Jolly Holly

Here's a quick, but elegant Christmas card - I love the effect you can get by "stamping off."

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  stampin' up, basic grey
die:  papertrey ink
embeliishments:  ribbon- may arts

Log Cabin Christmas

Paper strips create a "log cabin quilt" frame for this pretty victorian - how I would LOVE to have a house like this - and decorate every inch of it for Christmas!!!  (Not sure about the snow, tho)

stamps:  stampin' up; papertrey ink
papers:  stampin' up
dies:  papertrey ink
embellishments:  crystal effects, dazzling diamonds glitter - stampin' up

a scrap of summer

We just got back from Santa Barbara, where every day feels like summer - it was so relaxing and beautiful - it would be a fabulous place to retire (if it wasn't in California).

stamps:  papertrey ink, stampin' up, my favorite things
papers:  october afternoon, stampin' up
dies:  papertrey ink, sizzix
embellishments:  twine & button from my stash

Currier & Ives

This Papertrey Ink stamp set reminds me of classic Currier & Ives prints (I'm probably the only one OLD enough to even know what they are :) but I grew up with their art on posters, cards, magazine covers, calendars, cookie tins, etc. 

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  stampin' up
dies:  sizzix; papertrey ink
embellishments:  ribbon - american crafts; button - stampin' up

Thanksgiving

We've had an absolutely BEAUTIFUL holiday weekend!!!  We were blessed with perfect weather (the fog is supposed to roll in soon).  The sunlight was so beautiful this afternoon, that I just had to capture this pistachio tree on our back hill - it literally appeared to be ablaze - I've grown to love fall almost as much as I love spring.

Make it Monday Faux Pockets

Loved this little Paptertrey Ink "loop de loop" trim die the minute I saw it - I have a little scrap of similar red felt trim that I couldn't bear to use up because it would be gone - love that it's so soft and flexible and that I can make as much as I
need - in paper, fabric, felt, etc.  I made my pocket deep enough and wide enough that it would entirely hide a gift card attached to the lower end of the tag.


edit:  yikes - that bow looks like a bad hair day, lol

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  october afternoon, stampin' up
dies & punch:  papertrey, stampin' up
embellishments:  felt - papertrey ink; ribbon - may arts; twine - stampin' up; buttons - my sewing stash

29, AGAIN???

Papertrey Ink's "Make it Monday" challenge this week was to combine sentiment stamps with sentiment dies:

stamps:  papertrey ink; stampin' up

papers:  daisy d's; stampin' up

dies:  papertrey ink; sizzix

embellishments:  button - papertrey ink; embroidery thread

Peace, Love, Joy

I had fun mixing stamps from a Papertrey Ink non - Christmas set with a Stampin' Up set, then finished it off with one of PTI's new Christmas sentiments. This is a dynamic duos project for their latest challenge . . . AND I'm beginning to catch the holiday spirit :)

stamps:  papertrey ink; stampin' up

papers:  stampin' up

embellishments:  crochet thread; button from my stash

Creating Windows for Floating Images

It only took me ALL afternoon, lol, but here it is . . . Papertrey Ink's "Make if Monday" challenge card (love Melissa Bickford's sweet & simple designs paired with the perfect sentiments) . . . I can think of several friends in need of a little note like this, guess I'll be making a few more before I clean up my mess - yes, my BIG mess :)

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  my mind's eye; stampin' up
dies:  papertrey ink; my favorite things
embellishments:  divine twine; button - creative cafe

Boss's Day

If you go to work 10 hours a day, I hope you have a boss who's as wonderful as mine!  (She likes to stamp, too :)

stamps:  my favorite things, stampin' up
papers:  crate paper; my mind's eye; stampin' up
dies:  my favorite things; stampin' up; papertrey ink

Non-traditional Holiday Colors

I'd be the first to encourage fellow stampers to, "use some color and pattern, think outside the box, have fun with it," but I still want my Christmas cards to look like Christmas cards :)  A few years ago I thought about mixing things up a bit with our traditional Christmas decorations - my daughter wasn't too excited about the idea and warned, "Mom, don't mess with Christmas!"

stamps:  papertrey ink, stampin' up

papers:  stampin' up

die:  spellbinders

embellishments:  buttons - my stash

Merry & Bright

Here's a festive card for this week's retro sketches challenge:

stamp:  stampin' up

papers:  echo park; stampin' up
dies:  large scallop - sizzix; scalloped rectangle - spellbinders

embellishments:  ribbon - offray; rhinestone - stampin' up

taking a little break

I've just about had enough of orange & black projects . . . cutting out leaves, etc . . . so I treated myself to a little creative break to make a few fun things I've been putting off for quite a while. This card is a simplified version of a Melissa Phillips creation - she just seems to have creativity flowing from every fingertip, doesn't she?  I visit her blog often - especially when I'm looking for a new little twist to incorporate in my own projects :)

stamps:  papertrey ink, stampin' up, inkadinkado

papers:  stampin' up, close to my heart

punch:  flower - stampin' up

embellishments:  ribbon - stampin' up; crocheted trim & button - my sewing stash

another challenge:

It's a cinch to create a feminine card, so making another masculine one was probably MORE of a challenge than just creating something for a sketch challenge - here's my take . . .

