Celebrate Today!

Hello Friends! Just in time, I have my card for last Friday's CAS-ual Friday challenge. The challenge was to add a special edge to your card. My special edge is a scalloped edge cut with the medium scallop die from My Favorite Things. Obviously I'm still into red, white and blue and the Jenni Bowlin papers fit perfectly! The stars on the top were stamped and then punched out with a star punch. Then I punched a smaller star and added it to the center of the big star with a pop dot. The stars are actually popped up a bit from the card. I'm happy with how it turned out. I seem to be more of a CAS stamper all the time:)

Edited to add: DARN! I didn't read carefully and missed that the challenge cards needed to be in by Wednesday night!! And here I was sitting with it done on my desk!! Oh well, there's always next time:)

Challenge: CAS-ual Fridays 8
Stamp Set: Star Prints, Mixed Messages: Papertrey Ink
DP: Jenni Bowlin
CS: White: Papertrey Ink, Real Red: Stampin' UP
Ink: Night of Navy: Stampin' UP
Extras: star punches, pop dots

Celebrate!

Hello! I have the Fourth of July on my mind today. I love the colors red, white and blue! I don't really send July Fourth cards, but I decided to make some today anyway... it just made me happy:) I followed the June Sketch for You to Try for the LO for my card.


Challenge: June 2011 SFYTT
Stamp Sets: Sunshiney Day Pure Innocence: My Favorite Things, Mixed Messages: Papertrey Ink
DP: stars: Jenni Bowlin, striped from my stash
CS: Brilliant Blue: Stampin' UP
Extras: stickers: K and Company, Large Circle and Circle Scallop Nestabilities: Spellbinders, medium scallop die: My Favorite Things, Stampin' UP markers

With Sympathy

Good Morning! This card is from a set of sympathy cards that I made last week. I really like to have some on hand in case I'm not able to make a new card when needed. For my card I used some of Stampin' Up's design series paper that matches the color of their cardstock and ink. This color is Rose Red. I accented it with Chocolate Chip paper. I used Out on A Limb and Out on a Limb Sentiments from Papertrey Ink for my image and sentiment. For my LO, I used the Viva La Verve Sketch from April, 2011. The medium scallop die I used is from My Favorite Things.

I hope you have a great day!

June Papertrey Blog Hop!

Good Afternoon, Friends! Today I'm participating in the June Papertrey Blog Hop! Be sure to stop by and see everyone's wonderful creations!! Our challenge this week was to use the photo below as inspiration. I decided to go CAS with my card today. As you can see, I went pretty basic by using the background colors in the same way as the photo. I decided that I'd use the hot air balloon image as the focal point for the card. I chose to place it where the adorable dresses were hanging in the photo. I did add a bit of extra color by using twine to tie the buttons. Oh! and isn't that little yellow button the sweetest?!? I've saved it for a while and decided that today was the day to use it:)

I can't wait to see everyone's creations!

Happy Saturday!!
Stamp Set: Everyday Button Bits: Papertrey Ink
CS: Spring Moss, Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding: Papertrey Ink
Bashful Blue: Stampin' UP
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Plum Pudding, Lemon Tart and Sweet Blush Buttons: Papertrey Ink;
Lilac, Cappuccino, and Caribbean Twine: The Twinery

Friends with Flair!

Good Morning to all my FWF!

To see all of the unique creations using Unity stamps, hop over to Unity!

Today I used an image that I haven't used yet from the October 10 KOM. This image is so sweet and so small! Next to each cute, little cherry is the word, "sweet." I stamped, colored and cut out the image three times. I used red gingham paper and faux red stitching for the main LO. I found this awesome cherry ribbon in my stash and added it for some extra pizzaz! I always LOVE when I find embellishments that match:)

I still feel that I need to add or change something with this card. It's definitely a work in progress! If you think of anything, please share your ideas:)

Have a great day!! I'm off to see all the FWF creations!!

Happy Retirement

Good Morning! I made this card for a very special lady who is retiring this summer from our school. She is one of our Assistant Principals and I also happen to know her because I got my master's degree with her. She is such a cheerful person and always willing to help and listen. She will be missed be everyone!!

I used the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the design of my card. I took a few liberties because I wanted to add a sweet Pure Innocence image on the card. My Copic blending on her face looks good in person, but awful in this photo!! Clearly the camera sees more than I do, LOL!
Challenge: MFTWSC24
Stamp Sets: image: Out on a Limb-Pure Innocence: My Favorite Things;
frame, "best wishes"-Fillable Frames 4: Papertrey Ink;
"happy retirement"-Mixed Messages: Papertrey Ink
DP: hopscotch: basicgrey
CS: white: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento
Extras: heart doily, blue gem, roses: Martha Stewart, Fillable Frames 4 die: Papertrey Ink, medium scallop die: My Favorite Things, Copics

happy anniversary

Hello! Today I'm playing along with All Things Unity and the Unity Kit of the Month Sketch Challenge. I'm ahead of things for once and made this anniversary card for my husband. Our anniversary isn't until the end of July!! Hope I can find this card wherever I stash it:) The background dp has little stars on it, perfect for this image and sentiment. On the inside, I have a smaller diagonal strip of it with the sentiment, "Happy Anniversary."

