Karen's Creations

A CAS card for Heart2Heart

2012-03-09T23:08:00.001-05:00

This was a hard card to photograph (doing it an night didn't help!) I'm afraid that the picture looks a little dingy, but the card is very soft and light in person :o) The Heart2Heart blog is having a colour challenge this week: Sky, Garden Green & Sunkiss Yellow. Since I don't own Sunkiss Yellow, I subbed in Buttercup. I've been inspired by what Nancy Ball has been creating lately, and also a card by Maile Belles:

An Irish Blessing with the Deconstructed Sketch #42

2012-03-09T21:39:00.000-05:00

I've followed the Deconstructed Sketch challenge for quite a while... but I think this is my first time actually playing along! 'Tis the season to do a little something Irish, so I used a stamp from Verve's Blessings set along with their new shamrock dies:

Patterned papers are Marjolaine, Basic Grey; Cardstock & Ink is Cocoa, CTMH; Stamp sets are Blessings & Lucky You, Verve; Shamrock set dies, Verve.

Key Ingredients Challenge - Note card set

2012-03-08T17:59:00.000-05:00

This is an updated post with my entry for the Key Ingredients Feb Kit challenge! A week or so ago I posted a set of four cards that I made for the challenge... and have since added a 5th & 6th card, plus a little cardstock box that I made as a holder! So here are a few shots of the set of 6, the holder, and a few pictures of how the holder was put together:

The finished box size is 6"x4 3/4" and it is 1 1/4" deep. I used a piece of the gold ribbon from the kit to tie it all together, and lined the bottom of the box with a piece of patterned paper.

I still have tons of product leftover - I'm looking forward to seeing the previews of the March kit in the next few days :o)

Inspired By #14

2012-03-08T17:16:00.002-05:00

I used Laurel's green/polka dot inspiration at the Inspired By challenge this week, along with the Sweet Sunday Sketch to make my 6th and final card for my set of note cards for the Key Ingredients Feb Kit challenge (I'll show the whole set & the little holder I made in my next post!).

Patterned papers are Lost & Found - Rosy, My Mind's Eye; Ribbon, Pearls & cardstock - all Key Ingredients; Stamp set is Card Word Puzzle, CTMH; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic marker.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #87

2012-03-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

I'm a bright & bold cardmaker for the most part... but I really love the muted neutrals of these October Afternoon papers. I knew that I had the perfect stamp set to go with them, too! Here is what I made for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge:

Patterned papers are Farmhouse, October Afternoon; Cardstock is Vanilla Cream, CTMH; Spellbinders Die; Stamp sets are Holiday Labels, Waltzingmouse Stamps & Chairs To You, CTMH; Inks are Grey Wool, CTMH & Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic Markers; Organdy ribbon, CTMH

Lucky You for Mojo Monday #231

2012-03-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

Actually, it's Lucky Me! I was a lucky winner during Verve's last release, and got the wonderful Lucky You stamp set and matching dies, so I'm thrilled to be using it with this week's Mojo Monday sketch. Here's what Lucky Me came up with:

Patterned papers are Wings & Wings Creative Basics; Cardstock is Topiary, Sweet Leaf, Black and Colonial White; Sweet Leaf grosgrain ribbon; Licorice Opaque Pearls - all CTMH; Stamp set is Lucky You, Verve; Sweet Scallop Tag Die & Shamrock set of dies, Verve.

Freshly Made Sketches #24

2012-03-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

This week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches is my kind of sketch! Classic lines, and lots of room for interpretation! I went back to some papers/stamps that I used for a card about a year ago, and really love. I wanted my little sentiment to look like a hanging sign:

Patterned papers are Wings Creative Basics; Cardstock is Kraft, Vineyard Berry & Colonial White; Stamp sets are Bless This Nest & Twitterpated; Inks are Desert Sand, Vineyard Berry, Topiary & Juniper; Natural Hemp - all CTMH.

Mojo Monday #230

2012-03-02T13:16:00.002-05:00

I dug into my February Key Ingredients kit to make a card for this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I've been making a lot of square cards lately, so I decided to make mine just a standard A2 size:

Patterned papers are Lost & Found Rosy, My Mind's Eye; Cardstock is Black, Colonial White & Kraft, CTMH; Stamps are One of my Nicest Thoughts Plain Jane, and Bloom & Grow, Verve; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento and Olive, CTMH; Ribbon, pearls, flower & papers all Key Ingredients kit, Taylored Expressions.

First Birthday

2012-03-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Wow! This just happens to be my 300th blog post... time flies when you're making cards?! We have a small friend celebrating his birthday this weekend, so I had a great time making a 1st Birthday card this week... I don't get many opportunities to do young cards anymore. This CTMH stamp set has been retired for a little while, but I still love it:

Patterned papers are Sidewalks, October Afternoon; Stamp set is Nursery Bash, CTMH; Cardstock is Juniper, Tulip & Colonial White, CTMH; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic Markers.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #51

2012-02-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

Just a little fun floral card today using Chupa's sketch for Sketchbook Saturday:

Patterned papers are Sidewalk, October Afternoon; Cardstock is Colonial White & Kraft, CTMH; Stamp set is Flowers of Tomorrow, Verve; Ink is Rich Cocoa, Memento; Rose ribbon, CTMH; Pearls, Michaels.

Another coffee card for Freshly Made Sketches

2012-02-25T22:03:00.000-05:00

When I saw this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, I knew that it would be the fourth card in my 'coffee card' series! (I'm in a set phase lately...) I've been having fun putting these funky cards together, with their wacky colours & patterns, and distressing the edges way more than I normally would! Here's my latest card, and then you'll see what the set of 4 looks like so far:

Patterned papers are Life of the Party, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Better With You, Verve; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento;

Heart2Heart Sketch & Color Throwdown #180 Challenges

2012-02-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

I love a good sketch challenge! So when the Heart2Heart Challenge blog had a lovely sketch this week, I definitely wanted to play. I've combined it with The Color Throwdown challenge whose colours for this week worked perfectly with CTMH's Dreamin' papers. Instead of the side panel, I stamped a row of Damask Tiles in a 'soft' black (I was aiming for more of a dark grey...). The card is 5 3/4" square:

Patterned papers are Dreamin'; Cardstock is Grey Wool & Grey Mist; Ink is Black; Autumn Button; Just Blooms Autumn Sunflower; Black Hemp - all CTMH; Stamp sets are Blessings, Verve & Damask Tiles, CTMH.

Inspired By & Key Ingredients Challenge Hop

2012-02-24T20:56:00.001-05:00

It was pretty exciting to get my first Key Ingredients kit in the mail this week... and Laurel's inspiration photo at Inspired By was SO perfect for the KI kit, that I couldn't wait to get into my craft room! Taylor has started a monthly KI challenge, and this month's theme was "Take Note" so I decided to make a set of note cards that will fit both challenges. I may add a card or two over the next few days, and possibly a card holder, too... Meanwhile here's what I came up with:

Here was our inspiration at Inspired By:

Stamp set is A Little Thanks, CTMH; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Black hemp, Pink button & Waxy Flax all CTMH; All other product is from the Key Ingredients kit - patterned papers are My Mind's Eye. Dies are Spellbinders & Verve.

