Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Shabby? Vintage?

Hello everyone! Today I have a card that I like. The "I" is italicized because not everyone in my house likes it. I showed it to my husband who promptly said, "well, other people will probably like it, but I don't". Nice. Thanks, honey! Way to get the self confidence up. Ugh. I was going for a shabby or vintage look. I have long seen other people pull off the look, but I haven't ever been able to before tonight. I'm not sure that's the way it looks, but that's what I was going for as I was making it. What do you think?





It's a short post tonight because we're having a Premier jewelry party here tomorrow night and I have not cleaned a thing..hee hee. Time to go clean, I guess. Talk to you guys tomorrow!

Oh wait!! I forgot about something!!!  Today, I received a Cherry on Top Blog Award from Laurie over at Soapbox Creations! Can you believe that?!?




I was so excited! Thank you so much, Laurie. This means so very much to me.  So, I am supposed to tell you guys something about myself. I'm sure if you have spent any time at all on my blog, you know that I am a serious Twilight Fan. I also love love love Harry Potter. I cannot WAIT for the movies to come out and I will be so so sad when the HP's are done next summer and then the Twilight series the following year. I just can't even think about it too long without being upset. I also love Fan Fiction. Some of the best things i have read out there have been fan fiction written by plain old people like me and you. Oh, and if you didn't already know this: I am a HUGE nerd! :)

I'm also supposed to show a picture. Here is one of me, Aaron, and Ava:


Not my favorite, but we don't take a lot of pictures for some reason. :)

Now, I want to pass this award on to 5 amazing bloggers: 

Debby @ Lime Doodle: I just started visiting her blog a couple of weeks ago, but she always has really cool stuff. I love her style. 

Kara @ KandRDesigns: She has totally fabulous stuff and is always thinking outside the box. 

Julie @ Stamps & Taxes: I've said it before and i'll say it again, she is super talented and such a sweet person. 

Nerina @ Nerina's Serendipity: She has a great, classic style. Always has very beautiful designs. 

and last but not least

Michele @ I Am Derby: I love the fun style of her cards...they make me smile just seeing them.


I had a really hard time making my list down to 5 bloggers. There truly is so much amazing work out there by some really talented people. 

Ok, I REALLY have to go now. Gotta clean up! I may not have a post tomorrow since i'll have guests, but i'll try! :)





Stamps: hello - Michael's dollar stamp
Card Stock: Lovely Lilac, Black (stampin up); Newsprint dsp (stampin up)
Ink: Black, Lovely Lilac (stampin up)
Extras: Pearls and wide striped ribbon (stampin up)




Tuesday, September 28, 2010

You did it!

Happy Tuesday everyone! A couple of things before I get to my card. 1. My grandmother is still very sick so if you would continue to pray or keep her in your thoughts I would appreciate it. It's very up and down right now and we're still now sure she's out of the woods. :(  2. I now have a way for you to subscribe to my blog right over here (<---------) on the left top side of the blog (see it? click it!). So now when I post, you can know about it. :)

Ok, so today's card is for Mercy's Tuesday challenge. Fun sketch..see it here:




Here is my take on it:



I just went wild with the patterned paper, eh? I just could not stop myself. It was a fun, but tiring, card to make. I wanted to make it seem as if there was wallpaper behind her so what I did was to stamp the image on white cardstock, then paper piece the rug and chair. Then I cut out the entire image and put it on the polka dot paper and then paper pieced the lamp and leaves so that they would not look "polka dot"-ish, kwim? I like the way it turned out,but I doubt I do that again anytime soon! haha

Well, that's it for me today. Don't forget to subscribe! ;)



Stamps: Execubella (stamping bella); Signature Greetings (papertrey)
Card Stock: White (papertrey); Bermuda Bay, Thoroughly Modern dsp (stampin up)
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Black (stampin up)
Extras: Aquapainter (stampin up); twine and buttons (papertrey)





Monday, September 27, 2010

Simple Christmas...

Well, i've finally given in and created a Christmas card. Normally, I don't do Christmas cards until after Thanksgiving, but I got my Stampin Up order in and it included the Contempo Christmas set and the Ornament punch. I was so stoked to get it that I just had to use it! It's such a fun and cute little set. You'll be seeing more of it as we inch closer to Christmas! Once I saw the Mojo Monday challenge for this week:



 AND the Curtain Call challenge colors:





I knew exactly what I would be doing tonight. It was so much fun! Here is my card:


It's a bit plain, but I like that about it. Not a lot of frills..none of my fancy ribbon, either! Just a plain little card with simple details. Hope you like it! 




