Maundy Thursday

Blessed Holy Week everyone.

Haven't posted since Saturday. Sorry about that. It's been a bit crazy around here, and for a couple of days, my mojo once again disappeared. It might be partially on its way back...While it was resting, I played along at several blog hops. One over at Avery Elle, one at Paper Smooches, and one at Simon Says Stamp. There are some lovely goodies at each hop, and new releases to drool over! Check them out.

Let's talk for a minute about patterned papers. I love patterned papers. No, it's beyond that. I have drawers full of papers of all patterns and colors. And boxes full of scraps of them. I simply adore them. And I don't use them nearly as often as I should. Today's card uses lots of patterns and yet, in my opinion, manages to still have a clean and simple feel. If you head on over to CAS(E) this Sketch, you'll find this fun sketch, and one I wanted to play with.

I don't know why I used yellows and grays, but these colors just called out to me so I just went with it. 

I used white Bazzill cardstock. All other papers are scraps, including the gray cardstock. The baker's twine is from We R Memory Keepers, the London Fog ink is from Memento, and the stamp is SU. It went together pretty quickly and I'm pretty pleased with the results. Happy dances everyone. 

Isn't it great when...

Isn't it great when you get your household chores and errands done and still have time to craft?! That was me today. I had an extra couple of hours with which to craft, and so I did. I'm still in the "no stamps" mode from the CASual Fridays challenge, but this card is a bit too busy to qualify for that. It does, however, fit perfectly with the Unscripted Sketches #203 Challenge! Pop on over and see all the wonderful interpretations the DT made using this sketch. One is more amazing than the last! Here's the sketch:

I can see endless possibilities with this sketch, can't you? So I made a really fast card. And as I mentioned, I was still in the no stamp mode. I guess I just wanted to stay out of the box for a while longer. Here's my card:

It went together easy peasy.  SU white cardstock base, W R Memory Keepers die cut, a scrap of OA dp, and some random ribbon. I rather like it, even if it is too busy for CASual Fridays. Have a blessed Palm Sunday tomorrow! 

Scrappin' the stash

I'm finding myself amazed at how much stuff I have in my craft room. Now, it's my own policy to recycle my clothes to Goodwill if, after 2 years I haven't worn something. Not so much with the paper crafting supplies. After thinking hard about the challenge over at CASual Fridays, and coming up with several small pings which I wasn't thrilled with, I slept on it. Then this morning, I had a bigger ping. The idea for this card just popped into my head. So glad it did. I scrapped my stash. Lately I've been trying to find and use things that have been taking up space carefully saved. In my big ol' box of rub-ons, I found exactly what I wanted. Gotta love it when that happens!

Being a scrapbooker, I don't have any problem not using stamps. I used rub-ons. Yep. Whatcha think?

I thought about coloring the poppies a bit, but loved the look of black and white. I really like this card. It only took a couple of minutes to make. Beside the SU white cardstock base, the poppy rub-ons are from American Crafts, and the sentiment is from Cloud nine. That's it. Can you believe it? Happy dances.

With a Song in My Heart

There's a film from 1930 called Spring is Here. In that film is the song, written in 1929, With a Song in My Heart. Now I can't recall seeing the film, but for some reason, I know the song. Must be one my mom sang when I was little. But in spite of the way I know that song, when I saw the cue card over at CASology, it came into my head. Just the song, not a card idea. Then, as I was falling asleep last night, I had another Ping moment (hi Darnell!) and thought of this card.

Really CAS, really fast to make. SU white cardstock. Computer generated font, a Stickabilities music note sticker, and a random heart sticker from my stash--and it's waaaaaayyyyyy old. Probably more than 10 years. Knew  I saved it for something special. Happy Dances.

10 minutes

Ten minutes to make a card. I know, I know...Usually we spend lots of time getting cards just right. Sometimes, we put them aside and come back to them when the mojo isn't quite up to snuff, almost there, but not quite right. So when Paulina challenges us to make a card in under 10 minutes, it really is a challenge! But I'm here to tell you it can be done. Pop on over to the 10 Minute Craft Dash and check it out--the projects there are wonderful, and all done within the time limit. The colors chosen for this challenge called my name. And they would not be ignored! See...

