Cinnamon - Birthday Style & Lord Have Mercy! Style

Here I am, back with another one of Mercy's fabulous sketches - MTSC36. My image was a bit big for the sketch...but I made it work! I had a customer request a couple of b-day cards for "tweenagers" so these are the cards I made. I love this paper by Junkitz - always perfect for any birthday card. Such bright colors and don't you just love those cupcakes?

I sewed the cupcake paper to green and blue DP from the same paper pack, layered over the striped DP. Love the bright colors. I colored "Cinnamon" from Penny Black with Copics and matched the girls clothes to the various colors in the DP. I stamped the oval from Amuse to ground the girls as they walk along. And see that blue flower? It was ivory - just like the other one...I colored it with my Copics. One of my absolute favorite things to do with Copics - change the colors of flowers and ribbon!!

I have so many cards to share - let's hope this week is MUCH better than last week. URGH...I moaned when I woke up and realized it was Monday. LOL

Oftentimes when mothers are asked if they are ready for their children to return to school - they emphatically reply YES (you know, kind of yelling?)! Not me! I prefer the lazy days of summer - I wish those lazy days had a bit more structure, but they are so 'calm' compared to school days!!!

Our oldest made cheerleader, our middle one is playing volleyball and fall softball and our youngest is playing football and fall baseball. That makes for lots and lots of practices and games - think something going on every single night!! Exhausting!!

That's it for now; I'm glad you stopped by, hope to see you again soon. Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Cinnamon by Penny Black, Oval by Amuse
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: DP by Junkitz, SU Taken with Teal & Certainly Celery, GKD 80 lb. Pure Luxury White
Accessories: ribbon, flowers, brads, sewing, Copics

Upsy Daisy on TESC79!

Seems like a strange title huh? Well, that's because I've been up since 3:40 a.m. today and it is now 10:30 p.m. - haven't slowed down yet. Don't ask, just pray I get some serious sleep soon!

I participated in Taylor's Cupcake Sketch Challenge #79 this weekend - I'm sooo into PTI's Berry Sorbet right now - it's like an addiction. Guess as far as addictions go - that's not a bad one? HA!

In this first card you can really see the sparkle I added to the tips of all the flowers (you can click on any image to see a larger size...might help you see the sparkle!). I also added lots of dimensional pop dots to this particular card and pulled out some Crate Paper I had - the flowers in the Crate paper match perfectly to PTI's Sweet Blush & Berry Sorbet. Rather than using Sweet Blush, I strictly used the opposite side of the Crate DP.

I stamped the Upsy Daisy image from Stampin' Up in Berry Sorbet and then used a clear Spica glitter pen for the tips. I also sponged the edges of this card with PTI's Berry Sorbet before removing the Nestability Die. Love that look - inspired by Julee Tillman of Verve Visual. I did the same thing with the circular Nestability. This card includes paper piercing in each of the four corners.

The next card is IDENTICAL except for a few tiny things. :D

On this one you can see I did some paper piercing on the actual layer with the flowers as well as to the left of the Crate DP. I really enjoyed Taylor's sketch; hope you get the chance to play along!

Thanks for popping in; hope to see you again soon! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Upsy Daisy by Stampin' Up!, PTI's Mixed Messages
Ink: PTI Berry Sorbet, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: DP by Crate Paper, PTI Berry Sorbet & Vintage Cream
Accessories: Nestability Dies, sponging, paper piercing, Spica atyou Clear Glitter Pen

Wishing You

This a card I made several months ago for the SCS sketch challenge #232 as a birthday card. I hope you like it!

Have a great week; hugs ~M.

Hot Chocolate Anyone?

I FINALLY made my first Christmas cards...I've seen so many being made and I'm just not ready to go there yet. LOL But I'm sending some cards to my aunt in OK, so I thought it would be fun to make a couple Christmas cards to include in the pack.

And you know me...I had to use a sketch AND I had to make 2 cards. :D That's just the way I am - great way to build up my stash of cards.

Isn't this little girl adorable drinking hot chocolate? Her name is Willow by Whiff of Joy. The sketch is by Janette for one of their sketches this week on the Mojo Monday blog. They have had some incredible sketches this week.

The DP is left over from last year's Christmas stash from SU! I love two-sided paper - just love it and this is no exception.

The girls were colored with copics - oh such fun; something so therapeutic about coloring! I colored these while our youngest was at baseball practice and then finished off the cards yesterday afternoon.

Both girls have sparkly coffee mugs, you just can't see it in the pictures.

The sentiments within the circles are from Verve Visual - I think one of the few red rubber sets they ever created and I actually won it from a blog. WOOT!!! Not sure if I had ever used it before yesterday - yikes!

Thanks for popping in; I hope you enjoyed the venture into Christmas-time which will be here before we know it!! Are you ready?

