Make a Difference

Weekend Sketch time. Right now I’m just focused on the weekend, and I’ll be moving into that as soon as I can this afternoon. Not before I stop by and see what Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon have created with the sketch.  They always make everything look so pretty.

It’s the middle of deer season (it goes on forever in some fashion - bow-youth-rifle - the days just drag on). It really can make for stressful times on the home front, but last Saturday night, I packed up some jammies for the girls, took them to grandmas and stopped into my LSS, Stamper’s Ink to pick up My Favorite Things Kim and Ms. Cat’s Pajamas herself, Alma. Before we left the store, I was oogling over both of their display sample boards with beautiful cards that their design teams sent to them. I had seen a card here and there, that made me love this set: Penguin Christmas. (Amy & Joanne have that affect on me!)

After I checked out their stamps and samples, I loaded them into my car along with cute Megan Lock, and took them down to the Country Club Plaza for dinner. We chatted and laughed for over 3 hours. It was just what I needed to escape the deer season madness. I’m so glad they squeezed me into their busy KC schedule.

It’s been a long, long week here. I switched to a new computer about 2 weeks ago when my laptop died at Denver International Airport. I’ve had a few learning curves and software bugs to work out. Three hours on the phone to let technical support tell you that you are the first in America to report a glitch in a major software company’s recent upgrade that prevents you from a mainstay function for your job wasn’t really fun. I didn’t get a prize, not even an alternative solution while I wait for the world-wide download update to be released, goodness knows when. Not really fun stuff for a non-techie like me.

At any rate, I’m looking forward to a warm weekend with my family and our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at church on Sunday. It’s all good.

Have a great weekend!

• Stamps: Penguin Christmas - The Cat’s Pajamas 
• Cardstock: Cranberry Dark & Smooth Vanilla Prism, Webster’s Pages Christmas Collection
• Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
• Accs: Copic Markers, Spica Glitter Pen, Sukura Clear Glaze Pen, Prima flower center

Weekend Sketch time. Loved this one because it was the perfect opportunity to use my Letters to Santa paper from the Christmas Past collection from Graphic 45.  I see endless possibilities with this pattern..tags, decor, card accents.

I used a Christmas sentiment from Taylored Expressions’ Holiday Wonder on a tag accented with a clear Spica Glitter pen to finish off this quick and easy design. You could make 18 cards with this layout from one sheet of this patterned paper. So, in this case, easy also means easy on the budget. <wink>

It’s been a long week here in the midwest…in addition to my trip to Oregon (click here from my current Copic giveaway), my laptop officially died and was replaced. No sales tax Oregon was my friend this week, but it’s definitely come with a little extra work - new software, new files…I’m ready for the weekend.

Before you start your weekend, be sure to check out Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon for sketch-spiration. You’ll be glad you did.

Happy Friday!

Just for Fun - I’ve been holding on to this project for a few days.  Every month, I participate in a friendly little challenge, just for fun, with my girlfriends Alli Miles, Julie Campbell, Kim Hughes and Michele Boyer. One of us picks an image and one of us picks patterned paper for all to use. It’s always neat to see how everyone’s mind works just a little bit differently for several cool card ideas. This month, Julie selected Autumn Abundance for us to work with, and Alli mailed everyone this delicious paper from My Mind’s Eye, Colorful Christmas. Fun stuff!

I colored my mum image with Copic Markers (BG10, BG11, Y38, YR09, YR16, YR31, G82, YG93, YG95) and added a little bit of glimmer with a Spica Glitter Pen. I used an airbrush with Copic YR31 to create the back glow to the mum image. The ribbon along the bottom was ruffled by making a loose stitch with my sewing machine along one edge and gathering the ruffles together. You need to start with a length of ribbon about 1 1/2 times the finished size. Button and twine finish it off. The cardstock is Suede Dark Brown from Prism and Flame StarDream Metallic.

I hope you have time to check out the other JiFFy projects. I always enjoy them. Have a great day!

It’s that time - or maybe it’s really past that time. At any rate, I’ve started working on a few holiday things, and I used today’s Weekend Sketch Challenge to make a few ‘flat’ cards that are easy to mail for Christmas.  I’m using Christmas Blessings from Taylored Expressions today.  We Three Kings is one of my favorite Christmas Carols, probably because it’s one of my dad’s favorite Christmas carols.  Never a sentiment more true, ‘wise men still seek Him‘. The pretty patterned paper is Holiday’s & Winter’s Wings from Webster’s Pages.  It’s all stamped with Brilliance Chocolate Pearlescent ink, so it just shimmers and shines.  Sentiment is cut from Spellbinders’ Labels Nine, and it’s shaded with a little mist from my Copic airbrush.

We’re gearing up for a big weekend here in Missouri. I’m off to Science Olympiad with my youngest this morning and then a swim meet with my oldest this afternoon. We’ve got a lot to do in the next 2 days, but it will have to work around sleeping in tomorrow. I’m still playing catch up from being under the weather last week, and while I feel much better, I can’t seem to get enough sleep or OJ.

For other takes on the sketch today, visit Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Mary Jo and Sharon. Better yet, play along and create your own.

Have a wonderful weekend!

I’m pretty sure someone will call fowl play with my sketch liberties today.  You can do that when you’ve been under the weather. You can do that when you haven’t really stamped in weeks… You can do that when you really want to make a card and your supposed to be tying bows on 27 Fall Party treats. You can do that…whenever you want.

I pulled out Kim Hughes’ On the Farm from CHF for today’s sketch.  Copic Makers, a few buttons and a Fiskars punch. Now it’s back to the 27 bows. Hope your weekend is full of treats and sweets. Hugs!

