Peace and Quiet

Rarely am I home alone...and as I type this I am home alone.   It's nice sometimes to have complete quiet (and peace :)).  Given that I had about an hour to myself, I decided to quickly create a couple of sympathy cards.  Unfortunately, I need to send one of them immediately.  I can never seem to keep enough sympathy cards on hand.

My first card will go to my nana.  My great uncle passed away from a massive heart attack over the weekend.  My nana's heart is broken.  She comes from a very large family and has lost several siblings, but her brother, Peter, has been absolutely wonderful to her.   My nana is 91 years old and truly amazing.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Verve; Ribbon:  Stampin' Up Whisper White; Stampin' Up Crumb Cake Ink/Paper

I played along with the Stampin' 411 sketch for this card.

Sticking with my monochromatic sketch, I made a second card following Lucy's Sketch #5.

Ingredients:  PTI Kraft; PTI Damask Design Stamps and Beautiful Blssoms Dies; Stampin' Up Soft Suede Ink; Ranger Distress Inks Antique Linen

And now my boys have reentered the house...so I much finish typing my post!  Catch you later!

Project Life Update

Hi there...start of a new week!  I received my Project Life kit on Friday, so that made for a happy Friday night.  I had a few little helpers for assembly!  Marcel and Collin were happily sorting.

Look how nice and neat Collin's piles are!

He then had to move over to Marcel's piles...as Marcel wasn't quite getting the sorting idea! One intense sorter!  It's like playing the memory game..."Which pile had that match...hmmm....?"

Needless to say, I can't wait to get started.  Collin was so excited to work on this too.  He exclaimed, "Mommy, we must be rich!  Look at all the paper we have!"  He was ready to dig in and start scrapping a page!  He then proceeded with, "Mommy, we're going to have to craft tomorrow!"  Makes me smile.  He loves to pop in and out as I'm crafting.

Of course, I have a card to share too.  The first one is for Lucy's Sketch Challenge #3.  Ryan is sending this to his friend who is undergoing treatment for cancer.  I free handed the circle stitching (yes...I know kind of obvious!)  I intentionally tried to make this card a little more masculine.  Hope you like it!

Ingredients:  PTI Kraft Paper, Little Yellow Bicycle Paper and Embellishments; Verve Stamps; Hero Arts Gems

A Quick Share...

Hello...popping in for a very quick share for Lucy's Sketch Challenge #1...she mentioned this morning that she is closing the challenge tonight (woops...I missed it...just closed!).  I have been thinking about this one for a little bit, made a card, didn't like it and then decided on this clean and quick birthday card.  Think it will be perfect for a boy birthday!  Love the Core'dinations cardstock for the stars!

We're running today...basketball game at 9...few hours for work for me...and now off to take Ryan shopping to spend some of his Christmas gift cards!  Catch up with all of you soon!   Hope you have a great weekend!

Cast All Your Cares on Him

Hi there, popping into share a quick card a few thoughts.  This card is for another Lucy Sketch Challenge.  Thanks Lucy for putting these all on...I'll be playing with more.

Now...onto the card.  I love this sentiment.  I'm sending the card to a neighbor of mine that moved several years ago.  I just found out that she is battling Stage 3 Melanoma.  When someone is battling cancer or any difficult life challenge, it is sometimes hard to know what to say.  But, I think one of the things I have learned is that even if you don't know what to say, say something.  Say that you don't know what to say.  Say that you are praying for them.  Say that you are thinking of them.  It will help.

And that's were card making is such a gift.  Say it in person or say it in a card.  Send those cards.  Don't wait to let someone know you are thinking of them. 

Ingredients:  Crate Paper Restoration Collection; Stampin' Up Melon Mambo Paper and Baja Breeze Paper/Ink; Verve Stamps; Hero Arts Script Stamp; PTI Twine

PS Susan - yes Patten's! You'll have to let me know what belt your child is on.  Jonathon is a brown belt. I'm very happy that you received one of my cards!  Marcel is at LECC in pre-school too.

A Couple Shares

Hi there...popping into share a couple of cards now that the little people are in bed (in bed, but not asleep).  We'll see how many times they come out of their rooms tonight.  And this little guy declared, "Daddy is in charge, mommy.  You can't tell me it's time to go to bed."  But how can you get mad at this adorable face?

And big brother Jonathon is beaming tonight as he got his Push Up Patch at karate tonight for doing 25 push ups using very good form...I have never been able to do a push up without my rear end up in the air!  Very proud of him!

