Still here!

I'm still here, in case you've been wondering!  I'm just in crazy mode getting ready for my weekend at the Rockton Fair along with working, entertaining our Austrian visitors and holding my monthly Tri-City Stampers team meeting.  I could use an extra 12 or so hours in every day this week!  I do have something new to show you, though!  This is a card I designed for one of the make-n-takes at our team meeting this week.  Have a look:

Fall-inspired card featuring leaves made with the Autumn Accents die and sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness set.

Don't those leaves look real?!?  They're not!  They're just paper and ink and are really easy to make.  Lots of sponging and some distressing and they're ready to go.  I plan to do these with my monthly techniques group this month too...I just love them so much!  If I get REALLY ambitious and can find a few free hours I'd love to make a wreath with theses leaves...we'll see...maybe I might get it done in time for NEXT fall!  The rest of this card is pretty simple so that the leaves are the focal point.  I did use the woodgrain TIEF and some Core'dinations cardstock for the bark effect on the background and I added a bit of seam binding ribbon in Always Artichoke that I threaded through one of the gorgeous brushed bronze buttons.  Oh, how I love fall and the stunning colour...I'm so glad I was able to capture a little bit of if on this card!

Working my Mojo

Today I did something WAY out of my comfort zone.  I made a round(ish) card!  I never do that...occasionally I do square, but never round.  This week's challenge over at Mojo Monday inspired me to try something new.  Here is the  sketch;

And here is my version:

Thank You card for MOJO247 featuring the Papillion Potpourri stamp set and sentiment from the Pursuit of  Happiness

See what I mean about  the "ish" part?  While not exactly round, I think it fits the bill for the sketch.  I pulled out my Floral Frames Framelits and cut the card base using the largest of the dies.  The DSP circle is from the International Bazaar pack...so love that stuff!  I stamped one of the medallions from the Daydream Medallions set and cut it out using another of the Floral Frames Framelits.  The Lucky Limeade strip is embossed using the Fancy Fan embossing folder.  I stamped the butterfly image from the Papillion Potpourri set in Rich Razzleberry and punched it out with the Elegant Butterfly punch.  The sentiment, from the Pursuit of Happiness set, is stamped in Lucky Limeade, though it looks washed out in the photo.  I added  a little leftover ribbon from my Sale-a-bration freebies and then went a little nuts with the bling.  One can't have too much sparkle, can one?  So...whaddya think of my first round card attempt??

Happiness for the Monkey and something new from CPC

This week's challenge over at A La Card Monkey is all about Happiness and the things that give us joy.  Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it:

Happy card for Monkey109 featuring the new Floral District DSP and Betsy's Blossoms stamp set.  Sentiment is from Pursuit of Happiness.

I love this card.  It is so cheerful and bright! For me, the sentiment says it all.  We often forget to just be happy in the present...not someday when we land that big promotion or buy our dream home or meet the perfect mate.  It is so important to just count our blessings and be happy.  Now.  This minute.  I hope this card makes you smile today :)

In other news, there is another great project posted over at Craft Project Central today, designed by fellow Canuck Tara Burgoin. For a child, losing their first tooth can be both exciting and scary!  And for the parents, it’s another passing moment that signifies that their "baby" is growing up.  This Tooth Fairy Door project is intended to help make the arrival of the Tooth Fairy enchanting and memorable for kids and their parents alike!


The Tooth Fairy door sits on the child’s nightstand, alongside the little bed and side table.  On the bed the child lays their tooth, and on the side table, they sign a "thank you" card.  When they go to sleep, the Tooth Fairy has a way to enter quietly into their room, take the tooth and the card, and in place leaves a little gift of money or a small toy.  On her way out, she leaves the door a bit ajar, so there is no mistaking that she has been there!

Today's adorable project designed by Tara Burgoin

 To get the instructions for Tara’s project, head on over to CPC and subscribe to May 2012...then stop by Tara's blog and let her know how much you love her project.

Creating Pretty...

Another great feature over at Craft Project Central is the Creating Pretty Cards monthly sketch challenge.  This month's CAS sketch was designed by Kris Kilkenny...check it out:

 

 And here is my take on it...

