Gearing to Get Sketchy

Lately, there have been quite a few challenges to make masculine cards.  I thought I'd carry on the male theme for the second Get Sketchy challenge.  This sketch looks easy enough but maybe that's what had me stumped...there were just endless possibilities it was hard to limit them. I had the Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo dp and die cuts on hand that I've been waiting to use.   And then I saw the Maya Road Gear chipboard and had a vision.  While my card didn't quite come out the way I had envisioned (especially since I had an oops at the very end)...I think it will work quite nicely for my sons 5th birthday. 

The oops I was talking about happened when I went to stamp the inside with a Happy Birthday sentiment in RED.  I flipped open the card and the edge caught the ink pad!!!  All the hard work had already been done.  So I was forced to make lemonade with my lemon and added the red inking around the edges.  I think it makes it a little rougher around the edges...a little more masculine maybe?

As for the "Gearing up" saying, I had no stamp sets that showed or said what I wanted it to so it was made using my handy dandy printer.  While this card is not perfect,  I hope that it has inspired you to create especially if you have this adorable dp laying around and haven't used it yet.  I'll have a couple more masculine cards to share with you tomorrow.  One is meant for a more mature someone.

Thanks for looking and have a Fabulous Sunday!

Paper:  Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo dp, SU whisper white, certainly celery
Ink:  SU Craft ink, real red, brocade blue, green galore
Accessories:  Printer, twine, Maya Road gear chipboard, BG and SU buttons

'Tis the Season - Already???

Well I can't believe I'm already posting a Christmas card but I have a workshop booked in September and the Hostess would like to work on a Christmas card.  So I've got Christmas ideas on the brain.  I realize that  the multiple layers of this card make it a no-go for a demo but the spotlighting of the snowflake using the circle punches might be a cool idea.

Now where would I be without my paper punches??  What did I do before I owned them?  And I'm considered old-school because I'm not even using die-cuts.  I have my cuttlebug but my die collection is limited at the moment.  Does anyone here remember life without punches or other die-cutting tools?  The circle ones, the corner rounders and the ticket corner punches are the ones I use the most.  How about you?

Ok, so for this card I also used paper from last years Simply Scrappin' kit "I wish".  I liked the colour combo and it matched perfectly with the Snow Swirled stamp set that I fell in love with.  I've always been about the matchy matchy stuff because it took the guess work out of it for me.  If you want to spend less time on colours and debating your options, a kit is the way to go. As I grow in my craft, I've realized that a kit can also take the fun out of it and limit the possibilities and challenges.

Anyhow, I hope you've been inspired by this Holiday card and it gets your mojo running for Christmas card ideas.  Have a fabulous day!

Paper:  SU "I Wish" Simply Scrappin' dp, Old Olive, Real Red, Chocolate chip, Very Vanilla
Ink:  SU Old Olive, Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  SU "I Wish" adhesive die-cuts, Real Red ribbon, Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" and 3/4" circle punch, ticket corner punch
Stamp set:  Snow Swirled.

Mojo Madness - Day 3

Good Morning!!  Hope you are all managing to relax and enjoy the last bits of summer.  I've had a nice relaxing week myself and I can't believe I've managed to get another Mojo sketch done. Only two left for this Mojo's 5 sketch challenge for it's 100th "Birthday". I hope to get those done as well.  The more challenges I do, the easier the ideas come to me.  I'm starting to develop a rhythm in planning & developing my cards.  Soon I'll be able to spend more time on refining the little details.  Some of the ideas and interpretations of these sketches just blows my mind!!!  It's wonderful the way people see things so differently and some people are just so gifted at thinking outside of the box.

So last night I was inspired by My Minds Eye (MME) French Flea Market dp.  I loved the blues and it's subtleness.  To add some contrast I added MME Bohemia Bluebird dp (dots) and a pinch of SU Really Rust.  This card also gave me the chance to use my Vanilla Hodgepodge hardware for the first time.  I think it spotlights the sentiment nicely. 

