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Retro Sketch #49

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This is the second week when the Retro Sketch was perfect for a valentine. This time I followed the sketch totally, and I love the love of the punched hearts with the patterned paper behind them.

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Cardstock:  Bazzill; patterned paper: Fancy Pants "The Good Life" and BoBunny "Bold & Bright Double Dots"; heart punch; Double-ended banner (PTI); sentiment: Savvy stamps

Alexa wondered if I made more than one valentine. I think there are seven or eight on the list this year. I have three done now. 

 

Papertrey January Blog Hop Challenge

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Today's the day of the January Blog Hop at Papertrey Ink. I loved the inspiration photo and knew right away what I wanted to do.

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It turned out pretty much the way I hoped but it took three tries. I embossed the flowers with white embossing powder and colored them with a variety of Smooch paints. They have a luminous quality that I've always liked. It took multiple coats to cover the black with the kind of color I wanted.

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Here's the card:

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I started with True Black cardstock, and embossed the "Stitches and Swirls" with white embossing powder. The sentiment is from Birthday Basics Sentiments. After coloring the flowers and leaves with Smooch, I mounted the focus piece on a card made from Pure Poppy. I added pearls from Queen and Co. to the centers of three small flowers.

Then Fancy Folk Art arrived in the mail, and I had to try another technique I saw on Cristina's blog during the release. I die cut the focal image from True Black cardstock, colored the main design with Copic markers on X-Press Blend cardstock, and mounted it behind the black card.

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I like this one even better. The sentiment is also from Fancy Folk Art. You can find more inspiration here.

Two Cards; Two Challenges

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I had two challenges in mind as I sat down to create two birthday cards for upcoming birthdays. The first card uses both the challenge to create a long and short (tall) card at CAS-ual Friday as well as the CAS(e) This Sketch challenge. It turned out to be a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated, so the second card is just for CAS(e) This Sketch.

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Here's the first card:
SuperAmazing
Cardstock: Bazzill Prismatic; patterned paper: Lime Twist "Out of the Blue" (MME); stamps: "Super Star" (WPlus9); die: Double-ended banner (PTI); white embossing powder; Gelly Roll glitter pen 
And here's the card just based on the second challenge:
HBStars
Same supplies as above without the patterned paper, and the addition of a star by Jenni Bowlin
So far I'm managing to keep up with the two challenge/two cards a week I set as a goal for this year. I'll be back on Friday with another card for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. I know exactly what I hope to do. Let's hope it works!

Simon Says Challenge with Washi Tape

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The current challenge at Simon Says is to use washi tape on a card. While I was making cards yesterday, I pulled out a little tin of Washi tape I'm using in my History Project notebook, and made a quick thank you note to send to my mother-in-law's friends who were so kind to us when we were visiting Florida last week.

WashiCard

Most of  my Washi tape has arrived in kits and I'm not sure who the manufacturers are for these. The cute little wood veneer arrow is from Studio Calico. I colored it with Brilliance Rocket Red ink by Bri. The sentiment is a very old one from A Muse that I embossed in white. I may well be back with more Washi cards before the week is out. I still have two more birthday cards to make that must be in the mail by Monday.

Three Cards, One Challenge

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When I first saw Retro Sketch 46 I didn't think it would be a particularly easy sketch to work with, but I was wrong. I needed a retirement card for a party tomorrow as well as a thank you note and a birthday card. I pulled out a new 6X6 pack of patterned paper by Fancy Pants and some black card stock I picked up at Archiver's while we were on our trip and got to work. Here's the sketch:

Rs46

And here are my three cards based on it:

Retro1

Cardstock:  Bazzill Prismatic; patterned paper: Paper Loft; dies: Labels 12 (Spellbinders), Holiday Shapes (Simon Says; sentiment: Framed Out #1 (PTI)


Retro2

Cardstock: Bazzill Prismatic; Patterned Paper: The Good Life paper pack (Fancy Pants); sentiment: Silhouette file; vellum (PTI); two-inch square punch


Retro3

Cardstock: Bazzill Prismatic; Patterned Paper: The Good Life paper pack (Fancy Pants); die: Labels 12 (Spellbinders), Holiday Shapes (Simon Says); Sentiment: "Framed Out #1 (PTI)

It was 82° when we left Florida Wednesday night. Today it was 17° when I met some friends to breakfast. A rude awakening! I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge. I'm slowly making my way around to read everyone's blogs and catch up on Storytelling Sunday.

