Friends with Flair.... Yay!

      Morning!  I just got a call from my boss, telling me there is a fire scene on my route to work.  I guess I will stall a little and  post my cards made with Unity stamps, for this week.  I just love Friday's and Friends with Flair!

     Card one, uses the September KOM, called Vintage Touch.  My designer paper is from my stash, and I paper pieced the thimble, and glazed the little heart.  I cut my large, fancy square with a SB Shapeabilities Pendant called Fleur De Lis.  I also glazed the scissors, and added pearls as corner accents to my die.

I am also going to enter this over at The House That Stamps Built, where my friend Patti J. is hostess to a paper piecing challenge, this week.

     Card two is made using my KOM from June 2011.  The card base is pumpkin spice card stock with a layer of PB&J designer paper from Basic Grey.  I printed out this little bird, fussy cut it, and added glaze.  For embellishments I used some flowers with gems.

     Hope you have a great start to your weekend!  I get to see both of my married kids, so that should make for fun times!

This Week at Joan's Gardens

     I had a few minutes this morning, before work, and could not resist making a card for this weeks challenge over at Joan's Gardens!  It is challenge # 34.

Here are the details:
* Use blue and white
* Include a snowman
* Include a tree
* Use a corner embellishment

     My papers are digital, and home printed.  My snowman is a digi from Jellypark Friends.  The sentiment is from Heidi Grace's clear For You stamp set.  My corner elements are from Parisian Motifs by Spellbinders. I added white Inkssentials Enamel Accents to my background to create texture.  Coloring was done with Copic Markers.

     Looks like we are in for a rainy week, here in PA.  Maybe I will be a bit more productive, since the gorgeous fall weather has kept me drawn to the outside.  Have a wonderful day!

My House Mouse Post....oh, and a recipe

     It's time for a  new  challenge over on The House Mouse Monday Blog.  It is Challenge #129, Autumn or Harvest.

     I had a few stamps to choose from, but I decided to use Jumping For Joy (Monica), again.  The papers were a gift, and I am not sure of the maker.  The one leaf paper has rubberized texture leaves, which is so cool in real life.  I added cascading leaves from an EK Success border punch, which I cut apart.  The sheer ribbon was recycled from a gift.  My only other addition are assorted fall gems.  The sentiment is from Sweet n Sassy Stamps.

     That is it for now.  Need to get dinner made, and some yard work done before dark.  There will be easy peasy mini tacos as our meal tonight.  Yum!  Season you taco meat as usual, spray a cupcake pan, and line each cup with a wonton wrapper.  Spoon in the meat and top with shredded cheese.  Bake for 8 minutes at 350.  Top with sauce, chopped tomatoes, and a dab of sour cream.  We also add some chopped onion to suit our taste. Light, plus very filling!  I always make extra meat for later in the week.  Here is a tip:  I had a hard time finding the wonton wrappers, and I finally found them at Super Walmart in the cooler case next to the bakery.  They also have egg roll wrappers which work great with pulled pork and cheese.  Sounds like football snacks, huh?

Repeat Impressions Sketch

     My mojo has gone on a little vacation, so I am pushing to create.  I must apologize ahead of time for the artistic liberties I took with the new sketch, over on The House That Stamps Built Blog.

     I used a white card base, digital designer paper, with no info, and one of my unknown, unmounted stamps.  I did some coloring with Copic markers, and added one of my favorite die cuts called Fresh Daisies, from SSS.  I love that you can cut them all out in white for future use, and color them as needed with Copic colors.  I outlined the edges with my white gel pen.  There are some mauve pearls which are going in a different direction.  BTW, I flipped the sketch.

     Hope you have a beautiful fall day.  It is in the 40's here and yes, the heat pump had to take the chill off the house!  Thanks for sharing a little part of your day with me.

Friends with Flair, Yes it's Friday!

     My first card is made using the KOM from Unity back in January of 2011, called To The Moon and Back.  I made a little A2 note card with a scrap banner.  Coloring was done with Copics and the background designer paper is from Colorbok.

