Joy and woodcut snowflakes.....

    

We have a new card sketch for you today at MDS Monday - Rochelle has a great sketch for us today and an additional challenge to use an embellishment that you haven't normally used.

I seem to purchase a lot of the downloads as they come available and then I forget about them.....these woodcuts are one of those embellishments I want - and then forget about.  So today I've incorporated them in my project!

Rochelle has created  great challenge for us - because her sketch allows room for pretty much any embellisment you've purchased and then left unused.  

Remember to link your project back to the challenge blog so we can take a peak and see what you've created!

Hope you have a fantastic last day of September!!!!!!! I seriously don't know where the month went!

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan

Elliot and Bubbles

It's MDS Monday and Tara has a great sketch for us today.  I love how you can have a feature photo and one that focuses in.  Easy peasy!  

I used the "Amped Up Ampersands" - the papers are so much fun!  There is an embellishment in the set that says "You & Me" - I recreated it with the same colours for the title in the top corner.

Here is the sketch - have fun with it and be sure to link your project back to the MDS Monday blog so we can take a peak.  

Have a fabulous Monday - Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Supplies for this page:

        Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Amped Up Ampersands - designer series paper/Amped Up Ampersands - 6

Embellishments

    Grosgrain Ribbon/Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon

    _Designer Kits/Get It Done - embellishments/Get It Done - tag 1

    Brads/Basic Black - brad

    _Designer Kits/Amped Up Ampersands - embellishments/Amped Up Ampersands - ampersand

    Grosgrain Ribbon - bow/Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon - bow

Stamps

    _Designer Kits/Amped Up Ampersands/Amped Up Ampersands - ampersand, Color = 86,180,146

    Noteworthy Alphabet/Noteworthy Alphabet - b, Color = SUMMER STARFRUIT 214,183,67

Punches

    Basics/1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Designer Series Paper/_Designer Kits/Amped Up Ampersands - designer series paper/Amped Up Ampersands - 5     

Pistachio Coral Happiness

It's a colour day at Sunday Stamps today and it's like we're trying to have one last taste of summer colours before covering up with warm fall hues.  Our colours today are  Mint/Aqua, Coral and Gold and I've used Pistacchio Pudding, Calypso Coral and our new Gold Foil Sheet Paper.  I love this gold paper because it's rich but not too blingy.

The card I've created for this challenge was created early enough to use for my one of my techniques this month.  I've used the Secret Garden stamp set and did the Versa Mark Resist technique.  The greeting is from Yippee Skippee.  

I had a bit of a mistake when I was creating this - I put the edglit die down on my finished paper - thinking to have a white scalloped edge.  Instead it cut the edge off and I ended up with a different "scalloped" edge.....That's why the gold Finishing Touch got added - and it worked perfectly.  I love when your mistakes work out.

I hope you have a wonderfully creative Sunday - we are heading to War Horse tonight and I'm thoroughly looking forward to it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Painted Swallowtail

We're back with another card sketch at MDS Monday and I am the hostess this week.  I have the sketch for you below, and my additional challenge this week is for you to use an oversized image that exceeds the boundaries of the large space....and use a stamped border.

Now I have to admit, when I created this sketch and my example,  it was the day before the first day of school, so I sort of copped out a bit and recreated one of my paper cards HERE - which I actually cased from Andrea Gideon's bleached swallowtail  HERE.

It took a bit of doing, but the colouring behind the stamp was done using the Free Form brush tool in layers.

I hope you have fun with this -  remember to link your project back to MDS Monday so we can take a peak!

Thanks for stopping by,

Joan

Cards and Mountains

Happy Thursday everyone!  I'm totally excited about the package I got in the mail yesterday......the birthday cards I designed on MDS using our school mascot.  All I really did was rework the Welcome Back card I created here......

I gave our cute grizzly a birthday hat and exchanged the apple for a cup cake.  There are 200 of these babies ready to give out to the children this year.  WoooHooo!

Today is actually "Friday" for me.....and this is going to be my home for the next two days.

Yeup - the Banff Springs Hotel.  I'm heading there around noon today with my husband who has meetings, and I get to rest,  work on MDS and art/doodle surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Life is good!

I hope today and this weekend have you surrounded by either people or scenery you love.

Thanks for dropping by!

Joan

Truly Special Season

I'm happy that I got to participate in Merry Monday this week - I've just been wanting to be able to create for fun so made an effort Monday evening to do so....... They have an interesting challenge this week- love it.  Makes your brain work around the requirements!

I've mixed a bit of fall and winter together with this card using the woodgrain from Truly Grateful along with the Special Season tree.

Just a quick post today because I have a full day of teaching and a technique class tonight.  Hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday!

Thanks for taking time to stop by.

Joan

Positive & Negative Hi

I finally got around to playing with the Thinlits Label Card Die - fun fun fun...!  I created two cards using the positive and negative pieces.  And I'm sorry you can see that the light in my stamping room was different between yesterday and today!

First I used the die on the 6 x 5.5 piece of cardstock which they give the instructions for.  I used the punched out "hi" and the largest arrow in the set along with the label and "i heart u" die for the flipside of the label.

For the second card, I used a piece of 8.5 x 5.5 cardstock and shaved off 1/16 from the long edge so that it fit into the die easily.....I slipped the paper under the label section making sure that it the righthand end of the paper rested OVER the die so it wouldn't get cut.

