Fight Like a Girl!

Even the title makes me smile! A friend asked me to make a b-day card for a dear friend of hers that has survived breast cancer, I couldn't resist using Flourishes new stamp set "Fight Like a Girl" - how perfect is that?

Of course I started with a sketch, this one from Crazy for Sketches (C4C3). I chose to use the shirt from the stamp set and the small version of the "Fight Like a Girl" stamp. I stamped the shirt twice onto the same DP that was used for the strip on the right-hand side of the card; such pretty DP! The 2nd shirt image is mounted with dimensionals. I used my all-time favorite MS punch - Arch Lattice - punched down both sides of the card stock gives it such a cool look!

I traced the "Fight Like a Girl" on the shirt with a clear Spica glitter pen - so pretty IRL. I also added some Cotton Candy stickles to the collar, sleeves and around the waste. The DP has paisleys in it, so I embossed the base card with the paisley cuttlebug folder and lightly sponged on Chamomile from PTI's Vintage Touch Inking System.

That's about it, pretty straightforward but sure made for a fun b-day card! Thanks for stopping by; it's always great when you visit - thanks for taking the time!! Hugs, ~M.

MOJO105

I made this card last week for a co-worker that is leaving us for a different job - we're so going to miss her!

I used the MOJO105 sketch for the layout and tossed together some papers that were already on my desk.

And do you remember me commenting recently about how best to use my HOURS waiting at practice for my little people? That covers volleyball practice, baseball practice, football practice and we did have softball practice, but that has ended now. So I spend several hours at their practices and struggle to find a way to cart my stuff around and get cards made, etc. I never have a big enough stash made up and I always have special orders to work on. Well, I had stamped & embossed several of these flowers from Verve's Thankful Blossoms onto Basic Grey's Porcelain paper; I took them to a practice and worked on cutting them out. I FINALLY got to put some of them to use in this card! YIPPEE - feels like victory to me!

I edged all the papers with SU! Close to Cocoa for a soft distressed feel/look. I cut the flower out 4 times - yes, 4 times and layered it with pop dots for extreme dimension - don't ya love that?

I thought the Kraft paper was a little plain, so I clear embossed the flower all over the Kraft - I like the little pop it added to the card.

OK, today I have a funny for you - these don't happen all that often! I took our oldest to the orthodontist today (she's isn't feeling great - she has a nasty cough and her chest hurts); anyway, she is the TOUGHEST kid I know; she NEVER cries. I almost pass out at some of the stuff they do, but she is steel! They have pulled a tooth with NO anesthetic, they have lasered open the roof of her mouth to expose a tooth that is seriously out of place, etc.

Anyway, today the doctor & nurse were joking about how strong she is and she's so quiet, she never says a word. The doctor was joking how she's a much tougher patient than I would be. I commented "just wait till you get my next kid in here". The next one will need braces also and she really, really dislikes the dentist. Granted she has a right to! She's had 2 oral surgeries, false teeth at the age of 4 due to an accident, a bike accident that split her upper lip - had to have stitches, couldn't eat, etc., etc. You get the picture. She's been thr0ugh a lot and at just the mention of braces, she cries.

So the nurse is talking with me and the oldest is talking to the orthodontist; he points at her and he's laughing. I'm like "what did she say"; my oldest says "I told them you'd have to EUTHANIZE to do work on her"; I just crack up and say "yeah, something like that". So we leave and I tell my daughter what that word means; as a typical teen, she shrugs her shoulders and says "so".

Yeah - SO! It STILL makes me laugh!

I'm glad you stopped by; I hope you have a great week. I really like when you visit! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Thankful Blossoms,
Ink: SU! Craft black
Paper: PTI's Sweet Blush & Kraft, SU! Barely Banana, Basic Grey's Porcelain
Accessories: clear embossing powder, EK Success border punch

I'M BACK!!

Wow, sometimes I REALLY go missing in action huh? I've been sick and just with the insanity of all the sporting events, I've had a hard time carving out a bit of computer time to post some creations. I've got lots of things to post - just need some time!

Tonight I'm posting TWO CARDS - yep, a two-fer!! This first one was inspired by the incredible Kristin Bueter of Mindless Creativity - she does such amazing work; I love visiting her blog!

I love the colors in this challenge, I immediately thought of my PTI stamp set "On My Couch" and had to run with it. You can see I used polka dots throughout my card. The strip right underneath the chair was created by alternating inks of the pillow in the "On My Couch Additions" stamp set; what a great pattern the pillow makes!

Check that out - even the couch on my card is worn..that means it's a nice, soft, comfy couch - calling to you for some relaxation!

The inside uses the sentiment "potato optional" - I just love that! This card measures 5.5" x 5.5".

This next card set takes a complete change in colors and heads on over to the beautiful pink & white creations!

I had a friend who wanted some pretty girly cards in pink & white, so I used the forever favorite Upsy Daisy by Stampin' Up embossed with white embossing powder onto PTI's Hibiscus Burst. Straightforward stamping here, but sure made for some fun, cheery note cards!

That's it for tonight; my eyelids sure are heavy! I was going to try to work on a post for tomorrow night, but it'll just have to wait!

