Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenge with Instyle Stamps!

Good Morning!! Today I have a card using this week's Sketch Challenge from SCS (#316) with a soon-to-be released Digital Image  from InStyle Stamps!  I had such fun with this image (I love butterflies) and since it's a digi image I could make it as large or small as I needed for my project.  I colored the image with my Prismacolor Pencils- I forgot how much I love my coloring with my pencils, it is so therapeutic!  I also finally threaded my sewing machine.  I hadn't touched it since I moved and I must confess- I had to watch the video again on how to thread it.  But I got it! 

I added a sentiment with glitter chipboard from Pink Paislee and some pink ribbon from my stash to complete my card.  The patterned paper is from K&C Company- Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse collection (I love this fun and funky paper).
Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to come by tomorrow for some Friday Fun! 

SCS278- Swan in Training

Today I have a card for the sketch challenge on SCS (#278). I used the recently-released set from Mark's Finest Papers called Our Side of the Pond.  I used to love the story of the Ugly Duckling when I was growing up so of course I love the swan and sentiment in this set.  All supplies used on this card are available at Mark's Finest Papers including the Basic Grey paper and Nestabilities.  If you receive the Mark's Finest Papers newsletter, then you can save 15% on your purchases thru April 30th.  If you are considering ordering some of the fabulous April releases- then take advantage of this discount.  You NEED these sets!!    Trust me.  

Stamps: Our Side of the Pond from Mark's Finest Papers

Paper: Grandma's Lightest Pink, Pensacola Sand; Basic Grey Kioshi

Ink: Black

Accessories: Grandma's Lightest Pink Satin Ribbon; Designer Brad; Nestabilities

Thanks for stopping by today.  Be sure to come back tomorrow for some Friday Fun, Friends with Flair AND the Caffinated Cropper Customer Blog Hop.  Phew!  I need to get stamping!!  ;)

What's Buzzin'?

Today's card is for this week's CPS Sketch challenge (#158). I used the Beeez Kneeez kit from Caffinated Cropper.  Have you heard about this kit yet?  It is full of all kinds of fun goodies from note cards, stamps and embellishments.  The BEST thing about this kit is that everything coordinates.  Amy put a lot of work and research into finding just the right items. The components can be combined in many ways for a variety of projects and endless possibilities without any guess work. 

1

For this card I used the following items from the kit:
Jillibean Soup Notecard in Craft
Jenni Bowlin Green Crosshatch Paper
Bazzill Smoothies Card Stock in Kiwi Crush
EAD Vinyl Rub Ons
Niki Silivis Willobee Stamp Set
Yellow Pom Pom Trim
Green Grosgrain Ribbon
1 Handmade Dictionary Flower

All of these items and MORE are in this kit.  I love it! 


That's all I have for today- be sure to check back later this week.  I have LOTS of stuff to share with you! 

Think Ink Challenge- Going Country!

Today I have a card for the current Think INK Challenge on the Artful Inkables Blog. Kristin offered up a great sketch and I had to try it.
Last night my best friend and I went to go see Country Artist, Luke Bryan in concert and it was great! So my card is a little country because I am still in the country mood. :)
Here is Kristin's Sketch: And here is my card:
Stamps: Artful Inkables Down on the Farm
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Kraft, Black, White, October Afternoon Farm Fresh Collection
Accessories: Button Brads, Lace Trim, Prismacolor Pencils; Circle and Scalloped Circle Punches

Play along for a chance to win some Artful Inkables Stamps. Just Link your creation using the sketch to the blog post HERE by Monday Feb 15th Midnight PST.

Thanks for stopping by- see you tomorrow for some Friday Fun!

A Bird's Song Sketch Card

Sorry for the late post today- I had to take my car to the shop and I just got home. For anyone who is ever wondering about buying a Hyundai and if the warranty is as good as it sounds- it really is! I have had very little trouble with my car in the 3 1/2 years I've owned it BUT the couple things that have occurred were taken care of by the dealership at absolutely NO expense to me. It's great! It keeps my money in my pocket for more stamping goodies. ;) I am all about more money for stamping.

The card I have for you today is for this week's Sketch Challenge (#263) on Splitcoast. I used the Artful Inkables set, A Bird's Song.
The patterned paper is from DCWV The Crafty Stack. I picked up the other week at Joann's and it has some cute craft-inspired patterns.
Thanks for stopping by- tomorrow will be a busy day here on my blog- the Artful Inkables Blog hop is tomorrow (it will be simply "Charming") and also this week's Friday Fun Challenge. Both should be pretty exciting so be sure to come by and check them out.

Have a great day!

Rubber Romance Sketch Challenge

I just wanted to remind you that you still have time to enter the Sketch Challenge on the Rubber Romance blog. It's a fun sketch and by linking your creation to the RR blog by January 9th you will have a chance to win some FREE Rubber Romance stamps.


Here is my card using the sketch. This owl is just cute and it gave me a chance to use my new patterned paper from DCWV- The Crafty Stack. I took some liberty with the placement of the ribbon but the basic layout is the same.

Thanks for stopping by today- I will see you tomorrow!

Friday Fun # 61- It's a Sketch!

