Taylor's Sketch Challenge #151

Good morning! It's back to work with me this morning, and I can truthfully say for the first time in days that I am looking forward to going today. Knowing that all services for my grandma are complete is such a weight lifted off of the shoulders. I can think, process, remember her, and rejoice that she is home, rather than mourn. I know there are some rough day ahead still (cleaning out the house, etc.), but somehow I feel stronger and more ready to face those days.

My card to share with you this morning uses Taylor's Sketch Challenge from a little over a week ago. However, I got lucky and she is now making the sketch every two weeks or so instead of every week! So I'm not late! Woot!

I pulled out more of these little Garden Critters stamps and chose the snail this go around. I stamped him twice, cut out the aqua mist shell, and popped it up with some dimensionals. I used a black marker to make a little trail behind him. I added a little twine behind the circle and lots of my tea dye stain to mute the white paper a bit.

Thank you so very, very much for all of your prayers and encouraging words. They have meant so much to both myself and my family during this difficult time. We're all looking forward to a week or so of rest, recovery, and healing before the next big tasks begin. And thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies-
Stamps- TE: Garden Critters
Paper- Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Whisper White, October Afternoon Modern Homemaker dp
Ink- Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist, Basic Black
Accessories- baker's twine, tea dye duo, nestabilities, dimensionals, jewels, copic markers, black marker

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #129

Good evening! Ah, it's Thursday. And I always love Thursdays because it means that tomorrow is FRIDAY! Woohoo! I have a nice, relaxing weekend planned, full of absolutely nothing! No weddings, no baby showers, no birthdays, no special events... Just the chance to be home, stamping, reading, cooking (baking!). Heaven!


I'm back again with a card to share with you. And, yes, it's a baby card. I just can't get baby off of the brain! My aunt facebooked me a few days ago to ask if I would make the invitations for my cousin's baby shower this November. Of course I said yes! So excited! Then, in addition, my old college roomie is going to be staying with us for a few nights early next week... The same one that just told us she's pregnant! I can't wait to spoil that kid rotten. Both mom and dad are big Packers fans (as they should be), and I had promised eons ago that when they had a baby I would be the good aunt and supply the child with Packers gear. Heeee!

Needless to say, the Packers' Pro Shop loves me. :) I'm just hoping things begin to arrive before C & J are here next week so that I can give them an advanced spoiling!

So, this card will eventually go to them. Probably next week... Because my willpower to hold onto it (and the football goodies!) is close to nothing.

Following this week's sketch from Taylor's Sketch Challenge, I used some October Afternoon Thrift Shop dp on this card, along with lots of Spring Moss, and polka dots. Polka dotted edge punch, buttons, dp, elephant.... It's polka dot heaven! The whole time I was making that little paper pieced elephant, I kept singing, "Hephalumps and Woozles." You know, from Winnie the Pooh. The little elephant totally looks like a Hephalump! Perhaps I've been spending too much time at Disneyland, hehe (Winnie the Pooh ride, Fantasmic, etc).

I stamped the elephant twice, once onto the cream and again onto the dp. The sentiment is arched over the circle for a bit of dimension (plus, this most definitely is not being mailed!), so some taller poppage was all right.

Poppage. I think I just made that word up. ;)

The ribbon is folded all fancy since I couldn't figure out where to put a bow, but definitely felt the card needed a little bit of ribbon. I also added some white gel pen polka dots around the perimeter of my new nestie die (lovin' this thing!!!). A few tiny buttons in the corner, and voila! One cute card for C & J!

That's it out of me for tonight. Off to catch some Bones and Fringe! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies-
Stamps- PTI: Bitty Baby Blessings
Paper- Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Very Vanilla, October Afternoon Thrift Shop dp
Ink- Memento Tuxedo Black, Ocean Tides

Accessories- ribbon, buttons, tea dye stains, white gel pen, EK Success edge punch, nestabilities

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #120

Good morning! This card was totally and completely inspired by its future recipient. Growing up, she always had the nickname, "Ladybug" from her family. I was cruising through more sketches to play with and thought that Taylor's Sketch would make the perfect ladybug birthday card!

I started by stamping the red paper in Versamark and then embossing it with black ep. I then pulled out an oooooold stamp set that I picked up at a scrapbook convention a few years ago. I'm ashamed to admit that it has never seen the light of day or been inked since it's purchase. It was just one of those set I knew I would use someday. The bugs were just too cute to pass up! And today was just that kind of day that I knew would eventually come!

