Blogger Gifts

Good afternoon!  Hope all of you are enjoying your last day of 2009!  Tonight the family and I are enjoying a quiet New Years Eve at home.  We had a busy week or so and are just looking forward to hangin' out at home.

Before I continue on with my day of relaxation I just want to take a moment to share with you some small paper gifts that my blog candy winner Melisa sent to me.  It was a great surprise to see in my mailbox.  I'm so happy that she's getting use out of the goodies. The gift tags in those little wax baggies are a wonderful idea and the ribbon was long enough to nice wrap around the neck of a wine bottle.  Her thank you card is beautiful!  I love the nested buttons.  I keep telling her she needs to start her own blog (even if it's anonymously) because she has such wonderful talent she could be sharing.  Thanks so much Melisa for sharing with me.

On another note, and a sad one,  I was very sad to hear about  Maureen's mother passing away this last Tuesday evening.  Even with a heavy heart she was able to create an amazingly beautiful card that brought tears to my eyes. I just want to offer out a big hug to her and hope that maybe you could do the same.  It still amazes me how much encouragement and friendship the blogging community has to offer.

Amazingly I will have more to share in the coming days so I hope you'll come back for more.  Here's to a fabulous and hope filled 2010!!!

An Apple a Day...

How's this for a get well card?  I think it's cute and the bright colours are cheerful and uplifting don't yo think?  Hope none of you are needing a get well card this holiday season and I'm lucky enough to be able to put this one in card stash (thankfully I have my blog readers to share this with instead),  

I'm so tired of doing Christmas cards and knew that I wanted to make anything but.  I went through my paper hoard for this Get Sketchy sketch and came across this fun paper.  I started putting this together without knowing what stamps I wanted to use and then finally decided to use my punches to make this apple core that I've seen on other blogs.  At that point I still didn't know what kind of card this was going to be.  Well I got all the pieces prepped and it was time to pick out the sentiment....I could have done pretty much anything but I decided to work with the old adage "An apple a day keeps the doctor away".  I thought about making something for the teachers in our lives too but I wonder if they get tired of the apple theme themselves?

The apple was made using the SU! tab punch on Very vanilla and Real Red.  I sponged the vanilla with So Saffron craft ink.  The stem was made using the 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches and the leaf is made from the 5-petal punch.  I may just make a small picture tutorial.

This was also my first time sponging (real red) on my nestabilities.  I still need some practice and I'm in no way as good as my friend Tanis but I'll find my groove.

I really like where this paper took me and the relaxed creativity that came out of it.  There was no pressure just a patient process that came out with a very nice end result.  Don't you love it when that happens?

Paper:  Real Red, Very Vanilla, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Kraft, NSU dsp

Ink:  Basic Black, So Saffron (Craft), Real red.

Accessories:  Tab punch, circle punches, 5-petal punch, nestibilities labels 1,  Red gingham ribbon, red grosgrain ribbon

From Me to You

Look!  I've managed to finish a challenge before the deadline.  The card didn't take very much time at all and it would have gone even quicker if I had the Word Window Punch for the sentiment instead of having to be finicky with the cutting and corner edge punch.  Same effect but it takes more time.  The lovely paper is not Stampin' Up! but Rich Razzleberry, Kiwi Kiss, and Bermuda Bay go well for those of you that have this dp stashed away.

I used the Whisper White textured cardstock which gives the image that partially inked look.  I was surprised to use black for the sentiment as I usually use Chocolate chip but I found that like the rest of the colours the sentiment needed to POP.  I inked the edges of the sentiment in Bermuda Bay for a faux layer and added a nice purple button. I may just pop on some bling for the flower centers.

Anyhow, now that we are enjoying couple of inches of snow and it's finally starting feel somewhat "Christmassy", it's all probably going to melt between today and tomorrow.  Hope you are all enjoying your week.  Only two more wake ups and then the Christmas holidays are upon us.  Yahoo!!!

