My Mind's Eye April Sketch Challenge

I love My Mind's Eye and now I'm getting back to doing one of their monthly sketch challenges again! For this month's sketch, I pulled out their Ooh La La For Him collection. It's not one of their newest, but about a year or so ago I went on a mad paper buying spree, including TONS of MME papers, and ever since then I've been struggling to use it all up...and I can't justify buying any more until I've made a dent in the stacks & stacks I already have! So many of my challenge projects may include older - and sometimes no longer available - (but still amazingly beautiful) papers & die cuts.



Supply list:

Cardstock: Crushed Curry, retired color (SU)
Patterned Paper: from Ooh La La for Him collection (MME)
Stamp Set(s): Get to the Point, Get to the Point Sentiments (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Early Espresso (SU); Log Cabin Smooch Spritz (SU)
Embellishments: die cuts from Ooh La La for Him collection; epoxy brads from Fine & Dandy collection; wooden button (OT); mini clothespin (SU); colored staples, twine (misc)

Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #94

Time for another Waltzingmouse Sketch...I've missed the last few so it was really fun to jump back in with this one. I didn't make too many Easter cards this year so I felt like I had missed out on using my sweet Spring Baskets set...I looked it over and decided to make an inspirational, great-for-anytime card! I love the way it turned out, just as I had imagined it in my mind.

Supply list:

Cardstock: Soft Stone (PTI)
Patterned Paper: from Be Mine collection (Echo Park)
Stamp Set(s): Spring Baskets (WMS)
Ink/Colorants: Going Gray (SU); Copic markers - R43, R46, YR02, YR07, Y11, Y15, G12, G17, B21, B26, V01, V17, W1, W5, W7, T1
Embellishments: 1/8" Very Vanilla grosgrain ribbon (SU)
Tools: Circle die (Spellbinders)

Papertrey April Blog Hop

I'm getting my post in for this month's blog hop a little later than I want to, but last month I missed it altogether, so I'm in good form this month! ;)

This month's challenge photo was...

My colors didn't come out as close as I was going for, but I think the general feel is there! I added some detail photos so the clear-embossed detail can be seen.







Edited to add, several hours later - I also made another card for the blog hop today that I started yesterday but didn't finish until this afternoon. I was playing around with trying some rolled flowers with fabric and I was concerned that the card was not going to turn out because my fabric flowers were not turning out the way I was hoping..but I think in the end it came out, so I thought I'd add it to my blog hop post for the latecomers! ;)

 

Supply list:

Mother's Day Card:
Cardstock: Cream card base (OT)
Patterned Paper: from Garden Party paper stack (DCWV)
Stamp Set(s): Happy Day (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Crystal Blue, Blush (CTMH); Versamark ink; Clear embossing powder (CTMH)
Embellishments: Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Pink Pirouette pleated ribbon (SU)
Tools: Happy Day frame die (PTI)

Happy Birthday card:
Cardstock: Ballet Blue{retired color}, Pink Pirouette (SU)
Patterned Paper: from Kitschy Kitchen 6x6 paper pad (Melissa Frances); from Smitten paper pad (Kay & Co)
Stamp Set(s): Polka Dot Basics, Inside & Out: Birthday (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Bubblegum (CTMH); Melon Mambo (SU)
Embellishments: Buttons (SU & stash); Pearl (CTMH); fabric from Twitterpated collection (SU)
Tools: Ribbon Banners die (Spellbinders); Linen & Canvas impression plate (PTI)

PDCC128 & CFC49

This week's CAS-ual Friday challenge was a sketch, so I decided to combine the Play Date Cafe's color challenge with CFC's sketch. Easy peasy!

The minute I saw the CFC sketch, I thought of an older Papertrey set that I have that I've never really used, Sign Language, and knew I wanted to pull it out and try it. I also threw in the use of a (relatively) new Papertrey die, Card Base-ics #2. Simple & fast, but I did want some opaque white on top of the colors, so I did some embossing for that.



