Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Sending Blessings


Hello friends!

I used my Stamp TV Kit again today to make a card for a few challenges.  I used the sketch from Sweet Sketch Wednesday (upside down and rectangular instead of square...) -- I used foliage for the Mod Squad challenge -- and I'm also entering it in the Anything Goes challenge at Word Art Wednesday.


Along with items from the kit, I used a pretty sentiment from Blessings/Beatitudes I by the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store, a stitched die and some Gumdrops from Your Next Stamp, a couple of Spellbinder oval dies, and a chevron embossing folder.

Thanks for dropping by!

Tricia

CAS or not CAS, that is the question??

For the last couple of days I have been debating about posting this card I made with the CASology challenge in mind.  Is it CAS or is it not CAS??  To me, it is.  But in the scheme what is trendy right now... white cardstock with an image and a sentiment, or a watercolored background with a cluster of diecuts, or a word die over a bouquet of stamped flowers... compared to any of those, it is not.  So what do you think??



I colored my little raccoon from Your Next Stamp in rainbow colors and used some stitched dies, since the keyword was stitch.

Thanks for looking!


Tuesday, August 30, 2016

A Bounty of Blessings

I love autumn.  The colors, the smells, the coolness - so I was so excited to pick up the new Gina K Designs Painted Autumn Stamp TV kit with some of my birthday money last weekend!!  Stamp TV Kits are so fun for me, because everything is in there.  Patterned paper, cardstock, stamps, dies... So much fun!  Here's a picture...




This afternoon I wanted to make a card with the Paper Players sketch using elements from the kit



I made the base from some Red Velvet cardstock, layered with Layering Weight Ivory and topped with pieces of patterned paper - all included in the kit.  I attached a piece of Dark Chocolate ribbon from a previous kit and then stamped my focal image.  Both the stitched circle and the owl are from the kit.  I colored the image with Copic and Spectrum Noir markers and cut out my circles with Nestie Circle dies, large and small.

I embossed the greeting in white on Dark Chocolate cardstock and tucked it behind the popped up focal image.  Then I added some Gumdrops from Your Next Stamp to finish it off. 

Here's a card I made with the other set in the kit...



I can see lots of kit cards in my future!! :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Tricia



Sunday, August 21, 2016

Your Next Stamp Challenge - Books are Cool

Hello friends!

I was so excited to get my Your Next Stamp order the other day!  Especially since I got another Phoebe to play with. : )  This set is Phoebe's Birthday and Phoebe has a pile of books to sit on, as well as more birthday-ish accessories like a present and a birthday hat.  I love it for the books, though, because my daughter is a librarian, and I have plans to use the books and sentiments on some bookmarks soon!




I tried to follow the sketch from Your Next Stamp for my layout, but I took a few liberties and made mine a square card rather than a rectangle and switched out the image rectangle with a circle.  I kinda sorta followed the colors, too. : )  I colored Phoebe with copics and added some highlights with a white gel pen and I used the YNS Stitched Square dies to cut out the square.


Wouldn't this be a fun card to tuck into a lunch box or to send a teacher?  And can you believe that school has already started for some states?  Here in Wisconsin we don't start til after Labor Day, but even that is coming up soon!  And then comes fall and all the lovely fall-ish stamps.  I need to dig through and find some of my favorites.  It won't be long now!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Tricia

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Happy Birthday, Your Next Stamp!

My order from Your Next Stamp didn't happen to arrive today.  {Sob, sob, sniff, sniff...} So I decided to console myself by making a card with Waddles instead.  And, of course, since Your Next Stamp is celebrating their birthday this month, and also, of course, because I need some birthday cards in my stash, I made a birthday card.


You are allowed to enter the sketch and color challenge three times, so I decided to make my third card - but using the sketch this time... and the colors, too!


I colored Waddles with copics and used some patterned paper in my stash to make the background.  The pink layer is cut with the Stitched Rectangle dies, and the sweet sparkly enamel dots are Magical Pastel Sparkly Gumdrops.  I love the sparkle!  They are perfect for icy cards like this one. : )

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Tea Cups and Flowers



Hello again!  I printed out a page of my favorite digis the other day and I'm working through them when I have free minutes here and there.  Today's card is a combination of a Whimsy and Stars digital image and a Scripture verse from a set by Clear Dollar Stamps.  I followed the colors over at Sunday Stamps. :)


Thanks for dropping by today!

Tricia

PS - Don't forget the 28 Day Challenge going on over on my Handfuls of Purpose blog!  Come play along and work on your home management and time management skills with me!



