i'm still here

Nothing like a great Papertrey Ink set to get me out of retirement. When I saw the Up, Up & Away set, I knew I had to have it! Another reason it's so great is that now they have custom dies that coordinate with them. How cool is that?

This is obviously a birthday card. I used patterned paper from October Afternoon's Fly a Kite pad and aforementioned stamp set from Papertrey Ink. I colored the balloon with my Copics and sprinkled a little glitter on it and around the edge of the clouds. Mounted everything together and voila! I also used this week's Splitcoast sketch. I wasn't too crazy about it, but I think it works.

I don't know about you guys, but summer has been crazy. With the kids at home, I've become the entertainment director or else they become a little stir crazy. We've been doing a lot of swimming, going to the movies and I'm trying to get them to do some arts and crafts stuff too. My daughter loves doing it, but my son...not so much. Anyway. Thanks for stopping by!


Birthday Wishes:
Stamps: balloon & sentiment (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: October Afternoon, Papertrey Ink
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Papertrey Ink dies, Copic markers, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous)

carolers sketch

Another great sketch this week over at Splitcoast. This card actually came together as I saw it in my head. I love when that happens! The only thing I had to do different was turn it sideways. It just didn't look right horizontally.

I love this little carolers stamp. I got the set on eBay for like $5. I was the only one to bid on it. Lucky me! I stamped the image and, of course, colored it with my Copics. All the patterned paper is from one of last year's Christmas lines from My Mind's Eye. The sentiment is from the same set and I just stamped it and cut that and the image out with my Nesties. I embossed the 3 squares of cardstock with the Cuttlebug snowflake folder and mounted those on top of the patterned paper. I decided to add a little sparkle with the snowflakes. The punch is a Martha Stewart punch I picked up last year and I just ran some glue over them and sprinkled on the glitter!

Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Christmas:
Stamps: carolers & sentiment (Wordsworth Art Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, My Mind's Eye
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko), Distress Ink (Ranger Industries)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic markers, Cuttleb=ug, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous), Snowflake punch (Martha Stewart), foam tape

ornaments sketch

I finally got to finish this week's Splitcoast sketch challenge today. I've been trying to get my house clean for relatives invading on Monday. They're only staying 2 nights so it's not too bad.





I loved this week's sketch! I got to use my new Nesties too! I stamped the image and colored with my Copics. Added just a little sparkle on one of the ornaments. I pretty much used all BG's Figgy Pudding on this one. I was thinking I better buy some more of that before they discontinue it if they haven't already.

I was unsure about the piece of blue cardstock behind the image, but there's only so much time I can spend on a card. I just pierced the paper around the edge and was done with it. I hope you like it!



Thanks for stopping by!


Merry Christmas:
Stamps: ornaments (Great Impressions), sentiment (Verve Visual)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Basic Grey, Baja Breeze (SU)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo (Tsukineko), Mellow Moss (SU)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous), ribbon, paper piercer (SU), scalloped edge scissors, foam tape

happy world card making day!

I have to be honest. I didn't make this card today. Actually, I didn't make any cards today. I had to take my daughter to a birthday party. Don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining because the mother of the birthday girl and I are good friends so it was nice to see her. It just seems that whenever these kind of crafty "holidays" pop up, there's always something else going on too. Anyway. This was the card I made earlier this week for the girl's party today. I used this week's Splitcoast sketch challenge again. I really liked this sketch. Definitely a keeper.

I used some old patterned paper I've probably had for years and this cupcake set I just love from Hero Arts. I did the usual...stamped the image and colored with Copics. Just love those things!



Added a little sparkle with glitter. Then I cut out some pink and white cardstock with my Nesties and mounted the image and sentiment with foam tape and done! Thanks for stopping by!

Seize the Cupcake:
Stamps: all images (Hero Arts)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Bo Bunny, KI Memories
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko), Distress Ink (Ranger Industries)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic markers, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous), ribbon, paper piercer (SU), scalloped edge scissors, foam tape

merry little christmas

Can you believe there's only about 86 days until Christmas? I guess I'll have to start my shopping soon. Hard to believe. It is my favorite time of the year though. And with Christmas comes lots of Christmas cards. I think I have more Christmas stamps than anything. You can never have enough I say. As you can see, I chose some of those for this week's Splitcoast sketch challenge.

