For All You Cat Lovers

I adore this image from Inkadinkadoo. My sister is visiting this week, and we have been making loads of Halloween cards from stuff I have had forever - like this cat! And I have never inked him before. He's gotten more use in two days than in his whole life on my Clip It Up!

I stamped the kitty and sentiment with Stampin' Up!'s new Archival Black ink pad (LOVE!!) and then added a little shading with Copics C1-C5. I like the non-traditional blues for this Halloween greeting!

Have a great day!

A New Sketch!

I always look forward to Thursdays 

with a new Deconstructed Sketch! Here is this week's:

And my wedding card design:

I stamped my sentiment (Inkadinkadoo) with VersaFine Onyx Black ink and then cut it out using a Long Rectangle die (Spellbinders). I added a Fancy Tag die (Spellbinders) to each side, some pearls and a tulle flower spray. 

The Deconstructed Sketch girls have some terrific samples to show, so be sure to have a visit at their blogs too!

• Amber Hight (off this week)
• Amy Sheffer
• Arielle Gordon
• Donna Wardle
• Jen Shults
• Jessica Diedrich (off this week)
• Judy Rozema, Guest Designer <---you are here!
• Kadie Ensley
• Lori Boyd
• Pam Varnell (off this week)
• Sheri Gilson

To play along, link up your sketch creation HERE!

Stamps: It's a Beautiful Day (Inkadinkadoo)

Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories and Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Hobby Lobby black/white ribbon and tulle floral spray, Kaiser Pearls, Spellbinders dies

Other challenges for this card:

Paper Shelter Challenge - anything goes

The Perfect Sentiment - must have sentiment on front - anything goes

Waste Not Wednesday - always "use your forgotten stuff" (ribbon)

WordArt Wednesdays - use an encouraging uplifting sentiment     

Out With the Old and In With the New

Time to welcome the new In Colors and retire the Old. I happen to love all of last year's colors (even if Guava was a late bloomer for me!) and I will miss seeing them frequently! I tried to stock up on a few, but was too late and everything was sold out! I do have a little stash of Pomegranate and Guava, but the rest will soon disappear as I run out of cardstock and ink.

The SCS Color Challenge this week was to use any of the retiring In Colors. I chose colors that would work with my cute new images. I used River Rock, Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate for my cardstock, and the ribbon also picks up Groovy Guava. I will miss these colors!

Inkadinkadoo has a lot of cute sentiments that are quotes from young kids. I liked this one! My picture is a little blurry - my DH has my camera in England, so I am using DD's - which I don't know how to use!

Stamps: Sentiment by Inkadinkadoo, Alligator and Leaf by CTMH (Life is a Jungle)
Paper: River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi POP DP
Ink: Black Stazon, Wild Wasabi, River Rock
Accessories: slot punch, ribbon by Fancy Pants Designs, green brads by The Paper Studio, Nestabilities
Techniques: watercolor

And here is the Sneak Peek I promised of a cute new set:


Isn't it darling? It's the new camping set that is in the new Stampin' Up! catalog! I am still waiting (and not very patiently) for mine to arrive. Something to look forward to next week, probably, as I start back to school and teaching (like I will have time then to peruse and drool and look all day....haha!)

Have a great day!

No Alarm Clock Needed

It's Never Too Late

to listen to the birds

They link us with nature.
Take the time to observe them.
They manage to survive in our world.
And they do it joyfully.
They provide a gentle soundtrack for our lives.
Listen to their songs.

Many of my friends think I am crazy because I am such a morning person. I get up as soon as I hear the birds outside my window singing. It's almost as if they are saying, "Wake up! It's morning! Time to greet the day!" Today was no different and as we move closer to spring and summer, they will be up by 4:30. Today it was 5:00 -- I know -- TOO early to get up! But I do -- and I actually enjoy the calmness and quiet (well, except for the bird songs!). I can sit and sip my tea, or go to my stamp room and for a couple of hours, have the world to myself. Of course, then, by 9 PM, I am pretty much done for the day!

I made this card for today's Sketch Challenge. I love this designer paper by The Paper Studio. It made such a great garden background for my bird! It's an easy sketch; try it! I flipped the oval to fit my image better. The bird is stamped on Whisper White in Real Red and then stamped again on Glossy White, cut out and raised on dimensionals.

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo
Paper: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White, Glossy White, Black and White Floral DP by The Paper Studio
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Marvy Scallop punches, Prima, flower brad by Creative Imaginations, black organdy and red grosgrain ribbon

Thanks for stopping by!

It's Never Too Late......

I found a wonderful little book during my trip last week to North Carolina. It's called "It's Never Too Late" by Patrick Lindsay. I am usually not one for motivational and inspirational stuff. I find it a little cheesy. But I did like this little book. So I thought I would share maybe one entry with you now and then. If you find it too cheesy :) scroll on down and see my card for today!

It's Never Too Late

to fly a kite

Embrace the freedom.
Find the child in you.
Ride the wind.
Abandon yourself to its rhythms.
Feel the wonderful lightness.
And the underlying power.

"Remember a kite flies against the wind." -- Anonymous
(The picture is of my daughter in Wisconsin last May)

I bought these Scrapbook Stitches from Making Memories a long time ago. I loved the bright colors and thought I would embroider with them on cards. Today I opened them for the first time! Obviously haven't stitched with them yet!

Flowers are watercolored using pads and reinkers and an aqua brush. Each panel is raised on dimensionals. I used my Rolodex punch for the top.
Stamps: Sentiment by Inkadinkadoo, Flowers by Hero Arts
Paper: GP White, Lovely Lilac, Pink Passion, Stamping Station DP
Ink: Lovely Lilac, Marigold Morning, Pink Passion, Certainly Celery, Green Galore, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray (thank you Betty!)
Accessories: pearl gem brads (thank you Jessie!), ticket corner punch, Rolodex punch, and my unloved embellishment: Watercolor Brite Scrapbook Stitches by Making Memories
Techniques: watercolor
Thanks for stopping by to fly a kite with me!

