PDCC # 188 ~ Have a Sweet Day!

Hey there bloggy blog friends! I hope everyone is doing well. I've been card marking away for some upcoming new releases. Trying to get ahead before we take a vacation. When I saw the new colors for the Play Date Cafe ~raspberry, pastel pink and lilac~ I had to squeeze in some time to play along. I've been enjoying plates of fresh fruit for lunch topped with scrumptious raspberries. They, along with the color raspberry for the PDC were my inspiration for this card.

This pretty PSX raspberry stamp is one of my first. Our son loves them so I picked this up a loooong time ago with him on mind! I die cut the PTI mat stack 3, then made a mask of it. This let me have the berries placed behind the mat just where I wanted them. The berries and label are both stamped with pure poppy ink that was stamped off once to lighten the color. A limitless layers (PTI) circle holds a few more berries along with an IO sentiment. I have to tell you that my very favorite ribbons are the PTI twills. This ribbon makes the prettiest bows! I accented my card with a sprinkling of DeNami buttons and a few gems.

I'm so happy you took the time to stop by today. I have a couple of new followers that I want to thank and send a big warm welcome to, so happy you have joined me on my blogging journey!  Have a sweet day ~Lisa

PDCC #183 ~ Thanks!

Happy happy Friday! Happy Memorial Day weekend for those of you in the states! The official kick off to summer. Will someone call Mother Nature and cue her in on this please...it's 45 degrees today!!! I know I've been talking a lot about this crazy weather. But holy cow I was in shorts and flip flops yesterday with the air on and this morning I wore a coat and gloves to walk Max!!! Sorry for the whining...had to vent! How about a happy card to cheer things up a bit. I love love love the colors at the Play Date Cafe this week. I was inspired by the summeriness (is that a word?) of them and the polka dot pattern on the turtle's back!

I was doing a bit of clean up in my lil ol studio and found this pretty little matted dragonfly that I had stamped two of quite awhile back. Perfect shade of green. The polka dot stamp and matching label are PTI. My dragonfly is missing the label, he's kinda old *wink* ~ no offense buddy!! I embossed some polka dots on a white panel, then added that to the navy card base. I saved this snippet of green ribbon from a package I had received. It worked out perfectly with a wee bit of navy & white twine. The focal panel looked so sweet that I simply added buttons for my school bus yellow. Didn't want to get to busy and distract from it! 

Off to run the vacuum, maybe it will warm me up!! ~Lisa

PDCC # 178 ~ Bee Well!

LOST...SPRING...if found, please return to Ohio!!! I don't know about the rest of you, but 30 degrees in late April is unacceptable. I want my chirpy little birds and pretty little daffodils to wake up to a warm sunshiny morning! Sorry had to get that out, it's just too cold today. After a chilly walk with Max and a bit of a lazy start I thought I might get to work on a card. I haven't been at the Play Date Cafe in far too long, so I put a card together to play along this week.

I'm not a fan of hot pink, but look at me two cards in a row! Hot pink, shade and lightning yellow are their colors of choice. I decided to go playful and pulled out a few neglected stamps. This sweet little flower stamped in Memento rose bud ink is from Impress. I nestled a couple of buttons between the blooms and topped them off with an embossed yellow panel. Don't know where I got this paper, probably Joann, but it was already embossed. I've seen this cute banner shape in blogland and don't have a die, so I cut my own! The sentiment is by DRS. I am smitten with this bumble bee (Outline Stamps), isn't he cute! I stamped him an extra pair of wings on vellum and attached just the end with a a Quickie glue pen. I really like the movement this created. Hot pink gems, I can handle those, so I sprinkled on a few!

That's it for me today,  I'm off to make a steamy pot of potato soup to warm our bones ~ Lisa

 

PDCC #163 & PP #127 ~ With Heartfelt Thanks!

Well hello again! I'm back today with a card I made this afternoon for The Play Date Cafe and The Paper Players challenges.

