Halloween duo

Hey everyone. Hope you're all having a great weekend so far. Mine hasn't been too bad. I actually have today off which is a rare treat. I hope to sit down and get some holiday cards started. Also ready for some football! Go Cowboys! For today's post, I have a Halloween card and bookmark to share.

Both were created using only Papertrey Ink products. The card base is True Black cardstock and the bookmark was die cut using their bookmark die and Orange Zest cardstock. The stamps are from their adorable Tiny Treats: Halloween and the frame stamp is from All Booked Up which was cut out using the Mat Stack 3 die. The patterned papers are from the Halloween Prints pad. I added gold Stickles to the witches hat and stars for a little extra sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you each of a wonderful week ahead.

PTI March Blog Hop

Sorry for the slightly lop-sided photo. This month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop is all about the buttons! I love their perfect match vintage buttons. The ones I used here our Lemon Tart. I tied a simple twine knot in the center of each. The card base is their new color, Hawaiian Shores. It's so pretty! I also used the new Delightful Dahlia stamp set and dies. The flower was stamped in Hawaiian Shores ink on Lemon Tart Bitty Dot paper and the leaves were stamped in Ripe Avocado ink on Spring Moss cardstock.  I am so loving the new PTI dies! That strip of Spring Moss Bitty Dot paper was cut with the Rick Rack die. The Mother's Day sentiment is also from the Delightful Dahlia set and was stamped in Ripe Avocado ink on Kraft cardstock. 

This card is also my entry for Lisa Johnson's Poppy Seed Challenge #2. The challenge, as you can see above, was to use Light Moss, Polka Dots, and Buttons. Because it's easy to replicate, I plan to make more cards like this one using a variety of color schemes and stamps. Well, that is all from me! Tomorrow is Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Just Because

Oh wow. I had no idea that it has been so long since my last post. I have been creating so I hope to blog more frequently real soon. This card features Papertrey Ink's Year of Flowers: Violets set. I adore the images in this set. They are so easy and fun to paper piece which is what I did here. The papers are from the Pretty Pastels collection. PTI is releasing a new YOF set each month. March's was the Daffodil. It is equally cute! The card is, overall, pretty simple. The ribbon is Lavender Moon Swiss Dot and the sentiment is from Giga Guidelines stamped in Plum Pudding ink. To finish it off, I added a bit of fine glitter to the center of the Violet with my Quickie glue pen. I thank you for stopping by. It's almost 11 pm here in Virginia so I'm going to go finish Dead As A Doornail, the 5th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series (True Blood, anyone?), and then hit the hay. Nighty night! :)

Wishing You Love

Howdy folks. Happy Hump Day! It's a dreary and rainy day here in Virginia. Yuck! The card I have to share today is my entry for a few challenges and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Friday Sketchers #85 - Sketch

Wags 'n Whiskers #8 - Hearts

Moxie Fab World - Start to Finish

Charisma Cardz #2 - Anything New

Raise The Bar #1 - New

And here is the card..  

 I used the adorable image titled With Love from Wags 'n Whiskers. Isn't she so cute!? I just got her about a week ago, hence the challenges to use something new. She was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics. I added some Diamond Stickles to the fuzzy trim of her boots. The card base is made from Papertrey Ink's Sweet Blush cardstock and the patterned paper is Basic Grey's Bittersweet. The sentiment, stamped in PTI Dark Chocolate ink, is from PTI's Wishing You set and the heart, stamped in PTI Sweet Blush ink, is also PTI - from the Love Songs set. I used the Martha Stewart Mini Heart border punch on the brown paper and also the bottom layer. I also decorated the inside of the card this time around. I didn't follow the same sketch but used the same papers so that it coordinates. You can click on the smaller images below for a bigger view.

Well, that is all for me today. Thank you for stopping by and also many thanks for all of the sweet comments you leave. They really make my day. Have a good one!! 

P.S. I Love You

The weekend is almost over. Sure flew by didn't it? I went and saw Avatar yesterday and wow! What a movie! I think it's the best I've seen and I'm a movie fanatic. I highly recommend it. The story and effects are incredible and it has a really great message. I admit I was on the verge of tears through a lot of it, even shed a few. I love when a movie can bring out so much emotion in its audience.

Anyways, on to the reason of the post. This is my entry for Dawn's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #21. I really like this color scheme. I've used only Papertrey Ink products. Their next release is just around the corner. Did you guys see today's peek? It is so cute and creative! I don't have a single baby set so I know this one will be going into my cart. 