Come and play along!

Challenges: All Things Unity 33, June11KOMSC
Stamp Set: Jan11 Kit of the Month: Unity
DP: Bitty Star Basics: Papertrey Ink
CS: Bravo Burgundy: Stampin' UP; White, Black: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Scarlet Jewel Button and Ribbon: Papertrey Ink; white floss

Get Well Soon

Hello, Friends! I made this card for two challenges. The first challenge is the current JUGS color challenge. It was a challenge for me to even find these colors:) Thankfully I had some scraps in my stash and a great dp with the colors in it.

The second challenge is Crazy 4 Challenge 92 to use twine. I love all the luscious twine colors and plan to use them more often!

For the sketch, I used one of my favorite magazines, "Go to Sketches," Volume One. The sketch is one of Maren's and is on page 38. I'm really happy with it and plan to use it again. The flower panel is popped up for dimension. I added a vintage button that I found at an Antique Flea Market. It was so easy to use because the holes were really large. I hope to find more of them soon:)

I hope that you're enjoying your Sunday! Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there:)

Oh! One more thing....because I'm a teacher I feel the need to say that I know you are supposed to underline the titles of magazines. Can you believe that I can't figure out how to underline text in Blogger? Good thing I don't teach tech:)

Stamp Sets: Flower-Bella Fiori: Unity; Sentiment-Jan11 KOM: Unity
DP: Early Bird: Cosmos Cricket
CS: So Saffron, Real Red: Stampin' UP; Vintage Cream, Aqua Mist: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento
Extras: Caribbean Twine: The Twinery; vintage button; red gem; Copics

Welcome Little One

Welcome friends! For today's card I followed the CAS-ual Fridays Color Block Challenge. The minute I read about it, the challenge reminded me of a sweet, little baby's blanket. To make my card, I cut out my color blocks and stamped them with a background stamp using Versamark. Then I matted them on white and put them on a khaki card to make the colors really stand out. Don't you just LOVE this sweet onesie? I stamped it, cut it out and popped it up from the "quilt." A welcoming sentiment with some bling and I was done.

For some reason today, I kept stopping myself and asking, "Will it work the way I want?" Finally I just told myself to go for it and stop worrying. It's just paper and ink after all! Always more where that came from:)

Happy Saturday!

Challenge: CAS-ual Fridays #7
Stamp Set: Bitty Baby Blessings: Papertrey Ink; Background Stamp: Canvas (retired): Stampin' UP
CS: Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery: Stampin' UP; White, Khaki: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Versamark, Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Gem: Hero Arts, Barely Banana marker: Stampin' UP, pop dots

happy anniversary

Hello! Another card today for two very special people in my life: my mom and dad. This month they are celebrating their 47th anniversary! They set such a wonderful example of how loving and caring a relationship can be. I am so happy that they have each other! The quote on the inside of the card reads "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart." (Helen Keller)

I used CPS 222 for this card. I flipped it on it's side to be able to use my image. The papers I used are Stella and Rose: Hazel: My Mind's Eye. The sparkly gems are Swarovski crystals that I've had for some time. This was the perfect card to use with them! I used Papertrey Ink's Out on a Limb and Out on a Limb Sentiments for the front and inside of my card. The Happy Anniversary sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Mixed Messages.

Queen of Glitter

Happy Friday and Friends with Flair! To see the creations of all the awesome friends,
be sure to visit the Unity Blog!

Today I made a bookmark for my niece. I could not wait to stamp and glitter up this Suzi Blu image that I just received in the mail! She is totally glittery with hot pink pearlized Smooch, black Spica glitter pen ink, and Icicle Stickles. I matted her with glittery hot pink and black cardstock from Doodlebug Designs. My niece will have glitter everywhere when she uses it, but I know she'll love it. She's that kind of girl:)

Happy Father's Day!

Hello! I have two Father's Day cards to share with you today. The first is for my dad. I seem to be using this LO quite often, but I think it shows the dp so nicely. I accented the car with a black spica glitter pen. It looks nice and sparkly in real life! My dad is a very traditional kind of guy, so this card is very CAS. No extra buttons, ribbon or accessories needed! Of course, I have to mention that he's the BEST dad ever, too!! I'm so lucky to have him to learn from and love!

