Touchy feely...

I love texture, so when I saw Creative Card Crews challenge #4 asking for texture, I knew this was for me! I really had envisioned using lots of embossing folders and such but my card seemed to go in a whole different direction.
This is a common recurrence with me, I am making a card somethings not quite right but rather than nixing my entire effort I usually cut the card in half using it as my focal and going from there.
For this card I used Close To My Heart Stamps and white and Cocoa card stock, the patterned paper is by K & CoMPANY, all the metal embellishments are by We R Memory Keepers and last but not least Liquid Applique a Marvy product.

Finally a card...

So many amazing and great things have happened this weekend just no card but after I saw challenge # 8 at Stamps And Smiles , I just knew I had to make a little somethin-somethin! This weekend I went to a fifteen hour scrap and packed more than necessary as usual but I can't help it! It was a great time I got a whole whopping 8 pages done and for me that is really good! I noticed my pages have really toned down a bit and I thinks it's because of all the time I spend on my cards, not sure though....So where was this going? Oh yes I got this awsome deal on embellishments by We R Memory Keepers it has 300 pieces of metal accents and not just eyelets and brads but lots a great stuff and so long as I can tame the hoarding beast these beauties will help make some fun stuff!

I can't belive it ...

I have been chosen to be on a designing team for a new Challenge sight soon to take off! I will keep you posted and it would be so awesome if you'd all join in the fun! Beth aka BR-T

I'm feeling warm all over...

Creative Card Crew is a challenge site I've yet to take to task until tonight, they want cards with warm colors: red, yellows & oranges. I had to add my most favorite accent color black because to me it brings out the bold. This is another scraps only card but some of the pieces I utilized were so small it didn't make a dent in the "abyss" I've mentioned on a previous post. It's leaning on the realm of Surrealism but I've always fancied Dali's work...

New Strategy...

So do you ever find yourself using the same stamps over and over? It's easy to do so, kind of like your favorite jeans. We bought all the others for some reason right? I can't believe I'm admitting this however from one company alone own 97 stamp sets of course its taken over seven years to acquire these but seriously... I'm not trying to be ethical or moral on this, I'm just trying to figure out some way to start using the neglected. I pulled this set out called Goodness of Life from Close to My Heart, I'm certain it's been nearly a year since our last reunion , funny how these things happen huh?

Four for one...

I created this card with a three challenges in mind then got greedy and realized I could add on another but to my dismay they moved on to the challenge...such luck! That's ok, I'm still including in my list.


Papertake Weekly has a terrific sketch # 11 by Dawny this week isn't it cool! Cute Daisy May challenge #4 is going for a hidden image or message, fun fun! Card-A-Licious challenge #18 want to see stars, circles & stitching, by this time my brain is bursting! Last but certainly not least, Funky Fairy's #8 challenge wants you to embellish like there's no tomorrow, this is right up my alley! The products are all Close to My Heart except the glittered brads which I made by adding some liquid glass and putting it into the glitter jar. The stamps are: Star Struck, Express Postage, Solos H, and Serendipity, the color palette Sweet Leaf, Twilight, Chocolate, and Sunny Yellow and the patterned paper is from the Good Times series. So there you have it...




Here's my hidden message:

Toadstools and frogs...

You may or may have not noticed my Need a Challenge sidebar to the left, it's packed full of many links, of course I've only attempted a handful of these so my goal is to hit them all within a month. Stamps and Smiles creates some charming sketches I'm sure most of you would appreciate so why not grab your supplies and drop by? I marvel at all the amazing coloring going on in the world of stamping, the shading is phenomenal to say the least! I have a handful of markers and some reinkers and a water brush so between the three I was able to color my image and complete the challenge. This stamp set is a retired Close to My Heart my acrylix called Toad Stools and I love it!

Mojo Monday #79

What a great sketch Mojo Monday brought to us this week! I must admit I find myself quite pleased with my card, I think my favorite part is the bity brads nestled inside the eyelets. My color palette is Spring Iris, Lilac Mist and Sweet Leaf and the stamp set is Endless Love by Close To My Heart This card is lacking in my typical distressing but it felt right to keep everything as crisp and clean as possible just this once.



Detail of the bity brad nestles inside the eyelets

Taylored Expressions # 60

Lordy, it's 3 am but I've got another sketch in the bag! Taylored Expression has a lovely sketch this week I just wish I had those oval Nestabilities! The colors for my card are Cranberry, Ocean & Cocoa and I used a Close to My Heart Stamp set called Simple Beauty it's a great Mother's Day Set.

plus add something shiney...

Is this a crazy cool sketch of what! Truly Scrumptious has this as their challenge #3. It's my first time playing at their playground and what a sunny day it is. Here's my take on the sketch with a little BR-T fine tuning...


For this card I embossed the white flowers onto black cs for the base of the card. I cut a 3 1/2 " circle from Kiwi cs and distressed the edges found a scrap of Orchid Bouquet cs distressed edges and stamped with black dots.The image space is random stamping with Kiwi,Orchid Bouquet, and Baby Blue and matted on black cs and popped up. I made a BR-T decision to incorporate the sentiment onto the circle as well as the tag which I really like! The bottom border is two scraps scalloped with my circle cutter and distressed added some black ribbon some bling and fashioned a flower for the final touch. All product used are Close to My Heart except the black ribbon , black cs and the bling. The following image is a detail of the flower...

