'Tis the Season

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last posted.  Just like everyone else I've been busy busy busy trying to get things done during this crazy time of year!  Also, most of last weekend was spent finishing up that 72 card special order and I was more than happy to finally hand it over on Tuesday!  Today I'm supposed to be doing some cleaning but instead I snuck off to the Craft Cave to get a little carding done.  So much more fun than vacuuming...  :)


Today's card is for 4 challenges.  The colours are taken from this week's Just Us Girls challenge which I had to play along with because my buddy Lynn is the hostess!  :)  (Hope it's okay that I snuck some yellow in there...)  My inspiration is from the photo collage at Jay Gee's Nook (in particular the gift bag in the lower left hand corner).  I also wanted to play along with the Inkspirations Christmas Creations Challenge as, sadly, this is their final challenge.  And last but certainly not least I'm joining in with Use It Tuesday's Holiday challenge.  I've had that poinsettia die in my stash for a few years now and I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've used it.  That music background also had quite the layer of dust on it when I pulled it out too!  That's it for now.  Later, gators!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Pcaon, (Kraft) PTI, (Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Music Background) Hero Arts, Banner from Bannerific) Lawn Fawn, (Sentiment from Boughs and Bells) PTI
Inks:  (VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko
Die:  (Poinsettia) Marianne Design Creatables

Christmas Birdie

Hello hello!  Just popping in with my first of two posts today!  This card uses the colours from this week's Inkspirations challenge and as it's a Christmas card I'm entering over at the Create blog. I used the Hero Arts Magical Background on the card base to give it a bit of interest but kept everything else pretty simple with some paper piecing and a touch of bling.


I feel like I've been away from Blogland forever!  It's been a crazy few weeks with getting ready for Art in the Park, puppysitting for Franklin, extra shifts at work, naughty doggies and the beginning of all the holiday socialising - dinners, open houses, work parties...  It all seems to happen at once!  I've really missed playing with challenges and visiting everyone to see what they're up to and I'm working on catching up with everyone at the moment - so many gorgeous projects out there!  I've been so excited to come back to find a few challenge recognitions too!  Thanks to Lily Pad, Market Street Stamps, A Passion for Papertrey and Moxie Fab!  I also have a card published in the December issue of CARDS (my first pub!) and since it uses Unity stamps I received $25 and a free stamp set from them as part of their publication incentive program.  Not too shabby huh?  It's like Christmas has come early!  Off to do a bit more work but I'll be back later with another post and more catching up.   
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill Basics, (So Saffron, Rose Red, Wild Wasabi) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Bird with Holly, Magical Background) Hero Arts, (Sentiment from Pretty Phrases) Paper Smooches
Inks:  (VersaMark, VersaFine Onyx Black) Tsukineko, (Wild Wasabi) Stampin' Up
Gem:  Doodlebug
Copics:  Y21, R46, R85

Christmas Red Bird

I loved this Hero Arts stamp from the first time I saw it.  I mean, how cute is that little bird?  I thought it would go well with this week's Inkspirations colours so I finally inked it up.  I fussy cut the bird from Cherry Cobbler paper and put some Glossy Accents on him for some shine.  I also added some Stickles snow to the background which you can kind of see in the picture.  
Supplies Used:
Cardstock:   (Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler) Stampin' Up, (Cream) Craft Supply
Stamps:  (Image & Sentiment from Merriest Christmas Wishes set) Hero Arts
Ink:  (Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler) Stampin' Up
Dies:  (Nestabilities Labels 3) Spellbinders
Imression Plate:  (Sunshine) PTI
Other:  (Frosted Lace Stickles) Ranger, Glossy Accents

Embossing Powder Drama

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I am so glad that I'm feeling so much more productive this week!  Last week I had a headache that wouldn't quit and nothing was translating from my brain to paper.  It was so frustrating but thankfully I seem to be past that little hump.  Well, except for the fact that I spilled an entire container of white embossing powder today.  And I couldn't spill it somewhere simple like the middle of my desk.  Oh no.  It was all over the floor, in my shoes, in my surge protector - everywhere!!!  And the worst part is - it was my only container.  If I order some immediately I might receive it by the end of next week.  This is when living in Bermuda sucks.  Can't just pop out to Michael's or Hobbycraft for more supplies.  Gotta order it and wait.  And I'm not so good at waiting...

