CAS(E) this Sketch #93

Now that it is officially Fall, I was in the mood to pull out my Sweet Stamp Shop Foxy set and make a cute card with it. I used this week's CAS(E) this Sketch to guide me along.

Here is the sketch:

And here is the card I made:

I used the washi tape from My Mind's Eye's Cut and Paste Charm collection for this card.  I lined a bunch up on a piece of scrap cardstock, then cut out the outside frame with a die.  Then I cut a similar-sized square in the front of the card.  Before I adhered the frame, I put the washi tape border on and the washi pennant on the side (which was backed on cardstock to make it more sturdy).  I then marked on the inside where the open area would be on the card, and got stamping!

I colored the fox using my water pen and the same ink color that I stamped it in.  I masked off the fox and then stamped the grass in two contrasting greens.  I think he turned out so cute!

I put the sentiment in the speech bubble using complementing ink colors, then cut it out and adhered it to the frame.  Then I used some Charm enamel dots to finish everything off.  Don't you just love when something looks exactly like you pictured it in your head?

That is all I have for today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

A Card For All Challenges

Good Evening!  I am not usually one of those people who can find a million challenges to squeeze one card into, but I am going to have to make an exception for this card.  First, let me show you the card I made:

 
I made the mask/stencil using my Silhouette.  I found the triangle pattern and then removed some of the triangles to come up with this unique pattern.  The card turned out pretty simple, but I didn't want to take away from the background by adding a bunch of stuff.

Now here are the challenges I will be submitting the card to, and why:

 I pulled the colors from these two challenges.

 I pulled the clean and simple design, plus the black accents from this challenge.

And I used the die cut feathers for this challenge.

Like I said, I don't normally do this, so forgive me if this has gone a bit far.  I'm normally a 1-2 challenge per card kind of gal.  :)  

That's it for tonight!  I'm off to watch the weather as a wicked storm just started up!  

Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #90

I hope you all have started playing along with this month's Ribbon Carousel Challenge.  If not, there's still plenty of time to join in.  Be sure to link up your project to be in the running for a set of wooden spools filled to the brim with some amazing seam binding, baker's twine and May Art's ribbon!

With this month's challenge being to use washi tape, I wanted to use it in a way that was new to myself.  I mean, this blog does have "novice" in the title...even if some of you have been kind enough to tell me I don't belong in that category anymore.  :)  I consider myself a novice because I'm always learning, always trying new things.  And that is certainly the case for this challenge.

Here is my card:

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the feather shapes. First,I measured out the area that was going to contain the feathers (because I'm a planner like that), then covered the area with washi tape.  I put the paper on my cutting mat and let the Cameo do it's thing. 

I used some charcoal chalk ink to ink the edges of the feathers to make them more defined, then I tied them with baker's twine and put them on my card.  I added the sentiment and some enamel dots to finish it off and am really happy with the finished card.  It turned out the way I saw it in my head...I like it when that happens.  :)

That's it from me today!  I can't wait to see what you create!  Until next time...

Still feeling challenged...

But in a GOOD way!  I have to say, after only doing a layout or two in the past six months, the fact that I've done three in the past month is HUGE!  Over at Mojo Mama's Creative Corner ("Mojo Mama" being the fabulous Kristy Lee), a new weekly challenge was issued by Erin Colby.  Her stuff blows me away, so to even consider doing something that she issued was kind of intimidating.  :)  Her challenge was to do a take on the "Something old, something new..." phrase.

This is what I came up with:

Something old:  The blue acrylic paint I used was so old that it had globs in it.  Grody.  Something new:  I have never scrapped an Instagram picture before, so that was new to me.  This was also the first time I had cut my title into my background paper.  Something borrowed:  I used a sharp knife from the kitchen to distress the papers.  Something blue:  I used various inks, papers and embellishments with my favorite hue.  :)  

It is so fun to be scrapping again and in a way that I am not used to.  I'm branching out more into the trendy stuff and I'm loving how it's turning out! 

That's all for now!  Until next time...

I've been Challenged...

