A Lil Sass

Hi - I played along with the SplitCoastStampers Free for All challenge today.  It's called 'I'll take a slice."  What it challenges you to do is take a slice off the front of your card. 

 My card folds at the top.  I trimmed about 1 1/4" off the bottom of the front of my card.  Then I attached the argyle paper from the Handsome Boy collection by MME, and used a border punch for a decorative edge.  I used the same border punch on the top of the yellow piece at the bottom, but you can only see it when it's open since it's hidden behind the argyle front.  The stamp set is Boots, Class and Sass from Unity Stamp Co.  I colored with prismacolor pencils and mineral spirits.  I finished with sequins.  It was really easy but turned out to be a really fun card.

Thought for the day:  "If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all.:  - Anna Quindlen

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Playing with Backgrounds

 Hi!  Lately I've been seeing lots of backgrounds created with distress inks.  So, I decided to play along.  It really was fun using the distress inks and then watching the evolution of the backgrounds.  I only used two colors of distress ink on each of these cards.

For this card, I used Shabby Shutters and Faded Jeans.  I misted with water and then used a paintbrush to drop a few bigger water drops on it.  Once the water dried I splattered watered down white and black acrylic paint.  I used the Papertrey Ink Boy Basics Rock On stamp set and die.  I didn't use any dimension, so it's great for Operation Write Home.  The OWH Midweek Throwdown is to make a masculine card, so this works for the challenge too.

This one uses Pickled Raspberry and Dried Marigold distress inks.  I misted water and added a few extra water drops on this one as well.  I only used white acrylic paint for splatters here.  The stamp set is Live What you Love from Unity Stamp Co.  I also added 3 pink gems to the center of the butterfly.

These backgrounds were really fun to make, I made a couple more, but will share those another day.  I have more color combos I want to try too.  :)

Thought for the day:  "A kind and compassionate act is often its own reward."  - William John Bennett

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Sharing 3

Hi!  I'm sharing three cards today because they kind of 'go together', at least for the sake of my blog posting.  :)  Sometimes I love the patterns on the patterned paper so much that I really want to create cards with it.  That's what I did with the 3 cards for today.  There is minimal stamping on them, but I really like how they turned out. 

All the papers are from the We R Memory Keepers For the Record collection.

For this card, I used 4 papers from the collection and colored the flowers and the green leaves with my Copic markers (the bird was already colored and the words were already on the paper).  On the inside I stamped a  Tim Holtz's sentiment that says, "it's the little things that make life BIG."

For this one, I used 2 papers from the collection as well as grey cardstock.  The faux washi tape and the doodled frame were already on the paper, so I just stamped the "Hi There!". 

For this one, again I used 3 papers from the collection.   The frame and the ribbon beneath it are already on the paper, so I stamped the sentiment, which fit so perfectly here.  The stamp is made by Inkadinkado.

For the thought for the day, I think I'll go along with the last card.  "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."  - Martin Luther King, Jr

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Mother's Day Cards for Operation Write Home

Hi -  Today's cards are based on the sketch challenge from Operation Write Home.  I made a few more Mother's Day cards to finish packing my box. 

Here is the sketch:

Here are my cards.  This first one uses paper from We R Memory Keepers and Bazzill, prima flowers, a Quickutz die for the leaves and some soft twine.  These are not my go-to colors, but I like how it turned out. 

This one uses paper from We R Memory Keepers and Chatterbox and the same soft twine.   I love how this paper shines.  :)

Thought for the day:  "Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk."   - Doug Larson

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Anchors Away...

Hi!  More inspiration from the Online Card Class and from my Mom.  :)  I was talking with my mom this morning and she said she wanted a card with an anchor on it for one of her friends.   I love when she does this  because it gives me yet another starting point!  So, for this first card, I used a new technique I learned from my CAS3 class as well as sketch rs#106 from Retro Sketches.   

This second card uses some patterned paper I had leftover.  I love the colors on this paper so it's been sitting on my desk waiting for a special card!   I am having fun using this anchor stamp and die set from Hero Arts.  It was an exclusive set for Archivers' which makes me a bit sad, but I do love it!

"

Thought for the day:  "People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously.  This is how character is built."  - Eleanor Roosevelt

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Masculine Masking

Hi - I am still learning new techniques with the Online Card Class - CAS3.  However, I am learning that the CAS style is still a struggle for me, LOL!  

