2011 365 #104 - retirement card

one of the ladies at work is retiring and they are doing a black and white theme for her, so I whipped up this card to add to the mix...I love the bling designed for the nestabilities...that stuff is fun...it is all done in satin paper so it looks a little more elegant in real life than on the computer screen...

I am entering it in the following challenges:
Paper Pretties - embossing...I embossed the background as well as debossed the nestie cut out
Bearly-Mine - use a tag - made the retirement tag
Simon says stamp and show - embossing

SOS challenge 9 - technique turn back - 2011 365 #103

 This is my card for the turn back technique for Shopping our Stash this week. I used a few techniques with this card (none of which I really seem to like the effect of mind you)...the main technique that I used was the emerging colour technique...this involved lots of ink, stamps and embossing powder...I don't use embossing powder or the heat gun very often at all anymore...or coloured inks for that matter...I also made my own ribbon flower on a giant homemade glue dot...and then I used the distresser for the edges...why don't you come on down and play with us this week? Use up some of those supplies and go back to some of those techniques that you wanted to try and never did!

I am also entering this card in the Simon Says Stamp anything goes challenge...

Opus Gluei - beat the heat challenge - 2011 365 #102

This week over at the Opus Gluei we are trying to beat the heat any way any how...how much more sunny and summery can you get than a smiling sunshine and a ferris wheel...while we should be roasting here this weekend, there is nothing like thinking of a summer fair to be at...so that is what I created...the sketch I followed is from Mojo Monday.
Why not play along and show us the way that you cool off in the summer?

SOS Challenge 8 - Out with the old in with the new - or Hoarder no more - 2011 365 #101

this is my card for this weeks' challenge over at SHOPPING OUR STASH...it is titled out with the old and in with the new, or what I thought was titled "hoarder no more" and I know it should appeal to a vast number of cardmakers our there...I am a Chatterbox paper hoarder and I whole heartedly admit it...it makes me cringe when I have to cut into a new piece and I save every last scrap from it, as the colours and textures and patterns are my absolute favorite out of any paper company out there...and no one really sells it any more, so it is not easy to replenish...I cut into two new pieces today :( and came up with this card...(I am also a ribbon and button hoarder, so I made this rose and used up some buttons/bling on it to truly unhoard from my collection)...I made the rose from a home-made glue dot (just can't bring myself to spend sooo much money on gluebers when i found out that it is just as easy to make them myself)...I used the sketch from Card Patterns, so I am also going to enter my card in that challenge...thanks for looking, and I hope you come and join us this week and lighten that hoarded stash a little!

2011 365 #100 - first crocheted project

this is my first ever crocheted project...if you can call it a project???  my mom showed me how to make a chain and I kind of connected it to try to make a flower...then I thought that it just had to go on a card on some of the scraps she had lying around in her craft area, so this is what it ended up being....I am entering it in the following challenges once you stop laughing at my crocheting skills:
I did it creations - flowers
scrappy frogs - flowers

SOS Challenge 7- Kits, Raks, Swaps and Swag - 2011 365 #099

This is my use of RAK's and prizes for Shopping our Stash this week...I also used the sketch from the sweet stop...boy do I love their sketches...they always seem to work out perfectly for my projects!my mom won this paper and the embellishments at a crop about 4 years ago...she didn't know what to do with it, so she added it to my Christmas present...inside the card it says "40 in the card are better than 40 in the yard"...flamingos in the yard around here are kind of a normal thing on your 40th birthday...all papers and embellishments are American Crafts...except the little star in the corner, which came to me via a matchbox swap...thanks Electra for that little cutie!  I think my brother in law should get a kick out of this one...hopefully!  So dig out all of that stuff you won here and there or received as gifts etc and put it to good use! 

Opus Gluei Challenge - Red White and ???? - 2011 365 #098

The Challenge over at the Opus Gluei today is red, white and ????  We are celebrating Canada Day this weekend...it is our country's 144th birthday...but it is not usually an occasion that I run around handing out cards for, so I decided to follow the country's birthday theme and made a red and white birthday card instead....I got the roses in a swap and my mom crocheted the border for me...going to have to get her to whip up a few more of those for me...love the way they look on this card...I also used only scraps for this card, because I have been in a scrap using binge lately...join in the fun....

