Love You to the Core

The current challenge over at The Paper Players blog is all about apples and it's perfect because I've had this Pure Innocence image sitting on my craft desk for a few weeks now. I had colored it and then just kind of pushed it to the side, so the apple challenge was the perfect motivation I needed to get it made into a card!

I used yellow and green for the colors of the girls clothing so I grabbed some of my favorite retired SU DSP that I've been hoarding. I love polka dots and I love these colors together so I created a very simple background with this DSP on my red card base. I added the sentiment to the inside of the card and pulled it all together by putting a strip of the Old Olive polka dot paper across the inside of the card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmoose!

Boy, switching to day shift at work has me all confused! I don't know what day I thought it was but it's Weds and that means there is a new challenge up at The Merry Christmas Challenge blog, and I should have posted first thing this morning. Oooopsie!

It's an Anything Goes challenge as always, with this week having polka dots as an optional theme. I love polka dots so I included the optional theme on my card.

I used one of my favorite stamps, this moose from the Merry Christmoose set from SugarPea Designs. How cute is he (and yes, it's a he, female moose don't have antlers!)? I colored him with my copics and then grabbed some retired DSP out of my stash that had matching colors. The polka dot paper goes with his scarf perfectly and I carried the theme by embossing the brown panel with a large polka dot pattern. The layout is from last weeks Sketch Saturday.

Make sure and head on over to The Merry Christmas Challenge to see what the rest of the DT created and then play along with us! There is only 29 weeks until Christmas :0)

Mushroom Love for Sunday Stamps

It's time for a new challenge over at the Sunday Stamps blog and this week Amy has a fun sketch for us! I changed the orientation of it to work with my image though, as I recently got a new stamp set and wanted to ink it up!

Power Poppy recently had a new release of 11 clear sets and this fabulous mushroom set was part of it. It has 8 mushroom images and 2 sentiments, and one of the images is of my favorite mushroom, the Fly Agaric. We get it all over the woods around my house and I call it the Alice in Wonderland mushroom. It's one of my favorite things to photograph in the woods so I was super excited to see this set.

I kept everything about this card pretty simple, which is how I like it. I was going to use a thinner ribbon but I had to rearrange part of my craft room before Christmas and my ribbon is scattered at the moment and I couldn't find what I really wanted, therefore I used some retired SU Real Red ribbon. The image panel is also popped up for added dimension.

Make sure you head on over to the Sunday Stamps blog to see what the rest of the DT created and then play along with us! We'd love to see how you interpret the sketch.

So Happy I Found You

This month over at Power Poppy the Power and Spark challenge is all about love and sparkle, you can choose to do both themes or just pick one. I'm not big on sparkle so I went with the love theme.

New Valentines Day digi's were recently released at Power Poppy and this image is from the Va-Va- Valentines Digital Stamp set. How fun is it?! I have 2 mini dachshund puppies that LOVE to steal our socks so this image makes me think about chasing them through the house LOL I'm on a red and yellow kick, I love how bright and happy these colors are together, so that's what I used for my color palette.

My layout is from the new challenge at Die Cuttin Divas. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to use it! I have a feeling this sketch will end up being one of my favorites! My die cut is the oval that the image is placed on, it's from an MFT set.

June Bug for Power Poppy

This month the challenge over at Power Poppy is all about bugs. There are some great PP sets to choose from in order to take part in this challenge! I decided to go with an image I recently colored and had sitting on my craft desk, Climbing Clematis. I turned the image upside down, the digi comes with the big butterfly coming down at the top but for my card I liked this presentation better.

Pink isn't my favorite color but since I colored the clematis pink I decided to do a pink background. I've been in a polka dot kind of mood and my card definitely reflects that.

Stamps: Climbing Clematis (Power Poppy)

Paper: Baja Breeze (SU retired), Pink Pirouette DSP (SU retired), Baja Breeze DSP (SU retired), Neenah Solar White

Ink: Printer Ink

Copics

Accessories: Cuttlebug, MFT Blueprints 15, SU Oval Framelits, So Saffron Ribbon (retired), Dimensionals

Now here is a second card. This was actually my first card for the challenge and I was all excited to link it up...... until I realized the snail isn't formally considered a bug. I instantly thought of it as a bug but according to what I found on the net "snails are members of the class Gastropoda, phylum Mollusca, and thus are not formally considered bugs. True bugs are part of class Hemiptera, which are from the phylum Arthropoda. Informally, however, bugs are considered to include all land invertebrates; in this sense, land snails are included."

Well, poop. However, I like this card (and still loving the polka dots) so I'm going to include it in this post also even though it technically isn't a bug, except for in my mind.

