MOJO119 With All My Heart

Whew! This is the end of my marathon posting.

I can't believe that I had time to make this card tonight, after returning a bunch of Christmas presents after work and cooking supper when I finally got home at 7:00. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this working thing really interfere's with my stamping! But anyway, I did it and here it is. Bermuda Bay is really a pretty color and I need to make an effort to use it more. IRL, it looks fabulous next to the Sahara Sand. Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy New Year!

I Am SO on a Roll

I feel like I've got a huge backlog of cards to upload to this blog. Oh right - in fact I do! After Christmas I decided to go straight to Valentine's Day: do not pass GO!, do not collect $200 etc. etc. If anyone out there actually reads this blog you will see that just a few minutes ago I posted a few Christmas cards CASEing a really fun Kristina Werner card. I decided that the basic format of that card is really adorable, so I adapted it for this card which I made for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge.

Incidentally, I found some ancient SU! designer series paper in my stash and decided that since I'm a recycler, I would put it to good use here. I think it's really cute and the colors are fabulous. If you're counting, I've got one more post to go tonight! Thanks for stopping by!

MOJO118 (A Little Late)

I actually made this card on Saturday (in plenty of time to upload it to the MOJO site) but for some reason I never got around to doing it. But here it is anyway. This is the first card I made with the new SU! clear-mount stamps from the new mini (available on January 4th). I've got to say, I absolutely love these new clear-mount stamps. The DVD case they are stored in is just about the best idea I've seen in a long time. The case hardly takes up any room at all, and best of all there are pictures of all the stamps on the front of the case and the spine. Genius! This is the Vintage Vogue set which is just beautiful. Thanks for stopping by!

One Last Christmas Card

I can't believe I'm posting a Christmas card at 11:00 (PM) on December 28th, but there you have it. I saw this adorable card on Kristina Werner's blog and knew I wanted to make my own version. This is what I came up with.

Unfortunately, I have to save these cards for next year because I completely forgot to give them to their intended recipients. Looking on the bright side, I am SO far ahead on making Christmas cards for 2010! Thanks for stopping by.

You're One of a Kind

I've been procrastinating about sending out my Christmas cards and this card is the evidence. I've been busy making my cards (I've still got another 10 to go), but I took some time last night to make a non-Christmas themed card. Sometimes you just need a break. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and I love making things for Christmas, but once in a while it's nice to step away from the ho-ho-ho. And since it's the last day to upload a card for the MOJO challenge, I decided this was the time to do it. Thanks for stopping by.

Blog Silence is Deafening

I can't believe it's been nearly a month since I posted anything on my blog. I'm so ashamed! I hate to say it, but I've been so busy these last few weeks, that I actually have had very little time to stamp {gasp}. At the beginning of the month, I was diligently working on getting my new stamping space ready for habitation, then I decided to get all of my Christmas shopping done. (I actually accomplished this!). And then, all of a sudden, it was Thanksgiving and I needed to concentrate on that. Sheesh. But after spending the last several weeks MOJO-less, I decided that, no matter what, I was going to participate in the MOJO sketch challenge this week. I needed a thank you card to send my sister (who bought me a gift card to my local craft store for my birthday) so I decided it was a good time to get back to it. So here's my card:

I love this Medallion stamp, but haven't used it nearly enough. It's awfully big, and it doesn't quite fit the dimensions on the MOJO sketch, but it's close. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday season.

Here's the recipe for this card:
Stamps: Medallion, Wonderful Words
Ink: Melon Mambo, Basic Black
Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White, Night and Day
Accessories: Rhinestone Brad, Circle Scissor Plus

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I'm not positive, but I think this may be the first time I have combined two challenges in one card (yay me!). I used Mercy's Tuesday sketch challenge and the Color Throwdown challenge. That being said, there a couple of things I would do differently on this card. For one, I think I would group the white brads closer together (the proportion seems off to me) and the other you may not have even noticed was a problem. I clear embossed the "merry christmas" sentiment from the Christmas Greeting set at the bottom of the card. I thought it would show up nicely against the Always Artichoke color. How wrong I was! I can barely see it, and I've got the original in hand!! I like this card enough to make it again, but I will definitely stamp first and emboss later. I'm not sure it shows in the photo, but I also clear embossed the ornaments, cut them out and popped them on dimensionals. Thanks for stopping by and here's the complete recipe:

Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Christmas Greetings,

Paper: Kraft, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Wintergreen

Ink: Always Artichoke, Soft Sky, Dusty Durango, Versamark

Accessories: Brads, Clear EP, dimensionals, sponging

MOJO111

These snow buddies are adorable. I really didn't think that I would like these little guys so much, but I do! I made this card for the MOJO111 sketch challenge. I consider it a major feat that I managed to get this card done on the Monday it was issued. (Working really interferes with my stamping!!). When I first saw this sketch, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I started out thinking of something floral, but quickly decided to change to a winter theme. (That may have to do with the fact that I am WAY behind on my christmas cards this year). Thanks so much for stopping by. Here's my recipe:

Stamps: Snow Buddies, Serene Snowflakes
Paper: Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Cottage Wall
Ink: Black Stazon, Silver Encore, Versamark
Accessories: Brads, SU! Snowflake Punch, SU! Markers, Silver EP

PPA14 Challenge

The latest Pals Paper Arts challenge is in honor of breast cancer awareness month (which was actually in October). The challenge was to use pink on your project. I decided to make a card which hopefully would inspire a breast cancer fighter. I am fortunate to know four courageous women who are breast cancer survivors. They are so inspirational to me (in so many ways). This is the absolute LEAST I could do to honor them. Thank you so much for looking.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho It's Off to Work I Go...

Alas, my vacation is at an end. It's been a very busy two weeks and I'm not ready to go back to work, but unfortunately I have to. Work on my new stamping studio has been progressing, but there's still quite a bit to go. I know it will get done eventually, but I'm impatient (and I want my dining room back). Since I've been on vacation I've been able to get quite a bit of stamping in. This card is for the MOJO110 sketch challenge. It's been nice to get these challenges done the same day they are issued, and I hope I can keep it up. I'm going to send this card to a friend of mine who moved to Florida a couple of years ago. I've decided that I'm going to launch a campaign to remind her of all she gave up when she moved to a warmer clime. My diabolical plan is to send these winter-inspired cards to her every couple of weeks. I'm mailing the first one tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll get a chuckle. Thanks for stopping by. Here's the recipe for this card:

Stamps: Non-SU! (Sorry, I can't tell you which one)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Ski Slope
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Little Felt Flurries, Chocolate Chip Ribbon

Let's Celebrate MOJO Style!

I have been dying to use the Thoroughly Modern paper and today was the first chance I got. And of course, since it's Monday, I decided to use it with today's MOJO sketch challenge. I think this may be the first time I've used Bermuda Bay, and I've got to say that I love it. The color is so vibrant and cheerful. Now I've got to spend some time thinking of how I can incorporate it into my Christmas cards! Thanks so much for stopping by! Here's the complete recipe for this card:

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, On Your Birthday

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Sahara Sand, Rose Red, Whisper White, Thoroughly Modern

Ink: Black Stazon, Rose Red, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Blender Pens, Ribbon, Punches

Snow in October!

When I made this card on Thursday it was cold here in Massachusetts, but certainly not snowing. I thought I was safe from the white, fluffy stuff for a while yet. But then Sunday afternoon I turned on the tv to watch the football game that was being played in a town about 15 miles from where I live and it was snowing like crazy there! The field was covered in snow and it looked to me like there were several inches on the ground. Ugh! I'm not a big fan of snow, winter or cold weather, but I do think these little snowmen are kind of cute! They seem to be happy anyway, smiling despite the cold wind that is whipping their scarves around. Brrrrrr. I colored in those little guys with a bunch of SU! markers: going gray, basic gray, basic black, real red, glorious green, summer sun, certainly celery, and pumpkin pie and used the Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge for my layout. Here's the rest of the recipe:

Stamps: Snow Buddies, Warm Words
Ink: Black Stazon, Real Red
Paper: Very Vanilla, Real Red, Merry Moments
Accessories: Punchs, Markers, Ribbon, Dimensionals

Bella Bleu Birthday

I've been on vacation this past week and despite being busy around the house, I have managed to get quite a bit of stamping done. What I have not been very good about is posting pictures of what I've been doing! This card was made for my sister-in-law's birthday which was on Sunday. I used the very pretty Bella Bleu paper and Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge for my layout. I seem to be using Kraft quite a bit lately. I just love how it seems to go with everything. Thanks for looking! Here's the complete recipe:

Stamps: Matchbox Messages, On Your Birthday
Paper: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla, Bella Bleu
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Dimensionals

Fall is in the air

It is downright chilly here in Massachusetts. I actually turned on the heat in my house. :( I'm on vacation this week so I broke down and turned it on since I didn't want to be stuck in a cold house. Although, as you can probably guess, I'm not a big fan of the winter, I do like autumn so I was happy to do an autumn themed card for the latest MOJO sketch challenge.

