In Your Heart Forever

Well here's my entry for the third Verve Beach Party sketch challenge.  I saw the sketch I thought the Hundred Hearts set would work really well.  It has some big verses and lovely heart images.  Add in some paper folding and paper piercing, some sponging and bling and you have one sweet card.  I used Soft Suede to soften the edges

Hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday.  This is a busy day for me.  I have to take my daughter to the doctor first thing this morning (nothing life threatening), then she has her music class this afternoon and her school spring drama production.  They are doing a version of Sleeping Beauty and my daughter is super excited since it's one of her favourite fairy tales, right up there with Cinderella.

Anyhow that's it for now.  I've included a few angles to look at.  I'll be back later this afternoon with another project made with You're Dandy from Practicing Creativity.

Paper: Very Vanilla, Cupid (Pink Paislee), Love Bandit (BoBunny)

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Soft Suede

Accessories: Rhinestones, dimensionals

Stamps: Hundred Hearts (Verve)

Another Mojo Try :)

Here's another try at the Mojo challenge and the Embellish Challenge.  It fits the the Embellish challenge because it has a cross stitched border on the left and a scalloped trim on the circle made with 1/4" punched circles.  It doesn't have to be a full border does it?

I found it really hard incorporating the peach as it's not a colour I work with very often and all I had were scraps of Apricot Appeal.  It was definitely a colour challenge but there's no way I was going to let the colour peach discourage me!!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful week wherever you may be.  Right now I'm enjoying some beautiful sunshine after a great fall of rain last night.  Just beautiful!  Thanks for hoping by.

Paper:  SU! dp, whisper white, pink pirouette, apricot appeal

Ink: Certainly Celery and Old Olive markers

Accessories: pink floss, 1 3/4" and 1/4" circle punch, pink brads, large corner rounder punch, Chipboard (Scenic Route)

Stamps: Key to My Heart (Practicing Creativity)

Ode to Maile ~ PTI Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my humble yet passionate blog :)  This is my first ever PTI blog hop post so I am a little nervous and excited! I like meeting new friends with the same love for paper and hope you will leave a constructive comment for me. This months challenge was to recreate a project made by one of the several wonderful and talented PTI design team members.  I chose Maile Belles.  I've been following her blog since I started my blog this past summer. At the time she only had 28 followers and she wasn't apart of any design team. She's come a long way in such a short time.  Congrats Maile!!!  I have always admired her graceful style, her french knots and I have been awed by what she can do with a stamp! Just call her the Grace Kelly of stamping.

During the  PTI anniversary celebrations and February's stamp unveiling she showed off a really cute crafty kit with a matching card to give to a friend. I really loved the concept, mainly because I would love to be given such a gift and love things to be 'matchy'. I decided to recreate it as a gift for my six year old daughter.  She loves to do crafty things so I thought wouldn't it be great for her to have her own little kit to make Valentines cards next year?  It's got everything I think I little girl would want; beads, buttons, felt, flowers, stamps, ribbon, and paper! (Pictured at the top)

The challenging part of this project, I found, was not to mimic Maile's style too closely and to put in my own touches. I think I did that using one of my favourite bright colours (Red) and adding some pattern paper to my card.  Maile doesn't use a lot of designer paper, mainly because she's so good at stamping her own designs.  But me, I like to collect all kinds of paper.  If I'm inspired by it, I buy it!  I have boxes of it and would feel guilty if I didn't use it.

Some hand stitching was added to the top of the border punched edge for another personal touch. I also took the time to decorate the inside, incorporating the polkadots and taking the opportunity to tell my lovely little girl how much I love her.  For a closer look just click on the pictures. I hope that I've done justice to Maile's inspiration and made her proud :)

Thanks so much for popping by and helping me to share my passion 4 paper!  Be sure to check out the rest of the PTI design team.  They all have their own unique style and I'm so thankful to have been introduced to them this past September!  I also have a list of inspiring blogs on my sidebar.  Happy crafting!

Paper:  Real Red, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Sending Love dsp
Ink: Choclate Chip, Real Red
Accessories:  Making memories paper flowers, Pure Poppy buttons (PTI), Pink cord buttons, linen thread, pink cotton floss, red rhinestones, scallop trim border punch, ticket corner punch, large corner rounder punch.
Stamps (All PTI):  Mixed messages (LOVE), Everyday button bits (All things grow), Signature Greetings, Polka dot basics.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Woohoo, Canada won gold in men's ski freestyle!!!  I was so happy for Alexandre Bilodeau and it was so sweet to see his brother so excited for his win.  I've spent most of the day watching the olympics skiing and speed skating events.  I'm not usually really into the Olympics but after watching the opening ceremonies I felt compelled to watch when I could.

