colourQ challenge #189, part 2

I love these colors so much that I made two cards for this week's colourQ challenge! I stamped the wreath from PTI's A Wreath for All Seasons in Certainly Celery and used a stamp from Watercolor Minis to fill in the Ruby Red and Cameo Coral. I stamped off quite a bit in order to keep the colors soft. This card isn't exactly what I had in mind when I started, but I wouldn't be embarrassed to send this card to someone I love. Thanks for stopping by - have a great week!!

colourQ challenge #189

This week's colourQ challenge is beautiful!! I LOVE these colors together! Certainly Celery has always been my favorite green and Ruby Red is a great shade, although my ink pad has seen better days. The stamp set I used is . . . well, we'll call it "vintage" Stampin' Up! It's called Watercolor Minis and it is one of my favorites although I rarely use it. This is a simple. clean design that can easily be adapted to a variety of occasions and color palettes. Thanks for stopping by! Come back tomorrow for another card using this same color combo.

May Design Team cards

Aren't these the prettiest, happiest colors you've ever seen?! I fell in love with them when I saw this new collection by Pebbles at Scrappin' in the City. My favorite of the three cards is the birthday balloons and it was a breeze to put together. I used PTI's Fabulous Frames die collection (there is a coordinating stamp set that I may need to procure, too!!) to make a simple white frame that I think is a great accent and dividing line between the dotted background and the multi-patterned balloons. I used Stylish Sentiments: Birthday, my favorite birthday sentiment set from PTI, for the greetings on the front and inside the card. Thanks for stopping by and have a fantastic weekend!!

Happy Mother's Day!!

This is Morgan's card to my mom. Precious!!

Today was an absolutely lovely Mother's Day! My parents went to church with us and then we came back to our house for lunch, lovingly prepared by moi! I intended to make reservations at the Chop House but since it was graduation weekend as well as Mother's Day, I was a bit out of luck. We enjoyed delicious chicken roll-ups, twice baked potato casserole, 7-layered salad (carefully layered by me!), and my sweet mama's favorite, Coca-Cola Cake! We pulled out all the pretty things and really enjoyed being together, talking, laughing, and relaxing - much more than we would have at a restaurant. Since Chris had to work this weekend, he and the girls took me out last weekend to Bonefish Grill and he also fixed breakfast in bed for me yesterday. I didn't know he could make French toast!! Twenty-four years together and he still surprises me!! So, it was a glorious celebration and I am so thankful and blessed to still have my mama and to be called "mama" every day!

colourQ challenge #188

This week's colourQ challenge is a beautiful palette of spring colors. The card I made came together sort-of by accident when I was looking for a tutorial for the splatter technique using sponge daubers, water, and ink that's pictured in the new SU! catalog (if you know how to do this and can post a link to the tutorial in the comments section of this blog post, I would be very grateful!!). Instead, I found this and while I LOVED the example on the blog, my card is just meh. Blush Blossom gave me a problem because I don't have the ink pad and the marker is just meh. So, here you go, blog friends. Thanks for bearing with me today!!

Mother's Day is right around the corner!

Well, Mother's Day is in a few days and if you haven't yet made cards for the special women in your life, it's not too late! I absolutely LOVE my chevron dies from PTI and they made quick work of this card. It's so versatile and the possibilities are unlimited. I made the pink and green card for my husband's grandmother, and the navy, yellow, & white one for my mom because those are her favorite colors! I adore the embossed butterfly embellishment and the pearls give it the extra pizzazz it  needed. Sometimes all it takes is one little adornment to make your cards perfect!! Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to celebrate the women in your life this weekend!!

Keeping it simple

I found the inspiration for this super-quick card on Pinterest and it went together lickety split! I love it when that happens and I will definitely be making more cards like this one for lots of occasions. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Make It Monday #114: Blown Ink

This week's Make It Monday Blown Ink challenge was definitely challenging for me! I watched Dawn McVey's video tutorial and understood the technique but I wasn't quite sure what I was trying to achieve when I started blowing ink around the paper. So, I tried two color combinations and this is what I landed on. I'm not thrilled with it, but it's not bad for a first try. My 12-year-old daughter and her friends would LOVE it, though, so I'm looking forward to doing a little summer class for them. On this card, I used SU! Tangerine Tango, Real Red, and Cool Caribbean ink refills; PTI Stamper's Select white cardstock and SU! Real Red cardstock; and PTI's Hello Sunshine stamp set. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you're having a great week!!

colourQ challenge #186

 I LOVE this week's colourQ challenge! The colors are lovely together, plus I was able to use my new chevron dies from PTI, which I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of. I have seen variations of this card using long, skinny stamps and I think the look is very striking & clean, but a bit challenging for me. The chevron die-cuts were very easy to line up and I was able to successfully even them out with my scissors. I didn't have Lucky Limeade so I used Kiwi Kiss cardstock instead, and my focal point is stamped in Tim Holtz Picked Raspberries Distress Ink, which is a fantastic bright pink. Hope you'll play along with the colourQ gang this week. Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

More TCAP cards

TCAPS Encouragement

If you have a child in 3rd-8th grade, then this week will likely be one of the most stressful of the year - for your child and his/her teachers! It's TCAP time!! Nothing beats a good standardized test for getting the adrenaline flowing and the palms sweating! Tomorrow begins the excitement at Bailey's school so I have made a few cards to encourage her this week. I just received this stamp set called Chalkboard in the mail from Sweet Stamp Shop (it was half price!) and I found the inspiration for the card on Pinterest. I love its colorful simplicity! Bailey is miles away and years past flowery, pastel cards, as well as anything "cutesy," so it's often challenging to make cards for her that she'll like. But it's hard to go wrong with rainbow colors! Good ol' ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, & violet, for the uninformed!)! Thanks for stopping by and good luck to your kiddos this week!