 Okay, back to the card.. I used Aqua Mist cardstock for the card base and Dark Chocolate and Lemon Tart for accent pieces. The XOXO background, envelope, and sentiment are all from my new Love Songs set. The background on the Lemon Tart cardstock, stamped in Dark Chocolate ink, is from Background Basics: Retro. Embellishments include Lemon Tart Swiss Dot Satin ribbon and Aqua Mist and Lemon Tart vintage buttons. I promise the ribbon lays flat. It didn't photograph too well on the right end. 

NFL playoffs have begun. Any other football fans out there? My Cowboys whooped some Eagle tail last night. Yeah!! Well, I'm off to watch the rest of the Ravens and Pats game. Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Deck The Halls

Can you believe December is here? 2009 is almost over. It's crazy how time flies. Christmas is just around the corner. I meant to post sooner. I actually have over 7 posts worth of cards to share. I swear, taking and editing the pictures are more of a chore to me than actually creating and posting. I finally took some time today and photographed a few. I'm sorry about the more-so than normal low-quality pictures. We haven't had a whole lot of sunshine here lately and that is always helpful, especially with ones taken indoors. I am entering this card in a number of challenges this week. Here's the list:

• Stamp With Fun #35 - Christmas
• A Spoon Full Of Sugar #80 - Non-Traditional Christmas Colors
• Creative Card Crew #39 - Christmas
• 2RedBananas - Christmas/Winter
• PaperPlay Challenges Week 44 - Christmas without using Red & Green
• Pollycraft Challenges #29 - Christmas
  

I really like this color scheme - even for Christmas! The pattern paper is from last year's DCWV Christmas stack and the cardstock is Papertrey Ink's Smokey Shadow. Both the stocking image and sentiment are from PTI's Stocking Prints stamp set. The inks, also from PTI, are Raspberry Fizz and Smokey Shadow. I kept it all pretty simple and flat for easy mailing. I also made a set of 3x3 cards using the same stamp set and color scheme. I'll post them another time. Well, that is all for me. Tomorrow is Friday! Hope you all have a lovely weekend. Ciao!

Berry Much

Where has July gone? I can't believe it's already the 20th. I truly meant to post again before today - more like last week! Life just seems to get in the way. This week is sure to be a busy one as well. We leave on Saturday for VEGA$! It seems like just the other day the countdown was at 50 days. Now we have only 5 sleeps to go. We'll be staying at the Flamingo as both my Mom and I got comp'd rooms for the week there. I'm so excited! We will arrive in Vegas around 11:00 p.m. Saturday night & we depart at midnight the following Friday. Six full days - this could be trouble! I'll be happy if I leave even or only down by half! LOL! Of course, it would be nice to come back ahead. :)
The card I have to share today took no time to make. It follows this week's Simon Says Challenge - Summer Fruits! The sketch is from a Papertake Weekly challenge a couple of weeks ago. All products used are from Papertrey Ink. The colors are Lemon Tart, Berry Sorbet, and New Leaf. I think they look good together - a nice cheery, summer combo. The strawberry image and sentiment are from the My Punny Valentine set. I'm happy with the final result and my next post will actually feature a card using the same sketch and set. I'm free the rest of the day so I hope to get another card or two complete. I will definitely post again before I leave for vacation. Hope you all have a fab week! Ciao!

Recipe:
Stamps: My Punny Valentine
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Berry Sorbet, New Leaf, Kraft
Ink: Berry Sorbet, New Leaf
Paper: Bitty Dot Basics
Other: Lemon Tart vintage buttons, Nestabilities

enjoy Life

Evening folks! Another week has begun. Luckily, I had today off. The weather was beautiful. Bright sunshine, blue skies, a few puffy clouds, and a nice slight breeze to keep it from feeling too hot. I had planned to get a card or two done today, but alas I have yet to follow through. I did get this card finished last night. When I received my latest PTI package, I noticed these three colors laying together and I liked how they looked so I thought I'd give it a try with a card. The layout is from Sunday Sketch & Stamp's Challenge #5. I definitely plan to save it and use again for future cards.All products used are from Papertrey Ink. The colors are Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf, Smokey Shadow, and Vintage Cream. The stamp sets I used were both designed by the fabulous Lisa Johnson and are titled Life and Background Basics: Spots & Dots. I decorated the inside as well, but it's very simple. The card measures 5.25 squared. Alcohol-inked dew drops were added for a finishing touch. Well, that's all for me today. I hope you all have a beautiful week. Maybe I'll be back with another card within the next couple of days. Take care!