This sweet blue gingham paper is from Lily Bee Design and the tiny polka dot paper used for my butterflies is My Mind's Eye. My tangerine peonies and greeting are both from Papertrey Ink along with the heart border. Now while my card doesn't actually have the word love on it I think the hearts speak for themselves! I really like this color combination of champagne, sky blue and tangerine!

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by ~Lisa

PDC #161 ~ Merry Christmas!

Hi there! I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with those in Connecticut.  As so many of you have also expressed, I needed to hug my family.  We took our son and daughter-in-law to see a movie Friday night. Our son's FAVORITE book EVER was on the big screen...The Hobbit. Today my hubby and I enjoyed an old Jimmy Stewart movie together  ~ The Shop Around the Corner. I would have frequented that little shop! And here's a card I made today for the Play Date Cafe challenge using Evergreen, Gum Drop and Candy Cane Red.

Aren't these wee ones the sweetest! I bought this Stampendous stamp last year at Hobby Lobby. They're stamped and colored on a Labels 10 die by Spellbinders then layered onto a larger die cut using October Afternoon paper. My tiny pine sprigs are made with a Martha Stewart punch. And this sweet ribbon is from Hobby Lobby too. It makes the best bows and they have it in several colors. This red is my favorite! I used glitter on the fur trim and angel wings then added red pearl buttons to their tiny coats.



Thanks for visiting ~Lisa

PDCC #159 ~ Merry Christmas!

Well hello! I'm trying to get myself back on track by closing this long and busy week out with a cute little card I made for The Play Date Cafe color splash challenge.

This one went together quickly with the help of a new Spellbinders die set I picked up for 1/2 off at Joann Fabrics. The idea behind this one was perhaps a gift of a tricycle from grandparents living far from their little one. Does that sound silly!!??!! I remember my brother sending the cutest little Goodyear blimp riding toy to our son for his first Christmas. Anyway this darling tricycle stamp is by Unity. Seems perfect for the graphic from the Play Date Cafe too! I added some glitter touches with a glitter Gelly Roll pen.



Thank you so much for stopping by. And many many thanks to all of those who left messages concerning my mother -in-law's passing. My husband and I both read them and were touched by your kind words. I tried to send a personal thank you email to each of you, if I missed you I'm sorry and I want you to know how much I appreciate you. Blessings to you my friends ~Lisa

PDCC #154 ~ Best Wishes!

Hi there! I am here today to give best wishes to my friends at The Play Date Cafe! They are celebrating their 3 year anniversary and a new look to their blog! So happy for Julie, the current DT and all of the alumni DT who have shared their creations with us over the past few days. I received my very first card recognition from the Play Date Cafe so they hold a very special place in my heart. I dedicate this card to them!

This is a small simple card 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" to be exact. I've used a small scrap of Lily Bee Design paper and punched along one side with my MS lattice border punch. A PTI fillable frames die cut is stamped with an accompanying sentiment from the set along with  pretty Autumn leaf from The Rubber Monger and a tiny flourish by Anna Griffin. A trio of Queen & Co. Goosebumps gems add just a touch of pizazz!

Thanks for taking a peek into my little corner of the blogging world today ~Lisa

PDCC #152

Hello I hope you're all enjoying a relaxing Sunday! Max and I have had a long walk, hubs is watching a movie and our son and daughter-in-law are coming for dinner this afternoon. They are more than coming to dinner...our son is going to cook for us! Whoo hoo ~ mom gets the day off! I did make a pumpkin pie for dessert last night, so I contributed a little. Now enough of my rambling you're here for a card right! This one is for the Play Date Cafe color splash challenge. A splash of plum to be exact.

This is a small card ~4 1/4" x 4 1/4"~ and went together in a snap. The cat and flourish stamps are both Inkadinkado stamped in Memories black ink. My pretty layered label is My Favorite Things: well worn greetings. A few stars and gems to add a touch of interest and I'm done!

 Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by ~Lisa

PDC # ~ Count Your Many Blessings!

We have a pretty blue sky and sunshine Monday! My hubby is back to work this week and I'm playing a bit of catch up with my household chores. I made a couple of cards over the weekend and I realized it had been way too long since I joined in the fun at the Play Date Cafe. Flamingo, Honey & Coffee sounded too good to pass up!

