*FTL173*

My apologies for not posting this sooner.  I made it with lots of time to post this week but didn't get around to taking a photo of it!  Bad bad Nancy.  I suddenly realized that the new challenge would be posted tomorrow so I thought I should get it up.

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Cameo Coral
*Images: Inkadinkadoo Dot Flourishes; Hero Arts Essential Messages
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Pear Pizzazz, Cherry Cobbler
*Tools: Big Shot; Couture Creations Intrinsic embossing folder
*Embellishments: Prima Pearls
*Challenges: FTL173; ColourQ118


This card looked so much better in my head....  sigh

*Playing in Paradise #49*

I am here to share with you, my final post as a Playing in Paradise Challenge Team Member....  I have stepped down from this team as my creative time is extremely limited.  I found that being on 3 teams, the only things I was creating anymore were for challenges.  I am hopeful that I will be able to carve out a little time to create for me instead of creating for design team commitments.

This week, Kasia has a Tic Tac Toe challenge for us.... you need to choose any three items in a row to use in your creation.

I chose Text, Button and Ribbon....

Items Used

*Cardstock: PTI White; Basic Black
*Images:  Hero Arts Sending Smiles
*Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
*Tools:  Perfect Layers
*Embellishments:  American Crafts ribbon; assorted buttons

I invite you join us in playing this week... simply add your card to the links at the bottom of the challenge post HERE before midnight on Thursday for your chance to win a prize from Scrapbookers Paradise as well as a chance to play along with the Design Team in a future challenge.

Take a few minutes to check out what the rest of the Design Team has been up to...

*Allison

*Kasia
*Laurel

*Merlie

*Nina

*FTL 172*

Happy Hump Day everyone....  the weather has turned to average temperatures here in Calgary.  A week ago we had a record for daytime high for the date and now we're looking at it getting worse over the next few days.  I sure hope we don't see record colds!!

Life is busy but good.... I am really missing my creative time.  My plan had been to play on Sunday but I woke up with a migraine, complete with nausea, and ended up doing absolutely nothing all day.  Big sad face.

I really like the sketch for this week over at the Clean and Simple blog (see the link my sidebar).... Some of the gals on the design team have made it simple, others have made it less simple.  Very versatile!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Wisteria Wonder, Pear Pizazz, Chocolate Chip
*Images: Hero Arts
*Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
*Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities; Big Shot
*Embellishments: Michael's Bridal flower (coloured with Wisteria Wonder); Kaiser Pearls
*Challenges:  FTL172; ColourQ105

*Quiet Blog*

Happy Sunday everyone....  I want to start with apologizing for how quiet my blog has been lately.  The new full time job has taken up most of my creative time.... and when I am home from work I am often too tired to want to create or find myself without Mojo.

So, for a while, I think this blog will be quiet.  I will post when I have something to share.

I have decided that I can't put stress on myself to create so that I can blog as I think that is creating the problem with the lack of mojo.

I have one last 2011 Christmas card to share with you today....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Bazzill Bling
*Images: Impression Obsession
*Ink: Blue Encore Ultimate Metallic
*Tools: Big Shot; Scrollwork Cuttlebug embossing folder; Heat Tool; Corner Chomper
*Embellishments: Kaiser Pearls; Blue Pearl embossing powder

*Playing in Paradise #48*

Welcome to another Playing in Paradise Challenge!  I am lucky enough to be the first challenge host in 2012!

I have fun playing with tall and skinny cards... and I hope you will too!

The card I have created is 8.5" long and 3.75" wide...

Items Used

*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Baja Breeze, Ruby Red
*Images:  Stampin' Up! All Year Cheer I
*Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black; Copics
*Tools:  Big Shot; Couture Creations Intrinsic embossing folder
*Embellishments:  unknown ribbon; Petaloo flowers (coloured with Copics); Doodlebug flocked brad

I invite you join us in playing this week... simply add your card to the links at the bottom of the challenge post HERE before midnight on Thursday for your chance to win a prize from Scrapbookers Paradise as well as a chance to play along with the Design Team in a future challenge.

*Happy New Year*

We had a great night last night with some of our closest friends (and my sister too!).  We hosted a fondue party  here at our house.  Most years, we host our fondue in the weeks leading up to Christmas but this year everyone was busy.  So we talked about doing it later in the New Year.  Then, some how, word was that we were going to host New Years Eve so I figured, why not combine the two ideas and host a NYE fondue?