CFC99

I'll admit it - I double-dipped this week! Chris & I went out of town for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary and I have had exactly ZERO crafting time, but I really wanted to get in on the fun at CAS-ual Fridays, so I double-dipped! But I really love this card and its simplicity. You can't go wrong with a cute little medallion focal point, which is why I am so glad I invested in SO MANY SU! paper punches! Thanks for stopping by!!

Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger: Wake-Up Call

This week's Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger is called Wake-Up Call. It's like they had me in mind when they issued this challenge! I have a lot of coffee-themed stamp sets that I really don't use often enough. This set from Verve is definitely my favorite! And my favorite element of this card is the corrugated piece of Kraft paper that looks like everyone's beloved coffee house's cup cozie! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

colourQ challenge #185

OMGosh!! The examples on the colourQ blog today are AMAZING!! I was inspired immediately to make this card. The colors are beautiful together and make a fun, happy card. This card reminds me of the circus or a party! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the colourQ blog for more colorful inspiration or to play along!!

You are My Sunshine

Since Morgan was old enough to listen to a bedtime song, I have sung "You are My Sunshine" to her. I sing it twice each night (and often at naptime, too), with the first time being as written and the second time, with my own little twist just for her. When I saw this new, single stamp from SU!, I couldn't wait to buy it! I saw the inspiration for this card on Pinterest and I think it is fantastic!! I used my new "Hello Sunshine" dies from PTI to cut the rays and then colored in the image using Summer Sun and Tempting Turquoise. A little twine and some dimensionals and you have a happy little card that's perfect for someone you love! Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Teacher card at LIGHTNING SPEED!!

I thought I had till the end of the week to make a card for one of Morgan's preschool teachers who is leaving to take a full-time job, but it turns out her last day is TOMORROW, so I had to throw it into gear and knock that puppy out this morning!! I found a bit of inspiration on Splitcoast Stampers and made this card using PTI's Teachers Apple set. I LOVE that set so much!! I had already done a little prep by putting an entire set of alphabet stamps on a block so the background was a cinch. I don't use SU!'s Spiral punch that much, but it's the perfect accent for a school-themed project. A couple of apples and a bit of ribbon and VOILA!! A lovely card for a special teacher whom we are going to miss! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy this beautiful day!!

April City Chick submissions

 

 

As if by another miracle, I have completed my three monthly projects for Scrappin' in the City ALREADY!! I am so proud and so excited to have found this gorgeous collection of paper called Family Ties by Pebbles. I love yellow, blue, and white together, and this line does not disappoint! It features a variety of stripes, dots, checks (my fave!!), and florals that coordinate beautifully. This was my first experience making a fan fold flower and with the exception of an extended dry-time, it was easy to make. Each sheet of paper has a tiny border at the bottom that shows the pattern that's on the reverse side of the paper, so I used that as an accent for my flower. And this card is called a Double Z-fold Card that I found on Splitcoaststampers. It is super simple, but an attractive alternative to a traditional A2 size card.

I also made a Double Pocket Card that is another departure from the traditional A2 card that really has a WOW factor! I put a tag in the back pocket and you can put a gift card in the front pocket for a simply BEAUTIFUL gift that's easy to mail.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!! Scrappin' in the City will be open on Sundays starting this week, so stop by and check out all the beautiful patterned papers they have!!

Masking Challenge

This month's Design Team Challenge at Scrappin' in the City is masking and this is one of the ways that I LOVE to mask . . . with my Nestabilities!! I like the white border this technique leaves. I broke out my old fave, Branch Out, and made sort of a combination dogwood/cherry blossom tree. Those shades of pink are so beautiful together and make me long for warmer days, unlike the rain and 40 degrees we had yesterday. Happy Friday!! Happy Spring!!

Make It Monday #110: Collage Elements

I rarely make a card for Papertrey Ink's Make It Monday challenges because they are typically pretty challenging and sometimes (most times?) I just need something easy! But with the kids back in school today after Spring Break, I felt energized and ready to tackle something outside my comfort zone. And collage elements are DEFINITELY outside my comfort zone!! But I LOVE the look of cards that have lots of things going on - lots of layers and textures and different elements - but it's not a technique that is easy for me. So, the card I made for the Collage Elements challenge is very similar to the example Dawn McVey made, but I promise I didn't study it or copy it directly (like I usually do!!). I tried to put my own spin on it and I like the way it turned out. I'm anxious to put together more stamps in an interesting way! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!