Rockin' Out - Graduation Card

I had a lot of fun creating this card for my friend Corey.  Her friend's daughter just graduated high school is off to UC Davis.

Big thank you to Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge for the wonderful sketch.

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge

Challenges Entered

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge - Challenge 107

Order of the Opus Gluei - Girl Things

Paper Sundaes - Challenge #73: Girly Girl

The Emerald Faerie Garden - Challenge #2: Lots of Bling (I hope the bead work counts) 

The Paper Shelter - Challenge 17: Celebrate

Rat Pack - Swing Card

I'm up a little late this evening.  Way too much coffee today.  I probably should hit my pillow soon but I wanted to share a card I made for my friend's husband.  She wanted something a little "Mad Men" and a little "Rat Pack."  Her husband loves scotch so I went with a hand-drawn scotch filled glass. I decided to go with a swing card.  This is the first time I made a swing card.  I think it turned out well...and goes with the entire theme of the card. 

Wish I new who made this paper.  I have so many scraps of paper and it is hard to keep track of where I got it from.

I punched out some black circles and strong them with embroidery thread. The little circles move as well.

Challenges Entered
Bows and Berries - Challenge 7: Masculine 
Craft Your Passion - Challenge 61: Anything Goes 
Crafting for all Seasons Challenge Blog - Challenge 2: Father's Day
Creative Craft Challenges - Movable Parts Challenge
Creative Inspirations - Dad/Man in Your Life (I hope this counts even though this is card is for my friend's husband)
Delightful Challenges - Father's Day
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge Blog - Its All About Males
The Crazy Challenge - CCH#70: Father's Day 
There's Magic in the Air - Magical Monday: Masculine 
Top Tip Tuesday - Challenge 37: More Than 1 Fold

Cranes & Flowers

Good Morning Bloggers.  Hope all is well in your universes.  I have had a busy two weeks.  I finally finished the birthday invitations for my friend's daughter.  They took a lot longer than I thought.  But that is the nature of crafting and creating something special.  Work has been a little hectic and dealing with those things that come  up on a daily basis has taken time away from my craft time.  I'm hoping to get cracking on some cards this weekend and playing in the garden.

With that being said.  I was able to get one new card done on Monday night.  I wanted to do something simple but elegant.  I had gone to the Japanese Tea Garden with a friend last week during one of my breaks between meetings.  I love the garden.  It is so serene and gorgeous.  You can just get lost in all of the beauty.  The cranes in their pond and the garden's flowers inspired me to make this card along with Crazy 4 Challenges Inspiration Challenge.  As I am sure it is with many of you, a lot of my inspiration for creating cards comes from my everyday life.  

The Crane fan is Victorian Scrap from a great Etsy Shop It's Always Fabulous.  When you run your fingers across it the grooves actually feel like fan grooves.

Flowers were created using the Pagoda Cricut Cartridge.  I added antique gold brads to the center of the flowers and Tim Holtz distressing glitter for a little shimmer.

Crazy 4 Challenges Photo Inspiration Challenge

Challenges Entered

Bearly-Mine Challenges - Anything Goes

Card Makin Mamas - Challenge #21: Use Your Scraps

Craft-Room Challenge - Anything Goes

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C90: Photo Inspiration Challenge

Creative Card Crew - Wings

Deep Ocean Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Karens Doodles Challenge Blog - Brads And/Or Eyelets

Make It Monday- #40: Linky Party

My Time to Craft Challenge - Challenge 144: Wildlife Reserve 

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown - Animals 

A Little Bubble Bath

Can't tell you how much I love bubble baths.  I really need to schedule more of them.  I used to take one once a week.  I have no idea why I haven't had a bubble bath in ages.  I think after I do this posting, I might hop in the bath for some me time.  Hope I have some bubble bath laying around.

I wanted to go for simple, chic, and elegant when creating this card.  I think I achieved what I was looking for.  Hope you like it. 