Happy Friday!! It's time for another Friday Fun Challenge brought to us by Jimmi. This week it is a sketch challenge. I love sketch challenges and this one is a fun one.

For my card, I flipped it to work with the images I wanted to use. The stamps are from Unity's October Kit of the Month: ...wherever you go. The patterned paper is Cosmo Cricket Earth Love.

If you want to play along with us, just use keyword FFC61 when uploading to Splitcoast and/or link back to one of the Friday Fun Girls' blogs. Be sure to check them all out for more inspiration:
Sherry
Kimme
Sara
Christi

Thanks for stopping by- have a great day!

Love Ya Lots Sketch Card

Happy Thursday. Today I made a card for the current Sketch Challenge over on Splitcoast. (#258) I used the stamp set Love Ya Lots from Artful Inkables. This is a fun set for Valentine's Day cards or any occasion you want to let someone know you care.

I still feel like my card is missing something, but I am not sure what. I paper-pieced the rose and even added just a hint of Stickles.....I don't know what else to add but it doesn't seem complete to me. Let me know what you think. Depending on suggestions, maybe I will revise the card and post it again. :)
Thanks for stopping by today- I hope your day is completely fabulous!

This Set is SNOW ADORABLE!!

Happy Thursday! The Nor'easter was last week, but I am still recovering from it. The storm made work a complete nightmare and forced me to work 14 hour + days. But I survived an I start my 3-day weekend today so all is well and I finally got to finish some projects I've been working on.

Today's project uses the newly-released set from Artful Inkables called License to Chill. I just love this set and I squealed with delight (yes, really) when I saw that Kristin was sending it to me. I had to use this little penguin first because he is adorable. I also used this week's Sketch Challenge (#255) over on SCS for my layout. So what do you think? Isn't he SNOW adorable? I think so. Thanks for stopping by today. Don't forget tomorrow is Friday Fun challenge day AND the Twilight blog hop! It will be a fun and exciting day!

Sketch Challenge # 254- What's Moo?

Happy Thursday! Today I am sitting home in the middle of a Nor'easter. But compared to the weather outside, there's no place I would rather be. It's the perfect storm for stamping.

I made a card for this week's Sketch Challenge over on SCS using the Artful Inkables set Down on the Farm. this is just a great layout and perfect for the cow image in this set. I colored her with Prismacolor Pencils and added a bow and button. Very simple and fun.
Supplies:
Stamps: Artful Inkables Down on the Farm
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; SU Close to Cocoa
Paper: SU Bashful Blue and Close to Cocoa: PTI White and Chocolate Remix
Accessories: Ribbon, Thread, Button, Bow Easy, Prismacolor Pencils and OMS.

Thanks for stopping by today- I hope if you are on the East Coast that you are staying dry! Have a great day!

A Little Leftover Weekend Fun

Are you ready for Monday? For most people that means the end of fun and back to work. I went back to work this morning and since this is my short week, Monday is my Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday. I did manage to fit in some weekend fun by playing the Weekend Sketch Challenge on Beate's Blog.

I just wanted to make a fun, Fall card for no special occasion. I pulled out Unity's Autumn Pals for my card and paired it with my Memory Box Twiggy patterned paper. the little squirrel is stamped on Close to Cocoa paper with PTI Fresh Snow ink. Then I paper-pieced some of the patterned paper on him too.

I'm not completely sure how I feel about how this card turned out- but I know I enjoyed making it and it helped keep my mind off some of the things I am dealing with right now. That's the most important thing, right?

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment- I always appreciate it!

South of the Border Thursday!

Happy Thursday! Today I have a festive card to share with you using the Artful Inkables recently released set, South of the Border. This set has so many possibilities- I really love it a lot! . My parents moved to Arizona 15 years ago so I have lots of ideas for projects and cards using it. As soon as I saw the cactus image I knew I had to make a card with it using green and pink. I have been fortunate enough to see Arizona in all four seasons - but Spring is the best. The desert blooms and it is beautiful.

I stamped the cactus with Memento Tuxedo Black and colored it with my Prismacolor Pencils. I have to tell you that those pencils are one of the BEST investments I have made for stamping. They are easy to use (yes, really) and you can find good deals on the pencil sets if you look for them or have a coupon (which is how I bought the 120ct set). I stamped the image again and just colored the flowers. Then I cut them out and popped them up. The layout is from this week's sketch challenge on SplitCoast (#244).

If you have never ordered from Artful Inkables before let me tell you about the quality of these stamps. They are deeply etched red rubber and they come mounted on cling foam. They arrive in these easy to store clam shell cases. The images stamp very cleanly and crisply which is what I like. You can use them with any kind of acrylic block you have on hand. If you don't already own acrylic blocks Artful Inkables has some great prices on blocks HERE. The prices of the stamp sets are unbelievably low. You get 16 adorable images in this set for only $13 plus shipping! Wow!
I apologize if I sound like a commercial, but if you are a regular reader of my blog then you know I always appreciate a good deal. Until I used Artful Inkables stamps, I didn't know how reasonably priced and how fantastic they were. I feel it is my duty as a stamper and a friend to let you know! LOL!