Paper:  Whisper white textured cs, Rich Razzleberry, Kiwi Kiss

Ink:  Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay

Accessories:  Small corner rounder punch, scallop edge punch, NSU purple button and brads, linen thread

Stamps: For all you do, NSU sentiment

Imagine That

I'm late for yet another sketch challenge.  That's what I get for starting a card on the cut off day!  I started Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge yesterday afternoon during my down time but I didn't quite realize how time consuming the paper quilting was going to be until my hour had past and all I had to prove for it were three 1 3/4" quilted circles.  Then one thing led to another and I finally finished my card around 10 PST last night.  Too tired and not thrilled enough with the end product to bother taking pictures.  This was one of those cards that didn't finish with the same fireworks that I had in my vision....but when I got up this morning I had a clear view and new appreciation for this card.

My first step began with cutting 3/4" squares from my scraps of Razzleberry Lemonade dsp and glueing them together on white whisper white cardstock to make a panel 2 1/4" x 6 3/4".  I then zigzag stitched the inside seams (not very well since my sewing machine kept skipping stitches) and then punched 1 3/4" circles.  I was surprised at how easily my SU! punched cut through the paper and sewing.  I punched three because I planned on making a couple more.

I used my circle scissor to cut the bottom layer for the quilted circle.  I used my sewing machine again to paper pierce my bottom panes and distressed the main panel edges with my scissors.

I put the card together and instead of brads, buttons I used purple bling.   Something was missing in the top left corner so I add a bit of bling there too.  I hope to get started on the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge tonight so that I'm not late for the Thursday deadline.  We shall see....thanks for taking the time to pop by my blog.  I hope you enjoyed what you've seen even if it is late.  IMO creativity and inspiration never has a deadline so thanks Mercy for your inspirational sketch.

Paper:  SU! Glossy White, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade dsp, Crushed Curry

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry

Accessorries:  Circle Scissor, 1 3/4" circle punch, small corner rounder punch, NSU bling, Sewing machine

Stamps:  Sweet Centers, NSU sentiment

Christmas Goodies

Here are a few samples of the Christmas goodies I made for my daughter's classmates.  I did use candy but with the intent that these can be hung on their Christmas tree until the big day.  I have doubts that they will actually make it to their christmas tree but you never know.

For my project I used the Circle Scissors to cut 3 inch circles...looking back now it would have been better to make them a little smaller (2.75" instead) and I used the Fiskars Shape cutter for the ovals.  The top of the ornaments were made by cutting out the ornament shape in the Sweet Centers stamp set and the inside circle was easy peasy this time around with the 1 3/4" circle punch.  It didn't come so easily when I was making the Halloween treats. I didn't have the circle punch and had to rig things just right with my circle scissor.  It took to long without the punch which is why my daughter didn't hand out those sweet treats for halloween.  It was great to use up some of my SU! Christmas dp from last season (always a good excuse to buy something new LOL).

Sorry if I haven't been around to comment on your beautiful works of art.  Like you I'm busy with the celebrations of the season and bent on finishing my last minute projects.  And having a horrible migraine yesterday did not help in getting things done.  It was only my second ever migraine but it put me in bed for 6 hours.  I was extremely blessed that it was a Saturday and my husband was home.  Another thankful thing about my migraines is that I loose vision in one eye about 45 minutest to an hour before the headache part kicks in so I have time to take some pain meds and finish up the really important things before I'm stuck in bed.  I'll be making an appointment with the doctor this week...last time it was with the Optometrist.

Paper:  Old Olive texture cs, I Wish dsp, Whisper White
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Stamps:  Sincere Salutations, Sweet Centers
Accessories:  Circle Scissors, Fiskars shape cutter, 1 3/4" circle punch, 1/16" circle punch, silver cord ribbon, treat cups, chocolates

More Button Fun

So here are a few more cards that I made using Maureen's stamp set and some of my scraps of "I wish" dsp.

The left gingerbread man card uses Sweet and Sassy Stamp Sketch #30 and the right card uses Card Patterns Sketch #43.

They're very simple which happens when trying to put together a dozen cards in a couple of evenings.  I thought I had made enough Christmas cards but I didn't take into consideration that I wanted about 10 to put away in boxes as Christmas Gifts.

