Warm Bermuda Boot

Well, it's Wednesday and I finally made it back into my craft room and finished to card I started for the Merry Monday Challenge this week - to create a Christmas Card using Aqua, Silver and White.

I chose to use Bermuda Bay as my Aqua colour - I love love love Bermuda Bay!

I used the Paper Players sketch from this week too - clean and simple - so the card came together easily.  I still have a difficult time with complete empty untouched space - so I threw down a few rhinestones for fun!

Tomorrow is a half day of teaching so I'm hoping to get a bit more stamping done - if I'm not exhausted again from this dog-gone cough I've still got!

Hope you are healthy and happy in your little corner of the world

Thanks for stopping by - 

Joan

Oh Baby!

Marie has a fun sketch for us today over at Sunday Stamps, and the design team members have some fabulous projects for inspiration!

I decided to create a baby card with this one - I just love the little shoes that are included in this set….and the little bunny is so so sweet.  I can't wait until we get the new Blendabilities markers so I can do a better job of shading things in.

Hope you are having a super Sunday and that you find some time to play with us at Sunday Stamps.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Have a great day - Joan

Buttercup Monster

WooHoo Wednesday! I love seeing what the Freshly Made Sketches gals have every week.  They never disappoint!

I love the pennants framelits that we have now and I am having fun combining the Word Bubble framelits with words from sets other than the set they match.  I pulled out my little Monstermaniacs again - they're just so cute.  I managed to fussy cut the eyelashes, but there was no way I was going to attempt the antennae!  She is popped up on the card.

I couldn't think of any sort of embellishment I wanted to add, so I used one of the pieces from the Circle Card Thinlits to get some small chevron shapes that fit perfectly on the embossed piece.  These little pieces are also popped off the card.

Hope your Wednesday has had something in it to make you cheerful.  Thanks for dropping in for a visit.

Joan

Vellum Noel

Welcome to the first day of December and a wonderful sketch from Hayley at Sunday Stamps.

I found this card quick to put together with the bits and pieces I had left over from the card camps I've been holding.  Each of the pieces from this card come from leftovers on my craft table - all I had to do was emboss the background, stamp the Noel, and cut out the poinsettia.  I've raised the square piece a bit because of the large flower.

I do like to do that sometimes - pull "scraps" off my desk or out of my drawer and use them.  Try out the sketch and let us see your creation by linking it back to the Sunday Stamps blog.  We have an array of fabulous inspiration from the Design Team.

The count down is now on - Christmas Concerts, shopping, decorating and celebrating.

Hope your December is off to a good start.

Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Ombre Thank You

Hey, Hey, Hey - Happy Friday everyone.  I got the Friday Mashup completed this afternoon and.....my paper pumpkin for this month put together - so I'm on a roll!

This week the Friday Mashup was...

1. Create a project with a  "Tree or Leaves."
2. Create a project using the "Color Orange."
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Project with Leaves/ Tree & the Color Orange."

I decided to create an ombre background to incorporate the Orange.....and well as having orange leaves with a Pumpkin Pie button to gather everything together.  Clean and simple....not something I accomplish very often.

 

I also put together the Paper Pumpkin Memo Medley.  It's something I'm going to keep in my stamping room to help me keep track of things!

Hope your weekend has happy crafting elements in it.  I'm hoping to do some prep work for my November events.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for dropping by,

Joan

Vellum Poinsettia

Happy Friday - 

I have seen this poinsettia done on vellum in a number of places and just had to try it!  I love the effect - and it works perfectly with the sketch for Freshly Made Sketches; although I did not create a square card.

Clean and simple, easy peasy.....a great card for a Christmas Stack!

Twenty-seven years ago today I married an extraordinary man - can't image life without him.

Hope you have something of some sort to celebrate today.

Thanks for stopping by - Joan

Fall Thank You

Thought I'd take a quick opportunity to do a challenge before continuing to get ready for my card camp on Saturday.

I picked the sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments - pretty straight forward and fun.  I added a couple extra embellishments.

I finished my fall banner for my entry way - which I cased from Michelle Zindorf - so I've done a lot of sponging  lately.  I keep forgetting to use the doilies we have - and sponging them with colour gets them to co-ordinate with any project!

Here is my banner - I'm happy with how it turned out.