The red on the ladybugs came out a little bit funny when I took the picture. For some reason, the light was bouncing back all of the yellows and oranges in the ink, which made the ladybug look orangey-yellow instead of Pure Poppy Red. So frustrating! I played with the color tools in Photoshop to fix it up a bit, but just take my word for it when I say it really is a deep red color. Really.

I stamped the sentiment in Pure Poppy and then rocked and rolled it in black to give it a little bit of dimension as well.

Today's a nada day, and I'm going to enjoy it! Starting Friday, the craziness of life is going to be right back in my face. Two more days of solitude and quiet. *sigh* Perhaps I'll finish my book today. Or make a few cards. Or both. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- Close to My Heart: Beetle Bugs, PTI: Polka Dot Basics, Verve: Happy Birthday
Paper- Whisper White, Basic Black, Pure Poppy
Ink- Pure Poppy, Basic Black, Versamark
Accessories- black ep, ribbon, nestabilities, tea dye stain, dimensionals

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #117

Good morning. I have a quick little card to share with you on this lovely LAST Monday morning of the school year! Woohoo! I've been needing some purple and green in my card-making life (love these colors together), and Taylor Sketch Challenge worked perfectly to match this duo.

I used a bit of my Bitty Box dp for the background, stamped the branch image from Blooming Button Bits, tied a bow, and added a little thank you sentiment. I go through lots of thank you cards this time of year. There are so many people to thank at work. Education truly is a team effort: office staff, parent volunteers, teammates, janitors, and on and on. I couldn't do my job all by myself, and am so incredibly grateful for the people that make our days at work as wonderful as possible. Oh, and only 4 days left!!!

I'm off to book club this evening after work, and it's about time it finally came back around! I've had a rather serious addiction to reading during this last month. The addiction is nothing new (I'm a certified bookaholic), but five books in one month (and it's not even summer yet) is a record for me during the school year. I am in desperate need of a new book to read! I do have several books on my shelf to be read, but they are all of the bit longer variety and I didn't want to start one of them over the weekend and then not have time for our new book club book.

My friend Alison (also in book club) talked me into joining The Seasonal Reading Challenge over on goodreads.com. I love the idea of using the books we're reading to fulfill tasks. Plus, it is exposing me to so many books I would have never picked up on my own, or have never heard of. One of the group reads for the summer was The Hunger Games. Oh goodness. So good! If you have ever read the short story, "The Most Dangerous Game," this most definitely reminded me of it. I read the book in two days, and ordered the sequel yesterday, lol. I can't wait to find out what we're reading for this next month at book club and see if it fits any of the tasks for the SRC. :) Any other bookaholics out there? I'm always looking for the next great read!

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Blooming Button Bits, Mega Mixed Messages
Paper- Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Whisper White, Bitty Box dp
Ink- Old Olive, Plum Pudding
Accessories- medium scallop die (PTI), ribbon, buttons

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #115

It's been a little while since I've had the chance to play along with Taylor's sketch challenges, but as soon as I saw her sketch for this week, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Love it when that happens! The mojo is back!

I was really in a coloring mood when I was sketch hunting, and this layout lent itself perfectly to this little dessert tower. I bought this stamp from Stampendous ages and ages ago, but have only used it a few times. Which really is a shame... It's such a great stamp! I pulled out my copic markers, placed some glossy accents on the strawberries and cherries, and glittered a few of the presents and cupcake wrappers. It's so sparklie and cheery.

For the paper, I used MME's Ooh La La dp. I was going to use that aqua polka dot dp as the main background, but when I turned it over to adhere the glue to the back, this lovely design was staring me in the face. It just had to be used! So the polka dots got demoted to the vertical panel. :) But I think it is happier there. Some pearls, ribbon (so long, circle!), and tea dye staining around the edges and this card was done! I think the coloring was the longest part, but the part that could have gone on longer, hehe. I colored a pale cream shadow around the whole tier, but it's really hard to see in the picture. In person, it really looks warm, and like it has dimension.

On the docket today is more stamping, some reading, dishes (yay?), and maybe a movie this evening with the roomie. We want to go see Prince of Persia and figured we would let the opening night crowds at it and then see it a day or two later. We also both have Monday off, so we're trying to think of something to do together. It's a rare day when we both have a whole day off at the same time!

