Mojo Monday & Inspired by...

Post #3 for you today, and my last post before Monday :) Boy, I have hit the brick wall this afternoon, and don't know how I'm going to make the 8-9 hour drive after work! I guess I'll just have to play it by ear and see how far I can get... "Hotel Honda" (my lovely Honda Fit) is always a great place for a nap! :) I want to share with you the card I made for Inspired by... and Mojo Monday challenges:

First, it was my week to pick the inspiration photo. I pick this pretty little scene from a Michael's email.

I love the colours in this picture :) They were my inspiration, as well as the lovely spring feel of the photo. Here's what I created:

I was first inspired by Charissa (see her original post here) to make a card featuring geraniums made from the itty bitty shapes punch pack. I think they work really nicely here. I had to add the little group of blossoms away from the vase because some stray ink got on the card *lol* that is the most serious downfall to having a SUPER messy crafting area... ink getting places it is not supposed to be. Oh well, it worked out for me in the long run :) Here is a really odd angle of the card *lol*:

I am also entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge, where the theme this week is "anything goes" (you may have picked this up from my two earlier posts *lol*

Thanks for looking and don't forget to pop over to Charissa's blog, Snippets by Design, to see how this photo inspired her!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Lacy & Lovely
Paper: Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, In Colour DSP Stacks
Tools: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Ornaments Framelits, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Bird Builder Punch

Simon Says "Hello!"

Post #2 for you today :) I will be playing along again with Simon Says Stamp Challenge, who theme is "anything goes" (pretty much the greatest theme ever). I wanted to make a "hello" card for Matt's aunt, who is here visiting for a while.

Butterflies, lace & peals, oh my! All these elements make the card super feminine, and perfect for an aunt! I had originally intended on putting the large tea cup from this stamp set on the card, but quickly came to realize that that stamp would pretty much take up all the white space *lol* so I snipped out one of the smaller cups instead.

I finally broke out my bitty butterfly punch! Such a cute accent :) Oh, and I really really do miss the satin ribbon. It is so easy to work with and ties into the most perfect bows :( maybe Stampin' Up will bring something similar to it back in the new catalogue (coming in June!! Eeeek!)

Thanks for looking!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Tea Shoppe, Jewelery Tags
Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive
Tools: Scallop Circle & Circle Nestabilities, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch
Accessories: Satin Ribbon (ret), Victoria Lace Trim, Linen Thread, Pearls

KCRR & The Paper Players

Good day! And Happy Friday (well not actually, but it feels like it because it's the last day in the work week! :)) Having long weekends really speeds up the week and gives you that special something to look forward to. It is supposed to be really nice weather wise here this weekend, which of course means nothing to me because I am going to the rain capital of the world (sounds dramatic, but it is true). Prince Rupert gets something like 65 days of non-rain a year, crazy hey!? Anyways, I have decided to post all my cards for the next three days today... this way, I don't have to fight with the mobile Internet key while I am away (and I have not had success with the scheduled post function on my blog... so posting 3 times in one day it is!) :) First, I am posting our KCRR challenge (one day early) and playing along with The Paper Players:

The selections by random.org this week for KCRR were Sahara sand and nautical themed. What a perfect combination for a masculine card! And, combined with this awesome sketch, the card turned out great :)

The Open Sea stamp set is one of my favourites, and when I think of nautical, this set automatically pops into my mind. It has such a vintage old world feel to it, which I love. I distressed the Sahara sand panel and used my colour spritzer to add some extra vintage-ness to the panel and the ship.

One of my favourite things about this card is the strips of cherry cobbler. I think they add that special something to the card that makes it a winner. My other favourite thing about this card is the anchor/sentiment combination. I really like how those two just fell into place there! One thing I would change if I was to make this card again, is the very vanilla background. It needs something! Maybe some sponging or distressing... *sigh* oh well, it'll have to do :)

I am also entering this card into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge this week, whose theme this week is "Anything Goes"! What a great theme :)

Thanks for looking and don't forget to pop over to Charissa's blog, Snippets by Design, to see what she created with these elements :)

Supplies used:
Stamps: The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Nautical Expedition DSP (ret)
Ink: Early Espresso
Tools: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Circle & Circle Nestabilities, Colour Spritzer
Accessories: Baker's Twine, Black Brads (Micheals), Sahara Sand Marker, Dimensionals

Some Recognition :)

Good morning! I hope today finds you well :) it's Wednesday, the second last day to our work-week, YAY! I am so looking forward to this Easter long weekend. I am driving up to the north-west coast of BC, to the rainy city of Prince Rupert (hopefully we get some sun while we are there, but I am not holding my breath *lol*). Because of this little trip, there may be some interruptions in my posts... I plan on posting for KCRR tomorrow before I leave (one day early) and will try my best to post Inspired by... on time Saturday, or it will be up Sunday when I get home. Now onto some recent recognition..... woohoo!

