Cards

You Always Lift My Spirits

Hey there, blog friends!
Thought I’d pop in really quick and share a card featuring Look Up Additions. I must say, I’m super surprised there are any left in stock- I would have thought you all would have cleaned Courtney out by now! :) 
Seriously, how fun are these hot air balloons? I’m extremely afraid of heights, but I might be tempted to go in one if they were as cute as these ones!
Since you all are so encouraging, I thought I’d let you know that I’m doing a week of NO SUGAR. Now, I’m not going to the extreme of not having fruit and such…..just no sugary drinks (ah! No Starbucks!) and resisting all candies, cookies, cakes, ice cream and well, sweets. I have a HUGE sweet tooth, but I think I can manage a week. If I can do this without any problems, I’m going to *try* it for a month. I’ll keep ya posted. :)
Hope you all are having a fabulous Tuesday! Thanks for visiting my blog!
Stamps: Look Up, Look Up Additions, Polka Dot Basics
Paper: White, Sky Blue, Simply Chartruese (PTI)
Ink: Timber Brown, Spring Rain, Tea Dye Duo (PTI)
Other: Cloud dies, Copics
|

Color Cue Challenge #10

Hi there, blog friends!
I’m so glad that I was able to find to play in the Color Cue Challenge #10. This time around, Dawn had each of her DT members create a color scheme- I wish I could have played with each and every one of them! However, I only had time for one, so I decided to go with Maile’s colors.
I had the hardest time deciding which WPlus9 set to use, but I kept coming back to the Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions. I love these bold images! Since this stamp is so large, I didn’t need to add too much else, which was a huge time saver.
It had been a while since I used my Fiskars Upper Crest border punch; I forgot how much I love it! Seriously, I have over 12 border punches….however, I can’t imagine selling or giving any away! One of these days I’ll do a post with the ones I have. :)  
Here’s a closer picture of the focal point. You know me and my rhinestones, so I added a few to this large design. Love that the colors matches so perfectly! 
Thanks so much for spending some time with me!
|

DeNami Challenge: Punches

Hi there!
It’s time for another DeNami challenge- in fact, it’s the LAST one of the year! I have been looking forward to this particular challenge all year- it features one of my FAVORITE products: punches! My good friend, Ginny, got me started on border punches and it’s been downhill ever since.
I am a fan of all sorts of punches, however, border punches are my absolute favorite. (With my corner rounder punch coming in a close second!) I love the variety of punch designs plus it adds SO much to a card.
This card features border punches, corner rounder punch AND scallop circle punches. I am so excited that DeNami Design has started to carry some EK Success border punches- gotta love one stop shopping! Here are the punches I used:
corner rounder punch (not carried)
For this card, I wanted to create a fun, whimsical color combination. REALLY love these colors together- going to do this color combo again! 
Well, enough chatter for this post. Be sure to head to the DeNami blog for the details of the challenge, plus some FABULOUS inspiration from the design team. Also, want to let you know there is a $25 gift certificate up for grabs, so be sure to join in on the fun this week! 
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. Have a great rest of your weekend!
Paper: White, Red, Hawaiian Shores, Spring Moss, Fine Linen (PTI)
Ink: Vintage Sepia, Hawaiian Shores (PTI)
Other: Quickie Glue Pen, Ruby Red glitter, Blue Ice glitter, Hawaiian Shores grosgrain, twine

PCD December Peek #2

Hello there!
Wasn’t yesterday’s sneak peek fun? From the response that I saw from all the DT posts, it sounds like lots of others enjoy hot air balloons too! Well, Courtney has another fun set releasing this month….I’m excited to show you Nature’s Wonder.
This set is so amazing, I had the best time playing with it. Once again, I couldn’t help but pair up a few Practicing Creativity sets for this card. Here’s the breakdown:
Solid Sprigs, Butterfly, “so much” – Nature’s Wonder
“Thank You”- Chatterbox
Houndstooth Background- Retro Christmas Backgrounds
I hope you’re getting excited about this set, because you should! For more inspiration on this fabulous set, visit the the following links:
Practicing Creativity DT
visit for a chance to win the set!
Guest Designers

I will be back tomorrow with a fun project using Look Up and Look Up Additions. Can’t wait to see you then! Enjoy the rest of your Thursday!

PCD December Peek #1

Happy 1st of December to you! 
I am beyond excited to share today’s sneak peek with you. As most of you know, I absolutely love Look Up from Practicing Creativity. The banner image is a ton of fun, and I can’t get enough of these hot air balloons. Well……Courtney is releasing Look Up Additions this month! Oh my goodness, I had so much fun with this set- seriously, a new favorite.
Courtney challenged each of us PCD DT girls to re-create a card that used Look Up and do it with Look Up Additions. I decided to go the CAS route (trying to do this more) and create this simple thanks cards. I love the large hot air balloon from Look Up, but I’m telling ya, the new balloon takes the cake. I love the lines so much! 
 
For the background, I pulled out my well loved Retro Christmas Backgrounds set. Honestly, when I saw this particular design, I didn’t know how to use it. Now, I can’t get enough! :) Isn’t it funny how that happens sometimes?  
Be sure to visit Courtney’s blog for more details of the set, links to all the girls’ blogs and a chance to win this GREAT set!
I will see you tomorrow for a peek at the other new set releasing this month. Yes, there are TWO! Can’t wait to see you then!

