My Cluster of Cards...

Viva La Verve - February - Week 1

2012-02-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

I am so excited today... For anyone who follows my blog, might know my struggles to get a good picture. I don't have a fancy camera... just a regular old point and shoot digital camera. This morning, I finally went into the settings to try to adjust a couple of things and I found a whole bunch of things that I wish I knew was on this camera long time ago! I made some adjustments and here it is... a picture I'm finally happy with! I took this picture with a regular floor lamp light (usually gives me a yellowish tint) and it's a rainy day today... so all odds were against me! Okay, now to my card.

I said before that I'm using an old paper pack... and vowed to use it til it's gone... but there's only so much BLUE I can take, so I'm vowing to use up two different paper packs. This one includes pink, so I have a little more variety, especially with Valentine's Day coming up. I used CTMH Notebook paper with a CTMH Intrinsic Background stamp. All of the dies are Papertrey, except the border, which is from MFT Stamps.

Wedding Guest Book

2012-01-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, I was tasked with making my husband's cousin's Guest Book for her wedding in March. I was having the toughest time coming up with a design from scratch. I also had a tough time finding a book from a craft store that I could work with... that was... until I saw Heather Nichols's post HERE.

Oh, I just KNEW that's how I wanted to make it!

I started with a thick chip board-like sheet and cut 2 pieces to the size I wanted. Then I trimmed the edges with a Papertrey edge die. I cut two sheets of black cardstock the same size and adhered one piece to each side.

For the inside, I cut several sheets of white cardstock and printed on all sheets. I created a template to punch several holes on the side to sew and then I cut holes in each sheet with a small hole punch, using the template. I also cut two larger holes on the side to attach the rings. I sewed all of the sheets together with white thread and tied a small bow on the front. After all of that was done, I decorated the front and attached two pretty white bows on the rings.

This is the first project like this that I've done... it was a lot of fun... I may find myself making more in the future!

Viva La Verve - January 2012 - Week1

2012-01-09T03:32:00.000-08:00

This is the first Viva La Verve sketch of the year. I used CTHM Sweetheart paper with Verve stamps and a heart punch. This is one of my favorite color combos for Valentine's Day :)

Mojo Monday - 222

2012-01-07T03:29:00.000-08:00

I'm hoping to finally get back into doing some sketch challenges. I think it will be a good way to get me started in using up my patterned papers! On this card I used CTMH That's Amore paper with a Verve Love Notes sentiment. I need to keep this short and sweet since I have to get to work bright and early this morning :)

A few masculine cards

2012-01-04T04:02:00.000-08:00

These are a few cards that I made over the weekend. I've decided that my card making New Year's Resolution has to be to start using my patterned paper on EVERY card I make! The paper pack I used on these cards is the first paper pack I ever bought when I first started making cards. It's Majestic Blue from CTMH and I'm pretty sure it's been retired for a really long time! So... I'll be using this set of papers until it's gone. Then I'll move on to a new set of papers. I might have to make a few exceptions, though, since Valentine's Day is coming up :)

Anniversary card

2011-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

I'm very late making this card... our anniversary was on the 22nd, but because of my husband's darned work (and other things), I'm just now getting around to give it to him. I'm looking forward to 2012. My husband should be getting out of the Army this year, which will be a huge sigh of relief! It's been very tough 13+ years, but has definitely made us all stronger! We will stick around Fort Knox, though... since I work here. And I don't think I could ever give up Army life that easily :)

Now, to my card... I used some neglected Basic Grey paper (all my patterned paper is neglected! sometimes I forget I have a HUGE stash of it LOL!). On the back cream panel, I stamped PTI Harvest Berries leaves and attached a WPlus9 pocket die... with some PTI die cut tickets and with Verve sentiments on them. I didn't attach the tickets... they can be pulled out. At first I wasn't completely feelin' this card... but after I stamped the Harvest Berries leaves and sanded the pocket down (after running it through the canvas/linen impression plate-- makes a huge difference!) I really like how it turned out :)

That's all for now... Happy New Year!

Birthday card and a lil dog

2011-12-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm finished with my Christmas cards... time to move on! :) I recently saw a card by Lisa Stenz that inspired me to make this one. I've noticed the hard way that I have a huge stash of girly cards (I bet I have about 50 or more!) and no more masculine cards! So my challenge in the upcoming months is to work on masculine cards.

I used a star die to create a stencil. Then I sponged Olive and Twilight (CTMH) ink in the stencil, then stamped Happy Birthday, alternating colors. I really like how this turned out... I can see myself using this technique alot! Especially for Valentine's Day with a heart, instead of a star. After I added a few popped smaller star dies, I added some Lime Green Stickles. I know I keep saying it, but it really does look better in person (I think I'm going to have make sure my craft room is on the SOUTH side of the house when we move!)

Next up is a cute little puppy that I crocheted. I stumbled across a blog where someone had made one of these cute little puppies. And of course, I had to have it! I went to the local bookstore and found the book... if I had lots of time, I'd be making these every day! Just a tip for those that make stuffed animals... I've tried searching everywhere for the safety eyes. I found some online that are super expensive! They are really cute, but a cheap alternative is to sew the eyes and nose on with yarn, and cover them with some black diamond stickles! It makes the eyes sparkle and makes the nose look wet... Oh they are so cute!

More Christmas cards!

2011-11-27T17:32:00.000-08:00

Here are the last (I think) of my Christmas cards for this year. Of course, I'll be hoping there are a couple of people I forgot so I can make a few more ;)

All of the papers I used are from a stack from Oriental Trading Company. I bought the blue/purple/pink/green stack from them two years ago. Then I bought this really rich green and red/burgandy stack last year. I've been finding myself not using papers as much lately, so I made myself get them out and start using them!

