Amaryllis in Full Bloom Birthday

Hello again friends, I know it’s odd I’m posting again so soon but my Bloglovin feed brought me a challenge today. I have been trying to keep busy at the cottage it’s so hot and humid I don’t want to spend time outside so I sit in front of the fan and colour. I won some images from Digi Darla a few weeks ago and this is one of the images I chose. I am always making Birthday cards as I give all my friends a handmade card for their birthday every year so need a “stash” of them.  Now you will notice there isn’t a sentiment on the card, that is because it never occurred to me to bring any stamps with me. Sometimes I wonder where my mind is when I pack. I have a long list of what I need to bring back with me next time.
I’m entering this in the “Make and Easel Card” Challenge #70 check out the challenge at their new Challenge Blog.

Image from Digi Darla Designs

Cardstock….Real Red GP white

Spellbinders dies….Fleur dis lis & resplenant rectangles

Stickles….yellow and ice

Easel cards are one of my most favourite to make, they seem so quick and easy. Thanks for stopping by today and since most of North America is in a heatwave, try to keep cool.

A Day at the Beach…..with Clear it Out Tuesday

Yes I’ve been at the lake for the weekend and it’s hot, hot, hot. but then again it would be just as hot at home. Hubby said the water is lovely but cool which means I’m not going in.
This is the second week of the Paper Piecing challenge using your paper stash at Clear it Out Tuesday check out the requirements for entering the challenge all the information is on the blog. The same two sponsors again this week so two chances to win, QKR Stampede, and Digi Darla Designs both have fabulous digis. Last week I used a QKR stampede image so this week I used one from Digi Darla Designs, I picked a seaside image just because I was at the cottage for the weekend, I was working on a couple of cards, I try to remember everything I need but as you know by my other posts there is always something missing, This week I brought my rectangle nestabilities the large set of plain ones, and the small set of scalloped ones, after I cut the pieces I noticed duh. Anyway here is what I came up with for inspiration.

Supplies
Image seashore from Digi Darla Designs
Cardstock…..GP white, Crumb cake, Pacific Point
Patterned paper…from the never ending scraps of my stash I did the umbrella and the bag.
Spellbinders large plain and small scalloped rectangles
Embellishments…..rhinestones and baker’s twine.

Challenges I'm entering this in:
Digi Darla "At the Beach" you will find the challenge HERE at their new challenge blog.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you find some time to do some paper piecing and add your project to the Clear it Out challenge Blog.

How about a tall, cool glass of Lemonade?

The challenge at House Mouse and Friends Monday challenge is Weather, I chose a nice sunny day at the beach sipping on a tall, cool glass of lemonade. The image was coloured with prismacolour pencils and odourless mineral spirits. I used some diamond stickles on the glass and covered the ice cube with paper glaze.

Supplies

stamp…House Mouse Designs

Cardstock….Daffodil delight, gp white and gp black.

Ribbon….offray

Accessories….spellbinders rectangle large and small, paper glaze from Plaid, diamond stickles. cloud embossing folder from Stampin’up

The challenge at House Mouse and Friends closes a midnight Saturday, this week I had a few days “free” and hoped to craft but a dear friend of mine passed away and the crafting was put on the back burner for a few days. She will be missed by so many people.

Thanks for stopping by today and check out the new challenge on Monday at the House Mouse and Friends Monday challenge,

Design Team Throwdown….Leather and/or Lace

I can’t believe I entered into a throwdown but I had and idea and ran with it, well designed around it lol. To see all the entries check out the Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog and get more information on what the throwdown is about.
What I need you to do is head over to the Smeared and Smudged blog  Voting Starts: Thursday April 25 at 12:01 am Voting Ends: Friday April 26 at midnight, to vote you will have to sign up for the challenge blog but it is free.This is what I did for the throwdown.

The image is from Sassy Studio Designs, I coloured it with prismascolour pencils and odourless mineral spirits. Cut with my large and small circle spellbinder dies. I used Close to Cocoa & GP white cardstock. The background is Faux Leather, I put the cardstock in the tiny bubbles embossing folder and put it through the cuttlebug. I then covered it with versamark watermark and clear embossing powder then heated it (The tutorial is on Splitcoast Stampers).. I cut the white with an edgelit die from Stampin’up to look like lace.

