Red, White & Green

I've been trying to get some card sets made up in preparation for the Art in the Park event in a couple of weeks and this week's Just Us Girls challenge to use red, green and white came along at just the right time to help me out.  In my Christmas stash I found some red, green and white Pebbles stickers so I paired them with the sentiments from PTI's Tremendous Treats and some Nestabilities to make a cute set of coordinating cards.  I even had two sets of the stickers so there's 2 sets of cards done and dusted!

I spent the afternoon hanging out with Franklin.  He's moved out of the sleepy puppy phase into the manic toddler phase!  And he's getting so big! 

Peace Love Joy

Today I finally pulled out my Christmas paper stash.  For someone who doesn't use much patterned paper, it's a pretty big ol' pile o' stuff!  After much fussing and hemming and hawing I managed to use two different pieces of patterned paper on my card!  (Pausing to receive pats on the back...)  At this rate I might use it all up before I start collecting a pension!  :)  Anyway I used it to create a card for A Passion for Papertrey's Christmas challenge.  I used the Christmas Tree die and a sentiment from Stylish Sentiments: Holidays.  I also broke out my long neglected Distress Inks and used Vintage Photo on the edges of the kraft cardstock and Peeled Paint on the tree.   I really must remember to use them more often... 
Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow with a set of Christmas cards.  I'm working in the morning and puppy sitting in the afternoon so it'll be  busy one!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Kraft) PTI,  (Pear Pizzazz) Stampin' Up
Patterned Paper:  (Forever Christmas Cards Paper Stack) HOTP
Stamps:  (Sentiment from Stylish Sentiments: Holidays) PTI
Inks:  (Vintage Photo & Peeled Paint Distress Inks) Ranger
Dies:  (Christmas Tree) PTI, (Star from Die-Namics Stacking Stars) MFT
Glitter:  (Goldenrod & Xmas Red Stickles) Ranger     

Harvest Berry Thank You

***This is my 2nd post of the day.  Please click here for my Tuesday Trigger/4 Crafty Chicks post!***

The solar lights are set up (way easier than I expected), the dogs are swum and dinner is on the stove!  Luis is feeding the hounds while I type this up and then they are sure to conk out.  Tired dogs = peaceful evening.  :)  

The card is my entry for The Colour Throwdown.  I got the Harvest Berries stamps and dies in my last PTI order and am finally putting them to use after seeing them everywhere.  They really are pretty versatile.  Hoe you all had a lovely weekend!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Cream) Pacon, (Basic Grey, So Saffron) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Leaves from Harvest Berries, Label and sentiment from Mat Stack 1 Collection) PTI
Ink:  (Basic Grey, Riding Hood Red, So Saffron) Stampin' Up
Die:  (Harvest Berries, Mat Stack 1) PTI    

Lollipop Trees

I love this Unity birds and trees stamp.  It's the reason I bought this set.  It immediately came to mind when I saw the picture for this week's Tuesday Trigger at the Moxie Fab World.  How awesome is that bag?  Love those little lollipop trees all over it!  I'm also going to enter this card over at 4 Crafty Chicks for their paper piecing challenge.
   
I'm hoping to get in some more crafty time later today but first Luis and I are going to put in some solar lights along the driveway and then take the hounds for a swim.  Enjoy your day!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill Basics, (Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Trees from April 2009 KOM - Fresh Beginnings) Unity Stamp Co, (Sentiment from Mat Stack 3 Collection) PTI
Ink:  (VersaMark, VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Die:  (Nestabilities Labels Ten) Spellbinders

Embossing Powder:  (Seafoam White) Ranger   

Blog Candy Winner!

Okay, as you can see above, Random.org is not cooperating with me today.  The Result number showed up when I was writing this post but when I went to preview it the result was blank.  Huh?  I'm assuming it's going to stay blank when I post this so you're going to have to trust me when I say that the winner is #16!

Congratulations to Robin from Bosenberries!  Please send your snail mail address to LilJen1 at northrock dot bm and I'll get these in the mail to you!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Mix It Up!