Paper:  Chocolate chip, Real Red, Kraft, Old Olive, I Wish dsp.
Accessories:  Buttons, Red gingham ribbon, letter rub-ons, Oval cutting tool. small corner rounder
Ink: Soft Suede, Chocolate chip
Stamp: Not Stampin' Up!

Here's a cute and simple snowman card that I made using the same stamp set.  I used my own layout for this.

I lifted the middle of the sentiment with dimensionals just to give it a little something.  And I cut out another snowman head to lift up with dimensionals.  I added more character by using liquid applique on the snow man's hat. This card was extremely fast and easy.  I love buttons!!

Paper:  Whisper White, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, I Wish dsp

Ink:  Basic Black, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: White buttons, Liquid applique, Real Red and Pumpkin Pie markers, Ticket corner punch, dimensionals

Deck the Halls with Buttons of Holly

Good morning All!  Amazingly I'm back with yet another post this week.  This is one of the cards I was busy creating.  I had stamped the Holly image at Maureen's house a couple of weeks ago as, sadly, I don't own that stamp set.  I finally got around to playing with it and found that Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #47 displayed the Holly very nicely.

I could have probably added some ribbon but as soon as I'm happy with a card I try to stop there.   And I liked the colour proportions of this card.  Super easy, inexpensive and yet elegant. Don't you just love the buttons?  Maureen you've got me addicted to buttons!!!  

Thanks so much for visiting.  Hope you are enjoying your week.

Paper:  SU! Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Real Red, SU! I Wish dsp.

Ink:  Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Ticket corner punch, Scallop border punch, buttons

Stamps:  Non-Stampin Up!

White Christmas

That's what I'm dreaming of right now.   But here we have no snow on the ground to speak of and yet it is -15 degrees celsius.  I'm cold and there's no beautiful white stuff to bring that smile to my face although it is beautiful clear skies with sunshine to warm us (at least a little).

Anyhow, here are a couple cards that I did promise I would post.  And technically I'm keeping my promise because it is not yet midnight.  These cards were created using FTL 69 and my Snow Burst stamp set.  I rounded the corners to give it a softer look and I brought out the silver embossing powder for the sentiment.  I really like how these cards turned out.  They are very simple but as Natasha pointed out the placement of each stamp (and colour) is absolutely crucial.  The left hand card was my second attempt and I decided to follow the template layout almost exactly.  And then I was inspired to create my own layout on the right hand side.  It was fun to play around with my stamps which is something I rarely do these days.   I could have added some embellishments to these cards but I didn't want to ruin it's simplicity.   The one layer also makes these cards easier to mail.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you are all having a wonderful, joyful December.  Don't be afraid to say No to the chaos of the season and instead enjoy the peace of Christmas. "Let there be Peace on Earth and Let it begin with me." I do have a bunch of cards lined up to show you this week and I will post them when I have time for my cup of java.

Paper:  Whisper White
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue,  Brocade Blue, Versamark
Accessories:  Large corner rounder punch, silver embossing powder
Stamps:  Snow Burst, Snow Swirled (Season's Greetings),  Grateful Greetings (Christmas Greetings)

O Christmas Tree

Hi Ladies.  I apologize for the delay in announcing the blog candy winner.  First I want to thank you for all of your lovely comments and I'm so happy to meet each one of you.  I'm always looking for other people to inspire me but also people that I can encourage.   Giving encouraging words to others is the one of  the things I like most about the blogging community.  I want to thank my new followers as well as my faithful followers who are always there with a positive note for me.  

Anyhow, I have had a busier weekend than I was anticipating.  We were given tickets to go see "My Fair Lady" at our local theater and it was awesome!  Then my husband remembered that we had a kids Christmas party to attend this afternoon (an hour after it began).  I have a huge calendar on the fridge to use but for whatever reason my husband forgets what it's there for.  I wonder if he really even knows its there? We also put up our lovely Christmas tree.  It's the first time we put up a fake one and I do love the convenience of it.  It's not the same but I recall last year trying to find the perfect tree a couple of years ago by myself in the cold two days before Christmas because we (by that I mean my husband) had procrastinated for too long.  It was a charlie brown tree that year.   But here's our tree this year!  What do you think?  Pretty good for having the three little ones giving me a helping hand.  I'm so happy that they have those unbreakable ornaments now.  It takes the stress out of decorating.