So now...onto my cards for tonight.  My first one is for the Just Us Girls Sketch Challenge and the Passion for PaperTrey Challenge to use background stamps.  I love the Text Styles stamps from PTI.  I made this at first without the bling...and felt like something was missing (Yes Maureen...your style is rubbing off on me :)!)

Ingredients: Ribbon American Crafts; Stamps:  PTI Text Styles; Larger than Life and Birthday Sentiments; Ink:  Stampin' Up Soft Suede Ink/Paper; Hero Arts Gems

And have you checked out Lucy's blog lately?  She is hosting a series of sketch challenges.  I've been busy creating...as I adore her blog and I love a sketch challenge.  Here is my card for sketch challenge #2.

Happy creating!

Old & New

A quick Christmas card for you this morning!  Lucy is hosting a new challenge...to use some old supplies (and she said "really old"!) with some new supplies!  I am a purger so I don't have a ton of old supplies, but the snowflake on this card definitely qualifies as old.  I think I have had it for over eight years!  I paired it up with some Crate Paper and new Hero Art Stamps.  A quick and easy Christmas hard...but I love how bright it is!

Ingredients:  Crate Paper DSP; Stampin' Up Cherry Cobbler; PTI Twine; Hero Arts Stamps

Hope Your Day is Fabulous!

Last night we had a very laid back cook out with our great friends, Mike and Thale.  Do you have those friends that you only see a couple of times per year, but everytime you get together you feel like you just saw them yesterday?  We've been friends for years...and love, love, love getting together.  We each have four children...all boys, except Thale and Mike's oldest, Madeline.  All of the kids had a ball together (of course, it doesn't hurt that going to Thale and Mike's house is like going to an amusement park without any rides:  trampoline, mini motor bikes, a pool, basketball, playset, a back yard big enough for home run derby!).  The adults had fun too.  Somehow Pat can operate the water guns in the pool much better than Thale and me can!  The best part of our night was how impromptu it was.  Thale called at 3 and we were together at 6.  No worries about getting ready...just pick up and go.  A wonderful summer night.

Now...on to my card today for Lucy's Button Challenge.  I need to use my PTI felt more often....I love love love the texture it creates.  And I love my coordinating PTI buttons!

Big Thanks to Lucy for picking me as the winner of her last challenge!

Ingredients:  PTI Signature Greetings and Beautfiul Blossoms Stamps, PTI Buttons, Crystal Wilkerson Summertime DSP; SU Whisper White and Pink Paper

Lucy's Challenge #11

Lucy's latest challenge is to use white, light blue and kraft together...and add a bird to your card for extra points!  I immediately thought of the cute Jillibean birdhouses!  I embossed the leaves in the backgrounds with clear embossing powder on the kraft.   I think I actually stitched straight around the edges for once too!

This picture shows the dimension of the card a bit more...used dimensionals to pop up the background and the bird houses.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!  I'm also entering this for the Caardvarks embossing challenge!

Ingredients:  Jillibean Soup Egg Drop Soup and Old Cabbage World Stew Paper, PTI Turning a New Leaf and Round and Round Stamps; PTI Twine; Making Memories Buttons; Stampin' Up Kraft, Whisper White and Bordering Blue Paper; Stitching; Cricut Accent Essentials; SU Chocolate Chip Ink

Digital Fun...

...I think I can find just about any excuse to buy some new crafting supplies...holy moly...not sure I should have started to get into digital...way to easy to say the payment method is PayPal versus having to drive to the scrapbooking store.  I have a problem!

Anyways! Onto some digital cards for Lucy's Digital Challenge.  First up is a birthday card that will go to one of my sweet little nieces.  I used this kit by Holly Jones, added a few pearls...twine and a birthday stamp...I'm in love with those banners!

Next up is a card using another Holly Jones kit.  Completely different style.  Added twine, a few coordinating buttons and a quick birthday stamp! 

Ingredients:  SU Pink Pirouette, Real Rust and Whisper White Paper, PTI Twine, PTI Buttons; SU Well Scripted Stamps; PTI Daily Design Sentiments, Holly Jones Digital Kits (note above), KaiserKraft Pearls

Lucy's Digital Challenge

Lucy's current challenge is to use digital stamps.  I had been looking at Kathy Martin's Digital Doodles since I made this card...so I bought another one for Lucy's current challenge.  Good excuse, right?  I printed the digital design out on white and had a little fun coloring.  Still not comfortable enough with coloring to plunge into Copic markers...

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday...Pat is golfing this morning and then we're off to the baseball fields for Ryan's game.

