Father's Day Cards

Off the Wall Craftiness colors for this card, which was basically a redo of this card (which I meant to sell to my gym buddy and accidentally left it at work and my coworker bought it while I was out of town, so I had to remake the card.)  

This one isn't for a challenge, but since Nevada City hosts a huge bike race every year on Father's Day I figured I should make a card that represents it... we'll see if someone decides to buy it, if not I'll keep it and give it to my husband when he gets home from his road trip with the boys (see photo below).

And lastly, since I've been left home alone I'm going to share what has become of my craft desk, perhaps if I share it with you guys you can help motivate me to clean it up, just a tiny bit.... I'm not clean, never will be, but it's getting a bit out of control.

Materials:  Hero Arts Three Floral Frames, WPlus9 Woodgrain Silhouette sentiment, Tim Holtz woodgrain embossing folder,  twine from Jen, Core'dinations brown card stock, water color pencils, Versafine black ink, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Antique Linen

Second card: Mystery bicycle stamp, Tim Holtz Distress Faded Jeans ink, WPlus9 Woodgrain Silhouette sentiment, Impression Obsession background stamp, PTI kraft card stock, vellum, Fiskars corner rounder, Making Memories black eyelets, Scor pad, 

Celebrate the Day

Lawnscaping is having a party on their challenge this week, and I'm going to bring the drinks.  I'm still celebrating my blog birthday for a few more days (and probably another card or two), if you're already a follower just make a comment on any (or all) of the cards this week and I'll be drawing a few lucky winners on Sunday, if not please become a follower to go into the draw.  Hero Arts Featured Technique this month is colored pencils, and I've been playing with water color pencils a bit lately.   There's a great video here if you're looking for some tips.  I've also added a subtle layer of embossing in the background, complete with some faux stitching for Yvonne's Do More With Less Challenge.  The Off the Wall Craftiness colors are for Kim, who's challenges I've been doing consistently for the last year.  

And since we're celebrating the day, with drinks, I thought I'd share a couple of photos I took earlier of the flowers in my mom's yard.  Since many of you were so sweet to wish me happy anniversary yesterday, it makes sense that the dogwoods blooming always make me think of my wedding (which took place in my mom's yard).

Materials: Hero Arts Clear Design Scallop Border, Hero Arts Clear Design sentiment, Lawn Fawn Swim Suit Season beverage, water color pencils, Versafine ink, Cuttlebug Just My Type embossing folder borders

bicycle bookmarks

A near and dear friend of mine and her husband share the same birthday and I'm sending them this card. But I thought it would be fun to send them a little something in the card, partially inspired by Cath's Moxie Fab World 350 Cards & Gifts "Little Gifts" challenge.  Since my friends are HUGE cyclists I decided to continue the bike theme, but since it's a his and her's gift I thought I should mix up the colors. So I turned to a number of different color challenges this week to find inspiration.

These book marks use this week's Off the Wall Craftiness colors, congrats Kim on Challenge #50.  

This bookmark uses the CR84FN colors.  This bookmark also works perfectly for AaronB's inspirational challenge, thanks Lora for sending me this way.

This bookmark uses the Play Date Cafe colors.  Don't you think that's a perfect guy colored bookmark?

And this one uses the ColourQ colors, I tried on this one ladies, but I think I'm better white a white base....  There's always next week right?

And since I've used Twinery twine on all the bookmarks I'll enter this in the Wee Memories Scrappy Saturday Challenge.  So excited that I finally got to play with some of the new colors.  

Materials: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle bicycle, PTI Bookmark die, Twinery Twine, Versafine black ink, Copic R85, white gel pen, black sharpie, bic markers (oceanview blue and deep sea blue), various card stock from my stash

going postal

This week's Play Date Cafe is sponsored by WPlus9, so I thought no better reason then to break out my new Spring Post set.  My day has been going pretty well, but it got even better when I received the SRM stickers I won last week from Etsy Inspired!  Woo hoo.  So I went digging through this week's shop, Fresh Metal and found these earrings.  Look, it's the same color challenge as PDC!  

And since I was on a postal theme I thought I'd post this second card I made for this week's Off the Wall Craftiness, I tried to CASE Nichole's card but it didn't quite work out the way I thought... but since I've used WPlus9's postmarked on here I thought I should post it.  

Materials: 1st card: WPlus9 Spring Post, PTI Postmarks, Versafine black ink, paper from my stash, Fiskars scallop rotary cutter, white card stock

2nd card: PTI Postmarks, WPlus Postmarked, PTI postage die, Yellow card stock scrap, Stampin Up Kiwi Bliss card stock, Stampin Up red riding hood card stock, white card stock, Versafine black ink 

Happy Spring

This week's Off the Wall Craftiness colors were hard for me.  I like red, yellow and green and somehow when I tried to put them all together I had a bit of trouble.  I took inspiration from the red polka dot high heel and added a tiny bit of color for a mini happy spring card.  It would be a nice gift card or something...  Now off to go play in the sunshine....

And since Kim & Jenny are "in real life" friends, I thought I'd enter this card in the Wee Memories anything goes challenge.  

And since I've been following Amy's blog for some time I thought it would be fun to finally throw my hat in on one of her super fun Flashback Friday Challenges.  The current challenge is to repost your first window card.  The card below uses a Paper Source cupcake punch and it's peaking through to a fun piece of Stampin Up designer paper (which (hint hint) is similar to the prize if anyone wants to get in on the fun).  This was my first card that I entered for the CAS-tastic Wednesday challenge, and therefore led me to some fabulous blogging pals!  

