Sick of my challenge cards yet?

These are two cards I did today. One is a challenge using a list of items and only items on that list. That is the Sunflower card. The other one is to use a punch to make an image. I used a circle punch to make petals for a flower. Both challenging and very different outcomes! Oh by the way the circle flower is from a paper piecing book so I've been told. I have seen some cute paper piecing images! Anything from teddy bears to Easter bunnies to flowers and then some. Enjoy :)

Woo hoo!

I am so excited! One of my cards I made for the VSN weekend challenge won! The best color combo for the pop-up card category. I used apricot appeal, green galore and only orange and it did actually work together! The reason I used it was because the hostess said she wanted to see bright and cheery colors to remind her of Summer since it was cold and snowy where she lives. How bright can I get? LOL, BRIGHT!

Also, here are two cards I have done for this weeks challenges, one is the color challenge: cranberry crisp, cool caribbean, more mustard and old olive. The other is the sketch challenge and I was going for the "clean and simple" look. Used my Cuttlebug of course! Love those embossing folders and actually loving the dies too! The colors for the sketch card are cameo coral, certainly celery and bashful blue. I haven't done today's challenge yet, had too many things going on today and tonight I am going to Super Suppers to make 6 dinners, checking it out for the first time. So maybe later or tomorrow!

Casing my favorite SCS'er

If you read my blog regularly you will remember a few weeks back I made a white card with a turquoise circle with the Happy Harmony flowers in it and said I cased it from scrapstampindiva. Well this week's featured stamper is her! Kendra! So I got to case a card of hers for the challenge :) You just have to change two things about the card. So here is mine above. I changed the colors, the stamps, the orientation and added glitter. I like her cards so much because they are balanced, clean, colors are used well and her style is so professional looking. She also has a great way with layers.


Here is hers: Daisy Wish and Her gallery is: scrapstampindiva
Hope you enjoy!

Stamp Vacation..sorta

I decided to give the Splitcoast Stampers VSN weekend a try. VSN=virtual stamp night well actually it was 2 nights. Friday night until midnight and Sat from noon to midnight. (EST) Every hour on the hour a new challenge was posted. Either a card or some other paper craft to stamp. You had to follow the guidelines and make it in 45 minutes. Then you posted it. I actually did most of them! I had the time, the family was fed and busy so with the exception of an hour on Friday and an hour or so on Sat. I did the challenges. I must say I have never done anything like this before and it was really awesome for my creative cravings. It is funny, and please don't get me wrong, but it gives me such energy and happiness to create things that this was so indulgent for me! Some of the things I made weren't great but the point was to do them in 45 minutes so I was honest and did. I might go back now and add something to some of them but I wont repost them, I think that would be cheating :) So here are the pictures of my favorites and then one of all of them. Whew, it was tiring! A whole lot of fun!

Scrapbook Layouts

Here are some that I have had lying around waiting to finish. All they needed was journaling and embellishments. That is my hard part, I can do the paper and the layout and the pictures but then I am stuck. I am noticing though I need to be more creative with my titles. Seems like all the magazines show that as the highlight of the page, fancy fonts, different fonts for each word and different sizes. I like my Printmaster program for my titles as it is easy but I might have to start putting more effort into it. I am just too lazy to get all fancy like that LOL! I mean I can do that with my program I just can't print it directly on the background paper unless I cut it to 8 1/2 inches wide! NO, not getting a 12 x 12 printer. So looks like rub-ons etc. for me. I do stamp them on occasion too but I don't like to as I like the letters perfectly lined up and I don't have the patience to do it right. HMMMM perhaps that is why I do so many cards? Quick and easy! Oh and the instant gratification thing, I'm liking that about cards. So there they are, done anyway and I am happy about that. Going to try some of VSN on Splitcoast this weekend, maybe I will post what I make!

Christian Themed Swap

I joined another swap, this one for Christian verses. I have the perfect stamp that I haven't used yet. Yes, can you believe Ms. Frugal bought a stamp and hasn't used it?! I just knew an occasion would come up for it and well, as usual, I got in on sale :) So anyway back to the card. The sketch challenge on SCS this week gave me an idea, make the panel so that you can remove it and use it as a bookmark! Ha! I quickly put it together and I must say the whole look of the card is better in person. The background is embossed with yes, the Cbug and you can't really see how pretty the embossing is with the picture. I used the slot punch on top and bottom of the panel so it just slides sideways and then you have the bookmark!

On another note I am NOT happy with Survivor! I am glad they mixed up the groups, that brought some excitement but otherwise I am not thrilled with anyone in particular. Of course one of my 4 people got voted off last night, there are two completely annoying people that have yet to be voted off - gee I wonder why? It is just not the same as last season, or any other season for that matter! Funny how that goes. Anyway I have to make 3 cards now for my person, I only have two left! Not doing so hot am I? Oh well :)

Lookie what I was just told...

