I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane. . .

 . . . in ONE MORE SLEEP!!!  Do you think I'm a bit excited?  I have been so busy trying to organize EVERYONE (and I'm including my wonderful DH in that) so I haven't had much time for crafting but... this afternoon I was over visiting with Leanne and, once again, we raided Lori's craft room!  We found Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch and Arielle's Color Q Challenge and combined the two:

 

 

 

I'm going to go finish packing and doing my laundry and whatever else needs to be done for a family of five to leave for 2 weeks - TWO WHOLE WEEKS!?!?!  ACK!  Enjoy your crafting while I'm gone - I know I'll miss sitting down with my paper and "stuff."

See you in February!

I Can't Promise That This is the Last One...

One more.  This card is for a new challenge blog I found - Stampin' Royalty where this week's challenge is a color challenge:

And the sketch is another one of Verve's release party challenges over at Splitcoast:

I wasn't sure about the color combo but I *think* I made it work in the end.  This is the card closed up:

And "easeled":

 

Recipe - Stamp: Philippians 4:4 (Verve)  Ink: Rich Razzleberry  Paper: Pale Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant  Accessories: Corner rounder, white taffeta ribbon, RR polka dot grosgrain ribbon, brads, Nestabilities, Slot Punch, paper piercer, Moroccan Screen EF, Swirls EF, Swiss Dots EF, Martha Stewart border punch, white gel pen, paper flowers

K - Going to get supper ready... maybe.  We've been without water all day but DH should be home soon to fix it.  Oh the joys of living in the country... *sigh*  See y'all later!

Taylor's Sketch and a Verve Contest Rolled Into One... and Another Easel Card

I've been busy again.  :)

The kids are home today 'cause it's a PD Day so we are trying to get everyone organized for our trip - only 5 more sleeps!  ACK!  I needed a bit of a break from all that "hard work" so I sat down at my computer and started blog hopping.  I found Taylor's weekly Sketch Challenge - another awesome layout:

I went looking for a Color Challenge and discovered that the gals over at Verve are celebrating their new releases (tonight!!!) with 5 different challenges, one of which is a color challenge:

You all know how much I LOVE those easel cards so I made another one.  This time, instead of making it 4-1/4" square I made it the regular 5-1/2 x 4-1/4 size.  Yummy!  I also got some new goodies from Stampin' Up yesterday and a girl's GOTTA use the new stuff, right?

Here's the card front closed up:

And opened up:

And a close-up of the result of my new favorite punch - The XL Two-Step Bird in SU!s new Occasions Mini Catalog:

 

Isn't it cute?  I had fun - I also LOVE the new "Beautiful Wings" Embosslit from SU!  SO MUCH FUN!

I'm not going to post the recipe today - too much other stuff to do.   If you have a question, please leave a comment and I will get answer it as soon as I can.  Thanks for stopping in!  Later!

I Think I Hit Jackpot!!

Oh-My-Goodness!  I made another easel card ~ have I mentioned how much I LOVE this card technique???  I said earlier that I wasn't "feeling" the Color Dare colors but I think that was temporary because I knocked this card out speedy-quick.   I used the same sketch from Splitcoast so this card is going to be very similar the one I posted earlier today.  This week's challenge over at The Pink Elephant was a theme challenge - birthday - so this card does triple duty.

 

 

Here ya go - three different views so you can see a bit of the detail better:

 

 

 

 

Recipe - Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Teeny Tiny Wishes  Ink: Melon Mambo  Paper: Garden Green, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Barely Banana  Accessories: Nestabilities (Ovals, Labels Four), Martha Stewart border punch, Herringbone EF, Swiss Dots EF, oval punches, paper piercer, Barely Banana grosgrain ribbon, unknown pink ribbon, buttons, twine

If you haven't made one of these easel cards, PLEASE take some time to try one.  The tutorial is VERY simple to follow ~ run, don't walk, over to Splitcoast Stampers and check it out.  I had so much fun making these two cards today - I hope you enjoyed seeing them as much as I enjoyed making them.  See you tomorrow!

Colour Q #15, a Splitcoast Sketch and a Tutorial...

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I have been so busy the last few days I haven't had time to sit and create - thankfully I was able to do just that this morning when I went to visit my friend Leanne.  Leanne *normally* lives about 3 hours away from us but she is at Lori's being "mom and dad" while Lori and her DH are enjoying some much-needed vacation time.  I went to the gym first thing this morning and then popped over for a visit.

We browsed the blogs to see what trouble we could get ourselves into and I introduced her to Arielle's Colour Q Challenge.  Arielle ALWAYS comes up with some amazing colour combos and this week was no exception:

I LOVE this purse!  I wish I had the big medallion stamp because I could *so* see a fabulous card coming outta that.  LOL  Leanne and I hopped over to Splitcoast and found this week's Sketch Challenge and a fabulous tutorial about how to make an Easel Card and decided to combine all three ideas into one card. 

