Happy Mother's Day

Here's wishing my Mom and Mother-in-law a very Happy Mother's Day! 

It's holidays like these that I wish I could be closer to home. To show each of them that I am thinking of them, I sent a unique pop-up greeting card. Using the card-in-a-box fold, I filled it with tulips and butterflies. Love how it turned out! 

I am entering this card in the theme challenge over at The Pink Elephant. 

"Mother's Day" 

To all the mothers and mothers-to-be, have a Happy Mother's Day! 

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP (ret.), Retro Fresh DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Tools: Bird Builder punch, Beautiful Wings embosslit die, Scallop Border punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch
Accessories: Rhinestones (Michael's)

A Multi-Layered Birthday Card

Happy First Day of Spring!

For today's KCRR challenge we have a versatile selection of elements:

Lucky Limeade

Birthday

Decorate Inside of Card

I decided to pair this challenge with a couple others. The Pink Elephant has a recipe challenge this week which happened to work quite well with what I had in mind! 

Lots of Layers

Ribbon

Pinch of Green 

And the Shabby Tea Room has a simple theme challenge this week:

'Anything Goes'

I combined all three challenges to make this multi-layered, bright and cheery birthday card:

I love the layered look in this card. After sketching out my design, I combined embossed cardstock, designer paper, punched out shapes and stamped images to make this fun layout.  The new Decorative Dots embossing folder adds the perfect texture to this card. I embellished the card with Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, bakers twine and a rhinestone on the cupcake. 

I kept it simple on the inside of the card and simply layered a scalloped edge border and striped designer paper. 

Thanks for stopping by! Hope it's starting to feel like Spring wherever you are! 

Make sure to hop on over to Karly's Creations to see what she has created with these 3 elements! I've seen her card and it's absolutely gorgeous! 

Join us tomorrow for a new inspirational photo challenge! 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Create a Cupcake

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP, Polka Dot Parade DSP, 2010-2012 In-Colour DSP, Brights DSP

Ink: Early Espresso

Tools: Scallop Squares nestabilities, Cupcake Builder punch, Banner punch

Accessories: Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, Early Espresso bakers twine, Rhinestone (Michael's)

Inspired By... a Vibrant Colour Combo!

Hello again! 

Welcome to a new inspirational photo challenge! This week was Karly's pick and she chose a bright and cheerful colour combo:

IB #38

To be honest, it was quite challenging for me to figure out how to put these 5 colours together on one card. I would have never thought of putting these colours together! But, after choosing a sketch, it came together so nicely. Deconstructed Sketch had a great sketch this week:

And The Paper Players had a simple theme challenge:

Combine all three of these challenge together and this is what I came up with:

In the end, I absolutely love how it turned out! These colours actually look fabulous together! 

Thanks for stopping by! Drop by Karly's Creations to see how this photo inspired her! 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Hello Again (ret.), Enjoy Every Moment (ret.)

Paper: Pool Party, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, 2013-2015 In-Colour DSP, Brights DSP

Ink: Staz On Black, Real Red, Baked Brown Sugar

Tools: Circles nestabiltiies, Scallop Circles nestabilities, Square Lattice embossing folder

Accessories: Baked Brown Sugar ruffled stretch trim, Real Red candy dots

Inspired By... a Snazzy Outfit!

Happy Friday!

Today is especially happy as I have a new niece! She was born last night and is a healthy bundle of joy!

And...we are back with a new inspirational photo challenge!

This week's photo came from Pinterest (what a great place to look for inspiration!)

I love the colours in this outfit! The pop of aqua blue-green against the yellow looks fabulous! I decided to combine this challenge with an older Deconstructed Sketch that caught my eye:

 

I love the layers in this sketch and thought it would work out well for the colours I pulled from the photo above. I decided to use Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, and Sahara Sand to make a bright and cheerful birthday card!

 

I added some texture to the card by embossing the piece of Bermuda Bay cardstock with the Square Lattice embossing folder. The central image is a simple vase with flowers from the Bright Blossoms stamp set that I recently added to my stamp collection. To embellish the card, I added 3 small rhinestones in one corner and a bright yellow button with some bakers twine in the other.

 

 

Thanks for visiting! Make sure to stop by Karly's Creations to see how this photo inspired her!

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Family Reunion
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, 2012-2013 In-Colour DSP
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral
Tools: Square Lattice embossing folder, Circles nestabilities, corner rounder punch
Accessories: Daffodil Delight button, white bakers twine (CTMH), rhinestones (Michael's)

KCRR #30 - Happy Birthday Cupcake!