Yummy, aren't they?! So "how do you make a card in less than 10 minutes" you might ask. Here's my best advice. First of all make the whole thing in your head down to the smallest detail. Then gather absolutely everything you need to make the card. Do a practice run if you're worried you can't do it in less than 10 minutes. Once you are comfortable, set your timer and go! 

This is mine. A bouquet of roses. And yes, I made this in under 10 minutes. Just barely...9:58. Whew!!! The longest things to do on this card were the roses. Stamping and cutting them out took 4 minutes. But I didn't panic, I just kept on going. Three quick passes in my Big Shot went fast enough, as did the adhering of all the elements, except those roses...Those took the next longest. But I still got it all done! All the paper were scraps, (yeah!!!) Doodlebug twine, DeNami roses stamp, PTI Birthday Basics sentiment, SU big die and ink, and Sizzix leaves die. Happy Dances.

Happy Spring

Well, at least the calendar says it's spring....Couldn't tell that spring has arrived if you step out the door today. Cold (18 degrees) and windy here, but at least the sun is shining. We're supposed to warm up all the way into the high 30s by the weekend. However, you know what they say about the weather in Wisconsin..."wait 5 minutes and it will change". The sound you hear is my foot tapping, waiting...and waiting...and waiting...

Enough weather report! On to the Muse Challenge.  Marion Vagg has created our inspiration card, which has a warm spring-like feel to it. It's happy, and I do love happy cards.Check it out:

Are you playing along? Well you really should. I know you can get those ideas to come together. And it's a great way to use up those pesky little scraps of colors that you love and can't bear to recycle. It's what I did. Blues that remind me of the water of Lake Michigan on a summer's day. Calm. Thoughtful. The kinds of colors that make you *sigh*. And here's what I made:

As I said, all the blues, and the white leaves are scraps. The card base is SU. Sizzix die. PTI Tag-It 3 stamps, and Memento London Fog ink. That's it. Go forth on this spring day and dance happy.

Darnell's back!

Just in case no one has noticed, Darnell is back! Sure seems like you had a great time with family, and that the Mister took care of things for you, my friend. We, out here in blogland, missed you, it's official, and we're glad you're back. Stop by Darnell's blog and wish her a welcome home!
I think I've finally got that virus licked. I actually felt like doing something when I rolled out of bed this morning. So I scoped out Paper Smooches Sparks, and this week it's a color challenge. Cool shades of this to be exact:

And it just so happens that Paper Smooches was/is having a sale on some of their 81/2x11 paper packs, and wouldn't you just know, I happened to order some with each of these colors in it! PS very kindly named these specific packs Beverly and Lily (after us I'm sure *wink*), and since one of my little granddaughters is named Lily, it was a no-brainer for me to get these two packs. (Obviously there are more colors than what's showing..) Had to put them to use for this challenge!

Photo colors didn't translate well. Again. Pooh. So anyway... SU white cardstock and black ink. PS cardstock, and stamps Eco Friendly for sentiment and sun, with Hot Concoctions for his smile. A few blings from Momenta, and some random ribbon and orange vellum. The little sun is pop dotted up. Happy dances everyone.

A quiet Sunday afternoon

So here we are. On a quiet Sunday afternoon. Had a small relapse of this viral thingy after Sunday school; not sure why. But I am trying hard to get over this....Thought a bit of fun would help the situation. So I made a card for my dad. He's something else. 83 years old and still going strong. This past Tuesday he had carpel tunnel surgery, and sometime in the near future, he'll have cataract surgery. I made a little get-well card for him since I couldn't be with him. He'll think it's cute--anything his girls do is good with him.

I've never played along with One Layer Wednesday, which rotates among a group of super card makers. This time the great and wonderful Ardyth is hosting. She's chosen a color theme, and it being St. Patrick's Day, the colors are green, white and orange--the colors of the Irish flag.

At first, I made a card all masked off using flowers. Hated it. Rethought it, and came up with this.

One layer. Just like the rules say. One fixed-up piece of cardstock. Cool. Harder than it looks, but quick! October Afternoon duck stamp, SU cardstock, ink, and markers. Computer generated font. Kinda cute, don't ya think? Happy dances everyone. 

Getting back on track

I'm trying to get my life back on track. After a weeklong virus, things have gotten out of hand, especially my crafting. There is housework and laundry to catch up on, and I've got to get the pertinent Sunday school pages photocopied and ready for tomorrow. And because, like you, I have an ardent addiction passion for cardmaking, I want to get back to that as well. Before I actually felt well enough to make anything, I noticed that there was an Emphasize the Negative challenge over at Moxie Fab World.  So I mulled over my idea for a while, and came up with this.

