Saturday, April 16, 2011

A 90 minute challenge (that I missed by a minute or two...)

Really, I am not making my challenge deadlines lately!  I took part in the Hero Arts 90 minute scramble hosted by Sally Sherfield  and knew what I wanted to do, got organized and then assembled my card only to have my camera and computer not cooperate with each other on their uploading partnership.  Oh well, still was fun to take on the challenge.  I think though, that I am going to change out the Best Wishes sentiment and put in a HELLO or THINKING OF YOU sentiment instead.  


I used all Hero Art stamps, (HA CG314, HA S5362, HA CL509) and basically just distress inked two pieces of paper, stamped it and then Glossy Accented the dots. The die cuts are SpellBinders. I might also add some bling to the card...just because I am compelled to add bling! :-) Enjoy your day...it is snowing here!

Be Well,
Sheila

Friday, April 15, 2011

Friday and storms are a comin'

It looks like tomorrow might  have a nice window of time to do some crafting.  There are no soccer games, track meets and the weather looks like it is going to be wet and miserable soooo no yardwork either.  And, although I would really like to get out into my yard and prepare it for Spring and Summer I will be pretty content to hole up in my craft room and  get some projects done... maybe do a little reading...basically, just relax.  Today I want to share with you the card that Anne Bubash sent to me as part of the Hero Arts Spring/Easter card exchange.  I love the colors that she used!


My next card is one that I WAS entering into two challenges....The Etsy Inspired Challenge and Wee Memories Challenge #51 sponsered by The Twinery .  For the Etsy challenge I had planned on using this baby quilt for my inspiration:


...but I got a phone call  right before I took the picture of it and also about an hour before the challenge closed and so completely lost track of time and didn't get it uploaded in time...oh well, it was a good call from my sister in law and I always like to get caught up with her!  I did use a small bit of twine on this card....I am still learning to use twine and not try to make it "be" ribbon!  Anyways, here is my card for the Wee Memories Challenge #51:

 



I love this flower.  It is Hero Arts Stencil Flower  and I find it is one of those stamps I turn to over and over again. I also just bought the Papertrey Turning a New Leaf Die and the Tiny Tags Stamps and Die and think that both sets are also ones that I am going to come to rely on. I also have one other card that I made for the CR84FN Color Challenge #23 . I really love the colors of this challenge...pink, black and ivory and had fun creating a card.


I used a LaBlanche Stamp, The Rose, Spellbinders Dies, an old newspaper stamp from Cornish Farms and a Hero Arts sentiment.  I distressed some ivory cardstock with Antique Linen and Worn Lipstick ink.  Finally, I finished off the card with Glimmer Dust and some Hero Arts "bling".  Hope you like it!


I hope you have a great weekend!


Be well,
Sheila

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Super quick post...

A super quick post today 'cuz the sun is out, the birds are singing and my dogs need a game of fetch in the backyard!  This is a card that I have put in the mail for a friends birthday.....I am really happy with how it turned out.  I am still making my way through the same pack of SEI papers that I have used for the last few cards that I have posted.   Today however, I went with a more sea green-turquoise blue scheme.  I used the Hero Arts Large Flower stamp (a favorite of mine...so versatile!) and a tag from Papertrey Tiny Tags collection.  I am also using a sketch from the April Sketch challenge at Hero Arts although I have switched it around a bit....




Take care and I hope that you too are having lovely weather today!

Be well,
Sheila

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

It is a Sunny, Soccer, Track and Field Kinda Day.....

Hi Everyone!  It is an absolutely, wonderfully gorgeous day here in southeastern Wisconsin.  We don't get much of a spring some years in Wisconsin and this year seems to offer us less than usual but today?...well, today is one of those nice, cool but with a bright, warm sun kind of days.  Which is great because in a few hours my daughter has a soccer game and my son has a track meet.....in different cities!  But that's okay because today, with the weather cooperating, I am feeling mighty "super - momish" and expect to be able to make BOTH the soccer match and the track meet without missing too much of either.  Heh-heh....check back tomorrow and see how I did!

