Mojo Monday sketch & Color Cue 4

Hi again! Just popping in to make a quick post before I get out to enjoy the beautiful weather! Today's inspiration comes from the sketch at Mojo Monday and the monthly color challenge at Stamp Away with Me.



I was thinking a baby boy card for these colors, and PTI's sailboat image from Men of Life was a perfect fit! I stamped the circle images at the bottom first to resemble the water, then masked the "waves" to stamp the boat on the top, so it looks like it is sitting in the water.

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Enchanted Evening, Spring Rain, Lemon Tart), Michaels (white)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Men of Life)
Ink: Papertrey Ink (Enchanted Evening), Clearsnap (Cape Cod)
Tools: Spellbinders (label die), Papertrey Ink (Linen & Canvas impression plate)
other: Papertrey Ink (ribbon, button), thread, DMC floss

I hope you can see the fabulous texture on the yellow cardstock--I ran it through my Big Shot with the new Linen and Canvas texture plate from PTI. Oh my goodness, I LOVE it! This is going to become a go-to tool for me!


And this is the inside of the card. Now if only I knew anyone having a baby boy soon....

Thanks for stopping in again! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Joining the Curtain Call in June!

Good morning, friends! Just a quick post to announce the fabulous news that I will be joining the Curtain Call Design Team as a Guest Designer for the month of June! This is an amazing group of designers with so much inspiration to share--be sure to check out their blogs, now linked on my sidebar.

If you haven't been playing the Curtain Call Color Challenge every week at Stacey's Stamping Stage, now would be the perfect time to start! Stacey always has gorgeous color combos that never fail to break me out of my comfort zone.

Thanks to all of the Design Team members for the warm welcome! I look forward to being a part of the fun next month!

ColourQ #34 & 2S4Y #53

Hello! I hope your holiday weekend (for those in the U.S.) is going well so far! I have a terrible sore throat today, so it was a good excuse to stay in and do some stamping!

Today's card features images and a sentiment from the set "Funky Foliage" from WPlus9. I have had this set on my wish list for quite a while and was so excited to ink it up when it arrived. I used Kazan's sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You, which is sponsored by WPlus9 this week. Perfect timing! I also incorporated the colors in this week's challenge at ColourQ.


I am really loving these little trees, and there are so many possibilities for colors and combinations of elements. I sponged some blue ink around the focal image for the sky and added some orange gems to make the trees blossom. The dp is from Making Memories.

Cardstock: Bazzill (kraft, brown), Michaels (white)
Patterned paper: Making Memories
Stamps: WPlus9 (Funky Foliage), TPC Studio (Patterned Borders), Papertrey Ink (Polka Dot Basics)
Ink: Clearsnap (Cyan, Lettuce), Papertrey Ink (Dark Chocolate), Tsukineko (Versamark)
Embellishments: Me & My Big Ideas (rhinestones), Michaels (ribbon)

I stamped two more trees on white cardstock for the inside, and added polka dot stamped grass to ground the image.


So glad you stopped by today! I will have some fun news to share with you tomorrow! Until then, enjoy your weekend!

Sweet Sunday Sketch 70

Hi there! It was Mix and Match day at my daughter's preschool today, so I guess I was feeling a bit mixed up myself when I decided to make this wintry card! This card is for the Sweet Sunday Sketch, and I have to say it pulled me out of my comfort zone. I was totally stumped on what to do with that background flourish until I had the idea to make it look like a swirling winter wind.

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Stamper's Select White)
Patterned paper: SEI (Wintersong)
Embellishments: K & Company (snowflakes), Michaels (rhinestone flourish)
Stamp: Papertrey Ink (Mega Mixed Messages)
Ink: Inkadinkadoo
Tools: Spellbinders (square die)

Don't you just love all those sparkles? I am not usually one to use a lot of glitter or gems on my cards, but I really like what the rhinestones add to this.



The inside is simply finished with one of these pretty snowflake stickers from K & Company.

That's all for now! I hope you have a fun weekend planned. Thanks for stopping in today!

Curtain Call #31 & Taylored Expressions Sketch #114

Hello again! I had so much fun visiting all the blogs participating in the PTI Blog Hop. Thanks to all of you who left me lots of love on my submission! I was so inspired by all the unique projects and can't wait to do it again!

I have for you today my take on the latest color challenge over at Stacey's Stamping Stage. My daughter would absolutely adore the little house in the inspiration photo! She loves anything purple! I paired up this lovely, soft color combo with the adorable sketch at Taylored Expressions.


