*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!

*Use It Tuesday #20*

Welcome to another challenge with the Use It Tuesday Design Team!!!  I want to remind you that they're looking for applications for their new Design Team....  click on the link in my left sidebar for more information.  It's a great design team and a great way to challenge you to use some of the items in your stash!

This time around, we're being challenged to create a Thank You card.

Items Used: 

*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Island Indigo

*Images:  Hero Arts Great Flourish

*Ink:  Brilliance Coffee Bean
*Tools:  Heat Tool
*Embellishments: clear embossing powder; Kaiser Pearls
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#20

I didn't dig into my stash for the stamp... it's one I bought while I was visiting my sister in October.  But the ribbon is from deep in my stash.  It's from a package of cupcakes my husband bought me a while back... they use this beautiful satin ribbon to pretty up the cupcake box.  I sometimes wonder if I like the ribbon more than I like the cupcakes from there!  This card used up the last of my stash of this ribbon.... I guess it's time for more cupakes!

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

*Use It Tuesday #19*

Welcome to another challenge with the Use It Tuesday Design Team!!!  This time around, we're being challenged to use a theme of "cooking" in our creation.

My first thought was to decorate a recipe card with a favourite recipe on it, but it wasn't going to be easy to incorporate goodies from my stash in to my creation... so instead, I grabbed a cupcake stamp I haven't used in forever and created a card....

Items Used: 

*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Pear Pizzazz
*Patterned Paper:  Upsy Daisy

*Images:  Hero Arts Cupcakes

*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics
*Tools:  Big Shot; Spellbinders Nestabilities; Perfect Layers Tool
*Embellishments: unknown ribbon; Kaiser Pearls; Frosted Lace Stickles
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#19

I've had the Bazzill Bling cardstock in my stash for a long time.... and Only Orange and Lovely Lilac hardly ever see the light of day....  I also don't do a lot of heat embossing and the brads aren't in colours I grab for very often....  yup, lots of stuff from my stash used in this card!

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

*Use It Tuesday #18*

Welcome to another challenge with the Use It Tuesday Design Team!!!  Seeing that it is the end of October, the girls decided to challenge us with Halloween inspired colours....

For this challenge, you need to create a card using black, orange and purple.

As you know from my Scrapbookers Paradise challenge card, I am not a person who makes cards for Halloween... so I decided to play with the colours and have some fun!

Items Used: 

*Cardstock: Bazzill Bling

*Images:  Hero Arts Essential Messages

*Ink:  Versamark; Stampin' Up! Lovely Lilac, Only Orange
*Tools:  heat tool
*Embellishments: white embossing powder; Michael's Bridal flowers; Doodlebug Sugared Brads
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#18

I've had the Bazzill Bling cardstock in my stash for a long time.... and Only Orange and Lovely Lilac hardly ever see the light of day....  I also don't do a lot of heat embossing and the brads aren't in colours I grab for very often....  yup, lots of stuff from my stash used in this card!

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

*Use It Tuesday #17*

The girls over at Use It Tuesday sure have picked some tough challenges... at least tough for me!!!  Each time I have a thought in my head but no way of completing it without heading off to buy something, which is against the rules of the Use It Tuesday challenges.


Yup, you're supposed to dig into your stash to find the items to create your project following the challenge prompt.... and then you need to tell us exactly what you dug out of your stash.


This week, the challenge is to use METAL in your creation....


So this week, my second idea was to use some old Stampin' Up! brads that I *had* to have, but that were "too pretty for  me to use"....  I figured I might as well use four if I was going to use one....  I also grabbed out some Bazzill Bling cardstock that I haven't been using lately as well as a piece of silver shimmer cardstock that I cherish too much to use LOL!

Items Used: 

*Cardstock: Bazzill Bling; PTI White; silver shimmer

*Images:  Hero Arts Sending Smiles

*Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
*Tools:  Martha Stewart border punch
*Embellishments: Stampin' Up! decorative brads
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#17

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

*Use It Tuesday #16*

I had a tough time with the challenge for the 16th installment of Use It Tuesday....  we were supposed to use chocolate as an inspiration.

