What's up? (Besides your age)

  We are wrapping up (birthday humor) the month long celebration and giveaways to celebrate Neat and Tangled's first birthday.   Today, August 30th, is my mom's birthday, how appropriate is that?

  Ren-Yi has been hard at work addressing all of your inspiration requests, like this comment from my friend Stef:

SmilynStefAugust 2, 2013 at 10:08 PM

I realized I don't have any of your birthday sentiments ... but still want to be inspired on how to make birthday cards with the stamps I do have.

  I know the lovely Stef has this "Just Hello" set, so I used the "what's up?" sentiment from "Just Hello" along with some Neat and Tangled "Birthday Bash Sequin Assortment" and "Little Tangles" as my balloon strings: :

        and the other using Thickers:

 "Just Hello"

"Little Tangles"

 Thanks for stopping by!  I'd like to see you use your non-birthday stamps to create a birthday card...and don't forget our current challenge:  Challenge #19 Eat Cake - ends Sept 1; win a free stamp set 

You are still here?  Go create!  I'll see you at Little Tangles :)

Cardabilities sketch #82

   Another great sketch and challenge is up at Cardabilities!

  Check it out:

  My inspiration came from the small rectangle (focal point) in the sketch; I thought this My Mind's Eye chipboard piece would work well for that element.  Then I found my coordinating papers but I pondered over the decorative corners.  I went through my very old stash in the basement and found my old photo corners.  I like!

Supplies (links embedded):
papers:  My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two Blush

• "Favorite" Dance
• "Better" Blossom 
• "Princess" Special

kraft card stock; black card stock

chipboard:  My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two Blush "Better"

Please join us for sketchy fun at Cardabilities!

Big News! I am a Cut It Up designer!

  I am happy to announce that I am a Cut It Up designer!  

Here are the details:

  The challenges run for two weeks.  Create a new card, layout, or project using a store-bought die cut or any manual or electronic die cutting machine (e.g. Silhouette, Cricut, Spellbinders, MFT, PTI, etc.)  Hand-held punches and paper piecing do not count.

My first official post will go live on September 6th, but you don't have to wait until then to play along!  The current challenge runs until September 4th:

 Challenge #26

Back to School Altered Notebook

Happy Wednesday!

Supplies:
Cricut cartridge:  Kate's ABCs
paper:  Echo Park "Sweet Day: Playful Banner" (leaf); "Sweet Day: Oh My Stripe" (grassy reeds); "Sweet Day: Cheerful Stripe" (text Mason jar); Echo Park "This and That: Brown solid" (brown on jar and butterfly bodies); Echo Park "Scoot" 6x6 (orange bugs); Echo Park "Hello Summer" 6x6 (yellow butterfly)

Hello Clippings!

  Earlier this summer as I worked on some of my scrapbooking, I used up some old layout kits stored in my basement.  Once I complete the kit I usually have leftover embellishments, which then make their way up to my craft room and get stored in the appropriate jar/drawer/shelf.  This green chipboard flower is an extra embellishment, as well as the orange jumbo brads and the "hello" rub-on sentiment.  My blue embossed Bazzill card stock is scrap from my Moo-ey Doodles kit.  The pretty papers are 6x6 BasicGrey "Clippings" papers.  Of course I needed a sketch to jump start my scrappy mojo:

  This is the August sketch over at House of Cards.  Sweet, huh?  A great card sketch; I hope to see you link up your card at House of Cards.  This week is shabby and vintage; the BG papers are already shabby/distressed (see the top right corner) and my embellishments are Pressed Petals chip chatter from 2006...I hope that qualifies as vintage since they have been discontinued/out of business for a while now.

And speaking of Moo-ey Doodles, it was discontinued a year ago, but you can still find it at Shop Pumpkin Spice.  When we moved, I used it to decorate my envelopes:

Udderly moovelous :)

Happy Tuesday!

Cow's It Going? (Coloring challenge)

  I have been feverishly working on DT projects for next week, but I took a little crafty break to play along in the coloring challenge at Shop Pumpkin Spice blog.  I love to color and find it therapeutic...and I have an affinity for cows.

  This was so much fun to create; such a cheerful little card.

