Tulip Joy

Today's card was my final contribution for the April Verve Sketch challenge. I really enjoyed creating the cards for all 4 sketches. Amber does a great job creating the sketches each week! I didn't win this month but I guess that means I'll just have to play along again next month!

I started creating this card based on the papers I chose. They are from the Sharon Ann collection from Little Yellow Bicycle - so pretty and spring-like! The image is from Watercolor Garden II from Stampin'Up! and is one of my favorite flower images. Of course, I had to include a little butterfly too!

Have a great weekend!
Sarah

Stamps : SU! (Watercolor Garden II and Sentiment)
Paper : LYB DP, PTI(White and Pink)
Ink : SU! Basic Black, Rose Romance, Certainly Celery
Accessories : SU! Scallop border punch, EK Success small butterfly punch, SU! small oval punch, white ribbon from Michaels

Citrus Get Well (Mojo136)

Good morning all! Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday?

This is my contribution for the Mojo Monday sketch #136. Teresa challenged us to use the round or square sketch, but I combined them both on the same card! The DCWV Citrus Stack was the inspiration for my color choices and I needed some more 'Get well' cards so that dictated my sentiment.

Here is the sketch :

I used a pearlized white scalloped notecard from Archivers for the scalloped circle background. I don't have all the Spellbinders dies (I wish!) so sometimes I have to be a little creative with the shapes I use! I had to play around a little bit to get the color just right for the border on the small scallop circle - I tried various VersaMagic chalk inks but in the end I used a Tombow marker.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah

Stamps : Inkadinkado

Paper : PTI (white), SU! (Pacific Point, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie), DCWV Citrus Stack DP

Ink : Staz-On Black

Accessories : Border Punch, Medium Scallop Circle Punch, White Ribbon from Michaels, Tombow Marker

Birthday Origins

This was my parents final choice for a friend's birthday card (after telling me that lavender was an 'old lady color' - see yesterday's post!) I had not used my Basic Grey 'Origins' DP 6x6 pad before and I was not sure how I would combine the patterns without them being too busy. The design was based on a sketch from the new PaperCrafts Go-To Sketches book - wonderful inspiration that I will be using for a long time to come!

Have a great evening!
Sarah

Stamps : Hero Arts
Paper : SU! Basic Black, PTI White, Archivers Olive Scallop Notecard, Basic Grey Origins DP
Ink : SU! Basic Black
Accessories : Prima Flowers, Basic Grey Brad, KaiserKraft Pearls, White Ribbon from Michaels

Lilac Avenue Birthday

This weekend I spent a lot of time in my closet. Of course I was making cards but I was also trying to organize my supplies in a more orderly fashion. I think I made some progress but I am going to have to donate some unused or little used items to one of my stamping friends.... A sign that I have been hoarding too much, I'm sure! : )

This is one of my weekend cards. My parents wanted me to make a birthday card for one of their friends in Britain but when I showed them my design they said that in England purple was seen as a 'old lady color'......!! Anyhoo, personally I just love this KaiserKraft DP - it's called Lilac Avenue and the 6x6 paper pad has some beautiful patterns - embossed and glittered, as well as some tags and accessories. I wanted to create a dreamy kind of flower on the front so I found this flower image from Stampendous and stamped it in Memento Chalk ink. The layout was inspired by a scrapbook sketch in the June issue of Creating Keepsakes. The finishing touches are KaiserKraft rhinestones and I punched the small butterfly from more of the Lilac Avenue glittered paper.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Sarah

Stamps : Stampendous (Flower), SU! (sentiment)

Paper : KaiserKraft Lilac Avenue DP, PTI (White), SU! (Basic Black)

Ink : Memento Chalk ink, SU! Basic Black

Accessories : KaiserKraft Rhinestones, EK Success small butterfly punch, QuicKutz cookie cutter label die

Inspiring Teacher

Good morning everyone! It's Friday..... !! : )

My creation today is a card for my son's Kindergarten teacher. She is the best teacher in the world! Both my older sons had her for their first year of school and I hope that next year my youngest will be in her class too.

I have to admit that this card is inspired from a design by Amy Sheffer from a few days ago. If you have never seen her blog then you should go right on over to Pickled Paper Designs after finishing here - you won't be disappointed, I promise!

These beautiful school theme papers are from TCP Studios. They were on sale in Michaels and I knew they would be perfect for a teacher appreciation card. The girl reading the book is a stamp from the 'I {Heart} Books' clear set from My Favorite Things. I used PrismaColors to bring some life to this cute girl and then paper pieced the image using very fine scissors (she took a while to cut out and I was afraid I was going to loose her head a few times!!!!!).

