Merci Beaucoup!

 I've been making Thank You cards lately...here's one with quite a bit more detail than usual. But I really wanted to use my "old-fashioned" ladies stamps again, so this seemed a good enough excuse.

The color scheme was chosen to fit a challenge...as were a few other things.

Such as the layout

Lots of sparkle on the lady on the left as well as on the Merci Beaucoup die cut.

Here's my list of ingredients:

Inks- TH Distress Ink "antique linen" & "vintage photo"

Markers- Spectrum Noir, MEPXY

Stamps- Stampabilities "Vintage Flourish", SweetStamps "Italian Handwriting", "Parisienne Collage", & "Margery", JustRite "Fleur de Lis Labels 23"

Foam squares- Paper Studio "Sticky Doos"

Printed Flower- K&Company "Watercolor Bouquet Layered Accents"

Rhinestones- KaiserCraft "Ice Blue"

Pearl sprays- Zva Creative "Chocolate Swirls"

Stickles "Star Dust"

Glue Dots

Handmade rolled flower

Card stock & doily- from my stash

Challenges:

http://craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com - #73 No Designer Paper

http://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #100 Anything Goes

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - #162 Swirls

http://thekraftjournal.blogspot.com - #164 A Color Challenge

http://theshabbytearoom.blogspot.com - #211 Bits & Bobbles, include flowers,

buttons, print/sentiment

http://tuesdaymorningsketches.blogspot.com - #242 Sketch

http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #125 Anything Goes

Guest Designer for Inkspirational Challenges!

Hello, Friends!

Today I'm showing you a card I made for one of my favorite challenges: Inkspirational!

And it really is very inspirational for me...great ideas and designs, challenging themes and color suggestions! I've joined the challenge several times now and had fun with each one...but today is even more special...they asked me to be a guest designer for the new challenge that starts today! I'm so honored!

They asked me to case one of the cards made by one of their fabulous DT members, Sandie (yes, even spelled the same as my name!) and here is the card I chose:

Very pretty, don't you think?

And here is how I "cased" it:

*A Bridal Shower Card*

My youngest son is getting married in May and I got to go to my future daughter-in-law's first shower recently...this was the card I gave with her gift. It doesn't show up very well, but there is lots of sparkley Stickles on the LOVE LOVE, and the sequins are pearly irridescent.

So what do you think...did I case it properly?

On the inside I did not add the Stickles...and purposely left plenty of room to sign the card with a personal note added.

Ingredients

Stamps: Sandylion "Love",  CDS "Medallion de Fleur",  Verve "Ps. 37:4", 

Stampin' Up "Best Wishes", Studio G "Celebrate", J Sharpe "Congrats"

Inks: Studio G "Lt Turquoise", "Dk Aqua"

Glitter: Ranger Stickles "Star Dust"

Sequins: Gutermann "Blue Pearl"

Card stock: white and lt. blue- Paper Studio

Challenges

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #125 Anything Goes

http://craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com - #73 No Design Paper

http://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #100 Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

Please hop on over to Inkspirational for this week's challenge and to check out 

all the great stuff the DT has come up with again!

CAS Coffee Card

Just a quick post this afternoon...I've got my 6-year old grandson, Josh, here working in my craftroom on a drawing of himself wearing a jetpack (which he is planning to build to fly across Lake Michigan to Chicago)!!

I've made a quick CAS card with some "old favorite" stamps and embossing folder. Even did a bit of paper-piecing!

I do like a good cup of coffee and a chat with a friend...that IS a great blend!

Ingredients:

Stamp set- StampingScrapping "How Ya Bean?"

Embossing folder- Cuttlebug "D'vine Swirls"

Cardstock- GCD Studios "Ella Blue"(print), Paper Studio (white),

vellum is from my stash

Ink- TH Distress Ink "Walnut Stain"

Glitter- Mark Enterprises "Blue, Ultra Fine"

Challenges:

addictedtocas.blogspot.com - #32 "Coffee"

pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #95 "Anything Goes"

CASethissketch.blogspot.com - #64 "Sketch"

My Honey and Me!

The photo I used for this card is actually of me and my hubby several years ago at a wedding. One of my daughters was sitting across from us and took the picture...after I stealthily indicated what I planned to do! My poor husband does not particularly like "public displays of affection"! But he really is a good sport. Even after all these years (36 now) he still chuckles and gets that "what did I get myself into?" look on his face.

My true Valentine!

One of the challenges I'm putting this card in has a photo for inspiration of a little girl kissing a little boy on the cheek....SO similar to my old photo! I just HAD to do this one!

Not real happy with how the colors are showing in the photo above...the zigzag printed cs is black and off-white...not brown! Not sure why it looks brown?? And can you tell that the little "love" birds are silver embossed just like the hearts and sentiment? They are.

Oh well.

Here is my list of ingredients:

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo "Love & Friendship", Stampin Up "I Love You"

Dies: Spellbinders "Standard Circles Lg", "Exquisite Circles",

little birds ??? (got them on Ebay)

Cardstock: K&Company "Julianne", American Crafts "Soho Garden"

Embossing: TH Distress "Embossing Ink", PSE "Silver Glitter"

Embellishments: Ribbon, sequins, rhinestone flowers, rhinestones...all from my gigantic stash!

Challenges:

wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #119 "Anything Goes"

inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.co.uk - #50 "Designer's Choice" (flowers, ribbon, bling)

shoppingourstash.blogspot.com - #138 "Oh, Shiny"

craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com - #70 "Show Us Some Romance"

ladybugscraftsinkchallengeblog.blogspot.com - "For the One I Love"

trystampinontuesday.blogspot.com - #155 "Sketch + twist: hearts & flowers"

pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.com - #94 "Photo inspiration"

Valentine for My Man

This time I kept in mind the kind of cards my hubby likes to see me make: CAS. Whenever I show him one that I actually kept CAS (...VERY difficult for me!) he always says that I "should make more like that"!

