Rainy Friday...

Happy Friday everyone! i plan to spend tonight in my craft room; my son is going to Grandma's house for an overnight visit. This will give me a chance to work on my art journal in solitude.

So today i have one card to show. This card came together quickly (a rarity for me) and i was very pleased with the outcome.

Above is a close-up where you can see the shiny cardstock i used. i don't know what company makes this - my DC (darling companion) brought a loose stack of this home to me from work. i just love it!

Ingredients: CS - stash, Bazzill; PP - ?; stamps - Inkadinkado Gem Stone Birds, Hero Arts Friendship Messages; ink - Pallette Hybrid; felt flower - American Crafts; ribbon - Michael's; brads - MM; Prismacolor pencils and OMS; Stickles; button - stash; pop-dots.

Have a great day everyone! And enjoy your weekend!

If it isn't going to snow...

...i'd rather it be Spring. So far this year we've had only a couple dustings and some flurries. Bah, i say! i know some of you reading have been bombarded by snow, but here we're really lacking.

The crummy weather hasn't hindered my creative spirit, though - i've been playing in my craft room a lot recently, not only making cards, but also working in my art journal. i hope to show some snippets from that soon, but for now it's mostly a work in progress. So more cards...

Trying out different color combos here. This card is much cutesier than what i normally do, but it was fun. And i love images of trees. i got this stamp set at Michael's for $6! Can't beat that!

Ingredients: CS - Colorbok, stash; PP - K & Company; stamps - Colorbok Friendly Forest, Studio G (letters); ink - Colorbox Chalk, Versamagic; ribbon - Offray, A.C. Moore; buttons - stash; brads - MM; pop-dots.


i love bird images, too...could you tell? And these colors are my comfort zone. i always wish people a double "Happy Birthday".

Ingredients: CS - stash, Bazzill; PP - We R Memory Keepers; stamps - Inkadinkado Gem Stone Birds, Studio G (border), PTI Paper Tray; ink - Versamark, Colorbox Chalk, Pallette Hybrid; ribbon - Bobbin Ribbon; chalk; white gel pen; pop-dots.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a happy day!

CPS 103

i decided to do a challenge - it's been awhile! This is CPS (Card Positioning Systems) #103.

Ingredients: CS - Kraft, Colorbok, stash; PP - K & Company; stamps - Martha Stewart Clear Pattern Stamps, Inkadinkado Maison Frames, Fancy Pants Simply Stated; ink - Versamagic, Colorbox Chalk; felt flower - American Crafts; button - stash; ribbon - Offray; brads - MM; pop-dots.

Thanks for looking!

Valentine's day...again...

i know, i know. But i promise this will probably be my last V. Day post. Two more:

Ingredients: CS - stash, PTI; PP - Best Occasions; stamps - Studio G, Autumn Leaves Freestyle Alphabet, PTI Paper Tray,Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes, Heidi Grace Dreamer; ink - Versafine, Pallette Hybrid, Ranger Nick Bantock Collection, Versamagic; Prismacolor pencils/OMS; brads - MM; ribbon - Offray; embossing powder - Stamependous.

And i'm sorry, but i love this card. And yes, i usually apologize before complimenting myself. Maybe i should stop doing that. In fact, i think we should make it a point to recognize our personal talents and take pride in those things we do well.

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - MM, Karen Foster Design; stamps - Studio G, Martha Stweart Clear Pattern Stamps; ink - Versafine, Versamagic, Pallette Hybrid; ribbon - Offray; dimensional glaze.

So today i urge you to take pride in yourself and your skills, and to allow compliments from others, and yourself, to sink in. i challenge you to find 5 ways to compliment yourself today. i'll start!

1. i'm a really good cook.
2. i'm a thoughful person.
3. i can make beautiful art.
4. i'm a loyal friend.
5. i'm a good writer.

Now let's hear yours!

Valentine's Day, part 2

Valentine's Day is not super-important to me or my family. Honestly, i think it's a little silly - i mean, i love P. everyday of the year and strive to remind him of that on a regular basis. i even told him not to get me anything as i feel it's a waste of money. i mean, we just had Christmas! He did, however, say he was going to take me out for Thai food - my favorite! - as soon as we can get out together (he works so much lately...). The two holidays on which i do appreciate some recognition are Mother's Day and my birthday, but Valenine's Day is not a biggie.
Having said that, i found myself making a bunch of V. Day cards this year. i had a lot of fun with them, and i think because it was a bit out of my comfort zone, it lended a little challenge. You can expect to see a couple more of these in future posts!

This one's pretty basic. i like the folky, clean feel. And i just love kraft cardstock, i swear. i should buy it buy the hundreds.

Ingredients: CS- stash, Colorbok; PP - Karen Foster; stamps - Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes, Studio G; ink - Versafine, Colorbox, Ranger Nick Bantock Collection; button - stash; pop-dots.


Traditional colors on this one. IRL the heart stands out more; i need to work on my lighting! i make at least two of every card (mostly so i can keep a running stash of my work), and my son chose one of these to take to his "crush" at school. He actually took two different cards, because apparently he has a crush on a girl in his class as well as a girl in 5th grade - he's in 3rd grade. When he was 6, a friend asked him if he had a girlfriend, and without missing a beat, he said, "i have 6 girlfriends." One for each year of his life, i guess! The teenage years ought to be a hoot...ahem.

Ingredients: CS - stash; PP - Best Occasions, MM; stamps - Studio G, Image Tree, Autumn Leaves Swirls V:1; ink - Versafine, Pallette Hybrid, Versamagic; felt flower - American Crafts; brad - MM; pop-dots.

With envelope.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Gearing up for Valentine's Day...

With the holidays over (Happy Belated New Year, btw!), i've finally had some time to craft again, and i certainly needed the therapy. i normally don't make lots of Valentine's cards, but this year i've been turning out quite a few. Here are some snippets:

Ingredients: CS - PTI, Paper Reflections; PP- Best Occasions, MM; stamps - Studio G, Inkadinkado Sketchy Flourishes, Heidi Grace Dreamer, All Night Media Anna Griffin sentiments; ink - Versafine, Ranger; ribbon - Offray; brad - MM.

The card above and the one below are super-simple, but i like the non-traditional Valentine colors.

Ingredients: CS - Bazzill, stash; stamps - Martha Stewart Clear Pattern Stamps, MSE Lovely Floral; ink - Versamark, Ranger; chalk; Prismacolor pencils and OMS; dimensional glaze; pop-dots.

Ingredients: see above.

Thanks for looking!

Simple Christmas cards

Like a lot of people, we're on a tight budget this Christmas. In addition to shortening my Christmas card recipient list, i've also been working on some simply designed cards. They're easier to make, less time-consuming, and without the addition of a lot of bulk, they're cheaper to send. Here's a few recent ones:

Ingredients: CS - Kraft, stash; PP - unknown; stamps - Martha Stewart Christmas Tree Stamps; ink - Versafine; snowflake punch; pop-dots.

Ingredients: see above.

i think my dad may be getting this one.

Ingredients: CS - Kraft, stash; stamps - Martha Stewart Christmas Tree Stamps, Limited Edition Distressed Background, Fancy Pants Simply Stated, Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages; ink - Pallette Hybrid, Ranger Distress; pop-dots.

So, your frugal tip for today is make simpler cards! This is especially helpful at the holidays when we're all short on time, need to make lots of cards and can always stand to save some money.

Thanks for stopping by!