Here is a close-up :



The sentiment is absolutely perfect for the teacher that this is intended for - she really is the best of the best and she really is inspiring :




Have a wonderful weekend,
Sarah

Stamps : MFT (Girl reading book)
Paper : SU! (Bravo Burgundy and Cream), TCP Studios School DP
Ink : Staz-on Black
Accessories : PrismaColor Pencils, Spellbinders Label Die

Each Morning that greets me....

Today I don't have a card for you, something a little bigger than that (!) I have just finished reading a book by Paul D Tripp called 'A Quest for More' and the final chapter had the most awesome poem written on the last page. I just had to create a framed version of it. I typed the poem out in Word and printed the poem out on SU! Whisper White CS. Then I lined up the poem with a QuicKutz Cookie Cutter Die and ran it through my Epic Six. My selection of Bo-Bunny Flutter Papers was still in a jumble on my desk so it seemed most natural to use it to clear a path to a clean(er) desk again. Of course, I couldn't resist using my new butterfly punch and some pearls too!

Here is a close-up of the butterfly :

For those of you interested in the text of the poem, here is a close up of that too :

I hope you enjoyed a little change from the usual card today!

See you tomorrow,

Sarah

Paper : SU! (Chocolate Chip, Whisper White), Bo Bunny (Flutter Butter DP)

Accessories : Marvy Embossing Butterfly Punch, SU! Scallop Border Punch, KaiserKraft Pearls, Prima Flowers, QuicKutz Cookie Cutter Scallop Die

Sweet Mojo # 135

My card today is my contribution for the Mojo Monday Sketch #135. I bought these cute DCWV Sweet Stack papers yesterday from Michaels and couldn't wait to get home and try them out! They are so yummy and delicious looking - really candy sweet and full of chocolate colors. The image in the oval is a paper pieced image from one of the papers in the stack - my stamping is not that good - YET! LOL... : ) Unfortunately the photo does not show it too well, but the pink paper on the right is glittered and embossed and looks even better in real life.

Here's the sketch I worked from :



Thanks for dropping in!
Sarah

Stamps : Stamping Bella (sentiment)
Paper : DCWV Sweet Stack, SU! Chocolate Chip, PTI White
Ink : SU! Chocolate Chip
Accessories : Spellbinders Label Die, SEI Button, Small Scallop Border punch, Pink Ribbon from ACMoore

My Family DP Obsession

OK, so I have an obsession with the new Fancy Pants 'My Family' DP! Yesterday's card used this paper and I have now created two more. The left hand picture is for Jen's SFYTT and I am considering whether the right hand one could be used for the April Verve Challenge on Splitcoast.

Here is a close up of the first one :



And now you can see the second one :



Maybe I'll post a card using different papers tomorrow - you never know!

Have a wonderful day!
Sarah

Birthday Card Supplies
Stamps : Hero Art (Sentiment), SU! (Flower)
Paper : PTI (Blue), SU! (Old Olive, Cream), Fancy Pants (My Family DP)
Ink : SU! (Night of Navy, Ruby Red)
Accessories : EK Success small Butterfly punch, Marvy large Butterfly punch, Scallop border punch, navy ribbon from Michaels

I Can Do All Things Card Supplies
Stamps : Verve (Scripture verse)
Paper : PTI (Blue), Fancy Pants (My Family DP)
Ink : SU! (Basic Black)
Accessories : Scallop Border punches, Ek Success Small Butterfly Punch, K&Co flower, Spellbinder Label Die

Butterfly Smiles

Today's card is quite simple and easy to make. I used some new supplies that I got at Archiver's yesterday - Fancy Pants 'My Family' DP and a new embossing butterfly punch. I have had my eye on these papers online for a while and couldn't wait for them to arrive in the store! The design is based on a card I saw in the April/May issue of PaperCrafts.

Thanks for dropping in!
Have a wonderful day,

Sarah

Stamps : SU! (Sentiment)
Paper : SU! (Night of Navy), PTI (White), Fancy Pants (My Family DP)
Ink : SU! (Old Olive)
Accessories : Marvy Embossing Butterfly punch, corner rounder, KaiserKraft Pearls

Razzleberry Verve

Today's post is my contribution to the Vive La Verve April 2010 Challenge from week 2. I turned the sketch 90 degrees and used a little artistic license with the color. I used the pink from one inspiration room (and made it more purple!) and the black from another inspiration room! I just love these Verve Scripture Verses that I have.

