And so it ends...

...but here comes the SUMMER! WOW...ok...here May ends...wow...I am honestly shocked that the month is over and it is already JUNE! It's pretty much the start of Summer officially for us...DD finishes school in a few days...and we are headed for a fab campout this weekend! So...without further ado...here are my top 5 scrappy items for the month of May!

1. Grungepaper...seriously...like BUTTAH baby! LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff!
2. Studio 490 stamps...whimsical with an edge!
3. Distress Inks...I've had these for a long time...but only recently rediscovered HOW MUCH FUN they could be!
4. CTMH...honestly...their newest stamps...FANTABULOUS!
5. Verve...fantastic May stamp release...I am just desperate for them to turn up on my door

Well...that closes me out for May! I will change my music in the next few days...hate to give up what I've got now! LOL! But there is so much good music to chose from! Well dolls...hope you had a fantastic May! Tomorrow starts a new month and some new fun stuff to post and play with! Smoochies!

Play time!!!

And I'm having maybe too much fun! This is a challenge over at the Shoe Ning...to use Tim Holtz' latest ideas and create a "Perfectly Distressed" Tag! Considering I got to use some of my favorite playthings...this challenge just grabbed me and I had to do it! Here it is:

Supplies:

• Stamps: Stampers Anonymous: Tim Holtz - Mini Ornates, Mini Muse; Wendy Vecchi - Studio 490: Ticket to Art; K&Co - BW Madeline Stamps
• Ink: STAZON - Timber Brown; Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Aged Mahogany, Old Paper, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo
• Paper: Grungepaper
• Goodies: Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Keyholes, Trinket Pins
• Tattered Angels: Glimmer Mist - Cinnamon
• Perfect Pearls: Heriloom Gold
• Embossing: Stampn'Stuff Detail Clear embossing powder
• Ribbon: Unknown

Well...a little Mojo88

...I almost could of posted a three-peat last night...BUT....while I did get a card made...by the time I was done, I had to let it dry before taking pics...so I called it a night! I know...excuses, excuses...LOL! This is my card for the Mojo Monday sketch for this week (to the wire!). I used some the the new techniques I learned in my class yesterday...and I definitely will be doing more and more in the future! It's just a lot of FUN! and goodness knows that you gotta have fun at what you are doing!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Bazzil, American Crafts
• Paper: K&Co - Que Sera Sera
• Image: Studio 490 by Wendy Vecchi - Nature's Art
• Sentiment: Verve Stamps - Thoughtful Florals
• Ink: Ranger Jet Black Archival, STAZON Timber Brown; DIstress Inks: Worn Lipstick; Spiced Marmalade; Mustard Seed
• Stickles : Distress Stickles - Spiced Marmalade
• Tattered Angels: Glimmer Mist - Pineapple
• Bling: Hero Arts
• Goodies: Tim Holtz idea-ology - Grungeboard and GrungePaper!

Well, my goal today is to get a LOT of scrapping done! I have several DT projects I need to get in the bag, not to mention there are a lot of challenges out there I haven't played in lately that I'm really looking forward to having some more fun! Not to mention it is the last day of May...so my 5 monthly fave's list and a new jukebox will have to come along!

It's a Two-fer...

...and it's been awhile since I posted twice in one night! Woohoo! This card is based on a fab sketch from Ms. Judy Law at Simply Scrapping! A fairly simple card...but it's simple enough that I can use it as a masculine card, even with a bow on it!



Supplies:

• Cardstock: Bazzil, American Crafts
• Paper: CTMH - Silhouette
• Sentiment: Verve - Father Figure
• Ink: Ranger Jet Black Archival
• RIbbon: Unknown

Now...let's see if I can pull the three-peat! HEEHEE!

One way to get my scrappin mojo back...

...was to attend a FANTABULOUS class taught by the one and only Ms. Wendy Vecchi! THe class was FANTASTIC! I really enjoyed it, had a lot of fun, and left there feeling more scrappy motivation than I have felt in a loooooong time! The class I took was called "funky flowers" and we spent a good 4 hours playing with Distress inks, Grungeboard, Grungepaper, adhesive...and a few embellies...but the majority was ink, grunge and grunge...AND the really awesome Studio 490 stamps! Here are the six flowers I made!

This was the first one we made, and we hit it with some distress stickles (antique linen), the bottom layer is grungeboard and then their are two layers of grungepaper:

This was the second and most complicated...mine didn't work quite the way it was supposed to, but it's still cute!

This third one I tried out the Mustard Seed ink for the first time on grungeboard...and i was really happy with the result:

this fourth one had a boo-boo when i was making it (flower color is aged mahogany - a gorgeous color on it's own) but i got an extra piece to fix it later:

Ok...flowers #5 and #6 are my FAVORITES! The dimension is fabulous, the layers...they make me smile!!!

