2 Sketches 4 You: Keep Calm and Carry On

Happy Monday! Although I'm afraid it's really not happy because this will be the final week for the 2 Sketches 4 You blog. Can you hear me boo-hooing?! After two wonderful years, the uber-talented Laura and Kazan are exploring other options, which I totally understand and wish them all the best. I cry for myself and my own selfish reasons! ha! ha!



I hope you'll play along with the week's final sketches! Laura and Kazan both posted a sketch and all of the design team members, past AND present, have made cards to share with you. You'll definitely want to check it out! This week's theme is appropriately: goodbye, farewell, good luck, etc. When I heard the news, I knew immediately which stamp I would use: Keep Calm and Carry On!



Since I'm on holiday today, hopefully I'll get a chance to make a second card using Kazan's sketch and share it too. I look forward to checking out your creations with this week's sketches! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!



Edited to add: I bought that fun stamp at Archiver's in Missouri over Christmas break, but if you google that sentiment with rubber stamp, you'll find some sites that have it! :)

Clean & Simple FTL #122: Emma

Happy Saturday! It's been awhile, what is going on with me?! ha! ha!


I played around last Saturday for a little bit. I was texting with my precious 7-year old niece Emma who gave me a challenge to make her a pink card (it later turned to pink AND green, so it underwent some revisions!), and it was just the challenge I needed to get me creating again! Since my mojo bank is a little low on funds right now, I went to the super Clean & Simple blog and used this awesome sketch, FTL #122. The cloud and hot air balloon are new Stampin' Up! rub-ons. I applied the balloon to white cardstock, then cut it out.


I hope all is well in your world! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Color Inspiration for Card Makers!

Have you seen this fabulous new magazine from Paper Crafts?! It's filled with amazing color combinations, then it shows several different cards made using each color combination! The color combinations are great, then it's so fun to see all the different styles of cards made with the colors. I was lucky enough to get six cards published in this issue (it was my last big pub push before my back-to-school deadline...I haven't submitted anything since, sigh), so I thought I would share one of them with you here!


Color Inspiration for Card Makers is available in stores now, or you can find it online here.


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Cardstock: Crumb Cake and Whisper White by Stampin' Up!
Rubber Stamps: Define Your Life and Have a Seat by Stampin' Up!
Dye Ink: So Saffron and Crumb Cake by Stampin' Up!
Punch: Corner Rounder by Stampin' Up!
Button: Certainly Celery button from Soft Subtles collection by Stampin' Up!.
Fibers: DMC perle cotton; repurposed wool scrap.
Embossing folder: Winter Set by Sizzix.
Dies: Large Scalloped Die by Paper Trey Ink.
Tools: Big Shot by Sizzix.
Misc: mini glue dot, foam dimensionals.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends! If you are traveling, please be safe!


Just a quick share of a few different Christmas cards I ended up making, at the last minute, of course! ha! ha!






Holiday hugs and love to all!

Edited to add: Several people asked about the embossing folder...it's by Provo Craft for Cuttlebug and it's called Joy & Cheer. It's on their website, on the last (5th) page! Hope that helps!

OTWC #38: merry

Happy Monday! And happy vacation! I finally ventured into my crafty room, boy was I rusty! lol! Now, to venture back and attack a new box of Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog pre-order items...or read a book...or play Pictureka...I love these choices! hee! hee! I do need to start thinking about getting some Christmas shopping done too, I guess!


To get me inspired, I played along with the OTWC #38 challenge. How could you not be inspired with these fun colors?! I started making the tree with some Divine Twine, added some "snow" with a scrap from my Tasteful Trims die, decided it looked "merry", and that was that!


I hope you're having a great day! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Clean & Simple Christmas for Ett Trykk

Happy Friday! What a week! So busy and no time to stamp, boo hoo! :) I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one in this boat this time of the year though! Hopefully this weekend I'll squeeze some in...


In the meantime, I do have a few cards to share that you can find published in the Norwegian magazine Ett Trykk. They invited me to be a guest designer and make a few clean and simple Christmas cards, so exciting! You should definitely check it out...it's full of beautiful cards and you'll definitely recognize some faces of paper crafters that you know featured in this issue! I can't read a word of the magazine, but luckily you don't have to to be able to enjoy the pictures!


Off to grade papers, maybe I can knock them all out on Friday night and get that part of my weekend behind me! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!

Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 59: Let It Snow

Happy Sunday! How do the weekends fly by so quickly?! We are enjoying some beautiful, sunny yet coolish weather in Dallas! Love it! I should be putting the ornaments on the tree (lights went on yesterday, then I faded!) and putting up the decorations, but I took a few minutes to stamp!


I loved Stacey's inspiration photo for this week over at Stacey's Stamping Stage, so I had to play along. Usually I make a *plan* for a card before I start, but this time I just started stamping and gluing things down, no plan! This little already-made card base was the only thing I could find in my Basic Gray cardstock file, yikes! I need to order more fast!!


Oh, and while I was making this I found Footloose on tv, what a classic! My fave line of the day: "This ain't the Middle Ages! We got tv! We got Family Fued!"

Enjoy your Sunday! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Jolly Old Saint Nick.
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Always Artichoke.
Ink: Black, Real Red & Pumpkin Pie marker, Craft White.
Accessories: Big Shot, Polka Dots embossing folder, Always Artichoke big designer button, Colored Pencils, Blender Pen, misc white pom poms & red/white ribbon, Melissa Frances snowflakes, Little Yellow Bicycle letter stickers.

Sweet Centers...SU CASE

Happy Saturday! Hope your weekend is going well!


After a year, I finally used my Sweet Centers stamp set and one of the treat cups! I copied this card pretty much exactly right from the SU catalog, gotta love that! This was one of the projects I made for my teacher friends to make at our get together last week. I had trouble getting my mojo flowing, hence the CASE! lol!


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Sweet Centers, Sparkly & Bright, Tiny Tags.
Cardstock: Old Olive, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Kraft.
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive.
Accessories: Treat Cup, Linen Thread, Tiny Tag Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Small Star Punch, Corner Rounder, Dimensionals, misc. craft store snowflake filling.

Jolly Old Saint Nick...on BINGO background

Happy Thursday!


Can you tell this is my favorite Santa stamp this year?! I love him! Here I went very simple with no coloring and just stamped him in Versamark, then heat embossed with White Embossing Powder. Another favorite this year...this yummy Cherry Cobbler cardstock! The background is embossed with my Big Shot and a little contraband Tim Holtz Bingo embossing folder. Love it!


I entered this in the Kraft Journal hloliday challenge! Did you know there was a blog devoted to Kraft, my all-time favorite cardstock?! Check it out!


Hope you are having a great week! Tomorrow is Friday! Whoo! Hoo! Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!


Recipe
Stamps: Jolly Old St. Nick, Tiny Tags.
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler.
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Versamark.
Accessories: Tiny Tag Punch, Wild Wasabi Jumbo Button, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Tasteful Trim Bigz Die, Tim Holtz Bingo embossing folder, white yarn.

Dec. 25 in Paper Crafts!

Happy Wednesday!


I almost forgot to share this card that is in the November/December issue of Paper Crafts! You can find the issue at your local store or online here. The card is also featured as an online bonus project with step-by-step instructions and materials here.


Thanks so much for stopping by! Hugs and happy stamping!