Ingredients:  SU DSP, Tempting Turquoise and Pretty in Pink Paper; Kathy Martin's Digital Doodles and PTI Everyday Button Bits Stamps; SU Pretty in Pink Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals and Markers

Happy Saturday!

Today is the official opening day of the Little League baseball season!  We'll be at the fields a lot with Ryan and Jonathon cheering them on with Collin and Marcel in tow!  Looking forward to lots of sunny days in the stands!

On to my card to share today for Lucy's Stitching Challenge.  I have to admit sewing on cards intimidates me...never seen to sew straight!  Lucy is amazingly talented and stitches perfectly!  I've watched her tutorial on sewing several times...trying to improve!  Hope you enjoy my card...happy Saturday!

Ingredients:  PTI Kraft, Jillibean Soup DSP; SU Pink Pirouette Paper and Ribbon; PTI Beyond Background Basics and Text Background Stamps; Making Memories Button

Happy Good Friday!

Good morning!  We're off to the zoo this morning.  Meeting up with our cousins to enjoy a beautiful day outside.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  Perfect weather for Easter weekend.

My cards today are inspired by Lucy's challenge.  This picture reminds me of my bridesmaid dresses and bouqets too!  Love the look of an English garden.

My first card using PTI's Damask Designs for the background and sentiment.  I love the soft look of the SU Blush Blossom ink on the white to create the patterned paper.

The second card was inspired by Maile Belles' card here.  I used some new dies to cut out the flowers and then added Basic Grey Green at Home paper as the background.  The white embossed layer is popped up to give some extra dimension.

Hope everyone is having a beautiful weekend!

Ingredients:  SU Blush Blossom, Whisper White Paper; Basic Grey Green at Home Paper; PTI Beautiful Blossom dies, buttons, twine, Damask Design and Beyond Basic Borders Stamps, SU Leaf Die and Certainly Celery Paper

Keep It Simple Notecard Set

Lucy has a new challenge up on her blog this week:  Keep It Simple...create a clean and simple card.  I decided to make a set of four cards to possibly give as a gift or keep for myself since I'm completely out of masculine thank you cards!  I'm also thinking sets like this would make good teacher gifts...the end of the school year will be here before I blink!

Thanks Lucy for another fun challenge!  I'm tired and rambling...short post tonight!

The set...

A couple of the cards close up....

Ingredients:  SU Really Rust Paper & Ink, Very Vanilla Paper, Chocolate Chip Ribbo, On the Edge Stamps; PaperTrey Ink Buttons, Twine, Polka Dot Basics and Mega Mixed Messages Stamps

Lucy's Inspiration Challenge

Lucy put up a new challenge this week.  Picking a card from a blog that inspired you!  I picked a card from Geny Cassidy's blog.  I love her style and am regularly taking inspiration from her blog.  I quickly went to her site to be inspired! 

I decided to use a get well theme as my aunt just had knee replacement surgery and my mum asked for a card for her...great excuse for me to craft tonight.  (Thanks Mum!) 

Here is the post to my inspiration from Geny!

I very rarely stamp inside cards...but love that Geny did this on her card and thought I'd try it too!

Ingredeients:  SU On the Edge Stamps; PTI Mega Mixed Messages and Background Basics Text Style; Antique Buttons; SU Ruby Red, Very Vanilla and Kraft paper, PTI Twine, SU Ruby Red and Mellow Moss Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, Ranger Distress Inks

 

Love You (one more time...)

I've decided to make a few more Valentines...actually I think these could be used for a lot of occasions, not just Valentine's Day!  I used two challenges for my inspiration!  Lucy's and Clean & Simple...I adore both of these blogs!

My boys are doing the snow dance tonight...Jonathon's friends mom told him he had to flush the toilet at 8 and were his jammies inside out...of course he did both right on cue!  When I told Ryan it was time for bed he looked at me completely disgusted..."You know we're not going to have school tomorrow." Remember how many times as a kid you wished for a snow day and it just never happened?  We'll see if the weather folks have it right or not!

Ingredients:  SU DSP, Pink Pirouette and Whisper White; SU Rose Red and Certainly Celery Ink; Embossing Powder; Kaiser Pearls; SU Butterfly Sizzlit; SU Certainly Celery Ribbon; PaperTrey Ink Daily Design Sentiments

Lucy's Glitter Challenge

Collin is absolutely addicted to glitter...so he was thrilled with the blog candy package I received from Laura.  How much fun to receive goodies in the mail!  Thanks so much Laura! 

Laura's package also fit in perfectly with Lucy's Challenge...use glitter on your card somewhere...somehow!  It took a few tries for me to like any of the cards I added glitter to!