Mojo Monday #229

2012-02-22T17:28:00.001-05:00

This week's Mojo Monday sketch was very similar to a card that I'd made a few weeks ago for a friend who had just had twin boys... and wouldn't you know that the Mojo Makers & Verve Divas made this week's Mojo challenge into a blog hop for Julee (Verve owner!) who just happens to be having twin boys in a few weeks?! I still had a few bits & pieces left from my last twin card, so I decided to do a smaller Mojo version:

Patterned papers are Chick-a-doo, SEI; Stamp sets are Vegtastic, Paper Smooches & From Me to You, CTMH; Ink is Memento; Organdy ribbon, CTMH.

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #40

2012-02-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

This week's Ribbon Carousel Challenge is a lovely sketch by Danielle Lounds... and I knew it would fit this fun little knitting stamp from MFT that I've been wanting to bring out again. Here's what I came up with:

Patterned papers are Miss Caroline, Dolled Up by My Mind's Eye; Stamp set is Knit Happens, My Favorite Things; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic Markers; Cardstock is White Daisy & Grey Wool, CTMH.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #152

2012-02-18T17:51:00.000-05:00

I came up with a masculine birthday card for the current Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I really love my Retro Tech stamp set, but the images aren't that easy to use on a card! Karen's sketch with three little stacking squares seemed to work well, though. I clear embossed the sentiment & the three images, then pop dotted them up:

Patterned papers are Then & Now, Echo Park; Stamp sets are Retro Tech, Dainty Thoughts & You & Me, all CTMH; Black & Bamboo inks, CTMH; Black cardstock, CTMH.

Inspired By Challenge #11

2012-02-17T21:54:00.000-05:00

When I saw Laurel's picture for this week's Inspired By challenge - I knew instantly what papers I'd be using... and when I scrolled down to see her creation, she'd used the same ones :o) This is my second post for today - if you scroll down you'll see the card that I made immediately after finishing this one, and they couldn't be more different. Love that. Here's my Inspired By card for this week, using the February Sketch For You To Try:

Patterned papers are Happy Days, Echo Park; Cardstock is Black, CTMH; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Copic Markers; Stamp set is Carpe Cupcake, Verve; Pink buttons, CTMH; Baker's Twine, The Twinery; Spellbinder's Die.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #49

2012-02-17T21:37:00.000-05:00

Just getting this done in the nick of time... This was such an unusual sketch, that I just had to play along with Sketchbook Saturday, but when I started out, I had in mind a bunch of stitched vines, maybe some 3D flowers - and my card turned out to be the complete opposite! CAS is definitely not my usual style, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I stamped the flowers up the left side in bamboo ink, then masked off the top and bottom of the card, leaving about a 2 1/2" strip. I lightly sponged bamboo ink all over the exposed area, and then overstamped Universal Backgrounds in desert sand. A little knotted organdy ribbon, and I was done:

White daisy cardstock; Bamboo & Desert Sand Inks; Ivory Organdy ribbon; Stamp sets are Card Word Puzzle & Universal Backgrounds - all CTMH; Sentiment is Blessings, Verve.

So Much Chocolate, So Little Time...

2012-02-14T21:11:00.001-05:00

What a great saying! This is my first Pure Innocence stamp, I've been wanting to get one or two since they're so great for practising my Copic colouring.
Patterned papers are Farmhouse, October Afternoon; Cardstock is Chocolate, CTMH; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Stamp set is Box of Love, My Favourite Things; Copic markers.

Superheroes for Mojo Monday #228

2012-02-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for the perfect sketch to come along, in order to pull out my Superhero papers and Super Powers stamp set... and this week's Mojo Monday sketch fit the bill.

Patterned Papers are Superhero, CTMH; Stamp set is Super Powers, CTMH; Inks are Tuxedo Black and Grey, Memento; Copic Markers, Baker's Twine, Martha Stewart Crafts; Spellbinder's Die.

Merry Monday Challenge #6

2012-02-11T21:24:00.001-05:00

Yikes! It took me two days to get that little snowflake glued on here so that I could post my card for this week's Merry Monday Challenge... so without further ado:

Patterned papers are Dear Mr. Claus, Cosmo Cricket; button & waxy flax, CTMH.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #83

2012-02-09T21:51:00.000-05:00

I decided to do something a little different with this week's circular sketch at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge - and put it on a square. I haven't made any hand rolled paper roses in a while, but I added a couple to the bottom of my card, here's what I came up with:

Patterned papers are Sidewalks, October Afternoon; Cardstock is Kraft, Tulip & Black, CTMH; Stamp set is Rescue Remedies, Waltzingmouse Stamps; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento; Licorice Opaque Pearls, CTMH.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #48

2012-02-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

If any of you have been following along on my blog for the last few weeks... you'll notice that I've started a little set of coffee cup cards using Verve's Better With You stamp set, and Basic Grey's Life of the Party papers. Chupa's sketch this week for Sketchbook Saturday was perfect for the 3rd card in my set. I'm hopeful that whomever I give the set to, will 'get' the coffee cup stains on this one!

Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Life of the Party, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Better With You, Verve; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento.

Inspired By Challenge #9

2012-02-07T22:19:00.000-05:00

This is my second post for today - scroll down to see my Mojo Monday card :o) Laurel chose the cutest vintage Minnie Mouse picture for this week's Inspired By challenge... and I knew that I had to use my cute little dress form and something melon-y colourwise. I also decided to try colouring with Copics on patterned paper, and kindof like how it turned out? There is still time to play in this week's challenge, so head over to the blog and check it out. Here's what I came up with:

Here was our inspiration:

Patterned papers are Elemental; Cardstock is Sorbet & Colonial White; Stamp set is Tailor Made; Buttons - all CTMH; Memento Brown ink; Spellbinders die; Copic markers.

Mojo Monday #227

2012-02-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

I love Debbie's sketch for Mojo Monday this week! It gave me a chance to use one of my new Verve sets "Words of Wisdom" and some of my favourite (older) Cosmo Cricket papers:

Patterned papers are Girl Friday, Cosmo Cricket; Cardstock is Kraft, Sunset & Colonial White, CTMH; Stamp sets are Words of Wisdom & Bloom & Grow, Verve; Ink is Tuxedo Black, Memento, Sunset & Juniper, CTMH; Vintage Oval Frame die, Verve.

More flowers!

2012-02-06T12:54:00.001-05:00

While learning to use my Copics, I also did a pink version of the Card Word Puzzle flowers, and wanted to make them up into a birthday card for my niece. And for a change, there is no sketch, no challenge and no specific inspiration - just me making a card :o)

I added a little sparkle to the flower centers:

Patterned papers are Sophia; Cardstock is White Daisy, Pear & Hollyhock; Stamp set is Card Work Puzzle; - all CTMH; Memento grey ink; Copic markers; Stickles.

Freshly Made Sketches #20

2012-02-04T22:29:00.001-05:00

I'm working hard to teach myself how to colour with Copics... which is why I was so thrilled to get the new Card Word Puzzle set & the new Pemberly papers. So here is my first floral Copic effort. I've used this week's Freshly Made Sketches sketch (which in the spirit of Super Bowl week, they have decided to "Go Long"). My card is a big one: 4"x 9 1/2":

Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Pemberly; Cardstock is Outdoor Denim, Kraft & Colonial White; Stamp sets are Card Word Puzzle & Soul Mates; - all CTMH; Ink is Memento; Copic markers.

Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge

2012-02-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

A girlfriend from Curves just had twin boys, so the ladies asked if I would make a card for all of my Curves buddies to sign... So, not having too many baby type images, I thought that this cute little pea pod from Paper Smooches would fit the bill - and my papers just happened to work for the current Paper Smooches Sparks challenge!

Here is our inspiration:

Patterned papers are Chick-a-doo, SEI; Stamp set is Vegtastic, Paper Smooches; Ink is Grey Wool, CTMH; Baker's Twine, The Twinery,

Mojo Monday #226 & Inspired By #7

2012-02-01T20:37:00.001-05:00

My second post for today! I wanted to play along with this week's Inspired By challenge... and as I was putting it together, the Mojo sketch sortof worked it's way in there? I seem to be reaching for orange papers a lot lately... This is a little card, just 4 1/2" edge to edge - here's what I came up with:

Our inspiration:

Patterned papers are Ambrosia, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Words of Wisdom, Verve; Ink is Black, CTMH; Prima flower; Licorice Opaque pearl, CTMH; Spellbinder's dies.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #82

2012-02-01T14:18:00.000-05:00

I've had this card on my drafting table for DAYS! But I refused to move onto something new until I'd finished it... and now that high school exams are over for this semester (I'm the taxi service), I should have a few chunks of time to create a little bit. This is not my typical card style, but I wanted to use my Curio papers again, so I pulled them out for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge:

Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Curio, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Rescue Remedies, Waltzingmouse Stamps; Inks are Chocolate & Cocoa, CTMH; 1 1/4" circle punch, CTMH; Olive Organdy ribbon & Wooden button, CTMH.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #151

2012-01-29T21:38:00.001-05:00

I liked my little caffeine card from last week so much, that I decided to stick with the theme (there may be a set brewing...) for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. Here's my newest coffee card:

Patterned papers are Life of the Party, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Better With You, Verve; Ink is Black, CTMH.

Mojo Monday #225

2012-01-27T22:53:00.000-05:00

Back in December... Verve had a (pretty amazing) sale... so I picked up a few stamp sets that I'd had my eye on for a little while. Coffee stamp sets really appeal to me, and I have a couple of girlfriends who get - let's say 'happy' - when they have a good shot of caffeine (you know who you are!), so I wanted to make some fun coffee type cards with some fun papers. Here's what I came up with using this week's Mojo Monday sketch:

Patterned papers are Life of the Party, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Better With You, Verve; Ink is Black, CTMH.

A Tree

2012-01-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

"A Tree" is the name of one of my favourite new stamp sets in the CTMH spring/summer catalogue. No sketch challenge, no colour challenge or inspiration today - just having fun playing with a new stamp and some older papers :o)

Patterned paper is Wings; Cardstock is Black, White Daisy & Smoothie; Sweet Leaf ribbon; Pin Clips; Stamp set is A Tree - all CTMH; Martha Stewart punch, Copic Markers.

A Sneak Peek!

2012-01-25T21:39:00.000-05:00

I've been working hard to finish up some swap items... in order to play with some of CTMH's new spring products! So here's a couple of quick little 3x3 cards that I whipped up tonight:

Here is the cute little Super Powers stamp set coloured with Copics:

And a simple card using Card Word Puzzle (my favourite new stamp set to colour!)

More to come!

I'm a Top Mouse!

2012-01-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

How nice to wake up this morning and find this card was selected for a Top Mouse award on the Waltzingmouse Sketch Blog! There is a new sketch up on the Waltzingmouse blog today, so check it out if you get a chance :o)

Color Throwdown Challenge #175 & Merry Monday Challenge #3

2012-01-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

I've never been one to make my Christmas cards very far ahead... but the idea of being more organized at that time of year REALLY appeals to me! So when I discovered the Merry Monday challenge on Lesley's blog, I thought I would try to play along whenever I can. I liked this week's sketch, and the colours from the Color Throwdown were screaming Christmas at me, so here's what I came up with:

Here's the ultimate in recycling... I think this little bell came on a box of chocolates we received over the holidays, and I really liked the little crinkly ribbon that it came on, so it's been sitting on my craft desk, waiting for a home:

Patterned papers are Season's Greetings, Echo Park; Kraft & Cranberry Cardstock is CTMH.

Inspired By Challenge #6 & Sweet Sunday Sketch #150

2012-01-17T20:29:00.000-05:00

I tried so hard to make this a 'boy' card... since this week's Inspired By photo had a boyish theme... but these CTMH papers from a few years ago were calling my name - and I just had to go with butterflies. I do like the strong colours, though... and I managed to use this week's Sketchbook Sunday sketch.

I sponged a little paper butterfly with Sunflower ink to pull out the little bits of yellow in the background paper, and added a licorice pearl:

Here was our inspiration photo at Inspired By:

And here is the Sketchbook Sunday sketch:

Patterned Papers are Blue Ribbon, Cardstock is Outdoor Denim & Colonial White; Ink is Outdoor Denim & Bamboo; Stamp set is Simple Beauty; Just Blooms Spring Blossom butterfly; Licorice opaque pearl; Twill tape ribbon - all CTMH.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #80 & Ribbon Carousel #35

2012-01-16T14:46:00.000-05:00

At last a chance to participate in a couple of challenges that I haven't been able to play in for a few weeks. I combined the Waltzingmouse Sketch with the inspiration photo from the Ribbon Carousel to make a holiday card for my stash. It's the first time cutting into the Wonderland paper pack for me, too:

Here is the Waltzingmouse sketch:

and here is the inspiration photo from the Ribbon Carousel:

Patterned papers are Wonderland, CTMH; Cardstock is Chocolate & Heavenly Blue, CTMH; Stamp sets are Vintage Labels & Holiday Labels, Waltzingmouse Stamps; Inks are Crystal Blue & Chocolate, CTMH; Baker's Twine, The Twinery; Marvy & Martha Stewart punches, Spellbinder's Die.

A little late...Sketchbook Saturday #44

2012-01-14T18:21:00.000-05:00

I couldn't quite get last Saturday's Sketchbook Saturday card completed... but still had it in my head, so I used the sketch anyway! Hopefully I'll sneak in today's sketch sometime this week.

I'll probably put a little piece of red tissue in the gift bag when I give the card to someone... Here was Chupa's sketch:

Patterned papers are Odds & Ends Mini Deck, Cosmo Cricket; Spellbinder's & Taylored Expressions dies; Stamp set is Say it in Style, CTMH; Ink is Cranberry, CTMH; Red buttons, CTMH; Baker's Twine from The Twinery.

Inspired By Challenge #5 & Heart2Heart

2012-01-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

The first Heart2Heart challenge of 2012 is to use a stamp that you've never inked up before! We got this set at the Toronto Regionals last April, so I haven't needed a valentine till now... I also wanted to play with Laurel's Inspired By challenge with this week's yummy inspiration photo - so the two fit perfectly together. *There is a new Inspired By challenge posted every Thursday... so if you don't have time to play today, check back tomorrow to see what's up for the next week's challenge. I stamped the hearts first in grey wool on the grey flannel cardstock, and then again on white using Holiday Red. After cutting them out, I scored down the center of each heart, and sewed it down to the base with some black thread, giving them a bit of fun dimension.

