I'm sorry!

Here's a card I made with a Whimsy digi image recently. I used SU! Pure Poppy cardstock and dp for this one and colored the image with Copics. I lined the envie to match and hand wrote the sentiment. This poor kitty really looks sad doesn't he? I was wearing an expression like that last night too after watching Lost Valentine......the Hallmark movie with Betty White. It was a wonderful movie, but I couldn't stop sobbing! LOL Did anyone else happen to see that too? I think we need more quality tv like that! I just love Betty White, and we've been so blessed to have her entertaining us for so many years!
Anyhoo........we're about to get hit with another nasty weather system that's bringing snow, ice, & rain, so I've got to get this day started! I have errands to run while the gettin's good!
Have a great Monday everyone - thanks so much for stopping by!

Carol

Stars & Stamps Sketch Challenge #54

I had time to make a quick card for the S&S Sketch Challenge #54. For this one I used all DP from the Mirabelle paper pack by the Paper Studio, along with one scrap of Cranberry cardstock. The sentiment is by SU and was stamped with Cranberry Crisp ink and sponged with Ranger's antique linen ink. The brads are "faux" - meaning they are punched bits of card stock, covered with Glossy Accents. When dry, it's less bulk for mailing, and it's always a perfect match to your card. The vertical panel was punched with a SU! border punch, and the circles were cut with Nestabilities. Quick 'n easy - I like that!
Have a wonderful day today!

Carol

Love is in the Air!

I made this card for 2 challenges. I used the sketch from The Sweet Stop SSS93, along with Speedy the cat's Friends challenge #40 which is to make a Valentine. I've had this stamped image for quite a while and I'm pretty sure it's by Penny Black. I colored it with Tombows and a wet brush and used dp from Echo Park's Be Mine collection. I embossed the smaller panel with Cuttlebug's larger spot ef, but then covered most of it up with the image? LOL I cut a couple of hearts from scraps and added 2 heart-shaped brads in silver and white. I made some tiny dots around the edges with a white sharpie marker.
I hope you're having a super Saturday so far!

Carol

Looking for Spring!

I made this card for Joans Gardens challenge #4 which is to include the following:

Use yellow and green for your colors
Use a piece of trim
Use a frame to call attention to your focal point
Use embossing

I stamped images using a retired 1997 SU stamp set that my friend Heidi recently sent to me, adding yellow flowers and green leaves. The birdhouse stamp was colored with markers before stamping and has Glossy Accents for a little sparkle. I was hoping to achieve the look of spring looking out of the window with this card.........not that I'm anxious for spring to arrive or anything! *wink* I cut the window using a Fiskars paper shapers template and then embossed it with the Tim Holtz woodgrain ef. It was distressed with Ranger Tea Dye and Vintage Photo inks to look like real wood. The "curtain" at the top of the window was a punched scrap I found in my bin that I'd punched BEFORE my MS doily punch bit the dust *sigh*........that was one of my favorite punches! I added some MS pearls to the top and sentiment panel. The sentiment panel was done with a Spellbinders fancy tag die and sponged with the same distress inks as the window frame. The sentiment is from SU!'s So Many Sayings and was stamped with Artichoke ink. The trim under the window is a piece I've had in my stash that I bought at a close-out sale several years ago. The window is popped up on foam tape but the picture didn't capture that too well.
My poor hubby is still snow blowing from the storm we had, and it's snowing again today. They're calling for possibly up to an inch today and tomorrow, and then another system that has to potential to become a major snow storm is in the forecast for next Wednesday!! It's unbelievable!! Then again, think of all the gas we're saving by staying home so much this winter!! LOL
Stay warm, take care, and thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

Another Valentine

Here's one more Valentine I made that I wanted to share with you. This is a free digi image from Kim McFarlane that I colored with Copics. I added some Glossy Accents to the heart and corners and layered it on a pink heart and silver doily. The striped DP was a scrap I found in my stash that worked perfectly. The sentiment is from SU!
We got well over a foot of snow overnight, so all I hear this morning are snow blowers in the neighborhood. It's going to be a dig-out day for sure!
Stay warm, and thanks for stopping by today!