I embossed the leaf in some rather odd-looking embossing powder that I found in my stash. I thought it was sort of a burnished gold, but it came out looking sort of olive. I colored in the leaf with Really Rust and More Mustard markers and the effect (in real life) is kind of cool. The acorns are embossed with dark brown embossing powder and colored in with Close to Cocoa and a blender pen. Thanks for looking, and happy autumn! Here's the complete recipe:

Stamps: Autumn Splendor, non-SU sentiment

Paper: Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Really Rust, Very Vanilla, Apple Cider

Ink: Really Rust, Close to Cocoa

Accessories: EP, markers, ribbon

MTSC42

I hope this qualifies for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. I took a few liberties and offset the circle panel and the rectangular panel from each other and moved the placement of the brads. The proportions of my circles and rectangles suited this layout a little better. I'm planning on giving this card and the one I made for last week's MOJO sketch to someone as a gift. I think she will really love the neutral palette. I know I do! Thanks for looking! Here's the recipe:

Stamps: King & Caring Thoughts

Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Urban Oasis

Ink: Sahara Sand, Black Stazon

Accessories: Punches, Brads

Technique: Shadow Effect

MOJO107

When I first saw this MOJO sketch I had no idea what I wanted to do. Then all of a sudden, the light dawned and I knew I had to dig out my Urban Oasis paper. I have no idea where the inspiration came from but I just knew that I had to go with it. Turns out, I like this card very much. I love the Kraft and Basic Black together and the shadow effect on the stamped circle is cool in real life. I stamped Upsy Daisy in Sahara Sand first, then using my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I stamped it again in Basic Black slightly to the right. I hope you can see the effect in the picture. I also paper pierced the black band across the front before adding the ribbon. Here's the complete recipe:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Urban Oasis
Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Black
Accessories: Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Brads, Dimensionals, Scallop Punch
Technique: Paper Piercing

Halloween Goodies

Last night I was at my friend Carol's and we made some great halloween stuff. The matchbox dies are filled with Hershey's milk chocolate nuggets, the treat boxes have plain and peanut M & Ms (yum) and the test tubes are filled with M & Ms. I don't know about you, but I think those test tubes are awesome. I found the tutorial for making the holders at Lisa Somerville's blog. Happy haunting everyone!

MOJO106

What a crazy week! Although I made this card on Monday for the MOJO sketch, I'm just getting around to taking a photo and uploading it now. There's a lot of home improvement going on around here and I finally took a break so that I could get back into the blogging world. My niece Rebecca's 18th birthday was last week and I'm heading over to her house in an hour or so for the big birthday bash and this is the card and gift card holder I made her. I've used these colors before and I just love them.

Quite often I decorate the inside of a card (especially when I use dark cardstock). However, I almost never remember to take a photo. I did this time. I love the way it came out. Here's my card recipe:

Stamps: Great Friend, Framed with Love, On Your Birthday

Paper: Basic Gray, So Saffron, Whisper White, Walk in the Park

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Modern Label Punch and Sizzix Die

MTSC40

As I hoped, I have transitioned from Halloween to Christmas. Let's hope it sticks! I just love this Christmas Cocoa DP and I think I'm going to use it a lot this holiday season. This particular paper that I used in the background (soft suede with diagonal lines) reminds me of corduroys. It's just gorgeous. Anyway, this is my card for Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge. The recipe:

Paper: Soft Suede, Real Red, Whisper White, Christmas Cocoa
Accessories: SU Elastic Cord, SU Real Red Ribbon, Sizzlit Snowflake Die

The Last Post Was NOT my last Halloween Card!

