love & thanks

I stamped and colored the back panel of this card yesterday, totally enjoying the zen aspect of coloring and afterwards realized I had little finger prints all over the center section... so I set it aside.  This morning when I saw Aga's card on the MFT Sketch Challenge I knew I could use the piece, just die cut out a center section.   My second card is for A Blog Named Hero, always good to pull out neglected stamps and give 'em some inky love.   

coffee cards

Coffee projects...  They bring me joy... I don't always send them, but I enjoy making them.  I bought the new Hero Arts Coffee Cup set... The top tag was me having fun...  The bottom card... I'm not sure there's something about it that I don't love....  the sketch is from Retro Sketches and the pop of green is for A Blog Named Hero "Pop of Color" challenge.  Now I'm dreaming of another cup of coffee... who's coming to visit me at work?

tag and elephant hello

TGIF crafty friends.  Sorry I've been MIA this week, so excited to say I just did a huge push to get the Inn Town Campground reservations up and live...  so exciting to see years of hard work finally become a reality.  My tag above is for the current Tag You're It Challenge inspiration, as a member of the Design Team, I meant to share for the reminder post, but silly ol me missed the deadline.  So if you'd like to play along with us, there's still time for the challenge, I'd love to see how you're inspired.  And below, I got the Hero Arts elephant stamp in their Leap Year sale and I decided to play along with A Blog Named Hero rainbow challenge with the Reverse Confetti Geometric die cut and some water colors.

true friends and more...

Welcome to another 365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday.  I've used this week's Play Date Cafe colors as my color palette.  I tried my hand at Debby's technique (click here) for my something new for the Simon Says Challenge and the Hero Arts challenge and A Blog Named Hero challenges...  I think I have to keep working on it....  The stamp is also new...  I think you may see it again :)

Now go check out the rest of the 365 Cards DT and see what they've done with the sketch....

Wendi, Rose, Jenny, Annie and Janice     

And my bonus project for the day... I saw this photo on Pinterest and it called my name... so I thought I'd try the fun chalk art technique with these Unity stamps.  My new tweed HA background was perfect, so I added a piece of May Arts velvet corduroy and I'm in love....  and I posted it on my FB page and it sold within 5 minutes, now that is a sign of a great card :) 

And I was on a bit of a roll and made another card....

Cards Blog Challenge this month is to use these colors and they're giving away a great Paper Smooches prize.  So I thought I'd play along, especially since the Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge this week is "Anything Goes."

Materials: Hero Arts tweed background stamp, The Crafts Meow Inspired by Aubrey sentiment, Lil Inker stitched mats, May Arts ribbon and natural burlap string, Tim Holtz distress inks tumbled glass and ripe persimmons, button from Artful Delight card kit, PTI card stock, Perfect Pearls

Second card: Unity Stamps, Hero Arts Tweed background, May Arts back corduroy ribbon, Spellbinders label, Versafine black ink, white watercolor pencil, Stampendous white embossing powder, black card stock

Third Card: Paper Smooches Squeaky Clean and Sentiment Sampler, PTI card stock, Lil Inker stitched mats, Simon Says Stamps die, water color pencils, Versafine black ink, Glossy Accents

Snowman Card and card class photos

Hello!  So last night I taught another card making class at my local Ben Franklin and this time around the theme was Christmas cards.  When looking for inspiration for the card I decided to CASE Christina's recent card (scroll down to the tags).  I love that everyone in the class decided to accessorize their snowman in different ways, too fun!  Below are a few snapshots from the class, my next class will be holiday tags, November 28th at 6pm.  And since I can't seem to post something with a challenge this card works well for the Lawnscaping Challenge "dust 'em off"-- while I've used the Lawn Fawn set, I realized when looking for snowflakes that I've had the PTI Winter Penguin set for awhile and haven't used most of the stamps on there.  Which means this project also works well for the new A Passion for Papertrey challenge too.  And one last challenge-- since A Blog Named Hero is doing a fun Hero Arts/Lawn Fawn week I thought this would be a perfect addition to their latest challenge "Use a die cut or punch", I think adding tags to cards is a great to add another layer (for the CAS girl).

