Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 253

Good morning! It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Want to play along? Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use the InLinkz button down at the very end of this post to enter your card. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC253 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

Hey look! Another birthday card. You never can have too many, right? This card is pretty straight up and simple, but I love how the simple stamping works with the colorful patterned paper. This set is Treasured Words from Verve.

I cut out a 4-3/4" square card base from the notebook patterned paper out of the Vintage Bliss paper pack by Simple Stories. I cut out the circle element from a Stitched Circle STAX and then tried to match up the grid lines on both papers. It sort of worked, ha! I fussy cut the party hat and popped it up with foam tape. And naturally, I added some bling to the card as well.

The rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers have much more for you to see this week - please stop over and see:

• Barbara Anders
• Dana White
• Jenny Peterson
• Jodi Collins
• Lisa Henke
• Lori Tecler
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kalé
• Tracy Clemente
• Vicki Burdick

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: treasured words (verve)
paper: card base primitive white (mft), vintage bliss 6x6 (simple stories)
ink: smoke (sss)
accessories: stitched circle stax (mft), rhinestones (kaisercraft), foam tape

An InLinkz Link-up

Watermarks Are Now Available!

I'm so excited to be introducing some new watermarks! I have 5 watermarks available at the moment, 4 are new and one is a customer favorite, so I'm bringing that one back for you. My watermarks definitely needed to be updated and I have a variety of trendy styles that should please most crafters.

Some things to remember when you order:

1. I will make your watermark exactly as you type it in the order. So please double check to see that you have added correct information.
2. I personally think a web address looks more professional and pretty when you omit the "http://" as well as the "/" at the end. The watermarks will not allow anyone to click on them and send them to your website, so you may want to keep that extra stuff out of there. Again, just my opinion.
3. All watermarks will be offered in white. I am no longer making watermarks in various colors.
4. You will need a photo editing software that allows you to layer images. 
1. PicMonkey - with a TUTORIAL. PicMonkey works in your internet browser.
2. Picasa - software download with a TUTORIAL
3. GIMP - software download with a TUTORIAL
4. FotoFlexer - works in your browser

Thank you so much for your patience while I got myself reorganized and settled with my new computer. I do hope to have more watermarks to offer soon, and as always, I'm happy to hear any requests you may have.

Choose your watermark

Watermark 1 Watermark 2 Watermark 3 Watermark 4 Watermark 5

Enter your name

Enter your website

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Thank You {CTS #106)

Happy Friday!! I managed to squeak out another card for you this week since I wanted to use this fun layout from CAS(E) this Sketch. I'm too late to post for the challenge, but that's okay - it's how I roll most of the time - a day late and a dollar short. Or lots of dollars short ;)

This sketch was quite the challenge and I think I stamped the stripes about 5 different times, scrapping the paper, before settling for this outcome - but it was fun to do, all the same. I like to be pulled out of my comfort zone sometimes. I used the stripe trio image from Ombre Builders by Papertrey Ink, and stamped them in various rainbow colors. I do really like the way the ink overlaps and blends. I sort of cheated with the sentiment and stamped it horizontally instead of on the diagonal like the sketch says to do. I'm already out of my comfort zone, so let's not get too crazy! Am I right? Ha!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -

stamps: keep it simple-thank you (pti), ombre builders (pti)

paper: smooth white (mft)

ink: black licorice (mft), razzle berry (mft), orange fizz (mft), banana split (mft), sour apple (mft), blu raspberry (mft), grape jelly (mft)

accessories: clear rhinestones (su!), foam tape

Snow One Like You

Hi there! I have a fun card for you today using this sweet little Paper Smooches snowman from Cool Dudes. I'm playing along in the Anything Goes challenge over at the Paper Smooches Sparks blog. I used the Cool Dudes Icons die to cut out the snowman in Smooth White card stock and then I stamped him in Black Licorice hybrid ink so I could color him with Copic markers. The patterned paper is all from the Cut & Paste "Adorbs" 6x6 paper pack, so that made this card really easy to put together. I still had my Shine Bright sequins on my desk, so I thought I'd throw a few of them on my card as well. I'm addicted to them at the moment, what can I say? The layout is the January Sketch For You To Try.

That's it for today - hopefully I'll be back with something new before the weekend. Have a wonderful day.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: cool dudes (paper smooches)
paper: smooth white (mft), cut & paste "adorbs" 6x6 (mme)
ink: black licorice hybrid (mft), copic markers
accessories: cool dudes icon dies (paper smooches), stitched circle stax (mft), fishtail flags stax (mft), shine bright sequin mix (verve), foam tape

love U

Well, hello there! I hope you had a good weekend. My boy had a dance recital on Friday and Saturday, so it was a pretty jam-packed couple of days. Sunday was just pure football-watching laziness and bliss. And I loved every minute of it!

I meant to blog this card last week, but never got around to taking pictures for it. So, here you go! I created the background using the Plaid Background Builder from My Favorite Things and then cut out the Heart Full of Love Die-namics in Smooth White and Smoke card stock. I wanted to have something a bit more than the love die and the U, so I snuck a little fishtail flag underneath the U. And, of course, I added a few sequins.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: plaid background builder (mft)
paper: smooth white (mft), smoke (sss), electric red (mft), sno cone (mft)
ink: smoke (sss), fog (sss)
accessories: heart full of love die-namics (mft), by the letter upper die-namics (mft), fishtail flags stax (mft), shine bright sequin mix (verve), foam tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 252

Good morning!! It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Want to play along? Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use the InLinkz button down at the very end of this post to enter your card. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC252 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

I'm using the color palette from this week's ColourQ Challenge, which is beautiful and bold and perfect!

