Graduation Dreams

Thank you to all the veterans who have served in our country's Armed Forces.
Thank you to those who still serve today.

Graduation is in the air! This week's CAS-ual Friday Challenge is to make a graduation card. I've finished all my graduation cards that I need to send, so this one is an extra. Usually when I make a graduation card, I use the school's colors in the design. Today I decided on black, white and blue. One of the high schools near us has blue for one of its colors, so I thought that this would be appropriate for that. I also think that it could be just a good masculine graduation card for any school! My card wasn't coming together until I found the dp scrap in my pile. That added enough "extra" to pull the card together. My mojo was not working for me yesterday, so I'm hoping it will come back soon:) This card took me MUCH longer than it should have!!

Challenge: CAS-ual Friday #4
Stamp Set: For the Graduate: Papertrey Ink
DP: Imaginisce
CS: White, Black: Papertrey Ink, Brilliant Blue: Stampin' UP
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Mat die cut: Papertrey Ink, pop dots

Rainbow Birthday Wishes

Happy Sunday! It was so sunny and glorious here!! I found time to plant AND to stamp. What a great day:) Today my card fits for two challenges, an unusual occasion for me. Both the JUGS Challenge to use the colors of the rainbow and the CAS-ual Friday Challenge to use bling just spoke to me! I think this image from Unity works perfectly, too! I paper pieced the fun birthday cake, added gems to one layer and added glitter to the candle flame. Such a happy and bright birthday card:)

Challenges: JUGS Challenge 85, CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 3
Stamps: Cake: May11 KOM: Unity, Sentiment: Mixed Messages: Papertrey Ink
DP: Summer Days: Echo Park
CS: White: Papertrey Ink
Extras: Rainbow Ribbon: Offray, gems, Dazzling Diamonds: Stampin' UP, pop dots

Cupcakes are Calorie-Free on Your Birthday!

Hello! Happy Saturday! I've been waiting to use this sassy lady from Totally Stampalicious for a while!! This image and sentiment fit in perfectly with the Crazy4Challenge to use humor in a card. Besides being funny, we know the sentiment is true, right?!? I have the perfect person in mind to give this to. She is a sweet and sassy lady herself:)

Challenge: Crazy4Challenges88
Stamp Set: Bugaboo: Totally Stampilicious
DP: Tiffany: We R Memory Keepers
CS: Rose Red: Stampin' UP, White: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black: Memento
Extras: Ovals and Scallop Ovals Large Nestablities, gems, Stampin' Write Markers: Stampin' UP, Copics, pop dots

With Appreciation

I'm back with another card tonight! This card is for CAS-ual Fridays, a new challenge blog. This week's challenge is to use buttons and twine on your card. I used some of my favorite dp, Thrift Shop by October Afternoon! I'm hoarding all the little scraps I can:)

Challenge: CAS-ual Fridays #2
Stamp Sets: sentiments-Mixed Messages: Papertrey Ink, small flower-Paper Pattern Pieces: My Time Made Easy
DP: Thrift Shop: October Afternoon
CS: Very Vanilla: Stampin' UP
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: vintage buttons, Maraschino Twine: The Twinery, pop dots

Hats Off to the grad!

Whew! I didn't know if I'd be able to pull off this week's JUGS challenge: "Kissing with a Twist." Essentially, you ink up a stamp with a light color and then ink up another stamp with a darker color and twist it on. You can't really see the twist too much on my card, but I was afraid if I twisted too much, you would never know it was a graduation cap that I stamped! I had to use a background stamp for my kissing. I just don't have many solid color stamps at all because I find them difficult to stamp well. This card is CAS because it's for my nephew who is graduating this spring. Didn't want to get too girly for him! As you might have guessed, his school colors are blue and gold. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out!

