Making time to create this week......

Do you have time to create, but don't do it??  That is how I have been lately.  I honestly have quite a bit of time to sit down an play with my paper crafting "stuff".  BUT I find my time getting wasted on the internet, between blog hopping, searching for ideas and new techniques or just talking to my friends and family on Facebook.  Then there is the laundry that calls out to me, or the dog that wants to get played with or those darn kids when they get home from school wanting me to help them with school stuff and what not.

This week I have had to force myself to create something each day.  I chose to create cards.  What I really need to be doing is working on a unit meeting project that I am having a hard time coming up with an idea for.  I am running out of time to submit my idea and project dimensions......guess I should get to working on that next!

I am still working on papers from CTMH's Fanfare Level 2 Paper Pack and the coordinating embellishments.  The colors Pacifica, Cranberry, Sunny Yellow and Sky with bits of Black are SO BRIGHT and CHEERY to work with and I am having the best time playing!

The guitar is from Star Power.  I stamped it first in Black on the White Daisy background paper, then stamped it in Cranberry then cut and pop dotted just the guitar over the black.  If you click on the photo you should be able to see the dimension a bit better.  The brad in the center of the guitar is from the Fanfare Level 2 Assortment.

Supplies used:
Paper: Fanfare Level 2 Paper Pack, Black CS, Sunny Yellow CS and Cranberry CS
Stamp Sets: Star Power, Say it in Style
Inks: Black, Cranberry
Embellishments: Red Sparkles, Fanfare Level 2 Assortment (brad)
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Sand Paper, Edge Distresser and Corner Rounder (to create scallops)

Thanks SO much for stopping by!!

I hope that this has inspired you to make more time to create.  Get off your computer and get your stamps, papers, embellishments and scissors out and PLAY!!  As soon as I am done with this post, my computer is going off......at least for a while.  LOL

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!

Jen

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge, Heart 2 Heart,Papercraft Star and Color Me Monday

It has been a while since I have played with any of the sketch challenges lately.  So, I sat down this afternoon and checked out the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge and Color Me Monday on Jeanette Lynton's blog.  Heart 2 Heart Challenges and Papercraft Star are also holding challenges and my card fit in to BOTH of those as well.  Heart 2 Heart Challenges is having an embossing challenge while Papercraft Star is accepting Thank You submissions.  So what the heck?  I entered this little owl in the 3 that I could!

I REALLY liked the sketch and loved the colors that Jeanette picked for this week.  I have yet to get out all of the NEW colors that were introduced in the Autumn/Winter 2010 Idea Book and thought it would be fun to play with them.

If you would like to play along with the sketch challenge, click on the Mojo Monday banner on my sideline.  The colors for the Color Me Monday were Gypsy, Pear, Lagoon and Cotton Candy.  I ended up using just the Pear and Lagoon on my card, so may end up playing a bit more with the other colors in the challenge.

Supplies used:
Paper: ALL CARDSTOCK Lagoon, Pear, Black and White Daisy (no wonder it is so heavy!)
Stamps: Say it in Style, Hot Diggity
Inks: Black, Pear and Lagoon
Embellishments: Lagoon Sparkles (blue and green sparkles assortment) Black Ribbon, Lagoon Mini Medley Accents and Black Hemp.
Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder and Nestabilities, 3/4 Circle SU! Punch

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hope this has inspired you to play along with some of the challenges out there!  It is a lot of fun and helps stretch your creativity a bit!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!

Jen

Use What You Have......

Did I mention that my upline has me on a kick of USING WHAT I HAVE??  She has been on a roll lately and as I mentioned in my earlier post....I HAVE WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!!  I am a collector....I get such a rush when I receive that beautiful Close to my Heart box being delivered to my doorstep!  It truly has become a sickness/addiction for me lately....THERAPY is what I like to call it. 

Speaking of therapy....I am completely serious!  I am in a place in my life/faith that I NEVER thought I would be in.  Who da thunk that one night of bowling with friends would have turned out the way it did (no one died, nothing as serious as that).  BUT I won't bore you with the details.  Just that my life has not been the same.  Although I will say that I believe that things happen for a reason.....  To deal with what has happened, I have turned to my passion.  Scrapbooking and Stamping.  This is my saving grace and when I am in my beautiful scraproom I am at peace. 

One more note, I have the MOST AMAZING group of friends that attend my monthly Friday scrapbook group, and they have been such a HUGE support system for me.  I am truly blessed to have them in my life!  Thank you guys!! 

OK Enough of the mushy stuff and let's get onto the card that I created this morning.  I was visiting Becky Roberts blog Inking Idaho and saw this super sweet card that she had created.  I LOVED the simplicity of it and knew that I needed to recreate it using WHAT I HAVE!

