Happy Grad!

Hi everyone! Well, today is bittersweet for me. It is my very last week as Guest Designer for Color Throwdown. It has been nothing short of a joy to work with the design team. They've been so nice to me and I have truly enjoyed being a part of the team. I totally can see how much work goes into hosting a challenge like this and they have my respect for that! Thank you guys for having me along for the ride!! I can stay if you need me to! LOL  ;)

Ok, so here are the colors for this week brought to use by Barbara!

I love these colors especially cream with red and black. White, not so much. Cream just is so much richer than white and looks better with the other two colors to me. So, I thought I would do a graduation card because it is just about that time of year! 

Here is my card:

I used the book print dsp from SU and thought it was a good idea since you do tend to read a lot in college..high school, too! It's sort of like you're tearing your book to shreds never to look at one again. Of course, we all know (well all of us who love reading) that's not how it goes. I guess it's better reading when you want to read than when you have to..lol.

I hope you will stop by the other DT members blogs and see what they've created with this color combo. And then stop by the Color Throwdown blog and play along with us this week!  Thank you for stopping by!!

Here are the links to the other DT members:

Stamps: For the Graduate (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Cherry Cobbler, Black, bookprint (SU)
Ink: Vintage Vanilla (Papaertrey)
Extras: Scortape, Glitter; Large scallop border die (Papertrey); Xyron machine; bling

Gratitude...

Hello! Thanks for stopping by this fine Monday! It's a tad chilly here, and I am ready for Spring, but a grande White Chocolate Mocha with a shot of Peppermint is in my immediate future so i'll deal. :)

Today I have another card from this month's Verve sketches. This is the week 5 sketch and it was designed by Sankari!!

I couldn't help but use my new Papertrey stamps. I just love the Sending You set. As you know, I am all about the sentiments, but the flowers in this set are what really grabbed me and pulled me in. Here is my card:

I used more of my Salt Air paper from Cosmo Cricket and I love the way the black works with this kinda funky green and cream color.

Well, that's it from me. Thank you for stopping by!



Stamps: Sending You (papertrey)
Card Stock: Blac, Fine Linen (Papertrey); Salt Air (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Black, Sage Shadow (SU)
Extras: Satin/bling ribbon (Michael's); bling (want2scrap)

So Blessed...

Good morning everyone! I hope you guys have had a great weekend! I have pretty much rested and recouped from vacation, and I'm just about ready to head back to work tomorrow. :)

Today, I am using the week 4 Verve sketch for March. Jackie created the sketch and I love love love it. Feeds right into my square card obsession. Here is the sketch:

I needed a thank you card and wanted it to be a little funky for the recipient, so here is what I made:

Honestly, I adore these Cosmo Cricket papers. I do , I do, I do! This one is called Salt Air and it has bunches of cool patterns and colors. I thought this paper used a wonderfully bright, but funky, combo! I don't know that I would WEAR these colors together, but I sure do like looking at them. :)

Thanks for stopping by and if you get a chance, stop over and play with the Verve sketches!


Stamps: Just for You and Great Friend (Verve)
Card Stock: Melon Berry, Fine Linen (Papertrey); Really Rust (SU); Salt Air pp (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip (SU)
Extras: Melon Berry grosgrain (papertrey); Brown pearl (pizzazz-a-plenty); Labels 14

CupCards {to go} Sneak #2

Hello! This is my second post today! I posted my FYI challenge earlier. :)


I'm back with another sneak peek at one of my cards using the April Kit over at CupCards {to go}. Don't forget, the kit goes on sale this Friday!!!

I think this card is my favorite of all. I can't wait for you to see them AND to see the kit. It is really fabulous!

Dreams Believed..

