365 Cards - Day 150 - Sketch

Well, today is my turn for taking on one of Pam's fabulous sketches at 365 Cards. As Pam mentioned in her post I thought that I did a "loose interpretation" of the sketch which was kinda hard for me...I generally prefer things to perfectly match! Aaaahhhhh...feel those ties of perfectionism loosening up?!? YEAH! Anyway, this creation was also done pretty quickly as I just got back from vacation on Sunday and have had to work and catch up on sleep since then so this card was kept very simple! LOVE IT!!! I've also just realized that one of my favorite color combos is light blue and light pink...I don't do it that often but I always love whatever I create in that scheme. As usual, here's the other challenges I was inspired for this one:

1. CAS-tastic Challenges - Summer inspired: well, it may look more Spring-like but the mouse makes me think of summer as they've been running around more! :)

2. Charisma Cardz Challenges - anything but a square: got to play with my brand new octagon nesties!!

3. Cooking It Up with Katie - Button me a Blue Bow: well, I think I got all three...one little button (center of flower), baja breeze base, and pink bow!

4. Craftalicious Challenges - Birthdays

5. Crafty Creations Challenges - something happy or sweet: I'm going for happy feeling here :)

6. Create4Fun Challenge - flowers

7. Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog - anything goes

8. Creative Inspirations - animals

9. Delightful Inspiration with Designed2Delight Digi Stamps - image

10. digital tuesday challenge - Dazzle me: got to use something else new! Fabulous rhinestone flourish!

11. Double Delight Challenges - use the image + buttons and blue

12. Little Paper Shop Blog - pink, light blue, and celery

13. OohLaLa Craft Blog - birthday

14. Party Time Tuesday - anything goes birthday

15. Rosie D's -  All Creatures Great and Small: well, I stretched this one a bit as the creature was to be the focus, but I thought the sentiment helped with that

16. Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - Digis

17. The Crazy Challenge - All about Birthdays

18. ...wee memories... - stamping: the sentiment is stamped with my JustRite stamp set

Thanks for stopping by and can't wait to see what you come up with for today's sketch!!
Aloha,

Delightful Inspiration - best of cluck

So today's post is again coming from the beautiful town of Salt Lake City. Mom's at the SU! convention today and after some shopping this morning/early afternoon, I'm back in the hotel relaxing.

I finished this card here in SLC and I'm calling it "guerrilla" card making as I had limited supplies and then forget some of the supplies I meant to bring so had to improvise. This is for the Delightful Inspiration with Designed 2 Delight Digi Stamps progressive challenge. I got this image last Thursday night before I left on Friday morning for vacation so I quickly decided that I could paper piece the image so rushed to print it out and then threw some ribbon, button, and rhinestone brads in a bag. Then when I got here, I discovered that I forgot to pick up the image that was printed on the red paper after trimming that piece for a mat for the main image...so I cut out the center of the mat, cut out the image from the yellow, traced the pieces I wanted on the red and cut them out. I then had to hand draw in the lines with a black pen so mine differs a bit from the original but it's pretty close in my opinion. I then found the challenge at Double Delight was to pop up something on the creation. Didn't have any pop dots so I fan folded and glued scrap paper to make the "pop dots". It's not my best creation but not bad for what I had to work with!

Here's some other challenges I was inspired by for this one:

1. Crazy 4 Challenges - button

2. Digi Doodle Shop’s Best -  Anything Goes

3. Double Delight Challenge - Pop it Up!: kinda hard to tell in the picture but I popped up the wing and head

4. KL Stampin N Scrappin Blog -  ribbon

5. Scrap Creations – Going Grey Challenge - use at least 3 embellishments + BG paper: I've got rhinestone brad, ribbons/twin, and a button and the chicken is paper pieced with BG paper although I can't remember which ones right now :)

6. Stamp, Scrap, and Doodle Saturdays - animals

7. Stamp Something - go digital

8. The Townscrapper - anything goes -- this is their last challenge until September so go play along! ;)

Okay, that's it for now...I hope you are having a wonderful week!