Stamps: Contempo Christmas
Card Stock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, saraha sand and soft suede in Thoroughly Modern dsp (stampin up); unknown dsp (stripes)
Ink: Real Red
Extras: Versamark, pearls, and Black embossing powder (stampin up); Black satin ribbon (papertrey)



Birthday Girl!

Hello everyone. Here is another card using my Pure Innocence girl. Fun stuff! This time I omitted the mailbox and the letters and added a balloon and sentiment from the Verve set "Birthday Bash". Her shoes are also glittery with Cotton Candy stickles. It's for the Off the Wall Craftiness challenge this week. Here are the colors:









And here is my card:




It was a fun card to make. I love the little swirlies and the balloon is just the right size for her! I wonder what else she could hold? Hmm...ok, well I hope you have a great rest of the day. Later!



Sunday, September 26, 2010

Autumn wishes...

Hello everyone! Hope you've had a lovely weekend so far! Today's card is the last of my September Verve challenge cards. If you don't check out the Verve forum over on SCS, you should. Every Friday, they have a new inspiration pic and sketch...always very cool stuff. Here is the picture of today's inspiration room:



And here is my card:



I really love these colors together. Very much puts me in the mind of TN in the Fall. I love that time of year here...unfortunately, it's usually November before we actually hit Fall! :)

That's it for today. Take care!





Stamps: Kind Words (Verve); Damask Designs (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Terracotta Tile, Vanilla (papertrey); Early Espresso, Bravo Burgundy (stampin up)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust (stamped off once) (stampin up)
Extras: Early Espresso ribbon, pearls (stampin up); Mat Stack 4 (papertrey)




Saturday, September 25, 2010

Praying for you....

Hi all! Happy Saturday to you! As you read this, I am in Memphis visiting with my grandmother. For those of you that don't come here regularly (shame on you! lol), my grandmother had a stroke earlier in the week and is not doing well. They have called the family in and so we're there. I hope to come home tomorrow with a feeling that she will get better, not worse. God doesn't make mistakes, though, so...we'll have to wait and see what He has planned for her. :)

Anyway, so today's card is for both the Papertrey September Blog Hop:





 AND the Embellish Magazine challenge:



Let's talk about the Papertrey Blog Hop first. We were to think about fellow crafters that inspire us or who have shown us things that we now use in our crafting. Ok, well THAT is a huge request. I have learned so much from so many people. My main inspirations, though, are Laurie Willison, Julie Lacey, Julee Tillman, and Dana Seymour. Every single day I know that when I wake up and start blog hopping, those four fabulous women will have some of the best stuff out there. I also love that they spread the love - using all sorts of supplies and stamps. It's really great to see people who can take the same stamps I might have and totally rock your socks with them. People who can MAKE you purchase things JUST because you have seen them use it. These women drive me to stamp every single day in the hopes that THEY will love what I create. It's silly, I know, but they are truly the best in my mind.  They have shaped the way I stamp and the styles I love. These 4 women are my stamping inspiration and I want them (and you) to know that they are tops in my book..and they're super nice to boot! Thank you ladies. 

 As for my card today (yeah, yeah, we'll eventually get to it..lol), I used a trick I learned through a Papertrey Ink Senior Design Team group post on Nichole Heady's blog a few months back. It was the post where they showed us their favorite ways to use ribbon. On the post, Ashley Cannon Newell showed us a technique that totally changed the way I use ribbon..and i've used this technique on 32 cards since that post! Yikes!! Here is a link to her post: Ribbon Favorites. Fabulous!!

So, the Embellish challenge this week totally called my name to create something elegant and serene. I thought of my grandmother while making this card. I simply LOVE these colors together! We also had to use background stamping on the card. I used my PTI Damask Designs stamps. They just scream elegance and especially when paired up with the Papertrey Ink Vellum paper. It is SO heavy  while still being delicate and sheer...good stuff! The ribbon - well, I think you know about me and ribbon by now, right? Just love that stuff. 

Ok, so this post has gone on WAY to long and thank you SO much for sticking around to read all of this. So without further ado, here is my card:







I initially had rhinestones where you see pearls, but as soon as I snapped the picture our UPS guy drove up with my order of pearls from Stampin Up! Score!! I quickly changed out the bling and took another pic..lol. 

Ok, well this has been a super duper long post. Thanks for stopping by. If you think about it, will you please keep my grandmother in your prayers? Thank you for visiting and I hope to see you back soon! Laters!




Stamps: Damask Designs (papertrey)
Card Stock: Going Grey and striped dsp (stampin up); Lemon Tart, Vellum, Smokey Shadow, White (papertrey)
Ink: Memento Black
Extras: Lemon Tart ribbon (papertrey); Butterfly punch, pearls, and button (stampin up)




Friday, September 24, 2010

Old Bogie...

