In Memory.....

Today we said good-bye to the best Uncle anyone could ask for. Uncle Jim you will forever be missed. I will always remember you as you are in this picture. Always with a smile on your face and a joke on the tip of your tongue.

He battled pancreatic cancer for 2 years. We knew it was a long shot at beating it. He fought bravely and courageously everyday for those 2 years. I had lots of time to create the perfect cards for my Aunt and cousins. It took many tries. There is no easy way to create a card for such a heart wrenching occasion. After months of trial and error. And cutting up more paper than I ever thought I could in making "practice" cards. These are what I finally decided on--

We said good-bye to a great man. I will always miss you and think of you often Uncle Chump. I hope the beer is ice cold, the model train always stay on their tracks, the fish are always biting, and the golf is always great in heaven. Love You!

vacation time!

Vacation time! Since I tried to pack light, for me at least, card making stuff had to stay at home. Camera gear took priority. :)  Hoping that the next week in the Florida sunshine will restart the card mojo since it has been hiding for the past few weeks....

OWH mid-week throwdown

This weeks mid-week throwdown is to make cards for Moms & Dads to send home to their kids. Some of my favorite kinds of cards to make. As an added bonus it also works for the Our Daily Bread Challenge for June! :)

This card started out with the piece of blue from the scrap pile. I'm working really hard to make that pile go down! Unfortunately, the more I clean and straighten, the bigger that pile seems to get. (Although I am getting better about throwing things in the recycle box or the donate box if they are aren't pieces that I really love and don't have to force myself to use....) I have no idea who made the blue with speckles. It reminded me of water so I was off to find a summer image... The stickers are from Me and My Big Ideas from a long, long, time ago. The girl was mounted on white cardstock and trimmed out so that she wouldn't blend into the water. The fish was put straight onto the background paper. The sentiment is from Doodlebug by Hampton Arts. The sketch is OWH #13.

Summer vacation has finally started here at our house. Hopefully that will mean some quality crafting time with my favorite teenager. :)

graduation cards

It's that time of year again!! Graduation time! Luckily for me, Thomas has 2 more years before he graduates. :) It's friends from the Seattle Ski Club keeping me hoping this year. 3 young ladies graduated in the last week.

These are their cards, plus the red one for a niece and a few for back-up. The girls who I knew their school colors got the personalized ones. The other girls got the traditional black and silver ones. The mortar board is a QuicKutz die. The sketch is one I have had in my notebook for awhile, from before I started keeping track of where I found them.... Patterned paper is from the stash so I don't have a manufacture....

a few cards by Thomas

Since we have a lot of visitors coming over from our Featured Friday post over at Operation Write Home (aka OWH around here), I thought I would post a few cards that Thomas has created over the past few years...

This is the Pooh card he mentions in his comments.

 Here is another Pooh card. He has since discovered that if he heat embosses the sentiment when he uses silver ink, it won't smear and need to be redone as often. Added bonus to that discovery, using the heat gun.... Using the smoother backside of the textured cardstock also helps... ;)

 Corner punches discovered.... ;)

Ribbon. Dry embossing. Heat embossing. Tools, tools, and more tools.... ;)

I have pictures of some of his more recent cards, but they are buried in the file of cards....   As I sort through them, I'll post more of his work. I can't wait until summer & we have more time to sit and create together. :)

OWH VCMP -- challenge #8

The last challenge was to use googlie eyes! The monster stamp is from Hero Arts and is colored with copics. The sentiment sticker is from Mrs. Grossman and popped up with dimensional adhesive. Brads are from unknown source. Patterned papers are from Making Memories, from years & years ago when they had paper lines. 

This guy is the last card in a 2 day mojo blitz!!! No new sheets of paper were cut to make any of these cards. Only scraps were used!! Everything that was used was actually well aged & out of the stash. Nothing new was purchased to make any of the challenge cards. A challenge within the VCMP challenges. :) Now to clean up the creative mess and hope that the mojo doesn't disappear when the desktop is clean....

