House Mouse Challenge #125

     Our favorite little mice are celebrating the 2012 Olympics.  How awesome that the HM team has decided to join in the fun!

     I used the stamp called Patriotic Wrap.  My background is printed from a Google search, and my sentiment is from Ginger House digitals.  This was great fun to color, and I decided to do the left hand mouse with an Olympic scarf, and use my creative freedom!  LOL!  Coloring was done with Copics and I created my little version of medals (gold, silver, bronze) with Brilliance inks, Stickles, and an SU! circle punch.  I used some sparkly brads and gold cording as accents.

     Please find time to visit the House Mouse Monday Challenge Blog, and check out all of the creative Olympic creations they have come up with!  Go USA!

Rose Challenge for July, I'm on Deck!

     Yes, It is my month to pick the challenge for the ladies of or Roses group.  Since it is Olympic time, I decided to have they ladies put on their patriotic best.  We have such a diverse group, with members from the US, Canada, Mexico, and Australia.  Okay Rose's, show us your colors!

     My first card is a salute to Americana.  I must admit there is not a lot of stamping to be had, but it is full of flags, pinwheels, and good old All-American fun!  The papers are from an 8x8 Debbie Mumm Calendar kit,
I bought at Jo-Ann's Fabric.  The little flag is a quilted piece with raw edges, that I found at the Goodwill store sold as a pin.  I added lace, twine, buttons, and gems to finish it off.  My base is Pure Luxury card stock from Gina K. Designs, called In The Navy.

     I decided to make a little tag for my second project.  The base is a tag from K&Co.. I added an eagle stamp that is in my unmounted collection.  If you know the maker, I would love to know.  he is stamped in Midnight Muse ink from SU!  I think it is a new favorite, especially with the new type pad.  Gosh, they stamp nice!  Starting top to bottom I added gingham ribbon and navy ric-rac.  Next, is a vintage flag button from my stash.  Lastly, is another Goodwill find.  Someone had made a bar pin with ribbon and buttons.  For a few cents I had a great decoration for my tag.

     Well, that is it for me.  Please be sure and check out what the rest of the Rose bouquet has for  us this month.  I can't wait to see them show their colors!  Links can be found on my side bar.~~~~~>

Go USA!

Art Impressions Challenge #73 Window Card

     Happy Saturday, everyone!  I woke early and started on my AI challenge card for this week.  I had made a window card recently, so I felt like I had practice.  The bird stamp and sentiment are ones I chose with my latest win at Art Impressions.  I am trying to round out my collection, and add more everyday AI stamps.

My items used:
Stamps:  K-2793 Robin, E-2816 Another Feather
Dies;  Cheery Lynn Mini Flourish, Memory Box Grove Branch
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic
Paper: K&Co
Card: DCWV
Embellishments:  Prima flowers, Pearls from Recollections

     Okay, that was fun!  I am trying to keep busy so I don't hop in the car and head toward Lancaster and the CKConvention that is being hosted there for the first time.  Oh, the trouble I could get into there!  I think I will just load something yummy into the slow cooker, and keep on playing.  Thanks DH, for asking me multiple times if I want to go.  Your are a peach!  Go U.S.A!

It's Friday, It's Friends with Flair!

     Here we are again, and another week has passed.  I sure look forward to my Fridays!  I want to share a couple of cards I made during the week, using my Unity stamps.  I figured they would work well for the Friends with Flair linky.

     My first card is using the hope butterfly, which I paper pieced and colored with Copics.  All of my papers are scraps that I am working hard to use up.  The accents are a paper doily, pearls and an unknown sentiment on SU! punches.  The butterfly was in my 100 assorted stamps from a win a while back.  If you link up, you could have the chance to win also!

     Card two is also using a stamp that was included in that bag of 100, and is an adorable mannequin.  Again using scraps, I colored it with Copics, and layered it on a Spellbinders label die. There is a punched border down the side (thanks, Carol), and I added lots of mint ribbon for my bow, topped with a Prima flower.  The metal "best friends" plaque is from K&Co.

     So, as you can see, this week was all pink and girly.  Please stop over at the Unity Blog and show all of the wonderful designers some love.  They do such an outstanding job of inspiring all of us.  If you leave  comments as you follow the links, you might just win a prize!   They also have some special love going on for Helmar glue products.  Be sure to check it out!

Inspirational Photo over at Art Impressions

     This week is challenge #72 on the Art Impressions Challenge Blog,  Here is the lovely photo that Kate has us all being inspired by!

