Love Birds...

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend...well, and are still having one since there are still a few more hours left. Today's card is a card I made for my cousin and her husband. They are celebrating 1 year of marriage next week. I remember  those days..lol. Anyway, so I wanted to use some nice soft colors and what should pop up this morning but this week's Curtain Call Challenge. LOOK at these colors, y'all:

Ok, so they don't scream wedding..but once I started my card, I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like. Using the Almost Amethyst as my base color was the best decision I made. It made such a difference in the way it came out. So here is my card:

What do you think? It's kinda busy, but I think I really like it. I love that you can color the new Stampin Up Rosettes. They come vanilla, but I used my Almost Amethyst marker and made it match..I have GOT to buy more of those!! :)

Well, I've got to get ready for Awana. Thank you for stopping by!



Stamps: Love Birds (papertrey); Holiday Labels 14 (waltzingmouse)
Card Stock: Almost Amethyst, Early Esprresso (su); White (papertrey)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Versamark (su)
Extras: White & Clear embossing powders, Vanilla Rosettes (su); Floral ribbon (American Crafts); Birdcage die and heart die (papertrey); Pearls (su)

Twinkle, Twinkle..

Hello everyone! Wow..I have been stamping like crazy lately. Dd you notice I had two posts yesterday? Yikes! Today's card is Verve-licious! :)  I am playing along with their Baby Love challenge and also using the first sketch of February for my layout. Check out the challenges here:

Verve Sketch Feb Week 1:

And click here for more info on the Baby Love challenge (be quick because it ends today!)


So, here is the card I made:

I know, I know - another card with yellow. Obviously, I like it now. I feel like Squidward after so many times saying he hated Krabby Patties and then he tasted one..lol.  Did you guys see that episode? I LOVE SpongeBob's face when he figures it out. Anyway, so I really like this sketch. I decided to use the stars as the panels instead because I love those stars. Plus, they went along with the awesome sentiment.

Well, that's it for me. Off to stamp more and then watch more Harry Potter and Twilight. Our lives are so fun...LOL.



Stamps: Little Star Plain Jane (Verve)
Card Stock: Only Orange, Daffodil Delight; Daffodil Delight dsp (su); White (papertrey)
Ink: Black (Memento); Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange (su)
Extras: White grosgrain, button (su); Star dies (papertrey); Cuttlebug dots folder

Joy..

Hello everyone! Today's card is for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge. The challenge this week was to use black & white...and a pop of Lilac or Purple.

Am I the only person (I know I am not) who peruses blogs and then HAS to have what you see? Ugh..this happens so often, but this week was the worst. I bought from Papertrey, Stampin Up, My Cute Stamps, Market Street Stamps, and Kim Wilson Designs. It is a sickness I tell you. This particular stamp I bought is from My Cute Stamps. I fell HARD for this image..it's just so so lovely. Here is my card:

Isn't that a lovely image? Ooh, I just adore it and as soon as I saw the challenge I knew exactly which stamp I was going to use. I made this card 5 times before I got it right. My embossing powder kept sticking to the shimmer card stock.  Finally, Ava was frustrated because she was waiting on me to watch Harry Potter, so I had to go with the last one I made. Not totally happy with the sentiment embossing, but it's fine. Just don't look too closely at it...lol.

Well, i've got to go. The Chamber of Secrets is waiting for me. Laters!


Stamps: Ashley's Blossoms (My Cute Stamps); Out on a Limb sebtiments (papertrey)
Card Stock: Shimmer White (papertrey)
Ink: Versamark and black embossing powder, Lovely Lilac (su)
Extras: Black satin ribbon 

Take Care...

Hi everyone! Thank you for stopping by.  Can you believe that we have had another week where the kids did not go to school for a full week? They were out on Wednesday again due to the snow and ice. Nashville is becoming the new Chicago..except our kids stay home in this weather and the Chicago kids do not. :)

Today I am participating in a challenge that I have never tried before...Stampin Royalty. I ran across it while perusing blogs and thought I would give it a go. Here is the great sketch:

And here is my card:

What do you think? I just love this SU patterned paper..it's called Greenhouse Gala and the colors are so rich and fun to use.

You know, I have come to the conclusion that I am secretly yearning for Spring and THAT is why my cards have leaned towards the cheery and sunny lately..lol. That's got to be it  and that's so strange because I am totally a Fall/Winter soul.

Well, that's it from me. Thank you for stopping in and I'll see you tomorrow. Laters..



Stamps: Healing Touch (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Greenhouse Gala dsp (su)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Yoyo Yellow, Chocolate Chip (su)
Extras: Choc Chip grosgrain, pearls (su); Large scallop border die & Woodgrain impression plate on flower (Papertrey); Mini Rolled Rose die (MFT)

Courage..

