My 1000th post! Jingle Belles Sketch challenge +blog candy

 This week Jingle Belles challenge blog has a sketch...a great one too; you can keep it CAS or embellish away.  I chose to pull out My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found Christmas" papers and stickers that I purchased last year at Shop Pumpkin Spice.  I layered the Christmas Trees paper on early espresso card stock, then embossed it with my D'Vine Swirls embossing folder.  The 3 rectangles were too long to fit in the embossing folder, so I covered the demarcation with ribbon to cover it.  I had a scrap of red glitter sticker paper and used a Spellbinder's "Lacey Circles" to die cut.  Then I added the two MME stickers.  Easy and all from paper scraps :)

  Follow this sketch and link your card to Jingle Belles "Oh Christmas Sketch" challenge.  Every two weeks Lauren & Stef have a new challenge.  It is so much fun to make a Christmas card every week (or two) than to frenzy produce at the last minute. I first "met" Lauren and Smilyn' Stef over five years ago via blogging.  Yep, my five year blogoversary was June 1, 2012 and this is my 1,000th post!

Time for a little blog candy:

  Please leave a comment below and I will post a winner on August 22nd.  You do not have to become a follower to win; I prefer that you follow because you want to follow.

Happy Friday!

Bright Side Birthday

  Last year I asked my grandma if I could have her sewing machine, since she rarely uses it anymore.  She said, "yes."  Last week was her 90th birthday, so I wanted to also use her machine to stitch on her card.

  This card is totally My Mind's Eye with a My Pink Stamper sentiment purchased from Shop Pumpkin Spice.  The 6x6 paper pads are always just $4.19 and the My Pink Stamper stamp sets are only $16.50!  

Here is a picture of my grandma...I think she is so pretty!

Supplies:

paper:  My Mind's Eye On the Bright Side TWO; black card stock; white card stock

sentiment:  My Pink Stamper "Invitation Only"

glazed brad:  My Mind's Eye Indie Chic Citron "Grow"

Happy 90th Birthday, Gram :)

Many thanks!

 

  I am very behind in my thank you notes...about two months!  But it is never too late to show appreciation, right?  My brain was trying to come up with a way to make 10 identical cards...I shopped my 12x12 papers and decided to make use of my Echo Park "Style Essentials: Runway" papers that I purchased from Shop Pumpkin Spice.  There are 3 double-sided sheets in dark pink, green, brown, and soft pink each in 6 different patterns; 12 papers for $6.64!

Here are the six patterns in the dark pink:

I cut the scallops from my Cricut "Accent Essentials", stamped a sentiment (My Pink Stamper "Yummy-licious" set), and added five tiny pearls across the top.  Easy-peasy.

I am entering my card in the current challenge at 

Shopping Our Stash:  Monochromatic.

Here are some masculine thank you cards I made using the brown patterns:

(Cricut "Pretty Pennants" cartridge, jumbo eyelets, and ribbon)

Have you added Style Essentials to your cart yet?

Happy Wednesday!

Teacher Gift Card sets

   Summer school teacher gifts:  I try to show my appreciation to the teachers with some paper crafting goodness.  I made this set for Kathryn's teacher.  Here is a closer look:

I am entering my card in 3 challenges:

• Artful Delight monthly sketch challenge

• Crazy 4 Challenges:  Creating a card/project for a teacher
• Die Cuttin' Divas:  Anything Goes

And I couldn't leave Julia's teacher out...she had a terrific teacher this summer too.  Her first male teacher, so I tried to come up with a masculine card set:

Supplies:

Cricut cartridges:  apple from Plantin Schoolbook and strawberry from Preserves

paper:  Doodlebug Designs "Sweet Cakes", green Bazzill bling card stock, and red linen card stock (strawberry card); My Mind's Eye Indie Chic "Nutmeg", early espresso card stock and navy linen card stock

sentiment:  My Pink Stamper "Fruit & Veggie Puns" stamp (strawberry card); my handwriting (apple card)

twine:  My Mind's Eye Fly a Kite "Spring" (strawberry card); The Twinery "Cappuccino" (apple card)

embossing folders:  Cuttlebug "Seeing Spots"(strawberry card); Cuttlebug "Argyle" (apple card)

flower & brad:  Queen & Co. (strawberry card)

library clip:  Stampin' Up! (apple card)

border punch:  EKSuccess

Happy Monday!