Well, that's all for this moment in time...I have to say that this class was one of the best things I could have done to kickstart my motivation...and Wendy was the coolest of the cool!

TGIF!

Woohoo! It's Friday! You know what that means...a Fab Friday Color Challenge over at the Shoe!!!! But before I get to that...a quick update on some things...it's been FOREVER since I posted...between life and work...well...I'm sure I don't have to tell you ladies anything about that! I haven't created a thing in almost two weeks! I can't wait to get back in the game though! I am incredibly unbelievably excited...tomorrow afternoon I'm taking a class at the LSS with WENDY VECCHI!!!!! I can't wait! I will rush home immediately afterwards and post pics!

Now...on to the color challenge...today's colors were teal, black and orange:

Supplies:

• Cardstock: American Crafts, Georgia Pacific, SEI
• Paper: SEI - Black Orchid
• Ink: CTMH - Black
• Sentiment: Verve stamps
• Bling: Heidi Swapp
• Flowers: Prima

I will hopefully be back later this evening to post some more stuff...I am going through scrap withdrawals and gotta get my game on!

On Memorial Day...

...I must take a moment to say thank you to some folks....
Mom (USAF)...glass ceiling what????? you never let me think that there was a ceiling that would stop me...
Dad (USN and USAF)...calculus???? you always made it seem so easy...but you never let me think that I couldn't do it...
Grampa (USN)...GO NAVY! BEAT army! ENOUGH SAID!
Grandpa (RCAF)...I never knew you...but the pictures and memories passed on speak volumes...
Aunt M (National Guard)...running? exercise? weekends you gave up while in college...you ROCK!
Uncle T (USN)...you followed your brother and your heart
DH (USN)...you know I love ya babe!
BiL (USN)...we call them ships...you call them boats...
My dearest friends (USN)...kick some ass!
High School pals (USAF, USMC)...there is no such thing as the "chair force"...SEMPER FI!
Co-workers (USN)...stand strong!
There are too many that shall remain nameless at this point...family members that served that I I'm not aware of...friends that I have lost touch with that have served...shipmates deployed right now...You all are applauded!

Last, but certainly not least, to my Mom, my Dad, my Sisters (A and H), my in-laws, my friends...and most importantly my Hubby and my Daughter...you supported me in service for 10 years...and while the Good-Byes were painful...the Welcome Home(s) were amazing! Every email, every letter, every care package...you made it easier for me to do my job. I may no longer serve...but my thanking you for your support shall never end.

On this day...even if this post is late...I ask all of you to just say thank you to those that have served and those that support those that serve...those two words mean more than you could ever imagine!

Wowza...it's been an odd week

I have yet to completely shake the yuck that hit me earlier this week...but slowly i'm getting better...here are a couple of cards I made recently for the Shoe...



Supplies

• Paper: Imaginisce
• Cardstock: Bazzil
• Image: Imaginisce
• Ink: STAZON - Jet Black
• Markers: Bic Mark-It
• Stickles: Baby Blue, Black Diamond, Distress Stickles - Scattered Straw

This card is for the current color challenge over at the Shoe:

Supplies:

• Cardstock: American Crafts, Georgia Pacific
• Sentiment: Verve Stamps
• Ink: CTMH - Black
• Bling: Heidi Swapp
• Ribbon: Unknown

That's all for now...I'm going to be doing some more recuperating over the next couple of days to hopefully get rid of my yuck! Back soon!

Feeling groovy...

...trying to at least! This card was made using one of the super cool sketches over at Simply Scrapping. It's actually a sketch for a one pic LO...but Judy thought it might work really well for a card...and I agree! I had some fun making this one!


Supplies:

• Paper: Basic Grey - Offbeat
• Cardstock: Bazzil, Georgia Pacific
• Sentiment: Verve - Feeling Groovy
• Ink: STAZON Jet Black
• STickles: Lime Green, Waterfall

Monday...oh Monday...

...bleh Monday. Not feeling my best today...but going to try and get some glamorific stuff done! Starting out with this month's Sponsor Kit for the Shoe! Our sponsor is a great scrapping webstore called Scrap-a-doodle-doo who sent identical kits to four of the DT members...and man oh man...talk about delicious! This is the first time I've ever seen or gotten a chance to get my hands on the Prima Sew Cute Stitched Mulberry paper...and manohman....I need some more! It about broke my heart to cut it! But...with the DP that also came in the kit being too yummy for words...well...I finally had to break down and do it! I personally will have to order some more of the Sew Cute paper because it's just plain fantastic! Anyways...here is my LO...check out the Shoe for more information on the supplies that came in the kit!

About the only supplies I added from my personal stash to finish out this kit were stickles and two gems...I used Diamond, Lime Green and Mermaid stickles. Alrighty...I'm off to go back to sleep and hopefully shake the yuck I've got! Hope to be back soon!