Materials: Lawn Fawn Frosty Friends, Hero Arts Miracle of the Holiday Christmas sentiment, Tim Holtz and PTI snowflakes, Stampendous white embossing powder, PTI aqua mist and rustic white card stock, Echo Park Very Merry Christmas patterned paper, May Arts White Sheer with Diagonal Stripes Ribbon, Twinery Charcoal twine, PTI Tag It Sale die, Versafine black ink, water color pencil, Martha Stewart scor-pal, Spellbinders circle die, white scrap paper

thank you flip flops

Hello blog friends!  I've got a shaker card for you guys today.  As some of you saw the other week I went to visit my grandparents in Southern California and got to stay on the beach for 4 nights (I know life is rough) and I sent them a thank you card (with a wine glass) but my husband wanted a thank you card too-- so I made up this CAS card with some flip flops and some sand.  Lynn had sent me some of the 'Lil Inker texture plate frames and I liked 'em so much I used most of them and decided to buy my own, worthwhile investment I'm sure.  CAS-ual Fridays is having a splish splash week, something you would see in or at the ocean, and I saw a lot of sand and flip flops the other week.  ms. ~amy~ is such an enabler with all her dt, so I wanted to add this one to the Paper Issues "Summer Lovin'" Challenge and A Blog Called Hero (krafty challenge) Hero Arts is doing CAS cards this month and I've pulled out a "vintage" sentiment (one of my earliest wood stamps), so I'm going to enter this in their challenge too.  And below is a sneak peak of one of the fall cards I'm going to be making at Ben Franklin for my first card making class-- 3 cards, September 5th, 6-7:30pm in Grass Valley.  Any of you guys live in Northern California and want to come play?

Materials: PTI flip flop dies, 'Lil Inker Textured Frame, Spellbinders rectangular die, PTI kraft card stock, Cosmo Cricket Circa 1934 patterned paper, Tim Holtz distress stain antique linen and picket fence, acetate, sand, inside: Hero Arts sentiment

Tuesday's Projects

Good morning... do any of you crafty friends have projects you need to do and then sit down and make a bunch of non-related items?  Today's projects fall into that catagory, I'm suppose to be making a 50th birthday card and a dozen book themed cards, funny how none of these projects have anything to do with those commissions.

This any occasion card uses this week's Play Date Cafe colors and the current Make It Monday challenge (use leaf dies to make a flower).  This card is out of my normal box, a) no stamping, b) lots of patterend paper and b) a non-white or kraft card base.  Who knew!

My blog pal Lynn is the guest over at Retro Sketches and I sat down in my messy room with her card for the challenge (which you can spy on my desk-- thanks Lynn for sending it to me) and somehow, despite having all the pieces for a CASEd card, I made a coffee card.  Does that happen to you guys?  Many thanks to Maureen for the blog candy with the fun Verve Better With You set.  And don't you love how my mess is taking over the entire room, ha ha!!!  (And I'm going to add this to the fun WOYWD fun, haven't played along in a long time... not that I've ever been clean, and yes, I'm slightly cheating since I took these photos Tuesday morning, but....).  And one more challenge, there's a new blog called "A Blog Named Hero" and their challenge is to use one of your favorite Hero Arts stamps, seriously if anyone needs any enabling to buy the Classic Fabric background-- do it!  It's great, so versatile and useful.

 

Waltzingmouse Sketch challenge this week was the perfect sketch to test out my new Die-namics "Let's Toast" set.   I love the bright party scene in this month's Jay Gee's Nook challenge, while I'm switched ballons for banners, I'm sure my wine label and bottle of wine will be well received at this party.  There are more fun goodies in the MFT set that I'm sure will get some love in my crafty room, maybe after I finish the other cards?  Thanks for looking...  

Materials: Flower Card, PTI Rosie Posie dies, My Mind's Eye Six by Six patterned paper, PTI simply chartreuse card stock, vellum, PTI linen impression plate, Tim Holtz Distress stain antique linen, October Afternoon Farmhouse buttons

Coffee card: Verve Better With You, Lifestyle Letterpress flourish, Hero Arts classic fabric background cling, white and black card stock, vellum, blue patterend paper from stash, water color pencil, Stampendous clear embossing powder, Versafine black ink, Letterpress black ink, PTI kraft ink, PTI 1 3/4th inch limitless layers dies

Birthday Wine Label: Waltzingmouse Stamps Frame It sentiment, Paper Smooches chevron stamp, Lily Bee design banner stickers, PTI Tag It sale die, Twine, PTI kraft card stock, vellum, My Favorite Things die-namics wine label and wine glass die, water color pencils, PTI kraft ink, Versafine black ink, Stampendous clear embossing powder, Tatttered Angels black mist