Good Times Blueberry Pickin'

For some reason this card took me forever! I was really excited to use this new set from Paper Trey Ink. I ordered the coordinating die for the lid of the jar. I knew I wanted to use the dark blue, and then the ribbon looked cool with it, but it just didn't seem to come together. I did finally decide on this, though, and it looks nice. I made it for Suzanne for going blueberry picking with me last weekend. I had a great time and the blueberries are delicious! She said she's eaten so many that she's surprised she's not a Smurf, LOL! I used the new sizzix impressions folder from the SU mini catalog to make the textured background (you can see it in the close up picture). The paper, ribbon, and border punch are from SU. The little heart paper clip was on sale at Michaels the polka dot ribbon on the heart is from A Muse. I used my Copics to shade the blueberries, but now I know I need to buy some darker colors...the blueberries that we picked were HUGE and really dark blue! Lastly, the orange rhinestones are from the dollar bin at A.C. Moore. Suzanne, I know you'll probably see this before you get it, but it will probably look different in person ;) Actually, I should have made the jar almost empty to match your blueberries at home...hehehe. I really had a great time, we have to do it again! When they get peaches and apples, I want to go, too!

Happily Ever Challenged #8-Old Glory

I found this challenge by looking through all the blogs my friend, Suzanne (thecardyard.blogspot.com) follows. The link is from Ted's Happily Ever Crafter Blog at http://www.happilyevercrafter.com/2010/06/happily-ever-challenged-8-old-glory.html if you want to play along. When I saw that you can win a Paper Trey Ink gift certificate, I just had to play along! It was fun trying to use only red, white, and blue for this challenge. I did realize after I was done that I should have stamped the girls and dogs in blue to stay more true to the challenge, (okay, well, actually my husband pointed it out right away when I showed him...first thing he pointed out...hope I'm not disqualified!) but I rarely use so much white, so this was definitely a challenge for me. Anyway, I had just ordered the "hot diggity dog" saying from A Muse, and I got the set from a stamping yard sale at a local stamp store, and I thought they would go great together :) It is from Close to My Heart and called Uptown Girls. The paper is from SU, the clip from Michaels, buttons from SU, and finally the border punch is from EK Success. The striped ribbon is also from Michaels and the solid red is from SU. Enjoy!

CPS Sketch Challenge #174

I am an Activity Director for a Senior Assisted Living Community, so I know that almost every single day of the year has a theme, or some type of holiday or celebration attached to it. July 18th is no different, being National Ice Cream Day. My assistant, and stamping friend, Ann and I always try to surprise each other with unique cards to go along with the sometimes wacky days (so far I have received a jelly bean day card, Memorial Day card, and Dancing With The Stars card from Ann!). I used the CPS sketch challenge to create this cute card to give to her on Ice Cream Day. I love how bright the colors turned out (they're from SU) and that I got to use my new EK Success punch for the wavy border. I also used a clear button that I bought in a pack on clearance at A.C. Moore. The ribbons are both from Michaels dollar bins. The circle and scallop punch from SU and the ice cream girl and sentiment are both from A Muse. I'm not sure if you can tell from the pictures, but I used fun flock on the ice cream so it is furry and stands out! I also cut out her little dress from a floral patterned paper, and used my Copics to highlight her hair and outline her body so she stands out more on the white paper. I really love how this card turned out, so I may have to make a few more, too!

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #119

When I was at Absolutely Everything a few weeks back with Ann, I saw this adorable lamp set from Hero Arts, and I knew this sketch would work perfectly with the lamps since there are 3. I turned the sketch on its side since the lamps wouldn't have fit the other way. I made this card for my husband, Phillip, for our 7th Anniversary which is July 12th (I told him he can't look at the blog until then!) The colors are from Stampin' Up and include Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, and Old Olive. The ribbon, punches, patterned paper, and button are also from SU. The border punch on the patterned paper is the one I got from Fiskars. The saying is from Saltbox and I got it off the A Muse website, thought it worked well with the lamps :) Overall, I think it turned out pretty cute...hope he likes it!