Every Leaf is a Flower

 Happy Halloween!!  The pumpkin is carved, the treats are in a bowl and now we're just waiting for our first little trick or treater.  I do love seeing our neighbour's kids dressed up at our door...very sweet :)  I've been in the studio most of the day...making a few cards, but trying to organize paper, stamps and dies.  I can't wait to build the new house and get into a bigger room!! LOL (which I will probably grow out of...hehe).  Stacey's colours for the new Curtain Call Colour Challenge had me a bit stumped today.  I had several ideas in my head, but wasn't really allowed to use kraft...rats!! LOL  I just had to make 2 cards because my first one did not sit quite right with me...I really wanted to have one of the colours as the cardbase, not just the neutral.  I also was dying to use my PTI leaf dies (pun intended!).  I used another embossed circle like I did on this card.  Oh, Moe likey!!!  I made this second card first...what's new!  LOL  I picked up this lovely (old) BasicGrey paper at Michaels and noticed that it had the Curtain Call colours on it :)  I didn't want to cover up that gorgeous paper too much, so I kept the card pretty simple.

Well, that's it for me today...hope you have a fun evening and send me some love tomorrow as I face a class of 7 year olds either over tired or looped up on sugar!! LOL  Maybe we'll just run around the playground all day!! LOL  Thanks for stopping by :)

what's in them?
{every leaf}
stamps: pti falling leaves, leaf prints
ink: su really rust, mustard, pumpkin, choc chip
paper: su mustard, cajun, pumpkin, pti cream, distressed dots dp
accessories: circle nestabilities; cuttlebug ef, pti dies, button, linen thread, gemstones, canvas


{you are amazing}
stamps: verve fabulous you
ink: versafine onyx
paper: pti cream; su pumpkin, cajun, basicgrey dp
accessories: stitching, circle punch, pti die, pti ribbon, gemstones

The Most Wonderful Time ~ Card Patterns Guest Designer

Good morning friends!! Today I have the honour of being a Guest Designer for the Card Patterns Sketch #88.  Oh, I love that number...my son was born in 1988!! LOL  I was so happy when I saw the sketch this week...endless possibilities :)  I chose a shabby, vintage-y style, using some favourite items, October Afternoon paper, poinsettia dies, buttons, seam binding ribbon, stitching, BLING, and a Verve stamp :)  After cutting all the paper, I distressed the edges and then tea dyed them :)  I hope you can join us this week...thanks to Michelle and all the talented ladies over on Card Patterns for letting me play along with them this week :)  Have a fabulous day and thanks so much for stopping by and spending a few moments with me :D

what's in it?
stamps: verve christmas in the air
ink: versafine onyx, pti sweet blush, tea dye duo
paper: pti cream, white; SU blushing bride, soft sky; October Afternoon, Memory Box and Basicgrey dps
accessories: labels 1 and poinsettia dies; stitching, distressor, gemstones, seam binding ribbon, pti and Grandpa's buttons, linen thread

Autumn ~ Mojo Monday Sketch

TGIF!!!  Today's Mojo Monday card comes to you packed full of my new goodies this week.  First up and in celebration of the new Verve Release tonight, I have one of my new Verve Autumn stamps.  Second up are a couple of new dies from PTI (new tag and limitless layer dies) along with some new Fine Linen ribbon (is it just me or is it VERY similar to River Rock? lol).  And last, but not least at all, my new Woodgrain embossing folder by Craft Concepts via CropStop online store.  And I'm happy to report that no new sheets of patterned paper were harmed for today's card :)  All scraps :)  Well, we had a wonderful, although COLD, day at the Pumpkin Patch.  As promised, here are a few pictures from down at the river...those things in the water along the shore are dead salmon that never made it up to the Adams River to spawn :(  The pictures don't do it justice as the yellow leaves on the trees were so vibrant!!  The kids and parents (and teachers!) had loads of fun :)  Have a wonderful Friday and see you at the Verve Release Party tonight...6 Pacific (my time!), 9 Eastern :)

what's in it?
stamps: verve autumn splendor
ink: versafine sepia, su really rust
paper: pti kraft, cream, autumn abundance dps; su durango, choc chip; me and my big ideas dp
accessories: stitching, ms border punch, pti ribbon, dies, gemstones, su linen thread, large eyelet, craft concepts woodgrain ef, brown pearls

Merry and Bright ~ Wildcard #14

Hi everyone!!  We are off to the pumpkin patch today...it's at a local farm about 40 minutes out of town.  We will go on a hayride, feed corn to the sheep, pick out our own pumpkins and hopefully, if the rain holds up, go for a walk along the river.  It is so beautiful down there, it looks like a movie set!! LOL  That's the only way I can describe it.  I'll try to take a picture that will do it justice :)  Today's card is the next WaCCCky challenge.  I pulled these 4 colours a few weeks back.  This first card is my edited version with these colours.... 