Today I have two cards....both that I did a few days ago and have popped into the mail for the recipients...hopefully they have gotten them by now or else aren't checking my blog.

The first one I am entering into the Card Patterns Weekly Sketch Blog.  The sketch this week is # 110.


My card also uses Hero Arts Stamp Outline Magnolia.  I like this stamp a lot but am not sure if I picked the right colors here to offset the patterned papers.....any suggestions?



The next card uses the same papers (which, can you tell I love???  The last three cards came from the same pack!) but this time I tried stamp layering which is this one of this months challenges over at the Hero Arts blog. I also used a Hero Arts Stamp called Many Petals.


Thanks for stopping by!

Be well,
Sheila

Monday, April 11, 2011

Grandpa's Birthday...

Yesterday we celebrated my father in law's birthday.  It was unseasonably warm.....seriously, crazily, wonderfully warm for Wisconsin.  It was 82 degrees.  My father in law turned 84.....and, even though I have been hoping, praying, PINING for the sun and warm weather it was more wonderful seeing and chatting with George :-D

The card I made for my father in law is also the card that I am entering into Lily Pads Card Challenge.  The challenge is called Kathy's Color Throw Down and the color selection was a blast to work with.  I had never inked up this stamp yet but it seemed absolutely perfect for these colors.

    









The stamp is LaBlanche that looks like this and that I was able to purchase online from BlueMoon Scrapbooking.com.....an online store that I was really delighted to find carried LaBlanche.  The sentiments are a Hero Arts birthday sentiment that I find myself reaching for again and again!

Thanks for stopping by and please, enjoy your day!

Be well,

Sheila

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Thursday and I really wish it was Friday.....

Don't get me wrong....I am actually loving today.  I finally had some time to sit down and craft!  I also had time to go out and putter about the yard.  It is so nice to see the flowers starting to poke through the earth and little bitty buds work themselves free of the branches of the shrubs and trees.  Today, finally, it really feels like Spring is coming and although this may be a rumor,  I did hear that it might go into the high 60's this weekend!  I am really looking forward to warm weather....some balmy spring nights and being able to open my windows and let the wind blow through my house.  Soon, soon :-D

But, I am anxious for Friday because Friday we are going out to a friends house for dinner and then maaaaaybeeeee out for some dancing after the meal.  The friends who are hosting are going to be leaving soon for a several year work commitment in India and they are having another couple and ourselves over for a night of good food, laughs, good byes and good lucks.

I really was on a  card making run today.  I had several colored "panels" that I needed to assemble into cards.  I often stamp out images that I like, (5 or 6 at a time) and then color them  when I am watching a tv show with the fam.  Then, I collect them until I have time to sit down and pick out papers or stamp up backgrounds.  So my cards today are many( well, not THAT many...just 5) but I tried to achieve a different look and feel whenever I used the same image.

For example, I often use this stamp from LaBlanche for sympathy type cards but am  now also trying to get a spring look.  I think it could also be an elegant wedding or anniversary card if done with more muted, monochromatic colors...




I love butterflies and know that I will use this next stamp incessantly.  It has such a nice image that I often "cut down" with my die cuts...I love the way an image looks when it just sort of "leaves" the  edges of the die cut.  These  stamps are also LaBlanche.



And my last card just makes me laugh!  It is supposed to be a "spring" card but no matter what the season is I invariably reach for "fall" colors! I thought that I would enter this particular card in the Etsy Inspired Challenge .  The Etsy inspiration this week comes from the XS Baggage Company which has AMAZING bags, laptop covers , key fobs etc....It was hard to pick just one pattern that I liked but there was one that had my "go to Fall colors" and of course I WENT TO IT.  So here is the laptop bag that "inspired" me (and seriously, isn't it pretty "groovy " looking?  Love it!) and here is the my card!  And again, I am using LaBlanche....I really do make cards with stamps other than LaBlanche....I guess I am on a little bit of a coloring kick lately and their images are so much fun to color! 