Sunny card for CPC11

 So...wondering what that paper is?  It is the new Floral District DSP from the soon-to-be-released new Annual Catalogue.  Isn't it fun?  I love the bright, sunny colours and thought it worked perfectly with the sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness set.  The little blossoms on the sentiment panel are from a new set called Betsy's Blossoms, which pairs perfectly with the DSP.  I so can't wait for you all to see the new catty!  It is chock full of fantastic new products...you'll have trouble deciding which ones to order first!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter my draw for a free month's subscription to Craft Project Central.  Simply leave a comment on any post between May 1st and May 8th (today!) to enter.  I will draw one lucky winner and post their name tomorrow...maybe it will be you!

No Stamping??

Today's post has no stamping on the front of it!!  I know...you're thinking what's up with that, right?  Well, at this month's meeting for my Tri-City stampers team we focused on the brayer and a did two make-n-takes that featured that handy-dandy tool.  The card that follows is one we made.  Now before you think I'm a genius or something, let me say that this card is a complete CASE of Michelle Zindorf, Goddess of the Brayer.  She creates the most unbelievably beautiful work with ink and that little rubber roller.  You have to check out her blog and you'll see exactly what I mean.  In the meantime, check out this beautiful, if somewhat unusually-sized card:

9" x 4" card (fits in standard business letter envelope) featuring my brayer and the bird builder punch.

Inside of card with little birds from Clearly For You (another one that's on the Retiring List!) and sentiment from Pursuit of Happiness.

Cool, eh?  I fell in love with this card when I saw it on Michelle's blog and knew I had to do it for my team meeting.  Michelle takes the time to post detailed tutorials with her projects so recreating it was easy.  Head on over to her blog and check it out.
In case you missed it yesterday the Retiring Stamp Sets list was posted by Stampin' Up!.  I have SEVENTY sets that are going bye-bye, so I am going to make the most of them while I still can and feature as many as I can on this little blog over the next month or so.  If you see something that you just have to have, make sure you order it by May 31st...after that it will be gone for good.

Soft and Simple for Easter

While I'm in Europe, have a few Easter projects to get you in a Spring state of mind.  Today's post is a card I designed for a private class I did a couple of weeks ago.  I chose colours from the subtles family...very Easter-ly...

Easter card featuring the Fresh Vintage SAB set and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

 

Lots of texture here...I used the finial press embossing folder on the card base and then the perfect polka dots on the bashful blue panel.  The colour scheme I used included bashful blue, pretty in pink and certainly celery...soft and spring-like.  For the inside I chose a sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness set.  I also stamped the same medallion from the front along the right edge on the inside, though it doesn't show up all that well in the photo.

I'll have more Easter-themed projects over the next few days...and hopefully an update or two from our trip!  in the meantime...live in the sunshine and enjoy your week!

Spotlight on Fresh Vintage

How is it Wednesday already?  The week has flown by, as is typical of my first week back after the holidays.  Today I have two cards for you.  The first is a card I designed for one of my monthly groups and features a tried and true technique:  spotlighting.  I again used the Everyday Enchantment DSP from the Sale-a-bration catalogue...see what you think:

Thank you card using the Fresh Vintage stamp set and Everyday Enchantment DSP from the upcoming Sale-a-bration catalogue.

Inside view featuring sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness stamp set.

I used a couple of techniques on this card.  The first is spotlighting where I highlighted a portion of an image stamped in a neutral colour by stamping in colour.  The second is distressing where I tore my cardstock and sponged using crumb cake and soft suede ink to give it an aged, vintage look.  As for the rest of the card, it is pretty straightforward.  I stamped the floral image in crumb cake ink on very vanilla cardstock, making sure I had one image fairly well-centred.  I punched the bottom edge with my eyelet border punch and then distressed all the edged with the tool in my cutter kit.  I tore the upper left and bottom right corners and then sponged as mentioned above.  I adhered this piece to a piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP.  To do the spotlight, I simply inked my stamp with markers, stamped it on a scrap of vanilla cardstock and then punched it out with my 1 3/4" circle punch.  I adhered it to the background using dimensionals, ensuring that the images lined up.  I added the lace trim and an antique brad as well as the little jewelry tags before adhering the whole cardfront to a crumb cake card base. 
For the inside I stamped the floral image, after first stamping off, in the lower right corner of a piece of vanilla cardstock.  I stamped the sentiment over top of the floral image in soft suede ink.  I adhered the vanilla cardstock inside the card.
The second card I have for you tonight is the next in my One-Sheet-Wonder set.  It is a simple thinking-of-you card...

