Just Because - WSC81

Here is my submission to the Weekend Sketch Challenge, hosted this week by the very talented Charmaine at Oodabug Alley! I used designer paper by Wild Asparagus (MME) from their "Grandpa" line. I just love the colors! The main floral image stamp is from Hero Arts, the sentiment stamp is from Studio G, and the circle dot and little flower stamps are both from Stampin' Up's "Think Happy Thoughts" set. The card took longer than I thought to make, but then again, it's the first card made in my new craft space! I will be much more efficient as I get used to where I put everything!

Paper: "Grandpa Plaid" and "Grandpa Floral" by Wild Asparagus (My Mind's Eye)
Stamps: flower bouquet from "Cherish" set (Hero Arts - Cleardesign); "Just Because" sentiment (Studio G); Think Happy Thoughts (SU)
Ink: Timber Brown (Stazon); water color pencils (Prismacolor)
Accessories: tiny blue rhinestone gems and clear gem (Hero Arts); sheer gray ribbon (JoAnn); circle punches (EK Success); sponge for edges; dimensionals (SU)

My Craft Space!

Yay! I finally got my new craft space put together! Mind you, it is REALLY small, but I managed to squeeze a lot in. My husband cleared out the window alcove in his office, as well as a bookcase, so I could set up shop. I'm posting a few photos of my itty- bitty craft space, but I haven't actually created anything there yet! I will have to borrow the chair from my husband's desk when I create, and my legs will only go about 10 inches deep under my little 4-foot by 2-foot table... but I will MAKE it work! I'm just so excited to finally have a space!

So Glad We're Friends - MOJO86

Ahhh... at long last! I have been remiss in posting this week. I intended to post at least every other day, but... you know... life happens! I have one boy with pink eye, another with fussy-itis, and we're all getting cabin fever from staying home! I'm also "in transition" with my newly cleared craft space in my husband's office, so I keep putting off my creations until I get all set up... but you know how that goes! I ended up having to dig out of my rolling totes to make this week's Mojo submission after the kiddos were asleep. Anyhoo... here's what I came up with! I punched the flowers out of a patterned paper by Amanda Blu called Elle Floral Black, adhered them with adhesive foam, and placed a clear drop in the middle. I had a hard time finding an image for the center panel. A floral stamp looked odd to me with the flowers on the side... and most of my images are wider than the panel (guess that means I get to buy some narrower images!). I ended up using a sentiment from a Stampin' Up hostess set called Best Yet. I stamped a light blue leaf behind the sentiment but the photo doesn't show it well. The leaf is a stamp from the "Spiral Bouquet" set by PaperTrey Ink. I just love the colors in this paper!

Paper: Elle Stripe, Elle Leaves, and Elle Floral Black (Amanda Blu & Co.); cardstock (Bazzill)

Stamps: Best Yet (SU); Spiral Bouquet (PaperTrey)

Ink: black (Stazon) ; light blue marker (Marvy)

Accessories: clear drops (KaiserCraft); scallop blade (Cutterpede); scallop circle punch (Marvy Uchida); dimensionals (SU)

Shroomin' SFYTT

For this week's Sketch For You To Try over at Jen Del Muro's blog, "I {heart} 2 Stamp," I created a card using a clear stamp set of mushrooms by Hero Arts.  I also dug out some fun papers by A2Z Essentials from their "What's New Club" line.  I just love the color combo!  I also jazzed it up with some adhesive rhinestones, and pierced the white scallop circle.  To top it off, I added a little butterfly that I punched from a Martha Stewart punch and gave the body some adhesive pearls.  I dig it!

Stamp:  mushrooms (Hero Arts)

Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon; watercolor pencils

Paper:  What's New Club (A2Z Essentials); cardstock (Bazzill)

Accessories:  adhesive rhinestone gems and pearls (Kaisercraft); butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); scallop and circle punches (Marvy Uchida); paper piercer

WSC80 - My Friend Poppy!

I just LOVE poppies!  They're my second favorite flower after tulips!  I shopped at the Paper Garden yesterday and picked up a few things (I should have paid cash and hid the receipt!).  I got the modern poppy stamp by A Muse and used it in my Weekend Sketch Challenge submission this week hosted by Cambria Turnbow.  I also dug up a paper by Basic Grey from their Blush collection.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

Paper: Blush "Admire" (Basic Grey)
Stamps: Hi Friend and Modern Poppy (both from A Muse)
Ink: Timber Brown Stazon; watercolor pencils
Accessories: flowers (Prima); ribbon (May Arts and Stampin' Up); rhinestone gem and pearls (Kaisercraft); fruit punch Stickles; oval and scallop circle punches (Marvy Uchida)

Happy Mother's Day!! I get a new craft space!

Yay!!!!  My husband has finally agreed to clear me a small space in his office (he works from home) so I can set up my paper craft stuff!  No more crafting out of rolling totes!  I'll be able to just pop into the office and whip up a creation without having to put everything away!  I am so excited!  I will post photos of my finished space once I get to that point.  I'm trying to be as frugal as possible... I even ordered a folding table on sale from an office supply store.  Nothing lavish here!  Stay tuned!