I think this card would be perfect for a birthday or someone who maybe going through a tough time that you want to encourage to celebrate the good things going on today!  To make the card, I stamped SU Kraft White and then sprinkled the glitter on. I made the flower following Dawn's technique on her blog.  I've made a few of these flowers but had to laugh at Pat's face as he watched me making them.  He watched me for a while and when I showed him the finished product he said, "You know, the lady at the post office smashes your cards down and keeps saying, 'I'm going to have to charge more if she makes these any thicker.'"  Oh well, what's a girl to do!  Finally, I embossed the pink layer with a swirly embossing folder and added some fun buttons from the stash my nana sent me.

What do you think?  Do you like the blue or the pink card better?  Thanks so much Lucy for the inspiration to use some glitter...people might wonder what I've really been doing with all this glitter :)!  Click on the image if you want to see the embossing a little bit better...need to keep working on taking better photos with my camera!

Ingredients:  SU Kraft, Pink Pirouette, Bordering Blue, SU Ribbon, Button Stash, Stamps:  PTI Turning a New Leaf and Mega Mixed Messages

I Love You So Much

My husband is simply the best.   We've been married for 17 years now and dated for 6 together...so the majority of my life...

He takes care of me.  Friday night, I was coming home from work a late. I get home and his words to me are, "Your spa is waiting for you."  I go upstairs to our bedroom...hot bubble bath, candles, a glass of wine (and a glass of ice water...because he knows most of the time I'll prefer the water), cheese and crackers and my People magazine :).  The boys were all down in the basement too...so no little people trying to run in and out as I catch some down time.

This is just one example of why I love this man so much.  Not just because he cares and loves me...he is an amazing father and friend too.  I am so very blessed.

I used the Mojo Monday sketch for this card and it also fits with Lucy's monochromatic challenge too!

Ingredients:  PTI Kraft Paper, Signature Greetings, Simple Stationery Stamp Sets;  SU Very Vanilla, DSP and Ribbon; Martha Stewart Border Punch

Polka Dots!

The Crazy 4 Challenges challenge this week was to make a card inspired by polka dots and Lucy's Challenge was to make a monochromatic card....have to say I love both...so out came my PaperTrey Ink polka dot background set!

I used Versamark to stamp the polka dots on my paper.  I also used my swiss dots embossing folder for one of the layers on the card.  Each layer was then stitched together to add a little more texture.

For the sentiment, the circle is from PaperTrey's Take Note set and the sentiment is from their Mega Mixed Messages set.  The buttons are PaperTrey too!  I added a little twine to the buttons and the bow for the ribbon and we were set!  The paper and ribbon are from SU!

Hope you like the card! 

You Make Me Smile

I think I should give this card to Jonathon (my nine year old).  He has been making me smile a lot the last few days.  He has fallen in love with reading.  I'm not sure what happened, but he finally wants to read...and read all the time.

Tonight's conversation..."Mom, you know what my three favorite things are?"  "Reading, school and family time....bet you didn't think I'd say those first two....Mom, have you ever read a book and just gotten lost and you can't put it down?" 

Another Jonathon conversation..."Jonathon, you haven't made your list for Santa.  Would you like to make your list?"  "Naah...I don't want to make a list...you just get what you get.  I'll like my presents."  I'm thinking this is the last year he'll probably believe...that makes me not smile.  I love when they believe!

Hope you enjoy this card.  Thanks so much to Lucy for the challenge.  Her challenge was to have wings and string....can you see the little tiny butterfly with the pearl? :) Thanks to Lisa also for the idea for this card.

Ingredients: PTI Turning a New Leaf, Signature Sentiments, Wedding Day; SU Kraft, Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss and Ruby Red Stamps and Paper, PTI Twine, Hero Arts Pearls

Lucy's First Challenge

So fun! Lucy has started doing challenges!  Her challenge was to use pink, aqua and kraft together on a card.  The aqua portion of the card is embossed using my new Sizzix texture plate.  For the flowers, I used my Cricut and stamped on them using PaperTrey Ink's Fancy Flourish set.  I then added some ribbon, twine and pearls to add a little dimension to the card.  The sentiment is a rub on from SU.

The layout of this sketch is from CPS.  I'm looking forward to more challenges from Lucy. Her cards are always so elegant!

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:  Hero Arts Pearls, SU Aqua and Pink Pirouette Paper and Ribbon, PaperTrey Ink Kraft Paper, Twine and Fancy Flourishes; SU Rub Ons and Dimensionals