Stamps: Dancing with Daffodils (Power Poppy)

Paper: Baja Breeze (SU retired), Baja Breeze DSP (SU retired), So Saffron DSP (SU retired), Certainly Celery DSP (SU retired), Neenah Solar White

Ink: Printer Ink

Copics

Accessories: Cuttlebug, MFT Blueprints 15 and 23, SU Oval Framelits

Moose You

I made some time today to play along with 3 challenges....the sketch from The Paper Players, the animal theme at Cupcake Inspirations and a polka dot/chevron theme at Die Cuttin' Divas (a new to me challenge).

Of course for the animal theme I had to use a moose. I haven't had any moose in my yard for a few weeks though, now that the snow is gone they've headed back into the hills and the cow moose are preparing to give birth to their calves. I'm headed to Denali National Park the first weekend in May with a friend and I'm hoping to see moose, and bears, on our trip.

For my polka dots I used some retired DSP from SU. I had just enough of these colors left to make this card, whew! Neutrals and dark colors are my favorite so I always go through those colors pretty quickly in my stash.

For the die cut requirement, I used MFT Blueprints 15 and 23.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Warm Winter Wishes (Pretty Cute Stamps)

Paper: Chocolate Chip (SU), Crumb Cake (SU), Neenah Solar White, Garden Green DSP (SU retired), Crumb Cake DSP (SU retired)

Ink: Garden Green

Copics: E50, E51, E53

E23, E 25, E27

G07

E47, E49

Accessories: Cuttlebug, MFT Blueprints 15 and 23, CB Swiss Dots EF, dimensionals

Umbrellas and Polka Dots!

Welcome back to another Friday Mashup challenge! It's my turn to host the challenge so as we close out April I wanted to focus on April showers and umbrellas. So many parts of the US are dry and looking for rain...I know here in southcentral Alaska we need moisture! Our lack of snow over the winter has everyone very concerned about an early start to the fire season. We had snow showers the other day but it wasn't enough to make a difference. Maybe this challenge with help Mother Nature along :) 

I'm also playing along with SugarPea Designs Anything Goes challenge. How fun is this image of a little girl with her umbrella? I colored in the scene with Copics and then paper pieced her umbrella, using a marker to add a few highlights.

I also love polka dots so let's add those to our projects also and have some fun! We can't wait to see what you come up with. Head over to The Friday Mashup blog to see what the rest of the DT came up with and play along with us and also be sure to check out SugarPea Designs!

*I'm playing along with the Let's Get The Party Started linky party at Paper Issues * (celebrating friendship)

• Create a project using " Umbrellas".
• Create a project using "Polka Dots".
• Or Create a project using "Umbrellas & Polka Dots". 

 The April showers we had on Monday.....

Stamps: Hello, Sunshine (SugarPea Designs)
Paper: Strawberry Slush, Strawberry Slush DSP, Polka Dot Parade, Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Old Olive
Copics: 
Grass: YG03, YG25
Sidewalk: C1, C3, C5
Stones: W2, W3, W4
Jacket: Y02, Y04, Y13, Y18
Hair: E13, E15, E17
Pants: BV02, BV04
Accessories: Modern Label Punch (SU), dimesionals

Friday Mashup 200th Celebration Challenge!

We are so excited to be celebrating our 200th Challenge at the Friday Mashup and we want to say a Huge Thank you to all our fans who have supported us! In honor of our fans we are giving back with a 200th celebration Blog Hop and some Fabulous Prizes from Ellen Hutson, Newton's Nook, Lawn Fawn, SugarPea Designs and more! 

This week's challenge is Create a project using your TWO favorite Mashup Challenges together on one project! 

We have Two very Special Guest joining in the fun... Sandy Allnock & Jennifer Jackson from Newton's Nook have both created Mashup's for us! 

Head over to the Friday Mashup Blog for more Info and to Link up and Hop along or you can link up in the Inlinkz below.

For my card I chose challenges #109, use the sketch and make a pair of cards, and 121, use polka dots and the word 'happy'.

This week's Mashup Challenge:

Create a project using your TWO favorite Mashup Challenges together on one project!

1. Use 1 element from each of your Two Favorite Challenges together.
2. or Use both of the elements from your Two Favorite Challenges together. 

You can find a list of all the Friday Mashup Challenges here and we also have a Pinterest Board here. 

Stamps: Cheerful Critters

Paper: Baked Brown Sugar, Whisper White, Strawberry Slush DSP, Pistachio Pudding DSP

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding, Blendabilities Crumb Cake (light)

Accessories: In Color Sequins, dimensionals, sponge

An InLinkz Link-up

Birthday Poppies for Freshly Made

The husband took the boys to see Wolverine, the daughter is at work and so it's just me and the animals at home today.  I took advantage of the quiet to get some stamping done.