She did hers and I did mine - I don't have any pics of Leanne's card...sorry.  It is awesome, though, just FYI!  I L-O-V-E how this card turned out and am going to do MANY more of these easel cards - so easy and beautiful!  We had so much fun raiding Lori's craft room - she's got so much more *stuff* than either one of us!  LOL

Recipe - Stamps: Trendy Trees (SU!)  Ink: Basic Grey, Pumpkin Pie  Paper: Barely Banana, Going Grey, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Sweet Pea DP  Accessories: Nestabilities (Ovals and Scalloped Ovals), paper piercer, Scallop Trim border punch, Swiss Dots EF, Herringbone EF, Grey Taffeta ribbon, button, silver cord, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, brads, Birds and Blooms Sizzlit, Sweetest Stem Embosslit

I think I may try the Color Dare tonight but I'm not sure...the colors are not "speaking" to me.  But, what do I know?  Remember last week's catastrophe with this card?  Well, apparently *someone* over at the Color Dare liked it enough to pick it as one of the Top Three - I'm wondering if she needs glasses or something???  *giggle*  Thanks again, ladies - that's two weeks in a row, do you think I can make it three?  Maybe I can grab that elusive "Top Spot"...

'Til later...  Thanks for stopping in!

I Think I've Redeemed Myself

I *think.*

Today's episode was inspired by Amber over at the Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge at Splitcoast.  Remember last week's card inspired by a room in your home - the entryway, more specifically?  Well, we're still in the entry and Amber gave us some more wonderful inspiration pictures to get the mojo flowing.  I chose this one:

I like the country look with all the mouldings and the big mirror.  My eye was immediately drawn to the metal basket on the wall with the flower and leaves on it and I decided to use those colors as well as the light grey of the coat-rack/bench/mirror as the inspiration for my card.

Here's Amber's sketch:

And my card:

Recipe - Stamps:  Thankful Accents (Verve)  Ink: Rich Razzleberry  Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, light grey Bazzill textured, Night and Day DP  Accessories: Nestabilities, Swiss Dots embossing folder, Rich Razzleberry grosgrain ribbon, slot punch, button, silver cord, paper piercer, adhesive pearls

It might be a *bit* dark but I like these colors together and it was fun to get back at it this morning.  Now I suppose I should do some laundry and tidy up since I've been slacking in that department this week.  Thanks for stopping by - see you tomorrow!

Well ~ I Tried...

... and, regretfully, I think I failed miserably.  Maybe I wasn't "feeling" the colors or the sketch or maybe my mojo just wasn't flowing today but his card is NOT one of my better ones.

I'm sure this has NOTHING to do with the nice folks over at The Color Dare or the lovely ladies at Pals Paper Arts - it is completely MY fault that this card doesn't do either one justice:

So - take a deep breath and prepare yourself...

Recipe - Paper: Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay  Ink: Ruby Red, Bermuda Bay  Accessories: Marvy Uchida corner punch, paper piercer, white taffeta ribbon, button, twine, Cuttlebug embossing folders, sponge dauber, Martha Stewart border punch, slot punch, 1-3/4" circle punch, brads

That's all I'm going to say about this card.  Let's all hope the next one is MUCH better than this... ;)  Do I dare try again tonight???

*E.T.A.  In my despondence, I forgot to *thank* the team at the Color Dare for recognizing my submission last week as an honorable mention - I'm pretty excited about it!  If you would like to see which one it was, click here.

Mojo...Wednesday??

Happy Hump Day!

What a crazy couple of days I've had - I left the house before 8 a.m. yesterday and didn't settle back in to the house until almost 7 p.m.!  Needles to say I got LOTS done in town but NOTHING done at home!  I wasn't feeling that great this morning into the early afternoon but thought I'd take a stab at a card when the kids got home from school.

I'm back with another Mojo Monday contribution - this time I combined it with Arielle's Colour Q Challenge.  Here's the sketch to refresh your memory:

 

And Arielle picked the C-U-T-E-S-T little dress for the colour inspiration - makes me wish I had at least *one* girl to shop for!!  LOL

Arielle thought we might have trouble with the Regal Rose thrown in but, for me, the tough colour was that Orchid Opulence.  I have NEVER used OO in a card before - EVER.  I don't use my Bold Brights very often so it's kind of nice when a color challenge makes me step out of my box.

I used another one of Verve's Plain Janes - Psalm 121: 1-2 ~~ I just love these Scripture verses.  They are so versatile and the fonts Julee has chosen are incredible.

Recipe - Stamp: Psalm 121 (Verve)  Paper: Orchid Opulence, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Rich Razzleberry, Regal Rose, Urban Garden DP, unknown SU DP  Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Kiwi Kiss, Regal Rose  Accessories: Paper piercer, Nestabilities, Rich Razzleberry grosgrain ribbon, brads, Martha Stewart border punch, "Merry" Sizzlit, Swirls embossing folder

So there you have it - another attempt to make *someone* out there say "OOOOOOOH!"  Thanks for stopping by to take a peek.  Tomorrow I will try to get caught up on the challenges I've missed this week - Thursday is a slow day for new challenges.  See you then!