Hope your week it travelling along well - 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

The LIfe You Imagined

What a fabulous colour combination we have today at Sunday Stamps.  I don't use purple very often, and I certainly wouldn't go to Turquoise  as a combination - but I absolutely love this combo.  It can be worked into either a masculine or feminine card.  Today, I've opted for the masculine touch...I think.

The background was created with the coral form "By the Tide" and I stamped and fussy cut the shells.  Two of them have had the ink stamped off, but your can't really tell.  The greeting is from "Really Good Greetings".  They are all sort of whimsical - fun to use.

I used a bit of the new In Colour - Baked Brown Sugar stretch ruffle trim. 

Hope you have fun creating with this combo!  Check out the inspiring projects by the rest of the Design Team at the Sunday Stamps  Blog -  And don't forget to leave a link so we can check in to see what you've designed.

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan 

Embossed Thank You

Good Sunday Stamps Morning - This week Tara has a wonderful colour combination for us - Gold is part of the combination - so you can feel free to use our wonderful Gold Glimmer paper, or go for the gold embossing like I did.

I featured the Everything Eleanor stamp set this week, using 6 of the 8 images.  The only things I didn't use were the stems for the flowers and the little bird.  I really like this combo that Tara came up with - check out what the rest of the design team has come up with this week at the Sunday Stamps blog.

You have until Friday May 10 at 6:00 EST to post a link to your creation for us to see.

Thanks for stopping by - Have a fantabulous day.

Joan

Smiley Sunshine

I don't often create rosettes - but I just had to for this sun.  The little scallop sort of makes me giggle because it makes the sun look like he has puffy little cheeks - he's happy about it too.

Anyway......I created this card quickly for the Friday Mashup.  One part of their challenge this week was to create a card with sunshine and the other was to create an easel card.  I left off the easel part this time - knowing I would want to put a lot of time into it, which I don't have this weekend.

So - I'm happy with this little guy.  Hope there is sunshine in your little corner of the world.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit - pop by my booth at the Fort Saskatchewan Trade Fair if you are in the area.

Joan

Zebra Birthday

Happy Monday - I've got the Friday Mashup for you today - a great sketch with a Birthday Theme.

The sketch could include a little scallop  - so instead of using a punch or edgelit, I created a "scallop" by fussy cutting some masked stamps from the "Postage Due" set and combined it with a piece of Natural Trim ribbon and a banner with the greeting.

Here's the sketch for the birthday theme.

Hope you have a fabulous day - thanks for stopping by to visit.

Joan

'Brellas & Boots & Piano Hands

The Friday Mashup! this week included using umbrellas in your project - I tried very hard to absorb the positive energy from this card, considering it was snowing yesterday while I was making it.  I know spring will come, I know spring will come.

The second part of the Mashup was to use a Double Z Fold.  I was going to use a belly band to help keep the card shut, but it would get in the way of the umbrellas - so I decided to use the Decorative Label punch tucked under one of the umbrellas to keep it shut.

The Kissing Technique was used for the second umbrella using "Beyond Plaid".

Here is the Challenge:

1. Create a project using an "Umbrella Image".
2. Create a "Double Z Fold Card".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Double Z Fold Card with an Umbrella Image".

I've also been working on getting Elliot's "First Year" book finished.  This is a plain and simple page - but it's a theme we will return to repeatedly.  

Here is the first time we took piano pictures.

He's my little sweetheart!!!!

Hope you have someone in your life that you absolutely love to pieces - young or old!

Thanks for dropping by -

Joan

Hooray Elephant

I was playing with this little elephant in preparation for the weekend - I used the wrong colour - so created this card so she didn't get wasted!  The stamp set is called "Henry Says" so I guess today her name is Henrietta!

I am loving these little flowers!  They are so easy to colour with a sponge dauber to match whatever is happening on your creation.

Our little friend is on Razzleberry hills - which means she is no where near where I live 'cause the snow just keeps coming down.  Ah well - it will disappear eventually.

Hope you're having a marvelous day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan

Christmas Bells

I did up a card for the Merry Monday Challenge - Love the sketches because they are quick and easy...and yet you can add to them too. (I added the bit of crochet trim)

I took a tip from the current "Stampin' Success" magazine that we get as Demonstrators....The music paper is actually a piece of our Natural Composition Designer Series Paper - it's already embossed and all I did was ink up the paper using a sponge and wiped the excess off the embossed areas.  I love the effect....especially since it's musical!