For ideas that more closely resemble today’s sketch, visit Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon. They won’t let you down.

• Stamps: On the Farm - Cornish Heritage Farms 
• Cardstock: Chocolate and Real Red Prism, Farm Fresh - October Afternoon 
• Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento 
• Accs: Copic Markers, Fiskars punch, buttons 

it takes hands to build a house, but only {hearts} can build a home

tap..tap..tap…Is anyone out there?

I’m back from a unintended, but needed break from paper crafting. It felt really odd to be sitting at my stamp table this morning, and even more odd to not know where my USB cable had drifted off to in the last few weeks. Don’t you always find yours under the passenger seat of your car when it disappears? When I left off last month, I was in the middle of 3 or 4 big projects (work, PTO and home improvement). I’ve wrapped most of them up, and it feels good to be moving on.

For the Weekend Sketch Challenge, this is a card for my mom — we’re celebrating her birthday this weekend. My brother and his kids and my parents will arrive today, and I’m really looking forward to it - even though my house is a mess and I’ve not cooked a thing. It’s always fun to spend time together.

To give you a hint of how sweet my mom is, she has just called from Costco in ‘the city’ to confirm a few things I had sent her on ‘my list’. Bless her heart - it’s the PTO paper goods list for the entire year. Then she’s stopping by two other stores to pick up things for me that I just can’t get here in town before she heads this way. I could really go on for hours about the many, many ways shes built our lives with love - of course - I’d be in tears because I just don’t fathom how a girl could be so fortunate. My mom blesses me, not by what she does, but for the woman she is.

As usual, more sketch-spiration from Beate, Cambria, Charmaine, Jenn, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon.  It’s good to be back, and I hope your weekend is full of wonderful moments.

•  Stamps: Hearts can Build a Home & Vintage Backgrounder - Unity Stamp Company 
• Cardstock: Indian Summer - Basic Grey, Kraft & Ivory cardstock 
• Ink - Rich Cocoa Memento 
• Accs: Copic Markers, ribbon - Taylored Expressions, oval nestabilities, sew-mini, brad - Basic Grey & punch - Fiskars 

Every month, just for fun, I do a challenge with a few friends where one person picks a stamp image that they like and another friend picks some patterned paper. Then using only the selected patterned paper (with solid papers to coordinate) and the stamp, we each make our own card. A few weeks ago I got this sweet little package in the mail from Kim Hughes with this cute Twizzle Tree from Memory Box, compliments of sweet Ellen. (Thanks, Ellen!) Then a few days later, sweet Julie sent me a few pieces of this pretty double sided polka dot paper,  Pink Floral JustChillin’ Girl from Making Memories. So sweet!

I paper pieced the circles on the tree from the big floral print on the backside of the paper, and added the fun polka dot print from the front side and some pearls that I airbrushed with Copic ink. Ribbon from Papertrey and a sentiment from Unity…Sweet!  This came together very quickly, but I am happy. (That’s not always the case! LOL)

Make sure you check out all of the Just For Fun girls: Alli, Julie, Kim and Michele. I love these girls, and I love watching them work.

In other news: It’s a day full of blessings here in Midwest USA: new babies, pretty paint colors finally decided for an exterior face lift, hubby is returning safely from a long hunting trip, crisp fall weather… God is good!

A quick card for the sketch as we approach the weekend. I used the Dream sentiment from the {100% Happiness} store kit from Unity and some textured Core’dinations cardstock along with Earth Love - Cosmo Cricket.

I stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip Craft ink and embossed with detailed clear embossing powder. Applied some chalk ink to soften the edges of my cardstock and stitched on my sew-mini. Another stacked Prima/button embellishment from my stash.

I’m short on the chatter today, but these girls will make up for it with beautiful samples. Check out Beate, Charmaine, Laurie, Mary Jo and Sharon for fabulous sketch-spiration this week (and every week). Have a wonderful weekend!

Weekend Sketch time…this darling little set called The Poppies from MFT came out last summer, just about the time that my DD started guitar lessons. I’m so grateful I didn’t have to say ‘drum lessons’… LOL! (Even though the drummer in this set is just adorable!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Is it Friday yet? It’s just been one of those weeks, and setting down to stamp with some Unity lovin’ rubber was just what I needed.

I used the Weekend Sketch by Beate and a new Unity set called Simple Blessings. Love the distressed patterns in the pumpkins of this kit. For the first time in ages, I stamped my backgrounds. I’m gonna start using some of those backgrounders, again. I like that. I pulled my colors from Dawn’s color combo of the week - The whole thing was easy peasy.  Hey, it was just like old times, I even used a sponge dauber.

The Unity set is available to retail stores only right now. You can find it at Paper Maniacs, celebrating their grand opening this week. Psst - they have the Unity September Store Kit of the Month, Everything Extraordinary there, too. Use the coupon GRAND15 to save 15%, and check out the great product selections.

Now, it’s time for me to go see what the other sketch girls cooked up. I’m in need of paper-therapy today, and they never disappoint. You can see them to:

Cambria Turnbow, Charmaine Ikach, Jenn Balcer, Laurie Schmidlin, Mary Jo Albright,  Sharon Harnist and Beate Johns - enjoy!

•  Stamps: Simple Blessings, Distressed Dots Background, Victorian Background & Hodgepodge of Happiness - from Paper Maniacs for  Unity Stamp Co. 
• Cardstock: Ivory, Kraft, Chocolate cardstock 
• Ink: Pumpkin Pie Spice, Ivory, Jumbo Java - chalk ink 
• Accs: Golden ribbon & button - PTI