24 Penguins

My sister-in-law loved the card I sent her for Christmas last year so much that she asked me to make 24 more for her! Piece of cake, or so I thought. I finally mailed them out yesterday. I had planned on getting them done even earlier, but I've had many obstacles to maneuver around and hurdles to jump over.

I know that she loves penguins, so it was on a whim last December that I picked up a Felt Fusion Penguin border from Queen & Co when I spotted it at a local scrapbook store. I wasn't exactly sure how I'd incorporate it in a card for her, but I was going to give it my best shot. As I was trying to gather all the materials together for the 24 cards, I realized I didn't have enough supplies. I checked the local stores and they didn't have what I needed either. I live in the woods, so selection is at a minimum! If something becomes available here, you better snap it up fast because once it's gone there is no more. I scoured websites and found what I needed, but either the item was out of stock or they didn't have enough quantity. Also, some of the items were Christmas related which made it a little more difficult. I even checked for some of the products at my favorite store, Archiver's, while at the Mall of America. Long story short, I did manage to get everything online even after one company changed my order and couldn't send me the amount I had requested.

The next challenge I came across is that originally I only made one card, but now I was making 24! I had hand cut all the white for the bellies of the penguins. With four penguins per card, that's 96 bellies to contend with! When I sat down to do this I realized what I was up against. My husband came up with the idea of just adding a white strip on the card behind the penguins. He thinks he deserves credit for this, but it had occurred to me earlier. At the time though, it just didn't seem 'perfect' enough for me. I guess I just needed someone to reinforce the same idea. I also had some issues getting everything to stick down on the glittery paper. I had adhered the sentiments and they all fell off. I got out my trusty Zip Dry Paper Glue and that fixed the issue.

All in all, they turned out beautifully and I know that Tami will be very happy with them!

Supplies: Bazzill, Reminisce, Queen & Co., Hero Arts Stamps.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope your 4th of July Holiday is off to a great start!

Let's Talk

I'm not normally a fan of anything paisley. That's why I was surprised when this patterned paper caught my eye.

I love how fun it is! This pattern was on the backside of a plaid cardstock that I used for this card. I think it's perfect paired with the black and the white.

Products used for this card: Black cardstock base, Patterned Paper from Reminisce called Western Plaid, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot, Clear Embossing Powder, Ranger Liquid Pearls in White Opal, Hero Arts Stamps - Just Saying Hi - CL502.

Hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Fun Stamp Set

Black, plaid, kraft....just a few of my favorite things! It doesn't hurt to have an awesome stamp set to work with either.

I wanted to use black cord in place of the cord image on the stamp. In order to do this, I masked it with painter's tape, inked it, removed the tape and then stamped the image onto the cardstock.

Products used for this card include: Kraft card base, Patterned paper from Reminisce called Western Plain, Best Creations Basic Glitter Paper, EK Success Binding Edge Punch, Tim Holtz Distress Ink & Distress Powder in Black Soot, Nestabilities - Standard Circles Small, Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, Canvas Corp Jute, Hero Arts Stamps - Just Saying Hi - CL502.

I have an idea for another card with this fun set, so I'm off to create and make a mess!

Sympathy Card

Today I thought I'd share with you a sympathy card I made in December. I had to come up with two cards and this is the design I created. 

I used a stamp from Rubber City Rubber Works. Their stamps are fantastic! I just tear up when I read this sentiment, it gets me every time.

The patterned paper is from G.C.D. Studios and is called "Thru The Woods" from the "Joyful Peace Collection". I also used Jetsetter Black from Reminisce.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

Santa

I bought the stamp set "St. Nick" from We R Memory Keepers because I thought the Santa looked so cute. Once I got home I had a hard time deciding what to do with it. One of the reasons I had such a difficult time is that I don't use markers with any of my stamps. I kept looking at it and then would set it aside. Finally, I decided to use Flower Soft and Liquid Applique. I also used Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink.

When I finished the card, I fell in love with it!

Products Used For This Card:
Bazzill
St. Nick Patterned Paper from Reminisce
Nestabilities Labels Two
We R Memory Keepers Clear Stamps - St. Nick
Smooch in Tuxedo
Liquid Applique in White
Ultrafine Flower Soft - Strawberry
Open Scallop Punch by EK Success
Stamp by Judith
May Arts Ribbon
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Black Soot

Thanks for stopping by!

Joy To All

This card was created using a Sizzix Sizzlet die. I paper pieced the stockings using various patterned papers from the White Christmas Collection from We R Memory Keepers.

I think the glittery paper and the glitter brads add a nice touch.
The reindeer looks exhausted. I think the holidays have finally caught up with him.