Carol

SC317 One of my Favorite Peeps

I've been working on my next OWH box, so I'm doing Easter cards now. They're not due until mid-March, but starting early gives me enough time to make multiples. For this card I used the SC317 sketch found here. I used all Memory Box papers from the Enchanted line for this card. The stamp & sentiment is a $1 set I picked up at AC Moore a few weeks ago. The sentiment was stamped with Plum Pudding ink, while the chicks were stamped with Versafine Onyx Black, then embossed with clear ep. The "brads" are all faux.....made with punched circles and dotted with Glossy Accents. The blue embossed panel was done with SU's square lattice ef and the bottom border was done with a SU! punch.
It's snowing here in PA again and we've already accumulated around 4-5 inches.......BUT........they say the heavy stuff is coming overnight! AACK!!
Have a great day wherever you are, and stay warm!

Carol

Crazy4Cocoa Challenge #9

It's Tuesday and time for another Crazy4Cocoa challenge. This week the challenge is to use buttons! I think Cocoa is already as cute as a button, but I used a few other buttons for this card. I punched the heart shape and adhered some pink buttons to it using Glossy Accents. I have no clue how that idea came to life - it just popped into my head while I had all the buttons staring me in the face. I colored Cocoa with Copics, then cut him out of an image and popped him up on another punched heart and planted his little paws on an arrow made of ribbon. The dp is from the Making Memories wedding stack and the pink card stock was from my scrap bin. I punched the ric-rac using an EK punch. The sentiment is by Sweet'nSassy stamps, but I cut out a few words and used them instead of the entire sentiment.
If you play along with the Crazy4Cocoa challenges, you might be the lucky winner of 3 free Cocoa digis at the end of the month, so grab your Cocoa images and come play along with us! We can't wait to see what you create!
Have a great Tuesday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Faux Tile Technique

I played along with the SCS TLC309 today which is to create faux tiles. I used the technique found here, but I took a major shortcut to save time and used all Memory Box Enchanted designer paper instead of stamping an image. I used my favorite embellishment of late - Glossy Accents. I pulled a piece of SU! retired dp (I think it's Pixie Pink) and made my window using that as a base. I used Tombow markers to ink the Hero Arts stamp in pink and brown. This card is going into my next OWH box, as they put out a call for Spring-themed cards.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're all having a great Monday!

Carol

Sketch it Twice!

I had time to work on 2 sketch challenges today. First up is this week's Stars & Stamps sketch # 53 found here. OWH is requesting spring-themed cards, so I pulled out these soft colored papers that remind me of spring. Yes, I am actually using one of my all-time favorite retired designer papers called Afternoon Tea! I'm so proud of myself for doing that! {I have this painful sensation every time I cut into a piece of Afternoon Tea designer paper.......I need help!}The solid colors are Wasabi and Groovy Guava (also retired.) For the image panel I used a Kitchen Sink Multi Step Ivy stamp set and used 4 different colors of green ink. (Memento Cottage Ivy, Bamboo Leaves, SU Handsome Hunter and Wasabi.) The sentiment is by Hero Arts and I used markers to color it before stamping. The Wasabi panel was embossed using a SU square lattice ef, while the Guava panel was embossed using the Swiss Dots ef. I have but a few precious snippets of Guava ribbon, so I used some here.
This card was done for The Sweet Stop SSS92 sketch challenge found here. For this one I used SU! Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz card stock and dp's. The stamp is a retired CTMH set that Heidi sent to me this week! (Thanks my sweet friend) I stamped it using Concord Crush and Wasabi. I colored the stem with a Tombow marker and extended it a bit into the cluster of leaves. The berries and leaves were coated with Glossy Accents to give them a little sparkle. The ribbon was another gift from Heidi that I received for Christmas. I love that it's glittered but that also means this card won't be appropriate to send to OWH. The sentiment was computer generated and punched with SU!'s word window and fancy label punches. The "faux" brads were made by punching cardstock and coating them with glossy accents. All dp and cardstock is by SU!
That will do it for me today. It's brutally cold outside today, so I'm headed to the kitchen to wrap up making a big pot of home-made chicken pot pie next! Stay warm, and thanks for stopping by! I'll be back soon!