This card was made for the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. I think I changed my mind about 10 times before deciding to use the Pleasant Poppies in the center panel, and I'm glad I went with that. I completed ignored this set in the catalog last yr but got it last month and I just adore it!

I picked fall-ish colors, since I am realllllly wanting fall to hurry up and get here. We do have leaves starting to change so I know it's not too far around the corner! I used Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Early Espresso, along with Whisper White. The sentiment was popped up with dimensionals.

I'm also going to link this up at The Friday Mashup, since it fits our challenge for this week!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you are enjoying your day!

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Itty Bitty Banners

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP

Ink: Black StazOn, Real Red, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Big Shit, Bitty Banner Framelits, dimensionals

Happy Dots for Friday Mashup

Did everyone have a good week? Mine was super busy! School starts Aug.15 and so at work we're running around like mad to get the building ready. I moved close to 100 old desks from upstairs to the back of the building, and then unpacked 90 new desks. Needless to say by the time I got home I was one pooped gal! Thankfully I had the Friday Mashup challenge to help relax me.

This week Erica brings the challenge to us and she is all about the polka dots! She also wants us to use the word 'happy' on our project.

I decided to go with a Daffodil Delight and Smoky Slate color scheme. Daffodil Delight is such a bright cheery color and it just makes me smile every time I use it. I also decided to use the Pleasant Poppies set for my image. These flowers are so versatile and can be cut into so many sizes after you stamp them. Although most people associate poppies with the color red there are yellow ones out there so I colored them in with Daffodil Delight.

I had trouble finding a sentiment that I liked. I thought the flowers deserved a nice  cheery sentiment and I finally pulled out a sentiment from a retired set called Apple Blossoms. I think it works wonderfully for this card! I also used retired brads(yellow).

My inspiration for the sketch came from this weeks The Paper Players challenge, which I just barely made it in for. I've been looking at this sketch all week, I just love it!

Make sure you head over to The Friday Mashup to check out all the great projects from the rest of the design team, and then play along with us!

1. Create a project with "Polka Dots ".
2. Create a project using "the Word Happy".
3. Or Mash it Up and create a project "with Polka Dots & The Word Happy on it ".

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Apple Blossoms(retired)

Paper: Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP

Ink: Black StazOn, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive

Accessories: Cuttlebug, Swiss Dots EF, Rhinestone Brads(retired), dimensionals

 

Polka Dots and Trees

Today's card combines 2 challenges...The Paper Players and Freshly Made Sketches. Unfortunately weather and poor lighting conditions created a picture that doesn't really do this card justice...it really is quite pretty in person. *The sun peeked out today(Fri) and so I snapped a better pic and replaced it***yikes, so I just viewed the photo on my desktop and I dont know why its so dark! Not my week for photos I guess! Sorry!**

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree

Paper: More Mustard, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, More Mustard DSP, Garden Green DSP

Ink: Garden Green, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: 1 3/8" square punch, 1 1/4" square punch, sponge, dimensionals

Show Me Some Summer Lovin'!

Its my turn again to host the challenge over at The Friday Mashup and I want to see your summer projects!!

Its June 17 and the first day of summer is just a few days away! Summer in Alaska doesnt last long so folks here take advantage of our 20+ hours of daylight to get out there and squeeze in all the summer activities they can.  For my family that includes fishing, relaxing in the yard, hiking and lots of BBQ'ing. What does summer mean to you? Create a project and show us! Even better, throw in some polka dots....I dont know why but I always think of polka dots when I think of summer! Soo....

This week for the Mashup Challenge, you are welcome to:


1. Create a Summer Theme Project
2. Create a project using Polka Dots.
3. Or "Mash it Up!" and create a Summer Themed Project using Polka Dots!

Check out all the great inspiration from the design team and please, go leave them some love on their blogs! They love to hear what you think of all the projects!

Also, dont forget that we still have the Fan Favorite Contest going on over at the Friday Mashup blog. You have until June 29th to submit your idea, so head over and link up!

For my project I used an image that conveys one of my favorite things to do during the summer...relaxing in the yard! I love to sit in my backyard and watch the birds, or read a book, or watch my kids play on the trampoline. I also love the cat in this image, as I have 2 fat gray cats myself, although they arent allowed to go outside and play.  ((whoa, just had an earthquake as I was typing this out!! Never a dull moment in Alaska! Jut a little trivia...did you know Alaska has more earthquakes than any other US state? Yep, we sure do!))

Supplies used(all supplies SU unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Peace Within, sentiment from Happy Moments
Paper: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Springtime Vintage DSP, Watercolor Paper
Ink: Black StazOn, Crumb Cake, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Old Olive, So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: CB Seeing Spots folder, AquaPainter, ribbon, brads, Pewter Hodgepodge