On this first card, I used all Papertrey stamps, dies and impression plates.

On the next card, I used a mix of Papertrey (background music notes), Close To My Heart (flurries), and My Favorite Things (snowflake dies and sentiment). On the sentiment, I went over the words in a silver gelly roll pen. I love the sparkle!

This next card was fun to make! I love a quilted look... although I made this one really simple, I still really like it!

On the last card, I sort of cased a card HERE by Nichole Heady. I think she used the Mega sized mat stack dies... I used the original size with the Tiny Treats Christmas stamp set... I think I just might have to get the Tremendous Treats set next year. I love these images! I colored in the Holly berries and leaves with some Gelly Roll pens. I love how they shimmer! And on the corners, I added some random dots of Stickles.

Christmas cards

2011-11-26T04:12:00.001-08:00

Here are a few cards that I've been working on this past week. I've actually made several more and shipped them off to my mom and mother-in-law... but forgot to take photos of them before I mailed them. I'm hoping to finish all of my Christmas cards today. I only have a few left, then I can get them ready to mail out on December 1st!

Veteran's Day cards

2011-10-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Here is the small collection of Veteran's Day cards that I made for the people in my office. They all measure 4.25 x 2.75 (a 4.25 x 5.5 folded in half). I had alot of fun making these!

The first one I used a PTI star die with a MFT dog tag die. I braided some thread to make the "chain" and stamped the flag with CTMH's Vintage USA.

On this card I used an MFT Well Worn die set with a Verve sentiment.

On this next one, I used the PTI Label Basics die and stamp set with the new PTI Tag Sale Die. The sentiment is from Verve's American Hero set.

The next card uses all PTI dies (Mat Stack 1, Tiny Tags and the star shape. The background set is from WPlus9.

The three star card uses all PTI dies with a CTMH sentiment.

And finally, my favorite one of the bunch. I used an MFT die from their First Class Friend set. The sentiment is from Verve's American Hero set.

Make it Monday #37 - Layered Mats and Frames

2011-10-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my last post... I really need to find a better way to get some good shots of my cards... This really does look better in person! : p

So to the card... I used the new Christmas Poinsettia PTI stamp for the flower and framed it with the Mat Stack #3 die. I added some MS gold glitter to the tips of the flower and added some gold mini brads in the center. On the frame, I stamped the music notes in Versamark and brushed on some gold pigment powder... and finally to finish it off... I sponged on some gold 3D paint around the edges of the cocoa piece... after embossing it :)

Again... the colors are so much richer in person... maybe I need a darker background... I will have to experiment! Thanks for looking!

Sweet Sunday Sketch - 140

2011-10-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly making my cards for Veteran's Day. I sure wish I could find a better place to take pictures. I'm using natural light, but I jsust can't get a good shot! The colors actually look richer in person... but this will have to do.

Clean and Simple Challenge 161

2011-10-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if this qualifies as clean and simple... I tried to add as much interest as possible without going overboard :)

Supplies used -
Stamps: PTI Fancy Flourishes, Tag-Its 2; CTMH American Celebration
Other: Star punches, prisma glitter, stickles, CTMH Kraft Borders

Make it Monday #35 - Washi Tape

2011-10-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it seems like FOREVER since I've made and posted a card! This past month has been so busy with sports, work and other stuff... I just haven't found the time to get any card making done.

I was really excited to try the new Make it Monday for this week. At first glance, I was thinking that I didn't have the supplies to make my own custom Washi tape... but when I realized all you need is Scor-Tape and tissue paper... I was excited to get started because I have both of those supplies! :p

This card took much longer than expected... mostly because I had planned on putting my new Washi tape over the dark cardstock. I didn't realize that once you peel the white backing off of the scor-tape, the nice, bold, white background becomes more of a translucent tape... which wasn't looking too nice with my dark background. So I had to adjust a little and add a little white gel pen to my white stripes. The red stripes were made with the Text Style background stamp from PTI. And the Thank You sentiment is from the Mat Stack 1 Collection.

Since Veteran's Day always sneaks up on me, I'm trying to start early getting my Veteran's Day cards made. Don't forget to thank a veteran this year! They really appreciate it! ;)

***Speaking of Veteran's Day and cards... anyone know where to find a stamp set designed for military that says "Happy Veteran's Day"? I have several military themed stamp sets with lots of sentiments... but none with THAT sentiment. Thanks in advance!

Pregnancy Milestones cards

2011-09-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I had someone email me, asking for a special card request. And the more I looked into it, I thought it was just the neatest idea. She said that she's seen some cards by Hallmark, that were like postcards from baby. She just found out she is pregnant and her husband is in Afghanistan so she wanted to send cards to him, that are from the baby... that tell how the baby is developing. Here are the first few cards I've made, beginning with week 6.

This card is when baby's heart has begun to beat.

At this week, baby is the size of the cherry on this card.

Hands and feet are forming.

Baby's eyes are formed, but not yet opened.

Baby can open and close his hands (with which he will be able to throw a ball)

And finally, baby's tooth buds are forming... this was the only lil guy I could find in my stamp collection that had some teeth showing!

Lots of cards

2011-09-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some cards I've been working on, but haven't had time to post. Many of them were for sketch challenges... but I didn't get them posted in time!

