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!