You're A-MAIZE-ING

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

The card I have for today totally puts me in the mood for fall.  I love fall with the crisp cool sweater weather, trips to the cider mill, pumpkin patch and so much more.  It's my favorite season!

For my card, I used the fun new Lawn Fawn stamp set, Happy Harvest along with the coordinating dies.  I used my Copic markers to color the die cut and stamped scarecrow, pumpkins and crows and you'll notice I gave my scarecrow a plaid shirt by first coloring in a light beige (E30) and letting it dry and then using three different color Copic markers (R29, R05, YR16) to create the plaid and adding shading with (E34).  I stamped the die cut two cornstalks with so saffron and for the cornstalks in the background, I did a little rock in roll technique with so saffron and more mustard.  The kraft colored hill was die cut using the Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Borders die and the sky was sponged using tumbled glass distress ink.  The scarecrow and flying crow were popped up using foam tape and I added white highlights to the cheeks and a Glaze pen on all the eyes.  The card base is enchanted evening and the designer paper is from a fall Doodlebug Designs pack.  This was such a fun card to create, I can't wait to make more.

Thanks for popping in!

Happy Birthday

Hello, crafty friends!  Yesterday I needed a quick birthday card for my niece's birthday and since her gift wrap was all owls I decided to go with the owl theme.  I pulled out the Lawn Fawn stamp sets You're a Hoot, Chit Chat and Argyle Backdrops and used the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #201 to put a card together.

 I used some girly colors like raspberry fizz, real red, hawaiian shores and limeade ice with some polka dot paper, scallop circle and of course some googlie eyes just for fun.

Hope you have a great Monday!

Fly

 Hello.  It's time for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

The card that I created using this week's sketch was for my daughter who is going away to college for the first time.  I made this card for her and gave it to her with the poem below, which I found on the internet included inside along with a special note and a bracelet.  I handed it to my daughter after my husband and I hugged her goodbye this last Friday.  If you've ever had a child go away to college than you can relate, you're excited for them, your nervous about them being so far away and your emotional because you realize that this is just the beginning of them leaving the nest.  Yes there were a few tears after dropping her off, but I know she's going to do great.  Our daughter is a strong, independent beautiful young woman with a good head on her shoulders and I know she will spread her wings and FLY.

To My Daughter

as you go off to College

While you’re away at college,

I’ll think of you each day.

Before you leave

there are just a few more things,

I really need to say.

You’ve made me proud

as I’ve watched you grow,

it’s time for you to fly.

So take a step and don’t look back

because you may see me cry.

Remember all the important things

I taught you through the years.

Study hard and have some fun

and you’ll work through your fears.

Make the right decisions

as if I were standing by your side.

You’ve grown to be a beautiful woman,

you fill my heart with pride.

Keep this bracelet with you

and I’ll be close at heart.

Know my love is always there

even though we are apart.

When I created this card, I had all the materials out from one of my last post which was from the August Papertrey Ink blog hop and Make-it-Monday so I decided to create another card using the Beautiful Butterflies set and the kissing technique.  It's hard to see in the photos but the butterflies are actually quite sparkly because I used a wink of stella glitter pen on the bodies and die cut border pieces that were attached to the wings.

Time goes by too fast, hug your babies because before you know it they'll be moving out to start their life.

Papertrey Ink August Blog Hop

 Hello, welcome!  Today is the Papertrey Ink August Blog Hop and I'm excited that this month I actually have time to play along.  I was so inspired by this month's inspiration photo (see below) and the colors and textures that I created three different cards.

For my first card, I used the Bibliophile stamp set and coordinating dies (this set is fantastic) along with the Fancy Tea Cup die to create a birthday card for one of the ladies in my book club.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love reading.  If I don't have a book that I'm reading I feel lost.  I carry a book with me everywhere I go, I mostly read at night (sometimes very late into the night/morning) but if I'm really drawn into a book I will read while cooking dinner, waiting in line at a store or waiting to pick up one of my kids.  People have asked me how I find the time to read so much and my answer is simple, I watch very little television and I make time to read because it's something that brings me joy.  Yes I had to add the little tea label with string because there's nothing better than curling up with a good book and a cup of tea especially on a cold or rainy day.

For my next card, I used the stamp sets Noted along with the coordinating Hello die and the set Ombre Builders.  The one stamp within the Ombre Builders set made me think of the strands of wool in bright colors from the inspiration photo.  I used that stamp and stamped it twice for each color, then trimmed down what I stamped, adhered it to the front of a white card base and added my die cut Hellos and a few sequins in the matching colors and stamped my sentiment.

For my final card, I created a birthday card inspired not only from the inspiration photo for the hop but from Betsy's Make-it-Monday #222: Die Cut Kissing.  Click on the link and be sure to watch Betsy's video because it's a fun technique where stamping and die cuts come together to create something unique. I used the stamp sets Beautiful Butterflies and Think Big Favorites #13 along with the Filigree Border Die to "Kiss" my inked up butterfly stamp to (Butterfly Kisses, lol).

That's it from me, thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!