Make it Monday #29 - Freestyle Copic Coloring

2011-08-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

I couldn't fall asleep last night because I was thinking about this card... lol! Just kidding... but I couldn't stop thinking about it when I woke up. When Papertrey posted the new challenge yesterday I had all sorts of ideas running through my mind. And this is what I came up with. First I colored with the markers on a white piece of cardstock. Then I embossed the flowers (from Life) with clear embossing powder. Then I used some sticky notes to block off a border on the edges. Then I sponged (with a makeup sponge) the black ink on the inside of the border. To finish it off I used a straight edge to draw the coordinating colors across the bottom outside of the sentiment. Turns out... I like it :)

Viva La Verve - August 2011 - Week 3 and 4

2011-08-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

I'm having a hard time figuring out the placement on this blogger post. All of the changes they've made recently are really screwing me up! So forgive me if this post looks a little wacky. Anyway, I've created both of these cards for Viva La Verve Challenges on Splitcoast Stampers.

hello friend

2011-08-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

I just made this simple card with a few of my PTI sets. This is one of my favorite color sombos... Sweet Leaf, Petal and Garden Green

Make it Monday #28 - Glitter Die Borders

2011-08-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

I finally got some time to participate in a challenge this weekend :) I made this card using the Glitter Die Borders technique... the Make It Monday challenge for this week. This technique is so easy, but adds so much to the card. On both cards I used the Mat Stack #1 die along with the Mat Stack 1 Collection stamps. On the blue card I used an image from the Grunge Me set and Gracious Vases. I used CTMH Hollyhock and Baby Pink. On the blue card I used CTMH Heavenly Blue, Crystal Blue, Grey Wool and Petal.

I love you card

2011-08-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

This was a little something I whipped up this afternoon. I've had these alphabet stamps for a few weeks now and I've been wanting to use them, but when I sit down to use them, I can't figure out what I want to spell LOL! I wanted to do a birthday card, but couldn't figure that one out with the stamps that I have (I'm sure I have something in my huge collection of stamps, but it just wasn't coming to me). So... this is what I came up with. I like it. :)

Viva La Verve - August 2011 - Week 1

2011-08-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

It's not something I do too often, but I broke out the Cricut to cut some fun little pieces for my card. The bday present and "birthday" are both cut from the Cricut. The paper is an oldie, but goodie from CTMH. I'll be using old CTMH paper packs forever! :)

Viva La Verve - August 2011 - Week 2

2011-08-07T10:34:00.000-07:00

I did something out of my comfort zone today... I used chipboard! haha :) I've had a whole sheet of it sitting around and finally decided to use it. This is one of my favorite color combos (CTMH Chocolate, Smoothie and Creme Brulee).

Make it Monday #26 - Decreasing Apertures

2011-08-04T14:52:00.000-07:00

This was a fun card to make. I got to get some new supplies out (and some older ones that hadn't been used). All products used are PTI (sentiment is Verve).

Clean and Simple Challenge 151

2011-07-31T05:07:00.000-07:00

I know I deviated away from the true sketch a bit (and the "clean and simple" aspect also) but my banner dies have been collecting dust. So I decided to use them on this card. I made the background from the Distressed Stripes PTI set. It took me a LONG time to complete this card... I'm pretty sure it was over 2 hours : / I had to let the white lines dry... I did 4 sets of white lines... anyone know of any white gel pens that don't glob up? I tried to make it even, but even in a single stroke it globbed up on me several times.

Year full of happiness..

2011-07-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

I've been holding off on some basic stamp sets from PTI and I finally broke down and got all of them on my wishlist! One of them is the Background Basics: Newsprint. I've seen it on so many cards and I love the look of it! I'm finally catching up on all my family/friends birthday cards... I'm about half way done with August.

Viva La Verve - July - Week 4

2011-07-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a whole lot of time to complete card challenges lately... but I'm gonna try to get back into the swing of things. I had an expo that I participated in last week, so I was focused on getting a ton of cards made. And I ended up missing a couple of birthdays... whoops :(

OWH Sketch challenge

2011-06-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

I thought this looked like a fun sketch so I gave it a try. I usually scare myself away from busy patterned papers because I end up over-doing it most of the time... but I'm happy with the way these turned out. The dies are from Papertrey and MFT Stamps. The sentiments are from the Papertrey set, Gracious Vases.

Make it Monday #20 - Reverse Masking

2011-06-26T04:54:00.000-07:00

This week's Make It Monday challenge is reverse masking. I masked a circle to create the moon, then did reverse masking to add texture to the moon with the splatter image from the PTI Grunge Me set. I added Stickles to the stars to make them sparkle.

Lots of cards

2011-06-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of cards I've made over the past couple of weeks. I know most of them were sketch challenges, but since I didn't get them posted sooner, I don't even remember which challenges they are :(

Deconstructed Sketch 5

2011-06-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

I dug out some CTMH clear cards that I've had packed away for a long time. I thought it was easier to create a circle card with something pre-cut, rather than create the base on my own. I used the Papertrey Anniversary set. I sprayed the stamps with a mister to create a watercolor look to it.

Make it Monday #16 - Sympathy Card

2011-05-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned on doing a challenge with this card... but when I was done (before I put the sentiment on) I realized it would be a nice sympathy card... which is what this week's Make It Monday challenge is. I used the PTI Year of Flowers Collection set with some Pansy Purple and Olive CTMH cardstock.

My lil soccer star!

2011-05-22T04:35:00.000-07:00

This is a simple one layer card that I made for my daughter. Today will be her last game of the season. They've won 2 games in the finals (yesterday) and now will compete in their last games today.

One of my favorite techniques is drawing a border with fine black markers. I used PTI Have a Ball, All Star Team and Fancy Flourishes.

Thanks, for teacher

2011-05-22T04:30:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the teacher cards I needed. School is out next week... I know my kids are really excited for summer to start. And so am I!

