Saturday, June 27, 2015

Season's Tweetings

When I woke up today I took a look through my blogger feed and saw this great sketch at Less is More. It really intrigued me and I had to play along!

I grabbed the Lawn Fawn set Winter Sparrows. This is such an adorable set and I haven't inked it up since I got it months ago, so it was definitely time to play with it!

On a panel of Neenah Solar White I stamped the branch in the middle of panel in SU Early Espresso and then used my Early Espresso marker to extend it to the edge, I didn't like how it was just floating there. I colored my birds with Copics and then cut them out with their matching dies.Before adhering the birds to the panel with dimensionals I embossed it with the CB Swiss Dots folder. On a smaller panel I stamped the sentiment in SU Real Red, added some music notes and then also embossed that with the Swiss Dots folder. Both panels were then popped up with dimensionals on the card base,

I changed the sizes of the panel just slightly from the sketch in order to accommodate the images and sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!


Stamps: Winter Sparrows (Lawm Fawn)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Early Espresso (SU), Real Red (SU), Memento Tuxedo Black
Copics: B00, BG01, G07, G28, YR31, YR14, YR15, R27, R46, R24, R29, YG25, C1, C3
Accessories: Cuttlebug. Swiss Dots EF, dimensionals
 

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Strips and Butterflies for Friday Mashup

This week at The Friday Mashup there is a sketch and then the choice to use 3 elements. I decided to pull out a new paper pack from Stampin Up called Cherry on Top. I knew I wanted to use butterflies as my 3 elements and this stack has some papers that are perfect for a summer outdoor type of feel.

I chose 3 papers and cut each one into 2 strips of varying sizes. I laid them out into a pattern I liked and then attached them to my white card base, The large butterfly was made using a die from the Butterflies Thinlits and the 2 smaller ones are ones I had in my stash from previous used of the Beautiful Wings Embosslits (now retired). My sentiment was cut out in Cucumber Crush using the Hello You Thinlits. To finish it off I did some Faux Stitching around the card.

Head over to The Friday Mashup blog to see what the rest of the DT came up with and then play along with us!


Stamps: None
Paper: Whisper White Thick Cardstock, Crushed Curry, Cucumber Crush, Watermelon Wonder, Cherry on Top DSP Paper Stack
Ink: None
Accessories: Big Shot, Butterflies Thinlits, Beautiful Wings Embosslits (retired), Hello You Thinlits, Basic Pearls, Gel Pen, Paper Piercing Tool

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Elegant Colors for TTS

Happy Thursday! The week is almost over and it's time for a new challenge over at 'Tis The Season!

This week it's a color challenge....Navy, Sand and Concord. These colors screamed "elegant" to me although I don't consider my card to be very elegant looking. If you have a new SU catalog and are observant you may think my layout looks familiar...I CASE'd a card from the Christmas section! I happened to be flipping through and saw it and thought it would work out nicely for this challenge.

I used the SU colors Night of Navy, Sahara Sand and Concord Crush (retired). You can use any brand you want as long as the colors are similar to the ones of the challenge.

My sentiment was stamped in Night of Navy and the trees were stamped in the Concord Crush. Sahara Sand is my card base and I also took a panel of Sahara Sand and embossed it with the Stylish Stripes TIEF and adhered that to the card base. A strip of Concord Crush is placed across the middle and I used the Scallop Edge Border Punch on it and then pierced each of the scallops. The circle with the sentiment is popped up with dimensionals as is the tree in the front. To finish the card off I cut out some stars from the Silver Glimmer paper.

I'm also playing along with the challenge at Jingle Belles. They want us to create projects that don't use any patterned/designer paper, just regular cardstock. No problem! :)

Head over to the 'Tis the Season blog to see what the rest of the DT did and then play along with us!


Stamps: Lots of Joy
Paper: Sahara Sand, Concord Crush (retired), Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: Night of Navy, Concord Crush
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Scalloped Edge Border Punch, Tree Punch, Big Shot, Stars Framelits, Stylish Stripes TIEF, dimensionals



One Layer Green Christmas

Today I came across a blog I haven't seen before called One Layer Christmas Card Challenge. We all know how much I adore Christmas so of course I had to play along!

Their challenges every week are always "anything goes" with a twist to them. You don't have to do the twist, it's just another option. This challenge their twist is "green".