Clean and Simple Christmas

Hello there!
Can you believe that we are just a day away from December?! I don’t know about you, but I really don’t feel ready for it this year. Thankfully, most of my Christmas cards are finished- thanks to Courtney’s stamp sets!  This time around, I thought CAS (clean and simple) was the way to go for a lot of people. You can’t beat a one layer card that is CUTE but also fun. :) 
I got out the Retro Christmas Backgrounds set and created three rows of lights. Chose some nice, bold colors and started coloring to my hearts delight. Yes, I’m one of the people that LOVE to color. After I finished coloring, I used the “Merry Christmas” sentiment from Retro Christmas.
 
Here is a picture of two of the cards. However, there are lots more. ;) Can’t wait to start seeing more Christmas cards in blog land! If you need some more inspiration, be sure to head to the other PCD DT blogs- those girls have some fun things to share! 
Amy’s blog (Guest designer)
 Valerie’s blog (Guest designer)
Is anyone getting excited for the new Narnia movie coming out soon? My brothers are dying to see it. However, I like more “real” action- The Dark Knight (Batman 2) is my favorite movie. Speaking of which, I should pull that out again….  
 I will see you tomorrow for the first sneak peek of the December Practicing Creativity release! You are in for a SUPER fun surprise- I can’t wait to let you in on this one!
Paper: White
Ink: Jet Black
Other: Copics, corner rounder

Prancing Reindeer

Happy Monday to you! 
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Mine was very relaxing- in fact, maybe a little too much! I’m excited to head back to work today….lots of things to do!
Today I have a fun Christmas card to share with you. I recently won a giveaway on Lynnette’s blog, and had the opportunity to chose a Lawn Fawn set of my choice. I just had to get the Critters in the Snow set. I thought this little deer was darling, and I love all the other designs too!
I recently purchased this SU! embossing folder (thanks to Laurie!). Love the added texture it brings to a card. Lately I’ve been enjoying these nice, rich colors together- you’ll be seeing more of it on the blog!
Lastly, I want to let you know that Courtney has a great Cyber Monday sale going on. If there is a Practicing Creativity set you’ve been wishing you, this would be a great time to get it! 
Thanks for stopping by the blog. I truly value those who leave comments- it seems like the number has been dwindling lately. Guess I have to get more excitement on here!:)
|

DeNami Sketch Challenge #5

Hi there!
It’s time for a new challenge over on the DeNami blog, and it’s a fun one at that! The ever-so-talented Ayana created a sketch that is super unique sketch. The hardest part of the challenge? Choosing what stamps to use! Thankfully my little brother came to the rescue and said to do a chickie card.
It’s been a little while since I pulled out the Princess Castle and coordinating stamps. Seriously, how adorable are those chicks? I know I’ve said it before, but they have so much personality! It’s so easy to understand why they have a big fan base! :) 
Here you can see that I added some Citrone glitter to the windows of the castle and the chicks. Just a little bit really makes the card come to life. At the bottom of the sketch there are some criss cross lines. I was originally going to use twine, but I thought pearls might bring the card together a little better. I really like how it came together! The only thing I would change would be to line up the pearls a little better! *wink*
I hope you’ll play along with the sketch challenge. It’s the last sketch of the year, plus you aren’t required to use DeNami stamps. (However, if you have them, we’d love it if you did use them!) Hop on over to the DeNami blog to see what the design team made. Super yummy cards!
Have a great rest of you day. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
Paper: White, Smoky Shadow, Sweet Blush, Spring Rain (PTI)

Elegant Floral Arch

Good morning, dear friends!
It’s time for a new DeNami Product Spotlight! I have to say, this is one of my favorite posts to do each month. I love how each of us have the exact same stamp, but do such different things. That’s the beauty of stamping- you can have the same stamp but create a million unique cards. :)
This month, we are featuring the Elegant Floral Arch. Since Christmas is right around the corner, I thought I’d do a Christmas colored card. However, you could easily switch these colors to pastels, blues or even purples! Anyhow, back to the card…. I wanted to take a different approach with the stamp and created a nice big wreath. I just love how this turned out! Makes me want to create one for my door! :)
Here you can see that I added just a few Mossy Green rhinestones to the wreath. (Gotta have a little sparkle!)
I hope today’s card inspired you to try something new with your stamps! Be sure to head over to the DeNami blog for links to the other DT blogs. I saw their cards, and they are BEAUTIFUL!
Thanks for stopping by! Hope your Thursday is fabulous, just like you!
Paper: White, Brown Kraft, Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet (PTI)
Ink: Timber Brown
Other: Red grosgrain, Mossy Green rhinestones, Copics, Spellbinder Labels 1 die

Singing Owls

Hi there, blog friends!
Tonight I have a semi elegant, semi cute card to share. Did you know that it’s possible for the two to collide? Yup, neither did I. ;) The outcome of this card surprise me….thankfully it was in a good way!
Recently my sweet blog friend, Laurie, created this card. Now I’ve used this Owl Trio many, many times before, but never with an embossing folder. Thanks to all of Laurie’s BEAUTIFUL creations with the folder, I just had to buy one myself. I was really amazed at how easy the folder was to use. Haven’t completely mastered the embossed folder look, but I’ll keep trying!
That’s all for today. I will see you Thursday morning for the DeNami Product Spotlight. The stamp we are using is so beautiful….can’t wait to share what I created!
Paper: White, Ripe Avocado, Dark Chocolate, Aqua Mist, Fine Linen (PTI)
Ink: Timber Brown
Other: Champagne rhinestones, Brown satin ribbon, SU! embossing folder, Prima flower, brown pen, Spellbinders Labels 4 die