Oh So Succulent

I absolutely adore these new In Colors from Stampin' Up. I made this card for my stamp club's monthly sketch challenge. The challenge was to create a card with a die-cut edge and using this sketch. What a fun challenge!

Bee Mine

This was a card I made for my stamp club's monthly sketch challenge.  The challenge was a sketch plus a love theme for February, so I pulled out this cute little bee from Stampin' Up's Honeycomb Hello set and the hexagon hive thinlit also from Stampin' Up.  I layered the die over kite-string paper from Pink Paislee so it wouldn't be too pink and purple and girly for my hubby.  

PTI's Feather Finery

Today I have a card for you from Papertrey Ink's Feather Finery set.  I love this set because it can be used for so many things, plus I bought the coordinating dies.  Coordinating dies are changing the world!  They make dimension so.much.easier.  I stamped the feathers, die cut them, then used my gold marker to make the stripes and added gold sequins.  A girly card for one of the amazing girls in my life!  

OUAS August Sketch Challenge

This month's theme at Once Upon A...Sketch was "I'll Never Forget."  Uhh.  What a great theme right?  We scrappers scrap everything we don't want to forget, but this theme really hit home this time.  I knew the picture I would use right away.  October will be the first anniversary of my Grandad's death.  I won't go into all that he meant to me and my family, but I'm guessing that all of you who have THE most special grandparents in the world will understand.  Because he really was.  My journalling is on the tag under the picture.  It talks about how at my wedding, he didn't say much.  He never did, but he also didn't have to.  Doesn't his smile say it all?

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge #112

This week's challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to use green, aqua, and orange in your project.  I got some new ink colors this week and some new stamps, so I was thrilled to get to play along.  These are the new Stampin' Up In Colors, and I LOVE them!  I think you'll be seeing many more of these!  

Color Throwdown #250

I wanted to make sure I participated in this week's Color Throwdown challenge!  I knew I had the perfect papers and loved the combination!  Here is the original challenge:

And here's my take on it.  I was inspired by the collage-style cards in this month's Papercrafts magazine too.

Swim Chick

Well, for not being originally very inspired by these papers, I sure have been on a roll with them...in fact enough of a roll that I already have NO full-size papers left, just scraps!  (That's because I have more LO's that are already done that I will post another day!)  This one is another picture of the sun-bathing niece.  I love it!  I caught her just as she was coming up out of the water.  All of the materials on this page came from Simple Stories (oh plus a little bit of Stickles.)  :)

I'm also entering this page in the Challenge Me Happy final challenge ever, which is crazy because I JUST found their challenge site.  Like three days ago.  :(  Hopefully I'll be able to look in the archives for some good inspiration!

My Creative Sketches June Sketch Challenge

What a fun sketch last month from My Creative Sketches.  This is an old picture I've been wanting to scrap for a long time.  I know it's old because now she has freckles on her nose.  Aww.  The camera was seriously about 5 inches from her face, and she never even woke up until I poked her.  Why is it that sleeping animals and babies are so so so cute, but sleeping adults are so so so NOT.  Ugh.  Although you might get tired of me scrapping my pets, at least you get to see my kitty sleeping and not my husband sleeping...or me for that matter.  All I can say is a chin strap would be a good invention.  Whoa.  ;)

CAS-ual Fridays #107

This week's challenge was to create a CAS project that incorporated an arrow.  I am on a kick to get my favorite ever kit from American Crafts used up.  I know.  It's totally opposite of what I usually do; aren't you proud?  The tree stamp is from Papertrey Ink.  Now I have one YES ONE piece of paper left from this kit, so I'm off to have some fun with it!!!

CAS-ual Fridays #106: Over the Edge

I made this card for this week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge, which is to create a CAS card with a design element that goes over the edge.  I like really open challenges like this, so I got out my very favorite ever leaf die (seriously I use this die probably more than all my others combined!)  I love white and kraft together, then added a couple of elements from my new Bloomin' Marvelous set from Stampin' Up.  

Once Upon a...Sketch June Challenge

This month's challenge at Once Upon a...Sketch is to showcase your guilty pleasure.  Don't you just love that?  I loved looking through all the design team's guilty pleasures.  I actually felt a bit guilty doing it...like I was snooping or something!!!  

One of my many guilty pleasures is owning way too many crafting goodies.  I LOVE getting new stuff for crafting.  This picture is from Christmas this year, when I of course, got more!  This one is actually my Stampin' Up paper piercer, which I love!