Well now, here's what you really want to know.  The winner of my blog Candy using random.org is lucky number 7.... Melisa Hunter.  Can you please send me your address so that I can deliver it for Christmas :-P

I will be back tomorrow (I mean it this time) with a bunch of Christmas cards I was busy making all week.  I will also follow up on any comments that you've sent me as I like to keep in touch and I will be sure to check out your blogs.  I apologize to my blogging friends for not taking any time to view your lovely art work this.  I haven't been on my computer.  Take care and keep in touch!

Velvet Inspiration

That red velvet paper was on my desk screaming to be used and when I was going through my weekly sketches I new that Mojo Sketch 114 was the one to use.  It reminded me of a vintage christmas stocking so I want to stick to that vintage feel.  I borrowed Maureen's large scallop punch at our "playdate" last night but I didn't actually get around to finishing it until just now.  It's a wee late I know but this sketch needed to be tried.

Just a short post tonight.  I'm hoping to put on the finishing touches to my Christmas card and have them ready be to sent out by the end of the week.

My son and daughter had their first music concert this afternoon.  I couldn't have been more proud.  Neither one of them was a bit nervous and they were so proud of themselves.

Thanks for looking and don't forget to enter for my blog candy .

Paper:  SU! Kraft, Soft Sude
Ink:  Old Olive
Accessories:  Buttons, Always Artichoke ribbon, SU! Rubon sentiment
Everything else is not Stampin' Up!

Blog Candy Giveaway

Sorry this is late ladies!!  I knew I should have prescheduled this.  Life happens and last night my sister came over with her boyfriend and we played a very long yet fun game of monopoly and I had one two many glasses of wine.  Two glasses would have sufficed...at least that's what my head is telling me this morning.  Anyhow here's what's up for grabs.

1) Three sheets of double sided Basic Grey (BG) paper from the NEW Nook 'n Pantry collection

2) Three sheets from the fabulously cute BG Eskimo Kisses collection

3) Four sheets from the Three Bugs in a Rug Playtime collection.

4) 3Bugs Playtime alphabet die cuts

5) Two Sheets of 3Bugs Snips 'n Snails paper.

6) Five Sheets from the Fancy Pants Wildhearts Collection

7) FP Wildheart diecut sheet

8)  Two Sheets of this beautiful butterfly paper.  I believe it's MME.

9)  One sheet of scrapbooking butterfly stickers.

10) Eight sheets of Stampin' Up! Delicate Dots dsp. 2 sheets of 4 designs.

11) Two Sheets of SU! Wild Wasabi textured cardstock

12) Two Sheets of SU! Soft Sky textured cardstock

13) Two Sheets of SU! dsp


14) Three full sheets of SU! cardstock quality stickers to match the above.

15) Side Stitched ribbon in Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky, and Blue Bayou

16) One yard of stripped grosgrain ribbon in Wild Wasabi

17) One beautiful yard of Purely Pomegranate ribbon.  That's all I could part with.

18)  New Pair of scissors

19)  Old Olive Stamp pad

20)  Stampin' Up! Hostess Set "Holiday Best"

So, what do you think?  Is that enough for you to play along with me.  The only thing I want you to do to enter for this is leave a comment on this post answering one (or both) of the following questions:

1)  What's your favourite tool, product, colour, etc. that you just couldn't live without?

2)  What kind of advice would you give to new paper crafters/stampers?

Anyhow, please let everyone you know about my little celebration giveaway.  I'll be posting my Card Patterns guest designer submission as soon as I can or you can just hop on over there and see it for yourself.

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend.  I do apologize again for not getting this posted sooner.  I did promise it would be here.  Good luck to you all!  I'll be announcing the winner December 5th.