Good morning! It's Thursday..one step closer to Friday. :)

Today's card uses two challenges. The first is this week's Color Throwdown. Here are the colors:

And the second is this week's Card Patterns sketch, seen here:

Once again, i'm using that cool green patterned paper from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl pack...

I really like the sentiment on this card. For me, the sentiment sells the card. If I find great sentiments, I can build a card to love around it. Images are great, but sentiments are my thing. ;)

Well, that's all from me. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great Thursday! Laters..



Stamps: Blue Skies (Verve)
Card Stock: Marina Mist & Old Olive (su); Vanilla (papertrey); Patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket - Material Girl pack)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (su); Tea Dye (Tim Holtz)
Extras: Chocolate Chip grosgrain (su); Flower (Recollections); Woodgrain impression plate  & Eyelet Border die (papertrey)

Sunshine...

Ok, so remember a week or so ago I talked about how I hated the color yellow? Well, I am beginning to think it is growing on me! I really really like this Daffodil color from SU and especially mixed with the green and brown..it's just a fun combo for me. I am using this week's Mojo Monday sketch, seen here:

Isn't it cute? So, I decided to go outside of my comfort zone with the color, but also the rest of the card. It's a little more..'something' than my normal cards and I'm not sure what that 'something' is, but it didn't really feel like me when I made it. I really like it, though. Here it is:

What do you think? It just feels like a light sunny cheery card. :) I really like the Verve stamps I chose. I guess subconsciously when I bought that set I knew I would have to use yellow at some point, right? LOL

Well, that's all I have today. Thank you, as always. for stopping by. I hope you're having a lovely week.  Laters!


Stamps: Text Objects & Let it Shine (Verve)
Card Stock: Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight (su); Material Girl pp (Cosmo Cricket); Vanilla (papertrey)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Yoyo Yellow (su)
Extras: Ribbon (su); Pearls and hat pin (su)

Papertrey Blog Hop - January 2011

Hi everyone! Today's card is for the Papertrey Blog Hop this month. We were to use an old or uninked set. Well, one (Love Birds) is a brand new set that was released last month BUT it has never seen ink!! The other (BB: Text Style) I just got through a trade today, so it's old and new..lol. Honestly, these are the only Papertrey sets that I have that have never been inked and I use all of my sets pretty regularly, so none collect dust..lol.

Moving right along...I made this card just for my husband. He's in Germany right now and will be there until June and as soon as I saw this sentiment, I knew I had to have this set. Ok, well Laurie had a TON to do with me buying this set,too! The sentiment is so true - nothing IS the same when he is gone. Whether it is a little thing like making sure the garbage gets out in time for the collectors or big like taking care of the house and cars and making sure everything runs smoothly. It's just so different. And though he has been gone pretty much every year since 9/11, it's still very hard each time. Ahhh...ok...exhale and get on with it, Keva! :)



So, here is my card with my new favorite color scheme:

I just love this card. It has so many of my favorite things on it. The twine, the buttons, that "certain" embossing folder that I cannot get enough of, embossing, and of course circles!! :) I had such fun making this and I am sending it off this morning so that it gets to him in time for Valentine's Day!

Well, that's all I've got. Thanks for stopping by! Laters...




Stamps: Love Birds & Background Basics: Text Style (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Kraft, Early Espresso, Vanilla (su)
Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip (su)
Extras: Clear embossing powder, versamark (su); Buttons, twine (papertrey); Love Birds die (papertrey); Square Lattice embossing folder (su)

Thanks, Mum..

Monday again? Really? Wow..I swear they come quicker every week.

I made the card today for my mum. She is a SUPER sweet lady and as I grow older I understand the psyche of a mom and I realize everything she sacrificed to make sure I turned out perfectly (if I must say so myself..and it usually IS me saying so myself..lol). This card harkens back to all of the craziness of the weekend and I wanted to make a card for her to let HER know that she is certainly a blessing to me. Very much so.

The colors that I used are so so cool together. I am using the colors from this week's The Play Date Cafe challenge.

Here is the card I made:

I just LOVE the way the colors worked together and really like the way the tone on tone look of the sentiment looks. I just used Versamark and clear embossing powder, but I have not done that in so long, it feels new! :)

Well, that's it from me. I'm off to work now. I hope you guys have a lovely Monday! Thank you, always, for stopping by hownowbrownkow! It makes my heart happy. Laters!

Stamps: Inside Out: Thank You

Card Stock: Basic Grey, Only Orange (su)

Ink: Versamark, Clear Embossing powder (su)

Extras: Flower (Recollections); Old Olive ribbon and button (su); Cuttlebug embossing folder

Countdown...

So, I had this wonderful idea in my head for a card using Papertrey's new Numbers die. I'm not quite sure the execution was as flawless as the idea..lol.