I embossed the holly leaves in gold on Always Artichoke paper and then embossed the bells on Very Vanilla and coloured them in by putting marker on the "shaded" areas and pulling the ink into the rest of the image with a blender pen.

Both the greeting and the bells have been raised with dimensionals.

Hope your week is moving along Merrily!

Thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Butterfly Wings

I thought of this card this morning before I went to school after checking what the sketch was yesterday over at Freshly Made Sketches.  I knew right away that I wanted to do something different than the Top Note Shape - and decided on the butterfly....and I knew right away that I didn't want it to be lying flat on the paper.  So, before I left for school I stamped two "exact" images of the Swallowtail and left them to dry.

It's taken a while to finish the card this afternoon - I'm a bit distractive these days - but here she is.  

I cut out both butterflies, but only attached one duplicate wing so that only the wing flies off the page.

I am totally loving this Swallowtail!  Hope to see it in the July Idea Book!  (Just saying.)

Hope you've had a marvelous day.  I came home to cupboards and a fridge all cleaned out and re-organized.  Gotta love Reading Week!  And my husband is hot on the campaign trail for Vice President of the Alberta Teacher's Association....so it's been a good day for everyone here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan

Wish Big Bow Ties

It's been a very busy day - cleaning, finally getting rid of the big fish tank and a bit of crafting.  Two challenges in one card - 

I used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week - tweaked a bit and I've used the colours from the Colour Throwdown.... Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Kiwi Kiss.  

I like these bow ties from "Dapper Dad" - new in the Spring Catalogue.  They make me think of my husband who is working towards a different tie for every day of school.  I've also used the new Natural Trim Ribbon again - I just love it's texture.

I created this page a couple of months ago, in my altered book - I had started out with stamping the flourish from "Elements of Style"  It didn't end up stamping very well on the book pages because they were a bit bumpy from being glued together - so I sorta embellished the stamped images with more doodles.  For the colour I added some drops of re-inker to the page and then spritzed in with water.

I'm planning on making some little hand bound notebooks with our Stampin'Up! paper so that the ink acts "properly".  I never know what result I'll get  on published book pages.....but I have fun anyway.

Hope you're day was eventful - thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Birthday Balloon with Soda Pop?

It's sort of amazing how much crafting I can get done when I don't have to teach during the day!  I'm getting business stuff, challenges and "just for me" crafting done.  It feels good.  

Today's card is for the colour challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  I haven't joined these ladies in a very long time either.  Their colours this week are -  Pool Party, Primrose Petals and Black.  I added the new Soda Pop Top - thought I'd give them a try since I earned them.  Not quite sure what I think.....

Thought I'd share another Mandala...since I've been creating them every day, but not sharing them.

Before I drew the mandala I covered the pages of my "altered art journal" with a couple of our Lattice pieces and sponged various green inks onto the page.  Under the mandala I've used a spritzer tool with the matching markers.  I had the big wax paper butterfly left over from a scrapbook page I did in the summer.  I think this is one of my favorite pages.

Anyway - hope you are having a great week - it's the first hump day of the year.

Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Joan

Sunday Stamps Spider

Woooo Booooooo - it's a sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps this week and Holly has a super easy one for us to work with.  

I decided to create a Halloween card using some of the things I have left over from the Ghoulish Googlies Kit: the tag and the googlie eyes.  Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details was used on the spokes of the embossed spider web, the thread the "fussy cut" spider is hanging from and on the "o's" of BOOOO.

Give this sketch a try  - check out what the rest of the Design Team has come up with this week at the Sunday Stamps blog.  Also, when your creation is finished link it to the Sunday Stamps blog so we can see your project.  

It's hard to believe that Halloween is creeping on us quickly and then we'll be in full fledged holiday mode, report card mode and concert mode.  No rest for the weary!  Hope you are having a fantastic day - thanks for stopping by.

Joan

Sunday Stamps Tea

Good Sunday Stamps Day!  Haley has an awesome colour combination for us today - I enjoyed getting away from the fall and Christmas colours for a bit.  Also, I used this last weeks sketch from Mojo Monday.

I hadn't used my Tea Shoppe set for a while, so pulled it out for this challenge.  I inked up the large tea cup and took a blender pen to remove some of the ink from the little flowers.

Make sure you check out the Sunday Stamps Challenge Blog to see what the design team has come up with for this colour challenge.  Also - link your project to the blog so that we can see what you've created.

Next week - another sketch challenge....

Hope you have a marvelous day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Joan