Pretty Thank You

As I write this post, my little girl Sasha, is having a heck of a time recovering.  She favors one leg, and has a tendency to lay on it.  This encourages the blood to pool and with her lack of activity, her leg is swelling.  I keep ice on it, at the appropriate intervals, but its swelling.  Sasha, is so uncomfortable it breaks my heart and has my attention.  So, if my work seems off, or not up to par, it is because my mind is elsewhere.  I apologize.

I saw the new sketch over @ Card Patterns and the color challenge over @ CR84FN Color Challenge, and I had to play along. 

Here are the challenges I am entering:

See what I mean?  These two challenges look like fun to play along!  So, I broke out some of my Melissa Frances products, in hopes of creating a shabby chic card.

Here is what I made:

I used 4 different pattern papers from the 5th Ave. collection.  I just love the soft pretty colors of these papers.  The card base is kraft card stock.  I matted the middle piece with some aqua mist texture paper.  I wrapped a piece of pink pirouette taffeta ribbon around the middle piece.  I just love how the pink accents the aqua colored paper.  The butterfly was created with silver glitter paper.  The white fabric blossom was altered.  The original blossom was too wide.  So, I cut the petals and over-layed them to create a smaller diameter blossom.  The button and half faux pearl was added to help give the butterfly a focal point.  The sentiment label was originally a blank chipboard piece.  I adhered the pink pattern paper and hand-stamped the 'thank you' in a hand written script stamp.

Thank you for looking.  And I hope each of you gets a chance to play along in a paper craft challenge this week.  Remember, use what you have and be creative!

Sew Loved

I hope that this Saturday finds you well.  Me, I'm doing ok.  My dog, not so much.  For those who don't know, she had both of her knees replaced Thursday, and Friday evening was her first night home.  I know that she is happy to be home, but my heart breaks.  She reptured both ACLs and tore her right menisuc.  Ouch!  And she isn't a little pocket dog that you can carry around.  She is an Old English Mastiff, and weighs in @ 157 lbs.  She's a big girl.   And so, my attention has been on her, and nursing her as well as I can.

Anne Marie over @ Our Creative Corner, is our hostess this week, and she has titled this weeks challenge, 'Recipe for Mom'.  Anne Marie, asks us to, "create a project for Mother's Day using the following "recipe": embossing (wet or dry), ribbon, buttons/brads, and watercoloring.

I have to admit, this weeks challenge was a bit of a struggle for me.

Here is what I created:

I used one of my small canning jars to make the pin cushion.  I used a tutorial from Andy, here.  I filled the jar with pink and red buttons, to match the material on the pin cushion.  I added a scrap piece of the same material and buttons to my card.

The pattern paper I used is actually from the same sheet, I showed both sides.  I ran the top piece of pattern paper thru an embossing folder, showing the negative side.  I stamped 'Home, is where the heart is' on the lower left side of the card with crumb cake classic ink.  I used a Paper Trey Ink stamp set: Love Lives Here.  

I made the button card with a Paper Trey Ink stamp set: Button Boutique.  I used a scrap piece of rustic white card stock and garden green ink pad from Close to my Heart. 

To make my happy mother's day tag, I used a retired Stampin' Up! stamp set: You're Loved.  I colored the stamp with watercolor crayons and spritz the stamp with water and then stamped the tag.  The sentiment comes from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

I wrapped the card with some Pink Pirouette taffeta ribbon and used a white brad to hold the multi-loop bow together.  I added half faux pearls to two opposite corners and to the tag.  That's my Mother's Day project.  

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have time to play along with us this week!

Hello, wind

Good Day to you!  As I woke this morning embracing the reality of no coffee and another cold shower, the electricity god had pity on me, and restored our power! (AKA: internet)  I live in the East Sandia Mountains in New Mexico, and the winds here has been brutal.  50/+ mph, and that has knocked the power out a few times.  And it always seems to be at night.  Not during the day, when I'm at work.  Just at night when I'm trying to get things done (cooking, blogging, emailing, laundry, etc)

I'm going to focus on the positive!  I have coffee, and I can blog!