I LOVE the technques I'm learning and will definitely be using them but I might just be including them in cards that are more my style.  :)  This card uses masking to create the plaid, a REALLY fun technique!  The stamp/die cut are from Hero Arts and it is inlaid into the card creating one layer.  I love how flat I am learning to make my cards, it works well for mailing, which is what I usually have to do and it also works well for Operation Write Home!   I tried to make this a truly one layer card, but for me it needed the definition of the brown cardstock around the outside.   I really wanted to add more, like a fish-tailed banner with a sentiment across the bottom, but I kept it CAS.....at least for now.  :)

I am enjoying the class tremendously and will definitely look more closely at future classes.  :)

Thought for the day:  "There's not a lot of traffic when you go the extra mile. "  - unknown

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Clean and Simple Card Class

Hi  Today is day 4 of the Clean and Simple Card class.  My 3 cards today are a mix of the techniques we have been learning.  

Operation Write Home is requesting Mother's Day cards right now and my box is almost ready to go so I decided to add some Mother's Day cards to it. 

The first one uses masking and stamp layering techniques.  Many of my supplies are in our storage unit, so I was worried that I didn't have a floral set that I could build on.  But, I found this one which is an old Heidi Grace set.   I used chalk inks and added some pearl pen to finish.  This truly is a one layer card, which is definitely not a strong style for me, so I was really excited with how it turned out. 

This one is made with the same supplies, and is also a truly one layer card.  :)

After I made the one above, I decided that I wanted to see how it would look with a bit of detail around the masked portion,  so I created an inlaid die cut to keep it as one layer.  I did ink around the die cut with a bit of blue ink before I put it back in it's place, but I do think I like this one a bit better.  

This class is so much fun and I really am learning a lot of good stuff!

Thought for the day:
"The true test of character is...how we behave when we don't know what to do."    -  John Holt

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Die Cut Inlays

Hi!  I am taking my first Online Card Class.  The one I am taking is Clean and Simple 3.  I have trouble with the Clean and Simple style, but I really do love it.  Today was the first day of class and below are my 'homework' assignements.  I used a technique called die cut inlay.   

I really like how this one turned out, but I do want to play around with more and add some detail like some faux stitching or doodling around the hearts.  For this one however, I kept it clean and simple.  :)

This one was actually my first attempt, but it didn't have enough color in it for me.  The inlaid stars are cut with fantasy fiber so they sparkle.  I added some stars stamped with Versamark ink and did some faux stitching around the stars.   I will write a note to a hero in this one and include it in my box for Operation Write Home. 

I can't wait to play along again tomorrow!

Thought for the day:  

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Backgrounds

 Hi!  I have two cards for today that I had a lot of  fun making the backgrounds for.  I almost always use patterned paper on my cards, but neither of today's cards have it.   That counts as an additional challenge, right?  ;)

The first card is for the Words to Scrap By challenge.  The challenge is based on inspiration from some chosen movie quotes.  The one I used is "The stuff that dreams are made of."  from the Maltese Falcon. My background was originally going to be different because I watched a fun technique video from Jennifer McGuire, however, the technique didn't work so well with the stamps I chose.  I did like it before misting though, so I used it that way.   At first I wasn't sure this was going to be a good card to send to OWH, but I would have definitely sent it to my teenage daughter so I am going to include it in my OWH box.

My second card was made for the SplitCoastStampers Ways to Use It challenge to use green.  I really wanted to use my bubbles stencil, so I created the background with it and then used Prima flowers to make a four leaf clover.  I LOVE being able to use flowers because....well......I have entirely too many of them. There, I said it out loud!  Let me know if you have some creative ways to use more flowers, I have plenty.

Thought for the day: "Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power. "   - Shirley MacLaine

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Happy Mom's Day

Hi!  Does it feel a little early to be thinking about Mother's Day cards?  Operation Write Home's midweek throwdown challenge is getting us started thinking about them.  Since the cards have to have time to be sent to OWH, then overseas and then back home, we really have to think ahead.  I'm so glad that OWH reminds us of these deadlines.  I usually don't make specific holiday cards because if something comes up and I can't mail my boxes in time, the seasonal cards are too late.  But, I have a box that I'm finishing up so I figured I can get a few Mother's Day cards in there.  :)  I used the sketch from SplitCoastStampers sketch challenge for today, and here is my card. 

