Jen's Sketch Challenge 10-23-10

**Edited**

I added the snowflake brads and red Stickles to the wreath. I like this card so much better now!

Even though Christmas is still two months away, in the crafting world, time is quickly running out! I certanly am in no rush to get to December 25th (or for sonow, for that matter), but I do have to plan ahead when it comes to projects. I already have a couple of projects in the works that I'm giving away as gifts and I have about 9 individual cards that I need to create and have ready to be mailed and delivered by the big day. I am already feeling a little behind.....we always seem to have something going on and sitting down and creating is sort of last on the list. Things like laundry, homework, calling family, cooking, oh yes, that job thingy....all take priority. And that's ok. That's how it should be. Still, I wish there were just a couple more hours in the day some days.

I decided to use Jen's sketch this week to make another Christmas card. I used another adorable digi stamp from CC Designs. I absolutely adore these stamps! And, after I fiinished a lengthly argument with my printer (it did not want me to print on a paper size less than 8.5x11 but you'll be happy to know that I won), I had lots of fun coloring the design with my Copics. I popped in a movie last night (Valentine's Day.....sort of a disappointment) and sat and colored while my hubby played a video game on his computer and Kendall went and got the daylights scared out of her at a local haunted museum.

I also used my Copics to color the Prima flower and then spritzed it with Pearl Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist. You can't see in the photo very well, but the flower sparkles and the coloring is so rich. I absolutely love it.

So, winter may come with Christmas but I am also looking forward to:

• Our 5 year wedding anniversary
• Making more fun crafting projects for my wonderful family
• Eggnog Lattes from Starbuck's
• It's a Wonderful Life, The Nativity Story, The Bells of St. Mary's, Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch
• Mom's peanut brittle
• Winter Wonderland at church
• Remembering that day so long ago that my Savior was born in such a humble manner
• Lights, oh so very many lights
• The smell of pine
• Snuggling up by a warm fireSupplies

Patterned Paper - Bo Bunny

Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, Michael's

Stamps - Digi Stamp (CC Designs), Background Stamp (Hero Arts), Sentiment ( Studio G)

Copics - E00, E02, E25, E27, E29, B39, G28, YG97, R39, R46, R89. RV11, 100, 0

Ribbon - Stampin' Up!

Ink - Stampin' Up!

Nestabilities Dies

Corner Punch - We R Memory Keepers

Flower - Prima Marketing

Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist

Jen's Sketch Challenge 10-16-10

For Jen's sketch challenge this week, I had a little more fun with my Cricut. In fact, I've been having so much fun with it that I had to change the blade for the first time. I was starting to get tears in my paper when cutting and still had some tearing even after I changed the blade, but after I slowed down the cutting speed and changed the blade depth the problem was solved. I also had my paper slip a little bit so it might be time to start using a new cutting mat. I didn't realize just how much I've been enjoying that machine!

My dear friend Nancy just announced she is pregnant (with baby #3!) and I wanted to make a congratulations card for her and her husband. This isn't there first, but I believe EVERY baby (both the born and the unborn) are worth celebrating and since I can't be in California to celebrate with her, I made a card to mail off to her.

Since she's newly pregnant, we don't know the baby's gender yet, so I used a lot of different pastels on the card. For whatever reason, I feel like this one might be a girl, but I don't trust myself anymore. Up until my friend Kim's first pregnancy I had NEVER been wrong - not once on guessing a baby's gender but I seem to have lost my mojo. Whether a girl or a boy, we will love this baby....still since I have announced my guess here on this blog, I am not so secretly hoping it's a girl. I just like to be right :).

Oh! I used the Fun Flock again on the pom-pom on the night cap. I got a little more to stick this time than the last, but it's still not very much. I am still trying to figure out what the trick is ther, but I love the texture of that stuff so I am going to continue to try.

Anyway, enjoy....

Supplies
Patterned Paper - Little Yellow Bicycle

Cardstock - Yellow (Unknown), Green, Blue, Pink, White (Stampin' Up!)

Stamps - Verve Stamps

Ink - Stampin' Up!

Embossing Folder - Provo Craft

Cricut Cartridges - Storybook, Potpourri Basket

Buttons - Basic Grey

Pearls - Kaiser Crafts

Ribbon - Portafolia

Fun Flock

Flower - Prima Marketing

Glimmer Mist - Tattered Angels

Happy Halloween!