Materials: PTI Mat Stack 4 Collection, PTI Tag-Its 2 frame and sentiment and Easter Eggs, Brillance Rocket Red ink, Versafine black ink, green and yellow scraps from my stash, EK Success 1 3/4th ink circle punch, PTI Mat Stack 4 die

Flash back card: Paper Source cupcake punch, Hero Arts clear design sentiment, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter, Stampin Up red riding hood red card stock, Stampin Up Designer paper

One Layer Pink Bicycle/3 tricycles

You know how I keep saying I have a literal problem, well sometimes that's not such a bad thing right?  I saw the pink bicycle on Off the Wall Craftiness's challenge and I immediately thought of the Practicing Creativity's The Whole Cycle set.  I tried to add the basket with the flowers, but in the end (after many pieces of paper) I decided to go for the super simple CAS one layer bicycle.  Since I couldn't figure out how to incorporate the other colors into the card so I tried 3 tricycles.  "Less is More" is doing a one layer/off the edge challenge this week, and this week I actually read the fine print (oops, didn't do so well for the last 2 challenges).

Materials: 1st card Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle bicycle, Versafine black ink, Copic R85, white card stock from Ben Franklin, black sharpie


2nd card: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle tricycle, teal ink from Spotlight, Versafine black ink, Copic R85,  Versacolor Yellow Ink

Penny Farthing Bicycle card

This week's colors at Off the Wall Craftiness are purple!  I stamped the Penny Farthing bicycle from Practicing Creativity's The Whole Cycle onto a lovely lavender card stock, die cut it with Spellbinders Label Number 8 and then wrapped The Twinery's Lillac Twine and some purple string around a white die cut.  I added an accent strip of dark purple to the bottom, which is hard to see in this not-so-fabulous photos (do you like the home repair books in the background?).  I made this card last night after dealing with a headache and a half of a power outage, let's just say people don't like to rent rooms when there's no heat!  So, I took heart to Karen's post about stamping being therapeutic and enjoyed the process of making this simple CAS card.  Thankfully the power is back on and life at the motel is back to normal.

Materials: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle Penny Farthing Bicycle, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label #8, The Twinery Lillac twine, purple string, white gel pen, Versafine Black ink, purple paper scrap, Fiskars rotary scallop cutter

More cards....

I recently won the above Unity stamps from Emily so when Savannah made a comment on her blog about the All Things Unity challenge I knew I had to get inky.  These are my favorites, because they're the only ones I have!  The new Embellish challenge has some great colors and the theme is birds.

This card is for the Wee Memories "Live, Laugh, Love" challenge.  I knew I had to dig through my supplies to find this stamp for the challenge when I saw it last weekend.  I'm cutting it a bit close with the deadline here...  I've used this week's Off The Wall Craftiness colors for my CAS card.  Okay, so hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and I'll get out of my house!  Thanks for looking at all of these cards (scroll down to see the other ones from today's crafty snow day).

Materials: 1st card: Unity birds and sentiment, Tim Holtz rays embossing folder, Versacolor Brown ink, Tim Holtz Distressing Antique Linen ink, Spellbinders Label #8, PTI kraft card stock, Stampin Up baja breeze card stock, cream cardstock from Ben Franklin


2nd card: Unknown stamp (gifted from Yolanda), Tim Holtz ornamental die, yellow string, The Twinery Maraschino twine, Making Memories blue eyelets, cheap blue ink from Spotlight, white card stock

OTWC heart card

Off the Wall Craftiness switched things up a bit these past two weeks and I think I was having a hard time with the shabby/vintage theme.  But Tammy gave me a push and a shove and I've pulled out a card, just in the nick of time, using the "hearts" theme.  Since DT Tenia used the same My Mind's Eye paper I figured this would fit the bill, even if it's not completely true to the colors (see gals I have this literal problem, gets in the way of the creative juices sometimes).  It's snowing here in California and school is cancelled!  Too bad I've got a nasty head cold and am feeling rather under the weather.

Materials: My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper & heart embellishment, PTI Fillable Frames #4 die,  PTI Fillable Frames #11 sentiment, Stampin Up black ink, Spellbinders Nestabilites Label #8

Sweetie

PTI's very first Make It Mondays challenge has a great video and tutorial.  My first attempt (b/c there's another in the wings) was to make a Valentine's Day card with a collection of sentiments.  I've used the Off the Wall Craftiness colors.  I've included one Hero Arts sentiment (sweetie) to make this work for their Valentine's day month long challenge.  I'm also going to enter this in Tiffany Doodle's Valentine's Day challenge.  And lastly I want to include 2 photos of my work-in-progress craft space, b/c it's been a long time since I played with the fabulous What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday gang.

Materials: Sweetie- Hero Arts, Be mine/Love you/sweet heart- PTI Daily Designs sentiment, I love you- PTI Mailbox Greetings, You warm my heart- PTI Warm happiness Too, Hearts- PTI Mailbox Greetings, Copic marker R85, My Mind's Eye Love Me Do patterned paper, Stampin Up red card stock, 2 pink buttons from stash, white string, Spellbinders Nestabilities Label 4

OTWC bicycle card

My dear friend Debbie did the cycling portion of a half ironman a couple of weeks ago and I said I'd send her a cool bicycle card to congratulate her for all her hard training and finishing the event.  But life sorta got in the way, so I sent her an IOU before the event and now I promise to send her this card.  Better late then never right?  I've used this week's Off the Wall Craftiness colors for my CAS bicycle card.  

Materials: Practicing Creativity The Whole Cycle bicycle stamp, Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8, recycled orange envelope from Vanda, Three Bugs in a Rug Chalf Garden patterned paper coordinating color paper, Studio G orange ink, white gel pen, black sharpie, Stampin Up black ink