CCMC 144

Good morning, Friends! It's Thursday, again, and that means that Connie and Mary are ready to challenge us! Are you ready for a cake challenge? The challenge is to let this cake inspire you.

Hmmmm... This was really challenging for me! I couldn't decide on the colors at first. Then I had to figure out what Stampin' Up! sold and what I had that was a gold color. Anyway, you can see what my final product was. Not bad. Gold is not a color that I choose. I am more of a silver girl. I do have a gold wedding band but I am hoping to someday change that to silver. Anyway, about the card.

I started with a card base of Marina Mist. To this I added a piece of Whisper White and Brushed Gold cardstock. The Brushed Gold was run through the Big Shot with the Elegant Lines embossing folder. But instead of using the side with the embossing raised, I turned it over to use the de-bossed images. Before I glued these pieces down, I tied a piece of Whisper White taffeta ribbon around it. Then I took Whisper White and Marina Mist cardstock and cut two butterflies from the Beautiful Butterflies die and then ran those through the Big Shot again with the Elegant Lines embossing folder. I layered these together and put two gold brads in the middle. These are popped up on the card. Then I got out my Basic Pearls and started putting pearls all over the card where there was a "dot" or circle. The last thing I did was to stamp the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes on scrap cardstock and punch it out with the Word Window punch and pop it up on the card. I think it turned out pretty.

Your turn! Be sure to check out the other fabulous designs at Create with Connie and Mary! Then upload your project so that we can all see what you do! And don't forget that when you use 100% Stampin' Up! product you will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE subscription to Create Summer Edition. Connie and Mary will be announcing the first winner very soon! Will it be you? Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Marina Mist, Whisper White, Brushed Gold; Ink- Black StazOn; Accessories- Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Elegant Lines embossing folder, basic pearls, Beautiful Butterflies die, gold brads, dimensionals

Inkspirations 63

Good morning, Friends! We are already in the middle of this last week of March! Wow! I hope that your week is going wonderfully! Not a whole lot going on around here, which is nice. I get to do some stamping without being interrupted :) However, I really should do some cleaning. Ugh! Maybe if I tackle one room at a time... Nope. Still doesn't sound like fun. But I do need to do some grocery shopping. My son is starting to eat everything!! My goodness! I can't keep enough food in the house! And he does come home early today from school so we will see what I actually get done.

Today's card was inspired by a sketch at Inkspirations Challenges. They have different challenges each week and this was the first time that I have done one of theirs. When I started this card I knew I wanted to use this butterfly stamp but wasn't sure on the colors. So, I went to my Color Coach for help. I haven't used a lot of Concord Crush and thought 'why not?'. As I was putting it together I thought it might not make it to the photo tent (it was headed for the trash). But then I did a little tweaking here and there and this is what came about! And I really do like it! I am glad that I didn't give up! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Simple Friendship; Paper- Whisper White, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz; Ink- Concord Crush, Peach Parfait; Accessories- Framed Tulip embossing folder, Little Leaves sizzlet, silver brad, sponge, dimensionals

SASC 89

Good morning, Friends! I hope you are all having a super start to the week! It looks like March might just go out like a lamb - as they say. I am so excited to see more sun and warmer temperatures! Well, my son is getting older. Yikes! I mean, I know that but it has really hit home now. Yesterday he brought "the note" home. You know, the one about seeing "the film". Parents can sign it if they want their child to opt out but my husband and I talked about it and we feel he should see it. I mean, we both did. It's just so weird to think that it is time for him to see it. I looked at Pat and said that he will have to do the "talk" because I never saw the boy's film -lol! Just the other day I was looking at pictures of him when he was "knee-high to a grasshopper". Where does all that time go?

Today's card was inspired by a sketch on Stampin' Addicts. The sketch looked very similar to one that I used a few weeks ago from Splitcoast. Because of that I thought I should try to make them different. So I used different colors and a different butterfly. I do like the way it turned out and I got to use my vintage trinkets! Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a look. Have a wonderful day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Strength & Hope, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Confetti Cream, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Vintage Springtime designer paper; Ink- Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze; Accessories- Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon, vintage trinkets, basic pearls, Framed Tulip embossing folder, word window punch, sponge (I sponged some Not Quite Navy along the bottom of the butterfly's wings), dimensionals

FTL 132

Good Monday morning! Here we are at the beginning of another week! My husband's business is starting to take off for the season so that means he will be gone in the early morning and most of the day. And I am starting to look for a part time job again. I think I am ready to find something now. I have applied for a couple that I think would be perfect for me but we will see what happens.

