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