OLW 33 Home Decor

I should be working, working, working.  Instead, I am playing, playing, playing.  Hmmmmmmmmm.....

A quick one here:   New challenge today over at Simplicity's blog.  One layer card using home decor as our inspiration.   Have had these Unity stamps for a while now and figured today is as good a day as any to put them to use.   Colored with Copics....nothing fancy...just quickly colored and added a simple black line to ground the floating lamps.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 32: Ages and Ages

Two weeks in a row.  I'm back at it.  I think.  Maybe.  We'll see.

During my hiatus of doing the one-layer Wednesday challenges change occurred.  Life became a bit hectic for Susan over at her Simplicity blog to continue posting the challenges on a weekly basis.  Then Jennifer Styles of Styles Ink came along to save the day.....she and Susan now alternate Wednesdays in hosting the OLW challenges.  

It's Jennifer's Wednesday this week and she came up with the theme of Ages and Ages.  We need to make a one layer "age" card.   Perfect!  I was lacking an idea for my last birthday card of the month which was for my brother in law.  After rumaging around, I came up with this:

I really liked the dry embossing around last weeks image in the OLW 31 challenge, so I decided to do it again!  I like how this turned out.   Image is from Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment is from Impress Rubber Stamps.  Love that sentiment....I usually use it on the insides of birthday cards, but it worked really well for this particular challenge.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 31: Back to the Beginning

Yeah!   I FINALLY got to do another challenge!  And a really, really simple one at that!
The One Layer Wednesday challenges over at Simplicity's blog finds this past week's mission to go back to our roots.  How did we start stamping/card making????   Inquiring minds want to know.

Years before I started scrapbooking which eventually worked its way into addictive, smaller, quicker gratifications known as cards, one of my sister's-in-law showed me how she made quick and simple cards by heat embossing every stamped image in gold embossing powder.   I was mildly interested and quickly dismissed it.  I worked long hours and barely had enough time to make meals, do laundry, spend time with my husband and once in awhile clean the house.   But, when I finally had the time to venture into card making, I remembered the gold embossing technique and that's what I started with.  Ooooooh!  The magic!

Here's my very simple, gold embossed card, along with a modern twist....an added dry embossed frame around the sentiment made with my long rectangle nesties.

Simple, eh?
The sentiment is from Penny Black and that sparkly gold embossing powder is by Judikins...twinkle gold, I  believe.  LOVE that stuff.  So glittery, without the need to use glitter!  I also used 110 lb. Classic Crest natural white cardstock....its heavy weight and thickness gives such a nice and distinct embossing from the nesties without cutting through the cardstock.  Yum!

Thanks for peeking!

Ok, Colleen.....

....here ya go!
The card you've been requesting I post on my blog.
The card that was inspired by YOUR card.  Thanks for the inspiration! :-)

What a quick and simple card!  Cardstock is PTI Simply Chartreuse with a Cosmo Cricket overlay of dots from Garden Variety (LOVE those dots....must get more!).  Created the big scallops with a border punch from EK Success.   Balloons are from scraps using the Martha Stewart balloon punch with some crochet thread from my stash.   Just popped up and added "strings" to the bottom three for dimension.  Sentiment is from Hampton Art that I just recently found at Michael's.

Thanks for peeking!

Until One Has Loved.....

I have had this old Club Scrap stamp for years and years.....just had to have it when I first saw it.....love, love, LOVE the saying.....BUT! it has never seen ink....you all know how that is, dontcha????!!???

Well, one of my sisters-in-law just adopted a shelter dog - not a puppy - and is in love.  And, I thought this saying was perfect!   While I had it out, I decided to make two.  One of these will find its way to her and her new "Danny"!

The sentiment says, "Until one has loved an animal, a part of ones soul remains unawakened."   Beautiful!

For those of you who so faithfully follow my blog, I apologize for being MIA.   Life's been a bit busy lately, and will continue to be so until after the first of the year.   I have been making the occasional card and have many I want to share on the blog.  I'll try to get a few posts made in the next few weeks.   A HUGE thank you to those of you who visit.  I really do appreciate it!