Because the paper still received pressure from going through the Big Shot - there is a "score line" available to fold the flap into your card giving extra space to write messages.....

So - when I created the second card, I used the "negative" space from the "hi" with a piece of Island Indigo underneath.  I stamped the front of the flap

and decorated the inside a bit - still leaving space for writing inside the card.

I do love these thinlits  - especially all the little bits that are included with each.

To get yours you can shop at my on-line store, use this weeks Hostess Code   (UDFPW9MK), and I will send you three cards using the Thinlits dies.  Woo Hoo!   The Hostess Code and this offer are good until September 14.

Don't forget today is MDS download day too!

Hope your Tuesday is Terrific!

Joan

Serendipity Vineyards

Welcome, welcome.....to MDS Monday.  Heidi has a wonderful sketch for us today - we're practicing using the Arrange > Align > and Group functions on MDS.  

One of the things I have the most difficulty with on MDS is selecting DSP!  Part of my problem is probably that I have TOO MUCH digital DSP!  I think I changed the papers on this sketch 3 times before I decided on "Well Worn".  I just kept filling punch boxes - going down my list of selections trying a different series - again and again.  At least all this changing didn't leave me with a bunch of extra scraps on my workspace.  That is one bonus with MDS - no mess!  Or waste, for that matter.

Be sure to take a peak over at MDS Monday for some wonderful inspiration for this sketch.

Hope you have a marvellous Monday!  Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Yippee Skippee Monkeys!

Yipee Skippee it's a new sketch for Sunday Stamps brought to you by Steph!  I'm lovin' these little animals from the Zoo Babies stamp set!  They're just so  cute....so I thought this little monkey would be pleased to help someone celebrate something they're happy about!

Here is the sketch from Steph - you really need to check out the other creations by the rest of the Design Team!  They're awesome - as usual!  Remember to link your project back to the Sunday Stamps  Challenge Blog so we can all take a peek at your creation!

I still have room at my Technique Class this week if you're wanting to stop by to create two cards using the Versa Mark Resist and Joseph's Coat Techniques.

I'm happy we had a fantastic first week at school and I'm gearing up for the next full week.....ooops - actually it's another short week for me because I head to Banff with Greg Thursday afternoon.  LOL!

Hope you have something to look forward to this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan

Upcoming Events...

This week's hostess code is  UDFPW9MK  - valid until September 7.  Place an order through my on-line store or e-mail me with an order and be entered in the draw to receive hostess benefits.  As of September 1 you can order the NEW Envelope Punch Board!  If you order on-line this week, I will send you some premade envelopes as a thank you!

Technique class is September 11 from 6:30-8:30pm

Stamp Club Orders are due September 12.

Inkspired Divas meet September 10 - 6:00-9:00

Joyful Times

Merry Monday morning to you - it's a card sketch day at MDS Monday designed by Holly.  I've decided to create a Christmas card this week....sort of get a jump on things.

I focused primarily on the Joyful Times kit.  I love these ornaments and I "embossed" a few of the snowflakes onto the background.  Be sure to check over at the challenge blog - our Design Team has used Holly's sketch for both cards and scrapbook pages....it's quite versatile.

I hope you are having an enjoyable Labour Day Monday - I'm resting to gear up for the first day of school tomorrow.  I'm totally excited for this new school year - it's going to be great.

Thanks for stopping by

Joan

Amazing, Best, Celebrate.....

Well, I got around to doing a challenge today - and using my new Envelope Punch Board....boy this is going to be dangerous!

Today's card is created for the Friday Mashup! - one of my most favorite challenges.  Here are the parameters:

1. Create a project with using "A-B-C (use elements on your projects starting with the letters A, B, C). "
2. Create a project using a "1-2-3 card recipe (1 embellishment, 2 Stamp Sets, 3 Colors) ."
3. Or Mash it Up and create a project "A-B-C & a 1,2,3 card recipe. "

I have to admit, I had to think a bit.  I wasn't sure how I wanted to incorporate the ABC's.  I pulled out the Express Yourself Hostess set, and the dilemma was solved....amazing, best, celebrate.

I used the Ex Libris stamp set, and stamped it twice to create different layers that have distressed edges. For the butterfly, I stamped it in Tempting Turquoise and then re-inked the edges using a sponge dauber and Bermuda Bay.  Have I mentioned how thrilled I am that Bermuda Bay is now a "regular" colour"!!!!

I created a standard sized envelope using Tempting Turquoise card stock, and stamped it with the Ex Libris and the butterfly.

This Envelope Punch Board can help you create 66 different sized envelopes.....

easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!!!

Here's one of Stampin'Up!s' great videos featuring this new product that is available for sale today...

                          

Visit my on-line store to get yours.

This weeks' Hostess Code is  UDFPW9MK

Thanks for stopping by!

Hope you are having a marvelous long weekend!

Joan

"Create" Banner

Yesterday I finally finished my first banner using the Build a Banner Simply Created Kit (133507).  What fun it is going to be creating things for the entry way and for at school.  

I have to admit that I had some difficulty with spritzing the colour onto the pieces, but the sponge dauber and me are great friends and it worked out perfectly.

I also used the Gift Bow Bigs L Die (129977) for some of the accents - easy peasy lemon squeeze!

I used the Gift Bow die last weekend too creating bows to match the gifts we gave to Haley and Matt for their wedding.  I think I'm going to have fun with this one during the Holiday season!