 

Their color story this week seemed perfect for a fall card. I paired this cute wheat stamp by Magenta with this bargain bin leaf stamp. I punched three strips of patterned paper with my Martha Stewart vintage doily punch and topped them off with some rustic cream button twine. My sentiment stamp is from Stampabilities. I decided to add some interest with this dotted circle from Hero Arts. I think it echos the punched borders and brought in a touch more of the brown. 

 Thanks for taking the time to visit my little corner of the world today! I hope you're enjoying pretty weather in your corner of the world! ~Lisa

PDCC #143 ~ All You Need is Love!

All you need is love ba ba da da da...all you need is love, love...love is all you need, love is all you need. Guess what you're going to be singing ~ teehee!! I picked up this fun sentiment stamp (Hampton Arts) on sale at JoAnns a couple of months ago and thought I would put it to good use for the Play Date Cafe challenge tonight. Look at all of those polka dots in the inspiration photo ~ LOVE!!! And fresh cherries ~ YUM!!!

I pulled a few other elements out of this photo too. The stars and cherries spoke summer to me along with the circular fan blades. When our son was in junior high we bought him his own oscillating fan for his bedroom to help with the stuffy summer nights. He thought that was the neatest thing and it was his! I used PTI mat stack 5, tiny tags and limitless layers dies. The mint paper is by Echo Park, polka dot paper is Lily Bee Design and the pretty green circle patterned paper is by Crate Paper. The tiny cherry stamp is from Stamps by Judith and the cherry stickers and star brad are from my stash.

Have a blessed week friends ~Lisa

PDCC #142 ~ Bloom Where You're Planted!

Good Monday morning to ya! How about a little something I put together for the Play Date Cafe over the weekend. They've given us three fun colors ~ Cobalt, Goldenrod and Peony. The cobalt threw me a little on this one when trying to work it in. Then I spotted this pretty blue button hanging around in my stash and it helped to point me in the right direction! 

The focus for my card comes from the buttons in the inspiration photo. I chose my Lily Bee Design polka dot paper to mimic their golden color! I decided to go with just of sparkly sprinkling of the blue as an accent to the other two colors while looking at the shiny bracelets. I kept my design pretty simple by using a couple of tags from my stash, PTI: beautiful blooms die cuts & tag-its #3 stamps. The pink wreath represents the pink foliage near the gate. Can I tell you just how much I love Papertrey Ink grosgrain ribbon and felt. They really are fabulous products. The felt die cuts beautifully and the grosgrain ribbon holds it shape perfectly. The vintage cream is my favorite!

I hope your week is off to a great start! ~Lisa

PDCC #141 ~ Home Sweet Home!

Hi there! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Sunday was another scorcher so after an early walk with Max we had some down time inside. I love being together in our little Home Sweet Home! Sure hate spending so many summer days indoors, but boy oh boy you just about melt if you're outside for very long! While my hubs worked on his photos I got in some card making. Here's one for the Play Date Cafe challenge ~  mint, soft yellow, coral and tulip...dreamy huh!

I decided to focus on the little floral pattern and the hominess of snuggling in to read a good book. Isn't this paper by Dear Lizzy just the sweetest! I fussy cut one of the little jars and added my Stamps by Judith cherries to it. They're glazed and the jar has a touch of glitter. My PTI: Love Lives Here house has glittery heart center as well. The blooms (Webster's Pages paper) die cuts are PTI as is the tiny tag. I used a MS border punch on the floral paper and added a strip of mint ribbon from the Dear Lizzy ribbon pack that coordinates with the paper collection. I picked up these pretty little yellow buttons while on a shopping trip with my mom. No sentiment on this one, I think it would work for a variety of occasions.

Blessings on your day friends ~Lisa

PDCC #139 & FMS #42 ~ Jeepers it's HOT!