Stamp set is Affection; Cardstock is White Daisy, Grey Flannel, Grey Wool & Holiday Red; Inks are Holiday Red & Grey Wool - all CTMH; Baker's Twine from The Twinery.

Here was our inspiration photo:

Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT)

2012-01-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try is a monthly sketch challenge, so I'm going to try to play along all year... Today is my hubby's birthday, so I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find the right "Happy Birthday" or some kind of a quote to put on my little yellow circle (longer than it took to put the whole card together). How tough can it be? Tough. Even though I settled on this one, it may not last, so stay tuned for a possible update!

Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Good Times; Cardstock is Chocolate & Buttercup; Ink is Chocolate; Stamp set is Nursery Bash - all CTMH; Copic markers.

I won on Inspired By!

2012-01-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

What a nice surprise to see my card picked as the winner on the Inspired By challenge blog this weekend! Thanks Laurel! You should all check it out - Laurel picks great inspiration photos, there is another wonderful one this week. You can check out my winning card here :o)

Mojo Monday #223

2012-01-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

What an interesting Mojo sketch this week! I pulled out my Miracle papers, and one of the matching chipboard shapes that came with the kit, then sponged it in 3 of the colours that show up in the patterned papers. Love these soft colours:

Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Miracle, cream ribbon, hemp & chipboard flower a.ll from the Miracle Workshop on the Go kit; Ink is Desert Sand; Cardstock is Bamboo, Crystal Blue & Colonial White - all CTMH; Stamp set is Text Objects, Verve. Spellbinder's die.

A Masculine Thank-You Card

2012-01-05T17:01:00.000-05:00

I was asked to make a masculine thank-you card a few weeks ago... so thought I would post it now while I'm ripping apart/redesigning my craft room... nothing too major, a few new storage pieces and possibly a coat of paint... but oh-my-goodness you don't know how much stuff you have until you take every bit of it out and move it! I'm looking forward to the outcome, but the process could be a bit painfull (more for my husband than me!). So here is what I came up with:

I'm not even going to pause long enough to list my supplies! Time to get back into reorganization mode...

Inspired By Challenge #4

2012-01-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

Second post for today! Scroll down to see my Mojo card.
Laurel picked a glam invitation as this week's Inspired By inspiration... so I kept it fairly literal and used a glam stamp that I've had for a little while. I love the Creme Brulee & Grey Flannel together:

Here was our inspiration:

Cardstock is Creme Brulee, Grey Flannel & Colonial White; Stamp sets are Be Yourself & Argyle Backgrounds; Inks are Black & Creme Brulee; Sparkles - all CTMH.

Mojo Monday #222

2012-01-03T15:11:00.000-05:00

New year... new Mojo! I had fun making a bright card with this week's sketch, mixing up a couple of different Echo Park papers. I tried Debbie Carriere's method of stitching the buttons right onto my card with some navy thread, and I do like the results. You can't really tell in the picture, but the zigzag stitching is bright red.

Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Sunny Days & Little Boy by Echo Park; Cardstock is Outdoor Denim, Ocean & White Daisy, CTMH; Stamp set is Buttoned Together, CTMH; Ink is Holiday Red; Buttons, CTMH.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #43

2012-01-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Sooo glad to be back making regular cards! I really love Christmas cards, but once the day is over, I'm completely ready to move on... so I've worked on this week's Sketchbook Saturday sketch. I love the background stamping idea that Chupa's incorporated into this sketch. Here's what I came up with:

Here was our sketch:

Patterned paper is Seven Gypsies, Five & Dime by October Afternoon; Cardstock is Kraft & Colonial White, CTMH; Stamp sets are Follow Your Dreams & Damask Tiles, CTMH; Ink is Desert Sand, CTMH; Red button collection, CTMH; Baker's Twine, The Twinery; Pink Collection ribbon, CTMH; Spellbinder's Die.

My Top Ten for 2011

2011-12-31T17:52:00.000-05:00

This has been a fun blogging year for me. I was on my first design team (H2H). Won several challenges, and tried all kinds of new things, creatively speaking. I've seen a few other people doing Top Ten posts, and decided to do my own retrospective of favourite projects from the past year:

January 14th

January 24th

February 9th

March 7th

April 28th

July 9th

August 6th

October 31st

November 26th

December 8th

Wishing you all the Happiest of New Years! Thank you for all the comments and visits to my blog in 2011, your kind comments are much appreciated :o) I hope to see you all back in 2012!

Inspired By Challenge

2011-12-28T12:39:00.000-05:00

I really loved Laurel's inspiration picture for this week's Inspired By Challenge... so I'm just getting this done under the wire! I haven't used these Cosmo Cricket papers as much as I'd hoped, so when I saw her vintage Santa photo, I knew what I wanted to do:

Here was our inspiration photo:

Patterned papers are Dear Mr. Claus, Cosmo Cricket; Black cardstock, CTMH; Black grosgrain ribbon, Michaels.

Quick & Easy Gifts

2011-12-23T00:19:00.000-05:00

My daughter & I have been busy getting a few little gift items ready for the last day of school tomorrow... Here are the spa sock cupcakes that she made for her girlfriends; she packaged them up in cello bags, then tied on chocolate dipped marshmallows on a stick:

And then for bus drivers, we wrapped a cute little sleeve around two pouches of hot chocolate, and hung a little tag around another stick of marshmallows (they're not quite as yellow as they look in the photos!):

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, see you in a few days after I take a few off to enjoy some time with my family!

A Cute card set

2011-12-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

This is my first Paper Smooches stamp set - and I absolutely love it! All of their images are cute and happy, which makes for some very fun projects. Here is a set of four cards that I made to stick in with a Christmas gift for one of my friends:

Patterned papers are Six by Six, My Mind's Eye; Odds & Ends, Cosmo Cricket; CTMH; Cardstock is White Daisy, Topiary & Kraft, CTMH; Ink is Black; Stamp set is Vegtastick - Paper Smooches.

A Few more Tags

2011-12-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

My daughter got a last minute cupcake order this weekend! So instead of making cards, I'm flying around making sure we have ingredients (we've never baked red velvet cupcakes before!) and a few other things to take to parties this week... so I just have a few tags to share. They're similar to a set that I did last year, but I made up sets of these to give to my sisters:

Patterned papers are Mistletoe; Cardstock is Kraft, Colonial White & Olive; Inks are Olive & Cranberry; - all CTMH. Stamp sets are Vintage Ornaments, Waltzingmouse; Charm Uppercase Alphabet; Just for the Holidays by CTMH; Charming Oval stamp set & die by Verve.

Card & a matching Christmas tag

2011-12-15T18:40:00.000-05:00

This was my first time using a digi-stamp! I love Paper Smooches' cute whimsical images, so I downloaded this a few days ago, coloured it with my red Copics, and made up a quick card & tag:

Patterned paper is Holly Jolly, Echo Park; Cardstock is Black and White Daisy, CTMH; Digistamp, Paper Smooches; Baker's Twine, The Twinery.

Masculine Birthday Card

2011-12-13T11:47:00.000-05:00

I needed a quick birthday card for my nephew... so I used this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch and some My Mind's Eye papers:

Patterned papers are Six by Six, My Mind's Eye; Cardstock is Cocoa, CTMH; Stamp sets are Damask Tiles & Happy Birthday, CTMH: Inks are Grey Flannel & Cocoa, CTMH; Pearls from Michaels.