Hope you're having a great week; thanks for popping in! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Thankful Blossoms, PTI On My Couch
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, SU! Craft White
Paper: PTI's Dark Chocolate, White, Hibiscus Burst, Spring Rain
Accessories: Nestability Dies, embossing, cuttlebug embossing, clear button, twine

Etsy Shop is Now Open

Sure enough; my Etsy shop is now open and even has a few products for sale! I hope to be adding more very soon - go ahead, hop on over and take a look: Whimsey Cards.

Here are some recent cards I created - this first set is a package of 4 note cards - all about "express yourself" from Verve Visual. I embossed the shoe and purse two times each using BG's Lemonade DP; the polka dot style paper is from the same DP.

Each shoe and purse was hand cut and layered onto a white circle and pink scalloped circle made with nestability dies. I so love my nestability dies! And seriously - is that shoe and that purse not the most adorable image evah?? Both the shoe and purse were stamped in black and embossed with black detail embossing powder.

All 4 post cards sell together wrapped in a pretty pink bow. Such a fun set - and each sentiment per post card is different, they say: "In shoes, I'm a perfect size 6", "express yourself", "you've got style", and "Who needs therapy when you have shoes?" - aren't those just the cutest sentiments?

My next card uses a stamp set I absolutely adore - On My Couch & On My Couch Additions by Lisa Johnson for Papertreyink. Two super fun sets and I had a blast making this card. I made my own background paper using 3 sentiments from the set as well as a pillow.

Seriously, is that couch not just the most adorable thing? Makes you want to sink in and rest for a bit! I've been sick this week, so I'm ready to 'hit the couch' myself!

I used VersaMagic Dew Drops for the blue in this card - I didn't have any blue cardstock to match, so I made my own background paper by stamping 3 sentiments randomly - ""Let's Chat!", "need a couch day", and "Time to relax!"; the I stamped the small pillow in brown throughout the background paper.

The inside of the card says "time to relax!". The couch and rug are certainly the focal point of this card; everything else is very simple. I did create some embossed lines around the main image - adds a nice little touch.

Tough to tell from the picture, but the colors are Dark Chocolate, White and accents of the beautiful blue.

Thanks for looking; I hope you have a great weekend! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Express Yourself, PTI On My Couch
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Chocolate Chip, VersaMagic Dew Drops
Paper: PTI's Dark Chocolate, White, Hibiscus Burst, SU! Pixie Pink, Basic Grey Lemonade
Accessories: Nestability Dies, wet & dry embossing

Happy Birthday to You - Sweet Sunday Sketch Style

Greetings friends, we made it through another week! Today was nuts - we started our first meeting at 7:30 a.m. and finished 4 different meetings at 1:00 p.m. - only potty breaks here and there. My brain was fried after that. LOL



So glad it's Friday!

I started this card last night using The Sweetest Things Sunday Sketch (SSSC34); I've never participated in Karen's sketches before, but I really enjoyed this one. She hosts a sketch ever Sunday - stop by and join in sometime - you'll be glad you did!!

I used Verve's Because of You stamp set - I so love this image but had never gotten it inky...until Thursday night! It's so hard to see in the photographs, but I used VersaMagic Dew Drops and they have such a beautiful shimmer! And don't miss out - Eclectic Paper has ALL VersaMagic Dew Drops 35% off - cost is $1.55/each - a total steal!!!

I stamped this image 3 times using VersaMagic Dew Drops in Wheat, Persimmon and Mango Madness - I LOVE the way they turned out. The shape of the pads makes it so easy to get the colors right where you want them! I also sponged around the image with the same colors and then along the bottom I used VersaMagic Sage for a bit of green. I also used a clear Spica glitter pen on the very tips of each flower; just love using that pen to add sparkle - looks great IRL!

The background papers are from Basic Grey's Porcelain 6x6 pad. The card is 5.5" x 5.5" - my first ever. :D I don't have many envelopes in the various sizes, but I had a few and decided to venture out and actually USE them rather than collect them. Yeah, I'm bad about that!!

I stamped the same image on the cream envelope twice using the same colors.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a great weekend!! Hugs, ~M.

eclectic Paperie

WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Because of You, PTI Damask Designs
Ink: VersaMagic Dew Drops in Wheat, Sage, Persimmon and Mango Madness
Paper: PTI's Lemon Tart, SU! Pumpkin Spice, Basic Grey's Procelain DP
Accessories: EK Success Border Punch, sponging, Spica Glitter Pen

SASI - challenges

Cuppie turned 1 this weekend - you can read all about it HERE. Taylor and her team filled the day with challenges, every single hour a new challenge was issued. I haven't played in all of them, but I did get a few in this weekend!

This first card was for challenge #6 by Laura - a sketch challenge. Yes, you know how much I love sketches. My youngest daughter is convinced that I do not create anything without a sketch - LOL! I made 2 cards this weekend and didn't have a sketch for either - she'll be SO PROUD of me!

I think this image is simply adorable - it's from Whipper Snapper called "A Hug for Ike". All paper was left over from last year's Christmas season; the Dark Chocolate was embossed with the Cuttlebug embossing folder, Snow Dots, and highlighted with White Snow ink from PTI. Ike and his friend were colored with Copics and also watercolor pencils - don't you just want to give them a squeeze?

