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A Card Set & CASe This Sketch Challenge

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A friend of mine was laid up for several months last year with a shattered wrist. She just got to the point where she could drive and get around pretty easily in November. Then early this month, she broke her heel! She's been told she can't put any weight on it for three months. She has a wonderful attitude, but when a mutual friend asked her what she needed she requested some thank you notes. In addition to sending over some meals, I thought I could contribute to the thank-you notes as well. I started with this sketch on CASe This Sketch.

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I chose to score the horizontal lines rather than use a patterned paper.

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The typewriter die is one of my favorites from Savvy, and the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's "Live, Love, Life."

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January Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

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The inspiration for today's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop is hearts. That's a theme that's hard to resist this time of year.

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In my ongoing attempt to use products I've never used or haven't used in a long time, I whipped out the "One Liner" Love die. I've had this for a couple years, and I'm quite sure I've never used it. (There are two other words in the set, so it's not quite as bad as it seems.) Other brand new products include the sparkly tag which I picked up at 50% off at Paper Source after Christmas, and the gorgeous gold dot vellum by Teresa Collins in her 6X6 pad, "Studio Gold." I layered the vellum on a piece of Select White cardstock.

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The red heart is the inside heart that pops out when you die cut one of the Stitched Heart dies (PTI), and the gold arrow is a die from Savvy. And the cardstock is my favorite, Pure Poppy.

This card also fits two other challenges: Less is More which is a sketch challenge this week.

Lim #14.1 copy

And the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Have a Heart.

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We're off to the movies to see "The Theory of Everything." I think it's close to the end of its run here. There are always multiple movies I want to see this time of year.

Variations on a Theme

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I need four birthday cards for guys by the end of the month, and decided to do the same design, with different papers and dies for all four. All four qualify for the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: It's a Guy Thing," as well as for the CAS-ology Challenge: NBUS. That may seem a bit odd, but it stands for "Never Been Used Schtuff." All the patterned papers on these cards are from new 6X6 paper pads that I picked up while traveling, and I've never used the "Sending" die or stamp from Simon Says. 

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Week 129 - NBUS

There have been lots of cards in blogland recently with the design I used. I pinned this one by Laurie last month. On two of the cards I popped the panels out with foam tape.

Guys1

Cardstock: Select White and Pure Poppy (PTI), patterned paper: "Stitched" Amy Tangerine for American Craft; die & stamp: "Happy" Simon Says

Guys4

 

Cardstock: Select White, True Black (PTI); patterned paper: Kelly Purkey "Second City" for Basic Grey; die: "Wet Paint" (PTI); stamp: "Happy" Simon Says

On these two cards, I decided not to pop the panels. I like both ways, but I think the foam adds an extra element of interest.

Guys2

Cardstock: Staples, Smoky Shadow (PTI), patterned paper: "Stitched" Amy Tangerine for American Craft, die & stamp: "Sending and Wishing" Simon Says

Guys3

Cardstock: Rustic Cream & Kraft (PTI), patterned paper: MME Necessities: Wood,  
die: "Wet Paint" (PTI), stamp: "Happy" Simon Says

Cards for guys almost always take me a lot more time than usual, but these went together fairly quickly. They're all different, but I think it's a great design for a masculine card.

A Shaker Star for Marc

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When my nephew saw the shaker card I made for my mother-in-law this summer, he announced that that was the kind of card he wanted for his birthday.

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I found the perfect patterned paper in an American Craft paper pad, "Hip, Hip, Hooray." I die cut two stars with Papertrey's "Seeing Stars" dies to create the window and frame for the shaker. I used Jennifer McGuire's tip to use fun foam as the backing for the shaker portion. Here's a link to her video; what a difference it made—so much easier, and nicer looking, too.

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I think he'll like it! Happy Birthday, Marc!

Card Remake

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In November I was searching my Pinterest boards for a card design for my nephew's birthday card. I found one I liked (but can't find it today after combing my Pinterest boards), and this is the card that resulted.

