TGIF468 Thank You Kittens

Happy Saturday, everyone!  I am popping in today with a real quick card using a stamp set available through the Online Exclusives called Pets & More! It's a fun little two-step stamp, and I am using the sketch from TGIF for my card:

This sketch is a bit of a riff on my favorite sketch; the proportions are a bit different, but I still love it! Here we go:

I just happened to have this Inked Botanicals DSP on my desk, so I just went with that, stamping the outline image of kittens first in Calypso Coral ink on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, then flipped the stamp itself over and stamped the "filler" part in the same ink, only stamping it first on a piece of scrap paper so I got a lighter image.  I could have used my stamp positioner to get them a little straighter, but I was going for quick!!!

My sentiment is from Circle Sayings and I stamped the wee little fishies the same way, adding some retired enamel dots for a simple embellishment!

There are other animals in this set and I can't wait to play with them as well!  

Is anyone watching the PBS show called Mr Bates Vs The Post Office?  It's a fascinating, although very disturbing, series about how the British Post Office basically ruined many people's lives by refusing to admit that their new computer system was faulty.  The series is new, but it's based on a true story that has been playing out over about the last twenty years.  I have only seen one episode, but I recommend it! And the real-life final outcomes are still happening!

Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Pets & More, Circle Sayings
Card stock & Papers	Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Inked Botanicals DSP
Ink	Calypso Coral
Accessories	Dimensionals, Enamel Dots (ret)
Tools

FMS624 Smile

Happy Friday, everyone! I just love the FMS sketch this week...SO many possibilities! 

I am still playing with the SAB Sunny Day DSP, so I cut some coordinating 1" strips and came up with this:

I used the big floral from Hooray for Surprises, along with the matching dies, to make some big bold flowers.  Wasn't quite the look I was going for, but it has a fun contemporary feel with the black leaves, so I just kept going with it.  I did add a couple of enamel dots to jazz it up a bit:

And the "smile" from Circle Sayings, stamped directly on the DSP, made ME smile:

And since I still had leftover strips, I made another card; I love things in threes, so this made me smile too:

I used the largest Perennial Postage die to cut a mat from Basic White, then cut and layered the strips to fit; I used the opposite side of the Petal Pink paper because I had cut it in the wrong orientation the first time...ooops!  These are colors I would not normally put together, but they do look nice here.  I added a Zany Zoo sentiment and a Petal Pink diecut flower, then mounted it all on a Pool Party card.  Another birthday card to add to my stash! 

Thanks for popping in today!

Dana & Wayne enrolled Cassidy in a basketball skills camp; it happens to be run by someone that Dana went to school with:

She had fun and hopefully will hone her skills!  Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Hooray for Surprises, Circle Sayings, Zany Zoo
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Pool Party, Petal Pink, Basic Black, Sunny Days DSP
Ink	Versafine Black
Accessories	Dimensionals, Enamel Dots (Pretty Pink Posh)
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Hooray for Surprises Dies, Everyday Details Dies, Perennial Postage Dies

PP672 Black, White & Bright

Happy Sunday, peeps!  Today is my Hostess Appreciation party, so this will be quick!  Anne Marie is our Paper Players hostess and she has a fun color challenge for us!  Black, white and a pop of color is always fun:

I had a little turtle diecut from Zany Zoo floating around on my desk, cut but unused from a couple weeks ago, and I thought to myself, why not color him in a bold, bright green and use him for my card (and get another piece of paper off my desk, LOL!)?  So that's what I did!  Here we go:

I used the Atlantic Hearts Sketch for my layout:

and I used three patterns of Parakeet Party for my horizontal panels.  They all went on a Parakeet Party mat that was embossed with the retired Dotty Hearts embossing folder.  I colored my little turtle with some Blends, combined a couple of sentiments on a Stitched So Sweetly panel then stamped some music notes and added some sequins to finalize my card:

A sentiment from Zany Zoo also went on the inside:

