SSSC58 Three Little Chicks

Yesterday I mentioned that I was trying to get some Easter projects completed, so I thought I'd use an Easter theme for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I chose the striped paper purely by accident, as it was the one that was on the top of the stack when I pulled it out this morning. I already knew that I wanted to do the three chicks and these colors are perfect for them. Sometimes, things just work out that way. I had some help choosing the cardstock and ribbon colors from my youngest, so this card was definitely a team effort. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: A Good Egg
Inks: Black StazOn
Paper: Whisper White, Barely Banana & Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Sweet Pea DSP Stack
Accessories & Tools: 1 3/8" Square Punch, 1/4" Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain, Fresh Favorites II Buttons (So Saffron), Pretties Kit Flowers, Soft Subtles Brads (Barely Banana), 1/16" Circle Punch, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive, Barely Banana, Pumpkin Pie & Chocolate Chip Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals

MOJO 127 You Crack Me Up

I've enjoyed doing the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenges so much that I thought I'd try one of the Mojo Monday Sketches. Here's my card for Mojo Monday Sketch 127. I decided to go with a square format rather than round. I'm trying to get myself into Easter mode and get some Easter projects completed, but I didn't get much done today. I had a three-hour lunch with a friend, so this is the only stamping I did. I'm guessing that tomorrow will be more productive as far as the stamping goes. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: A Good Egg
Inks: Black StazOn
Paper: Tea Party DSP, Whisper White, So Saffron, Almost Amethyst & Pretty in Pink Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: 5/8" Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/4" Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, So Saffron Marker, Pumpkin Pie Marker, Soft Subtles Brads (Certainly Celery), Nesties (Non-Stampin' Up!)

Quote of the Week #8

After forgetting last week, I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget about my quote of the week again this week, so here it is:

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

SSSC57 Flight of the Butterfly

As soon as I saw this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge I knew that I wanted to use the Tea Party Designer Series Paper. This is such a springy card with the butterfly and this color combo. I'm still kind of waiting for winter to arrive where we are, but I know that some of you have had more than your share of snow already. Hang in there, Spring will be here before we know it! In the meantime, you can just make some cards like this one to make you think of warmer weather and everything good that comes with it. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly
Inks: So Saffron, Certainly Celery
Paper: Tea Party DSP, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink & Almost Amethyst Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Circle Scissor Plus, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Soft Subtles Brads (Pretty in Pink), 5/8" Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Butterfly Punch, 2-Way Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals

Crazy for Cupcakes Birthday Card CASE

I made my card last summer after seeing this card. The minute I saw Chat's card, I fell in love with the layout and was inspired to make my card. I have to tell you that I LOVE this color combo; Yum! The cardstock and ribbon are not the same color, but you'd never know it; they're almost a perfect match. There is a little bit of cutting involved, but it's a pretty easy card to make. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Think Happy Thoughts
Inks: Black StazOn, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Melon Mambo & Pretty in Pink
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun & Melon Mambo Cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Accessories & Tools: Scallop Edge Punch, Word Window Punch, 1 1/4" Punch, 1 3/4" Punch, Circle Scissor Plus, Crushed Curry Polka Dot Ribbon, Pretties Kit (Halfback Pearls), White Gel Pen, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Dimensionals

Quote of the Week #7~Oops!

I don't know if it was the holiday yesterday or that it is vacation week, but I completely forgot about my quote of the week yesterday. Here it is, a day late:

"You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it."

~Margaret Thatcher

SSSC56 Simply Said

Yay it's Sunday! That means that it's time for another one of Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenges. In my post for the card I made for last week's challenge, I commented on how the circles really have been a challenge for me, so Karen told me that this week's challenge would have an optional circle. :o) Even though it was optional, I decided to go for it and do a circle anyway since I'm getting more comfortable with creating cards that have circles (thanks in part to Karen). Believe it or not, this is actually the fastest that I have done one of these challenges since I started doing them. Sometimes I have Mom duties which have to come first, sometimes the work thing gets in the way, and sometimes I just can't get out of my own way. I'm sure you all know what that can be like.

Because I've been using so many accessories lately, this card seemed kind of naked, but there wasn't much room for me to accessorize it, so I decided to add some ribbon. Besides, with the exception of the Polka Dot Ribbon, I don't think there are any accessories available in Melon Mambo. Of course I added my ribbons as an afterthought, so my four squares were already cut which posed the small problem of how to attach them. I added a strip of black cardstock the same size as the ribbon to the back of the squares, which gave me something to which I could attach the ribbons. It worked; whew! I don't know if it's my monitor or what, but the colors look a little "off" to me this morning, so be sure to check the list of supplies for the colors I used for this project. Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Simply Said
Inks: Melon Mambo, Basic Black
Paper: Night & Day Specialty Paper, Melon Mambo Patterns DSP, Whisper White, Basic Black & Melon Mambo Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Scallop Circle #2 Die, 5/8" Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Black Gingham Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Top Note Cards & Box

The idea for this project came from Lynn Pratt, one of my teammates. If you're not familiar with Lynn and her work, you should be; she is amazingly talented. I saw this last month when Lynn brought it to our team meeting, and I knew I'd just HAVE to make it! Don't you love it? It's super-easy to make and would be a great gift. For more information and the directions, visit Lynn's blog ~her projects will blow you away! Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Warm Words
Inks: Rose Red, Regal Rose
Paper: Whisper White, Regal Rose & Rose Red Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Pretties Kit, 5/8" Regal Rose Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Square Envelopes, Heart to Heart Punch, Sponge Daubers or Stamping Sponges, 3/4", 1", 1 1/4", & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch, Sticky Strip, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive or Crystal Effects, Stampin' Dimensionals