And this is the original.  It was just a little too plain for me so I changed the card base colour and the dp print, then added the extra green ribbon.  Thanks for visiting!!!  Let's hope our field trip is Merry (everyone happy) and Bright (no rain!)....

what's in it?

stamps: pti signature christmas, old holly leaves stamp

ink: su kiwi kiss, versafine onyx

paper: su real red, choc chip; pti kreaft, white, bitty box dp

accessories: circle nestabilities, buttons, gemstones, su ribbon, pti tag die, linen thread, sheer ribbon, cuttlebug ef

'Tis the Season

Good morning!!! If I seem a little psycho lately, switching back and forth between the seasons, I apologize!! LOL  But you have caught me in between stamp purchases!! LOL  I just got my new PTI goodies on Monday and had to spend last night playing with my new Vintage Ornament dies and stamps :)  Today's card uses Mercy's wonderful Tuesday sketch.  I love how you can really dress up the simple panels she's given us :)  Thanks, Mercy!!  I originally had some new PTI Pinefeather ribbon on this, but the green was so dark I didn't think it would turn up in the photos...so I switched it out for some New Leaf :)  Love the nontraditional colours here...I think they work :)  The week is zipping by just like I thought it would...tomorrow we head out to a local Pumpkin Patch...always a fun field trip :)  Have a fun day!!



what's in it?
stamps: pti vintage ornaments additions, signature christmas
ink: su wasabi, versafine onyx
paper: pti white, kraft, scarlet jewel, raspberry fizz, holiday cheer and distressed dots dps; su wasabi; october afternoon dp
accessories: stitching, fiskars border punch, pti matte 4 and ornament dies; button, bakers twine, corner rounder, gemstones, cuttlebug ef, pti ribbon

I Lift My Eyes to the Hills

Good morning!!  First of all, thanks for all the congrats on my Card Patterns card last week.  I guess when they choose your card as the top pick, you are the Guest Designer for the next sketch :)  Let's hope it's an easy one!! LOL  AND perfect timing as I have one more free weekend before report card writing takes over the studio for a few days :)  Today's card is for Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch.  She has been wowing me with fabulous sketches lately and I always feel compelled to play along.  I'm using some more of that gorgeous paper I used yesterday.  I thought it would be fun to stamp the panel underneath the sentiment panel, but then realized it looks a lot like the designer paper!! LOL  Oh, well, I kind of like it.  Ah, one of my favourite Verve scripture stamps.  Everytime I read it, I feel my eyes looking up to the hills...love it!!  OH, my PTI order arrived yesterday :)  Can't wait to play with the new toys ;)  Have a wonderful day :)

what's in it?
stamps: verve plain jane, su autumn splendor
ink: su really rust, old olive, pti ocean tides; versafine onyx
paper: su rust, olive, pti white, ocean tides; me and my big ideas dp
accessories: stitching, gemstones, pti ribbon, twine, Grandpa's button, distressor

Everything Beautiful

 Good morning!!! Well, it's Monday (with a staff meeting), the beginning of another very busy school week...meetings, visitors, fieldtrips, you name it, we've got it this week :D  Today's card is for the Waltzing Mouse Sketch challenge.  I haven't entered many of these challenges...but this week looked fun.  As you can see, I've rotated the sketch 90 degrees and used some more of my new fun Autumn patterned paper :)  You can even tell that some of the pattern is shiny (foil)...so pretty!!  Still playing with my new Verve Stamps :D  Hope your week has had a great start :) 

what's in it?
stamps: verve plain jane; because of you
ink: su sahara sand, versafine onyx
paper: pti white, kraft, su soft suede, me & my big ideas dp
accessories: pti ribbon, die, gemstones

Thank You

Good afternoon, friends :)  Today's card is for Stacey's new Curtain Call Colour Challenge.  I was inspired to use some of the new Autumn paper I picked up at Michaels yesterday.  I must also let you know that this card is my second try with the colours.  The first card I made, while I did love parts of it, just didn't look right.  So it's in my "seconds" pile and will either be added to or scrapped altogether.  Rats!!  But this card is making up for it :)  The orange paisley paper is from the new Michaels pad and then I used various scraps of other paper (including some real sheet music paper from my buddy, Janelle...thanks again, sweetie!).  I didn't want the ribbon covering up too much, so went for some sheer grey/silver ribbon with a double bow :)  A new Verve stamp, some bling and there you have it :)  Thanks so much for stopping by today :)

what's in it?
stamps: verve autumn splendor
ink: versafine onyx
paper: su so saffron, basic greyretired dp; pti white, me and my big ideas dps; carolee's creations dp; sheet music
accessories: ms doily border punch, stitching, gemstones, sheer ribbon, grandpa's vintage button, twine

