Get Well Soon

Kim's Off the Wall Craftiness colors are fun, look Kim, I'm warming up to your pink world! My thought process was something along the lines of the pink high heel in the photo and the flowers... Sentimental Sundays is having a CAS week (plus a sentiment).

Materials: PTI Daily Designs Gumboot, PTI Mailbox Greetings sentiment, Stampin Up inks, Fiskars free hand cutter, Fiskars Circle punch, vellum, American Crafts ribbon

Let's Get Together Monkey card

Pam, at 365 Cards, has got an interesting challenge this week, " So today's challenge is called Digging Deep because it requires you to dig down in that stash to find the following things and include them on your card:

• An item (not paper) that is at least 6 months old
• 2 sheets of patterned paper that you've never used
• An embellishment that you've had for more than a year
• A stamp that you've never used but you've had for at least a year

So I went digging... The "advantage" to living in New Zealand and not having a craft store down the street from me is that a lot of my stuff is well over a year home (aka trips to visit California and stock up. Like the visit 2 years ago when I came back to New Zealand with 25 pounds worth of paper products, oops). I've got quite a few neglected clear stamps in my poorly organized bag and I ended up pulling out this Studio G sentiment. I also pulled out this fun prepacked set of card stock and paper from Paper Source, that I've had hiding away for more then a year. My ribbon is from who knows when. And my embellishment is the glitter glue that I put on the monkey's shirt. I bought that for the my children's art supplies and have been happy that it's been hiding away in the back of the closet since then since it's just a mess. Thanks Pam for helping me unearth long forgotten items.

Materials: Studio G clear sentiment, Paper Source patterned paper & card stock, Stampin Up circle punch, American Crafts ribbon, silver glitter glue, Stampin Up black ink,

Thanks Nichole

I love that Freshly Brewed Designs is having a thank someone who doesn't get thanked enough challenge this month, so this post is a thank you to Nichole Heady for all the fun PTI goodies she's a part of creating and sharing with us stamp addicts out there. If you want to see some of the other fun thank you Nichole cards, check out the blog hop on the PTI forum, click here.

Materials: PTI Daily Designs, PTI All Booked Up, PTI Daily Designs sentiments, Versacolor red ink, Stampin Up red card stock, Making Memories black eyelets, Stampin Up black ink, Fiskars circle punch

PDC blue/yellow/pink cards

This week's Play Date Cafe colors are navy blue/mustard yellow and hot pink. Not your normal color challenge, but I seem to have fun with all these off the wall color challenges. I made two cards. The butterflies are cut out, so here's another card for Simon Says Stamp challenge of paper piercing. The first one uses this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch.

I don't normally make black cards, so I'm not so sure what I think of this one. But I like the images, they're from a small NZ graphic design company that doesn't seem to exist anymore (anyone seen any new Greener Pasturer pieces? feel free to send me a new link), be proud ladies, I'm using up my stash. I think that coffee and cows will probably sum up my future road trip?

Materials: First Card: Gina K Designs label and sentiment (thanks Giesle!), Rosie's Studio butterflies, Versacolor blue & yellow ink, Versafine black ink, Giesle's die cut machine, pink twine, Stampin Up oval scallop punch

Second card: Greener Pastures patterned paper, black and yellow card stock, pink twine

birthday owls

I used this week's ColourQ colors, with the Taylored Expression sketch and a photo of three owls from this week's Etsy Inspired challenge. Do you think this would work for a kid's birthday card? I like the idea of balloons... so let's enter this in Party Time Tuesday, child's birthday card challenge. KAH-Wink-E-Dink challenge this week is birthdays, happy birthday guys! Wee Memories is doing "In the Forest" this week, so break out your squirrel, owl, frog stamps.

Materials: Studio G owl stamp, PTI birthday sentiment, card stock from my stash, Stampin Up black ink, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

3 pink butterflies

I was inspired by Karen and Maile's stunning cards for the current Glimmer Challenge. The theme is to use the above photo and one tool/supply that you have that you have not used before. I thought that worked well with the current Papertrey Paper Dolls Challenge, which is a stamp that's never been used and a product that is brand new. So I pulled out one of the PTI Daily Design circles that I haven't used (and punched out the center) and b/c the Glimmer Challenge prize is a $20 W Plus 9 gift certificate I pulled out my Woodgrain Silhouette set and used the sentiment, that I'd also never inked before. The green polka dot button is my embellishment that's new. Sentimental Sundays challenge this week is words to inspire and I think this sentiment really fits that theme. Simon Says Stamp Challenge is paper piercing and I love the way the butterflies look cut out and flying away.

Materials: PTI Daily Design circles, Stampin Up circle punch, W Plus 9 Woodgrain Silhouette butterfly and sentiment, pink twine, green polka dot button, Studio G pink ink, Stampin Up black ink

Butterfly card

I got a custom order for 6 butterfly cards and I've been slowly making them. I have sent them off today... I've used the Card Positioning Sketch. Simon Says Stamps is celebrating paper piercing and I've cut out the butterfly.