***This is my 2nd post for the day.  Please click here for my Friends With Flair/Paper Players post!***

I thought I'd have time to post this after I got home from work but I just realised that one of the challenges closes in only 4 hours!  This card is for the Wee Memories Birthdays & Parties challenge and also for the Use It Tuesdays cooking challenge. I love the Cosmo Cricket Early Bird and Garden Variety collections and have been hoarding them for ages now.  I also have a million Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type stickers that I use very sparingly.  I really don't know what I think I'm saving all this stuff for. I'm sure all my stash would be much happier to find itself on a card than collecting dust in the Craft Cave.  Thanks, Use It Tuesday for kicking my butt into gear and getting me to put this stuff to use!  Okay, really gotta dash now - back later with the blog candy!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Real Red) Stampin' Up

Patterned Paper:  (Sunday Picnic from Garden Variety collection, Image from Early Bird collection) Cosmo CricketStickers:  (Tiny Type) Cosmo Cricket

Dotty Tree

Happy Friday, everyone!  Friday means it's Friends With Flair day over at Unity and it also means it's deadline day for the latest Paper Players challenge.  I've used Unity stamps and the Paper Players' colours for my card as well as some Nestie and impression plate action.  
I'll be back later with another card and also the winner of the blog candy!  For now though it's off to work.  Hopefully it will be a better day than yesterday which started off with an excited Great Dane peeing all over my leg!  The joys of working with animals!  :)




Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill Basics, (Almost Artichoke) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Tree from Gingham Christmas Greetings by Ippity, Sentiment from Christmas Bough) Unity Stamp Co
Ink:  (Riding Hood Red, Almost Artichoke, River Rock) Stampin' Up
Die:  (Nestabilities Labels Ten) Spellbinders
Impression Plate:  (Polka Dot Basics II) PTI
Gem:  Doodlebug

Hang in There Tag

***This is my second post of the day.  Please click here for my Lawnscaping / Simon Says Stamp post.***

Back with one more card for today and this one is a Triple Threat.  I wanted to make a card for the Pay It Forward Challenge at the Moxie Fab World - specifically one for National Day of Encouragement.  I paired the theme with the colours from the Lily Pad Palette Challenge and the tag made it eligible for CAS-ual Fridays Tag You're It Challenge.  Off to get lunch and stuff ready for tomorrow.  It's my long day at work and I'm going to take Franklin for a walk on my lunch break.  Busy busy! 

Supplies Used:

Cardstock:  (White, Yellow) Bazzill Basics, (Tempting Turquoise) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Sun from July 2009 KOM - A Pocket Full of..., Sentiment) Unity Stamp Co
Ink:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko, (Riding Hood Red) Stampin' Up
Die:  (XL Rickrack Border) PTI
Eyelet:  We R Memory Keepers

Twine:  (Maraschino) The Twinery

Banner Thanks

I was back to puppy sitting for Franklin today so I didn't get much time in the Craft Cave.  I haven't played along with any Lawnscaping challenges in a while but I recently got the Quinn's ABC's set which I love and thought I'd put to use. The challenge this week is Thanks and at Simon Says Stamp the challenge is Thanksgiving/Thanks so I thought I'd enter this over there as well.  Please forgive the rather appalling photo.  Didn't realise just how bad it was until right now!  Ack!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  Bazzill Basics
Stamps:  (Birds from Bannerific, Letters from Quinn's ABC's) Lawn Fawn
Ink:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Twine:  (Stone) The Twinery
Other:  Glossy Accents

Colour Issues!

I'm taking part in an Art in the Park event in a couple of weeks as well as trying to finish up an order for a lady who wants two sets of 36 cards (all different!) for her daughters for Christmas.  So, not much time spent on challenges today but I did manage to complete an entry for the Play Date Cafe. My orange is a lot darker than the orange on the colour picture but I'm going to blame that on my printer.  I think I've mentioned that my computer is at the other end of the house from the Craft Cave.  So, for challenges, I print out the colours or sketches or what have you and take them with me to work from.  My printed copy of this week's colours showed a rust colour - hence my use of Cajun Craze on my card.  I should have learned my lesson after last week's PDC debacle.  I printed my colour picture and made a card that I was really pleased with and excited to enter.  I gleefully wrote my post and added my pictures and then added the PDC colours.  That's when I realised I had a problem.  Last week's grey, pink and yellow came out from my printer as grey, pink and green!  Doh!!!  It wasn't until I was writing the post that I realised the error.  In future I really have got to remember to double check what my printer spits out!
And, Katie, if you're reading this, please send me your e-mail address as I have been unable to respond to your comment!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Cajun Craze) Stampin' Up, (White, Black) Pacon
Stamps:  (Tree & sentiment from Funky Foliage) WPlus9
Inks:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko, (Cajun Craze) Stampin' Up

