Peace - Hope - Joy

Anyone else worried about just now starting on their Christmas cards? Heck, I am still trying to figure out what kind of cards I am sending out.



Option 1:









I like it. Don't love it and think perhaps it's a tad too plain. I can't have too many layers because the boyfriend has a HUGE family which we must all send cards too. It's definately an option though.


The Deets:
Stamps: Hero Arts Creative Trees, So Many Sayings - retired Hostess set
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black and Bashful Blue markers
Misc: Bashful Blue striped grosgrain, Glassy Glaze enamel

wooohooo..gotta love a long weekend

i actually was able to participate in Beate's challenge this weekend!!!

as always...i had no clue where to start and somehow came up with this!



i definitely heart it! my girlfriend jenny has birthday june 6th, i believe, and since i'll be in vegas then, i figured now is the time to make the card because up until vegas we are busy, busy, busy.

a couple of notes:

1. there was NO stamping involved. can you believe it?
   
2. the letters are heidi swapp plastic letters that i have had for ages!! they compliment this card perfectly, i think...
   

hope she likes it!

The Deets:
Paper: Sahara Sand, Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, Ginger Blossom DSP
Misc: Heidi Swapp plastic letters, Sakura Glitter pen, Round Nestabilities, SU mat pack

just because

i've been using the In Colors a lot lately, mainly because they are about to retire and i want to deplete my stash, but man...groovy guava is beginning to grow on me!



i did this challenge for Sharon's No Time to Stamp challenge, and the only requirement was that we had to include a bug. what's more fitting than a ladybug!




the only problem i had is that the stamp is a tall and thin image...what a struggle to find out a layout that works with this! not too bad...i was going for something else but came out with this. not a love, but not bad either. actually...the more i am looking at it, the more i am beginning to like it!

The Deets:
Stamp: Random Thoughts by CTMH
Paper: Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, Ginger Blossom DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Copics: R27, E33
Misc: River Rock ribbon, flowers by MM, rub on by SU!

ThankYou

A co-worker of mine, who is actually based in India but is frequently here on business, always brings me back something and this time, she had this man write my name on a piece of rice!

can you imagine!? i can't. anyways, this is the card i created...


i knew i had wanted to use another one of my new Sassafraslass stamps, and after taking a peak at the color challenge today, thought why not?! i love the way it turned out..a tad off center but oh well...

hope you like it!

The Deets:
Stamp: Sassafrasslass "Freshly Picked"
Paper: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Sky, Certainly Celery
Misc: Blue Bayou Ribbon, Basic Grey Rub-on

whoo loves you...

isn't this just an adorable card?! after spending the majority of the weekend trying to figure out how to incorporate 3 panels into my card, this idea just popped into my head this morning and within 15 mins, i had my card put together.

The Deets:
Stamps: Sassafraslass Oliver and Co., Hero Arts (the tree)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Carmel, Old Olive
Paper: Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
Misc: Rub-on from October Afternoon

Kristina's Color Inspiration #9

oopppsss..i think i posted this late. i honestly thought i had till tomorrow..oh well, it's still a pretty card and i'm all prepared for my gf's, melissa, birthday June 6th.

how often do i wait till the last minute to make a card? too often! i really hate running to Hallmark buying a last minute card when I have all the stuff needed to make my own.

anyways, back to the topic. this weeks colors were:


don't you just love them?!




i knew i wanted to use this paper the minute i saw the color challenge...i struggled a tad with my layout but i'm digging it. i usually don't do such dimension but i love the feel to it. oh, i did use this border stamp from Hero Arts which is nothing but circles and unfortunately this photo doesn't show them very well. it does add a nice touch in real life.

although the more i look at it the more i am thinking of peanut m&m's...i should probably stop now.

The Deets:
Paper: Real Red, So Saffron, DSP from American Crafts
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Stamps: Hero Arts
Misc: chipboard from Basic Grey

Mother's Day cards

a tad late, but better late than never.

the first one is for my M-I-L who is very traditional and I thought this was perfect for her.