Hello and Happy Saturday! I am back from Los Angeles and boy did I miss home. I'm obviously not a big city girl even though I spent the first part of my life in Chicago. I just love the quiet, the open spaces, and the people of Tennessee. :)

Anywho, I am back today with another FYI Challenge card. Did you guys see that I won the first challenge? I was totally stoked. See my blinkie on the left? heehee. It was a great challenge, so I am playing again. You should head over there and take a peek. It really is a cool challenge and because it's an inspiration photo, you are not limited by colors or a sketch - only by your imagination.

So, here is this week's inspiration photo:

Isn't that lovely? The moment I saw it, I thought of graduation. You're looking out on your future. It's so vast and unknown..and all yours. The sky is the limit really right after college, right? It feels like you could do anything and go anywhere...and you can! That's the beauty of it. :)  So, the picture brought that to mind and here is what I was inspired to create:

I embossed the background and also the graduation cap.  Here is a closer picture of that part:

I tried to incorporate the "cloudy" nature of the photo on the sentiment panel, also. So..that's all I have. I have been stamping since I woke up this morning, so I have lots to show y'all in the next few days. :)  Thanks for stopping by..Laters!



Stamps: For the Graduate (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Pale Plum (SU); Black, Vanilla (Papertrey)
Ink: Black (Memento); Pale Plum (SU)
Extras: Ribbon from stash; Bling (want2scrap); Labels 4

Sneak Peek Hop!

Happy Friday! Ahh, the end of the week which also means the end of my trip. This post is scheduled so hopefully, i've had a great time (You'll here about the trip, i'm sure, tomorrow!)

Today I have a sneak peek of the April CupCards {to go} kit. I am the Guest Designer for April - woohoo!! 

Yeah, I know it's not a lot..that's why it's called a SNEAK PEEK. :)  You'll have to stick around to see the rest, but be sure and stop by the Cup Cards {to go} blog for more information on the PRIZE that's being given away! Yep, I said prize!!

This kit is so adorable. It comes ready to go with the things you need to make the cutest projects and I really love this months papers and toppings...very springy and fun! They go on sale Friday, April 1 at 9pm ET and that's no April Fool! 

Now, this IS a hop so make your way to Cherry's blog for more sneaks!

The Color Purple...

OK, so this card has NOTHING to do with "The Color Purple" the movie nor is the color purple used..lol. It is, however, my card for this week's Color Throwdown and this week we are sponsored by Purple Onion Designs! (See, I did have something purple in my head..lol)

They have some really cool stamps available and a fabulous gallery! Stop by and check it out!

This week's colors are the brainchild of Danielle and they are so neat together. A combination I would have never really thought of, but once I started working with them it was cool to see how well they really do fit together. Here are the colors:

Cool right? I thought so. I decided to use the Stems & Grass (#BF1) and Happy Birthday (#AM06) sets from Purple Onion Designs. I love how cleanly these rubber stamps stamp. I haven't used rubber in a while, but this was easy peasy to use! So, here is the card I created with these fab colors and stamps:

Look at the grass blowing in the wind..isn't that so cool? There are so many ways you could use that. It would also be perfect for a masculine card, I think.  While I was making this card, my mom came over and saw the font of the sentiment and wanted me to make her some birthday cards to have on hand with it. It's really different, something you don't see everyday.

Well, that's all I have. Be sure and play along with us this week and stop by and see what the other DT have created with this color combo!




Thanks for stopping in!



Stamps: Stems & Grass, Happy Birthday (Purple Onion Designs)
Card Stock: Old Olive, Vanilla,Marina Mist, Pumpkin Pie (SU); Stella Rose dsp (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Versamark (SU)
Extras: Butterfly die (SU); Dienamics (MFT); Button die (Papertrey)

Goodbye..and Hello!

Hello!! Well, today I have some sad and happy news to share. My time at AmberInk is up and my torch is being passed. It has been so exciting working with everyone at AmberInk and I have had a complete blast learning to use the digital images and papers. It was never something I thought too much about before, but I must admit they are VERY cool!