Materials: Hero Arts digital friendship background, Rosie's Studio butterfly, Gina K Design label, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Stampin Up watercolor pencil, black buttons, orange card stock, corner rounder

August PTI Blog Hop

I've taken a thin brown bag that I bought to sell cards at a craft market and dressed it up. I've used Karen's background challenge with a Daily Designs stamp. I just love that All Booked Up set and now I'm excited to see that a brown paper bag would be a great layering option when I'm running low on PTI kraft! Please visit Nicole's {capture the moment} blog to see all the other fabulous PTI August blog hop cards.

Materials: PTI Daily Designs stamp, PTI All Booked Up stamp and sentiment, Stamping Up black ink, Versacolor red/orange and yellow, Stampin Up red card stock, PTI kraft and a brown paper bag, Fiskars circle punch

Embellish Colors- take 3

I wanted to try to make a card for the latest Embellish challenge (see colors at the bottom of this post) and I have made a few different cards. I liked Kelly Marie's blog post yesterday where she said she just uses what's in front of her, so with that in mind here are my three cards, all attempting to find something fun and cute to go with the colors.

I wasn't going to do a card for this week's Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge b/c this sketch really needs a die cut machine, which I don't have. But then Claire decided to throw in a free set of stamps for a random participant, so I decided to motivate and think outside the box. I love all the amazing DT cards, and mine follows the sketch, sorta... I used some die cut flowers I won through Unscripted Sketches and then cut two them apart to make the scalloped border, working with what I've got ladies. It's hard to see in this photo the layer of vellum, but it's there.

This is me trying another take on the colors. I'm not sure I've ever made an Easter card before.

On this one I used the 2 Sketches 4 You sketch and I tried to figure out how to use my Lawn Fawn stamps (since that's the prize for Embellish!), but in the end all I managed was to use the sentiment on the inside. Simons Says Stamps is celebrating paper piercing this week and I've cut out these cute little fish.

So there you go ladies, three totally different cards all trying to use the above colors... I think I like my couch color project better, but I tried... now off to figure out how to make a brown paper bag into a card for the PTI blog hop.

Materials: First Card: PTI kraft card stock, die cut flowers from Unscripted Sketches prize, blue card stock from stash, vellum, Fiskars free hand cuter, Fiskars circle punch, Sharpie marker, blue button from Unscripted Sketches prize

Second Card: PTI stamps and sentiment, American Crafts ribbon, corner rounder punch, Stampin Up black ink, PTI kraft, Versacolor white ink, Stampin Up circle punch

Third Card: Paper Source fish, PTI cloud, Lawn Fawn sentiment, white rope recycling from package, PTI kraft, card stock scraps, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Stampin Up black ink.

re-covered card

I meant to use Dawn's Color Cue colors yesterday on my couch project, but I forgot. So today I went to go make another one, but considering our house is plagued by winter bugs, I figured I'd change up the couch card a bit. I know my colors aren't quite right, but who can resist Cosmo Cricket paper?

Materials: PTI On My Couch couch, chair, vase stamp, PTI On My Couch Additions sentiment, Cosmo Cricket early riser patterned paper, Stampin Up blue card stock, Stampin Up black ink, Sharpie marker, scrap of yellow Shelley Castillo Home Is Where the Heart is digital paper

Calling All Couches

Here comes the invasion of the couches! I dedicate this post to my blogging pal Jen, who keeps threatening to buy this PTI set, here you go Jen, you can do it. Here's the direct link (yes I am evil, but wait you also need the On My Couch Additions, click here).

I made this card the other night for the ColourQ challenge and I liked it so much that I wanted to make some more cards. (It helps that my husband went out of his way to mention that he liked the other card too, always nice to hear that.) So I thought I'd try a few color challenges with the same card.

This card is for Susan's Simplicity One Layer Wednesday Challenge, the theme was "make a scene". Don't mind the finger prints on this one, they can't all be perfect right?

This one is for The Play Date Cafe. I used the same piece of paper for another card for them this week, so I figured I'd just use my scraps for the couch card.

This one is for Stacey's Curtain Call challenge.

And finally this one is for Just Add Ink. Now I think it's time to go sit on the couch and put my feet up.

Materials: First card: PTI On My Couch Additions chair, rug and sentiment, PTI On My Couch side table and coffee cup, Versacolor Red ink, Stampin Up black ink, white card stock

Second Card and Third Card: PTI On My Couch couch and pillows stamp, On My Couch Additions rug and sentiment, patterned paper scraps, Stampin Up black ink, white card stock

Fourth Card: PTI On My Couch couch and pillows stamp, On My Couch Additions rug and sentiment, Stampin Up Red designer paper, Stampin Up chocolate chip designer paper, PTI kraft card stock

back to school

I was inspired by Emily's super cute apple/thank you card this morning, and had one that looked a lot like hers, but then decided to branch out a bit and use the Card Patterns sketch again. There are a lot of fun Back to School challenges on at the moment, so please check out ABC Design Blog, Stampin Royalty and Kah-Wink-E-Dink Digi Stamps.