Here's the sketch and the inspiration rooms :

Have a great weekend!

Sarah

Stamps : Verve (Sentiment)

Paper : SU! (Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black), PTI (White), Making Memories DP

Ink : Staz-On Black

Accessories : Spellbinders Label Die, Cricut Machine Oval, Prima Flower, Basic Grey Brad

Feel Better Teapot

I have been sending a lot of 'Get Well' cards recently and I needed to come up with some new feminine designs that did not include Prima Flowers (I'm running out!) This teapot is a digi stamp from KLM designs. This is the first time I've tried using a digital stamp so I wasn't sure how it would turn out. The paper is from Basic Grey's Nook and Pantry collection and reminds me of my Grandma's lace tablecloth, perfect for serving afternoon tea!

Enjoy!
Sarah

Stamps : KLM Designs (teapot), Inkadinkado (sentiment)
Paper : SU! (Chocolate Chip and Mellow Moss), PTI (White), Basic Grey Nook and Pantry DP
Ink : VersaColor Pigment Black
Accessories : PrismaColor Pencils, Fiskars Lace Border Punch, Spellbinders Label Die

Rejoicing Strawberries

Today I wanted to post a card that did not use PrismaColor pencils - I have been using them a lot lately and I needed to challenge myself to create a card using a different kind of image. These strawberry stamps are from Stampin'Up! a LONG time ago, maybe more than 6 years, I think! I used VersaColor pigment ink in Olive and Burgundy and embossed them using clear embossing powder to give them a juicy effect. They look good enough to eat! I hand cut the berries & the leaves and I then layered them using foam mounting squares. Here is a close up of the strawberries :



The sentiment is a Verve Stamp and the papers are from the Lemonade Collection from Basic Grey.

Enjoy your day!
Sarah

Stamps : Verve (sentiment), Stampin'Up! (strawberries and leaves)
Paper : PaperTrey Ink (White), SU! (Old Olive), Basic Grey (Lemonade DP)
Ink : VersaColor Pigment Ink (Olive, Burgundy and Black)
Accessories : Spellbinders Label Die

Mojo134 Butterfly Note

My card today is based on the Mojo Monday sketch #134, created by Teresa Kline. She is so creative and imaginative with her sketches! Great work, Teresa! If you had not noticed, I seem to have a thing with butterflies at the moment, to me they just shout "Spring is here!"

Yesterday I received some new cardstock from PaperTrey Ink and wanted to incorporate it into my card. I chose Ocean Tides, Summer Sunshine & Cream and combined them with SU! Not Quite Navy and My Minds Eye 'At Home' DP. The Butterfly is on loan to me from my good stamping buddy, Liz - I really should buy my own set of butterflies and return this one!

Here is Teresa's Sketch :



Thanks for dropping in!
Sarah

Stamps : Hero Arts (Butterfly), Stampin'Up! (Sentiment)
Paper : PaperTrey Ink (Ocean Tides, Summer Sunshine, Cream) SU! (Not Quite Navy) and MME At Home DP
Ink : Staz-On Black
Accessories : PrismaColor Pencils, Ribbon from Jo-Ann, Fiskars Border Punch

Flutter Butter Sympathy

Good morning everyone!

Today's card is a creation based on Jel de Muro's Sketch for You To Try. I have had a pile of Bo Bunny's Flutter Butter DP in my closet for a long while now and love it so much that I have had a hard time deciding to use it! But I took the plunge and this is what I came up with. To begin with I was not sure if it was too busy with so many patterned layers (be honest in your comments girls!) but after changing the strip across the bottom (originally it was a a striped pattern) I was happier with a Chocolate Chip piece with the pearls.

Here is the sketch that started the design :



Thanks for stopping by!
Sarah

Stamps : Stampin'Up!
Paper : SU! Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Bahama Breeze, Bo Bunny Flutter Butter DP
Ink : Chocolate Chip
Accessories : Spellbinders Label Die, KaiserKraft Pearls

Precious Friends

Hey everyone, it's Friday!

Today's post is a card using some papers that I discovered in my collection last night from K&Company called Blue Awning. I had been looking at these on line and was thinking of purchasing them but to my surprise discovered that I had some in my stash already. (Although, what does that say about my 'stash' - that it is so big that I don't know what I have, or that it is not organized very well??!)