I have decided to pass my torch on to a good blog buddy or mine and someone I think will do a really great job using the AmberInk lineup. Her name is Amy Everson! 

Amy's a great friend and blogger and I just know she will do a fantastic job with the AmberInk lineup!

Here is what the rest of the team is doing:




Pink Torch:

From Sue Cooper   to Mandi Moore


Brown Torch:

From Jen Lee to Tammy Hellstern 


Orange Torch:

From Cheryl Gorka  to Anita Madden


Purple Torch:

From Allison Fillo  to Jana Weaver




Be sure and stop by the AmberInk blog for more fun and announcements!

HUGE thanks again to Amber and Pam...it's been a blast!

Hello, Friend....

Good morning! Well, when you're reading this I should be in sunny California hopefully sleeping in, at the beach, whale watching, or celebrity stalking.., er watching! :)

I received my release order from Papertrey on Friday and the first thing I had to play with is Maile Belle's new set, Modern Basics. Oh my gosh do I love this set. It's so easy to line up and stamp...just complete bliss!

I'm using the colors from this week's Play Date Cafe:

Aren't the pretty? I decided to make a general "hello" card.

I love that long line of leaves. It's just so cool. The whole really rocks. You should check it out. I really like how you can make a simple and modern card with just one or two images from the set. What a timesaver - especially since as I am posting this, I should be packing. :)


Well, have a great day. Thanks for stopping by!



Stamps: Modern Basics (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Pale Plum, Apricot Appeal, Ruby Red (SU); Vanilla (Papertrey)
Ink: Ruby Red, Apricot Appeal, Pale Plum (SU)
Extras: Photo corner punch (SU)

Sarah's Birthday/ Blogaversary Hop!!!

Happy Saturday everyone!! Today, I have the great honor of helping Sarah celebrate her birthday and blog anniversary with some of the most amazing bloggers!  I sure hope you will join us! Show some love on all of the other "hoppers" and create a card using her sketch.　 There are prizes to be won - Verve prizes to be exact - and who can resist that??　

So here is the sketch:

And here is my card:

I just love the fun colors on this paper and the flower from Verve's Great Friend was just perfect here. I love those flowers! Happy Birtthday, Sarah!!!!

If you decide to play (which you should!!), you will need to link your card to Sarah's blog by April 2.　 To find out all the details head over to Sarah's blog.

Here are the hoppers! If you're not coming to me from Charmaine, then keep going and then start back until you get back here. You don't want to miss ANY of these creations! Trust me.

  

Sarah

　

Teresa

　

Wanda

　

Debbie

   

Tosha

　　  

Stephanie

Julee

Betty

   

Marisa

　 

Andrea

  

Lynda

　　　

Charmaine

Keva　 (that's me!)

Amy





Stamps: Great Friend, Big Wish (Verve)
Card Stock: Sage Shadow, Ruby Red (SU); Kraft (Papertrey); Stella & Rose 'Mabel' (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Ruby Red (SU); Vintage Cream (Papertrey)
Extras: Aqua Mist ribbon (Papertrey); Pearls (want2scrap)

May hope sustain you...

Hello! Happy Friday! We leave for Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon and I am beyond excited! I have scheduled some blog posts, so do stop by! I'll more than likely be checking my Reader,too, so don't be surprised to see me stop in to say hi to some of y'all!! Hopefully, though, we'll be having so much fun, I won't have the time.

So, today's card is a sympathy card I made for a colleague. His mother died this week, and my boss said, "Hey, can you run up to Target and get a card?". To which I replied, "You mean, go home and make one?". :) So, though sympathy cards are my least favorite to make, this one was made easier by using this month's Diva Dare. Click on the link for more info if you're unaware of the challenge. The gist of it is that each month one of the Diva's will issue a challenge and we have a week in which to answer the challenge. This month, Tosha Leyendekker issued the challenge to make a card that was mostly neutral with a splash of color to represent the arrival of Spring.