Masculine Funday Birthday/WWIT

  A walk down memory lane...when I began shopping at scrapbook stores for patterned papers to create my cards and LOs (circa 2003), Making Memories was the most well-known scrapbook paper manufacturer to me.  Their collections included polka dots, solids, stripes, watercolor, plaid, sponge, speckle, etc.  They also had eyelets and twistel to coordinate.  Yes, I had to have them all.  Does anyone else remember this?  By 2004 I also got hooked on Doodlebug, My Mind's Eye, BasicGrey...since then even more new paper companies have emerged and my hoarding has spun further out of control.

  I rarely use that twistel now (or eyelets; I prefer brads).  Twistel is kind of like raffia, but not exactly.  Anyway, I was perusing my 6x6 paper pads and I realized that my My Mind's Eye Funday papers have not been used recently...and for some reason I purchased a lot of those kraft-y papers... I was going for a masculine birthday card, so I wanted to avoid ribbon.  But the card needed a little something, and I went digging through my fibers bin for some twistel.  I uttered a mental groan:  why do I have sooooooo many fibers?  I have at least six fibers in greens, blues, yellows; I had to have every color of those too.  Sigh.  WWIT?  (What was I thinking?)  And a single 6x6 pad can make TONS of cards...why did I need two of the Funday pads?  Don't get me wrong, I *LOVE* My Mind's Eye, but they continually produce new collections that I fall in love with...probably best if I just pick one favorite and enjoy it...

  I was inspired to create this card from the current challenge at Shopping Our Stash:  WWIT?
Simple.  Done.  Shopped my WWIT stash :)

Supplies:
paper:  My Mind's Eye "Funday"; black card stock
sentiment:  My Pink Stamper "Girlie Doodles" (ironic, isn't it?)
border punch:  Fiskars
twistel:  Making Memories

Happy Monday!

Shop Pumpkin Spice...it's FIN-tastic!

  It's that time again...to hop along with the Shop Pumpkin Spice design team!  Lots of variety along the way from papers and supplies purchased from Shop Pumpkin Spice.  Don't miss out on the August monthly kit either; I may skip on over there right now and put it in my cart, unless you beat me to it.  The kits are always a super value.

  I was inspired to make this card from the current challenge at

Creative Card Crew:

On the Beach/ Under the Sea

Check out the happy creations by the CCC Dt as well as all the link-ups.  Fun stuff!

Here is our line up:

Diana
Courtney
June *YOU ARE HERE*
Lenae
Lezlye
Carissa
Saundra * Saundra is rockin' the August kit...check it out! *
SPS Blog 

Supplies:
paper and stickers:  Echo Park "Paradise Beach"
sentiment stamp:  My Pink Stamper "Even More Punny-licious"
twine:  "Cappuccino"

Hop away!

Simple Stories, You Are My Sunshine

  "Summer Fresh" is the first Simple Stories collection I have ever owned.  I have the 6x6 pad and I am addicted to it!  I love the bolder colors and the fact that it pairs well with my navy Bazzill card stock (my picture makes it look black, but it is truly navy.)

  This pad is different from all of the other 6x6s I own because some of the papers are not just a pattern (like the red check or green polka dot pictured.)  There are papers that can be cut up and used as journaling tags or as the sentiment (e.g. "you are my sunshine" panel above.)  Here are some earlier posts of other cards I have made from the same 6x6 pad:

Sooooooo much fun in one little pad.  Do you see the clouds behind the sail boat?  I fussy cut the clouds from one sheet in the pad of paper...so many flags and other goodies to fussy cut.  The "waves" in the sail boat card were the negative image from using my scallop border die.  Then I used the actual scallops for this card:

  The hot air ballon panel is one of the rectangles of journaling cards; I just added the bit of twine on the basket and a navy snap in the corner.  Easy-peasy.

  Now I am motivated to give some love to my other 6x6 pads because I may need to make room to buy more Simple Stories...they sure are easy to work with!

Happy Wednesday!