Aloha,

365 Cards - Day 143 - What's "Cook"ing?

Welcome to another wonderful Wednesday with 365 Cards! I'm writing this post from beautiful Salt Lake City where I met my mom for vacation this past Friday. She's going to the SU! convention tomorrow and I get to lay around and relax! Whew! But I was able to get this card done to share with you today! So today's challenge is to use the theme of "cooking"...well, I got to use this super cute image from Lauretta's Digital Stamps so it was super easy! Can't get much better than a chef bringing you...

a fun birthday cake and birthday greeting! I paper pieced the image and colored the face/hair with Prismacolor Markers. Here's the other challenges I was inspired by for this creation:

1. BasicGrey Challenges - Gingham + Basic Grey item: I used some paper from the Sugar Rush collection

2. Craftalicious Challenges - birthdays

3. digital tuesday challenge -  Happy Birthday + digi

4. Meljen’s Designs - long/tall card (4x9 1/4 in)

5. My Time to Craft challenge - check it out (checked pattern somewhere)

6. One Stitch at a Time - use a digi image

7. Order of the Opus Gluei - What's Cookin', Good Lookin'?

8. Pollycraft Monday Challenge - Happy Birthday

9. Raise the Bar - Baked Goodies

10. the sweetest thing… - sketch: although I missed the deadline for this one, I loved the sketch and used it anyway ;)

Thanks for stopping by and hope that you're able to stay cool wherever you are!
Aloha,

365 Cards - Day 136 - Imagine This: Chalkboard

Aloha and welcome to another wonderful Wednesday at 365 Cards!! After a week off (thanks mom!) to celebrate our awesome 1000+ followers, I'm rested and rejuvenated to show you my take on today's "Imagine This: Chalkboard" challenge. Also we have a fabulous sponsor with a fabulous name (all Kim's are fabulous, dontcha know?!?) who is offering a fantastic prize of Ippity stamps! Well, I must admit that my Ippity stamp collection is slim (2 stamps that is) so I used the "Thanks" stamp that I used on my last Ippity card! I used some Core*dinations cardstock for my "chalkboard" and sanded it up a bit to get that used chalkboard look. Here's the other challenges I was inspired by for this one:

1. Cardabilities - sketch

2. Clearly Inspired Challenges sponsored by Clear Dollar Stamps - Thank you themed

3. Cooking it up with Katie - a sketch from somewhere else, some yellow, and a little stitching (faux/real): it may be hard to tell but I embossed a zig-zag stitch patterned down the left side of the card.

4. Critter Sketch Challenge - theme of thank you

5. Delightful Inspiration with Designed 2 Delight Digi Stamps: image

6. Double Delight Challenge - embossing: just a touch of this with my faux zig-zag stitch down the left side

7. Drunken Stampers - water: just a little water in the bottle for the flower :)

8. Incy Wincy Designs - distress it: did a little bit on the black core*dinations cs

9. Lexi’s Creations - real/faux stitching: see above

10. Stamp, Scrap, and Doodle Saturdays - make a scene: well, I tried to create a "cafe" scene...the circle shape is the table with the chalkboard behind it...kinda abstract and simple...but I think it works
11. Stampin’ Celebration - inspiration photos with yellow, black and white: although I missed the deadline for this one, I loved the colors
12. Totally Gorjuss - water: see above

Oh yeah, here's the inside...

Well, I hope you like this simple card and I can't wait to see how you're inspired by chalkboards too!

Aloha,

Puppy birthday!!