My first...

I decided to created a card using my first ever acrylic stamp purchase about 7 years ago from Close to My Heart the set is called French Patio . I like the card, but it's funny to me how there is a beautifully hung window with a cat resting upon it but there's no building to back it up!

One more punch...

Here is a second card for the Cuttlebug Challenge # 23, I had some leftover dotted circles and loose scraps I didn't want to toss into my great abyss of a scrap bag.

A whole new meaning to getting punched...Ooh-la-la

Cuttlebug Challenge #23 brings to you the challenge of "using your punches and the Cuttlebug in other ways than it was intended." How great is that! I must admit I only own three circle punches and a single corner rounder. Don't get me wrong, I like them well enough, they just seem to take up lots of space. In this card I cut a black circle embossed with dots and cut a smaller circle from with in circle and affixed to the corners of the card. The bottom image shows that I used my corner rounder and created an arrow, though I covered it up with a button. Buttons and brad are part of the Ooh-la-la Creations challenge Blog so this meets their requirements also! I really like the trapezoid shapes, they were cut with an electronic cutting machine. I look forward to seeing what others came up with and remember creation diverts destruction...

A Pink Elephant Surprise..

Wowie! Yesterday(it's now almost 2 am)I received word that the great designers over at The Pink Elephant felt that my card brought delight, thank you for saying so it made my day!

Speaking of The Pink Elephant they have a terrific new challenge for the week to incorporate buttons onto your card and who doesn't love buttons, except maybe the postal service. Then again ,they should especially find delight in these embellishments as it brings reason to charge more for postage! I opted to do a mixer by pulling Stamp Something into the challenge by creating a green theme and even thought St. Patrick's Day came and went like the wind green is where its at! I noticed some hints of green out in the gardens and in some of the fields and needless to say I am thrilled! I love flowers, the more the merrier, and I love getting dirt under my fingernails and this is about to take hold.
For this card I used an amazing stamp set by Close To My Heart called Blooming Flourishes, isn't it grand! I dug out any green marker I could find to color in the images and utilized paper piecing for the raised flowers. Paper Studio several years ago put out their own line of Bag 'O Buttons, I picked out the green ones plus found a few others and tried stamping on a few with Stazon just for fun. Why not right? Oh yes, I also popped a few bity brads into some of the button holes, I've seen this done before, not my idea. Well I'm excited to see what the rest of the crafty world has come up with so with that, I leave you my example. Remember creation diverts destruction...



Close up of stamped button

Pink, Black and White...Plus a Greeny

Just needed some quick cards!

Things are lookin brighter all the time...

Card Patterns sketch # 6 has fun with layering and I decided to have some fun doodling. I am happy to say the center piece within the black scalloped circle are my doodles, strongly influenced by some amazing flower stamps out there of course! I started with one spiral and went from there. I colored it in with Close to My Heart Markers and some Souffle pens by Sakura. I love the white Souffle pen due to its opacity, also it's almost like an enamel with its low sheen.
I used the Cuttlebug to emboss the four corners and a pinch of bity brads from Close to My Heart. I want to encourage you all to try your own doodles, doodles are light hearted and free spirited and not to be taken too seriously...



My Doodle Detail

Shetch free day...

Have I mentioned how much I love sketches, they can really get you to think outside the box and be free. This is where I seem to be right now, so I came up with this sketch free. Does that even make any sense?

My Mojo caught the Bug...

Mojo Monday sketches are serious inspiration and as you can see in #77. Cuttlebug Challenges equally enhance creativity, their challenge is one to add some glitter. I love glitter, in the jar that is, its the only safe place for the stuff.I truly have not found the perfect glue and yet for this instance liquid glass did quite nicely. I decided since I was combining the two I may as well toss in one more element completely new to me, an Acetate card base. This stuff is really pricey so measure twice before you cut and so one and so forth, also it's a lint magnet so do any distressing before you affix those pieces to the card!



Do you like my daisy? I actually drew it, I know it's rather primitive but drawing was never my strong point, I've decided however, to try it out here and there for a change.

Just enough time for a quicky card...

This weeks challenge at Papertake Weekly gave me some reprieve from my usual over labored card making, this took me less than an hour!

Pink, Green & Brown plus a touch of crazy...

The Pink Elephant has a color challenge this week of Pink, Green & Brown talk about a fabulous combo indeed! I say plus a touch of crazy because I've been sleep deprived (by choice)trying to do all these amazing challenges I've been coming across. This is rather Abstract but that's how I prefer to work!

Custom Taylored to fit...

Taylored Expressions has a great sketch this week you should all take a stab at, Seriously! I had such a blast with this sketch I am sure to use this again so a big thank you! The little girly girl as my son Oscar will say is from the Heidi Grace set Valentine's Day. I paper pieced all her dresses I love to work in this fashion, I guess you could say I love fussy! I also used some stamps from Fiskars called Oodles of Doodles, this was a real find of a sheet of 16 stamps for 97 cents! I don't mean to toot my own horn so outright but I love this card! I know you will love your take on it to so get goin' and see you over at Taylored Expressions!