Hi everyone! It's finally Friday! I'm so glad. Today's card is for The Play Date Cafe challenge for this week. Here is the challenge pic:


And here is my card:



The button is really closer to the color of the card stock, but it doesn't show that way on here. I really love this image. I bought it a couple of months ago from I have no idea where. I bought it online, so if any of you know PLEASE tell me. Ugh..I can't believe I cannot remember where I got that stamp.  I also used the sketch from this week's Sketch For You To Try. This was my first time playing along, though I see the sketches a ton as I peruse other's sites. Here is this weeks sketch:





Anywho, so that's it from me. Play along with us over at The Play Date challenge - it is so much fun every week. I'm scheduling a couple of blog posts over the weekend because we're headed out of town to visit with my grandmother. They're saying it's just a matter of time because she has had mini strokes after the one earlier this week and she is not stabilized. :(  Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks y'all! Have a great weekend....




Stamps: unknown, You're Dandy (PCD) for the clouds
Card Stock: Night of Navy, White, Going Grey (stampin up); Kiwi Kiss dsp (stampin up)
Ink: Black, Night of Navy, Certainly Celery (stampin up)
Extras: button



Thursday, September 23, 2010

It'll be okay...

Hi everyone! It's finally Thursday! One more day till the weekend.  I'm excited about this weekend because we're going to a meeting with the folks from People to People about Ava going to London and France next summer for a few weeks. She LOVES London and all things British, so she is stoked about going. We're "hoping" it's not going to be too awful expensive, but either way she's going! LOL

Ok, so on to today's card. I used Mercy's Sketch seen here:


And here is my interpretation:




What do you think? I think the yellow adds a nice something to the card. I had a black base, but it just felt too dark...not at all like things would "be okay", ya know what I mean? I also used the clouds from my PCD set "You're Dandy" and cut them out then popped them up on dimensionals. :)  That's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with my Verve week 5 sketch challenge, so come back! :)


Stamps: My Umbrella (Pure Innocence from MFT); You're Dandy (Practicing Creativity Designs)
Card Stock: Lemon Tart, White, polka dot dsp (papertrey); Real Red (stampin up)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Real Red
Extras: Lemon Tart ribbon (papertrey); button (stampin up)


Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Refuge...

Hi everyone! It's been a rough start to the week around our house. My grandmother (and last grandparent) had a stroke! She is doing some better as of this posting (Tuesday evening), but she's still not out of the woods yet. She is 4 hours away, so it's a little disconnected being here and not there.

With that in mind, I created today's card. I decided to use the color challenge of Off the Wall Craftiness #25 since I was going with that for today's card anyway and I think the softness of the colors fit with the sentiment, don't you? Here are the challenge colors:





And here is my card:



I really like the paper...the swirls are already on the paper and all glittery - really cute! It is from a paper pack I got at Joann's. The butterflies are from the SU Beautiful Wings embosslits die. That's all for me today...I'm coming up fast on my 100th post. I think I should celebrate that in some way! Blog Candy? Gift Certificate to PTI, Verve, or MFT? Hmm..what shall I do?? Any suggestions? ;)



Stamps: Psalm 46:1 (Verve)
Card Stock: Going Grey, Vanilla, DCWV paper pack (for the patterned paper)
Ink: Vintage Cream (papertrey)
Extras: Mat Stack 4 (papertrey); Embosslits die (stampin up)



Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Joy to me....

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great week so far! I am. :)

Today's card is a tad busy..maybe? I like it, though, so here it is:







It's for this weeks' Mojo Monday challenge. I just love waking up on Monday's and seeing the challenge posted, don't you? If you've never played, you should give it a go. It's always a great sketch and you'll see tons of great cards from other participants.  Here is this week's sketch:




Cute, no? :)  Well, that's all for me today. See you tomorrow with my Off the Wall Craftiness card. 



Stamps: Kind Words (Verve)
Card Stock: Smokey Shadow (papertrey); Pure Poppy, Love Letters dsp (stampin up)
Ink: Vintage Cream (papertrey), Memento black
Extras: Buttons (stampin up); Ribbons (cream - papertrey; red - stampin up); owl punch for the hearts (stampin up); Mat Stack 4 (papertrey)


Monday, September 20, 2010

hello.