                                                  

stamps:  stampin' up
papers:  plaid - october afternoon; cardstock - stampin up
punches:  border & star - stampin' up 
embellishments:  button - papertrey ink

I Adore Quilts . . .

. . . so you can understand why I had to have this mini hexagon set from Papertrey Ink!  Think I'll make a few more "quilts" in the near future . . .

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  cardstock - stampin' up
embossing folder:  cuttlebug
embellishments:  ribbon - michael's basic basic; button - papertrey ink

Scrap Drawer Card

I was looking for a little piece of patterned paper in my scrap drawer when a strip of purple polkadots caught my eye . . . I grabbed a few more scraps and came up with this fun little birthday card.  It includes a creative twist of combining several sentiments to get a customized look/personalized message all in one - hope it inspires you to try something new!

inside . . .

stamps:  papertrey ink, stampin' up
papers:  stampin' up
dies:  sizzix
punches: stampin' up
embossing folder:  cuttlebug
embellishments:  divine twine; clip - making memories

The Fun of Fall

Even tho we're empty nesters, I still like to have some fun with Halloween - my husband just rolls his eyes as the decorations come up from the basement . .  . although . . . he was very helpful with a suggestion for a birthday gift for my boss a few years ago - when I told him she was born on Halloween, he said,  "she must need a new broom."  So, that's exactly what she got!  (thank goodness, she thought it was hilarious!!!)

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  stripe - pebbles ink; cardstock - stampin' up
dies:  cat - sizzix; border - papertrey ink; tag - my favorite things
embossing folder:  cuttlebug
embellishments:  divine twine; button - papertrey ink

C a n c e r

Family, friends, neighbors, co-workers - unfortunately I suspect we all love someone who has had cancer - that's why I'm enthusiastically participating in breast cancer awareness this month . . .

stamps:  papertrey ink
papers:  stampin' up
dies:  papertrey ink
embellishments:  seam binding ribbon - may arts; button - papertrey ink

One of many . . .

. . . little notes to a loved one during his lengthy battle with cancer.

stamps:  inkadinkado

papers:  scenic route, stampin' up

die:  stampin' up

embossing folder:  cuttlebug

Farewell to Summer

. . . guess fall really is here - at least it's beginning to feel that way.  I was thrilled to still be able to get a box of berries at our local patch this morning - waffles with berries 'n ceam will soon be replaced by oatmeal with apples, walnuts 'n spice . . . sure will miss California's bounty when we move.

stamp:  studio g

papers:  stampin' up

die:  sizzix

punches:  stampin' up

embosslit:  stampin' up

embellishments:  doily - wilton

Masculine Maui

My brother just rode his bicycle from Quebec to New Orleans!  He's back in Hawaii now and will be receiving this birthday wish soon . . .



supplies:  stampin up - ink, cardstock, images; papertrey - sentiment

Lucky Me!

This cute little Papertrey Ink stamp set arrived just in time to qualify for two challenges . . . yes two!  First, "CAS-ual Friday's" challenge was to create something inspired by your blog header - which my dear, talented, sweet & lovely daughter created for me!  The layout idea was this week's challenge at "retrosketches."

supplies:  paptertrey ink - stamps, die, buttons; stampin' up - ink, cardstock, sentiment (this is one of the stamps I was looking for - for months!), patterned paper, corner-rounder

Extreme Birthday

I really enjoy participating in challenges - just wish I had more time to be creative . . . I'm sure I'm not the only crafter that feels that way!

Sometimes stars can look too patriotic/juvenile, so I used stars as a background element for this challenge:

supplies:  stampin up! - all

Summer Stamp Camp

Did you participate in Papertrey's stamp camp in July?  I absolutely loved it!  (Wish they'd have them more often - once a month would be fabulous, wouldn't it?!)  I didn't have a blog at the time, but this is one of the cards I made. Such a beautiful stamp set - and my favorite summer colors, too.

supplies:  papertrey ink - sentiments, images; stampin' up - ink, cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon

Giving Thanks

I especially enjoy taking advantage of the "season of thanks" by sending a note to special people in my life - and there's nothing more sincere than a handwritten message of gratitude inside a beautiful card.

supplies:  stampin' up - cardstock, sentiment; stazon - ink; my mind's eye - patterned paper; spellbinders - label die; sizzix - pumpkin die; may arts - ribbon; and that elegant button - from a co-worker's stash (thanks, Mary :)

Retro Sketches (repost)

I'm new to blogging - had some security issues, so I removed several posts - but here it is again - please feel free to use any ideas that inspire you :)

supplies:  stampin up - stamps, ink, cardstock, patterned paper, butterfly embosslit, ribbon, rhinestone; spellbinders - label die; sizzix - border die; cuttlebug - embossing folder

In a Creative Rut? Accept a "Challenge"

There are plenty of stamping/cardmaking/scrapbooking challenges online to choose from - I've found myself wanting to back away from a few, but have been pleasantly surprised with my results!