Today's card was inspired from the sketch at Clean & Simple. This was from last week's sketch. I seem to be a week behind on these things. But that's o.k. They are all great sketches and it's good to use them! This one was really simple and I just love the way it turned out! I used a stamp set I hadn't used in a while, too. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Flower Fancy, A Word for You; Paper- Confetti Cream, Rich Razzleberry, Vintage Springtime designer paper; Ink- Black StazOn, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Basic Black; Accessories- crochet trim, antique brad, scallop border punch, aqua painter, basic pearls dimensionals

Card Patterns 107

Good morning, Friends! I hope you are all having a super weekend! Can you believe that we are already at the end of March? Where did all of that time go? Yesterday, Nick was a guest player for a 12 year old soccer team. He played with them when they went to Las Vegas for a tournament so when he was asked to guest play again he quickly said 'yes'! He really likes these boys and they make him and the other guest players feel so welcome and a part of their team. He played really well and they won 3-0! It looks like he will get more opportunities to play with them! Today, we will be going to a birthday party for my brother-in-law. That should be fun! We haven't seen them in a while. Did you notice my new blog header? How about my signature/divider? I have been reading some tutorials on how to do this. I make my designs in My Digital Studio and then work in the HTML to get them up. Anyway, it is an experiment for now until I get it just the way I want it.

Today's card was inspired by the sketch from Card Patterns Weekly Sketch Blog. It is actually last week's sketch but I really liked it! I just love this new Strength & Hope set. I also pulled out the Confetti Cream cardstock. I haven't used that cardstock in such a long time that it was kind of nice to use something different! Thank you so much for coming by and taking a look. Your comments are so wonderful to read! And I really do appreciate each and every one of them! Have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Strength & Hope; Paper- Confetti Cream, Not Quite Navy, Vintage Springtime designer paper; Ink- Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy (I inked up the butterfly in Baja Breeze and then sponged some Not Quite Navy very lightly on the bottom part of the wings); Accessories- scallop trim border punch, basic pearls, sponge, dimensionals

ETA: I removed the signature for now. It was really bugging me that there was so much space in between the posts. I will keep trying and hopefully have it back up on another post! Thanks!

Mojo 183

Good morning, Friends! I am ready for a super great weekend! How about you all? I got to sleep in a little and later this morning we will head out to watch a little soccer! I will have to put on my wool socks and ear warmers, though! Last night as I was coming home it was raining slush and ice! Yuck! This morning there is remnants of that on the ground and my car. The sun is trying to shine so we will see if it warms up any.

Today's card was inspired from the Mojo Monday sketch. I wanted to do something different so I pulled out my extreme stamps and came up with this. I haven't showed it to my son yet so I haven't gotten "official" approval if it is good enough. But I like it! And i really think Nick will, too. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Extreme Elements, Extreme Dirt Bike; Paper- Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Whisper White, Neutrals designer paper pack; Ink- Basic Black, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight; Accessories- large star punch, Tasteful Trim die, sponge, dimensionals

SFF 032511

Good Friday morning everyone! I hope you are ready for another sketch challenge at Sketch Frenzy Friday! This week's sketch was created by Jennifer Weide. Take a look:

What a fabulous sketch! This has so many possibilities and is open to all kinds of interpretation! In fact it was really hard for me to narrow down my options but I think I came up with something really nice and spring-like. Take a look:



I started with a card base of Bashful Blue. Then I punched a border from Pacific Point with the dotted ribbon scallop border punch and glued that down. I took a piece of Whisper White and stamped the swirly words from Flight of the Butterfly in Pacific point. On a piece of scrap Whisper White I stamped the solid image of the butterfly in Bashful Blue and then the flower part in Pacific Point right over it and cut it out. Then I took my white gel pen and colored the flower centers. The Whisper White panel is glued to a piece of Pacific Point and popped up on the card. I took my cut out butterfly and popped him up and gently bent his wings up. The last thing I did was to punch a flower from Bashful Blue cardstock with the itty bitty punch pack, glue dot it onto the card and add a basic pearl in the center. Easy!

Now it is time for you to see what Jennifer did with her sketch. Take the tour to get inspired and then create your own project. Upload it to the Sketch Frenzy Friday blog so we can all see. I just love to see how you all interpret our sketches. Too fun! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Flight of the Butterfly; Paper- Bashful Blue, Pacific Point, Whisper White; Ink- Pacific Point, Bashful Blue; Accessories- dotted scallop ribbon border punch, itty bitty punch pack, white gel pen, basic pearls, dimensionals

CCMC 143

Well, this month seems to be flying by! I can't believe it's Thursday and time for another challenge with Create with Connie and Mary! This week, Connie and Mary are challenging us with this sketch. Check it out!