So, here is my card:

I just love that Brenda Walton paper. The card just came together so quickly because the paper is just so lovely that I could just add a wee bit of stamping and ribbon (ok, and scallops) and call it a day. Perfect!

I hope you'll play along with the challenge. It's super fun AND there are amazing prizes awarded!!! Check it out!




Stamps: Forever in our Hearts (Verve)
Card Stock: Kraft, Lavender Moon (Papertrey); Early Espresso (SU); Brenda Walton paper pad
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)
Extras: Early Espresso satin ribbon (SU); Button (Papertrey)

Get Better, Friend

Hello! Happy Thursday! And Happy St. Patrick's Day! :) Only two more days until we leave for Los Angeles. I'm so ready! This has been a long week. I feel like any time you're about to leave for vacation, the days are really slow! :)

My card today uses this weeks Card Patterns sketch to make a get well card for a friend of my mom's who has Cancer. I hope it makes her feel better.

Here is this week's sketch:

And here is my card:

The flowers are the cream ones that SU sells. I love that you can color them whatever color you want. They're like those prom shoes we used to have when I was in high school (early 90's). Does anyone remember having to have shoes dyed? Or was that just my hick town??LOL Ah, memories...


Anyway, that's all I have. Thank you for stopping by! Laters..




Stamps: Healing Touch (Papertrey); Blue Skies (Verve)
Card Stock: Melon Berry, Fine Linen (Papertrey); Gertie dsp (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Pumpkin Pie (stamped off once), Chocolate Chip (Papertrey)
Extras: Flowers (SU)

AmberInk Love

Hey you guys! Thanks for stopping in. Ok, so you know how sometimes you get in these "moods" where you cannot stamp stamping? That's what happened to me last night. I started out making a card using some of my AmberInk digis and before I knew it, I had made 4 of them. Yikes! I decided to show them all to you at once, so you could get all of the fun in one big post! 

This first card is so simple, but the font of this digi just really got to me. I love it. All I did was add some bloomers and patterned paper (of course! ) and voila!

This next card Ava loved. She thought the sentiment was so cool and she picked out the colors. The fan has glitter on the blades and is really shimmery in real life.

This third card is my favorite. The paper combined with those mushrooms was just a hit with me. I LOVE those mushrooms! They're so so cute.

This last one is one that I sent this morning to a friend that I have been thinking about a lot lately.  I hope she likes it. This is another in that line of sentiments with that great font.

I hope you guys enjoyed my Amberink "marathon"...lol. Be sure and head over to AmberInk to see what you can get your hands on! They have cool stuff!

In My Prayers..

Hello! Ah, Wednesday is here. Ava and I leave for Los Angeles on Saturday and I cannot wait. We WERE going to Germany, but that didn't work out. :(  Then, we were going to go to NY, but THAT didn't work out either...lol. So, we are going to Los Angeles with my BF and her daughter. A girls trip! Should be fun!

Today, I'm here with my 3rd card as a Color Throwdown Guest Designer. Eek! That means I only have two weeks left..bummer. It has been such a blast working with the DT. Anywho, so this week's colors are brought to use by Kristin!

Here are the lovely colors:

Are they not so perfect? I didn't have Wild Wasabi ink (that has been rectified!), so I used Papertrey's New Leaf. It worked pretty well as a substitute!  I wanted to make a springy get well card and here is what I made:

My card is pretty CAS for me. I TRIED so hard to not use patterned paper. The card feels naked to me, but I managed to create without the aid of the "good stuff"..lol. I am also seriously addicted to those scallops. They're just so much fun to use. The little flower is a resin flower I picked up from Stamper's Dream a while back and they're so cute!  

Well, that's all for now. Be sure and go by and check out what the other DT members have created with these colors and then come and play with us at Color Throwdown!!