Many many years ago, I had a stamp of a chocolate bar... but since it never got used it got given away.  I wish I hadn't done that LOL!

I thought about doing a chocolate bar wrapper, but that would have required me to avoid eating the chocolate and that might have been difficult.

I thought about using a cupcake set I have and making the cupcake chocolate but I never have luck colouring that image so I passed on that.

So I decided to use some chocolate brown Bazzill Bling cardstock from my stash as my base.... and then I went digging even deeper in to my unused stash of crafting items to find more items to use on my card.... and I came up with this....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: Bazzill Bling
*Tools: brown marker
*Embellishments: Stampin' Up! stickers
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#16


I have had the Stampin' Up stickers in my stash for so long I honestly don't know where they came from... I don't think I bought them.... I think they were a gift from something or other.  I had a lot of fun layering the strips of stickers together to create the horizontal stripe.... and I layered three flower stickers on top of each other and added some brown dots to the petals for some interest.

Not a lick of stamping on this card LOL

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

*Use It Tuesday #15*

It feels like forever since we did a Use it Tuesday challenge....  there was an extra week between the 4th Tuesday of August and the 2nd Tuesday of September.  The calendar can be crazy sometimes.

Challenge #15 is to use an uninked stamp....  and I chose to use some other items from my stash as well...

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Basic Black; Bazzill Bling
*Pattern Paper: Stamp It Australia
*Images: Inkadinkadoo Fancy That *Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics *Embellishments: unknown grosgrain ribbon; Michael's Bridal flowers; Kaiser pearls; Frosted Lace Stickles
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #15; SSS123


The images were both uninked....  sad since I bought the set because I loved that butterfly image!  It has sat in my stash for years! The patterned paper is a beautiful shimmer paper that I bought when I was working at the scrapbook store.... and since I can't get it anymore I am always apprehensive about using it.  I just love it!

I hope you'll be able to find some time to play along with us!  Click the picture at the top of the post to head to the Use It Tuesday blog to read the guidelines....  and be sure to take some time to check out what my fellow design team members have done with this challenge!

*Use It Tuesday #14*

It's time to play again with the girls at Use It Tuesday.  I love that these challenges are only twice a month... it gives everyone lots of time to play and post their cards!!!

For this challenge we are asking you to create something with a back to school theme.... and once again, you are challenged to use stuff from your stash (not new stuff!).

Let me tell you, some of our challenges are really challenging  me.  This one did as I've never done anything "back to school" themed in my 15 years of card making!!!

But, I was able to get a digi image from my friend Allison (see her link under the CalGals) and the rest of the items came from my stash....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi
*Pattern Paper: Stampin' Up (from my stash!)
*Images: Amber Ink digital image
*Ink: Copics
*Tools: Big Shot; Crafts Too Polka Dots embossing folder (also from my stash.... found it at the bottom of the pile!)
*Challenges:  UseItTuesday#14


Please play along with us for this great challenge....  I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

*Use It Tuesday #13*

I love that the Use it Tuesday challenges are only twice a month instead of weekly....  as a player I felt so much less pressure to get a card created and posted to my blog than playing along with weekly challenges.

Not to mention that the challenges are forcing me to dig in to my stash to find things I haven't played with in a while.

For challenge #13, we are challenging you to dig in to your stash to create something inspired by "Indian Summer".  Indian Summer is when you have warm summer-like days after a killing frost in the fall....  and to me, Indian Summer screams rusts, and deep yellows and browns.....  which is what you'll see used in my card.  I found a piece of patterned paper deep in my stash that had only been cut in to once.... and I used a stamp set that I had to have and then barely used....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Cajun Craze, Kraft
*Images: PTI Beautiful Blooms; There She Goes Flowers of Happiness
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Riding Hood Red, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip
*Tools: Stampin' Up! circle punches
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday#13


Please take a few minutes to go see what the other members of the UseItTuesday Design Team have created (their links are in my left sidebar) and then get busy in your crafty space to create your own card inspired by Indian Summer using items from your stash!

