SC281 - Birthday Balloons

Sketching again!  I liked the layout for Split Coast Stampers Sketch Challenge 281.  I have a whole bunch of Stamping Bella Stamps that I just love, but have not yet inked up so here goes one of 'em!  I also just received a shipment of several pads of patterned paper from Two Peas in a Bucket today so I am itching to start using them!

Stamps:  Stamping Bella
Card Stock:  SU chocolate chip and whsper white
Patterned paper:  Echo Park's Life is Good
Tools:  copics, glossy accents, white embossing powder, SU small oval punch

SC313 - Chicken Humor

Here's my entry for the Split Coast Stampers Sketch Challenge 313.  They say humor is the best medicine and this sentiment and funny little chicken make me laugh!  My copic markers collection is not nearly as large as I'd like it to be (Damn you, Santa!), so I used watercolor crayons to color the chicken. 

Stamps:  Inky Antics Bending Chicken and Clucked Up
Card Stock:  PTI pure poppy and white, SU chocolate chip
Patterned Paper:  October Afternoon Thrift Shop
Tools:  SU Watercolor crayons and bleder pen
Accessories:  PTI pure poppy buttons

SC311 - It must be love

I managed to play along with Split Coast Stampers Sketch Challenge # 311 before my family was awake this morning.  I tweaked the design just a bit.  I love adding glitsy glitter to the big ol' rock on her finger.  I colored her in with copics.  I used Papertrey Ink's Basic Backgrounds: Diamonds, of course, to make the patterned paper and I used a white gel pen to add to the design.  Some satin ribbon and a few rhinestones finishes it off!

Stamps:  My Favorite Things a la modes in "It Must Be Love", Papertrey Ink Background Basics: Diamonds
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black
Card Stock:  Stampin Up basic black, Papertrey Ink hibiscus burst and white
Tools:  Copics
Accessories: black satin ribbon, glitter and rhinestones

Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge #88

I'm back at it with another sketch challenge tonight.  One of these days I will make myself try a color challenge, by for now I am sticking with sketches.  Somewhere along my blog surfing way I found the Sweet Stop Sketch Challenge Blog and this my entry for this week.  I wanted to use some satin brown ribbon, but I am all out so grosgrain it is. 

Stamps:  My Favorite Things
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black, PTI Chai
Card Stock:  SU very vanilla, chocolate chip, pretty in pink, and watercolor paper
Patterned Paper:  Stampin Up
Tools:  Nestabilities ovals, SU watercolor crayons, blender pen
Accessories:  SU chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon

Stylish Blogger Award

I was proud to have received the "Stylish Blogger Award" from the very talented Donna Heber at Donna's Designs.  Donna is always leaving lots of great feedback on my blog and it is much appreciated.  Check out her blog to see absolutely AMAZING stampscapes! 

The rules for receiving this award:

1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this.
2. Share 8 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award to bloggers you have recently 
                                        discovered.



So, here goes:  Eight bits of info on me:

1.  I can make my morning pot of coffee while still sleeping.

2.  I became hooked on stamping in April of 2009 and I haven't looked back.

3.  Hearing people chomping on popcorn in the movie theaters makes me

     insane.

4.  I have not-a-one friend who enjoys papercrafting.......other than my friends

     who live in my computer.

5.  My 2nd toe is longer than my big toe.  I chose to believe it is a sign of

     intelligence.....and jaw droppping beauty.  ;)

6.  I am a clinical social worker on a locked psychiatric unit and a mother of

     a funny little 6 year old guy and a witty 8 year chickadee. 

7.  My husband is wise in realizing that my crafting is my therapy and sanity.

8.  I have in lived in MA my entire life though I am strangely drawn to North

     Carolina for some unknown reason and think I will end up there some day.

And now I get to pass along the "Stylish Blogger Award" to the talented people I stalk via blog surfing on a regular basis.  Drum roll, please!............

Laurie - Soapbox Creations

Stephanie - I'd Rather be Stampin'

Kerry - Kerry's Paper Crafts

Check them out and feast your eyes upon their extraordinary talent!

Thanks,

Kim

 



MOJO171 - Sending scoops of love

The Christmas hoopla is over and I am FINALLY able to get back to participating in sketch challenges!  Being snowed in with over a foot of snow makes for some guilt free crafting time.  Here is entry for the Mojo Monday 171 Sketch Challenge.  I tweaked the design a bit to make it work.

