Missing You

I made this after a friend requested several "missing you" cards with a masculine feel. I used some rustic cream cardstock for the base and stamped it with the weathered backgrounder using sandy beige. If you click the photo, you might see that a little better. I wanted a subtle look, so I used the lighter ink. The top note die cut is kraft cardstock, and I stamped the Inque Boutique silhouettes with Versafine Onyx Black ink, and then embossed with clear embossing powder. A few wraps of some brown fiber, and a sentiment from So Many Sayings by SU! completed this card. The top note is popped up on foam tape for a little dimension.
We're still digging out from the latest snowstorm and rumor has it that the really BIG storm is heading our way in early March!! I choose to ignore these rumors (with the shovel close at hand) until I actually see the first snowflakes falling!! :D
Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!!

Carol

An Enchanted Thank-you

I made this thank-you card today to replace one that I sold yesterday. I think I burned myself out with doing so many challenges, so I decided to just take a break from doing them for a while.
I know you must be tired of seeing these flowers by now because I seem to use this Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set more than any other I own. I always love the way they look on cards, so I continue using them in various colors. This time I stamped the image with Versamark on enchanted evening cardstock and embossed them with white ep. After cutting them out by hand, I popped them up on foam tape, and added some MS silver microbeads to the stamens. The leaves were made from new leaf cardstock and adhered with glue dots. I used enchanted evening ribbon and the Bow-easy to create the little bow, and the sentiment is by SU, done also in enchanted evening.
It's snowing in PA again today, but it's not doing much damage so far. I understand that later on through the day and evening things will intensify and the snow will start accumulating. I hope spring is patiently waiting around the corner for old man winter's final curtain call this year!! Snow is very pretty to look at, but.........well...........you know the drill :)
Have a nice day wherever you are and thanks for spending a little time with me today:)

Carol

Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #5

I made this card for the OWH Stars and Stamps SC#5 found here. We were given a simple sketch and I needed to make some "thinking of you" cards, so here is the result. I embossed the feather image with gold embossing powder on back cardstock, then went around the edges with a gold deco pen. I used a piece of gold metallic cardstock for the vertical panel, embossing it with the diamonds embossing folder and matting it with black. The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and embossed with gold embossing powder. I was going to put a gold brad on the feather panel, and decided to leave it alone. Do you think a brad would have made a difference?
Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Carol

A Mustang for Dad

OWH.org is currently having a drive for mothers and fathers day cards, so I made a few of each over the past few days. This image is by Serendipity and I stamped it with Versafine Sepia ink on wc paper and embossed it with clear ep. I colored it with chalks and a few touches of Tombow markers for interest. I cut it with a nesatibility, layered it with Soft suede and added some gold brads. The dp is by SU and the card base is kraft. Sentiment is by SU!
It looks like rain is on the way today, so it might be a good day to get some cards done!
Have a great Monday and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

Think spring!!

I made this card to meet 2 challenges. First is the KSS crew challenge #22 to create your own designer paper with stamps. Next up is the SSnotime #27 challenge to have some tabbed element on our project.
I began with white cardstock and stamped the large leaf image from the KSS Giant Sunflower, stamping some in 2 stages and some in 3, and also using a combination of 4 inks. The flower image was stamped on yellow cardstock, cut out and popped up on foam tape. The ribbon is So Saffron by SU! and the tab is from DCWV. I thought the white tab would look cute with a ladybug, so I stamped her there for a little interest.
I was in the mood to stamp some warm weather flowers because I'm ready for spring! Oh no, can there be yet another snowstorm in the works for us early next week again? We'll have to wait and see *sigh*
Thanks for these 2 great challenges ladies, and thanks to all of you for stopping by today :) Have a great weekend!!