     Card # two is using the September KOM of 2012, which I am in total love with.  I did another card using the large key background stamp and sentiment.  Images are stamped in gumball green from SU!, and a digital butterfly was fussy cut, embossed with UTEE, and popped up for dimension.

     Both cards will go in my box for Operation Write Home.  I love my Unity stamps and they are helping me get so many cards completed.  If you click over to the Unity blog, you will see what all the talented designers have made with their Unity stamps, this week.

Mid-Week Throwdown Color Challenge

      Over on the Stars and Stamps Blog, there is a color challenge using red and green.  I was inspired to use my diamond punch and a doily stamp from Hero Arts to create this card.  Pinterest has been hopping with repins of cards creating quilt type patterns using diamonds.

     I grabbed some red and green pattern scraps for my bin, punched 2 of each and secured them to an embossed white panel.  I then stamped my doily stamp with Ridinghood Red ink from SU!, fussy cut it, and glued to the center of my star.  An olive pearl was used to finish the center.  I found some matching green ribbon from one of the KOM pkgs. at Really Reasonable Ribbon, and inked up my Unity sentiment in Gumball Green ink.  The edges were sponged in the red and the sentiment was popped up with a dimensional.

I would also like to enter my card this week at Simon Says Stamp, where the challenge is Embossing (heat or dry). Love a good Swiss dot background!

     I had such fun, that I decided to make 3 more for my OWH box!  Thanks for paying a visit!

A Lot of Gelato!

     Happy Wednesday afternoon!  As promised, I am back with an entry for the Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge #138.  I could not wait to get my hands on a couple of sets of Gelatos from Faber Castell.  What are they you ask?  They are tubes of yummy, creamy color, that resemble lip balm tubes.  They are vibrant, and water soluble, which makes them act different ways when you spritz them!  You can get different generations of images when you stamp.  Here is the first printing with me using blue and yellow.

     As you can see, from this group photo, with each spritz and addition, I was able to go to shades of green and then a rusty brown!  I used the same leaf stamp from Penny Black, with the addition of different sentiments.  A few are the sketch, and then I switched up to make a couple more.  I even tried water color paper.  It was also a great way to use more of the papers from my stash.

     I hope you like what I came up with, and I always appreciate when you stop by!

Had to Make this a Double Post!

     I don't normally like to double up on my posts, but this was an emergency, with my second card ending in a little over an hour.  Sorry!

     My first card is for the House Mouse Monday Challenge #128.  This time the theme is let's be friends!  I thought this pair looked like quite  the singing duo.

     The card base is Amuse.  I am totally in love with this product, and thrilled that it was gifted to me!  The HM stamps I used are called Two-Part Harmony 02, and Music In My Heart.  I used white and designer paper from Basic Grey's PB&J collection.  The border is made with Die-namics Open Scallop Edge die, and decorated with tiny flowers from my friend Carol.  I dotted the centers with the PB&J paper and topped them with Glossy Accents.  This card with be added to the OWH box, as that great Amuse card has a clean white side, just right for a hero to write a note to home on.

     My second card is created for the Simon Say Stamp Challenge, We're So Trendy, to create with Neon, Chevrons, or Hexagons.  I made this CAS card, and did not realize I was running out of time.  Eek!  I inked with Taken with Teal, Gumball Green, and Melon Mambo SU! inks over a template of hexagons by The Crafter's Workshop.  My sentiment is from the new KOM at Unity, and I added a punched blue heart as my accent.

     Phew, I feel like a just ran a marathon!  I  may actually be back later with another post.  That one involves me playing with my new Gelato's.  Fun, fun, fun!

Not a Normal Size Card

     Over at The House That Stamps Built, rock star, Joy Hadden has asked us to create a card that is not a normal size.  After seeing a Twisted Greeting Card, over at fellow blogger, Sue's place, I decided to give it a try. I actually made a couple, since I had to cut enough pieces for two.

     I used a paper and embellishment tablet from Colorbok, called Earth Tone Florals.  I created my card bases with oak tag.  You just have to watch the video to see how crazy, easy they are.  You can make them with pockets or without.  However, I did not find them easy to photograph because of the angles.  Enjoy!