Today was Malie's 2nd birthday and we went to a small party with 3 of her siblings and their owners this morning. It's so interesting seeing all their personalities and interactions, but I won't bore you with all of that. Here's a picture of the 4 of the 5 litter that were there.

from left to right: Pomai, Bella, KJ, and Malie

I made dog-friendly cupcakes again this year and they LOVED them! Also gave each a birthday card and a small altered canister/tin with treats and a smalled stuffed toy. I used the same image and sentiment on the cards, but changed up the layouts and embellies based on challenge inspirations. Here's the cards I made and the challenges I'll submit them to:

1. Crafty Angels - Circles and Squares

2. Eat, Sleep, Stamp - sketch
3. Incy Wincy Designs - punches

1. A Crafty Little Place - sketch

2. Stamp Something - 1 DP, 1 ribbon, 1 image

1. I{heart}2stamp - sketch

2. Meljen’s Designs - circles galore

1. Alphabet Challenge Blog - K for Kids

2. Craftalicious Challenges - Cute

3. Mojo Monday - The Blog  - sketch

4. Order of the Opus Gluei - make something that will make someone smile: I actually got to see the owner open this card and she definitely smiled!

5. Paper Makeup Stamps  - use a critter

6. Paper Sundaes  - lots of layers

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Aloha,

365 Cards - Day 129 - Aged Look

Aloooooohaaaaa! Just in case you didn't know, this week at 365 Cards we've been celebrating reaching over ONE THOUSAND followers!!! Yippee!!! To do this each DT was asked to pick someone that they would like to have serve as guest designer for them...well, gotta admit I played the nepotism card and asked for my mom, Stamping by SAM, to be my GD. I mean how could I not?!? She's the one I blame, I mean thank, for getting me into card making/paper crafting and especially for getting me into following and doing challenges. It was just about a year ago that she started doing challenges at 365 Cards and I quickly followed along as it looked like fun. Well, a year of Pam's "special coffee" later, we're both still playing along and I've even made it onto the DT! Never thought that would happen when all of this started :)

Even though I moved far, far away...Mom and I constantly challenge each other to do more in our creations and help each other through design blocks (thank goodness for a family cell phone plan...now if we were just in the same time zone I could call her even more!). Actually, her inspiring me to create goes WAY back to when I was little and we were always doing a craft, sewing or other project of some kind together (remember 4-H projects, mom?!?). Mom, thanks for your guidance and support in this and all endeavors that I've experienced in my life. I am so lucky to have you as my mom!! Sniff, sniff...okay enough with the mushy stuff!

So anyway, this week Pam gave the regular DT time off, but I absolutely could not let my mom's FIRST experience as a GD go by without playing along with her challenge! So here's my attempt at an "aged look", heck, I even went as far as copying her use of Distress Ink and almost used the same colors (and that one was not on purpose!). I went for a "non-traditional" Christmas card which is a challenge in and of itself! Here's the front...

And here's the inside...

I did a brown haired angel for my mom (although she would say she's "dark blonde"!) and the inside is also a tribute to her as she used this embossing folder on her Christmas cards and I got to help her put the rhinestones on those as she was visiting me then! :) FUN!

So here's the other challenges I was inspired by for this one:

1. Alota Rubber Stamps - Inside and out (decorate the inside of the cards as well): This has been a personal challenge for me this year and I've pretty much done this on every card I've made this year.

2. Bee Crafty - 3D: I pulled the corner of the DP on the front down a bit which give is more dimension and I also thought the brads and the images being popped up did that as well

3. Clearly Delightful - Pearls, Bling, or button things: I went for the bling on this one!

4. Creative Card Crew - die cuts: the angel was cut out with a nestie...I love doing "out of the box" with these!

5. Daisy Doodles Creative Challenges - 1 ribbon, 2 patterned papers, 3 brads + digi (the image is a Karen's Doodles digi)

6. Digi Doodle Shop’s Best - texture: I crumpled up the DPs on the front both to age them and give them texture, plus the ribbon and brads give that too, I think

7. Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge - Christmas in July

8. Flutter By Wednesday's  - anything with butterfly, fairy, or angel

9. Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenges - Christmas in July Part 2

10. Karen’s Doodles - Bling it up! + Karen's Doodles image: I tried to really bling this one up with the rhinestone brads, little rhinestones on the sentiment and inside, and with the starburst pen on the angel wings

11. KL Stampin N Scrappin Blog  - Dry Embossing: mine's on the inside :)

12. Little Paper Shop - Orchid, Razzleberry, Olive: my card base is Rich Razzleberry and the DP has all three colors in it (SU! Cottage Wall DSP)