The talented Jennifer W. has provided us with a sketch this week over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday.

Here is her sketch:

And here is what I created with it:

I havent' used this technique in awhile, and I really do enjoy it.  You stamp your image using Versa Mark ink pad and then rub your chalks over the image.  Take a clean cotton ball or kleenex and wipe over the empty space to remove any chalk dust.  The final step is to spray your image with Aqua Net hairspray to hold the chalk onto the card.  That way, the chalk won't rub off onto your clothing or get rubbed off during mailing.  Pretty cool, huh?  I added some half faux pearls at opposite corners and in graduated sizes.  The greeting is pretty simple, and stamped in basic black classic ink.  There isn't much bulk to this card, so it is relatively 'cheap' to mail, about 64 cents.

Thank you for looking, and I hope that you continue with our blog hop and hop on over to Tammy F.'s blog to see what she has created.

Hope to visit with you soon!

Everyday Wishes

I made a birthday card for my daughter, and I can finally post it!  She turned 27 this past week.  We are finally getting to take her and her family out to dinner.  I can't wait!  We are going to one of her favorite restaurants and it just so happens to be one of my favorites {smile}.

When I set out to create this card, I didn't have a sketch that I was working with.  So, it won't be entered into any challenges.  Just a card.
I stumbled upon these fresh pattern papers from Teresa Collins: Everyday Moments.  The pattern papers have yellows, blues, and white in their designs.  Pretty basic, but very pretty!  Just like my daughter!

Here is Tara's Birthday card:

This card was a lot of fun to create.  I used four of the pattern papers and many different stamps.  I created two paper blossoms out of crinkled circles.  I created the 'tickets' from two different stamp sets from two different companies.  The buttons also come from two different companies.  I sprayed them with adhesive and then dunked them into my tub of dazzling diamond glitter.  I tied a cream twine through each button.

Thank you for stopping by.  Tomorrow, is the Sketch Frenzy Friday challenge and on Saturday, it is the Our Creative Corner.  So, don't forget to stop by again!  See ya soon!

Sweet

This week, has been very busy!  Yesterday, I ran a bunch of errands in the morning, and went to the grocery store in the afternoon.  While at the store, I picked up several pints of fresh strawberries.  I made Strawberry Lemony Jam and Vanilla Strawberry Jam.  I don't really know what came over me.  Just an urge to do some canning.  I have only done the water bath canning.  I have never done any pressure canning.  Maybe that will be something I do, once our garden starts producing some green beans and tomatoes.

Ok, enough rambling about my Martha Stewart adventures.  Today, is a sketch challenge over @ Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.    Love the sketch, but I really couldn't get it to work as is.  So, I turned the sketch on it's side, and stretched out the circle to create an oval shape.  I added an embellishment where the sentiment is.

I needed a little more inspiration.  So, I headed over to CR84FN Color Challenge.  And look at these pretty colors.  I am a huge fan of pink and brown.  And when I saw the colors: Medium Pink, Tan, and cream, I fell in love with it.  I used crumb cake in place of tan.  

So, here is my card:

I used some crumb cake dsp to give my card some visual interest. I thought the plain solid card stock was too boring, no excitement.  I used the bordering on romance stamp set.  I used the aqua painter 'color' the blossoms with pretty in pink and pink pirouette re-inkers.  The sentiment was stamped in crumb cake classic ink.  The butterflies were cut from silver glitter paper.  I tied a scrap piece of pretty in pink taffeta ribbon around the middle of the card to cover up the seam of the two pattern papers.

I hope you to get a chance to play along with us over @ Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.  Thank you for stopping by.  I'll post a photo or two of my home-made Strawberry Jams, soon.

Delightful Journal

Hello.  Thanks for stopping by.  I altered another blank notebook.  I just loved the pattern paper I used on the last spiral notebook I altered for my granddaughter.  I decided to alter another one, to sell in my Etsy shop.  The pattern paper is from Authentique.  They have created some really beautiful pattern paper this year.  And they have different styles to work with your different tastes.