I think someone will enjoy this little crooning turtle for their special day!  Now, how will you use black, white and a bold color?  Please hop over to the Paper Players blog to see ALL the creations from the design team! I am sure you'll enjoy them and may get some inspiration from them as well!  Thanks for visiting today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Zany Zoo, Circle Sayings, Endless Birthday Wishes (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Basic Black, Parakeet Party, Parakeet Party DSP
Ink	Memento Black, Parakeet Party
Accessories	Lemon Lime Twist Sequins (ret), Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Zany Zoo Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies (ret), Dotty Hearts Embossing Folder (ret), Blends

SSC326 Warm Hello

 Happy Thursday, everyone!  Another fairly simple card for you today!  I wanted a generic "hello" card for a new couple at church so I put to use the sketch at Sunday Stamps:

I pulled out some pretty Countryside Inn DSP and let the papers do all the work:

I made sure the design on my paper was centered so it was pleasing to the eye.  My sentiment is from Circle Sayings, as it was still out on my desk, and I stamped it in Night of Navy ink and added a Boho Blue ribbon and mat:

These papers in their blue hues are some of my favorites from this year!  So I am entering it at the Color Hues challenge as well:  light blue & navy!

Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Boho Blue, Countryside Inn DSP
Ink	Night of Navy
Accessories	Boho Blue Ribbon, Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stylish Shapes Dies, Layering Squares Dies (ret)

CAS On Sunday Just For You

Happy Tuesday, peeps! My card today is for CAS On Sunday's Just for You challenge! I needed a simple birthday card for an elderly lady in our church, so this fit the bill!  Not sure if this is CAS enough for this challenge...it does have several layers, so it may not qualify!  But here we go::

A while back, I stamped and colored several of these cupcakes from Circle Saying, and as I needed a birthday card, I just fussy-cut one out and plopped it on a card! This is my last one; I put it on a Bubble Bath polka-dotted DSP, added a little pink gem and put it on a panel that was embossed with the Stitched With Whimsy die.  The sentiment is from an old Verve set.

A birthday sentiment from Throughout The Year went on the inside of the Bubble Bath card:

I also added some Wink of Stella...I wish it would show up in photos...such a pretty layer of shine!  Thanks for popping in today---enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Throughout the Year, Circle Sayings, Cup of Tea (Verve)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Bubble Bath, Bubble Bath DSP
Ink	Memento Black
Accessories	Gem, Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stitched With Whimsy Dies, Stylish Shapes Dies, Blends, Wink of Stella

FMS602 Cupcake Birthday

Happy Friday, peeps! I have a quick, easy card today using Kim's fun sketch at Freshly Made Sketches:

Such a fun sketch wtih so many possibilities!  I had a scrap of Lost Lagoon cardstock on my desk so I decided to work with that:

I cut a snippet of Lost Lagoon DSP to coordinate with my cardstock and decided to use some Versamark ink to stamp some diagonal rows of "happy birthday" from Best Family Ever to create my own patterned paper!  I added a cupcake from Circle Sayings, using the opposite side of the DSP to create the cupcake paper.  A little fussy-cutting and some embossing of the same sentiment on a piece of Basic Black finished it off:

I confess I couldn't wait to use some new embellishments...I used both a Glitter Sequin and a Faceted Gem from the new mini catalog to sparkle it up a bit!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings, Best Family Ever
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Lost Lagoon, Basic Black, Lost Lagoon DSP
Ink	Versamark
Accessories	Glitter Sequins, Faceted Gems, Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder
Tools	Heat Tool

HSS421 Warm Hello

Happy Thursday, peeps! I am gently steering towards fall stamping...the colors and hues of the new colors as well goodies in the mini catalog are calling my name, LOL!  The Hand Stamped Sentiments color challenge this week was a good one to get me started:

I pulled out the new set Fruitful Blessings, some watercolor paper and went to work:

I stamped the pears in Stazon Black and watercolored them with Pecan Pie and Copper Clay inks, then diecut them out with the matching dies.  I mounted them on a Copper Clay banner that was embossed with the Twisted Rope embossing folder. The Misty Moonlight panel was stamped with a foliage image from the set, and the Pecan Pie card was stamped with some foliage from the Inked & Tiled set.  I think the images complement each other nicely!