2011 365 #097 birthday card

I made this card for one of my friends at work...she is turning 30.  I used the sketch from The Sweet Stop and am also entering it in The Shabby Tea Room for my favorite things challenge...I used my favorite kind of paper - Basic Grey, my favorite embellishments - home made flowers made by my mom and my favorite stamp company - Lili of the Valley...thanks for looking...I know it is a little busy, but it was a rush to get it done in time for work...

Shopping Our Stash Challenge 6 - scrap attack 2011 365 #095 & #096

The Shopping Our Stash challenge this week is to use only scraps from your craft area...I have tons of scraps in a bucket and these card were only made from that stash (told you there were lots)...I hold on to all of my little pieces just in case I need a little piece of this or that...I made two cards from the scrap pile...you may recognize these scraps from several other projects on my blog (I purposely used "newer scraps" so you could tell they were really from other projects..but that is just how I am)...all of the frames were in a ziploc bag from when we first discovered nestabilities and all their wonder and glory...the hearts were from a basic grey pack...the flowers were left over from my teachers' projects, the turtle was already coloured cuz I had made a birthday card with it, but this one had a bit of an ink mishap...decided to save him with some random inking...don't know if I made it better or worse? ...the papers were already cut...can't get much more scrapped in my house than that...even the card bases were salvaged from other projects!  I hope you will join in the fun this week and use up some of your specially saved supplies in a project that they were specially save for! 

2011 365 #094 Hello Kitty graduation

I made this card mainly for the card contest at the Scrap Yard in Stonewall...I took it out there today...I used my neglected Cricut to make the Hello Kitty and some scrap gems for teh hat and sentiment...the doily is a clearance sticker from Michael's that I got a while back...

Tagging along with Opus Gluei and the Jingle Belles 2011 365 #093

 This is my first post as a "Poobah" with the Opus Gluei girls...how exciting!  The first challenge they are doing with us newbies is a "Tag along" challenge.  We are joining up for this challenge with the Jingle Belles and making a Christmas card...with a tag inspired by the Christmas card...This is my submission...I hope you join in the fun and play along with both challenges this week!

Shopping our Stash Challenge 5 - Hello Kitty Birthday -2011 365 #092

This is my submission for the Shopping our Stash tools of the trade challenge...now I know why those tools sit in a drawer and will be going up for sale at the next scrapbook garage sale!

I used the Fastenator waste of $$$ for the staples, the I-Top waste of $$$ for the Hello Kitty brads, my Distresser from Zutter (which I thought was a waste of $$$, but I am starting to become fond of the effect), home made Pearl-Ex (remember Pearl Ex??  anyone??) glimmer mist, an unused Cuttlebug folder and an unused Cricut cartridge that I just had to have 5 years or so ago. The Happy Birthday is a Martha Stewart punch that I haven't used and the paper is from a Hello Kitty paper pack that I bought before the Cartridge (which is probably why I had to have the cartridge). The flowers are from a giant Prima pack that I paid way to much $$$ for and never opened...so I decided to start using everything up... why not?  I made this card for my neice's 3rd birthday...I wish Hello Kitty had a teapot for her tea party...but a flower will have to do.
Thanks for looking!

SOS Challenge 4 - SOS - 2011 365 #091

 This is my card for the Shopping Our Stash SOS challenge...the challenge is to use SOS titled items (stickles, ocean, stamps etc.)...I used the following for this challenge:

• sea shell ric rac - this is the first embellishment I ever bought for scrapbooking and never used
• ocean theme
• stampin up stamps that have never seen ink - there are three from this set combined on this image
• SEI paper - this paper is so old that I bought it before they made double sided paper... yup...there was a time before the coordinated double side that we all know and love!
• Stickles and sparkles - I used copper stickles and yellow glitter to make the sand...it is quite blingy in real life!
• Scalloped edging - just cuz I like that
• Stripes
• and the pretty home made flowers that my mom crocheted for me...with some sea shells on top.

Hopefully that is enough SOS inspiration for you to hop on board and join in this week's challenge!