Carol

Forever

I think the spirit of Tim Holtz took over my mind when I began creating this card! LOL It's so unlike anything I ever create, but it just came together this way! My friend Heidi (thanks girlfriend) sent me this awesome Cuttlebug ef called Clockworks for Christmas, along with those idealogy spinners you see on the sentiment panel. I just pulled out some die cuts and began playing around with Clockworks and this card happened! I embossed the larger heart with the same ef, and sponged with Ranger vintage photo, walnut stain and antique linen inks. The smaller hearts were cut with the Cricut and run through the paper crimper. The white heart was sponged with antique linen ink while the red one was sponged with walnut stain. That snippet of ribbon that says "I Love You" was in my jar of leftovers, so I attached it with some Scor-tape and fringed the end. The tiny flower with the heart is a piece of DP that's adhered to a Tim Holtz fragment with Glossy Accents. The hardware at the top of the heart has a sticker underneath it that I've had forever. I used Soft Stone cardstock as the base and sponged it all with antique linen ink, and sponged the sentiment panel with walnut stain ink. I've managed to actually USE some of these things I've had for a long time, so to quote Martha........ "that's a good thing!"

On a personal note, I was totally bummed last night to see one of my favorite shows of all time come to an end. Have any of you ever watched Medium? It ended on a happy note, but it was a bit strange to move 40 years into the future! I'm SO going to miss that show! Life constantly changes and I know I'll  be fine, but I hate when a good thing comes to an end! At least NASCAR begins in just a few short weeks, so I have that to look forward to next!

Have a great Saturday everyone and thanks for stopping by today! It's always great to have you here:) Stay warm!!!!

Carol

Stars & Stamps Mid Week Throwdown

I'm going to try to participate in the OWH Stars & Stamps challenges more often this year as I've really slacked off in these past few months. Life just happens and I find myself playing catch-up more often than I should! I'm still making cards for our heroes but I don't always get time to post them! On that note, I'd like to mention how much I admire those of you who are on several design teams and keep up so well with all of your commitments as well as tend to your families! That tales a lot of responsibility, a strong sense of commitment, and some extremely sharp organizational skills!! My hat's off to all of you.......and you know who you are :)
Anyhoo......the midweek throwdown challenge is to create white on white cards with a pop of color. For my cards, I used the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set from SU! and stamped the large rose image with versamark ink and heated it with gold embossing powder. I cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals. The leaves were created by taking a piece of scrap paper, embossing it with gold, folding in half, running through the paper crimper (pointed, folded side goes in first), then hand cutting ovals on the folded side. I embossed a piece of white cardstock and adhered it to the bottom, embossed the sentiments in gold, and added some white ribbon.

Here's a close-up of "missing you". I used a Tim Holtz texture fades embossing folder for this one and the sentiment was done with SU!'s so many sayings, also embossed in gold.

For this one, I used a Sizzix embossing folder, and the sentiment is from Mark's Finest Papers "Thankful Mums and Pumpkins", also embossed in gold. This design also makes great get-well and sympathy cards, and the gold touches really add some elegance to all the white space IMHO.

Thanks for stopping by today and I wish you all a fabulous Friday!

Carol

ATissue Box Cover

The challenge over at Joan's Gardens #3 this week is to make a box and use the following recipe:

1. Make a box, any kind of box will work.

2. Add a flourish

3. Add a butterfly

4. Make a flower, or use a purchased one

I've added all the required elements and made my first tissue box! I've thought of making one of these for some time now, but this challenge pushed me into actually creating one! I used the directions found here.

