CAS & KickOff

It's Friday!

It's Summer!

It's the long weekend - WoooHooo!

I'm keeping things Clean and Simple today 'cause there's a lot to get done and I'm raring to go!

For today's main feature I used the colours from Create with Connie and Mary (Basic Black, Real Red and Sahara Sand) and the sketch from   Just Add Ink....which creates a perfect Clean and Simple card.  It's always difficult for me to leave crisp clean card stock - but I backed away today.  The butterfly has some texture - I combined the Elegant Butterfly punch with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit die.

Now on to even more texture....this is the card that my guests will be creating at my Holiday Catalogue Kickoff today.  It contains absolutely NOTHING from the Holiday catalogue - but I've got displays of lots of things that were created with the new toys.....

So - off I go - Hope your day is full of fun stuff to do.

Thanks for taking the time to visit.

Joan

Sunshine Rainboots

Okay - I digressed as I was writing, so I'm going with the card details first and then if you feel like reading on you can...

I used an old sketch from Just Add Ink from quite a while ago and the colours are from Create with Connie and Mary - Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and Early Espresso.  I love these little boots - they're just so cute.  They come from a Hostess set that will be available....TOMORROW!  I almost added some "mud" to the bottom of one boot - but decided agains it.

Anyway...

What a wonderful day it has been.  At school I got to see a couple of women friends who I haven't seen in a while and the morning was full of hugs.  Then I had a fantastic lunch with my dear friend, Lori, who I hadn't seen in a while - Thanks again Lori ......so I'm living in the sunshine today - in colourful rain boots!

Gosh I wish we had rain boots like the ones I see the kids wearing sometimes.  I remember as a young adult having a pair of white gum boots that I wore when I took Brownies to camp.....

.....I'm pretty sure that if I had those white gum boots today, I'd be stamping on them with Staz-On ink!  Which reminds me - I never shared my iPhone cover that I stamped over a month ago.  Actually, this is the second edition.  I stamped the white case with Staz-On Black, but the images did start rubbing off after a couple of weeks.  So I took everything off, with nail polish remover, and started over.  This time, I added a coat of Crystal Effects overtop and it has endured a month of use.  I may put another coat on eventually.

I like it because it's just so - Me!

Thanks for stopping by to visit - Hope your day has been full of sunshine!

Joan

Simple Christmas

That carpet of leaves outside is getting deeper and deeper - and crunchier and crunchier - so I know that the days are numbered before Christmas will be here.  I have read on a couple of websites how many weeks or days there are - but I don't really want to give the fall up yet.

Today's card uses the sketch from Just Add Ink this week, and has a simple nature to it for keeping it simple over at Stampin' Royalty.  What simpler way to dress up a wintery or Christmasy card than with either the snowflake embossing folder or the Northern Frost Strip Die.  On top of that, the Silver Glimmer paper makes it supper easy to add glitz to the snowflakes.

I had my first practice with the Grade 4 handchimes today at lunch - they're so excited, and did pretty well for the first day.  Looking forward to a good year.
Thanks for dropping by for a visit - Joan

Creative Element Welcome

Got a relatively early start in the craft room this morning - now I can go outside and play!

I've combined the colours from Picture Perfect Creations (Pumpkin Pie, Lucky Limeade, Rose Red, Island Indigo) and the sketch from Just Add Ink; although I shortened the main section so that I could add the welcome without interfering with the swirls.

Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday Monday.  I'm off to play outside while my husband watches the annual CFL rival games.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit - Toodles -
Joan

Newprint Amour

Extra, Extra - Having fun in the craft room!!!!

I am wishing I was back in Paris though!  Oh well - some other summer!  It's fun looking through this DSP to see the different ads.

This sketch is from this week's Just Add Ink.  Fairly simple sketch - but the different ways that people interpret the sketch makes each one unique.  That's the thing I love about sketch challenges!!!