Have a great week; hugs ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Willow with Hot Chocolate by Whiff of Joy
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Old Olive & Real Red
Paper: SU! DP, Old Olive & Real Red, PTI Vintage Cream
Accessories: Nestability Dies, Threading Water Punch, Ribbon by Michael's, misc. red jewels

On My Couch

Lisa Johnson recently released 2 stamp sets that are so much fun - On My Couch & On My Couch Additions. I've seen so many cards with these sets but had yet to ink them up myself...until this past week! I found some time and combined the stamp set with Taylored Expressions Cupcake Sketch Challenge #76. You all KNOW how much I love sketch challenges - I have tons and tons to use still. :D

In fact, I'll be back this weekend with my first 2 Christmas cards using a Mojo Sketch, be sure to stop back by!

I seriously have a new love in my life...Papertreyink. I just love their stamp sets, paper, buttons, ink - you name it, if they have it, I "think" I need it. I work very hard to convince my sweet friend Toni that she needs their products too. Yes Toni, you're welcome!!

OK, on to the card. I used Papertrey's Berry Sorbet & Kraft card stock for this one. Isn't that polka dot chair just adorable? And that little pillow? What do you think about the DP I used for the pillow and the background behind the chair (just below the scalloped circle)? You see, that was a print job gone bad!! I was almost out of colored ink so my paper came out peach, pink and purple - URGH, nothing pretty about it but I've saved it for several months and it worked perfect with my color combo! I used just the peach portion and tossed the rest!

I kept with the theme of dots and embossed my Berry Sorbet with Cuttlebug's Swiss dot folder. All layers were edged with Papertrey's Vintage Cream ink and the dots were lightly sponged with the same ink. I made two identical cards just changing the inside sentiment - again, such fun stamp sets!

I'm glad you popped in; I love when you visit. Have a great weekend! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: PTI On My Couch & On My Couch Additions
Ink: PTI Berry Sorbet & Vintage Cream
Paper: PTI Berry Sorbet & Kraft, GKD 80 lb. Pure Luxury White
Accessories: Cuttlebug Swiss Dot Folder, Nestability Dies, Threading Water Punch, Ribbon from Michael's

Forever in our Hearts & School Pix

Hello friends!

Several of you may have read about the tragic death of Tom Murphy, an executive with Sprint Communications; such a horrible, horrible death! A couple people I work with know Tom; but particularly my boss. They were pledge brothers, have taken vacations together, gone fishing, skiing, etc. My boss's wife has known Tom even longer than my boss; so life has been tough this week. I wanted to make a sympathy card and finally made time tonight. The kids were exhausted after their 1st day of school, so they hit the sack early, leaving me some creative relaxation time. Ahhhh....

Anyway, back to the sympathy card. The layout is from Lord Have Mercy's Tuesday sketch - again, another great sketch!! I used Basic Grey's Porcelain paper; after My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey is my next favorite paper...in case you haven't noticed, I'm addicted to DP! Guess that's a pretty safe addiction, right? I paired it with PTI's Berry Sorbet and Vintage Cream.

I used the new stamp set from Verve Visual called "Forever in our Hearts"; the set has such incredible sentiments as well as images. On the small strip across the bottom, I stamped the small leaf image in PTI Vintage Cream (definitely one of my favorite inks).

Also on the main sentiment panel, I stamped the large leaf image in Vintage Cream, heat set it and then stamped the sentiment in Berry Sorbet. Since I was using Mercy's sketch, I stitched across the top and bottom of the oblong panel and then used my favorite MS punch, Arch Lattice across the bottom of the card.

I'm glad you stopped by and for a bit of fun before you go...some pictures from our first day of school! Please note, we have one teenager (yes, she has the teenager attitude going on - can't you just SEE it); one that likes to smile and one that doesn't like to smile. Bet you can identify them all. LOL

Have a great week - Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Forever in our Hearts
Ink: SU! Basic Black, PTI Berry Sorbet & Vintage Cream
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream & Berry Sorbet, Basic Grey Porcelain
Accessories: MS Arch Lattice Punch, Sew Mini, Brads,

Teachers

In the news recently for our City has been the bankruptcy filing of a huge organization - so very sad! Many children will be without the help they need, many teachers have lost their jobs as well as other employees. A sweet friend of mine wanted to give the teachers of her daughter's classroom a "Thinking of You" card; 2 of them were laid off, the other one was moved to another location but had to take a large pay cut.

For anyone that has children and has used daycare, you know how important those teachers/daycare providers are in your life - they truly partner with you to help raise your children. These cards were such fun to make; I used the Teachers Pet paper by Imaginisce - I LOVE these papers and cannot wait to make gifts for my children's teachers for school this year.

We used 2 different sentiments from PTI's Teacher's Apple set, "The best Teachers teach from the heart, not just the book." and "Teachers affect eternity; they can never tell where their influence stops." The inside of the cards say "Thinking of You". I used another sketch challenge for the layout, this one by MFT (MFTSC93).