Bee Happy - PTI Blog Hop

Hi everyone! It's time for Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop. This will be my first time participating. Where has June gone? This year is just flying by. The weather has been super hot here this week - up into the 90s! Work has been crazy busy so that explains my lack of posting and creating. The theme for this month is Summer Inspiration. When I think of summer, I think of flowers and gardening. My card was inspired by a painting titled Wildflowers by Brian Simons. [Click <-- Wildflowers for a photo of the painting] I don't quite recall how I came across his work, but I saved the link so I can take some time to look over each one at a later date. Isn't his work just stunning? I would love to have talent like that. I used PTI's Honey Bees set and had fun creating the flower and bee scene. One of the flowers, the Hibiscus Burst, is from Little Lady though. I plan to make a card using the coordinating papers for each of the flowers colors. This one is Ocean Tides. So far I've got Lemon Tart and Plum Pudding complete. For the layout, I used Stamp and Smiles Sketch Challenge #19. I hope I get some time to get some cards done soon. I have many challenges saved that I want to work on. Some are over two weeks old, but they're great to save for future sketchs and ideas. I do have Monday off, but I hope to squeeze in some time this weekend. I thank you for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful evening. Ciao!

Recipe:
Stamps: Honey Bees, Little Lady, Background Basics: Spots & Dots
Cardstock: Kraft, Ocean Tides
Patterned Paper: Bitty Dot Basics
Ink: Jet Black (Staz-On), Lemon Tart, Summer Sunrise, Plum Pudding, Ripe Avocado, Ocean Tides, Hibiscus Burst

Wishing You... 3 Card Set

Hola! The weather here in Virginia is beautiful. The sun is shining bright and it is hot! Days like today make me definitely appreciate air conditioning. I am off today so I had some time to take pictures of my latest creation. Early I voted and ran some errands. We have our Governor and Lt. Gov. primaries today. I hope to sit down in a little while and work on some cards. Just gotta get the mojo flowing. There are a lot of challenges I hope to complete so that helps with the motivation. This set of three cards were something I came up with as I went along. I was sorting through my Papertrey Ink cardstock and these three colors were laying together. I liked how they looked together so it all started from there. The only difference between the three are the sentiments.

I pulled out my favorite Wishing You set once again for the tulips and sentiments. The spotted lines are from Background Basics: Spots & Dots. I used Bitty Dot Basics paper in Ripe Avocado for the image's frame. For a little sparkle, fine glitter was added to the larger tulip and, also, the dragonfly's trail on the inside. The sentiments say: Wishing You Happiness, Peace, & the Best. It's hard to believe PTI has another release just around the corner on the 15th. I am loving all of the sneak peeks so far. Well, I hope to be back soon with another post. Have a great day! Adios.

Recipe:
Stamps: Wishing You, Background Basics: Spots & Dots (PTI)
Ink: Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding, Ripe Avocado (PTI)
Cardstock: Berry Sorbet, Plum Pudding, Ripe Avocado
Patterned Paper: Bitty Dot Basics (PTI)
Accessories: Nestabilities, sponge dauber, Quickie glue pen, Martha Stewart fine glitter

A Tulip Wish

Hey everybody! Hope your week went well and your weekend is starting off on the right foot. I have been off the last two days so that has been nice. The card I have to share today follows three challenges. First, the layout is based on Splitcoast Stampers' Sketch Challenge #231. I'm glad I came across it as it made me create something a little different than I normally would. I like that about all of the different challenges. They really motivate me too; especially when there is a deadline. For the colors, I used Dawn's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #8 which also coincided with Charisma Cardz challenge #22 to use pink and brown this week.Once again, all products are by Papertrey Ink. I used the small flower from the 2008 Anniversary set Everyday Classics to create a background on the Raspberry Fizz panels which I sponged with Dark Chocolate ink. The Wish image is from one of my favorite sets, Wishing You. I added some fine glitter to the tulip. Sneak peeks for PTI's upcoming release started today. Check out Nichole's blog for more details. I shall be back soon with a three card set using Wishing You. Have a fab weekend! :)

Recipe:
Stamps: Everyday Classics, Wishing You
Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate
Cardstock: Kraft, Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate
Accessories: Nestabilities, Martha Stewart fine glitter, Quickie glue pen

Cupcake anyone?