Thanks for visiting and a have a FABULOUS day!!! I'm off to do some grocery shopping.

Paper:  MME French Flea Market dp, Bohemia Bluebird dp,  SU Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, Really Rust

Ink:  SU Bordering blue, Really Rust

Accessorries:  SU Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware, Scallop edge punch, EK success scallop edge punch

Stamp set:  Fresh Cuts

An Apple for Teacher

Yes this is the second post of the day!!! Amazing that I've found the time.  I have a card here that was inspired by Ann over at Creative Antics. I fell in love with her card as soon as I saw it and it was the one that encouraged me to follow her blog.  Well I decided to try one and add a few of my own touches. 

Back to school seems to be what's on the brain for a lot us of right now. Some of us are counting down the days either in dread or anticipation. Some of you are already back to the school year routine.  Here in BC, Canada we have a little less than 3 weeks until school starts. I'm looking forward to my daughter in school full days.  Those half days were a killer.  And my 4 year old will be attending preschool for 2 full days a week.  So that leaves me and my two year alone together twice a week (at least if I'm not babysitting the twins across the street).  It will be like I only have one.  It may just be quiet in the house!!!

Anyhow, about the card, I added black in the back to convey a black board, along with the apples pegged into the cork with white brads.  I think it all does a nice job of adding a school feel to it.  My daughter could give this to her Kindergarden teacher since we forgot to give her a thank you back in June.  Ooops!!!

Paper:  SU Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Old Olive, Cork

Ink:  SU Markers  Old Olive, Basic Brown, Real Red

Accessories:  White brads, Black gingham ribbon, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Scallop circle punch

Stamps:  Tart & Tangy, Fresh Cuts (Sentiment)

This is also a demo option for any of my September workshops.

My Beautiful Life

This has been a rather quiet week so far.  There's nothing pressing to get done, I don't need groceries until Friday and the kids are enjoying the sunshine.  I've had some time to reflect on my relationships that make "my life a beautiful thing" and those that, unfortunately, don't.  I've concluded that it's time to focus more energy and strength into those healthy friendships rather than wasting my time worrying about the negative ones.  Life's just too short.  With these thoughts in mind I was inspired to use the stamp set "A Beautiful Thing".

I did a lot playing with this 2nd sketch for Mojo's 100th.  It was easy enough to mix it up and I was able to create 3 different cards all using that MS edge punch that Moe gave me. The last card was of course the one that came out the best (and yet still not as great as I would have liked). Practice does make perfect.   I'll have to ask Moe how she gets her bows so perfect and if any of you have any tips please share.  

Below, I've also included a second card I made based on this sketch except without the ribbon.   This is just to give you an idea how it looks without ribbon.  It's a little plain but I wanted to bring more attention to the circles and make it fun not fancy.

Thank you for visiting my blog and I hope you enjoyed.  Have a fabulous day!

My Beautiful Life

Paper:  Fancy Pants Delightful dp, SU soft sky, purely pomegranate, chocolate chip, very vanilla

Accessories:  Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, MS paper edge punch, Lg corner rounder punch

Ink:  Soft sky, purely pomegranate, pumpkin pie 

 Stamp Set:  A beautiful Thing

Friends

Paper:  Fancy Pants Delightful dp, SU soft sky, purely pomegranate, chocolate chip, very vanilla

Accessories:  Making Memories crystal brads, MS paper edge punch, large corner rounder punch

Ink:  Soft sky, purely pomegranate, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip

Stamp Set:  Seeing spots, Make it Count

Life is Good

Here's my version of Mojo Monday's 100th sketch.  I been wanting to use that Fancy Pants paper for a while now and finally got around to it.  

Unfortunately (and surprisingly) I have no way of creating circles except through punches.  I did try and improvise with the scallop circle punch but it just made the card too busy and took away from the delightful paper.  Then I noticed that the blue flower on the dp gave the sentiment a circle like outline all on its own, so I have one less layer but I think it still works. What do you think?

Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you found some inspiration.  Have a fabulous day!