Supplies -

Stamps: CTMH Basic Backgrounds, You're Sweet; Papertrey Dot Spot, Grunge Me, Polka Dot Basics

Cardstock: PTI Hawaiian Shores, CTMH Tulip and Chocolate

Clean and Simple Challenge 140

2011-05-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

Clean and Simple card

On this card, I used Basic Grey paper (Sweet Threads... and yes, it is super sweet!). The apples come from a CTMH set called You're Sweet and the sentiment is from PTI. I have a few cards I need to make before school gets out next week. In years past, I 've always dropped the ball in getting them done on time. This year I'll be good :)

Mojo Monday - 191

2011-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Mojo Monday 191

Supplies -

Paper: Basic Grey

Stamps: CTMH You're Sweet, PTI Falling Leaves

Other: Sparkles, White Gel Pen, PTI Die

Viva La Verve - May - Week 2

2011-05-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Viva La Verve Sketch - May 2011

Supplies -

Paper: CTMH Unforgetable

Stamps: Verve Big Wish

Other: Spellbinders die, eyelets, ribbon, hemp, Papertrey die

Mojo Monday 189

2011-05-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

I broke out some CTMH papers I haven't used in a really long time to create this Mojo Monday card. I used the Verve Text Objects set, which is one of my favorite sets Verve sells. I paper pieced the little boat and stamped the water with an older CTMH set called Fabric Finishes. I finally finished this card after spending small bits of time on it over the last few days.

Other supplies:

Stamps: CTMH Instrinsic Backgrounds

Other: Spellbinders dies, MS punch, Papertrey die, stitching

Make it Monday #13

2011-05-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

Okay, I must say whoa... there have been 13 weeks of Make It Monday challenges and this is the 2nd one I've been able to make time to actually do! (the first one was week 1!) I finally gave this impression plate trick a try (I used my cuttlebug after seeing how someone else was so kind to show everyone how on her blog here). What an easy trick! All it took was just giving it a try... and I did... so here it is :)

I used a cuttlebug embossing folder with a Papertrey die with the coordinating Basic Labels stamp set. And then I put a few flowers around the border. The paper I used is CTMH Magnifique.

Viva La Verve - May - Week1

2011-05-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

This card is for the Week 1 Viva La Verve Sketch challenge. I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of these masculine cards.

Supplies -

Paper: CTMH Sweetheart

Stamps: Papertrey, Verve

Other supplies: Papertrey dies

Sweet Sunday Sketch and H2H challenges

2011-05-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

I was able to combine two challenges to create this card... which wasn't hard to do because I absolutely need a sketch and since Mother's Day is coming up (and I haven't made a Mother's Day card for my own mother yet!) these two challenges go hand in hand.

The challenges are the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and Heart 2 Heart Challenges.

Supplies:

Paper: CTMH Sophia

Stamps: Papertrey

Other: Papertrey dies

Mojo Monday - 188

2011-04-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

I've discovered that gray is my new favorite color and I can't stop using it! Is gray the new black or something? I really like how this card turned out. I used the new Papertrey Boy Basics: Rock On stamp set... but as you can see... it's not just for boys! With it, I used CTMH Sweetheart paper. I think this combo of stamps and paper go very well :)

Clean and Simple Challenge

2011-04-30T04:44:00.000-07:00

This sketch is a Clean and Simple challenge. I used a frame from the PTI Basic Labels set and masked the part where I stamped the sentiment. I really like how masking looks, but I've never done it. I was surprised at how easy it is :)

Supplies:
Cardstock: CTMH Grey Wool
Ink: CTMH Cotton Candy, Sunkiss Yellow, Breeze, Grey Wool, Grey Flannel
Stamps: PTI Beautiful Blooms II, Modern Basics, Label Basics

Absolutely fabulous!

2011-04-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

As much as I wanted the new Modern Basics set from Papertrey, I surely can't figure out a way to make it look good without copying someone else... so I decided to use it a little bit differently. I actually started making this card this morning, using a sketch that I found while looking through my Google Reader. When I got home, I tried to find the sketch but never did find it. So this may look similar to a sketch from a current challenge... but I'm sorry, I just can't find it!

Supplies -
Cardstock: CTMH Lagoon, Grey Wool, Grey Flannel
Stamps: all Papertrey
Other: Papertrey dies

card day!

2011-04-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

Today I had some free time today... so I took most of my free time to make some cards today. I tried to go with some clean and simple cards. Here's what I came up with.

Please forgive the horrible pictures. It's been storming for the last few days and I can't seem to get any good natural light.

Clean and Simple Challenge 137

2011-04-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Supplies Used -
Stamps: Papertrey Ink, CTMH, Verve Stamps
Other supplies: Cuttlebug embossing folder, Papertrey Ink die

Viva La Verve - April 2011 - Week 2

2011-04-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Supplies used -

Paper: CTMH

Stamps: Papertrey, CTMH, Verve

Other supplies: Papertrey dies, stitching

Clean and Simple Challenge 135

2011-04-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is a clean and simple card using a color combo I wanted to try out. I used CTMH Bamboo, Heavenly Blue, Blush and Vineyard Berry. I stamped the Bamboo and Vineyard Berry with the Papertrey Polka Dot Basics set. The Blush die cut was stamped with PTI Simple Sentments and the butterfly was stamped with PTI Background Basics: Tin Types.