Simple Valentine

I received a newsletter about a month or so ago with a card in it that was very similar to this but done with non-Stampin' Up! products. When I saw it, I immediately thought of the Sending Love Notes Kisses and how I could make virtually the same card using Stampin' Up! stamp sets and supplies. This is the result. I made it with my stamp club last month and they all seemed to like it, so I guess it was a success. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: The More the Merrier, Love You Much, Short & Sweet
Inks: Melon Mambo, Whisper White Craft Ink
Paper: Melon Mambo & Whisper White Cardstock, Melon Mambo Patterns DSP
Accessories & Tools: Sending Love Notes Kisses, Heart to Heart Punch, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy New Baby Girl

I pulled out some Georgia Peach Designer Series Paper for this sweet baby card. I LOVE that paper! In fact, it's probably my favorite Designer Series Paper ever. Thankfully, I bought a couple of packages before it retired. This is the first time that I used the Scallop Edge Punch to punch entirely around a square or rectangle and I have to say, I don't think I did a bad job. It was a little tricky and it's not perfect, but for a first try it's pretty good. The brads on this card are a combination of Filigree Brads and Rhinestone Brads. Don't you love how they go together? I do! Well, I need to get back to making projects. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Fun & Fast Notes
Ink: Black StazOn, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink
Paper: Georgia Peach DSP (retired), Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink & Whisper White CS
Accessories & Tools: Filigree Brads, Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads, Scallop Edge Punch, Blender Pens, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

SSSC55 Bearthday Girl

This card is for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. The last few of these challenges with the circles have been difficult for me, but I guess that's why they're called challenges. This features products from the Build-A-Bear Collection. The dress was stamped onto Designer Series Paper and cut out, then the collar was stamped onto white cardstock, cut out and glued to the dress. the balloon was also stamped onto DSP so that it could stick up above the top of the cardstock circles. She looks so cute all dressed in her party dress ready to celebrate. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Beary Best Friends
Inks: Black StazOn, Pretty in Pink, Choclate Chip & Creamy Caramel
Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Ballet Blue & Pretty in Pink Cardstock, Pawsitively Prints DSP
Accessories & Tools: Circle Scissor Plus, Aqua Painters, Soft Subtles Brads (Pretty in Pink), 1/16" Circle Punch, Curly Label Punch, Ballet Blue Marker, Stampin' Dimensionals

Quote of the Week #6 and another bee card

"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."

~ Albert Einstein

Sorry I didn't have time to post my quote of the week this morning, but that "work thing" got in the way. Here's another bee card that I made last week; it fits the Small Open-End Envelopes. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By, Family Phrases
Ink: Black StazOn
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black & So Saffron Cardstock, Sweet Pea DSP
Accessories & Tools: Basic Black & So Saffron Markers, Scallop Edge Punch, 5/8" Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Rich Regals Brads (So Saffron), Word Window Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch

Bee Trio

It's a beautiful, sunny day here and I'm trying to decide if I want to spend some time stamping or get outside for a while. Maybe I'll do a bit of both.
Here's another bee card that I made last week. The new Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper is perfect for this stamp set; I love it! The ribbon is a Sale-a-bration item from last year. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By, Family Phrases
Ink: Black StazOn
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black & So Saffron Cardstock, Sweet Pea DSP
Accessories & Tools: 1 1/4" Square Punch, 1 3/8" Square Punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Rich Regals Brads (So Saffron), Scallop Edge Punch, Basic Black Marker, So Saffron Marker, 5/8" So Saffron Ribbon (no longer available), Stampin' Dimensionals

SSSC54 Hive Sweet Hive

I'm running a little late this week getting my card posted for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I actually made a card for this challenge on Sunday, but I wasn't happy with it, so I didn't post it. I've made a few cards with this set over the past couple of days and I'll post the rest soon. It's difficult to tell, but there is glitter on the wings of the bees. I also used LOTS of Stampin' Dimensionals, which I tried to show in the close-up image, but I'm still not sure that the depth shows. I used Dimensionals under the bees, under the hive, under the circle and under the square layer with the brads, so there's a lot of depth to this card. It was a fun card to make, but lots of cutting so if you don't like having to cut, then it's not for you. I don't mind it, and this card couldn't have been made without it. The Hive was stamped onto a piece of Designer Series Paper and cut out, then the sign was stamped onto white, cut out and pasted onto the hive. I stamped the hive opening onto a piece of copy paper and then used it as a template to cut the black used for the opening. The bees were also stamped onto white and cut out. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Just Buzzin' By

Inks: Black StazOn

Paper: Night & Day Specialty Paper, So Saffron Patterns DSP, Sweet Pea DSP, Whisper White, Basic Black & So Saffron Cardstock

Accessories & Tools: Circle Scissor Plus, paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Vintage Brads (Black), 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Basic Black Marker, So Saffron Marker, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals

Wedding Heart Favor

Wow! I finally have another project to post. It's not that I haven't made anything new in the last week, but some of the projects I don't want to post on my blog just yet. I've done a number of projects for team challenges and things like that, and some of the projects I'll have to post at the end of the month, after my teammates have seen them, because I know that some of them read my blog and I need to keep the projects a secret from them. Sorry guys!
I promised some additional wedding samples and I'm still working on them. This heart favor is one that is super-easy to make, so you could do them relatively quickly, even for a large wedding. It's made using the Petal Card Die and it holds two chocolate squares. This one is pretty formal, but it could be done for just about any kind of wedding theme. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: None
Inks: None
Paper: Bride Specialty Paper
Accessories & Tools: Petal Card Die, Pretties Kit (Flowers & Halfback Pearls), Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue Dots

Quote of the Week #5

No projects today since I didn't have time over the weekend. I'll have some in the next day or two though. Until then, here's my quote for this week:

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once."

~ Lillian Dickson