Hoppin' Out of Time

Well, I meant to post this much earlier in order to participate in PaperTreyInk's blog hop. But, as the day would have it, I wasn't able to 'hop' onto my computer until it was substantially too late. Though I still wanted to play, so I did! Who really needs an excuse to craft some time for paper, stamps, and ink?!

This month's blog hop challenge was to get geared up for spring and pull out spring colors, flowers, holidays, or themes. I do not initially gravitate towards pastels, so the challenge was a great springboard, so to speak, for me. I was able to use some SU! Soft Subtles that I often neglect. Over the weekend, I was at a scrapbook retreat and a friend was kind enough to give me the cutest hand stamped birthday card....so so SO cute! Besides all the awesome PTI that was used on the card (Guide Lines, Love Songs, Raspberry Fizz), she also used the Martha Stewart dot scallop border punch. Well, I fell in love with it over the weekend thanks to watching this talented artist (and another awesome scrapper at the event!) and just had to make a run to go get one for myself.....and use it on this card. Now, you may ask, who is this talented friend? Well, you might recognize her, she is this month's PaperTreyInk Guest Star Stamper featuring a fantastic stationary set, Dana! She inspires me often, even on this simple card. While scrapping with her, she inked up some alphas with multiple inks and it looked so soft and pretty. So, I played with that today. I inked up PTI's Trajan Alpha with four Brilliance ink dew drops and love how it came out (if you click on the picture, you can really see the ink sparkle!). I hope you get a chance to check out Dana's blog and let her inspire you as well!!


Supplies:
Cardstock: SU! - Barely Banana, Lavender Lace, Almost Amethyst; Bazzil - pink; stash - blue
Stamps: PaperTrey Ink - Trajan Alpha
Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance - Pearlescent Orchid, Pearlescent Purple, Pearlescent Lavender, Pearlescent Sky Blue
Ribbon: Taylored Expressions - Lemonade Twill
Embellisments: Martha Stewart - dot scallop border punch; Kaiserscrapbook - Mixed Flowers Rhinestones

Snowflake Bling

Well, no snow here, but we've got rain and hail. We are in need of the rain and I have just not gotten my cozy up and hibernate fix in, so I'm loving listening to the splish splash going on outside. I was out of town this weekend and not able to get inky at all. I have been organizing my photos though and came across this card that I made late last year. I'm in total denial that winter is almost over (it never really arrived here) and so before jumping into spring, I'm posting a little Cricut bling card. When I made this card, I finally opened my Joys of the Season cartridge and used it for the first time. The large snowflake hangs freely from the layered ribbon at the top and can be removed. The layers of ribbon are a wide and narrow navy with Silver Tinsel ribbon from PapertreyInk topping it off. It is super shiny in real life. (And yes, I will eventually get this indoor photo lighting down!)

The smaller snowflakes are cut from the same cartridge. They are pretty subtle, but are more pronounced than stamping tone on tone or with a watermark ink. I had never made a card that only used the Cricut with no ink or stamps before, so it was a fun challenge for me. And I'm glad I finally busted out that cartridge that had been sitting there taunting me for so long!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Blue and Silver are from stash
Ribbon: Wide & narrow navy blues from stash, Silver - PapertreyInk; Thread - Coats&Clark
Bling: Large - bulk from Walmart, small - Bling it On by Lisa Bearnson
Tools: Cricut - Joys of the Season

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, okay, I know, its really tomorrow. But, I'll be with my family and friends celebrating our loss and others' win in the Fantasy Football league we participate in.

This is my husband's Valentine's card. Its super simple, just the way he would like it! (Well...hopefully, he likes it...even though its quite pink!! ;>) At 8 1/2"x 3 1/2" folded, its a tad odd shaped for an envelope. But, this one will be hand delivered, so no biggie there. I retraced the stamped "BE mine" sentiment with a Pink Spica glitter pen. I think I might have already mentioned this, but I LOVE these pens! I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!!



Supplies:Cardstock: PapertreyInk - Stamper's Select White & Raspberry Fizz
Patterned Paper: From stash, from about eight years ago.
Ink: PapertreyInk - True Match Raspberry Fizz
Ribbon: PapertreyInk - Raspberry Fizz twill
Other: Pink Spica glitter pen by Copic

Friendly Challenge

Can ya guess where the challenge might be?? Yup! On Nichole's blog....a "Friends 'Til the End" challenge this time. I was putting away some goodies as I am going on a scrapbooking retreat this month and I came across a scallop chipboard SU frame. Into the appropriate home it went.....for about seven minutes, when I pulled it back out and began to ink it up! That was where I started with this card. The chipboard is inked with Raspberry Fizz ink and is popped up on foam tape. The word 'friend' is stamped in Raspberry Fizz and retraced with Pink Spica pen (love these!!). I have to apologize for the picture....I really needed better lighting to take it, especially since the card base is hunter green. If I used the flash, it was completely washed out, if I kept the flash off....its well, dark, as you can see! I did try to correct it a tad in Photoshop, in the end, I chose this pic though since (if you click on it to enlarge it) it at least shows off some of its sparkle!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Raspberry Fizz & Vintage Cream; hunter green card base from stash
Stamps: PTI - GuideLines; SU! - friend stamp (still looking for set's name)
Ink: Papertrey Ink - Raspberry Fizz; Tsukineko, Versamagic - Hint of Pesto
Embellishments: Chipboard - SU!; Bling - Bling it On by Lisa Bearnson & Spica Glitter Pens; Ribbon - Papertrey Ink, Raspberry Fizz