Love my Scraps...

better yet I love my friends paper scraps even more.  A few weeks ago I gave my blog friend Maureen some Cosmo Cricket paper knowing she would do something wonderful with the Ever After collection especially since at the time it was sitting in my paper bins (that's right BINS) waiting to be used. As some of you may know, I'm a paper hoarder.  I like a little bit of everything!  I like sheets sold separately because I don't always like every print in a collection and double sided papers are better that way I have yet another option.  I like options...sometimes it gets me into creative bloc trouble but c'est la vie! I could think of worse calamities....now having no dp would terrify me.

Okay, back on story telling track....I gave the paper to Maureen and she sent me this lovely thank you card and several these lattice die cuts (she knew I didn't have the die yet) in amazing colours and I hope that she used her scraps to make them (those dies take up so much paper).  I'm so grateful that she sent these die cuts because I'm really interested in knowing how much I'd use it.

So, for Crazy 4 Challenges #12 , I chose to use the Wild Wasabi textured lattice die.  I brought it all together with scraps of paper in my scrap bin, the butterfly die (love it),  a "Hard to Say" sentiment, and a button.  What do you think?  It was a really easy card to make and I love the cheerful colours.

This little scrap swap has put me in the giving mood.  Tomorrow, in celebration of my first guest designer post,  I'll also be posting my Blog Candy that I will be giving away December 5th.  All you'll need to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on that post and your numbered comment may be randomly chosen.

To friends we like to share with!  Cheers!

Paper:  SU! Wild Wasabi, Tangarine Tango, Bashful Blue, Whisper White NSU dp
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie
Accessories:  SU! Lattice and Butterfly die cuts
Stamp:  Hard To Say

Sharing in Your Sorrow

Here's one of the Sympathy cards that I made this last week.  I used Sketch Girl #9 challenge and it is unfortunately their last sketch until the New Year.

I really liked the idea of framing that tree into three separate panels.  In real live the tree has a bit of shimmer.  Because I don't have Sage Shadow ink I had to improvise by mixing re-inkers and platinum shimmer paint.  I used 4 parts Blue Bayou, 1 part Old Olive and some shimmer paint.  I think it came up close enough.

Because I used Chocolate Chip for my card base I needed an area on the inside to write.  The Top Note Die is a wonderfully easy way to do that.

And you know for all the beauty that is in this card it is  the sentiment inside that means the most! This Stampin' Up! set is one of my faves and this sentiment says it all: "Praying for friends to comfort you, faith to uphold you, and loving memories to heal your heart."  I mean really what more can one say on such a sad occasion?

Anyhow, I hope to add some cheerful cards in the next week starting on Saturday with my first Guest Designer submission for Card Patterns .  They really liked my Delight in Life Card ~ Hepburn Style and I want to thank all of you for all the lovely comments.  It was a sweet reward being able to tell my husband that my blog friends really liked it  ;-)  LOL I hope you'll come see what I've created on Saturday and join in the fun.  I also have a surprise planned.

Paper:  Chcolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Real Rust, Gold fiber cs,

Ink:  See post, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Buttons, Top note die, ticket corner punch

Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers

Christmas Wishes from the Kitchen

I'm so excited that Everything but the Kitchen Sink challenges has it's own blog now making it easier to keep track of their interesting challenges.  To kick things off the talented DT member Courtney came up with a sketch based on her beautiful fireplace mantel.  It looked like a lot of fun and this is one of those challenges that I really want to support and encourage because it's a great way to get the creative juices flowing.  The design team (DT) is made up of amazingly creative women who are very encouraging with their fellow bloggers.  Please stop by their blogs and get ready to be inspired.

Here's my card.  It's not as detailed as I wanted to be with stitching or paper piercing but I did manage to get around to practicing my french knots on the front panel.  It has been a pretty crazy week.

We attended the memorial mass on Friday for our loved one who passed away after a 2 yr battle with cancer.  It was emotionally draining but it was great to have such a wonderful visits with family and friends.  The hardest part was thinking that there was someone missing and then remembering it was the one person who's life you were celebrating.  Very weird to say the least.  And now I'm just dealing with trying to get my family healthy again.  My daughter has missed 4 days of school and my husband has missed 2 days of work due to a horrible chest cold.  No fevers so that's a plus.