Mojo Monday 185

2011-04-06T16:54:00.001-07:00

Here is my Mojo Monday card for this week. Looks like I've been able to keep up with my regular challenges for the past couple of weeks. Just hope I can keep it going! On this card I used some CTMH Felicity paper. This is one of my favorite paper packs (sorry... it's retired). It has a huge variety of color in it. This is one of my favorite color combos... Sorbet and Barn Red (although, I think it's more of a light Smoothie color, than Sorbet). The sentiment is from the Verve Big Wish set (another one of my favorites ;)

SFYTT April 2011

2011-04-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is another card I had in mind for the spouses of Fort Knox. I really like the masculine feel to this card... something I'm usually not good at pulling off... but the heart adds a sweet little touch to it :)

Supplies - Paper: CTMH Stamps: Verve - Always On My Mind; Papertrey Tiny Tags Other: Papertrey Die

Viva La Verve - April - Week1

2011-04-02T13:36:00.001-07:00

Here is my Week 1- Viva La Verve card for this month. I was so excited to post a couple of my cards this weekend because my husband bought me Photoshop Elements for my birthday... now I can put my cute little watermark on my cards again! I found this cool star design in the program, and thought it was appropriate for my starry card. I made this card with many of the soldiers' spouses in mind, that live here at Fort Knox. The sentiment on this card is from the Verve set called "Always On My Mind". It was released along with another awesome set for the 4th of July... so i think Julee Tilman (the owner of Verve Stamps) had the troops in mind when she designed this set. I would LOVE to find more of these types of sentiments... especially since I know SO many people in the military, including my dear ole hubby!

Other supplies: Paper: CTMH Blue Ribbon Stamps: Verve Always On My Mind; CTMH Happy Holidays Others: Spellbinders; Papertrey Doily Die; OTC brads

Mojo Monday - 184

2011-03-31T16:26:00.000-07:00

Wow, sure has been a while since I've done a Mojo Monday sketch. I'm eager for spring to arrive (I mean, warm sunshine :) so I made a card with some cheery colors. Supplies Used - Paper (CTMH); Stamps (Papertrey Flower Fusion #1 and Tiny Tags); Fiskars edge punch

Have a great day

2011-03-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

I finally got some time to catch up on some cards this weekend. I spent all Friday night and a good part of Saturday at my desk making cards! It sure has a been a while. This first card was inspired by a card Nicole Heady posted on her website before the last Papertrey release. It was my favorite card of the whole bunch (and my favorite stamp set of the whole bunch). The card looks pretty much the same, I just changed the colors and patterns a bit, and added the ribbon. The card can be found on her post here. This next card uses another one of my favorite Papertrey sets they just released called Tiny Tags. I love these little tags! I've always been a little afraid to use tags, but these little things are so easy to put anywhere!

Viva La Verve - March

2011-03-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are the last 4 of 5 cards for the Viva La Verve sketch challenges for this month.

Supplies Used: Papertrey stamps and dies; Close To My Heart Paper; EK Success Paper Punch

Supplies Used: CTMH Paper; Papertrey Stamps and dies; Verve Stamps (b-day sentiment); EK Success Punch; Spellbinders Die

Supplies Used: CTMH Paper; Verve stamps (sentiment); Papertrey stamps (flowers); CTMH stamps (border)

Supplies Used: CTMH Paper; Verve stamps (sentiment); Papertrey stamps; decorative scissors

Sketch challenge

2011-03-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here is my March - Week 1 card for the Viva La Verve challenge. I used one of my favorite new Papertrey doily dies with one of their fillable frames. The Sentiment is from Papertrey and all of the background stamps are Close To My heart.

On the card below, all stamps used are Papertrey. There was no sketch used on this card... the layout was all my own :)

February Viva La Verve cards

2011-02-19T13:15:00.001-08:00

I had almost all day to work on cards today... yay! So I went ahead and did the February Viva La Verve sketch challenges. This first card uses a Papertrey sentiment and dies. I used some brand new CTMH Sweetheart paper... I LoVe this paper!

I actually made this first card a couple weeks ago for Valentine Day. And I forgot that I had made it for a VLV challenge, so I ended up making a 2nd card (below). On this card, I used CTMH That's Amore paper and some Papertrey (flourish) and Verve (hearts) stamps.

I struggled on this card to make it look just right. I think it turned out alright. I used some new CTMH Sophia paper that just came in the mail yesterday :) The butterflies were die cut with Papertrey dies and the pink one was stamped with new CTMH set called Backgrounds and Borders. I put a vellum butterfly over the top and added some sparkles. I added some shimmery gold fabric paint to add a little to the small stamped butterlies. The sentiment is one from Verve.

This next card was a favorite of my husband's out of the bunch. I used a Verve sentiment... and the leaves and flowers were from a Papertrey set. The background was stamped with a favorite CTMH set of mine called Intrinsic backgrounds.

This little ladybug has been a favorite of mine, but I haven't really used it alot. It's from the CTMH set called A Little Buzz. The background was also stamped with Intrinsic Backgrounds and the paper is a new one called Sophia.

Make it Monday #1: Go To Sentiment Card (#3)

2011-02-14T03:52:00.000-08:00

Here is my third Make It Monday - Go To Sentiments card. This is one of the cards I made for my daughter's teacher for Valentines day.

Make it Monday (2nd card)

2011-02-10T03:08:00.001-08:00

Here is another Make it Monday card. These go-to sentiment cards are so fun to make. I've been loving all of the ones I've seen so far!

Make it Monday #1: Go To Sentiment Card

2011-02-10T02:00:00.001-08:00

Papertrey has come up with a new challenge called Make It Monday. You can find all of the details here. The challenge this week is to create a Go To Sentiment card. For this card I used several different birthday sentiments along with a birthday cake.