     I was so happy to see a floral, since I recently acquired this AI floral stamp.  It is P-3343.  Now I will be on the look out for some pretty sentiments to go with it.  For now, I had to use a Brand X stamp.  My papers are from the Citrus Collection by DCWV.    I paper pieced my flowers, and colored the rest with Copic Markers. A single golden pearl is the center of my front facing flower.

     Have an enjoyable Sunday evening!  Nice of you to stop by. :)

House Mouse #124

     Please forgive me for showing my crazy humor.  Now that that is out of the way, let me tell you about the current challenge over at The House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge Blog.  The theme for Challenge #124 is Summer Holidays, Summertime Fun, or anything Summer.  I wanted to do something simple, without a lot of fluff.

     First I must say that it's all Toby Keith's fault (this is where I was going to insert the song link, but did not want to offend anyone) for making such a snappy tune.  Second, I can not take credit for thinking up the cup stack, as I saw it on someones blog, and lost it to acknowledge them.  It was however my idea to add a House Mouse stamp!  Summer is party time for the young and young at heart!  What is used more for party time than Red Solo Cups!

     My stamp is 119C Jumping For Joy.  The papers and card stock are all scraps.  The cup image is courtesy of Google.  Red pearls, Pop Dots, a computer generated sentiment finish things off.

     Thanks for stopping around, and I dare you not to be humming this tune, if you listen to it!

It's Friday! Woo Hoo!

     I have gotten to look forward to Friday so very much this last year.  This is for many reasons, and one of those is the Friends with Flair posting over on the Unity Blog.  I attended a stamp show locally, last weekend.  It was such a good show, and I was able to score some new play toys. So in my playing this week, I incorporated my Unity stamps.  Here are a couple that I created.

     My first card came from a Crafters Workshop 6x6 stencil I bought, along with the new Spring and Summer Disterss Inks.  I just could not waste that fun background, so I pulled out my grab bag of won Unity stamps, found an amazing sentiment and these adorable butterflies, and went to town!  All I did was add some gingham ribbon, MM flowers, and a gem brad.

     Card two came about because I finally broke down and purchased a flower making tool kit.  I have had the punches, just not all of the tools.  I found another great Unity sentiment, punched a strip with an MS punch, and stamped it in two shades of purple.  My friend came for a visit and brought her small Fanciful Flourish die for me to try out.  (thanks Carol)  Just had to add one of those!  Gems, button, and twine, along with some teeny tiny Prima flowers, and a card was born.

     For those that don't know me, I am a real paper hoarder.  This even goes for my scraps.  I had a scrap bucket with so much paper, that it might have been more than one person has for all of their personal use.  We won't even go into full sheets.  Well I sat and almost eliminated my scraps.  All of my 12x12 sheet have been cut into quads which now fit on my desk top in a shoe box. Maybe I will use them up?  That is my hope.

     Okay, so what do you say about clicking on the Unity Blog link, and going over to check out all the fantastic creations the linkers have hooked up for us?  I am never disappointed when I complete that linky list!  Have an awesome weekend.

Art Impressions Challenge #71 Easel Card or More Than One Fold

      This week, the challenge over at Art Impressions is to show a card with more than one fold.  This includes easel cards and such.  I actually needed practice on my easel cards, so that is the one I opted for. My little easel is a dinner invitation for some close friends.

Here is a list of supplies I used:

Teal and White Card stock
Art Impressions stamps:  D-2820 grapes, E-2824 delizioso, I-2821 food basket
Assorted other stamps
Dies:  Spellbinders Labels Eleven
Ink:  Distress Ink Peacock Feathers, Copic Markers, Sakura Glaze Pen
Embellishments: Prima flower, Candi dot, Purple gems,

     We are back in the soup again this week.  Gonna be a hot one!  Hope all is well in your little part of the blog world!

Friends with Flair... Vintage

     Good Friday morning!  I just wanted to share a card I created with the gorgeous flower vase from the Unit KOM of June 2012, called "sweet summer love".  I think I have used this kit more than any, so far.

     I stamped the vase and clear embossed to get a gloss.  I fussy cut it and popped it over a Spellbinders Floral Oval die.  Both are on Pure Luxury Ivory card stock.  My sentiment is from the same kit.  The card base was embossed with a SU! embossing folder and then rub on gold paste was used to highlight all of the texture on the card.  I used some gold sticky beads as accents.

     My inside sentiment is wedding related.  Speaking of which, DH and I are attending one this very afternoon! Should be tons of fun!  Please stop over at the Unity Blog and check out all the links to Unity creations!  They truly have flair!