To help me with my creative flow, I stopped by the Vintage Cafe Card Challenge.  They have the most interesting sketch for this challenge.  So, that is where I got my layout.   (Please note that this challenge site is in Polish.  They do have a translator button.  Please don't let that detour you from their site.)

Here is a look at their sketch:

See what I mean?  I found my self just staring at it, with the 'wheels' in my head turning!  Stop by their challenge site, and get some inspiration to play along too!  Without further delay, here are some photos of my altered notebook, using the above sketch:

 a few close-ups

Here are the particulars:  To give the pattern paper a vintage feel, and take away the white empty space, I stamped a French script in crumb cake classic ink.  Instead of a border trim, I used a piece of 2" white silk ribbon.  Also, to help fill-in the collection of flowers on the sketch, I tied the silk ribbon into a bow.  For my title piece, I stamped 'Bloom * Blossom * Become', from a Paper Trey Ink stamp set: Garden Variety.  In the middle of my altered journal, I have added a sticker: Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful.  The graphics are of a little girl selecting what to wear.  I also added a vintage shoe sticker, and a sticker tag that says, 'beauty'.  To help pull the 'getting dressed-up' theme, I die cut and stamped a mannequin in grey flannel ink.  I had a scrap piece of this absolutely beautiful vintage trim.  So, I made a 'make-shift' skirt out of this beautiful trim.  I added a skinny ribbon in delightful daffodil.  I thought the grey and yellow combo worked so well, and really made the pattern paper pop!  I added a white shimmer button and half faux pearl to it's center.  To make the paper blossom, it is really easy!  Cut your circles in different sizes.  I hand-cut, and punch different size circles.  Crinkle the circles and layer them.  To give the edges some sparkle, I used my 2 way glue pen and dabbed it on the edges and then dunked the paper blossom into my tub of dazzling diamond glitter.  (The leaves were made in the same fashion.)  To keep the shabby chic look, I added some tied buttons, and half faux pearls randomly.  I added a resin white architecture piece to the right upper corner, to help give the spiral book cover some visual interest.  I added a long strip of polka dot pink scallop trim ribbon, to be used as a book mark.  That ribbon is attached to the spiral with a white brad.

I hope that you get a chance to play along with the creative ladies over @ the Vintage Cafe Card Challenge.  Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a great day. 

S... is for me

Wow, this weekend went by pretty quick, but I did get a lot of chores done.  I spent half of yesterday in my craft room.  

A while ago, I purchased an initial, from a national craft store, made of chipboard.  I had a scrap of a very pretty pattern paper that I just treasure.  The pattern paper is from Lost & Found.  There are pink and red roses with pale blue leaves, on a background of vanilla.  First, i painted the initial a similar shade of pale blue, found in the pattern paper.  Then, I adhered the pattern paper to my initial.  I cut as close to the letter as I could, and then used a paper file to clean up the rough edges.  I used E6000 glue to adhere some magnets to the back.  And then I went on to embellish the front of the initial.   

I cut a butterfly from some coordinating pattern paper.  Then, I layered a paper blossom on top of a different paper blossom.  Then I adhered this layered paper blossom onto a fabric blossom.  I punched out three leaf shapes from aqua mist card stock and crinkled and distressed them with white craft ink.  The completed flower was adhered to the body of the butterfly.  I added a metal note holder tied with a scrap piece of crochet trim. 

I added a mini clothes pin to the upper part of the initial.  I rubbed white craft ink on the top of the clothes pin.  Then I added some vintage white embossing powder and heat embossed it.  I tied a small piece of cream  linen thread thru a tiny pink button and adhered it to the clothes pin.  I added a tiny half faux pearl to the center of the bow.

 I added some half faux pearls to the ends of the initial.  

Here is my magnet!  I made it for my locker at work.  A little piece of craftiness at work {smile}

Thank you for stopping by!  Glad to have the company.  Check back tomorrow, as I am working on another altered spiral notebook to sell in my Etsy shop.  I am using the same pattern paper I used for the spiral notebook I made for my granddaughter.  I hope you have a great week.  