I pulled out the beautiful papers from K&Co Floral Dreams along with some PTI Plum Pudding cardstock. I crocheted the flower with embroidery thread, and added a prima along with a die cut flower beneath it. The flourish was done with a Sizzix and the butterflies were done with an embosslit. I added a little Glossy Accents to the embossed parts of the butterfly for a little interest. The opening frame was cut with a Nestability die (sorry, I forget the name of this die)

Here's a view of the top of the box. I had fun making this and they're really easier to make than they look!

Thanks so much for dropping by, and have a wonderful Wednesday! I'll probably have time to catch up on some more challenges tomorrow since we're getting more of that white stuff......again!! Oy!

Carol

2 Sketch Challenges

This card is for the Stars & Stamps Sketch challenge #52 found here. I used Marjolaine dp from Basic Grey for this card, along with a Kitchen Sink Stamps image and sentiment. I had to tweak the sketch a little by flipping the top & bottom portions to accommodate my pieces of dp. Although the lighter floral panel is smaller and should have been on the bottom, it just didn't look right there, so I put it on the top. I used Blue Bayou ink for the image and sentiment, and an EK punch for the ric-rac. The sentiment was done with SU! word window and fancy label punches. The vertical border was done with a SU scalloped border punch and the main image was cut with Nestabilities. I added some white dots to the circle and vertical panels with a white Sharpie.

This card is for the missing sketch challenge #34 also from the Stars and Stamps blog found here. Upon review, it was discovered that sketch #34 was never listed, which is why it's being posted now. For this one I used Jazmyne papers from Bo Bunny, along with some PTI plum pudding satin ribbon. The hearts were punched with a SU punch, and the sentiment is by Marks Finest Papers, stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink. The green panel's border was already punched, as it came from a mini book paper pad.

Thanks for stopping by today and I wish you all a wonderful day!

Revisiting Wild Asparagus

It's miserable outside today, so I've been playing indoors and had time to create a card for Joan's Gardens #2 challenge for this year. The challenge is to include these four things on our cards:
1.Use paper that has a stripe or create our own
2. Use a button or some kind of embellishment
3. Use a heart
4. Use a bow
I managed to easily get all the requirements on this card. I began digging through my unloved stash of DP and found a large pack of Wild Asparagus dp that my DIL gave me when I first began scrapbooking! I haven't touched it in years, but found it to be a lot prettier than I remembered. I used a striped sheet as well as a paisley print, and embossed the paisley print with SU's lattice square ef after cutting the heart shapes with Nestabilities. I used a sheet of burgundy textured card stock from the Paper Studio and added a sentiment by SU done in cranberry crisp ink. The card base is soft stone by PTI. A piece of moss grosgrain and some sheer green ribbon finished this off, along with a button and some jute. Quick & easy, and I got to use more of my stash - which I've resolved to do a lot more of this year! Thanks for stopping by and take good care!


Carol

Crazy4Cocoa Challenge #8

It's Tuesday and time for another Crazy4Cocoa Challenge. This week is the C4CC#8 and it's a color challenge to use red and pink. I used an image called Cocoa's Heart and colored him with Copics, then cut out the image and popped it up on dimensionals. The punches and retired designer papers used were all from SU! and the sentiment is by Inkadinkado. The ribbon is pink satin and the bow was done with the bow easy. Pearls by Kaiser.

If you have a cocoa image, grab your inks and come play along with us. There's a prize at the end of the month just for playing along, and you might be the winner of 3 free Cocoa images! We'd love to see what you create with Cocoa!

