SFYTT January 2011

Good Monday morning! How was your weekend? Mine was nice and relaxed; I hate to admit I didn't get a lot accomplished, but sometimes that's okay too. We are supposed to get a BIG storm today; so far just a bit of light snow. Of course the kids were up early checking to see if school was delayed!

Today I have Jen del Muro's January Sketch For You To Try. There have been a few changes with the new year; the main change being there will only be 1 sketch a month and you have the whole month to complete it. Yes, I realize I am cutting it close! The sponsor for January is
The Cat's Pajamas, so I thought I would whip out some of my swanky stamps and CutUps and get busy....

I thought the sketch was a fun one; love square cards! I had 3 coordinating DPs layed out and decided to do one of the panels in vellum; I really hated covering up the pretty background DP. By using the vellum, you can add a layer of interest, but still see the pretty paper. I paper pieced the tablecloth and Sprinkle is colored with pencils. There is a lot of die cutting on this one; in the sentiment and the flowers. Since the paper is pretty busy, I embellished the card simply with Bella Dots.

Image/Sentiment: The Cat's Pajamas
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Simply Chartreuse, and Dark Chocolate, Crate Paper DP, The Paper Studio Vellum
Embellies: Bella Dots
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, CutUps "Flower Buttons" Die, QuicKutz "Uptown Girl" Alphabet, EK Success 3D Dots

Alrighty then, that's it for me today but I will be back tomorrow with a new sketch from Melissa at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

SC317: Be Mine

Hello! I was able to do the SCS sketch challenge today. I like that it was simple and fun...not a lot of matting makes it go so much faster. I was photographing the card and my daughter asked why the chick was blue.... Said in a tone that indicates I might be off my rocker.... Well, just because I want a blue chick! That's the beauty of it! LOL Maybe I will give this one to her and tell her I will be blue if she won't be my Valentine!

The chick is colored with pencils, a marker, and accented with glitter. She is nice and SPARKLY! Love that sparkle! I sponged the DP panels and accented the card with Baker's Twine and buttons.

Image: Stampendous "Cupic Chick"
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Palette Burnt Umber
Paper: SU! Baja Breeze, PTI Dark Chcolate, Bo Bunny DP
Embellies: PTI Dark Chcolate Baker's Twine, Jesse James Buttons
Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Copic Marker, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

TMS...Round Two!

Hi! Just a quickie post here.... I really loved this week's Tuesday Morning Sketches sketch, so when I saw the All That Scraps challenge to make a Valentine using one of the stamps they sell, I thought I would use this fun sketch again.

I choose an image from one of The Cat's Pajamas clearly swanky sets. This "lovestruck" little cutie is colored with pencils, markers, and highlighted with glitter. I choose to sponge the layers instead of mat them this time, and embellished the card with some sparkly Bella Dots. It went together quickly...my sponging is getting faster!

Image/Sentiment: The Cat's Pajamas
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, PTI Smokey Shadow
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Lemon Tart, and Smokey Shadow, Basic Grey DP
Embellies: Bella Dots, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Copic Markers, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, SU! Corner Rounder, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

TMS #78

Good morning! Melissa has a fun sketch for us this week at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. I really like this one...it is simple and user friendly! Our sponsor this week is

Stitchy Bear Stamps. I tell you, they have a lot of fun things to choose from. Along with digi images, they have paper packs. The image I used today is called "Stupid Cupid"...he cracks me up!

The image is colored with pencils and a red marker for some of the smaller details. I accented the wings with glitter; I opted for the more subtle Martha Stewart Crystal Fine instead of my usual super blingy stuff. I included a close-up so you can see a bit better. I embellished the card with some acrylic gems; they remind me a bit of a mirror. I ended up adding one to the lower right corner...the card just didn't seem right without it.

Image: Stitchy Bear Stamps Digital Image

Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Fine Linen, Dark Chocolate, and Pure Poppy, Bo Bunny DP

Embellies: The Beadery Red Acrylic Gems, Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Copic Marker, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

I hope you will hop on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out the DT's goodies. I hope you will make the time to play along too...last week we had over 50 entries!

Thanks for stopping by; have a good one!