OWH VCMP --challenge #7

Challenge #7 is to make a summertime card. Nothing says summer to me like thinking about fishing. I spent many summers of my growing up years on the lake waiting for the fish to bite with my Dad.

I started with this set of stickers from Mrs. Grossman. I layered all of the pieces together over the sponged background piece. The blue piece of colored background paper is from My Mind's Eye. Red piece is from a unknown source, it came out of the scrap file.

OWH VCMP -- challenge #6

Challenge #6 was to use a picture that I've taken. This picture was taken several years ago, on one of my first trips to Florida & Tampa's Lorry Park Zoo. There were several of these beautiful eagles there. They had all been hurt in some way and were being rehabilitated. I was very happy that I had decided to pack the super heavy long lens for the day. I wouldn't have been able to capture this guy without it.

For the card I started with some Bo-bunny pattern paper. I matted the picture on red & then blue. The gold brads are from an unknown source. Sketch #110 from OWH is the one I used.

OWH VCMP -- challenge #5

This challenge is to use OWH sketch #171. The white baseball paper is from Francis Meyer. The dark brown paper is from Sticker Studio. Sentiment is from Hampton Arts and is heat embossed. Edges of all pieces are lightly inked with dark brown chalk ink.

OWH VCMP -- challenge #4

 Challenge #4 was to create a card using a sketch for a scrapbook page since saturday was offically National Scrapbook Day. I dug into my scrapbook stuff to find a book by Becky Higgens from waaaay back in 2003.

This is the sketch I picked. :) Since the paper dolls from Scrapbook Station were still sitting out I created one to fit the sketch. Sand pattern paper is from Wubie Prints. Ribbon is May Arts. Paper doll is highlighted with chalk, a pigma micron pen, line stickers from Mrs. Grossman, and flower from Stickopotamus stickers.Sentiment stamp is from Hero Arts.

OWH VCMP -- challenge #3

Challenge #3 was to make a romantic card using an OWH tutorial. I chose to use the gate fold tutorial. The pattern paper came out of the scrap file and detail in corner is highlighted with crystal laquer. Sentiment stamp is from Fiskars & is heat embossed with clear embossing powder. Brads are from recollections.

OWH VCMP -- challenge #2

Challenge #2 was to create a kids card using a sketch.... Since I've been cleaning out my craft space, I've uncovered a lot of treasures. This paper doll is one of many that have been hanging out in my space for many years... He is from Stamping Station. Grass pattern paper is from Sandylion. Sentiment is from Hampton Art. Sticker on his shirt is from Stickopotamus. Details on paper doll are done with chalk and a pigma micron black pen. Sketch used is #13 from OWH.

OWH VCMP -- challenge #1

I was out of town this past weekend, so I have been catching up on all of the virtual card challenges the past 2 days. This is the first challenge--

Pattern paper is from old, really old, Doodlebug. Sentiment is from TPC studios. Monkey is from Stampendous! Ribbon is from May Arts and colored with copics to match airplane. Sketch #124 for OWH.

another turtle from Stampers Best

Another card with this super cute turtle from the Stampers Best OWH fundraiser stamp set. This turtle is my favorite of the 3 sets. :) I used the same Basic Grey papers as the card from yesterday. Instead of coloring his skin, I stamped him on green and then pieced his eyes and shell on top of the green. I did color his toe nails with a light green copic. His eyes are covered with glossy accents to give them a nice shine. I then popped him up on the white circle with dimensional adhesive by Sticky Thumb. The sentiment is part of turtle set. The sketch is from OWH, #152.

Now back to creative mess & see what else comes out of it.... ;)

turtle awesome-ness!

I ordered the new OWH fundraiser set from Stampers Best last Sunday after completing the blog skip. :) I had those 3 awesome stamps in my hands on Wednesday!! Super fast shipping & a couple of freebies included as well!! I've been working on finishing up some triage for Sandy so I haven't had a chance to play until this weekend.