I'm going to need a few Thanksgiving cards, so here's my take on this challenge:



supplies:  stampin' up - ink, cardstock, patterned paper, label die, embossing foler, metal loop, button; quickutz - flower die; papertrey - stamp, border die; cuttlebug - embossing folder; offray - ribbon; the twinery - baker's twine

Cards for Our Troops

This is an invitation for cardmakers, everywhere, to join me in donating to our troops.  Operation Write Home sends handmade cards to our deployed troops so they have something special to send to their loved ones here at home.  I appreciate our local scrapbook store, Paradise Scrapbook Boutique, for gathering all of our cards and shipping them to OWH for us.  Please visit operationwritehome.org soon for guidelines and deadlines - I consider it a privilege to support our troops in any way that I can. 

  

So, I created this sweet little card for Embellish Magazine's Trees Color Trends Challenge:

 

 

 

 

supplies:  stampin' up - all; tree trunk, hills, hand cut

Summer is Over . . .

Well, not so fast there . . . we still have a couple of weeks left, but this houndstooth and fleece kept calling to me to create something warm and cozy :)

(inside, "I am even more grateful for you" - love those papertrey sentiments)

supplies:  stampin up - ink, cardstock, button, thread; papertrey - sentiments;

flair - patterned paper; sizzix - die; fleece, with a texture of it's own

Keeping it Simple Doesn't Mean "Boring"

Here's a super quick card idea - use a large stamp as a background and let the sentiment take center stage.  Add a little patterned strip and a bow - you're good to go!



supplies:  stampin up - ink, cardstock, images, ribbon; papertrey - label, sentiments, dies; patterned paper - basic grey; button from my stash

Cardmaking Tip

Make duplicates of your cards . . . just change up the sentiment.  While you have all of the supplies out to make one card, why not make several of them before you clean up the mess?  (well, I make a mess - usually a very large one - and my husband would be the first to agree :)  I made 4 of these cards, each with a different sentiment: oh, happy day (wedding), happy birthday, happy together and happy everything.  This is a quick and easy way to "grow" your stash!

supplies:  papertrey - felt, dies; stampin up - cardstock, sentiment; jenni bowlin - patterned paper; my minds eye - patterned paper; stazon - ink; may arts - ribbon; button and trim from my stash

How Many Weeks Until Christmas?

I don't even want to know!!!  I wasn't ready to get my fall/winter supplies out yet (I'll be hanging on to summer just as long as I possibly can) but I did find a couple of stamps that I've looked for -EVERYWHERE - and more than once!  Don't know how they ended up with the Halloween stuff, but I sure am glad I found them :)

supplies:  stampin up - ink, cardstock, patterned paper, die; basic grey - patterned paper; sizzix - dies

Pink, Pink, Pink

I don't care what anyone else says about pink - it always makes me H A P P Y !!!

supplies:  papertrey - images, dies; stampin up - ink, cardstock, background image, striped paper; basic grey - floral paper; pebbles in my pocket - baker's twine;
michaels - ribbon; buttons & trim from my stash (a product of, oh, so many years of sewing!)

Well Wishes for Another Cute Couple

My previous post included a garland, but I wanted to try something a little more out-of-the-box for Papertrey's "Make it Monday" challenge.  Hope you enjoy my take on a modern wish for the newlyweds . . .

supplies:  papertrey - sentiments, border die; stampin up - ink, cardstock, sentiment, images

another ColourQ Challenge . . . Papertrey, too!

This one is for my honey - I sure do love him!

supplies:  papertrey - sentiments, dies; stampin up - ink, cardstock, thread; echo park - patterned paper; cuttlebug - die; buttons from my stash

retrosketches challenge #26

A co-worker asked me if I would make a special card for her daughter - it had to be a shade of pink, and her daughter loved Paris/vintage - so this is what I created for her . . .

supplies:  stampin up - ink, cardstock, images, butterfly embosslit, patterned paper, embossing folder; spellbinders - doily die, sizzix - border dies

The Dynamic Duos Challenge

When I was expecting our second child (26 years ago) I suddenly became insanely obsessed with purple - and I still love it :)

supplies:  papertrey - images, sentiment; stampin up - ink, cardstock, patterned paper, border punch, butterfly embosslit; sizzix - die; cuttlebug - embossing folder

Scrap Minis

What do YOU do with all of those nice scraps you have left over from your projects?  This is what I like to do . . .





I keep a box of these little notes in my desk at work - they are random sizes (3x3ish/3x4ish, etc) depending on the size of scraps I have (I don't use envelopes).  They are the perfect little acknowledgement that I'm thinking about a co-worker on their birthday.


supplies:  stampin' up, papertrey, my favorite things, my mind's eye, ki memories, spellbinders, cuttlebug, offray