{Sweet} Thanks!

Very sweet thanks were in order for a sweet friend, for which this card was made (and I just found out that it has arrived in her mailbox....so its safe to post! :>). Now, if you haven't noticed I'm not a huge patterned paper gal. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I buy it, I hoard it, but I have trouble using it. And a card or scrapbook layout that is made entirely of patterned paper is pretty much unheard of for me! Until now!! :> I knew I wanted to use my cupcake stamp and an 8x8 patterned paper stack that I bought on sale awhile back and have never used...not one piece. Being that I was working out of my comfort zone, I needed some more Backup and this time I turned to CPS sketch 127 .

Stamping the cupcake on the front of the striped & glittered Die Cuts With A View paper and then stamping the cupcake again on the back of the polka paper, I began making my sweet cupcake. I cut both pieces out, painted the polka frosting with white pearlescent paint (watered down makes it more translucent to not obscure the paper below) for some great shimmer (unfortunately, the camera didn't pick it up...but, its there, I promise!). Actually, I painted two, as the first one I stamped with an inked up stamp and the dark ink began to show through from the paint and water. So, I stamped it a second time with just the residue left after stamping off several times.

Since I was following a sketch, you would think that it would take no time at all to cut some paper and adhere it, but I fussed with several different patterns and cardstock and to my great surprise, it was the cardstock that just was not working at all. Once I removed the cardstock (after trying half a dozen different colors!), it then came together for me.....with all patterned papers and a giant surprised grin. Some foam tape to pop the layers up, a little bit of ruffled ribbon, a {sweet} rub on and I had a thank you to send off to this sweet friend!

Supplies:
Stamps: Inkspirations (closed)
Cardstock: Stampers Select White (card base) - PTI
Patterned Paper: Nana's Nursery - Die Cuts With A View
Ribbon: Fairy Tale - Stampin' Up!
Rub Ons: K & Company, K-ology, Thinking of You
Paint: Pearlescent Paints - Yasutomo

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge #13 & CPS 126

Having just about run out of Berry Sorbet, I was scrambling thinking how I could still participate in Dawn's latest Color Challenge. Then I thought to pull out my pad of Papertrey Ink's Bitty Dots. It is the only PTI patterned paper that I own and I'm oh so glad I do!

I was attempting to complete CPS's sketch 126 in time as well, but I hopped on here just moments too late. Oh well, it provided a great road map for me to create my card with and the absolute perfect excuse to pull out some of my PTI buttons (not that I need an excuse for that, right?!).

With the colors and the layout already decided for me, the whole card came together quite quickly. I think what I loved most was just how happy these colors are. I can't help but smile when I look at them!

Since this was the first time I have stamped and played with this little birdie, I was figuring out how she ticks. When I cut her out, I left the part of the body where the wing would go intact, but the white of the cardstock was glaring, so I simply inked up a sponge and lightly sponged in some red ink. I adhered her cute little polka dot wing with 1/16" foam dots to the body and again used foam dots to adhere the body to the card. I punched the circles with 1 1/8" and 1 3/8" circle punches, layered them, and adhered the tied off buttons with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive. I drew in the birdies legs and feet to complete her.

A fun, happy little card was born from a little inspiration from Dawn McVey and CPS. I'm looking forward to see how one or the other, or both, inspired everyone else who played along! A great big thank you to all who stop by here and of course, I just love hearing from you! Your comments tickle me as pink as this birdie's wing!!! Have a fantastic weekend!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampers Select White, Pure Poppy - PTI

Patterned Paper: Bitty Dot - PTI

Stamps: Everyday Classics - PTI

Ink: Real Red, Regal Rose - Stampin' Up!

Other: Embroidery Floss - Making Memories; Rub Ons - Stampin' Up!; Pen - Zig; Vintage Buttons - Papertrey Ink

CPS 118

A card for our anniversary using Card Positioning Systems sketch 118 was in the cards today. Actually, this is Take Two on making my hubby an anniversary card. Don't worry, I won't upload this card on our family computer, like I made the mistake of doing last time!! We have been together for eleven years and are coming up on our ninth anniversary. Its amazing how sometimes it feels like we've been with each other for a lifetime and yet other times, it feels as if the time has passed in the blink of an eye.