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 22: Gratitude

What a busy week it's been!
But, Simplicity's challenge has been at the back of my mind all week...whipped one up today and decided it's better late than never to post.   This also covers the Color Throwdown challenge of using old olive, riding hood red and pumpkin pie colors.   I also threw in the kraft and memento dandelion color to round things out.

Pretty simple card...that is the challenge, huh!???...a different size to fit the stamps...3-3/8" x 6-1/4".  The pretty maple leaf is from Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Thanks for peeking!

A banner birthday

Good morning, everyone!
This card was inspired by a Christmas card I saw in one of the card magazines I've been reading lately.  I *think* it may have been in either the Papercrafts Card Sketches or Papercrafts Card Style magazines.  I just finished flipping through those, but couldn't find it.  But, those are the two I've been flipping through the most lately for inspiration.  Wish I could locate it so I could give the person who inspired me due credit.  If I find it later, I'll edit this post. 

I have to laugh......I typically "read" all my card idea books and magazines in bed right before I drift off to sleep.  Of course, I NEVER remember what I "read".   So, I ALWAYS get to go back through EVERY book/magazine later and it is brand spankin' new inspiration!

Anyways....on to the card.
I found this BoBunny paper months ago somewhere and kept it out in plain sight so I wouldn't file it away and forget about it.  When I bought it, I knew I wanted to make a birthday card with it for one of my sisters-in-law.  Success!  I just love the softness of the color and the pattern.

I am batty for banners lately.  After looking at stamps that are banners and realizing I'd have to cut them all out (I am really cutting challenged), I finally remembered that I have an old diamond punch AND an old QuicKutz diamond diecut.  I used the slightly smaller diamond punch, scored them across the middle and folded them over the twine, using glue dots to secure them.  I used small clear letter stamps (Autumn Leaves Stampology wordplay) to stamp the 'happy', and masked everything but the 'birthday' from an Inkadinkadoo stamp.   Buttons, twine, pearls, ribbon and lace from my stash.

I really, really like this card!

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 21: Inspired by Nature

YES!
I did the challenge and got it posted only ONE day after Susan posted her Simplicity challenge  for this week!  Yeah!

So what's the challenge you ask?   It's a one layer card with extremely minimal embellishment, reflecting something from nature that is inspiring.   Well, given that I have 3 Iris cart drawers of stamps that are leaves, trees and grasses, surely I could find something!

And I did! 

It is this GREAT new stamp I bought from Impression Obsession at Stampaway last month.  It truly spoke to me.  I loooooovvve candy corn...wait all year for fall to arrive so that I can buy some (it and carmel apples are about the ONLY reasons I tolerate fall), and I really wouldn't mind if I could find a tree in real life on which candy corn grew.  I'd be sure to have it in my yard.  But, sigh, since it doesn't, this stamp is the next best thing.

The sentiment is also by Impression Obsession.  This card is going to be a Halloween card for someone (can't say!) along with a pair of black socks with a candy corn motif.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 20 Three Plus One

Another Wednesday, another Simplicity challenge.
This past Wednesday, the challenge was all about making a one layer card with no embellishments, if possible, using three images (different or the same) and one sentiment.  Since I was out of town at the time the challenge was posted, my friend Colleen described it over the phone.  This dog stamp by Magenta was the first thing that popped into my mind and it never left.  So, I had to go with it.  Sentiment is by Penny Black.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 19 Black & White w/ a spot of color

Simplicity's challenge yesterday was a hard one!  The challenge is to make a one layer card in black and white, adding just a hint of color to make it pop.  I really wish I had more time this week to dig into my stamps a bit to see what I could come up with, but the rest of this week and most of next is completely booked.  So, I chose my animal and dog stamp drawers and came up with these two cards.

First up is a really fun cat stamp by Rubber Soul.  The complementary sentiment is from Inky Antics.

