{Modern Poinsettia}

Good Afternoon friends! Today I am posting a card I created with two challenges in mind, this weeks Papertrey Ink MIM Challenge, and the current color challenge at CR84FN Color Challenge, here is the beautiful inspiration picture:

To create my card I used the Papertrey Ink die set Christmas Poinsettia, and the background stamp set Tin Types and Holiday Photo Finishers stamps and dies for the sentiment lable. The pretty background stamping on the poinsettia is from the Cornish Heritage Farms backgrounder stamp "Lace". I am so happy that CHF is about to re-open their store! To follow along with the MIM challenge I used my glue pad, and glitter to add pretty little floral accents to my tin type background.  I have to tell you that I was soooo close to scrapping this card, as in giving up, but I invested so much time in adding the black hand stitched border to the three layers of the poinsettia that I just couldn't give up. lol  I hope that you like my card, and again I want to remind you about my awesome blog candy giveaway of 6 FULL SIZE Fresh Ink Pads, these are identical to the A Muse Studio pigment ink pads so if you have been wanting to give them a try here is your chance to try them for free! Here is the link:

http://lk2thestarz.blogspot.com/2011/11/holiday-lights-and-amazing-giveaway.html

{November is finally here!}

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the official start of November then by creating a Fall/Thanksgiving card. I love the sentiment because it is a reminder that we all have a lot to be thankful for! For my card today I used the SU set "Funky Four", and "Greetings Galore". I stamped the tree stamp in 4 different colors of SU ink, More Mustard, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, and Ruby Red. The DSP is from BasicGrey, and was embossed using one of my new Cuttlebug folders. The felt ribbon is from Michael's. I distressed the edges of the main image and added a strip of card stock punched with the SU Ribbon Scallop Punch. The card base is Crumb Cake. Today I am playing along with these challenges:

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #83 - Fall Theme

Card Patterns Sketch #88

Cupcake Craft Challenge #115 - Thank you with Autumn Colors

Crafty Creations Challenge#91 - Halloween/Autumn

Bugaboo Stamps Catch The Bug Challenge - Autumn

Easy Craft Projects Challenge #24 - Autumn

{Wonderful Cupcakes}

I don't know about you but looking at this card makes me want a cupcake SO bad! I have a cake mix, with milk chocolate frosting just waiting to be baked but I know if I make them I will be the only one eating them since my hubby and son do not have a sweet tooth! Ok, onto business. The card I made today is for a cute challenge blog called "Paper Play Challenges". The inspiration picture this week is of these yummy, bright, fun cupcakes!

 Today's card had to fight hard to get here. When I finished it yesterday my son found it, and pulled off the cherries, and cupcakes, so I had to re-do all of those. Then, as I was getting ready to take a pictures of the card, some of the stickles hadn't finished drying so one of the cherries smeared. I had to re-do one of the cupcakes for a third time. By that time I was determined to finish, and post this card just because it had been thru so much already. lol  So here it is....finally.   I used the Stampin' Up Set "On a Pedestal". I stamped the cupcakes in Tempting Turq. Regal Rose, and Lavender Lace. I used matching card stock that I cut into squares, and embossed with my Cuttlebug "Once Upon a Princess" cupcake folder. I then attached those to scalloped squares. The cupcake bases were made using my SU Ribbon Scallop Punch. The pink polka dot ribbon is from Michael's, and the cherries were accented with Diamond Stickles. Finally I finished off the card with a sentiment from the SU set " Messages for Mom".  Thank you for visiting my blog today, and I hope you have a great week!

{Perfect Fall Day}

Staying inside on a cool Rainy Day is perfect for card-making! Today is one of those days so I thought I would play along with this weeks Etsy Inspired Challenge. The Etsy shop being featured this week is "Capturing Creativity". This is the card I chose from the shop as my inspiration:

Since I still had it on my desk from my last card I used the SU set "Season of Friendship" to stamp the leaves and tree. I stamped the leaves in two colors, Wild Wasabi, and Kiwi Kiss and added threaded button "apples" to the tree. The fence was made cutting strips of Choco Chip cardstock that I ran through my Cuttlebug, and then I trimmed the corners using the ticket corner punch. The sentiment is from the PTI "Everyday Button Bits" set.  I loved playing along with this challenge, and I hope you get a chance to play along to! Thank you for visiting my blog today!