I made this fun card using some adorable Halloween paper from Stampin' Up! I believe it's last year's line, but it's new to me and I absolutely love it! It's got lots of really intriquate designs on it and it isn't corny. I am more drawn to elegant than I am to corny. It's just my style, which is why I like this paper so much. It's still a little bit spooky, but is very elegant at the same time and I love that! I also really like the colors. A lot!

This is another card that I did in two sittings. In the first sitting, I thought I had finished the card, but it was missing something. On the green scalloped circle, it just looked too simple with the frame and the scull and crossbones. I thought about the design overnight and then stared at it again in the morning and decided it needed some splattered paint on it to make it a little darker. My original plan was to take a toothpick and flick paint onto the image, but the paint was too thick so I ended up just smearing it around with the toothpick. I like the look. I think it's just what this card needed.

Happy Halloween!

Supplies

Patterned Paper - Stampin' Up!

Cardstock - The Paper Company, Stampin' Up!

Stamps - Inkadinkadoo (Scull and Crossbones), Endless Creations (Frame)

Ink - Stampin' Up!

Paint - Claudine Hellmuth Studio

Epoxy Stickers - Making Memories

Ribbon - Stampin' Up!

Flower - Kaiser Crafts

Button - Basic Grey

Scalloped Circle Punch - Marvy

Jen's Sketch Challenge 10-09-10

Time for another one of Jen's fantastic sketches! For this week's card, I wanted to make a birthday card for my stepdaughter Nicole and her favorite color combination is pink and black, so I chose this bright pink paper from Basic Grey (left over papers from a mini album I did) and combined it with black cardstock. I also had a chance to use this adorable digi stamp from CC Designs. These kids are just too cute for words! And, they are a blast to color with Copic markers. I also used some Fun Flock on the bottom of her dress, but I obviously need more practice because hardly any stuck to the paper. I used a glue pen (Tombow) and I think 1) I didn't put enough glue down and 2) I didn't press the flock into the glue before I flicked the excess off of the card. Next time, I think I will use the Tombow Mono Multi Glue instead. I am excited to use some more of that Fun Flock for Christmas and winter cards though, that stuff has the best texture and some really great sparkle to it. Such fun.....

I am finding lately on the projects that I make I end up being happier with the results if I make them in at least two settings. When I try to complete an entire project in just one setting, I find that they don't have as many details and my creativity isn't stretched as much as if I start the project, walk away, think it over some more and then come back to it either late thate day/evening, or the next day.

Unfortunately for me, for some reason, the creative part of my brain really peaks late at night. If I could do all of my papercrafting after midnight, I think I would come up with some amazing work, but a girl needs her sleep :).

Anyway, enjoy!

Supplies

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Cardstock - The Paper Company, Papertrey Ink, Stampin' Up!

Stamps - Digi Stamp (CC Designs), Background Stamp (Unity), Sentiment (Stampin' up!)

Ink - Stampin' Up!, Papertrey Ink

Ribbon - Papertrey Ink

Button - Papertrey Ink

Flower - Kaiser Crafts

Copic Markers - RV29, RV69, RV93, E00, E02, E25, E27, E33. 100, Colorless Blender Pen

Stampers Floss - Karen Foster

Spellbinders Dies

Edge Punch - Stampin' Up!

Scalloped Square Punch - Stampin' Up!

Stickles - Ranger

Fun Flock - Stampendous

Jen's Sketch Challenge 10-02-10

For this week's sketch challenge on Jen Del Muro's blog, I used some absolutely adorable travel-themed paper that I got from Stampin' Up! a while back. It was from the summer mini catalog and I absolutely love the colors. I purchased the paper for scrapbooking, but I decided to try using it for a card. I used my Cricut to cut out that adorable tag and when you swing it open, there is an adorable image behind it. I just attached the tag with a brad and then cut out a square piece of cardstock, stamped the truck image onto it, and then rounded the corners so that it would fit behind the tag. The stamps are all Tim Holtz and are of incredible quality and I absolutely love the artistry! Anyway, if you haven't done so already, stop by Jen's blog and play along.

Supplies

Patterned Paper - Stampin' Up!

Cardstock - Stampin' Up!, Michael's

Ribbon - American Crafts

Stamps - Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous

Ink - Stampin' Up!, Ranger

Emobssing Powder - Ranger Distress Embossing Powder

Punches - Martha Stewart Crafts (Border), We R Memor Keepers (Corner Rounder)

Cricut Cartridges - Sentimentals (Stamp Border, Tag), Heritage (Luggage)