Here I emphasized the negative spaces on multiple levels. The blue is actually the topmost layer, and the red under layer is emphasized with cut letters and crimping. The red layer is further emphasized by the repeated phrase you did it underneath that, at the lowest layer of all. I think it will make a fun graduation card.

Everything but the star stickers (Sticko), and the white card base (SU) are scraps and bits. Dang I love that!! So, happy dancing everyone.

Better

That's how I feel today...better. Got hit with a virus that knocked me for a loop, and today I'm finally feeling nearly normal. Not quite 100%, but it's so good not to feel bad. Starting slow. Made a quick little card for CASology's 35th challenge. Extra-Terrestrials. You know, ET....

Wanted to send a card off to a granddaughter who's a smidge lonely while away at college. She'll be fine for sure in the fall when a sister joins her, but wanted to let her know that we're thinking of her.

I started with SU base and black ink. The moon is an enlarged sticker from OA; I copied it in black and white which gave it these nice gray tones. The navy cardstock is just a scrap (yay!). The little alien is from Bobunny, and I used a flag stamp from an OA set. A few dots of stickles and that's it. Happy dances everyone. 

Quick Play

Got way lots to do today, and I've got some sort of sinus/allergy thing going on and all I do is cough, cough, cough. It's annoying more than anything.
Have you seen the inspiration photo over at Runway Inspired Challenge? Have a little peek...

Now, in my younger days before children, I might have worn this, but I'm fairly certain my mom would have never let me out of the house in this outfit as a teenager. Today...not so much. Still the colors and patterns are such fun I knew I wanted to play along. No pings however. Then this morning, over at CASual Fridays, the challenge is to use color blocks.

When I put the two challenges together, the ping made an appearance.

This was fast, easy and fun to make. SU white cardstock base and ink. Scraps (yay!!) for the rest, Hampton Arts Ki Flashback Collection sentiment stamp. And two little black blings from Want 2 Scrap. Easy Peasy. Happy Dances!

Hunny Bunny

If you don't like bunnies, just skip the rest. This is my all-time favorite little bunny stamp. And wouldn't you just know it, but CASology's cue card for the week is "bunny". Who knew??!! Naturally, I just had to try and come up with something. I have to tell you to head over there (just click on the link) and check out not only the DT's super-de-dooper creations, but there are an amazing bunch of cards by other players. Drop a little love on your favorites while you're over there and then come on back here.

I adore clean and simple challenges. Focused elements and lots of beautiful white space. Perhaps one "froo" is alright, but definitely not "froo-froo". I can't do froo-froo very well anyway, so CAS is perfect for me. This is my sweet little bunny:

Now, isn't he just the cutest little thang! Once I thought I lost him. Couldn't find him for two days, and tried to order another set...discontinued, and none to be found. Panic mounting, I searched until I found him. Whew!! He was worth it. Now for the deets, which are relatively few. SU cardstock and black ink. Color Box pink ink, sentiment stamp is from PS Eco Friendly set, my hunny bunny is from We R Memory Keepers Cottontail set (there are three little fellas in the set, but haven't even inked up the other two...), a scrap piece of green fluffy stuff, no idea where or when I got it, but can tell you it's ooolllldddd. And last one little pink bling from Want to Scrap. Everything's popped up. And I'm pooped out. Happy dances everyone!

Muse2

Am playing again at Muse. After I went and got a new phone this morning, I drove up to see my friend Sharon, who owns My Paper Playground. (Hi Sharon!!!) I picked up some kraft paper, and a just a few things (a new PS stamp set, which I'm dying to ink up!!!), then I popped back home. Naturally, I had to play because the drive home gave me an idea.

I know, if you've read my last post, that I've talked about Laurie Willison, but my friends, check out her inspiration card below, then at some point go and visit her blog. Seriously.



And my second card looks like this:

Kraft paper from Sharon's store (everyone in the area, go and visit!!!!), washi, HA floral stamps, SU inchie stamp and black ink, CTMH bamboo, and Stampabilities white ink. A random flower tied into some Karen Foster's twine. Fishtail flags from MFT. Happy dances.

