I made this card for SpiltcoastStamper's Sketch challenge 339...

and here's the sketch:

The only problem, though...I just couldn't separate 4a and 4b into separate pieces...and even though I separated the panel with a ribbon, I felt bad at not following the sketch as directed and just couldn't justify putting it in the challenge gallery, so just putting it up for the fun of it:)!!  Used a couple Stampin Up sets ...a really simple and super easy card to make. Colored flowers and stems with markers and added sentiment on bottom. Used ribbon from Mike's and design paper from SU.
Thanks for looking, hope your night is great:)!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Stampin Up Close as a Memory and Warmest Regards
Paper: Textured Taken with Teal, Design paper Apricot Apeal, Papertrey Ink white
Ink: Taken with Teal, Apricot Appeal, Old Olive, Stazon Black
Extras: silver pearls, satin ribbon, SU border punch, pop up dots

Less is More...sketch

I made this card for Simply Less is More's challenge 21...a sketch:

I made this one:

I used some designer paper from Michael's and a flower punch. I punched the flowers and popped up the red panel over a white panel and layered on polka dotted paper.
I also made this one but didn't put a panel behind the 3 "circles"(did you ever do that....think you have the sketch solid in your brain....make your card....only to find that you forgot the details of the sketch??), but thought that maybe with the scoring on the bottom part of the card separated the card into panels????...it could sort of pass for the challenge:)...ok it's a stretch, but I thought I would try:

...Splitcoaststamper's Clean and Simple challenge this week is a color challenge of red/white/and black...so these two cards are being used for that challenge, as well.
EDITED***
Added this one that I finished this morning, 6/28, after I changed the ribbon from gingham as I'd had it yesterday to black:

      Made this with Papertrey Ink Round and Round and a Inkadinkado sentiment with rhinestones and ribbon..

OH...I wanted to apologize for not doing a card for last week's monogram challenge....I was BEYOND challenged...I tried SOOOO many things...here are a couple of my computer generated letters I cut out:

but just couldn't make a card that I would want to send to someone...all my efforts just didn't work...so we move on(and hope I'll NEVER be challenged with a monogram again:):):)!!)....LOVE SIMPLY LESS IS MORE!!!!!!
Things I used:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings, Round and Round and Stampin Up Pocket Silhouettes
Paper: Bazzill white and red, design polka dotted paper, black
Ink: stazon black
Extras: Petite Oval nesties, scor buddy, flower punch, black stick on dots, pop up dots, clear embossing powder

A Case of One of My Own

I needed to make a card for my sister's birthday.  She loves all things with an Asian, Oriental flavor.  I had pulled out my Embrace Life set and went to SCS's gallery to look at cards made with this set.  I came across one of my own and thought...I'll make another like this one...this is my original:

This is how I redid it:

Every element identical..just changed the colors, papers and pearls.  Thought the red gave it a more Asian flavor..and even though there is no Happy Birthday on the outside, I put a bunch of sentiments on the inside...I thought the original was perfect for what she means to me...her love has brought me life through some of the darkest days and hardest times of my life:)!!  Now it's off to the post office!!  Thanks for looking, have a great Sunday!!
Things I used:
Stamps: Embrace Life, Verve Text Objects
Paper: Textured Real Red, bazzill white, black, dp
Ink: stazon black
Extras: clear embossing powder, gold pearls, circle and lacey nesties, embossing folder, SU heart punch, pop up dots

Flourishes and a Flower

I was just experimenting with stamps yesterday, and made this with a flourish and a flower stamp.

