A Sad Day...

Yes, that's right this is a sad day.  If you've visited the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge blog then you already know the news, but if you haven't here it is......today marks the very last Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.  Karen thought that ending the challenge at the 300 mark and the end of the year was the best way to end the challenge.  
Yes I feel a little emotional about the SSSC ending for several reasons.  I've been with the team since the very beginning (that was SIX years ago and a whole lot of SSSC cards!) and I will miss all of the talented girls from our team, I'll miss our fun conversations and laughs behind the scenes.  I'll never forget when Karen asked if I'd like to join the team and how excited I was, it was an honor then and still is to work with Karen's wonderful sketches and such talented women.  Thank you, Karen and all of the girls from our team for inspiring me each and every Sunday. Sniff, sniff :( For my card, I used the Papertrey Ink stamp sets Shape Up Snowman and Wonderful Words: Holiday along with the coordinating dies.  I also used a PTI picnic plaid impressions plate, banner die and holly die with some rhinestones.   The card below is from my very first Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge post and since I chose snowmen as my image then, I thought it only fitting that I go with a snowman for my last Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge card today.
Thank you to all of the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge fans who have played along throughout the years, we are so grateful to have had you join us.

SSSC#222 - You're Sweet

It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge!

I used this week's sketch to create a thank you card to go along with the gift for my son's teacher.  I used the Stampin' Up set Tart & Tangy for the lemon/orange and the Papertrey Ink sets Bigger Blooms and Turning a New Leaf for the sentiment and green leaves.

 

Be sure to check out what the rest of the Sweet Sunday Sketch Stampers have created:

• Dana White
• Jackie Pedro
• Jodi Collins
• Karen Giron 
• Karen Motz
• Lisa Henke
• Lori Tecler  
• Sarah-Jane Kalé
• Tracy Clemente
• Vicki Burdick  
• Barbara Anders
• Jenny Peterson
 

Thanks for stopping by! 

First Day of School

Hi there!  Today is our official first day of school for my three kids and so I thought I would share the card and little gift I had for my youngest son's teacher.  I've had such a crazy feeling today as I realize that my oldest son is a senior, my daughter a sophomore and my youngest son is in kindergarten.  All three of them were gone ALL day today, the house was so quiet and I was able to get so much done.  I know I'll miss my youngest being home in the afternoons but I also know I'll enjoy some free time.

I found this cute little note pad with pen and post-it notes at TJMaxx (love that store) and slipped it into a plastic gift bag, twisted it up and added my decorated clothes pin to hold it closed.

Supplies: Tart & Tangy - SU, Flower Fusion - PTI, Circle punches, Scallop circle punch, Star punch, Button, Bakers twine, MME dp, Photo corner punch, Spiral punch, Ribbon, Chevron border die - PTI, Clothes pin.  Colors: Real Red, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight.  

SSSC122 - Beautiful Butterflies Thinking of You

Hello!  I'm here today with my Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge card, I'm a day late but better late than never I say.  As much as I enjoyed it, I'm actually just happy to have made it through last week and the weekend.  Between my daughter's dance practices last week, two nights of dance recitals, birthday party/Father's Day BBQ and all of the cleaning, grocery shopping, birthday gift/Father's Day buying and all that comes with it I'm wiped out.  So that's my excuse as to why my cards late :)

For my card using Karen's sketch I used the SU Sizzix Beautiful Butterflies die, the Beautiful Wings Embosslit die and layered them together along with the retired stamp set Warmest Regards.  The card base is old olive card stock with a panel of poppy parade and Sunny Garden designer paper.   

To play along create a card using Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch, then go to Karen’s blog The Sweetest Thing and link your card so we can all see your creation! 

Be sure to visit each of the Sweet Sunday Stampers below for more samples using this week’s sketch!

Karen Motz: Paper Playhouse

Sarah-Jane Kale': Janeybell

Vicki Burdick: It's a Stamp Thing

Jen Tapler: Jen Tapler Designs

Dana White: Dana's House of Cards

Karen Giron: The Sweetest Thing

Hope you're having a great day!

SSSC120/CTD144 - Create a Cupcake

Well hello there, thanks for dropping in!  I hope you're enjoying your weekend.  Here in Michigan we've had a cool rainy spring and so many of us have been wishing for some warmer weather...well we got it yesterday.  I was almost 90 degrees and muggy yuck, I'm hoping today is a little cooler since I have flowers to plant.

Today is Sunday and time for the Sweet Sunday Sketch #120.  For my card I created a CAS (clean & simple) birthday card using the SU stamp set Create a Cupcake and the fun colors from The Color Throwdown #144. 

I started out with a melon mambo card base, then a pumpkin pie layer that was embossed using my perfect polka dot embossing folder.  Then I added four punched out circles of retired SU designer paper.  The cupcake image was stamped on a white 2 3/4" square piece of card stock and I added a melon mambo mat.  Across the lower front of my card I used a scallop border piece, a strip of melon mambo and added my ribbon and bow.

To play along create a card using Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch, then go to Karen’s blog The Sweetest Thing and link your card so we can all see your creation! 

Be sure to visit each of the Sweet Sunday Stampers below for more samples using this week’s sketch!

Karen Motz: Paper Playhouse

Sarah-Jane Kale': Janeybell

Vicki Burdick: It's a Stamp Thing

Jen Tapler: Jen Tapler Designs

Dana White: Dana's House of Cards

Karen Giron: The Sweetest Thing

Card Patterns #117 - Make a Life

Hello!  Today I have a card that I created using the Card Patterns Sketch #117 and the SU stamp set Occasional Quotes.  For my inspiration I used the first roses of the summer from my garden (see photos below) which are blooming right now.  The roses are huge pale pink English climbing roses and look like pink tissue paper flowers and I wanted to try and recreate that in a paper flower.