And boy was this sketch challenging! I worked and re-worked my designs. I scrapped most of them. But then I finally decided I liked this card. I also wanted some fun spring colors. So I went to my Color Coach and found these: Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede and Certainly Celery. I started with a card base of Marina Mist and then added a panel of Pink Pirouette with Whisper White satin ribbon tied around it. For the scalloped squares, I punched two from Soft Suede and then used my scallop squares duo die to cut the third from Soft Suede. I then ran them through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. I cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock to fit in the middle scallop square to kind of "highlight" it. Then I used my Birds & Blossoms sizzlets to cut the flowers and leaves. I added silver brads and the middle flower is popped up (the middle scallop square is also popped up). The last thing was the greeting from the A Word for You stamp set which is stamped in Soft Suede. Done!

Be sure to visit the Create with Connie and Mary website for more wonderful inspiration! We would love to see what you do with this sketch! And don't forget that when you use 100% Stampin' Up! products, you are entered into a drawing to win a FREE subscription to Create Summer Edition! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- A Word for You; Paper- Marina Mist, Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede, Certainly Celery, Whisper White; Ink- Soft Suede; Accessories- Whisper White satin ribbon, scallop square punch, scallop squares duo die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Birds & Blooms sizzlets, silver brads, dimensionals

TSSC 166

Good morning, Friends! I was a slacker yesterday. I was going to try to make some cards on Monday for today but got very side-tracked. The wind blew a hundred miles an hour (o.k. not really quite that bad but they did report gusts up to 62 miles an hour), I had to go grocery shopping, do some laundry, get dinner ready, finish swaps and get them in the mail and then it was time to eat, and get Nick to soccer practice. Time got away from me. So yesterday I made myself sit and get some cards done. I still had laundry to do and the wind was STILL blowing - ugh!!! I hate the wind! Anyway, the wind is quiet now and it looks to be a nice day! And I don't have as much laundry - lol!

Today's card was inspired by a sketch from Mary Jo. I really liked this sketch! It was different and I wanted to see what I could come up with. It did take me a while because I wasn't liking anything I was doing but then decided to revert to my favorite colors. I think that it turned out pretty nice! You can't see, but I paper pierced some holes in each of the scallops of the black oval. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Clearly for You; Paper- Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Basic Black; Ink- Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Very Vanilla craft; Accessories- Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon, scallop oval punch, scallop ribbon border punch, Tulip Frame embossing folder, basic rhinestones, sponges, dimensionals

A Little Hope

Good Monday morning! And it is going to be a "Monday"! Nick is sooooo not wanting to wake up and go back to school. And I was soooo not wanting to wake up to get him up and ready for school. Ugh! But it is our last push til the end! I can't believe that he only has one more quarter of 5th grade! My baby is almost a middle schooler! Yikes! And to start my Monday off, I have a headache! Yuck! Since the wind is blowing 110 mph (exaggeration) my sinuses are acting up. I know it has to do with allergies, too. All that pollen blowing around. I have to get the laundry done today and go grocery shopping. Stuff that I put off. It's time to get back into the routine!

Today's card was inspired by one that I saw in a stamp magazine. I liked the one in the magazine and I guess mine turned out o.k. I had fun making it anyway. And I was happy to use colors other than my usual! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Strength & Hope; Paper- Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage designer paper; Ink- Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon, corner rounder, designer label punch, basic rhinestones, sponge, dimensionals

SC 324

Good Sunday morning, Friends! I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend! Nick was a guest player in a soccer game yesterday and they won! But it was sure miserable out there on the fields! The wind was blowing hard and those poor boys really had to kick the ball hard to against that wind! But it was fun! Today he has baseball practice and if the weather holds out I may go watch him practice. Sometimes it's fun to just get out and be outside! However, I sure am enjoying watching the March Madness basketball tournament! One of my teams lost last night :( Now I can just cheer for KU!!

Today's card was inspired by the sketch from Splitcoast Stampers. I started with my Crumb Cake, Basic Black and Vanilla theme but then I decided to add a little bit of color. And I have to say that I really like how this one turned out! It might be a favorite of mine! I just love this Fun Flowers die! It has so many possibilities and can be used in so many different ways! And I got out my jumbo eyelets (had to dust them off first - lol). But I need to get the instructions on how to use my crop-a-dile. I totally forgot!! Anyway, thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Bring on the Cake; Paper- Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, First Edition designer paper; Ink- Basic Black, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Fun Flowers die, jumbo eyelets, rhinestone brads, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, sponge, dimensionals

TSSC 165

Good morning, Friends! Boy, did I sleep a little late this morning! But I just could not get myself to fall asleep last night! So, instead of tossing and turning in bed and waking my husband, I got up and played around on my iPad for a while. Then I tried again. But, I still had trouble falling asleep. I bet I only got six hours of sleep - and that includes sleeping in! I hope that I am not worthless today! I tend to feel like I have a hangover all day. I hate that feeling! Maybe the sun shining today will help!