Holiday Magic Tags

2011-12-12T21:58:00.000-05:00

This stamp set was Close To My Heart's October stamp of the month... and it's one of my favourites for tags this year:

Stamp sets are Holiday Magic and A Holiday; Cardstock is Kraft, Topiary, Cranberry :& White Daisy; Inks are Holiday Red, Topiary & Black; Red button - all CTMH.

A Christmas Tag

2011-12-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

I don't think that I'm quite finished with cards yet... but I'm definitely in wrapping mode, so I have a tag to share tonight. I really love this vintage ornament Spellbinder's die - last year's version:

Patterned papers are Season's Greetings, Echo Park; Cardstock is Cranberry & Colonial White, CTMH; Stamp set is A Holiday, CTMH; Ink is Topiary, CTMH; Button, CTMH; Spellbinder's Die.

Heart2Heart Challenge & Inspired By

2011-12-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

I've combined two challenges for today's card... both Heart2Heart and Inspired By have holiday inspiration photos in classic holiday colours, so I dug into my Believe papers and this is what I came up with:

Here was my inspiration:

The wreath is for Heart2Heart and the cake is for Inspired By

Products: Patterned papers are Believe; Cardstock is Topiary & White Daisy; Stamp set is Holiday Magic; Inks are Holiday Red, Pear, Topiary & Black - all CTMH; Baker's Twine is from The Twinery; Martha Stewart border punch.

A couple more things to share... I was named one of the monthly Top Ten for November on the Heart2Heart Challenge blog for this card!

And I thought I would share a little bit about my day job :o) I work part-time for my girlfriend Teresa who owns a home staging/interior decorating business. I'm generally involved in the staging side of things, not so much in the decorating end, but I am the company photographer, so when a design job is complete I get to go in and take photos of the finished project. Here is what we worked on today, a fabulous condo in downtown Toronto. I'm really proud of my photography, I still make plenty of mistakes, but am getting better all the time and hope to do a bit more of this in the Real Estate business. The company is called Design To Go - check out her website!

Have a wonderful weekend :o)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #76

2011-12-08T23:55:00.001-05:00

I didn't want to pass on this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge, because I love the little ornament sketch... so I'm just getting this done in time :o) Claire Brennan is also having a tag challenge on her blog right now - so if you love your Waltzingmouse stamps as much as I do, you may want to play along! I stayed fairly CAS this week, with some vintagey patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket, and a wonderful Waltzingmouse label stamp:

My inspiration actually came from a card that I made a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to make a companion tag:

I have one more of these little 'Joy' die cuts sitting on my craft table, so stay tuned - I think there'll be a 3rd project coming soon! Here was our sketch:

Patterned papers are Dear Mr. Claus, Cosmo Cricket; Stamps are Holiday Labels and Vintage Ornaments, Waltzingmouse Stamps; Inks are Black and Cranberry, CTMH; Cranberry ribbon, CTMH; Spellbinders die.

Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT)

2011-12-07T21:24:00.002-05:00

I've been able to participate in the Sketch For You To Try challenges for November & December, and hope to do all 12 of them next year. This is one of the first times that I've used my Copics to colour a card! I'm fairly pleased with the result - practise makes perfect, so I plan to keep working at it on upcoming projects. Here's what I came up with:

I added some clear buttons to my snowflakes, and sparkled them up a bit:

Patterned papers are Nordic Holiday, Basic Grey; Stamp set is Knit Happens, My Favorite Things; Ink is Memento Black; Copic Markers; Cardstock is Outdoor Denim & White Daisy, CTMH; Clear buttons, CTMH: Martha Stewart coarse glitter.

Mojo Monday #218

2011-12-05T21:59:00.001-05:00

Can't believe that I'm posting two cards in one day! I'm definitely in the mood to make Christmas cards, so I'm rolling with it :o) I also can't get enough of my Echo park papers... so I paired it with my favourite Verve snowflakes:

Stamp set is Glad Tidings, Verve; Patterned papers are Season's Greetings, Echo Park; Ink is New England Ivy, Cranberry & Vineyard Berry, CTMH; Cardstock is New England Ivy & Colonial White, CTMH; Baker's Twine, The Twinery; Sweet Scallop Tag die, Verve.

Unscripted Sketches #135

2011-12-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

I love this stamp set, which has 25 teeny little holiday images (perfect for an Advent calendar)... so when I saw this week's Unscripted Sketch, I thought that this stamp set would be perfect.

Patterned papers are Jingle, CTMH; Cardstock is Black & White Daisy, CTMH; Memento Black ink; Copic Markers; Stamp set is No Peeking, There She Goes; Martha Stewart snowflake punch & coarse glittler. Sentiment stamp is Holiday Magic, CTMH.

Happy 200th Birthday!

2011-12-04T10:48:00.001-05:00

A couple of years ago, my sister-in-law & brother-in-law held their 100th birthday party (their ages totalled 100), which I thought was hilarious. So last spring, it somehow occurred to me that my sisters & I would be celebrating our 200th birthday this year! We tried hard to organize a trip to Vegas, but it was too hard to coordinate... however, I didn't want the occasion to pass without being acknowledged :o) So I've knit them each a scarf, and made a fun 200th bday card to put in the parcel. I'm using this week's Color Throwdown Challenge colours, and The Sketchbook Saturday sketch:

Patterned papers are Life of the Party, Basic Grey; Cardstock is White Daisy, CTMH; Buttons CTMH; Ink is Outdoor Denim, CTMH; Pinwheel die & Sentiment, L'il Inker Designs.

Simple is Good.

2011-12-03T11:30:00.000-05:00

Sometimes a simple card is a good thing... at this time of year, with so many cards to make, I need to remember that they don't all have to have "stuff" on them! So I kept this week's Heart2Heart Challenge card fairly simple, with just a touch of bling.

Here was our sketch:

All supplies are CTMH: Patterened papers are Jingle; Cardstock is Cotton Candy & White Daisy; Stamp set is Just for the Holidays; Ink is Juniper; Prisma Glitter.

New Challenge: Inspired By!

2011-12-02T20:52:00.001-05:00

One of my favourite inspirational crafters, Laurel Seabrook, has started a challenge blog called "Inspired By" where she's given us an inspiration photo to get us started. This is my version of a CAS card... no stamping and (gasp!) a few stickers. Check out the new blog, it's sure to be a great challenge:

Here was our inspiration photo... I loved the colours!

Patterened papers & stickers are Season's Greetings by Echo Park; cardstock is Kraft, Cranberry & Colonial White, CTMH; Baker's Twine is from The Twinery.

Getting cozy for Christmas

2011-12-02T08:08:00.001-05:00

I really love this cozy little Chrismtas card! I've done this before, but I've never knit with Baker's Twine?! I had a little burst of inspiration when all of my Twinery goodies were spread out on my craft table, and decided to use it to knit up a tiny little sweater to put on a Christmas card. I took some decorative toothpicks and glued little pink beads to the ends to make them look like knitting needles. And no - I didn't knit on the toothpicks! Just transferred the stitches when I was done.

A card like this can't go to just anyone! You want someone who will really appreciate it to have it, so I didn't even hesitate to give it to my friend Bonnie, lover of all things crafty. If I'm not mistaken, it's sitting on her mantel as we speak :o) Here's a closeup of my little sweater:

Patterned papers are Holly Jolly by Echo Park; Cardstock is Topiary, Cocoa & White Daisy, CTMH; Stamp set is Festive Frills, CTMH; Ink is Cotton Candy, CTMH. Baker's Twine is Pea Pod from The Twinery.