Challenges Entered

2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Bloggers Challenge - Make it Shimmer

Clear It Out - Colors (Any Color Medium)

Crafting for all Seasons Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes 

My Time to Craft Challenge - Use a Die Cut

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Pale, Pretty, Pastels
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Clean & Simple

Sew Many Challenges - Circles (hope my bubbles count)

Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog - Ooh La La 

The Emerald Faerie Garden - Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter - Anything Goes

Recipe
Cream Card Stock & Designer Paper (the designer paper is from some scrap I had laying around that I have had for a few years...have no idea who made it...I'm sure all of you can relate to that.)
Stamp from Burnt Cookie Rubber Stamps
Frame Die Cut from Happy Hauntings Cricut Cartridge
Prismacolor Pencils
Tea Bags for Staining
Tim Holtz Cotton Candy Stickles
Tim Holtz Spun Sugar Stickles
Tim Holtz Tattered Rose Stickles

Nadia's 1st Birthday Invitations

Hope you all had a great weekend.  My weekend was filled with gardening but I did get a chance to work on a few cards.  My good friend Beth's daughter (Nadia) is turning one in June.  She is so damn adorable.  I just love kissing on her cheeks.  Her brother (Adian) is also a little looker as well.  Beth and her husband Geoff sure make pretty babies.

Anyway...Beth asked me to come up with a design for some b-day invitations for Nadia (which is Aidan's name backwards).  This is what I came up with.

Nadia - The Birthday Girl

I wanted to go for some neutral vintage colors but had to add a little color (pink) to the card.  I added some Cotton Candy Tim Holtz stickles to the flag and also added pink ribbon and used pink thread for the machine stitching.  Only 24 more invitations to go.

Card Challenges Entered
Alphabet Challenge Blog - Clean and Simple
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes 
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Children Cards
Creative Card Crew - Cute & Girly
Diva's By Design - One for the Girls 
I Did it Creations Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
If The Shoe fits... Scrap It! - Clean & Simple
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything Goes
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
Night-Shift Stamping - Challenge 67: Monochrom
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Anything Goes
Ribbon Carousel - Clean & Simple
Tuesday Throwdown - Baby/Child 
Truly Scrumptious Challenge - Challenge 57: Anything Goes

Recipe
Cream Cardstock
Nursery Rhyme Cricut Cartridge
Studio G Stamps for the "Join Us.." Tag
Tim Holtz Cotton Candy Stickles
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo
Machine Stitching
Pink Ribbon

Colors I Never Put Together

****HAVING DIFFICULTY POSTING THE INSIDE OF THE CARD WITH THE HAPPY B-DAY STAMPED TAG****
So had a little time yesterday after a long day of work.  My Aunt's birthday is coming up and I needed to make her a card.  It cam out so cute that I decided to make an extra one to sell at my little shop.

I was inspired by this week's Color Throwdown challenge in choosing the colors and Mojo Monday's sketch challenge.  Never thought about putting black, lime green, and basic gray together.

The flower is handmade.  My first attempt at making a handmade flower.  I found this great tutorial at Pretty Paper blog.  It was really fun to make.  I used cream colored cardstock and cut out circles in various sizes.  I then sponged the circles with lime greeen stamping ink and colored the edges with a sage green marker and added pearl and sage green glitter to the edges.  I think it turned out pretty well given my first handmade flower.  I really like how the card came out.  I think I will use the same color combos for some Halloween cards.

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge 191

Card Challenges Entered
Claudia & Company - Challenge 82: Birthday Card for a Girl
Crafts and Me Challenge - Challenge 35: Anything Goes
Crafty Creations - Challenge 119: May Flowers
Color Throwdown - Challenge 142
Mojo Monday - Sketch Challenge 191
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Bloom & Grow Challenge

Recipe
Black Cardstock
Cream Cardstock
Lime Green Cardstock
Lime Green Decorative paper with ash black circles
Grey Cardstock sponged in black stamping ink and the edges frayed
Flower Decorative Paper
Happy Birthday Stamp
Ribbon
Pearl and Sage Green Glitter
Beads

Road to Nowhere

Good evening fellow bloggers and anyone else who happens across my little blog.  A fairly productive weekend even with fighting off some bog.  Apparently there is something going around and I was privileged enough to catch it.  Oh well...at least it isn't as bad as the cold I had last December.

I'm trying to get some Father's Day cards done to post at my Etsy shop before the end of the month...can you believe it is already the 15th --- time sure does move fast.  I've been in a retro grungy sort of mood lately (might be because I am under the weather) so some of the latest creations have a 50s feel to them.  The Nifty Fifties Cricut Cartridge certainly has been very useful and has a ton of images I can't wait to use.  A lot of cool images to cure your retro urges.  I added some pearl glitter to the headlights for a little shimmer.

A close-up of the car and the panels.

A close-up of the greeting.

