happy halloween

Happy Halloween from bright, sunshiny Colorado. I don't know when it was the last time we had almost 80 degree weather here on Halloween. Usually it's bright and sunny until the day before Halloween and then BAM - it snows for the big day.

So we took advantage of the warm weather and had a full day of candy-grabbing fun. Poor Andrew and Katie were sweating in their warm fuzzy costumes, but Avery had it right with her Minnie Mouse once the morning warmed up.

Thanks for letting me show off my little monkeys - we had a fantastic day!

Avery & Andrew

Andrew Dino

Katie Sunflower

Karen

live, laugh & love

Ok, now I'm getting back into the swing of things - 3 posts in 3 days! Don't fall over from shock now. I think this is the first inpiration challenge from Beate I've participated in - I loved the comforter with the bed, so that's what I chose to mimic. I stamped the Linen background onto kraft paper for the wicker look and then went to town stamping the background. My first thought was to use Pocket Silhouettes, but then I really just wanted to do leaves and flowers separate, so I opted for the flower and leaves in Season of Friendship instead. The sentiment is from It's All Good (which has discovered new life!).

That's all for now - thanks for visiting!
Karen

recipe -
stamps: season of friendship, it's all good, linen background
ink: brocade blue, old olive
paper: kraft, old olive, whisper white carstock
accessories: blue grosgrain ribbon, square scallop punch, stampin dimensionals

color inspiration 28

This week's color challenge from Kristina is Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Sage Shadow (which is making quite the comeback!) and Whisper White. She always finds the greatest colors, so that keeps me from using pink and brown all the time, ha! Go over and check out her blog if you haven't had a chance - she's an amazing artist and you won't be disappointed.
This card was pretty quick to make - the scallop edge punch is a lifesaver! No more tedious punching with the corner rounder to make a scallop edge - yay! The sentiment was heat embossed with white embossing powder to make it show up brighter on the darker paper.

Have a fantastic Wednesday and I'll see you back here tomorrow afternoon.

Karen

recipe -
stamps: absolutely fabulous
ink: versamark
paper: ruby red, sage shadow cardstock, pumpkin pie patterns dsp, autumn vine dsp
accessories: filigree brads, fire rhinestone brads, flower fusion, scallop punch, scallop edge punch, white embossing powder, pumpkin pie striped grosgrain ribbon

mojo monday challenge

Happy Tuesday and I'm so happy to be back stamping. It's been forever! A week?? Bad blogger! BAD blogger!!

Today's card is inspired by Julee's mojo Monday challenge and thought a little baby card would be cute with it. I think the card still needs something, but I just can't figure it out. AND, check it out - another bow that turned out nicely! woohoo!

Still hoping to get that 4-hour jam session in! I'll see you back soon

-Karen

recipe -

stamps: by ones & by twos, short & sweet

ink: black staz-on

paper: certainly celery, pretty in pink, whisper white cardstock, banbury dsp

accessories: celery grosgrain ribbon, filigree brads, fire rhinestone brads, micro twinkle dots (a.muse), 1-1/4" & 1-3/8" circle punches, scallop punch, flower punch (ek success), rectangle/scallop nestibilities, stampin' dimensionals

long time, no stamp!

Seems like I get a slow start to every week. I have every intension of stamping every day, but life doesn't quite cooperate most days. I just need a 4 hour jam session and I'll be golden!! Today's card comes from Julee's Mojo Monday sketch and I thought I'd break out the Christmas sets since it's all cold and gloomy outside. Snow is right around the corner.

That's it for today - short and sweet. I'm off to make myself some cocoa. See you back soon!

Karen

recipe -

stamps: season of joy, cute & curly, bold snowflakes jumbo wheel

ink: wild wasabi, bashful blue, versamark

paper: bashful blue, wild wasabi, real red, whisper white cardstock, all the trimmings simply scrappin' kit

accessories: mini/micro twinkle dots (a.muse), star eyelets, bashful blue grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, curly label punch, white embossing powder, stampin dimensionals

color inspiration 26

Hello! Happy Thursday to you all - I'm just loving this fall weather we've been having and our little tree in front is finally turning red this autumn instead of just dropping the leaves. I think it's finally out of transplant shock, ha!

Kristina Werner has another fantastic color challenge this week and since I'm loving fall, I thought I'd make a spring card. Yes, I'm weird. Actually, it is a dear friend's birthday today and she's definitely a flower kind of girl, so I thought this would be fun for her. The colors this week are Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue, Rose Red, So Saffron, and Whisper White. Now I'm off to check out all the other entries for the challenge - so much eye candy out there!!