I had purchased the flourish on ebay from Victorine Originals.  I placed the stamp in the corner of the paper and then placed my gridded acrylic block on top of the stamp,positioning the grid with the lines on the ends of the lengths and widths of the card.  I then stamped the design on each of 2 corners of a card and a piece of 4 1/4"x 5 1/2" cardstock.  The design is now in the exact same place in all 4 corners.  I cut the single piece of cardstock down 1/2" on each side and popped up and layered on card with the other 2 flourishes.  I stamped 2 flowers, cut out and popped up in middle of flourishes.  Added two sizes of rhinestones and a happy birthday sentiment in corner.
Thanks for looking, have a great weekend:)!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Victorine Originals, Papertrey Ink Birthday Basics and Beautiful Blooms
Paper:Papertrey Ink white, black, pink pirouette
Ink:stazon black
Extras: pink rhinestones, black stick on glitter dot, pop up dots

One Layer Wednesday 59...A Single Daisy Hello

I made yet another card for One Layer Wednesday challenge 59...here, again, is the inspiration:

I used a retiring Stampin Up set (I LOVE this set) to make my single daisy:

I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig and my static bag to stamp the petal 8 times with versamark and  emboss with white powder...each separately, though(it really didn't take that much time...really).  I tried very hard not to get any white powder on or near my petals or on the card, itself, but even with a static bag AND a paint brush to brush what I could see(with reading glasses on) I STILL had white dots on my card...go figure...I give up!!  But it looked pretty good,,,so I finished it with a sentiment from PTI and a corduroy brad from Stampin Up.
I went back and forth and forth and back trying to decide whether to add ribbon, score lines, a hand drawn frame...well, a number of things, but in the end decided to leave it with the flower and sentiment...I just liked it that way:)!! I hope it's ok...but I think I will put this one in the challenge with my other one:)!!  Thanks for looking, hope you have a great day:)!!

Things I used:
Stamps:  Stampin Up Pick a Petal, Papertrey Ink Friends Til the End
 Paper: kraft
Ink: Versamark
Extras: white embossing powder, stamp-a-ma-jig, SU corduroy brad

One Layer Wednesday ...Inspiration picture

We were to use this picture to make a one layer card for challenge 59 at the Simplicity blog:

This is what I made:

I used the yellow and green of the picture and the fact that the picture had a lot of flowers to make my card.  I stamped the flowers and cut one of each of the flowers out with scrap copy paper ,masking the flowers and stamped the leaves over the flowers.  I punched 1/2", 5/8", and 3/4" circle punches with same scrap copy paper,placing the punched hole over the centers of the flowers, stamping with a gingham stamp from Papertrey Ink. Added sentiment and a yellow rhinestone to dot the "i" in sunshine.
Thanks for looking, have a great day!
Things I used:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink Blooming Button Bits and Background Basics:Gingham
Paper: Papertrey Ink white
Ink: daffodil delight, old  olive, stazon black
Extras:clear embossing powder, yellow rhinestone

Sketch Challenge 338

 I made this card for SCS's Sketch Challenge 338:

Based on this sketch:

I took a little bit of liberty with the 3-b circle in putting a bow in place of the circle.  I had a silver flower brad there, but my DD said the card looked nice except for that, so I replaced it with a ribbon and bow...she said she liked it much better...so I went with it:)!!  Used a SU set with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink.  For the circle I used an exacto circle cutter:

I really wanted a border for the semi circle, but had no scalloped nesties that big, so  for the scalloped border around the circle, I used the SU border punch, cut out a portion of the border(I'd seen cards where others had tried this before):

and attached to the back of the circle after rolling some tape on the edge of the circle:

I flipped it over and placed silver pearls on each circle area/seam on the border:

...just in case you wanted to know:)!!
This is a week where with little creativity flowing, I openly and unashamedly decided to use some of my favorite artists and their cards for inspiration. I made this card from Susan Raihala's site, Simplicity...a much smaller version of hers:

Here's her wonderful card:

I loved the fence punch with this tree...soooo cool...made a smaller card with a popped out fence , framed with a brown card, the card is 4 1/4" x about 4 1/2".....had fun.....thanks for the wonderful inspiration, Susan:)!!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Stampin Up Echos of Kindness, Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings
             Papertrey Ink Through the Trees
Paper: Mellow Moss, Bazzill white
          Bazzill white, soft suede
 Ink:  mellow moss, pretty in pink, regal rose, stazon black
        memento bamboo, soft suede
Extras: SU ribbon and border punch, polka dot embossing folder, silver pearls, clear embossing powder, pop up dots
            Martha Stewart border punch, clear embossing powder
         