I was obviously thinking of lavender (the plant) when I saw these colors, so I pulled a couple of stamps from PTI's Life set to create a little floral scene. I wanted it to have a watercolor look, so I inked up my stamp then misted it with water before stamping each time. The lavender cardstock was scored with a diamond pattern using a scoring board from Martha Stewart.

Cardstock: Bazzill (green, navy, lavender), Papertrey Ink (Sweet Blush, Stamper's Select White)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Life), Fiskars (Year Round Greetings)
Ink: Hampton Art (lavender), Clearsnap (Evergreen), Papertrey Ink (Enchanted Evening)
Tools: Spellbinders (circle, scalloped circle dies), Martha Stewart Crafts (scoring board)
other: Papertrey Ink (white silk ribbon), buttons

I finished off the inside with a few more stamped florals on plain white cardstock. Very pretty and understated, I think.


In other news, my son had his staples taken out today and it was a bit traumatic, but he has healed up very nicely! My daughter's last day of preschool is tomorrow, so I have a bit of work to finish up tonight on the set of thank you cards I'm giving to her teachers as a gift. A busy week, but I promise more fun to come here on the blog!

Thanks for stopping in!

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

Welcome, friends! This is an exciting post for me as it is my first time participating in the PTI Blog Hop. I can't wait to be inspired by all of you!

This month's challenge is to use felt. My PTI felt has not yet arrived, so I used some I had in my stash. I was inspired by the color combo of the new Beautiful Blooms paper line. I've been loving these layered felt flowers, and they were so easy to make with the Beautiful Blooms dies!

(All supplies from Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted)
Cardstock: Pure Poppy, New Leaf, Vintage Cream
Stamps: Turning a New Leaf, Background Basics: Tin Types, Mega Mixed Messages
Ink: Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate (PTI), green (Hampton Art)
Tools: border punch, corner rounder (EK Success)
other: Rustic button twine (PTI), felt (Michaels), buttons, thread

I tried something new (at least for me) by cutting a thin strip of felt and stitching it in a ruffled border, much like the ruffled ribbon borders so popular right now. My machine wouldn't cooperate with the bulk, so I stitched it down by hand. I love how this turned out!

A simple stamped image on the inside, and I call it done!

Thanks so much for stopping by tonight! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has cooked up!

Embellish Magazine Color challenge & Card Patterns 65

Hi there! I want to say thanks to all of you who wished my son well after his trip to the ER. He is as wild and crazy (and adorable) as ever, so I'd say he's recovered!

Today's card is for the color challenge at Embellish Magazine, which also calls for the use of butterflies. I most definitely can not resist butterflies, though it has been a while since I used them on a project, so this was a must for me! I also used a very simple but versatile sketch found at Card Patterns this week.



The butterfly is covered in sparkly black glitter. To do this, I first stamped the image with Versamark on kraft, then fussy cut the image out. Then I stamped the image a second time, this time using a glue pad, and covered it with glitter. The sentiment I attempted to heat emboss, but for some reason that only works for me about half the time. No matter how quickly I work, sometimes the powder just doesn't stick. Any advice?

Cardstock: Bazzill (kraft), Papertrey Ink (Spring Moss)
Stamps: Martha Stewart Crafts (butterfly), Papertrey Ink (Background Basics: Tin Types, Mega Mixed Messages)
Ink: Versamark, Clearsnap (black)
Die: Spellbinders (square)
Ribbon, rhinestones: Michaels
other: Sakura (pen), Hampton Art (glue pad)

I love the wide satiny ribbon, and the black rhinestones add a bit more sparkle to what I think is a very elegant color combination. If I could change one thing about this card, I think I would have stamped a different background, because it doesn't seem to go with the rest of the card. What do you think?


I finished out the inside of the card with a simple black outline and a row of stamped butterflies on Spring Moss cardstock.

That's all for tonight! Lots to do this week, but hopefully I'll be able to participate in the PTI Blog Hop tomorrow night. It will be my first! Hope to see you there!

ColourQ #33 & 2 Sketches 4 You #52

Hi friends! I want to say a big thank you for all of the wonderful comments you've been leaving for me. It means the world to me to get so much encouragement from all of you! Thank you!