So back to my card.  I used an old SU! stamp set Old Fashioned Christmas.  Remember that one?  The images on that set are beautifully etched.  And I love the sentiment from that set.  I decided to use holly images and add french knots for colour and texture.  Another thing I like about this card is that the light background pieces give the perception of a cross.  Isn't that neat?  Like I said, I didn't have much time to put a lot of thought into the details but I think it turned out quite well considering.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful, healthy week!

Paper:  NSU designer paper, SU! Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla

Ink:  Rose Red, Always Artichoke

Stamp set: Old Fashioned Christmas (retired)

Delight in Life ~ Hepburn Style

I'm so excited to show you this card.  It's something like I've never created before and I couldn't have done it without the inspiration from 3 challenges, my Top Note die, and my new nestibilities.  The first challenge was the Crazy 4 Challenges to use acetate as an element and I was particularly drawn to this card's layout idea.  I have a bunch of acetate around but never think to reach for it!  The next challenge was a sketch from Card Patterns .  This sketch was really cool and could be incorporated well with the polkadot acetate from the SU! Night and Day specialty dp I planned on using.

Next I went in search of just the right paper and came across the bold but elegant black and white dp in my scrap bin.  I was instantly reminded of the card Maureen  had just done as a guest designer for Cinema Saturday.  Her card is just gorgeous and uses the Tiffany blue colour to give it the Audrey Hepburn flair.  I decided I would take my first stab at the Cinema Saturday challenge .  The challenge is inspired by the Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck classic "Roman Holiday" and the added challenge was to incorporate pearls.

I wanted to create a card with style that reflected Hepburn's flair.  It's pretty hard to nail that flair the way she always could.  I used scallops to represent the arches of the roman colosseum and I used my Labels 1 nestibilities instead of straight edge squares to emphasize the architecture seen throughout Rome.  The hard part was deciding which stamp to use.  And I finally decided on one of my favourites and I think captures Princess Ann's purpose for escaping her royal obligations during her trip in Rome.  While exploring Rome she got to spend the day doing all the things she always wanted to do.

So in the end I came up with this 6.5" x 5" card that I'm very pleased with.  Originally I had just 2 large black pearl on the top left corner instead of the Melon Mambo ribbon.  My husband who has always given me positive feedback was not as fond of it...even for a girly card.  He said it was too bold and black.  So I decided to added a little bit more girly to it by using the ribbon instead and I am now doubting the wow factor I thought I had with this card.  Oh well.  It was fun to try something new and I'm proud of myself for finding a way to incorporate three challenges into one creation.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that I've done something here thats inspired you.  Have a fabulous week.

Celebrating Life

While we will be celebrating the life of a cousin gone too soon on Friday at a mass, I have a friend who will be soon celebrating the arrival of her baby.  I've designed a couple of cards here for her to use as her baby announcements  I hope she likes them.

The first card is a really simple card using the circle and oval scallop punches together and the individual Sweetness Unlimited stamp.  I'm so happy that SU! has come out with this individual stamps because sometimes a person only wants one image or greeting for certain events as opposed to a whole set that they will only use once.  I used Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, and Razzleberry Lemonade dp along with some ribbon and designer buttons.  The ink is actually Rose Red and is a pretty close match for Melon Mambo.

My next card was inspired by one of the cards Leigh Ann at Sketch Girl  sent me with her blog candy.  It's a simple enough sketch and I got a chance to use my new Top Note die inside the card for a place to write all the baby specifics.

I used all the same paper and colours except I used the scallop border punch and the Favorite Teddy bear stamp set.  I hope she likes her options because I'm right out of ideas this week.

Take care my friends.  Have a wonderful day and Happy Crafting.

HO HO HO - Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #47

Sunday blessings to you all!  I'm back with a card to share and some sad news.  Our family is trying to cope with the loss of a friendly, warm, and intelligent man this week.  His battle with cancer has ended and so too has his pain.  If there might be anything that can bring comfort that thought will.  Of course with this sad news my heart hasn't been in the right place for stamping or creating.  I did manage to make a few baby cards for my friend which I will share tomorrow.  Baby cards are always a happy thing to focus on.