One of my cards is featured on another blog! How exciting! It is called Craft Critique and they are having a fabric challenge. I used my Cuttlebug to cut fabric to make flowers for this card. Craft Critique Fabric Challenge Carnival. I checked out the site and it is chock-full of information, cards, ideas, different crafts etc. Amazing! A lot of hard work has gone into it! Anyway I am excited so check out the site and see my card under Paper Sunshine!

Also here is a card I made for the technique challenge on Monday. My husband says it is the nicest card I have ever made. Wasn't that sweet? It is pretty, the challenge was to use only brown and vanilla. The background swirls and the big flower were stamped in Vanilla Craft ink then embossed with clear EP but the vanilla kind of disappeared in some places. The die cut corners are from the Cuttlebug as well as the frame around the words. The stamp set is "doodle this" and I just got it over the weekend :) My new favorite! Off to do the sketch challenge.

Spring Trees and the Weekly Color Challenge

OK two sort of diverse subjects! I keep thinking when I am driving my lil one to and from pre-school that I ought to bring my camera and get some pictures of these awesome Bradford Pear trees downtown. I also wanted to get pictures of the Forsythia's outside our neighborhood. So today I brought my camera and well I didn't get out of my vehicle to take the pictures so they will have to do :) Even though I would like to do that I feel stupid standing there with a camera as all these people go by! Anyway I wanted to share the first bits of Spring here.

For the other part of the subject, the Color Challenge is on Tuesdays and I have it done! Here it is and the colors are: really rust, brocade blue and marigold morning. I used my Cuttlebug yet again, I use it every day (that was part of my deal with myself to buy it). I did the embossing on the white background, die cut the flowers and tag.

Off I go to 'play', I am outside in the back yard while the lil one is in the sand box having a blast burying and finding 'treasure' :) Got to be grateful for beautiful days like today!

Working on Invitations

My son's 5th Birthday is fast approaching so I decided to make his invitations this year. I have to make at least 20, possibly more! One of those things where you invite the whole class so no one gets their feelings hurt, but it makes for a lot of work. Oh well, that's ok. I have started an assembly line for it and will work on it a little each day. I did print the inside part so no stamping there! The design of this card is someone else's sorry I don't know who though or where even. I used the frog and different colors than the one they used. Should I put googly eyes on the frog? Or is it overkill? I am afraid of over-doing it! Oh and when the invitation part is pushed in all you see is the front and the yellow circle area, pretty cool idea. Ugh, the picture is blurry but I don't have time to retake it.

Back to Color Challenge

The color challenge on SCS on Tuesday this week is: so saffron, really rust, chocolate chip, cool caribbean (I can thank SU for learning how to spell caribbean right LOL!) and old olive. By the way, I have found tempting turquoise a better match than bashful blue for cool caribbean. I don't have the ink for it, just the paper and those have both been suggested for substitutes. Took a few minutes to figure out this one but it actually turns out to be a great combo! I made the cowboy card for the challenge and then liked the colors so much I went back and made the mouse card, just for fun! I saw the chocolate saying stamp on sale and picked it up, couldn't resist as I have several friends who are choco-holics! I am not :( gives me headaches. Of course I find plenty of other things to be obsessed about! Like COFFEEEEEE. Got to have my coffee!

OH! before I forget, if anyone reading this would like their blog linked on this site, let me know and I will add it! email me at lorki7@yahoo.com or post a comment here with your blog address. I would like to have a nice list, I see so many blogs have good lists but I am not sure if everyone wants to have their blog linked! Let me know!

For the Soldiers

So I am sitting here at Gymnastics and they just got wireless Internet! Woo Hoo so I am able to upload these while here! Oh happy day, let's go to gymnastics every day now! I saw a blog where they are collecting cards for soldiers serving in the war. I have been wanting to make some for them and didn't know where to send some so I was thrilled to see this! So here are some of the ones I made, they are supposed to be 'thinking of you' or 'thanks you' cards. I made a couple if some of them want to send to kids :) Afterwards I though I should have made more since a lot of soldiers have kids! Maybe the next go 'round. I sent some others that were nice that I made a while ago. Hope you enjoy!

More Get Well card

And possibly the last, I may have enough now. One of these is for the sketch challenge. The yellow and purple one :) It was the fastest sketch challenge I have done! it just came together super easy. This week is flying by! The weather is simply gorgeous too. It is 82 degrees out and was 80 yesterday, no humidity yet either. I took the lil one to the park today and just enjoyed sitting in the sun and not baking or freezing! Spring is here! Although from what I hear we are going to have a cold weekend, lows close to freezing, which is going to feel just wrong after this week! Not putting the winter clothes away yet!

Some get well cards

I made some get well cards for my mom, she isn't sick - these are for her to send out :) She wanted cheerful, I hope I achieved that! I am going to make a few more then send them all to her. I know she is wondering when! The rose card layout is a case but the stamps are all different and I added the get well soon tag, the other one is as far as I know is my original design. Love the tags the Cuttlebug makes! Still waiting for the embossing folders to come in. The colors are as follows: apricot appeal-pixie pink-gable green for the rose card and bashful blue-pumpkin pie-apricot appeal for the flower can card. I also used some stickles glitter on the rose, it helps!

Card done late at night

I stayed up with my older son until midnight last night while he finished his thesis paper for school. So why not make a couple of cards? The white one is a total case from one on Splitcoast by scrapstampindiva. My only difference was putting some glitter on the flowers. Isn't it an elegant card? I was so impressed with it. The other card is made from scraps from the card I did on Saturday's blog. It is a case of a card by laurie_c_moran. I never try to claim a card I cased as my own creation however sometimes I forget to give the person credit. The little tags are from my new Cuttlebug :) I wasn't home most of today so no creations for today but tomorrow is color challenge day, my favorite!
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Edit: Just found the blog of the gal who designed the white and blue card! Oh my she is so talented! Scrapstampindiva her blog is called Inkin' It Up. Just wanted to add that so I can give her proper credit!

Bright Card Crazy

I have been a card making fool today! The bright color category challenge has so totally inspired me. I have done 8 loads of laundry, made chili and gone to run errands and still made 5 cards today! So here they are, whew! Time to go to bed. Oh most are inspired by this kid's clothing magazine I received in the mail today - C.W.D. Kids. Cute clothes! The palm tree and turtle is straight from a little boys shirt! The flower from a little girls shirt.

Get Well Card

One of the gals in my Stampin Up! Demo's monthly card class had surgery yesterday and I wanted to send her a get well card. So with that in mind I looked at the challenge for the day which was use material on your card. Well my friend (who is the demo) graciously gave me a ton of Club Scrap paper and in it are some fabric sheets. I thought this would be great to use with my new...... Cuttlebug! YES! I did it, I thought long and hard about this and it is the only one of these type things I have ever wanted - because of the embossing folders. So anyway, back to the challenge, I used a flower die and cut the flowers out of the fabric, three layers, and used a brad to hold it to the paper. While I was at it I used this awesome ribbon that actually inspired the rest of the colors for the card! Ta-Da! Bright and cheery and hopefully she will like it :)

Happy St. Pats, a little early

I made this card for today's sketch challenge and wanted to make a card for St. Patrick's Day coming up so this is what I came up with! I didn't have a lot of time, actually I had a little over an hour! One of the fastest cards I have made. Good night!

Wondering...

If anyone reads this blog? The reason I wonder is some days I am tired and I don't want to blog and want to skip a day, but I told everyone I would upload every weekday. So I am. But, if it isn't looked at every day, I could skip a day now and then :) Today is color challenge day and I made a card for the collection I am making for my mom. Now I will see if she reads this! She doesn't know it yet but I am making a bunch of cards for her to use for her friends. She mentioned she would like some. I have all these challenges I am making cards for and then I don't know what to do with the card. I just put it in my box of my handmade cards. So why not take a picture and give it away for good use? I am making them 'thinking of you' or 'get well' or things like that. Unless she reads this and requests others! So here is today's colors: saffron, rose and celery.

Monday, yet another week

Amazing how weeks go by, one after the other same old same old. Swimming lessons, school, therapy appointment etc. today. Repeat of the last umpteen Mondays. OK so I need to get off this subject fast! I am grateful for my life and family, don't get me wrong :) I was going to post the card I made for the sketch challenge but I posted it to my gallery on Splitcoast (feel free to click the link on the left side of my blog to see it) and I am thinking wasn't one of the reasons I started this blog was so I wasn't going to be uploading to so many places? I have to decide where to upload! So for today here is a picture of Chloe, with the frizzies. Her hair was all staticky so I took a quick picture. She is a pretty girl.

Friday

I spent most of the day painting at the school again and am tired. However, one of my 'people' got voted off Survivor last night and I had to make 3 cards for it. I don't mind making the cards but I am bummed at who was voted off! I thought she would make it, she certainly was strong enough physically and mentally. Oh well this is partly why I like Survivor, unpredictable! So here is my card for it, I made them tonight and will mail them tomorrow. No moss grows under my feet! TTFN! (ta-ta for now)

Seasons

I saw this in the current Paper Crafts magazine and had to make it. Besides I have a ton of chipboard coasters to use up! Next I am going to make a mini-scrapbook with them. I searched the internet for the poems, it's too bad you can't read them in the picture! I think that's what make it. This is all for today, I removed wallpaper and painted at my son's school today and am pooped so no crafts today!