Sunshine Love

There's an awful lot of pink and purple going on in Market Street Stamps' Paint the Town Colour Challenge.  Between the colours and the inspiration photo all I could think of was flowers.  However, I have no MSS flowers.  I have a number of their background stamps but only one set of stamps. (Note to self:  Remedy this situation!)  So working with the Here Comes the Sun background and the Hippie Chic set I came up with this.  Funnily enough, when I then went over to the MSS blog I found that Sarah had created a card with the same two stamp sets!  Go figure...


Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Pale Pink Bazzill Basics, (Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Elegant Eggplant) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Here Comes the Sun background, Sentiment from Hippie Chic) Market Street Stamps
Inks:  (Blushing Bride, Certainly Celery) Stampin' Up
Die:  (Skittle De Do alphabet) Sizzix

Graphic Tree and Blog Candy

Happy Sunday!  It was a gorgeous, cool day today! After the nasty humidity of the last few days (thanks to Tropical Storm Sean) it has finally dropped and cooled off.  Ahhh!  I'll be breaking out the flannel PJs tonight!  I just love to snuggle up in those...  
I managed to get a few cards done this afternoon.  This one is for A Passion for Papertrey's colour challenge.  Be sure to go and check out the DT's fabulous creations!  My photo is a bit dark but if you look closely you can see I used the houndstooth background stamp on the chocolate card.  The rest of the stamps are from last year's Merry and Bright set.  I was inspired by Cristina's graphic tree cards like this one and this one.  Aren't they fabulous?    


I believe that the other day I promised some blog candy so I'd better get to it!  My blogoversary is not until December 21st.  However, it was around the beginning of November 2010 that I really started discovering this whole crafty blog world.  I did a lot of shy blog stalking to begin with before I finally left a comment on Lynn's blog.  Then, because I was overwhelmed by the number of blogs out there and because I liked her style, I stalked her blog list and discovered a ton of other wonderful crafters.  I love the fabulous friends I've made in the last year and all I've learned from them.  So why am I offering blog candy a month early?  Well, because I have 6 sets of Woodware USA Christmas stamps to give away and I don't want to wait until the end of December to do it.

My first order did a disappearing act and the good folks at Woodware USA resent the order without hesitation and even added in a few ink pads as well.  And then wouldn't you know it, both orders eventually turned up.  So I have 2 sets of these super cute stamps - including the adorable tipsy tree seen here that helped me earn my first TGIF Club win at CAS-ual Fridays!  I really want someone to be able to make use of them so I'm offering them up to my followers as an early blogoversary celebratory gift!  Just leave me a comment and I'll pick a winner on Friday.  Good luck!  

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill Basics, (Blushing Bride, Chocolate Chip) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Background from Background Basics: Houndstooth, All others from Merry & Bright) PTI
Inks:  (VersaMark)  Tsukineko, (Blushing Bride, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip) Stampin' Up

Die:  (Die-Namics Stacking Stars) MFT

Gems:  Doodlebug

Recipe for Flowers

***This is my second post for the day!  Please click here for my Friends With Flair/Colour Throwdown post!***

I think recipe challenges are right up there with sketch challenges for me - I really struggle with them!  Probably because I very rarely use patterned paper or ribbon and most recipe challenges include at least one.  This week's Paper Players challenge included 3 different patterned papers, 2 ribbons, at least one punch and a sprinkling of glitter.  Seriously??  I was going to just let the challenge pass me by but then late this afternoon I had an attack of determination and decided to give it a go.  So here's my effort and it actually wasn't as painful a process as I had expected it to be.  I used Stampin' Up patterned paper for the punched flowers and each is centered with a touch of Stickles.  The brown ribbon is SU but the origin of the green ribbon is a mystery.