Anyhow, here's a card I made inspired by the stamp set Keys to My Heart by Practicing Creativity.  I day dreamed the stamped horizontal strips and it all just snowballed from there.  I really wanted to use this set again before Valentine's day comes to an end (although I know I'll use the argyle stamps throughout the year).  I used red for my main colour so it falls under the latest Crazy for Challenges #24.

I hope you all have a wonderful night spent with your loved ones (today and always).  I heart U my friends :P

Paper: White CS, Black CS, Whisper White, Real Red
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Accessories: Real Red satin ribbon
Stamps: Keys to My Heart (Practicing Creativity)

Valentine Treats

Here are the goody bags that my kids will be giving to their classmates this Valentines.  I like to make them generic so that each child is treated the same and no one feels left out.  I also like the opportunity to stay away from popular themes like Disney Princess, Strawberry Shortcake, Transformers, Blues Clues, High School Musical, etc.  When I make them by hand I don't have to worry so much about age appropriateness.  The boys might go yuck when they see all the red, pink and hearts but they are probably going to be more concerned with the goodies inside than the packaging ;)  There's a lollipop, chocolate heart and sugar cookie.

My daughter decided on the Verve sentiment and then I went from there.  Bittersweet patterned paper along with the Top Note die and the cuttlebug heart embossing folder.  This project gave me a chance to use up a lot of the Purely Pomegranate cs I've been hoarding for the last year and a bit.  I still have a tone of the Bittersweet paper but I'm sure I'll find even more uses for it.

Anyhow I should go now and put the rest of these bags together (53 in all).  I've got all the pieces I need, now I just have to sit down and do it!

Good night!

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranate, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Bittersweet dp (BG)

Ink:  Purely Pomegranate

Accessories: SU! Top Note Die, Scallop circle punch, small corner rounder punch, heart ef (CB), Hugs & Kisses dies (CB)

Stamp: Delightful and Delicious (Verve)

Ribbon Embellishment

Good morning everyone!  I'm back from my trip to Vancouver and getting back to the grind!  My dh and I had a wonderful time at his brothers 40th birthday party of Friday night in Vancouver's Gastown and Saturday I had an amazing time shopping with my daughter on Robson Street.  Things were very busy in downtown Vancouver with all the Olympic activities but it was exciting!  Some streets were closed off for art exhibits and other things related to the Olympics.  So besides the plethora of people it was relaxing without the usual downtown traffic.  My daughter was a little worried about getting lost and I don't think she's seen so many people in one place but it was a great experience for her.

Anyhow here's what I made last week for the latest Embellishment Magazine Challenge.  I picked up the heart ribbon with this exact challenge in mind and I got a chance to use my new heart border punch.  I gathered the Raspberry Fizz ribbon and attached with glue and then layered the heart ribbon to hide some of the glue. Ideally I had wanted to sew the ribbon down but my sewing machine just wouldn't do it so I improvised with adhesive.  The layout was done "wing-it" style because I really had no idea what I wanted to do.

For those of my friends who are interested: I gave my in-laws their Anniversary card and they were very happy with it.  My mother-in-law actually thanked me personally and not through my hubby!  I think I may have created a keepsake card :)

Paper:  Close to Cocoa, Tempting Turquoise, Sending Love dsp, Whisper White,

Ink: Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: Die Cut (Cupid, Pink Paislee), MS heart border punch, Raspberry fizz ribbon (PTI), Heart ribbon (American Crafts), Pink Gingham ribbon (SU), Tag corner punch (SU), 1/8" circle punch.

Stamps: Signature Greetings (PTI)

Nuts for You ~ Mojo 124

Just a quick post today for my Mojo submission.  No stamping only lovely Love Bandit paper, Nestabilities  and sewing machine.  I also did some paper on the SU! Sending Love paper. (The flowered stuff). 

Right now I'm in Vancouver having gone to a birthday party last night and I'll be heading out with my daughter after this post for some good old fashioned girl time shopping :) I can't believe how warm it is here.  No coat necessary!!! Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend as well.

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, SU! Sending Love, Bo Bunny Love Bandit

Accessories: Nestibilities, 1 3/4" circle punch, circle scissors, 1/2" circle punch, paper piercer, sewing machine, Bo Bunny rub-ons.

Forever

Good Morning!  And a happy ground hog day.  I heard that we are meant to get six more weeks of winter but I think that's wishful thinking for the approaching Olympics.  We've been hit with a whole lot of rain in BC so it's hard to believe we'll be having more winter when we are experiencing April Showers.

