TKJ 3

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Anything goes at the Kraft Journal this week ! Oh I have just done one too many love cards. Next week I can tackle them one more time, but for the end of THIS week I made a masculine Thank you card. Can't say I see these all that often, but the situation does arise when one needs one. This is just a little more casual than what you may find at the store.

I may have been a bit generous with my spatter stamp, but I have had it for months, and this is the first I have used it, so the thrill of it all may have taken over !

Bag & tag - Kraft Outlet
Background paper - Color Bok
Foreground - Graphic 45
Button & brown ribbon - Stampin' Up
Sentiment tag - K & Co
Black Ribbon - stash
Sentiments - Scenic Route Paper, American Crafts
Brads - Making Memories
Sock Rub On - Royal & Langnickel

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Moxie Fab World - the Metallic Challenge

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Today's post is a Moxie Fab World entry - for the Metallic Challenge that ends 1/31. The three colors are based on Bazzill's Gold Leaf Metallic, Satin Wedding White and Pinkini. One of the fun things about this card was that I used leftovers, cheap stuff, recycled packaging and things I had tucked away for a while. I thought it turned out pretty well for all that !

I have done a bunch of lovey-dovey things here for about a week, I think my next card must be something a little wilder, doncha think.

Oh - The Kraft Journal is showcasing one of my cards today on their Feature Me Friday !! I am so tickled !!

Cardstock - Bazzill
Pink striped paper - recycled packaging
Texture fade - Tim Holtz
Satin Frame - Dollar Store
Ribbon and pearls - Michael's $1 bin
Sentiment - JoAnn's Craft Essentials
Sentiment background - Crafty Secrets
Punch - Martha Stewart

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

CCCB 41

♥♥♥♥♥♥

City Crafter's challenge this week is a sewing challenge. Actually this whole card was a challenge - just one of those you fight and fight with, and no one is the winner. *sigh*

Nevertheless, I believe I left tears on it, just one of those kinda days.

This one is for my hub, who will find it in his sock drawer. Today he sent me purple and white tulips, when only Sunday he and Spencer brought me yellow ones.

Speaking of Spencer, I haven't had a whole lot of stories lately, and I am not sure why.

Yesterday Tootles (his mother) told me that he had broken his leg,
but only half of it, at least that is how he reported it

We are usually liking the "partialness" of things, as in "I don't want a whole nap, just a piece of one" to which his Pup decided to try and set him straight while Tootles and Gwanma are miming a slit throat.

DP - K & Co, Bo Bunny, MME
Valentine, I love you - Tim Holtz
Hug Snug seam binding
Bling - Recollections
"love" - Michael's $1 bin

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Papercraft Star 30

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Papercraft Star has the best challenge this week - scraplift a card from another Papercraft Star designer.

I am totally hoping, if you follow that challenge, that you can tell immediately that I stole absolutely everything from our Tracy.

The woven paper was my first thought, since it was one of my favorite things she did all last year. After that, it wasn't too hard to "channel" Tracy with the bow, punch, spellbinders and flowers.

I really admire her work, and I got a huge kick out of copying her whole style. Though she claims she doesn't HAVE a style, lol. I couldn't hand make the beautiful flowers she does, so the Prima flowers had to do...

What do you think - did I do it ??

DP - K & Co
Cardstock - Recollections
Punch - EK
Sentiment - JoAnn Craft Essentials
Distress Ink - Ranger
Ribbon
Flowers - Prima

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Edited post - this card is going to a special little girl in South Carolina. Hope you enjoy it Lauren!

Papercraft Star 29 Executive Reveal

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Welcome to the Papercraft Star Friday Executive Reveal ! Here is our challenge this week:


as well as two of the following: Stamp, embossing (these are the two I used), ribbon, die cut.



Wow, this is bright !! Sometimes we need a challenge to get us to do these things, huh.

Digi Stamp : Pink Cat Studios
Cardstock: Bazzill, Recollections
Design Paper : Crate Paper
Bliss : K & Co
Embossing folder : Cuttlebug
Bling : Michaels $1 bin

♥♥♥♥♥♥

CR84FN11,TKJ2

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Today's card is going out to two different challenges. The first is CR84FN - a challenge I have not played before, due to lack of time. Their color challenge is red, brown and kraft.

The Kraft Journal is a new challenge - I finished top 3 last week, thank you all so much !!! Their challenge is FAMILY. I chose the word love.