I added some Rustic Twine and Textured Ribbon as an embellishment, and added a sentiment from Circle Sayings to finish the front. On the inside, I added a couple more layers and another foliage image from Inked & Tiled:

Thanks so much for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Inked & Tiled, Circle Sayings, Fruitful Blessings
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Watercolor, Misty Moonlight, Pecan Pie, Copper Clay
Ink	Boho Blue, Pecan Pie, Copper Clay, Stazon Black, Versamark
Accessories	Copper Clay Rustic Twine, Copper Clay Textured Ribbon
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Twisted Rope Embossing Folder, Stylish Shapes Dies, Fruitful Blessings Dies, Deckle Edge Rectangle Dies, Nested Essential Dies, Sponge Dauber, Aquapainter

FMS593 Fun Folds

Happy Thursday, everyone!  The FMS sketch this week is a fun one, especially since Karren has challenged us to make a "bridge" card....a type of fun fold.  She gives a link to some directions in her post, but I challenged myself to wing it!  So here's the sketch:

And here's my card, using the Queen Bee and Lasting Joy stamp sets:

I stamped the bee with Stazon ink on vellum, then colored the back side with a Crushed Curry marker:

I used a Crushed Curry card base with Inked Botanicals  DSP for my accent layers.  The sentiment on the inside panel is from Lasting Joy, stamped in Memento Black.

The measurements for my card are very simple!  I took a piece of cardstock 5 1/2" x 7"', and on the 7"side, from each end, score at 1"and 1 3/4".  Fold in the two sides so that it forms a sort of box shape, and that's it!  Here's a side view:

The horizontal piece I used is 3 1/2" across; you can make it as high as you like, and you can decorate it in whatever way you like!  When you fold this flat, it will still fit into a standard-sized envelope.  And the signature can be written on the back side!  

And I had so much fun making the bee one, I made another:

This one uses Flirty Flamingo cardstock and I realized I used Calypso Coral DSP....dang, I always get those two colors mixed up, LOL!  Circle Sayings provided all the images and sentiment!  I colored the cupcake with Blends, and added some Wink of Stella and a rhinestone "cherry"!  

I am also going to pop one of these in over at Krafty Chicks, where their theme this week is "Stamp Act"---stamp something!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

First Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Queen Bee, Lasting Joy
Card stock & Papers	Crushed Curry, Basic White, Vellum, Inked Botanicals
Ink	Crushed Curry, Memento Black, Stazon Black
Accessories
Tools	Crushed Curry Marker

Second Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Flirty Flamingo, Calypso Coral DSP
Ink	Memento Black, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories	Iridescent Gem (ret), Dimensionals
Tools	2 3/8" Circle Punch, Blends, Wink of Stella

CASC&S514 Nacho Average Friend

Happy Wednesday, peeps!  I have a fun little card today using the CAS Colours & Sketches sketch:

I haven't played with Taco Fiesta lately, so I stamped, colored and fussy-cut some images, and came up with this:

I began with a Crumb Cake card on which I added a Cane-embossed layer.  I diecut a piece of Basic White with one of the rounded-edge dies from Nested Essentials on which I stamped various colors of confetti, then added my figures and sentiment:

I also diecut a zigzag piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock to add some interest to the sides as well as the inside:

Finally, my sentiment from Circle Sayings went on the inside as well!  Thanks for visiting today--enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings, Taco Fiesta
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Crumb Cake, Coastal Cabana
Ink	Memnto Black, Coastal Cabana, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green, Crushed Curry
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Basic Borders Dies, Nested Essential Dies, Cane Embossing Folder, Blends

PP644 Color Challenge and a Faux Pas

Happy Sunday, peeps! It's picnic time today at church, looking forward to spending time with my church family on this gorgeous Sunday!  It's time for another Paper Players challenge too, with Anne Marie as our hostess.  She has a wonderful color palette for us today, and I am loving it!  Here we go:

I was so excited to make my card...I actually made it a couple of days ago and I used Circle Sayings and a sentiment from Nature's Prints:

Probably at first glance, the card seems fine---heat-embossed design, watercolored with inks and an aquapainter, a fun sketch and lots of texture!  However, check out the sentiments:

"Sending you a a heartfelt thank you".....duh, I have two "a's" in the sentiment.  On yesterday's card, I remembered to trim off one of the "a's" but on this one, I forgot!  I went to retrieve the card to repair it and realized it had already gone out in the mail to one of my customers!  Gee whizzies!  What a goofball!  Hopefully she'll get a giggle out of it or maybe she won't notice!  Anyway, I used the sketch from Try Stamping on Tuesday:

along with some Lost Lagoon DSP and a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock embossed with the Cane Weave EF.  I added a little bit of Lemon Lolly zigzag cardstock for the horizontal piece, topped with a wee little Basic White sliver, diecut with the Nested Essentials dies!