Over due card challenges

2011-02-03T19:12:00.001-08:00

These are a few cards that I meant to post over a week ago. All three were from challenges (Viva La Verve or Mojo Monday). On the first card I used some older CTMH paper that I've been trying to use up. The stamps are all from Papertrey's newest release.

On the second card, I used CTMH's Bella paper with some new birthday stamps from Papertrey.

Again, the paper is from CTMH... and the bird stamp set is from Papertrey.

Viva La Verve - January 2011 - Week1

2011-01-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Supplies Used -
Paper: CTMH
Stamps: Penny Black, Verve

Viva La Verve - January 2011 - Week3

2011-01-19T17:58:00.001-08:00

Supplies Used -

Paper: CTMH Bella

Stamps: Verve

Other supplies: Papertrey die

Hang in There

2010-12-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

Here's another clean and simple sketch. I used a Verve Set on this one... one that I recently got in the mail... sort of a Christmas present to myself! :) This is for my neice who has been going through some hard times lately. I just want to let her know that we're thinking about her.

Starting on Valentine's Day :)

2010-12-12T13:13:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... it's not even Christmas yet. But I've had all of my Christmas cards done since before December 1st, so I'm sort of burned out on Christmas cards and thought I should move on to something else. And since a couple of my favorite stamping companies are already putting out their Valentine stamps, I got in the Valentine card kind of mood. Believe it or not, I didn't use a sketch for either of these two cards... which is usually hard for me to do, but I couldn't find a sketch that I really liked so I went on my own.

A lot of the sketches I've been using lately have a lot of layers on them, but I've been wanting to do something more simple, so this is what I came up with. I used the Papertrey set, Falling Leaves, along with a Valentine set that Verve came out with last year. When I had my husband critique it (which I do with ALL of my cards! lol!), he said it didn't have enough on it... it didn't "WOW" him... he said he LIKES all of the layers and stitching so....

...I made THIS card. I usually make two of the same card, just because it's quicker to do two of the same one, than think of two separate cards to make (easy to get away with, too, because we have family all over the U.S.). I cut the background layers first and set the 2nd one aside... so they look similar.

On this card, I used Papertrey Beautiful Blooms II dies with a Spellbinders die and a Verve sentiment, with Basic Grey paper.

Hello Kitty on a Plane card

2010-11-27T08:26:00.000-08:00

I used a Hello Kitty Cricut cartridge to make this card... I love Hello Kitty! I used CTMH Silhouette and Perfect Day papers.

Congratulations!

2010-11-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

This card is for my dad... who just got engaged! I just bought the Banner Builder set from Papertrey and thought this would be the perfect time to use it!

Paper: CTMH Silhouette
Stamps: CTMH
Ink: CTMH

Clean and Simple Challenge 117

2010-11-24T02:29:00.001-08:00

Here's another clean and simple card. I saw this sketch on my Google Reader, then a couple of days later used the sketch by memory. After I loaded my card, I realized I forgot the border at the bottom!

Stamps: Papertrey
Ink: CTMH Juniper, Bubblegum, Creme Brulee, Cocoa
Other: Papertrey Dies

Mojo Monday - 165

2010-11-20T07:51:00.001-08:00

Mojo Monday - Week 165

Paper: CTMH Mistletoe
Stamps: Papertrey Tiny Treats Christmas
Ink: CTMH Black; Sharpies

Viva La Verve - November - Week 3

2010-11-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Viva La Verve - November - Week 3

Paper: Oriental Trading Company
Stamps: CTMH, Papertrey
Ink: CTMH Crystal Blue, Amethyst, Baby Pink, Black

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge 99

2010-11-14T08:09:00.001-08:00

This card is for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge.

Paper: OTC

Stamps: CTMH, Papertrey

Ink: CTMH Olive, Watermelon, Cocoa

Mojo Monday - 164

2010-11-13T07:41:00.000-08:00

Paper: OTC
Stamps: Papertrey, CTMH
Ink: CTMH

Happy Veteran's Day!

2010-11-11T07:07:00.001-08:00

For anyone that knows me, knows I can't go through Veteran's Day without giving someone a Veteran's Day card! I actually made sixteen 3x3 cards the other day for people in my office (yes, I work with 16 Veteran's and a few that are still Active Duty). But, I did them so last minute, that I didn't have any daylight to take a good picture of them. I made this card for my husband. He has given so much to the Army and has been the best that anyone can be. I just want to especially thank him for all he has done for the country and our family!

I've seen a few of these "brick" cards and I thought they looked so cool, so I had to try it out for myself.

Stamps: CTMH (flag, PC, stars) and Verve (sentiment)
Ink: CTMH Indian Corn Blue, Tulip, Desert Sand

We're in this together

2010-11-11T07:02:00.001-08:00

I actually made this simple card without a sketch, yay for me! Although, I have seen cards similar to this, so it wasn't ALL on my own ;) I made this card for my best friend who is going through some trying times right now.

I used a Verve set for the background and sentiment. The tree is from a fairly new Papertrey set called Falling leaves. And of course, all ink is CTMH (Tulip, Chocolate, Taffy).

Christmas card

2010-11-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

This is another card i will be doing for a card class I will be doing next week. I used CTMH Perfect Day paper with the Holiday Jingle stamp set. The trees were made with an embossing folder, then sanded... kind of looks like snow :) I also used the notebook die from Papertrey. It has become one of my faves!

Mojo Monday - 163

2010-11-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

Mojo Monday - #163

Supplies -
Paper: CTMH Cherry-O
Stamps: CTMH Uniquely You; Papertrey Signature Christmas
Ink: CTMH Indian Corn Blue, Outdoor Denim

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge 98

2010-11-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge #98. This will be a card that we will be creating at an upcoming card class I will be teaching.