Last night I started another session of Zumba. It has been a while since I've had a good workout! One thing the instructor told us is that "there are no mistakes in Zumba, just unexpected solos" :) I thought this was quite funny, because I'm sure I'm one of those unexpected solos in some of the routines! In any case, it's still a lot of fun!

We introduce a new KCRR challenge today!

The items that were randomly chosen are:

Patterned Occasions Stamp Set

Pumpkin Pie

Pool Party

Patterned Occasions is a stamp set I use quite often, however I tend to use only one or two of the stamps in the set. This time I used the cupcake and made a colourful birthday card using the sketch from The Sweet Stop challenge this week.

A sketch with lots of layers - I like it! I chose Island Indigo and Daffodil Delight to go with the Pumpkin Pie and Pool Party colours. It makes for a fun colour combo, I think!

Thanks for stopping by! Hop on over to Karly's Creations to see how she used these elements in her card!

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Patterned Occasions
Paper: Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Ink: Island Indigot
Tools: Circles Nestabilities, Scallop Border punch, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder

Freestyle Collage

It's been an uneventful weekend, but it was so nice to relax and just hang out at home. Here's hoping this work week flies by! We look forward to a visit with my sister and her husband. They fly in on Thursday - can't wait!

For today's card, I'm going to share one that I made a couple weeks ago. It's a birthday card that was inspired by a design I saw in the latest Papercrafts Magazine. In this issue they described a cardmaking technique called freestyle collage. I absolutely love this type of design/technique. You simply gather all types of patterned paper, die-cuts, stamped images, and embellishments and piece them together in an asymmetrical way.

Here's what I came up with:

 

 

 

Hope you also feel inspired to try out the freestyle collage technique. Thanks for visiting!

 

Card Ingredients:

 

Stamps: Memorable Moments, Blooming Marvelous

Paper: Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Whisper White, In-Colour 2012-2013 DSP, Attic Boutique DSP

Ink: Island Indigo, Pool Party

Tools: Delicate Doilies Sizzlit Die, Beautiful Wings Sizzlit Die

Accessories: Pool Party buttons, Island Indigo bakers twine, Rhinestones (Michael's)



 

Clean and Simple Birthday Card

It's Wednesday, which means we're half-way through the work week and that much closer to the weekend! Looking forward to seeing my hubby again! Yesterday, I did not have the greatest start to my day... I was late for work and realized I forgot my lunch when I got to work. Ugh. However, one highlight to my day... I was chosen as a 'Perfect Princess' at Freshly Made Sketches! To see my original post, click here.

For today's card, I decided to play along with the new Retrosketches challenge and a colour combo challenge with Colour Q. It's a fabulous clean and simple sketch this week and the colours are so soft and subtle - these two challenges worked so well together!

As a bonus, I realized as I was making the card that this would also fit perfectly with the Pink Elephant challenge this week.

 

Our challenge theme this week is to:

"Use 3 Decorative Papers & Your Favorite Embellishment"

 

I actually used 6 decorative papers in my card and one of my favourite embellishments - bakers twine. Here's how it turned out:

 

 

 

Thanks for looking! 

 

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Fabulous Phrases

Paper: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Neutrals DSP, Summer Smooches DSP, 2010-2012 In-Colour DSP, 2011-2013 In-Colour DSP, Comfort Cafe DSP

Ink: Soft Suede

Tools: Owl Builder punch

Accessories: Early Espresso Bakers Twine

Inspired By... a Tulip Field!

Oh how I love weekends! Had a great 9 hr sleep :) Last night I enjoyed a dinner out at Earl's with my hubby. I had Chicken and Field Mushroom Fettucini and Kevin had Dungeness Crab and Asparagus Linguini. They were both delicious! I actually finished my plate! Usually I take home a 'doggy bag', but it was just too yummy :) We went over our trip plans together and we're getting more and more excited about it. It's only 3 months away! I have a feeling it's going to fly by!

Today is supposed to be a gorgeous day! We're expecting a bit warmer weather and sunshine! Hoping to go for a walk later today.

Now for a new challenge....

It was my pick this week and I chose a beautiful photo of tulip fields. This picture was taken by my brother when he was in Holland a number of years ago. I had the opportunity to go to Holland when I was 15 with my parents and my younger sister. It was a fun experience! We didn't get to tour around too much because we had so many relatives to visit, but we still got to see the typical Dutch windmills and cobblestone streets. I would love to go back there again someday, especially when the tulips are blooming!