Supplies (links embedded):
stamps:  Moo-ey Doodles (cow); More Punny-licious (sentiment); Hero Arts/BasicGrey wood background
markers:  ProMarkers (Yankee Doodles set and Birthday Doodles set)
twine:  Doodlebug bright assortment
adhesive (blue twine bow):  glossy accents
white gel pen

Happy Thursday!

Summer Chillin'

  I am back from our three back-to-back vacations.  It was so nice to visit family and friends and to relax, but I am happy to be home with my husband and our girls and in my own bed.

  There are a few upcoming DT challenges I need to work on, but today I worked on another LO from summer 2005.  My goal is to complete scrapbooking of 2005 before school starts, which is two weeks from today!

    I went through my old stash of papers and found two double-sided 12x12 sheets of scrapbook paper from an old LO kit when I was teaching classes at the Memories store.  The kit was designed to be an Easter LO, but I ignored the sketch and directions and just used the papers to do my own thing.  The brad is by Doodlebug 2012 and the journaling card is Echo Park 2013 "Fun in the Sun" photo freedom.

  The floral and dark pink stripe paper is SEI "Dreamy Daisies."  I had only a small scrap after making the first page, so I punched the five flowers from the scrap and glued them in a somewhat random fashion on the left page.

  A very scrappy LO and no scraps of paper left over!  One more LO complete and a bit of old stash used up; so gratifying.

Happy Tuesday!

Let's Eat Cake! A Little Tangles challenge

The month long party continues...

Neat and Tangled stamps are one year old!

Celebrate by hopping along; the hop starts 

on the Little Tangles blog...

there are prizes to be won!

  Recently a long-time crafty friend commented that I never "just stamp" anymore and she missed the types of cards I made years ago.  Her comment gave me pause because it has been a long time...a really long time.  Patterned paper was not widely used when I started stamping in the late 90s; we used to stamp our own backgrounds.  Vellum, acetate, and ribbon were our embellishments.  Then eyelets came along and mini brads and later patterned paper.  Since that time the card making world has exploded with choices.

  I took her comment as a challenge to myself.  I perused my treasure trove of Neat and Tangled stamp sets by looking at every stamp a in every set.  Could I use them in a traditional and unique way for the Little Tangles "Let's Eat Cake" challenge?

  I used four different stamp sets...can you spot the different stamps?

Sketchy Cupcakes, Little Tangles, and Fresh Blooms

cupcake and sentiment; yellow confetti; red and orange streamers, respectively

and 

the blue confetti from the outer edges of Ink Splash:

Supplies:

Stamp sets:  Neat and Tangled Sketchy Cupcakes, Little Tangles, Fresh Blooms, and Ink Splash

sequin:  Raspberry Red

adhesive:  glossy accents (for sequins)

inks:  Copic Markers B29, Y17,YR16, C1, and C3; Stampin' Up! Brilliant Blue, More Mustard, Real Red, and Summer Sun; black fine point marker (I hand drew the cherry stem)

The perks and prizes will continue 

all month long.  

See you at Little Tangles!

Your next stop is Ren-Yi!

Leave a comment for a chance to win a $5 gift card...you have until August 24th for a chance to win.

Cardabilities Sketch challenge #81

  I had so much fun playing with Karan's sketch and these wonderful papers from My Mind's Eye "Collectable" collection. The banners and stickers are by Simple Stories "24/seven" collection.  The red canvas cord, papers, and banners are all from the June 2013 Artful Delight kit (sold out).  The burlap butterfly sticker is "Naturals" by Little Yellow Bicycle and the glazed brad is MME Indie Chic "Citrus Grow".

  I hope you will have fun with this sketch and link your card at Cardabilities!

Happy Thursday!

Scrappy Birthday!

  It's my turn on the Shop Pumpkin Spice blog.  I still have bits from this My Mind's Eye collection called Indie Chic "Nutmeg."  It is my go-to collection for masculine cards with these wonderful patterns in shades of blue.