I started with the cute turtle. He's my favorite of the 3 sets. :)  I stamped him on white and pieced his shell with patterned paper. Eyes have glossy accents on them to make them shiny. I then trimmed him out and popped him with dimensional adhesive on the sentiment piece. The patterned paper for the shell and background piece is an old line from Basic Grey, Hang 10. The sentiment stamp is one that came with the turtle. Ribbon is from May Arts (loving that I can get a whole spool at a time of the ribbons I use all the time from Amazon at much lower cost than at my favorite scrapbook store by the yard). I used sketch #26, but I used the 3 pieces of ribbon instead of a single solid piece under the turtle piece. I wanted to use some of the new ribbon that I just arrived. :)

I have another card done using the turtle, but I'm waiting for the glossy accents to dry so I can put it on a card base before taking a picture... Hopefully I'll get it posted tomorrow!

card for ski club

Today's card started with some patterned paper that is well aged & from the stash. :) It's from Susan Branch by Colorbok. (so aged, that is 8 1/2 x 11 & light weight like copy paper, so I added some heft by matting it with a nice heavy cardstock...). The ribbon is May Arts. Sentiment stamp is from Hero Arts & stamped on velum, then matted with another layer of velum to help it stand out a bit more from the flower paper. Heart brad is from an unknown source. I went to my favorite place for sketches, OWH, for sketch #123.

This card will be heading to a newly engaged couple at the Ski Club. :) I don't normally make congrat's cards for OWH, so it was nice to be able to make something a little different. :)

Now to finish up the sheets of patterned paper & turn it into cards for OWH. No stray scraps to hit the scrap file. It's full enough already! ;)

Pilot Monkey

here is another of my finds from Saturdays field trip. :)

I used the last small piece of old Bo-Bunny paper for the patterned paper & matted it with cardstock to give it a little heft. The image is colored with copics & matted on the same green as the patterned paper. The clouds are a memory box die cut. Sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

Now that I've used the last of this paper, I'm kinda sad. Now that I found a use for it, I really like it & wish I had a sheet or 2 more. Crazy huh. I have a room full of paper and long for more... Now it's time to find another set of scrap to use up...  Maybe find a great card to use some of the new ribbon from Saturday.....

Design Bootcamp- focal point

This months bootcamp lesson was creating a focal point. I started with OWH sketch #81. The original sketch has the sentiment off in the upper right corner and an embellishment in the lower left corner. I grouped the embellishment and sentiment together to create a stronger focal point.

Here's another card using the same sketch and idea with grouping the sentiment and embellishments.

This card started with OWH sketch #152. The sentiment is stamped on white cardstock and matted with dark purple to help it pop. By keeping the flower sticker on the same piece as the sentiment it all stays tied together as a single focal point.

Creating cards with a strong design is easier when design elements are grouped together. Add in last months lesson on color, and great cards are sure to happen. :)

some new goodies

Yesterday I took a little road trip. Covered just over 150 miles in 6 1/2 hours. Stopped at 5 new to me, scrapbook & stamp stores. All as part of the Northwest Paper Chase. I had a great day exploring some new shops. Had mostly good experiences at the stores. There were a couple that I wouldn't drive special to go back to though. Customer service was a bit to cold and uppity for me. You don't have to act like my BFF, but don't look down your nose at me like you are better than everyone else in your store. I have to many ways to shop and spend my $$ than to reward that kind of attitude.

Off the soap box now...

One of my finds yesterday--

was this cute guy by Stampendous. I loved the sentiment that came with the oh so cute little monkey. :) The back ground paper is a really old piece from early bo-bunny. The copyright stamp says Jan Lanoy Bo-Bunny Press 1998 on it.... Yikes! I had an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet and a few scraps from another card challenge in the scrap file. I thought it worked well with the monkey. Since it is a light weight paper, I matted it with a heavy cardstock. The kite is paper pieced with another old scrap from early Doodlebug. The monkey and grass were colored with copics and then matted with the blue cardstock. The sentiment was matted with the same blue cardstock as the base and popped with Sticky Thumb dimensional adhesive.  OWH sketch #138 was the starting point for this card.