One-Sheet-Wonder card #5 using the Elementary Elegance SAB stamp set.

The deadline to register for this class is Friday, so be sure to call or email to confirm your spot before then!  Till next time...have a great week...and happy stamping!

Fall Demonstrator Event and fall card for the Monkey

If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, have I got a deal for you!  Because there is no SU Regional in Southern Ontario this year, my upline, Jamilla Ivits, has decided to hold her own "mini regional"!  "Stampin' Sparks" promises to be a fabulous day of speakers, demos, make-n-takes, swapping and prizes and it is all right here in our own backyard!  The event will be held at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel, here in Cambridge on Saturday, September 24th, 2011 from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm.  The cost for the day, including lunch is just $55!!!  What a deal!  For more information or to register contact Jamilla at 519-622-9394 or email gerjam@golden.net.

Now on to today's card!  This week's challenge over at A La Card Monkey is an autumn sketch challenge.  Here is the sketch:

...and here is my interpretation:

Autumn card for Monkey71 using French Foliage, Studio Sketches and Fabulous Phrases sets.

Inside of card with sentiment from Pursuit of Happiness set.

This card was FUN to make!  I pulled out all the distressing stops for the background:  sponging, spritizing, crumpling...you name it!  After doing so many simple cards over the past few weeks in preparation for various classes and workshops, it was fun to really go to town and get my fingers inky for a change.  The sad thing is that this is the very first time my Studio Sketches set has seen ink...and I've had it for almost a year!!!  GASP!!  I know...bad, bad demonstrator (insert wrist-slap here).  I really love that set and there is absolutely NO excuse for the neglect it has received.  I promise to give it more attention this fall!
No time to give you the details on how I created this one...gotta go get Max ready for the birthday party this afternoon!  If you have questions drop me a line and I'll do my best to answer.

A bit of fall for PPA

I thought I'd take a bit of a break from Christmas cards today...all that red and green gets a bit old after while, you know?  I have a workshop next week and I think I'll use this Thanksgiving card for it.  Unlike all of you in the US, our Canadian Thanksgiving is just over a month away, so it certainly is time to get going on some projects to celebrate!  This card was inspired by this week's sketch at Pals Paper Arts.  Here is the sketch...

Here is my very fallish Thanksgiving card:

Thanksgiving card for PPA107 using the Day of Gratitude set with sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

Inside of card using a sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness set.

I really do love fall colours...guess that's why I got married in October!  There is something about the combination of early espresso. more mustard and cajun craze that just soothes my soul...so warm and earthy!  This card is pretty straightforward, though I'd like to point out one very important feature:  there are NO embellishments!!  Yay...I did it!  I created a card that doesn't look naked without any brads, ribbon or pearls!  Let me tell you, the thought certainly did cross my mind to add some hemp twine or early espresso ribbon, but I resisted the urge...are ya proud of me???
Tomorrow its back to Christmas...I had my first Christmas Club meeting on Thursday and need to get in the zone!

Mojo with a Flourish

Today's card is another one I designed for a couple of online challenges:  this week's Mojo Monday sketch and the Flourish challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  First of all, here is the Mojo sketch:

...and here is my card:

Card for Mojo201 and HSS77 using the Creative Elements stamp set as well as a sentiment from Pursuit of Happiness

Close up of layering detail.

I have to say that as soon as I saw the challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments I thought of the new Creative Elements stamp set.  I just love the flourish image in that set; especially because it lends itself to colouring!  That is exactly what I did on this card.  I stamped the flourish and then coloured it using my markers.  I pulled my colour scheme from the Paisley Petals DSP:  cherry cobbler, always artichoke, marina mist and cajun craze.  That certainly isn't a colour combo I would generally choose, but it works so well in the paper I had to give it a go!  I do like the way the stamped image complements the pattern in the DSP behind it and the butterflies just add a touch of whimsy.  The sentiment is from the new Pursuit of Happiness set from the new catalogue...lots of great quotes and sentiments in that set! 
On a completely different note, I have been working on my class line-up for August!  Yes, summer freedom is nearly over and I have to get back to a more regular schedule.  In the next day or so I will post samples and details about two upcoming classes:  my monthly card class (featuring the new Easy Events set) and an introduction to watercolouring class.  Click on the Upcoming Events tab at the top of the page for more information.