Today's card was inspired by Mary Jo's Monday lunchtime sketch. It was another great sketch for this week so I just had to try and find time to play along. I got my color scheme from the Color Coach. As I was putting it together, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. But I made myself finish. And, it isn't that bad! It made me get out of my "comfort zone". The colors used are Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Marina Mist and Old Olive. Well, thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Hope and Strength, Thank You Kindly; Paper- Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Neutrals designer paper; Ink- Marina Mist, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon, Marina Mist narrow taffeta ribbon, Tulip Frame embossing folder, 2 1/2" circle punch, scallop trim border punch, itty bitty punch pack, Little Leaves sizzlet, basic pearls, sponge, dimensionals

SFF 031811

Good Friday morning! Sketch Frenzy Friday is ready to challenge you with another sketch. Are you ready? This week's sketch is brought to us by - ME!! I came up with this week's sketch! So I do hope you will find time to play with us this week.

For my card I started with a card base of Pear Pizzazz. I then decided that I wanted to use the leafy stamp and the flower from Growing Green and watercolor them. So I used watercolor paper, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait markers and my aqua painter to watercolor them (I stamped them in Black StazOn). The flower was stamped on a separate piece so I could cut it out. I used my photo corners punch and punched out a corner from Concord Crush and glued it to the card. The leafy stamped panel is popped up as is the cut out flower. Then I stamped the leafy stamp in Pear Pizzazz on the side of the card and the greeting from Sincere Salutations in Concord Crush right over the top. I then added a line of basic pearls underneath. And there you have it! A nice spring card!

So now head over to Jennifer's blog to see what she did with the sketch. Be sure to click your way through the tour to get inspired and then create your project using this week's sketch. Upload it to the Sketch Frenzy Friday blog so we can all see! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Growing Green, Sincere Salutations; Paper- Pear Pizzazz, Concord Crush, watercolor paper; Ink- Black StazOn, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, Concord Crush; Accessories- basic pearls, aqua painter, photo corners punch, dimensionals

CCMC 142 Goes Green!

Good morning, Friends! And Happy St. Patty's Day!! Are you wearing green today? The Create with Connie and Mary team have decided to make this week's challenge a fun one to help celebrate the day - Go Green! That's right! It's a theme challenge to go green! This can be interpreted so many ways - recycling, green for St. Patrick's Day or just green in general. And there might be more ways to interpret this challenge. For me it meant to go monochromatic with green.

I started my card out with an Always Artichoke card base. Then I layered a Pear Pizzazz piece that was punched with the scallop edge punch. I then added another piece of Always Artichoke. Then I took some watercolor paper and stamped the leaf image with black StazOn from the Growing Green stamp set (very appropriate, don't you think) and watercolored it with Pear Pizzazz marker and an aqua painter. This is glued onto the Always Artichoke piece. Then I took a piece of Pear Pizzazz and used the banner part of the Petal Cone die and ran that through the Big Shot to cut the banner. I stamped the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Always Artichoke and folded the cardstock to look like a banner. I had to add two dimensionals to the back to get it to stand up like it is. There you have it! A super simple monochromatic green card! 

Be sure to check out the rest of the talented design team at Create with Connie and Mary! They will have even more ways to Go Green! Then make your project and upload it to the Create with Connie and Mary site. We would love to see what you do! And don't forget to use 100% Stampin' Up! products so that you can be entered into a drawing to win a FREE subscription to Create Summer Edition!! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Growing Green, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Always Artichoke, Pear Pizzazz, watercolor paper; Ink- Black StazOn, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke; Accessories- aqua painter, Petal Cone die, dimensionals

Diva Sketch Challenge 127

Good morning, Friends! I can't believe how fast this week seems to be going! Although, I keep thinking that I am one day ahead than we really are. I had to remind myself this morning that it was only Wednesday. That is a nice feeling. It has been a very nice spring break so far and I know that Nick is enjoying every minute of it!

Today's card was inspired by the Utah Divas International Diva Sketch Challenge (don't try saying that ten times fast - lol). Their blog is filled with all kinds of wonderful challenges. This sketch was a very simple one. I had actually made the flower a few weeks ago. I was in my stamp room and I wanted to try out this stamp set and coordinating punch. I bought these but hadn't really used them. So, I made up this flower and then didn't know what to do with it. Then, yesterday, I came across this sketch and thought that the two would go together perfectly! And here is the result! The flower comes out really big! Bigger than I ever would have thought! So that's what had me stumped after making it. Anyway, it was fun and I am glad I finally had a home for my flower - lol! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Bold Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Always Artichoke, Rose Red, River Rock, Very Vanilla, Vintage Springtime designer paper; Ink- Rose Red, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Springtime Vintage big designer buttons, build-a-blossom punch, scallop edge punch, linen thread, circle punch, sponge, dimensionals

Fancy Fold

Good morning, Friends! I hope you are all enjoying your week so far! I know we are!! Nick gets to sleep to noon and then do whatever he wants. He's loving it!! And, thankfully, the weather has been beautiful! It is supposed to rain on Thursday but we will see. That usually changes. Anyway, it is nice to be able to relax.