Snow much fun....again

March is coming in like a lion, a really big lion. Here in the Midwest there's more snow, though right where I live, they've downgraded it from 10" to only 6". It's blowing like crazy however, so I'm really glad I don't have to go out today. That makes it a good day to play in the craft room. There's a new challenge over at Muse, with Laurie Willison's wonderful inspiration card:

Uh-huh. That Laurie. Another incredible card--she is amazing. Great inspiration What a sweet color palette to work with. Mine's a bit different...

I have to warn you, my only camera is dying. I had the opportunity for only one shot before the darn thing went all crazy. My camera is my iPhone, and if the roads are good tomorrow, I'm off to the store to get a new one. So today, you'll just have to bear with me.  I flipped the card sketch, putting my floral/circley element in the lower half of the base. I used a circle mask and stamped with the small flower from TAWS Awesome Blossom set using different pressures/amounts of ink right on my SU card base. That ink is CTMH bamboo. The sentiment is from PTI's Birthday Basics. A smidge of washi, a dash of apricot ribbon from American Crafts and more scraps of black and white. I like the crisp edges of all the elements. Nice and clean. Happy dances everyone.

froo froo

First of all, froo froo sounds funny. It reminds me of Adele something-or-the-other from second grade when I lived in Wichita, Kansas. Adele was one of those girls in my class. You remember the type. Perfect...perfect nose, patent leather shoes that never scuffed, never one hair out of place, Polly Flinders dresses EVERYDAY, ruffles and bows, lace on her ankle socks, jewelry (on a second grader????!!!!, okay this was the '60s), and could do everything sweetly, nicely, and perfectly. Then there was me...tomboy. Tanned, rough, wore Keds tennies, climbed trees all the way to the top, one hand-me-down Polly Flinders dress in my whole wardrobe...and too good for school--Sunday best...Anyway, I digress. Adele was froo froo. And I think I must have channeled her today. To my dear CAS friends out there, I'm sorry. Couldn't help myself. Blame Adele. Why have I discussed froo froo in so much detail, you ask? You'll find out later in this post. But you know froo froo is not really me...

I have several little girl babies in mind for my creation coming right up. I love playing along at Unscripted Sketches. The sketches they share are way fun. This week is a celebration of sorts for them--their 200th sketch! Woohoo, and congratulations US. Anyway, it's a piggyback challenge to make something other than a card.

This is my take:

Can you tell it's a photo frame? Hope so. This nearly made it to the recycling bin at least twice...just the frame, not my creation. I went on a 3 stop scrapbook store bus trip with my sister, my niece, and a friend in November. At one of store's make n takes, we got this frame, sagey green and black paper, doo-dads...only my little group didn't really feel like making, just taking. It has been in my craft room waiting, and like I said, nearly hit the bin twice. Well, after church today, I got out my pinks and blacks and such and made this. I couldn't do the roses or lacey thingys or a bazillion diamonds; that would have been waaayyy to creepy to my CAS brain. So this is about as froo froo as I can get these days. Just pray for me, pray that I don't channel Adele too often. 

Now for the deets:

The pink dp is from Teresa Collins, the herringbone is from Michaels, and the teeny polka dots are scraps. The black ribbon and the silverish flower are from that make n take, the heart is some chipboard from about 8 years ago, the "sweet girl" letters are doodlebug rub-ons, and the pink pearls are ZVaCreative. Now that I've rambled on enough, I need to go scrub something, or haul something, anything to de-channel Adele. Happy dances everyone.

Friday Frolic

The frolic part is now over. I got to play all morning (after the newspaper and exercise), and now it's time to get to work around here. John's got a new desk coming, and I have to do some cleaning out in order to make room. I get his old one in my craft room. Extra work space is always welcome.

Lucky me. I have two nieces who are both expecting in June/July. One is having a girl, the other a boy. I wanted to try out some baby cards for when the little ones arrive, and this is my first one. I'm playing along over at CAS(E) this Sketch, with this very fun sketch.

I went with pinks. Might try again tomorrow (or later today if I finish my stuff) using white. And blue. Gotta try a boys card.

All paper are scraps (yipee!!!), even the card base. The sentiment is SU, the xo's are from Avocado Arts Sweet Treat Sweetie, I free cut the tulips from dark brown scraps. Great sketch to work from. Happy dances everyone.