So here's what I came up with: (yes, I  know its a bit corny!)

The inside simply says, "I love you still. Always will."

Right now there are LOTS of challenges that are asking for "Love" themed cards/projects, so I've combined several. The Pinspirational Challenge has an adorable picture of a little girl kissing a little boy on the cheek. That picture inspired me to use the different shades of red, white and grey...AND the boy has on a red tie!

(The sentiment on the front is computer-generated.)

Ingredients:

Red, white and black cardstock - from my stash

Stamps - Sandylion "Are We There Yet?",

SweetStamps "Gentleman Joe" (colored w/colored pencils)

Embellishments - Colorbok "Metal Accents- Hearts"

Embossing folder - Cuttlebug "Tiny Hearts"

Ink - Studio G "Red"

Challenges: 

SweetStampsblog.blogspot.com - #156 "Love"

AddictedtoCAS.blogspot.com - #31 "Love"

Crafts4eternity.blogspot.co.uk - #162 "With Love"

Craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com - #70 "Show Us Some Romance"

Ooh-la-la-creationschallenges.blogspot.com - #150 "Use a Heart"

Ladybugscraftsinkchallengeblog.blogspot.com - "For the One I Love"

Pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #94 Photo Inspiration

Sweet Memories

I had so much fun making the Valentine's card for my mom that I decided to make one for my sister too, who is also a widow. Her husband, Alan, has been gone about ten years now. He was a wonderful uncle to our children and a great brother-in-law...yes, we sure miss him!

Ingredients

Dies: Spellbinders "Foliage", "Elegant Ovals";

Cheery  Lynn Designs "Olive Branches"

Cardstock: Pebbles "Sunny Side", and several varieties from my scrap box, including a brown glitter paper

Flowers: Making Memories "Pansy Blue", Pizzazz Aplenty "Pink Crocheted" & "Cherry Blossom", StampingScrapping "Color-Me"

Embossing folder: Craft Concepts "Lady Bug"

Stamps: StampingScrapping "Dash It All"

Embellishments: Pizzazz Aplenty "Chocolate Pearls",
 buttons, ribbon, rhinestones, lace...all from my stash

Challenges:

Wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #118 "Anything Goes"

crafts4eternity.blogspot.com - #162 "With Love"
thekraftjournal.blogspot.com - #158 "Love" (leaves are kraft cs)
cheerylynndesigns.blogspot.com - #119 "Frame it"
craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com - #70 "Show Us Some Romance"

http://www.ipalamountain.com/2014/02/sketchbook-saturday-challenge-115/

Inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.co.uk - #192 "CASE Anything by Yvonne"

Yvonne's card from March 10, 2013

Valentine Memories

Valentine's Day is next week already! I usually only make a Valentine's card for my hubby but I came across this old photo of my parents on their wedding day and decided to make a card for my mom. My dad died 25 years ago but I know she still misses him...so do I. It is such a lovely picture! One of my sons, who is 25 years old, looks alot like my dad in this photo. And he is engaged to be married this year. The romance continues!

When I scanned the photo the ivory areas picked up a bit of yellow in certain areas so I found the lacey print cardstock that also has smudges of yellow along the edges...perfect match!

The reason I was looking at old photos was a challenge at Inkspirational which says to CASE anything from Yvonne's blog. Well, I went and looked at her blog and found many I wanted to CASE...I actually got ideas from several...but did settle on one lovely card! (See bleow)

Ingredients

Dies: Spellbinders "Timeless Rectangles", "Labels 15", "Labels 4";

Joy Crafts "Vintage Flourishes #32"

Stamps: ODB "Scripture Series 3", Inkadinkadoo "Love & Friendship"

Cardstock: Lilybeedesign "Smitten" (background), solids are from my stash

Flowers/Leaves: StampingScrapping "Wedding Flowers, cream", Michaels "Paper Flowers, Spring",

Jolee's by You "Olive Branch"

Embellishments: Pizzazz Aplenty "Pearls, Lt Coffee" & "Glitter Rhinestones";

Jane Creative "Silver Filigree Corner" 

Twine: American Crafts "Grey"

Sentiments are computer generated

Photo is a scan of my parents' wedding photo (1945) printed on Cryogen

Lace, doily, and silver heart pendant...from my stash

Challenges

Robynsfetishchallengeblog.blogspot.com - #197 "Valentine's Day Card"

http://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com - #137 "Love Me Tender"

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #118 "Anything Goes"

Inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.co.uk - #49 "CASE Inspiration"

     

      Yvonne's card from May 7, 2013

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Happy creating!

The Kissing Technique

How romantic, and just in time for Valentine's Day...the "kissing technique"! I had never heard of this stamping technique before so I just had togive it a try. This is the technique that is being promoted/required on the SweetStamps monthly challenge. It is really easy: just ink up a solid stamp with a light color ink and another patterned stamp with a darker ink, "kiss" that onto the solid stamp and then stamp that one on your paper. I did it with the lamp shade, with a lime green base color and a dark aqua for the pattern. I love how it makes the lamp shade look like fabric.

My ingredients

Stamp set: Close to My Heart "I Chairish You"

Background stamp: Our Daily Bread Designs "Vine Background"

Embossing folder: Sizzix "Snow Flowers"

Inks: Stampabilities "Orange", studio G "Dark Turquoise" & "Lime"

Cardstock...all from my stash

Challenges:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com/ - monthly "Kissing Technique"

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #117 Anything Goes