Butterflies - The Good Stuff

I'm happy that you have come by for a visit.  It's nice to have visitors.  I have made some wonderful friends thru my paper crafting.  And, we always give each other ideas and inspiration.  

I have also had the opportunity to bond with my grandchildren in a way that is different from their parents.  When my grandchildren come to visit, we always craft something and bake something.  And yes, they help! Or should I say, they do it all, and I supervise and give assistance.  By doing these things, we share something unique and special.  And their parents are busy.  Heck, we are all busy.  And so, this allows us to create.  Together.  Un-hurried.
My oldest granddaughter has spent at least one day/night a week in our house since she was born.  So, to say the least, we have connected the deepest.  But, her brother is a super close second.  I tried my hand at machine quilting, and I finished their rag quilts earlier this week.  They came out pretty good, for my first (and second) attempt on this adventure.   Anyways, sorry for the rambling.  My oldest granddaughter loves to take my empty notebooks and write in them.  Doodle.  Draw.  Add stickers.  Color.  She's pretty creative.  

So, when Rudlis @ Our Creative Corner, gave us a 'Butterfly' challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to do.  Alter an used spiral notebook for my oldest granddaughter, using butterflies!

Rudlis, gave us an inspirational photo, to help our creative souls.  Here is her photo:

Beautiful, isn't it?  Ok, so back to me talking about meeting some amazing ladies and bouncing creative ideas off each other.  My friend, Charlene, owns her own scrapbook store.  How super cool is that?  Anyways, she carried stuff I'd sell, if I had a store of my own.  And one of my new favorite paper companies is Authentique.  There are two reasons I buy their paper:  It's good quality heavy weight card stock, and it's beautiful!  And I'm talking beautiful to everyone.  They have different lines, to cater to your taste: feminine, masculine, shabby, modern, etc.  They don't do embellishments, like ribbons, buttons, etc, but they use common colors, so matching it is never an issue.  So, you can use stuff out of your stashes.  Doesn't that feel good?

Here is the spiral notebook I altered with this new pattern paper: Delightful

Isn't this just beautiful?  I just love the papers and the girl-y feel to it.  So, like I said, you can add your own 'stuff' to it.  

The seam binding and silver glitter paper I used are from Stampin' Up!.  The buttons are from Paper Trey Ink.  The tile piece is from Prima Marketing.  And the paper doily is from Martha Stewart.  But, it all matches!

I used a butterfly die to cut the checkered butterfly.  I made another multi-loop bow (ok, this has got to be my all time favorite bow!) out of crinkled seam binding.   I tied some linen thread thru the button, and hot glued both the bow (to the butterfly) and the half faux pearl (to the front center of the button).

For the paper doily, I just cut two circles out of paper and stamped on the top one.  Used foam tape between them.  Same goes for the paper blossom.  I punched three different sizes of pattern paper, crinkled the circles and then adhered them together with foam tape.  I hot glued a butterfly tile the front.  And I stamped 'the good stuff' on the banner piece.  I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.  Now, I hope my oldest granddaughter likes it!  Keep your fingers crossed!

I have had some folks ask me what it is that lures me to birds, butterflies, bees, ok, anything with a set of wings.  To me, there is something magical about a creature who can fly.  Sounds pretty basic, but to me I project a 'freedom' onto that ability. Limitless.  No restrictions.
Now, get your fingers inky and join us in this weeks challenge of butterflies!  Don't forget to tell us why you like butterflies.

Note

Happy Friday to you!  This has been an interesting week, to say the least.  I hope all of you are well.  So, on Fridays, its blog hop day!  The talented Deb C. over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday, has a wonderful sketch for you to try.   So, if you are here from another blog, please take a moment to browse, you just might see something that delights you. 

Here is Deb's sketch:

When I first saw this sketch, I was thinking of different stamp sets that I have that have a vertical image.  But, I kinda struggled with this one.  Maybe I was over thinking it, or it might be that I don't feel well.  I started feeling sick on Tuesday, and it has been down hill since.  If I had to guess, its a stomach flu, only from what's been going on.  so, that's fun.

