I ever shared it on my blog...


RECIPE:
Stamps: Balmy Breezes, Cheesecloth BG
Paper: Taken with Teal, Creamy Caramel, Cool Caribbean, Watercolor paper
Ink: Stazon black, Cool Caribbean
Accessories: reinkers, brads, linen thread, paper piercing tool
Technique: watercoloring with reinkers

After cleaning out my closet all day, I definitely wish I could relax on this beach right about now. Wouldn't that be nice?

That's all for today! I'm definitely going to bed early tonight. I'm bushed! Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific day!!! :)

Christmas in July

Today's "Ways to Use It" challenge on SCS was to create a Christmas card... even though it is July. I also wanted to create a card for Amy Rysavy's weekly sketch challenge (AMYRTFS3) so I decided to combine the two challenges and create my Christmas card based around Amy's sketch.

Here's what I created...



I bought this stamp set from SU when it was first released a few years ago, but I've NEVER USED IT!!! Sadly, I have a lot of stamps in my collection that I've never used! Shame on me! But this was the perfect opportunity to ink him up and use him! I also used my brand new designer paper from SU that the nice UPS man dropped off yesterday. Most of my new order was stamp sets and accessories to create (of all things) Halloween cards! I LOVE to make Halloween cards and it's a rarity that I can pass up a fun spooky stamp. You'll have to wait to see that stuff though! But, I did squeek in some Christmas paper on my order too.

RECIPE:
Stamps: Jolliest Time of Year
Paper: Kraft, Real Red, Old Olive, White, Merry Moments SU dp
Ink: Black Momento
Accessories: 1/4 inch and 5/8 inch Real Red grosgrain ribbon, red buttons from SU's playground button pack, classic circle nestabilities, Copic Markers, dimensionals

That's all for today! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Lots of Cards Today!!!

I had a good stamping day today and pretty much stamped all day! The house was clean, the laundry was done... so lots of time to stamp!!!

First, I created this card for today's sketch challenge on SCS. I'm really not ready for fall yet, but I started looking at my newest stamps and which ones haven't seen ink yet. That's how I settled on using "Autumn Days". Plus, I wanted to get used to SU's newest in-colors.

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Autumn Days, Everyday Flexible Phrases, Canvas BG, Weathered BG
Paper: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla
Ink: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry
Accessories: Linen thread, Cuttlebug Tiny Tags, Hodgepodge Hardware, Deckled Rectangles Nestabilities, dimensionals
Techinque: sponging and masking

I did a lot of sponging on this card. Every panel was sponged to give it depth.


Next, I needed a thank you card to send to my parents. They bought my hubby and I a set of plastic margarita glasses to use on our deck and boat as an anniversary gift. Here's the card I created using the same sketch...


RECIPE:
Stamps: Cheers to You
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, White, Razzleberry Lemonade DP
Ink: Momento Black
Accessories: markers (SU and Copic), Razzleberry Polka Dot Ribbon, Prima flowers, rhinestone stickers, stickles

I put glittery stickles on the rim of the glasses to make it look like sugared or salted rims. They cherry is also a gemstone sticker.

Finally, today is my 3rd anniversary. I always struggle with making cards for my husband, so I was surfing SCS and came across THIS CARD. I knew I had to recreate it, especially since my hubby is not that romantic and most of his cards end up going this route anyways!

Here's my card...


RECIPE:
Stamps: All in the Family, sentiment from Verve stamps
Paper: Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Chocolate Chip, White
Ink: Momento Black
Accessories: markers, word window punch, modern label punch, cuttlebug embossing folder, dimensionals

Tee hee!!!! Isn't it funny!?!? I'm sure he'll get a kick out of it!

That's all for today! I'm heading out to dinner to celebrate or anniversary soon. Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful day!!! :)

Color Challenge

Today's color challenge was a tough one! ApricotAppeal, Baja Breeze, Tempting Turquoise, and Creamy Caramel! I felt like the colors were "beachy" so I pulled out my Lily stamps from Pink Cat Studio.

Here's what I came up with...


Isn't she cute? I really do own other coloring tools... I promise I do, but I always seem to reach for my Copics lately. I'm hooked!

RECIPE:
Stamps: Lily at the Beach (Pink Cat Studio)
Paper: Apricot Appeal, Baja Breeze, Tempting Turquiose, Creamy Caramel, White
Ink: Momento Black
Accessories: Copic Markers, Nestabilities Deckled Rectangles, Pretties Kit and Bazzil flower, clear spica glitter pen, Cuttlebug embossing folders (mesh and d'vine swirl), dimensionals and mini glue dots

I dyed the flowers to match the cardstock colors with my Copic markers. I also felt that this "beachy" scene should have a lot of texture, so I used two cuttlebug folders as well as the deckled nesties.

That's all for today! Tomorrow's my 3 year anniversary with my hubby and I still have to make the card! Yikes!!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Sleepy Riley

I've had all these Riley stamps from Hanna Stamps for a while, but they hadn't seen ink yet. So it's been a good thing that I've been inspired to get them out and play lately.

Today's technique challenge was to create a "stand up card". The directions for this technique/fold can be found HERE. Basically it's an A2 card that stands up on its own... it's only one sided... like a postcard with "wings".

Here's my card...


I took the picture outside, so it's a little shaded. I tried to brighten it up with my photo editing program, but this was the best I could get it.

RECIPE:
Stamps: Sleepy Riley from Hanna Stamps
Paper: Dark Chocolate, Spring Rain, White, Chocolate Remix DP (all PTI)
Ink: Black Momento
Accessories: Copic Markers, Corner Rounder Punch, Dark Chocolate polka dotted satin ribbon, Bazzil flower, brown button, dimensionals

Thanks so much for looking today! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Coffee Riley

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. We watched fireworks at my in-laws house on July 3rd. They live on a lake so we watch the fireworks from their pontoon boat in the middle of the lake. It's always really nice and it's a beautiful place to view the fireworks. We spent the 4th at my aunt and uncle's home because they had a cookout/picnic.

I participated in today's featured stamper challenge on SCS. I cased THIS CARD. I changed the stamp (but I still used a Riley stamp), the colors, I used a pretties kit flower instead of a sentiment panel, and I added a ribbon slide instead of tying a bow in the ribbon.

Here's my version...


RECIPE:
Stamps: Coffee Riley from Hanna Stamps
Paper: (all PTI) Kraft, Dark Chocolate, Ocean Tides, White, Green Tea DP
Ink: Momento Black
Accessories: Copic Markers, Pretties Kit flower and 1/2 pearl, SU ribbon slide, Dark Chocolate Satin Ribbon (PTI), Nestabilities Labels, dimensionals

I dyed the pretties flower with a copic marker to match the Ocean Tides color in designer paper and cardstock.

That's all for today! Thanks for stopping by and looking! I really do appreciate the kind comments you all leave! They make my day! Have a terrific day!!! :)