I'm not sure if it even makes SENSE. I was thinking about a countdown and then thought about that in regards to a baby's birth. Ok, so here is my card:

Here is a close up of the sentiment:

So, you see I was thinking "5,4,3,2,1...Welcome to the World!! Am I the only one who thinks that's kinda funny? Hmm..maybe so..lol



I used this weeks lovely Color Throwdown colors of Blushing Bride, pear Pizazz, and Kraft.

Does the card make sense? Do you see what I was trying to do? I asked Ava what she thought and she said "Is it Happy New Year?"...wow. LOL. I still like it, though, even if I do have to explain it to the recipient. :)

Well, we're going to get passports today (don't ask why we waited so long cause it's a long, boring, bureaucratic red taped infused story..), so off I go to venture out into the land of the living. Thanks for stopping by! Laters...




Stamps: A New Little Someone (su); Night Night Moon (papertrey)
Card Stock: Kraft, Blushing Bride, Certainly Celery (su); White (papertrey)
Ink: Certainly Celery, Blushing Bride, Basic Brown (su); Copics
Extras: Numbers die, button (papertrey); Stickles, Scortape and glitter; Twine (The Twinery); Sqaure Lattice folder (su)

Baby Boy..

Hello! Well, we have another snow day in Nashville. I heard someone on the radio yesterday call it Snowpocalypse...LOL! I thought that was genius. ;)

So, the one good thing about staying home is that I get to catch up with my DVR stuff. Stamping has taken over and I now have to DVR the shows that I normally get to watch live. Its a sacrifice, but I am willing to do it. Ha! So, this morning I caught up on Human Target, The Big Bang Theory, and Criminal Minds. CM is my absolute favorite show. I just love Matthew Gray Gubler..so so much....

Ahem, anyway..back to crafting. {blush}

Today's card is made using this week's Curtain Call Color Challenge. Ok, here is a tidbit of honesty. I had very little of the newer SU colors in paper or ink, so when I saw this challenge I knew that I simply HAD to buy it. So, the reason this is so late in getting posted is because I had to wait for my SU order. heehee...I just could not bear to play along another week not using the "right" colors. It was driving me insane. So, now I have card stock...next up the newer inks!

Gosh, I am SO talkative and random today. Anyway, so here are Stacey's colors for this week:

I also used the last of this month's Verve sketches, seen here:

Check out the Verve forum for more info on all of the sketches for this month!

Ok, so finally here is the fun little baby boy card that I made:

Isn't it just the funnest?!? And yes, I know "funnest" is not a word..lol. I had such a great time making this card. I hope some folks start having babies soon cause I am building up a stash of baby cards with no recipients in mind. :)

Ok, well that's it for me. I guess it's time to take off the pj's and saunter out to the mailbox to see what goodies might await. Thanks for stopping by. Laters!


Stamps: Smallest Things plain jane & Text Objects (Verve); Polka Dot Basics & Night Night Moon (papertrey)
Card Stock: Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red (su)
Ink: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark, white embossing powder (su)
Extras: Old Olive grosgrain (su); Buttons & large scallop border die (papertrey); Twine (The Twinery); Cuttlebug dots folder

Friendship...

Hello everyone! We're gearing up for more "winter weather" here in TN today. I love love love the snow, but these kids really don't need another day off from school so let's hope it is nice and pretty on the GRASS and not the ROADS! :)

I made a card today using the 2Sketches4You sketch..well, one of them. There are two farewell sketches. The ladies who run the site are closing up shop and moving on to other things. :(  I will definitely miss seeing their sketches! I'm going to try and do the other sketch tomorrow. I've seen really cool cards made with it, but it has me totally stumped right now. Anyway, here is the first sketch:

And here is my card:

I've really gotten into my brights here lately..have you guys noticed that? First green on Monday, then Purple yesterday, and now orange! They're such pretty versions of those colors, though, right? That's why they're so easy to use (and also hoard..lol). I used my latest addition to my Verve collection - Text Objects. It's a really really cute set! I love this little sailboat. Wouldn't it be just perfect for a little baby boy card? It SO would!

Well, that's all from me today. I hope you are having a great week. It's almost the weekend! Woot!


Laters...




Stamps: Text Objects (Verve)
Card Stock: Orange Zest, Dotti Biscotti dsp, Kraft(papertrey)
Ink:Chocolate Chip, Basic Brown (su)
Extras: Espresso satin ribbon (su), bling (want2scrap); Labels 14 nesties; Square Lattice folder (su)

Twelve!

Hola people! :)  So, who should knock on my door this morning and leave me a wonderful surprise? Well, it was my favorite man in brown! Eek!! My Papertrey order came in with all of the cool new stuff from this last release! I could not wait to make a card. I decided to use the Mojo Monday sketch again because I think it is fabulous! Here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

I used the way cool Numbers die and the By The Numbers paper. Isn't it just adorable? (Um...the paper, that is, not the card! LOL). Well, that's all I have. I just needed to post that and be on my way. Thanks for stopping by! Laters!