Monday is here once again...ah, we've missed ye! :) My card today is an entry into this week The Play Date Cafe challenge. I really love playing along with the Play Date..you should give it a go if you haven't yet. Here is this week's inspiration photo/color challenge:


I was totally baffled with those colors...the turquoise threw me off, but it turns out that the turquoise was my main color and everything else was brushed aside. It's amazing how that happens! :) Here is my card: 




Not sure if you can see, but the green is used on the grass....hope that's enough green! I once again used my new MFT stamp. I have another that i'll be using soon. I can't wait to get more. It's so cool how there is SO much stuff out there. So many great companies with really cute stamps. I believe I am just getting my feet wet as far as the amount of cute stuff there is to buy! My husband will not be happy about my discoveries! LOL

That's it from me. I hope you all have a great start of the week. See you tomorrow!



Stamps: Happy Mail (MFT), "hello.' stamp from Michael's dollar bin
Card Stock: White, Black, bitty dot in hawaiian shores (papertrey); Real Red (stampin up)
Ink: Real Red, Black, Goiong Grey, Garden Green, Bordering Blue, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa (stampin up)
Extras: Photo Corner punch (stampin up)


Sunday, September 19, 2010

Heart sing...

Good morning, everyone and happy Sunday! Today's card is for the Curtain Call Color challenge this week. Here are the colors:



And here is my card:



I really had fun putting these colors together! Stacey has a fabulous challenge that comes out every Sunday morning. You should check it out if you get a chance! Have a great rest of the day!



Stamps: Strumabella (stamping bella)
Card Stock: Vanilla (papertrey); Rich Razzleberry, Pure Poppy, Pear Pizzazz (stampin up); unknown peach dsp
Ink: Black, Rich Razzleberry, Pear Pizzazz,  Pure Poppy, Peach Parfait, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa(stampin up)
Extras: scortape, rickrack die, and glitter (papertrey)



Saturday, September 18, 2010

Happy Mail...

Happy Saturday everyone! Today's card features my new Pure Innocence stamp..well, one of them. I finally broke down and bought two of them this week. I just couldn't stand how adorable they are! I now must buy some Copics to color them because my SU markers don't really work for me on people stamps.

Anyway, I am participating in the Inspiration Challenge (IC250) on SCS. We were to use inspiration from the Garnet Hill website. I chose this little dress:


And I also used Mercy's sketch for this week, seen here:




And finally, here is my card (maybe I should put the card first next time..lol)




Hope you like it. I can already tell that I will be buying more of these little girls..they're just so fun!



Stamps: Happy Mail (Pure Innocence - MFT)
Card Stock: Kraft, White, Pretty in Pink (stampin up); Unknown dsp
Ink: Rose Red, Basic Brown, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery (stampin up)
Extras: Rose Red ribbon (stampin up)





Friday, September 17, 2010

Monkey Hugs...

Hello friends! Happy Friday night to you! :)

Tonight's card uses inspiration and the sketch from the Week 4 Verve Sketch Challenge over on SCS. Here is the sketch:


And we were to get our inspiration from one of the cool living rooms on the House to Home site.  I chose this cool and modern room:





I decided to play a bit on the focal point and go more cutesy and less sophisticated..lol. Here is my take on the room:




I just love this little monkey! I added a little lip gloss and a bow in homage to Audrey Hepburn...lol. I really like the way it turned out. If you get a chance, please play along with us on the Verve forums on SCS. There are 5 weekly sketches this month and you have until the end of the month to get them all uploaded and everything..fabulous prizes await! :)

I may be late in getting something posted tomorrow. It's Family Day on base, so we'll be up there most of the day. Hopefully, i'll come back with some cool pics of C-130's and such. 

Laters!




Stamps: Love Monkey, Kind Words (Verve)
Card Stock: Raspberry Fizz, White (papertrey); dsp (stampin up)
Ink: Melon Mambo (stampin up); Memento Black 
Extras: Ribbon, Scortape, and glitter (papertrey)



Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Forgetful Chicks...

Hi everyone! I have had this stamp set for about a week and have been itching to use it. Isn't it just the cutest thing? It's one of the a la carte birthday stamps from Taylored Expressions. Even though I rarely forget a birthday, the next birthday will be purposefully forgotten so I can use this card..ha ha! I just adore it!


I'm sorry it's a little dark, but I could not get the Early Espresso to photograph anything other than black. I'm not sure if it is ME or the camera's fault...I am leaning towards me. :) I used Sasya's sketch this week, seen here:




I flipped it on its' side and voila! I love Sasya's sketches. They're always so cool. I hope you like it...see you tomorrow!!




Stamps: Belated Birthday - Stand Out (Taylored Expressions)
Card Stock: Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, White (stampin up)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Rose Red, Basic Brown, Bashful Blue (stampin up)
Extras: Wide Ribbon - Rose Red (stampin up)


 

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