Imagine Paris Possibilities

 

Oh I love this new Mocha Morning Specialty paper - it's so rich!  Of course bit of velvet swirled on anything makes it rich.  I've used the Sketch from Our Creative Corner today.

I received a warm fuzzy from my daughter this morning....she saw the card I made yesterday - with the cupcake.  She said, "Oh, someone has to have a birthday soon 'cause this card is so pretty."  It made me feel good after the fuss I had with it yesterday.

Spent a bit more time stamping today - I made up some sticky-note packages with matching pens to stock up on Hostess/Door Prize stuff.

I copied one that my friend, Amy, made a number of years ago for our staff at school with our Mascot on it.  There are large magnets on the back so it can stick on the fridge.  The pens have a piece of DSP inside.  Everything is quick, easy, and I'm not sure why I've waited so long to put them together.  I've had the supplies for ages!

That's how it works sometimes though - Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for taking time to stop by.
Joan

And We're Done....

I must say that after a productive morning/afternoon - the afternoon/evening took a tailspin and I'm done!  After I'm done posting here, I'm going to hunker down with a bowl of popcorn and watch some mindless television....which I rarely do.  Better find a good movie I guess.

Today's card is courtesy of the Friday Mash-Up!  I so look forward to these to see what the combination is going to be...

• Create a card with buttons OR
• Create a card with cupcakes OR
• Create a card with buttons and cupcakes.

I so rarely use this cupcake die for the Big Shot I thought I'd pull it out for this challenge.  The colours are from Just Add Ink - Cajun Craze, Peach Parfait, Bashful Blue and Very Vanilla.  

For the icing on the cupcake I used the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder and then added some of the new Dazzling Details to the ridges.  I did put the cupcake holder through the crimper, but after squooshing it to get the sticky tape to stick, the ridges disappeared a little.

The card is good - I'm happy with it, I just need to sit and not move for a while, because I can't seem to just do one thing alone this evening.  I went upstairs after finishing this card and somehow proceeded to clean out the sideboard, and a china cupboard, and iron  (yes I said IRON) some linen napkins.  That's after repotting a whole whack of house plants earlier.

Sheeesh - I need school to start soon !!!!  Hope your evening/day is restful!  Thanks for dropping by!
Joan

Water Play & Prep

Well, fancy that....I've found a new Challenge Blog - Create with Connie and Mary.  They alternate between Colour Challenges and Sketch Challenges.  This week's Colour Challenge is Tangerine Tango, So Saffron and Pacific Point.  Gotta admit that I moaned when I saw Pacific Point, but all turned out well for these little guys spending time in the water!

To create the "lake" I used my Aquapainter to pick up ink from the inside of the Pacific Point stamp pad.  Because I was using the aquapainter the colour wasn't as strong as I applied it, but it keeps the Pacific Point hue.

I haven't used this fold (Gatefold) for a card for YEARS.  I think it's still a bit plain, but I'm going to leave it as is.  On the inside of the card I have attached a white piece of cardstock with the children stamped along the bottom in Tangerine Tango.

I'm in the process of creating projects for my September workshops.  I came across a version of this card by Onja Ming on Stampin' Connection.  I really liked how she had placed the ribbon BEHIND the punched border.  I always like to be able to give my stampers something to decorate their envelopes with - and it's usually a stamp that is used on the card itself - hmmmm - no stamp on this card except for the sentiment - NO Problem - I decided to take another piece of the Lace Ribbon Border and using it as a "stencil" to create the design on the envelope.

I just love it when the ol' lightbulb comes on over my head!  Hope your day has some AHaaa moments in it too.  Thanks for visiting.
Joan

Treat Yourself

-

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

Watercolour Pear

Well, I spent the morning cleaning cupboards in the kitchen (wanted to do only one and ended up doing three - that whole migration of work thing happening again - yikes!)  Then I spent time designing a tin to put a series of Christmas tags in for a class - I am pleased as punch with the way it turned out and will share it with you another day.  Finally I nestled into a couple of challenges for the day -

Hand Stamped Sentiments is looking for either real or faux stitching on this weeks project.  I knew I was going to use this pear image because the SUOnly Challenge is  to use one of your new favorite stamp sets (or your favorite one in general if you haven't gotten any new ones lately).  As soon as I saw this Faith in Nature Hostess set I knew I wanted to have it; so I picked it as one of my Pre-Orders in June (Just one of those perks about being a SU demonstrator).