Supplies -

Paper: CTMH Perfect Day

Stamps: CTMH Heartfelt Christmas

Ink: CTMH Juniper, Chocolate

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge 97

2010-11-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a sketch from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. I guess I'm cutting it close getting this one in on time too! BUT... I am getting better and getting my stuff posted lately :p

Paper: OTC
Stamps: Papertrey Ink
Ink: CTMH Olive, Crystal Blue, Chocolate

Mojo Monday 162

2010-11-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

I did this card yesterday and didn't realize I was doing a Mojo Monday sketch... so I didn't get it posted when I needed to. But here it is anyway!

Paper: OTC
Stamps: Papertrey
Ink: CTMH Outdoor Denim, Lagoon, Watermelon, Olive

Clean and Simple Challenge 114

2010-10-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered the Clean and Simple Stamping blog. I love these sketches because I have a hard time doing simple cards (or any cards for that matter) without a sketch!

Supplies -
Stamps: Papertrey - Beautiful Blooms II, Birthday Bash Sentiments
Ink: CTMH Sweet Leaf, Cotton Candy (love this color, btw), Taffy, Creme Brulee, and Cocoa
Other supplies: Platinum Stickles

Viva La Verve - November - Week 1

2010-10-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm right on schedule this week :) This is a Viva La Verve Challenge for the first week of November. I finally discovered how to do the ruffled ribbon technique so I may be using that a lot on my cards in the near future ;) I love how it looks. It's so simple to do but adds so much!

One thing I've never been able to make look right is adding circles to my cards. Some people make them look so nice but I try to avoid them whenever I can. But... I actually like how it looks on this card, another Yay!

Supplies -
Paper: CTMH Mistletoe
Stamps: Papertrey, CTMH
Ink: CTMH Garden Green, Tulip, Cocoa

Viva La Verve - October - Week 4

2010-10-24T18:06:00.000-07:00

Viva La Verve - October - Week 4

Paper: OTC

Stamps: CTMH, Papertrey

Ink: CTMH Olive, Cotton Candy, Lagoon

Mojo Monday - 161

2010-10-24T18:00:00.001-07:00

Mojo Monday - 161

Paper: CTMH School Zone
Stamps: Papertrey
Ink: Topiary, Outdoor Denim, Tulip

Another catch up day... lots of challenges!

2010-10-24T03:55:00.000-07:00

Today is another catch up day for posting my cards. These are cards that I've been able to make over the past couple of weeks.

The first card is a Viva La Verve challenge card. The challenge was to case one of Jackie Pedro's cards. Her card can be found HERE. I used CTMH Splendor paper on this card and the stamps are CTMH and Papertrey.

I made this card using a sketch from Clean and Simple Stamping. The sketch can be found HERE. I used Cranberry and Smoothie CTMH cardstock. The stamps on the left card are Papertrey: Out on a Limb. The card on the right is CTMH. The sentiments are Papertrey.

This card is a Mojo Monday sketch from two weeks ago. The sketch can be found HERE. I used an old CTMH paper pack called Sweet Pea. I'm actually challenging myself to start using up my OLD paper packs so it will at least look like I'm using up my paper! So right now, I'm attempting to use up the Sweet Pea and School Zone paper packs... so you may see lots of baby colors and bold school colors coming up. On this card I used Papertrey stamps with the Papertrey notebook die.

Here is more Sweet Pea paper. A friend of mine was with me while I made this card and I told her I was going to try to make it NOT look like a baby card. I think the black ink helped out big time! The background stamp is CTMH and the ticket stamp is Papertrey. The sketch I used for this card is HERE.

This card is another Viva La Verve sketch challenge, which can be seen HERE. I used a new CTMH paper pack called Magnifique with the CTMH Flurries stamp set. The sentiment is Papertrey.

Bookmarks

2010-10-23T07:08:00.000-07:00

I went on a little shopping spree and got these awesome bookmark dies from Papertrey. I made these for a couple of themed gift baskets the elementary school auctioned for the Harvest Festival last night. The bookmarks were super cute... but these pictures didn't turn out so well :(

Stamps: CTMH, Papertrey, Verve

Viva La Verve - October - Week 1

2010-10-23T04:01:00.001-07:00

Hello! Again, I am late posting... This card is for the Viva La Verve weekly challenge... week 1! I used a new paper pack from CTMH that is my absolute favorite! It's called Olivia. I got some new Papertrey stamps that have been on my wishlist for a LONG time! On these cards I used Turning a New Leaf and Just the Ticket. I made the card on the right for a co-worker of mine for his anniversary. He said he wanted autumn colors so I thought these were a perfect match!

2010-10-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

This is a card I made a couple weeks ago. It was a sketch challenge, but I can't find which sketch it was right now. For this card, I used Papertrey's Guidelines stamps to create a pattern on the top and bottom strip. The flower's are from a newly released CTMH set, The Present. And the sentiment is from a birthday set by Verve.

More cards... way, WAY behind!

2010-10-11T06:21:00.001-07:00

Whoa... I just realized I'm way, WAY behind in posting on my blog! It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I was able to do 4 out of 5 of the Verve Fall Release Week Challenges. I didn't get them posted in time, but here they are anyway.

On this card, I used Papertrey stamps with Close to my Heart patterned paper.

This card uses all Close to my Heart products.

All Close to my Heart products, in addition to Spellbinders Nestabilities and ribbon.

All Close to my Heart products, including Spellbinders Nestabilities and a Fiskars border punch.