The Details:
Paper: Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, LeJardin DSP
Ink: So Saffron, Old Olive
Stamps: Happy Mother's Day by Savvy Stamps, frame by Sassafrass Lass
Misc: Old Olive Ribbon

now for my mom's card...she's more non-traditional and loves an Asian Flair, and this is what I came up with...




my mom loved it!!! absolutely loved it and that was pretty impressive since she doesn't think much of this whole paper crafting thing. also, you can't really see in this photo but i used my spica glitter pen in the middle of the flowers.


The Details:
Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Eastern Elegance DSP
Ink: India Ink
Copics: W3, YR00, RV11, R32

i'm really into Very Vanilla as my base, it's so much softer but still a great neutral compared to Whisper White.

ok, on that note....talk to you later!

ssnotime34

When I first read this challenge, i was like...oh great, i'm horrible with sewing and even faux stitching. i always think it looks so fake! but while going through my sketch journal, i came across an older sketch where i thought the faux stitching would look fabulous on and it did!!!!




at first i was torn between this and another sheet of paper but then became stingy and decided to go with this one, since i didn't love it, but now looking at my card...i love it!!!

unfortunately there is a small ooppssie on it, other parts of the rubber got some ink on my card...=(


also, a note about the flower chipboard..i first tried inking it with normal ink (i don't own any of the craft inks besides Very Vanilla and Whisper White, but that might have to change since I've been using chipboard more. it adds a cool sheen you don't get if you don't emboss it) but the color came off very dull. then i inked it with versa mark and dabbed the flower with pastels and that worked much better! after that i stamped it with versa marker and embossed it. i'm definitely totally loving embossed chipboard...now i just need to stop hoarding it!!!

isn't it fabulous?! i used to hoard all my cards but lately, i've been giving them away and this one is going to a coworker who brought me back a bracelet from her trip to china. hope she likes it!

The Deets:
Paper: Old Oliver, DSP from American Crafts
Ink: Night of Navy, Versa Mark
Stamp: Stitched Ribbon by Hero Arts
Misc: Chipboard flower from Basic Grey, rhinestone brad from $1 Spot at Target, Felt leaves from $1 Spot at Target, thanks a bunch! rub on by SU! SAB set

whoot whoot.

as much as i love patterened paper, if you don't use of all if at once, which hey..we normally don't, the scraps just seem to FLY AROUND everywhere! and that seriously annoys me.

i wanted to create a thank you card for a co-worker of mine who really has gone above and beyond what others typically do, so i came up with this.



the 2007 In-Colors are almost near retirement...I'll be so sad to see Wild Wasabi go! I think this is my number 1 favorite green! I typically try not to stock pile but I just may have to for this color.

the inside says: thank whoo for all that you do!

The Deets:
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip, DSP - K. Marcella
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Stamps: Hero Arts
Copics: YG03, G99, YROO, W3
Misc: Wild Wasabi Ribbon, punch

SSNOTIME33

another one! i feel very lucky to have had the time to spend stamping as much as i did this weekend. it definitely helped that yesterday the weather was hit or miss all day.

the only rules were to use: pink, green and flowers!


although, this isn't a typical card of mine, i had to use these stamps. i bought them a year ago from a friend who is a CTMH consultant and they've been sitting around forever, UNINKED! plus, i wanted to spend some more time playing with the copics. practice really does make perfect and hopefully i can attend the certification class in chicago in july!

The Deets:
Paper: Whisper White
Stamps: Wonderful Charms, What A Great Day
Ink: Basic Black, Orchid Opulence, Chocolate Chip
Copics:R27, R32, YG03, G99, B32, B37, V04, V09, B01, Y13, C0, W3, YR00, E29
Misc: Mat Pack from SU!