Art Impressions Challenge #80 Rainbow

     This week, the challenge at AI is to create with the rainbow in mind.  Here is what I came up with!

     I used a golden yellow card base, a sentiment from my unmounted stash, a scrap of rainbow striped designer paper, and some Pop Dots.  The rest of the card was created with the following Art Impression stamps.

P-1499 Fence
AA-846 Grass
E-1025 Clouds
T-1716 Back

     Images were stamped in Memento Ink, and colored with Copic markers.

     I hope everyone had a great weekend, and has an awesome start to the new week!

Happy Birthday OWH, and an Any Hero Challenge!

     Hello, and a happy Sunday to all.  I am finally getting around to offering up a happy birthday wish to Operation Write Home.  I am so happy to finally be part of this great work!  The Mid Week Throwdown, this week, is to create an "Any Hero"card, that can be included in a shipment for one of our amazing hero's.

     My first card was made using a colored, digital image that I received as a gift from my friend Colleen.  Thanks, buddy, I will sure be using this one again.  I used an assortment of sage and white card stock, My sentiment is from Sweet and Sassy from their Patriotic Cocoa set.  My die cut border is from MFT  Die-namics, and is called Open Scalloped Edge..  The pretty little crystal stars, were a find at Goodwill.

     Card number two, uses my new Thank You stamp from Stampers Best, along with and altered digital star and papers from my scrap bin.  I just love when things come together so quickly.

     On a personal note....  My day long cook-a-thon, this past Friday, was a big success.  I think my new DIL had a great birthday party!  I did not get to be outside as much as I would have liked. Due to the crazy bee population, I was forced to man the house.  People made trips inside to chat, and I got to bond with my new grand-puppy.  He was such a good boy!

Woo Hoo, It's Friday!

      What a busy week!  Sorry I have been scarce, but I had a few unexpected projects pop up.  Anyway, here I am with a couple of cards for the Friday Friends with Flair linky, over on the Unity Blog!  First,let me say that the new Kit of the Month, is totally amazing! It is called The Vintage Touch, and it is true to it's name.

      My first card uses the large key stamp from the kit, along with one of the sentiments.  I layered it with a scrap of designer paper onto oak tag card stock.  It is all stamped with Faded Jeans Distress ink, and gave it a great monochromatic look.  Doesn't get much easier than this!

     Next card is made on an olive green textured card, layered with Basic Grey What's Up paper.  I added a zig-zag, chipboard border from K&Co., along with some of my very favorite May Arts vine ribbon.  My image and sentiment were cut out with a SB die and sponged, then colored with Copics.  I used a black Zig pen to outline the image while it was still in the die.  Olive pearls were my added embellishment.

     My goal was to get this posted today, so I can now move on to all the cooking I have to do for the weekend.  My DS is throwing a party for my DIL's birthday, and I was asked to feed the gang.  Hope you have a fantastic Fall weekend.  Sending extra prayers, that things calm in the Middle East.

OWH Sketch Challenge #137

     Here I am again with another sketch challenge card for Operation Write Home.  I am so excited to see my container filling with cards to send off to our hero's!  This week is also Paper Smooches week, on the Stars and Stamps Blog.  Here is the sketch that we are to follow.

      This card is created on an Amuse base, and the designer paper of choice is Basic Grey.  Yes, I love BG papers!  I used two Gina K. Designs stamp sets on my card.  The first is called Heartfelt, designed by Theresa Momber.  The second is called Various Verses, and has some wonderful font sentiments.  Coloring is with Copics, and SU! inks.  My scallop was created with an SU! slit punch, and I added a few red pearls as accents.

     My second card is just a bonus post, also created with a Gina K. Design stamp set, by Theresa Momber.  It is called Vogue Vases.  I stamped directly onto a digital panel that I printed out, made an extra vase to coat in Glossy Accents, and pop up.  I cut and applied a champagne pearl flourish. A simple card, but I hope one of our soldiers find it just right to send home to someone special.