Today's card is one that I saw come through on one of the stamping e-mail lists that I am on. And I just cannot remember who it was from. I really hate it when I do that! She had given instructions for how to make this card, too. I altered them to make it a standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card but her instructions gave you the basic idea. I will have to do some research to see if I can remember who did it. Anyway, I thought it was a fun card! Different for me anyway. And it really is pretty easy. I am using a new set that will be available in the upcoming Summer mini catalog. This set is called Strength and Hope and for every purchase of this set, $2 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Breast cancer is a part of my family as my Aunt has had it twice and the second time she had to have a double mastectomy. There is also a beautiful digital download that goes with this set, complete with designer paper and embellishments and $2 will also be donated when purchased. Be sure to look for this beautiful set and digital download starting May 1 and let's help fight breast cancer!! O.k. I am off my soap box now :) Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Strength and Hope; Paper- Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla; Ink- Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake; Accessories- circle punch, scallop circle punch, basic rhinestones, sponge, dimensionals

Shoebox Project

Good morning, Friends! The first day of spring break! I think this time change is going to be harder for me to get to used to than I had thought. I still have a few more days to figure it out before Nick heads back to school. It looks to be a pretty quiet week around here. And I am happy for that! Nick didn't want to do the soccer camp that is being offered this week. And that's o.k., too. Now he will have time to play with friends and ride his dirt bike. Me? I hope that I will have time to stamp some. I tried yesterday but I didn't like what I did. I do need to do some laundry and grocery shopping. And it is time to go clothes shopping for Nick. Although I think that he is getting ready to grow another foot as he is eating like a horse!!!

Today's cards are ones that I have seen one different blogs. I just think they are so adorable! They are little butterfly easel cards! And they are really easy to make. These also make me think of spring and the great warm temperatures that we are going to have this week. I hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- none; Paper- Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Springtime Vintage designer paper, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, First Edition designer paper, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Sweet Stitches designer paper; Accessories- Springtime Vintage big designer buttons, Neutrals buttons, Sweet Stitches big designer buttons, hemp, (a sponge was used on the Crumb Cake butterfly)

MOJO 181

Good morning, Friends! Did you remember to set your clocks forward? We had a soccer game yesterday in Fort Collins and drove home afterwards. And now we get to enjoy spring break! Yeah!!! I am so thankful that the time change happened at the stat of spring break so that we can get used to it. The boys tied their game. My son, Nick, had the chance to make the winning goal but their goalie caught it. Ugh! I know that he wishes he could do it again but at least he gave it a really great try! I am really excited, too, as the March Madness bracket comes out today!

So, today's card was inspired by a sketch at Mojo Monday. This is really not my style but I thought I would try something different. Of course, I love the colors - lol! The sketch had these swirly things in the bottom right hand corner and I tried to pierce some swirlys but I don't think they came out very good. Anyway, I gave it a try :) Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Wonderful Favorites; Paper- Crumb Cake, Basic Black, First Edition designer paper; Ink- Basic Black, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Basic Black satin ribbon, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, black jewels, scallop edge trim border punch, 3" circle die, 1/2" circle punch, sponge, dimensionals

TSSC 164

Good morning, Friends! I am pre-posting this as I am in Fort Collins getting ready to watch my son and his team play their first soccer game of the season! We are very excited to see how they are going to do this season. And we are excited because next week is spring break!

Today's card was inspired by a layout from Mary Jo. Each week she comes up with some fabulous sketches! I don't always find the time to play along but I know where I can go to get some great inspiration! Anyway, this card is kind of a "two-fer". I got to play along with the challenge and I have some really good friends that are experiencing a great loss. So this card will go to them. Thank you so much for stopping by! It always makes my day to read your comments! Have a super weekend!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Thoughts & Prayers; Paper- Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla; Ink- Early Espresso, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories- Pear Pizzazz seam binding ribbon, itty bitty punch pack, basic pearls, Top Note die, Square Lattice embossing folder, scallop ribbon border punch, dimensionals

SFF 031111

Good Friday morning! It's time again for another wonderful sketch challenge at Sketch Frenzy Friday! Today's sketch is brought to us by Angela Walters. Great sketch with lots of possibilities!