Today I managed find it in me to make something cheerful and bright for the holidays using Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #47 .  I didn't feel like stamping so I dug out the SU! rub-ons that I bought last season and a bunch of scrap paper.  I used gold floss for the stitching and the PTI vintage button that was part of the Blog candy I won over at Sketch Girl .

Anyhow it's nothing fancy but I'm sure someone will appreciate it this holiday season.  Thanks so much for stopping by to look.  I'm sorry I don't have a lot of new things to inspire you but I'm sure you understand.  Happy crafting!

Paper:  Glossy White, Real Red, Kraft, Soft Suede dsp, Christmas Cocoa dsp, Whisper white
Accessories:  Gold Floss, SU! Rub-ons Old Saint Nick, green button

Kind thoughts of Remembrance

Wishing you a thoughtful and peaceful Remembrance Day.  We've had a nice quiet one today.  We will probably take part in the candlelight vigils of remembrance this evening.  Hopefully one day everyone will understand the meaning of living in peace and harmony.  Too many times I've taken for granted that I grew up without fear of war on our homeland.  My children can walk the streets and play in playgrounds without the fear of stepping on land mines!!  And to top it off there's enough food to go around that I can share with those who don't have the means to buy their own. We are blessed!!

This card is another sympathy type card using Get Sketchy #13 .  I really like the colours and that sentiment has always been one of my favourites.  I added a little bit of So Saffron ribbon to give it a little touch of another colour besides blue and purple. What do you think?

Thanks for taking the time to look.  Hope you're week is going well.

Paper: Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, NSU dp
Ink:  Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Sahara Sand
Accessories:  Whisper White satin ribbon, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, NSU wheat colour brads
Stamps:  For all You do, Kind thoughts.

Hope For the Best

...but I'm never prepared for the worst.  Last night I was looking through my boxes of stamp sets and realized that I have nothing for sympathy cards.  The closest I could get to was "Thinking of You".  I purposely don't buy sympathy sets because I hope never to have to use them and I'd rather spend my $$ on more uplifting and happy stamps.  I guess it's time to buy one although I keep thinking "I shouldn't need them again" but the truth is that you just never know do you?

Anyhow, here's what I came up with for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch.  It's not much and there are a couple of things I will change when I try this one again.  The mojo is just missing at the moment.

Good News:  My sister is doing much better now that her and her boyfriend are back together.  It's a long story and it's her story but the important thing is that she's happy.  Also, my husband's cousin had a very peaceful sleep on Sunday night and apparently had a very healthy appetite yesterday.  He still needs 100% oxygen sent to his lungs to function properly but he's comfortable. Thank you for your prayers.

Paper:  Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, NSU dp

Ink:  Bordering Blue, Elegant Eggplant, Sahara Sand, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede

Stamp set: For all You do, Sincere Salutations.

Blog Candy Excitement

Good Morning!!  Just wanted to let you in on the chance to win Alex's blog candy over at California Stampin'.  She's a fellow SU! demonstrator who has reached 100K hits on her blog and wants to celebrate by giving away a bunch of scrappin' goodies.  So if you're interested in winning some great supplies hop on over to her blog .  She also has some fabulous projects using SU! product.

Anyhow, hope you are all doing well.  I'm looking forward to having the holiday right in the middle of the week. After having a long weekend with just me and the kids, I'm looking forward to having a whole day with the family together and not have to go anywhere.

Peace be With You

I'm sorry that I don't have any card or project to share with you today and I don't know when I will.  We are in the midst of saying goodbye to a cousin as his fight with Hodgkin's-Lymphoma nears an end.  My husband flew to Edmonton early yesterday to be with his family.  It was hard to believe he was dying when we spoke to him on the phone on Friday.  He sounds so strong but apparently his lungs and blood aren't absorbing the oxygen it needs to.  They nearly lost him early this morning, but they were able to stabilize him.  My husband says he looks amazingly strong and if it weren't for the oxygen mask you would never think he was such a sick young man. So my request from you is just a simple prayer for peace and ease of suffering for everyone involved.