Have a fantastic day!  Thanks for stopping by - Joan

Dragonflies and Songbirds

I think I may have used a few too many notes for this one! Our Creative Corner's Challenge this week was to create a monochromatic card - but they put a twist on the challenge requiring projects to be created with the pale neutrals and accented with the dark neutrals. The sketch is from Just Add Ink.


When I looked through the stones on the Doodletart Glass website, for this week's SCS Inspiration Challenge, I knew right away I wanted to use the dragonfly bead as my inspiration. I just love dragonflies - and fondly remember the Monday morning I came into my classroom to find one flying around the room after breaking out of it's nymph casing. I was teaching wetlands at the time, and had a fish tank full of pondwater with all sorts of waterlife. I was able to show the kids the casing still holding onto the stalk of grass it had climbed up. Too cool!!!

Any way - the bead, shown below, struck my fancy! I used the swirly Baroque Motif embossed with gold on regular cardstock and Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy to sponge on colour. I'm not sure why I decided to "paper tole" the dragonfly - but I did. You can't really tell in the photo, but there are two layers. I also put a bit of Smooch on his wings to make them sparkle a little. The Coluzzle was used to make the different ovals and space them out. I still like using it because I can see the image within the ovals - unlike using the dies for the Big Shot.

Stamping Royalty was looking for cards celebrating Mom's this week - so I found an appropriate sentiment that wasn't for "Mother's Day". It's from an older set of rub-ons.

It's a short short week of school - only three days - then a 5 day weekend....WooooHoooo! I hope you have something to look forward to this week - thanks for taking time to stop by for a visit.
Joan

Honey Hive

I haven't worked with these busy little bees for quite a while.....they're out ready to visit the flowers that are being requested over at Just Add Ink Challenges.

I used the Scallop Trim border to create a fancy edge around the Tangerine Tango circle. The piece of ribbon is just "laced" through two holes and the centre portion is covered by the paper flower.

I'm hoping to be up in the wee hours of the morning with my daughter watching the Royal Wedding.....or at least part of it. Luckily I don't have kids at today.

Hope your Friday is Fantastic and full of flowers! Thanks for stopping by. Joan

Remember When

It's amazing how small the world has become, and what we can learn about one another while blogging. Today's card incorporates the challenge this week over at "Just Add Ink" - which is based out of Australia - and the challenge is to feature friendship or mateship to commemorate ANZAC day - a historical day for Australia and New Zealand on April 25.

We need to remember things in history, both nationally and personally with our friends and family - so I figured the sentiment works well both ways. There's also the fact that this is Easter Weekend - which also gives those of faith a lot to reflect on, to remember and be thankful for.

The sketch for this card is from Splitcoast this week - although it has been skewed slightly.

Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Thanks-Merci

I was on a roll this afternoon - got three challenges included in this card....
Splitcoast Colour Challenge - Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Neutral
Just Add Ink - Sketch
Random Amusing Challenge - Using more than one punch or die cut

Hope you are enjoying warmer temperatures - I'm loving the sun, especially later in the evening. It shines so nicely in my stamping room.
Thanks for stopping by today - Joan

Monochromatic Mustard

Good morning and welcome to another snow day! We really are going to have to get the snowshoes out soon! But, I'm willing to stay inside and play so all is good. As long as you don't have to do a lot of traveling, I do find the falling snow quite peaceful!

Today's card covers two challenges
Mojo Monday - Sketch
Just Add Ink - Monochromatic - I just love creating monochromatic cards!

I'm off to get ready for next weekend's Extravaganza- can't wait, because some of my new team members are coming along! WooooHoooo!

Stay warm, Stay dry! Thanks for stopping by! Joan

Stamp Set/s - Bliss (Upcoming SAB)
Paper - More Mustard, Whisper White, Regal Patterns Stack DSP
Ink - More Mustard
Other - Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder, White Grosgrain ribbon, Basic Pearls, Paper Daisies, Oval Punch, Oval Scallop Punch, Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber, Mini Glue Dots