Monopoly

Knowing somewhat of the real rules, making some up as we went, contracting out and building more hotels and houses than were there, and drawing bills upon bills, we'd stay up late playing for hours in the small room. Monopoly was fun when your oldest sister ruled the board (except when we all fought over who got to move the dog piece around and around).

Wow, what a beautiful combination of colors over at the Play Date Cafe Challenge. I went with an elegant well wishes kind of card. I wouldn't have really put these colors together myself, but I rather like the blue band and pops of blue beads amongst the pink spray and silver rub-on background.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (White) Office Max
Stamps: (Tag-its #2) PTI
Ink: (Pink) Clear and Simple Stamps
Embellishments: (Rubon) Pink Paislee, (Antique Rose Glimmer Mist Spray) Tattered Angels, (Bashful Blue Silk Ribbon) SU, (Pins, Beads), (Silver Cord) SU
Tools: (Tag Punch) McGill

The Card That...

The card that started with this and that and ended with that and this. The card that was supposed to be like this and ended like that. The card that threw me for a loop and then back again. The card that is soooooo not like the one in my head.

My inspiration started from the colors at The Play Date Cafe and inspiration at CASE Study Challenge, who have joined forces this week. I turned the card's sketch on its side and simplified it quite a bit.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Kraft) SU
Patterned Paper: (Measuring Up from The Material Girl Collection) Cosmo Cricket
Ink: (Antique Linen Distress) Ranger
Embellishments: (Stickers from Circa1934 Collection and Tiny Type Stickers) Cosmo Cricket, (Natural Burlap String) May Arts

Thankful Bloom

Growing up, my parents taught me the respectful attribute of saying thank you. I thank them for that. I probably say it way too much in my adult life, but now that I think of it, that's probably better than not saying it at all.

Thought I'd give the color and style challenge at The Play Date Cafe a whirl (even thought it has two things that I ignore 90% of the time-pink and vintage...) with this shabby chic card featuring a whole lotta thanks.  The technique of featuring the same kind of sentiment is one showcased over at the anniversary challenges at Papertrey Ink, for their Make It Mondays Feature.

Supplies Used: 
Cardstock: (Kraft) Papertrey Ink
Stamps: (Communique Curves Sentiments, Fillable Frames #2, Mega Mixed Messages) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (White Craft) SU, (Vintage Photo, Anique Linen Distress) Ranger
Emellishments: (White Silk Ribbon) May Arts, (Lace), (Handmade Pins)
Other: (Vintage Pink Glimmer Mist) Tattered Angels, (Coffee Filter)

Everyone

Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to comment. Thanks for the support. Thanks for visiting or browsing. Thanks for everything.

Playing along this morning with The Play Date Cafe and their gorgeous color combination. I printed this image from TiffanyDoodles directly onto some rose colored paper, then colored it with pencils and cut and lifted portions off of the card base. I attached a white panel on the inside of the card to create even more dimension and a ribbon tab by the sentiment that was stamped in indigo blue.

Fabulous colors at The Play Date Cafe, and I'm happy that I challenged myself to actually play along with a color combo that had four swatches. Woosh!

Oh, and I also wanted to let you know about this!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Cranberry Crisp) SU
Digital Image: (Lily Stems) TiffanyDoodles
Stamps: (Sentiment from Mehndi Medallions) WPlus9
Ink: (Night of Navy Pigment) SU
Other: (Night of Navy Marker) SU, (Colored Pencils) Prismacolor, (Corner Round Punch) WR Memory Keepers, (White Gel Pen) Signo, (Black Marker) Sharpie

Gracious Hostess

She's always got clean sheets on the bed, toys in the bin, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, a spot for a large dog and Lucky Charms for our breakfast of choice! She's always on top of things when we invade for a week or more and I couldn't appreciate more. Thanks Mom, for being a Gracious Hostess.

The super talented and super sweet blogger Jen has a really great tutorial up over at the May Arts Blog on Burnt Ribbon Flowers. I decided to try my hand with it and like the results. The colors of the card were inspired by The Play Date Cafe.

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Natural White) SU
Stamp: (Mega Mixed Message) PTI
Ink: (Chestnut Roan Chalk) Colorbox
Embellishments: (Pewter Brads) SU, (Natural Burlap String) May Arts
Ribbon: (Offray)
Tools: (Flower Die) Cuttlebug

Discovering

I discovered something new. Something fun. And produced a lot of objects from learning this new to me technique. Does this ever happen to you?