Here is an upclose shot of the flower.  I used the Fancy Cuts Botanicals that I had purchased when they first came out, which I had NOT used until just NOW!  I LOVED the way it turned out once I distressed the edges with scissors and ink and then curled the edges with the wooden stick that comes with the Rub-Ons. 

Supplies used:

Paper: Colonial White CS, Juniper CS

Stamp Set: Thanks

Ink: Creme Brulee, Juniper, Spring Iris

Embellishments: Creme Brulee Ribbon, Spring Iris Brads, Fancy Cuts Botanicals

Tools: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, SU! Border Punch, Scissors for distressing

Thanks for stopping by!!

I hope that I have once again inspired you to USE WHAT YOU HAVE!!

Happy Scrapping and Stamping!!

Jen

InStyle Stamps Thankful Thursday Sketch Challenge and a Prize!

Hello All!! It is my turn again to host the InStyle Stamps Thankful Thursday Sketch Challenge. If you have not participated in this before, you should give it a try! All you need to do is follow this sketch, create a card or paper project using the words Thank You, Thanks, Thankful or any variation of the words. More details are at the bottom of this post!

For my sketch, I chose one that the talented InStyle Stamps DT member Maria created and has allowed me to use for the TT Sketch! I really should learn how to create my own, but this was soooo much easier!! LOL Thanks Maria!! You ROCK!


For my card, I chose InStyle Stamps Lilah!! The more I use the Anime images, the more I LOVE them!! My 15 yr. old DD really likes them too. I always show her my cards when I am done with them and she always oohs and aahs over the Anime images. If I am unsure of how a card looks, all I do is ask Rachael and I know instantly if it is cute or not. You know how honest 15 yr. olds can be!


I embossed the image using VersaMark, Memento Black and Fine Detail embossing powder then colored with my Copic Markers and paper pieced her outfit and boots. I am still figuring out how to blend with my Copics and I got a little carried away and my coloring blended right outside the lines! LOL Hence why she is cut out and pop dotted. It all ended up working out and I think I like the dimension!

For a little more sketch inspiration, check out Jennie's darling card too!!

Here are the details for the challenge:
1. Make sure your project includes the word “Thank you” in some way.
2. You do not have to use an ISS stamp, but why not if you have it?
3. To be eligible for the prize please post a link to your creation in this post by no later than Wednesday, April 1st before 11:59pm, PST.
4. The winner will be announced on Thursday, April 2nd.
5. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize. If not claimed by then, another a winner will be chosen.
6. Those that hold a design position of any kind for ISS are ineligible to win the prize but you are welcome to participate!
Make sure if you are uploading to PCP or SCS galleries, please use ISSTT4-9 for the tag.

The prize for this challenge is a Memento Black Noir stamp pad!

I hope that you will play along!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Jen

How about another new release from InStyle Stamps??

This time it is one of the new Digi Downloads that InStyle Stamps is releasing this week! The awesome thing about the Digi Downloads is that you can print them in the size that you need for your projects! They are low in cost and you don't have to wait for them to be shipped to you either! You know how excruciating it can be waiting for your stamps to be shipped! LOL Here is an invitation that I made using the Bowling Digi Download......

For this card I used ONLY cardstock! I can't tell you the last time I did not add DP to a project! Now, don't get me wrong, I did TRY to use DP with it, it just did not look right! So instead, I pulled out this Cuttlebug embossing folder that I love but have never used and used that instead of DP. As soon as I saw this image, I knew that I wanted to go with black, red and grey to color in the bowling bag. The rest just fell in place.



To color the image, I used my brand spankin' new Copic Sketch markers!! WOO HOO!!!! I had NO clue how awesome these markers were until I used them to color this image!! I mean I should have had SOME clue when I kept hearing rave reviews on these markers, but I am the type that needs to figure it out on my own before I am a believer! LOL

I printed out the image 2 times and colored 1 full image and just the 2 bowling pins of the other. I cut out the 2 bowling pins and pop dotted them to the first image for dimension as you can see in the picture. The whole image was then pop dotted onto the cs for extra dimension!

I have always been a big fan of Stampin' with Markie's Mom's work and love how she adds dots to her mats to tie everything together. So, after I was finished assembling the invitation, I thought that it needed a little something more and added dots around the matting just for a little something to complete it.

Supplies used:
Digi Download: Rock n Roll Bowling
Paper: CTMH Black, Cranberry, Grey Wool and White Daisy CS
Embellishments: Black ribbon (SU), Black brads (ctmh) and Black with White polka dot ribbon (not sure where from)
Nestabilities: Labels two
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Traffic Jam


I hope that you have found a little inspiration today!

Please stop back again!

Jen