colourQ challenge #200

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the inspiration pic for this week's colourQ challenge #200! And after consulting Pinterest, I found the inspiration for my own card, one that I thought would be fairly simple to create. Famous. Last. Thought! I literally screamed!!! I loved the idea of a multicolored die cut, so I adhered skinny strips of cardstock to a piece of copy paper and used Papertrey Ink's Wonderful Words: Birthday Mini die to cut out the word. First, I had to run it through my Cuttlebug a few times to completely cut through the paper, and then it literally took forever to extract all of the itty, bitty extra pieces of paper that were hanging on to the diecut word. I nearly threw the whole thing into the trash, but I'm glad I didn't because I really like the finished card, which would be great for a man. Even the stamping gave me trouble - I'm running a bit low on patience these days! I had to sub a couple of colors - I used Bayou Blue and Not Quite Navy instead of the suggested blues, but they're pretty close. Thanks for stopping by and have a great hump day.

colourQ challenge #199

When I first saw the colors of this week's colourQ challenge, I had no idea what direction I would go in creating a card. I don't even OWN a Dusty Durango ink pad, but I do have all the rest, so I simply used a strip of DD cardstock as an accent. I lucked out and found Groovy Guava Swiss dot DSP for my coffee cup (stamped and die cut from Papertrey Ink's Heart-2-Heart #1) to which I added a Kiwi Kiss "cozie." A little Kraft cardstock and ink, two hand-cut banners, and a button with hemp twine, and VOILA! A super cute card that I'm pretty sure I will send to a friend, along with a Starbucks gift card. That's something I would LOVE to receive!! Thanks for stopping by! (And if you're interested in sending me a Starbucks gift card, just let me know!! LOL!!)

PTI July Blog Hop

I'm afraid this card for PTI's July Blog Hop is more colourQ challenge or CAS-ual Fridays than PTI, but I literally had only about 25 minutes to put something together tonight so I'm glad I did this well! I saw the inspiration for this card on Pinterest and just loved the cut-out Popsicles. I used three of the five colors in the challenge, but had to improvise with SU! Only Orange (for Orange Zest) and SU! Purely Pomegranate (for Scarlet Jewel). The sentiment is from PTI's Simple Sunflowers stamp set. Thanks for stopping by tonight! If you have time, check out the rest of the blog hop submissions - they are beautiful!! Also, check out Simon Say Stamp Summer Food/ Drink Challenge. There's LOTS of great inspiration there!

Everyday Circles

I don't typically buy a stamp set just to make one card that I like, but I have to admit that I really LOVE this card and I couldn't wait to make it. The set, called Everyday Circles, is by Neat and Tangled. I always have a terrible time making masculine cards or cards for little boys, but with a little tweaking, I can make a birthday card for almost anyone on my list using this layout. Thanks for stopping by and have a great evening!

colourQ challenge #198

I thought this week's colors were going to be tough to use . . . that is, until I got my AWESOME new stamps from Neat and Tangled! Like PTI's Watercolor Wonder, I can already tell that Ink Splash and Everyday Circles are going to be my go-to stamps for color challenges! The Neat and Tangled blog offers some great inspiration for using their fun and funky stamp sets. Plus, I got some cute *bonus* sequins with my orders which I have never used before. I can't wait to try them out! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!

Design Team Projects for July

 

 

I'm not quite sure how this month has gotten away from me, but it definitely has! I won't even mention that it's like a month till school starts (cry, scream cry some more!). I found this beautiful line of paper called Lakeslide by Pebbles at the store and it was a lot of fun to use. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the teal floral and it's reverse side, the coral/vanilla check. I used the entire sheet and may have to go back for more!! The other florals and the navy constellations were a little harder to use, but I threw them all in there and I like the overall effect. I always make cards for my Design Team commitment so this month, I made a little bag, too. It's called a Box in a Bag and it's one of the easier containers I've made. The other cards are pretty straightforward - I always put lots of layers on the cards I make for the store. I used some build-a-brads I dug up for accents and a bit of double-stitched ribbon that I ruffled, sort of. Thanks for stopping by! If you're in Knoxville, stop by Scrappin' in the City and pick up some of this gorgeous paper!!

Happy Birthday, Chris!!

Today is my sweet hubby's birthday and he is completely addicted to his iPhone, so when I received this thank you note from a friend, I knew I had the inspiration for the perfect card for him! My friend's card is more polished, but I am really pleased with the way mine turned out, especially since I was winging it. And I think Chris was impressed! Thanks for stopping by!

I {Heart} Art!

I had the LUCKIEST day recently!! I went to my local scrapbook store and found this adorable stamp set called I Heart Art from Paper Smooches that I was able to get for half off (and I used a gift card)!! Paper Smooches makes fantastic stamps that are clever and just a little different with big, bold sentiments. I found the inspiration for this card on Splitcoast Stampers and I can't wait to make more of the beautiful cards I found! I layered the paint palette over the paintbrush by first stamping the palette and then stamping it on a little post-it note to make a mask. After carefully cutting out the mask, I placed it over the stamped palette and then stamped the paintbrush. Finally, I cute out the whole thing. It worked perfectly!! Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

colourQ challenge #197

Well, this isn't my favorite color combo, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my NEW STAMP SET!! It was the last one at Scrappin' in the City today and I got it for HALF OFF!! Can you tell by all the capitals that I'm super excited? I really love Paper Smooches stamps - their sentiments are the cutest! So I used my new set, called I Heart Art, to make this card that I cannot wait to send to someone special. Thanks for stopping by and have a great hump day!!

colourQ challenge #196

The colors in this week's colourQ challenge are perfect for Independence Day! I thought I would make a fireworks card, but I only had a few minutes to throw something together so here it is! I should've timed it - I'm pretty sure it would've qualified for the 10-Minute Craft Dash I've done before! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're holiday continues this weekend!

Happy 4th of July!!

Well, it's been a soggy 4th here in Knoxvegas, but we still had a fantastic time at the homestead. Chris cooked everything in town and it was all delicious!! Seriously, he grilled steak, shrimp, lamb, tilapia, bratwurst, and veggies! He's really set the bar high for future holiday cookouts. My parents came over and the kids entertained (of course!) and we had a really great afternoon. It's fireworks time now and I am sad that it's still raining, but hopefully we'll have a chance to set off our stash on Saturday! I saw a card similar to this one on Pinterest and, after another "treasure hunt" in my stamp stash, I found a few stamps that worked as fireworks! I really LOVE the results! Thanks for stopping by!

But the greatest of these is love!!

One of my favorite Scriptures is 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. My dad is a Mason and when I was growing up, I listened to him practice his memory work, and this is one of the passages I heard often. Many years later, on the day I was married, my sweet daddy recited 1 Corinthians 13 from memory during the service. I had my husband's wedding band engraved with a portion of the verse as well!

The last card I posted is my favorite of the ones I've made recently, but this one is a close second! I adore these colors together and I was so excited to find the jar stamp in my stash!! The flower is from Heartfelt Thanks, an SU! stamp set from way back, but still one of my favorites. I had a terrible time lining up the flower with the jar, so I heated the stamp and removed the rubber. I was then able to attach it to an acrylic block for more precise placement. I did the same thing with the sentiment.

This design is likely to show up for a color challenge so check back often to see what's stampin'!! Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!!