A CAS...CASE

The Clean and Simple challenge at SCS is to make a tall thin card.  When I read the challenge, I immediately thought of a card I had put into the Pictures of my computer and made this:

 The beauty that inspired me was made by the amazing Nancy Elrick...I'm sure I must have seen it when looking at one of her cards for the Clean and Simple blog where she is one of the design team members, and copied it to my computer.  I LOVE this card!!!  The possibilities are endless with this layout, but PERFECT for a challenge that asks for a tall, thin card.  My card is 4 x 8, the tree squares are 1 3/8 each.  Used Trendy trees and a sentiment from Hero Arts.  Super easy and fast...love having inspiration on hand...Thank you, Nancy, for the inspiration!!!

Thanks for looking, have a great day:)!!

Clean and Simple 145... Stars

I made this card for Clean and Simple's 145 challenge:

Here's the sketch:

When I looked at that sketch...I was a bit intimidated....the three different colored panel....but I knew what I wanted to do...it just took a little experimenting with how the panels would look.  My first attempt had the black and grays in a different order and a bit more confined...like the sketch.  It just didn't look right...so I opted for the black in the middle and a bit more "break out" patterns with the three colors.  A challenging sketch for me...always love a challenge:)!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Gina K Designs
Paper: bazzill white and black, back of dp(shiny silver)
Ink:stazon black, gray, ranger black soot, basic gray
Extras: SU star die, clear embossing powder, pop up dots, sponge

Mojo Monday 195..With Appreciation

I made this card for MojoMonday's challenge 195:

Here's the sketch:

I used a lot of Rose Red on this card...paper, ribbon, brads, ink....I tore this card apart a couple times before I liked how it looked...seems TO ME...that the less distraction with color and pattern, the better.  Even though lots of elements to this sketch...I chose to minimize with less...less color, less layers...less patterns...it works for me:)!!  Popped up sentiment and circle panel on card to give more dimension.

Things I used: 

Stamps: Penny Black, Inkadinkado

Paper: Bazzill white, rose red, pink pirouette

Ink: stazon black, pretty in pink, rose red

Extras: SU border punch, butterfly die, brads and ribbon, cuttlebug embossing strip, white Enamel Accents, lacey and circular nesties, clear embossing powder, pop up dots

Cards of Misread Challenge

I originally made these two cards for Less is More's challenge found here... the challenge - to make a one layer card with a frame....only... the only thing I originally read was the frame part....not the one layer part.  These cards have several layers, but I thought I would put them up apart from the challenge...just for fun!!

I made this card with a stamp from Papertrey Ink(Fillable Frames 1) , the flowers and sentiment from a SU (Garden Silhouettes)set. I stamped the frame and cut it out. I stamped the flower and sentiment and popped up the frame over the flowers.  Layered on another piece of PTI cardstock and popped up on a piece of poppy parade.

This one was made with a set from Papertrey Ink(Text Boxed)  and  a sentiment from Hero Arts.  I stamped the rectangle with flowers and then stamped the frame over it.  I stamped an extra flower on shiny black paper with versamark and embossed with white powder. Popped up that flower over bottom corner flower and added bright pink rhinestones on each flower.  Cut the rectangle out , popped up on cardstock and added sentiment.  Layered on black cardstock.
Thanks for looking, have a great day:)!!

Clean and Simple 143

This is a very late entry to Clean and Simple's 143:

I've had this made for a week, and even though I'm not crazy about it...decided to put it up.  Made with a stamp set by A Muse and a Stampin up punch dotted with liquid pearls.  