Sending warm cocoa wishes your way for a totally terrific Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by :)

Carol

A Little Bunny Love

I made this card for another of my granddaughters. When I found this free digi called BunnyLuv from the digishack (sorry, I can't find the link) I thought it would be so cute for the little ones. I used PTI dp's and plum pudding cardstock for this one. The lightly stamped swirls with hearts on the right border were done with a cute GStudio stamp I found at Michaels. The sentiment is one I got for $1 at Michaels a few years ago too. The image was colored with Copics and I added glossy accents to the red hearts and the bunny's teeth. His tail has liquid applique with dazzling diamonds for a little sparkle. I sponged the beaded ovals with LuLu lavender ink and added some plum pudding twill ribbon, and again, I made some more faux brads using matching punched DP and Glossy Accents. I stamped the inside with "Some Bunny Loves You."
I hope she enjoys this as much as I do because every time I look at it, I have to smile :)
Have a wonderful Sunday and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Remembering Miss T

Sadly, I had to make a pet sympathy card today for my best friend's sister. I took this photo of her precious dog on New Year's day, and she clearly wasn't feeling well then. Yesterday her owner had to take her to the vet and later that day, she joined all of our other beloved pets who are now playing on the rainbow bridge. It's just so sad to lose a pet and I understand what she's going through.
For my card I used the Sweet Stop Sketch challenge #91 with an added spin of embossing. If you look closely, you can see I lightly embossed the heart-shaped picture of the dog. I tried to keep the soft look, so I didn't want to add a lot of embossing. It's also for the Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge #38, which is to add hearts to our card. I thought a heart would be the best shape to use for the photo, so I matted it with a scrap of cranberry cardstock, using the Spellbinder's heart dies. The papers are from the Paper Studio called Mirabelle and I stamped everything with True Thyme ink......a gorgeous retired SU! color. The card base is Rustic Cream by PTI and the stamp set I used is also by PTI called pet sympathy. I made 2 bows from 2 different ribbons and added a punched butterfly that was covered with Glossy Accents and some MS pearls. The pearls on the card were colored with a Copic to match. I stamped off a couple paw prints on the top of the main panel and popped everything up on dimensionals.
Having lost 3 dogs of my own in the past few years, I know how comforting it is to receive pet sympathy cards, so hopefully this one will bring Miss T's owner a little bit of that comfort.
Thanks for stopping in and have a great day. Give your pet an extra {hug} today too!

Carol

Texturize Me!

The F4A47 challenge over on SCS today is to add texture by using 2 or more embossing folders, particularly one you rarely use. I don't know the name of the Cuttlebug folder for the flowers, but for the bottom of the card I used the SU! square lattice folder. I pulled scraps of lavender and green from my stash for this one. I inked up the floral ef with Memento Lulu Lavender ink and ran it through the Big Kick to give it a hint of color. The faux brads on the flower were made with punched cardstock and dotted with Glossy Accents. Ribbon from my stash along with 2 MS punched butterflies, a corner punch and some bling, and this card was done! The embossed and partially foiled dp is from a beautiful paper pad called Floral Dreams by K&Co........a gift from Heidi. (thanks g/f)
That's it for me today..........I hope your Friday is fantastic!

Carol

A Multi Challenge Card for a Cause

Here's the color challenge for today over at Create with Connie & Mary CCMC133. The colors are Pear Pizzaz, So Saffron, Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip. It's been ages since I did any color challenges, but I needed a to make a card and I had these colors on hand.
I'm sorry that the colors on this card look so weird, but after using 2 cameras, taking photos in a photo box and outside in daylight, I cannot get these colors to look natural for some reason. I played around with the colors, brightness, tint and contrast, and yet this is the best I can come up with. *sigh* It really looks much better IRL, but you'll have to trust me on that one!
Anyhoo........this card is also for the StampinB's challenge #93 to use a die cut, and also for the SCS WT305 Butterfly Bliss challenge - in other words to use a butterfly. Most important of all is the reason I made this card and where it's going. I recently learned about a fellow stamper who was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer just days before Christmas. She's a young mother of 3 who is bravely blogging about her journey with cancer, and her name is Katie Renz. You can read about it here. Her story is heartbreaking when you realize this wife and mother has been struck down at such a young age, but her courage in facing cancer is beyond measure. Please make time to send her a card if you can..............I know she can use all the encouragement we can provide for her as she goes through some tough days of chemotherapy. I've seen this address posted on several websites, so I'm going to take the liberty to post it here as well for those of you who may not have been aware of it yet.