I used Staz-On ink and then the Aquapainter with So Saffron and Old Olive to paint the pear.  The mat pack, paper piercing tool and Soft Suede fine tip marker helped me to create the faux stitching along the edge.  For the River Rock "matt" I used the new "Stripes" embossing folder and put the paper through in two directions giving the paper a cool woven effect.  Finally the DSP is from the Well Worn package.

Remember that Stampin'Up! has a fantastic special on Designer Series Paper until the end of the month - Buy 3 packages and get one FREE.  Let me know if you'd like me to set you up with some (you can truly never have too much DSP!), or visit the Designer Series Paper "department" of my on-line store at my website. Your order will sent directly to you!

Well, I'm now going to focus on working on some more pages for the Anniversary book I'm making for my husband and I  on My Digital Studio.  I'm going to have it printed into a book by SU so I'm on a bit of a time-line.

Deadlines are good for us - hope you have some goals your aiming for too - thanks for taking the time to stop by for a visit.
Joan

Snowman in August...

I've been waiting to get my hands on this snowman set - and today was the day.  I've used the Mojo Monday Sketch - except I flipped it so that I could have the little birds rolling along the bottom.

I've used a new "Snow Burst" Embossing Folder from the upcoming Holiday Mini.  I'll purchase ANY embossing folder I think - I just love when the paper has texture!  While looking at the card just now, I've realized that I neglected to put the rhinestone into the centre of the snowflake which Snowman is holding - so you'll have to use your imagination!  I will be adding it for sure!

And now - I want to give a HUMUNGOUS THANK YOU to Lesley Croghan from Always Playing with Paper!  She offered to help me with creating a new SU banner for my blog - and then she surprised me with the design you see above - and I LOVE it!!!!  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you - Lesley!!!!!!

I accomplished an awful lot today - ya know when you start one job and it sort of migrates into an additional job.....today I cleaned the linen cupboard, the back entryway and took labels off old wine bottles.  (My husband should be bottling some time before the school year starts again)  I had to go pick up the quilts that were at the cleaners because nights are getting a bit cooler this week - if you keep the windows open.

Tomorrow - who knows what's in store!  But I'm ready for anything, and I'm sure some crafting will be included!  Hope you're able to include some crafting in your day - and thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Kiss, Kiss, Kiss

Ooo - Ooo - Ooo - I must say I was tickled pink when I saw the challenge over at The Paper Players today.  I have been waiting for a pink challenge so I could pull out the "lip stick" for this stamp.  Allison is the one who wanted this stamp - but we share. The colour challenge at Paper Players is - Pretty in Pink, Rose Red and Regal Rose.

I used my craft inks for the lips and then covered them with clear embossing powder so they would shine.  I am loving the font for the "Hand-Penned Holiday" stamps which are coming up in the Holiday Mini.

I must say that this card is a duplicate of THIS ONE I created with the  butterflies.

I spent yesterday afternoon re-creating the paper flowers from the July Stampin'Success front cover...I added a few extra colours of my own - I have to "copy" first sometimes before the creative juices start to flow...  I think I will get some floral stems because then they'll bend - these guys are pretty stiff right now ( I used skewers which I sponged with Lucky Limade).  I had fun making them!

Thanks for taking time to stop by for a visit.  Have a great day!
Joan

Smudged Cherry Friends

Lesson Learned:  Don't start putting your card pieces together if your hands are a bit sweaty from the heat!!! You'll notice the Cherry Cobbler smudges on the homemade DSP - I made one smudge accidentally and decided just to make marks over the whole thing to make it look like I did it on purpose.  Our inks dry pretty fast - so I obviously inked the image a bit too much - on top of the moist fingers.

Upon returning from Banff I had a box of stuff from Stampin'Up! waiting for me...which included the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool.  I have been waiting for SU to come out with their equivalent of the Scor-Pal for quite a while and am so excited it's finally here!  I didn't use it a lot on this piece - but did create the small "embossed" squares along the right side of the card.

Today's sketch is from The Sweet Stop,  I've used the SCS Colour Challenge from this past week - Crumb Cake, a yellow (Daffodil Delight) a red (Cherry Cobbler) and a green (Lucky Limeade).  I've also used the challenge from Our Creative Corner to include fruit.

I'll have to remember to go out to our garden this afternoon to pick the raspberries which ripened while I was gone.  Mus'n't be wasted!