*Use it Tuesday #12*

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!  It's time for another Use It Tuesday challenge!  This time we are being challenged to use TWO items from our stash... two things we haven't pulled out in a while....

Items Used: 
*Cardstock: PTI White; Core'dinations;
*Images: Lizzie Anne Designs Say It In Script
*Ink: VersaMagic Tea Leaves
*Tools: Crafts Too Daisy Swirl embossing folder; Big Shot; Spellbinders Nestabilties; sanding block
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #12; Mojo196


My two hoarded items are the Crafts Too embossing folder and the Coredinations cardstock.  I love the embossing folder but it never seems just right for a card I am making.  But I loved that the background is almost the central focus of this design.  When Coredinations was a new product I begged the store own to carry it at the store I was working at... and I bought two sheets of every colour we carried.  And it sits there simply because I don't think to distress things too often.

Please take a little time to check out what the rest of the design team is doing...  and play along with us this week!

Jane

Papillon

Heather

Dinah

Haven

Sonya

*Use It Tuesday #11*

I had some fun playing with the challenge with the Use It Tuesday girls....  the challenge is to use an animal as the focal point of your card....  so I chose this High Hopes image

And because this card was for my favourite 2 year old little girl, I added a bunch of flowers.... they fit perfectly in the little circles in the Spellbinders Beaded Circles die...

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Wisteria Wonder
*Images: High Hopes; Impress
*Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics *Tools: Big Shot; Spellbinders Beaded Circles; Stampin' Up! Word Window punch
*Embellishments: Prima flowers; Viva Pearl Pen in silver *Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #11

I hope you will take some time to leave some love with the other Use It Tuesday Design Team (their links are in my left sidebar) and to play along with us as well!

Have a great day!

*Use It Tuesday #10*

It's time for another challenge from the team over at Use It Tuesday..... and this challenge is to use the colours Red, White and Blue in your card.... don't forget to use stuff that is hiding in your stash....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White
*Images: unknown sentiment
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler
*Embellishments: Michael's Bridal flowers (coloured with a Copic); unknown buttons; Twine from The Twinery; Viva Inca Gold in blue
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #10

Please take some time to visit the other members of the design team....

Jane

Papillon

Heather

Dinah

Haven

Sonya

We are all looking forward to seeing what you come up with !

*Use It Tuesday #9*

I am so excited that today is the first challenge for the new Design Team at the Use It Tuesday Blog.  I really hope that you will pop on over to the Blog and play along in the challenge!!  The best part of the Use It Tuesday challenges is that there are only two in each month (the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays) so there is LOTS of time to play!!!

Challenge #9 is to use a punch or a die that has been in your stash and never been used....  as soon as I saw the challenge I knew what I wanted to do.  A big thank you to my friend Irene for the inspiration behind this card....

Items Used: 
*Cardstock: PTI White; Bazzill Bling
*Images: Hampton Art
*Ink: Blue Encore Ultimate Metallic
*Tools: Big Shot; Nellie Snellen die; heat tool
*Embellishments: Kaiser Rhinestones; Blue Pearl embossing powder
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #9


There is a story behind this die....  I have a few Nellie Snellen dies that I got when Mom passed away.  Mom had bought them and used them for a while.  These dies come with a paper backing that join several different sizes of the shape (in this case, the fancy oval).  Mom brought them to my house for me to try out a few years ago and I was confused as to why you'd want these dies since they were all sizes joined together.  I played a little and decided I didn't like them.