My second card if for my husband. He totally ROCKS and this card is perfect for him! I used a silver background and accented the image and sentiment with a black spica glitter pen. Again, the shine and glitz don't show up in the photo. I used flat backed dots to echo the circles in the image and sentiment. I'm noticing that the card is a bit crooked...well, that goes with "rocks," LOL!

Dad's card:
Stamps: image: Authentic Man: Unity, Sentiment: Savvy Stamps
DP: Picket Fence: lilybee designs
CS: Bravo Burgundy: Stampin' UP, White: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extra: black Spica glitter pen

Husband's card:
Stamp Set: Mar10 KOM: Unity
CS: Silver: Stampin' UP, Black and Plum Pudding: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: black Spica glitter pen, black dots: Recollections

Happy New Home

Hello! Today's card is for a friend of mine who just moved into her first apartment! She LOVES bright colors, so I made her card bright. Definitely not my usual color range, but it was fun and I know she'll enjoy it! The "happy" sentiment is on the inside of the card...in case you're wondering!

Have a great day! I hope it's bright and sunny!

Stamp Set: What Matters Most: Ippity/Unity
DP: Summer Days: Echo Park
CS: Green Galore: Stampin' UP, White: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Extras: Stampin' Write Markers, Green Gems: Hero Arts, pop dots

Have a bright, sunshiney day!

Hello! Today's card uses a cute image that I haven't inked up in a while. The little girl is a Swiss Pixie from C.C. Designs. She's sitting outside on a glorious summer day, just like today!

The first challenge that I used for this card was the JUGS Challenge to use the woodgrain technique. I haven't tried this before, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. My Swiss Pixie is sitting on a wooden fence made using this technique. If you haven't used this technique before, they have a great link to a tutorial on the JUGS website.

My second challenge is the CAS-ual Fridays Challenge. This week's challenge is a tic-tac-toe challenge that you can check out on their website. I picked the middle row and used ribbon, die cuts and felt. The sun is die cut from felt and the clouds are die cut from white cardstock. This was my second attempt at a card for this challenge. I hope that you like it!!

Happy Days!

Challenges: JUGS Challenge 88, CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 6
Stamp Sets: Swiss Pixie: C.C. Designs, sentiment: PI Sunshiney Day: My Favorite Things
CS: Harvest Gold, White: Papertrey Ink, Bashful Blue: Stampin' UP
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Ink for Woodgrain Technique: White: Colorbox, Close to Cocoa: Stampin' UP
Extras: Harvest Gold Felt: Papertrey Ink, Copics, Harvest Gold Swiss Dot ribbon: Papertrey Ink, pop dots

Happy Friends with Flair!!

Happy Friday and Friends with Flair! Be sure to visit the Unity blog to see everyone's great creations! Today is a great Friday for me because I'm starting my summer break from teaching. Although I miss the kids and, sometimes, the schedule, I AM ready for a break:)

Today's project is CAS. I wanted the sentiment to stand out! I used two stamps from the May KOM to stamp the background. You can see a close-up below. Then I stamped the sentiment on dp and highlighted with garnet gems. It's popped up and accented with a ribbon tied with twine. I am hanging this on a neat frame that I got from Pier One a year ago. You can see the frame in the second picture below. It has these neat little clips that you can clip photos, tags, hangings, etc from. I actually have three in a row and I love them:)

Have a great weekend!

Stamps: Background stamps: May KOM: Unity, sentiment: Quote Bundle Pack: Unity
DP: Circa 1934: Cosmos Cricket
CS: Black: Papertrey Ink
Extras: Ribbon, Garnet Gems: Bazzill Basics, Pop dots, Twine: Papertrey Ink

You're a Class Act!

Hello! My card is for a good friend who is going to be leaving the school where I teach. Why is she leaving? Not because she isn't a good teacher or a great team player, not because she wants to leave, but because our district is in financial trouble. What district in Illinois isn't? It is SUCH a shame that education loses good teachers all the time due to budget cuts. She will be missed by many as a colleague and friend.

Today's card follows the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 23. It is a great sketch and one that I will use again soon. The stamp is my first a la modes stamp. Isn't she the cutest? I will tell you that I will NOT be trying to cut her out again anytime soon! I even had to get out my exacto knife to cut the tiny spaces between her arm and her hair and shoulder! The gem that I used is a garnet red. Every time I photograph it, though, it turns out black. I also used a black spica glitter pen to color her belt. That doesn't show as well in the photo either!


Challenge: MFTWSC23
Stamp Set: a la modes: You Rule: My Favorite Things
DP: Circa 1934: Cosmo Cricket
CS: Very Vanilla, Black: Stampin' UP
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento, Chai Distressing Ink: Papertrey Ink
Extras: Tiny Type Stickers: Cosmo Cricket, gem, pop dots, Copics, markers