Carol

stamps - KSS Giant Sunflower
paper - white cs, hunter green cs, yellow cs
inks - Memento new sprout, pear tart, bamboo leaves, cottage ivy, potters clay, dandelion, SU! so saffron, really rust, chocolate chip, Real Red, Colorbox marigold, lipstick red, versafine onyx black
accessories - adhesive tab by DCWV, so saffron ribbon

Easter pastels

I made some Easter cards yesterday to use up a piece of pastel plaid DP. I love these little Inkadinkado bunny images and every year I make several cards with this stamp. I used scraps of yellow, blue, and pink and cut them with the labels 4 die, then cut the plaid DP with the top note. The bunnies were stamped on wc paper, clear embossed, and colored with Tombows. The sentiment is by SU! and each is layered on matching card stock and cut with circle and scalloped punches. Tiny color coordinated gemstones were added along with matching ribbon. You can always click the photo to see it enlarged. For the final touch, I added a dab of liquid applique to their tails, let it dry overnight, then hit it with a heat gun to give them fluffy poofy tails :)
This has nothing to do with making cards, but did anyone else stay up to watch Shaun White win the gold medal last night? His perfomance was amazing!! What an incredible athelete!! I never paid attention to snow boarding too much, but he turned me into a fan!! All I can say is WOW!!!!!!
Have a great day today and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

A Sketch and a Color Challenge

I made this card to coordinate with 2 challenges. First is the SCS CC258 to use Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, and Soft Suede. The second challenge is a sketch from CPS-154. I'm a huge fan of anything purple, but I'm not sure the soft suede is working for me with these colors. Ah well, you win some, you lose some, right? :)
I started with a vintage cream base, stamping it with the polka dot backgrounder in soft suede. The dark plum panel was embossed with the Victorian folder, then smeared with Versamark and embossed with clear ep. The pale plum panel was embossed with the swiss dots ef. The heart was punched with a SU heart punch from soft suede, and finished the same as the dark plum panel. The sentiment is a stamp from Michael's $1 bin, stamped in perfect plum and highlighted with a pale plum marker. Ribbon is soft suede by SU! and the flowers were punched with a SU 3-flower punch and have silver heart-shaped brads in the centers.
That's it for me today..........make your day a great one :)

Carol

Stash Challenge #1

There's a stash challenge going on at the OWH Stars and Stamps blog today that calls for making a card with 2 patterned papers and a button. They currently have a drive for Mother's day cards (as well as all others) so I made a few cards to add to the next stash I'll be sending soon. If any of you have made cards you'd like to donate to this great cause, please get the specifics here.
I used 2 designer papers from a K&Co pad, punching the striped horizontal border with a MS doily punch. I added some flowers, a button, ribbon and a piece of hemp from my stash. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado and the card base is vintage cream. Quick and easy peasy!
Thanks for stopping by on this Wednesday. I hope your day is fabulous!!

Carol

Stars and Stamps Sketch Challenge #4

I made this card for the OWH Stars and Stamps sketch challenge #4 found here. I tweaked the sketch just a tad to make the sentiment fit. The image was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink on wc paper, embossed with clear ep, then colored with Tombows and an aquapen. The vintage cream card stock base was stamped with a basketweave backgrounder in Sage Shadow, as well as a text stamp done also in Sage. The sentiment is by CTMH, the main image is by Stampabilites, pearls by Kaiser, kraft and sage card stockwere scraps, and the clip and ribbon came from my stash.
I hope you're all enjoying your Monday so far. Thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

Just Us Girls #20 Split Negative

I had to quick do another challenge card before the Daytona 500 gets underway. I decided to play along with the Just Us Girls challenge #20 to make a split negative image. I haven't made one of these in ages but I've always loved the look of this technique. I stamped the butterfly image on white and black cardstocks and embossed with white and black inks. I cut them down the center, taped them together from the back, and then die cut them with Nestabilities circles and scalloped circles. I added a touch of red smooch to the little markings on the butterfly. The DSP is by Kaiser, and the flip side is the reverse color, so I decided to do a split negative of the paper as well. The sentiment is done on punched ovals and the ribbon is by SU!
Ok, I'm off to see the kick off of the 2010 NASCAR season. GO TONY!!
Have a great Sunday and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

Timeless Tuesday on Friday?!?!