I pulled out the retired SU set Evergreen, one of my favorites! I stamped the solid trees in Mint Macaron and the tree made of song lyrics was stamped in Cucumber Crush. I then scored just above and below the images. In person it's very pretty and I'm very happy with how it came out, considering I don't do many one layer cards!


Stamps: Evergreen (retired)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Mint Macaron, Cucumber Crush
Accessories: Simply Scored Tool

Sunday, June 21, 2015

A Bunch of Bull for Sunday Stamps

Ok, maybe not a bunch but I do have one bull moose (only male moose, aka bulls, have antlers. Females, aka cows, do not grow them) on my card for Sunday Stamps!

It's been a long week.....exactly one week ago today a large wildfire started just to the north of me. At the height of the fire we were 10 miles from the evacuation zone and had our bags packed. Our awesome firefighters, many who had homes who were lost in the blaze, have been kicking butt and thanks to help from crews that have come up from the Lower 48 they announced today that the fire is now 53% contained, up from 15% yesterday. Such a great thing to hear! Folks are returning home and while many have found their homes intact many have also lost everything. I've been working at the evacuation center all week (which also happens to be the school I work at normally) and it's heartbreaking to see friends and coworkers in the shelter. It definitely humbles a person and makes one think about the important things in life. Please keep the town of Willow in your thoughts as they rebuild and move on from this devastating fire.

As I was thinking about the fire I started thinking about the wildlife. The area the fire went through was already moose habitat but when the area starts to recover the moose will really move in, as they love all the vegetation that grows back in areas devastated by fire. With this on my mind I pulled out the recently retired set Walk in the Wild, which will always get plenty of use in my craft room!

I used Soft Suede to color my moose and the grass was done in Always Artichoke. The card base is also Soft Suede and then I used Soft Suede on the Hardwood stamp to create my background. Behind the image panel is a panel of Always Artichoke and those 2 panels are adhered together and popped up with dimensionals. The ribbon is also Always Artichoke but in the picture looks more Old Olive, but it isn't, I promise you!

Make sure to head over to the Sunday Stamps blog to check out what the rest of the DT came up with and then play along with us!


Stamps: Walk in the Wild (retired), Hardwood
Paper: Soft Suede, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Always Artichoke Ribbon, sponge, dimensionals

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Going Monochromatic for Friday Mashup

This week at The Friday Mashup Heidi is our hostess and she'd like us to use stencils on our projects along with a monochromatic theme.

I love earthy, darker colors so I decided to go with shades of brown. I started with a Crumb Cake base and used some stencil that I won a few years ago, I don't have it handy at the moment to see who makes it. I used Early Espresso to sponge the dots, doing some light and some dark.

The strip down the side of the card base is some retired Early Espresso DSP. I stamped the image from the Serene Silhouettes set in Early Espresso on Crumb Cake, cut it out with Oval Framelits and then popped it up with dimensionals. The sentiment is also stamped in Early Espresso on Crumb Cake and I made that into a little banner across the bottom of the oval.

The layout is a recent one from Freshly Made Sketches.

Head over to The Friday Mashup blog to see what the rest of the DT did and then play along with us!



  • Create a project with "stencils"
  • Create a project with "a monochromatic theme"
  • or Mash it Up! and Create a project with " stencils and a monochromatic theme"



  • Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, A Dozen Thoughts
    Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso DSP (retired)
    Ink: Early Espresso
    Accessories: Big Shot, Oval Framelits, Polka Dot Stencil, sponge, dimensionals

    Thursday, June 11, 2015

    You're the Best for Friday Mashup

    It's my turn to host the challenge at Friday Mashup and I've got some nature inspired colors....Cajun Craze, Garden Green and Island Indigo (you don't have to use SU colors, use any brand that is close to these shades). I'm also going for a Father's Day theme since Father's Day is next weekend.

    I had every intention of doing an outdoor scene with these colors but somehow I gravitated to the set Be the Star instead. I'm not quite sure how that happened but I went with it LOL

    I stamped 2 stars from the set, the biggest star in Island Indigo and then the medium size one in Garden Green. I then used the Star Framelits to cut stars out in each of the colors.

    The card base is Island Indigo and I embossed a panel of Whisper White with the retired Houndstooth TIEF and adhered my stars to that, popping up the large Island Indigo star over the smaller ones. To finish off the card I took a sentiment from the retired set Best Dad Ever and stamped that in Cajun Craze at the bottom of the card.

    Head over to The Friday Mashup blog to see what the rest of the DT came up with and then I hope you'll play along with us!