If one thing is for sure, it's that there are MANY amazingly talented paper crafters in this world.  Luckily for me, I get to call many of them my friend.  The one and only Kristy Lee (formerly of Scrapbook Steals mojo-creating fame) was feeling creative enough to dish out challenges to some scrappy friends.  I decided I needed to be challenged, especially since I hadn't made a layout in what seems like forever.

This was the challenge Kristy gave me: 

• 1 page, three pictures (filmstrip style),
• manufacturer starting with "c" because your name does,
• misting
• chevrons

Well that was just the kick I needed to get scrapping again.  This is what I came up with:

I am in love with this layout.  I used Echo Park's Everyday Ecclectic collection, some MME washi and enamel dots, Mister Huey's mist and, most importantly, Bazzil cardstock with a core that was a bit lighter than the outside.  I used a doily mask below the paper, pressed hard on the paper, then sanded the impression it left.  I love that it turned out more subtle than using a white doily would.

Another friend, Venetia Holbrook, issued her own challenge.  This one was for anyone who wanted to do it.  I jumped on this one.

Here was her challenge:

This girl is on FIRE... 
This one's all about you. We all avoid it. Find that fabulous picture of you, not from 5 years ago, but of you now.  You are outstanding and unapologetic. You are awesome, you know it. You're living your best life. Now scrap that picture and celebrate you!
Journaling- must celebrate you as an individual.
Color- include your favorite color.
Embellishments- include one embellishment that represents something you love.

Scrapping about yourself is hard for some reason.  Raise your hand if I'm not alone.  :)  I had intended to scrap totally and completely about myself, but when I went to pick up the pictures I had printed for these layouts, the one I wanted wasn't there.  So, I chose another picture that depicts me as a mother.  This is what I came up with:

I hid my journaling because I really wanted the picture and the title to tell the bulk of the story. But if you pull out the tag, it talks about how I am human and I make mistakes.  I might bark at my girls too much or feel way too overwhelmed I get at times.  But what it really boils down to is that I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up other than knowing I wanted to be a mother.  I'm not perfect, but I'm trying the best I can.  And hopefully I'm not screwing up two gorgeous girls along the way.  :)

As for the rest of the challenge requirements, I dyed the seam binding my favorite color (any flavor of aqua, turqoise, etc.).  And for the embellishment, I chose some of my favorites:  flowers, flair buttons and enamel dots.  Oh, and the MME Collections paper is a fave, too.

If you are in a creative rut, ask a scrappy friend to challenge you.  You just might pop out of your creative coma to create something you're really proud of, like I did.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Until next time...

Occasions...

Happy Friday!  I've been promising new stuff for a while now so I figured it was high time I got my rear in gear and show off some of what I have been working on lately.  It seems like I have had to make a lot of occasion cards lately, for specific birthdays, weddings, etc.

This first card was made for a friend of mine who just celebrated the big 4-0.  She looks amazing and not a day over 30, so I wanted her to know that she makes 40 look amazing.  Here's what I came up with:

    
I thought the card turned out fun and sassy, just like my friend.  I printed the sentiment on a piece of kraft paper, then used my Silhouette to cut out the 40.  Added some washi tape and it was done!  Super fun and easy!

The next card I made is for a wedding that we are going to later this month.  My husband's cousin is getting married and I've been around long enough to remember when she was in her teens.  To be a bit floored that she is now old enough to get married (I'm not old, right?!?), is an understatement.  Here is what I made for her:

 
I decided to go simple with this card.  I used the potty people stamp from Amy Tangerine's Hey There set and then punched a red heart to put over the heart image.  Then I used Lawn Fawn's Sally's ABC's to write the sentiment.  I added red burlap twine and a red button and that's it!  Another fast and easy card.

I made this last card for my Dad, who recently celebrated turning 67 years young.  My Dad is the greatest, and I don't just say that because I'm his daughter.  :)  Here is the card I made for him:

Excuse the crappy picture.  It was snowing (?!?) the day I took it.