Stamps: Big Birthday Wishes; Holiday Labels #14 {the squiggly} (Waltzingmouse)
Card Stock: By The Numbers paper, Plum Pudding (papertrey); Going Grey (su)
Ink: Versamark and white embossing powder (su)
Extras: Pearls (want2scrap); Cuttlebug dots folder; button (papertrey) unknown ribbon; Numbers die (papertrey)

Perfect Example..

Tuesday, Tuesday and it's back to work! Ahhh...well, it's a short week and we all know what that means. IT WILL GO BY SO SLOWLY!!! lol.  Do you guys feel like short weeks go by more slowly than a regular work week? I'm nit sure why that is. :)

Anywho, today's card uses this week lovely Mojo Monday sketch. 

I decided to go a little more elegant with my card today AND I used green. You know, I love the color green, but I rarely use it in my cards. I'm not sure why. Maybe i'm hoarding it..I don't know..but I do love the way it looks with cream and black. Here is my card (click the pic to make it larger!): 

I am in love with this card..lol. Do you see that green flower? That's another little thing that I picked up at Michael's last week. I will HAVE to go back out there this week and get more fun stuff. )

Well, that's all I have for today. Be sure and stop by the Mojo Monday blog and play along. Laters!

Stamps: Just for You; Blue Skies (Verve)

Card Stock: Black, New Leaf (papertrey); Newsprint dsp (su)

Ink: Black (su)

Extras: Flourish (want2scrap); Flower (Recollections @ Michael's); Button & ribbon (papertrey)

Because of You...

Hi everyone! There is nothing I love more than an extra day off! I love my job, I do. Have an awesome Boss, but i'll take a free day off any time! :)

Do you ever run across sentiments that are just so dead on that you have to have them? That's how I felt when I ran across the Just for You set from Verve. It's just really really nice. When I look at the sentiments, I think of women like my mom, my aunts, friends, mentors...it can just be used for so many of the people in our lives who helped to mold who we are.

I'm using the colors from this week's CR84FN challenge. Here are the challenge
colors:

And here is my card:

I really love these colors together..very rich. For the red I used Cherry Cobbler - just hands down the BEST red out there! I also used my new MFT Mini Rolled Roses dies. Like the original, they are fun and easy to use but they're smaller and oh so cute! They work perfectly on felt (the cream rose) and card stock (the brown). I will say, though, that I have much better luck if I emboss the card stock first with an embossing folder. It kinda breaks down the card stock a bit and it's easier to "roll".


That's it from me today. I hope you guys have a wonderful day! Laters...



Stamps: Just for You (Verve); Polka Dot Basics 2 (papertrey)
Card Stock: Kraft, Cherry Cobbler (su)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Versamark (su)
Extras: White embossing powder, Espresso satin ribbon (su); Pearls (want2scrap); Vintage Cream felt (papertrey); Square Lattice embossing folder (su)

Bottles & Booties...

Hi everyone. Happy Sunday to you! I hope you guys have had a great weekend. One more day to go. Yay! Are you guys off work tomorrow? I am, and I totally need that day! This has been a great weekend for me, but not for my diet. I have gone out to eat twice. I had appetizers, short ribs, potatoes, desserts, and anything in between! Ha! It was my mom's birthday, though, so it was worth it. I'll just have to get back on track Tuesday. Yes, I skipped Monday - what of it? lol

Anywho, so today's card is for two challenges! The first one is this weeks Play Date Cafe challenge. Here are the challenge colors:

Super sweet, right? I love the way they work together..really soft color combo!

The second challenge was this week's Verve Sketch. 

Is that not a great sketch? Wow..I love it. Now, when I put these two things together and combined it with my recent baby kick, I came up with this little beauty:

Do you love it? I sure do..lol. The colors were just perfect together and the sketch was so much fun to use. Look at little Emery elephant (from Verve). Is he not the cutest thing? I saw on Julee's blog last week, that she used something called "Flower Soft" on her card. I wasn't sure what it was so I googled and realized that it seemed kinda like furry stuff (don't you love my college educated descriptive phrases??LOL). Well, on Friday I was in Michael's and saw some Martha Stewart Flocking Powder! It was just what I needed. I bought the pewter and the brown in case some teddy bears needed a little loving..lol.It was so easy to apply and this little guy is soft and furry in person. :)

Well, that's it from me. Come back tomorrow for another creation! Thanks for stopping by!


Stamps: Emery Elephant plain jane (Verve); A New Little Someone (SU)
Card Stock: Kraft, grey, and dsp (SU); White (papertrey)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Going Grey (SU); Black (memento)
Extras: MS Flocking powder & Adhesive ribbon tape (Michael's); bling (want2scrap); Button (papertrey)