It was hard for me to figure out what to do with those squares! I tried several things and finally came up with this. I think it turned out pretty cute. And I also got to use some of the totally fun pompom trim!! Anyway, I started with a card base of Tangerine Tango that I ran through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. Then I cut a piece of Very vanilla and four squares from Chocolate Chip and ran the squares through the Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, too. The Very Vanilla piece is popped up on the card base. Then I stamped the spools of thread four times on scrap Very Vanilla cardstock and then again on Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, and Wild Wasabi (once each) and cut them all out. This was probably the most time consuming part but it looks so great when you are done! The spools are popped up on the squares. The greeting was stamped in Chocolate Chip and is from the Thank You Kindly set. The last thing was to glue the Tangerine Tango pompom trim. And there you have it!

Now it is time to send you on to Jennifer's blog to see what wonderful creation she came up with for this sketch. Click your way through the tour to get inspired and then create your own project using the sketch. Upload it to the Sketch Frenzy Friday blog so that we can all see what you did! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Sew Suite, Thank You Kindly; Paper- Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla; Ink- Basic Black, Chocolate Chip; Accessories- Tangerine Tango pompom trim, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, dimensionals

CCMC 141

Good Thursday morning everyone! I hope that you are ready for a challenge! It's time for the Thursday challenge at Create with Connie and Mary! This week's challenge is a color challenge! This inspiration piece is beautiful! And the colors that Connie and Mary paired with it are Real Red, So Saffron, Crumb Cake, and Whisper White.

Hmmmm.... It took me a while to figure out what to do with these colors. The inspiration piece looks wonderful but whatever I tried to do didn't look so great. So, as you can see, I went really simple. No need to over complicate the issue - lol! So I started with a Crumb Cake card base. Then I took a piece of Whisper White that was cut down a little bit and stamped the flower images from Fifth Avenue Floral in Crumb Cake, So Saffron and Real Red. I also stamped one of the flowers on a piece of scrap of Whisper White in Real Red and cut it out. The greeting from the same set was also stamped on the Whisper White panel in Crumb Cake. I tied some Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon around the Whisper White panel and glued it to the card. Then I took my cut out flower and put some basic pearls in the middle of it (to cover the middle) and popped it up next to the greeting. Easy!

Be sure to check out the rest of the super talented team of designers at Create with Connie and Mary! They always have such super ideas! I love to see what they come up with! And remember, when you create a project following the challenge for the week with 100% Stampin' Up! products, you will be entered into a drawing for a FREE subscription to Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition. I can't wait to see what you do with these colors! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Fifth Avenue Floral; Paper- Crumb Cake, Whisper White; Ink- Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Real Red; Accessories- Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon, basic pearls, dimensionals

FTL 130

Good morning, Friends! I think the sun is finally going to shine today and it looks to be warm! Yeah!!! Not much going on around here. Just the usual soccer practices and an occasional baseball practice. The first season game for soccer is this weekend and we will be traveling to Fort Collins! We are very excited to get the season started! And Friday is the start of Spring Break! Nick is very excited about that - lol! He just needs to make it through today and tomorrow with the CSAP testing (a Colorado state standard test) and he will be good to go!

Today's card was inspired by the Fall-To Layout at Clean&Simple. I just love the colors on this card! Nice and spring-like! I also finally used the wide striped ribbon that I have had for months. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper- Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla; Ink- Melon Mambo; Accessories- Certainly Celery wide striped ribbon, Melon Mambo big designer button, Boho Blossoms punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Lots of Tags sizzlets, basic pearls, (linen thread to tie the button to the ribbon)

SSSC 107

Good morning, Friends! I was a slacker yesterday! Actually, it was Sunday that I was the slacker because I didn't get anything done to get ready to post for Monday. I had some kind of head cold or something. My ears were plugged and my head felt like it weighed 100 pounds! UGH! I felt that way a little yesterday, too. This morning it seems better so I am hoping...? Anyway, yesterday I did manage to stamp a little bit. I also had to do the laundry as my son had the audacity to tell me that the laundry was getting out of control! I told him that maybe he would like to learn how to do it? He backed off then. Ha!

Today's card was inspired by a sketch from Karen Giron. I thought this sketch looked so fun! But let me tell you, it took me quite a while to get those little rectangles 'just right'! And by the time I did that, I couldn't figure out exactly what I wanted in the bigger one - lol! I do like the way it turned out, though. It has been a while since I used this designer paper and I am definitely in the mood for some spring! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Growing Green; Paper- Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla; Ink- Chocolate Chip; Accessories- scallop edge punch, basic pearls, little leaves sizzlet, dimensionals

SAB Inspired

Good Sunday morning, Friends! It was nice to be able to sleep in a little! Now I feel like I have a head cold. Ugh! My ears are plugged and I have a headache. And I can feel sinus pressure. I hope this doesn't stick around. It's nice to not have anything going on till later when Nick has baseball practice. And it doesn't look like the sun will be coming out. Hopefully I will feel like stamping a little today. That sounds like fun!