Anyhow,  here's the card a came up with for my Cinema Saturday entry.  Not only did I get wonderful inspiration from this weeks movie "Titanic" but I also had an original  sketch from Card Patterns and the love of my life for inspiration.  Shortly after Valentine's day is our  wedding anniversary which works out rather well as roses are so much cheaper and reservations at restaurants are much easier to make ;)  

I printed off a candid photo of us on our wedding day for this project and incorporated both blue and silver.  It's not the best picture but it's not posed either which is the feeling I wanted for the card.  I also liked the fact that we made up our own heart with our linked hands.  (You could superimpose a heart between us.) The sentiment comes from the popular ballad "My Heart Will Go On" sung by the queen of ballads herself, Celine Dion.  I had the song rolling in my head days after watching the trailer.  I chose that particular sentence because years from now we can look back at our day and just remember how happy and in love we were and can remind us even when things are rough that those feelings are still very much there.  

I used the PTI truthful sentiment "You are a Blessing to Me", another small picture of us and more hearts to decorate the inside.  I tried not to make the card to frou frou since I will be giving it to my husband, but it still needed to be romantic.  I'm still not sure if I like the ribbon and hearts but I needed something appropriate to cover up a flaw in the printed picture.

I'll be making something similar to this for my in-laws wedding anniversary which is at the end of the week.  They don't really care much for cards but maybe if I have a picture of them they may appreciate it more.  Hope you're having a wonderful week and enjoying your blessings.

Forever

Paper:  Night of Navy, Silver paper, Bazzil Dark Denim, Whisper White

Ink:  Not Quite Navy

Accessories: Labels nesties, rhinestones, Heart die cuts (CB), Perfect Polka Dot ef (SU!), whisper white ribbon.

Stamps:  Signature Greetings (PTI)

I Heart U ~ Mercy Tuesday Sketch #58

Happy Monday friends!  I hope your week is off to a wonderful start.  This morning I got to enjoy a snuggle with my sleepy 2 year old and now I'm enjoying my morning with a nice cup of coffee so I'd say that I'm off to a great start.

This is what I came up with for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch using the Keys To My Heart set.  Sorry for the poor picture quality.  Not very many sunny days around here and no snow on the ground to reflect any light we do have. Yes, this card is very simple and could have maybe used some ribbon on the left hand side but I just didn't want to cover up the adorable argyle print that I carefully stamped (included in the stamp set).  My heart was pounding the whole time I was stamping that piece because it would only take one little misplaced step and then I would have to start all over again.  

I heart you
Paper:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Basic Grey, Real Red
Ink:  Real Red, Basic Black, Pixie Pink, Versa Mark, Going Grey
Accessories: Scallop trimmed boarder punch
Stamp:  Keys to my Heart (Practicing Creativity)

And here's another card that my daughter made.  She really likes seeing her cards on the internet so I've decided to occasionally post her cards as well.  I hope you don't mind.  She was thumbing through my Stamp It! Cards magazine and saw Dawn McVey's card "Thinking of You Butterfly" on page 22.  She wanted to make that one.  Of course I don't have all the materials so we had to improvise.  Here's what she came up with using my scraps and she made it for me this time!

Key to My Heart ~ MTSC 57

It's been a while since my last post hasn't it!  I've been really good about keeping up with everyone else's posts but I've been lacking the inspiration to create things for my own posts.  I have had a nose buried in a book instead this week. (My other form of escape)

Anyhow here's my card I made with Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #57 from last week.  I know it's late!!  But I want to show Mercy that I do appreciate her sketches by showing her that I use them. LOL  This sketch gave me an opportunity to use the new Key to My Heart stamp set design by my blogging friend Courtney of Practicing Creativity.  My 6 year old daughter liked my card so much that she wanted to make her own.  So, like the proud mama that I am, I'm posting hers as well.

I let her pick any paper from my scrap bin and those are the papers she chose.  The only things I helped her with was the measurements (but she cut the paper herself), the boarder punch (her hands aren't strong enough yet) and tying the ribbon.  Everything else she did herself!  And she wanted to make the card for her dad.  Yeah she's a total daddy's girl.

Key to My Heart

Paper: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Sending love DSP, whisper white

Ink: Real Red, White Craft

Accessories:  Scallop trimmed boarder punch, White embossing powder, Whisper white ribbon

Stamp set:  Key to My Heart (Practicing Creativity)

Dear Father

Paper:  Whisper White, Summer Sunrise (PTI), Playtime dp (3Bugs)

Ink: Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip, Purely Pomegranate

Accessories:  Scallop trimmed boarder punch, Certainly celery twill ribbon,

Stamps: Key to My Heart, Well Scripted (SU!)

Valentine Greetings ~ Sketch Girl #10

Sketch Girl is back from it's holiday hiatus and I managed to find the time and inspiration to play along.  It gave me a chance to use some more of my new Stampin' Up! goodies like the Sale-a-bration Scallop trim boarder punch and the matching corner punch (from the current mini).  You're probably going to see it a lot in my future projects.  It's very similar to the apron punch (which is impossible to find around here) only a little fancier.