Mojo Monday #298

Here is this week's sketch from Mojo Monday.  I love the little banners peeking out the side!

Here's my take on the sketch.  I used washi tape to make the banners and had to let my wild side out to get this one finished.  :)

Color Throwdown #247

I just found this fun challenge blog called Color Throwdown that uses Stampin' Up ink colors for their challenges.  How fun!  This week's challenge was to use real red, white, crumb cake, and night of navy (which I didn't have, so I substituted faded jeans.) 

I used my Stampin' Up paper piercer (which I am always thrilled to use!) to make the hearts.  Super fun!

CAS-ual Fridays #105

This week's CAS-ual Fridays Challenge was to incorporate a travel theme into your project.  I used a Tim Holtz cityscape with some Stampin' Up postcard stamps to make this card.  

The sentiment on the inside is "wish big."

A Day Late

I got all excited about The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge #167 which included using a window in your project!!  I just so happen to have this Cottage Window set from Stampin' Up, which I totally love but honestly don't use often enough!  I love it when challenges make me get something out that I haven't used in a while!

Anyway, I got all ready to link up...and the link had closed.  Talk about burst my bubble.  Moral of my story?  ACTUALLY READ WHEN THE CHALLENGE IS DUE.  Duh.  I don't really mind though.  I had lots of fun creating this card and pulling out something old but loved!

Case Study Challenge #142

This week's cards at Case Study were so gorgeous!  I was super inspired by Maile's card and the beautiful flowers!  I am more and more appreciating the CAS style when I really want to showcase a stamp set I love.  Which is totally this set.

This flower comes from the soon-to-be-retired (as in T-minus 5 days) Button Buddies set from Stampin' Up.  I used masking and some fussy cutting to get these babies on there, which took me, 2 but so close to 3 tries.  But it was oh so worth it.  :)

Smile

I don't have kids, but I'm so glad that I have two wonderful nieces who live just minutes from my house.  They make me smile every time I see them.  This picture is probably almost 6 years old already, but we always keep having fun together.  :)  

I used this sketch from My Creative Sketches for inspiration.

My Creative Sketches April Challenge

I had fun with this month's sketch at My Creative Sketches using last month's kit from My Creative Scrapbook .  This kit has grown and grown on me the more I've played with it.  Here is the sketch:

Here's my take on it:

I have been wanting to use this picture on a layout for AGES but the colors just weren't working for me with any papers I had until this kit!  Perfect!

This picture was taken when my twin nieces were 4 year old quesadilla addicts!  I think every time they came over, they helped me put the cheese on the tortillas.  Then one of them would open up hers and eat all the cheese off first!  Kids are so funny.  I love this memory!

Live...full of happiness...

I have been trying hard to challenge myself lately by using different design styles.  One of the hardest challenges for me would be to create a card that showcases my own design style because I really don't know what it is!  I love vintage and shabby chic, but my projects generally don't turn out all flowery and layery; neither do they turn out clean and simple!  That's why it has been so fun to experiment with using more of each of those lately!

This is a CAS card (obviously) that I made for the CAS-ual Fridays #100 challenge.  Their challenge was super fun and like nothing I've done before.

You had to use three in a row on the tic tac toe board to create a project.  Don't you love this idea?  I've used it in my classroom, but it never would've crossed my mind for a card!

I absolutely love this LIVE die but I honestly also forget I have it sometimes!  It was perfect for this project!

Time Flies

Hey!  Has it really been 3 weeks since I last posted?  Yes.  Has it really been 3 weeks since I last did some crafting?  Yes!  What?  I find that I have a very hard time...okay, impossible time crafting when I feel stressed then suddenly 3 weeks go by with nothing!  That's just life I think.  "Time flies" seems like the perfect sentiment for so many reasons.  I am planning to send this to one of my very best friends who I haven't talked to in a while.  It'll be perfect.

I made this card for the Shabby Tea Room Week #164 challenge.  The challenge was to use the colors in the photo they posted (seriously beautiful pinky purply lilacs in blue mason jars, gorgeous) along with lace, flowers, and ribbon.  How fun!

I also used the sketch from Mojo Monday #291 except that my card isn't round or square like the sketch.  (I think I won't be entering that challenge will I?)

On this card, I used papers from Pink Paislee and Stampin' Up.  Thanks for stopping by!