IB #8

I knew exactly how I was going to incorporate these tulips into my card. I picked an older sketch from Sweet Sunday Sketches and chose the colours that I saw in the photo: Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight. What a fantastic colour combo! Here's what I came up with:

 

I love how it turned out! I created tulips using punch art. The tulip flower is made from three punched-out wings from the Bird Builder punch. They are the perfect shape for a tulip! I free-hand cut the stems and the leaves are also from the Bird Builder punch. A strip of Tangerine Tango designer paper from the Summer Smooches collection covers the bottom half of the card.  I added some detail by creating a scalloped edge border with an embossed stitch design.

 



 

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to visit Karly's Creations to see how this photo inspired her!

Just a reminder....

Card Ingredients:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry
Tools: Bird Builder punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, Scallop Border punch, Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder

A Perfect Sketch and a Fabulous Colour Combo

The past few nights have been quite cold in PG, making it take a little longer to warm up during the day. It doesn't feel like Spring is on it's way... I guess, technically, the first day of Spring isn't until March 20th. But, now is the time of year I get cabin fever and really want the seasons to change. I look forward to the snow melting, flowers blooming, opening windows to let the smell of fresh spring air fill the apartment, warmer nights for going on walks... ahh I can't wait!

Today's card combines a perfect sketch challenge from Deconstructed Jen and a fantastic colour combo from Colour Q.

 

I just LOVE this colour combo. I think the colours coordinate so well together. And the sketch is a perfect example of a combination of clean and simple with layers. Here's what I came up with:

 

I love how clean and simple this card is. I added detail by using different patterned designer paper and embossed cardstock. I wanted to deviate away from creating another birthday card, so I chose a fun sentiment from the Stampin Up 'Word Play' stamp set. I simply stamped it in Cherry Cobbler ink, punched it out with the Extra Large Oval punch and sponged the edges. I added rhinestones to complete the card.

 

 



Thanks for stopping by!

 

Card Ingredients:

 

Stamps: Word Play

Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, 2011-2013 In-Colour DSP, Regals DSP, Floral District DSP

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Tools: Extra Large Oval punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Accessories: Rhinestones (Michael's)

Cute As a Bug!

What a beautiful Sunday it was! In the afternoon, Karly and I took our dogs for a walk. The sun was shining, we had a good chat and the dogs enjoyed a good run! Afterward, we played a couple games of cribbage. The rest of my day consisted of catching up on Grey's and papercrafting.

For today's card I played along with three card challenges: Dynamic Duos, Sweet Sunday Sketch, and Heart 2 Heart Challenges.

This colour combo is great for Spring, and it fits perfectly with the theme from H2H -- Spring Forward! This sketch is also a good one this week - I just love the layout!

This is the first time I'm participating in the Heart 2 Heart challenge, as well as the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge. I discovered Sweet Sunday Sketch blog a little while ago and just love the sketches! I came across the Heart 2 Heart Challenge blog just yesterday and while I just started my Close to My Heart products collection, I hope to play along with more challenges in the future! 



While I was crafting last night, I wanted to try out one of the new stamp sets that I got from Close to My Heart. The one I used for this card is called "Bugs and Hugs" (even the name is cute!) I thought it would be perfect for a Spring card! Garden Green is generally not a colour I tend to turn to, but I happen to have the ink and designer paper for this colour - fancy that!  Here's what I came up with:

 

 

Everything came together so nicely in this card! As you can see, I spent time fussy-cutting the grass and the bees. This has to be one of my favourite 'techniques'. I love how fussy cutting adds more detail to a card. I added polka dot designer paper from Stampin Up's Brights and Regals DSP collections for the background and striped DSP for the 'flagged' pieces. The bees and sentiment are popped up to give it some dimension. I added a button with linen thread to embellish the card.

 

 

 

 

Doesn't this make an adorable Spring card?!

 

Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment :)

 

Card Ingredients:

 

Stamps: Bugs & Hugs (CTMH)

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Garden Green, Brights DSP, Regals DSP

Ink: Garden Green, Basic Black, YoYo Yellow marker

Tools: Circles Nestabilities, Scallop Circles Nestabilities, 1" square punch

Accessories: Daffodil Delight button, Linen Thread