Today's card is the last of what I came up with when I was at my friend, Becky's house. I was inspired by a layout in the Sale-A-Bration mini catalog. And, once again, it looks nothing like the layout in the mini. It also uses my favorite colors! It is hard to see but I stamped the top part of the dress form onto Very Vanilla designer paper from the Neutrals designer paper pack. I used the polka dot pattern. Just another simple card. I hope to find some sketches today that I can make some more cards. Thanks for stopping by! I really do appreciate it! Have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Sew Suite, Thank You Kindly; Paper- Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Very Vanilla Neutrals designer paper pack; Ink- Basic Black, Crumb Cake; Accessories- Basic Black satin ribbon, scallop edge punch, spiral punch, itty bitty shapes punch pack, basic pearls, sponge, dimensionals

Dress Form Birthday

Good morning everyone! I will be making this short as I still need to get myself and my son ready to go in a while. It's his last basketball game of the season. And as this sport ends he has already begun to practice soccer because the first game for that is next Saturday! Also, he has begun to practice baseball! The first tournament is still four weeks away but they need to get themselves ready! I didn't sleep much last night because I kept thinking about how this is all going to work. Maybe I should pray more? Anyway, I will just trust that it will.

Today's card was inspired by a card layout that was used in the Occasions mini catalog. However, mine is very different than the one in the mini and it looks like a layout that is used a lot (especially by me). This is one that I had made when I was visiting my friend, Becky, and I was getting frustrated that I couldn't come up with anything to make. I really like the bright colors and that is something that I don't do very often. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Sew Suite, Bring on the Cake; Paper- Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose, Very Vanilla, Sweet Stitches designer paper (on the dress form), Ink- Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose, Basic Black; Accessories- Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, itty bitty punch pack, basic pearls, dimensionals

SFF 030411

Good Friday morning everyone!! Sketch Frenzy Friday has another fabulous sketch for us! Tina Taves brings us this week's sketch.

I have to confess (and my friend, Becky, was a witness to this) that this sketch had me stumped! I was convinced that I "had" to use the Sew Suite stamp set. I tried twice to make it work and I just couldn't "get" it. So, I scrapped that and went in a totally different direction! I combined it with the LNS challenge to make a card (or project) with kids in mind. Now this card could definitely be used for any one but my son (11 years old) LOVES his dirt bike! And he often dreams of riding professionally. He loves it when I use this stamp set. And it makes me happy when he enjoys what I do. So I think that this turned out pretty great!

I started out with a card base of Not Quite Navy. The greeting, from the Full of Life stamp set, is stamped at the bottom with Basic Black and I stamped some stars from the Extreme Elements set in VersaMark around it. I punched stars out with the large star punch from Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, and Cajun Craze. Then I added a black brad. The focal point has the stamps from the Extreme Elements set stamped in Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze and VersaMark onto Crumb Cake cardstock. I also sponged the edges of this in Crumb Cake. This is mounted to a piece of Basic Black and then glued to the card. Then I stamped the Extreme Dirt Bike in Basic Black onto Very Vanilla and cut it out. It is popped up. I used glue dots to glue the stars down but the middle one is popped up.

Now I would like for you to click on to Jennifer's blog to see what she did with this week's sketch. Remember to click all the way through the tour to see the wonderful ideas and to get inspired! Then make your project and upload it to the Sketch Frenzy Friday blog so we can all take a look, too! I can't wait to see what you come up with! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Extreme Elements, Extreme Dirt Bike, Full of Life; Paper- Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, Basic Black; Ink- Basic Black, Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy, VersaMark, Crumb Cake; Accessories- black brads, dimensionals

CCMC 140

Good morning, Friends! We are having a fantastic week of fabulous weather! We just seem to be so energized because the sun is shining and the air is warm and there is a true hint of spring here! Yeah!!!