Something new used right away AND scraps & a well aged paper used up!!! YEAH a most productive morning!

VCMP challenge #10- glitz with no glitter

This final challenge was to make a glitzy card, but use no glitter. I started with sketch #149 from OWH. Patterned paper is from My Minds Eye, another well aged page kit that never made it into the scrapbook. The sentiment is from Basic Grey. For glitz and glam I used small dots of liquid pearls.

I made it to the end!! Now to go back and clean up the creative disaster and use up all the bit and pieces that are left over!

VCMP challenge #9- all white with 3 layers

Challenge #9 was to use all white or cream and to have at least 3 layers. Al one color was a challenge for me. I wanted to use the flower ribbon from May Arts, so I started there. I've had this last piece since working on CHA 2012 card kits. I then decided on OWH sketch #2. The embossing folder is from cuttlebug. The sentiment stamp is from Making Memories. It still needed a little something.... I added a small dot of white Pearl Pen at all of the intersections of the embossing folder. The 2 shapes for the sentiment are nesties and are popped up using Sticky Thumb dimensional adhesive. 

VCMP challenge #8- washi tape

Challenge 8 was to use washi tape. Washi is a thin paper tape. The polka dot and circle tapes are both from Queen and Co, from their Disney line. The sentiment is from an OWH set by Hero Arts. The circles are nesties. Sketch is OWH #105. The sentiment is popped up with dimensional adhesive by Sticky Thumb.

VCMP challenge #7- caffeine challenge

Challenge #7 was caffeine related, wither it is coffee, tea, or soda, use it on a card. I've had this set from Fiskars for awhile, but I think this is the first time I've used it. The sleeve on the cup is pieced with card stock. The patterned paper is Daisy D's, & left over from the card kit for the 5th challenge. It needed to be used up! The light blue brads are from a source unknown, they were included as part of the page kit. Grey highlights in steam and shadow around cup are copic.

VCMP challenge #6- things with wheels

Challenge #6 was the first one of the day last Sunday. The theme was things with wheels. I pulled out an old, but never used set from Close to My Heart. The patterned paper is from Karen Foster as are the coordinating solids. The front loader was stamped in dark brown chalk ink by color box and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. The sentiment stamp is from TPC Studios. The truck is also popped up with dimensional adhesive from Sticky Thumb.

VCMP challenge #5- use up a 12x12 sheet of paper

 

Challenge #5, and the last one for Saturday, was to make a whole sheet of pattern paperdisappear using OWH sketch #63. This is another really old page kit that needed to be used up since it is pretty obvious that it wasn't going to be heading into a scrapbook any time soon. ;) Both patterned papers are by Daisy D's. Flower is a QuicKutz die. Sentiment stamp is from TPC Studios.

I used a whole sheet of 12x12 patterned paper, a part of the sheet of the checked, and 1 1/2 12x12 sheet of the pink cardstock.

VCMP challenge #4- things with wings

Challenge #4 was things with wings. I used the Stampin Up owl punch for my thing with wings. The pattern paper was from the same page kit as in challenge #1, so I don't know the manufacture. The sentiment stamp is from TPC Studios. The branch the owl is sitting on is a stamp from a set by Kelly Panacci by Sandylion. Sketch is from OWH #34. All edges were inked with dark brown chalk ink by color box.

VCMP challenge #3- selective embossing

The third challenge was selective embossing. This was definitely a challenge. I had never tried this before, so it was fun to try something new. I think with the right folders it would have been a lot easier than trying to figure out the right "sandwich" to make it work... My poor swirl embossing folder almost didn't survive. A little heavy duty packaging tape & I think it's as good as new. I used a sizzix embossing folder and then gently rubbed a little broken china distress ink over the embossed areas with a distress tool. The little girl is from My Favorite Things and the OWH stamp fundraiser and colored with copics. Sentiment stamp is from a OWH set by Hero Arts.

