MTSC80 SOOOOOO Saffron

When I first saw the latest sketch challenge from Mercy, I thought "scallops and circles, I can do those."  Then I started to put the card together and I realized that it was so much more than scallops and cirles.  I had made another clean and simple (CAS) card.  How could it not be with all that "white" space?  (For "white" you should read so saffron colored paper from the sweet pea designer paper pack).  Then suddenly the circle became a layered flower (with an adorable corduroy button in the center).  And best of all, I resisted filling in all that "white" space with SOMETHING!  At one point I entertained the idea of adding a third color, but I resisted and the end result is what you see here.  Since there are no stamps on the front, I can use this card for just about anything - a bonus when you need something quickly.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

MOJO145 Birthday

I had nearly forgot how much I loved this Parisian Breeze specialty paper.  I admit I've been hoarding it, but I decided to break it out for this lovely birthday card.  After this, it goes back into hiding until I find another suitable project!  However, after using it I remembered how much I love the colors and the weight of it.  It's so unique!  I probably should use it more, but I don't feel the slightest bit guilty about putting it aside for a bit!

For this 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 card (just about the cutest card size ever!), I followed the MOJO145 sketch.  It's the last sketch of the month where we get to choose between a round or square card.  And since this is the cutest size ever(!) I chose the square.  I've got a few birthdays coming up, so I'm sure I'll have no trouble giving it away.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Oh My Stars!

I think the ladies over at the Pals Paper Arts challenge blog have it right when they say that Margaret Moody makes fabulous sketches.  As soon as I saw this one, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I paired it with the Curtain Call Color Challenge and came up with this fabulous card (if I may say so myself).  I'm going to send this to my Dad, who is a Marine Corp veteran, because he really enjoys all things patriotic.  

I hope everyone has a chance to enjoy July 4th celebrations this year.  It's one of my favorite holidays because there are parades, fireworks, and cookouts with family or friends.  This year my sister is pairing a July 4th cookout with her son's college graduation party.  I can hardly wait!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

MTSC79 Happy Birthday

When I first saw the new MTSC sketch I thought it was right up my alley.  I love simple layers and I've got lots of brads so I thought "let's go."  So after I put it all together I was surprised to see that I had made a clean and simple (CAS) card.  My "white space" is actually rose red, but you get the point, I'm sure.  Usually I have difficulty with CAS cards.  Before I photographed this one, I tried to fill up some of that "white space" with a twisted ribbon flower.  I didn't like that so I tried some ribbon on the corners.  I didn't like that so I tried some ribbon across the front (but that wouldn't fit with the sketch challenge).  Ultimately I decided to leave it as is.  The colors are spectacular and I, for one, am very sad to see Bermuda Bay go.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

SSSC74 Happy Birthday

This is quite a different direction for me in terms of color.  Although I love bright colors, like the Melon Mambo that I used here, I don't usually use colors so diverse on the same card.  I'm not 100% sure that I like this particular card, but I feel like I was adventurous anyway.

I started out making this card all about the rich razzleberry and melon mambo.  Then I decided that it wasn't exciting enough.  This morning as I was getting ready for work, I stopped by my desk and took a look at my work in progress.  I didn't really like what I saw.  It was too boring.  Then all of a sudden, I thought that some crushed curry would liven things up.  I couldn't wait until I got home from work tonight to try it out.

This is the finished product.  I had a hard time settling on the green on the bottom.  I waffled for a time between old olive and wild wasabi.  I settled ultimately on old olive (thanks in part to the Way Cool SU Color Combo Machine that you can find in my sidebar).  And I can't forget to say "thanks" to Karen and her Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for providing the layout. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

MOJO144 Birthday Bag

I decided to go in a different direction with my take on the MOJO sketch this week.

I felt like making something other than a card, so I decided to make a gift "bag" instead.   I used my fancy favor sizzix die to make the bag and embellished it with some blue bayou dp (I always loved that color *sniff*), taffeta ribbon and brads.  I had it in my head that I should use the birthday stamp from the Four Square set, but I wish I hadn't.  It's really a little too small for this sketch and I had trouble finding something small enough to be the little shaped piece on the right side of one of the squares.  I finally settled on one of the smaller labels four nesties.  All in all I think it came out pretty cute and I'm sure that whoever I give it to will be so impressed with my stamping talents!  That's one of the fabulous things about stamping, I think.  You really don't need any special talent to create something that's beautiful.  And no matter how hard you try to tell non-stampers that they can do it too, they still think you are full of baloney!  If I can convince one non-stamper (are you listening Bea?) that they can do it, I will consider my work here done!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

A Razzleberry Thank You

Earlier this year, I made a new year's resolution to try and use my designer paper more often.  I think I've made some headway, but I still have an awful lot left.  One of these days, I'm just going to take it all and have a big card-making fest so that I can use it all up!  On the other hand, some of it is just so darn cute, that I can hardly bring myself to cut it!  What a dilemma.

So in this vein, I determined to use the Cottage Wall paper I had in my stash.  I absolutely love old olive, so it was no trouble at all!  For this card, I used the new Waltzingmouse sketch challenge and in the same spirit of using things already in my stash, I used some old olive ribbon from several years ago and a button that I forgot I had!  (I think I need to clean organize my stamp room).

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

FTL95 Celebration

I'm not entirely sure that this qualifies for the Color Throwdown challenge this week.  The colors are supposed to be certainly celery, not quite navy, ande cameo coral.  I did manage to get those colors in this card, but I also added whisper white and baja breeze.  I'm pretty sure that whisper white is ok because it is a neutral, but I think I disqualified myself by using the baja breeze.  I'm going to blame my rogue behavior on my thumb.

Yesterday morning, I developed a terrible pain in my thumb.  It began on the pad and reminded me a lot of how your finger feels when you've jabbed it with a needle.  By nighttime, my thumb was swollen, red and hurt like the dickens.  I have no idea what is wrong with it, but I do know that I can barely touch anything with it.  Which is why the only stamp on this card is a little smudgy:  I can't really grip the stamp with my fingers!  I'm going to go to the doctor on Monday so that I can get back to normal.  Opposable thumbs really are a useful evolutionary trick (especially if you are a stamper)!  Anyway, I did (I believe correctly) use the clean and simple FTL95 layout.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!