Angela

CAS Birthday

Good morning! I was playing with some new PTI and decided to CASE one of the cards Nichole Heady made for the last PTI release. I thought it was such a fun layout...it was quick and easy too! The part that took the longest was running the dies through the Cuttlebug.

The numbers are cut with the new dies; I layered the DP "2" on two layers of cardstock to give it some support since I popped it up. The card is embellished simply with a Swarovski crystal.

Sentiment: PTI Big Birthday Wishes

Ink: Palette Burnt Umber

Paper: PTI Fine Linen and Dark Chocolate, K & Company DP

Embellie: Light Colorado Topaz Swarovski Flatback Crystal

Extras: PTI By the Numbers Dies, Spellbinders Dies, EK Success 3D Dots

That's all I have for today. Thanks for stopping by; enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Angela

Life: live like you mean it.

Good morning! Today I have a CAS card to share. I made the original a long time ago for a CAS challenge and had some others started that I had stored in a Sterilite shoebox. A couple days ago, I was looking for something to do, so I went to my shoebox of odds and ends and partially assembled cards. I had things cut and stamped to make 5 more of these cards, so I thought I might as well finish them up and put them in my basket.

I stamped "Life" and stamped off twice, then used the sentiment and turned it into a flower. The flower is colored with pencils and accented with a brad. I used this fun pouncing tool to add some texture and distessing to the panel before sponging the edges. The tool is a little wooden handle with some plastic mesh rolled up and attatched (the mesh looks a bit like a pot scrubber); you just pounce it onto your inkpad and then onto the paper. Fun! The DP is also sponged and the bottom right corners are rounded for cohesiveness.

Stamp: SU! Live Like You Mean It
Ink: Palette Burnt Umber
Paper: G.P 110, PTI Kraft, Basic Grey DP
Embellie: Spare Parts Brad
Extras: Prisma Colored Pencils, SU! Corner Rounder, Pouncing Tool

It's kind of fun having the prep work all done and then doing the finishing touches to put the cards together...it goes fast that way!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

TMS#77: Heavy Metal

Good morning! It's Tuesday so that means we have another challenge from Melissa at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. This week it isn't a sketch though; the challenge is "heavy metal". That's right, we would like you to use metal on your card!

I did a bit of a double play on the "heavy metal" theme...I thought this rock and roll chick would be a great image to use. Bella is colored with pencils and I added a red highlight to her hair. (As I was coloring her, I was reminded of the days when I used to be a hair stylist and wore my hair red...very red! That was a long time ago....) I used a metal star brad to carry out the "rock star" theme. I used my favorite "go-to" layout for Bella stamps as well.

Image/Sentiment: Stamping Bella
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and Smokey Shadow, SU! Tangerine Tango, Basic Grey "Ambrosia" DP
Embellies: Tangerine Crinkle Ribbon, Smoke Grosgrain Ribbon, Creative Imaginations Star Brad
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, EK Success 3D Dots

I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT has come up with for this theme; you can check them out at Tuesday Morning Sketches. This week is a judged challenge, so I hope you will play along so we can see your creations too!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

Pure Innocence Valentine

Hello and happy Friday! MFT had another fun sketch this week, so I thought I'd give it a try! I really love sketches because they give you such a great starting point, but I am one who trys to stick with the dimensions of the sketch and that can be really hard...sometimes I drive myself crazy! So how about you? Do you try to stick to the sketch, or do you just take the basic idea and run with it?

The little gal's dressed is paper pieced and I have accented the heart in her hair, the red candy hearts and the bow on the box with glitter. I had to crop the top of the box to make this image work, otherwise it would have been too big. I just adhered the piece after I matted the image. I used some Bella Dots and ribbon for embellishing. I really love the DP; it's from last year...Basic Grey Sugar Rush collection.

Image: MFT Pure Innocence "A Box of Love" Clear Set
Sentiment: MFT Pure Innocence "Lollypop Girl" Clear Set
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Black Marker, Sakura Black Gel Pen
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Ruby Red and Basic Gray, Basic Grey DP
Embellies: Ruby Organdy Ribbon, Gray Grosgrain Ribbon, Bella Dots, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear" and "Pink Smoothie", Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, EK Success 3D Dots

I have another question for you.... I was reading a thread on SCS and the poster was considering decreasing her CS colors to around 15. I don't know about you, but I like to have options...lots of options! When picking CS for this card, I think I had about 6 options on the table. So how about you? Do you think you could cut your CS stash to the bare minimum?