I started out with a crumb cake card base and corner rounded the bottom corners, then added a pretty in pink embossed layer on the bottom portion of my card, a row of eyelet border in the middle and SU retired designer paper on the top. Then I added a 3/4" vertical strip of crumb cake down the center of the card and some pink taffeta ribbon.  It may be difficult to see (click on the picture for a close up) but after I stamped my sentiment in the center of my die cut circle I stamped the rose image from the SU stamp set Elements of Style in pink pirouette, some fully inked and some stamped off.  Then I sponged along the outer edge of my circle with crumb cake, attached a mat and added it to my card front.  For my rose (see photo below) I punched three Extra Large Fancy Flowers, one in pretty in pink and two in pink pirouette, and three circles (1 1/4", 1", 3/4") all in pretty in pink along with three hand cut leaves in crumb cake. All of the pieces below were wadded up into tiny balls, unfolded and the edges were sponged with pink passion ink (the leaves with CC) and then layered together with glue dots with the bottom layer being a pretty in pink Fancy Flower and center being the smallest circle which I then added a large pearl to.  I added my antique brad and bows above and below my circle then added my hand cut leaves, tiny tag and rose.

I had to cut just a few to bring inside.

This is a picture of our garden along the side of our house. 

The flowers are just starting to bloom.

Thanks for stopping by!

CR84FN30 - Fox & Friends

 Wow June 1st already, can you believe it?  In another week or so my two teenagers will be out of school for the summer and since nether of them drive alone yet guess who gets to play taxi driver, lol? 

I'm OK with driving them around and not in any hurry for them to drive on their own, I have enough grey hair to dye right now as it is.

The card that I have for today was created using the CR84FN30 Color Challenge colors and when I first saw the pastel colors I thought baby.  So I pulled out the SU stamp set Fox & Friends and went with it.  I kept my card clean and simple with a crumb cake card base, a panel of so saffron designer paper (3 1/4" x 3 1/4") with a white mat, then stamped the cute animal images in the three colors and punched them out using my square punches.  The one square was stamped with the "hello baby" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set four times in the three colors then punched out and taped to a scallop square.  Then I applied a punched out star and button.  Along the bottom of the card I stamped my sentiment from the stamp set A Word for You, added a strip of pierced so saffron cardstock and my ribbon.

Enjoy your day!

CQC#87 - Whooo's Birthday

Hello friends!  Today I have a card and 3D project that I've created for the Colour Queen Color Challenge. 

But before I get into my post I'd just like to say something...month's ago I created an owl using the Stampin' Up Pillow Box Sizzix die (you can see my post here), it was original I thought because I had never seen anyone create an owl using the Pillow Box die and I subscribe and follow a large amount of blogs and I'm constantly surfing the web.  Well since then I've seen several people post on their blogs the same owl using the Pillow Box die without so much as a mention of my name, link to my blog or to even drop me an email to asking if I'd mind them using my idea.  Don't get me wrong I do understand that if you put something out on the web some people feel it's up for grabs.  I also know that copying is the best form of flattery and that we all find inspiration in each others work...but it does upset me when someone claims to have created it themselves without giving credit.  I'm a big believer in giving credit where credit is due and I've always tried to stick to that rule here on my blog.  If I've ever gotten inspiration from someone I link to that person, it's common courtesy.  It's also easy to improve on something that someone else has originally created.

 The Owl Happy Birthday card uses the SU stamp set Curly Cute, the Two-Step Owl punch and the Scallop Border punch as well as some Melon Mambo designer paper.

 For the Owl Pillow Box you can see the supplies below that I used in order to create him, starting with the Pillow Box die I cut out using the Soft Sued and then I cut one half of the die out with the Melon Mambo designer paper.  I used the various sized circle punches for the eyes, heart punch for the two feet and beak, large oval for the wings and punched a little more than half of the scallop circle punch out of the yellow and layered them for the belly.  The one thing you must have when putting one of these together is excellent adhesive, I used my Scor-tape to adhere the box, designer paper, scallop belly layers and wings.

Thank you for your visit and have a nice day!

SSSC110 - Birthday Cupcakes

It's time for the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge (SSSC110)!

For my card I used the Stampin' Up stamp set Create a Cupcake along with the matching Cupcake punch to make a bright colored birthday card.  I kept my card clean and simple and chose my colors from the SU Color Coach.

Supplies: Create a Cupcake, CC Punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Ribbon, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Circle punch, Melon Mambo DSP, Foam tape.  Colors: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight.

Sorry about the sketch picture I'm not sure why I couldn't get a good shot uploaded.

To play along create a card using Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch, then go to Karen’s blog The Sweetest Thing and link your card so we can all see your creation! 

Be sure to visit each of the Sweet Sunday Stampers below for more samples using this week’s sketch!

Karen Motz: Paper Playhouse

Sarah-Jane Kale': Janeybell

Vicki Burdick: It's a Stamp Thing

Jen Tapler: Jen Tapler Designs
Dana White: Dana's House of Cards

Karen Giron: The Sweetest Thing

Have a good day!

CTD132 - Hello There & Happy Spring

Hello!  Today I have two cards that I created using this weeks Color Throwdown Challenge #132.  I liked the colors for this week's Throwdown because they were bright and springy. 

The first card is a Stampin' Up only (SUO) card where I used the stamp set Cheep Talk and instead of using Baja Breeze which I didn't have I ended up using Cool Caribbean.

For my second card I use my new Papertrey Ink stamp sets Friendship Jar Spring Fillers, Bitty Background Blocks and Tag-its #1 along with the Doily Details die and coordinating jar and Button Card Die Collection set.

This a close up shot which shows some of the glitter that I added to the robins eggs inside the jar and more detail.

Hope these cards help you to Think Spring!