Today's Color Challenge, a Sketch Challenge for You and my Blog Candy Winner!

Today's Color Challenge was to use Purely Pomegranate, Basic Gray and Basic Black. What elegant colors! This is one of those times where the colors seem so easy to put together and the card took FOREVER! I put it together, took it apart, added this, took off that! It was so ridiculous! Do you ever have cards like that? And of course when you think you are all done, there is something you aren't happy with. haha! But in any case, here is my card for today!

The bird is from Inkadinkadoo and the corner flourish is a small part of Baroque Motifs. I have a ton of sticker sentiments that I never use and decided to start using them. The Primas came with glitter on them - and are layered with a tulle flower in back of the glitter flower.

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Bird by Inkadinkadoo
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, GP White, Basic Black, Basic Grey Black Tie DP
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Rose Red
Accessories: bards, CTMH crystal gems, photo corner punch, sponge dauber, circle cutter, Glitter Primas, Satin Pomegranate ribbon, sentiment sticker
My friend, Jules, said I should sketch this out and put it on my blog! Well, I did it, Jules!! I am not very good at drawing sketches, but I did my best! Hopefully someone will want to do this sketch! If you do, use SQJARSC01 for your keyword on SCS, and post a link to your card here in a comment! Or send me a picture of it and I will post it in a slide show! Here is the sketch:

And now for the blog candy winner! No one that knows me would believe this if I just posted it, so I am posting the whole message I got from random.org! The winner was #19 - Stacy!!! So, Stac, if you are reading this, GUESS WHAT??? You won!!!! I will send out your goodies this week before I go on Spring Break!

Here was Stacy's comment: "Whohoo more blog candy.. Well my favorite birthday gift would have to be the chocolate cake with chocolate frosting that DH makes me every year. He does it all and he is more of a bbq man than a baker but he loves me and does it. -Stacy"

See below:
Here are your random numbers:

19
Timestamp: 2008-03-11 17:42:15 UTC

Thanks to all who played! I loved reading about all of your special gifts and even got some great ideas!!

Today's Inspiration Challenge

Here is my card for today's SCS Inspiration Challenge. I kept with the birds and background design in the piece, but changed the blue to plum for the bird color. The edges of the Vanilla are sponged with Cocoa ink. The different colored brads are supposed to represent the different neutrals in the orginal picture. What a neat inspiration piece HERE.

My bird is double stamped and raised on dimensionals, as are both panels. The bottom heart charm hanging off the little Prima says "I Love You."

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum, Very Vanilla, LSS DP
Ink: Elegant Eggplant Craft
Accessories: plum, cocoa and light tan Primas, brads, velvet ric rac by American Crafts, heart charms, corner rounder
Techniques: sponging

Thankful Thoughts

I am so thankful for creative outlets and friends that appreciate creativity as well!
I have made many new friends this year, one of whom has a father that had bypass surgery today -- and he is now out and recovering nicely! I am thankful for that. I made this card for Wonka's dad, Freddy, who likes horses and the color blue. Tomorrow is his birthday!

Stamps: Horses by Inkadinkadoo, sentiment by CTMH
Paper: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, Cosmo Cricket and Basic Grey DP
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Sage Shadow, More Mustard, Bliss Blue
Accessories: charm, twine, brad, paper piercer, cutter tool, photo corner punch, stitched ribbon, dimensionals, aqua brush
Techniques: watercoloring, piercing, distressing

Halloween Boo!

We are in the throes of "Fiddler on the Roof" --- my daughter is in it, my husband plays trumpet in the pit orchestra, and I do whatever needs to be done for the kids (about 85 of them!) at rehearsals and performances -- plus also play keyboard in the pit. We opened last Thursday night, have two performances today, one tomorrow and the closing performance on Monday night. It's been a lot of fun and a lot of work, but I love to see the high school kids thrive on performance and acting!

So -- I got to stamp today for the first time since last week. I love the SCS Inspiration Challenge. Here was today's art work to inspire us:

Here is what I came up with. I brayered and sponged the background in different colors, double stamped the hat and then cut one out, attaching it with dimesionals, added the mesh for a little fence, and embossed the sentiment with three different powders that I combined. It's going in the mail today!


Stamps: Cat and Hat by Inkadinkadoo, sentiment by House Mouse/Stampabilities
Paper: broom handle, spider web and orange DP by The Paper Studio
Ink: Real Red, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, So Saffron, Black Stazon
Accessories: Magic Mesh, twine, brayer, sponge dauber, circle punch, and Iridescent Ice, Black Sparkle, and Sunsplash EP
Techniques: brayering, sponging, masking

A Mother's Love

A mother's love is strong enough to reach clear across thousands of miles -- this card is going to my son, who is in college. We all miss him around here. He is so full of life and has such a great sense of humor. He keeps everything in perspective and makes everything fun~ even when it's really not!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, horses by Inkadinkadoo
Paper: River Rock, DCWV Old World Mat Stack, Very Vanilla, Blue Bayou
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue (clouds), various inks for watercolor
Accessories: Blue Bayou stitched ribbon, hand cut cloud stencil, slit punch, dimensionals, ticket punch, aqua brush
Techniques: watercolor

I made this for today's SCS Color Challenge: River Rock, Blue Bayou and Chocolate Chip. Love these three colors together -- I didn't like River Rock when I first saw it, but you just have to find good colors to go with it!