Mojo Monday... MADNESS!

Welcome to another Mojo Monday!

Those Verve girls sure know how to give us a fabulous sketch to work with.  This week Teresa stepped in for Julee over at Mojo Monday and created this beauty:

I spent most of the day out and about so I didn't get a chance to sit until after the kids got home from school.  I pulled out some of my newest DP ( from my enabler, Lori) and got busy.  One thing led to another - this card didn't end up as I originally envisioned - and the end result:

Recipe - Stamp: Hebrews 11:1 Plain Jane (Verve)  Paper: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Designer Paper (SU!)  Ink: Old Olive, Pretty in Pink  Accessories: Paper piercer, adhesive pearls, ribbon, brads, Martha Stewart border punch, argyle embossing folder, sponge dauber

I have a VERY busy day planned tomorrow so I probably won't get time to do anything 'til much later.  Stop over at Mojo Monday - there are some really beautiful cards being created this time around (not like there's anything unusual about that!  LOL)  Enjoy your Monday night!

A Quickie...

Happy Sunday!

A quick post before I have to start organizing everyone for tomorrow's foray back to school - can I hear a "WOOP WOOP!?!"  I took a few minutes tonight to throw together a card for Stacey's Curtain Call Color Challenge and I used the JUGs Sketch again too:

 

Recipe - Stamps: Stem Silhouettes (SU!), Thankful Accents (Verve)  Paper: Going Grey, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Whisper White,  SU! DP  Ink: Basic Grey  Accessories: Adhesive pearls/rhinestones, grey taffeta ribbon, paper piercer, Martha Stewart border punch, Cuttlebug embossing folder, "Merry" Sizzlit, "Lots of Tags, Label 2" Sizzlit, sponge dauber

Thanks for looking!  See you tomorrow!

I'm on a Roll!

Back again but no time for idle chit-chat this post - supper's on the go and I've spent way too much time crafting today!  LOL

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge is another new, and I mean NEW challenge.  So new, in fact, that this is their FIRST challenge!  The challenge this week: "Because we are a new challenge blog, and this is a new year, our first challenge theme is--NEW! We decided it would be fun to use our Fussy and Fancy blog colors in our creations, but you may use any colors."  I decided to follow their lead and use their blog colors - looks a lot like Pink Passion, Basic Black, and a teeny bit of Certainly Celery to me.  :)

I hadn't done Taylor's Sketch from Friday yet so I clicked over to find...

 ...and came up with...

 

Recipe: Stamps - Treasure Life (CTMH), Thankful Accents, sentiment (Verve)  Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pink Passion, Certainly Celery, Night and Day DP  Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Pink Passion, Certainly Celery  Accessories: Nestabilities, paper piercer, ribbon, fuzzy fiber, circle punches, adhesive pearls, sponge dauber, Swirls Embossing folder, Swiss Dots embossing folder

Only two more days until the kids go back to school and I can have some peace and quiet again!  They are actually pretty good but I think they are at the end of their patience with each other - every little thing seems to instigate a "discussion."   Thanks for stopping by!

Golly Gosh - What Nice JUGS!

 OK - get your mind out of the gutter!  :)  Of course I was referring to the Just Us Girls Challenge team...what did you think I was talking about?  This isn't *that* kind of blog...  ;)  This week they gave us an amazing sketch to get the mojo flowing:

For some additional inspiration, I clicked over to Splitcoast Stampers for the Saturday Inspiration Challenge.   This week's inspiration comes to us from Design Spirit Studio which "features the lovely creations of Spirit Lala, an artist in McDonough, Georgia. She creates whimsical clocks and fabulous jewelry from recycled windshield glass."  I was immediately drawn to this clock:

Isn't it BEYOOTIFUL??  The colors are soooo fabulous and the shiny, silver ringer-thingies on the top just make me smile.  I took inspiration from the colors, the bird, the flowers and the vines to create this:

Recipe - Stamps: Black Tie Birdies (Verve), Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)  Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Cameo Coral, Real Red  Ink: Bermuda Bay, Versafine Onyx Black  Accessories: Corner rounder punch, spiral punch, paper piercer, Copics, red gingham ribbon, button, silver cord, Hodgepodge Hardware, oval punch, clear embossing powder, vine embossing folder, adhesive pearls

What do you think?  I kinda *like* these colors together.  My picture makes the Bermuda Bay look more turquoise-y or teal-y but if you put the papers together yourself you'll see how nicely they work with a couple of neutrals thrown in.  I paper pieced the balloons and used my Copics to color the birdie.  I was going to make this a Valentine's card but my sentiment was too big to fit in my HPH and I *HAD* to use the Styled Silver to echo the bright & shiny alarm bell thingy... great use of the English language, eh?

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Later!