Many of my crafting supplies are in our storage building right now, so I didn't have the Mother's Day stamp I was looking for.  But, happily I have this set, which I have never used before today, bonus for me!  :)  I love bright colors, so I love these papers!

Thought for the day:  I love Eeyore!!  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Thank You and Turquoise

Hi -  I have some exciting news to share today.  Operation Write Home contacted me about using a card that I made as a sketch for today's sketch challenge.  Oh my goodness!!  I am very excited to be a part of this organization!  Here is a link to the sketch challenge.  I will be making cards with the sketch but the ones I am sharing today are for two other OWH challenges. 

The first one is for the Our Daily Bread Designs monthly challenge.  For every 25 cards linked to the post, ODBD will pay the shipping for one box of cards overseas, up to two boxes.  The theme is thank you.  I have been working with these papers as you will see in the card below as well.  They are from the We R Memory Keepers Happy Campers collection.  The tag that 'thank you' is stamped is from Me and My Big Ideas I think.  I added a metal turn, a bit of twill and some doodling. 

  

I 

This card is for last week's Midweek Throwdown, to use turquoise.  I've had this card in my head since last Wednesday, but haven't had the chance to finish it, until now.  :)

Again the paper is from the We R Memory Keepers Happy Campers Collection and the tag is from Me and My Big Ideas.   I colored the inside of the sentiment with Copics and dotted with white souffle pen, then I added some ribbon and star sequins.  I think I really am getting into this sequin trend.

Thought for the day:

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Operation Write Home request and a Sketch

Hi!  Operation Write Home has had a request for some cowboy/western cards.  I have a box almost ready to go out, so I decided to add a few cowboy cards to it.  

I used the SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge for today.  It was a fun sketch and I think I will use it again.

Thought for the day:  

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Flowers and WeRMemory Keepers

Hi - Today's card is for one of the new challenges I have been following, the Card Concept.  You have to put your card into one of six categories, EEEK!  I still don't know what my 'go-to' style is so this is hard for me to do.  

The challenge is to use a floral theme.  I found these really fun WeRMemory Keepers papers and I do mean they are fun.   They are from a collection called Feelin' Groovy, that's just fun by itself!!   You know how much I love double sided papers, well the ones I used today have one pattern on one side and the second side is four different patterns!!!  I LOVE these!   I don't know how old the collection is, I found these at Tuesday Morning, but I still love them.  :)

Here is my card.

The stamp I used is an older one and I think it's from Hero Arts.  I added Prima flowers and sequins.  Oh, I used a fiskars border punch on the far left side.   I am going to put this one into the Clean and Layered category because it still has a lot of white space.   This is a fun challenge that makes me think,  LOL.

Thank You cards are needed for Operation Write Home so I will be making a few of these for my box.

Thought for the day:  "It is not our abilities that show what we truly are:  it is our choices."  -  Albus Dumbledore

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Two More

Hi!  I have two cards for you today!  SplitCoastStampers is starting the Love Fest Challenge and the first challenge is to use a critter.  My card uses a critter from Paper Smooches.  Imaginisce and DCWV paper, TPC  Studio stamp, Pearl Pen and sequins.

My second card uses some paper I have been admiring for a while.  Tuesday Morning has this WeRMemory Keepers paper and I finally got it.  I love how it coordinates with the ChatterBox shiny paper.  The only thing I added was the Marvy punches and the Pearl Pen.

More cards for Operation Write Home.

Thought for the day:  "Be selective in your battles, sometimes peace is better than being right."  - Pinterest

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Repeated Love

Hi!  Today's card is for the CAS Challenge on SplitCoastStampers.  The Clean and Simple style is definitely not the easiest style for me to do so I just keep trying. 

 

I repeated the sentiment in different colors in a 'stair step' fashion.  I also tried to make it a one layer card but I liked it better with the red layer added, so it stayed.  :)  I used my Colorbox Chalk inks that I have had for years and they still stamp really evenly.

Thought for the day:  "Oh, dear.  I really ought to do something, but I am already in my pajamas. "  - Pinterest  (So true for me on cold, rainy days.)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Two for Today

Hi!  Today's cards are a mix of inspiration!  I picked out the stamp I wanted to use first and then had to come up with how to create with it.  