I entered my Spring card for Matt's grandparents into Stampin' Royalty's challenge and was one of their top picks! :) How exciting!

The Easter card I made for Matt's mom & step-dad was chosen as "unforgettable" by Ella the Pink Elephant! Yahoo!

My clean and simple "Hello" card was chosen as a Colour Q Courtier!

And finally, my splash of colour "Hello" card was chosen by Sandy as her top pick over at The Paper Players! :)

How very exciting! I really appreciate all who take the time to check out my creations! Remember, if you want to check out any of the original posts to my cards, or the fabulous challenge blogs, click on the links above.

In the mean time, here's a few of my favourites from my archive:

Until next time,

Cheers!

Easter with the Play Date Cafe & Paper Craft Crew

Hello there! A quick post today as I am entering both these challenges under the wire (about an hour left for entry *lol*) Of course, I have had this sketch prepared since last week and just got around to making the card now... *sigh* that's how things go sometimes... Oh well! Onto the challenges! As you may have guessed, I want to play with The Play Date Cafe and the Paper Craft Crew:

What a beautiful colour combination! And the sketch, one for the archives I think. It is perfect to highlight some of the DSP in the ever-growing stash. Here's what I created with this combination:

I like it :) the colours are great together! I chose concord crush, island indigo and lucky limeade from the Play Date Cafe colour story. The little Easter egg is from Easter Blossoms (I am so glad I picked this stamp set up off clearance a while ago!)

Thanks for looking!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Easter Blossoms (ret)
Paper: Island Indigo, Concord Crush (ret), Lucky Limeade, Sweet Shop DSP (ret)
Ink: Island Indigo, Concord Crush (ret), Lucky Limeade, Daisy White (CTMH)
Tools: Eyelet Border Punch, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Lace Ribbon Border Punch (ret)
Accessories: Ribbon (SAB 2013)

Friday Mashup: Forgotten Tools

Good day! *Sigh* Almost the end of the weekend already... but we have a short work week ahead so that definitely makes the Monday blues a whole lot less blue! :) This morning, I did a little baking with Michelle, and we made some pretty cute little Eater Baskets from cookie dough and a few other ingredients:

They turned out pretty cute :) And, I must say, pretty tasty!! Anyways, onto today's challenge. I wanted to participate in the Friday Mashup:

The mashup was to use this sketch and your brayer and add some butterflies. I decided to use all three... the brayer is definitely my most forgotten tool, but after using it for this card, I think it may make more appearances on my craft table. My inspiration for this card came from Ann Craig (see her original card here). Here's how mine turned out:

Pretty! I used more mustard, tangerine tango, cajun craze and raspberry ripple on the sunset and then sponged on the clouds with more mustard and raspberry ripple. The sun was sponged in with more mustard. I embossed the flowers on in black after finishing with the sponging and brayering.

Thanks for looking and don't forget to bring out your brayer for this challenge! :)

Supplies used:
Stamps: Inspired by Nature (ret), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Versamark
Tools: Word Window Punch, Decorative Label Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch
Accessories: Black Embossing Powder

Inspired by... #10 Cute Dresses!

Good morning! I hope you are having a great start the weekend :) I am, pancakes are on the grill for breakfast! Yummy! Today is the Inspired by... challenge:

It was Charissa's pick this week: super cute baby dresses from Fairy Free Designs (visit their Etsy shop here)

I think it goes without saying that the card needs to include some form of dress... and I used the colours from the photo calypso coral and (with some consultation from Charissa) pool party. Here's how this photo inspired me:

The layout is a scrapbook layout from My Favourite Things that I converted to a card:

The dress is a clear focal point and I think this layout is a great way to highlight that:

The dress is super easy to make! I got the directions from Carol Payne at Stamping Rox My Fuzzy Blue Sox (see her post here), all you need is a few punches! :)

Thanks for looking today and don't forget to pop over to Charissa's blog, Snippets by Design, to see how this photo inspired her!