See you back soon -

Karen

recipe -

stamps: on your birthday

ink: versamark

paper: wild wasabi, so saffron, rose red cardstock, jersey shore dsp

accessories: white embossing powder, flower punch (ek success), bashful blue brads & double stitched grosgrain ribbon.

there for you

I made this card for a friend who is taking her 1-year-old daughter across the country to have spinal surgery in November and she's fought hard for her daughter to get what she needs, so our MOPS group has rallied around her and helped her out and we just wanted her to know we are praying for her when she's so far away from friends and family.  I used Photoshop Elements to make the sentiment - fonts are AL Charisma and Futura LT.  If this card seems familiar it is because I used the sketch before (makes it easy to create a quick card!)

Have a great day!
Karen

recipe -
paper: bashful blue, whisper white cardstock, maine blueberry dsp
accessories: old olive wide grosgrain ribbon, vintage brads, horizontal slit punch, stampin dimensionals
fonts: al charisma, futura lt

blue christmas

Yikes, has it really been since Thursday since I've posted?! Today I have a 10-minute card for you - gotta love patterned paper and the stampin' around wheels! I just love the look of craft ink on kraft paper and I thought I'd try it with a Christmas card this go 'round. I don't have a craft ink cartridge for my weel, so I just inked it on a craft pad - cards are small enough for the wheel to go around less than one time, so no need to re-ink. The card is way cuter in real life - I really need to work on my photo skills!

That's it for today - I need to have a late night stamping session to get caught up! See you back soon.

Karen

recipe -

stamps: bold snowflakes jumbo wheel, all holidays

ink: bashful blue craft ink, night of navy classic ink

paper: kraft, bashful blue cardstock, retired su dsp (sorry, can't remember the name, but it was in an '06 mini

accessories: bashful blue & white grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch

color inspiration 25

This week's color inspiration over at KWernerDesign is once again, great! Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Ruby Red - aren't these colors so much fun for kids' quilts? Might have to rethink the colors in Andrew's room...
For the clouds in the sky I used my scallop punch and then sponged around the edges on whisper white cardstock to create the layered look. The waves were made with the inverse cut from my rectangle scallop Nestibilities die. The background is the Nursery Letters jumbo wheel.

Thanks so much for swinging by - see you back soon!
Karen

recipe -
stamps: nursery necessities, nursery letters jumbo wheel
ink: so saffron, certainly celery, ballet blue, ruby red

paper: so saffron, ruby red, ballet blue, whisper white cardstock

accessories: scallop punch, rectangle scallop nestibilities die, celery grosgrain ribbon, sponge daubers, stampin' dimensionals

the mojo has returned

Thank goodness my ability to make a card has returned today. The past couple of days have been full of a severe lack of inspiration. I think I'm back in the groove now! Today I drew inspiration from Splitcoaststampers sketch challenge and some Autumn Vine paper - I love that you can just use one packet of paper for a whole mix of coordinating patterns, nice!

See you back soon -

Karen

recipe -

stamps: happy everything

ink: chocolate chip, sage shadow

paper: really rust, whisper white cardstock, autumn vine dsp

accessories: ribbon originals (prep school?), vintage brads, horizontal slit punch, stampin' dimensionals

warm welcome home

I'm home from my fantastic long weekend away and what is waiting for me when I arrive? I'm soooo excited to tell you that I had a message from Stampin' Up! telling me I had won the October WOW art file contest!! I was sooo shocked and thrilled and my husband thought I was a little goofy - ha! I can't even tell you how amazed I am and I just know that it's because of all of you who read my blog and leave such amazing, encouraging comments that I got up the nerve to send in a submission. You are all so sweet! SU will include my submission in the December issue of Stampin' Success, which is a demonstrator magazine. Ok, thanks for letting me toot my own horn for a bit!

Karen

leavin' on a jet plane

Yep! I leave today for Dallas (well Grapevine), TX for the MOPS convention and I thought I would have been able to pre post marvelous creations for you all, but it didn't happen. Time got lost on laundy, getting the house in order, writing stuff down for school schedules, packing, oh yeah - taking care of the kiddos, laundry again, cleaning up my MESSY office, and everything in between. Sorry folks. I'll be back Sunday, so hopefully I can get some creative mojo flowing for Monday. Have a fantastic weekend, y'all! Or is it all y'all? Just trying to get my Texas on. Ha! See you soon!

Karen