Howdy! I truly didn't mean to go that long without posting.. again. Things have been busy at work and when I get home I just don't feel like doing much, other than relaxing. I did get two cards completed today. I'll share one for this post and save the other for tomorrow.
The layout for this card was inspired by last week's sketch challenge #229 over at Splitcoast Stampers. The card also follows this week's challenge #32 at the High Hopes Stamps blog which is to use the color combo of pink and brown. BTW- did I mention I won their 29th challenge? How exciting! My first challenge win. Ok - back to this week. I love these two colors together. I figured it was time to break out my Bittersweet pad. It's perfect for this challenge. The stamps, cardstock, and ink are all by Papertrey Ink. For a little extra sparkle I added Stickles under the dew drop and some fine glitter to the cherry. I don't have any brown Primas so I just sponged a little Dark Chocolate ink to the smaller, spotted flower. As usual - the full recipe is below. Thank you for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with a card for Dawn's Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #7!

Recipe:

Stamps: Everyday Classics (Papertrey Ink)

Ink: Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz, Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)

Paper: Bittersweet (Basic Grey)
Accessories: Prima flowers, dew drop, Diamond Stickles, Fine Glitter (Martha Stewart), Quickie glue pen, Nestabalities, sponge dauber

With Thanks

Happy Monday! I've already been to work and come home. I have tomorrow off so hopefully I can get some cards done. The cards I have to share today are mini thank you cards. They measure 3 inches by 3 inches. They're pretty simple, but I like the finished look. Simple works sometimes. I really enjoyed making these. I am entering them in Charisma Cardz latest challenge #19- A Star Is Born. I hope to do a few more sets with different colors and stamps. All products used are by Papertrey Ink except for the white cardstock and twine. Well, that's all from me today. I hope you all have a beautiful week. Ciao!
Recipe:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink (Everyday Classics, Little Lady)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Melon Berry, Kraft), Georgia Pacific
Ink: Papertrey Ink (Melon Berry, Dark Chocolate)
Accessories: Papertrey Ink (Melon Berry buttons), Twine, Nestabilities

Birthday Snake

Hi everyone! Hope your weekend is going good so far. I'm back with another card to share. This one is a first for me - it is a card intended for a male! This stamp and the patterned papers really made it easy to achieve. I think it'd be cute for a little boy's birthday. The card follows five challenges:

Simon Says Stamp: One For The Boys
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #15: Happy Birthday
Stamp Simply #87: Male
Papertake Weekly: Animal Antics
High Hopes Stamps #30: One For The Boys

The stamp is from High Hopes Rubber Stamps. I love his name - Neil Diamondback! How clever. He is colored with Prismacolor pencils and I heat embossed his fangs and rattler. The cardstock is by Papertrey Ink and the patterned paper is Basic Grey. It's a pretty simple card all in all. The full recipe is below. I will be back in a couple of days with another post. I have some mini Thank You cards to share. Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

Recipe:
Stamps: High Hopes Rubber Stamps (Neil Diamondback) & My Favorite Stamps (You Take The Cake)
Ink: Staz-On (Jet Black)
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Kraft)
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey (Archaic)
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils, odorless mineral spirits, blending stumps, Versamarker, heat gun, clear embossing powder, Nestabilities

Mother's Day Tulips

I am alive. Wow - I did not mean to go so long without posting. I've been a terrible blogger. I'm sorry! Things have been busy here lately and to be honest, I have been in a creative slump for over a month now. My mojo is slowly creeping back. Thank goodness. In personal news, I got a new job at the end of March. I really like it which helps when I work the morning shift that starts at 6:30 a.m. I certainly feel fortunate to be working with the economy & unemployment like it is.

I do have a card to share. I managed to find some motivation a week ago. Most of the products used are Papertrey Ink. I am a huge PTI fan. Their quality is above all the rest. I've decided to use them solely for my cardstock, ink and ribbon. Although I do love Ranger's Distress inks too. I want to try watercoloring with them sometime soon. I'm not too thrilled with the inside, but it'll do. Below is the full recipe for the card.

Well, hopefully I'll be back soon with something new to share. I work mornings Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. I'm off Tuesday, so maybe then I'll get some cards made. The Waltons Season 9 arrived in today's mail so I'll be spending the rest of the day relaxing on the couch watching that. I sure do love that show. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! Take care.

Recipe:
Stamps: Wishing You & Mother
Ink: Raspberry Fizz & Fresh Snow
Cardstock: Dark Chocolate
Paper: Basic Grey
Accessories: Buttons, Square & Tag Nestabilities