    • Create a project with the colors "Cajun Craze, Island Indigo and Garden Green"
    • Create a project with a "Father's Day Theme"
    • or Mash it Up! and Create a project with "The challenge colors and a Father's Day theme"

    Stamps: Be the Star, Best Dad Ever( sentiment, retired)
    Paper: Island Indigo, Cajun Craze, Garden Green, Whisper White
    Ink: Island Indigo, Garden Green, Cajun Craze
    Accessories: Big Shot, Houndstooth TIEF (retired), Stars Framelits, dimensionals, sponge

    Wednesday, June 10, 2015

    Christmas Night for TTS

    This week at 'Tis The Season we have an inspiration photo and I decided to go with the theme of Christmas night and Santa going from house to house. If you head over to the challenge blog you'll see my fellow DT members all had a similar thought :)

    I used the trees from the set White Christmas and stamped those in Whisper White Craft Ink on a Night of Navy card base, then created a hill of snow with Whisper White and adhered that to the bottom of the card base. The houses were stamped in black on Night of Navy and cut out with their matching dies, then popped up on the snowbank. I also stamped the houses on some Daffodil Delight so I could cut out some windows to adhere to the houses on the card. I was thinking about how some children leave a light on when they go to sleep, trying to stay away and wait for Santa.

    I made a mask and used the White Craft Ink to lightly sponge the moon and then stamped the Santa and sleigh in black across the sky. I used a white gel pen to add small snowflakes falling down. Many times in the winter the moon will be out and we'll be getting a light snow, so that's where my idea for that came from. 

    For a final touch I added some Wink of Stella to the rooftops, as if a layer of snow was glittering from the moonlight. It didn't photograph very well but it's so pretty in person and hubby loved it, which is kind of weird for him LOL 

    I hope you'll come by the 'Tis The Season blog and join us.Christmas will be here before we know it! :)


    Stamps: Holiday Home (retired), White Christmas
    Paper: Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
    Ink: Night of Navy, Memento Tuxedo Black
    Accessories: Big Shot, Homemade Holiday Framelits, White Gel Pen, Wink of Stella, Dimensionals

    Patriotic Sketch and Colors

    Today on my lunch break at work I was looking through the blogs I follow and saw the new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and the new colors at Colour Me and my mind instantly went to the set For Your Country. I guess I'm on a patriotic card kick right now!

    My card base is Night of Navy and then I took a panel of Real Red and embossed it with the Lucky Stars TIEF. The Night of Navy strip down the left side is a retired piece of DSP. The image was stamped in Night of Navy on Whisper White and then I popped it up with dimensionals on the the red panel. To finish the card off I stamped the sentiment in Real Red on Whisper White and also popped that up with dimensionals.

    This was a nice and quick card that I was able to get done after I got home from work and before I had to start dinner. I love it when ideas go smoothly like that!



    Stamps: For My Country
    Paper: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White, Night of Navy DSP (retired)
    Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red
    Accessories: Big Shot, Oval Framelits, Lucky Stars TIEF, dimensionals

    Monday, June 8, 2015

    Shake Shake Shake, Shake Your Santa!

    Right now at the Jingle Belles blog they have a terrific challenge that was brought to them by one of the frequent players of the blog, Marianne of Marianne's Cards 'n Stuff. We can create a shaker card or a card that features Santa on it or just join them together to create a shaker card that has a Santa on it. Well, I love Santa and I love shaker cards so I opted to do both!

    I used the SU set Get Your Santa On and colored Santa with Copics, plus added some Wink of Stella on his coat. The circles were cut using the Spellbinders Dies. The shaker portion was filled with sequins from the Classic Christmas Mix offered at Pretty Pink Posh. The DSP and card stock is from SU. 

    I've been having fun with Santa all day, shaking those sequins around :)

    The sketch is a previous one from Freshly Made Sketches.

    Thanks for stopping by! Did you know there are only 199 days left until Christmas? It's true!

    Stamps: Get Your Santa On
    Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White, Trim the Tree DSP (retired)
    Copics: R29, R46, R59, N1, N3, N4, YR24, BG10
    Accessories: Cuttlebug, Spellbinders Circle Dies, Stylish Stripes TIEF(SU), Foam Mounting Tape, Classic Christmas Sequin Mix from Pretty Pink Posh, Cherry Cobbler Candy Dots

    Sunday, June 7, 2015

    PPP Watercolor Blog Hop

    This weekend I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried something I almost never do....watercolor. Pretty Pink Posh is hosting a watercolor blog hop and friends that were taking part in it encouraged me to also join in the fun.