Thanks–Two Challenges

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I managed to eek out a few minutes this afternoon and make a thank you card. I'll need a couple while we're away, and this one meets the requirements for two challenges. Completing two challenges a week is a 2013 intention, and although I meant that there would be two cards, this will do under the circumstances.

The first challenge is CASual Friday:  create a Thank You card, and I used the new RetroSketch that was posted this morning. It would have met last week's CASual Friday's challenge as well as it took under 10 minutes to make. Love the RetroSketches! Here's the sketch:

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And here's my interpretation:

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I started with Neenah White cardstock, used a scrap of Dear Lizzy Neopolitan patterned paper that was laying on my desk and die cut it with Spellbinders Small Labels. Two pieces of Washi tape, a Basic Grey "Small Details" embellishment, and "thanks" (AMuse), and it was complete.

 

Papertrey Ink December Blog Hop Challenge

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It's time for the December Blog Hop at Papertrey Ink, and the inspiration piece is lovely.

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White on white always appeals to me, and with our first snow cover of the year, and a winter storm watch for tonight and tomorrow, it's most appropriate. In addition to the white on white, I kept with the snow image as well.

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I started with Select White cardstock, and embossed a background paenel with the Diamonds Impression Plate. For the focal point, I die cut one of the Doily Details, punched two snowflakes with my Marvy punches, and added a Hero Arts pearl. The sentiment is from Happy Trails, a set I don't use often enough, stamped onto one of the  Double Ended Banner die cuts. There's sure to be lots of inspiration here!

Silhouette for Christmas

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One of the best perks of having been on a design team was the opportunity to purchase things at wholesale. I know I never would have bought a Silhouette at full price, but I keep it on my desk and love what it can do. Last night I whipped up a couple of Thank You notes (not yet photographed), but earlier I made a couple cards and a little box. The first card is cased from a Silhouette Blog post. It can't be easily mailed, but it was hand delivered yesterday with a bag of candy.

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I used scraps laying on my desk for red and green (Papertrey Ink New Leaf patterned paper.) The tag is from an office supply store, and the little candy candy with Stickles is from Papertrey's "Tiny Treats: Christmas."

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I love this card, but realized that there's no room for a message or enclosure if you want the brown to show through. I solved the problem by creating an inside flap of the same brown that lifts up to disclose the message.

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And finally, a little box I made to hold one of Sarah's gifts. More New Leaf patterned paper for the circles, and the tag is from Papertrey's "Christmas Countdown" set I purchased for my Christmas Journal this year. (Yes, I'm still working on my Christmas Journal in a not very chronological manner, so I may not post the pages until after the holiday. There have been some challenges with the Simple Stories album, though I love the end result.)

Hope you have a great weekend! Hard to believe it's the last one before Christmas. Matt is scheduled to arrived a little after midnight, and I have my fingers crossed that he'll make his connection and get here on time. We have friends coming for dinner which should help me stay awake until we need to get to the airport.

Happy Birthday!!

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Today's my brother's birthday. Last year, he came up for a visit shortly after his birthday, but this year we had to "celebrate" over the phone. Here's the birthday card I sent him.

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I "cased" it from this card, with just a few changes. I used one of Papertrey's Edger dies and added some Washi tape. I sent an almost duplicate card to Tracy's brother, Greg, earlier this month. The patterned paper is Studio Calico, the star die and stamp from Star Prints (Papertrey), and the sentiment from Paper Smooches. I think this is a pretty good "masculine" design.