Glitter and Sketches...

Oh wow! I'm honestly shocked right now...I'm posting another card tonight!!! And honestly am hoping to get another one in before bed time! This card was made using a fantastic sketch from the incredibly talented sketch artist Judy Law at Simply Scrapping! Her sketches are so COOL! I've never seen a card sketch quite like the one that I used for this particular card. (For all you scrapbookers...her LO sketches are scrumptious! you should go check it out!) Anyways...after getting the basics of this sketch put together...I realized that my choice of embellishments fit the weekly challenge over at 2RedBananas! This weeks challenge is "Glitter Me Silly". And considering my ongoing addiction to anything SHINY...well...using lots o'Stickles was easy peasy baby! Here it is:


Supplies:

• Paper: CTMH - Tickled Pink
• Cardstock: CTMH, Georgia Pacific
• Stamps: Verve - Floral Symphony and Feeling Groovy
• Ink: CTMH - Indian Corn Blue, Hollyhock, Topiary
• Bling: SEI and Bow-Tique
• Stickles: Fruit Punch, Waterfall, Diamond
• Thickers: American Crafts - Accents
• Ribbon: Unknown

Stamping and smiling...

...and it's FRIDAY afternoon! And I just finished the Stamps and Smiles sketch challenge for this week! Really nice sketch...lends itself easy to some elegance and whimsy...hopefully that is what is conveyed in my card! I learned a few things...or realized what I do when I mess stuff up...here's a hint...if you adhere your layers...and before you add it to your card base...and if your "measurements" are off...just distress the edges! It helps take away from the skewed look! LOL!

Supplies:

• Paper: K&Co
• Cardstock: American Crafts and CTMH
• Images and Sentiment: Verve Stamps - Serenity
• Ink: CTMH - Indian Corn Blue, Chocolate; Distress Ink - Walnut Stain
• Embossing Powder: Stamp n' stuff - Detail Clear
• Border Punch: Fiskars
  

Friday!

Time for a new color challenge at the Shoe! This weeks colors are Pink, Silver and White. A gorgeous color combination and I was really excited to do it! And then...well...it took me awhile to actually like this card...not sure if I do or not...BUT...I can definitely picture in my mind who I could send it to...so that's a good thing! I used a sketch from the CTMH book Originals. I think the bling really helped the card out...each piece is individually glued down...Here goes:

Supplies:

• Paper: SEI - Mimosa
• Cardstock: American Crafts, Bazzil Bling
• Sentiment: Verve Stamps
• Ink: CTMH - Hollyhock, White Daisy
• Bling: Heidi Swapp, Bow-Tique
• Ribbon: Unknown
  

Yes...it's another...

Masculine Card! Which probably brings the total number of masculine cards I have ever created to 2! LOL! And both this month! LOL! I have done a lot of "gender neutral" cards...but they still tend to have a little more "feminine flair" than a straight up masculine card...at least IMHO! This card is for the challenge at Cupcake Craft this week. I have a couple of stamp sets that are "manly" themed...but none of them wanted to work with the papers I have...so here is what I ended up with:

Supplies:

• Paper: Basic Grey - Hang Ten
• Cardstock: American Crafts; CTMH
• Stamp: SU - Eight Great Greetings
• Ink: Distress Ink - Frayed Burlap
• Embossing Powder: Stampn'Stuff - Detail Clear
• Brads: Making Memories
• Ribbon: unknown

Already???

...It's Wednesday??? Wow...time is flying this week! Today's card challenge over at the Shoe is an inspiration challenge. The DT members were given some pictures to work with and to create a card using the pictures for inspiration. You can see the pics over at the Shoe and maybe they too will inspire you to create something! Here is my take:



Supplies:

• Cardstock: Kraft, Bazzil Bling
• Image: CTMH - Pretty Petals
• Sentiment: SU
• Ink: STAZON Black; CTMH - White Daisy; Ink It Up - Silver
• Stickles: Black Diamond, Tiara
• Bling: Bow-tique
• Ribbon: Unknown

Leave for a few days...

...and you feel like you are a month behind! Ok...me and the Fam went out of town this weekend...lots of fun was had on our first ever camping trip combined with DH's and DD's first Nascar race! We really enjoyed so much time together away from cell phones, tv's, computers, and all that jazz! It was a nice refresher to separate from the hobby room and paper and ink and stuff...I did miss it alot...but seeing my daughter's face when she saw the track for the first time...PLUS told me how much fun she had camping...well...everything else goes to the wayside on that!
Anywho...just a quick note...I have a couple of posts to catch up and hopefully have something fabulously new to share later tonight...if I don't fall asleep first! LOL!

Thank you thank you thank you!

To the ladies of Stamps and Smiles! For selecting my You Rock card as a winner during their sneak peek week! Thank you ladies...you gals ROCK!