Ok, I'm almost positive that this is my last Halloween card. After all, October is right around the corner and I have to start seriously thinking about Christmas cards and goodies. I just hate to put away this fabulous stamp set. But I will. Seriously. Here's the recipe for my MOJO105 card:

Stamps: From the Crypt, Autumn Apparitions
Paper: Basic Black, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Pale Plum, Night & Day
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Ribbon, Pewter EP, 1 3/8" circle punch

I Hope This is My Last Halloween Card

I can't get enough of this Halloween stuff, but I think this is the last of it. I can't tell you how much I love this From the Crypt stamp set. That skull is awesome! I'm not a huge fan of the whole "trick or treat" thing, but I love anything that is Halloween themed - the scarier the better! I decided to make this card using the sweet sunday sketch challenge. Thanks for looking. The recipe:

Stamps: From the Crypt, Best Fiends
Paper: Sage Shadow, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Whisper White, Nouveau Chic
Ink: Black Stazon, Versamark
Accessories: Silver EP, Clear EP

MTSC39

Wow. Two cards in two days. I'd like to think I can keep this up, but I don't think so. :( I don't know about you, but one thing I love to do is check out the new challenges on the days they are debuted. It's so fun to see what's in store and to see if I can get my creative juices flowing. Sadly, that is not the case here as I don't like this card so much. Let me say that I LOVE the Christmas Cocoa paper. The colors are fabulous, the flocked paper is totally awesome, but I just couldn't come up with something equally fabulous for this card. I love doing Mercy's sketch challenges, so I'm disappointed that this card came out rather bland and boring. I do like the square rhinestones and the ribbon. And I dug out some old SU red embossing powder, which is kind of cool. (Remember when they had a bunch of colored EP? That was a long time ago). Anyhoo, thanks for looking. The recipe:

Stamps: Delightful Decorations
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Real Red, Christmas Cocoa
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Red EP, SU Ribbon, Rhinestone Brads

MOJO104

This is the first time I've used watercolor paper. I think I need more practice. Although I think it came out okay, I've seen such beautiful watercoloring on other cards, I can clearly see that I'm a novice. I'd like to achieve the variations in color that I've seen. Back to the drawing board, I guess. I used the MOJO104 sketch for this card's layout and I chose a somewhat unusual color combo. I wanted to use Soft Suede and Bermuda Bay, then kept picking other colors (with the help of the SU Color Combo machine) until I got one I liked. Thanks for looking. The recipe:

Stamps: Asian Artistry, Matchbox Messages
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Watercolor paper
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Black Stazon
Accessories: Texturz Plate, Ribbon, Brads

Happy Birthday Aunt Vangie!

Tomorrow I'm going to a {surprise} birthday party for my Aunt Vangie. (Don't worry, there's no chance she will see this before then, or ever actually). I had been kicking around some ideas for a birthday card in my head, but nothing seemed to want to translate itself to ink and cardstock. Then I remembered that I had this DSP (which is so gorgeous I mostly want to just stare at it) and all of a sudden, I had a card (with some help from Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge). The recipe:

Stamps: Greenhouse Garden

Paper: Baja Breeze, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Parisian Breeze

Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Sizzilit Little Leaves, ribbon

Not So Spooky

Pink for Halloween you might say. You bet. I just think that pink and black and white look really cool together and I wanted to do something a little unusual for a halloween card. This is what I came up with. I used the MOJO103 sketch for the layout. I think this proves that my job is interfering with my stamping! Here it is, Monday morning, and I've already made a card for the challenge. I'm not sure you can tell in the pic, but the skull is embossed. It really makes it pop. Enjoy your labor day and thanks for looking! Here's the recipe:

Stamps: From the Crypt, All Holidays
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Night & Day
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Black EP, Dimensionals, Ribbon

Happy Birthday Nate!

Friday is my nephew's 15th birthday. He was born on 9-4-94 so it is REALLY easy to remember his birthday. This good news for certain memory-impaired aunts! I'm getting him a gift card and as soon as I saw this week's tutorial on Splitcoast I knew it was exactly what I needed. I used the Urban Garden DSP because it has a modern look that I also think shows kind of masculine. All in all, I really like how this came out. Thanks so much for looking. The recipe:

Paper: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Urban Garden

Stamps: Oval All, Birthday Wish

Ink: Not Quite Navy

Accessories: Baja Breeze ribbon, Dimensionals

Only 114 Days Until Christmas

Every year I tell myself that I'm going to start my Christmas cards early so that I can get them out of the way and actually enjoy the holiday season. However, every year this does not happen. I wonder if I'm the only one who wishes that I could be a little kid again trying to stay awake at night to hear Santa come and deliver all those cool Christmas presents. Remember how you felt when you believed that Santa had actually come to your house and left behind some of the things on your wish list? I do, and I wish I could know that feeling again!! Anyway, I have so far surprised myself this year by making two, count 'em, two Christmas cards already - and it's only September 2nd! I'm not sure I love this one, but I made it for the Splitcoast color challenge CC233 and for the Lizzie Ann Designs sketch challenge #88. Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Season of Joy

Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Whisper White

Ink: Real Red

Accessories: Real Red ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds, Rhinestone Brads

Boxer Madness

Is this the cutest card ever? I cannot, in any way, take credit for this clever card. I read the tutorial here. I made this card for the birthday of one of the girls I work with who loves boxers. And, Sylvia, I know you are reading this and you are sworn to secrecy!! I think she's gonna love it!