This second card uses a lab stamp from Cornish Heritage Farms and the sentiment is by Cloud 9.  I stamped this image in sepia on cream cardstock the first time I used it a while back and colored the hat a denim-y color...turned out really nice....I think I like that one better than this one.   But, this one's not bad.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 18: Trees

I am really late this week posting for last Wednesday's challenge over at Simplicity's blog.  Been busy working on a project.  But, after looking at all the thumbnails of those who have participated, (68!!), I noticed one type of trees obviously missing....Palm Trees!  Yes, I know it's September and many are thinking fall type trees, or beginning to think about Christmas trees/winter trees, but I want to extend summer as looooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggg as I possibly can.  And palm trees come to mind!  Someplace nice and sunny and warm, to remind me of summer.   So, here's my entry for the challenge of a one layer card showcasing a tree or trees.

Sand is by Sarasota stamps, and the palm tree/hammock and sentiment are by A Muse.  Lightly drew in a water line with one of my copics.   Enjoy!

Thanks for peeking!

Feel Better Soon

Although I have been posting more lately, I still haven't been posting a lot.  Maybe once or twice a week.  Last few months have only seen 6 posts each month.  So, I was determined to break that mold and get more in for August.  At least one more.

The card below is a sweet Elzybell image with an A Muse sentiment.  Cuttlebug swiss dots embossing folder.  Made for a friend earlier in the year.  Pretty simple and self-explanatory.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 17 Border Stamps

I am really enjoying the weekly Wednesday challenges Susan is posting over at her blog, Simplicity. Each Wednesday I look at her new challenge and then promptly think, 'hmmmm, wonder if I can come up with anything to qualify for the challenge this week.' Well, this week it was a bonanza! Lots of ideas after rummaging around the stamp drawers.

First up is the water border by Meer Image (don't think they are around anymore...it's a pretty old stamp). Used my stamp-a-ma-jig to repeatedly stamp the water in the yummy Bahama Breeze memento ink. Sailboat and sentiment are from A Muse and the sun is from Inkadinkadoo.

For the second card, I used another old, old swirly image by Stampin Up! The swirls were highlighted with a flower from an Inkadinkadoo clear set and a little bling. The sentiment is by Make an Impression.

Third, I used the fabulous dot border stamp from Impress Rubber Stamps. It is truly one of my well loved stamps. The sentiment is from Stampabilities.

Fourth, is a really neat text stamp that states "good-bye" in many different ways. It is by Hampton Art and the sentiment is from Paper Salon.

Fifth, is a really pretty border stamp of seashells by Impression Obsession. I wasn't sure which color ink to use or how to color them. So, I opted to stamp it twice....the first is in Memento Desert Sand and the second is in Memento Rich Cocoa. Both are colored in with a clear sakura glitter pen. I think I like the subtleness of the desert sand card. Sentiment also by I-O.

Sixth, is a variation of a card I make fairly often when I need a sympathy card, but I typically mat it. No matting this time, and it is not too shabby. Pardon the messy sentiment. I didn't get a very good impression, so I tried to doctor it up....too lazy to re-do the entire card.....had other cards to make! The ground is by Impress Rubber Stamps, the tree by SU, and the sentiment from PTI.

Lastly, I used my "ribbon" stamp by Impression Obsession on watercolor paper and used watercolor pencils and water to try to create a sheer type of ribbon. It's just ok. I consider it practice. And practice eventually leads to perfect. I hope. Sentiment is by Printworks.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 16 Make a Scene

After several attempts to nail this challenge, I've ended up with this:

The image is by Inkadinkadoo and the sentiment by River City Rubber. I stamped both in London Fog Memento ink. Black was too harsh and dark. This is a grey, foggy scene. I did try to add some color, but my trash can says otherwise. So, I went simple.

This second card is really one I did weeks ago for the OLW Repetition challenge, but never got it all together to get it posted to Mr. Linky for that week. It is one of my favorite cards I've made of all these challenges, and since virtually no one (except for Colleen and Pauline) got to see this one, I wouldn't showcase it for the current challenge, but include it as a sideline. It is a scene after all! Tree is from Rubber Soul and the sentiment is from Amuse.