Paper:  Fancy Pants Delightful dp, SU soft sky, blue bayou, chocolate chip, very vanilla

Accessories:  Purely Pomegranate ribbon,  scallop circle punch, flower fusion, 1/2" circle punch, build-a-brad

Ink:  Soft sky, purely pomegranate

Stamps:  Make it Count

First SU Workshop

Well yesterday was my first Stampin' Up workshop demo and I learned quite a bit.  It was nice to be surrounded by such encouraging friends who wished me the very best. Maureen even brought me this beautiful card along with the Martha Stewart border punch she used to make the card. Thanks Moe,  your addiction to paper is something I like sharing with you.

I'd like to thank the ladies who attended my first workshop for being so patient and showing such enthusiasm (this includes the friends who couldn't make it).  Thank you for your support and helping me get my name out in the community. Most of all, thanks for letting me share my passion for paper with all of you.  I was also able to get a few tips from one of my guests who use to be a Creative Memories demonstrator.  It was very insightful.  

Anyhow here are the two make and takes we did in our two hours together. First we started with THE Popsicle card. This card has a great wow factor and it was easy enough that my 6 year old could complete it with some assistance.  I also like the fact that this card shows off one of my all time favourite punches, the circle scallop and the Tart & Tangy stamp set.  At least I was able to demo this card before the summer ended.  The ladies clear embossed the orange to give it a wet juicy look and we used a thank you stamp with white craft ink rather than the rub-ons.  And we didn't do the paper piercing on the scallops to save some time.

Next I decided to demo a "Step-up" card.  I made 3 cards for three different levels.  The first is just a simple layout, the next I added sponging around the image and the tab and the last I added embellishments.  I got this step-up idea from Cards Magazine.  It's always nice to see what you can do with little or a lot.  To simplify things we made the middle card with the sponging. It's a simple, inexpensive technique but it can add a lot of depth and texture.  This card was interesting because there were six women waiting to use the stamp-a-ma-jig.  Next time I'll plan it so that the steps are divided up better and the ladies aren't waiting for a turn or at least not for long.

Popsicle card

Paper: only orange, whisper white

Ink: only orange

Stamps: Tart & Tangy

Accessorries:  Corner Rounder punch,  1 1/4" &  1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, popsicle stick,  Wild Wasabi ribbon,  Eastern Elegance rub-ons

For All You Do card

Paper:  very vanilla, soft suede, bermuda bay

Ink:  crushed curry, bermuda bay, rich razzleberry, soft suede

Accessories:  sponge, tab punch, whisper white taffeta ribbon (sponged on crushed curry to both sides of the ribbon which came out like very vanilla), basic gray button

Get Sketchy Challenge #1

I'm so excited that I get to start these challenges from the beginning.  It's great belonging to something when it first starts. Maybe its my type A personality that likes to start things from the very beginning....never in the middle.

This challenge really had me stumped.  I just couldn't find the right stamp set and I really wanted to work with my current favourite, the Basic Gray Lemonade collection.  In the end, I think I tried too hard to mix the dp and the design. I should have just gone with my first thoughts and that was snowflakes and Christmas.  Snowflake eyelets would have worked that curvy portion of the sketch beautifully.  It's just not time to think about falling snow yet when we're in the middle of August!!!  Maybe in October.  I really think that, had I just followed my original inspiration, I would have created something better.  I will try to be less stubborn with my ideas next time.

The second layer of the curvy portion is done by tearing the paper and inking the edges.  The sketch didn't call for ribbon but that side just seemed a little bare for me so I decided to add the Purely Pomegranate ribbon.

Thanks for looking and have a fabulous week.

Paper:  Bazzill Basics Starmist and Petunia, BG Lemonade, Whisper White

Ink:  Soft Sky,   Purely Pomegranate

Accessories:  Purely Pomegranate ribbon, Stampin' Up! Flower Fusion,  Making Memories Noteworthy flower (sheer),  Very Vanilla brad.

Stamps:  SU Delight in Life