Supplies used:

Stamps: Create a Cupcake

Paper: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Tea for Two DSP, In Colour Stacks

Ink: Calypso Coral

Tools: 1-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Heart to Heart Punch (ret), Floral Framelits

Accessories: Sale-a-bration 2012 Ribbon (ret), SAB 2013 Buttons (ret)

Easter Card for the In-Laws

Hello there! It has already been a great start to the weekend! My boss let me off work a whole hour and a half early, and the sun was shining when I got outside. Gorgeous! Let's hope the weekend stays this way! Today I am entering a few challenges with the Easter card I made for Matt's mom & step-dad: The Pink Elephant, Simon Says Stamp Challenge & Freshly Made Sketches. The theme for The Pink Elephant and Simon Says is Easter and Freshly Made has a nice sketch this week:

My card was inspired by a card on Splitcoast Stampers (see the original post here), a beautiful Easter daffodil:

I like the way it turned out, although it wasn't exactly how I pictured... I ended up rotating the flower from the bottom left corner to the bottom right and flipped the sentiment too. It still has the same feel to it as the sketch :) My favourite part of the card is most definitely the focal point, the daffodil with the hand cut grass shoots:

One thing I was not too pleased with with this card was the embossing folder... sometimes that particular folder tears the paper, which is what happened here :( oh well, it still turned out ok :)

Thanks for looking!

Supplies used:
Stamps: Easter Blossoms (ret)
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzaz (ret), Whisper White
Tools: Finishing Touches Edgelits, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Blossom Builder Punch
Accessories: Pleated Satin Ribbon (ret), Button (ret), Linen Thread

KCRR #10: Anniversary Celebrations

Good morning & happy Friday! Here's hoping today zooms right by to the plan-free weekend ahead! It's time for another edition of:

This week, we did our usual two selections, and random.org generated the combination of rose red and the stamp set PS-I Love You. Hmmm! Interesting... Well, since it is not Valentine's season, the other logical use of the stamp set is for an anniversary! Here's what I made:

I love it! The extra special thing about this card is it is free-hand, meaning I didn't use a sketch *lol* I almost always use a sketch for the base of my card. I had stared out just with sponging the base of the card, but decided the addition of the elegant lines would add some class. Finally, I used the hearts a flutter framelits (out of season, but they work here). And two other rarely seen items came out of the woodworks for this card too: the resin roses (purchased from clearance a looooong time ago) and trinket keys (also from clearance). Here's a close-up of the details, giving my best shot at a vintage-y look:

Now just to wait for an anniversary! *lol*

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to hop over to Charissa's blog, Snippets by Design, to see what she made with these two elements!

Supplies used:
Stamps: PS-I Love You (ret), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Lucky Limeade, More Amour DSP
Ink: Rose Red
Tools: Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Word Window Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder
Accessories: Rose Ribbon, Resin Roses (ret), Trinket Keys (ret), Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Spring Card for Special Grandparents

Hello there! I hope your week is flying by just like mine is so far, tomorrow is already Friday! Woohoo! :) My mom left town for a couple weeks today, to the north west coast of BC. So, this means that my Saturday is scott-free! Hopefully I can get some hardcore paper-crafting done. Two quick accolades before I get to today's challenge: first, my Bloomin' Marvellous card was selected as Stampin' Royalty's Top Pick (see original post here) and second, my St Patrick's Day card was selected as "unforgettable" by Ella the Pink Elephant! (see original post here) :) How awesome!

Now, onto the challenges! Today I wanted to play along with Simon Says Stamp Challenge "Spring/Easter" and Stampin' Royalty's new challenge, an inspiration photo:

Lovely! I created a pretty Spring/Easter card for Mathew's grandparents:

Well, I really like how it turned out!! The multi-hued tulips and little bunny are so cute together :) I took the colours from the photo and interpreted them as old olive & raspberry ripple, incorporating some primrose petals for contrast. The little sentiment is from the retired set, Easter Blossoms and it fits perfectly with this card! I was so glad to discover I had a "spring" sentiment in my collection (*lol* that's how you know you have too much... I need to finish my stamp inventory/index!).

The little bunny is playing double duty from the Little Additions baby stamp set. I think it works perfectly here! :)

Thanks for looking! Don't forget to check back tomorrow for a new KCRR challenge! :)

Supplies used:
Stamps: Little Additions, Tiny Tags, Easter Blossoms (ret)
Paper: Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Brights Stacks, In Colour Stacks
Ink: Raspberry Ripple
Tools: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Bird Builder Punch, Scallop Circle & Circle Nestabilities
Accessories: Linen Thread, Paper Piercing Pack, Dimensionals