Viva La Verve challenges

2010-09-19T13:58:00.001-07:00

I've been a little late posting my cards lately... here are two cards I've made for the Viva La Verve sketch challenges for weeks 3 and 4 of this month.

Supplies used -
Paper: OTC
Stamps: CTMH Ice Crystals; Hero Arts
Ink: CTMH Twilight, Crystal Blue
Supplies Used -
Paper: OTC
Stamps: PTI, CTMH Snow Flurries
Ink: Crystal blue, Twilight, Amethyst

Few random cards...

2010-09-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few cards that I've been working on throughout the week. The first one uses an old CTMH set called Aloha, with a Verve set called Big Wish. The paper is from a new CTMH paper pack called Magnifique.

I've seen all kinds of cards using some sort of notepaper punch or die. I used an EK Success Slimline punch for this one. The sentiment is from Verve's Big Wish. The inks are 3 of Close To My Hearts newly released colors: Gypsy, Lagoon and Smoothie.

I've always had trouble finding ways to use busy papers, like this one. Then I realized I could use them for super easy and simple cards. The paper is from one of my favorite matstacks from Oriental Trading Company. And the HoHoHo stamps is CTMH.

Birthday wishes

2010-09-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

I completed this card using Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. I can never have too many sketches to follow!

Supplies Used -
Paper: CTMH Olivia
Stamps: CTMH The Present; Verve Big Wish
Ink: CTMH Garnet, Olive, Smoothie

Mojo Monday - 156

2010-09-19T05:52:00.001-07:00

Mojo Monday - 156

Supplies Used -
Paper: CTMH Hooligans
Stamps: CTMH Spook Alley; Hero Arts - October
Ink: CTMH Gypsy, Black

Viva La Verve - September - Week 1

2010-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

I flipped this sketch sideways. I have a harder time with the long vertical center pieces, so flipping it made more sense to me :)

Supplies Used -
Stamps: CTMH Basic Backgrounds, Treasure Life; Papertrey (butterfly); Verve (sentiment)
Ink: CTMH Ocean, Watermelon, Black

Mojo Monday - 155

2010-09-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

More Christmas cards!

Supplies Used:
Paper - OTC

Stamps - Papertrey
Ink - CTMH
Other - Ribbon

Viva La Verve - September - Week 2

2010-09-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

I used this Viva La Verve sketch for both cards. After Christmas of last year, I meant to start making 1 Christmas card every week so I wouldn't be scrambling last minute to get all of my cards are made... so I suppose I'll be doubling (or tripling) up on them from now until Christmas!

Supplies Used -
Paper - OTC
Stamps - Papertrey
Ink - CTMH

Flower Birthday Card

2010-09-06T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a sweet flowery card I made for a little girl's birthday. I wanted to keep it simple. I stamped the flowers using the Verve Love's Flower stamp set on CTMH Cherry-O and Splendor paper. The sentiment is from the Verve Big Wish set. And the swirls are CTMH Cherished Flourishes.

Verve Anni-Verve-Sary Sketch challenges

2010-08-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've finally been able to catch up with cards for the rest of the month (I made 10 cards this morning... 2 of each!). And what better way to catch up than with five sketches from Verve! To make it easy, I pulled out one CTMH paper pack (Felicity) and made all of my cards from the same pack. All of the sentiments are either from CTMH, Verve or Papertrey Ink. And all images are CTMH.

Mojo Monday - 150

2010-08-04T19:01:00.001-07:00

Mojo Monday!

Supplies Used -

Paper: CTMH Bella
Stamps: CTMH Everyday Celebration, Cherished Flourishes; Papertrey (sentiment)
Ink: CTMH Cocoa, Desert Sand, Hollyhock
Other supplies: brads, Papertrey ric-rac die, Spellbinders, MS Border punch

Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop!

2010-08-01T05:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop! Verve turns three today and we're celebrating with a hop, hop, hop! If you've already been hopping along, you arrived here from Wendy's blog. If not, head on over to Julee's Blog (owner of Verve), for all the info on how to win prizes (after all, what's a party without presents?), and to start hopping from the beginning. If there's a hiccup along the hop, you can always head to the Master Hop List to get the full list of links.

The card I made for the hop uses 3 Verve sets... Big Wish, Accent Notes and Floral Symphony. Other supplies used:

Paper: CTMH Key To My Heart

Ink: CTMH Creme Brulee, Blush, Vineyard Berry

Other supplies: MS Border punch, Spellbinders, ribbon

Thanks for hopping by! Now it's time to hop on over to Tina's blog for a little more Verve-y goodness.

Mojo Monday 149

2010-07-29T15:32:00.001-07:00

Yay! I sold my first card here in Kentucky! Now that I'm working, I've taken it upon myself to make cards for everyone who has birthdays in my office. Coincidentally, a close friend of mine (who works in another office) has been tasked with getting cards for special occasions in her office. Unfortunately, the first one had to be a sympathy card... and of course, it was for a man. I've been getting the hang of doing cards for men... although I've always struggled with masculine cards in the past.

I did alter the sketch a little... I made it rectangle, rather than circle or square. And I left out the strip that says Sentiment. Here it is...

Supplies Used -
Paper: CTMH Passages
Stamps: Papertrey Daily Designs Sentiments
Ink: CTMH Chocolate, Cocoa, Garden Green
Other supplies: Brads

Viva La Verve - July Week 4

2010-07-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

More masculine cards! The ribbons keep throwing me off... I don't think guys would appreciate a pretty bow on their card! haha

Supplies Used -
Paper: CTMH Sarsaparilla
Stamps: CTMH True Friends, Moments in Time, Lucky Stars; Verve Big Wish