Mojo Monday #217

2011-11-30T23:43:00.000-05:00

I had fun with some non-traditional papers from Jillibean's Soup for this week's Mojo Monday sketch... I chose the square option, and mine is 5 1/2" square. I used some Liquid Glass to glue down the Baker's twine to make a little garland on the tree, and added a bit of bling :o)

Patterned papers are Jillibean's Soup, and Believe, CTMH; Cardstock is Chocolate, Cotton Candy & Colonial White, CTMH; Inks are Chocolate & Topiary, CTMH; Stamp set is Just For the Holidays, CTMH; Chocolate ribbon & sparkles are CTMH; Baker's Twine is from The Twinery; Spellbinder's die.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #145

2011-11-28T23:16:00.000-05:00

I got a little sparkly this week with Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I love my Martha Stewart coarse glitter, so I spread it around on the snow & flakes:

Patterned papers are Nordic Holiday, Basic Grey and Wings, CTMH; Cardstock is Outdoor Denim & White Daisy, CTMH; Memento Black ink and Outdoor Denim ink, CTMH; Copic Markers; Stamp sets are Glad Tidings, Verve and Snow Friends, CTMH;

Unscripted Sketches #134 and a Woo Hoo!

2011-11-26T22:19:00.001-05:00

I really loved the Teresa Collins Christmas Home collection when I first saw it, and was finally able to find some! I've used this week's Unscripted Sketch and one of my new Waltzingmouse holiday stamps:

Patterned papers are Christmas Home by Teresa Collins; Stamp set is Seasonal Remedies, Waltzingmouse Stamps; Ink is Cranberry; Cardstock is Black and White Daisy, CTMH; Buttons & ribbon are CTMH; Spellbinders dies.

And now for my Woo Hoo! I found out this morning that I'd been named a Top Mouse over at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge blog for this card :o) I am proudly displaying my Top Mouse blinkie over on the side of my blog!

Mojo Monday #216 & Color Throwdown #169

2011-11-23T23:15:00.000-05:00

Aqua & red are one of my favourite Christmas colour combos right now... so I loved working with the Color Throwdown colours this week! I used Debbie Carriere's Mojo Monday sketch:

Patterned papers are Season's Greetings by Echo Park; Cardstock is Black & Colonial White, CTMH; Stamp sets are Just For the Holiday & Falling Snow, CTMH & Glad Tidings, Verve; Inks are Cranberry & Black, CTMH.

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #74 & Ribbon Carousel #30

2011-11-23T07:50:00.002-05:00

Here's a challenge that I've been dying to play ever since my Waltzingmouse stamps arrived! Their sketches are always so wonderfully simple (yet the cards everyone makes are always fabulous...) I made the inner circle into a diamond shape 'cause it fit the papers so perfectly. This week's Ribbon Carousel challenge is called "Holiday Hoopla"! so I've entered it there as well. Here goes:

Patterned papers are Season's Greetings by Echo Park; Cardstock is Pear, Black & Colonial White - CTMH; Baker's Twine is from The Twinery; Copic Markers; Stamp set is Holiday Remedies by Waltzingmouse Stamps; Ink is Memento.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #144

2011-11-22T20:09:00.000-05:00

I'm still working with the fun Dear Mr. Claus papers from Cosmo Cricket - this time for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

Plain & patterned papers & stickers are Dear Mr. Claus, Cosmo Cricket; Twill tape, CTMH; Spellbinders dies.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #38

2011-11-21T13:52:00.000-05:00

I really love the vintage vibe of these Cosmo Cricket papers, and also really love how they worked with this week's Sketchbook Saturday sketch. It's a little weird to me to use black on a Christmas card, but I've seen it done a lot lately, and it really works with this whole look.

Patterned papers are Dear Mr. Claus, Cosmo Cricket; Stamp sets are Holiday Labels & Vintage Ornamets - both Waltzingmouse Stamps; Cardstock is Colonial White, CTMH; Inks are Black, Cranberry & Bamboo - CTMH; Cranberry grosgrain ribbon, CTMH.

Workshop cards

2011-11-21T08:06:00.000-05:00

Here are cards 3, 4 & 5 from this weekend's workshop... The ladies made 2 of each (including the 2 I posted last week). There is a little trail of sparkles under the feet of the reindeer to look like snow, and I added a bit of bling to the snowflakes as well. We had a little ink oops on the circle card sample at the workshop (so just ignore that!).

Reindeer card: Patterned papers are Mistletoe; Stamp set is Nature's Gift; Ink is Chocolate; Cardstock is Colonial White & Chocolate; Striped ribbon, hemp & button - all supplies are CTMH.

Joy card: Patterned papers are Everlasting; Stamp sets are promo font & Just for the Holidays; Inks are New England Ivy - all CTMH.

Circle card: Patterned paper is Believe; Cardstock is Topiary & Colonial White; Stamp set is A Holiday; Inks are Topiary & Black; Twill tape & Red Sparkles - all CTMH.

Teenage birthday

2011-11-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

There's another birthday in our house today... my son turned 16. Hard to believe that I'll have one of my children learning to drive shortly, it seems like we just signed him up for kindergarten last week? Sigh. He's got a fun sense of humour, so I wanted a fun birthday card for him, and I broke out the Life's a Party papers from Basic Grey. I used a bunch of the stickers that came in the kit, which I don't often do - but they really fit the occasion.

Patterned papers & stickers are Life's a Party, Basic Grey; Baker's Twine from The Twinery; Stamp set and Cocoa ink are CTMH.

A shaped card

2011-11-17T09:53:00.000-05:00

Here's card #2 for my upcoming workshop. I really wanted to show the class how easy it is to use non-holiday paper for a Christmas card, and the Elemental papers work perfectly for that. I designed my own shape for the edge (and yes, I have to precut 20 of these!) I love the slightly country feel to this one:

Patterned papers are Elemental; Stamp set is Holiday Magic; Inks are Pacifica, Olive & Desert Sand; Cardstock is Colonial White & Barn Red - all CTMH.

Holiday Door Cards

2011-11-16T17:34:00.000-05:00

I'm busy preparing a card workshop for this weekend, so thought that I would post what we're making over the next few days. I have a mix of abilities in the class, and we want to get a lot accomplished, so I've kept them fairly simple. Here is the first one, which is 8 1/2" x 3 3/4"... just takes one sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" of cardstock, so I did a white and a kraft version:

You can't tell in the photo, but the white berries are all sparkly!

Stamp set is Remarkable Wreath; Inks are Chocolate, Cranberry & Bamboo; - all CTMH; Brad & ribbon are from Michaels.

An Elemental Thank-you card

2011-11-15T12:30:00.001-05:00

I got this absolutely adorable die in the mail this week from Taylored Expressions - that makes this teeny, tiny little shopping bag! I could hardly wait to make it into a card... and luckily I need a thank-you card for a girlfriend. This week's Heart 2 Heart Challenge is "Gratitude" so I'm entering it there :o)

Patterned papers are Elemental, Cardstock is Kraft, Colonial White & Sorbet; Inks are desert sand & sorbet; Stamp set is Say it in Style - all CTMH. Dies are Spellbinders & Taylored Expressions.

Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT)

2011-11-10T11:34:00.000-05:00

This is a new sketch challenge for me! Jen del Muro has a monthly challenge, called "Sketch For You To Try", and the talented ladies who participate are SO inspiring in what they create each month. Check it out, and you won't be disappointed. I used my Cosmo Cricket Odds & Ends mini deck (love these!), and a favourite Verve stamp set:

Patterned papers are Odds & Ends, Cosmo Cricket; Stamp set is Text Objects, Verve; Ink is Cocoa, CTMH; Cardstock is Colonial White, CTMH; Nature's Ambience Rub-ons, CTMH.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #36

2011-11-09T13:13:00.000-05:00

Yay! My Waltzingmouse stamps arrived in the mail this week - I've wanted this stamp set since it came out last year, so I whipped it out as soon as I could and made certainly the brightest Christmas card that I've ever created :o) These are summery papers, but for some reason they were just shouting Christmas to me? I kept the design fairly simple (due to those in-your-face prints!) and added just a bit of bling. I've used Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday sketch for inspiration:

Patterned papers are Summery Days, Echo Park; Stamp set is Vintage Ornaments by Waltzingmouse Stamps; Inks are Pear & Cotton Candy, CTMH; Cardstock is White Daisy, Ocean & Pear, CTMH; Bitty Sparkles & Bubblegum Organdy, CTMH. Spellbinders ornament die.

Mojo Monday #214

2011-11-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

Great sketch from Julee for Mojo Monday this week! I picked up a few sheets of Echo Park paper last week, so I went for a slightly non-traditional Christmas card. I really love how it turned out :o)

Right after I took these pictures, I bought some Martha Stewart coarse glitter... so stay tuned, I may sparkle this up a bit, and reload new photos!

Patterned papers are Season's Greeting by Echo Park; Stamp set is Glad Tidings, Verve; Cardstock is Cocoa, CTMH; Ink is Cocoa, CTMH; Snowflakes, CTMH; Classic Label die, Verve; Bubble gum organdy ribbon, CTMH; Pink check ribbon, Offray.

Color Throwdown Challenge #166 & CASE Study Challenge #64

2011-11-04T15:40:00.000-04:00

I haven't played the Color Throwdown Challenge in a few weeks, so I'm happy to have 2 cards to post for this week's challenge! The colours immediately made me think of the Miracle paper pack from last spring, and I decided to use it to make a couple of soft & pretty sympathy cards for my stash. I was inspired to play along with this week's CASE study challenge too, when I saw the pretty cut-out card made by this month's muse, Kryssi Ng (scroll down to see her card). Here's the first:

and here's a close up of my raised panel & cutout:

and another one:

Here is Kryssi's card:

Supplies for both cards: Stamp set is Blessings by Verve; Patterned paper is Miracle; Cardstock is Kraft, Colonial White & Crystal Blue; Ink is Desert Sand; Heavenly Blue Sassy Strands; Garden Green button & brads, paper flower & wooden button - all CTMH.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #35

2011-11-02T15:01:00.000-04:00

I fit in a little time to do Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday Challenge... these colours are a little bold for me, and it makes for a pretty busy card, but hey - it's always good to try something different! Here's our sketch & what I came up with:

Patterned papers are Tis the Season, DCVW; Cardstock is Vanilla Cream, CTMH; Stamp set is Christmas Spirit, CTMH; Ink and grosgrain ribbon are Vineyard Berry, CTMH; Ribbon is from Fabricland.

Mojo Monday #213

2011-10-31T14:39:00.001-04:00

Time for a Christmas card with this week's Mojo Monday sketch. I really love my new Echo Park Season's Greetings papers, so I finally cut into them; and I think I've set a new personal record in using 4 different Verve dies on my card! Glad Tidings is the first Verve stamp set that I bought, and I think is still my fave - love those snowflakes :o)

Patterned papers are Season's Greetings by Echo Park; Cardstock is Colonial White, Cranberry & Kraft, CTMH; Stamp sets are Glad Tidings by Verve & Christmas Spirit, CTMH; Inks are Cranberry & Desert Sand, CTMH; Twill tape, CTMH; Michael's brads. Verve dies: Sweet Scallop, Charming Oval & Classy Label;

Unscripted Sketches #130

2011-10-29T21:18:00.000-04:00

I'm on a roll with my Aspen papers... and this is another effort to learn to use my Copics. I'm pretty pleased with the results (luckily there's not a lot of colouring on a snowman!) I used this week's Unscripted Sketch as my start:

Patterned papers are Aspen; Cardstock is Kraft, Twilight & White Daisy; Stamp sets are Bundled Up & Festive Thoughts; Ink is Desert Sand - all CTMH. Spellbinders die; Baker's Twine is from The Twinery;

Christmas Set

2011-10-28T08:00:00.002-04:00

These started out as me practising to colour with my Copics... I've had some for a while now, but haven't used them much, so I've decided that it's time to learn more. I'm pretty happy with my results, so hopefully I'll post more in the near future. Both the stamps and papers are from a couple of years ago, but they still make great cards:

Patterned papers are Aspen; Cardstock is Kraft, Creme Brulee & White Daisy; Stamp set is Bundled Up; Ink is Desert Sand; Snowflake button - all CTMH; Spellbinders die; Copic markers.

My Baby's Birthday

2011-10-27T07:53:00.001-04:00

Yup, my baby is turning 14 today... sigh, and is in her first year of high school, sigh again. I was reaching for some fall-ish papers to make her birthday card, but it is SO grey and miserable here, that I just had to do something cheerier. Plus she'd like a cheery card, so I went back to these fun prints by 100 Days of Summer. And oops! I didn't notice until I was editing my photo - that I need to do a little trimming down the side of the card :o)

Patterned papers are 100 Days of Summer; Cardstock is Colonial White & Creme Brulee, CTMH; Stamp set is CTMH; Ink is Desert Sand, CTMH; 2" scallop punch, CTMH; Cuttlebug flower dies; Baker's Twine is from The Twinery.

Mojo Monday #212

2011-10-25T15:08:00.001-04:00

I really love Julee's sketch for Mojo Monday this week... I think you'll be seeing it from me again :o)

The little panel with the trees is pop-dotted for a little dimension, and shows off a little masking.

Patterned paper is Jingle; Stamp sets are Holiday Magic & Christmas Spirit; Inks are Juniper, Tulip & Blush; Cardstock is Tulip, Kraft & White Daisy; Opaque pearls - all CTMH. Baker's Twine from The Twinery. *I'm entering this in the Anything Goes challenge this week at the Kraft Journal, also!

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #140

2011-10-24T18:04:00.000-04:00

This is my first time playing along with Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge... and I wanted to continue building up my stash of Christmas cards, so here's what I came up with:

No stamping on this one!

Patterned papers are Mistletoe, Making Memories; Cardstock is Colonial White, CTMH; Twill tape, CTMH; Baker's Twine from The Twinery.

Mojo Monday #211

2011-10-22T14:54:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do a cheery card this week (I have a sick daughter!) for this week's Mojo sketch:

I sewed a nice, messy strip of hand pleated ribbon down the front! It's a bit of a strange size: 4 1/2 x 6 1/4:

Patterned papers are 100 Days of Summer; Stamp set is Beautiful You, Verve; Cardstock is Kraft & Colonial White, CTMH; Ink is Desert Sand, CTMH; Prima flowers; Bigger brad & Holiday red organdy ribbon, CTMH.