  My card evolved from a small scrap of the blue tone-on-tone circles paper.  I rounded opposite corners and inked the edges.  Then I coordinated three other patterns in blue.  Even the grey-ish banner is scrap piece from in the collection.  I stamped the sentiment and added twine.  Tip:  to keep my twine from unraveling, I dab a tiny dot of glossy accents on the ends.   They end up looking a little bit like shoe laces.

Supplies:

papers:  My Mind's Eye Indie Chic "Nutmeg" Boy Checker, Family Laurel Burst (both sides), and Memories Tapestry; XPEDX navy linen card stock

adhesive:  Xyron 900

sentiment:  My Pink Stamper "Birthday Doodles" stamp set

twine:  The Twinery charcoal

glossy accents

Happy Tuesday!

Thanks, Teacher!

   Friday was the last day of summer school for my girls.  I always want to let the teacher and the teacher assistants how much I appreciate them.  Chocolate always seems to come to mind...

  There are two males and two females, so I made the stripes for the guys and the florals for the ladies.  I am entering my wrapped Hershey bars at Craftin' Desert Divas "Back to School" challenge.  My Hershey bars were for the end of summer school, so if this disqualifies my project, I totally understand!

  It also gave me a good excuse to use these label stickers that I won from SRM last Spring.  I added the rub-on sentiment (American Crafts).  The red, yellow, and floral card stock came from the June 2013 Artful Delight kit.  I used "lemon drop" Twinery twine to attach the tags to the Echo Park "School Days" blue paper.

Supplies:
paper:  My Mind's Eye "Collectable" (floral); Bazzill card stock; Echo Park "School Days"
sentiment:  American Crafts rub-on
label stickers:  SRM Bright Blank Labels by the Dozen
twine:  The Twinery "Lemon Drop"
tag die:  PTI

  It is so rewarding to create from various manufacturers and combine new stash with old.

Happy Monday!

Sunshine challenge!

  It's that time of the month again...time for the Shop Pumpkin Spice design team monthly hop and weekly challenge (you should have arrived here from sweet Missy's blog!)  This week's challenge:

SUNSHINE

  When I think sunshine, I think yellow.  And in my stash I still have scraps and pieces of My Mind's Eye Indie Chic "Nutmeg" papers.  I punched 1 1/4" squares from the various patterns in blue.  Then I found a previously punched circle in the blue/yellow floral pattern which I used behind the sentiment.  I added the layer of large yellow flowers as my card base.

  Quilt cards are my favorite way to use scraps.  After punching 12 squares, use a Xyron on a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of card stock and create your quilt.  I added faux stitching, which is optional.  Then I run the entire piece through an embossing folder.

Supplies:
papers:  My Mind's Eye Indie Chic "Nutmeg" Boy Checker, Family Laurel Burst (both sides), Hanging Out Roses, and History Blooms; XPEDX navy linen card stock
adhesive:  Xyron 900
sentiment:  SRM sticker

Happy Hopping!  Your next stop is Agnes.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

  Today is my grandma's 91st birthday!  We went to visit her last weekend, since we are going out of town today.  I was looking for some colors and patterns that I thought she might like, and I am happy with the result. 

  The patterned papers came from the June 2013 Artful Delight kit (sold out).  The yellow chevron is by Simple Stories 24/7,  and the salmon hexagon pattern (leaves) and the salmon floral are both from Studio Calico Snippets.  My chipboard flower and sentiment are My Mind's Eye "The Sweetest Thing."  The doily die, leaves, and scallop border punch are all by Stampin' Up!

  I am entering my card in the Photo Inspiration challenge 
at House of Cards: 

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday, Neat and Tangled!

  Happy Birthday, Neat and Tangled!  To celebrate the LittleTangles challenge blog theme is "Happy Birthday".  In preparation for this celebration I purchased one of the newest stamp sets, "Everyday Circles" from the Neat and Tangled store as well as the varied sequins.

  All month long we will be celebrating...leave comments and enter the birthday challenge for perks and prizes!!!

  Here is a close-up of the stamp set I used:

  I hope you will celebrate with us at Little Tangles challenge blog!

  

Supplies:

stamp set:  Neat and Tangled "Everyday Circles"

sequins:  Neat and Tangled store

papers:  Simple Stories Snap 6x6

button:  SU

Happy August!