The next card I created was a combo submission for Taylor's #1 inspiration challenge and Karen's #2 sketch challenge. I love the bright, fun and funky patterns in Taylor's inspiration challenge and the simple layout of Karen's sketch made these birthday cards a treat!

The cupcake is from Unity's "Sweet Yummy Cupcakes" set; such great cupcakes in this set and Taylor LOVES cupcakes, so it was a home run all the way. :D

I kept the coloring extra simple using a clear Spica glitter pen for the black wrapper and the pink swirls on the wrapper; the orange dots are done with a souffle pen so it's a 3D effect. Looks so cool IRL.

Hopefully you can see the sparkle in this close up photo. (Dont' forget, you can click on any image to see a larger version). The bright paper is another snippet from the Junkitz Salsa collection - such great paper. Again, I'm trying to use up my DP before it takes over the craft room..and YOU think I'm joking!

Thanks for stopping by; I love when you pop in! Hope you have a great week! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Whipper Snapper A Hug for Ike; Unity Sweet Yummy Cupcakes
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black & Rich Cocoa
Paper: PTI's Hibiscus Burst, GKD's 80 lb. Pure Luxury White, Junkitz Salsa, Bo Bunny DP
Accessories: nestability dies, Copics, Spica Glitter Pens, SU! Water color pencils, cuttlebug Snow Dots embossing folder

Butterfly Note Cards

Greetings friends! How's your Labor Day weekend going? We're enjoying ours - it's been a nice, laid back, relaxing weekend! Still have plenty of laundry to do (YUCK!!), but I'm taking my time!

Today I have some note cards to show you - anyone that has been reading my blog for long, knows I love making note cards - more like a post card - just front and back, they don't open. I needed some quick and easy cards for a friend so I tore into some of my new My Mind's Eye (Pretty Please) paper (another one of my favorites); used Stampin' Up's Butterfly Bigz Die and went to town and made these in a snap!

Isn't that butterfly pretty? I edged the butterfly in PTI's Hibiscus Burst to give it a little definition and attached just the center of the butterfly with a glue dot so you can raise the wings making it 3D - so dainty and pretty.

Here is one of the individual cards I made; nothing fancy, but quick and easy. And here are the 4 I made, all in less than 30 minutes - WOOT, WOOT - love that!! :D

Thanks for popping in; hope you have a great weekend!!

Hugs, ~M.




WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: NONE!
Ink: PTI's Hibiscus Burst
Paper: PTI's Hibiscus Burst, GKD's 80 lb. Pure Luxury White, MME Pretty Please
Accessories: nestability dies, SU! Butterfly Bigz Die

Forever in Our Hearts

It's the weekend - woo hoo!!! I'm ready for the weekend; I haven't been sleeping well for 2 weeks, so I'm really looking forward to the extra day off!

I had a friend request a couple of sympathy cards so I used sketch challenge #240 from SCS; such a great layout. I used paper from Basic Grey's Porcelain pack - oh I love that paper; so soft and pretty! The chocolate circle has the foliage from "Forever in Our Hearts" embossed with clear embossing powder - kind of hard to see in the photo, but I love the way it looks!

The main DP has some brighter pinkish/orange in it, so the main "card" portion is PTI's Berry Sorbet, the rest is PTI's Dark Chocolate & Sweet Blush.

I once again used my favorite punch on the inside - Martha Stewart's Arch Lattice.

I hope you have a great weekend and thanks for popping in! Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Forever in Our Hearts
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Various VersaMagic Inks
Paper: Basic Grey Porcelain, PTI Sweet Blush, Dark Chocolate & Berry Sorbet
Accessories: embossing powder, nestability dies

We Can't Wait to Meet You!

Greetings friends! I had a friend request a baby card for expectant parents of a little girl. I used Taylor's sketch (TESC80) for the layout.

I used Verve Visual's "Practically Perfect" stamp set - isn't this little bunny adorable?? I colored her with Copics and then used the Colorless Blender to give her a furry kind of look...how did I do?

I added clear glitter to her necklace, bow and the swirls around her. The paper is from Hobby Lobby - trying to use up my scraps before my scraps take over my craft room. LOL

The image is stamped and layered using Nestability Dies; I added 1 button from my stash and 2 buttons from Papertreyink. Notice, I left my buttons NAY-KED, are you okay with that? Our middle daughter agreed they looked okay! :D

The outside says "A baby is a bit of stardust blown from the hand of God"; the inside says "Congrats" and in the lower right-hand corner, "We can't wait to meet you."

Such a fun card to make; I hope the parents enjoy it - maybe they'll put it in her baby book!

Thanks for popping in; I hope you're having a great week. Hugs, ~M.



WHAT'S IT TAKE?
Stamps: Verve Visual Practically Perfect
Ink: PTI Scarlet Jewel, Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: DP from Hobby Lobby, PTI Hibiscus Burst & Scarlet Jewel
Accessories: ribbon, buttons, Copics, nestability dies, spica atyou glitter pen