Time to Celebrate

I seem to be on a "celebrate" kick this week :)  Perhaps I'm feeling the love of the summer just around the corner :D  I had such a fun weekend in the studio, stamping in the sunshine, that I couldn't resist making one more card for the Verve Up, Up and Away challenge.  I never thought I would fall in love with hot air balloons, but here I am again, singing their praises....am I too late for this trend?  I don't care!  I love them!!  AND I snuck a few cuts from Melisa's new cloud dies!!! {oops, Melisa, I hope that's okay!!}  Two sweet little dies that are on my "need" list...they are punched out of white glitter paper, although, it's hard to tell in the photo.  I also love Karen's sketch this week..it is so full of possibilities.  I've been playing with my new October Afternoon paper all weekend. Another new love right now :)  I paired the gingham with what's left of My Mind's Eye cloud paper.  Hmmmm, lots of "loves" in this post....what are you lovin' right now?  Have a wonderful Monday...no staff meeting here...so I'm actually lovin' a Monday!!!

What's in it?
stamps: verve big wish, up, up and away
ink: versafine onyx, SU close to cocoa, rose red
paper: PTI cream, ocean tide; SU kiwi kiss, MME quite contrary, October Afternoon thrift shop & fly a kite dp; doodlebug glitter cardstock
accessories: circle nestabilities, PTI dies and twine,

Celebrate!!

Good afternoon!! It's another bright, sunny day in the studio.  I finished some commissioned cards yesterday so today I got to play.  Today's card is for the current Embellish colour challenge.  I kind of knew what I wanted to do with it, but things didn't quite go as planned.  But I believe if you make a big statement with some fabulous seam binding ribbon, everything will turn out :)  The button is actually a lovely shade of PTI's summer sun, but it's so close to the watermelon/coral ribbon that they look like the same colour.  So what are you celebrating today?  I know my dear blog buddy, Michelle, is celebrating a birthday and an old high school friend is celebrating an anniversary...I'm celebrating report cards being done and  this gorgeous weather :)  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and thanks for visiting :)

What's in it?

Stamps: Waltzing Mouse Very Vintage Labels 4; PTI Say it With Style
Ink: PTI berry sorbet and tea dye duo, SU choc chip
Paper: SU cameo coral, choc chip, more mustard, dp; PTI cream
Accessories: nestabilities labels 4, cuttlebug ef, PTI button and twine, stitching, seam binding ribbon (Etsy)

A Very Happy Birthday

Ah, Friday night...the best of the week :)  Reports are done, last major field trip done...and now some new goodies to play with this weekend :)  Tonight's card is for the third Viva La Verve challenge this month.  I immediately was drawn to the second inspiration photo, especially the colours and the fabulous zebra print chair :)  Also inspired by the scalloped valance and the touches of aqua and moss green :)  I was at Michaels after work and found this fabulous printed paper...perfect for this card or what?  LOL  Hmmm....getting some inspiration here for my studio once we build the new house...maybe I'll go "glamour!"  Hope the start to your weekend has been as fabulous as mine :)  Thanks for visiting and for all your sweet comments :)

What's in it?
Stamps: Verve Wishing You
Ink: Versafine Onyx
Paper: PTI hibiscus burst, sweet blush, black; GCD studios dp @ Michaels
Accessories: gemstones, PTI buttons and ribbon, corner chomper, square nestabilities

Congrats, Luke!!

Good evening...just a quick post...it's been a long day....work, workshop after work and then one of my nephew's grade 12 graduation :)  Luke is my photography expert who's been giving me hints here and there and who helps me with my watermarks :)  He's a fine young man and graduated with honours tonight :)  This is the card I made for him inspired by one of the Grad cards in the recent CARDS magazine.  I used Luke's school colours for the card :)

Here's it with the gift card to his university's bookstore.  Luke is going on to be an Engineer like his older brother, Kurt, and his cousin, my son, Jake :)  CONGRATS LUKE!!  Okay, to bed I go...all day field trip tomorrow which will be more exhausting than being in the classroom :) LOL

What's in it?
Stamps: PTI signature sayings, star prints
Ink: SU real red, black
Paper: PTI white, poppy red, bitty box basics
Accessories: SU star punch, gemstones, brads, PTI rickrack die, cuttlebug ef