Everyone pitched in with the food and we had hot broth, cheese, a "hot plate" plus chicken, beef, shrimp, bread and veggies.  Instead of kissing the person to your left or right when you dropped your item in the fondue pot, we decided to do Jello Shots.  Who knew that 11 people would go through 6 boxes of Jello before 9pm?

We were sure to have someone available for driving friends home if they needed it... no one was in too bad of shape.  We ate, watched Canada beat the US in World Jr Hockey, played a game and had a great time.  It was a lovely way to bring in the new year!

As I said a few days ago, I still have a couple of Christmas cards to share with you....  and that's what you're getting today....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Baja Breeze
*Images: PTI Signature Christmas
*Ink: VersaMagic Agean Blue
*Tools: Perfect Layers; Stampin' Up! scallop border punch; Big Shot; Snowflakes Cuttlebug embossing folder
*Embellishments: assorted brads

*My Traditional New Years Post*

And here it is....  the last day of 2011....  a year that was definitely better than 2010.  It was a year filled with laughter, smiles, sadness, struggles, friends, family, fun, work.... 

This year I turned 41, celebrated 20 years of marriage to my best friend, traveled to see my sister, attended a family reunion, struggled with some stuff, loved my children, started a new job, dyed my hair, sat on three design teams, read lots of books, watched my boys turn 14 and 16, and wondered how in the hell time has gone by so fast!

As I have done for the last few years, I am here on the last day of 2011 to share one favourite card from each month .... cards I have created this year..... (the count for cards this year is 211 different designs although I have yet to share four of them with you).

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

And with that, I wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

*Winding Down*

I can't believe that the hustle and bustle of Christmas is done for another year.  We un-decorated the house the other day and the outside lights will be turned off for another season in a day or two.  I will miss seeing the beautiful Christmas lights when we're out and about... I think it's one of my favourite things about the season.

I have just a few more Christmas cards to share with you over the next few days... and sadly I have nothing else!  I really need to find some time in my creative space!  My niece left for home this morning (sniff sniff).  It's both good and bad.... bad that she's gone but good that Alex can have his room back so my sister and I can take over the basement and craft a little!

I can't believe I go back to work in a few days!  Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

But for now, a Christmas card to share with you....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Real Red
*Ink: black Micron pen
*Embellishments: Echo Park stickers


Talk about a quick and easy card using some punch outs from an Echo Park sheet!

*Use It Tuesday #22*

Welcome to another challenge with the Use It Tuesday Design Team!!!  Today marks my last post as a member of this fun Design Team.  I hope to find the time to play along with them each week, and use a little more of the stuff I have been hoarding away over the years!

This week we were challenged to create a card using our favourite team's colours.  I was going to go with Green and White for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL Football) but I couldn't come up with something I liked.... instead I went with the Calgary Flames colours of Red, White and Black.  I suppose I should have had a little yellow in there too.... oh well.

I know it's past Christmas and all, but I was still in a Christmas Card Making Mood when I created this one...

The items from my stash are the black linen cardstock that I've had forever, as well as the glittered brads that I bought way back when I worked at the scrapbook store.

Items Used:  

*Cardstock: PTI White; black linen
*Patterned Paper:  Echo Park

*Images: Serendipity

*Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
*Tools:  Perfect Layers
*Embellishments: Doodlebug Sugared brads
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#22

I hope you'll take some time to play along with us!

*It's Christmas Eve*

Happy Christmas Eve to everyone....  I hope that you are busy with holiday preparations, family and friends, laughter and fun!  And I hope none of you are going to have to brave the stores today!!!

I am both excited for Christmas and a little sad this year....  this is our first traditional Christmas since my Mom died in September 2010.  Last year we escaped the sadness and went on a 10 day cruise over Christmas and New Years.  It's strange to have been planning a traditional Christmas without my parents.

We will be sharing tomorrow my with my father in law and one brother in law as well as friends of ours.  There will be 10 of us for dinner.  And on the 26th my sister and niece arrive for a short visit.

I know tomorrow will be filled with mixed emotions....  and memories and laughter.

