A Very Merry Christmas Week!

It's time to share my take on Kazan's sketch 16 at 2 Sketches 4 You. I really wanted to use my collection of papers from My Mind's Eye one more time. These papers are so beautiful, and they really fit well with the sketch. The pearls are Kaiser Scrapbook, the sentiment is Stampin' Up, and the ribbon is Heidi Grace. Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Holidays are very merry!!

Birthday Card

This is my first submission to PageMaps. It's a card sketch - my favorite kind! And it looks like this:


My take is a birthday card for my dad who celebrates on the 26th of this month! I used Scenic Route paper for the background, the tree branch is a stamp from Hero Arts, and the sentiment is Stampin' Up. Here it is:

Cherish

Once again I'm presenting my take on a sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You. I was inspired by Laura's Sketch 15 to make this wedding card for a friend who just got married. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go to the wedding, but I wanted to make a nice card for the couple. I used a new stamp I just got from Basic Grey, and a blender pen to give it a watercolor effect.

Happy Holly-days!

Whew - I made it with just a couple of days to spare. I am, of course, referring to the latest Caardvarks challenge! It's a very simple design, but not so simple to make. Lots of gluing with those letters, but I'm very happy with how it turned out. Happy holidays!!

Accordion Card

My Great-Aunt Mary is turning 70 - on Christmas Day!! As an extra special gift, my mom asked me to make a card that would showcase several pictures from her life. I used black cardstock as the base, and then I embellished it with paper and transfers from the Basic Grey Urban Prairie line. You'll also notice some bling here and there, just because ;)

Simplicity

One look at Kazan's Sketch this week at 2 Sketches 4 You, and I thought 'Money Holder'. So that's what I made, along with this super cute gift card holder. I absolutely love this gorgeous paper from My Mind's Eye, and I've been using the whole line like crazy. Sometimes I like to make a really elaborate card (like last week), but I tried to keep this one simple. Thanks for stopping by!

America's Largest Christmas Bazaar and Laura's Sketch 14

I spent a very interesting weekend after Thanksgiving selling my cards at America's Largest Christmas Bazaar in Portland, OR. My wonderful MIL, Beverly, sat with me and I had a lot of fun thanks to her! I will be there again this coming weekend, and I hope to have even more success than I did last weekend. My most popular items were cute little 3x3 cards that are perfect for attaching to packages. Most of them had a Christmas theme, but some were not occasion-specific. Here are some examples...




And now for Laura's sketch #14 at 2 Sketches 4 You. This was definitely a challenge for me. I wasn't quite sure where it would end up, and I'm still not sure what I think, but I do like the black and pink together. So here it is...

Ho Ho Ho!

I was feeling very festive with this card for Kazan's sketch #14 at 2 Sketches 4 You. I used black and white cardstock from Making Memories, K & Company stickers, and some jewels (not sure where they're from). I also glittered some chipboard to make the belt.

Caardvarks "Me So Corny" Challenge

So this week, the inspiration for the challenge was this photo:


And here's my card:



I was at the craft store yesterday, and I saw this paper from Heidi Grace Designs, and I knew that it would be perfect for this card. I used a sanding block to create the distressed look and since I'm all about glitter, I used some Making Memories glitter stickers for the 'You'. Check out the Corny gallery here.

It's Hip to be Square

I went with lots of sharp angles on this card based on this week's bonus sketch from DT member Kristen at 2 Sketches 4 You. It's my sister's birthday in a couple of weeks, and she loves purple, so this card was made especially for her.

What I learned this week...

and Laura's sketch #13.

Here's what I learned:

So when my husband got me a Moolatte from DQ last week, it was yummy, but I couldn't finish it. I discovered that I really enjoyed it even after it sat in the freezer for two days.

I also learned how to make the perfect envelopes using my Cricut. I was making 3x3 cards and I needed envelopes to match - I love them!!

And now my card for 2 Sketches 4 You. I finally bought some acrylic squares and cut one down to create a window on my card. I used a mirror image of the sketch and here's what I came up with:








I used Christmas papers from My Mind's Eye and Basic Grey. The sentiments on the outside and inside are from Stampin' Up rubber stamps.

TFL!

Six Candles

My beautiful niece is turning 6 this month, so of course I had to make her a birthday card, and this is what I came up with. I love glitter!

Glittery Greeting

For Kazan's Sketch 13 at 2 Sketches 4 You, I decided to mix red and blue. Some products I used: Making Memories trinket pins, American Crafts ribbon, October Afternoon paper, and a Stampin' Up button. The glitter is my favorite part. I did an upclose shot, because it's hard to see the contrast between the 2 reds from the picture I took outdoors.