We're enjoying a wonderfully sunny day today - hope things are sunny and bright in your neck of the woods too.  Thanks for dropping by!
Joan

ps - Just checked my e-mail and found out I was picked by The Paper Players:

  for my school card which I posted HERE.  Thank you so much ladies - it's an honour and I'm tickled pink!  I love playing along with your challenges and I'm so happy to have found your site.

Butterfly Gratitude

I'm back from the mountains and raring to get into gear......I had planned on doing some planning while in the mountains, but that didn't work out -  which I guess is good in the long run.  The weather was pretty good - but it sure is warm back at home.  Perfect for spending a wee bit of time in the basement stamping.

I created this butterfly card for the Friday Mash Up! this week and I used the sketch from Stamping 411.

The Mash Up! was:

• Create a card with butterflies and bling  OR
• Create a card using Perfect Plum, Marina Mist, one other colour and a neutral  OR
• Create a card with butterflies, bling and the Color Combo.

I chose Wisteria Wonder as my extra colour and Very Vanilla as the neutral.  I actually like these colours together - I'll have to keep them in mind for the future.

I'm going to have to make sure that I get some school planning in during the next while - in addition to workshop planning....not much time left - but I'm NOT counting yet!

Hope you have some events to look forward to - and thanks for taking time to stop by to visit.
Joan

It's almost Time....

This week it's "School Daze" at The Paper Players Challenge.  I can't believe the school year is almost upon us again.  Ya Know - it's one strange profession - you close EVERYTHING down for two/three months (depending on where you live) and then you start EVERYTHING back up again.  I'm always excited to get back though - it's good to see the kids again and to see how they've changed in that short amount of time.

I had to go into some retired paper for an appropriate background - and when I found the die-cut "message" - I thought this would be a perfect card for one of my friends who retired in the spring and won't be starting up again in couple of weeks.

I'm spending this week in Banff - my husband has a conference - and will enjoy the final bit of relaxing before my head starts swimming with school start up again.

I hope you have a fantastic day - not filled with too many plans yet.  Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Happy Birthday, Lesley!!!

I am so excited today to be part of a 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,  LESLEY!!!

blog hop.

I "met" Lesley through the Design Team for "The Color Dare" challenge blog.  I've only known her a short time, but I know she's an incredibly supportive and helpful person.  We have a number of things in common.... we're both Canadian, teachers (she used to teach music, I'm currently teaching music) and I've discovered we have similar interests in music and movies too.  I love going to her blog to see what she's created because it's always fantastic and inspirational!

So - I'd like to encourage you to go over to Lesley's blog and wish her a happy birthday - She can be found at

Always Playing with Paper

and be sure to participate in the blog hop to see all the wonderful creations Lesley's friends have created for her...

Anne Marie Hile - Stampin’ Anne
Carrie Gaskin - Artistic Avenger
Cindy Beach - Stamps, Paper and Ink
Jaydee - Stampin’ with Jaydee
Jen Mitchell - I Create
Joan Jeffery - JJ Creations (Me)
Lauri Ingram - Paperville
Laurie - Hiding in My Craft Room
LeAnne Pugliese - wee Inklings
Nance Leedy - Canopy Crafts
Rita Wright - Cards by Rita
Sandra Azzopardi - Sandra’s Stamping Spot
Tui Nathan - Stampin’ Time

Thanks for stopping by today - Joan

Purple Mash-Up

 

I'm not altogether sure what happened to today - but it went past with a lot of things accomplished - which is good.  I didn't get to creating a card until the early evening - ....Hmmmmm - maybe I'd get more done if I picked that time of day more often - if I start creating in the morning I tend to get nothing else done.

ANYWAY - enough rambling!  Friday's Mashup! was to:

• Create a project with "glitter"  OR
• Create an anniversary project  OR
• Create an anniversary project with "glitter"

I guess I just got "bling" stuck in my head for this one.  I did actually take apart a number of "ice" rhinestones to glue within the scallop - but the purple wasn't that great so I opted for the clear rhinestones that I didn't have to use glue for!!!

I'm going to have to work on using the Designer Frames Embossing Folder - I tried to get the "frame" within a piece of cardstock; but after going through the Big Shot there were indentations from the outside of the folder.  Any ideas from anyone?  I opted to just cut the oval out and mount the centre sentiment.

My daughter is heading down to the Calgary Zoo tomorrow - I'm sure she'll have a blast with her friends....all over 20!  Those were the days!