Products Used For This Card:

Sizzix Sizzlet Stocking Die
Bazzill
We R Memory Keepers White Christmas Collection & Glitter Brads
Sparkle Paper From Reminisce
Tim Holtz Alterations On The Edge Scalloped Die
Farmers Market Cherry Twist
Hero Arts Clear Stamps - Joy To All - CL460

Penguin Fa LaLaLa

This card was designed for my sister-in-law. She LOVES penguins! I was shopping at a lss called Nosser's when I saw these little cuties and knew I had to buy them. It's a strip of self-adhesive felt called Felt Fusion from Queen & Co. I think the card turned out sooo adorable!
I just wish the photo captured how cute this card is a little better.

Here's a close-up view. You can see all the glittery goodness a little better:

Products Used For This Card:
Bazzill
Christmas Red Swirl & Jetsetter Black from Reminisce
Penguin Felt Fusion From Queen & Co.
EK Success Open Scallop Edger Punch
Hero Arts Clear Stamps - Let The Angels Sing - CL354

Hope everyone is enjoying all the new snow we received overnight. I'm just glad I don't have to go out in it!

Sparkle & Merry

This year while designing Christmas cards I really tried to keep the embellishments to a minimum. I guess what I mean is, I tried to keep them closer to the card and not "popped" up as much. When you're paying sixty-four cents for each stamp (and this year I mailed out 70!) it gets a little pricey to say the least! Oh well, Christmas only comes but once a year :)

For this card I used an ornament punch from EK Success. I bought it last year, but only used it this year.

I embossed the sentiment on this card. I really like embossing, but I have such a love/hate relationship with it. It just doesn't always work for me. I seem to waste more paper trying to get it perfect, end up tossing it and just going with a plain old stamped image. I was successful a few times this year.

Products Used For This Card:
Bazzill
Reminisce Christmas Red Swirl & Glitter Factory
EK Success Ornament Punch
Nestabilities Labels One
Stampendous! Silver Embossing Powder
Versamark
Patterned Paper - Not Sure of Manufacturer
May Arts Ribbon
Hero Arts Clear Stamps - Tree-Mendous - CL465

Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!

I thought I'd get creative with my tree on this card. I think I succeeded. I used my EK Success Open Scallop Edge Punch to create strips and then cut them into pieces to form the tree.

I then used Stickles and a Viva Pearl Pen to "add" ornaments.

Products Used For This Card:
Patterned Paper from Reminisce Ho Ho Ho!
We R Memory Keepers Clear Stamps - Happy Holidays
Viva Pearl Pen
Smooch in Siren, Green Apple, Azure, Gold Lame
Green Mirror Card
May Arts Jute
EK Success Open Scallop Edge Punch

Hope you're having a great start to your week!

Tree-Mendous Christmas

This is a very simple card, but I like how it turned out. I really enjoy using the Tim Holtz On The Edge Dies. This is one of my favorites. I think I've purchased either three or four and can't wait to use them with chipboard for a mini-book.

I'm hooked on the Viva Pearl Pen! The patterned paper is called "Under The Tree" from Reminisce.

Other Products Used For This Card:
Bazzill
Reminisce - "Under The Tree" Patterned Paper
Tim Holtz Alterations On The Edge Brackets Die
Hero Arts Clears Stamps - Tree-Mendous - CL465
Versamark
Stickles
Viva Pearl Pen

It's December 18th and I still have four cards to create and get in the mail. Am I the only this pokey!?

Merry & Bright

Whenever I look at this card I laugh. I think the chubby little reindeer is so darn cute! I had some mini pom-poms to use for the nose, but they made his head look so out of proportion. I was sooo disappointed because I wanted to use them!

Products Used For This Card:

Patterned Paper is Santa's Friends from Reminisce
Bazzill
Santa's Helper Stamps - White Christmas - We R Memory Keepers
Hero Arts Clear Stamps - Joy To All - CL460
May Arts Ribbon
Stickles - Turquoise, Black Diamond, Cinnamon
Versamark
Stampendous! Dot Sparklers

Hope your having a fantastic day!

Clean & Simple Sketch FTL112 Challenge

Here's my submission for the Clean & Simple Sketch FTL 112 Challenge this week.

Here's the sketch:

I really enjoy creating cards for the Clean & Simple Challenges. When I saw this sketch I knew exactly what I wanted to do. After getting started, I had a very frustrating time! I thought I had some star punches, turns out I didn't. So, I thought, not a big deal, I'll just make the stars with my Making Memories Slice Design Cutter. What a fiasco! That turned into a hour long unproductive mess of nothing. Finally, I gave up and just drew my stars freehand.