I used the heart punch and ran the hearts through my cuttlebug using the Perfect Polka Dots impressions folder.  The red heart is popped up with a dimensional.  The sentiment is framed with the boarder and corner punch which I have to admit was tricky and finicky.  After my third try it was finally presentable.  Lastly on the bottom scallop trim I added pink stitching to the top for a little something extra.  It was all hand done for a more precise and polished look.  I found the hand stitching very therapeutic as well so I'll doing more of this technique in the future.

Thanks so much for looking.  Hope you're having a happy crafty week.

Paper:  Sending Love dsp, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Real Red

Ink:  Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Scallop trim boarder and corner punches, heart punch, Perfect Polka Dots Impressions folder, pink cotton floss, dimensionals

Stamp: Grateful Greetings

What's Simple is True

We just finished a big roast dinner and ice cream cake for desert in honour of my Son's 5th birthday.  It's so hard to believe that he's 5!!  And soon my youngest baby boy will be 3, that means no more babies in the house :(  I'd like to say that means no more waking in the middle of the night but since my youngest suffers from night terrors quiet nights aren't always a reality...not yet anyway.

Anyhow, here is my entry for Everything But the Kitchen Sink.  Winter is putting on a valentine card drive for the kids at St. Jude Hospital so I would really encourage you to take a peak at her blog. You don't have to participate in the Card drive to participate in EBTKS and a chance to win a prize.

At first sight, I have to be honest and say I had no idea what I was going to do with it.  It was such a simple sketch which is nice because it leaves lots of possibilities but sometimes that's a problem for me.  In the end I stuck to stitched simplicity.  (Of course it was easy to stick to the basics with the new glittery dsp and pink cord brads that arrived at my door yesterday.)  Sometimes we complicate things when we try to add or show too much and the message gets lost.  It can be the same thing in our everyday lives too, can't it?

Thanks so much for taking a peak.  I wish you a simple but heartfelt week ahead.

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Sending Love dsp
Ink:  Real Red
Stamps: Whimsical Words
Accessories:  Heart Punch, Pretty in Pink Cord brads, sewing machine

Valentine's Mojo

I'm amazed at the number of challenges I've been able to complete this week since the kids are back to their usual routine.  It was wonderful having them all tucked into bed by 7:30 last night!  That being said I think we are all ready for the weekend.  The kids are very tired.

Here's my card that I made for two challenges.  Mojo Monday sketch and Crazy 4 Challenges to use polka-dots.  Being inspired by this card by Mercy Kerin, I pulled out my Night and Day dp and decided to make a black and white card with a touch of Melon Mambo for Valentine's Day.

The scallop circle was made using my circle scissors and small corner rounder punch.  Not an easy task with black paper.  It could have been a bit bigger but I wasn't willing to start over again.  I decided to use a bit of gray cs to lighten it up a little bit. I was very happy with the ribbon as it was my first time trying this technique.  The pink heart was inked with Melon Mambo and then with versamark so that it could be clear embossed, cut and mounted with dimensionals.  The sentiment was a bit trickier because I didn't have a valentines stamp that fit the spot so I used the alternative "Thankful Thoughts" stamp from the Grateful Greetings stamp set to fill the space.

Paper:  White, Whisper White, Basic Black, Going Grey, Night and Dark dp,

Ink:  Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Versamark

Accessories:  Bling, scallop edge punch, circle scissors, small corner rounder punch, Melon Mambo ribbon

Stamps:  Simply Said, Grateful Greetings

Heart Air Balloon

Good morning everyone!  I actually had a decent night sleep.  Only one wake up last night when my two year old climbed into bed with us and then all three kids slept until after 7 this morning. Life is better with sleep wouldn't you agree?  Yesterday was a fabulous day because I was able to complete two challenges and for one challenge I made 2 cards!!

This is my take on the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #35 . It's a week late but I liked the sketch so much I wanted to give it a try. I decided to use 2 stamps from the Sweet Centers stamp set to may a Heart air balloon. What do you think? Does it work? Last night I was a little disappointed with it.  I thought maybe it was just too busy, too much going on, but then when I got up this morning to take the pictures I decided I really liked it. The colours are fun and the balloon is something new. It will be perfect to give to my daughter for Valentine's day before she goes to school. I'll make something a little bit more masculine for the boys.

Paper:  whisper white, Razzleberry Lemonade dp
Ink:  Pumpkin pie, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo
Accessories: NSU pink grosgrain ribbon, Circle Scissor, dimensionals
Stamp set:  Sweet Centers, Grateful Greetings.