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy your day!

Angela

CAS CASE

Good morning! How has your week been going? Mine is going too fast, considering I am on duty for the weekend!

I came across this card on SCS the other day and just had to CASE it. I don't often sponge or use the corner rounder, so this one was a bit different than the usual layered cards that I make. One thing I did note, was that sponging doesn't go quickly for me; since I made 6 of these, I took my supplies to the den and worked on it when I was watching t.v. I love it when I can multi-task! I ended up adding a button to my card, as it just didn't look finished without it.

Sentiment: SU! Sincere Salutations

Ink: SU! Ruby Red and Soft Suede

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Regal Rose, Bo Bunny DP. Basic Grey DP

Embellies: PTI Wood Button, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Pink Smoothie"

Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities Dies, SU! Corner Rounder, DMC Floss

That's all for today; thanks for stopping by!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches #76

Good morning! How about a fun sketch from Melissa over at Tuesday Morning Sketches to get your day off to a good start? Our sponsor this week is Some Odd Girl...love their stamps! They are just so darn cute, I had a hard time picking an image....this one is called "Cold Kaylee".

I printed my image, colored it, cut it out, adhered it to the DP panel, then added some glitter. Kaylee's eyes just sparkle and I thought she needed a good dose of glitter to match! This layout was a challenge for me; I was about done with my card, but then scrapped it and started over. I was able to use 3 different DPs that I have been hoarding...I love this paper! (Sadly, I am getting down to scraps now.) The card is embellished simply with Bella Dots and a glittery snowflake.

Image: Some Odd Girl Digital Image
Ink: SU! Black Marker
Paper: G.P. 110, PTI Stamper's Select, SU! Basic Gray, KI Memories DP
Embellies: Bella Dots, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Dies, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you will check out the rest of the DT's projects over at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog. I would love to see you play along so I can see your spin on the sketch....

Angela

MOJO172: I luv u this much!!!

Hello; I hope you're having a great Sunday! I am so excited that I was able to do the Mojo Monday sketch! It was a fun one, too!

I had some DP out on the table that I had used yesterday; I decided to go with it; I just switched CS colors and went with something I thought would be appropriate for a "man card". Poppy Parade is certainly more manly than Regal Rose; interesting thing is, when I think of "poppy", I think of red but this color has a lot of orange in it. I havn't used it much yet, so will have to work a bit more with it. It's certainly bright and cheerful! (I will share the card I made yesterday later in the week.)

Changito is colored with pencils and accented with glitter (yes, I know this is supposed to be a "man card", but I really couldn't resist!). Instead of matting the layers, I sponged them. I thought it might be a lot quicker but I am thinking I'm a slow sponger! LOL I think I am just slow at cardmaking...period! I kept the embellishing simple, just some Bella Dots.

Image/Sentiment: Stampendous "Changito Cupid" Clear Set
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Soft Suede
Paper: SU! Poppy Parade, PTI Dark Chocolate, Bo Bunny DP, Basic Grey DP
Embellies: Doodlebug Glitter, Bella Dots
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, SU! Corner Rounder, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy the rest of your weekend! We are having a wonderful, lazy day today...there's a fire burning and we are going to roast bratwurst and make s'mores for supper.... Yumo!

Angela

I Love You With All My Heart

Hello! Today I have a card to share which took me way too long to make.... Now that I'm done, I'm not even so sure that I like it! Don't you hate it when that happens?

I used the sketch from MFT's Wednesday Sketch Challenge and one of the adorable Pure Innocence images. I love the DP; it's from TCP Studios and I used 4 patterns...I tell ya, that is not easy for me to do! The little gal is colored with pencils and her dress is paper pieced. Her barette and heart are coated with glitter...I think it's such a pretty shade of pink!

Image/Sentiment: MFT Pure Innocence "I Love You With All My Heart"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Sahara Sand and Regal Rose, TCP Studios DP, The Paper Studio Vellum

Embellies: SU! Rose Grosgrain Ribbon, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Pink Smoothie"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Dies, MFT Die-namics Die, EK Success 3D Dots

Thanks for stopping by; that's all for today, it's time to do some chores and then maybe I can stamp a bit later.... Are you getting crafty today?