CPS - Card Sketch Weekly Challenge - CPS 218

I was inspired by CPS-Card Sketches Weekly Challenge - CPS 218.  This blog has one of the best sketch designs I have seen.  They are always coming up with something unique and fabulous.  I had a great time cutting out all of the panels and adding stitching to the borders.  The Tim Holtz Idea-ology Retro Grunge paper and sprockets really added a nice touch to the card.  Have I told you guys I am having a love affair with Tim.  Okay..not really with him...more like all of his products.  I would love to meet him one day to tell him face-to-face how much I love all of his stuff.


Card Challenges Entered:
Card Positioning Systems Weekly Sketch Challenge - CPS 218 
Creative Belli Blog - Challenge 117: Starts with an "S" Challenge (my "S" is sprocket)
Emerald Faerie Garden - First Challenge: Anything Goes
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything Goes
Lothian Crafts Online - Easel Card
One Stitch at a Time Challenge Blog - Challenge 62: Anything Goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge - Challenge 53 Anything Goes
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - Old Supplies Challenge (old supplies used: red buttons, sprockets, brad, and glitter)
Wags n' Whiskers Stamps - Challenge 54: Circles 
Sew Many Challenges - Anything Goes

Recipe
Cream Cardstock
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Retro Grunge Paper
My Mind's Eye Complete Boy Paper
Red, Black, Silver Cardstock for the Retro Car
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Sprockets
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo
Buttons
Machine Stitching
Embroidary Thread

Shaken, Not Stirred - Father's Day Card

Good evening everyone.  I had a great mother's day with my mommy.  We spent an hour waiting to have brunch at this great place in San Francisco - Brenda's French Soul Food.  Oh my GAWD!!!  It was worth the wait.  If you live in the city or are just here visiting...you should totally check it out and order yourself up some Crawfish Beignets.  I love my mom dearly.  We do a lot of things together.  I know this is going to sound corny..but she is my best friend. I look forward to spending many more mother's days (and everyday) with her.

So...its been awhile since I have posted.  April was a busy month with gearing up for our Annual Easter Party and work related adventures.  I'm hoping as always to be able to post some new creations at least once a week.  I know everyone (at least those who actually take the time to blog) says that --- but I'm gonna at least try.

Enough with the excuses and resolutions and on to a new card I created for Father's Day.  I can say that I always struggle a little creating Father's Day cards.  Probably because I do not have a lot of masculine looking do-dads (pun intended) to embellish the card.  I could go for the old stand by and make a tie card...but my pop doesn't wear ties.  I decided this year that I would focus on some unique looking "masculine" cards that any non-tie wearer would love.

Inspired by Card Patterns Weekly Sketch Blog's Sketch 114 Challenge, I went a little retro-Mad Men-chic with this card.  Here is the Sketch Challenge Picture...

Here is what I came up with...

I really loved the idea of the little border circles on the challenge.  I thought adding the olives would be cool accents. I used vellum paper and wrapped it around the center of the card.  I like the effect it gives to the paper underneath.  Here are a few more pics.

Materials Used:
Black Card Stock for the Base
Olive Cardstock from Bazzill Basics
Moonrise by SEI
Vellum Paper
Stamping Ink
Nifty Fifties Cricut Cartridge

Card Challenges Entered:
Card Patterns Weekly Sketch Blog - Sketch 114 Challenge
Sentimental Sundays - Anything Goes Challenge
Divas By Design - Anything Goes Challenge 
The Craft Pad - Spots & Dots Challenge 120
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Give Us A Quote/Sentiment Challenge

Leaf Shaped Card with My Little Owl Buddy

I've been really getting into the card blog challenges that folks are having.  The challenges are very inspirational and they get my creative juices going --- just like a good cup of coffee.  Creative Inspirations' challenge this past week was to create a no square card.  Wow.  Interesting.  I thought to myself that I could do that...and I had the perfect idea for the challenge.  A leaf card.

I found this great tutorial last year for leaf card that I have been meaning to try out.  Now I had the perfect opportunity.  It took me a two attempts and fussing around with the color scheme (several layers and shades of green cardstock) to have a finished product that I was happy with.  I sanded the edges of the card for a more worn look and added a machine stitched border to the front and inside of the card. 

Because I sell cards on etsy, I wanted the card to stand.  Martha Stewart has a good tutorial on creating a menu stand.  Pretty basic origami stand that you can decorate.  I choose to add a die-cut owl and some leaves from the Give a Hoot Cricut Cartridge. The little guy is pretty thick.  He has several layers and gold bead eyes.

My little guy on an origami menu stand.