Happy Saturday! Hope you got to sleep in this morning! Thanks for stopping by.
Supplies- Stamps- Stampendous: Tiers of Treats
Paper- Berry Sorbet, Spring Moss, Whisper White, MME Ooh La La dp
Ink- Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories- ribbon, copics, nestabilities, dimensionals, glossy accents, stickles, pearls, tea dye stain

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #106

Good afternoon! Sorry for the long silence here on the blog. I have been busy crafting away, but mostly on things I can't show you...yet... Stay tuned for more on that.

But in the meantime, I do have this that I can share! I made a quick little card in the middle of all that crafting so that I would have something to put up on here. I used Taylor's sketch from last week, but flipped it on its side. I just could figure out what to do with that giant open space with it vertically. Guess the mojo didn't strike that way, lol.

I pulled out a color and paper combo that I liked from a Viva la Verve card I made last month. The colors are just bright and cheery... They make me smile.

I hope your Saturday is sunny and peaceful! Happy almost Easter!

Thanks for stopping by.
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Big & Bold Wishes
Paper- Pure Poppy, Basic Black, Cosmo Cricket dp, Bitty Box dp
Ink- Basic Black
Accessories- ribbon, jewels

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #105

It's been a few weeks since I've had the opportunity to play along with Taylor's Sketch Challenge and this felt like as good a week as any to jump right back in. I've been seeing so much of this color combo all over the blogosphere and had to be a part of it. Isn't it pretty?

I was initially inspired by this amazingly gorgeous card by Debbie Olson. She posted it back during the PTI release a week or two ago. Then, Jackie Pedro just had to go and make a card using the exact same combo (she was also inspired by Debbie Olson)! I think that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I've been wanting to play with this combo, and this was the final kick in the pants. :)

I pulled out my In Bloom set and sat down for some coloring. I've been in the mood to use my copics lately, as they have been much neglected recently. I do love to color, but most of my stamps don't require it.

I added a little tiny glittered frame around the sentiment using my fine tipped glue pen. The corners felt a little lonely, so I paper pierced them just a tad. Lastly, I used a button as the little circle detail so that I could also fulfill the requirements for Lisa Johnson's Poppy Seed Challenge: use buttons, polka dots, and Spring Moss on a card. Done!

We have an all school dress rehearsal this morning for our Spring Musical. So excited! Music is one of my favorite things in school, and getting to watch my kiddos perform just makes my heart happy. Hopefully my wiggle worms will be able to sit for the whole hour!

Only six more days until Spring Break (today doesn't count because it already started. Logical, right?!)!

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: In Bloom, Giga Guide Lines
Paper- Kraft, Whisper White, Pretty Pastels dp
Ink- Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories- copics, ribbon, dimensionals, fine tip glue pen, glitter, button, twine, paper piercer

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #97

Good morning! And happy Sunday! It felt wonderful to sleep in for a bit this morning. I had a wonderful time with my extended family last night. It was definitely an evening full of good food, and some serious laughs.

Other than church today, my plans mainly consist of getting some quality stamping time in, maybe reading for a while... And I think some of us girls are getting together this evening to go see "The Princess and the Frog." What can we say? We're still kids at heart. :) Oh, and I'm most definitely going to cheer for the Green Bay Packers today as they duke it out with the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of playoffs! My jersey is all washed and ready! My mom finally sent me the pictures off of her camera from the game. Here's one of my favorites. And I figured today was the most appropriate day to share it! :)

I love Taylor's sketch this week. It's definitely one of those that I'll use over and over and over again. The circle did work me a little bit, and it took me about five different stamps before I found one that worked the way I envisioned. Marisa inspired me to return to one of my first loves, adding buttons on my bows. I've made several cards this weekend with buttons on my bows. I'd forgotten how much I love that look! Thank goodness Marisa made a card last week that brought me back to my roots, lol. Thanks, Marisa!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies-
Stamps- PTI: Blooming Button Bits, Mega Mixed Messages
Paper- Spring Moss, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Whisper White, Turning a New Leaf dp
Ink- Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Accessories- ribbon, button, twine, dimensionals, nestabilities

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #90

Ah, what a lovely day off! Today is Veteran's Day here in the US... and I for one want to make sure and say thank you to each and every man and woman whom have served or are currently serving our country. I told my kids yesterday that it is because of people giving their time and lives, we can go to school without being afraid... A huge big hug goes out to my friend Beth whom is currently serving a tour of duty in Iraq. Care package coming your way!! :)

I really loved Taylor's sketch this week, and it was the perfect sketch for a little flower as the main image. I used my flower nesties, crunched them up, antiqued them a little with some Creamy Caramel ink, and added a button/bow in the middle.