Katie Renz
P.O. Box 5913
Bellingham, WA 98227-5913

I used a Chocolate Chip base and matted the Pear Pizzaz DP with Baja Breeze. The butterflies were die cut with a SU!/Sizzix die and embossed with SU!'s lattice square ef and a flourishes frame Cuttlebug ef. The sentiment panel was done with an EK punch and the sentiment, by Verve, was done in Chocolate Chip. The metal flower was one I got in a grab bag full of gemstones. I added a yellow brad to the center and used So Saffron ribbon. There are a couple Kaiser chocolate pearls on the smaller butterfly and everything is popped up on dimensionals.

Thanks for sticking with me during this loooong post, and I wish you a happy & healthy day! Thanks for stopping by!

Carol

A Double Challenge Rolled into One

I'm having fun stamping today since it snowed overnight and I won't be going anywhere just yet. I combined 2 challenges to create this card. First up is the JoansGardens challenge#1 for 2011 found here, which is to include the following elements to the card:
1. Use some kind of animal, bird, or whatever
2. Use a floral background paper
3. Do something that takes you out of your comfort zone
4. Use some kind of die
Next up is the SCS315 sketch challenge found here.
I used some pretty papers that were gifted to me recently called Mirabelle by the Paper Studio. The Cocoa Mouse digi image is by Sweet'nSassy and was colored with Copics and sponged with Memento desert sand ink. I used the Labels four die for the main image, and hand cut the moss green mat underneath. I used 2 flowers with a small button for an accent, and the part of this card that takes me out of my comfort zone is the stick pin! I love the way they look, but I never use them because I'm always afraid of someone getting poked with one of them! I have the sharp end of this pin buried and glued into a flower petal, so hopefully no accidents will happen! For a final touch, I added some glossy accents to the cherries on top of the candy.
I wish you all a happy Wednesday and I so appreciate your dropping in for a little visit to my world today.

Carol

Got Cookies?

The challenge #7 this week over at the Cocoa Crazies blog has a theme of food, or anything from the kitchen. There's nothing better coming from the kitchen than home-made chocolate chip cookies IMHO, so I took the chocolate theme to a whole new level with this card! LOL
I've had this scrap of cookie dp for years and finally had a good reason to use it. The Sweet'nSassy image is called Cookies for Cocoa and you can find it here. Cocoa was colored with Copics and I used another scrap of checkered paper for the vertical panel. The punched border was done with the MS arched lattice punch, and the ribbon is by SU! I stamped the sentiment with a set of tiny wooden stamps I got for a buck at Michaels. The buttons and jute are from my stash and the card base is kraft.
The prize up for grabs at the end of this month is your choice of 3 free Cocoa digi images, so what are you waiting for? Grab those Cocoa images and come over and play along with us! Remember, you must use a Sweet'nSassy Cocoa image to play the challenge.
I'm hungry for chocolate chip cookies now, so I'm glad there are none in the house! LOL
Have a great day everybody and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

The Sweet Stop SSS90

Here's a card I made for The Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #90 that has no snowflakes, winter theme, or anything relating to cold weather! LOL Our electric bill came on Friday and it nearly tripled, so our heat is turned down lower and we're layering up to keep warm in this cold snap. I thought if I stamped some flowers to remind me of warmer weather it might work, but so far it isn't happening! LOL
For this I used a CTMH stamp set called Treasure of life. I colored the stamps with markers before stamping for a little color variation. The embossed panel was done with SU's petals a plenty ef on PTI's bitty basics dp. The dp in the background is from the Jubilee paper pack by MM. The sentiment is by G Studio done in night of navy. The cardstock and ribbon are Spring Rain by PTI, and the mats are Night of Navy. I colored the tiny flower with a Copic marker to match the darker flower on the stamped image. I had to tweak the sketch a bit and move the ribbon to the top, but I hope the challenge police won't notice:)
Thanks for stopping by and stay warm! Have a great Monday!

