Sketchy Rose

Hi friends! I know... it's been ages since I've posted. Life has been busy, and involved some travel again this month. Once again, I traveled with just a couple of stamped images and my colored pencils. I'm really loving them more and more, as I get comfortable using them. I stamped this gorgeous rose image using pink and green ink, second generation, for a very light outline. I then colored the image using my pencils for a no-line look, and I'm thrilled with the way it came out.

The challenge from The Flower Challenge is to use your latest stamps or dies. Though I think this set is retired, I purchased it recently from a crafty yard sale, so its new to me and the first time I'm using it. 

I'm also playing with the Inspiration Challenge at Altenew. I love how the two grays create such a soft background and combine with the pink.

Stamp sets: Sketchy Rose (Altenew)

Card stock: Solar White (Neenah), Smoky Slate, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)

Patterned paper: Glistening (Authentique)

Ink pads: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up)

Colored Pencils: Prismacolor

Thanks for visiting today, and I love reading your comments!

Sending Valentine Hugs

Hello, friends :) I have a CAS card to share today, made with some awesome envelope stickers gifted to me by a fellow crafter. The stickers have great dimension and are full of texture, so I did very little to the rest of the card. A simple frame and a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp finished it off quite well, I thought. 

I'm playing along with two challenges today. At Inspired By, I was inspired by the framed rows of hearts. At the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, it's Anything Goes.

Stamp Sets: Sending & Wishing (Simon Says Stamp)

Card Stock: Solar White (Neenah), Schoolhouse Red (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink Pads: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Tools: Big Shot, Layering Squares Dies (Stampin' Up), Sending and Wishing Dies (Simon Says Stamp)

Accessories: Love Envelope Stickers (Michael's)

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday By the Bay

Hi everyone! Recently I was on vacation in Florida, and the only craft items I brought with me was a few stamped images and my colored pencils. It was very relaxing to just color! This was one of the images, from a new stamp set by Stampin Up. This is going to be for my brother-in-law who recently bought a house on the coast of Maine. It's an old colonial from the 1800's, and though I haven't seen it yet, this is exactly how I visualize it.

I'm playing along with the photo challenge this week at Just Us Girls. Though I don't have a boat or an anchor in my card, I think I've captured the sea / masculine theme. Let's see what they think! 

Stamp Sets: By the Bay, Wetlands (Stampin Up)

Card Stock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse (Stampin Up)

Patterned Paper: Pint Sized Patterns Beachside (Lawn Fawn)

Ink Pads: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Navy (Hero Arts)

Colored Pencils: Prismacolor

Accessories: Candy Dots, Linen Thread (Stampin Up)

Thanks for stopping by, and please leave a comment!

Love Mew

Hello, friends :) I have a fun little shaker card today, featuring one of my most favorite subjects, kitties! This was a simple project, thanks to a fun-to-use shaker pouch, a coordinating window die and some super cute stickers from Doodlebug. 

If you look closely, you'll see that the background paper has some cute tone-on-tone kitties, too. The shaker ingredients all came from the dollar spot at Target. 

I'm playing along with the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, which is Have a Heart. They'd like to see products by My Favorite Things, if you have them. My sentiment, the shaker pouches and window die are all from MFT.

The cue card at CASology is Smile, and I think my smiling little kitty fits the bill. Normally I wouldn't consider a shaker card to be CAS, but I think this one has plenty of white space, and thanks to the stickers it came together in a flash.

Here's my card inside and envelope, with a few more stickers.

Stamp Sets: I Knead You (My Favorite Things) Furry Kisses (Simon Says Stamp - Inside Sentiment)

Card Stock: Solar White (Neenah)

Patterned Paper: Kitten Smitten (Doodlebug)

Ink Pads: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Tools: Big Shot, Rectangle Peek-a-boo Window Die (My Favorite Things)

Accessories: Rectangle Shaker Windows Pouches (My Favorite Things), Kitten Smitten Cardstock Stickers (Doodlebug), Confetti (Target)

Thanks for stopping by today! 

Lovebirds

Hi everyone! I'm happy to say I've completed all the birthday cards I need for January, and it's time to start working on Valentines. This card is going to my newly engaged son and his fiance. I know, it's decidedly a girly-girl card, but she'll like it! I didn't have the sentiment I wanted so I created my own using MS Word. 

Today I'm playing along with three challenges. At The Paper Players (miss you gals!), it's Crazy about Critters. At The Card Concept, I was inspired by the colors. Finally, at Lawnfawnatics, it's Happy Little Critters. 

Stamp Sets: Friends Forever (Lawn Fawn)

Card Stock: Ivory (Simon Says Stamp), Real Red, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)

Patterned Paper: Beloved (Authentique)

Ink Pads: Tuxedo Black (Memento)

Markers: Copic

Tools: Big Shot, Friends Forever Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies, Stitched Heart Dies (Lawn Fawn)

Enamel Dots: Echo Park

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll leave a comment! 

Hats Off to You

Hi friends! With the holidays now behind us, it's time for me to focus on my January birthday cards, and I got started with a masculine one. This one is for a neighbor and good friend. It's kind of hard to tell from the photo, but each of the little hats was cut out by hand and popped up with a dimensional. Also hard to see, the background was embossed with the Subtle embossing folder, giving the card some nice texture. 

While I was at it, I made a second one in different colors. Which do you like better? I'm kind of partial to the blue one, though the orange one photographed much better.

I'm playing along with Anything Goes and my friends at Seize the Birthday today. Miss you gals! 

Products Used (All Stampin' Up unless otherwise specified)

Stamp Sets: Guy Greetings

Card Stock: Whisper White, Basic Gray

Patterned Paper: This and That Epic Day

Tools: Big Shot, Subtle Embossing Folder, Stitched Square Dies (Lawn Fawn)

Accessories: Gray Grosgrain Ribbon (Recycled)

Thanks for stopping by! 

My favorite cards of 2018 and some news

Hi friends, and a Happy New Year to you! As has been my tradition the last several years, on January 1, I post some of my favorite creations of the year. This is an interesting process for me too, as I see how my tastes and style have evolved over the years.

It's my tradition to share paper-crafty news today also, so here I go. I've made the decision to resign from both the design teams of The Paper Players and Seize the Birthday. This was a very difficult decision for me to make, and I will miss both of these teams dearly. They are such thoughtful and kind people, and I hope we will still remain friends. However, between work and family, I was finding it harder and harder to keep up with the responsibilities. I do plan to continue crafting and blogging, so you most definitely have not seen the last of me! 

Speaking of family, two of my sons got engaged in the fall of last year, so I have two weddings in my near future! I am so blessed to be a part of two new families. Life is good :)

Now on to the cards, and there is a link to the original post beneath each one. Enjoy! 

Pink Spring Flowers

Playful Love

St. Patrick's Bouquet

Birthday Flowers

CAS Geranium

Nautical Stripes

Hipster Birthday

Thankful Sunflowers

Christmas Silhouettes

Autumn Leaves and Berries

CAS Sweet Treats

Christmas Floral

Thanks for visiting, and wishing you and your families all the best in 2019.

Inky hugs :)