And, finally, THIS is the scene I wanted to do for the challenge, but, I CANNOT find this stamp anywhere in my stamp room after much searching and tearing of room apart. If anyone has a clue about where I might have hidden it (so I could find it easily next time I needed it!), please let me know. I did make this card last fall for my nephew, so I KNOW I have this stamp, and it just wasn't a figment of my imagination (sometimes this does happen, along the same lines as lovin' an image soooo much I buy it a second time...but I digress...).

And, shame on me, I just noticed the image import is sideways....hmmmm.....I am not doing this post over again. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 15 Unexpected Colors

The one layer Wednesday challenge last Wednesday at Simplicity's blog was to make a one layer card using images with out of the ordinary colors. Although we've all read and heard references to blue hearts & sadness, we almost always see hearts as red or pink.

Used PTI's Heart Prints set, and typed the sentiment from my computer using the font, papyrus. I LOVE the sentiments from Rosie's Roadshow, partly because of the font, and this font comes really close (if not exact!).

Thanks for peeking!

Card Architecture, Blue Print #2

Yes, I've been a bit obsessed by challenges lately. There was another one over on Ellen Hutson's The Classroom blog, and I just had to do it. There were several options for this challenge and I chose the sketch option, although a few of the colors apply to the color option.

The yummy patterned paper is from October Afternoon Thrift Shop and Fly A Kite lines. I have no idea who the sentiment is by. It has been a long time staple in my birthday drawer but it has no markings of who made it. Tag is from a Cuttlebug die.

Thanks for peeking!

The Classroom Flower Parade

Over at The Classroom, there is a Flower Parade going on. Since I love flowers, and I needed a birthday card, and I needed to get this new Karen Lockhart stamp inky, I decided to join in.

LOVE this stamp! I think orchids are just soooooo beautiful! I colored it with my copics and to add a bit of dimension, colored a second imprint of just the pot and leaves, cut them out and popped them up. I rounded the pot a bit from side to side and layered rolled up glue dots vertically under the center of the pot. The sentiment is from Make An Impression. Patterned paper is from Memory Box; cardstock is Gina K, Classic Crest and SU. Scallops are from a Fiskars border punch.

Take a look at all the other pretty cards in the Flower Parade through the link above to The Classroom and leave a little love.

Thanks for peeking!

FTL 100

I do read blogs other than the Simplicity blog. Seems like that's all I do lately, given all the challenges I've found myself doing and posting here. That's a good thing. I needed something to
get the ol' mojo going and reason to post on the blog. The Simplicity challenges worked!

There's another blog I visit regularly...Clean and Simple. A group of 4 cardmakers who post a sketch every Friday and invite those interested in the blogoshere to play along. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE their sketches. Up until almost 2 weeks ago, I was a lurker. Then, when they posted their 100th sketch and opened up the challenge for 2 weeks, I decided to play along.

Here's the sketch:

Sweet, huh?

I needed a birthday card for later this month, so, I took it upon myself to see what I could do with it. And this is what I came up with:

Not bad for a first try. Cardstock by SU, that GORGEOUS fern image from Hero Arts, sentiment by Morningstar. A Fiskars border punch and some twine finish it off.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 14 Square Outlines

As soon as I saw this week's challenge over at Simplicity's blog, I knew exactly which stamp I would use. It is my current favorite which I have used on several cards. The challenge was to make a square one layer card using an outline stamp.

This image is a fairly new one from Hero Arts...it is the wood mount one you can get at Michael's, which is slightly smaller than the clear set. I find the wood mount one is scaled porportionally better for A2 cards. Used my copics to color, and the image is from Amuse.

In a recent post, Susan at Simplicity talked about envelopes and how she uses common rectangular envelopes for her square cards...using the smaller dimension (minus 1/4") of the envelope rectangle as the square dimension of her card. What a "DUH" moment for me! That is brilliant! I like the look of square cards, but I don't like the additional postage stamp price of mailing them. So, this card is 4-1/4" square and I will mail it in an A2 (4-1/2" x 5-3/4") envelope. Problem solved! Thanks, Susan!