Peace be with you and your family this day and always.

Ghostly Greetings 3 in 1

Yes, I know, Halloween is over and my calendar does indeed say November but there were at least two challenges left to do that had inspired a ghostly card and I thru in a Get Sketchy Challenge  for good measure. (that and the sketch worked perfectly).  So here are the Challenges:

1) Everything But the Kitchen Sink .  The challenge was to incorporate toilet paper in a project...that's right toilet paper and you should just check out some of the ingenious ideas that those ladies have come up with.  All week last week my preschooler was coming home with these ghosts made out of kleenex and he decided to use a box of it to make his own at home.  By the end of week I was pretty tired of finding these little guys all around my house.  Who would have thought it would be the catalyst for my next creation?

2) Crazy 4 Challenges .  The challenge was to make a spooky halloween card.  These ghosts may be more cute than spooky but it still fit the theme.

3) Get Sketchy Challenge #12 .  My version of the sketch is a way more simplified version than most but once I got those ghosts on my 5x5 card there wasn't room for multiple layers and embellishments.

The ghosts are made by covering half a square of TP with a whole square and tying with gingham ribbon.  I then ran the ends of the ghosts over my black ink to give them a darker, scarier look and then I added eyes with my marker.  I also used my marker on the die cut sticker to doodle the Ghostly Greetings sentiment.  What do you think?  Any ideas on how I could have jazzed it up a bit without making it too busy?

Sketch Girl Blog Candy

I just want to share the loot I happened to win by participating in the Sketch Girl #6 challenge.   I was expecting maybe a few small things but definitely not the big box that arrived.  Thanks Leigh Ann !  Look at all the stuff she sent me!!!

1)  Blackboard Flirt Album (Cosmo Cricket)

2)  You are My Sunshine stamp set (Gina K).  I really needed a beach set and the title of the set is meaningful because that song is my daughters favourite.

3) PTI vintage buttons.  A girl can never have too many buttons right Maureen ?

4) Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery twill ribbon.  This is retired so I'm going to savour every bit of it!

5) SU! Delicate Dots dsp. (Retired) A whole pack! 16 sheets!  4 of 4 designs!  Way to much for me to use so I'll just have to take half and give the other half away when I pay it forward with my own blog candy.

6) SU! Glue stick.  Always handy to have extra adhesive.  It's a pain when you run out of the right adhesive isn't it?

7) A Classic SU! ink pad in Old Olive.  One of my favourite colours and therefore already have but I'll be sure to find it a loving home .

8) And finally, a box (actually a mini magazine holder) with a bunch of beautiful handmade cards.

This was really so much more than I was expecting for participating in using such a wonderful sketch.  I used their latest challenge sketch for the card in my last post.  And you should check out the other ladies who participated. Such fantastic and inspiring ideas.

I'll be posting a card later  on in the day so be sure to check back.  Have a wonderful afternoon!

Hung With Care

Hi everyone!  Happy Wednesday!  I hope everyone is as healthy as we have been blessed enough to be.  If not, I'll send out a little prayer for you.  Maybe this card will warm your heart and add a  little holiday cheer.

As soon as I saw this sketch over at Sketch Girls  I knew exactly what stamp set I was going to play with.  The card was a lot of work but it was so much fun to make.

Firstly, I stamped each stocking in Always Artichoke, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip and Versa Mark. I added Gold embossing to the tops of the Mommy and Daddy stockings. I then carefully cut each stocking out and laid them out on the focus panel so that I could decide where to put the holes for my french knots.  I then made the french knots and added the floss garland.  If I had a brick background stamp I might have added that to the panel first. I then added the stockings using dimensionals and put it all together.

Now I'm off to take my boy swimming. Thanks again for taking a peek.  Hope your week is going smoothly.

Paper:  NSU dp, Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Ridinghood Red, Always Artichoke, Whisper White

Ink:  Choco Chip, Artichoke, Ruby Red, Versa Mark,

Accessories: Brown Floss, Gold embossing powder

Stamp:  NSU stocking prints

If you have any questions regarding the Non stampin' up! products please feel free to contact me.