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It was just OK. I used a triangle stamp from Alt&New's "Schcahtoa" stamp set. It was bigger than I wanted, but I went with it. 

Recently, I found Mama Elephant's "Trifecta" set and there was the perfect triangle! (This is what happens when you have too many stamps.) So even though, it's too late for Mason's birthday, I did a remake, and I'm much happier with it.

BDRemake

Both cards use Papertrey Ink cardstock in Select White, Enchanted Evening, and Limeade Ice. The sentiment's the same as well, from the same Alt&New set, but the second time, I selectively inked it so the words sat on top of one another.

This would make a great card in lots of different color combinations. I can't remember what colors the original was–but definitel not these colors. 

 

Mr. S’Mores

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My friend, Cheri, sent me this adorable die a few months ago. It's taken me awhile to get to it, and Mr. S'Mores does take a bit of time since there are so many little pieces. He is, however, totally worth it; how cute is this?

Mr.Smores

Since the pieces are so tiny, I was able to use the pile of scraps waiting to be filed into my scrap folders. Before I pieced him together, I used Copic markers on a few pieces to give a bit of added dimension.

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When I finished the tag, I decided it deserved a card of its own. Not sure whether it's going to be a winter birthday card, or a Christmas thank you note.

Thanks, Cheri. I know this little guy will see some more action!

Christmas Cards

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My Christmas cards are all in the mail. Since I send so many, I usually mass produce one design. This year I did three different designs which made it more interesting. When I'm sure all the recipients have their cards, I'll post them. After I was done, I played around with another design, and made a couple of these as well which I've used for folks I also need to remember with a monetary gift.

JOY

The beautiful wreath image is from Avery Elle and I die cut the sentiment with Memory Box's Typewriter Alphabet in red foil paper. The "berries" are my favorite pearls from AMuse. Here's a better look at the foil paper and gold embossing.

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We're off in a minute to stop at Matt and Betsy's to see that cute baby and wish them a Happy First Anniversary. Then we'll go to the later church service where the choir and orchestra are presenting Bach's Cantata 140. It will be wonderful, as it always is!

Happy Birthday, Dane!

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My brother celebrated his birthday this week, and it was the perfect opportunity to break out a new stamp set from Papertrey Ink called "Uncorked." I knew as soon as I saw this set that it would make great birthday, congratulatory, and hostess gift cards and tags. I sent my niece a check and the card and tag ahead of time so she could buy Dane a bottle of wine for his birthday.

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The card was cased from one Erin Lincoln posted during the Papertrey Ink release last month.

Uncorked

The three wine glasses and one of the tags were die cut from vellum. I used the Simon Says Stars Borders die along the right edge and lined it with gold paper behind. "Celebrate" is also part of the Uncorked set.

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I love the sentiments that came with the set. This is just one of several great ones.

The wine bottle tag will probably get more use that anything else. Taking a bottle of wine to friends' homes is something we do all year long. Once the holiday is over, I hope to make several of these to have on hand.

UncorkedTag

I love the font they chose for the die cut words in this set. The third die cut word is "Thanks," another card I make frequently.

 

 

Back in Business

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We had a fabulous few days with family over the Thanksgiving holiday. We stayed up too late chatting with Sarah and Adam, and up too early with Caleb who decided after a couple of nights, that 5:30 am was about the right time to get up. We're partly responsible for that since he's allowed to watch PBS Kids in the morning at our house (but definitely not at his house!) We got a lot of family time with Matt, Betsy, Skylar, and the new little one, Ella. She's a keeper! She sleeps 3-4 hours between feedings and is a totally content little girl. Here's a cute photo of the three cousins. You can see that Ella is nonplussed by the three year olds.