Thanks for peeking!

OLW 13: Christmas in July

Yeah! I made it before the next challenge! Just barely!

Christmas in July. That's the One Layer Wednesday Challenge from last week over at Simplicity's blog. It came at the perfect time because while on vacation, I was mulling over what to do for Christmas cards this year. I quite like this one and it was quick to do. Quicker if I remember to use my static remover thingy before trying to heat emboss.

The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo...I stamped it in Encore! gold pigment and used twinkle gold embossing powder from Judikins. That embossing powder is fabulous! You can't tell in the photo, but in real life....OMG!!! it sparkles like crazy! It is on my list for Stampaway. Need gallons of this stuff! The teeny little holly is from A Muse, and I used my Marvy markers to color the image on the rubber, then 'huffed' on the rubber and stamped away. This doesn't seem to give as deep and crisp an impression as I would like, especially since the sentiment is so crisp. I'll have to work on that one.

Anyway, I enjoyed playing and may slightly alter this card (after all, I just recently bought gobs of real red and old olive from SU before their price increase), by matting the image and use it for my Christmas card.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 12: Watercolor

Yes, I know I'm late on getting this one posted. But, like I said, I am addicted to these challenges, I did get it done 2 days after the challenge was posted, but then I left for Florida, where I had no internet access to post. Darn.



This card is for Simplicity's One Layer Wednesday 12: Watercolor challenge. I used Marvy watercolor markers on the image from Penny Black, then spritzed it with a light dusting of water before applying the stamp to watercolor paper. I'm not real crazy about the watercolor paper I used...from Canson's "Biggy Jr" pack. Maybe I used the wrong side of the paper....I just don't like all the horizontal lines. I had limited time to make this one and couldn't make a second card, so this is it. I also used a Marvy Marker for the sentiment from Cornish Heritage Farms.

Off to get the current challenge done and hopefully posted before the new one is listed!
Thanks for peeking!

Happy Birthday, Colleen!

A birthday card for my dear friend, Colleen, on her birthday last week. Flowers are each made with 2 punched scallops from the SU scallop punch; the border is a Fiskars border punch. The ribbon is my first try at making Wrinkle ribbon. This batch just happened to match SU Blush Blossom, and I really like how it turned out. Will definitely be making some more. And, that grid background???? Made it myself!!!

OLW 11 Be Funny!

Another Wednesday, another challenge over at Simplicity's blog. I am finding these challenges addicting....5 cards this week! Instead of making the cards I need to make...the thank you's, the sympathy, the get well, the birthdays.....I am making challenge cards. Because they are more fun to do. They feel like play rather than "have-to's". I really do need to try and combine the play with the have-to!

Anyway, my first card up is made using an image and sentiment from Eat Cake Graphics. They have some of the most humorous stamps. I've had these stamps for a few years now and this is the first they've seen ink.

Card #2 uses an image from soon to be defunct, Cornish Heritage Farms. :(. Sure am gonna miss them. The sentiment is from Inky Antics.

Third, is an image from Sparkle N Sprinkle....known as Digger. I like to think (for this card anyway) that he is hiding his head in embarrasment (of what, I haven't a clue). The sentiment is from Custer's Last Stamp.

Card #4 uses an image from Stampin' Up, and sentiment from A Muse.

Lastly, this was the very first card I thought of and my least favorite of the bunch, but I've always liked the sentiment from American Art Stamps. It cracks me up! It's just too big for the front of the card...it is more like an inside-the-card sentiment. And that teeny tiny cute cupcake image is from A Muse.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 10 Patriotic

It's been a busy week...took a long weekend away to celebrate my birthday and the fourth, but still found some time to make FOUR cards for this past week's Simplicity challenge for one layer patriotic cards.

The first, and my favorite, uses an image from The Cat's Pajamas and sentiment from Savvy Stamps.