The recipe:
Stamps: NONE!
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Basic Black, Rose Red, Holiday Treasures

Carol's Flower Pot Card

Today I'm off to my friend Carol's to celebrate her new home. I made this card for her. I had seen this tutorial a while ago and wanted to try it out. Since fall is just around the corner, I felt like making a summery, flowery card. Don't get me wrong, I like the fall, but I LOVE summer! The recipe:

Stamps: Petal Pizzazz

Paper: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Berry Bliss

Ink: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Only Orange, Old Olive

Accessories: White Satin Ribbon

Retro - What ???

So Lindsey (who makes the best sangria) asked me to come up with some ideas for "retro" thank you cards for her cousin's shower. Now, my idea of retro is Mrs. Cleaver vacuuming the house in a belted-dress, but that wasn't exactly appropriate here. My other idea of retro is a sort of "mod" look. Rounded edges, that sort of thing. I wouldn't exactly call this "my style" so it was fun to think outside the box and make some cards that I probably would not ordinarily make. I only made two but I hope to squeeze a couple more in before I go on vacation, but I'm not sure I'll be able to since the next couple of days are chock-a-block full. This card uses the Color Throwdown challenge colors from last week and AVS03 (which is a MOJO sketch challenge from about a year ago(!!):






The recipe: Stamps: Simple Shapes, Matchbox Messages
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, Crushed Curry, Mambo Melon, Whisper White
Ink: Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo
Accessories: EK Success Punch


This other card I actually like a little better. It was super easy to put together and the colors are unusual, which I like. I used the same Simple Shapes stamp set, CC232 Color Challenge and a Card Positioning Systems sketch from a while ago.



The recipe: Stamps: Simple Shapes, Artfully Asian
Paper: Taken With Teal, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
Ink: Taken With Teal, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Taken With Teal Ribbon, 1/2" Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch

Christmas in August

I took a break from my Halloween contemplations to make this card for the Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge. For some reason, I felt like doing a Christmas Card, but I'm not sure what about this sketch lead me in that direction. I've done nothing the past couple of weeks but think about Halloween goodies, so maybe subconciously I needed a break. In any event, I like how this turned out. Clean, simple but colorful. Here's the recipe:

Stamps: Season of Joy
Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Ski Slope
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Versa Mark
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Ribbon, Scallop Border Punch, Crystal Effects
Techniques: Embossing

Blog Award

Laurie has nominated me for a Kreative Blogger award. I could hardly believe it when I saw it. I can't tell you how much I really appreciate it. Laurie's was one of the first blogs I started "following" because she always makes the most beautiful cards, tags, gifts and other things. AND she has awesome recipes too! Thanks Laurie!

In order to accept the award I have to 1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award. 2. Copy the logo and place it on my blog. 3. Link the person who nominated me for this award. 4. Name seven things about me that people might find interesting. 5. Nominate seven Kreativ Bloggers. 6. Post links to the seven blogs I nominate. 7. Leave comments on all seven blogs letting them know I nominated them. So here goes:

Seven things you {might} find interesting about me:

1. By day, I work in a bank - I'm a total number cruncher
2. I became a lifetime member of WW in May of this year
3. I have been married for sixteen years
4. I am a BIG Red Sox fan
5. I volunteer on the board of directors for the Friends of Borderland (a state park in Massachusetts)
6. I love to go shopping for antiques. For some reason I love other people's stuff!
7. I love to travel.

Here are the blogs I nominate:

Butternut Sage Designs
STAMPARADISE
Rain Puddles Designs
Stamps Paper Glitter
Stamping Block
It's A Stamp Thing

With Fiends Like This.........