Stamps: Through the Trees, Healing Touch (Papertrey); Teeny Trees (Waltzingmouse)
Card Stock: Wild Wasabi, Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum, More Mustard (SU)
Ink: New Leaf (Papertrey); Chocolate Chip, Elegant Eggplant, More Mustard (SU)
Extras: Early Espresso satin ribbon (SU); Resin flower (Webster's Pages);Large scallop border die (Papertrey)

Reap a Harvest..

Hi there! Is it possible to fall in love with a patterned paper? If so, then I am so in love with the Gertie Stella Rose papers from My Mind's Eye. Just so much cool paper and it seems to match all of my card stock! I know several of you have been calling me an enabler lately..well, guilty as charged! LOL

I am using the Mojo Monday sketch from this week, seen here:

I adore that slanted ribbon. It's so different and cool. Here is the card I created:

Isn't the card so dark and rich and bright all at the same time? Those papers are just so yummy! I also love this Verve Plain Jane. It can be hard, sometimes, to keep doing what is right, can't it? There's not often any "real" reward and so it's easy to get discouraged. This verse is a favorite of mine. At some point, all of the good you do IS rewarded. :)

Well, that's it from me. Time to get up and start a new day! Thank you for stopping in to see me! :)


Stamps: Galatians 6:9 Plain Jane (Verve)
Card Stock: Cameo Coral, More Mustard (SU); Stella Rose papers (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Cameo Coral (SU)
Extras: Ribbon, flower(SU); Felt, Woodgrain impression plate (Papertrey); pearls (pizzazz - a plenty)

Happy B'day, Friend!

Hi there! Happy Monday! I'm glad to say that I am feeling MUCH better than I was last week. Whatever that crud was, I am glad that it is gone!

Today I am playing along with the CR84FN challenge. I love these colors. Take a look:

Aren't they lovely together? I decided to make a card for my friend, Tara, who is celebrating today! We are going to Sips n Strokes tonight. I've never been, so i'm excited about going! I am not sure how good a painter I will be, but it'll still be fun to be out and about. I rarely go anywhere without Ava when hubby is gone, so this will be good for me.


Here is the card I made for her:

The flower is so puffy and pretty! It's another Prima flower that I picked up at Two Peas in a Bucket a couple of weeks ago. That place is my new favorite place to shop for embellishments and paper. Yummy selections!

Thanks for stopping in! Have a wonderful week!


Stamps: Think Big Favorites #1 (Papertrey)
Card Stock: Baja Breeze, Basic Grey (SU)
Ink: Versamark (SU
Extras: Bling (want2scrap); Prima Flower (Two Peas in a Bucket)

Courage..fyi

hello! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and that it is nice where you are. We had temps here in Nashville in the mid 70's yesterday and, though we spent the whole day in the Twilight convention, it was so so nice to have some official Spring weather! Not sure how long it will last and I always think it's funny to see people with flip flops on the first chance they get! I love flip flops, don't you?

Today's card uses this weeks Verve sketch by Maureen. It has a tilted panel, which I love, and room for a flower. I just LOVE flowers. In real life, not so much but as embellishments I am addicted to them. Here is Maureen's sketch:

I also found out about a NEW sketch challenge called "FYI". Teresa Kline is the Guest Designer this month, so I had to play along! This week is their very first one so go over and play along! Here is the GORGEOUS inspiration picture:

Are those towers not gorgeous?!?! Wow. I love this picture!  So, combining those two challenges, I came up with this card:

I wanted to pull the pink from the sky, the shimmer from the buildings, and the bead-like quality of the tower base. I think I captured everything I wanted to capture here. This was a fun challenge and I cannot wait to play again! I hope you guys will check it out. I love challenges and it's always fun to find new ones!

Have a happy Sunday and thanks for stopping by!!!


Stamps: Blue Skies (Verve); French Script bkgd (SU)
Card Stock: Vanilla (Papertrey); Pink Pirouette (SU); 
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU)
Extras: Flower (Prima from Two Peas in a Bucket); Pearls (pizzazz-a-plenty)