Here's another birthday card I sent my nephew earlier. 

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I made this one from scraps left over after I finished the card here, and I like it almost as much.

It's been a wild week—lots of volunteer commitments, committee meetings, and events. Today after church, a friend and I took time to visit the Image City Photography Gallery for their Holiday Show, and then the contemporary Native Peoples exhibit at the Memorial Art Gallery. Both were well worth our time. Hope you had a good weekend!

 

Get Well Wishes

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Three of my good friends have recently had surgery. All of them are recovering nicely, and I thought I'd share the cards I sent them.

Re-Covererd

"On the Couch Additions" and "Chair-ished" are two of my favorite stamp sets for folks recovering from surgery. The card is from Paper Source and the patterned paper from "Snap" by Simple Stories.

Sunshine

This friend was definitely in need of some sunshine. As she noted, in August the foot surgery and a three-to-four week recovery didn't sound too bad, but now not being able to move around, drive, or take care of projects it's not looking quite so good. I was glad to pull our the "Hello, Sunshine" stamps, as this was the perfect sentiment. A felt sun (Heart2Heart die #6), a Papertrey button, and an old card from the stash (Savvy or A Muse?), and I ended up with a pretty cheerful card.

HangInThere

The card was cased from this card by Kimberly Crawford. It was the perfect sentiment for our cousin's daughter who had rather dreadful complications from her surgery, but is now doing great. The paper is Cosmo Cricket "Boyfriend," the little clothespins and twine are from Michael's, and I generated the sentiment on the computer. I  bought her a couple of journals since she's a writer and decided to make my own wrapping paper.

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I used Hero Art's Scattered Leaves and a variety of Tim Holtz Distress Inks, utilizing the the rock 'n roll technique with some of the leaves. It was quick and easy. Something I should do more often.

Still Here

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Yes, I'm still here, and I'm trying to get around to blogs for a few minutes each day, but I haven't wanted to take the time to post recently since our time with Sarah and Caleb was nearing the end. Sarah, however, came down with a nasty cold on Tuesday. Yesterday she felt so rotten she cancelled two meetings–one with a pastor advisor/friend and one with her grandmother. Her grandmother suggested she stay a few extras days and offered to pay for the change fee. It turned out to be quite a hassle, but Sarah finally found a new flight home for the same price as her original one. Lucky us, she'll be with us for another week! It proved to be a good decision as the same night, we found Caleb's first two tiny teeth emerging which has caused a bit of disruption in his sleep patterns. It hasn't, however, altered his happy disposition. Here's one of my favorites from yesterday, playing with a basket of Bill Dings–toys we saved from Sarah and Matthew's childhood, and one I remember from mine as well.

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Needless to say, crafting time has been put aside for the most part, although I do have some earlier projects to share and will try to get them up this week. I've also decided on a format for a gratitude project for November (thanks Amy and Mel!) and will try to get some photos it soon.

Here is a card I made the day Sarah and Caleb arrived for good friends who just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

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I think it's a bit easier to see the metallic paper (silver and blue) in the close-up. I think both are by Bazzill, but I'm not sure. I try to buy a few sheets of it whenever I visit Buffalo Stamps and Stuff, but it has no manufacturer on the paper itself. The dies are By the Number and the sentiment from Big Birthday Wishes (Papertrey Ink), and the gems from Hero Arts. 

A Birthday Challenge

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Last week I missed linking my card to CAS(E) This Sketch by just two hours, so I wanted to be sure to get this card done in time to post it for that challenge as well as the CAS-ual Friday Challenge to use kraft paper. Oops! Missed the CAS(E) This Sketch challenge again, by a whole day. Goes to show when you have a baby around, you can't even keep track of the days. Oh well, I enjoyed the challenge anyway. These are two of my favorite challenge blogs, and they've worked very well together. Here's the sketch:

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And here's my card. This one is for my niece, Stephanie.