I really liked this sketch. I may have to do another card using it. I just picked a couple of the Studio G stamps from Michael's and colored the images with my Copics. Of course glitter goes hand and hand with Christmas cards. I chose some of BG's Figgy Pudding and a piece of Fruitcake. I kept looking at the houndstooth paper and thought it needed something. Should I back it with a piece of red cardstock? Should I trim it with the scalloped scissors? Then I thought sewing the edge would work, but I didn't feel like dragging out my machine so I pulled out some stamps I have not used in a long while that resemble ribbon and stamped the edge and embossed it with red glitter powder. Next I added the ribbon and charm then finished the loads of laundry I've been doing all day. Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Little Christmas:
Stamps: ornaments & sentiment (Studio G); zig zag ribbon (Hero Arts)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Ink: Black Memento, Versamark (Tsukineko), Distress Ink (Ranger Industries)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Copic markers, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous), red glitter embossing powder (Mark Enterprises), ribbon, charm (Making Memories), foam tape

long time no blog

Yes, it's true. I've actually made a card. I just decided to take a little break and now I have returned. I chose to jump right back into the Splitcoast color and sketch challenges. I wasn't too excited about the color combo, but I made the best of it. The sunflower is actually part of a larger image, but I only used part of it. I stamped and embossed the center of the flower and popped it up in the center with foam tape. I colored everything with ink and my trusty old Dove Blender pen. Of course I had to add a little glitter to it. Cards just don't seem complete without a little sparkle.

I mounted the image on a Cuttlebugged piece of Rich Razzleberry cardstock and then mounted that on top of a stamped piece of Crushed Curry. I thought it turned out all right. Thanks for stopping by and hopefully I'll have another post for you tomorrow!

Sunflower:
Stamps: sunflower (Peddler's Pack), writing background (Inkadinkado), Happy Birthday (Hero Arts)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry (SU)
Ink: Black Memento, Versamark (Tsukineko), Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry (SU)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, foam tape, glue pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous), Dove Blender pen, black dot embellishments (Stamping Bella)

sorry for the delay

I know it's been a long while since I've blogged. The past few months have been busy. This is probably the first card I've done since Thanksgiving, if you can believe that! I needed a masculine card for my brother-in-law's birthday, so I decided to use this week's Splitcoast sketch challenge and went to work. I'm not a fan of making manly cards. I don't do them particularly well. I'd much rather do something a little girly and cutesy. I stuck to reds and blues, you know, manly colors and I think it turned out all right. I stamped my image on white and colored it with my oh so favorite Copic markers and then cut it with my new Nestabilities label die. (The first time I've used those.) I then took some chipboard and covered those with black embossing powder and glued the little rhinestones on. (I know not very manly, but they needed some flair!)

Happy Birthday:
Stamps:  Retro Happy Birthday (Hot Potatoes)
Paper:  Papertrey Ink, Bazzill
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Charcoal Palette (Stewart Superior)
Accessories:  Nestabilities, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, chipboard (Technique Tuesday), jewels (Heidi Swapp), foam tape

ornamental christmas

This was the only card I made all last week. I've been diligently working on my family's Christmas stockings. Cutting felt shapes, sewing and beading and adding sequins...the whole 9 yards. They are almost finished. I can't wait to hang them up!

This stamp is one I picked up years ago. I just really liked it because it didn't just say "Merry Christmas", but it had a little detail to it with the images. Perfect for coloring with my Copics. I used this week's Splitcoast sketch challenge. I wasn't crazy about it, but I think it worked. The little ornaments on the bottom are actually cut from one stamp I picked up at Joann's last week for a buck. I used these Copics



to color the images. Then added a little sparkle with the Spica glitter pens and all done! Thanks for stopping by! Hopefully I'll finish these stockings and get back to card making!