Hi there ~ I hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July holiday! Ours was very low key with the heat at 100...ughhhh. When it's that hot there is just no ambition to do much of anything.  My guys all went on a charter boat fishing trip yesterday and my hubs is one worn out fella who is currently catching some zzzz's!!! Air conditioning and card making for me work out pretty well though!

This week at the Play Date Cafe they have what I consider to be an elegant color pallet ~ gold, nude and silver. I usually don't go for metallics but I thought this would make a great wedding card. And it's always a good idea to step away from your comfort zone now and again! To take a bit of that pressure off I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches.

I layered a vellum panel with silver scrolls on it over a flesh colored cardstock. Next came the metal corner pieces and then a flesh panel with two silver embossed strips of vines by Impression Obsession. I tied some old gold tulle around the card then popped my final panel up with foam tape. This one is stamped with the sentiment from Stampabilities and layered with PTI filigree borders and a trio of gold gems. My tulle bow looked lonely so I glammed it up with and old gold silk flower, cut glass glittered key, silver twine and a MFT mini rolled rose. I'm happy with the elegant look this has and that it's not too fussy!

 

Thanks for visiting today, I hope you'll stop by tomorrow for a new colour combo from Dynamic Duos! ~Lisa

RS# 16 & PDCC#136 ~ It's the Little Things!

When I saw the Retro Sketches challenge I knew I had to play along. You see I am a lover of all things small when it comes to stamping. Small stamps, small do dads and what nots, my small art studio. This sketch lends itself perfectly to those such things! Then of course there was the chance to use up a few scraps so I reached for my BasicGrey: wisteria paper to join in the fun over at the Play Date Cafe. Berrylishious purples and dreamy blue are their colors of choice this week.

Here's my all things small creation. Check out my sentiment by A Muse...even it's teeny weeny! The yummy raspberry stamp is from PSX and all of my little elements are things I've gathered here and there.

I had fun with this little scrappling...hope you enjoy it! ~Lisa

  

PDCC #134 & PP #98 ~ Gone Fishing!

What a gloomy day we've had, cloudy and on the chilly side. A good day to make a card or two. I'm getting one in just under the wire for the Play Date Cafe...pretty colors that I wanted to give a try. And The Paper Players has a summer theme going on, so this was a perfect match to get a two for one in today!

Summer fun for my men (hubby, son ~ most especially! and dad) is fishing, fishing and more fishing *wink*! I started with some sweet summer papers from Dear Lizzy and BasicGrey. I paired them up with my cute little fishing fella by Prima. I do think they had my son in mind when they designed this little guy! He sits atop two MFT die cuts. I paper pieced his sleeping bag. Now who wouldn't love a polka dot sleeping bag! Well...maybe the men. I threw in some twine, buttons and real fishing line for fun. And I fussy cut a few fishes (Stamps by Judith) to show this little guy had a good catch.

Thanks for visiting ~Lisa

FMS #36 & PDCC #133 ~ Thank You!

In honor of our Memorial Day holiday weekend I have a fun little red, white and blue number to share with you! I put this card together using the design from Freshly Made Sketches and the delightful colors from the Play Date Cafe ~ baby blue, denim and cherry. I was inspired by the country farm feeling in a couple of the inspiration pics and of course the sweet polka dot shirt in the top right corner!

I went straight to my paper pack from Lily Bee Designs: Double Dutch containing the sweetest assortment of ginghams, polka dots and florals. This paper collection just screams summer! Using my PTI Take 3 die I cut three floral squares and also cut the denim gingham with the same die. I'll use those squares for another project. I mounted this to a white panel and then my cherry red card base. I just love this little mason jar of wild flowers by Endless Creations ~ country charm at it's best! And then of course there are my favorite sweet fluttery polka dot butterflies from a BasicGrey set. I swoon every time I ink them up ~LOL!!! The arched thank you sentiment is by Savvy Stamps. I wrapped some twine complete with a PTI tiny tag around the stamped panel then added it to my card with foam tape. A pretty simple card that just says HAPPY to me!