13. Little Red Wagon - Nestabilities: see above

14. My Time to Craft challenge - Angelic

15. No Time to Stamp - Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah card

16. Pixie Dust Studio Challenge - sketch + Christmas theme

17. Simple Doodles - Time for some Holiday Fun

18. Speedy the Cat’s Friends at Mark’s Finest Papers - Punch It!: The sentiment on the front is punch with a SU! label punch and matted with a circle punch

19. Stampin’ B’s Design Team - Polka dots: got this on the ribbon

20. The Corrosive Challenge Blog!!  - Christmas

21. The Crazy Challenge - Up in the Air: I see my angel flying...

22. The Pink Elephant  - 3 layers, 2 die cuts, and ribbon: Okay I'm counting the card base as a layer, the DPs as the 2nd layer and the angel/sentiment as the 3rd layer; 2 die cuts are for the angel image and partial circle for the corner DP

23. The Shabby Tea Room - Let's make an impression (embossing): see above

Well, thanks Mom for being my DT and I really think we should do a job share thing from now on :) Please?!? :)

Oh well, I tried. Anyway, not sure how much I'll get done tomorrow as my new refrigerator is being delivered, have to take my car in for oil change/safety check, and the dog to the vet for a shot, oh yeah, and I need to prepare for Malie's 2nd birthday party on Sunday! Whew...guess I'd better get some sleep!

Aloha,

Happy Blogiversary to ME!!

Deadline has been extended to August 18, 2010!!!!

Well, it's finally here...actually it "officially" was a few days ago, but as the song goes..."It's my party..." so I'll celebrate when I wanna! Yes, it's been one year since I started this blogging journey and my how the time as flown!! And oh my (!) how my cardmaking skills have advanced...can't say as much as my cardmaking gear as grown, but really can you ever have too much gear?!? :) Oh yeah, this is also my 150th post so, that's a pretty cool milestone to celebrate too!

 [If you're here for my regular 365 Cards wonderful Wednesday DT post, check this out! (Thanks Mom!!)] 

So here's the plan for my celebration (or "whopping candy party" as my mom referred to it!)....

For the month of July (well, until August 7 18, 2010), I will be having a "Blogiversary Scavenger Hunt"...what's that you say? Read on...

I got the idea from Jen at "Pieces of Me" when she had her 250K hits giveaways...I'll give you some items to find around your house, take pictures of and post to your blog (or to somewhere on the web). Then come back here and link them under the giveaways you want to enter in...easy peasy, right?!?

Don't have a blog? Well, get one (or post your pictures somewhere on the web)! :) It's so easy and fun that everyone should have one to share their creations! (Sorry I am not accepting email entries for the giveaways)

You do not have to be a follower of my blog to win (I want you to follow my blog because you like what I do not for what you could win!) nor do you have to leave a comment (I love reading them but am HORRIBLE at leaving them so I can't make you do something I don't do!) nor do you have to do a post about or leave a link on your blog back to this post (although I would love if you did either!)

In the interest of "Reducing, reusing, and recycling", most of the items I have available for my giveaways are things that I've had for a bit but have found that I rarely, if ever, use and I want them to find happy homes where they'll be lovingly used to create fabulous craft projects! I'll pay for shipping for the items, so you really can't loose, if you win that is! Just remember most of these items are not new and most have been slightly, though gently, used but are in wonderful working order at this time.

So here's what I have available, in no particular order:

Giveaway #1

Set 1 of Cutting Edge Kraft Edgers which includes 20 Long & Wide scissors in a rotating, hardwood rack. If you want to see what designs are included in this set, go click on the name and you'll find a picture of all 20. I've had these for a bit, but found when I used them, I couldn't cut a straight line!! Takes too much patience for me, but maybe you're better at that than I :)

So to enter in the drawing for this item, I want to see a picture of "something that rotates" in your house...I'm thinking a lazy susan or fan, but can't wait to see what else you can come up with! Post your picture below...