The Play Date Cafe is celebrating one year of challenges with an absolutely beautiful color combination, and I wanted to make sure I helped celebrate-even though the idea in my head didn't come out exactly as planned. Does this ever happen to you?

 

Supplies Used:

Cardstock: (Very Vanilla, Blush Blossom) SU

Stamps: (Bannerific, Sophie's Sentiments) Lawn Fawn

Ink: (Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress) Ranger, (Pumpkin Pie Pigment) SU

Embellishments: (Rustic Twine) PTI, (Rhinestones) Studio G, (Starfish Glimmer Mist) Tattered Angels

Other: Coffee Filter, (Corner Chomper) WeRMemory Keepers

Blessed

This card took a life of its own. I do rather like it because it is like no other card I've ever made. It slowly morphed into reminding me of the days of Sacajawea-so I turned it into a Thanksgiving Thank You card. I also liked the fact that I tried out feathers, I've been wanting to for a while. Have you seen Windy Robinson's card here or many of Savannah's cards? No birds were harmed with the making of this card as I raided my husband's bait making/fly fishing corner of the garage. I invite you to please click on the picture for a larger view, the feathers and textures are absolutely beautiful, if I can say that.

To help me get to the final product, I used the lovely colors from the Play Date Cafe and the sketch (with rhinestones!) from Limelight Papercrafts. I'm also throwing my hat into the Moxie Fab World's Classy & Elegant Challenge with this card. The background was first embossed and then sanded for a nice soft feel, then cut apart, distressed and sewn back together. The edges were inked lightly to bring out the dots again.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: (Tan/Black from Black Magic Collections) Coordinations (White) Georgia Pacific Ink: (Vintage Photo Distress) Ranger Sticker Sentiment: (Blessed) SRM Stickers Other: (Metal Dots, Rhinestones) Prima, Feathers, Thread Tools: (Swiss Dots Embossing Folder) ProvoCraft, (Oval Cutting System) Creative Memories

Stickled Butterfly

I first met her when she loved all things pink, anything with glitter and polka dots. She was just a tiny girl with such an imagination and loving heart. Through the years she has gone through many phases, including loving all thing black, or even nothing at all. Glad to report that she again loves all things pink. She loves all things glittery and she loves all things with polka dots.

By using the simple and sweet sketch at the Limelight PaperCrafts Challenge (thanks Lynn!) and the colors for the Play Date Cafe Challenge, this card came together in just the right ways for me. I pulled out a scrap of pink paper that had been embossed and die cut a large butterfly. After sponging it with ink (to make it a raspberry color and for depth), I added painted Stickles to make the design pop a bit more. Have you ever done this? Quite fun, I must say! I cut some ruffled ribbon in half and added that for the scallops and then added some additional white highlights to bring the card together.

Supplies Used: Cardstock: Kraft (PTI) Pretty in Pink (Stampin Up) Patterned Paper: Just Chillin Girls Collection (Making Memories) Stamp: Communique (PTI) Hybrid Pigment Ink: Fresh Snow (PTI) Pigment Ink: Rose Red (Stampin Up) Ribbon: White Ruffled (May Arts) Embossing Plate: Backgrounds 1 Die Cut: Beautiful Butterflies (Stampin Up), Other: Rhinestones (Michaels), Stickles: Ice (Ranger), White Gel Pen (Signo), Thread (DMC) Tools: Corner Round Punch (Stampin Up)

The Warbler

Her head bobbed back and forth, looking, searching. Slowly she flew down, her wings gracefully tilting in the air and upon landing she hopped a few itty bitty hops to reach her destination. She lingered for a while and decided to flew to a new destination, her wings flapping in a rhythmically.
I think I should pick up bird watching for a new hobby. Surely its got to be a bit lighter on the ol' pocketbook! I chose to work with The Play Date Cafe Challenge colors of black, pink, white and gray. I rotated the sketch from Caardvarks so that the bird had something to look at. She was colored with inks and a blender pen and highlighted with colored pencils. A few touches of glitter and ink distressing soften the overall look a bit.