Materials: Stampin Up apple stamp, Treehouse Stamps digital sentiment, Stampin Up red and kiwi bliss designer paper, Stampin Up red and Kiwi bliss card stock, Fiskars punch tag, Making Memories eyelet, green twine, Stampin Up square scallop punch, Stampin Up black ink, black card stock

Harvest card

Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Cat challenge this week is to make a harvest card. I was trying to figure out how I was going to do that, when I stumbled upon Jessica Witty's Thanksgiving card in the Card Creations Vol 8 issue (pg 124) and I realized that I had that PTI pumpkin. I've used this week's Card Patterns sketch. I love that I'm creating a fall card, where in New Zealand there are small signs of spring poking up the yard (i.e. the daffodils).

Materials: PTI pumpkin and circle from Daily Designs, Gina K Designs Lovely Labels, PTI sentiment, Hero Arts tiny background leaf stamp, PTI kraft card stock, orange & white card stock from Spotlight, white gel pen, versamark, Stampin Up almost apricot ink, Stampin Up black ink, Making Memories black eyelet, orange twine, Fiskars tag punch, American Crafts black ribbon

pink and brown birthday wishes

Kristie at Party Time Tuesdays is celebrating her birthday this week with a challenge for a pink & brown & white birthday card. She's even got some extra blog candy to go along with the challenge. I was inspired by Rae Barthel's card in the Card Creations Vol 8 (pg. 143). Originally the card was going to look just like hers, till I accidently sliced it in half, without thinking about it (I was trying to trim it and oops, didn't really think about which side I was trimming!). Fun to have a more elegant card in my stash.

Materials: PTI sentiment, Stampin Up Chocolate Chip designer paper, ribbon from my stash, Stampin Up circle punch, Stampin Up chocolate chip paper, Stampin Up pink card stock scrap, Versacolor brown ink, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

truly butterfly card

A girlfriend's mother ordered 6 cards after I showed her the Etsy Inspired ones I made the other week. I've been slowly making them, since I can't seem to mass produce, they're all unique and fun. I added eyelets to this one. Crafty Creations is celebrating butterflies this week, so here's a card for their challenge. If you love this fun Hero Arts background, click here to get it for free through Two Peas in a Bucket.

Materials: Rosie's Studio butterfly stamp, Waltzingmouse Stamps Very Vintage Labels No. 4, Hero Arts digital friendship background, vellum, Making Memories black eyelets, Stampin Up water color pencils, white and black card stock, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Giesle's die cut machine

just sittin here

I really liked this week's colors on ColourQ and for whatever reason I never got around to making a card, till now. So I opted for my tried and true super CAS style and made a little card with my favorite PTI couch set. I'm going to add this to the Paper Crafts Facebook blog hop, just for fun.

Materials: PTI On My Couch couch & pillows, PTI On My Couch Additions rug & sentiment, Stampin Up red designer paper, Stampin Up blue card stock, Versacolor Bamboo ink, Stampin Up black ink, yellow card stock scrap, Sharpie marker

Colorful cupcakes card

A bright and colorful cupcake card for you today. I've used Kim's Off the Wall Craftiness colors and made something with sweets for Jenny's Wee Memories challenge. (I thought you gals would appreciate me combing the two). Pam at 365 Cards has a re-do card challenge and the second picture was my first try on the card. I thought such a bright card might need a lot of white (and please notice the ribbon Jenny, I tried!). But in the end I thought it needed a bit more, so I took it apart and made the card at the top.

Materials: Paper Salon cupcake stamp, PTI sentiment, Stampin Up circle punch, Stampin Up oval scallop punch, corner rounder punch, Stampin Up red card stock, Cosmo Cricket early riser patterned paper, Stampin Up designer paper, Bazzil patterned paper, white twine, Versacolor black ink

hello

I've used this week's Color Throwdown colors and the SRM Stickers sketch for this CAS hello card. I put the card together last night and didn't like it. This afternoon I've taken it apart and tried again. I'm not sure I love the card, but the second round is better then the first. Which makes me regret the fact that I didn't take a photo of the first one for the 365 cards re-do challenge. The flower and green button are compliments of Unscripted Sketches, thanks to a win for a comment during their Christmas in July fun.

Materials: PTI sentiment, Flower and button from Unscripted Sketches, Making Memories eyelets, Stampin Up chocolate chip designer paper, PTI kraft, American crafts ribbon, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Stampin Up black ink

green dots cupcake card

Another week at The Play Date Cafe and another set of colors that don't normally mix in my little world. Thanks ladies for helping me work outside my normal color combo. I've also used this week's Card Positioning Sketch.

Materials:Studio G cupcake stamp, Patterned paper from my stash (I can seriously never remember where things come from, sorry), blue card stock from stash, vellum, American Crafts ribbon, white gel pen, cheap teal ink from Spotlight