Giveaway #2

Set 2 of Cutting Edge Kraft Edgers which includes 20 Long & Wide scissors in a rotating, hardwood rack. Again, if you want to see what designs are included in this set, go click on the name and you'll find a picture of all 20.

To enter in the drawing for this item, I want to see a picture of "something metal" in your house...post your picture below.

Giveaway #3

A set of 81 Gel Writer gel pens. Most of these pens are glitter. Again I bought these and found that I don't use glitter pens that often so wanted to find them a better home. I have had them for awhile and have stored them tips up. I tried them all and while they all worked, I noticed that the ink in several had drifted away from the tip. I'll store them for the next month with tips down and see if that gets the ink back where it should be. If not, I'll offer a comparable giveaway of $20 in value...not sure what that will be yet so you'll have to take what you may get for this one. :)

To enter in the drawing for this item, I want to see a picture of "your favorite writing tool"...post your picture below.

Giveaway #4

One each Marcy Uchida Giga Scallop Oval, Giga Scallop Square, Mega Scallop Square and Mega Square punches. I used these for a little bit, but since I got my Nesties they sit neglected in a box (storage is an issue for me). So they are slightly used but still in working condition.

To enter in the drawing for these, I want to see a picture of "your favorite drink", get it "punch"..."drink"?!? (Thanks mom for that idea!) Post your picture below.

Giveaway #5

Hum, I don't scrapbook, so not sure why I got this other than I thought I'd be able to use it for cards. Well, I haven't so please someone give it a good home...it comes with the tray with storage shown on the packaging, along with 2 embossing styli, a stencil set (sampler), and project book. I'll also throw in a regular "ShapeBoss" stencil set (Floral) which I think will kinda work with this tray (you won't be able to secure all 4 sides but at least 2 to prevent it from moving) and a set of "CardBoss" templates (Congratulations/Baby).

To enter in the drawing for this item, I want to see a picture of "something you love". Post it below.

Giveaway #6

A grab bag of stamps (no picture...you'll have to take a chance...although I can tell you that they are all new in package) and some various embellies.

To enter in the drawing for this item, I want to see a picture of "what's outside your window". Post it below.

Okay, so that's what's on the block for 6 fabulous winners!! Well, you're all winners for entering but you know what I mean! :) Again, the drawings will be open until 12am (HST) on August 7 18, 2010 so plenty time to enter...but what are you waiting for?!? :) Thanks for celebrating with me!

Aloha,

Happy (observed) 4th of July!!

Well, the 4th of July technically isn't over here in Hawaii, but likely will be close to by the time most of you read this! But really, it's not over...Monday is a holiday for those of us that are state/federal workers so enjoy the day of (observed) 4th of July! :)  So I got to play some more and here's a couple of cards I got done...

The first one is using the free image from Faith at Designed 2 Delight and the Delightful Inspirations blog. Here's the challenges I was inspired by for this one:

1. BasicGrey Challenges - photo inspiration + BG item: I love the colors in this photo and it goes with several other challenges too...I used BG Nook and Pantry and June Bug papers to mat and paper piece the image.

2. Create4Fun - sketch

3. Creative Inspirations Challenge - paper piecing

4. Cute Card Thursday - let's get fruity

5. Digi Doodle Shop’s Best - circles and dots: kinda hard to see but the paper for the digi frame is white dots on red and of course, lots of circles

6. Double Delight Challenge - tent or tent topper card (using Faith's image)

7. Everybody-Art-Challenge - birthday

8. Fab ‘n’ Funky - Sew and Sew: kinda hard to tell but I "faux" stitched around the strawberry panel

9. Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge - fruit inspired

10. My Time to Craft challenge - Zig Zags

11. Papertake Weekly Challenge - In Stitches

12. Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes birthday

13. pile it on - favorite things: pink, red and white is one of my favorite color combos and I LOVE digital images!