Nature Gives Every Season

Good afternoon!!  It's been a busy, but very productive day.  I finished up my teaching conference this morning, hit Michaels on my way to the tire place (time to get the winter tires on before the first snowfall!), cleaned the house and then got some playtime in the studio :)  This card is for the last October Viva La Verve challenge :)  Amber is giving us open inspiration this week :)  LOVE this, because so many things have been inspiring me over the last couple of days.  First up, my new VERVE stamps arrived just in time for the weekend; second, I noticed so many gorgeous maple trees on the university campus; third, Julee, the owner of Verve enabled me to buy this fleur de lis border punch and last, I found this gorgeous designer paper at Michaels this morning :)  I tried tying raffia onto the card instead of ribbon and found out how messy it is!! LOL  But I love the natural look and feel it gives the card :)  Oh, and another wood button...I have 2 left!! EEKK!!!  I also distressed all the paper panels to mimic how nature is starting to look out there, all crumbled and breaking down!! LOL  Hope you are having a great day...the sun is shining here, but it is COLD!!!  The perfect day to stamp my little heart out :)  What's inspiring you today?  I would love to hear about it :D

what's in it?
stamps: verve plain jane, autumn splendor
ink: su sahara sand, guava; versafine onyx
paper: su choc chip, soft suede, durango; pti kraft, cream, bitty box dp; me & my big ideas dp
accessories: stitching, gemstones, distressor, ek success border punch, rectangle nestabilities, raffia, wood button, twine

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

 TGIF!!! The most wonderful time of the week!!  It's a Professional Development day for our whole province and I am attending a big conference here in town.  Then I'm off to dinner and a movie with a good friend. We will finally see The Social Network :)  What a fascinating story :)  Anyways, today's card is for the lovely Mercy's Tuesday Sketch challenge.  I had forgotten what I had originally wanted to do with this sketch...lol.  I got busy pulling some fun Jolly By Golly paper from last year and mixing it with some Mitten Weather from this year.  The snowflakes are a bit shiny because they have Heidi Swapp ghost snowflakes on them :)  I had originally put a flourish over top of the sentiment, but it was WAY too busy and was bugging me so I restamped the sentiment panel, leaving only the sentiment.  Like this WAY better.  The original card is below just so you can compare (and agree! lol)  Well, I have 4 Christmas cards made this week!! LOL  They will probably go to my sister's stores as they are a little fancier than what I will mass produce for my own use :)  Hope your weekend has had a great start :)  Thanks for stopping by and sharing a few moments with me :)

what's in it?
stamps: verve christmas in the air, pti fancy flourishes
ink: su choc chip, versafine onyx
paper: pti cream, pure poppy, ocean tides, su choc chip, baja breeze; cosmo cricket dps
accessories: square nestabilities, su felt flurries, heide swapp ghost snowflakes, gemstones, cuttlebug snowflake ef, stitching, pti buttons, baker's twine

Snowflakes are Winter's Butterflies

Good morning!!!  I'm a little giddy about this card today...first, it's a new challenge that I found via Dawn McVey's blog.  The idea behind the Christmas Card Challenge Blog is to make a Christmas card each week for the challenge and then by the end of the year, you have all your Christmas cards done.  Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?  Well, I checked ou the challenge for this week and had to play when they mentioned "bling!"  LOL  It's my second name...or at least my blog's second name...lol :D  The 4 requirements were 2 different designer papers, 1 stamp, bling (not really a challenge, lol, it would have been more of a challenge to keep it off...hehe) and a butterfly.  This beautiful Verve stamp came to mind right away and this sparkly little butterfly I picked up at the Dollar Store over a year ago :)  Aren't those Mitten Weather papers gorgeous?  The only sad thing is that there are only 2 sheets of each in the pad and that plaid one is down to scraps already...eek!!  Okay, on another note, my field trip to the Salmon Run was a huge success.  We had gorgeous, sunny weather and the smell of dead salmon was minimal (at least in my opinion...it could've been worse like the year I couldn't eat salmon for a year after going out there! LOL).  Here's a picture of the salmon getting ready to mate :)  It was so interesting just to watch them...other males would come by and be fought off by this female's mate.  After salmon mate, they will die in a day or two.  Kind of a sad love story :(  Anyways, I hope your week is going well, thanks for visiting :)

what's in it?
stamps: verve christmas in the air
ink: versafine onyx
paper: pti kraft, lavender moon, plum pudding, su eggplant, cosmo cricket dp
accessories: circle nestabilities, gemstones, stitching, butterfly, crinkle seam binding, pti button, thread