SASMR1...

...otherwise known as Stamps and Smiles Sneak Peek Challenge #1!!!!! I totally dropped the ball this week! I knew SAS was releasing new stamps and was all set to track as much as possible of their new release! And today...trying to play catch up..I took a peek at the Fresh Batch...and was completely stunned to realize I had 100% missed the boat on their week long challenges! I'm trying very hard to catch up...So here goes...sketch #1:


SUpplies:

• Cardstock: SU - Riding Hood Red and Kiwi Kiss; American Crafts; Georgia Pacific
• Paper: SU - Rockabilly
• Ink: STAZON Black
• Stamps: SU - Just Jawing
• Ribbon: Unknown
• Stickles: Christmas Red

Late again...

...and so sorry for that! Yesterday's card challenge over at the Shoe was to create a negative space card. You could only use approximately 1/3 of the card space to "decorate" or create on. The remaining 2/3 of the card had to be "blank." When I first saw this challenge a few weeks ago...I was SURE I would not be able to do it...I like layers, and lots of stuffs on my cards...BUT...turns out it wasn't actually that difficult...and I had a lot of fun doing it! Some cards I have made will take me a couple of hours...a lot of that is me trying to pick papers and stamps to use and so on...but with the negative space card...it was really nice to keep it simple, limit my color pallette a bit...and just enjoy producing some cards! I would say that it took me no more than 10 minutes to create one card...and that is a refreshing change!

Supplies:
RED

• Cardstock: The Paper Company - kraft
• Ribbon: Offray Ribbon
• Ink: CTMH Chocolate
• Sentiment: SU
• Flowers: Prima

BLACK

• Cardstock: The Paper Company - kraft, American Crafts
• Ribbon: Offray
• Ink: STAZON - Black
• Sentiment: SU

Have I found my Mojo...

...on a Monday??? I honestly hope so!!! LOL! The past few days have been rough in the scrappin' department for me...my motivation has been in other directions...and I was maybe feeling a little burned out...who know...I'm just hoping that the card I created tonight for Week #85 over at Mojo Monday will get me going on the right track!!! Another fabulous sketch...I love sketches...over at the Mojo spot...here goes:

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Bazzil, American Crafts, Core-dinations
• Paper: Basic Grey - Stella Ruby
• Stamps: Verve - Asian Flair
• Ink: STAZON - Timber Brown; Distress Ink - Frayed Burlap
• Lace: Paper Studio - Spare Parts
• Stickles: Distress Stickles - Frayed Burlap
• Cuttlebug: Birds and Swirls Embossing Folder
• Ribbon: Unknown

Just another manic Monday...

...wish it was Sunday...or any other day of the week! Today was a difficult morning to get moving! I was really not ready for the weekend to be over...but...Monday's come once a week...gotta deal and move on! LOL!

Anyways...today over at the Shoe we revealed the monthly sketch challenge for May...another fantabulistic sketch by Miss K...here is my take on it:

This is my adorable baby girl Cookie...often referred to as the Cookster...and she really rules this house...if you are where she wants to be...then be prepared to become her throne!

I'm fighting a little bout of scrap block...or maybe it's lack of motivation...but I'm going to give it a fair go tonight and see what happens!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Bazzil
• Paper: Basic Grey - Sultry
• Glimmer Mist: Snow Angel
• Thickers: American Crafts - Poolside and Daquiri
• Flowers: Prima
• Stamp: K&Co
• Ink: CTMH - Bubblegum
• Stickles: Glitz Stickles - Tiara
• Ribbon and bling unknown

For the men...

...you have no idea how difficult it is to make a masculine card! And then...sometimes it all falls into place...that is what I will call this latest card...uber masculine...and it came together without stress. I came across this challenge while blog hopping...I don't even know for sure what blog I jumped from to the Three Clovers Design blog...but once I got there...I said..AHA...gotta try that sketch out! I was trying to figure out a way to use some stamps that I hadn't used before...and this tractor I've been in love with for a seriously long time! But...I haven't really found exactly what I need to use it for! So for this sketch I was like hey...it needs a slightly larger image...bring on the tractor! Thankfully I had some fantastic paper to use that had some great "masculine" colors! Then...once I saw the sentiment that was in the same set as the tractor...I was like...that's got my FIL ALL OVER IT! He's a farmer at heart...and let me tell you...we love to have his corn on the table year round if possible! DH isn't so sure about the flowers...but of all the options I could think of...this was the best bet!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Bazzil, American Crafts, CTMH
• Paper: Basic Grey - Infuse
• Stamps: CTMH - My Farm
• Ink: STAZON - Timber Brown, CTMH - Topiary, Heavenly Blue
• Flowers: Prima
• Brad: Making Memories
• Ribbon: Unknown