I am also entering this card in the following challenges:

Quirky crafts: brown blue and green

a spoonful of sugar: splish splash
anything goes challenge: here comes summer
Deep ocean challenge: anything goes as long as there is an ocean image

2011 365 #090 you have to kiss a toad

 Okay, so this is the card that I had really wanted to do last week for the Opus Gluei midsummer's night challenge, but I am going to be completely honest with you all...I couldn't find my paper...I knew I bought it , but I looked high and low and could not find it anywhere...hence the donkey card...but my day was saved when the challenge for Opus Gluei was girly girl this week...yippee...what fairy princess doesn't want to kiss her toad???  That to me couldn't qualify more for the girly girl category...Paper sundaes was also doing a girly girl theme, so I am entering this card in both of those challenges...the sketch that I followed was from The Sweet Stop....and the inspiration photo and colours are from the Shabby Tea room (pink, green, neutrals and flowers)...I know the green outweighs the pink in this pic, but it still has the feeling of the inpiration photo in my opinion...thanks for looking!

2011 365 #089 - father's day card

 I made this card for a friend of mine at work.  She needed one for her husband for father's day.  She asked me if I could make her a hockey/lacrosse/soccer card...wasn't quite sure how I would pull that off until I found the all sports cartridge at Michael's on Saturday and Voila...soccer/hockey/lacross people all on the same card....all her kids are generally number 13 in the sports that they play, so I threw little 13s on each of them...I hope she likes the step card look!

I am entering this card in the following Father's day Challenges:
Creative Inspirations

One Stop Craft Challenge 
The Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge
The Alphabet Challenge

2011 365 #088 - midsummer night

This is my entry for the Midsummer's night challenge at the Opus Gluei...it did say right in the challenge that I could use a jack's ass and so I did...what more can I say???  Thanks for looking!  Maybe I will whip up something more faerie-ish later..ta ta for now...

Shopping our stash Challenge 3 - UFO - 2011 365 #087

Challenge 3 at Shopping Our Stash is a UFO challenge...unfinished objects...one of my goals this year has been to finish all of my unfinished and unstarted projects that I have laying around my craft area...I have cleaned up lots of them to try to achieve my 1000 projects in 2011 goal, but this one has been hanging around for about 4 years or so...I found these super cute apples at our Dollarama and just had to make them up for the teachers for the end of the school year...I thought they would be just perfect....move along 4 years and here we are at the end of another school year...but this year my youngest is done elementary school, so I figured that I had better finish them off...and along comes the UFO challenge...wahoo..two birds with one stone and 4 more projects finished for this year...won't you join in this week and show us what you completed?

2011 365 #086 dance teacher thank you cards

 I made these cards this morning to say thanks to the two ballet teachers, the tap and jazz teacher and the irish teacher...yippee, dance is almost finished for the year...recital tomorrow and we are done for the summer!  I used the sketch from the Sweet Stop  ...I love their sketches....I cut the shoes out on the Cricut from the Twinkle toes cartridge (finally used it!)...the paper is Basic Grey and the flowers are Prima resin ones that I was hoarding...used the Bow Easy to make the shoe ribbons...I am entering these cards in the following challenges:
The Sweet Stop - sketch
Stamptacular Sunday - pink, black, tan and white
Crafty Catz - lots of circles
Basic Grey Challenges - shabby chic
Thanks for looking!



2011 365 #085 - got mail?

This weeks challenge at the Opus Gluei was to decorate something to go in the mail...I did this extremely tacky envelope...the girl at the post office laughed at it...ha ha on her, cuz now they are going on strike...maybe she should have been nicer to me???  you can find the challenge here...come play along!  Thanks for looking!

Challenge 2 - oldest stamps SOS 2011 365 #084

Welcome to my Shopping Our Stash project for Challenge #2 - using your oldest stamp set...this one is one of my oldest, but I may have even older ones hiding in buckets somewhere. This one is from the Stampin up catalogue from 2003. It is very versatile and I have actually used it tonnes...on this card, I used 6 different stamps from the stamp set with some masking to connect them all. Haven't done much masking lately, but it turned out okay. The bling is all from our local dollarama and the flowers are primas...yes, I broke down and USED my prima flowers..(hear the sobs...). The ribbon has been in my ribbon drawer for so long because it was too pretty to use....not anymore...and the red velvet paper in the background is leftover from a Christmas scrapbook page in 2005...time to use it up! This card measures 4.25" x 11" and does not fit in a standard business size envelope (just fold an 8.5" x 11" paper in half the long way and voila!), even though in my head I thought it would.... Hope you like what you see and will join in with this challenge....plus, we won't really know if it is the "Oldest" stamp you own...so pick an oldie and play along!