Hope you have some fun things planned for this weekend.
Thanks for visiting!
Joan

Thanks Giraffe

Happy Thursday - Today's sketch is from Splitcoast Stampers and the colors come from Create Ink. ( Pool Party,  Not Quite Navy, So Saffron)  You should go over to their blog to see what the DT has created this week - they're spectacular.

I've stayed on the edge of plain today again..... I had all the layers put together, except for the giraffe - and I just couldn't help putting the whole thing through the Big Shot with the Polka Dot embossing folder - I just couldn't take the flat paper today.  I did have to deviate a bit from the Create Ink colours in order to darken up the giraffe's spots - I touched them a bit with Soft Suede.  The grass is a combination of the Not Quite Navy and the So Saffron.

I hoping to get some workshop planning done today and some pictures copied.  However, I can be so easily distracted these days that we'll just have to see what the day holds!

If you have a list of jobs to do for today, I hope you get most of them done!  Thanks for taking time to stop by for a visit.
Joan

A Simpler Day

After  the detailed card I created yesterday, I decided to go a bit simpler today - I didn't even do any distressing today!  I did finally open up the "Button Buddies" set and those wonderful polka dotted brads!

The sketch is from Stamping 411 and the colours (which I love together) are from the Color Throwdown -Pool Party, Old Olive, Crumb Cake and White.  I've had this piece of scrunched up Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon on my desk for quite a while and finally added it to a card! 

I had a terrific time last night catching up with a group of women who were housemates at Concordia College about 32 years ago (there were 9 of us in the house in total).   We try to get together once a year, but it doesn't always happen, and we rarely take pictures - so we made sure we did last night.  

We haven't changed a bit!

Hope your day is full of simplicity and friendship!

Thanks for stopping by!

Joan

Tri Fold Nature Walk

 

Today, over at Hand Stamped Sentiments, they've laid down the challenge for fancy fold cards - I don't think I've ever actually finished one of these Tri Fold Shutter Cards - but I'm relatively happy with the way this one turned out.  Lots of little pieces depending on the sections you want to highlight.  It's interesting to look through the gallery on Splitcoast for this type of card  - just to see the different ways that people have place their papers and what they've done to embellish their creation.

AND, over at Hand Stamped Sentiments, the DT has a wide variety of fancy folds cards to share for inspiration.

I'm off to the city to do some shopping and then I'm looking forward to having dinner this evening with a few of my former (won't say "old") college roommates.  We've been staying in touch for over 30 years!!!

Hope you have some life long friends to share good times with.

Thanks for stopping by to visit

Joan

Dino Mojo

Finally got around to using this new dinosaur set - They're just so cute; as dinosaurs go!

I've used the Mojo Monday Sketch and the colours - Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand. Early Espresson and Certainly Celery are from Just Add Ink.

I got a number of chores done outside this morning including stripping the finish off of an old toy box my Grandfather made.  I'm planning on painting something musical on it to use in our "black and white musical basement" to store extra blankets in.  If I don't set side tracked I may sand it down tonight so I can start working on it tomorrow.

Hope you have some chores that are keeping you occupied and happy!  Thanks for visiting,
Joan

Sunflower Smile

Today's card is for the The Paper Players sketch this week which is designed by Nance.

I really really love this new sunflower stamp - I just think that I really really need to figure out how to use it.  I'll be scoping out some galleries for this!!!  I tried stamping the image on watercolour paper but the detailed lines didn't show up.  I tried quite a variety of different things before deciding to use one colour and not colour anything in.  However, I liked how the petals turned out when I did added ink with the aqua-painter (I just totally botched the inside of the flower) - so I cut out the petals to raise up above the stamped image.

Hope there are loads of things for you to smile about in your life today!  Thanks for taking the time to stop by for a visit.
Joan

Presto Chango

I am desperately trying to get ready for a SU garage sale - I keep getting a bit sidetracked....Anyway, I always do a make-and-take at my open houses, but this year I decided to give a choice (while quantities last) using already prepared pieces from previous card camps.

The first card in each of the above sets was the original,  done at previous classes or camps.  The second card is a remake, using new stamp sets or colours.  And voila - no extra cutting to do.  Yipeee!

Hope you find some shortcuts in your life today,
Thanks for stopping by
Joan

Amazing Mashup

Today was sort of a special day over at Friday Mashup because it's the first Fan Favorite Challenge - meaning a fan of the blog rather than a Design Team member of the blog set the challenge for today - too cool.  So - the challenge is:

• Create a handmade flower  OR
• Use Black, Red and Turquoise  OR
• Create a project with a handmade flower and the three colours

I've also used an old sketch from Stamping 411 which I never got around to using (Sketch #212).