I used some My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose papers and some My Thoughts Exactly stamps.  It's been a while since I expressed my love for Pinterest, so I thought I would show you the inspiration for this card:

Sometimes I am lost without inspiration, so Pinterest definitely pulls me out of my creative rut when all I'm seeing is an empty thought bubble above my head.  Especially on days like May 3rd...when it was SNOWING for Pete's sake!  I still can't get over that one.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed taking a look at my cards today!  I'll be back with more soon!

Until next time...

More News!

I am excited to announce that I will be guest designing for Sweet Stamp Shop this month!

They are releasing some CUTE sets this month, so make sure you check them out today to see two of the newest sets:  Kiss Me and Chalkboard Sign. 

Here is a card I created with the Kiss Me set:

I love how versatile this set is.  It can be used to create backgrounds and all kinds of cute lovey dovey cards.  :)  I might even be tempted to use it on a layout sometime in the near future...we shall see!

For this card, I used Echo Park's Everyday Eclectic paper, My Mind's Eye washi tape and Basic Grey alphas.  Oh, and I dusted off the old sewing machine to stitch the border.  I love how it turned out.

I will be sharing everything I created for this release later this month, so stay tuned!

Until then...

Feeling Funky...

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I used Pinterest frequently to find inspiration when I am making a layout of creating a card.  I thought I'd show you all a layout I created recently using a pretty funky sketch I pinned. (And I use the term "funky" loosely - it's funky to me because this novice brain wouldn't ever think to use a sketch like this.)

Here is the sketch, which comes from colorconspiracy.typepad.com:

And here is the layout I created:

I absolutely LOVE how this layout turned out.  It's so fun and different and yet still kinda me.  :)  I used Echo Park's Everyday Eclectic collection with a mix of various embelishments that I had lying around.

If you look in my stash, these are the colors that I have the most of.  :)  The pink flower was originally white, but I sprayed it with a couple different colors of Glimmer Mist to match my color scheme.  My newest obsession favorite embellishments are flair buttons.  So fun!

I love this cute little pennant.  :)  The canvass flag is from Maya Road, but I switched out the grommets to match my color scheme.  The stamp I used is from Studio Calico's exclusive Lawn Fawn set that was in their debut Card Kit.

Thank you for stopping by again today!  I hope this sketch/layout inspires you to venture outside of your comfortable scrappy zone.  Good stuff can happen if you do.  :)

Until next time...

Feeling Challenged...

Hello, all!  I know my posts are few and far between lately, but I usually show up with good stuff, so hopefully you don't mind.  :)  Today I am back with something I created for this weeks Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge.  This week's theme is

When I saw that the challenge was typography or subway art, I immediately knew I wanted to try and create a layout using Paper Smooches stamps.  Their sentiment stamps are PERFECT for this!

Here is the layout I created:

Here is a close-up of the burlap flower I made.  The pink flower was white until I sprayed it with some Mr. Huey's in Pretty Pink.  

I came to the realization recently that I have a "style" when I create cards and/or layouts of late.  For the most part, my style is shabby chic.  I think this layout does a good job of showcasing that.  I used MME's Nostalgia collection and created the burlap flower to go with it.  The muted colors go well with the colors in the picture.

I hope you enjoyed my latest creation!  Until next time...

Showing some Paper Smooches love...

I recently stated that Paper Smooches stamps were solely responsible for reigniting my love of card creating.  I reach for their sentiment stamps for almost every card I make lately.  The Paper Smooches SPARKS Challenge Blog is looking for new design team members, so I thought I would throw my hat in the ring.

I created this first card on Tuesday for my daughter's birthday using the challenge from May 28th (and some Pinterest inspiration):



Here are some cards I've created from some past challenges:

 

Here are a few more cards that I recently created while attending the Scrapbook Steals retreat this past weekend:

And, because I am on a roll, how about a few more that I've created:

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I don't have much of a creative brain.  Heck, I don't have much of a brain left period after talking to short peeps all day for the last six years.  :)  I do much better when I have a sketch or some sort of inspiration to follow.  That is why the SPARKS Challenge Blog is right up my alley.

I hope you've enjoyed looking at my cards as much as I've enjoyed creating them!