At Christmas I received a beautiful Christmas card from my friend Irene, a card that looks amazingly similar to the card I've shared with you today.  And I asked Irene how she did it.  It was Irene who informed me that you were to cut those dies apart to use them!  I did a quick internet search and sure enough!  I wonder why Mom never knew that??!!  I have four die sets that I took from Mom's craft room, and all four were still attached together.

So I went to work cutting the pieces apart.... and they've sat in the binder with my Nestabilities, being ignored until this challenge came along.

So a big thanks to my Mom for buying these beautiful dies.... I know she'd be happy that I'm using them....  and a big thank you to Irene not only for the inspiration for my creation, but for telling me that it was OK to cut those dies apart!

Now, it's time for you to go visit the rest of the design team to see what they have created...

Jane

Papillon

Heather

Dinah

Haven

Sonya

*Big News For Me!!*

I am SO VERY EXCITED to be able to finally share some big news with you!

I woke up on Monday morning to a wonderful email in my inbox, inviting me to join the Design Team over at the Use It Tuesday blog!!!  This is a new challenge blog and this is their first Design Team.  I will be working with them until the end of December.

What I love about this challenge blog is that they encourage you to dig in to your stash and play with things you've been hoarding or holding on to.... or have even forgotten about.  I also like that they only two challenges a month (the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month) giving participants lots of time to create and lots of time to get it posted!

I went through all of the challenges so far (there have been 8) and I have played in all of them!  YAY ME!

Please take a little time to check out the other members of the Design Team....

Jane

Papillion

Heather

Dinah

Haven

Sonya

I hope you'll play along with us with our next challenge which will be announced on the 14th of June!

*I Love New Stuff!*

I was so excited to get the new Heartfelt Creations Daisy Patch (and Posy Patch) stamps along with the dies (made by Spellbinders for Heartfelt Creations) that go with them!  Sadly, it took a few tries and finally a YouTube video to figure out how to make it all go together.

Just in time to play with the Use It Tuesday challenge to use flowers on a card... and to use a stamp that had never been inked.  Granted, it wasn't a stamp from deep in my stash, but I inked the stamps for the first time to create this card.  I also used the Sweet Stop Sketch for this week.

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black
*Images: Heartfelt Creations Daisy Patch; AMuse
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Cherry Cobbler; Versafine Onyx black
*Tools: Big Shot; D'vine Swirl Cuttlebug embossing folder; Heartfelt Creations dies
*Embellishments: Pebbles Candy Dots; Christmas Red Stickles
*Challenges:  SSS110; UseItTuesday#8

*Sparkly Live, Love, Laugh*

Good morning everyone....  a wet and rainy day in Calgary which meant I had to be creative to take a few photos of cards this morning (I really should have taken the photos yesterday when it was nice out!).  Instead I have a glass serving plate sitting on my very wet patio table.  It works!

I saw the sketch over at the Sweet Stop for this week and knew I had to play with it....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Bazill Bling
*Pattern Paper: Imaginisce
*Images: Hampton Art
*Ink: Brilliance Pocket Red
*Embellishments: Stampin' Up! Iridescent Ice embossing powder; unknown ribbon; unknown button; Frosted Lace Stickles
*Challenges: Use It Tuesday #7; SSS108


The Challenge at Use It Tuesday was to use bling in your creation.... the patterned paper was already sparkly with some of the strips glittered, but I added more glitter with Stickles.  I embossed the image with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and then added some Stickles for even more glimmer.  And of course, Bazill Bling cardstock has a wonderful shimmer all on it's own!

Thanks for popping in to say hi!

*Lots of Flowers*

I had a lot of fun playing with flowers for my card for this weeks Fall to Layout over at the Clean and Simple blog (see my sidebar for a link).  The card just screams "SPRING" to me....

And I was thrilled to be able to head outside to take the photo of my card.... there's nothing like natural light for taking good photos of your creations!!

I hope you'll be inspired by the sketch this week and play along...

