Happy Anniversary, John & Jean

I need a couple of anniversary cards in the month of November. Both were very similar but using different color ways. This first one was designed for my brother and his wife for their 23rd anniversary using the Shutterbug Special Stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I did do a bit of fussy cutting and raised the shutter area, adding some bling. The image was also embossed with some sparkling EP. A bit of Washi and a gorgeous card. The stamps do it all. I also posted this in a black & white challenge over at Paperartistsonline. Thanks for looking.

Retrocentric - Story Stamps

This is my first layout for the new Ali Edwards online class called Story Stamps. This month's stamp selection is called Prompts and features a sheet of stamps which are exactly that. Prompts for Story Sparks (as Ali calls them). Love This is an appropriate stamp for these photos of my little sis at a Retro photo shoot this year. I think she looks totally glamorous so I used the perfect papers from DCWV paper stack called Mod Retro. Not much else going on on the layout. The photos and stamps say it all. I am also using this for the monthly sketch challenge over at Paperartistsonline. Thanks for looking.

Happy Birthday, Sherry

I was on a roll with these water colored cats so I made two cards, just to give her Dad a choice as to which one to send to his daughter. I think he chose the other one. This one is actually my favorite. Same techniques. Same stamps. Same papers, as my post last Tuesday. This one follows the May sketch for Paperartistsonline. Thanks for looking.

Make A Card Monday

As I've mentioned in the past few months, I am trying to return my focus to scrapbooking. I've done quite well at it so far but my card making is falling behind. So I've decided to have my own Make a Card Monday where I will try to get a few cards made to put in my stash for holidays and birthdays. Unfortunately, this week, I was rather tired and cranky and just didn't have my mojo. But I stuck with it and here is the result. I am posting this over at Paperartistsonline for the monthly card sketch challenge as well as at My Favorite Things Get Sketchy challenge MFTWSC174. I used papers from my stash and the DC Heart Balloons set from MFT. Thanks for looking.

Have a Nice Day!

Running a little late this month. This is the card I made for the Monthly Card Sketch over at Paperartistsonline. It's loosely based on a sketch from Papertrey Ink. I used stamps from Close to My Heart. I had been itching to use this Washi Wonder set and I am firmly in love with it now. Will have many uses for it on scrapbook pages and cards. Thanks for coming by.

Hanblecheyapi

Multi-tasking once again. It is past time for me to post the April scrapbook sketch over at Paperartistsonline. I realized I could use this layout I finished last night so I dug up the sketch and posted it. After the fact. Is that cheating?

Also, I used die cuts from The Stamps of Life so I will be posting it over there for the monthly challenge. The Crazy Daisy dies were colored with gelatos to simulate a stained glass look. 

Again I used gelatos with Club Scrap's Tilescapes stamps to create a bit of texture on the plain blue paper. All papers are from Club Scrap, the same kit. 

The photos were taken at Our Lady of the Sioux in Chamberlain, South Dakota. I was a bit excited to see a stained glass of Kateri Tekakwitha whose biography I read as a child back at Corpus Christi. I thought the Tilescapes paper and stamps worked well with the images. Very daring of me, I handwrote my own journaling. I really don't like to do that but I'm forcing myself to do it. To put a bit of me on my pages. I assume in twenty years, I will say, hey, my handwriting was good back then. Thanks for looking.

Wishing You A Snappy Birthday

As Sketch Hostess over at Paperartistsonline, I post a monthly card sketch for the crafters to use if they so desire. It took me all month in March to create my sample but I finally got my act together and made a card from the sketch. It's not super-close to the sketch but I DID use the sketch as my base. I have two not-so-little-anymore girls with birthdays on April 1. I made them both the same card. This feels like cheating but they don't know each other and I'm really really really trying to stay focused on my scrapbooking this year so I think it's okay. 

I used paper from Doodlebug and a stamp and camera dies from My Favorite Things. A little Stickles on the heart. And it's CAMERA month for me so this fits that goal as well. Thanks for looking and for playing along with me.

Prairie Dogs

At long last I have started making the scrapbook pages of my trip with Mom to South Dakota in September. This first one was created using the sketch I submitted as the March scrapbook sketch over at Paperartistsonline. It's a sketch from Club Scrap's Lock and Key kit in October 2013. All papers are from various Club Scrap kits. The spinner2stamp set is from The Stamps of Life. I used the stamp and die set to create a journaling tag for the layout. These photos show the adorable prairie dogs who reside near the entrance to the Badlands. I know. They're rodents. But I like 'em. Thanks for dropping by.