Guess what!!??!!.....You've just read my 200th post! Eeeek ~ I can't believe I've had that much to say and made SO many cards. Hey what can I say...I'm having fun! I also have some new followers and I want to welcome you and thank you for joining me! Blessings ~Lisa

RS #11 &PDCC #131 ~ Happy Summer!

Welcome! We've had a busy few days and more to come! My hubs is on vacation...YAY! Mother's Day was filled with visits to the moms, dinner out, having my handsome son by my side for Mother's Day Mass and the prettiest flowering plant for our patio from my sweetest of sweets daughter-in-law! Then there was yard work and some landscaping to be done (more of that is in order over the next few days!). So my sweet friends I will try to pop in as I can. We have no definite plans, just taking it day at a time!!

Now down to my card for today. I've put this one together with the latest Retro Sketches design by Tracy and the new Play Date Cafe colors. It's pretty simple and these little fishes are too much fun! They're BasicGrey clear stamps that I picked up at Archivers for $1.99....score! My sentiment is from Savvy Stamps.

Thanks for stopping by to visit ~Lisa

PDCC #129 & CFC #50 ~ You Make Me Smile!

Hi friends, I'm back tonight with my second post for the day. If you're looking for the Polka Dot Door blog hop; please scroll down or click here! You know...I think this is the first time I've posted two projects in a day! And I'm getting this one in at the Play Date Cafe just under the wire. It also fits the bill for the theme of "April showers bring May flowers" at CAS-ual Fridays. I type this as distant rumbles of thunder echo and light rain drops begin!

I started this card by die cutting a circle then masking off the inner and outer portions to add the navy chalk. Again I masked to add the soft green to the inside of the card. I punched smaller circles in scrap paper to create the other scattered circles using chalk here as well. The smallest navy circles were created with Hero Arts stamp and navy chalk ink. The wispy flower is by Hero Arts and my sentiment is Inkadinkado. My purple butterflies were made with a Martha Stewart punch.

I want to extend a big warm welcome to my newest followers. And as always let all of my followers and visitors know how much I appreciate you. You, my dear friends,  certainly make me smile! ~ Lisa

PDCC #128 & CFC#49 ~ Always on My Mind!

Taaa-daaa!!! Well...what do you think of my blog make-over? I'm debuting it as I'm pairing up two fun challenges tonight with a happy little card I put together this past weekend. First up is the Play Date Cafe where they've given us the vibrant colors of Flamingo Pink & Bright Orange! Then there is a clean and simple sketch from CAS-ual Fridays. 

I was inspired by the polka dots (go figure huh!!!) and the frilly blooms in the bottom left of the inspiration photo. I cut a strip of  a fun bright orange fabric that is scattered with bright pink polka dots ~ how perfect! Next I hand stitched it and pulled it together to make my shabby bloom. This lovely butterfly is from the PTI: Pretty Peonies set (thanks Ally!) and is stamped in Memento: Rose Bud ink as is my sentiment from Stampin' Up. A few gems and a sparkly button complete the card.

Thanks for stopping by today ~Lisa

RS #4 & PDC #125 ~ Color Splash!

Hello! Where has this week gone? Seems to have flown by, but that's ok the weekend is almost here! Today's card is for two challenges. The latest Retro Sketches and The Play Date Cafe. I truly love this Retro sketch and will use it again for sure. This week at the Cafe we are to use black, white and a splash of brown. And check out their inspiration photo...fabulous!!!

  

I think this one is pretty self explanatory since I used the sketch. My DPs are from MME ~ Lost and Found: blush with the exception of the white label die cut (MFT: well worn greetings). It's a scrap of paper I purchased at Joann Etc. I inked up my PSX baby bunny again. Perhaps the gentleman rabbit in the inspiration photo is his papa!! A sprinkling of chipboard buttons, a milk chocolate button and a couple of pretty sheer coffee ribbon flowers nestled this wee fur baby in quite nicely! I am so happy with this card! You'll notice I didn't add a sentiment. If I don't need this one for an Easter card I can use it for a baby card. So I'll add something when necessary!

Thanks for stopping by today! Blessings ~Lisa