Carol

OWH Sketch Challenge #51

I had a request yesterday to make a few Easter cards for someone, and since it's so cold outside today, it seemed like a good time to work on something that makes me feel a little warmer. {It's not working yet btw}
I used the sketch from this weeks Stars&Stamps challenge #51 found here. I used to play these challenges every week, but I've trailed off over time and I need to get with the program again! I used another adorable image by Sleikje that I've had for a while now and just never got around to using it yet. The image is colored with Copics, and the DP is Gossamer by Memory Box. The sentiment is done with a G Studio stamp and the ribbon is from my stash. I had to tweak the sketch a little bit to accomodate the image panel. This one has glitter on the bunny tail, so it won't be going to OWH, but the ones I do make for them will not have glitter on them anywhere! I also added stickles to the tiny flower centers, but you can't see that in the picture.
I hope your Sunday is going well for you. I guess I'll be running errands tomorrow as they're calling for "plowable snow" to arrive on Tuesday. That's the first time I've heard that description on the news! LOL I think it means we're in for some deep white stuff *wink*
Stay warm and have a great week ahead!

Carol

A Whole Lot of Love

I stayed in today and stamped for most of the day since it was snowing. Some cards I'll share with you - others are being put to rest LOL I don't seem to have consistent MoJo since the holidays are over, but I keep trying :)
This image is a free digi from the incredibly generous Sliekje. She shares all her digis free to those who want them, and they're all adorable! She gives us a gift every time she posts a new one, and she really has the talent to create some cuties! I saw this and thought of my granddaughter since she loves to pull her little sister around in a wagon, so this one is going to her. I colored the image with Copics and found a remnant of some old Valentine DP and a few snippets of left over ribbon. I added glossy accents to the hearts and stickles to the wheel centers. The zig-zag border was done with an EK punch, and I added a heart brad for interest. The sentiment is by SU!, done with SU! punches.
There's not much on tv tonight, so I might just keep on stamping the night away :)
Have a great weekend everyone!

Carol

Another Valentine

I made a Valentine this morning for the Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge #37 found here. Geri's challenge this week is to use embossing on our cards. I used dry embossing along with heat embossing for this one. I couldn't get a good photo of this card because I used some silver metallic cardstock and no matter how I positioned the card or the light, the reflection blurred the card every time. I decided to use natural daylight to avoid that glare, but guess what? It's snowing here in PA today, so this is the best I can do! LOL I used the SU! square lattice ef for embossing, along with the SU!Polka Dot Punches heart, which was embossed with silver ep. I used a piece of silk ribbon beneath the hearts and I really wanted to make a big bow, but it drowned out the hearts, so I left it as is. Because it's flat, this card won't need extra postage for mailing and I like that! I used an EK punch for the border on the silver panel and a Spellbinders die for the SU! sentiment. Pink, Red, and Silver.......I'm kind of liking this color combination!
Have a great weekend, stay warm, and thanks for stopping by. I might have more later since it's a stay-in kind of day.

Carol

A Valentine for 2 Challenges

I made this card earlier today but never got a chance to photograph it or post it until much later. I created this for 2 challenges - the StampinB's challenge #92 and the Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge CCMC132. The StampinB's challenge is hosted this week by Joanne and she asked us to use an old favorite and something brand spankin' new on our cards! The new on my card is the DP - a gorgeous piece from a MM wedding stack I just got yesterday in the mail. (Thanks again Heidi). The old is the square Nesties - probably the first set of Nesties that I bought. The heart was done with a retired SU! set called Polka Dot Punches and was embossed with silver EP and punched with the SU! heart punch. The ribbon and silver heart brads were from my stash. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado.
The sketch over at the CCMC132 is an easy one and makes for one beautiful card, so I created a valentine card. I hope to be able to create some cards for the St Judes Valentine card drive, and this one might be thrown into the mix, in spite of it being a bit on the adult side. If you want to contribute cards to St Judes Valentine Card Drive, you can find the details here.
Thanks for these 2 great challenges ladies and thanks to all of you for stopping by! We're supposed to get more snow here in PA tomorrow, so I hope to get more stamping done :) Bye for now!