The Beauty and Joy of Each Day

Good evening!  Tonight's card is for the Mojo Monday contest this week...and because it's the first Monday of the month, Julee is offering up Verve stamp sets to 7 lucky winners!!  As soon as I saw the circle panel, I knew I wanted to make another flower with this yummy kraft tissue.  I wasn't sure what colours I wanted, but knew cream and kraft were going to be in the mix somehow....then the vintage and distressed ideas came in along with notepaper for the sentiment and some more yummy melon seam binding ribbon...my new love :)  I thought this Verve sentiment from Feel the Sun was perfect for this card :)

Oh, and one last thing before I head off to make my lunch for tomorrow...I won the hockey pool at work!!! Yay!!! I had Chicago and I heard (is that bad, that I didn't even watch? LOL) that they won and now am the proud recipient of $50.00 and bragging rights!! (although picking teams was done by a draw in April...lol)  Okay, sweet dreams :)

What's in it?
Stamps: Verve Feel the Sun, Hero Arts ledger
Ink: SU eggplant, sahara sand
Paper: PTI cream, kraft; SU really rust, eggplant; Basic Grey Green at Heart, tissue paper
Accessories: stitching, MS border punch, distressor, PTI button and twine, cropadile, seam binding ribbon, PTI blossoms die, brad

So Incredibly Grateful

Good evening!! I didn't think I'd have time to make this card...didn't think it would come together so quickly!!! I say that because it's for Kristina's new colour challenge this week and, again, there are SIX colours to work with!!!  I have to make a checklist on my scratch paper to make sure I've used them all!! LOL  I've been thinking about these colours all day and this gorgeous Basic Grey Kioshi paper kept jumping around in my brain...then came the SU butterflies die, then a purple tissue blossom :)  And my PTI order finally came via many stops along the way.  This sentiment is from the Inside and Out Thank-you set.  Now I did do some embossing on the cream panel (woodgrain) and the eggplant panel (distressed stripes) but they unfortunately do not show up that well....here's a close up to click on...it's a bit better to see then. 

The panel under the butterfly is eggplant, although it looks brown...and the sentiment is stamped in Chocolate Chip...so yes, all the colours are there!! LOL   I was so blessed to get another nod from Kristina this week, along with my dear friend, Melisa!!  We love Kristina so it is a bit of a thrill to have our cards side by side in the round up :)  Oh, and lastly, I'm using Mercy's sketch today...when it's busy, one must combine challenges :)  Sleep well!!  I'm so incredibly grateful you stopped by today :)

What's in it?
Stamps: PTI inside and out thank-you
Ink: SU choc chip
Paper: PTI cream, SU eggplant, kiwi kiss, Basic Grey kioshi, tissue paper
Accessories: PTI rustic twine, PTI blossoms die and woodgrain impression plate, fiskars apron lace punch, brad, embossing folder, stitching, SU thin grosgrain, SU butterflies die

Wish Big

Good evening...just a quick post before bedtime.  Tonight's card is for this week's Cinema Saturday film, Alice in Wonderland (Johnny Depp's version :) We are supposed to create something other than a card and inspired by the movie.  Yes, this first photo is a card, but wait...it gets better.  The bright blue butterfly is the Abosolum at the end of the movie and the sentiment "wish big" is when Alice needs to get bigger.  I received my Papertrey Ink order today and got the woodgrain impression plate...it's really cool in real life...click the photo and you can see a bit of it...here's a closeup...

Okay, the item that is "out of the box," and not a card is the bookmark I made to put inside the card as a gift.  I have so many friends who are readers and would love this inspiring bookmark :)  I've always loved this sentiment and love the Stampin' Up! set it comes in (a keeper, if you KWIM).  Here's the set together....and then a close up...okay...off to bed... nightie night again :)  Thanks for visiting...your comments put a little sparkle into my day :)

What's in it?

Stamps: PTI star prints, su sidekick sayings
Ink: versafine onyx
Paper: PTI cream, kraft, su taken with teal, Michaels dp, blue vellum
Accessories: stitching, SU butterfly die, pti button & twine, brads, nesties labels 12, pti woodgrain impression plate, fiskars apron lace punch; seam binding ribbon, large eyelet, long nestabilities, MS butterfly punch, gemstones