14. Pollycraft Monday Challenge - pinkalicious

15. Speedy the Cat’s Friends at Mark’s Finest Papers - use a die cut: I die cut the circle out of the front of the card and to make the scallop border around the window

16. The Pixie Cottage - paper piecing

17. The Play Date Cafe - color inspiration (pink, white, red)

18. The Townscrapper - tent card

19. Totally Paper Crafts - one for the girls: the colors do this for me

20. Totally Stampalicious - anything food related: got those yummy strawberries on this one!

21.….wee Memories… - free for all challenge

Here's my second card for the day...been awhile since I broke the brayer out but it was like riding a bike, it just came back to me! Also got to play with my NEW copics...love'em! It's also been awhile since I created a scene and gotta say that this one is very special to me...I was inspired to move to Hawaii while in graduate school (after living my entire life in the Midwest). It took awhile to get here, but to get myself through that time I pasted images of Hawaii around my computer monitor...this was before I started making cards otherwise I would have had a bunch of these around instead! :) So here's the challenges I was inspired by for this one:

1. allsorts challenge blog  - create a scene

2. By The Cute And Girly - warm summer days

3. Crafty Cardmakers - ink/stains/mists of some sort: kinda hard to see but I inked the edges of the "sand" layer

4. Creative Inspirations Challenge  - sketch

5. Drunken Stampers - summer/vacation themed

6. Easy Craft Projects - summer

7. KL Stampin N Scrappin Blog - SUMMER

8. One stop Craft challenge - distressing

9. Res-Q Challenge - sunshine

10. S2G challenges - summertime twist is sparkles: I'm counting the rhinestone brads for this...

11. Saturday Challenge  - water

12. Stampin’ B’s Design Team - summer vacation

Well, the fireworks are heating up here so I think I'd better head to my a/c'd bedroom with the puppy to wait it all out. Thanks for stopping by! Oh yeah, be sure to come back by this week...I'm going to be starting a month long blog candy drawing to celebrate my one year of bloggin'! YEAH!

Aloha,

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy Birthday to the United States of America!! Here's my birthday card to you!! Kinda went crazy with the rhinestones on this one but every once in awhile we all just need to completely bling out a card! So here's the challenges I was inspired by for this one:

1. A Spoon Full of Sugar - Animal Crackers (cards with animals on them): hope a dragon counts ;)

2. Alphabet Challenge Blog - J for Jewels: got a few on this one!

3. CardPatterns - sketch: I did it in a star shape but other than that tried to keep to the sketch :)
Charisma Cardz Challenges! - Metal Mickey: fabulous big metal star brads from SU!...colored the stars on the front with my copic marker
5. Crafty Ann - shaped easel card: made this star-shaped easel by printing out a star template, tracing and cutting out...hardest part was getting it to stand up!
6. Creative Card Crew - Easel cards
7. Cupcake Inspiration Challenge - inspiration photo (missed the deadline for this one, but wanted to include it anyway!)
8. Doodle Dragon Studio Challenge - Patriotic + Doodle Dragon image
9. Fairy Fun Fridays Challenge blog - Anything goes!
10. For Fun Challenges - Patriotic
11. Frosted Designs - Stars and Stripes, and red, white and blue
12. Lots To Do - Hats or crowns
13. Meljen’s Designs - Red, White, and Blue
14. No Time to Stamp - Star Light, Star Bright (incorporate stars into project)
15. Paper Cutz Challenge - 4th of July
16. Pixie Dust Studio Challenge - Red, White, Blue
17. Raise the Bar - Colors of your Flag: I even have my flag on there!
18. Scrap Creations – Going Grey Challenge - Americana Theme (for this week's challenge any DP acceptable)
19. Some Odd Girl - Shape Cards
20. Stamp, Scrap, and Doodle Saturdays - shaped project
21. Stamp Something - colors of your flag
22. Stampin’ Celebration - inspiration photos
23. ….wee Memories… - red, white, and blue
24. Your Next Stamp - patterned/printed ribbon

Well, that wraps it up for now...hope you have a safe and Happy 4th of July (or just a regular ol'Sunday) wherever you are!
Aloha,