Things I used:  A Muse stamps, cream, kraft and bazzill java paper , early espresso ink, stampin up border punch, Ranger liquid pearls

One Layer Wednesday.. Yellow, Orange and Aqua

I made these cards for One Layer Wednesday...the challenge this week(#58) is to make a one layer card using the colors yellow, orange and aqua.  Here's what I came up with:

 The first card used a stamp set from Annabelle Stamps and a sentiment from Hero Arts.  I wanted one of each of the flowers to stand out, so I stamped the 2nd, 4th and 6th flowers first and masked them to stamp the remaining flowers.  Added stick on dots and sentiment.

The second card, I stamped the frame and masked to sponge the blue, then the orange and covered the blue and orange and sponged the yellow.  Added the sailboat and sentiment.  Cut the card to 4"...thought it looked better framing the frame.
Thanks for looking, love the colors of this challenge...what fun:)!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Annabelle Stamps Stemmed Flowers, Hero Arts Thinking of You
             Papertrey Ink Framed, Masculine Motifs and Fillable Frames 1
Paper: Bazzill white
Ink: stazon black, Tangerine Tango, Cool Caribbean, Daffodil Delight
Extras: stick on dots, clear embossing powder

Sketch Challenge 337

I made this card for SCS's Sketch challenge 337:

Here's the sketch:

This was a super simple sketch and I kept it super simple!  I used 2 stamps from Stampendous and a piece of design paper I got from Joann's.  Stamped the images and clear embossed, colored with SU markers and popped up on white card.

Things I used:
Stamps: Stampendous
Paper: papertrey ink white, black, dp
Ink: stazon black, pacific point, baja breeze
Extras: pop up dots, clear embossing powder

Clean and Simple 144

I made these two cards for this week's challenge,

 Here is the sketch:

These cards are very simple...paper, sentiment and punched out flowers...what a great quick go to sketch!!
And that's what this post will be quick and simple:)!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Inkadinkado and Verve
Paper: Bazzill java,white and Mike's design paper,scrap blue(baja breeze?)   Pretty in pink, regal rose, bazzill white
Ink: early espresso, regal rose
Extras: flower punch, white stick on dots, 1/4" circle punch, polka dot embossing folder, border punches

Less is More One Layer...In The Frame

I made the following cards for Less is More's challenge 19...to make a one layer card with a frame on it.I really need to look a bit closer when reading challenges.  I read the framed part of this challenge and didn't see the one layer...so I made a couple cards over the weekend with frames, but both were a couple layers thick...and just as I was getting ready to upload, I READ the challenge...oh well, more cards for me:)!!  I just couldn't stop at one...had a  bunch of ideas running through my head...and having had no mojo for the last week...when  ideas run...I run with them:)!!

I made the yellow and blue cards with cardstock from A Muse Stamps.  The unusual thing and in this case really cool thing, is that the paper is one-sided color.  When I cut the paper and stamped on the colored side, I cut the frame out and stamped on the inside of the card, which was the other side of the colored cardstock...white...perfect for what I had in mind.  I know, the first looks like a bumble bee or school bus...but I like the bright yellow. I dotted the trees with black Enamel Accents and used baker's twine.  The second is cobalt blue...stamped frame, cut out and stamped silhouette    on inside.  Added sentiment on outside on this one:

 Those two were actually my third and fourth made....These were my second and first....simply stamped and colored.  Added sentiment and clear embossed. Colored with Stampin Up markers. This one was made with a stamp from Elzybels...a dear friend and stamper from Ireland made a card with it one time...so I ordered it right before they went out of business.

 This one was made with a very old PSX stamp that I got a LONG time ago, when I first became interested in stamping:

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The details are below...thanks so much for looking, I will have to spend the rest of the week getting to the cards in the gallery...that's a whole 'nother challenge:)!! What fun this all is...loving it...loving the challenges and the wonderful community of  stampers!!!...