Challenge: JUGS challenge 84
Stamp Sets: Background stamp-Canvas: Stampin' UP, For the Graduate: Papertrey Ink
CS: White: Papertrey Ink, Brilliant Blue (retired): Stampin' UP
Ink: Brilliant Blue marker (retired) Stampin' UP
Extras: pop dots (for the sentiment block)

Crazy4Challenges - CHOCOLATE!!

Now THIS was a challenge that I could get into! Chocolate is my FAVE:) Check out the challenge here if you'd like to play along! Sunday was National Chocolate Chip Day, so we are celebrating:) I used an old Stampin' UP set that I've had forever, "For the Love of Chocolate." The kiss is stamped in silver and covered with silver glitter. The ink and dark brown paper is appropriately called Chocolate Chip!!

Challenge: Crazy4Challenges 87
Stamp Set: For the Love of Chocolate: Stampin' UP (retired)
DP: Hit the Spot: My Time Made Easy
CS: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip: Stampin' UP
Inks: Chocolate Chip: Stampin' UP, Silver: Encore
Extras: Sterling glitter: Martha Stewart, circle punches, nestabilities

Your friendship warms my heart

Happy Friday and Happy Friends with Flair! Be sure to stop by the Unity blog to see all the wonderful creations!

Today's card was a fun one to make. I just started stamping and creating. I added images, threw out images, distressed with ink, paper pieced and used a flower I've had forever! I didn't have a sketch, but just went with the flow.

I decided to make my card a friendship card because I've been thinking a lot about my friends lately. Friends who make me laugh; friends who listen; friends who care. They help me through tough times and I help them too. Thank heavens for friends:)

Stamp Sets: Jan11KOM and Feb11KOM: Unity
DP: Picket Fence: lilybeedesign
CS: White and Black: Papertrey Ink
Image Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Distressing Ink: Chai and Chamomile Ink: Papertrey Ink
Extras: flower, gem

flowers

Hello! Just ignore that eerie green cast around my card:) Apparently the green on my card reflected all over in my light box! The green isn't even that garish, it's much more subtle and springy! I'm not sure how to change that......

Today's card fits three challenges (see below) and was an additional challenge for me. I have this beautiful dp but I find it so hard to create with. The daisy paper is from Egghunt, by Papertrey Ink. The polka dot paper is Polka Dot Parade, also by Papertrey Ink. I've used Papertrey Ink's cardstock, spring moss and summer sunrise, to mat the layers. I love paper piecing this image from Unity and that seemed to pull all the elements together. The top flower is a sticker that I had in my stash.

If you have used these papers before, I would love to see what you've done with them! Just leave a link in your comment for me. Thanks!!:)

Challenges: May's Sketch for you to Try , Crazy 4 Challenges 86 (flowers), Blogger's Challenge (nature)
Stamp Sets: Flower from Now and Always-Ippity: Unity, Sentiment from Make a Wish: Papertrey Ink
DP: Egghunt and Polka Dot Parade: Papertrey Ink
CS: Summer Sunrise, Spring Moss, White: Papertrey Ink
Extra: Spring Moss swiss dot ribbon: Papertrey Ink, flower sticker, Nestibilities: Spellbinders, pop dots

A new challenge blog....

Hello! I just found a new challenge blog that looks like it might be lots of fun! It is called CAS-ual Fridays. This week's challenge is to use text on your card. Not just a line of text, but multiple lines, like in the old page of text that I used here.

I found a gigantic book of "essential knowledge" at an antique show and picked it up a year ago. I knew that I wanted to use some old style text pages on some of my cards. It was very cheap and easy to find:) Be careful when you try to mount the text; my tape runner kind of "ate up" some of the page.

For me, this is a perfect masculine card. I like the simple style and plan to use it, with text of course, more often!