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Sarah, Adam, and Caleb left here after church on Sunday. When they left, I'd barely begun with preparations for Christmas, but I've accomplished a ton in the last 2 1/2 days:  Christmas cards are finished (but not yet addressed), shopping is nearly done, and most of the handmade gifts are completed. We put up our Christmas tree this afternoon, but still have to decorate it and the rest of the house. Aside from needing to complete several assignments for two online classes, I'm feeling like things are under control.

Sarah and I did a little crafting while she was here. I'll share that in a later post, but I managed to squeeze in time to make a birthday card and get it in the mail.

Enjoy

I knew I wanted to use Papertrey's Star Coverplate, and hunted through my 6X6 paper pads until I found Lawn Fawn's "Into the Woods." I die cut the cover plate twice, once with the patterned paper and again with Tropical Teal card stock so I'd have a few solid colored stars for accent. The Lawn Fawn enamel dots in my drawer matched perfectly. I love how the patterned paper behind the cover plate shows through the stars. The sentiment was die cut and stamped with Papertrey's "Wet Paint." Then the whole cover plate was attached to a top folded card made from Canyon Clay cardstock.

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I'm posting this card on two challenge sites. First on Less is More, where the challenge is "Celebrations,"

LIM for blinkie

 

and then on the Simon Says Wednesday challege: "Anything Goes."

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November 2014 Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

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I was hoping to have several projects to share for today's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop, but the days just got away from me, so there's just one. Sarah, Adam, and Caleb are on their way here from Chicago, and we're not expecting them until quite late, so maybe I'll get time to create another card before the hop closes. For now, I have the gift exchange tags that I make annually for the family Christmas. We'll draw names on Thursday during our Thanksgiving celebration.

This was the inspiration post for this month:

The theme for this month is snow!  Dig out your favorite snow stamps and snowflake dies.  Create the illusion of snow with glitter or mica flakes.  Make some snow filled shaker elements with beads or sequins.  Whatever you decide, get creative and create your own winter wonderland with your paper crafting supplies!    

Right now, we're expecting 17 for Christmas dinner, quite a few less than last year's record 27!  I found an set of kraft tags in my drawer that already had the strings tied on, and there were just enough. I love white embossing on kraft, so the snow theme worked well.

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The snowflake stamp is from Papertrey's "Snowflake Serenade," and the embossing powder is appropriately named: "Winter Wonderland." Like the tags, the embossing powder has been in my collection for quite some time.

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I tried adding a sentiment to the tags but I liked it a lot more without it. "To" and "From" are stamped on the bag, and I wrote each person's name in white pen.

I have a few minutes before I have to leave for an appointment, so I'm off to check out the contributions to the blog hop.

Jumping for Joy

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I have a fun card to share for a great event. Last week I found out my niece and her husband are expecting their first child in mid-May. Maybe Aunt Karen will be lucky and the baby will be born on her birthday! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a card in the mail, and Papertrey's Phrase Play #8 die and stamp set was just perfect.

Jumping

I stamped the background with Papertrey's Ombre Builder using four different colors of ink, then die cut the frame twice and adhered them together to give it a bit of dimension. Stamping the rest of the sentiment, and layering it all on a Memory Box card was all that was left. This is just one of several great sentiments to use with this die. 

Hope you're having a great weekend. Our book group met last night to discuss November's book, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson. I really enjoyed his biography of Steve Jobs, and this was also great. It's the tale of how we've reached the digital age, starting with Ada Lovelace, Sir Byron's daughter in the 1800's. Fascinating. Although there were some relatively technical explanations, I found it very easy to read. After our discussion, we go out to eat, and enjoyed a delicious meal at Lemoncello in East Rochester. 

Today's been a busy and productive day: cleaning and organizing for Sarah's visit, and cooking for Matt and Betsy's freezer. 