The first one is for the Operation Write Home/Our Daily Bread Designs February challenge.  The challenge is to use brown as the main color on your card.  Of course this makes me go straight for making a masculine card and this is what I came up with.  

The papers are from We R Memory Keepers and the stamp is Hero Arts.  I colored the letters with Prismacolor pencils and added a bit of white souffle pen for highlights.  I finished it with some doodling and a bit of twine. 

This one is for the Operation Write Home Midweek Throwdown - using hexagons.  I didn't think I would get to play along with this one because I don't have any hexagon dies or punches......gasp!!!  I do have this lovely salmon paper from Studio Calico that has hexagons.  It was kind of a sweet surprise, because I bought this paper because of the color and didn't remember it has hexagons.  The background paper is from Crate Paper.  Again used Prismacolor pencils an souffle pen.  Finished this one with Pearl Pen.

Thought for the day:  "If there are ice cream trucks in the summer, why aren't there Starbucks trucks in the winter?"  - Pinterest

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

Textured Love

Hi!  I have been discovering new challenge blogs lately.  I love that because I'm always up for someone giving me a starting point for my cards and I love having choices for those starting points. 

Today's card comes from the Card Concept Challenge.  The challenge is to use texture on your card.  Another fun thing they do is have 6 different styles and you  have to determine what style you have used to make your card.  That is going to be a challenge for me by itself.  I don't really know what my go-to style is.  

This is my card.  I created texture by using a border punch and layering the borders.  I added a border row at the top and then stamped the sentiment.  I added a bit of ribbon for color.  I have read the definitions of the different styles more than once.  I am going with Classy and Elegant for this one.  I don't think it fits into Clean and Simple because of all the layers of border.  I have a sparkly red ribbon that I want to use on a card like this, but this one will go to Operation Write Home, and since glitter in most cases is against the guidelines, I choose not to use glitter at all for my OWH cards.

For the life of me, I couldn't remember where I saw this layered border punch idea first.  I knew that it was a colorful card, I loved it and it just stuck out in my mind, but I just couldn't remember where I saw it first.  Well, since I wasn't going to let that get the best of me, I went on a search.  FINALLY, I found my first card made with this idea and thank goodness in the description I said that I cased it from Sandy at Operation Write Home!!  I just went to find it on the OWH blog, but to no avail.  So, Sandy, thanks for this idea, I really do love it.  Once again, OWH is great inspiration!

It was a fun challenge and definitely got me thinking about my styles and which ones I don't use often but want to work on.

Quote for today:  "The grass is greener where you water it."   - Neil Barringham

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

You Rock!

What is up with winter this year?  We had snow yesterday.....snow in Mississippi! We didn't have a whole lot of it, but enough to make the ground look white in places. It was so pretty coming down,  I really do miss the snow.  

Today's card was made for the Operation Write Home midweek throwdown, cards for kids ( including tweens and teens.)  I used the SplitCoastStampers sketch 473. 

I think teen/tween cards are the most difficult to make, especially for boys.   I'm going to work on getting better at making these.   The controller on this one is a bit 'old school' but that's how it goes.  Technology changes so quickly!  I think my favorite part of this card is the 'you're the man' that shows up on the top patterned paper.

The sentiment stamp is open letters that I stamped directly onto the yellow paper.  It got just a bit lost so I used the C3 Copic marker, which is a cool gray, and shaded it.  I like that it doesn't really introduce another color into the card, but it does make the sentiment stand out a bit more.  I've done this a few times now and it works well.

Quote for the day:  "People who shine from within don't need the spotlight."  - Unknown

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Back to 'Normal'

Hi.  For today's card, I went back to my more usual cardmaking efforts.  

To begin with this card is based on the sketch from the Sweet Sunday sketch Challenge.  This is the sketch...

and this is my card.  

I love patterned paper, so when I saw all the pieces on this sketch, I saw an opportunity to mix patterns.  :)  I used 3 different double sided papers from American Crafts and Studio Calico.  I also used my Cricut to cut the Thanks!  I'm giving myself  bonus points for that. haha  I added some twine and some brown Pearl Pen to finish.