Flying to Old Sac

This is a layout created for a Cyber Crop challenge over at PaperArtistsOnline. Continuing my self-assigned challenge to use up all of my hot air balloon stash, I used the one sheet I had from the American Crafts City Park collection. This one was called High Line Park. Love the tiny balloons and a bit of glitter on some of them. I die cut the balloons, bicycle and title letters with Cuttlebug. The clouds were cut on the Silhouette. These photos represent my first bike ride of 2014. The layout represents the final piece of 12x12 balloon paper in my stash. I have completed my challenge (to some degree....there are still card size scraps around in the balloon stash). I am very happy with my progress. It is a twelve step program, you know. Stash busting. Thanks for dropping by.

Happy Fall

In September, Farley and I set a challenge over at Paperartistsonline to use some dusty old stamps in your collection. We started out looking for our old Paula Best stamps. That morphed into Michael Strong and, in general, any stamps that lend themselves to a coloring book style of enhancing. I pulled out a Paula Best pumpkin stamp that I have always loved, colored her up as best I could with Inktense pencils and then, paired her with more papers from the latest Simon Says Stamp card kit. I am pleased with the results. Thanks for looking.

Prairie Hair

This is my first layout for the recent South Dakota trip with my Mom. I used the October Sketch Challenge over at Paperartistsonline and some old Stampin' Up western style paper. The photos show that it is a complete waste of time to do anything to your hair in the morning before you head out on the prairie. This was a lesson learned on my great expedition. Thanks so much for looking.

You're So Tweet

A new month and time again for a new sketch over at Paperartistsonline. Being short on time as usual, I grabbed Sketch #192 from Operation Write Home to give me the opportunity to multi-task and post my card in a few different places. So this one will be posted at OWH as well as PAO. In addition, I used the latest card kit from Simon Says Stamp called Season of Thanks. It has great papers and the cutest stamps. Take a look here if you are interested. Thanks for dropping by.

Hola Amiga

Tomorrow is my hairdresser's birthday. Since I was seeing Ana today, I wanted to make a special birthday card for her. She has been performing wonders on my hair for at least 35 years and is a sweet gal. I wanted to use my new Avery Elle rubber stamp set called Papel Picado in honor of her heritage. The card may seem a bit disjointed because I started out with a Simon Says Stamp card kit and then veered off in another direction. Nevertheless, she liked the card a lot and I had fun playing with this set. I hope to make more cards and layouts using it so you should see it again. Thanks for looking. Oh, and by the way, I also used this for the August sketch over at Paper Artists Online. 

Operation Write Home Sketch #188

Made this card using Sketch #188 from Operation Write Home. I also used it for the monthly PaperArtistsOnline Card Sketch. Supplies are from one of my aging Simon Says Stamp card kits. Shapes are cut with new dies from My Favorite Things and the stamp is also from MFT. All pieces edged with Distress Inks in various colors. Thanks for looking.

Click

Thirty-eight years ago today at Zephyr Cove, Nevada, my hubby and I tied the knot. I wanted to make a fairly clean and simple anniversary card to give him. There isn't a lot of cohesiveness with this design but I really really really wanted to use some of the supplies I have been hoarding (er...I mean, purchasing) recently. This includes stamps from Papertrey Ink and My Favorite Things, along with a cute little camera die set from MFT as well. I enjoyed making the card. Hope he likes it as well. Thanks for looking.

Hello Hello

Another fun card created for challenges. One at Club Scrap was to use our oldest uninked sentiment stamp. The other one from Paperartistsonline is to use wooden shapes on the project. This meets both of them. Stamp from Club Scrap's Gimme a Ring. Wood veneers are from Recollections via Young Nancy.

Happy Bee Day

And another card sketch challenge. This one at Paperartistsonline. I used a new Darice embossing folder along with my new favorite set of stamps from Simon Says Stamp called Circle Friends. Circle shape frames were cut on the Silhouette.Thanks for looking.

I Wheelie Like You

First card made with my new Pure Innocence stamp and die from My Favorite Things. My new favorite company. This was made for the Paperartistsonline monthly card sketch. Clean and simple. Other than the stamp and die, the diagonal stripes are all washi tape from various sources. Thanks for looking. 

You are a Hoot

Each month at Paperartistsonline, I post a challenge sketch for the card makers in that group. This month's presented a clean and simple diagonal border stripe along the card front. Easy peasy, right? Perhaps it was self-serving but I thought it would be a quick way to whip out some nice cards. They can be as elaborate or simple as you desire. This card uses owl stamps and die set from Stamps of Life and border stamps from Simon Says Stamp card kits. Thanks for looking.

More Stencil Play

While at the Stamping Convention last weekend, I saw a card at the Judikins booth which started percolating in my brain. Here is my humble attempt to copy hers. The square elements were cut from a Bristol smooth panel sprayed with Memories Mist in Blue Martini over a Judikins Kite stencil called Chinese Clouds. I then stamped with three different bird stamps, including Meadowlark from Judikins. The mat and vellum panel are from Club Scrap, as is the feather stamp. Card base is from my stash. All edges inked with Distress Ink. I've also posted this in the Stencil challenge over at Paperartistsonline. Thanks for looking.