Weekly Blog Shout Out

So, I realized today that I have completely neglected to honor another super cool blog/website. It is time to recognize Catherine and her fabulous blog Your Memories By Design. It's wonderful and inspirational place to hang out. I started stalking the site about a month ago, and I check in daily now, and you should think about checking it out, too!! Tomorrow is another sketch challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You, and you know I'll be participating!!!

BTW - If you know of a fabulous blog or website that you think I should check out and mention here, drop me a comment - have a great week!

Blog Candy!!!

No, not from me...although maybe sometime I will have to do that.

If you go to Ann's blog over at Creative Antics you can leave a comment and get your name in a random drawing. Go on over there no later than Nov. 14th and check it out, you won't be disappointed!

Laura's Sketch 12

I think this is one of my favorites - I don't always know what a card is going to look like when it's finished, and that's how this card was. I started out with the background and I wanted to try out a Cricut cartridge I haven't really used much yet (to create the flowers, stems and vases), and it grew from there. The background paper is Scenic Route, and the message is a Basic Grey transfer (Urban Prairie). I used Colorbox ink around the edges and you might notice the glittery pink cardstock used to create the center of the coneflowers.

Monogram Card AKA Initial Reaction

Well, I think I'm getting this one in just under the wire. Over at Caardvarks, the latest challenge is to use a monogram or initial, which in my case would be an M. I'd like to thank my Cricut for cutting a perfect M for my card. I used Scenic Route paper, embellished with jewels, Colorbox ink, and ribbon. I used embossing tools from Stampin' Up to create texture on the cream paper. The stars across the top are from a punch. Thanks for looking!

Happy Haunting

It was Kazan's turn this week to provide a sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You, and I decided that I needed to do a Halloween card. I was able to use some scraps of paper for this - I love coming across an old pattern that I haven't used in a long time and finding a place for it on a new card design. I have a great week planned for my girls in honor of Halloween, so I'm feeling pretty festive with this card. So have safe and fun Halloween!!

Hello Pop-Up Card

AKA - Laura's sketch #11 at 2 Sketches 4 You. This week Laura and the DT used pop-up cards, and although it wasn't necessary to do one, after my last experiment with the pop-up idea I was anxious to try it again. I am really, really happy with how it turned out. I love Basic Grey, especially the Urban Prairie line, so that's where the paper and some of the embellishments came from.

Blog of the Week and October Crop

First, I have to acknowledge a wonderful blog - Caardvarks. They have wonderful challenges and the their galleries are full of amazing projects, so it is a must see. I was immediately inspired last week to participate by creating a pop-up card. I was so pleased with the result, that I'll be giving that another try very soon.

Also this week, over at Scrap 4 Life there is a week-long Fall crop, and if you have been feeling unmotivated lately, then this is the place for you. You'll get all the support and inspiration you need.

I hope to participate in the weekly 2 Sketches 4 You challenge, but it's going to be a busy week. Although I am very proud to say that my card for last week's sketch made it into the Fab5 - woo hoo!!

Do you like a good RAK?

Then check out this lovely lady's blog and pass on the word and a sweet treat might be yours...

http://jenniferphillips.blogspot.com/

Happy Halloween!

Merry Christmas 3D

So, I found another fabulous cardmaking site, with a really cool challenge. Over at Caardvarks, the challenge is to create a project with scoring as a major part of the design. So I made a 3D card - always wanted to try this but never got around to it. This could not have been a better opportunity. I took 3 pictures to show how I made it three-dimensional, and I used a bone tool to score the cardstock to create all the folds. It's a bit time-consuming, but the end result is well worth the trouble! Thanks Caardvarks - I'll definitely be playing along in the future!!

With Love

Another week, another sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You. Thanks, Kazan for another great sketch...

I used papers from Heidi Grace, and I glittered some chipboard. The flower/brad is also Heidi Grace.

My many cards

I just realized that I never posted any of my cards from last weekend's crop, so here are some of my favorites...

Blog of the Week

Well, since I began my blogging adventure, I have come to discover all the many wonderful bloggers and scrappy sites out there, so I think it's time to start acknowledging them. I plan to post a new blog or website each week and share why I think you should check it out, too.

This week it only seems fitting to start with 2 Sketches 4 You, since I am certain that I will be participating in their weekly sketch challenge, which begins tomorrow (Oct. 13). Kazan and Laura at 2S4Y always post great sketches, and their design team provides wonderful inspiration. Check them out and try out a sketch!

For Baby

I finally got a chance to sit down and do Carla's sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You. I needed to make a card for a friend who just had her baby girl, so this was a perfect opportunity to try out the wonderful sketch. Thanks for stopping by :)

Believe

So, I have tons of cards to post from a fabulous weekend of cropping, but I wanted to get this one posted ASAP. This is another great sketch from Laura at 2 Sketches 4You. I knew immediately what I wanted to do, and this is the result of my inspiration...