I've been a serious slacker for challenges this week, but I made time to do the FTTC53 challenge to make an easel card. I liked the purple and green color combo so much on the previous card I posted that I used the same colors for this one. I used the Flourishes Calendar set #2 Iris for this card. I colored the image with Tombows and matted it with New Leaf and Plum Pudding cardstocks. The DP is Wisteria by Basic Grey and the colors in these photos are nothing close to what I see IRL. I used a slit punch and a couple of acrylic gemstones on the sides of the main image, and added some new leaf and plum pudding ribbons on the bottom. I glued 2 buttons together to hold the card up and adhered them to the double ribbons.
Here's another view of the card..................these easel cards are tricky to photograph to see all the details. The sentiment is by SU and this one will be going to Operation Write Home along with a lot of other cards I've made.
That's it for me today, but thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Carol

SSNOTIME#126

I made this card recently and it works for the SSNOTIME126 color challenge this week to use any shades of green and purple together.
I used a soft stone card stock base, adding some random scoring at the top for interest. I stamped the Fifth Avenue Floral rose image with Versamark on plum pudding cardstock and embossed it with white embossing powder. I cut it out and added some MS silver microbeads to some areas, and after that dried I added some crystal tinsel glitter to the remainder. It really does sparkle more IRL than my photo shows. The leaves were created by punching some New Leaf card stock with an oval punch, then running through the crimper. I added a piece of plum pudding satin ribbon and the sentiment by SU! was done in plum pudding ink.
We're still digging out from that wicked blizzard, but we never lost power so I'm grateful for that! A lot of folks didn't come through the storm quite so lucky!!
I wish you a happy weekend and it's going to be a great one! The winter Olympics begin in Vancouver, the first NASCAR cup race for 2010 begins in Daytona (Woot!), Sunday is Valentine's day, and Monday is President's day! Lots to see and do, and maybe catch a few good sales along the way :)
Thanks for stopping by and spending a little of your day with me :)

Carol

Another Memory Keeper

I made this memory keeper recently for my neighbor who was making a basket to be donated for a fund raiser. I gave her an assortment of items, and when I showed her this little box to hold photos (or recipe cards, etc) she loved it! I used a piece of DP by K&CO along with some lemon tart and new leaf cardstock and ribbon from PTI. The sentiment is from SU and was cut with Nestabilities. I just love making these little boxes!
I haven't made many cards in the past few days because we're putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle. I haven't done one in years and we're really enjoying this. It's a good way to relax and sometimes I just get burned out from card making and need a good alternative.
Whew! We had some blizzard in PA (and other states) yesterday and I can't believe it, but we may get another inch or two of that white stuff again this coming Monday :) Wheeeee!!!
Take care, stay warm and have a great Thursday!!

Carol

Echoes in Blue

Good Morning! I'm posting a little thank-you card I made that really didn't take long at all to put together. I used the Echoes of Kindness stamp set and colored it with Tombows. I added some PTI cardstock and designer paper and punched the bottom border with a scalloped punch. I added a little piercing and some ribbon, creating the bow with a Bow-Easy. The button was from my stash. I did a touch of random scoring on the white mat which you can see if you click the picture. The sentiment is from SU.
We're expecting another 12-20 inches of snow to start falling later on today! This is on top of the foot of white stuff we got just 4 days ago! I have a friend who lives in NJ who has not had power since last Friday!! I'm grateful we haven't lost ours, but if I suddenly stop posting after today, you might safely assume we've lost our power as well!
Take care, and have a great Tuesday and thanks for stopping by! If you're in the line of this giant snowstorm, drive carefully and stay safe!

Carol

Winter is alive and well in PA!!

I don't have a card to show you today, but I thought I'd share a couple photos of the big snowstorm we got overnight here in PA. I took this photo looking out my back door onto the deck. That's our gas grill under the black cover, but check out the upper railing on the deck! I've never seen snow pile up there like this! LOL !The snow is well over a foot deep as you can see by the lower railing!
I took this picture looking out the front door at our walkway, just after my DH took the first swipe with the snowblower. This snow is pretty, but it's a real heavy wet snow!
It's a good day for home made soup, so I have a big pot simmering on the stove. Can you believe they're already forecasting another snowstorm to possibly hit us Tuesday night? I think it's time to head to Punxatawny and teach that silly groundhog a thing or two!! LOL
Have a happy Saturday everyone and stay warm!!!!