I love this little decorative strip on the inside of the card; adds such a fun finishing touch! Those envelopes were awfully fun too! Two-step stamping also from the Teacher's Apple set.

TFL; have a great week!! Hugs, ~M.

TSG15

Another sketch challenge and you know how much I like sketches!! I'm a little late participating in this one; but I put it together in less than 30 minutes - woo hoo for me!

This one is from "There She Goes"; I love the rounded corners in this one. AND I used a stamp set I've had for over a year (**GASP**) and have never used - "Jesus Cares" by Sweet 'n Sassy stamps.

The DP is by Stampin' Up! mixed with SU! Real Red and SU! Basic Black. The sentiment is Isaiah 41:10; what a great verse. The inside says "Praying for you" from Papertreyink's Damask Designs stamp set.

See that black flower? It used to be yellow with an orange center - SERIOUSLY! I love that you can make them any color you need with Copics!! I used the EK Success Fluer de Lis punch as it matched the design in the green DP. Tied it all off with a Vintage Button from Papertreyink. This card is certainly different than my 'typical' but I hope you like it! Thanks for popping in!! Hugs, ~M.




WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Sweet 'n Sassy Jesus Cares, PTI Damask Designs
Ink: SU! Basic Black, PTI Vintage Touch Chamomile
Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, SU! Basic Black, Real Red and DP
Accessories: Flower, Copics, Misc. Black Ribbon, Vintage Button from PTI, EK Success Fleur de Lis punch

Lord Have Mercy

I found time this week to participate in Mercy's sketch - everyone loves Mercy's sketches and I wanted in on the fun! I was also inspired by THIS card which I found on Splitcoaststampers - love the colors so I set about to use the same stamp set.

You know me, I love to make 2 cards at a time to put in my stash, so this time was no different.

I broke into my new paper pack called "Pretty Please" by My Mind's Eye. I love MME's paper - love, love, love them! It's double-sided and I can always use every square inch of it! I stamped the floral image (Floral Symphony) in PTI Hibiscus Burst and Versamagic Spanish Olive; I also colored in the flowers and stems with these same colors. I stamped the butterfly from PTI's Tags from Spring in PTI Raspberry Fizz and then colored over the butterfly with a Clear Spica atyou Glitter Pen. So sparkly IRL!

I also sponged both main images with Versamagic Aegean Blue & Spanish Olive. As you can see on one I used my favorite Martha Stewart Punch (Arch Lattice); the other I rounded opposite corners. One I tied a double bow with my Bow Easy; the other I added a flower and button (yes, my button is NAY-KED...hope you don't mind) - LOL!

With both cards I used PTI's Hibiscus Burst Bitty Dot Satin ribbon. PTI has such scrumptious ribbon - I'm slowly falling in love with all their papers, buttons, ribbons...and NOW they have envelopes. Can't wait to get some of those!

I'm glad you dropped in - I hope to have some news about selling my cards online very soon...stay tuned! Have a great week! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Floral Symphony, PTI Tags from Spring
Ink: Versamagic Spanish Olive & Aegean Blue, PTI Hibiscus Burst & Raspberry Fizz
Paper: GKD 80 lb. Pure Luxury White, PTI Hibiscus Burst & Raspberry Fizz
Accessories: flower, button by PTI, ribbon by PTI, MFT Swarovski Crystals in Rose

Can you find the little boy?

Sure enough; there is a little boy amongst ALL THOSE PEANUTS, see his face? Isn't that hilarious!!! (don't forget, you can click on the picture to view a larger version). This was taken at DH's shop, downstairs with the owner of the Sporting Clay course; he's one of our son's favorite guys to play with!! It's amazing the pictures we end up with after our kids have been out there playing!

Enjoy - it sure gave me a chuckle. I hope to be back soon with some card creations - take care!! Hugs, ~M.

Happy Birthday - 3D Style & Fun Flock Style

I needed some quick b-day cards and also wanted to play with my Fun Flock some more so I created these super quick cards using Junkitz Salsa Celbration Paper; such fun, bright paper!

Nothing fancy, just stamping and coloring with Copics. This first one is layered 3 times for a great 3D effect. I used a gel pen around the edges of the white circle - these circles were done with Marvy punches...but remember, I FINALLY own circle nestability dies - WOOT, WOOT. I might be the last stamper to own them, but does ANYONE love them like me? LOL

I reversed the DP for the 2nd card and grabbed my fun flock for some cool icing on the cupcake! It's so soft and fuzzy - can you tell from the picture? I know, I know, most things that are fuzzy on food are mold...but not this time. Nice fuzzy frosting - come on, just go with me!

:D

I'm glad you stopped by; I love when you visit!

Hope you have a great hump day! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: My Favorite Things (MFT) It's a Cupcake Kind of Day, Verve Visual Cupcake Affair
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: GKD 120 lb. Pure Luxury White, SU! Tempting Turquoise, Junkitz Salsa Celebration DP
Accessories: Copies, Marvy Punches, Fun Flock, ribbon