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; black
*Images: Amuse
*Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
*Embellishments: assorted buttons;  assorted flowers
*Challenges:  FTL138; Use It Tuesday#6

*Using Some Ribbon*

Way back when I was working at the scrapbook store, I would often buy things as they were put into inventory at the store... like these mini rolls of ribbon by American Crafts.  I discovered that those rolls of ribbon fit perfectly into some storage containers I had bought for the boyz for school years ago so I put the rolls in there and popped them in the a drawer in my craft space...

Where they were forgotten about for large chunks of time.

Fast forward to a week or two ago when I saw a photo tutorial on how to make flowers out of ribbon (click HERE to see for yourself)

I decided to pull out some of that ribbon and play.  I made one flower out of this ribbon and then tried another with a sheer ribbon.

And then on the weekend I took a look at the Use It Tuesday blog and lo and behold, the challenge is to use that ribbon you've been holding on to forever!

So I chose two more colours of a similar style of ribbon by American Crafts and put those three ribbon flowers on a card....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Images: Stampabilities
*Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
*Embellishments: American Crafts ribbon; unknown ribbon; Pebbles Candy Dots
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #5


I like that each flower turns out differently... just as in nature, my flowers aren't perfect!

Go look at the tutorial that Deanna put together and give them a try!  I used a satin finish ribbon for mine (and a thin ribbon) and am looking forward to playing with some different types and widths of ribbon.

*Fabulous Day*

Good morning all.. just a quickie from me as I have a few errands to run before heading off to do a few hours of work with Christy (with a break for another errand in the middle).

I am enjoying Spring Break without alarm clocks!  I can't wait until Bruce and I are both retired and we will only have to use the alarm clock once in a while.

Surprisingly, the sun has made an appearance today.... the first time in about a week.  It's a welcome sight!

I created this card on Saturday night while everyone else was busy doing something else....  Sadly the mojo wasn't flowing enough to make a wonderfully productive evening, but at least I got a few cards done!

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White; Stampin' Up! Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler
*Images: PTI Signature Greetings
*Ink: Versafine Onyx Black
*Tools: Big Shot; Cuttlebug embossing foler
*Embellishments: Icicle Stickles
*Challenges: Stamping Vacation; Use It Tuesday #4


This was another of the Stamping Vacation challenges... the only tool you could use was an embossing folder.  And I decided to do another red card for the Use It Tuesday #4...

Enjoy your Tuesday!

*I Hate Cleaning House*

Ahhhhh, Sunday.... I can say that now that the house is clean again.  I really hate cleaning the house.  I love that my husband and sons help, but I still hate the process.

Hate it.

Ick.

Now all that's left that has to be done today is getting a few groceries and finishing the laundry.

I enjoyed a quiet evening to myself for a while last night... and then I got bored.  The kids were busy with their games and Bruce was out.  I crafted a bit, watched some TV on Netflix, and then gave up and went to bed around 11... where I couldn't fall asleep.  Wasn't a stellar night, but it wasn't horrible either.

This is one of the cards I created last night....  once again, fulfilling the elements of two challenges....

Items Used:
*Cardstock: PTI White
*Images: PTI Beautiful Blooms; My Sentiments Exactly Little Birdie
*Ink: Brilliance Rocket Red; VersaMagic Tea Leaves
*Challenges:  Use It Tuesday #4; Stamping Vacation


Let me tell you about these two challenges.... first, Use It Tuesday #4 is a challenge to use red as the predominant colour on your card, showing support for the devastation in Japan.  The people behind the Use It Tuesday blog are going to make a donation to the Red Cross based on the number of entries they get in the challenge... so please make a card that is clean and simple with red being the predominant colour.  You'll find their blog HERE.  You have until April 1st to play along....

The second challenge is a new one to me... thanks to Allison (see her link under CalGals) for pointing me in the right direction.  It is called Stamping Vacation.  It would appear that they put up a new challenge daily and right now you have until the end of April to participate.  This challenge was to make a one layer card with a lot of white space.