Thanks for looking today……remember vote, vote, vote. Here is the link to go and vote starting Thursday midnight.

Happy Birthday is a Cake Walk with a Gruffie

I joined a birthday swap, it’s so much fun because when it is your birthday you get lots of handmade cards. The recipient of this card has received it so I can blog it now. When I made it my idea came from the House Mouse & Friends Monday Challenge Blog the challenge was to have ribbons and pearls on your card. I love my house mouse/happy hoppers/gruffie stamps and use them as often as I can. Every two weeks there is a new challenge at HM&Fand a new one will start on Monday….check them out.
            

Supplies

Image……Gruffie Cakewalk

Cardstock…..Pretty in Pink GP white, Night of Navy

Spellbinder…..fleur dis lis rectangle, Large rectangle

Ribbon…..Offray

Coloured with prismacolour pencils and oms

Thanks for looking today and check out the HM&F Monday Challenge blog and ink up your House Mouse stamps.

Flowers for Mother on Mother’s Day

Welcome glad you came to see what I have been up to this week,  I hope you will join us at Clear it Out Challenge Blog for the Mother’s day challenge to use flowers on your project. The sponsor for this challenge is our very own DT member, Karen, stop by Karen's Needle online store and see what she has to offer.
The card I made uses a retired stamp set from Stampin’up called Roses in Winter and it is a three step stamp. I inked the largest stamp with Brilliance coral and stamped off twice before I stamped on the white card stock, the second stamp I only stamped off once and the third I inked it and stamped. I used the cuttlebug folder textile to dry emboss the background. For the scalloped layer I used a Nellie die.
                        
Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you will join us at Clear it Out I would love to see how you use your flowers.
"The sound of laughter has always seemed to me the most civilized music in the universe."
Peter Ustinov

Show Your Easter Colours…..

Easter is just around the corner so for this challenge at Clear it Out we are using our stash of pastel papers plain or patterned or both if you have some. I used a discontinued Stampin’up colour called pale plum, I bought extra before it was retired and will be sad when it is gone.
As part of the design team I was given an image from A Day for Daisies to use. The image  called Dancing with a Boy was coloured with prismas and odourless mineral spirits and is so cute, I thought it would make a great “prom” card or even a wedding card. The pale plum was embossed with the birds and swirls folder, the scalloped frame is done with concord grape card stock and the flowers from my growing stash of flowers.(I’m sure they multiply in the jars)
                        
Thanks for stopping by  please join us at Clear it Out Tuesday for our Easter challenge  sponsored by A Day for Daisies.

Make a Wish for your Birthday

I love doing the House Mouse and Friends Monday challenge every two weeks, it gives me more time to figure out what stamp I want to use. I had two of them that were perfect for the challenge and had to pick one…..it  was easy when I received the update from Use it Tuesday   Challenge blog and “its a Birthday Party” so decided Make a Wish featuring  Amanda and Monica will be the one. I loved the  monthly sketch for February at Midnight Madness Sketch challenge and decided it worked perfect for my card. So no more waiting….here it is.
                       
The base is a retired Stampin’up colour Gable Green, the lacy oval is Tempting Turquoise. the designer paper is from a DCW pack I bought several years ago. The rhinestones are also from my stash. The image was coloured with prismas and oms and the icing has stickles added to it.
Thanks for dropping by today and do come back on Tuesday February 21st for a Birthday Blog hop……with “candy”
"To create more positive results in your life, replace 'if only' with 'next time'."
Author Unknown

A Stocking Built for Two

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge has not one, not two but four fabulous sketches for you to choose from, You have until December 26th to get in on the fun, so click on the link to go have a better look, but wait until you read my whole post and check out my card. There is also a December challenge at Seriously Creative Challenge Blog and it’s great All Things Christmas and it was a big decision on which card to use for it. I’m hoping to slip in another one before the  month is out. So both challenge blogs have all of December to create for.
I used my favourite little guys again, it’s Amanda and Maxwell all bundled up in a sock. I used my plain oval Spellbinder die and my lacy scallop one too. My colours are Real Red and some dp from a Christmas stack I bought a couple of years ago on boxing day, it even has it’s own bling on it. The image was coloured with prismas and oms the real red ribbon is from Stampin’up. I also used one of my Fancy Labels Spellbinder dies for the sentiment.
                        