  
                                        


The various sentiments that I used are from HA and Lawn Fawn.  And, I'm off to watch my daughter play in a soccer game.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Be well,
Sheila



Monday, April 4, 2011

Took the weekend off and didn't clean my house.....

Hello All,

So, I took the weekend off from doing anything crafty because it was REALLY time to clean my house.  I had the very best of intentions.  I was going to get my laundry done, the basement straightened, all the bathrooms cleaned and the floors washed.  I know, I know.....WHAT WAS I THINKING?  Basically, I got nothing housecleaning-wise done.  And, really-I'm pretty okay with that.  These are the reasons (excuses?) why I didn't get anything done. Friday night my son called me from a Sadie Hawkins dance saying it was kinda boring and all his friends wanted to come to our house to play Wii Dance. (yes, you read that right...they left a real dance to come home and play a virtual dance!) and so I said, "sure-you can have everyone over." And really, why would I clean BEFORE a bunch of teenagers came by. And then the next day, Saturday, we had some scattered spots of sun so each time the sun came out I dropped whatever I was doing and went out with Buster and Boca for a long walk.  Then, my son asked could he have friends over, again, this time for a sleep over.  And then,  my daughter asked if she could have a friend  over too. And again I ask you WHY would I clean BEFORE a bunch of teenagers were coming over?  Then my husband and I decided to have a "Mad Men" marathon and no way was cleaning going to get in the way of Mad Men! Well, before I knew it Sunday was here!  And Joe and I sat down with cups of coffee and talked over the fun weekend with the  kids.  Then I just had to call and catch up with Bess who is at college, and talk about her weekend.  But then, after talking with Bess, I really got down to business. I started to do the laundry....but seriously,  by then it was really too late to do housework because it was  close to dinnertime and....sooo, the long and short of it is that my house is still a mess but, I had a pretty good weekend!

Today I did get some time (while clothes were in the machine) to get to some cards.  I have several to make...some sympathy, some spring and some "just thinking of you" type of cards.  I feel like my photography skills need to sharpen up a bit though so I apologize for the poor card shots.  I need to find a way to reduce the glare....any suggestions?

I really like this card...it is for a neighbor whose wife just died.  They were married well over 50 years :(

I used HA Friend Definition, Envelope Pattern, and a sympathy statement as well as a LaBlanche stamp called Fence with Roses. My next card I am entering into the current Play Date Cafe Challenge.  I think that maybe I didn't use the right color of blue but am going to  enter it anyways!  I really love this particular stamp.  It is called Roses Photo Stamp by Darkroom Door and it is larger than my die cut version.






This last card uses the LaBlanche stamp called Blossoming Tree with Butterfly and then I added a HA sentiment.  Thanks for stopping by!  I have really appreciated the various comments and encouragement that people have left me or emailed me.  So far, this has been a very nice experience :-D

Be well, 

Sheila




Friday, April 1, 2011

Deborah's March CCC...

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to post the card that I made for Deborah's March Card Challenge just because I really love how this particular card turned out!  You know how sometimes you are just tickled with your efforts?  Well, that is pretty much how I felt about this card...just tickled.  Or perhaps I should say...just tickled pink! It isn't even that "complicated" or "wild" or even a "stand out in the crowd-ish" type of card.  But, I like it.   So now that Deb has  posted all the cards that were involved in the March challenge over at the Lily Pad Cards site (yes, the "Challenge" has changed it's address this month!) I can share with you the card that I sent to Shamela in Cape Town, South Africa.....I hope she has received it!


  I used La Blanche Silicon Stamp Marigold #19 1170 and then just simply colored it with colored pencils. I added a little Glamour Dust (and let me just say -  GLAMOUR DUST ROCKS!!!) on bits of the petals as a final step before mounting it on some lovely pearlized cardstock.  I love this particular stamp and know I will get oodles and oodles of use out of it!

Thank you for stopping by today!  And enjoy your day in your part of the world :)

Sheila

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