I love this Floral Fillers set - I can't wait to emboss it in gold or silver!!!!!

Hope you are having an amazing day! Thanks for stopping by for  visit.
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

Hello My Friend

 Today's colours are:

Baja Breeze

Crumb Cake

Calypso Coral

I've used the new "My Friend" set and punched out that "dandelion fluff" with two different circle punches and raised them on dimensionals.

That particular sentiment is a bit too long for the normal word window, so I just elongated it a bit so that it fit, and then stamped the sentiment onto the Crumb Cake matt.  Thank goodness for the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  I remember when I bought it I didn't think I would use it all that much - boy was I wrong!

Hope you day is fantastic, thanks for dropping by,
Joan

Get Well Flourishes

Thought I'd try clean and simple today.  This week's challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments is to use flourishes.  I've been wanting to use this stamp set for a while now - and when I looked at it I saw more than florishes - I saw flowers...sort of.  The get well wishes come from the SUO Challenges this week and the colours are today's Color Challenge over at SCS - Island Indigo, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight and a neutral.

I could give this to my daughter today - she's suffering from a summer cold - she's a bit annoyed because she wasn't sick all winter.  Oh well - it's a drizzly day today, so perfect for hunkering down in the covers.

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you have a wonderful day!
Joan

Full of Mojo B's

Today's Mojo Monday Sketch works perfectly with this week's Our Creative Corner challenge of "All the B's".....use Black, Bling, Buttons and Bow - I guess I've also included Brads (even though it includes the bling) and blossoms.

WICKED was FANTASTIC last night.  I woke up with some of the songs still swimming around in my head - that's not unusual though.  Today - I've already crossed two things off my To-Do list and will work on a few more as I continue to work on crafting stuff.  I'm trying to get ready for a SU garage sale and keep getting side tracked. (That's not unusual either!)

I hope you have a day full of achievements and not too many detours!
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Joan

Summer Camping

Wow - I'm not sure about all the redness in this card - but it'll have to do.  There are three different challenges incorporated in today's card:

Color Throwdown - Using the rainbow palette....so we have very colourful sleeping bags today.  I used Elegant Eggplant, Marina Mist, Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango and Poppy Parade.  I had started out with Bear being Tangerine and Daffodil (thank goodness for watercolour paper!!!!!)  Once he was on the card though, there was just too much red going on - so I dirtied him up with some crumb cake.

I had to give Bear a pair of Sock Monkey's glasses so that he didn't look so angry about camping. His teeth have been whitened with gel pen.

The sketch comes from The Paper Players this week.  I told Nance that I was going to try and think outside the box for the two circle areas (where the sleeping bags are)....but I still ended up using paper. :(       Ooops!!!  I just noticed on the Paper Players blog that this is suppose to be a Clean and Simple Sketch - Sorry - this may be a little overdone for that.

Finally, the summer theme of the card comes from Hand Stamped Sentiments.

We have a beautiful day outside so I think I'm going to go for a walk - I walked SOOOOOO much when I was in Ottawa - I need to make it a better routine.  We're also excited in our house tonight because we're going to see WICKED!  WoooooHoooooo!!!!!!

Hope your day is full of sunshine and excitement!  Thanks for visiting - Joan

Monochromatic Little Things

A dragonfly accompanied me on the deck this morning while I was drinking my coffee....so I decided that I would use one on whatever I made today.  He's a bit out of place with all the geometric things - but that's okay! 

I used the sketch from Stamping 411 for this - however the top section is a whole lot busier than one piece of DSP - that's where I've incorporated the Inspiration Challege from SCS.  The website is Linda Billet Gallery - I've included the thumbnail, below,  of the piece I chose for inspiration.

For the lower section I used the circle stamp from "Circle Circus" and then just added some extra colour to them.  (A bit of a shakey hand today!!!) For the top left piece I brayered ink onto the new Houndstooth embossing folder before putting it through the Big Shot.  The top right section is just a piece of black paper with the Frost White Shimmer Paint scrunched onto it.

Off to do a bit of organizing - hope you're having a great day and thank you for stopping by - Joan

Royal Birthday Mash Up

I got to use my new "Creative Elements" set today for two Challenges.  I used the sketch from Stampin' Royalty and the colours and theme from The Friday Mashup!