I am SO glad that Mercy decided to start her Tuesday sketch challenges again. I wasn't able to participate in last week's challenge, but I wanted to make sure I made a card this week. I dug out one my all-time favorite Halloween stamp sets for this one (as well as some old in colors). I've been thinking so much about some fun things I'm going to make for Halloween that every card I think of has some kind of Halloween theme. I hope you like it. The recipe:

Stamps: Best Fiends, Sanded

Paper: Vintage Violet, Basic Black, Whisper White, Halloween Night

Ink: Basic Black, Vintage Violet, Basic Gray, Blush Blossom, Real Red, Old Olive

Accessories: Vintage Violet Ribbon

Technique: Sponging

Jane and Steve Get Married

My sister-in-law Jane got married this past weekend and this is the card I made for her and her new husband, Steve. I used the MOJO98 sketch challenge for my layout and reverted to my new favorite DSP, Nouveau Chic. The colors are so cool, I think I may try using it for some halloween fun. I'm experimenting with my card photos (again) and am trying out a new style a-la Kristina Werner. I love how she uses patterned paper for her backgrounds. It seems to really make the card pop. I also like the wide-screen format of her photos, but I haven't figured out yet if my camera has that feature. All in all, I'm pretty pleased with how this looks. I couldn't bear to use my SU! paper for a measley background shot, so the other day, I went to AC Moore and picked up a bunch of Cosmo Cricket and Basic Grey paper (my favorites after SU!). The one in this photo is Cosmo Cricket. The recipe:

Stamps: Wonderful Words, Kind & Caring Thoughts

Paper: Sage Shadow, Basic Black, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White, Nouveau Chic

Ink: Sage Shadow, Apricot Appeal

Accessories: Sage Shadow ribbon, embossing powder

Chocolate Dreams

I started this card by picking out that gorgeous designer paper. I know it's from Stampin Up!, but I have no idea what it's called or how old it is. I suspect I've had it hanging around for at least a year or so. When I saw it in my scrap pile, I knew I wanted to use it to make this MOJO sketch card. I don't do a lot of sponging, but I think I sponged this vanilla circle pretty well and I like the effect. Now, I titled this post Chocolate "Dreams" because part of the photo near the felt flowers looks a little fuzzy to me. I had a smudge on my camera lens that I didn't realize was there until I uploaded the photo. So I've decided to pretend that it's the same effect they used in old movies for dream sequences where the scene had a soft, fuzzy look. Yes? No? I can dream too! Here's the recipe:

Stamps: All Holidays, Baroque Motifs

Paper: River Rock, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, ? DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Brads, Damask Texturz Plate, Flower Fusion Too, Photo Corner Punch, Sponging

Greenhouse Garden Birthday

Greenhouse Garden is such a pretty set. I seem to be drawn to floral sets, and I think this one is my favorite (so far, anyway!). I used the layout from the Stamps, Paper, Glitter sketch challenge, but I chose the colors because I haven't used these in quite a while. I just love the line of brads on the ribbon. That was a last minute inspiration. The recipe:

Stamps: Greenhouse Garden, French Script, Birthday Whimsy

Paper: Bordering Blue, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla

Ink: Rose Red, Basic Black, Bordering Blue

Accessories: Kraft Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Sizzix Die, Brads, Dimensionals

Inspired Asian Artistry

It's only Wednesday and I've managed to make a card, take a photo AND upload it here. I wish I had more time to play with my stamping stuff, but unfortunately duty calls and I have to go to work every day. That doesn't leave a lot of time for stamping, but I try to squeeze it in whenever I can. I made this card for the MOJO96 sketch challenge. When I started thinking about this card, it was not going to have an asian influence, but somehow when I gathered up my supplies this is what emerged. Go figure... The recipe:

Stamps: Asian Artistry, Embrace Life
Paper: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Very Vanilla
Ink: Garden Green, Soft Suede
Accessories: Crushed Curry ribbon, Markers, Dimensionals

GIMP Me!

I have been messing around with watermarks lately but I didn't have a program to add them to m pictures. Then I read about this free software here and decided to give it a try. I am a complete novice about this type of photo-editing software, so I can see that I've got a lot to do before I figure it out. Not to mention that the proportions of my watermark are all off. Oh well. Back to the drawing board. But anyway, this card is for the MOJO95 sketch challenge. The recipe:

Stamps: Petal Pizzazz, Year-Round Cheer, Sanded

Paper: Old Olive, Orchic Opulence, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP

Ink: Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive

Accessories: Rhinestone Brad, EK Success border punch, Old Olive Ribbon

More Goodies

Despite the fact that it is not raining here in MA (3 days in a row whoo hoo!) and I have a ton of things to catch up on outside in the garden, I still have managed to scrounge up some time to play with my new SU stuff. This is the Cottage Wall DSP which is so pretty. The colors are really lovely together. I decided to try it out for the Splitcoast sketch challenge 236. And I also tried misting the cardstock with water before running it through the Big Shot with the Texturz Plate and I think it made a big difference in the impression. I remember reading about that tip somewhere in blogosphere but I don't remember where. Thanks so much for looking. The recipe:
Stamps: Best Blossoms (no one can make me "retire" this set!), Artfully Asian
Paper: Orchid Opulence, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Orchid Opulence
Accessories: Old Olive Ribbon, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Dimensionals

New Goodies!

I got my box of Stampin Up! stuff from the new catalog yesterday and immediately set to work playing. I decided to use the Stamps Paper Glitter sketch challenge as my starting point. And I knew that I was going to do something using the Nouveau Chic DSP. The colors are absolutely gorgeous. I had a feeling I was going to really like the Greenhouse Garden stamp set when I bought it, but I was wrong. I LOVE this stamp set. I can't wait to use it and more of my new stuff. The recipe:
Stamps: Inspired by Nature, Greenhouse Garden, All Holidays
Paper: Sage Shadow, Basic Gray, Apricol Appeal, Whisper White, Nouveau Chic DSP
Ink: Sage Shadow, Basic Gray
Accessories: Modern Label Punch, Sizzix Die

Gift Bags Galore!

I absolutely love making these gift bags. They are so easy (and I might add, highly addictive). It's such an easy way to make a gift for someone so much more special. Who wouldn't love to receive a gift in a home-made gift bag? You can find the tutorial here.

Saturday Sketch Challenge

I made this card using a sketch from the Saturday Sketch challenge website, but I have no idea which one! But it's a nice sketch anyway...The recipe:

Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Basic Gray, So Saffron, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: Basic Gray, So Saffron

Accessories: Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

Spring Flowers Birthday

I have admired this designer series paper for a LONG time. Every so often I take it out and look at it, then put it back, reluctant to cut it and spoil its pristine lines. However, every so often I decide that this is completely ridiculous and today I actually used the paper. I'm so pleased with the result. I hope you like it too. I made this for the MOJO94 sketch challenge. The recipe:

Stamps: On Your Birthday, Pretty Amazing
Paper: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Whisper White, Spring Showers DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue
Accessories: Dimensionals, Rhinestone Brad

Procrastination

I can't believe I made this card a week ago and I'm only getting around to posting it today. It's been a busy couple of weeks, but I'm relieved to finally get this card posted. (I've been staring at it on my counter for many, many days). I made this card for the Stamps, Paper, Glitter challenge #19. The recipe:

Stamps: All Year Cheer I, Priceless, Kind & Caring Thoughts
Paper: Basic Gray, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White, Urban Garden DSP
Ink: Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Jumbo Eyelets, Valet Ribbon Originals

MOJO Friend

I must really have my MOJO going on. This is two weeks in a row that I've actually managed to stamp AND post a MOJO sketch challenge card. Of course it might have something to do with the fact that it is STILL raining and the Red Sox are off, but I like to think my creative juices have been flowing. I took a little liberty with this sketch because I didn't have an easy way to make the scallop rectangles. I dug out some old retired favorites for this one. I just love the Best Blossoms set. I don't think I'll ever stop using it. The recipe:

Stamps: Best Blossoms, Lexicon of Love
Paper: River Rock, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Very Vanilla, Garden Green, Ginger Blossoms DSP

Ink: Ruby Red

Accessories: River Rock ribbon, Little Leaves Sizzlit

Lots of Friends

This is my first Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge, and my first card with the new SU colors. I thought I was going to get a lot more stamping in this weekend. The weather here in Massachusetts is horrible and has been for about a week. It rains all the time and the sun hardly ever makes an appearance. Since today was a complete washout, I figured I'd get a bit of stamping in. But rainy days are also good for cleaning and I ended up doing quite a bit of that too. But on to the card. I used a couple of "friend" sets: Good Friend and True Friend. I stamped off the flower from the True Friend to get the shadow effect. I like that look, but when I look at the card in person, it makes me think I forgot to put on my glasses! The complete recipe:

Stamps: True Friend, Good Friend

Paper: Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla

Ink: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede

Embellishments: Soft Suede ribbon, Flourish Texturz Plate