Stamps: Stamping Bella sentiment and image
Card stock:  SU basic black and PTI white
Patterned Paper: Bazzill Basics
Tools:  Nestabilities circles, copics, watercolor pencils, blender pen, bow easy
Accessories:  Black satin ribbon, PTI pure poppy button and bakers twine

Ring o' Recipes

I saw this idea somewhere on Splitcoast Stampers and now I can't find it again to give credit where credit is due.  :(   If I find it, I will update this post.  When I saw it, it was the inspiration for my gift to my co-workers for the Holidays.  I ordered Papertrey Ink's  Recipe Box stamp set,  Recipe Box Label stamp set, and coordinating recipe cards.  I collected a favorite recipe from each co-worker in my department and then made each person a ring o' recipes.   They are stamped with "From the kitchen of" and I filled in the name of the person who submitted that recipe. I bought the rings at Staples and simply tied a ribbon for a finishing touch.  Writing 110 receipes wasn't exactly fun, but the worth the effort!  I also made a couple of these for friends which I presented with a bottle of wine decorated in a coordinating wine wrap and matching tag.

Personalized Note Cards for teachers

One more thing has been checked off my list to do before Christmas!  Last night I made personlized note cards for my kids' teachers.   I used the same lay out for both sets of cards, but they have very different feels to them.  I printed their names using my computer and used the PTI spiral notebook page die to make the "notes."  The first card is from the set I made for my daughter's 3rd grade teacher.  I stayed away from the typical apple theme for her. 

Stamp Set:  SU watercolor trio and  PTI Text style
Card Stock:  PTI ripe avacado and white
Patterned paper:  PTI gtreen tea leaves collections
Ink:  PTI ripe avacado, PTI chamomile, SU perfect plum, and SU crumb cake
Tools:  PTI spiral notebook page die, 1 1/2" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch






For my son's first grade teacher, I chose the traditional teacher's apple theme and bolder colors.

Stamp set: PTI Teacher's apple
Card Stock:  SU basic black, real red, and whisper white
Patterned paper:  SU old olive
Ink:  SU real red and old olive
Tools:  PTI spiral notebook page die, 1 1/2" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch
Accesories:  PTI baker's twine and glossy accents

Sending warm thoughts your way

This is a card I made for a friend who is going through miserable time right now.  "Sending warm thoughts your way" is the sentiment stamped inside the card.  During the Papertrey Ink blog hop challenge, I saw so many cute tags made with PTI's Warm Happiness Too stamp set, that I decided I had to have it.  So glad I got it and I just love the coordinating die for the cup!

Card stock:  PTI ocean tides, simply chartreuse, and SU very vanilla
Patterned Paper: PTI Green tea leaves collection
Stamps set:  PTI Warm Happiness Too
Ink:  SU crumb cake and real red and Momento tuxedo black
Tools:  PTI Warm Happiness die, Nestabilities oval, Glossy Accents

Our Christmas Cards

Last year I tortured myself and made our Christmas cards.  I swore I would NEVER do that again.   I lied.  I did it again.  I have no idea why I did this to myself.  I can barely tolerate the boredom of making a boxed set of 8 cards that are all the same.  Making 100 Christmas cards made me want to stab myself in the eyeball with a fork.  Nonetheless, I completed all of the cards and both eyeballs are intact.  ;)  Photography is another hobby of mine so I look forward to capturing a great shot of my kids each year.  Lauren and Jack's front teeth have finally grown in so they look so much older to me this year than they do in last year's picture.  Sigh.  Lauren is 8 years old and Jack will be 7 next month.  Anyway, since I have neglected my blog all week to make these cards, I thought I would share them you. 

This is the outside of the card.  It's too dark to photograph them in daylight by the time I get home, so it is not the greatest pic.  I mounted the picture on white card stock and then onto Papertrey Ink scarlet jewel card stock.  I cut the triangles in Bazzill Basics Rain Forest card stock and stamped them in PTI fresh snow ink with a stamp from the PTI Polka Dot Basics stamp set.  I printed 2010 from my computer and stamped the border in SU always artichoke ink with a stamp from the PTI Borders and Corners: Circles stamp set.  I punched it out with a 1.5" circle punch and mounted that on a 1.75" circle in scarlet jewel card stock.

And this is the inside of the card!  I had to get our beloved English Yellow Lab "Calvin" in here somewhere!  The sentiment is from PTI's Holiday Wishes Stamp set.  I had a custom stamp made with our names on it.

As a friend of mine said, these cards are a "labor of love" and I hope all the recipients appreciate them! 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night!

MOJO167

I made this birthday card for my husband using the Mojo Monday Sketch challenge # 167 as my inspiration.  Masculine cards are always tricky for me, but I think this works!

All supplies by Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted:

Stamp set:  Birthday Basics, Borders and Corners: Circles
Card Stock:  dark chocolate, white, and orange zest
Patterned Paper:  Autumn Abundance
Tools: Nestabilities standard circles large, Sizzix stars #2 original die
Accessories:  Brown button and twine