I've had my eye on the Ombre Builders set from Papertrey Ink for a long time and I finally bought it this week. I chose the small dot pattern and stamped it repeatedly with the colors from ColourQ (LOVE). The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Bash Sentiments, which is stamped in black (I'm thinking I should have embossed it in black). I really wanted the background stamping and sentiment to POP off the card, so I embellished the different layers in white and scattered some clear sequins.

The rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers have much more for you to see this week - please stop over and see:

• Barbara Anders
• Dana White
• Jenny Peterson
• Jodi Collins
• Lisa Henke
• Lori Tecler
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kalé
• Tracy Clemente
• Vicki Burdick

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: ombre builder (pti), birthday bash sentiments (pti)
paper: smooth white (mft)
ink: black licorice (mft), razzle berry (mft), nightshift blue (mft), spring rain (pti), grape jelly (mft)
accessories: jumbo fishtail flags stax (mft), stacking stars (mft), shine bright sequin mix (verve), foam tape

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Birthday {CTD325}

Hello there! Where are all my Broncos people?!? I don't know about you, but I definitely needed some stamp therapy after that horrifying Broncos/Colts playoff game on Sunday, and this week's Color Throwdown color palette was just the lift I needed! Isn't this color combo brilliant!? Love the tangerine with the aqua.

Birthday cards are always in demand, so I grabbed Happy Everything from my stash of birthday sentiments and got to it. I used the Balloons STAX Die-namics in Smooth White card stock and then sponged on the color for a bit of a softer look than straight-up colored card stock. I cut out the Happy Die-namics in Smooth White card stock 5 times and stacked them all on top of one another, creating a dimensional sentiment. To balance out the blue and orange, I added a few Mango pearls around the greeting.

That's it for today - I hope you'll hop on over to the Color Throwdown blog and join in on the fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: happy everything (mft)
paper: smooth white (mft), fog (sss), berrylicious (mft)
ink: smoke (sss), orange fizz (mft), banana split (mft), berrylicious (mft)
accessories: happy die-namics (mft), balloons stax die-namics (mft), mango pearls (kaisercraft), sponge daubers, white perle thread, foam tape

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 251

Good morning!! It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Want to play along? Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use the InLinkz button down at the very end of this post to enter your card. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC251 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

This week's sketch is designed by Barbara Anders and it is a beauty! I really enjoyed this sketch and I know you will too.

Since it's all sorts of winter outside, I am using some spring colors along with Dream Big blossom stamps from Verve.

First, I stamped the Lemon Drop blossom on the edge of the white card stock panel, then stamped the leafy vines in Sour Apple ink in different sizes. I cut out the Scallop Flowers from white card stock and then stamped the blossom again on it so I could pop it up for the circle element in the sketch.

The sentiment is from Better Together and I also used the distressed dots to fill in some of the white space along the bottom.

The rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers have much more for you to see this week - please stop over and see:

• Barbara Anders
• Dana White
• Jenny Peterson
• Jodi Collins
• Lisa Henke
• Lori Tecler
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kalé
• Tracy Clemente
• Vicki Burdick

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: dream big (verve), better together (verve)
paper: smooth white (mft), fog (sss), sno cone (mft)
ink: black licorice (mft), fog (sss), lemon drop (mft), sour apple (mft)
accessories: scallop flowers die set (verve), pierced rectangle stax die-namics (mft), mango pearls (kaisercraft), orange fizz buttons (mft), white perle thread, foam tape

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 250

Good morning!!  We are back from a short break and I have some important news to share with you before we start off with the sketch.  Two of our long-time design team members are stepping down this month, and let me tell you, it's really difficult to say goodbye!  I've met both of these fabulous stampers in real life, and they are absolutely the best!

Jackie Pedro's style is so super cute and her ability to avoid patterned paper is out of this world!  The patterns and backgrounds she creates on her flowers and accents are always amazing and she makes me think I can get rid of patterned paper altogether!  But, who am I kidding??  Jackie, I will miss you on this team, terribly, and I hope to see you in the gallery, here and there!  Best of luck to you, friend!

Karen Motz amazed us with her creative holiday cards, which frequented the sketch challenge through the years. Every Christmas I would wish and wish I had stamped one card each week so I could send out more than 10 cards! I will miss you Karen! I know life is taking you in a new direction, but I hope that you will ink up your stamps once in a while just to let us know that you're thinking of us. Maybe I'll make you stamp next time you come for a visit during ski season! LOL!  Wishing you all the best, wherever the world takes you, my friend!

Seriously, typing up this post without you two crazy ladies is really quite strange.  Maybe I'll just keep adding you just for the heck of it??

OK, I guess it's time to introduce the first sketch challenge of 2015!  Want to play along?  Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use the InLinkz button down at the very end of this post to enter your card. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC250 if you plan to post your card in an online gallery.

Since I feel like I haven't stamped in forever, I didn't want to try anything too crazy today.  I kept it all pretty simple.

I absolutely adore this building set from Paper Smooches called Reflections and I kind of just added a few leafy vines with accents of flowers in bright, fun colors.  The sentiment is from the Better Together set by Verve Stamps.

The rest of the Sweet Sunday Stampers have much more for you to see this week - please stop over and see:

• Barbara Anders
• Dana White
• Jenny Peterson
• Jodi Collins
• Lisa Henke
• Lori Tecler
• Lynn Put
• Sarah-Jane Kalé - she's taking the week off
• Tracy Clemente
• Vicki Burdick

Thanks so much for stopping by!

recipe -
stamps: reflections (paper smooches), better together (verve)
paper: smooth white  (mft), blu raspberry (mft), orange fizz (mft)
ink: black licorice (mft), electric red (mft), orange fizz (mft), sour apple (mft), blu raspberry (mft)
accessories: sentiment strips die-namics (mft)

An InLinkz Link-up