I hope I inspired you today and I appreciate that you took some of your time to visit my blog! Thanks for stopping by!!

Hip Hop it's Thursday!

Happy Thursday to you! I hope you getting geared up for a fantastic Holiday Weekend. I love Independence Day and I am thankful that I don't have to work this year.
I have two cards for you today both using a sketch challenge. The first one is for the SplitCoast Sketch Challenge # 235. This one was a little difficult for me at first because you have to use little stamps to get 9 images on there....but I pulled out Unity's Lovin' From the Oven (retired) and Voila! This was the very first Unity set that I purchased and while I don't use it that often I think it is totally adorable.
Stamps: Unity's Lovin' From the Oven
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx and SU Riding Hood Red
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouhette, Bella Rose DP
Accessories: Ribbon, Dimensionals, Plain and Scalloped Circle Punches, Scor-Pal, Prismacolor Pencils
My next card is for Jennifer Buck's Guest Designer challenge for Unity. She gave us a sketch to follow and we were to use the May or June Kit of the Month. Well I used June's Kit: Perfect In Every Way. I paired some new DP from My Mind's Eye with Lemon Tart Cardstock from Papertrey Ink. What do you think? This was such a fun challenge, I could not resist.

Stamps: Unity June Kit of the Month Perfect In Every Way
Paper: PTI Lemon Tart, My Minds Eye DP
Ink: Real red
Accessories: PTI Lemon Tart Ribbon and Vintage Buttons, Hemp twine, White Gel Pen, Photo corner punch and Prismacolor Pencil

Thanks for stopping by today! Please be sure to check out the Unity Site for some GREAT deals (I really wish I had some money this week....aaah!) and also Hip Hop with them today on Splitcoast for some chances to win some fabulous prizes.

Have a great day!

This Kit is Perfect In Every Way!

I finally inked up Unity's June Kit of the Month Perfect In Every Way. It has been calling my name since it arrived in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago but other obligations (some fun, some not) have kept me from getting to play with it. But today was not the best day for me- I got some bad news and I decided I deserved some fun time just for ME. So while I have a ton of other things including other stamping projects that I need to complete I made this card just for the sheer joy of stamping. The sentiment on the card is so true and I have been reminding myself of how good life can be despite the setbacks that have been presented today. I thought the teapot would go well with that sentiment so I stamped it on white card stock and then colored it with my Prismascolor pencils. I stamped it again on the designer paper and paper-pieced the pot only. For the layout I used the SCS Sketch # 229.
Unity has this kit available at the club price for one more day only! Be sure to check it out- new members will receive a FREE Kit that is only available for Kit Members currently. It will be available to the general public in August. It's a FANTASTIC deal with no obligaton.

Stamps: Unity- Perfect In Every Way (June 09 KOM)
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, White, Basic Grey Urban Prairie
Ink: Versafine Onyx
Accessories: Buttons, Nestabilities, Ribbon,

Thanks for stopping by today- I appreciate every one's comments and support. Have a GREAT Tuesday!

Terrific Thursday-I'm back in Action after TONS of Fun!

I hope everyone is having a Terrific Thursday! I apologize that I have been MIA but it has been super-crazy in my household the past week or two. My son, Alex graduated this past weekend. I am so proud and happy for him! He is growing up so quickly and into a fine, young man. He starts an Associates Program in Automotive Technology next month. He really enjoys working with his hands and has a great mechanical aptitude so I know he will do GREAT! Best of all, he will be able to earn a living at something he enjoys. I also got to meet my SCS friend Kimme (melenaprincess) in real-life on Sunday. Her family is vacationing in Virginia Beach and Jimmi and I went out to lunch with her then spent the afternoon shopping. It was so much fun and now I am pretty broke. LOL. Now that things are starting to calm down I can get back to the thing that I enjoy to do- STAMP! I am way behind on projects (Alex, I swear you WILL get a Graduation card one day....LOL) so this week is catch-up time. I recently broke down and bought the 120 ct. Prismacolor Premier pencil set. FUN!! I could not figure out how to get ALL the colors without duplicating the set that I already had, so if you know anyone who would like a great deal on a 24ct. of Prismacolor Pencils and some miscellaneous extras- send them to me. ;)

For my coloring experimentation I pulled out an old and neglected favorite stamp set: Stampin' Up's In Full Bloom. I love this set and will never part with it, but I rarely use it but it is the perfect set to try out my new pencils.

I used Odorless Mineral Spirits to blend. I do like the look, but I also want to try baby oil. The layout for the card is this week's Sketch Challenge over on SCS # 233. I just flipped it vertically to accomodate my image. The ribbon is from a HUGE ribbon share I participated in with Kimme. The Bee is popped up on dimensionals as is the flower which I stamped twice and cut out once.

Stamps: Stampin' Up In Full Bloom and So Many Sayings
Paper: SU Rose Red, Old Olive and Raspberry Tart DP; PTI White
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Old Olive
Accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, OMS, Ribbon, Hemp Twine, SU Word Window Punch and Horizontal Slot Punch, dimensionals, Dew Drops

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your day is PHENOMENAL!