Monday, August 15, 2016

The 28 Day Challenge

Hi friends!  We interrupt this stamping related blog to invite you to join me for a fun "real life" challenge!  Here's the scoop, copied from my other blog - I'd love to have you join me.  In fact grab a group of friends and let's work together to get a grip on our homes and time and projects and lists before school starts in a few weeks!!

Original post from the Handfuls of Purpose blog ---

Good morning, friends!

So... when you've had a long weekend where you've been out of the house more than in it, and you wake up on a Monday morning and the kitchen looks like this...



And the table looks like this...



And your desk area looks like this...


And YOU are supposed to be the "poster child" for the Beautiful Life Management System, what do you do???  You take the 28 Day Challenge yourself!


Now, you all know that when you take the 28 Day Challenge, you have a cheerleader - ME!!  So I have a favor to ask.  Will you all be my cheerleaders??  If you want to follow along with me, just email me for a free copy of the challenge booklet and/or order a 28 Day Challenge sample pack, and I can be your cheerleader, too!

I'm not going to post the entire challenge here each day, since you can read it yourself in the booklet, but I am going to try to check in here on the blog each day and let you know how I did the day before, ok?  Today I'm going to start by refilling my binder with Beautiful Life Management pages.  I'll let you know tomorrow if I choose the regular ones or the semi - dated ones.  I'm sort of leaning toward the latter at the moment, but we'll see.

And off I go to do the "First Things First"!  

Thanks for joining me on my journey!!

Tricia

Friday, August 12, 2016

Viva La Verve Hello Sunshine

Just a quick an easy card following the VLV Sketch!  I used a sweet, sweet digi from Elena's Etsy shop and a Verve sentiment...


Sharing Joy Challenge - Wildflower Bouquet


Hi friend!

This is my attempt at a clean and simple card for the Taylored Expressions Share Joy Challenge this week.  :)  I colored the WildFlower Bouquet with copics, stamped a sentiment, matted it and attached it to a cardbase covered with patterned paper.  Easy Peasy!  I didn't even use any embellishments, so it will be perfect for me to tuck in with a GraceWorks planner order next week!

Speaking of Taylored Expressions, are any of you going to be at Stamp Joy?  I'll be there as a volunteer and I'd love to meet some of you!

TTFN!

Tricia

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Birthday Fun!

Hi again!

I am starting to get caught up again... moderately perhaps, positively maybe.  Soooo, I took some time this afternoon to work on some birthday cards that I had started yesterday.  I pulled out a pack of My Mind's Eye Notable patterned paper that I love and made the backgrounds first.  Then I grabbed an assortment of cute stamps - most of them older - and got to work.  The goal was flat - easy to mail cards...  And here they are!


I love the warm summer/fall colors and the sweet images!!

You know, back in "the day" when I was an SU demo, I got a number of new stamps about 4 times a year - usually when I needed to make a quota.  I agonized over those stamps!  They needed to be extremely versatile and I had to love them because I would be using them over and over and over and over again for months.  Now there are sooo many new stamps coming out every month that I forget about my favorites.  And I get drawn in to the stamps that are amazing with the new trends, but really aren't what I do best.   Case in point... the adorable bunny in the upper left.  I had to have that set, but when I tried to make a card it stumped me until I realized that I don't do CAS watercolor cards with lots of die cut images well - which is how I had seen it used online.  I love them, don't get me wrong, but I can't pull them off well.  So I went back to being me, and I'm happy with that.  :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tricia

Tuesday, August 09, 2016

Your Next Stamp Challenge - Birthday Wishes


Hi everyone!

It was a mojo-less night for me last night when I went to make this card.  It is entirely possible that that is because my stamping desk is a little messy is piled so high that I looked like a dog digging a hole for a bone trying to find this stamp set... SIGH.  Sooooo - I started with the Your Next Stamp sketch for the week.  And then ripped it all off.  Then I added some clouds and a banner sentiment.  And ripped it all off.  Then I flipped the card over and changed some of the positioning.  And ripped it all off.  Then I made a new background on different colored cardstock.  And ripped it all off.  Then I made this super clean and simple card using colors from the color part of the challenge and called it good, even if I'm not thrilled.  I am SO going to clean my desk today!! : )



Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comments!

Monday, August 01, 2016

Paw-Some

Hello friend!

I am SO far behind with life, but all I could think about this afternoon was that I hadn't made my challenge card for the Your Next Stamp sketch and color challenge yet!  Soooooo.... I set everything aside and made a card.  Now I have to go clean up the kitchen!!

I used this sketch...


and made this card, using the puppies from Phoebe with her Wagon...


They make me smile with their little tongues hanging out!! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I think you are absolutely Paw-some!!