I am also excited because I was asked to continue designing with the talented group of ladies at Create with Connie and Mary! I am having so much fun with their challenges that I gladly (and quickly) accepted! Before I talk about this week's challenge, I would like to announce that Connie and Mary are going to be offering BLOG CANDY!!! We all love candy! If you have been to their site, you know they have a separate blog for their special projects. They did one for the Holiday mini catalog and they just recently finished a session using products from the Occasions mini catalog. As a design team member, I get a free subscription! Lucky me!! But guess what?! YOU can too!!! That's right! You could win a FREE subscription to their Summer Edition using products from the Summer mini catalog! All you have to do to be chosen for a free subscription is make a project following the challenge for the week and use 100% Stampin' Up! products! Connie and Mary will draw a name at the end of the month to win a free subscription! Every time you link a project following the challenge AND use only Stampin' Up! products, your name will be entered! So without further ado here we are with our first challenge for March - a sketch challenge! Check it out:

Isn't it super!! Clean and simple! This sketch really has so many wonderful possibilities that it was hard for me to narrow it down. But here is what I came up with:

I decided to make a set of note cards. All three cards have the exact same design, color, everything except the stamped image. I challenged myself to use the Clearly for You set. You know, I just "had" to have that set. Then I get it and can't quite figure out how to use it. So when I saw this sketch I thought that I could make these little note cards. The note cards measure 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". I started with a card base of Crumb Cake and sponged it. Then I added a piece of First Edition designer paper that I ran through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. I sponged all over this piece with Crumb Cake to highlight the embossing and edges. Be careful when you do this as the embossing weakens the paper considerably and will tear easily! Then I took a strip of Basic Black and punched the edge with the scallop edge punch and pierced each scallop with my piercer (hard to see this part). I also took a piece of Crumb Cake to layer on top, sponged it and wrapped a piece of Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon around that. Then I punched a 2 3/8" scallop circle from Basic Black and a 1 3/4" circle from Very Vanilla. The scallop circle also got pierced on each scallop (again, very hard to see). The vanilla circle got sponged and stamped with the image of choice. The scallop circle is popped up as is the vanilla circle. Then I stamped the greeting in Basic Black onto the card. The last thing I did was to use my paper piercing template and pierce a decorative corner. Here are pictures of each card:

There you have it! I hope that you take a look at the rest of the talented design team to see how they used this sketch. You can find their work and links to their blogs at Create with Connie and Mary. I do hope that you will find time this week to play along and share your project with us! Because when you do, you are entered to win a FREE subscription to their Summer edition using products from the Summer mini catalog! I look forward to seeing what you do with this sketch! Remember to use only Stampin' Up! products! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Clearly for You; Paper- Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, First Edition designer paper; Ink- Crumb Cake, Basic Black; Accessories- Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon, scallop edge punch, 2 3/8" scallop circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, piercer, sponge, dimensionals

Occasional Copy

Good morning everyone! Wow! I just realized we are already at Wednesday! So far so good on Nick's retainer! He hasn't lost it, yet! I told him if he could take care of it for this whole week there would be a surprise for him. Now I need to think of something. Hmmm.... Then, I think that I will push for longer to give him a reward, etc. Hopefully, that will develop into some good habits for taking care of it.

Today's card was inspired from a layout in the Occasions mini catalog. I believe the card in the mini uses the Create a Cupcake set and it is done in Rose Red. I really liked the circles in the background. So, while at my friend's house, I borrowed her Growing Green set. I love this set and don't own it yet. Since she let me borrow it, I will be making some cards with it. Anyway, I took the flower and stamped it in VersaMark on the Basic Black card randomly and embossed them in clear emboss powder. I thought, when I took the picture, that you could see it. But now I think that it is hard to see. Trust me. It really gives the card a very elegant feel. This really turned out to be a super easy card! Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Growing Green; Paper- Basic Black, Whisper White; Ink- VersaMark, Basic Black; Accessories- Basic Black narrow taffeta ribbon, clear emboss powder, corner rounder, basic rhinestones, dimensionals

Sew CASE'd Layout

Good morning, Friends! And Happy First Day of March!! It looks to be a gorgeous one around here! Just like yesterday! The nights still get plenty chilly but the days are just right! Nick got his braces off yesterday and is really enjoying that! And he looks really good! Now we wait till the rest of his baby teeth fall out and then he will probably have to have them put back on again but with less work that will need to be done. I am just praying that he doesn't lose his retainer!

On Sunday, I went to stamp at my friend Becky's house. Now, I don't know about you all, but it is really hard for me to just go stamp at some ones house unless I am working on a specific project - like a swap or something. I mean, I take what I think I might need and use but it never seems to be what I need. So I was getting frustrated. I did end making several cards which you will see during the course of the week and I forced myself to use what I had brought. And I did "borrow" a few items from my friend. The other thing I did was use layouts from the Occasions and SAB minis. This particular layout is from the Occasions mini. I love this layout! It is easy and fun and can be adapted to so many occasions. Thanks for stopping by and have a super day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Sew Suite, Bring on the Cake; Paper- Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Tempting Turquoise, Sweet Stitches designer paper; Ink- Basic Black; Accessories- scallop edge punch, neutrals buttons, linen thread, dimensionals