I really do enjoy doing tags, but this time it was as a little surprise. The frame says love, but you can read the tucked in tag that says "that's all you need..." But pull out the tag, and oh dear, it looks like all I need is a little cream cake after all !! lol Ok, well it amused me ...

The library pocket I purchased at the Kraft Outlet, as I did the string on the tag. I smooshed the string down into some distress ink to color it.




Red background paper - DCWV
DP - Creative Imaginations
Pocket - Kraft Outlet
Jewelry cording - Walmart
Image - Art Cult Etsy Shop
Screw brad - Recollections
Pin & distress ink - Tim Holtz
Paperclip and beads - stash
Red frame - K & Co
Rub-ons - Michaels $1 bin

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Moxie Fab World - the Neutral Challenge

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Moxie Fab World is having a whole week of challenges based on different color schemes. This particular challenge was a Neutral one, but you know, I betcha you could tell.

No deviations or additions to these colors... Whew, how hard is that ! The Bazzill is actually "smokey", the required color, but it does look a little lighter here ... truly smokey, I swear !
Very simple card - the medallion/flower I cut out from some Martha paper, popped it up and punched a little scalloped circle for a base.

Cardstock - Bazzill
Medallion paper - Martha Stewart
Large Pearl - My Minds Eye
Little pearls - Michaels $1 bin
Sizzix texture fade
Ribbon
Stamp - Fiskars
White gel pen - Gelly Roll

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Kraft Journal 1

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

This week opens the first official challenge at The Kraft Journal. Some of these ladies are friends I have worked with on Papercraft Star. Check out their new challenge - if you like Kraft like I do, you are going to find some pretty amazing cards, tutorials and (whoot whoot !!) PRIZES !!

The challenge this week is "flourish" - I used a flourish stamp, but less obviously I chose friendship as my theme, and hoping this card will encourage a friendship to continue to flourish.

The wonderful little envelope is from Kraft Outlet, as is the brown bakers twine. The paper is a single sheet I picked up at my lss - called Dream Street Papers, and it is the only paper I have from this co, but I will seek out more. A Martha punch, and some Tim tape, stamp, "HOLD", stickles and distress ink, round out the rest I can actually name.

Give The Kraft Journal a try - I think you are going to like it !!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

CCCB 39

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

City Crafter has this wonderful sketch for us this week. My dear friend Tracy is their Guest Designer - not only is she an excellent teamie, she is always there to listen to me rant and rave about my creative endeavors.

Well, the steampunk experience is one combining 1890's sci-fi (real or imagined) with the fashion and imagery of the time, and turquoise seems to be the color that pops up over and over. I dunno why I have been so attracted to this, but I have for a very long time. Every movie with a time machine, and the metal and colors associated with it seems to be such an amazing experience.

Anyway, long story short, I do love that style, and so I did my best to bring that to this card. The very most fun was combining so many "things" and from difference sources. "Explore" is the word that described my journey through all my supplies, and deciding how to best use them. But it describes how I hope to continue my journey through life too.

Hope you enjoyed the card !!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Papercraft Star 28 !

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Welcome to our 28th challenge at Papercraft Star ! It is amazing to think we are already so far into this endeavor, some days I feel like such a newbie.

That sort of happened with this card. I don't have any good marking pens for stamps, mostly because I just learned how to really stamp so I haven't accumulated much "treasure" yet. This one however is a wonderful digi stamp from Pink Cat Studio, so my stamping skills weren't an excuse for not stamping.

I don't do cute much either, though I will ALWAYS make an exception for birds.

Also, Santa brought me a new Brother sewing machine for Christmas - all that $$$ and I plan to use it for cards only. How crazy is that. I am just relearning some very old sewing skills so I can do a few things with my cards I have always envied on others !

The sketch for this challenge was not going to go this way at all - I never know how that happens? I start off with something, and zoom, it takes a left turn and I have no control over its end result. I really really wanted to put on that great big bow too *sigh*.

Link yours up over at Papercraft Star !!!

teeny weeny little required print that no one reads:
Digi stamp - Pink Cat Studio
Cardstock - unknown
Paper - all Bo Bunny
Sticker - Making Memories
Rub on Sentiment - Mrs. Grossman
Jewelry cording

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

JUGS 66

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I have been on a roll for a couple of days, making lots of cards, though I see my craft table is becoming increasingly messy, and my workspace shrinking rapidly !

Today's post goes to Just Us Girls, where we need to actually decorate and line an envelope. Very unusual requirement, as most of us don't ever bother with an envelope.