Enough whining and on to the card which is inspired by the colours at the Inkspirations challenge.  Rich Razzleberry and Chocolate Chip are some of my favourite SU colours so I was happy to put them together.  I'm finally inking up some PTI Christmas stamps. Unfortunately, although I ordered them at the beginning of last December, they didn't get to me until January so they've been collecting dust since then.  It's nice to finally put them to use.  :)    

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Snowflakes & mittens from Winter Swirls set and sentiment from Stocking Prints set) PTI
Ink:  (VersaMark) Tsukineko, (Rich Razzleberry) Stampin' Up

Embossing Powder:  (Seafoam White) Ranger
Dies:  (Nestabilities Blossoms Two)  Spellbinders
Impression Plate:  (Linen) PTI

Twine:  The Twinery

Brad:  Doodlebug

Dotty Tag

Inkspirations has a bright, bold colour challenge this week and it just screamed PTI's Dot Spot to me.  I decided to team it up with the latest A Passion for Papertrey challenge - Mad for Tags.  I really should be focusing on Christmas cards right now but I am just burning through birthday cards and never seem to have enough!  I think I mentioned before that I make cards for staff birthdays at work and this is for our newest vet.  When I first started working at the hospital 10 years ago Laura was a high school student helping out in the kennels.  Now she's all grown up and a qualified vet!  She's settled in at work really well and it's fun to get to know her again on a whole new level.  Even if it makes me feel old...  :)

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Bazzill, (Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie) Stampin' Up

Stamps:  (Sentiment from Little Bitty Bird, Images from Dot Spot) PTI

Inks:  (Melon Mambo, Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie) Stampin' Up
Punches:  (Tag) Woodware Craft Collection, (1/8" hole punch) McGill

Gems:  Doodlebug

Pen:  Sharpie

Dotty Birthday

Popping in with an entry for two challenges - this week's Inkspirations colour challenge and the Moxie Fab Vertical Sketch challenge.  I paired some Papertrey polka dots with some Purple Onion presents and did some paper piecing.  (How's that for some alliteration!)  I also finally got myself some seam binding so I coloured it with a Copic to match the Concord Crush.  Pretty handy stuff!  Have a good one!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock:  (White) Gina K Designs, (Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango) Stampin' Up
Stamps:  (Presents) Purple Onion Designs, (Sentiment) Paper Smooches, (Polka dots) Papertrey Ink

Ink:  (Onyx Black) VersaFine, (Tuxedo Black) Memento, (Tangerine Tango) Stampin' Up
Seam Binding:  Stampin' Up

Copics:  YR07, Y15, BV08

Die:  Papertrey Ink

Other:  Glossy Accents

Carbon Copied

I'm so excited today to be playing Carbon Copied with Karen Baker of The Bald Dragonfly!  It's a new feature that Karen has started where she and another Blogger use the same stamp set, the same challenge and post their results on the same day at the same time.  Karen was one of my earliest blog friends and has continued to be so generous and supportive with her comments and ideas.  And let's not forget that her cards are stunning! I found her thanks to Lynn Mangan of The Mango Boys and Me who just so happens to to have taken part in the inaugural Carbon Copied challenge with Karen last week.  Love all these bloggy connections!  

So Karen and I decided to take part in this week's colour challenge at Inkspirations and to use the Hello Noteblock stamp from Purple Onion Designs.  And here's my card.  Embossing, fussy cutting, pop dots and a few flowers.  Ahh!

Now hop over to Karen's blog and check out her creation!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Kraft) PTI, (Cajun Craze, Marina Mist, Very Vanilla) Stampin' Up

Stamps: (Hello Noteblock) Purple Onion Designs, (Large Canvas Stripes) Hero Arts

Ink: (VersaMark) Tsukineko

Dies: (Flowers) Cuttlebug

Birthday Wishes

After all that fabulous rain the last two days the water trucker turned up today to deliver the water we ordered 2 weeks ago!  Ah well, the tank is now almost full and if we're careful it should last us the rest of the summer.  It's still cloudy outside and I hear some thunder rumbling (Jem is sitting at the door barking at it).  Maybe more rain to come!

Supplies:  CS: SU & PTI; Stamps: Unity & PTI; Ink: VersaMark & SU; Embossing Powder: Ranger: Threat: DMC; Buttons: Craft stash

A simple colour blocked card for the Inkspirations colour challenge this week.  I used another uninked Unity stamp (from KOM Aug 2009) and a sentiment from PTI.  Off to try and get one more card done before Luis gets home!    