VCMP challenge #2- all creatures great and small

Challenge #2 was to use a creature and create a card for kids. Since Thomas LOVES dogs, I went with the dog stamp from Close to My Heart. It's an old one, I think it's been discontinued now. Patterned paper is from a Die Cuts With a View pets stack. Ribbon is from the ribbon boutique. Sentiment stamp is from Making Memories. File label die cut is from QuicKutz. Used OWH sketch #30.

VCMP challenge #1-cheverons

I'm just a little behind in posting last weekends President's Day Virtual Card Making Party. I did get them all done this week! And a few more using up all the scraps that all that creativeness produced. :)

The cheverons are done with a EK Success border punch. The pattern paper and die cuts are from an unknown source. They were a page kit that I purchased YEARS ago and never used. Until now. ;) I put glossy accents on the horse shoes and cowboy hat to dress them up a bit and inked the edges of the blue cardstock and patterned paper. Used sketch #125 from OWH.

OWH sketch #159

Yesterday was a most productive day! Got a little triage done for Sandy & OWH, cleaned up the scrap desk, got a bunch of cards made, and managed to get some laundry done!!!

This card started with this weeks card sketch challenge. The sentiment I wanted to use didn't quite fit the sketch sizes, so I just tucked it under the cupcake after matting it. Pattern paper is more scraps from My Minds Eye. Stamps are from Hero Arts. Cupcake paper is pieced. Sprinkles are colored with Zig pens. Copics used to add outline highlights.

This one is another OWH sketch, #68. Sentiment stamp is from Kaiser Crafts. Used flower punch from All Night Media and leaf punch from EK success to punch leaves and flowers from circle paper scraps so that the colors matched. :) A spot of stickles on center and then covered entire flower with glossy accents to seal glitter and dress up flowers. Flower is popped up with a small square of dimensional adhesive from Sticky Thumb.

OWH sketch #63. Sentiment is from Hero Arts set for OWH. Buttons are cut with a die from Memory Box using a scrap of the same circle paper, then covered with glossy accents and tied with twine. Ribbon is May Arts.

OWH sketch #55. Scraps are finally getting smaller... ;) Still more of the My Minds Eye patterned paper. Sentiment is from Hero Arts, stamped with color box ink and heat embossed with clear embossing power.

And one last card with these scraps... I'm done working with them! Time for something new! This one started with OWH sketch #143, the first time using this one. Buttons are cut with quickutz dies and tied with twine. Tag is punched with an EK Success punch and matted by hand. Sentiment stamp is a Doodlebug Design by Hampton Arts.

The workspace is cleared & now on to some new & different paper to play with! 1st up will be a few cards for the ski club. Have a few kid's birthdays that I need to get cards made for....

a little mojo fun

Mixing things up with a mojo monday sketch, #224. Pattern paper is My Mind's Eye, again, ;). Sheer ribbon is May Arts. Sentiment sticker is from SRM stickers. Flower is Prima. Brad is Making Memories. Dies used to cut circles are nesties.

A great way to use up a few of the pieces hanging out on the desk. :)

We're off to play in the snow as soon as the teenager gets out of school... My markers will be traveling along for some coloring time this evening. Eventually I hope my robots will start to resemble something close to what Sandy taught on her show a couple of weeks ago.....

more MME paper...

A few more with the same My Mind's Eye paper as the last couple days. ;)

This card started with the strip of dot paper that was laying on the desk. It fit OWH's sketch #1 perfectly. :) Sentiment stamp is from Basic Grey, it's one of  my favorites.

More dot paper again for this one. The buttons are layered QuicKutz and tied with twine. Sketch is again from OWH and is the bonus sketch #34. A pretty quick and easy card to pull together. :)