Carol

Resolutions & a Sketch

It's Tuesday and that means it's time for another Crazy4Cocoa challenge! This week the challenge is to create something with a New Year's Resolution. I never make resolutions for myself because it just adds undue pressure when I don't follow through, so I resolve to not make resolutions anymore! *grin* I decided to allow Cocoa to make his own resolutions for my card this week, so I printed out a few things that Cocoa might want to do.......like "don't tease the cat" or "watch for hidden traps" etc. I used the free digi image I got for playing along with the first Crazy4Cocoa challenge and colored it with Copics. I used the SU! oval punches for the center and computer generated the sentiment. The DP, ribbon, and cardstock is Plum Pudding and bitty box basics by PTI. I used a tiny starburst punch and some purple bling for accents along the bottom, and smaller bling on the Quikutz corner. The ric-rac was done with an EK punch.
If you have some Cocoa images why not come play along with us? If you don't have any yet, you can find them at Sweet'nSassyStamps.com. The new January release includes some colored digis, so check it out!
I also made a card for the Sweet Stop sketch challenge SSS89 shown above. For this, I used all scraps from my stash in shades of blue and green.
I used the "Cocoa's gift" digi and colored it with Copics, adding some stickles to the blue ribbon. The faux stitching was done with a piercing tool and a Tombow marker. The ric-rac was done with an EK Success punch. I found a ribbon brad that I've had forever and tied on a snippet of ribbon. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado, done with SU!'s word window punch. The main image has borders punched with another SU! scalloped punch.
Thanks for stopping by today and make it a fabulous Tuesday!

Carol

QFTD41 I {heart} you

I made this card for the SCS QFTD41 challenge in honor of Kathy/aka 101 Airborne. I found this card in her gallery and made a valentine version of my own. The image is a Whimsy digi and it was colored with Copics. The sentiment is a digi by Sweet'nSassy and I stamped the little red heart from the SU! yummy set with real red ink. The dp is a scrap from my overflowing stash, and the cardstock is textured navy. I added 3 tiny Stampendous stickers to the hearts on top for a little sparkle.
I hope your new year is getting off to a great start, and thanks for stopping by!

Carol

Something New.........almost!

The challenge over at Speedy the Cat's Friend's blog this week is to use something "new." I found this used stamp at a store sale last week for less than $2, but it's new to me since I just got it! I stamped it on red & black color blocks with versamark ink, then embossed it with white opaque ep. I added some silver deco pen accents to all the ribbons on the image and added a red prima flower with a silver heart-shaped brad to the center. The sentiment panel was cut with my fancy label by Spellbinders and threaded with ribbon from my stash. The sentiment is by Sweet 'n Sassy, done in versafine onyx black ink.
I think Santa Claus took my mojo back to the north pole with him, because I can't seem to find it today! This card took the entire afternoon to create! All these great goodies I was gifted with at Christmas and my mojo goes on vacation. I don't get it!? LOL
Have a great day everyone!

Carol

Heartfelt Stamps, Dies, and Wishes for 2011!

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope the new year brings you all the very best of everything!
I made these thank-you cards after Christmas but waited to post them until the recipients received them. I actually won these Heartfelt Creations stamps and dies from Scrap-Mart's first blog hop and I was thrilled to say the least! These were the first Heartfelt Creations items to be added to my fun collection of stamps and dies! I think I made these cards the same afternoon the prize package arrived in the mail! LOL I used a Sissix embossing folder and some SU! oval punches for the sentiments. Each was done using scraps of cardstock and the centers were embossed with silver or gold embossing powder. A little bow made of gold or silver cording was the finishing touch.
Again, a heartfelt Happy New Year wish for all of my readers and friends in 2011. May it be your best year ever!

Carol