Off to bed for me now as I have to work tomorrow.  I'm trying to get some blog candy organised this weekend so watch this space!  Nighty night!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Sahara Sand) Stampin' Up

Patterned Paper:  (Patterns Pack III & Designer Series In Colour)  Stampin' UpStamps:  (Cane background) Market Street Stamps, (Sentiment from Mat Stack 3 Collection) PTI
Ink:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko, (Sahara Sand) Stampin Up
Punch:  (Flower)  EK Success

Ribbon:  (Brown) Stampin Up, (Green) Craft supply

Glitter:  (Cotton Candy, Candy Cane & Purple Stickles) Ranger

Copics:  R20, RV13, R59

Birthday Bird

Today's holiday has completely thrown me off.  I've been thinking all day that it's Saturday and then realised nope, it's Friday so I have to post my Friends With Flair entry over at Unity.  I used the colours from the Colour Throwdown, a new (to me) Ippity stamp and a Unity stamp.  I'm being ordered off the computer now as it's time to walk the dogs but I'll be back with another post later!  
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill Basics, (Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Bird from Sing a New Song) Ippity, (Sentiment) Unity
Ink:  (VersaMark Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Impression Plate:  (Linen) PTI
Dies:  (Nestabilities Classic Circles Large) Spellbinders
Punch:  (1" circle)  EK Success
Gems:  Doodlebug

Chair Friends

I didn't think I'd make it with an entry for the latest Embellish challenge but I am squeaking in on the last day.  I used PTI's chair dies as well as a rectangle Nestie for this die cuts challenge.  It's my first time using these PTI sets and I love those little pillows.  
Keeping it short as it was a looong day at work today.  I am knackered and since we've had so much rain lately I am going to treat myself to a hot bath!  Ahhhh bliss!






Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Kraft) PTI, (Garden Green, Wisteria Wonder) Stampin' Up, (Ivory) Pacon
Stamps:  (Sentiment and pillows from On My Couch and  couch from On My Couch Additions) PTIInks:  (Early Espresso, Garden Green, Wisteria Wonder) Stampin' Up
Dies:  (Couch) PTI, (Nestabilities Long Classic Rectangle Large) Spellbinders
Gems:  Doodlebug
Copic:  G17

Off The Edge

***This is my second post for the day.  Please click here to see my Create post!***

How cute is this tipsy little Christmas tree?  Clearly he's been testing out the drinks from some of my recent cards!  :)  I thought he was perfect for the CAS-ual Fridays Off The Edge challenge.  I never hang things off the edge of my cards although I admire it when other people do it.   I think it's because I'm afraid that whatever it is will be get crumpled.  I paper pieced this tree onto two layers of card though so hopefully the top of it will be sturdy enough to survive a trip through the mail!  

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White, Brown, Red) Bazzill Basics
Stamps:  (Tree and Sentiment) Woodware USA, (Squiggle from October 2011 KOM - Faith, Hope, Love...Live By It) Unity Stamp Co
Inks:  (VersaFine Onyx Black)  Tsukineko, (Riding Hood Red, Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso) Stampin' Up

Ribbon Tree

I finally had a day at home today after spending the last couple of days at my friend's house looking after Franklin.  I had hoped to spend all day in the Craft Cave but between workers being at the house (replacing our balcony which was on the verge of collapse) and Luis being at home this week with strained muscles in his back, I didn't get that much done. Luis has been home all week and is bored to tears and so, of course, is driving me mad!  I love him dearly but sick/injured men are really almost too much to handle!
Anyway I did manage to get a card made for the Create challenge to incorporate wood on your card.  I got a little casurina twig from outside, tied several green ribbon and fibre scraps to it and viola - a Christmas tree!  It's kind of a Charlie Brown scrawny type of tree but I like it.  :)
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Kraft) Gina K, (Yellow)  Bazzill Basics
Stamps:  (Holiday Background) Hero Arts, (Sentiment from Holiday Tree) PTI
Inks:  (VersaFine Onyx Black)  Tsukineko
Dies:  (Die-Namics Stacking Stars) MFT, (Banner) PTI
Ribbon:  Craft Supply
Twig:  The Great Outdoors!