Inside of Card

I've been working on a lot of Spring themed cards the past couple of months.  I'm not sure this particular card qualifies as a "Spring themed card," but I think it turned out rather cute.

Challenges Entered
Creative Inspirations - Challenge 104: No Square Cards Allowed
Lollipop Crafts - Challenge #32 - Shape Up 
CES Challenge Blog - Challenge #29 Die Cut Crazy
A Gem of a Challenge - Challenge 17 - No Square Cards
Crafts and Me - Anything Goes Challenge 27

Harvesting Roses

Wanted to get this card up before I head off to work.  Will write up a little something about the card later.

Challenges Entered
Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog - Challenge 55: Easel Card 
Southern Girls Challenge - Flowers
2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Furry Friends 
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge - Easter Time 
The Creative Cottage Challenge Blog - Spring Has Sprung 
Stampin with the Dragon Challenge Blog - Bring on Spring
Miami Doodles: Digital Stamps Challenge: Celebrate Spring
Stamps R Us Challenge Blog - Celebrate Spring

Can't Get Enough Butterflies

Happy Monday peeps of the blog world.  I do have to say it is a good Monday.  I had a great night's sleep.  I didn't wake up once.  My cats let me sleep-in a little without one of them smacking my face to wake me up to feed them.  Birds are actually chirping outside my window --- too bad I have to go to work today. 

I'm posting and listing a new card that I created yesterday.  I'm also going to enter it in a few challenges that I found in my reading list.  How lucky am I that folks are having challenges that fit my card.  We must be in sinc. 

Can't Get Enough Butterflies

The card is pretty basic but I think it turned out rather pretty.  I have a thing for orange and especially a rusty colored orange.  A diverse color perfect for Spring and Autumn...what the heck..perfect for anytime of the year.  I had purchased these Spring themed die-cuts by K&Company back in December thinking that they would be perfect for my cards.  They are so pretty and very vintage looking.  The main image I used for the center of the card is from Susan Winget Spring Blossom Seed Packet Die-Cut Cardstock.  It has touches of glitter on it.  So pretty. The leafs and butterflies borders used at the bottom of the card are also from K&Company.  I ripped open the package so fast to put in my storage I forgot to keep a tag with the name of the adhesive borders.  Sorry.

Can't Get Enough Butterflies 

 

Materials: two layers of cream cardstock for base sponged with cocoa stamping ink; cantaloupe cardstock by bazzill basics; green woodland by dcwv; k&company die cuts; recollections' boutique fleus floral embellishment; vintage lace; machine stitching

I also used this beige vintage lace that I purchased from EKSupplies (one of my fellow Etsy sellers).  She's got some great stuff.  You should check her out when you get a chance.  I had to hand stitch the lace on the card which took a little time.  I think it adds a nice vintage touch to the card. I have also added machine stitching to the inside and back of the card.

Card Challenges
Lollipop Crafts - Lollipop Challenge 31: Butterflies...Butterflies
The Sweetest Thing - Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 109

Shamrocks & Irish Tartans

I know St. Paddy's Day has past but I thought I would showcase one of my creations this year.  I love the tartan ribbon and finally found something to do with it.  During the holidays I purchase those little bags of confetti because I love having some motion with my cards.  I added three shamrock confetti pieces to the card.  The bottom panel of the card is a stamped & embossed Irish Blessing.

Whatcha Think?

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Fab & Funky Challenges - Challenge 64 - All Things Green or Happy St. Paddy's Day
Crafty Purple Frog Challenge - Going Green 
Delightful Challenges - Show Us Some Green

Flowers & Butterflies

I've been in the process of working on collection of cards for Spring (including Mother's Day).  It seems that I have chosen to do a lot of cards with flowers and butterflies for my collection.  I guess when I hear the word Springtime...that's what I think of.

Spring is Time for Flowers & Butterflies

Anyway...I got the inspiration for this card from the Card Positioning System's #210 Card Sketch Challenge.

The flower and two butterflies were created using vellum paper and hand punches.  There are several layers to the flower and butterflies to give them some dimension.  


I have this great pad of designer paper from Penny Lane.  All the paper is glittered and embossed.  I love it a lot and have found myself using it quite a bit this past month.


My favorite part of the card are the butterflies.  They actually look like they are flying.  

Challenges entered:
Card Positioning System's -  #210 Card Sketch Challenge.
Aly's Sunday Challenge - ASC38 Happy Spring
Wags n Whiskers Stamps -  Challenge 50 - Spring