Things I used:
Stamps: 1. A Muse Avian Notes, Papertrey Ink Label Basics, Inkadinkado Thank You Words
             2. Papertrey Ink Label Basics and Birthday Basics, Stampin Up Just Believe
             3.Elyzebels, Stampendous
             4. PSX , Rubber Soul
Paper:  1. A Muse Papaya, 2. A Muse Cobalt, 3. Bazzill white, 4. Papertey Ink White
Ink: stazon black  3. Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, 4. Summer Sun, Daffodil Delight, certainly Celery, Old Olive. soft Suede
Extras: clear embossing powder, Enamel Accents(1.) baker's twine, rhinestones

A Personalized Father's Day Card

I made this card for my dad...he loves birds and I remembered this stamp.,..perfect to give to my dad with 5 birds for our family and an additional one that I masked from the stamp for our new son-in-law, Nic:)!!

  I wrote each of our names under the bird that most fit each family member and computer generated the sentiment onto textured cardstock. I cut and pieced each bird and heart, placing each over the already stamped images.  Layered on bazzill red.
Thanks for taking a look...hope your day is wonderful:)!!
Things I used:
Stamps:  Stampin Up The More the Merrier
Paper: bazzill white, ballet blue, bazzill red
Ink: Stazon black, pumpkin pie(beaks)
 Extras: clear embossing powder

One Layer Wednesday...Father's Day

I made this card for One Layer Wednesday challenge 56...to make a one layer card for Father's Day. Why are man cards sooooo hard for me???  I made this card last Saturday, but have kept from putting it up because it just didn't thrill me, but with countless(and I mean that) attempts at other things, and no success..this is my offering:)!! I think all my images suitable for "man cards" are small, and one layer is really hard for me with small images... My dad loves sailboats, has his own really small one, so this was really the only image I have or could think of for him:)!!:

 I stamped the chain with versamark and embossed with silver powder.  I did the same with the anchor and cut it out( I know it's paper, I am thinking of it as an embellishment and hope it doesn't seem I've broken the rules?!)   I stamped and embossed the sailboat and the outside of the sails.  I probably should have put the base of the boat a little closer to the chain, but it is what it is:)!!  I stamped the inside sails and dotted with Enamel Accents(LOVE that stuff!)...and just in case you're wondering...the design isn't flowers, it's a geometric design on the sails. I sponged the chain and below with the same blue as the boat.  I pierced the chain and anchor and used silver cord and threaded through holes on chain and added three stick on silver dots in the upper corner.
Thanks for taking a look!!

Things I used:
Stamps: Papertrey Ink Men of Life and Masculine Motifs
Paper: Papertrey Ink white
 Ink:versamark, stazon black, ballet blue
 Extras: silver and clear embossing powder, silver stick on dots, silver cord, sponge, Ranger Enamel Accents

Less is More...Monochrome

I am having so much fun with these Less is More challenges...and although I found stamping in monochromatic colors a bit challenging this week, I found other ways to express the monochromatic theme:

 I stamped both cards' branches and sentiments with versamark and used white and black embossing powders(I used my little static bag over each card before stamping...is a must when using black powder on white card or white powder on black card...the powder only sticks to the image and not to the card:)!!).  I dotted the empty circles on the branches with Enamel Accents...black and white, and punched leaves with textured card stock and Martha Stewart rose leaf punch.  I scored the leaves and attached to branches.

 And then I used some punches in 3 shades of blue to make a couple more cards:

Both were made with Martha Stewart punches in Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and Not Quite Navy.  The first card used the double loops border punch with a 1" strip of paper.  I did a tutorial on the how to's in case you're interested.
Thanks, Mandi and Chrissie, for the wonderful challenges!!

Things I used:
Stamps: 1 and 2 Stem: DRS Designs, Verve Amazing Wishes (sentiment)   3: Papertrey Ink Men of Life   4: Stampendous Happy Messages
Paper: 1 and 2: Bazzill white and black   3 and 4: bazzill white, marina mist, bashful blue, not quite navy
Ink: 1 and 2: versamark    3 :Not Quite Navy    4:Marina mist
Extras: 1 and 2: white and black embossing powder, Martha Stewart rose leaf punch, white and black Enamel Accents,   3: Martha Stewart Double Loops punch, clear embossing powder  4: Martha Stewart Heart punch, scor buddy, clear embossing powder, pop up dots