Supplies Used: Cardstock: White (Georgia Pacific) Pretty in Pink, Basic Black (SU) Patterned Paper: Going Gray (SU) Digital Image: Warbler (TiffanyDoodles) Ink: Pretty in Pink, Going Gray (SU) Embellishments: Sentiment Sticker (SRM Stickers) Pink Twine (May Arts from Practicing Creativity Designs) Button (Cloud 9 Fiskars) Ice Stickles (Ranger) Tools: Scallop Slit Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Watercolor Pencils (SU), Thread

The Robin's Eggs

We used to live in the little yellow house on the corner and each year the robin would build a nest on top of the somewhat rusty lamp and lay a few eggs. Bright, yet soft, blue eggs. Our dad would let us climb up the ladder and count how many we were expecting to arrive in a few weeks. This would, of course, signify Spring and warmer weather. What significance two or three blue robin's eggs could have for three girls.
The colors of current challenge at The Play Date Cafe include a robins blue and terra cotta, along with cream and pewter. I pulled out the large stamp, inked and misted lightly with water and then stamped onto watercolor paper. I repeated the step with the blue and layered the two together. This card is just within reach of my comfort zone, but far enough away that I do need some binoculars...

Supplies Used: Cool Caribbean SU Cardstock, Watercolor Paper from Archers Paper, Really Rust and Cool Caribbean SU Pigment Ink, Medallion SU Stamp, Thank You Clear Acrylic Stamp Set from Heidi Grace, Pewter SU Brads, Fiskars 1/8" Hole Punch, SU Edge Distresser, Ranger Mini Mister

Little Things

After the birth of my first baby, my mother stayed a while and cooked meals (as well as completing many other chores). Enough meals for what seemed like decades to come. I didn't think anything really of it at the time, I was preoccupied with a certain little someone that kept crying, pooping and well, doing baby stuff that I had no idea how to handle. After Mom left, it was those meals that I simply pulled out of the freezer and reheated that made everything well,...better. It's the little things that make life big.

This card is coming under the wire for the Play Date Cafe, which is to create something with black, white and a splash of orange. I'm happy that I tried out another alternative technique for this stamp and kept things clean and simple. Am I off my rocker when I say I think the "big" orange button balances the flowers and sentiment?

Supplies Used: Georgia Pacific White Cardstock, DSP (unknown, from a really long time ago) Wplus9 Woodgrain Silhouettes Clear Stamp Set, SU Happy Harmony Stamp Set, SU Pumpkin Pie, Marigold Morning and Really Rust Pigment Ink, Jet Black Stazon Ink, Black Journaling Pen from CM, May Arts Black Twill from Practicing Creativity Designs, Fiskars Corner Round Punch, Button from In the Loop, DMC Black Floss

Up North

My grandparents had a cottage "up north" when I was growing up. During the summer, we would drive through The Tunnel of Trees and take walks through the woods, finding fields of wildflowers and clovers. Our destination more often than not was The Big Rock in which the cousins would have contests to see who could climb it the fastest. I went back to the cottage after I was married to help my grandparents to pack up their belongings after selling the place: the Tunnel of Trees was still magnificent, the wildflowers and clovers still plentiful, but boy oh boy, how small that Big Rock looked!
Almost every one of the cards I make have some story behind them, it keeps me coming back to this time-consuming, money-hungry but absolutely self-satisfying, relaxing hobby of mine. This card uses colors from The Play Date Cafe, the sketch layout from Card Patterns and the theme of flowers from Pals Paper Arts.

Supplies Used: SU Perfect Plum and Very Vanilla Cardstock, CTMH Treasure Life Clear Stamp Set, For the Love of Dots Clear Stamp Set from Practicing Creativity Designs, SU Small Script Stamp Set, SU Pale Plum and Perfect Plum Pigment Ink, Colorbox Chalk Ink in Creamy Brown, Spellbinder Die Labels 8, Making Memories Vintage Findings Book Plate, Queen & Co. Pearls in Lavendar, SU Linen Thread, SU Corner Round Punch

The Sky's The Limit

This morning I woke up to a pretty blue sky and the birds chirping outside my window. That was the only noise for a long time--how lovely, how relaxing. I took the time to research some new challenges and create another card for the lady at work who is retiring. I guess my last A2 card wasn't big enough for all the signatures. The colors and patterns for this card were inspired by the current challenge at The Play Date Cafe and the sketch is from Get Sketchy. The card has a bunch of paper piecing and faux stitching, and a lot of elements out of my normal designs, but I appreciate the outcome and that I had the opportunity to really challenge myself.

Supplies Used: Georgia Pacific White Cardstock, Blue Cardstock from Reminisce, Daisyd's Wonder Years DSP, Look Up Stamp Set from Practicing Creativity Designs, Colorbox Chalk Ink in Charcoal, SU Silver Cording, SU Black Marker, SU Mat Pack, Silver Eyelets (no source)