Angela

WT304: Changito Shoveling

Good morning! I'm back today with my furry friend Changito! Same sketch, same image, but different papers and embellies along with another challenge. The "Ways To Use It" challenge on SCS today was to use twine...I figured I should play along since I've got a good supply!

Changito is colored with pencils and accented with glitter. I added some twine, a snowflake and a button for embellishment this time. I like the mix of rustic and glitz! Also, this is such a versatile sketch, I'm sure I'll be using it again....

Image/Sentiment: Stampendous "Changito Snow Play" Clear Set
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and Dark Chocolate, Jillibean Soup DP
Embellies: PTI Button and Twine, Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"
Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Snowflake Die

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

SC314: Make it Stop!!

Woo Hoo! So glad I had time to play the SCS sketch challenge today! I really liked this sketch; I took a look before bed and had lots of fun ideas this a.m. The only problem is, there are so many cards to make with so little time!

I went with an old favorite, Changito. Pair him with some glitter and you've got one happy stamper! He's colored with pencils and accented with glitter; Martha Stewart Crystal Fine on the white parts of his outfit and Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear" for the snow and snowflakes.

I am really loving PTI's Fine Linen CS; for some reason, the color reminds me of sugar cookies.... Anyway, I am finding it to be a great neutral. I paired it with some Crate Paper DP...I love the funky colors!

Image/Sentiment: Stampendous "Changito Snow Play" Clear Set
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and Fine Linen, SU! Soft Suede, Crate Paper DP
Embellies: Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear", Making Memories Crystal Brads
Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Dies, EK Success 3D Dots

I am also entering this card in Aly's Sunday Challenge which is "Anything Goes".

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

Tuesday Morning Sketches: #75

Good morning! Melissa from Tuesday Morning Sketches has a fun sketch to start the new year off right. This week our sponsor is Gingerloft and the digital stamp I chose is called "The Kiss". We also have a new guest designer for January: Imke of Crafting Creations by Imke.

I had a plan when I started making this card.... I had the papers layed out and wanted to print the image on cream CS with Chocolate Chip ink. I searched until I found the right color formula, programmed the printer, printed the image...only to find that it printed in black and white! Hmmm, I can print colored text but not an image! If anyone out there can tell me how to print a colored image, I would love to learn how! Anyway, I had to switch gears and change my plan. I thought this paper went nicely with the vintage type image as well, so I went with it. I chose vellum for the corner layers; I like how the DP shows through. I used some Swarovski crystals to accent the diecuts and finished it off with a black ribbon.

Image: Gingerloft Digital Stamp
Ink: SU! Black Marker
Paper: PTI Raspberry Fizz and True Black, The Paper Studio Vellum, Echo Park DP
Embellies: "Jet" Swarovski Crystals, Black Grosgrain Ribbon
Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities

I can't wait to see what images the rest of the DT chose to use on their cards; you can check them out here! Also, I would love to see YOU play along!

Thanks for stopping by today; have a good one!

Angela

Happy New Year!!!

I hope you have enjoyed the holidays and have started the new year with a bang! The new year has brought cold weather for us...I keep thinking that we'll have only 3 more months of snow! Only 3...ack!

I have been hard at work organizing my craft area. I'm about finished and would like to enjoy my newly organized space, but I am finding myself with no mojo...sad but true! Since I have enjoyed looking at some bloggers' top picks over the last year, I thought I would do the same and hopefully gain a little inspiration too.

I choose 1 card for each month over the past year, starting with January. Some months it was fairly easy to pick and some months not. One thing I did notice is that through the year, my photography skills and editing have improved. Thanks to Jessica for telling me about photo editing.... Who knew? I sure didn't! LOL I am certainly not very "techie", although I am learning....

January: The Cat's Pajamas

February: Stamping Bella



March: All That Scraps


April: SU!

May: Stamping Bella

June: Stampendous

July: Verve

August: MFT Pure Innocence

September: DeNami

October: Pink Cat Studio

November: PTI

December: Stampendous

There you have it, those are my personal top picks!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela