Here's the Latest Dirt

A glitch this morning . . . computer down.  Virus attacks my profile on the computer.  If it were just me, I would be paralyzed.  But I am lucky enough to have a husband who knows the ins and outs and got me back up and running. 

So here is my Mojo Monday submission . . .

Pattern paper is from a 6 x 6 pad of Amy Tangerine Sketchbook.  I adore the little big! 

Derived from the sketch below . . .

Supplies used:  Bazzill Cardstock, Amy Tangerine Sketchbook, The Twinery, Memory Box Die Cut, My Creative Time Die Cut, Fiskars Circle Punch, Great Impression Stamps, Copic Markers, Stazon Ink.

Sketchbook Saturday Challenge #69

Playing around with some scraps that I had for the Sketchbook Saturday Challenge . . .

I did a little paper piecing to come up with the card below . . .

I wanted to mirror my flower image from the images in the pattern paper, so I used a Unity stamp to make the flower and leaves.  I used Ranger's Inkessentials black enamel to do the center of the flower.  The bee's wings were stamped on vellum and cut out.  

Supplies: Bazzill Cardstock, Best Creation Pattern Paper, Unity Stamp, My Creative Time, Stazon Ink, Copic Markers, Inkssentials Enamel Accents from Ranger, Vellum

I Only Saw the Cupcake

The current JG Nook challenge was bedtime, bows, bling and a cupcake . . . and I mostly saw the cupcake.  I am not a huge fan of cake . . . but cupcakes are a whole different food group. 

And so I saw the cupcake . . .

And did my usual indented cut on the fold to hold my twin

Supplies:  Bazzill Cardstock, Best Creation Pattern Paper, Stamps from My Creative Time, Twine from The Twinery, Stazon Ink, Stickles, Copic Markers and buttons from stash.

The Play Date Cafe #141

Playing along with The Play Date Cafe. 

And I had some scraps in my stash that seemed to work.  I mixed them with DCWV pattern paper and came up with a little something . . .

Supplies Used:  Bazzill Cardstock, DCWV Pattern Paper, Die Cut from Quickutz (large scallop circle), Fiskars Circle Punch, Unity Stamps, Copic Markers, Stazon Ink, Stickles, KaiserCraft Rhinestones.

Hippo Hooray!

I created a little something for Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge.  This week's challenge was a color challenge (you can see those colors here). 

 And here is my design . . .

I used their Zoo Crew set . . . which is really cute, and the inside sentiment is from Metropolis.  I love how the foliage came out with the green ink. 

The pattern paper I used had little zoo characters, so I thought it all fit together well.  It's hard to tell, but the little guy below was stamped on the same dot paper that is showing on the strip above.  I made sure that the eyes were on the white dots.  

 Supplies:  Cardstock from Bazzill, Pattern Paper from DCWV and My Mind's Eye, Ink from Close To My Heart, White Pen and Copic Marker, Stamps from Paper Smooches.

CAS-UAL w/Crayons

I love my crayon stamp!  It was perfect for this weeks CAS-UAL Friday Challenge which was to use strips of color or pattern in your clean and simple creation.

I had strips of paper from a finished project, and the crayon stamp was calling my name.  

 

They are so cute.  And on the inside . . . 

I have some plans for this stamp set!

Supplies:  Cardstock from Bazzill, Pattern Paper from Bo Bunny, Ribbon from "my stash", Ink from Color Box, Stamp from Stamps of Life.  

100% Perfect Bouncy Blue

My goodness . . . one would think this was my first time posting a blog update with all the trouble I had hitting the wrong buttons.  I was clearly distracted (7:37 p.m. and I've not yet had dinner).

So here is inspiration from The Play Date Cafe this week . . . love the colors . . .

And here is a little something I whipped up . . . 

My colors are little off . . . but you can blame my printer . . .

And for the inside . . .

I love how this color combination worked, and it's a beautiful baby card . . . just needs a new baby to welcome, so hopefully someone will oblige down the road.  


Supplies:  Cardstock from Bazzill, Pattern Paper from Die Cuts with a View and My Mind's Eye, Ink from Stazon, Seam Binding from Close To My Heart, Stamps from Unity, Washi Tape from my person stash. 

A Little Whee!

I absolutely love this stamp.  I bought it quite a while ago, and never got around to using it.  Saturday was my play day, and when I found it I knew this was the toy of the day!  

A couple of things that I did a little different with this card.  First, I made notches on the front to secure my twine.  I just used a square punch to make the notches.  The twine won't slide, and it gives a really different look.  Second, I used Tim Holtz markers to make the designs on her dress.  Not something I would normally do, but I really liked the result and would try it again.

And on the inside, I brought in some of the paper (and you have that great twine running down the side).  

It all works, and it's a great message!  

Supplies:  Cardstock from Bazzill, Pattern Paper from 3 Bugs, Twine from The Twinery, Stamp from My Favorite Things, Pearls from KaiserCraft, Tim Holtz Markers, Ink from Stazon, EK Success Square Punch, Stampin' Up Flower Punch

Just Beachy in the Sun

Is it wrong that on some days I prefer the  beach below over the real one?  I have this hatred for sand.  Love the sun . . . love the sounds . . . don't like the sand.  It makes my toes cramp and sticks to everything.

That aside, once I'm there, if I close my eyes and block the sand out of my head, so relaxing . . . much like this little creation looks . . .

 

I've entered this into the July Cricut Chirp Challenge . . . which was to do a project (card, layout, etc.) that included a sun, glitter, and a smile of some kind.  Let there be glitter. 

Supplies:  Cardstock by Bazzill, Vellum, Die Cuts from Cricut Life's a Beach Cartridge (sun, shovel, pail and chair), Stickles (Picket Fence and Diamond), stamps from Peach Keen (face) and Clear and Simple (sentiment), Ink from Stampin' Up and Color Box (chalk inks). 

Sweet for Freshly Made Sketches

Another sketch challenge for me to play with, and for this one I stepped outside of the box.  I had this package of Doodlebug paper, stickers and embellishments that I decided to pop open to create some cards.  For the sketch, I decided to play around with Freshly Made Sketches #43 (click the link to open in a new window). 

Here is my creation for this challenge.  When I said earlier that I stepped outside of the box, I meant that I did not stamp!  I used stickers to create my front image (I had to stamp the sentiment on the inside, because my stamp addictive behavior just kicked in). 

 

Supplies:  Cardstock from Bazzill, Pattern Paper from Doodlebug, Stickers from Doodlebug, Sentiment Stamp from My Pink Stamper, Ink from Stampin' Up.

Favorite Color?

Go Fish Challenge #20 was to create a card using your favorite color.  Anytime there is a favorite color challenge, I tend to shy away because I honestly don't have a favorite color.  Is it just me?

I will sometimes go through a blog hop, and I find myself responding to people and saying, "That is one of my favorite colors."  Or in some cases, "color combinations."  After getting to the tenth stop on the hop, I realize that anyone reading my posts would think I'm some kind of freak!  Yes - I'm a freak for colors . . . I love them all!  There are some I don't like at all and would never choose, yet in the right combination, I love! 

So yes, I love all of the colors, and on any given day those combinations are going to shift.  So I tried to think . . . what is a color that I use a lot when creating.  I sit in my pink and green craft room, which used to be my daughter's room . . . and I never changed it because I love it.

So here it is . . . a thank you card in one of my favorite color (combinations) . . .

I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch for this design.  

Supplies Used:  Cardstock from Bazzill; Pattern Paper from Three Bugs, Punch from Stampin' Up, Ink from Stampin' Up, Pearls from KaiserCraft; Stamp from Clear and Simple.

And because I had extra paper to play with, I could not resist my color combination for a second card that turned out super cute.  I'll have to post that one on another day, so stay tuned. 

Treats for the Paws

By golly I'm excited.

While on Pinterest one night, I came across an awesome photo of little homemade ice cream treats for dogs.  It linked me to this awesome site for Bunny Roo Beagle.  Credit where credit is due!

Bunny Roo Beagle, my dogs love you!

So last night with ingredients in hand . . .

I set out to create some fabulous summer treats for my dogs, Samantha, Buzz, Charlie and Lola.  

 Aren't they fabulous!  Well the pups thought they were.  I made mine a little smaller, because I have a small audience.

And I got sixteen paws up . . .

 The picky one even LOVED it (that's Buzz top left).  Charlie barked for more (literally will have to catch the You Tube Video for that scene).  Samantha was her usual sweet stuff.

And Lola, well she stole the show . . . literally.  Show ends as Lola steals the treat.

She's never been much for sharing! 

Retro Sketch - My Mind's Eye Series

Another design using the same My Mind's Eye product.  This one is Retro Sketch.  The sketch . . .

I love the sketch.  It leaves a lot of white space, which for me can be a challenge. 

My design . . .

Rather than corner round, I used one of my Corner Chompers (angle cut).  I stuck with the hearts, but used less.  Instead of stitching X's, I did some pen stitching of my hearts and the plaid strip.  I also used a piece of a border sticker above where those X's were.

Supplies:  Bazzill Cardstock, My Mind's Eye Pattern Paper and border sticker (miss caroline), Close To My Heart Black Ink, Fiskars Heart Punch, WeRMemories Corner Comper, The Twinery Twine, My Creative Time Stamp (Bloom Where You Are Planted)

So Not My Colors; But They Work!

The real challenges for me are working with color combinations that are just "not me."  Nine times out of ten, I end up likin the colors in the end.  This was one of those times . . .which just proves that the experts who pick these inspiration photos know what they're doing!

Let me preface this by saying that the colors in the photos don't really do them justice.  

The inspiration from The Play Date Cafe . . .

My design . . .

I used an upcoming Mojo Monday sketch for this design.

Supplies:  Bazzill Cardstock, My Mind's Eye Pattern Paper (miss caroline), Stazon Ink Black, Copic Markers, Close To My Heart Color Ready Seam Binding, Unity Stamps June 2012 KOTM and Neopolitan Bisque Soup (Jillibean), Buttons from my stash, Stamping Up Scallop Border Punch.

Mmmm . . . Berry Sweet

My daughter bought some strawberries the other day, and they were so amazing.  I was literally satisfied by inhaling their sweet scent. 

And along comes my Unity Kit of the Month . . . and the challenge sketch . . . and leftover paper from a project and a card is born. 

And my design . . . which I flipped on it's side (because I can) . . .

I used three different stamps from the June Kit of the Month . . . the chevron stripe border which you can barely see on the red cardstock . . . the strawberry "you are so berry sweet" stamp (which I paper pieced using the dot paper) . . . and the strawberry border stamp which I used on the inside. 

On the inside piece I used an aqua painter to color the berries and leaves.  

A very sweet little stamp (pun intended)!  

Supplies Used:  Stampin' Up Cardstock and Designer Series Paper; Stampin' Up Inks; Close to My Heart Ribbon; Fiskars Circle Punch;  Aqua Painter; Unity June Kit of the Month

Mojo Monday Creation

My scrap stash didn't let me down today!  I had leftover Authentique and Bazzill cardstock from a project that I made a few weeks ago.  When I saw the Mojo Monday sketch, I realized it was perfect for my tiny scraps (which would have soon faced the garbage can).

The sketch . . .

And my design . . .

I really loved the end result, and I love that I didn't have to throw out my tiny little treasured scraps.  



Supplies:  Bazzill Cardstock, Authentique Pattern Paper, Ribbon Scraps from Stash, Beautiful Botanicals Stamp from Stepping Stones, Artichoke Ink from Color Box

Hello Chickadee

For the Card Patterns Sketch this week, I decided to take a few minutes to whip something up with my scrap stash.  I am always creating layouts and then saving my scraps.  I had some scraps left from a recent class I taught . . . some pattern paper and stickers from Authentique.

The sketch . . .

And my design . . .

Nothing fancy, and in some respects . . . it doesn't work, but it does work, but it doesn't work.  I have mixed emotions on this one, as I sometimes do when using up scraps.

Critters on the Farm from Lawn Fawn, coupled with Stamps of Life "Summer4Fun" (the sun).

Use your stash, right?

One interesting note . . . the scallop border is not a border.  It is the top of the heart punched three times and glued together.  Another way to use a regular punch to create a border.

Supplies:  Bazzill Cardstock, Authentique Paper and Stickers, Copic Markers, Stamps from Lawn Fawn and Stamps of Live, Fiskars Heart Punch

Magical Memories

I was recently charged with creating something decorative for displaying pictures of Disney memories.  It is for an upcoming class at my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co. in Canton, Connecticut.  It is a Disney Sampler Day, meaning that there will be three Disney projects . . . a layout . . . a countdown calendar . . . and a piece of wall art.  

I eventually decided to do a 7 Gypsy Artist Printer Tray for my wall art, which if you've not done before, are SUPER FUN!  I have done a few in the past, most recently was a Girl Scout one to honor a leader in our town who was getting an award.  I've done a Christmas one.  I've done a Family version.  So many possibilities (wedding, baby . . . whatever suits the mood).  But for this one, I went Disney all the way.  I used photo snippets of a trip we took in the 90's when my girls were little.  Such sweet magical memories.

I will admit I stressed over this project . . . getting it just right.  The end result was worth it . . . and hopefully the folks signing up for the class will enjoy putting their memories in the blocks of the tray.

Look at my little cuties . . . 

Some fun things I did within the design of the tray . . . embossing a stamped image in silver on the top left Mickey head . . . that sweet little picture of my girl on the steps of one of the houses in Toon Town . . . my younger daughter almost looking up to her older sister as they ride the carousel) . . . a tiny vial of "magic" with a stamped Mickey that was paper pieced . . . my Jar of Magic (very intense stuff there) . . . and my Mickey hand on an Action Wobble . . . one of our favorite pictures of my youngest hanging on a pole near the castle at the Magic Kingdom, which I put into another Mickey Head to balance out the first . . . and I topped it all up with torn fabric strips.  

The magic on the tray matches the magic of my photos!  I can't wait until this makes it back home and hangs on my wall.

And the best part . . . as I said . . . there are three projects.  The other two designed by others on our team are a layout (here is a snippet of one page - fun, fun, fun page) . . .

And a countdown calendar that can sit on a desk, shelf, etc . . . it has flip pages and the BEST PART . . . put photos on the back side and it doubles as a mini album on your shelf.  When you are not counting down to your next trip you've got photos.  But when a trip is a month away, flip the pages and start your countdown.  How fun for the kids to flip day by day!  A snippet (my bad photo taking skills cut off the number 31) . . .  

Each page is a different color and has a different design . . . all Disney!

Looking forward to the class.  Kits are also available while supplies last . . . so you can call the store if there is interest.  Best part about a kit . . . pieces with no thought, and your done. 

Happy Scrapping!