• use the colours Not Quite Navy, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, and Sahara Sand
• create a Birthday Card

I created the background piece first stamping the initial image with the Not Quite Navy and then colouring sections in.  I used ink with an aqua painter on regular paper, so some of the outside edges bled a bit, but that just added some age to the piece.

For the flower I stamped the image on watercolour paper three times using the Cherry Cobbler and then used a blender pen to pull colour into the open sections.  I cut all the flowers out getting progressively smaller and layered them with dimensionals (you can't really see the dimension in this photo).  I'm not altogether happy with the way the flower turned out.  There's almost too much colour - I'll have to play with it a bit.

The centre strip of Sahara Sand was put through the Big Shot with the new Stripes embossing folder - but it's hard to see the embossing in the picture.

It was a good day for stamping because it's been moving between misting and pouring all day.  Hope your day has been productive too.

Thanks for stopping by!
Joan

Stamping Withdrawl Finally Overcome

Well, I finally got into my stamping room today.  We arrived home from a holiday on Tuesday night and I spent a couple hours catching up with my daughter.  Yesterday I slept, deadheaded flowers, tidied a bit and opened my SU boxes.  Yipee - Christmas in July!  Oh, and went to see the last Harry Potter movie with Allison last night.

Today I cleaned up in my stamping room and picked one set to put together and use for today's post.  I chose the sketch from Just Add Ink and the colours are from a blog I've been following for a little while, but hadn't done any challenges yet - My Create, Ink.  The colours for this week are - Perfect Plum, Riding Hood Red, and Lucky Limeade.  When I saw to floral colours and a leaf colour I just had to pick this new Hostess Set - Faith in Nature.  I can't wait to use the pear that is part of the set too.

I also got to use some of the new Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon - Love it!!!!

Hope your summer is going well - it was a bit hard to take off directly after school was over - left a lot of things undone at home which have to be done now - but it's all good.  Puttering with the jobs and eating meals on the deck in the sunshine.  Can't ask for more!!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Joan

Daring Chocolate Hearts

I don't think I ever thought to put brown and pink together before I started stamping; but I just love this combination:

Crumb Cake

Chocolate Chip

Pink Pirouette

I'm loving the new Scallop Dots Ribbon...when I get home from my holiday I'll have some new colours to use.  Can't wait!!!!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit - Happy Stamping!!!

Joan

Don't ya just love how cats will sleep anywhere. 

Nothing too special about this page.  I used a dotted piece of paper and then added the overlay.

That's the last page of my cat book......so far.  They're in no particular order and I'm looking forward to working on more.


I'll be home soon and I'll be delving into my stamping room - I was smart enough to put in an order from the NEW CATALOGUE before I left home.  It's going to be like Christmas when I get back!  I can hardly wait!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you haven't been too bored with cat pictures over the last number of days.

Happy Stamping,
Joan

This is Button.  She is one whacked out cat.  She looks like a kitten, but is full grown.  She is our son's cat, and we were looking after her while he was between houses.  She can be very entertaining.

This is another sketch that was featured on MDS website waaaaayyyy back when it first began.  It took me a while to figure out what I wanted in the circles.  I tried a variety of different papers and colours, but I  am happy with the final result.  I like being able to drag my paper into the shape that I create - catching whatever images from the paper that I want.

Stay safe out there!  No hanging through the railings!

Happy Stamping,
Joan

Seriously???

Okay - I LOVE this page.
I used a sketch from Splitcoast from a couple of weeks ago and it worked perfectly for "dissecting" pictures and bringing certain features into focus.

Tigger was so tolerant!!!  Wonderful rotund member of the family - I mean seriously (pardon the pun) look at that body in the centre of the page!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Joan

Not a Care in the World

I ended up getting some help with this page through the My Digital Studio website.  I couldn't figure out how to change the side that the drop shadow appeared on.  These "pillows" are actually hearts turned on their sides.  On the original sketch from the MDS website HERE,  Alesha used the Blossoms punch.  I didn't have that on my program (yet), so I tried using the hearts.  They worked out okay, and Alesha was able to explain to me how to get my shadow on the "top" side of the pillows.

Ta Ta for now,
Joan

Sleeping Among the Stars

I'm sorry that the large picture is so dark here - the joys of children photographing their pets with less than great cameras.  Oh well, I'm thankful for the photos regardless of what they look like.