Anyways, on with my card:

Ok, so the first thing, I turned the sketch on its side.  Second, I don't have a sentiment 'tag' or 'label'.  But, I did like the vertical line, so I dragged my mini clothes pin across my craft white ink pad.  I added a train ticket piece from the Attic Boutique Side Notes collection.  I stamped the 'label' from Everything Eleanor. I wrapped a scrap piece of Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon to help ground the pink, and added a small butterfly to help convey a feminine feeling.  

Now, please continue on with this blog hop, and see what Tammy F. has created.

Have a great weekend, and craft something beautiful!

friend

If you are looking for a new sketch challenge, and a chance to win some blog candy, I have the perfect sketch challenge site:  Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.  This sketch challenge site isn't brand new.  We have been playing for over 30 weeks now.  But, we'd like to have more folks play along with us each week.  So, by submitting a paper craft in our sketch challenge, you are entered in winning some blog candy.

Here is this weeks sketch challenge:

One of the things that I just love about these sketches is the empty space.  This allows you, the artist, to create an unique and wonderful paper craft.  Remember, just because there are two specific shapes, doesn't mean that you must use those shapes.

Here is my card:

I replaced the rectangle piece with one of those accent pieces from the Beau Chateau note package.  I just love this saying about your Friend.   I added a paper blossom for my circle piece.  

I also used my favorite color combination: soft suede and pretty in pink.  I used a scrap piece of soft suede polka dot pattern paper from the Mocha Morning DSP collection.  I added some half faux pearls to add a feminine touch.  You can't tell in this photo, but the whole card was spritz with home made shimmer mist.  

Thank you for stopping by.  Now head to your crafting space and play along with us this week,  You never know, you could be a featured stamper and win some blog candy!

Baby Reveal

Well, I have finally gotten a chance to upload some photos for you.  Our daughter is expecting another child, and we threw a Baby Reveal Shower.  Her theme was bumble bees.  You know, 'what will it bee?' 'Bee is for baby', and 'mother to bee'.  The colors for our party were black and yellow.  Not very unique, but that's ok.  It help tie everything together.

We had a 'Crave Bar', where we put foods that the expecting mother has been craving:

S'mores to Go

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Caramel Apples

dark chocolate cake covered in yellow fondant with bumble bees

the party favor. 

These party favors were a lot of fun to create.  The gold heat embossed design is actually a seed packet.  That is why the 'Garden Seed. Farm. Home.' stamp is across the top.  I thought the 'Grown with LOVE' was perfect for an unborn child.  And the bottom stamp, 'Have a SWEET day' just flowed with the theme.  There is a small jar of honey inside the box.

I forgot my camera at home, and so I had to take these photos with my phone.  Thank you for stopping by.  Please join us @ Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge this week, as you can win some blog candy, just for playing along.  I'll have this weeks sketch and my card on Wednesday.  So, please stop by!

happy Birthday!

What a crazy busy weekend!  For those who visit often, you have realized that I did not participate in this week's challenge over @ Our Creative Corner.  But, I don't want you to miss out!  This week, Irena is our hostess and she has a creative theme, "Men's passion, hobby, interest".  Irena, wants us to show a hobby or interest of a man in your life - husband, father, son, brother, and any other male family member.  Also, explain the hobby, passion, or interest in your post write up.

 

So, now for this post.  I made a birthday card, for my mom.  I missed her birthday.  We had several schedule changes and different plan adjustments.  I knew what paper I wanted to use, so I set out to find a great sketch to work with.  But, please be advised, I did flip a portion of the sketch.  There is a relatively new sketch challenge, and they have some very creative sketchs to work with:  Retro Sketches.   

Here is their sketch:

One of my favorite paper lines is Lost & Found.  Their pattern papers are so pretty and have a shabby chic/vintage look to them.  I moved my 'circle' to the other side, but kept the card true to the sketch.