     Thanks goodness our area was spared from the violent storms yesterday.  Who would have ever thought that there would be 2 tornado's outside of NYC!  How insane is that!  It is such a lovely day, today, that all my windows are open.  It's been months since I could do that!  Thanks for spending a little time with me.

What If? Wednesday......

      Here is the new What If? Wednesday sketch challenge, for Repeat Impressions.  I just received a sheet of their wonderful unmounted rubber in the mail, so I could not wait to play along!

       I use a great polka dot base card made from Amuse products. This was a sweet RAK that I received as a surprise!   My Repeat Impression stamp is cut out with a Spellbinder die, colored with Copics, and sponged with SU! inks. My half circle on top is made with Basic Grey, Konnichiwa paper.  I pinch pleated some what ribbon, and glued it around the edges.  My little corner embellishments were punched using a grape leaf punch from Emagination, and olive pearl accents were added.

     We are under severe storms, and tornado warnings all over Eastern PA tonight.  I was hoping to get back with something else, but I am not sure that will happen.  Be safe out there!

It's Friends with Flair time!

     You all know by now that I love my Friday Unity, Friends with Flair posts.  I am trying to use all of the Unity stamps I won in a grab bag, a couple of months back.  Here are two that were in there and just perfect for each other.

     I started with a white base, added a buff layer, and then a designer paper I found in my scraps.  (gotta use these scraps!)  I stamped the sentiment directly on the dp with Memento Rich Cocoa.  My clock face is stamped on some of the buff.  I decided I needed to bring in another color, so I added a buttery yellow. , and some Glossy Accents.  Two little banner strips of a yellow dp, and a couple of the Candi Dots colored with Copic, finished this card off.

Yesterday, the Operation Write Home site posted the most needed cards.  They are:
Thank you
Birthday
Blank
Thinking of you
They can also use cards for a Hero to send home to a child.  Hope you can find time to put something together.   Sure hope you don't mind, but you will be seeing lots of this type card for a bit.  Thanks for stopping around.

OWH/Lawn Fawn Mid-Week Throwdown

     Here is my card for the mid-week throw down challenge, over on the Stars and Stamps Blog.  We are asked to create a card for our hero's to send home to a child.  It is suppose to include scallops.  Here is what I used.

Image:  Dearie Dolls digital image with Glossy Accents on the windows
Inks:  Pool Party from SU, Copic markers
Sentiment:  Computer generated
DP: digital, no name
Scallops:  Assorted ric-rac..navy, red-orange, mustard yellow
Card stock:  Marco's Paper

      That's it for now!  Hope you are having a great Thursday!  Thanks for paying me a visit.

VCMP for OWH, Challenges #1, 2, and 3

      It's another day of card creating here.  I decided to hop on the band wagon and join in on the Virtual Card Making Party over at Operation Write Home's Stars and Stamps Blog.  I won't do a bunch of chatter, to keep the post shorter.  Just want to say that I already did Challenge #6, so I am skipping around.

     Challenge #1 is brought to us by Angie from ODBD, and she asks us to use Scripture or an uplifting sentiment.  The papers are all from my scrap bin, with a red card base.  The stamps are from 2 different sets of Clear Dollar Stamps, LLC.  Coloring  is done with Copics, and sponging with So Saffron SU! ink.

     Challenge #2 was given to us from Cherie, and is a recipe challenge.  We are to use one stamped image, two  patterned papers, and three words.  My stamped image is from Clear Dollar Stamps, LLC and the set is Spirograph, stamped in Memento London Fog.  My two pattern papers are from Basic Grey, Plumeria.  The sentiment is also Clear Dollar.  Card base is Moonlit Fog PL, from Gina K. Designs.  The little domed bird, is from K&Co.

     Challenge #3 is hosted by Cindy, and we are asked to use snowflakes, but not Christmas.  I started with inking my Sizzix EF with Pool Party and Wisteria Wonder inks.  My sentiment is a wood mount that says Validated copyright 1996.  My Eskimo and igloo stamps are unmounted and unknown.  Coloring is with Copics, and I added some crystal snowflakes & gems as embellishments.  (parka matches background, but photographed blue)

     Like I said in a previous post, I am very new at doing the OWH challenges.  Hope what I have made is okay.  Not sure I will get all of the challenges completed, but it is fun trying!  It will be so exciting to send my own package of cards, and not pest my friend to add them to hers.