Inkspirations & Terrapins & Cats!

The challenge at Inkspirations this week is a colour challenge.  I've had extra work shifts this week so haven't had much time in the Craft Cave but managed to whip this up this afternoon.  I've had this Hero Arts stamp for a while but this is the first time I've inked it up.  I love those birdies and I have a few other ideas for them that I'll hopefully get to sooner rather than later!

A few interesting moments at work today.  We have a specialist from Boston who comes down a few times a year to do big orthopaedic surgeries.  (His name is Dr. Nick Trout and if you like animals and you like books then you should check out his book "Tell Me Where It Hurts").  Anyway a lady happened to turn up with a terrapin that had been run over by a car and the bottom half of his shell was split in half.  Since Dr. Trout was here he agreed to repair it.  The vet from the local aquarium and zoo came by to help get the little guy under anaethetic and then Dr. Trout, using pliers, heavy gage wire and Krazy Glue, patched him up!  Apparently it was his first terrapin surgery and despite taking ages to wake up the little guy came through just fine.

I also met a cat named Morris and thought I'd share a picture of him - all 22lbs of him!  There's a lot of Morris to love.  Amanda, the nurse in the picture with him, is barely a hundred pounds and she looks lost behind him!  LOL!  Never a dull moment at Endsmeet Animal Hospital!

Smile

Squeaking in at the last minute with an entry for the Inkspirations Colour Challenge.  

Supplies:  CS: SU, Bazzill; Stamps: Hero Arts, Paper Smooches;  IP: PTI; Other: Copics, Glossy Accents

Unfortunately my flower looks a lot more red than it does Melon Mambo.  I was trying to match it up with my Copics and it was pretty close but then I put Glossy Accents on it and it went really red!  I'm seriously considering getting some Stampin' Up markers so I can colour match a bit better.  Does anyone else have any?  Any opinions on them?  

Flowery Birthday

I put together a simple mini card for this week's Inkspirations Challenge.

Lovely spring colours which made me think of flowers.  I found these blue and pink flowers in a container on a high shelf that I had forgotten about - being 5 feet tall the things above my head get forgotten often!!  The brads are glittery ones from Doodlebug and the sentiment is from Hero Arts.  

Just finished a ball of game with the hounds and they are crashed out cooling off on the tile floor.  Jem must be dreaming that he's on a big hunt because he's letting out these little ruffs and is paddling away with his paws.  Too darn cute!  

Mother's Day Mouse

Surprise, surprise.  Guess who missed another challenge?  I really thought I was on the ball this week but I guess the whole Monday thing really threw me off.  *Sigh*  I had intended to enter the 4 Crafty Chicks sketch challenge but it's already closed.  Doh!  However, I also used the colour combo from Inkspirations Challenge #62 and I think I still have a few hours to spare before that one closes on me too!  :)   

Supplies: CS: SU Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Whisper White; Stamps: Papercraft Essentials Magazine, Elzybells, Hero Arts; Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Regal Rose; Other: Nesties Labels Four, Copics

This cute mouse stamp was a freebie with Papercraft Essentials magazine.  I love his big nose - it was calling out to be coloured pink!  I can't remember where those white flowers came from - WalMart maybe?  I found them in one of my ribbon containers.  Love finding little surprises in the Craft Cave!    

4 Crafty Chicks & Inkspirations

I've been making note of a lot of challenges for the last couple of weeks and not actually getting around to creating anything for them.  Part of the reason is I feel like I've been inundated with sketch challenges!  I find that I really struggle with them and tend to avoid them.  Colour and theme challenges are my favourites.  However, I decided to push myself today and combined this week's 4 Crafty Chicks colour challenge with the sketch challenge at Inkspirations.

Here's what I ended up with:   

Cardstock: SU Basic Grey, Pretty in Pink & Concord Crush; Stamp: Fiskars; Ink: VersaMark; Other: Ranger embossing powder, Basic Grey gems, Cuttlebug EF and PTI IP, Diamond Glaze

I'm not much of a pink girl usually (especially a pale pink) but I fought my anti-pink tendencies and went for it!  I embossed the pink cardstock with a Cuttlebug embossing folder, punched out purple circles to fill in some of the dots and then added Diamond Glaze to them.  I also added a DG border around the sentiment.  It's a start but I still have a long way to go with these sketch things.  I find I take them very literally and have to try and relax and let myself play with them a bit.  Guess I'll just have to make more cards to practice...  :)