The CPS sketch was my jumping off point. At first, I thought I might have combined it with Dawn McVey's color challenge, but I wanted to keep the pink out since I had made his Valentine's card full of light pinks! The sketch started me, but the materials really led me the rest of the way. Pulling the little game pieces for the 'U' and the 'ME', led to the brown painted ampersand wrapped in gold thread (yes, it took awhile, but it gave my hands something to do while I watched "Aladin" with my kidlets). I stamped the half circle piece with Papertrey Ink's Heart Prints in Versamark ink on Pure Poppy cardstock. And then when laying the card out, I could see where it needed a few small embellishments......a small piece of red felt, stitched in the same gold thread for under the 'U' game piece and some tiny red buttons also tied off with gold thread (if you enlarge the pic, you might see some white under the buttons....its the glue, it was not quite dry when I photographed it, but it will dry clear).

I am quite happy that this card uses so much from my stash! And I think hubby will like it, especially the game pieces! Thank you for taking a peek. I so enjoy your comments, they stamp a big smile on my face when I read them! Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy - PTI

Ink: Versamark
Stamps: Heart Prints - PTI
Chipboard: Ampersand - JoAnns
Buttons: Stash
Other: Red Game Pieces - Li'l Davis; Red Felt - Kunin; Metallic Gold Thread - Coats & Clark; Velvet (brown) acrylic paint - Delta Ceramcoat

MTTC 01 & CPS 113 & IAP1

Combining three challenges into one card is kind of fun! Now I know why some people create their own challenge of seeing how many challenges they can combine into one project. I always think that I cannot do that, but evidently, I'm wrong!

I combined Lauren Meader's first color challenge with Card Positioning Systems weekly sketch challenge with a challenge at the Stamp Shack for Ink-A-Polooza this week.

Would you believe that I do not own a single sheet of darker gray cardstock?! Oh the horror!!! But, I did dig out a piece of corrugated gray........not sure what to call it....thicker than cardstock and thinner than cardboard and a squishier consistency than tag board. I bought a multi-color pack of the stuff back in 2000 when I started scrapbooking. Maybe I ought to find a 'use your stash' challenge since its nine years old!!

Colorful simplicity was the name of the game here. The whole card is created simply with layers of cardstock, the stamped image popped up on 1/8" foam squares, and a little tiny bling with some Spica glitter pens. First I traced the word 'thanks' with silver. Then I went back over it with red. I discovered a little trick when I did this. When I decided to use the red over the silver, I dotted the red pen with little tiny dots right next to each other. It then looks like a line drawn, but the sparkle effect is amazing!! Whatever sparkle you think you are getting with your Spica glitter pens, try dotting with them and you'll be amazed at just how much more sparkle there is. I am without much sun right now as we are expecting rain (please, please, please rain! its been Very dry here this season), so I don't think I'm capturing the difference here. That might be something I'll have to do though in the near future. :> In the meantime, if you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the sparkle a lot better!


Supplies:
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Spring Rain, Pure Poppy - PTI; corrugated gray - Stash
Ink: Charcoal Chalk ink - Colorbox
Stamp: Lexicon of Love - SU
Other: Red & Silver Spica Glitter Pens - Copic

CPS 107 & Pink Elephant #6

Spring has definitely sprung around here! The trees are flowering, the daffodils have been smiling for awhile, and the vineyards are all being manicured and prepped for the growing season. So, I was in a springy kind of mood and thought it would be good to apply that to some challenges! I combined the current CPS sketch challenge and The Pink Elephant challenge to include buttons on this card. The sparkle on the card is from the pre-glittered DCWV cardstock and a little Stickles on the flower center. I inked the edges of the leaf stamped piece just a little, wanting to keep this extremely clean and intentionally quite white and bright. But, in hindsight, I would ink them heavier. There's always next time, right?!

With the sun still shinning and kidlets wanting to go outside some more, I'm gonna head out back and play (maybe even get ambitious and pull some weeds.....I'm so not a gardener! lol). For those of you who have sunshine, I hope you are able to enjoy it. And for those of you still with Winter weather, may your Spring spring soon!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Stampers Select White - PTI; Glittered green - DCWV; medium green - from stash
Stamps: Best Blossoms - SU!
Ink: Gable Green, Glorious Green, Pink Passion (all classic inks) - SU!
Ribbon: Raspberry Fizz Twill - PTI
Other: Magenta Stickles; Buttons from stash; lime green embroidery thread

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