A Brand New Challenge!

I always enjoy reading Nicole Heady's blog "Capture the Moment" and her company PapertreyInk is celebrating their 3rd anniversary with a lot of new and exciting things! She posted her first video today showing us how to do emboss resist and challenged us to create one of our own. For all the details, click the link above and RUN (don't walk) over there to find out how to play along. You won't believe the prize package she's offering but you don't have time to waste!!
I love to do the emboss resist technique and this time I started creating the background with glossy card stock. I stamped the Baroque image with Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. I sponged the panel randomly with pink, blue, yellow and green inks. The flowers were stamped with Versamark and embossed with white ep on coordinating cardstocks, cut out and popped up. The leaves were created with an oval punch and a paper crimper. I added some satin ribbon and a tiny sentiment with gold cording, and matching buttons for the flowers.
That giant snowstorm is just about to hit us here shortly and they've revised the forecast to well over a foot now. YIKES! I didn't rush to the store to buy my bread and milk yet! LOL
Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

SSNOTIME #125

Sharon's stamp simply challenge #125 this week is to make something with baby in mind. I made this quick and easy card using a retired SU! set that included this heart image. I just stamped them in random fashion using my stamp-a-ma-jig to line them up. I pulled out all of my mini ink pads to do each heart a different color. I did some random piercing to connect them and matted it with pretty in pink that I punched using an EK mini scalloped border punch. The card stock and ribbon are from PTI, and the sentiment is from G Studio. Super quick and easy!
We're bracing for over a foot of snow here in PA, so stay warm wherever you are and have a great weekend! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't lose power since the Shoot-out race kicks off the NASCAR season tomorrow! I'm so ready for some racing again!!

Carol

You're the Best!

For today's Color Throwdown #78 Broni asks us to use Soft Sky, Kraft, and Pink Pirouette and I just love, love, LOVE these colors together! I recently received this awesome Rubbernecker stamp from my dear friend Heidi (big hugs) and I thought this was the perfect color combo to use for it. I still have a little bit of Soft Sky cardstock left, but oh how I wish SU! would bring that color back!!! Thanks (and big hugs) also to my sweet and thoughtful SU! demo Deanna who recently gave me a few bits of those retired in color ribbons that I was able to use for this card. I stamped the image with Versafine onyx Black ink, embossed it with clear ep, colored it with reinkers of Soft Sky, Pink Pirouette, and Caramel, adding touches of dark brown and black with tombows. I sponged around the edges with Pink Pirouette ink. The borders were done with a scalloped punch, and I used a hole punch on one side. The bow was made with the Bow-easy, the tag was made with my Cricut (George cartridge) and I added some Kaiser Blush and Bliss pearls along with some tan hemp. The sentiment on the tag is from an Inkadinkado stamper set.
Great challenge Broni, and thanks to all of you for stopping by! Happy Hump Day :D

Carol

FTTC52F Maki's "Favorite Stamp Set" challenge

I am doing a sample for Maki's "favorite stamp set" challenge (FTTC52F)! Please check out the Flourishes Anniversary Celebration post to find out how to play along!
My favorite Flourishes stamp has to be this Forest of Trees image by Flourishes. I made an easel card using Soft Stone and Enchanted Evening card stock. I stamped the tree with Versamark and embossed it with Winter Wonderland ep, then layered it using the Nestabilities labels 4 and Top Note die cuts. I embossed the Top Note panel with the CB Snowflakes ef and added some matching ribbon to the Soft Stone panel and the top of the tree. I added a clear star gemstone to the center of the ribbon. The bottom of the card was stamped with snowflakes and the sentiment from a SU! set called Snow Swirled using enchanted evening ink and stamped off once for a softer look. The sentiment was also cut using the Nestabilities Labels 4 die cuts. I already have one card done for next Christmas :)
Thanks for a great challenge Maki and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