My own sketch - Sweet Stems

This is one of my own sketches that I created a while ago... I actually posted this card a few posts back with another card, but I didn't include the sketch I designed to go with it!  So, here it is, and this is one of my many sketches that I shared with Amy!  

I'm a Guest Sketch Designer on Prairie Paper & Ink!!!

I'm so excited!  I am actually now a guest sketch designer for Amy's Friday Sketch Challenge over at Prairie Paper & Ink... and she's going to use my layouts once a month!  Here is my first layout she used, and my sample.  I can't wait to see what others come up with!  Yay me!   Thank you Amy!!!

Paper: Tea Party dp (SU); accent cardstock (SU)
Stamps: Sweet Stems (SU); Friends (Studio G)
Ink: Stazon black; SU markers
Accessories: tiny pearls (Kaisercraft); scallop and circle punches (Marvy Uchida)

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #85

Here is my submission for this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge over at the Mojo Monday Sketch Blog.  I dug up patterned paper from A2Z Essentials from their Sugar Candy line, and used Bazzill cardstock.  The green leaf background under the sentiment is actually from the Papertrey Ink "Spiral Bouquet" set, and the Ghandi quote is from the Stampin' Up "Happy Harmony" set.  I wasn't too sure about the patterned paper, but I think it turned out pretty good overall.  Here are the stats:

Paper: Sugar Candy - "Emma" and "Maddelyn" (A2Z Essentials)
Stamps: Spiral Bouquet (Papertrey Ink); Happy Harmony (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Timber Brown Stazon; Stampin' Up marker
Accessories: flowers (Prima); border punch (Fiskars); white gel pen

For You AMYRS66

Happy Tuesday! It's dreary weather here today, but at least it's not raining! I think I'll stay in with the boys today... they're both being really good and could probably stand to be in the house all day. We'll see!

Last night I whipped up a submission for Amy's Friday Sketch Challenge over at Prairie Paper and Ink! I just love Amy's work! She even has her own stamp line at All That Scraps! And her tutorial blog videos ROCK! Anyway, I dug up a dp by We R Memory Keepers called Pewter Press, from their Precious Metals line. I used "Jardin" and "Puntos" from that line. I cut the circles and the flowers from one dp, and used adhesive pearls in the center. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up. Here are the stats:

Paper: Precious Metals - Pewter Press "Jardin" and "Puntos" (We R Memory Keepers); cardstock (Bazzill)
Ink: Brown Stazon; markers (SU)
Stamp: One of a Kind (SU)
Accessories: adhesive pearls (Kaisercraft); flower (Prima); corner rounder; scallop circle punch (Marvy Uchida)

Weekend Sketch Challenge 79

Here is my submission for the Weekend Sketch Challenge, hosted this week by Jenn Balcer! I used dp from the Hey Fellas line by Kate Teague for Fontwerks. I thought it could be a pseudo father's day card, but I'm not sure if it's masculine enough. I cut the swirly flower from one of the dp's and put a rhinestone gem in the middle. The stamp is from the dollar bin at Michael's. Here are the rest of the stats:

Paper: "Hey Darcy" and "Hey Paul" (Hey Fellas by Kate Teague for Fontworks); cardstock (Bazzill)
Ink: Brown Stazon; markers (SU)
Stamp: unknown (Michael's--Studio G?)
Accessories: copper Stickles; rhinestone gem (Kaisercraft)

This week's CPS challenge!

I found another popular weekly card sketch challege! This one is at the Card Positioning Systems blog (CPS). They appear to have a pretty big following. Apparently there is a sponsor each week for prizes for the best sketch. This week's sponsor is Cornish Heritage Farms. I wasn't able to use any of their stuff in my card design because I don't have any, so we'll see how it goes! I used a saying from Stampin' Up as well as the flowers from the One of A Kind stamp set. There's a matching punch for the flowers so I stamped them with black Stazon and punched them out. Then I colored the flowers with the new Smooch pearlescent accent ink from Clearsnap! Smooch ROCKS! It colored right over the black ink! I took a second picture of my card at an angle so you can see the pearlescence a little better. Anyway, here are the stats:

Stamp: Time Well Spent (SU); One of A Kind flowers w/matching punch (SU)
Paper: Bloom & Grow dp (MME); cardstock (SU)
Ink: Black Stazon; Smooch pearlescent accent ink (Clearsnap)

Accessories: rhinestone gems (Colorbok; Kaisercraft); May Arts ric-rac ribbon; dimensionals

Jen's Sketch For You To Try

Here is my submission for Jen Del Muro's Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT) this week over at i{heart}2stamp. I just love Jen's work and her blog is awesome! I used designer paper from the 'Bloom & Grow' collection by My Mind's Eye. I just love the colors! I didn't use an image stamp, just a sentiment and flowers. Here are the stats:

Stamp: Happy Spring (Elzybells)

Paper: Bloom & Grow dp (MME); cardstock (SU)

Ink: Oasis Green VersaMagic chalk ink (Tsukineko)

Accessories: flowers (Prima); rhinestone gem (Colorbok); border punch (Fiskars); oval scallop punch (Marvy Uchida)

MOJO84

I finally crafted my MOJO84 submission last night! I used dp from Stampin' Up's Tea Party collection--perfect for spring! It coordinates so nicely with the Sweet Stems stamp set... I just can't seem to put it away yet, so expect to see more layouts using these supplies! I raised the little flowers in the image with dimensionals, and pierced around the image. I just love those little pearls by Kaisercraft... I may just have to get them in every color! Anyway, here are the stats on this one. Happy Thursday!