I must share with you my eventful day yesterday. I planned to finish up a card for a couple of challenges ending last night, but my plans were changed by a trip to the emergency room with my 2 1/2 year old son. He had been jumping on the bed (a habit I have tried only half-heartedly to break until now) and fell off, hitting his head on the baseboard heater. He needed 15 staples to close the gash in his head! But he was very brave and was back to running around the yard by the time we came home. Sometimes kids amaze me with their resilience! Anyway, the moral of the story is: no more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Okay, on to today's card for another awesome color challenge at ColourQ. Seriously, this challenge had me thinking I need a new purse! Love the inspiration photo! I paired it with this great sketch from Laura this week at 2S4Y.


I was a bit stumped at first since I had very little to work with that resembled Kiwi Kiss. I decided to flip through a new stack I bought recently, DCWV's Green Stack. I fell in love with the cute little birdies on branches and decided to use one as a focal image. It paired perfectly with some pre-embossed leaf cardstock from Bazzill. I also used the woodgrain paper from the same stack, since woodgrain is everywhere right now and it tied in perfectly with the image.


No stamping or stitching on this card! Hard to believe, but it just didn't need it. The chipboard letters are from Making Memories, but I covered them with yellow cardstock to fit my design.

Cardstock: Bazzill (blue, green), Michael's (white, yellow)
Patterend paper: Die Cuts with a View (The Green Stack)
Ribbon: Papertrey Ink
Chipboard letters: Making Memories
tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities, Sizzix Big Shot

I was having so much fun with this one that I decided to finish off the inside, too. I fussy-cut another little branch and layered it over some gorgeous Hawaiian Shores ribbon from PTI.

Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do! Thanks again for your comments, and for checking in today! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Curtain Call #30 & EBTKS

Hi everyone! Just a quick post tonight. I promised the kids we'd go for a walk after dinner in this gorgeous weather!

Today's card is for 2 challenges--the color combo from Stacey's Curtain Call and the sketch at EBTKS. What a fab sketch! I had a lot of fun playing with this one, especially once I got past my thoughts of early Halloween cards using pumpkin and black!

I'm loving the looped ribbon look so much. It adds some texture without being as bulky as a full bow.

Cardstock: Bazzill

Patterned paper: Papertrey Ink

Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Background Basics: Tin Types, Polka Dot Basics, Mega Mixed Messages), Autumn Leaves (Funky Flowers)

Ink: Clearsnap (black), Jo-Ann stores (white)

other: ribbon, buttons, DMC floss

I have to run for now, but I'm so glad you stopped in! Have a good one!

Taylored Expressions Sketch 113

Welcome back, friends! It's the start of another week, and I'm determined to make it a crafty one after my absence last week. When I saw this great sketch at Taylored Expressions, I knew immediately I wanted to replicate the look of the new Take Three: Summer stamp set from PTI. I love the trio of elements and the square shape in this stamp set, and I knew they would work perfectly with this sketch.

I've been wanting to make thank you cards for my daughter's preschool teachers, so I chose a cute apple image from Hampton Art (at Jo-Ann stores) and stamped it three times on Vintage Cream cardstock, using Colorbox Lettuce pigment ink. I used clear embossing powder and heat embossed the images. I then used a square punch to cut the images out in different orientations. The focal image was stamped in red, then I added a sentiment in black and embossed it on a die-cut circle. The red background cardstock was stamped with a couple of different borders in Versamark, then stitched onto the patterned paper. I think what really makes this card is the cute notebook paper-punched border, and the ruffled ribbon across the bottom.

Cardstock: Bazzill (kraft, red); Papertrey Ink (Spring Moss, Vintage Cream)
Patterned paper: Imaginisce
Stamps: Hampton Art (apple), Fiskars (sentiment), TPC Studio (background)
Ink: Versamark, Clearsnap (Lettuce, Scarlet, Black)
Tools: Circle dies (Spellbinders); Square punches (Marvy Uchida); Border punch (EK Success)
other: ribbon, thread

I plan to make a set of coordinating thank you cards using this same sketch to give as a gift, so I'll post those pictures once they're done. This will be such a fun sketch to play with!

I hope your week is off to a great start. Thanks for stopping by today!

ColourQ 32 & Card Patterns 64

Hello again! Today's card is for 2 challenges, including the color challenge at ColourQ and the sketch at Card Patterns. This was one of those few cards for me that just seemed to come together the way I had it in my head.

