Tangerine Lime Garden

Aha - I got a challenge in before heading to the city - challenge done and posted!  I'm on a roll!

The sketch for this card comes from this weeks' Freshly Made Sketches.  I changed it up a bit....where the leaves are overlapping the white there was a long thin piece - paper, ribbon....whatever....so I incorporated the leaves coming from the lower layer.

The colours are based on the picture inspiration from over at Stampin' Royalty.  Bold, bright, sun shiny flowers.  Full of the promise of spring - even though we are under a winter storm warning for tonight.  It was a beautiful sunny morning, but the clouds are starting to gather.  The nice thing about this time of year is that snow can't really stick around that long.

So, I'm off to the city.  Hope your are having your own sunny shiny day - thanks for the visit!

Joan

Happy Snow Day

At this point, I'm not sure we'll ever have a snow day this year - but winter has only just begun I guess, January could have a whole lot of snow in store. 

My creation today covers three challenges:
Hand Stamped Sentiments - is looking for a unique fold this week so I created an easel card, with the top part of the easel resting against a small pile of "snow" created with Dazzling Details.
Stampin' Royalty is challenging people to create a Winter or Christmas themed card.
SUO Challenges - is to create a Merry, Happy, and Everything Joyous card.

I added Dazzling Details to the tops of the letters to create the illusion of snow having fallen on them.  The Bear's toque is actually Sock Monkey's Santa Hat with the point removed; and I drew the snowy hills freehand.

Only one more day of school - and I must say - teaching until December 23 is NUTS - I can only imagine what the kids will be like tomorrow knowing the next day is Christmas Eve.  However, on a positive note - my two concerts went very well - as I knew they would in the end.

Here's hoping you are as ready as necessary for your holiday celebrations.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit.
Joan

So....I lied.....

I thought that the card I made last week was the last Halloween card - but when I saw the sketch from Create with Connie and Mary - I absolutely envisioned the haunted house as the focal point - so here we are!  The card also goes with the spooky/creepy Halloween challenge this week at Stampin' Royalty.

I'm keeping this short and sweet - my husband and I are heading to Calgary this weekend to a Fine Arts Conference.  I'm looking forward to a number of the classes that I'm going to be taking.

Hope your weekend turns into something you're looking forward to.

Thanks for stopping by - 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

Halloween Sentiments

 Well, I kinda think that the two day headache I had squelched some of my Mojo - I'm not that happy with this card - sorry.  The sketch is from Stampin' Royalty and this week the ladies over at Hand Stamped Sentiments are looking for Halloween cards.

I need to get some workshop business done this afternoon, and then I get to go out for dinner with my husband - gotta love Groupons!  Hope your evening is enjoyable too.  Thanks for dropping by!  Joan

Be Yourself - Be Muddy

 I'm so sorry to the ladies over at Stampin' Royalty - I saw the wonderful delicious looking cupcakes (even though they're candles they look good enough to eat - and who wouldn't want a waffer cookie on top of a cupcake!!!!!)  for their Picture Inspiration Challenge -  I immediately saw little piggies in mud.  I opted for two clean piggies and one who's been playing in the mud.  I even daubed some Chocolate Chip on the button to dirty it up a bit.

Now I'm hungry staring at these "cupcakes" - gotta go find something sweet.  Have a wonderful day - and thanks for visiting.

Changing Seasons

 I didn't intend to make two "cool weather" cards today - it's nice and sunny here and after posting this I'll be heading to the deck to enjoy it - sat out for a while this morning with my coffee and had a beautiful red dragonfly land on me and visit for a while.

Anyway - Stampin' Royalty are asking you to "Bring on the Bling" with their challenge this week - and holy crow does this new silver Glimmer Paper dazzle!!!!!  In a sunny room you almost need sunglasses to work with it!  (I don't usually use my flash when I take pictures of my cards, but I did today to bring out the bling!) This paper will certainly add a lot to Christmas projects!!!!

This was actually the first card I created this morning - but couldn't see how to add any bling to it.  The sketch is from SCS (I didn't keep to it totally) and I was inspired by THIS card by Taylor Ursy.  I loved the flowers she had on the watercolor paper - so I tried it with these leaves and this will turn into one of my workshop cards for this fall!!!

S0 - off to enjoy the sun - hope you have some in your area of the world to enjoy today.  Thanks for taking time to stop by for a visit!
Joan

Oh - and a special thanks to Lesley for adding some music to my banner - I love it!

Treat Yourself

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What an easy sketch today over at Stampin' Royalty!  I had to redo my large pink piece because of a smudge - it's amazing how ink can sneak onto your fingers when you're not looking!!!  I perked the "background" up a bit by adding a little Crystal Effects - I need to go back and add it to the headlight on the scooter too.

I finally got around to doing a real-live scrapbook page today too.   I've had these pictures out ready to work with for quite a while - I totally CASED a scrapbook layout from Spring 2009 Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine.  The original page was made by Tracey Kuzniak.  And oh do I remember walking in on this mess in 1990!  Grant was so please with himself - keeping so quiet and busy after waking up from his nap.  It was a mess to clean up - but one of those "must capture" moments.Covered in Penaten Cream - Sticky gooey Mess!

Keep an eye open for those special moments - they're never repeated.  Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Sweet Life

One of the great things about summer in our little city is the annual opening of the outdoor ice cream stand.  They have wonderful ice cream and places to sit under umbrellas.  So, for the Stampin' Royalty challenge of a Summer Card this week, I chose to create an ice cream cone, because it's the only time we get to go to Millers.