Merry Christmas:
Stamps: Merry Christmas (PSX), ornaments (Studio G)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Basic Grey, Riding Hood Red (SU)
Ink: Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Accessories:Nestabilities, Copic markers, foam tape

fa la la

This has to be one of my favorite Splitcoast sketches so far. I absolutely love it! I only wish I had made more cards this week using it, but it will definitely go in my file. I used last year's Basic Grey Figgy Pudding paper (love this too) and some $1 Studio G stamps. I colored the images with my Copics, these to be exact:



and highlighted everything with Spica glitter pens.



Such a quick and easy card! I gotta scoot, but thanks for stopping by!













Fa La La:
Stamps: various Christmas (Stuido G)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Ink: Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Accessories:Nestabilities, Copic markers, ribbon (American Crafts), Glitter Dots (Stamping Bella), foam tape

new cards

I ordered a pack of the new In Color cardstock from Stampin' Up and it finally got here Friday. If you can believe it, I didn't have cardstock that was evenly remotely close to those colors. I really wanted to do the Splitcoast color challenge last week, but I had to wait on my cardstock. I really loved these colors together. I bought this stamp a few weeks ago. When I saw it, I immediately thought about using my Copics with it, which is exactly what I did! I used the colors in the pic below and then went over the letters with my clear Spica glitter pen. It's really hard to see in the photo.



I also used Julie's resizing rectangle Nestabilities tutorial to cut out the image. Worked like a charm! I got to use my new Martha Stewart branch punch that Julee Tilman twisted my arm to buy. I thought it added just a nice little touch around the edges.



Now, I think this might be the first time in my card making history that I've actually completed a challenge the same day it came out. I don't know that I'm too terribly fond of this card, but here it is...today's Splitcoast color challenge. I used these copics

to color the image and then quickie glue penned the area around the leaves and glittered. Very quick and easy! Thanks for stopping by!

Give Thanks:
Stamps: Give Thanks (Northwoods Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Stampin' Up
Ink: Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Accessories:Nestabilities, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Martha Stewart punch, foam tape

Ornament:
Stamps: Ornament (Sandi Miller)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Stampin' Up
Ink: Black Memento (Tsukineko), Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)
Accessories:Nestabilities, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), glitter (Stampendous), ribbon (Martha Stewart), foam tape

christmas sketch

I've got a bunch of unmounted stamps I've collected over the years. Needless to say, most of them have not been used and I don't remember who made a lot of them. This stamp is one of them. If anyone has any idea who makes this stamp, please email me and let me know.

I really liked how this card turned out. I used last week's Splitcoast sketch. I colored the images with my Copics then covered them in the Spica glitter pen.



I added Liquid Applique to the tops of the houses for added texture and a little dab of Judikin's Diamond Glaze on the windows.



I mounted everything on some Christmas dp from My Mind's Eye I got last year. The colors worked perfectly!

Christmas:
Stamps: Houses (Unknown), Christmas (Hero Arts)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, My Mind's Eye
Ink: Black Memento (Tsukineko), Walnut Stain Distress (Ranger)
Accessories:Nestabilities, Copic markers, Cuttlebug, Liquid Applique, Diamond Glaze (Judikins), ribbon (Ellen Hutson), foam tape

fall already?

For some reason, I had so much trouble with this week's Splitcoast sketch. I don't know if it's because I combined the color challenge too, but I think I changed the base color like 3 times. I just couldn't get it to work. I think I finally did it. At least I hope so.

I had planned to make a couple of cards this week, but it seems like every time I tell myself "okay, I'm just going to stay home today and make cards" I have like 10 errands to run. Never fails. I did stay home today, but I ended up cleaning house instead. Although, I did manage to finish this card. Tomorrow we've got plans, so no card making in my future until Sunday. Have a great weekend!