CPS102 Sketch Challenge

I'm sure by now you can tell I'm stalking Nichole's blog, which led me to check out Card Positioning Systems' blog and then participate in today's challenge. For someone who had never participated in a single online challenge ever, I think I'm doing pretty good at three for three! :> What's even better is how much fun I'm having and learning more about this world of blogging is a great add on bonus! Actually, I'm not the only one having fun.....my daughter is ooooing and ahhhing over all of Mama's supplies that keep coming out of my room and into the living room so I can play and still interact with the family........make sure Cinderella's glass slipper really does fit, replace the Leapster's batteries, referee, get snacks, help find Teddy, etc. All the while I'm smiling 'cause I'm cutting, glueing, and gettin' inky! :>



Supplies:
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Pure Poppy & Vintage Cream; brown cardstock from stash
Stamps: SU! French Script background
Ink: Versamark
Embellishments: Flowers - Prima; Buttons - La*di*dah, courtyard findings neutral; Lace - Wrights

PTI's Bitty Dot Sketch Challenge

Saturday mornings are a delight for me as my husband gets up with the kidlets and I can sleep in if I want (and if we have no plans in the a.m.). Well, no such luck this morning. My head was spinning with ideas for a couple of altered items to give out in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, the inspiration and motivation keep flowing and I get them done in time. And maybe they'll make their way onto here! But, I digress.....onto today's project.

With 95 spools of gorgeous ribbon on the line, of course I just had to participate in Papertrey Ink's Bitty Dot Sketch Challenge on Nichole's blog. PTI's Heart Prints has definitely been my most used stamp set as of late, so I immediately grabbed it for this card.



The card base is black cardstock (from my stash....I'm almost out though, so it will be a good excuse to add some of PTI's True Black to my next order wink wink), layered with PTI's Raspberry Fizz stamped with SU's Craft White ink (which for some reason I was really arguing with today....usually, we are pretty good friends!) using a stamp from PTI's Polka Dot Basics set. On top of that is PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock. The sentiment and hearts are from Heart Prints, stamped in SU's Craft White ink and PTI's Raspberry Fizz Perfect Match ink, respectively. The small heart is glittered with JoAnne's ultrafine pink glitter, outlined with Ranger's Xmas Red Stickles, and popped up on foam. It is WAY more sparkly IRL, but I lost the sun before I was able to go outside to take a picture. The hearts are punched out using the Heart EK Success punches that PTI sells to go with the stamp set. And to finish the card off, I used some narrow red satin ribbon from my stash and three red Me & My Big Ideas icons bling. I wonder what Nichole has in store for us tomorrow!

Papertrey Ink Cardstock Challenge

Nichole Heady of Papertrey Ink caught my attention some time in 2007 and by early 2008, I was an avid follower of her blog and of course, quickly became a fan of the stamp line. Someone on a message board was kind enough to send me a piece of PTI white cardstock. Thrilled with the quality, I felt compelled (lol...compelled?!...truth be told, my eyes were wide as saucers looking at all the fun goodies on the PTI online store) to place my first order.

And now, here I am, participating in my first ever online challenge and puting my name in the hat to win the random drawing prize of $100 worth of awesome PTI cardstock! My fingers are crossed, but either way, I really had fun playing along.




The card base is Papertrey Ink's Stampers Select White cardstock. Punched squares of PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock and three other colors of random cardstock from my scraps file using a Creative Memories Square Shape Punch (size 1 1/2" & 1 1/4"). The smaller square is up on foam squares with two different sizes of white Prima paper flowers finished off with Stardust Stickles in the flower centers. At the bottom of the card a Pure Poppy stitched grosgrain tops the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the PTI Borders & Corners Monogram Edition stamp set.

Thanks for looking and hope you get a chance to play some of the coming challenges. The latest post/challenge that just went up teases you with oodles of ribbon!

WOW!!!

A little over a year ago, I didn't even understand the point of a blog! It simply did not make a whole lot of sense to me. Then, I discovered the wonderful world of craft blogs......and boy was I hooked! I'm sure I spend way too much time blurfing, but I just love seeing what all the talented crafty people are up to and creating. I have been amazed at not only the talent that is blogging, but also the community that develops between bloggers. All of it began to seem a whole lot less impersonal. So, here I am, dipping my toes into this ocean and attempting to gain my own first hand blogging experience. Wish me luck!