Whomever found out and declared that red and green are complimentary colors was a genius! I love how this card came together. Sweet and simple. I used mostly die-cuts to create this card, including the leaves from SU, and the word label from cuttlebug. I used a flower MS border punch and a little ribbon for some contrast in that middle piece.

Well, it's off to lunch for me! My roomie and I are joining Janice again to grab some In-n-Out!! Yummy! Then it's off to the teacher supply store for a little browsing before dropping Amy off at work (her car's in the shop again... boo!).

Thanks for stopping by today, and enjoy your middle-of-the-week break!

Supplies-

Stamps- PTI: Mega Mixed Messages

Paper-Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, Tea Leaves dp

Ink- Creamy Caramel, Basic Black

Accessories- nestabilies, cuttlebug dies, SU leaf die, MS border punch, button, twine, ribbon

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #84

Good morning!

I had some left over supplies from one of my Verve cards a few weeks ago, and decided I needed to use them before they got lost in the shuffle. I am so loving this Tea Leaves dp from Papertrey Ink. I don't know why I waited so long to get it!

I used Taylor's Sketch Challenge to launch this card. (What happened to the cupcakes?!) Again, another simple card with simple layers. I guess that really is my style, lol. I feel like this card is missing something, though. I just can't figure out what it is... ribbon, maybe? I don't know. Maybe I should have embossed that vertical panel. I had to call it a day on this one before it drove me crazy. I did add a few jewels at the last minute to give it a little sparkle.

Thanks for stopping by!
Supplies-
Stamps- PTI: Tea for Two
Paper- Whisper White, Spring Moss, Old Olive, Tea Leaves dp
Ink- Old Olive
Accessories- jewels, nestabilities, dimensionals

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #82

Good morning! I'm back with another card to share with you. I used Taylor's Sketch Challenge to start this card off. Don't tell her, but I left off the circle. hehe You know how I feel about circles.... :)

I decided to replace the circle with a beautiful bow and a flower/button combo. This is a new one for me, but I figured I should give it a try since it's another great way to use my bows and buttons. I decided to work with my little moment of inspiration to make a few verse cards while I had out my Parisian Breeze dp. Out came Verve's Meditations set.

I popped up the entire verse, but otherwise kept this card very simple. Some more sponging highlighted the pretty script in the verse.

Oi vay, were my three little squirrels ever squirrely today! It's like they went away for the weekend and forgot everything we worked on last week! AHH! These first graders are so much more work than second and third graders. I definitely see some behavior contracts and parent meetings in my very near future. Ugh.

Guess that's about it for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies-

Stamps- Verve: Meditations

Paper- Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Parisian Breeze dp

Ink- Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze

Accessories- ribbon, button, twine, Petaloo flower, nestabilities, dimensionals, sponge

Taylor's Sketch Challenge #79

Ok. Maybe I'm a little slow on the uptake, but when did Taylor switch the name of her challenge? What happened to cupcakes?! I guess I should just be grateful there is a fun sketch to play with each week. ;)

Anywho, this is the card I whipped up for Taylor's sketch this week. I decided to keep it simple with only minimal embellishments, and (shock!) no ribbon! I couldn't figure out where I would stick it!

I immediately reached for my Everyday Button Bits set and got to work. I haven't used my Urban Garden dp for a little while, so that came out too. I had forgotten how much I love this paper! I popped up the entire panel, curved the sentiment and broke it into two pieces, and made some button flowers. Love those buttons....

I'm off to church this morning and then running more errands for my classroom. I really only have three more solid working days before staff development begins and I want to milk 'em for all they're worth!

Have a lovely Sunday, and thanks for stopping by!
Supplies- Stamps- PTI: Everyday Button Bits
Paper- Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Urban Garden dp
Ink- Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy
Accessories- buttons, dimensionals, circle punches