Here is my card:

The card base is crumb cake cardstock.  The next layer is Aqua Mist cardstock; I just love this color.  It's a bit blue, a bit teal, and perfect for vintage papers.  I sponged these papers with crumb cake ink.  I used my sewing machine, and added some random stitiching around three sides of the card. 

The three pattern papers are from Lost & Found.  They are pretty and vintage.  

 I wanted to strengthen the scrap pieces of pattern papers, so I adhered them to a piece of vellum cardstock.  I wrapped the crochet trim and crinkled seam binding around the papers and made another one of those multi-loop bows.  I added a vintage brad to the center of the bow.  I added a tiny silver glitter paper heart, to add some sparkle.  

For the sentiment piece, I stamped a pretty sentiment in black ink.  I added a heart shaped burlap piece.  I then punched a bunch of tiny hearts to create my scallop circle.  I added a pale blue paper blossom to the center.  I added a lone half faux pearl.  I tied a piece of cream twine through the button and tied a bow.

I had two left over pieces of a pearl swirl.  I added one to opposite corners.  I wanted to give my card a bit more feminine touch. 

This weekend was a Baby Reveal Shower for my daughter.  She is expecting her third child.  And we threw her a wonderful party.  (I will be posting photos tomorrow.)  We had a house full of family and friends to share this wonderful celebration.

For the Newlyweds

Happy Friday to all of you out there in blog-land!  This is the eve of our daughters' Baby Reveal Shower, and we are busy getting things finalized and completed.  We have a great event planned and a bit more work to get it all done.

Anyways, I am playing along in the sketch challenge over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday.  Angela is the creator of this weeks sketch.  It's a fun sketch to work with.   Here is the sketch:

See what I mean?  There is a lot of empty space, giving you a lot of opportunities to show us what you can create.  Here is my take of Angela's beautiful sketch:

I used pattern paper from: Mocha Morning DSP, Attic Boutique DSP, Beau Chateau DSP, and first Edition DSP.  The ribbon is pool party seam binding.  I added a neutral button to the center of the multi-loop bow.  The heart piece was made with the scallop heart die and the large heart punch.  I created the paper blossom with the trio flower punch.  The tiny tag was made with the Tiny Tag stamp set and the Jewerly punch.  I added a mini clothes pin to the heart.  I first rubbed the top edge across my white craft ink pad, and while the ink was still wet, I dipped it in some dazzling diamond glitter.  I added a tiny butterfly and half faux pearl.

I used the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set to add my sentiment.

Now head over to Tammy F.'s blog to see what she has created.

Just Plum

This is week is especially busy, as I am getting things prepared for my daughters baby reveal shower.  But, I took time out of my busy schedule to play along with the talented ladies over @ Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.  The sketch this week, is super user friendly, and I encourage you to play along.  There is a lot of empty space, so you can fill it, or leave it CAS.  The possibilities are endless and your creative flair will add some fab to it!

Here is the sketch:

Here is my card:

See what I mean?  I turned the sketch on its side.  And here is what I did: I used a left over piece of the fabulous Mocha Morning DSP.  Isn't it just lovely?  I used one stamp set.  Yes, amazing achievement!  Notably Ornate.  I used two colors: soft suede and perfect plum.  Easy peasy!  I added some of the new perfect plum taffeta ribbon.  It is just so pretty.  I add to add the mini vintage tag and one tiny rhinestone jewel.  Not a lot of product, but its uniquely pretty.

Let's see what you create!

Super 6, Yahoo!

Good Morning to everyone out there is blog-land.  Yesterday, I was looking at various items on the internet, and found out that I was chosen as a 'Super 6' @ Card Patterns!  I created a card, and posted it in three different challenges, a color challenge, an element challenge, and a layout challenge.  Well, the ladies over @ Card Patterns loved my card so much, that they awarded me with 5 other super talented ladies as, the 'Super 6'!

Here is the card that won me this title:

and here is my original post.

Thank you to everyone who looked at my card, and voted for me.  This card was a lot of fun to make, and it was my first attempt at a zipper flower.  I think that I'll make more!