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The kraft cardstock, sentiment (Birthday Basics), and die (Bloom Builders #3) are all Papertrey Ink. The patterned paper came from a MME's 6X6 pad, "Stella Rose." The button in the middle of the flower is from La-Di-Dah, and the pearl from Queen and Company. Both the patterned paper and the button have been in my stash for quite a while.

I'll be back later with some Halloween fun.

Happy Birthday

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It's a rare day that I put up two posts (my Papertrey Ink Blog hop post is below), but one of the challenges for this card ends tonight. I missed one of the challenges on Tuesday by two hours because I wasn't paying good attention. When I saw the new CASE Study challenge this morning I had an idea that I thought would work for the Embellish Paint Color Trends challenge. Here's the card to case:

Felt-foliage-hello

And here's the Embellish challenge:

Paint

 

I have to admit I don't think I've ever used paint on a card, but when I saw Julia's card on CASE Study, I thought I could apply some paint to a piece of black corrugated cardstock and go from there. I had a new bottle of Dick Blick Brown acrylic paint so I randomly applied it to the black cardstock and then distressed it a bit more with a file. I adhered that to a card of Soft Stone which I distressed around the edges. I cut a thin piece of burlap and die cut the leaves from New Leaf Patterned paper (which just arrived this week.) I also painted the sentiment banner. I had a white one laying on the desk, and decided I could just paint it. I was a bit surprised at how easily the Vintage Cream ink stamped on the painted surface. I added a New Leaf button and was done. 

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Here's a closer look at the painted corrugated cardstock:

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I think paint may show up again on a card or two! I'm posting this on the Moxie Fab canvas, cork, and burlap challenge, too. 

Papertrey October Blog Hop Challenge

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This month's blog hop challenge was to use nontraditional colors to create a holiday card. I started off with a totally different color combination and made six cards with slight variations. Then I realized I'd substituted Select White for the Soft Stone since I got a sharper image on the white. You won't see those here because some of you are sure to receive one of them in the mail. When I started over, I chose a totally different color scheme, one I definitely wouldn't have chosen for a Christmas card, but I rather like the results. Here's the color palette:

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Although the color's not listed, there's clearly some cream in the inspiration post, and I added a Vintage Cream tag. Everything on the card is Papertrey:  Sweet Blush, Scarlet Jewel, Dark Chocolate, and Avocado Green cardstocks, and  Sweet Blush ribbon. I used the Herringbone Impression plate, the chevron dies, Block Alpha, and Tag Sale #3. For some reason the Scarlet Jewel isn't showing up particularly well in either photo.

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It was fun to break out of the Christmas red and green box for awhile. 

Birthday Wishes–A Two Challenge Card

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I'm trying to get all the birthday and anniversary cards that I need for the rest of October and November done before Sarah and Caleb arrive later this week. I wanted to participate in the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge again as well as the CAS-ual Friday challenge. CAS-ual Friday is about to release their first sets of stamps later this month. They've had lots of great sneak peeks this week. You can check it out here.

Here's the sketch:

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And the CAS-ual Friday challenge is to have an element hang off the edge of your card. Once again these challenges worked well together, and CAS is definitely my preferred style.

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Here's what I came up with. I'm trying to use some stamps I haven't used in a while, so pulled the Modern Wood Mats set off the shelf and stamped it onto a Mat Stack 1 die. Then I die cut Bloom Builders #3 in two different colors and used the smaller dies to create this flower. The center is an old Making Memories brad, and the leaves are Tender Leaves by Memory Box. The sentiment (stamped on a Double Ended Banner die) is from Round and Round. Everything except the leaves and brad are by Papertrey Ink.

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I'm thinking this will be heading to one of my nieces for their November birthday. Thanks for your nice comments on the new profile photo. My son-in-law took this when we were in Hilton Head. He was looking for some new head shots and I surely needed one, so it was a great trade. Just took me two months to get it changed!