I didn't have any supplies that were exactly "Groovy Guava", so I chose to use a mauve colored satin ribbon and button. I really liked the way these colors complemented each other. I stamped the kraft card base with Background Basics: Tin Types by PTI in white pigment ink. I adore this background and was so excited when it arrived in the mail yesterday! You may be seeing a lot of it!

For the main image, I stamped one of the images from Life by PTI three times. Each time, I inked up the image and stamped it, then without re-inking I stamped again to the side of the first image to create a lighter image, sort of like a shadow. This adds a bit more depth to the image. The ink I used is Colorbox Lettuce, which is almost a perfect match to the Spring Moss cardstock from PTI. I stamped the first part of the sentiment in black, then drew a thin black line around the image to frame it and mounted it on Spring Moss cardstock. The focal panel is mounted on foam adhesive.

Cardstock: Bazzill (white, kraft), Papertrey Ink (Spring Moss)
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Life, Background Basics: Tin Types)
Ink: Clearsnap (Black, Lettuce), Jo-Ann stores (white)
Tools: EK Success (border punch)
other: black pen (Sakura), ribbon, button, jute twine

I love this ruffled ribbon treatment, and it's so easy to do. It complements the scalloped border really well, don't you think? I finished off the sentiment below the ribbon, then swiped some white ink around the edges of the card to soften it up.

Thanks for stopping by today! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

2 Sketches 4 You challenge entry

Hello, friends! I can't believe it's been a whole WEEK since I last posted! I have been incredibly busy and just didn't have the time or energy to craft, but I'm so glad to be back. Isn't it amazing what it will do to your mood if you don't get a chance to create for a while?

This little card is for Kazan's wonderful sketch over at 2S4Y.


I've had a hard time getting back into the crafting groove, so I kept it simple. I had yet to break out the new Dotty Biscotti patterned paper from PTI, so I chose to use the patterns in Raspberry Fizz and New Leaf to make the scalloped strips. I used the Mat Stack 1 Die, also from PTI, to cut a mat from the same New Leaf paper, then added a felt flower and button tied up with jute twine. Have you seen these adorable felt flowers popping up everywhere? I just had to try one out, and I love the layering and fluffy texture it adds. I opted not to add a sentiment, so this is an all-purpose card that would be perfect for a thank you, gift card, or even a birthday.

Cardstock: Bazzil
Patterned paper, jute twine: Papertrey Ink
tools: EK Success (border punch), Papertrey Ink (mat die), Spellbinders (scallope circle dies), Sizzix (Big Shot)
other: ribbon, button

Happy colors, don't you think? So glad you stopped by today! I appreciate you all so much!

Embellish Magazine Color Challenge & 2S4Y

Hello again! This is my second post for today, so scroll down to see my card for the ColourQ and CPS challenges!

This little number, I must admit, has me totally smitten! I LOVE how this turned out. This card was inspired by the current color challenge at Embellish Magazine, which also calls for dimension. I also used Laura's sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You.



I added cream to the color palette because I wanted to use this cute die-cut label from Making Memories. I stamped a flourish directly on the label. The flowers are from PTI's Beautiful Blooms II, which just arrived in the mail yesterday! I have been wanting this set and it was sold out the last time I ordered, so I am super excited to have it now. I stamped two different sizes of the same flower in Versamark on Terracotta Tile cardstock, then heat embossed with clear embossing powder. This doesn't show up in the pictures, but it gives the flowers a pretty, shiny look. I cut them out by hand and popped them up with dimensional adhesive.

For the strip on the left side, I knew I wanted to replicate the look of the border on the label, so I sponged some ivory paint on a piece of turquoise cardstock, then added a strip of ivory ledger paper (also from Making Memories) and outlined it with a thin brown line. The ruffled ribbon look is one that seems to be popping up everywhere, and I totally love the texture it adds.

Cardstock: Bazzill (turquoise), Papertrey Ink (brown)
Label: Making Memories
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (flowers, sentiment), Inkadinkadoo (flourish)
Ink: Versamark, Papertrey Ink (brown), Clearsnap (green)
Embosing powder: Stampendous
Paint: Delta Creative
Ribbon: Michael's stores
Pen: Sakura

My only regret is that we have a rainy day, which made for horrible picture-taking. The colors on this card are so warm in real life, and I just couldn't capture that. Still, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Thanks for stopping by, friends, and for your constant encouragement. I know there are many talented crafters in blog-land, so it means a lot to me to have you visit and post your comments. They are much appreciated!

Enjoy your Mother's Day!