Challenge: CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 1
Stamp Set: Make a Wish: Papertrey Ink
DP: Gaga for Gingham: My Time Made Easy, vintage text
CS: Black, Khaki: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Chai distressing ink: Papertrey Ink
Extras: Present die: Papertrey Ink, Nestabilities: Spellbinders

birthday wishes

Happy Day! I am so excited that the sun has made its reappearance in our sky! After such a dark and dreary late winter/early spring, the brightness is wonderful! I wanted today's card to reflect that happy feeling. I started with the JUGS challenge for my LO. I added some extra layers and played around a bit with the sketch. I got the chance to use my sun and kite dienamics from My Favorite Things. The sun is made of felt and the kite is made from dp and popped up from the card. Don't you just love that Caribbean Twine hanging from it?!?

I hope the skies and the day are sunshiney for you; wherever you are!!

Challenge: JUGS 83
Stamp Set: Mixed Messages: Papertrey Ink
DP: Clouds: Pebbles, Other: Echo Park
CS: Lemon Tart, White: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Caribbean Twine: The Twinery, Harvest Gold felt and ribbon: Papertrey Ink, Kite and Sun Dienamics: My Favorite Things, pop dots

Friends with Flair!

Happy Friday! I made this card for the new Unity Kit of the Month Sketch Challenge. I used the lovely Gertie Stella and Rose DP from My Mind's Eye. To make the bottom scallop edge, I used 1 inch circles. The butterfly is paper pieced two times. The first butterfly is adhered right to the circle and the second butterfly is popped up on top of the first. I added some bling and I was finished!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Challenge: Unity's Kit of the Month Sketch Challenge
Stamp Set: Feb11 KOM: Unity
DP: Gertie Stella and Rose: My Mind's Eye
CS: Rustic White: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Bling, circle punch, Nestibilities: Spellbinders, pop dots

Happy Monday?!?

Well, the happy thing about this Monday is that it is almost over! It was sunny today, so that was a real plus too:)

I started my card by using last week's My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch, but I changed it a lot. I didn't add as many layers and details as I wanted my stamped image to stand out.To make this image, I first stamped the Pure Innocence sweetie and the tree on the right. Then I masked both the tree and PI to stamp the other two trees. I tried my hand at some more fancy (to me at least) Copic shading on the dress. I've been watching how others make grass, so I tried that a new way also. I'm happy with how it turned out. I need to get some more PI stamps, though, I've way overused the ones I have:) Not to worry....the stamps are in the mail!!

Stamp Set: Out on a Limb-Pure Innocence: My Favorite Things
DP: Hopscotch: BasicGrey
CS: Regal Rose: Stampin' UP, White: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Copics, ribbon, pop dots

Happy Mother's Day

I made this Mother's Day card for the sweetest mom I know....MINE:) She loves to get handmade cards from me and I know that she will really love this one. The old fashioned roses and pretty flowers are just the style for her. She is the most caring and loving person I know. I am so thankful that she is my mother and that I had the chance to grow and learn from her.

This card is also for the Crazy4Challenges this week. The challenge is a recipe challenge: 3 patterned papers, 2 flowers and 1 button. I had fun with this one! If you'd like to take on the challenge, you can check it out here.

Challenge: Crazy4Challenges 85
Stamp Set: Fillable Frames #4: Papertrey Ink
DP: The Girl's Paperie
CS: White: Papertrey Ink, Regal Rose: Stampin' UP
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Trellis Punch: Stampin' UP, flowers, vintage button, scrunched seam binding, pop dots, Fillable Frames #4 die: Papertrey Ink

tweet tweet

Hello! Today's card is for Unity's monthly challenge. The challenge this month is to incorporate birds into a card. I just love this sweet little bird image and thought that it begged to be paper pieced! The bling inside the flower stickers is actually red. I'm not sure why it looks so black in the photo! If you'd like to join in on the challenge, you can check it out here.

Challenge: Unity "Tweet Tweet" Challenge
Stamp Sets: Jan11 KOM, Feb11 KOM: Unity
DP: Gertie Stella and Rose: My Minds Eye
CS:Rustic White, Kraft: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento
Extras: organza ribbon, flower stickers, gems, pop dots