Thanks for dropping in to have a look at what keeps my hands and mind busy these days. Come back again soon you are always welcome.

A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love.
Basil

In the Meadow we could build a Snowman

What is as good as having a sketch? well it’s finding a colour challenge to go along with the sketch. I found the colour challenge at Touch Twin Markers and the Sketch at Sketch Saturday. First of all I loved the sketch and I’m sure I will use it again, the colour challenge of course mainly was for the twin touch markers but I don’t have any so I used my prisma pencils and oms.  In January to enter you will have to use the twin touch markers but until then any medium is fine. I am not usually good at combining challenges but this one was easy.
                       
My colours are Ridinghood red & crumb cake for the cardstock, I used the yellow/gold on the scarves and the beige colour in the broom. The dp is from a 8X8 stack I bought a few years ago.
Thanks for stopping by and having a peek at what I’ve been working on this week. Come back again soon, there is more.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
Marcel Proust

It’s a Total Whiteout

Well not a total whiteout, we were allowed to colour our image. At Penny Black Saturday the challenge was to have an all white card with the exception of colouring a Penny Black image. I used one of my newer stamps, I just could hug these little penguins to pieces.
The cardstock I used was White Georgia Pacific, The penguins were stamped in Versafine black and coloured with prismas and oms, I added some liquid pearls to the pompoms on the hats and spica glitter pens to the scarves. To finish it off I put the punched snowflakes with the pearl centers for more white. The whisper white taffeta ribbon is from Stampin’up.
                           
Nice to see you here and come back again soon. I love to read your comments so don’t forget to let me know you were here.

Kind words are the music of the world.
F. W. Faber

It’s a Blue Christmas

My favourite thing to do……..Monochromatic. I found the challenge at Drunken Stampers Challenge Blog. I did my card in shades of blue, the stamp I used I have had for a long while, it is from a Canadian Company that is very close to home here in South Western Ontario called the Artful Stamper. Go check it out they have great stamps and tutorials.  We were in London a couple of Saturdays ago at the Fairgrounds Farmer’s Market and one of the vendors had some great artwork and then I found out she was a designer for the Artful Stamper.
                         
This stamp is great, use it with the frame or just use the snowman, I have also seen it layered. I stamped in Brilliance Mediterranean Blue, coloured with prismas and added some spica glitter pen to the scarf and hat, it sparkles in real life. Punched the snowflakes with my mini EK punch and added the bling.
Thanks for stopping by today and come back real soon I have a lot more to post in the next few days.
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
Francis Bacon

Warm and Fuzzy Christmas

I’m taking advantage on the sketch challenge at Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge you will find here, this is a weekly challenge and a new one will be up on Monday. I also did the card for the warm and fuzzy challenge at House Mouse & Friends come and join them the challenge is on until January 1, 2012.
The stamp I used is Mouse E Claus, featuring Muzzy, coloured with prismas and oms, I love the warmth of a fuzzy blanket so thought this was the perfect image for the challenge, I added some flowersoft to the pompom and to look like snow under his feet.
                             
Thanks for stopping by today and come back again soon.
The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret to outward success.

Want to go Sledding with Tilda?

The weekly MMSC sketch at Pricilla’s Styles is on the blog and what a great sketch it is too. There are choices, Two sketches and it’s your choice, make it fancy, make it clean or somewhere in between. Hop over there and have a peek perhaps you will take the plunge and enter a card, half the work is done for you.
I had the cutest Magnolia image of Tilda with her sled, Here is a great place to get ideas and the Magnolia stamps. I coloured her with prismas and oms, I added white flowersoft to her hat and jacket trim. The flourishes are a cuttlebug die and I used the snowflake embossing folder for half of the background and added the red rhinestones to the corner.
                                 
Thanks for stopping by today and come back again real soon, I seem to be on a “crafting roll”
There is only one person who could ever make you happy, and that person is you.
David Burns, Intimate Connections

Time to be Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving week in the United States this week and there are a couple of challenges featuring “thankful” cards. The first one I found at Crop Stop and you have until November 29th to put your “thankful” card on their blog. I’m also entering this one at  Use it Tuesday and there is 4 days left on this challenge there too. I love the concept of Use it Tuesday as it is to use your stash and boy have I got lots of it. Stamps that have never seen ink and paper I’m saving.
The stamp is from Unity Stamp company, the image just lends itself to a circle, so used my plain circle nestabilities (my first set of nesties) The background is green vellum I found on one of our yard sale ventures earlier this year and I embossed it with the birds and swirls cuttlebug folder. I attached the vellum to green cardstock  with brads and then adhered it to the card base.
                            