{These Are a Few of my Favorite Things!}

     Cuttlebug embossing folders are most definitely in my top 5 for papercrafting supplies. They add so much to a card, and the folders get better every year! Now I can't continue without giving a shout out to one of  my besties  Rebecha from "I Play With Paper" for letting me now about the newest CB embossing folder release. Thank you sweet friend!

     The cards I made today feature the newest folders from the adorable "Once Upon a Princess" 4 piece Cuttlebug folder set.  I love seeing the embossing folder used on actual cards before I buy them but I couldn't find any online so maybe this will help you decide if you want them or not!

    For the first card I used an adorable butterfly trail embossing folder. I embossed 4 different pieces of DSP, which are all from Stampin' Up!, cut them out, then adhered them to the card using foam squares that I cut in half. The sentiment if from PTI, and the polka dot ribbon is from Hobby Lobby.  I am also entering this card into the weekly challenge at "Flutterby Wednesday". You should play along if you get a chance!

  

   For the second card I used the super cute layered cake embossing folder. I added Prima flowers in 2 colors to cover the flowers that come already embossed on the folder. I accented the centers with sticky back pearls. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up, as well as the ribbon and card stock.  This week I plan on featuring two more cards from the Once Upon A Princess Set to show you just how cute they are! Yes, I am an enabler.  As always thank you for visiting my blog today and have a wonderful day!

{Spring Upsy Daisy}

I could not ask for a more beautiful day then what we have here in Southeast Oklahoma today! I wish it could be like this every day of the year! Since the sun is shining I was inspired to create this springy card using the Stampin' Up! set "Upsy Daisy". I love how easy it is to create a beautiful card using this set! The main image was embossed with white powder, and a quick tip when you heat emboss, aim the heat gun on the opposite side that you embossed, and the image will be glossier. It works, it really does! The DSP is "Material Girl" by Cosmo Cricket. I used the SU Scallop Trim Border Punch, and my Janome for the stitching. I used a folder from my Cuttlebug "Romance" collection for the elegant embossing on the top of the card. I am very happy with the way this card turned out! I hope that you are having a great day today, and thank you for visiting my blog!

Lazy Saturday Afternoon

I am sitting here with the cool breeze blowing enjoying this beautiful spring day and I hope you are enjoying this day as well! I LOVE this time of year when everything starts to green up, and the spring flowers start blooming, and that is where the inspiration came from for the card I am posting today! I am in the process of un-mounting most of my retired Stampin' Up! stamp sets and have found that I am reaching for them more often now that they are easier to use! That being said I dusted off my retired SU set "Butterfly of Happiness" and inked up for the first time in a lonnnnng time. I used SU More Mustard to stamp the sentiment, and the Butterfly is clear embossed with clear powder, and SU More Mustard Craft ink. The butterfly DP is from KI Memories and the other odds and ends were just embellies that I had on hand. The layered card stock that my sentiment is stamped on was made using my Cricut, and SCAL software. LOVE my SCAL program. =0) The pearls I used on my card today were a gift from Rebecha (Garagesale Diva). Thanks my friend! I hope that all of you have had a great Saturday! Thank you for visiting my blog!

