Jen's February Card Sketch Challenge and more...

More being Nancy's Squirrel Challenge to use some items never used and make it a guy item.  I'm not sure what to think of this card.  Often when I am doing a challenge...I AM challenged.  I wanted to use a hot air balloon theme for Jen's and make it guy-ish for Nancy's.  I fit those bills but not sure I am loving this card.  I used the CTMH "Artiste" cartridge with my Cricut for the Balloons.  All other materials are from Club Scrap.

Play time

I have been enjoying my new Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers and learning not only how to color and shade with them but what else I can throw at colored areas.  Today I played with a set of stamps called "Butterfly Kisses" from Dare2BArtzy, my markers, Clear Glossy Accents and Distress Stains.  After coloring the flowers and leaves with the markers, I used glossy accents on only the flowers.  Once good and dry (several hours) I stamped a few embellishing stamps and then swiped Distress Stains Broken China and Spiced Marmalade to alter the white card stock background.  I'm liking the vibrancy and liveliness of the piece.

Playing with my friend Jen

Today my great friend Jen joined me at my house (with a quick run to our not-so-local stamp store first) to work together on USING our latest Simon Say's Stamp! kit.  We did pretty well considering we spent an hour at that shop and then got down to work.  We each made 4 cards together...Jen's are fabulous as always...and then I made one more tonight.  We are on a roll!  At first this kit didn't grab me but now I think quite differently.  This stamp set is just adorable with the two dresses, clothes line and hanger.  Sentiments are fun too.


I finally had the perfect use for those Tim Holtz hangers!

 Clothes line and sentiment were stamped with Distress Paint in Broken China.

This flower was stamped on assorted patterned paper from the SSS February kit in black ink.  The "clothes line" was used for the stem and then I added the leaves and sentiment all in Memento Tuxedo Black.

These dresses were stamped like the flowers above on the same patterned paper.  The middle dress was pieced together with two patterns.  Sweet tiny pink buttons added at the top of the stamped hangers.  Banner below stamped with the sentiment "wanna hang out?" and stamped with a tiny flower in Picket Fence Distress Paint.

Finally, a very different card from the same kit!  Patterned paper cut to fit the card base with the clothes line stamped above and below.  Sweet little dangling hearts stamped from the line and a panel stamped for the sentiment with more tiny pink buttons below that.

Thanks for looking:)

Clean & Simple 2 - Day One Card

I am so behind.  Ah well.

I, along with my friends Jen and Nancy, are taking the Online Card Classes, Clean & Simple 2 Card Class.  Today is day three, but I am just getting day one completed.   HA!  This is my spin on Kristina's craftsmanship tips.  I used the Club Scrap stencil from Adobe with turquoise Dylusions, and a heart punch for the die opening.  Inside that heart is a heart stamp from Simon Say's Stamp!   Sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Happy Boy!

Nathaniel...our grandson:)  He is one happy boy.   He's walking,  saying mamma and dada and waving bye-bye at 10 months!  What a luv.

Spectrum Noir

January 9:   Never thought I would go down this coloring road but I am hooked.  I learned about these Spectrum Noir markers which are similar to Copics.  Just a ton less expensive.  I love them and I'm beginning to get the hang of blending...beginning to, yes.  This was Bob's Christmas gift to me.  Now I need a better way to store them.  But in the meantime these pens have given my old stamps a new life.

Jen's January Card Sketch Challenge

Each month my friend Jen poses a challenge on Club Scrap's forum.  She assigns us with a new sketch to inspire our creativity in card making.  This month's was one of those sketches that I knew just exactly what I wanted to do.  It's similar to a previous card I made with coffee cups.  The cup stamp, from Paper Smooches, is just an outline allowing the wonderful prints from the Club Scrap paper I selected to shine.  These papers speak for themselves in the images and rich colors.