The second card (which really tied for first place in my mind) uses an American Art Stamps/Karen Stolper stick chick and that ever versatile Savvy sentiment.

The third card showcases my newest purchase (half off at Hobby Lobby last week!)...the image is by Stampabilities and the sentiment is from Hampton Art. And the card really is white, not the baby blue it appears.

Lastly, this card uses both image and sentiment from Technique Tuesday.

Thanks for peeking!

Happy Birthday to you...

My dear, sweet Skyler had her 7th birthday yesterday. And, like most moms, I just HAD to commemorate the occasion with some picture taking. And, I just HAD to include the added difficulty of making Skyler and Rosie wear homemade party hats. Many pictures later, we ended up with this:



You can tell Sky wasn't too happy with any of this. Rosie, on the other hand, was pretty cooperative...as long as we did it on her terms, and that meant she wasn't moving from her bed.

So, in fairness to Sky, here is a better picture of her (still not that great) and a just ok pic of Rosie.

In honor of Sky's birthday, they both got to split a little treat of canned, soft dog food which they only get on birthdays. And, Sky got a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday sung to her.

Funny how they both now know the birthday song. When it gets sung to me or John on our respective birthdays, Sky and Rosie get all excited because they think they are getting a special treat! We can't even whistle the tune anymore. They really get pretty excited about it!

Thanks for peeking!

Happy Birthday purse & card

I just ran across this photo of the birthday card I gave to my dear friend, Colleen, LAST year on her birthday and realized I never posted it on the ol' blog.

The paper is all from SU, the sentiment is from Morningstar, and the flowers, leaves, ribbon, brads, etc., are from my stash. The "purse envelope" is a pattern I copied from Martha Stewarts' website. The flap stays closed by using a thin Basic Grey magnetic closure on the flap.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW-9 Flourishes

I can't believe I've done Simplicity's challenge 4 weeks in a row and actually gotten the cards posted on the blog! Yippee!
This was a fun challenge....again, a one layer card, free of extraneous embellishing...but, this week, using flourishes.
So here's my take....it evolved over the last several days, and what I ended up with in my mind actually worked out on paper! Yeah!
Used a script background stamp from SU!, flourish from Stampabilities, and sentiment from Impress Rubber Stamps.
Thanks for peeking!

A Little Birdie....

A quick post to keep the ol' blog going.....

A simple birthday card for my brother in law and a friend, using Inkadinkadoo stamps, Memories ink, and SU! kraft and black cardstock. Liked the masculine feel...I always struggle with masculine cards.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW-8 Masking a Background

Well, if I get 2 posts up in a month, I consider myself quite lucky.

So, is today the end of the world? After all, it is my 2nd post of THE DAY!!! Hmmm.... Will wonders never cease? Scroll down for the first post, OLW-7.

Today is One Layer Wednesday, Week 8, Masking a Background over at Simplicity's blog. I needed a sympathy card, so I worked with it. And here it is.

The flower image is from a Gina K set, Comfort & Peace, and the sentiment is from Amuse. My masked background is the result of using a Spellbinder's die, Labels 4. I used chalk again for the subtle background, because I couldn't find a complementary, pale ink in my stash that wouldn't overwhelm the delicate flower and sentiment.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW-7 Repetition

I really like this card. It's the third rendition of what was playing around in my head when I read about Simplicity's One Layer Wednesday, Repetition, LAST Wednesday. Well, I never quite got it loaded up on the blog before today's new challenge, but then, better late than never.

The gorgeous palm tree is by Rubber Soul, and the sentiment is from Amuse. I used my Marvy markers to ink the tree(s) prior to stamping. Love using those when I need to ink small spots with different colors. They stay pretty wet so I don't need to huff on them to rewet the ink before stamping. The sand/water horizon was created with chalk....remember that? When I need a light hand in doing some kind of background like this, chalk is definitely my friend. If I had tried sponging with ink or airbrushing, I am sure I would be on my 43rd rendition and I still wouldn't have it up on my blog. So, chalk it is.

Thanks for peeking!