{A Card For a Friend}

I have had a wonderful weekend and I am sad that it is coming to an end. I love it when my hubby is home and we are all together. I hope you have had a great weekend also.
For this card I used some old DP that I have had for awhile. I am really trying to hard to get thru my stash of DP (designer paper) so that I won't feel so bad for continually adding to the stack of DP I already have. I am sure a lot of you know exactly what I am talking about. =0) I used my Cricut Exp. to cut out the butterflies, and then I embossed them with 3 different Cuttlebug folders. I used the new SU border punch that you can get FREE during Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration sale. This punch will be in the new catalog that comes out in the summer. Sweet right? The pink background is another CB folder that I sanded with my SU sanding blocks to give it a touch of distressing. Finally I finished off the card with 2 chocolate brads that I had on hand. I hope that you had a nice relaxing weekend, and as always thank you for visiting my blog today!

{Babies All Around!}

Well, I have been busy making baby cards lately because two dear friends have new baby boys! Hopefully they are too busy to check my blog and they won't see this card but I just HAD to post it! This card was made using DP from the DCWV Baby Boy stack. I am so glad that I bought 2 12x12's of this one. It is one of my all time favorite's and it will be a sad sad day when I finally run out. I used my Janome Sew Mini to stitch all of the blocks together to make the background look like a baby quilt. Yes, it did take a while. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up!, and the Giraffe is a clear set by "Recollections". I embossed the white ruffle with a Cuttlebug folder, and used my Fiskars Threading water border punch. I loved making this card, and will get it in the mail this week! Thank you for visiting my blog, and have a wonderful week!

Two Days In a Row!

Can you believe it?! I am actually posting to my blog two days in a row! Like I mentioned in yesterday's post I have had a lot of time to work on cards and I want to show you what I have been working on! For today's card I used the Stampin' Up! Bird Punch that can be found in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Isn't it the cutest thing? The DP is from the 2009 Hostess DP mini stack. I used kraft card stock for my card base and the super cute flower was made using nesting scallop punches. I LOVE the home made flower trend that is going on right now and I really want to learn how to make "ribbon" flowers. I embossed the branch using the Swiss Dots folder and the sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! "Hugs and Wishes" set. Thank you for visiting my blog!

{L is for Love}

You may not believe this, but I am terrible when it comes to making cards for my sweet husband! Now he is one of my biggest card making fans, and always gives me his opinion when I show him a card. So with that in mind it makes me sad that I don't usually make him cards for special occasions. Well my friends, this year things will be different. This is the card I am giving him for Valentine's Day! I used one of the new "Romance" Cuttlebug folders, and I sponged it with Champagne glimmer paint. The floral stamp is a clear set by "Clearly Inspired", and the "love" sentiment is from the Stampin' Up! set "Grateful Greetings". I used my Janome Sew Mini to accent the border with stitching and finished off the card with small pieces of folded black ribbon.

I also want to extend an invitation out to anyone that may want to join the "Busy Bee Bloggers"! If you only post 1-2 times a week then this is the blogging group for you! Let me know if you are interested. I hope all of you have a wonderful week and thank you for visiting my blog!

Sweet & Simple

I know there are thousands of beautiful cards out there that each took hours to make, and I am in awe of the detail that goes into them, but lately I have been leaning towards a more simple approach to card making. I have found that by setting out to make CAS (clean and simple) cards, I am able to make more at a time, thus building my stash of cards. For this card I used the Stampin' Up Wheel "Friendly Words". I love this wheel because it is so versatile! The red glitter embossed heart and the Valentine sentiment are from the SU set " A Happy Heart".



This is another CAS card using the retired SU set "Happy Heart Day". The embossed hearts were made using my Fiskars texture plates and Cuttlebug. I love that cute elephant!

And last but not least this card was made using the SU Level 3 Hostess set called "The More the Merrier", and the sentiment is from the SU set "Grateful Greetings". The scalloped heart border was made using my Cricut Expression. I love it when I can find the perfect matching ribbon! Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope that I can inspire you to make CAS cards. Have a wonderful week!

How Great Is Your Joy and Blog Candy!

Today I have been thinking of many of the things that I am thankful for. As Thanksgiving, and Christmas get closer memories of family and friends always come to mind. I am SO blessed in so many ways. I have an amazing family, Husband, beautiful Son, and wonderful friends! There are many out there who have much less then I do . I am humbled and grateful to my Heavenly Father for all of the many blessings in my life. What are you thankful for?