Be Beautiful Inside

 Good morning, dear friends.  I thought I'd change it up a bit...a horizontal card....an Autumn card (lol)...and a new stamp :)  I love the simplicity of the Card Patterns sketch this week.  I knew I wanted to use some Autumn paper and was about to go for a tree image (sans buttons, though), but the sentiment panel had to be narrow so the original plan was nixed.  I was reaching for some felt to make some more felt leaves, when I saw my piece of canvas in my felt drawer...Eureka!!  It gives the leaves a more natural look and mutes the bright ink I used (mustard and kiwi).  A little burst of berry sorbet (I was missing it!) picked up from the Cosmo Cricket paper and a little bling for good measure :)  The sentiment stamp is one I picked up at Impress in Bellevue, WA in the summer.  I love it, but the font is a little boring (sorry to the stamp company, but it is!).  Wouldn't it be a great Verve Plain Jane?  Just sayin'!!   Well, I am armed with coffee and tylenol...my school is heading out to the amazing Adam's River Sockeye Salmon Run...a miracle of nature, but also a two hour round trip on a school bus...lol.  Parents get to ride out in the comfort of their own vehicles, but us teachers have to ride the bus!! LOL  Maybe I'll make cards in my head :D  Salmon amaze me!!!  They come back to spawn centimetres from the redd (nest) where they were deposited 4 years earlier!!! And with no GPS!!! Amazing!!!  Here's a link for more info....anyways, wish me luck!!! LOL  Have a great one!!

what's in it?
stamps: Impress (unknown maker), pti leaf prints
ink: versafine onyx, su kiwi kiss, more mustard, choc chip
paper: pti kraft, cream, berry sorbet; su choc chip, cosmo cricket nutmeg dp
accessories: long nestabilities, fiskars border punch, canvas, pti leaf dies, button, twine, ribbon, gemstones, woodgrain impression plate

The Wonder of it All

Okay, what is happening?  Two Christmas-y cards in a row?  LOL...who or what will I blame this time?  I know, how about Cosmo Cricket's Mitten Weather?  It's as much fun as Eskimo Kisses from last year :)  Lots of plaids and snowflakes :)  When I saw this week's Mojo Monday sketch, I thought of the large scallop border punch...I find this punch tricky, so when I get the chance to use it I'm a little giddy :)  (and I must add, I'm impressed with the strength of this EK Success product...I had a paper jam with the last scallop and the handle went "limp" and the punch wouldn't open...so with a few (or 20) WHACKS, it opened up and works fine, still!!)  How about that little glittery snowflake tag?  I didn't actually tie it to the bow as that would've looked a little lame, so I just tucked the twine ends behind giving the feel of being tied.  Okay, time to start the day...it's favourite blanket day in my class so we are swaddling ourselves in our favourite blankies...here's mine :)  Have a wonderful Tuesday :)

what's in it?
stamps: verve snow wonderful
ink: versafine onyx
paper: pti white, su sage shadow, soft suede, dusty durango, cosmo cricket mitten weather
accessories: oval nestabilities, gemstones, tag, su felt flurrie, glitter snowflake, Grandpa's vintage button, twine, pti ribbon, stitching, ek success border punch

Merry Christmas!!

 Hehehe!!  Good morning!!! Did my post title throw you?  Trust me, no one is more surprised about it than me :)  But when I saw Karen's sample for her Sweet Sunday Sketch, I caught the Christmas bug (for an hour...lol).  The fact that my new PTI Sugar Plum paper was staring at me may have had something to do with it too ;)  I love this paper, it goes with everything!!!  It even has a bit of colour that matches Apricot Appeal!!  When I was glueing on the white buttons, they reminded me of chocolate melts...lol.  So one Christmas card down, 50 to go!! LOL  You may see a few more Christmas cards sneak in here and there, but once my new Verve stamps and Basic Grey Papyrus paper arrives, expect some more Autumn cards :)  Have a wonderful Monday :) Thanks for popping in :)

what's in it?
stamps: pti signature christmas
ink: versafine onyx
paper: pti white, blue, plum, sugar plum & bitty boxes dps; su apricot appeal
accessories: ms border punch, su border punch, basicgrey buttons, baker's twine, gemstones, stitching, grosgrain ribbon