I then emailed the company because I have had nothing but bad luck with this machine. Their response was not a favorable one, I'm afraid. In hindsight, I wish when my had husband asked me which machine I wanted, either a Cricket or Slice, I had chose the Cricket. Thankfully I haven't spent alot buying cartridges for the Slice, because I really don't see myself using it much it at all. Having worked with these machines, I know all too well the problems they have and how many times the company had to be contacted. I hadn't used mine too much at that time and now I wish I would have, because I would have returned it. If you have one and you haven't had any issues, good for you! I'm not sure how many people can say that.

Of course, just a little too late, I discovered I have a Sizzix die for stars. You can always count on the old reliable Sizzix dies!

I'll be dropping this card off at The Baker's Wife for display.

Products used for this card:

DoubleMates Cardstock

Patterned Paper from Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Soup Line - Whole Cloves & White Sugar

Reminisce Glitter Factory Shimmering Rubies

May Arts Ribbon

Memento Ink in Rich Cocoa

We R Memory Keepers Glitter Brads

Hero Arts Clear Stamps "Joy to All" CL460
Clean & Simple Sketch FTL112

Thanks for looking!

Christmas Baking Layout

Here's a two page layout I just finished for Phyllis from the local scrapbook store, The Baker's Wife. Why is it so much easier to scrap someone else's photos? Is it because mine aren't organized and ready to go?

Very cute pictures of her and the grandkids decorating Christmas cookies. I did leave a little space on the first page down in the right hand corner so that Phyllis has a small journaling area to record the fun memories.

I'll be dropping this off at the store this week for display.

Products used for this layout:
Best Creations Winter Wonderful Patterned Paper
TPC Studio Christmas Village Trim the Tree Patterned Paper
Reminisce Glitter Factory in Precious Jade
Layered Chipboard  White Christmas from We R Memory Keepers
Dreamstreet Papers Alphabet
Burlap Twine from May Arts
Buttons
Nestabilities Classic Scalloped Circles Small & Standard Circles Small



OWH Stars & Stripes Challenge #38

I love the design of this sketch from Operation Write Home's Stars & Stripes Challenge. It really inspires me to "keep it simple" since I sometimes have a hard time doing that.

Here's my interpretation:

Here's the sketch:

For this card I chose to use patterned paper from TPC Studio's Christmas Village Collection called Trim The Tree and Snowman.

Other supplies used for this card:
Reminisce Glitter Factory Precious Jade & Shimmering rubies
Ribbon
Hero Arts Holiday Sayings Clear Design Stamps CL343
Memento Ink in Lady Bug
TPC Studio So Delish Mini Jewels

This card will be on display at The Baker's Wife.

Clean & Simple Sketch Challenge FTL110

I know I'm not the only one that does this, and that is to over embellish cards. I start out with good intentions, but many changes take place while working on my card. So, to keep myself in check, I always hop over to the Clean & Simple Stamping Blog to see the sketches that are posted. I'm always amazed at how a simple, less is more card can look so fantastic.

The card I created below uses the Clean & Simple Sketch FTL110.

This is the sketch I used:

If you're local and want a peak at this card, I'll be dropping it off at The Baker's Wife.

Products used for this card:
Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Soup Collection Turkish Bay Leaf Patterned Paper
We R Memory Keepers "Happy Holidays" Clear Stamps
Memento Ink in Rhubarb Stalk
Gelly Roll Stardust Clear Glitter Pen
Stickles in Xmas Red & Lime Green
Reminisce Glitter Factory Shimmering Rubies
Clean & Simple FTL110 Sketch

Friday Sketchers Challenge #123

Here's a card I created for the Friday Sketchers Challenge. I hope you'll pop over there and check out all the cards made by their Design Team. There are some cute ones!

Here's the sketch:

Again, I use patterned paper from Jillibean Soup's Christmas Chestnut Collection. I just love this kraft cardstock.

I'll be dropping this card off at The Baker's Wife for display, so if your local and want to take a peak, stop in.

Supplies used for this card:
Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Soup Collection: Sprig of Parsley, Whole Cloves, Turkish Bay Leaf, Heavy Cream, White Sugar, Sweet Chestnuts
Reminisce Glitter Factory: Precious Jade, Shimmering Rubies
Nestabilities - Classic Scalloped Circles Small & Standard Circles Small
We R Memory Keepers "Happy Holidays" Clear Stamps
Memento Ink in Rhubard Stalk
Ribbon
Twine
Button
Friday Sketchers Challenge #123

Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #131

Here's a card I created for the Taylored Expressions Challenge. I hope you stop by and check out all the beautiful cards the Design Team made.