FTTC52E Kim's "Frame it out" challenge

I am doing a sample for Kim's "frame it out" challenge (FTTC52E)! Please check out the Flourishes Anniversary Celebration post to find out how to play along!
I used a negative image of a top note die cut in Kraft card stock to frame this image. I put a layer of black underneath that was embossed with the Victorian CB folder, and the white panel was cut with the Nestabilities labels 4. I lightly stamped the white panel with the Flourishes Basketweave backgrounder in sandy beige ink, then stamped with the Poppy Patch images. I also stamped the flowers and leaves on wc paper, colored and then cut them out and popped them up on the white stamped panel. I added a few touches of black stickles to the flowers and finally added a little bow.
Thanks for the fun challenge Kim and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

FTTC52D Silke's "Think Pink" challenge

I am doing a sample for Silke's "think pink" challenge (FTTC52D)! Please check out the Flourishes Anniversary Celebration post to find out how to play along!
I started this monochromatic pink card with the Flourishes sweet pea stamp set, stamping on wc paper and embossing with clear ep. I colored the flowers with Tombow markers and sponged with baby pink ink around the edges while it was still in the Labels 4 die. It's layered with pretty in pink (also cut with the Nestabilities Labels 4) and matted with a scrap piece of pink dp that was cut out with the top note die. A pretty in pink card stock base, some blush pearls by Kaiser, and some pink satin ribbon and this card was done.
Thanks for the great challenge Silke and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

FTTC52C Dee's "Fruity Birthday" challenge

I am doing a sample for Dee's "Fruity Birthday" challenge (FTTC52C)! Please check out the Flourishes Anniversary Celebration post to find out how to play along!
I used my Flourishes Life, Love, Lemons stamp set for this. I stamped a background with the sliced fruit image in new sprout and daffodil inks, masking the images. I stitched that panel to a scrap of light green card stock and punched the edges with a scalloped punch. I also used a hole punch to put holes into the scallops on one side. The main image was stamped on wc paper and embossed with clear ep. Next I colored the image with Tombows and added some yellow stickles and a tiny drop of red liquid pearls to the center of the flower. It was layered on pale yellow card stock and both panels were die cut with the Nestabilites blossom. The sentiment was stamped with a HA stamp and layered on punched ovals. A piece of ribbon from my stash was added for the final touch.
Thanks for the fun challenge Dee and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

FTTC52B Betty's "Cut it out and Pop it Up" challenge

I am doing a sample for Betty's "cut it out and "pop it up" challenge(FTTC52B)! Please check out the Flourishes Anniversary Celebration post to find out how to play along!
I stamped the Flourishes calendar 1 daffodil image twice on wc paper and embossed with clear ep. I colored the images with Tombows and then cut out all the flowers and popped them up on the other stamped image. I added a few stickles to the centers for some sparkle and some piercing and torn edges for interest, inking the yellow panel with daffodil ink. It's done on a base of Ocean Tides dp and layered with scraps of hunter green and pale yellow. The sentiment was created using the word window and modern label punches. The ribbon was from my stash.
Thanks for this great challenge Betty, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

FTTC52A Cindy's Sketch Challenge

I am doing a sample for Cindy's "it's a sketch" challenge (FTTC52A)! Please check out the Flourishes Anniversary Celebration post to find out how to play along!
I started with a base of magenta metallic card stock and used some white metallic card stock for the squares. I embossed them with a CB folder and then used the Nestabilities blossom die cuts to make the focal panel. I used the Pansies from the Calendar1 Flourishes stamp set, stamping on wc paper and embossing with clear ep before cutting them out. The flowers were colored with Tombows. I used a Spellbinders die cut for the sentiment and added a few snippets of white taffeta ribbon and a couple of lavender Kaiser pearls for accents.
Great challenge Cindy and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

I don't have time to make any challenge cards today so I'm posting one I made a while ago. I used the Fifth Avenue Florals stamp set for this one, stamping on Berry Sorbet card stock with Versamark and embossing with white ep. I cut and popped the flowers up on foam tape, adding some MS gold microbeads to the stamens. I used new leaf cardstock for the stems and leaves, punching them with oval punches and using a paper crimper for the final touch. I layered everything on soft stone cardstock. The sentiment is from SU! and the scoring around the image was done with my Scor-pal.
Have a wonderful Monday!!!

Carol