Simon Says October Card Kit

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I almost always find lots to love about the monthly Simon Says Card Kit. Usually I tire of kit club subscriptions after a few months, but I've never been tempted to give this one up. It's a great value, and frequently they include some wonderful extras in additon to the stamp sets and papers. In October the theme was coffee and included a great stamp set ("What's Brewing?") and a really cute die. I needed a "hello, thinking of you" card as well as a thank you card, and it was easy to come up with the cards I needed with the kit and just a few other supplies.

CoffeeHello

I loved the patterned papers, all from Basic Grey's "Grand Bazaar." For this card, I stamped the coffed cup and cut it out by hand. I used the pocket portion of a new stitched tag die by Papertrey Ink to make a focal point for the cup, and stamped the "hello" on the cup.

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Then I stamped the steam and embossed it with rust embossing powder. I loved how it came out. 

The next card uses the cute little cup die that came with the kit as well as a different patterned paper.

Espresso

I die cut the cup six times, three with the patterned paper and three more with Doll Pink cardstock for the heart inserts. The great sentiment comes from a Reverse Confetti set "Be a Barista" which I embossed in gold. The cardstock for both cards also came in the kit.

A friend has invited two of us for lunch early next month, so the three coffee cups seemed just right, and now I'm all set with the thank you note. I'll be entering this one at the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Thanks/Thanksgiving.

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Enjoy!

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I had to take a break from my online class assignments this weekend to make cards for upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, and to send to some friends needing some encouragement.

CardStack

Now there's a bit of fodder for future blog posts as well. Two of the cards used a silver metallic paper I bought last winter from Michael's for my Christmas Journal pages and I thought I'd get them posted (just under the wire) for the current Virginia's View Challenge: All Things Metallic.

Enjoy!

I started out die cutting Papertrey Ink's Phrase Play #4 with the silver paper. After backing the "Enjoy" with black paper, and adding a strip of black and white polka-dot paper, I angled it on an Hawaiian Shores card, stamped the remainder of the sentiment and added a few sequins.

I then had the letter from the negative in the Phrase Play die, so made a second card with the same card base.

Enjoy

This time I used a black strip of paper to add some interest to the silver letters, a stamped ampersand from "Grand Ampersand", and "Celebrate" from "Wet Paint II" (all PTI).

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I've always loved that ampersand stamp, but this is the first time I've been able to put it to good use.

It's amazing how fast things can change. A week ago today we broke record high temperatures (near 80°). Today we have near record low temperatures with a wind chill of 7°. Fortunately, we did not get the record snows just west of us. My friend's son has over 5 feet of snow in his driveway, and it's still snowing. The Thruway is closed from here to the Pennsylvania border! I hope it all gets cleared up before folks need to travel for next week's Thanksgiving holiday.

Yea, for Retirement!

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One of my best friends retired October 1st. We went out to breakfast the first morning of her retirement and I gave her the retirement card I'd made then. Last week a group of us took her out to dinner. Each of us chose a different Alex and Ani bracelet to give her, and I made a tag to match the Alex and Ani bag.

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The black tag was in my draw of tags, but I'm not sure who made it. The "Congrats" die is a new one from Penny Black that I've been eyeing for a long time, and picked up at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff in early October. That, a few gold sequins, and some gold & black twine (also in my stash) was all I needed.

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As I told her the day she retired, the best I can wish her is that she will enjoy retirement as much as I have. I really had no idea how wonderful it would be!

With Sympathy

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Recently, a good friend of mine lost her mother. Another friend and I drove to Elmira for the funeral. It was a beautiful funeral mass that celebrated a long life, well lived. I thought Papertrey Ink's "Mums the Word" would make a lovely fall sympathy card.

Sympathy

I stamped the mums with Terra Cotta Tile ink and the off-stamped them for the shadow images. The sentiment is a very old wooden stamp from Savvy. The stamped panel was "framed" with Terra Cotta Tile paper and adhered to a card made from Ripe Avocado cardstock.

Although there are still many leaves on the trees, it's beginning to feel more like winter than fall. There was enough snow to stick to the ground for a little while. I'm not ready.