Paper: Tea Party dp (SU); accent cardstock (SU)
Stamps: Sweet Stems (SU); Think Happy Thoughts (SU)
Ink: Stazon black; SU markers and water color pencils
Accessories: tiny pearls (Kaisercraft); pink ribbon (SU); scallop and circle punches (Marvy Uchida)

Which way should I go?

Well, I have been struggling the last few days with what direction I should take with this blog. I don't have a craft room or a good space to spread out, so I keep all my goodies in rolling totes and have to drag it all out every time I want to make something. I have two small boys so I have to put it all away when I'm done or there could be trouble. Needless to say, not many cards are made very often in my world. I do, however, spend a lot of time designing layouts on my laptop on my sofa while the boys play or nap and have a gazillion made so far. That has been feeding my creative cravings, but if I want to gain any recognition for my work, I should probably participate in sketch challenges to bring people to my blog! So... I've been surfing around for the sketch challenges that get a lot of participation and will make a point to participate in two to three of them a week. I will also post one of my own layouts each week with a card to go with it. I won't call it a sketch challenge yet since I only have one follower so far, but maybe it will turn into one if I get enough traffic! We'll have to see. Anyway, I am now off to drag out my craft goodies so I can participate in the Mojo Monday sketch challenge this week. As far as I can see, it gets the most traffic... 300-450 submissions each week! If anyone else reads this post, please comment if you participate in other popular sketch challenges. I will probably participate in the Friday Sketch at Prairie Paper & Ink, the Splitcoast Wednesday Card Sketch Challenge, and maybe the My Favorite Things sketch challenge on Thursdays via SCS. I might also try to do the Weekend Sketch Challenge on Fridays or Jen's Sketch For You To Try (SFYTT) on Saturdays at "i{heart}2stamp." That's a lot of challenges though. It leaves me only Tuesday for my own sketch post! What have I gotten myself into???

OMG!!! Check out THIS blog candy!!!

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Blog Candy with a Twist at "Where'd All My Money Go?!"

Head on over to Steph's blog at "Where'd All My Money Go?!" to check out her wonderful and elegant card designs, and for your chance to win a $100 gift card to anywhere you choose! She's celebrating her 10,000th hit on her 6-month-old blog... I aspire to be as popular! Don't miss out! She will be choosing a winner on May 9!

Prairie Paper & Ink Friday Sketch (AMYRS2)

Here is my AMYRS2 submission for Amy Rysavy's Friday Sketch at Prairie Paper and Ink. It is very similar to one of my last cards, but it didn't quite match Amy's layout so I did it again. Here are the stats:

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Stamps: Daisy Bunch and Happy Spring (Elzybells)
Paper: Bloom & Grow dp (My Mind's Eye); cardstock (Bazzill)
Ink: Stazon Black; watercolor pencils; white gel pen
Accessories: flowers (Prima); antique brown brad; border punch (Fiskars)

Simple Sweet Stems

Well, I was not as productive last night at Scrappy Hour as I had hoped to be. Did a lot more "chatting" than "crafting!" I ended up making three cards, one of which I wasn't too happy with. It was too busy and awkward, and that's what I spent most of my time on in the beginning. My friend liked it so I sent it home with her. Then I banged out two simple cards and I am happy with those. I used plain white cardstock for my base, and I've really started to prefer that "crisp" look. I intended for one of the layouts to work for Amy Rysavy's Friday Sketch Challenge, but I didn't remember it quite right. I have a proper submission in the works and will post it later tonight. Nevertheless, here are the stats for the two I made last night...

Paper: Tea Party dp (SU); accent cardstock (SU)

Stamps: Sweet Stems (SU); Think Happy Thoughts (SU)

Ink: Stazon black; SU markers and water color pencils

Embellies: tiny pearls (Kaisercraft); yellow ribbon (SU); flowers (Prima)

Tools: scallop and circle punches (Marvy Uchida); white gel pen (Signo); dimensionals foam dots (SU); border punch (Fiskars)

Back from a long haitus!

Whoa! I completely forgot where I put this little blog I created almost 2 years ago! I didn't even know what I called it! My husband had to remind me that I even started it. Can you believe that? Geez Louise. Well, now I would like to start blogging my creations regularly with the hopes of someday being invited to join the design teams of paper, stamp and/or embellishment companies. Of course, I've created several cards since my last post, but won't overload them all here. You can see my past stuff on my SCS gallery if you click on the link in the sidebar. I plan to do some serious creations tomorrow night at Green Tangerines and will post as soon as I take the pictures. Now, just sit back and enjoy the ride!