For today's card I used the Stampin' Up set "Delightful Decorations, and a set by Inkadinkado "Cool Christmas". The branch, and ornament were embossed with SU Nightof Navy embossing powder, and SU Hunter Green embossing powder. I tied to ornament to the branch with SU silver cord, LOVE that stuff! I also used my brand new Cuttlebug folder that I got in the mail this week! I used my brayer and my Brilliance Platinum Planet pigment ink and embossed with clear powder. I also inked the edges of the oval with the same pigment ink. I used my nesties on the scalloped oval. I LOVE how this card turned out!

Well my friends, I have approached a mini milestone of 200 posts on my blog! Yippie! So, to celebrate this fun occasion, I will be giving away some blog candy! There are 2 ways you can enter, #1 - Leave a comment telling me something you are thankful for, and #2 - Follow my blog! I will pick a winner one week from today, Nov. 22th!

*editing to add additional goodies (TONS of ribbon!) to the blog prize and adding a few days for people to enter*

A Great Day For Card Making!

The sky is gray, the trees are bare, and there is a slight nip in the air! This is perfect weather for staying inside to play in my scrap room! For the card I made today I used a Holiday set by Inkadinkado called "Christmas Characters". Aren't the polar bears adorable!? I used one of my snowflake Cuttlebug Folders and used heat embossing for the silver snowflake trail, and the scarf and hat on the bears. I stitched around the square with my Janome, and accented the corners with silver brads. White, Navy Blue, and Silver has to be one of my favorite Holiday card color combos! What are your favorite Holiday combo's? I hope that you have a great week, and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Stampin Up Sale!

As some of you already know I am a Stampin' Up Demo, Hobby Demo that is! For the next 3 days I am offering my 20% demo discount for all orders placed through me. Even if you live in another state you can still order from me and receive the discount! Let me know if you are interested.
Now onto the card I made today! This card features a beautiful die-cut dragonfly that is sparkly but the camera didn't pick up the shimmer. I used my SU scallop punch on the edges, and the sentiment is the new SU Modern Label punch. My poor word window punch is going to be taking a back seat to the Modern Label Punch! I love the extra little sumthin' that it adds to the sentiment. I accented it with MM brads. I used Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss, and Pink Pirouette card stock. The embossed image is a Cuttlebug folder, and the stitching was done with my Janome Sew Mini. For some reason I have run out of "thank-you" cards so you may be seeing a lot of them in the next few weeks. I hope all of you are enjoying this beautiful Monday!

{It's a Wild World}

Today has just been one of "those" days, and this card is a perfect example of how I feel! Also, this is the first card I made using my Cricut....I am in love. The lettering, and grass were made with my new toy. It took me awhile to glue the letters to the card stock but well worth it because I love how it turned out! The stamped images are from "Recollections" I hope that each of you are having a good week so far, and I thank you for visiting my blog today!

{Stampin' It Up - Ol' School}

I recently bought several retired Stamp Sets off of Craigslist for a GREAT price (Thanks Jessica!) and the cards I am featuring today were made from two of the sets! The first card was made with the Stampin Up set " Weather or Not". I used my Martha Stewart dew drop ink pads and individually inked up each umbrella.

It took awhile, but I love the colorful end result! The background was the CB Swiss Dots folder, and I used my Janome Sew Mini for the stitching. I accented the card with colorful buttons! I've been on a button kick lately, hehe. All in all I am pleased with how the card turned out!

This is the second card I made using my "new" Stamp sets, and it features the SU set "Garden Collage". I used the SU Background set "Fine Lace" that I stamped in Close to Cocoa ink. I love the texture that it added to the card. The flower and butterfly were colored with ink and my aqua painter, and then I used Ranger Crackle Accents to add a neat "cracked glass" look to the flower and butterfly.

I love how it turned out! I hope that you have a fantastic week and thank you for visiting my blog!