    I see so many lovely creations made with watercoloring and I'd love to achieve that look but I'm keeping it real here, this weekend has helped me discover that watercoloring is not something I'm good at LOL . It took me to 2 days to get this card done and my trash pile? You don't even want to know how many panels of watercolor paper got thrown in the trash. My friends Holly and Rita were very patient with me and listened to me whine, encouraged me and just let the creative process flow....thank goodness I have such great crafty friends!!

    This card started out as a card for my husbands nephew, who graduated from high school in CA this weekend. His school colors are burgundy and gold. The red isn't as dark as I wanted but I think I'm still going to call it good and send it to him, even though it's a tad girly looking in my opinion....but maybe he won't think so!

    I pulled out Faber-Castell Gelatos to use for my watercoloring. I had won them from a blog about 2 yrs ago and have never used them. Holly reminded me that I had the gelatos stashed away and that they would be good for watercoloring. Dang, I hate it when she is right ;) I used the Gold Champagne and Red Cherry Gelatos with a paintbrush and then pulled out an aquapainter to create my splatter. To finish it off I added 3 gold sequins I pulled put from the Pretty Pink Posh Classic Christmas Mix.

    Thanks for stopping by! Make sure you head over to Pretty Pink Posh and check out all the wonderful projects submitted!


    Stamps: Congratulations (Simon Says Stamp)
    Paper: Cherry Cobbler (SU), Very Vanilla (SU, inside of card), 140lb Watercolor Paper
    Ink: Versamark
    Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Aquapainter, Faber-Castell Gelatos, Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh, paintbrush



    Saturday, June 6, 2015

    To the Moon for Sunday Stamps

    It's Sunday already? Why must the weekends go by so fast! One good thing about Sunday is a new challenge over at Sunday Stamps though! This week we have a fun color challenge.

    I used the Mama Elephant set Bear Hugs on my card. Here in my neck of the woods we have close to 24 hours of daylight during the summer and our sky stays a nice light blue so I tried to create a little scene that one might find on an Alaska hillside during the middle of the summer.  It's hard to see but I added some Wink of Stella to the moon for a little extra sparkle.

    Make sure you head over to the Sunday Stamps blog to see what the rest of the DT came up with and then play along with us!



    Stamps: Bear Hugs (Mama Elephant)
    Paper: Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede DSP(retired)--all SU
    Ink: Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Early Espresso
    Copics: E13, E15, E25, W2, W4, N1
    Accessories: Paper Piercer, Wink of Stella, Soft Suede Candy Dots

    Thursday, June 4, 2015

    Sympathy Silhouette for Friday Mashup

    This week at The Friday Mashup Tara is our hostess and she wants us to create an ombre look, and also use an embellishment cluster. I've never tried the whole ombre thing so this was my first time, be gentle with me :)

    My husband grew up in the Bay Area of CA and has a close knit circle of friends from his junior high and high school days. They all live in different parts of the US now but Facebook keeps them connected and hubby found out that 3 brothers in his circle lost their dad to a heart attack the other day. Hubby has always told me how nice this dad was and hearing about his passing really got to hubby. He asked me if I could make a sympathy card to send to the mom and of course I said yes.

    For the ombre look I sponged 3 colors...Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie and Calypso Coral. After I got the shades I wanted with the sponging I then took an image from the Serene Silhouettes set and stamped that over the colors with Memento Tuxedo Black. I didn't want to overdo the embellishments since it's a sympathy card so I added 3 sequins.

    For some reason I ordered 2 packs of Calypso Coral when I didn't even need more of that color so I decided to use that as my card base. I then took a panel of Whisper White and embossed that with the Fancy Fan TIEF. The image panel was then popped up with dimensionals on the WW panel. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and I stamped that in black ink on WW and made a small banner.

    Make sure to head over to The Friday Mashup blog to see what the rest of the DT did and then play along with us!

    • Create a project using an ombre effect
    • Create a project with an embellishment cluster
    • Mash it Up! and create with project with an ombre effect that has an embellishment cluster


    Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Paper: Calypso Coral, Whisper White
    Ink: Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Calypso Coral, Memento Tuxedo Black
    Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Fan TIEF, Sequins from Pretty Pink Posh, sponges, dimensionals