Remarkable Wreath for Heart2Heart

2011-10-20T13:07:00.000-04:00

This week's Heart2Heart Challenge is to use numbers on your project, so I've cased this card made by Vicki Wizniuk last week, to make up a fall birthday card:

Patterned papers are Elemental; Cardstock is Kraft, Sunset & Colonial White; Chocolate ribbon collection; Inks are Creme Brulee, Sunset & Desert Sand; Stamp set is Remarkable Wreath; - all CTMH; Spellbinders die.

Birthday Invitations

2011-10-17T21:53:00.000-04:00

Sigh. After many years of throwing birthday parties, and making invitations... with my daughter turning 14 this month, it's likely one of my last times making homemade invitations (sniff). Some of her friends have even kept the invitations over the years, so we have a reputation to live up to! Here's what I came up with for the eight I needed this year:

Patterned papers are K&Co; Kraft is from Michaels; Stamp set is Time to Party, Inks are Blush & Desert Sand; Hemp - all CTMH;

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #32

2011-10-13T21:51:00.000-04:00

I've been hoarding my October Afternoon papers for a while now... so it was time to break them out for this week's Sketchbook Saturday sketch. This is A LOT of patterned paper for me! But I had fun putting it together (and the yellows all match in real life LOL :o)

Patterned papers are Homemaker, October Afternoon; Cardstock is Black & White Daisy, CTMH; Inks are Black, Clover Meadow, Creme Brulee & Goldrush, CTMH; Liquorice Opaque Pearls, CTMH; Stamp set is Sweet Treats, Verve and Treasures, CTMH; Dies are Vintage Oval, Verve & Spellbinders;

Unscripted Sketches #127

2011-10-11T14:33:00.000-04:00

I'm hoping the gals over at Unscripted Sketches won't mind a few liberties that I've taken with this week's sketch :o) I've tipped it on it's side... and instead of a panel of strips, I've used a striped panel! Same look, just a different way of getting there.

Patterned papers are Ever-After, Cosmo Cricket; Stamp sets are Gracious Greetings, CTMH & Bloom & Grow, Verve; Cardstock is Grey Mist & White Daisy, CTMH; Inks are Grey Wool & Creme Brulee, CTMH; Prima flowers; Elegant Leaves die, Verve & Spellbinders die;

And I just have to share how unbelievably gorgeous the trees are across the street from my house:

Remarkable Wreath

2011-10-08T18:42:00.000-04:00

This is one of my newest stamp sets for the holidays - and I love what I've seen people do with it so far. Here's a 5 1/2" square card for my Christmas card stash:

Patterned paper is Elemental; Cardstock is Kraft, Olive, Barn Red & Colonial White; Stamp sets are Remarkable Wreath & Atomic Caps; Inks are Desert Sand & Barn Red; - all CTMH; Martha Stewart Baker's Twine; Michaels ribbon.

My Cupcake Diva does Thanksgiving

2011-10-07T21:20:00.000-04:00

My daughter Paige (aka Cupcake Diva) was hired to make 3 dozen Thanksgiving cupcakes this week! So here are her efforts. Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians this weekend :o)

Heart2Heart Challenge

2011-10-06T22:05:00.000-04:00

It's a sketch week on the Heart2Heart Challenge blog! I've been wanting to do a pink card to honour Breast Cancer Awareness month... so this was my chance. Since I was photographing it at night, I don't think my camera has quite captured just how pretty that Cotton Candy cardstock is in person. Here's our sketch:

All supplies are CTMH - Patterned paper is Sweetheart; Cardstock is Cotton Candy, Grey Wool & White Daisy; Inks are Cotton Candy & Grey Wool; Stamp set is Treasures of the Heart; Pink Carnation Organdy ribbon; Sparkles; Spellbinders die.

Color Throwdown Challenge #162

2011-10-05T12:53:00.000-04:00

I love blue & brown together! This week's Color Throwdown challenge added a pale creamy yellow to the mix, too. I'm generally a less is more kinda gal, so I almost didn't add the little striped ribbon - what do you think? Is it one element too many? I'm still pleased with the outcome either way:

Patterned paper is Life's Journey Dictionary; Cardstock is Cocoa, Crystal Blue & Colonial White - CTMH; Stamp sets are Bloom & Grow - Verve; Happy Birthday - CTMH; Inks are Desert Sand & Crystal Blue - CTMH; Just Blooms paper butterflies - CTMH; Cuttlebug flower dies; Charming Oval dies - Verve; Ribbon - CTMH; Opaque Mocha Pearls - CTMH;

A Lovely Blog Award!

2011-10-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

I can't tell you how lovely it is to be recognized by other bloggers... we all put a lot of effort into our blogs and our creations, and I truly appreciate all the wonderful people who stop by to take a peek or leave a comment. I've had a busy few weeks with out of town guests, so am playing catch-up on my blog - I would like to thank all five of these ladies who have all graciously sent me the Liebster Blog award over the last few weeks!

Amy - http://clearlystamping.blogspot.com/

Kim - http://www.creativehands-hearts.blogspot.com/

Nancy - http://ballisticdesign.blogspot.com/

Tammy - http://creatingfromhomeinmysparetime.blogspot.com/

Jody - http://cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules to accept this award:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love to other bloggers.
5. And most of all - have fun!

The award is to recognize blogs that have fewer than 200 followers. Here are my fab 5 choices to pass this award along to:

Alyson - I first saw her work at the Toronto Regionals where she had the most fabulous artwork to share... her blog won't disappoint! Check it out!

Carolyn - I've only just recently discovered her blog, since she's fairly new at this blogging thing - she has wonderful ideas!

Sheri - Is a fabulous gal that I've known for several years, with whom I've been able to do workshops, attend CTMH events and just get together for coffee! Check out her lovely creations :o)

Allisa - another new blogger who has awesome cards on her blog - take a peek!

Jan - she first came onto my radar several years ago, with the most adorable snowmen cards! I had a chance to meet her this spring, and I always love her fabulous creations :o)

Mojo Monday #209

2011-10-04T16:09:00.001-04:00

Contest weeks on Mojo Monday are always fun because there are loads of entries! And... I just happened to get a new stash of papers in the mail, so I got down to business. Here's our sketch:

It's also anything goes this week over at the Ribbon Carousel, so I'm entering my card there as well; and The Kraft Journal has a Lavish Layers challenge this week!

And a little close-up of the bling:

Stamp sets are Bloom & Grow and Vintage Oval Frame; Vintage Oval Frame Die - all Verve; Patterned Paper is Odds & Ends Mini Deck, Cosmo Cricket; Cardstock is Kraft, Cranberry & Colonial White, CTMH; Ink is Desert Sand, CTMH; Bitty Sparkles, CTMH; Baker's Twine.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #29

2011-10-03T20:15:00.000-04:00

I found some time to try this week's Sketchbook Saturday sketch... lots of fun elements to put together:

Patterned papers & chipboard are You & Me kit and Mayberry; Cardstock is Chocolate & Creme Brulee; Kraft Color-Ready Borders; Basic Buttons; Stamp set is Say it in Style - all CTMH; Martha Stewart Baker's Twine; Cuttlebug dies.