Here's the sketch I worked from:

This was a fun sketch to work with. I used some new Jillibean Soup patterned paper called Christmas Chestnut Soup Sprig of Parsley. This paper is so cute and I have more patterns to work with, so look for more cards from this collection.

Thank goodness my stickles were dry. I sat my card on the counter and I have a very naughty cat who decided to sit on the card and untie the bow. If the stickles would have been wet, he would have had a glittery butt. I guess it would have served him right! Anyone want a cat???

Supplies used for this card: Doublemates Berry Red Cardstock, Kraft Cardstock, Jillibean Soup Christmas Chestnut Soup Sprig of Parsley Patterned Paper, Reminisce Glitter Factory Precious Jade Paper, Twine, Ric Rac, Memento Ink in Rhubarb Stalk, We Re Memory Keepers "Happy Holiday" & "St. Nick" Clear Stamps, Stickles in Xmas Red, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Vintage Photo, Hero Arts Olive Green Gemstones, Gelly Roll Clear Stardust Pen.

I'll be dropping this card off at The Baker's Wife where it will be on display. I'd like to thank Phyllis, the owner for giving me the opportunity to create items at my leisure with her supplies.

Thanks for looking!

A Walk Up The Strip

I actually had a sketch picked out for this layout before I had even chosen my photos. Once I had everything together, I just couldn't make it work though. I tried in vain to find another sketch that might work better, but I wasn't having any luck. So, I just flew by the seat of my pants and this is what I came up with!

It was a beautiful day when I took these pictures of my husband, stepson Kyle and his friend Josh as we walked up Las Vegas Blvd on our long trek to the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino. We made the trip thinking that the boys might want to ride the Big Shot. They chose not to. Hey, I don't blame them. You couldn't pay me to do it! But then I'm a chicken and don't go for that sort of thing. My idea of a ride is to take a train ride around an amusement park, so I stay as close to the ground as possible! I knew that the hubby wasn't going to do it again. We got married in Las Vegas and he rode it then with my brother and our maid of honor the day after our wedding. It's 110 stories to the observation deck, so I declined to even go up there this time. Steve did get some great pictures of the strip from the top for me to use in scrapbooking, so that's a plus.

Supplies used for this layout: Bazzill Cardstock, Crepe Streamer in Apple Red, Chipboard, Diecut Sticker by Reminisce, Bazzill Jewels, Creative Imaginations Foam Alphabet Stickers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketch Layout Challenge

I'm bound and determined to get some scrapbooking done. I've focused so much on cards in the past few years, that I finally feel my creative juices flowing and plan to do more scrapbook layouts. I won't ever stop making cards because I love to do them.

I'm disappointed that the photo doesn't do this layout justice. The background is actually yellow. I tried everything, including changing the settings on my camera, and it just wouldn't cooperate.

I found this sketch on one of my favorite blogs I visit regularly, Sketches! {by tamara}.

Products used for this layout: Bazzill Cardstock, Patterned Paper "The Casino" by Reminisce, Thickers "Sprinkles", Sizzix Card Symbols Die, Sketch #122 from Sketches! by tamara. I don't have the manufacturer of the cards. I picked these up on vacation and just love them!

Thanks for looking!

Yorktown Sights & Shops

We had originally planned on combining Yorktown with a tour of James River Plantations, but Yorktown was so beautiful we stayed the day. Time has gone so quickly and we'll never be able to see and do all the things that we had hoped to on this trip. Tomorrow we'll shoot for the James River Plantations again!

At Yorktown, combined American and French forces laid siege to the British army. The cannon battery shown above were part of the American fortifications.

Revolutionary War soldiers pose for us at their encampment in Yorktown.

On October 18th, 1781 officers from both sides met at this house to negotiate the surrender of 8,000 British soldiers to George Washington. This was the last major battle of the American Revolution, and secured independence for the United States.

I like history, but I LOVE American Express!! This afternoon we spent time in many of the very cool shops in the area. Below are my finds.

I found some exciting paper at a scrapbook store in Yorktown. Plus I am always out of red buttons and have a hard time finding them. I hit the jackpot and found tons. Even though this was a nice store, I am biased toward Paper Studio for a broader range of products. Pictured are papers from Reminisce, Bo-Bunny, My Mind's Eye and Graphic 45.

Adding to my extensive collection of cookbooks from all over the United States (that my husband says I never use), here are my latest purchases from Virginia. Soon I'll need a new wing on my home just for cookbooks. Steve says my goal should be making a new recipe every week from my collection. I'll never live long enough!

Last but not least, I found this sweatshirt jacket at an incredible store called Stars & Stripes Forever on the waterfront in Yorktown. It's not black, but red is the next best color. The phrase has "Pattitude"!