I made the card for my BFF, Rufina, as a thank you for all her help while we were gone on vacation last week. It accompanied a box of English Toffee, which I actually made myself (I know, I always say I am a total klutz in the kitchen...). We went over to her home last night to watch the BCS game, in our jammies, on their "little" tv, 65", and yes, they do have another one even bigger. Sadly our Duckies fell to Auburn, but only by 3 points in the last 2 seconds, so we will live. It was fun while it lasted !!

Ah, and I do have a new Spencer story for my Spencer fans ... He has taken to calling his mother "Tootles" - I have never heard of a 3 year old naming their mom something different, but that is our goofy little guy.

He was playing a variation of the usual baby/toddler game, Chase/Catch/Imprison/Escape ... when he called out to his mother

"Help me, Tootles, help me ! Use your tap dancing powers !!!"

His mom has never tap danced a step in her whole life - we were all left saying "huh??" But "Tootles" did her best ... darn those tap dancing powers anyway.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

GC85

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Being freshly returned from vacation, I am finding the need to create almost overwhelming !

Today's card is for Gingersnap Creations - a challenge blog I have often stopped by, but I don't think I have ever entered anything there before. So, a first time ! Their challenge is a warm drink for the winter, and although I am a chai tea lover, coffee is still one of my most favorite warmer uppers.

I used some very very old paper as the underpinning for the image - it resembles a coffee kiosk paper hand protector (what on earth are those things called anyway, maybe like a zarf) but much much softer. Don't know where I found it, but I know I have had it for more than 15 years. I added the image to it (the image is from Cassiscreations) and layered a white acetate frame on top.

I really enjoyed making this one, and it came together 1,2,3 - not usual for me, but I won't argue.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

CCCB 38

♥♥♥♥♥

City Crafter has a white challenge this week - all white with only one other color allowed !! I love these kinds of challenges.

This is a very sparkly card, though that is hard to see here.

I had one person in mind when I made this card, and that is my bf from high school, Margurite. She and I have stayed in touch for 40 + years, though we have only seen each other twice in all that time. She always sends me the most elegant Christmas cards.

This is for Margurite. Not only was she a wonderful bf when I was young, she is a person I admire a whole lot for all that she has accomplished. She put herself through law school at Boalt Hall (Berkeley), and worked in public transit for many years. She is a jazz aficionado, and politically savvy. One smart lady. Oh, and she told me she loves my blog too - how can I NOT think she is amazing !!!

To all our bestest friends ever, old and new, as different as we can be - a New Years toast to you all !!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Try it on Tuesday - 1

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Tuesday Taggers has changed its name to "Try it on Tuesday" - and this is their first challenge with the new name ! New beginnings is the theme of the card for this first week.

I have just returned from a week on the Oregon Coast - enjoying the waves and some excellent sea food. Back from vacation, and starting a new year - a new beginning for me.

We are just beginning a whole lot of new projects around our house - new this and new that, and updating some things ... one of my resolutions this year is to be less frugal, and spend a little more $$$ on things I will enjoy.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Challenge 27 - New Year's Resolutions !

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Welcome to Papercraft Star's 27th Challenge - and this one is our New Year's Resolution.

For mine I chose the word "Inspire", which is what I would like to do more of in 2011. Maybe I can do it with my work, maybe my words, or maybe both. Either way, I hope to do it at Papercraft Star !!

For this card I chose diamonds (or tilted squares !) as my cohesive element. You can see them on the paper, the lacy looking thing (hey, what is that anyway) and the brad. This is a way to make things look like they coordinate without being completely obvious. It works on paper, and it works if you are decorating a room too !!

I used the Coredinations cardstock as my back drop - this particular piece came already embossed. Too easy ! I distressed it, and tapped a little distress ink over it, and the edges.

The little lacy square is actually some repurposed packaging that I ran through the cuttlebug. Awfully easy too. And although this card will someday end up recycled itself, in the meantime I saved that little bitty bit from the landfill today.

Link up at Papercraft Star for a chance to win our weekly challenge (based on our popular voting) or our monthly random drawing. Link between now and Saturday noon for Challenge 27.

And now for the teeny print the boss requires ...

Cardstock - Coredinations
Paper - Basic Grey
Flower paper - G 45
Brad in flower - MME
Distress Ink - Ranger
Inspire token - Tim Holtz
Jewelry cording
Recycled packaging

Leave me a comment so I can stop by your blog and get my New Year's Resolution in gear !

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