I hope you'll play along with our pretty color combo this week....be sure to zoom over to the Paper Players to see what amazing creations our design team came up with too!  Then share yours with us as well!  

I had a little visitor on my hummingbird feeder yesterday:

In all my years of birding, I don't think I've ever seen a swallowtail on my feeder!  So cool!  Thanks for popping in today--enjoy it and be blessed!

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God.  God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.  Ecclesiastes 5:2

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings, Nature's Prints
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Lemon Lolly, Lost Lagoon
Ink	Craft White, Lemon Lolly, Lost Lagoon
Accessories	Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Basic Borders Dies, Nested Essentials Dies, Cane Weave Embossing Folder, Heat Tool, Aquapainter, 2 3/8" Circle Punch, Radiating Stitches Dies

A Christmas Cup of Cheer

Happy Saturday, peeps! I have had a busy couple of days with Cassidy; Thursday we went to see the new Spiderman movie---let me say, it is not for the faint of heart!  But she loved it, and that's all that matters! I did have a few moments yesterday to make a card; the FMS sketch was quite challenging (thanks, Linda!) but I really wanted to have a go at it, and I paired it with the Jingle Belles challenge of a Caffeinated Christmas!  You could add the option of making it a masculine Christmas card....but I think I'll just say this for anyone who might like a cup of cheer!  So here's the sketch:

And here we go:

I used the retired sets called Merry Cafe and Coffee Cafe, stamping my images on some designer paper and fussy-cutting them out.  I added holly from the Quilt Builder dies, and the diecut sentiment is from Concord & 9th.  The circle in the background was sponged with Pecan Pie ink using a circle stencil. Finally, I added  a partial sentiment from Circle Sayings to finish off the little sentiment "thought".  I had to cut off the "a" because I already had an "a" on sentiment banner! (More about that on tomorrow's blog post too!)  I admit that I wasn't quite sure how this card was going to turn out....you know when you have an idea in your head, but it doesn't quite translate to cardstock?  Anyway, I persevered and in the end, it wasn't too bad.  I wish my snowflakes were a little whiter.

Anyway, there it is...another addition to my Christmas card stash!  Be sure to come back tomorrow for a new Paper Players challenge too!  Thanks for visiting today!

Grampy told Cassidy he needed some cake, so she went online and found a recipe to make! (You can see it here. I would have just gotten a box mix, LOL!)  But she wanted to do it, so we got started.  She was a little confused about how much butter was 2/3 of a cup, as the measurements on the butter paper weren't clear to her.  So we got that figured out.  Then she needed SIX egg whites....it was not an angel food cake but just a white cake so at least we didn't have to beat the whites.  She got quite adept at separating the yolks from the whites!

After some help from Grammy, we finally got everything in the oven; lately I have been baking smaller cakes,  and using the extra batter for cupcakes.  John takes the cupcakes to his friends at the nursing home he visits and the smaller cake is better for just the two of us!  The cake turned out great but Cassidy asked Grampy if she could dye the icing blue....at least it's light blue! I don't eat "blue"!

She is getting better using the offset spatula....practice makes perfect!

Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Circle Sayings, Coffee Cafe (ret), Merry Cafe (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Call Me Clover, Lights Aglow DSP (ret), All is Bright DSP (My Mind's Eye)
Ink	Versafine Black, Craft White, Cherry Cobbler, Pecan Pie
Accessories	Enamel Dots (unknown), Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Mchine, Quilt Builder Dies (ret), Stylish Shapes Dies, Season of Cheer Dies (Concord & 9th)