Let's Get Fruity!

      The current challenge over on the House Mouse and Friends Blog, is #123.  The hostess for this challenge is Paula, and the theme she has chosen is "Let's Get Fruity".  I was pleased to be able to use a mouse, sentiment, and charm that I won from a previous challenge/blog hop. I love them!

     I have been wanting to try making a window for my sentiment for ages, and this just worked out perfectly, design wise.  I was also pleased with how my apple came out, as I was looking at one that went into hubby's lunch and it had streaks of the colors just like this!

Here is what I used:
Stamps:  HMUR1069 Bobbing on Apples, F1212 Mice at Play
Paper & Card:  Pure Luxury, DCWV
Ink:  Versafine, Copic markers
Dies:  Spellbinders Classic Squares
Embellishments:  bakers twine from Pizzazz Aplenty, charm, dew drops

I would also like to post this card over at Simon Says Stamp, which has the same theme this week!

     I hope you enjoy the rest of your week, and I thank you for stopping around!

Art Impressions Challenge #70

     Happy Monday morning!  The heat wave has broken, and we can get on with our everyday lives now.  This week the challenge over on the Art Impressions blog, is to use a metal accent.

     My card creation starts with a white base, followed by layers of designer paper from gosh only knows where.  (so glad the makers put their name on things now)  For the metal accents, I used an embossed metal border, silver eyelets, and an apple charm that I thought fit in with the "get well" theme.  Coloring was done with Copic markers, and sponging was done with VersaMagic, pink grapefruit ink.  The sentiment was computer generated inside and out.  (inside: You'll feel better in no time!)  My Art Impression stamp is H-1235.  I call her Nurse Nasty.  LOL!  The only other additions are some peach and white bakers twine and Pop Dots.

     I was the proud winner of this challenge last week, with my gift card holder.  Thanks again AI for such fun challenges.  Very happy to see so many more entries this week!  Stop over and play along.  There are still a couple of days until the challenge closes!

Red, White, and Blue Flair

     Hope everyone had a super Fourth of July!  Since I was in the patriotic mood, I decided to make a few creations keeping with the R-W-B color scheme.  All of the cards were made with the June Kit of the Month, from Unity.  Every Friday, there is a link up over on the Unity Blog.  It is called Friends with Flair.

     The first is an invitation for a cookout.  It all started when I was playing with the diagonal stripe border that is in the kit.  I grabbed my Memento markers and went to town.  I also used the stars, grill, condiments, and sentiment from the kit.  All with scraps, and embossing folder, and a Martha Stewart corner punch!

     Card #2 is also with scraps, but I added a little stitching stamp for the borders.  Some 3D snowflakes were used to accentuate the "Cool", as were the Diamond Stickles on the ice.

     For my third card, I looked at a pile of edges that were laying on my desk for 6x6 papers I had cut recently, and decided to make a banner background, like I have been seeing on so many cards.  Let me say that I have a feeling this may be a new favorite for me.  I have a shoe box full of those little pretties, and want to use them up.  I used the sentiment and butterflies, which are also from the June kit. The big splurge on this one was using the pearly swirls and gems.

     Please take a little time to check out all of the talented artists that have linked up for you today.  There is a ton of inspiration to be had!  Thanks so stopping by, and please enjoy your weekend!

Joan's Gardens Weekly Challenge #24

     Woot!  Woot!  It's a holiday week!  Over at Joan's Gardens, Joan has cooked up a new challenge for us.  In case you have not guessed, it includes the colors of Red, white, and blue!

Here are the requirements:
*Use the colors red, white, and blue  (yep, I did that)
*Use a tag  (circle tag with brad)
*Use stripes  (they are in my background paper)
*Make it a celebration card  ( I am celebrating the 4th)

     Okay, now that I think I have everything covered, let me get to my explanation.  I used all bits and pieces to create this card.  My firework, boy, and dog stamps are all from my unmounted stash and I have no clue who they belong to.  I want to say that the boy and dog at RBBB, and they are out of business.  My inside and outside sentiments are from Studio G.  The striped paper is an unknown.  The silver stars are from Really Reasonable Ribbon, and I cut them apart.  The red bandana trim is from 7 Gypsys.  I used circle and oval Spellbinders dies.  Inks are Copic marker for coloring, and SU! and VersaMagic for sponging.

     Hope everyone is doing okay with this heat and bad weather.  Still sending prayers for the victims of the fires and flooding.  Hang in there, and I will see you soon.