WSC #46

wow....who's on a roll this week.... i even got to participate in beate's weekend sketch.



i just love this card! i really struggled with the sentiment because i just couldn't find the right sentiment or placement..so I resorted to rub ons! this one is from the Sale-A-Bration set.



Also, here is a close up of the base layer. I really think this is what made me fall in love with this card, it just adds that little something extra..


Did you see the score lines on top and bottom? Well...I accidentally scored my card wrong, and before I was going to waste any cardstock, I added a score line to the bottom of my card and voila....it looks intentional!


The Deets:
Paper: Chocolate Chip cardstock, Petals and Paisley DSP from SEI
Stamps: CTMH
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Rub-Ons: Sale-A-Bration set
Misc: SU mat pack, Dew Drops

kids birthday

April is the kick-off for children birthdays in my circle of friend, which means it's given me plenty of time making kid cards. somewhat difficult since i don't have that many stamps geared towards younger ones, so it may be time start looking into some. any suggestions of favorites for little boys? yes, unfortunately only one of my girlfriends has a daughter which means i can stock up on elzybells!

with that, this card was for Sophia, she turned 3 yesterday.



i chose this particular card for wyatt because his mom sent out invites stating "their little monkey was turning 1!" I'm a tad bummed about the eyes, i had meant to buy those wiggle ones but never got around to it and then just had to use my signo pen to make little white dots. i must add those eyes to my shopping list next time I'm at the store.

a few notes on this cards because i don't think the picture shows this: the 1 was die cut from the cuttle bug then colored with Marvy Wet Looks embossing markers. as a precautionary measure i did go over the 1 once more with the Versa-Mark pen and then embossed. also, the branch as well as the monkey are popped up with dimensionals.



The Deets:
Elzybell card:
Paper: Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Regal Rose
Ink: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, India Ink Black by Superior
Stamps: Elzybells Birthday Girl, Stampendous Little Sweetie
Copics: Y11, E00, RV11, R32, R27, W3, C0
Other: Coluzzle, Brad from $1 section at Target

Monkey Card:
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Bashful Blue, Green Galore, Very Vanilla
Ink: Green Galore, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Stamps: Autumn Leaves clear stamps, Amuse Stamps - Grazz, Spring Solitude
Other: Fiskars Grass Scissors, Cuttlebug Diecut "1", Marvy Wet Looks Markers, white gel pen

kris' 40th birthday

i really am the worst blogger but unfortunately, i just lack the time to sit down and upload my photos, so please be patient with me.


a good friend of mine turned 40 on the 9th of April and since she has everything she needs/wants, and she loves sending cards. i thought some customized stationary would be the best bet. plus, she totally values the time and energy spent on crafts so that alone made me want to spend extra time on creating the best gift for her!










and these two are my favorite:




and these were presented to her in this lovely gift bag!


The Deets:
Paper: Papertrey Cardstock, K Marcella Patterned Paper from Target, Only Orange, Real Red, Old Olive, So Saffron, Certainely Celery
Ink: Real Red, Only Orange, Very Vanilla Kraft
Stamps: Papertrey Ambassador Monogram Edition, Borders and Corners Monogram Edition, "Happy Birthday" I believe it's Stampendous
Ribbon: Green Galore 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 5/8" Chocolate Chip and Brocade Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Ribbon Originals Fairy Tale and Jersey,
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1-1/4" Cicrle
Misc. Paper Bag from Target

A Birthday Card

I needed a birthday card for a co-worker and good friend of mine.

I believe this was the current sketch of the time..I absolutely love how it came out!!!

Especially since this was one of the first stamp sets that I had to have and I so rarely use it because I have such a hard time using it!



Isn't it the cutest?! Now also a bottom view...



The birthday layer is popped up on dimensionals..

Oh...the happy happy happy and birthday are embossed...it adds an additional somethin somethin..

The deets:
Paper: Choc. Chip, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranite, Whisper White
Ink: Purely Pomegranite and VersaMark
Stamp: Can't remember the brand but it's a pretty common one..