Operation Write Home is low on thank you cards right now, so I will be making thank yous for a bit until I finish filling the box I am sending them.

Quote for the day:  "Being honest may not get you a lot of friends, but it'll always get you the right ones."          - John Lennon

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

The Challenge of Pastels

Hi!   I love challenges that give me something to start with as I design my cards, but sometimes I attempt things that are really difficult for me, a true challenge.  Today's card is a true challenge.  Operation Write Home's mid week throwdown is to use pastels!  Here is what I came up with.

I know they aren't  really light pastels, but as I looked through my papers, these are about as light as I have.   I truly have trouble with pastels, LOL.    I don't have pastels in my wardrobe or my house.  My babies' rooms were even in primary colors.  I did get to use my new Paper Smooches stamps and dies though!  :)  Another thing I have discovered that I am using more and more often are the little bitty stamps that are included in some stamp sets.  The little 'XO' I used here is one of those.  It is included with the Chubby Chums stamp set I used.  Love those little additions!

Quote for the day:  "Anything that gets your blood racing is probably worth doing."  - Hunter S Thompson

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!

You're Purrr-fect

Hi!    Have you ever bought something at a time so busy that you don't get to play with your new purchase as soon as you get it?   Or maybe not even for over a month!!!  I finally got to use my new Paper Smooches stamps and dies....yay!! I know these aren't really new but they are new to me.  

I have learned not to order stuff as soon as it comes out, even if I REALLY like it, because let's face it, I REALLY like many, many, many new stamps!  If I keep coming back to the same stamps over and over again and still really want them, that means that I don't have anything else that I could substitute for it and it will be a good addition to my collection.  :)  That's how I was with these sweet Paper Smooches stamps, plus it was right after Thanksgiving and they were having a sale.  So, I finally got to play with them. I also used paper from Heidi Grace's Tweet Dreams collection.  It has bird images on some of the papers, but I resisted using them with the cute little kitty.  :)

I used the SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge and also a new challenge blog, Words 2 Scrap By.  The challenge on Words 2 Scrap By is inspired by the song "My Favorite Things" .  My inspiration came from the part about "whiskers on kittens". 

Quote for the day:  "A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it's built for."  - Albert Einstein

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!!  

Leftovers Continue

Hi!  I'm back with more cards using 'leftovers'.  This layout is easy but you can change the feel of the card you're making just by the papers and font you choose. These cards each use two pieces of patterned paper, a sentiment stamp, a piece of ribbon and some gems.  

 I don't often make cards with this fold, these open vertically,  AKA a hot dog fold.  :)  But it works really well here because of the ribbon, I didn't have to cut a slit in the card to thread the ribbon through.  I did use some glue dots under the knot and under the tails of the knot to make sure they stay in place.

 There is so much information on the Operation Write Home site about things like using adhesive to make sure embellishments don't move and making sure all the adhesive is covered so the card in front of this one doesn't stick to it.  If you think about it, Operation Write Home cards travel a really long way and are handled many times before they reach their recipients.

Quote for the day:  "Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted."  - John Lennon

I'm off to run errands.   I hope to be back in time to make some more cards this afternoon.
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

My first goal for 2014

Hi and Happy New Year!! 

I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions and to be perfectly honest, I'm not good at them.  So, I have decided to set goals instead.  :)  My first craft related goal is to tame my growing pile of paper scraps.  In fact, I'm telling myself that I'm not going to purchase anything new until I have used MUCH of what I have.   

The word scraps has a bad connotation, so I've been thinking about calling them leftovers.   I LOVE leftovers, espcially Italian ones.  :)  You know, these are the pieces of paper that are 'leftover' after you use the whole piece of paper for your original project.  There isn't anything wrong with these pieces and they should get some love!!

Here are my first two samples.   I am continuing my support for Operation Write Home this year and many of these cards will go to support our troops!

  I would love to find all kinds of cards to make using my leftovers.   If you have inspiration cards for using them, please let me know.  You can leave a link in the comments and I will definitely visit. 

 I also peruse pinterest quite often looking for cards that would work for using leftovers.   My username is Jeanette Fincher in case you have a pinterest account.  Let me know if you do and I will follow you! 

Quote for the day:  

I love this word!!  Always have. :)

I hope to post a little more often now that we are moved and getting settled in.  Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!