I decided to try an experiment with one of my Quickutz dies in my Epic Six. I cut a cream label using the label die and then just cut off the portion that I needed to make a border to sit underneath the striped border. Then I used one of the Spellbinders label dies to cut the shape for the sentiment. Recently I had to purchase a new cutting mat for my Epic Six and it seems to be thicker than the original one, which affects the way the shapes come out of the machine (not embossed around the edges as they were when using the original cutting mat). To add some extra detail to the edges of the label I used Night of Navy chalk from my Stampin'Up! pastels set.

I hope y'all have a wonderful weekend. (Those of you who know me will laugh at that y'all reference.)

Thanks for hopping over to my blog today!
Sarah

Stamps : Inkadinkado
Ink : Memento Chalk Ink
Paper : SU! Old Olive, Night of Navy, Cream, K&Co Blue Awning DP
Accessories : Spellbinders Label Die, Quickutz Label Die, SU! Pastels

Mojo133 Sweet Treat

Hey everyone!

Here is a little contribution for this week's Mojo Monday sketch from Verve Stamps. This week sketch has the added incentive of a prize from Verve Stamps! I don't have many Verve stamps so I'm hoping to win some (wink, wink!!!).

Here is the Mojo Monday sketch for this week :



I finally broke into my 6x6 Basic Grey Sugar Rush pad - I just love the color combinations in this collection. The cupcake and sentiment stamps are from Stamping Bella that I purchased last week whilst visiting Toronto. What a fantastic store they have - great selection girls! Now my white cardstock needs to be upgraded! For all my layered cards I need to acquire some stronger white cardstock and I hear PaperTrey Ink has excellent 100lb weight cardstock so I may be paying their online store a little visit later on!

Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!
Sarah

Stamps : Stamping Bella
Paper : SU! Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Grey Sugar Rush DP
Ink : Staz-On Black
Accessories : PrismaColor Pencils, Spellbinders Rectangle Dies large and small, Ribbon from A.C.Moore

Razzleberry Trust

This card is based on a sketch from the new Paper Crafts Go-To-Sketches magazine. It is full of fantastic ideas. I couldn't wait to try out the new Basic Grey 'Green at Heart' papers and they coordinate beautifully with the Razzleberry Cardstock from Stampin'Up! The brads in the middle of the Prima flowers are actually from the Basic Grey 'Eva' line but they still blend in with the rich purple and green colors.

Stamps : Verve
Paper : SU! Razzleberry, Whisper White, Old Olive, Basic Grey 'Green at Heart' DP
Ink : SU! Basic Black
Accessories : Spellbinders Nestabilities Label Die, PrismaColor Limepeel Pencil, Prima Flowers, Basic Grey Brads, SU! Elegant Eggplant Marker

TCP Celestial Tea

This card is based on The Cat's Pajamas color challenge from last week using green, black, red and yellow. (Again, I would add a link here if I knew how!) I know, I'm a little slow with some of these challenges! For my inspiration I used a box of Celestial Seasonings Chamomile Tea! It took a while to get the sentiment label just right. To begin with I just had the white Spellbinders label with a very small sentiment but it looked lost. My husband (!) actually gave me an idea for the sentiment to make it bigger and more prominent.

Here is the box of tea that I used for inspiration :

Stamps : Stampin'Up! (Joy and Swirl)

Paper : Basic Black, Old Olive, More Mustard, Ruby Red DP from Stampin'Up!

Ink : SU! More Mustard Classic Ink, White Craft Ink

Accessories : Spellbinders Label Die, Cricut Machine (for oval), KaiserKraft Pearls, K&Co Flowers, More Mustard Stampin' Marker, PrismaColor Pencils

Pink and Chocolate Thoughts of You

This card was based on the papers and colors that I used last week on my Mojo Monday card. I have fallen in love with this butterfly stamp and can't seem to stop using it. The satin ribbon is a really beautiful muted pink but I'm not sure the true color comes through in the photo. I have been experimenting with different settings on my camera to take better shots of my cards - it's a work in progress and I guess if you follow this blog for long enough you should (hopefully!) start to see some improvement as I learn how to use my camera in a more detailed way.

Stamps : Hero Arts (Butterfly), Inkadinkado (Border and sentiment)
Paper : KaiserKraft (patterns), SU! Chocolate Chip and Whisper White
Ink : Memento Chalk ink, Staz-on Black
Accessories : PrismaColor Pencils, Scallop border punches, Circle punch, Scallop circle punch, ribbon from A C Moore.