Unusual Encouragement

I know - not exactly my normal scripture verse & flower card :) I've had this fun household set from CHF (bummer that they've shut down!) and wanted to play around with it for quite some time... I have a friend who's going through a rough time, and I know without a doubt that she'll get a huge laugh over this. You have to know your audience, right?!

The card is pretty straightforward - I stamped the vacuum in blue, lightly colored it in with metallic pencils, and pieced the bag with some scrap paper I had on the desk. Added the sentiment, two square brads, and then rounded one corner just to add some interest.

AND I'm happy to say that it's already been mailed off... I'm telling you, this sending thing is quite addictive, LOL.

A card, a card!!

Be still my heart. I finally was able to make something -- it's like a second homecoming :)

I like the open, sketchy flowers that seem to be showing up everywhere these days, but refused to cave and buy another stamp set (and seriously, if you could see the current state of my space you would most assuredly agree!). But then I went to Wal-Mart for my usual household stop... and it turns out that they're clearing out most of their craft stuff. This set from Martha Stewart was marked down to $4, and I just couldn't resist. I stamped the flowers, sponged on a bit of color (no time-consuming coloring!) and then added some glittery accents with a Stardust pen. I added the sentiment (Hero Arts), rounded 2 corners, and glued it on a dark gray base. Done!

I promise to be back with more soon - I've missed my creative outlet!

Using Scraps

What is it with paper crafters and our inability to part with even the smallest scraps of paper? I've actually gotten much better at disposing of bits and pieces, but I still have a substantial stash... When I saw the card that Godelieve had made here, I was instantly inspired. What a fabulous way to use those little bits of paper! I guarantee this will become a "go-to" layout for me.

Stamp images are from a variety of companies - if you see something that you absolutely MUST know about, leave a comment and I'll get back to you with the deets

Scrapling time...

Donna was our hostess this time, and she challenged us to make a scrapling. How fun! I didn't have a lot of time, but I pulled out the Frames set and dove into my scrap box to create this little number.

It's pretty straightforward - I started with a piece of robin's egg blue cardstock, and stamped the image and sentiment with Brilliance Starlite Black (love that color - rich tone with an elegant shimmer), then inked the edges and dabbed on just a bit more ink with a stipple brush. All done!

It's really small, but I can't help but think how perfect it would be to include with a little gift - a book, a candy bar, whatever! Definitely a great way to tuck in some encouragement...

Would you like to see what everyone else made? Well, click over to Susan, Giovana, Donelda & Donna!

And We Thank Him...

I wanted to share this really simple card made with the smARTworks Daily Bread set. I love black and white cards, but don't make them all that often... I think it really works here as it just lets the sweet image shine through. I stamped the little girl, then outlined her with a light gray marker. I cut and embossed the panel with rectangle nesabilities, then used the coordinating scalloped die with black. I layered it over a scrap of paper (Oriental Trading), and then stamped the sentiment directly on the card. Isn't it precious?

Last Challenge Card

Well, today is the last day of Denise's Spring Fever Challenge. I'm actually kind of sad that it's ending - it's been fun to make myself stamp every day :)

Today's challenge was pretty simple: personal monogram, favorite color for the card base and any patterned paper, ribbon, and scallops in some way. You might be getting sick of this layout - I've used it quite a bit over the past few months. But it goes together quickly, is a great way to use scraps, and I just love the look! Anyway, the papers are from the BasicGrey Lily Kate collection. The base actually matches the stamped t, but for some reason my camera decided it should be bluish. I layered on a few strips of paper, then the scalloped green circle (SU punch) with a bit of ribbon, and finally my monogram (Hero Arts).

And just to show you another card I cranked out this morning... A friend recently underwent surgery for breast cancer, so I just wanted to send her a little note to let her know that we were still praying. Layout look familiar? Sentiment is from SU (retired "Hope for Comfort").

Head over to All Things Stamped to see what everyone else has created for the final challenge!

I'll probably be pretty quiet over these next few days - our son turns 5 today, and we have a busy weekend planned. Back later!

Simple Sympathy

It's Day 2 of Denise's Spring Fever Challenge, and today we were to make a 4x4 black and white card - using only black ink, any stamps, but no patterned paper. Well, I've needed a lot of sympathy cards these past couple weeks, and I thought I'd use today's challenge to help replenish my supply. I kept it extremely simple - the sentiment is from an old SU set (Hope for Comfort), and the flower is smARTworks (Sunny Delight). Went together in less than ten minutes, and I'm very happy with the outcome.

Check out All Things Stamped to see what others have created!

Simple Thank You cards

Since my FIL passed away, we've been blessed by many dear friends. I wanted to make some simple notecards to thank everyone for their kindness; due to the nature of the occasion, I also wanted to go with a darker color scheme and avoid flowery motifs. Well, the ChatterBox scrap kit came to the rescue again. I pulled out a couple DCWV card bases and layered on bits of patterned paper and minimal embellishment. The "Thank You" is from Stampington - I love that script style!

Playing with Punches and Paper

When I saw this card that Mercy Kerin made, I knew I had to dig out some paper scraps and punches and start playing. I kept things pretty simple, but there really are unlimited possibilities for embellishing those circles. For these two cards, I used paper from 7Gypsies, and the sentiments are Hero Arts. Various accents include a keyhole, crackle effects, and shell button. I'll definitely be making more of these in the future! On an interesting side note, I also really like this card that Valerie Stangle made, inspired by the exact same card that Mercy chose. I just love seeing how a stamper's personal style comes through!

I'm still on track to go "unplugged" on Thursday. Anyone else going to play along?

Day Brighteners

I needed a break from the red, black and white color combo (sheesh, I've been using that a lot!). I didn't have a lot of time, but wanted to make a couple cards. I pulled out this embossed vellum from K&Co that I've had for years. I love the design, but just couldn't decide what to do with it. Well, I decided to just cut out a few of the images and start playing! Sentiments are all from the Out on a Limb set (PaperTrey). I'm very pleased with the results, and I was able to do these 3 cards in about twenty minutes. Gotta love that! Plus I still have over half the sheet left, so I predict more of these in the future :)

Other materials used: May Arts white dotted ribbon, metal embellishments from We R Memory Keepers, mini bullnose clip from Oriental Trading, card bases from DCWV

You can get a closer view of each individual card at my SCS gallery if you'd like.