Thanks for stopping by today and try to take some time to for yourself.
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
Helen Keller

The Juggler

Here I am with a two for one today, I found a great sketch here on Creative Accents Blog and combined it with the Saturday Penny Black Challenge of Christmas + Red + Embossing. The cardstock I used is Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake, my image is Acrocat from the critter line of Penny Black Stamps. The die cut under the image is a Fleur dis lis square from Spellbinders and the flourish is a sizzix die. The embossing folder is from Stampin;up called Petals-a-plenty.
                                  
Thanks for stopping by today and you have two days to do the challenge for November on Creative Accents Blog and until December 2nd to try the challenge at Penny Black Saturday Blog Challenge.
Dreams are the touchstones of our character.
Henry David Thoreau

Peek-a-boo Monica

Every Monday there is a great sketch at Pricilla Styles Blog home of the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge, you can choose which of the two sketches you would like to do or do them both. I love a sketch challenge it takes half the deciding out of my hands.  For my card I used one of my favourite stamps, house mouse, you just can’t help loving these cute little rodents.  The image I chose was Merry Christmouse with Monica. The cardstock is Riding hood red and GP white. The DP is from a Christmas stack I bought a couple of years ago after Christmas. The snowflakes I’ve has for eons along with the red rhinestones, which btw were terrible as I had to glue them on and they kept sticking to my tweezers, there has to be an easier way.
                                   
Thanks for dropping by today and if you need some inspiration just hop on over to the MMSC Blog to check out the challenge, a new one will be there on Monday. 
he art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.
William James

Warm Winter Wishes

I have had this Hero Arts snowman for a long time and I think he was feeling very forgotten in my bin of Christmas stamps. He is so happy and cute how could I not use him on a card.  The sketch challenge at Pricilla styles was a great one to use. I’m down to the crunch as a friend asked me to make her a few Christmas cards, I have a few more to do but as usual there are so many stamps and designs it’s had  decide on what to use next. Since I also need cards I have been making two of each, seems to be just as easy to make two.
                           
Not too much to tell about the card I used Sage Shadow card stock (retired)  some dsp that is in my stash. Used my new ek mini snowflake punch I bought when I was in the U.S. a couple of weeks ago. There were two in the package one snowflake and one holly leaf with berries. I haven’t had a chance to use it yet. I also bought the ribbon/trim in a dollar bin. (wonder why I only bought one?)
Thanks for stopping by today and come back again soon.  If you get a chance please leave a comment, I love to read them.
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
Marcel Proust

Time for Fall Colours

Wow what a great colour challenge Orange and Brown, very basic fall colours. The challenge starts today November 14th and is open for two weeks, you will find it at Clear it Out Tuesday Challenge Blog. Are you up for the challenge? I hope to see your creation there.
                         
I used Happy Scarecrow from Class Act Inc. a Canadian company located in Oshawa, Ontario. I coloured him with pencil crayons and oms.  The brown layer is dry embossed with the Pumpkin Harvest cuttlebug folder. I made my tag starting with a rectangle and sliding it through the center of the largest die in the Big scalloped ovals so it only cut the top. I punched a hole in the top and threaded several lengths of fibers through and knotted them. Then layered the tag on the mulberry paper. I did a bit of distressing on the tag and layer.
Thanks for stopping by today and you have two weeks to get in on this challenge at Clear it out Tuesday Challenge Blog.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

Eleanor Roosevelt

Merry Christmouse

I’m here again with one of my favourite “rodents” this one is Monica getting herself ready for Christmas. Any chance I get to use these little guys I do and I found another challenge at Pricilla’s Blog, now you don’t have to use a house mouse stamp but I did for this week’s challenge. The time is almost up for posting today, but check out her blog and join in on the next one.
                            
Not much to tell about this one, the dp is from a stack I bought last year, ribbon from Wal-Mart, The rest was scraps of cs I had in my stash.
Thanks for dropping by to have  peek and come back again soon.

What we should be asking is not whether we need a big government or small government, but how we can create a smarter and better government.

President Barack Obama,