Fall:
Stamps: Fall Whimsy (SU) Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink) Button Lowercase Alphabet (PSX)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust (SU)
Accessories: Nestabilities, Cuttlebug, Dove Blender Pen, Word Window Punch (SU)

snowmen sketch

Can you believe Christmas is only 85 days away? Hard to believe. I decided to use my new snowman set from Papertrey Ink for last week's sketch on Splitcoast. This set is really cute! It comes with different hats, scarves, faces and arms and different snowman bodies for use with all those. For example, if you decide to use one of the scarves, there is a snowman body to use with it and you don't have to make any masks! I hate making masks. So tedious. Anyway, if you like snowmen, I highly recommend getting this set. You can find it here. It's called "Made of Snow".

I did break down a couple of weeks ago and bought some Copics. I really like them. They are so easy to work with and they blend so beautifully. I only used the Cool Gray to outline the snowmen on this card. Collecting Copics is a slow process because they're so expensive. My goal is to get the ones that match the Stampin' Up inks and go from there. I just used my old trusty Dove Blender Pen and ink pads to color these guys. I covered the bodies entirely with glitter. It's hard to see so I suggest clicking on the image to see the detail. Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Snowmen:
Stamps: Made From Snow (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, My Mind's Eye
Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss (SU) Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), Glitter (Stampendous), Dove Blender Pen, Cuttlebug, black dimensional paint, Cool Gray No.1 (Copic)

happy halloween

I know, this is last week's Splitcoast sketch, but things have been busy around the house lately. I don't want to bore you with details, so I won't. I recently bought this Inkadinkado Cats and Bats set a couple of weeks ago. It's really a cute set. I stamped the cat in black and of course covered it in glitter. The sentiment is also a recent purchase from Studio G. These clear stamps must be really really cheap to produce. How else can they make any money only charging $1?

Happy Halloween:
Stamps: Cat (Inkadinkado), Spider (Papertrey Ink), Spider Web (All Night Media), Happy Halloween sentiment (Studio G)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bo Bunny, KI Memories
Ink: Pumpkin Pie (SU), Black Memento (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Quickie Glue Pen (Sakura), Glitter (Stampendous), ribbon

noel

Is it a little early to post a Christmas card? Okay, maybe. I bought this stamp last year from Michelle at Stamper's Dream, but of course, never used it. I'm so notorious for doing this. Anyway. This week's color challenge and sketch on Splitcoast was the perfect opportunity to use it. I stamped my image in black then used the ink pads along with my trusty Dove blender pen to color in the letters. Stickles goes hand in hand with Christmas cards, so of course I used some. I just love this spiral background stamp. I used to use it a lot and kind of forgot about it until now. It's perfect for filling up some blank space! Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Noel:
Stamps: Noel (Stampendous), Scroll Pattern (Penny Black)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill, Basic Grey
Ink: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red, Green Galore (SU), Charcoal - Palette (Stewart Superior)
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Stickles, Dove blender pen

cards

I have a few cards to share with you. This one is from Mojo Monday a week ago. I absolutely loved this sketch. Julee's sketches seem to get better each week. You should stop by and see this week's Mojo Monday I think I'll work on that one this weekend.



I used Verve's Anniversary Birds set for this one. I think this was the first time I've used it. Sad, isn't it?



This one I made for my friend Didi's birthday. This was the Splitcoast sketch a week ago as well.



One more, also late but only by a day! This was for the second Meet the Verve Diva Challenge. It was an inspiration challenge and I kind of suck at them! Oh well! Thanks for looking!

Happy Together:
Stamps: Anniversary Birds (Verve)
Paper: Anna Griffin, We R Memory Keepers, Papertrey Ink, Bazzill
Ink: So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive (SU)
Accessories: Nestabilities, ribbon

Celebrate:
Stamps: It's a Celebration, Polka Dot Basics (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Papertrey Ink, Bazzill
Ink: Melon (Ancient Page), Tattered Rose Distress (Ranger Industries)
Accessories:Cuttlebug, glitter

Thanks So Much:
Stamps: Simple Little Things (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Papertrey Ink
Ink: Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie (SU) Indigo (Ancient Page) Versamark (Tsukineko)
Accessories:Nestabilities, ribbon, embossing powder