The sketch is from Splitcoast's Sketch challenge.

I'm loving the new white Baker's Twine - I prefer to sew my buttons on - being an old seamstress.

I hope your summer is full of treats - Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Askew Trees for Dad

I know I've mentioned, from time to time, my aversion to plain paper. I usually feel the need to spritz it, distress it - something. I do occasionally leave it blank - but I am absolutely loving this square lattice embossing folder for adding texture without "messing up" the whole look of the card. Just as I did the other day - I attached the coloured stripes to a black background and then put it through the Big Shot.

This card falls under two challenges this week - the Color Throwdown - Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron. Also, Stampin' Royalty is looking to celebrate Dad this week.

My concert is over - I feel it went very well and got quite a lot of positive feedback from parents. I awoke this morning with the realization of another way the kids at my school ROCK! Once the concert was done, they started dismantling everything (grades 5 & 6) to take back to the music room without even a word from me. It wasn't until this morning that I realized that the music room had been put back exactly as it should be - everything in it's place. Yes, I am anal about things, and yeah I know the kids know it (although that's not the term they'd use, I'm sure) It's just comforting to know that there are youth who take the initiative to do what needs to be done and to do it well. I appreciate that so much.

Anyway - I'm a happy camper - and a campfire with camp songs is the next thing on my agenda before the end of the year. Hope you have something worth appreciating in your day today. Thanks for taking the time to stop by for a visit.
Joan

Roll with the Punches...

Ya just gotta love punches.....they can be so so versatile. Butterflies turn into flowers and straight lines can turn corners..

I know these pansies have been around for a while, but today was the first time I'd ever made them. A Colour Dare Design Team-mate, Lesley (Always Playing with Paper), used them yesterday on her Color Dare card, and I promised myself I would give them a try. The tutorial that both of us used is from Kathy - the Paper Stamper. I used watercolour paper instead of regular or Shimmer paper. I got so hooked on making them that I even went to look for the different colour variations that pansies come in. They are one of my favorite flowers because they are just so happy looking. The sketch I used for this card is from Stampin' Royalty.

I created this second card a couple of days ago using the Paper Players Sketch Challenge and the Stamping 411 Color Inspiration which was Rose Red, River Rock and Always Artichoke. I used one the the flowers from the Triple Layer Punch to create the flowers on the outside of the oval.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the "Fabulous Phrases" stamp set, which I recently got, and desperately hope it won't end up on the retiring list June 1. Guess I don't have to wait long to find out! I find it such an exciting time of year in Stampin' Up!

Well, hope there are some things in your world that you are looking forward to. Remember to look for the good - don't dwell on the bad.....although it can be hard sometimes!
Have a terrific Thursday!
Blessings, Joan

Birdie Birthday

Sometimes it's good to pull out some of the older stamp sets - I decided that this little bird from "Pun Fun" needed to come out to play for the Stamping Royalty Challenge to include birds within your project this week. It was fun to paper piece their bodies and bellies.

Hope you are having a great beginning to your long weekend. Thanks for taking the time to stop 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

Butterflies in the Grass

Finally got onto the computer - my son has been hanging here today - got my card created this morning, but haven't gotten to the computer until now. It's not totally his "fault" though - we sat and watched a movie together which was very nice. He has to work tomorrow so he's hanging with me today - I'm so blessed!

S0 - today's butterflies are nestling in the grass today with the Stampin' Royalty Challenge Colours and the Stamping 411 Challenge sketch. The colours are Rich Razzleberry, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point and Real Red. I definitely found it a challenge - but I'm happy with the final results.

Stamp Set/s - Inspired by Nature, Butterfly Prints Paper - Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, DSP, Red Glimmer Paper Ink - Wild Wasabi, Basic Black Accessories - Basic Rhinestones, Oval Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Butterfly Wings Embosslits Die, Rich Razzleberry Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers.


Here is another Extravaganza Card. I don't actually have this flower set, but I like it. Big and Bold!

On to watch the hockey game with the boys -
Hope you have had a wonderful Saturday - Happy Mother's Day to you tomorrow.
Thanks for Stopping by - Joan

Sailboat Imagining

Wow - I lucked out on the watercolours today - if I do say so myself.
I was working through the Colour Throw Down - which is Navy, White and another colour. I pulled out all sorts of scraps to gain the second colour, but wasn't satisfied with what I was seeing. I knew I wanted to use the striped piece from the Regals Patterns DSP, and I knew I wanted to use the Sailboat image from the upcoming Summer Mini......so I finally decided to use Marina Mist as my second colour and tried creating a sky scene.

I just happened across a challenge that included a Nautical theme this week - over at Raise the Bar Challenge Blog. I had been looking for some sort of sketch challenge through the "Daily Dare" - and clicked on Raise the Bar's link - I was happy to join their challenge this week since I already had my sailboat in mind. They are looking for Blue/White/Stripes in the creations for this week.

I've also found a new Challenge Blog using mostly SU designs - Stampin' Royalty - and they are looking for "wet" watercolour cards this week.

The sailboat is stamped on watercolour paper with Staz-On Ink and being inexperienced in watercolour, I was excited to see how the clouds sort of formed by themselves through the ink. I was working with an aqua painter and just a dab of re-inker in the lids of the inkpads. For the sails, I used my aqua painter to apply Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.

I got our taxes done today too - so I'm clear for the rest of the weekend to relax and craft.

Thanks for stopping by - Joan