Lawn Fawn Bonus Sketch at OWH

     I saw this new bonus sketch posted on the Stars and Stamps site, for OWH.  I figured I would give it a try.  I do not own any Lawn Fawn Stamps, so I pulled something cute out of my animal collection

     I started with a bright green base from Marco's Paper, and then rummaged through my scraps for some nice green patterns.  My cow just says Heather on the side, so I am assuming this is part of the Stamps by Judith line.  The grass is from Art Impressions.  I created the cow's scenery by sponging with assorted SU! inks.  I cut out my image with a SB Blossom die, colored the image and edge with Copic, and added white gel stitching to the edge.  Next dilemma was that I needed a sentiment.  I stamped my own using tiny letter stamps, and sorry, but I got a little punny.  I added some little circle punches with hearts, so as not to add bulk.

     Is the inside decorated, you ask?  Yes it is, and it is just as punny!

     My next card is one I made the other week, just fooling around with things I had laying in the studio.  I hope to find this little lady a cute challenge to enter in.

Here is what I used:
Card base :  White recollections
Designer paper:  PB&J from Basic Grey
Girl image:  digital from Melon Headz
Sentiment:  is from Clear Dollar Stamps
Punches:  Scallop circle, Flowerpots (no clue where I got these)
Dies:  Mini Flourish by Cheery Lynn, SB Labels One
Embellishments:  Prima flowers, raspberry twill tape, amber gems

I would like to enter this card in : Simon Says Stamp, Anything Goes Challenge

OWH Sketch #136 with a Twist

      This will be my first time playing along with any of the Operation Write Home Sketches and Challenges. This is VCMP Challenge #6.  It sure was a fun one!  I also like the twist that was thrown in to use your punches.  I used a diamond punch that has no maker marking, and a daisy punch from Family Treasures.

     My card base is PL, Innocent Pink card.  The sides were embossed with a Cuttlebug border folder.  I rubbed the tops of the embossing with TH Picket Fence Distress Stain, to make it pop.  My center panel was scraps from my bin.  I believe the stripe paper is DCWV.  I added my punches, and created my sentiment  panel, and stamped it with a saying from Clear Dollar Stamps.  Green pearls adorn the daisies.

     It is raining in PA.... actually, we have flash flood warnings.  Even the dog won't leave the front porch!  Enjoy what is left of your holiday!

Art Impressions Challenge #78, Plus and order Card

     Good morning, friends.  I have a couple of cards to share with you today.  My first is for the newest challenge over at the Art Impressions blog.  Kate has asked that we create "Anything Lacy".  I decided to use my AI Dragonfly stamp, P-1996.  My designer papers are from Basic Grey's Plumeria collection.  I cut out the dragonfly with one of my Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles, and sponged with assorted SU! inks. The sentiment is A-Muse. Coloring was done with Copic markers, and I used cotton lace, lavender pearls, and some Diamond Stickles on the bugs wings, as embellishments.

     My second card is for a young fellow at work, who needed a birthday wish to send to his mom down south.  He chose the colors and ladybug theme. I used digi images, and the main image is called Lady and Her Flowers, by Scrap Happy Paper Crafter.  The mom sentiment is also a digi, with no info.  Coloring is done with Copic markers, and sponging is with Poll Party ink from SU!.  I cut the main image with Spellbinder Labels Twenty-Three.  The sentiment was fussy cut.The card base is Ripe Avocado PL and the designer paper is from Basic Grey's Konnichiwa collection.  I used amber pearls, Glossy Accents, and Sakura Stardust as my special touches.  I hope he likes it.

     Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend.  It is raining here, right now.  No picnic planned, just some remodeling and painting.  Funny how the paint mix does not match the chart!  Grrrrr!  Thanks, once again HD!