I hope you all find some peace a joy this holiday season.... Merry Christmas!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White
*Pattern Paper: My Mindy's Eye
*Images: Penny Black
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Garden Green
*Tools: Perfect Layers; Stampin' Up! scallop border punch
*Embellishments: Kaiser pearls


I love how clean this card looks....  while being festive and fun!

Again, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

*Playing in Paradise #47*

Welcome to another Playing in Paradise Challenge!  This is our last challenge of 2011 as the Design Team is taking a little break for Christmas.  We will be back on January 6th with a new challenge!

It's time for another one of Allison's versatile sketches... she likes to create sketches that can be used for cards or scrapbook layouts.

I absolutely LOVE this tree die by Memory Box....  it's amazing how detailed it is!

Items Used

*Cardstock: PTI White; Bazzill Bling
*Patterned Paper:  unknown
*Tools:  Big Shot; Memory Box die; Stampin' Up! scallop border punch
*Embellishments:  unknown ribbon

I invite you join us in playing this week... simply add your card to the links at the bottom of the challenge post HERE before midnight on Thursday for your chance to win a prize from Scrapbookers Paradise as well as a chance to play along with the Design Team in a future challenge.

Take a few minutes to check out what the rest of the Design Team has been up to...

*Allison

*Kasia
*Laurel

*Merlie

*Nina

*Swirls and Dots*

Happy Hump Day!  The week is getting close to winding down and we are another day closer to family, friends, celebrations and fun!!!

The card I am sharing today is probably my favourite Christmas card from this year.  I love how simple it is!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White
*Images: PTI Flourishes; Penny Black Winter Wonders
*Ink: VersaMagic Sage & Red Magic
*Embellishments: thickers

I liked this card so much that I made about 30 of them this year... problem was, I didn't have enough of the dots from Thickers to do that.  So I ended up changing it up a bit, using ScorTape on a piece of cardstock and covered it with red Glitter Ritz glitter and burnishing it so it shone.  I also changed up the colours a bit, still going with red and green.  I also changed the sentiment to one that worked just a little better than this one.

Sadly, I didn't take a photo of one of the altered ones.

If I could have used just the thickers dots for this card, they would have been SO quick and easy... but punching all those dots out was time consuming... but totally worth it!

*Another Monday*

You know, I never really appreciated my weekends until I started working full time again....  and now it feels like weekends absolutely fly by!

We were supposed to go to Bruce's company Christmas party on Friday night but we bailed on it... Bruce had been home sick since Wednesday and we didn't think it was a good idea to show up to a party on Friday night.  I was a little disappointed but was content with a night in front of the TV with the family and a cozy blanket.

Saturday was a busy day around here... I made candycane bark and spudnuts.  Spudnuts are an old fashioned yeast donut that contains mashed potatoes as an added starch.  They took about 6 hours from making the dough, to rising, to rolling and cutting, to rising again, to frying.  A long process but totally worth it!  It was a little tough as it was the first time I was making them without my Mom.  I was worried I'd screw them up as I've only ever been the assistant LOL!

Saturday night we were off to a friends' house for their annual Christmas party.  Lots of food, lots of friends and lots of fun!

Sunday night was our bowling league where we had a potluck dinner while we bowled.  Always a fun time!

And here it is, Monday again.... sigh.  But, there are only 40 hours this week, between me and 10 days off!

I'm not in love with the card I'm about to show you... it's OK... but not my best...

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Crumb Cake, Real Red
*Pattern Paper: My Mind's Eye
*Images: Inkadinkadoo Snowflake
*Ink: VersaMagic Aspen Mist
*Tools: Big Shot; Spellbinders Nestabilities (circles and Labels 4)
*Embellishments: Doodlebug Sugared Brad

*Fall To Layout #171*

Good morning everyone....  this is the last Fall To Layout sketch on the Clean and Simple Stamping blog for a few weeks... the design team is taking a few weeks off and we'll be back in the New Year with some more of Natasha's great sketches....

We hope you will be able to play along with us with this sketch... it's clean and simple and fun to do!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Kraft, Early Espresso
*Pattern Paper: unknown
*Images: Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas
*Ink: Brilliance Coffee Bean;
*Tools: heat tool; Perfect Layers
*Embellishments: clear embossing powder; unknown brad covered with Glitter Ritz glitter; Petaloo flowers
*Challenges:  FTL#171


I love that the colours are rather untraditional for this Christmas card....  it truly became one of my favourites from this year!