I'm getting used to using images more than one time on a page.  I sort of made the stars "glow" a bit by making their dropped shadow in  a yellow.  I placed a bunch, grouped them, and then copied them around the page rotating them a bit so they didn't always look the same.

Anyone camping under the stars during the holidays?

Thanks for dropping in.
Joan

I know You're There....

Tigger did seem to get photographed more often than Belle - I think because he was so big!  And I don't seriously know why I took so many pictures of him in this pose; maybe I was waiting for him to look up or something - who knows.  Anyways - the Soft Suede paper matches him pretty well.

No special effects today - a pretty simple page.

Hope you are either enjoying your deck or the flowers!

Thanks for stopping by,
Joan

Basking in the Sun

This page took a bit of work and thinking....

I have three different colours of the tree and have set them just off each other to give the impression of more leaves.

It also took a bit to get the butterflies the way I wanted them.  However - once I got my first one created, I went off onto a "new" sheet of paper as a working space - recoloured the butterfly and then copied and pasted it onto this page.  That way the alignment didn't change .

We'll still be beetling around the Eastern Coast of Canada at this time.  I look forward to basking on my deck when I get home!

Thanks for stopping by,
Joan

Color Dare 107 Revisited...

 
Due to the busyness of life, we have reposted Color Dare 107.  I'm not home to create a new card for this dare - but here is a review of last week's post.  And seriously, you can never get enough of a good DARE!!!
Today's Color Dare is:

Marina Mist

So Saffron

Certainly Celery

When I pulled the colours together I immediately thought of a baby card.  I haven't used this roller much, so thought it would be the ticket!  That tiny tag punch is perfect for a couple of the extras from the Baby Bundle Set.

If you take up this Dare please link your creation to the Color Dare Challenge Blog and if you post to a public gallery use CD107 for this week.

For some further inspiration you can visit the other members of the Design Team at the following links...

Adriana
Joan - Me
Kathryn
Kim P
Kim R
Laurie
Lesley
Lori
Riley

Have a fantastic crafting day - Thanks for stopping by!

Joan

I Love Sleeping in Shoes

 

This is one of my favorite pages so far.  I zoomed out of the photo from the top to the bottom so you can see that Tigger is surrounded by my daughter's shoes.

I think one of the things I like most about digital stamping is being able to adjust the size of the stamped image to whatever you need - like I've done with the different sizes of stamped cats lying on Tigger's picture.

Hope you're finding a sunny place to hang out this July day!
Thanks for stopping by.
Joan

Belle's Gone Fishing

It was fun using the "flower punch" for this page.

I was trying to make a 'torn' paper effet along the vertical strip - it wold work better if the "ripped" part was yellow - I'll have to explore that a bit more.

Happy stamping - digitally or otherwise.
Joan

Tigger in the Bag

For all the dog lovers out there - I apologize that the next number of posts (give or take a few) will be focusing on a project that I've started using My Digital Studio......a book of the two cats we had in our house for over 13 years.  We have been without them for a couple of years now and I think I have finally rounded up all the photos the myself or my children have taken.  So, I decided to make them a little book which I'll publish through Stampin'Up! in time for Christmas.

I have been thoroughly enjoying exploring this program - and not with just the cats.  I hope you don't get bored, but that in some way maybe you'll be inspired by what I've done....JUST like I've been inspired by so many MDS experts (of which I am NOT!!!!) who came before me.

Thanks for visiting,
Joan

Happy Canada Day!

Our household is now officially on holidays.  School is finished and July 1st launches us into celebrations, traditions, and the beginning of days filled with relaxing - sort of.

I hope all my Canadian friends have a fun, safe day with friends and family.

I will not be having regular card postings for the next little while as I'll be away from my computer most of the time.  (I won't be able to do any challenges - but I'm sure I'll make up for it later.) I thought I'd still post some things I've created with My Digital Studio and you will still find the Color Dares on Wednesdays.  I'll also try and get around and visit some of your blogs - I don't want to miss out on what you're creating!

We are off to Ottawa and then touring around the Maritime provinces.  I'm looking forward to it - seeing some of the country I haven't seen before and also getting to visit with my Mom.

Again - HAPPY CANADA DAY!

AND

We have a new catalogue starting today!  WoooooHooooo!!!!!  I'm so excited about the stamp sets and new DSP.  I can't wait to share projects with you, and to stamp with you!!!!!  Stay posted. 
JOAN