FTL 175: Clean & Simple Sketch

Boy, it's been a long time since I did a Clean & Simple sketch in the actual week that it appeared.  This is their 175th sketch and I love it!

I've been working on valentines and this seemed perfect for the reverse punch technique I wanted to try:

Used a Marvy heart punch, a Cuttlebug embossing folder for the swiss dots, My Sentiments Exactly sentiment, Hero Arts heart gem and ribbon from my stash.  Cardstock is SU.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 74: Red & Pink

I am soooo happy the OLW challenges are back!  Yippee!
These one layer challenges always pull me outside my comfort zone and when I am pleased with my results I get so hand clappingly (yes, it's a new word...my word) giddy that I dig through my stamp drawers looking for more stamps to use.  And, I usually end up using stamps that haven't seen the likes of ink since I bought them.  So, it's all good.
The challenge over at Simplicity's blog this past Wednesday was to use the colors red and pink only on a one layer card, keeping embellishments to a bare minimum.

The first card has a background by Hero Arts, image by Inkadinkadoo and sentiment by Hampton Art.

The second card incorporates a second Hero Arts background, and both image and sentiment are from Impress Rubber Stamps.

On the third card I used the Hero Arts Background I used in the first card, Lockhart image and Technique Tuesday sentiment.

Thanks, Susan....I had fun with this challenge!

And, thanks for peeking!

My Valentines

Yeah , I know.  Valentine's Day has come and gone.  I meant to post these on Monday, but forgot.  So, better late than never.  Right?

The first was for my honey.  Right up his alley.   Now, I didn't come up with the "Wood..." on my own...I had some help from Better Homes & Gardens http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/theme/holidays/valentines-day/valentines-day-cards/?page=4

But, the card I drew inspiration from and the card I made are pretty different.  That's what inspiration is all about...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Used the woodgrain texture plate from PTI (one of my all time favs!), a heart border punch from EKSuccess, heart punch from Fiskars, and made my letters from the 12 inch sizzlet in the SU catalog.  Those letters are the perfect size for cards.  Love it!

My second card is made with SU's Sweetheart set and the SU sizzix heart embosslit.  Simple and cute.

I think that is just a stinkin' adorable set.  Especially with the heart embosslit that FITS INSIDE the heart shapes!  Woo-hoo!   I think that's the fact that took me over the edge and made me buy this set.  Haven't bought too many SU stamp sets in the last year...they're just not doin' it for me.  But, this one did!

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 39: An Image, A Border, Some Bling

It's time for another Simplicity challenge! 

This week's challenge is all about using a single image, a border and a little bling on a single layer card.  Tougher than it sounds.   Since I need a few more Valentine cards, I decided to follow this theme.  The end result is a kraft card base with my image and border stamped in Memento Lady Bug Red.  The heart border is from Impress Rubber Stamps and the birdcage is by Craft Smart....$1.00 stamps from Mike's. 

I added a little bit of red Spica glitter pen to some of the red hearts and my clear Sakura glitter pen to the open heart of the birdcage and bird wings.

I really think this needs a sentiment.  I think I am going to go back and add one.  Something like Happy Valentine's Day.  Perhaps above the heart border on the right side.  What do you think??

Thanks for peeking!

January 2011 Papertrey Blog Hop!

I was just browsing the blogs a short while ago and stumbled upon the PTI monthly blog hop.  The theme this month was to use an un-inked or 'dusty' PTI stamp set of your choice.  Since I am in the valentine making mood, I chose Heartprints.

Pretty simple!  Picked my favorite hearts from the set, stamped them in Memento pink and red, punched them out and added the set sentiment.

Thanks for peeking!

OLW 37 Sentiments

Yeah!  I've made Simplicity's latest challenge with a day to spare!  The challenge is to create a one layer card using at least 2 and only sentiments.  No stamped images allowed this week!  Embellishments are to be kept to a minimum.

I thought I came up with an original idea, but just now scanning through the thumbnails on Susan's blog I find that several had this same original idea!  Oh well.  Great minds think alike.   I make it a point to not look at the thumbnails on any challenge I participate in so that I am not influenced in any way while coming up with my idea.   After my card(s) is finished, I then like to go back and look at everyone else's "point of view".  I love seeing everyone's interpretation of the challenge. 

I actually came up with two cards, both very similar in design and both for Valentine's Day.  The first uses a Stampin' Up (be mine) paired with a portion of an old Studio G sentiment.

The second card uses a PTI sentiment paired with the same Studio G partial sentiment.  I made a mask out of a sheet of computer paper and a nestibility heart die, and then repeatedly stamped the PTI sentiment over the cut-out heart.

A BIG thank you to Susan and Jennifer for coming up with these wonderful weekly challenges!

Thanks for peeking!

Will you be mine?

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
I wanted to share some valentine's I made this year. First up is the one I made for my honey. This is a rather simple card...I didn't want to make it too frou-frou-y. So, I used real red and kraft cardstock from SU! The embossed dots on the kraft are courtesy of a Quickutz embossing folder. The heart is an EK Success punch. Used a scrap of burlap...even the bow is made from a fiber pulled from the burlap. The background to the heart/burlap is a piece of corrogated box, cut into a square with red DMC floss wrapped in the valleys. I thought it was a neat effect. The stamp is a $ one from Mike's.

Next up is another very simple card utilizing the hearts embossing folder from Cuttlebug. I used a $ stamp from JoAnn's...isn't it just adorable? I LOVE it! The sentiment is by My Sentiments Exactly!. Cardstock is from SU! Used a Nestie rectangle around the heart image.

Another card I made this year (yes, they were all quite simple) again uses SU! cardstock. Those polka dots (aren't they fun?!?!?!) are from Impress Rubber Stamps and the Tart of Hearts is from Karen Lockhart. Colored the image with my Copics. The "you're sweet" sentiment is from a clear acrylic set from Rubber Soul and the "happy valentine's day" sentiment is again from My Sentiments Exactly!. I used a circle nestie to cut out my image and 2 sizes of scalloped nesties to double mat the image. Used my smaller oval punch from SU! for the "you're sweet" sentiment and popped it up with dimensionals.

This valentine uses another JoAnn's $ stamp. Those Studio G stamps are so darn stinkin' cute this year! Again used the My Sentiments Exactly! sentiment. Used a rectangle nestie to frame the image and used SU! cardstock.

Thanks for peeking!

The Last of the Valentines....

These are my last 2 valentines I made this year. Love this Inkadinkadoo (have I said before how much I love saying that fun name!???) heart stamp, QuicKutz heart die and Sizzix embossing folder. Yes! Sizzix now has wonderful A2 embossing folders that are a wee bit bigger than the Cuttlebug A2 embossing folders and fit an A2 card really well. Can't remember who makes the red dotted paper, and used the Nesties long scalloped rectangle die for the scallops around the stamped heart.

Thanks for peeking!

More Valentines....

Here are some more Valentine's I made recently along with a decorated mailbox that I picked up from Target in the $1 spot.

Happy Valentine's Day, John!

This is the Valentine card I made for John. The heart shape cutout is a nestability with strips of coordinating paper to create this Iris Folded design. Much thanks to Beth of my Ink Blots group for teaching me how to do this....I LOVE the card, and so did John.