Supply list:

Cardstock: White (PTI)
Patterned Paper: from Razzleberry Lemondade DSP (SU)
Stamp Set(s): Sign Language (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Black (CTMH); Raspberry Fizz (PTI); Versamark, White embossing powder (Filigree)
Embellishments: Rox (Queen & Co)
Tools: Card Base-ics Die #2 (PTI)

Make It Monday #62

I love this week's Make It Monday, a Step It Up challenge with layering! One of my favorite looks on cards, lots of layers are the best. However, I also love the single layer simple look that is deceptively challenging to achieve well. So taking the same color scheme and general layout as well as the same stamp set(s) for making three cards of varying levels of "layeredness" was very fun! The sizes of the cards are also slightly different so to add to the variation a bit.

Card #1, single layer



Card #2, added a layer with the popped up butterflies



Card #3, added lots with diecutting, stitching, additional stamping & more popped up butterflies



That's it for today, what a cool challenge! I hope there will be more of this nature...

Supply list:

Cardstock: Soft Stone, Melon Berry, Aqua Mist (PTI)
Stamp Set(s): Beautiful Butterflies, Love & Marriage, Rosie Posie, Vintage Picnic, Signature Series: Butterfly, Fillable Frames #4 (PTI); Country Charm Labels (Flourishes)
Ink/Colorants: Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist, Melon Berry (PTI); Petal, Crystal Blue (CTMH)
Embellishments: Aqua brads (CTMH)
Tools: Filigree border die, Beautiful Butterflies dies (PTI); Grommet Tag die (Spellbinders)

CFC48

It's also time for this week's CAS-ual Friday challenge to be posted. Opposite colors on the color wheel was pretty easy for me because I love pink & green together. I had some lovely paper from an older Christmas collection by s.e.i., but this paper was non-Christmas-y enough that it worked wonderfully for what I wanted it for. Here's my clean & simple card for upcoming Mother's Day:



Supply list:

Cardstock: White (PTI); Blush (CTMH)
Patterned Paper: from Christmas Mint collection, retired (s.e.i)
Stamp Set(s): Blooming Button Bits (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Clover Meadow, Tulip (CTMH); Close to Cocoa (SU)
Embellishments: Buttons, Subtles Collection (SU); Embroidery floss (CTMH)
Tools: Polka Dot Basics impression plate (PTI); Corner rounder (EK Success)

PDCC127

I've been absent for a couple of weeks due to spring break activities and then catching up after spring break (!) but I wanted to just back in this week with a Play Date Cafe Challenge card! This week's colors are so spring-y and happy that they just made me think of a pick-me-up card. So I made one with a "sending you sunshine" sentiment. I like to have a stockpile of cards on hand so that if anyone I know needs a little cheer, I have something ready to go. I had no trouble pulling all these colors out of my arsenal of materials for a lively clean & simple card.



Supply list:

Cardstock: New Leaf (PTI); Sunny Yellow, Cranberry (CTMH); blue (from scrap file)
Stamp Set(s): Up, Up & Away, Tag-its #3 (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Clover Meadow (CTMH); Versamark; Copic markers - Y11, R27, G07, B32, E35
Tools: Balloon dies, Limitless Layers circles dies (PTI)

Tatyana's 5th Birthday Party Invitations

It's that time of year again...when I start thinking about birthday party themes and presents and how I'm going to get in over my head with a complicated cake to match the theme! And of course, the invitations, my favorite part. My baby girl is turning 5 soon, and so I wanted to come up with some cute invites to match the "ice cream cone" theme. I've had a set from Papertrey called Sweet As Can Be for a long time now and haven't had the chance to use it...along with another really fun set that I haven't had the chance to use very much - Just the Ticket. Both are absolutely adorable and it was fun to pair them together for this invitation that was relatively simple to make yet cute and went with the theme nicely. I used the ticket border die for the first time and absolutely fell in love with it! It is so incredibly innovative & cute and of course coordinates perfectly with the Just the Ticket set. Love that. So without further ado, the invitations:



And just a few detail shots:







Supply list:

Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Pink Pirouette (SU); Tulip, White (CTMH); pink, blue, yellow, beige textured (from scrap file)
Patterned Paper: from DCWV "SWEET" collection
Stamp Set(s): Sweet As Can Be, Just the Ticket (PTI)
Ink/Colorants: Blush, Tulip, Pink Carnation (CTMH); Chocolate Chip (SU)
Embellishments: i-Rock jewels (Imaginisce)
Tools: Ice Cream Cone & Ticket Border dies (PTI)