Pretty Palette #78 - Happy New Year!

Hi there!  There is a new Pretty Palette challenge over on the My Time Made Easy blog.  These colors are taken from the latest digital paper pack called Table for Two Patterns. 

Since I didn't make any Christmas cards to send out to some of my crafty friends, I figured I'd send New Year's cards.  This image is from the new Christmas Swag digital stamp set.  It's colored in GIMP with three of the challenge colors.  I used the new You're Invited cut file for the large shape.  The green polka dotted paper is one of the designs from Table for Two Patterns.  The base of the card is basic gray (it looks black!), and I added an orchid and white gingham ribbon to finish it off.

I used this great sketch from Retro Sketches.  Loved it!

You can see more from the Pretty Palette girls at these blogs.

 

MTME blog

Jackie Randolph

Mary Vogel

Romaine Rancier

Tracy Holmes



Thanks for stopping by!  Happy New Year!

Just Us Girls #168 - Photo Inspiration Challenge

Hi everyone!  Long time, no post!  Things have been a bit hectic here.  Update on my mom:  She's out of rehab and is continuing her recovery at my house (she broke her hip on Thanksgiving).  So I've been busy getting her settled, helping with her exercises, getting ready for Christmas (not much shopping done!), and working, crafting has taken a back seat.

 

But Vicki chose this fabulous photo for our Just Us Girls photo inspiration challenge (she always manages to find the coolest pictures!) and she wanted all of us to join in so I went into my cold basement craft room and rolled up the sleeves. 

 

 Here's a closeup of the picture for a better view.

 

 I decided to use the rosettes and the colors as my inspiration and came up with this.  The paper is SU's sooo retired Bali Breeze.  I made the rosette out of the turquioise paper and Tim Holtz's Paper Rosette die.  I added the scalloped circle, ribbon flower, and white glitter dot.  The senitment is Signature Greetings II from PTI.

 

 I used this great sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  That circle was perfect for my rosette! 

 

The JUGs design team has some great inspiration for you to see, so stop by these blogs.

 

JUGs blog

Andrea Matthews

Elise Durenberger

Lynn Mangan

Maria Levine

Marisa Ritzen

Vicki Dutcher  

 

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you join us this week!

Just Us Girls #166 - Technique Challenge

Happy Saturday!  Only three weekends until Christmas!  I'm so behind since my mom broke her hip on Thanksgiving.  I've been so busy tending to her needs and visiting her in the rehab center, that I don't have anything done yet.  I don't even have a wreath on my door! 

 

But since it's Saturday, it's time for a new Just Us Girls challenge.  Our lovely Lynn has chosen an easy one that we all use regularly...embossing.  And it could be heat or dry embossing. 

 

I've used a technique that I recently learned at the Online Card Classes:  Holiday Card Workshop.  If you took the class, you'll see I CASED Julie Ebersole's card!  I just loved hers!  The technique is super easy.  I ran Vintage Cream cardstock through a Cuttlebug folder, then used E51 and BG10 copic markers to very randomly lightly lay down some color on the embossed paper.  Then I pounced some Picket Fence stain on top and heated it to dry (you could leave it to dry, but I was impatient!).  It creates a look like marble!  I then added some Vintage Photo distress ink around the edges to shabby it up a bit.  The pattern paper is from Signature Christmas by My Mind's Eye.  I also embossed the front of the card with a linen plate from PTI.  The snowflakes are from the It's Snowing cut file from My Time Made Easy.  I used Soft Sky cardstock and ran them through my Zyron machine and added some chunky glitter to them.  I also added a light blue crystal brad to one. 

 

The JUGs design team are posting their creations, so please stop at these blogs to see what they did!
 

JUGs blog
Andrea Matthews
Elise Durenberger
Lynn Mangan
Maria Levine
Marisa Ritzen
Vicki Dutcher

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great weekend~



Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

I'm playing in a Mojo Monday sketch challenge!  I haven't done that in a looooong time!  I used to play all the time.  What the heck happened?  LIFE!  Hahaha!

 

So here's the sketch.  Perfect for the card I needed.  My niece Andrea is a nursing student and she and the other students in her class bought a gift for their teacher/mentor and she asked me to make a card.  I love those requests!  Finally a card that's going to actually get used! 

 

 I wanted something with pretty feminine colors, so I chose these papers from October Afternoon called Sidewalks.  They are just so lovely!  I paired it up with SU's Melon Mambo cardstock and Vintage Cream cardstock for the base.  The sentiment is PTI's Thanks All Ways stamp set.  The flower was created using PTI's Beautiful Blooms II and Sending You for the leaves.  I added a yellow flower button and some So Saffron tafetta ribbon.

I asked Andrea what she wanted the inside to say.  This set has a ton of different people to thank, and this is what she chose.

 She's on her way over to pick up the card right now.  I hope she likes it!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

My Time Made Easy - A Year in Review

Hello again!  Today is the last post for this month's My Time Made Easy release.  Have you seen the new products?  Take a peek at them here.  Today the entire design team is posting our annual Year in Review where we use previously released products.  I wanted to make a little treat box for my mom.  She fell at my house on Thanksgiving and broke her hip.  She had a hip replacement and is at a rehab center for a while.  We saw a commercial for Mounds candy and she commented on how she liked them, so I thought I'd make a little box to put some in.  (Of course, I forgot to buy them today!  I'll have to buy them tomorrow before I go see her.)   I ended up making two!

 

 So I first thought I'd use the Paper Bag cut file. I printed this beautiful paper from Tis the Season digital paper pack on cardstock and then cut out the bag. It was a little too small, so on to project #2.

I love this Tricky Treat Tote template.  It's really a huge bag!  But I wanted something smaller, so I reduced it 50% and got this!  I cut it out of SU's Poppy Parade cardstock and decorated it with the same paper.  This was a much better size for what I needed.  I may use the other for favors at my Christmas Eve dinner.  I decorated it simply with some red velvet ribbon, Prima poinsettias with a green glitter dot in the center, and some leaves made from this fabulous glittery paper I got at A.C. Moore.

Aren't they lovely?  Check out what the rest of the design team created at these blogs.
 

MTME Store
MTME Gallery
Lauren Meader
Debbie Marcinkiewicz
Farida Rone
Kimberly Morrow
Lori Hairston
Lori Kalus
Pattie Goldman
Tangii Crain
Tina Hale  



Thanks for stopping by today!

My Time Made Easy - Card Wrapper

Hi there friends!  Did you see the new products just released yesterday at My Time Made Easy?  I have another template to share with you today.  This is a super easy one to make!  It's called Card Wrapper and it is a wrap for cards, but it can be used to package up just about anything!  Here it is closed.  I used real red cardstock for the base and the lid was cut from cardstock printed with a print from the Hot Holidays digital paper pack previously released.  The label is from the new Christmas Swag digital stamp set.  I just love all the images in this set!  I colored it in GIMP and used the print and cut feature on the Silhouette Cameo.  I popped it up on dimensionals and added a flourish bling.

Here you can see the entire package.  I made four cards to package inside the template.



I used the same cardstock and paper for the cards.  The main panel was cut using the previously released Steno Note cut file.  I added the sentiment and those cute reindeer before cutting.  Then I created some clouds with Broken China distress ink and some ground with some brown distress ink.



I followed the CAS sketch.  It gave me some great inspiration!  I added some red stickles on the middle reindeer's nose (i.e., Rudolph) and the berries on the holly.

You can see more examples using new products at these blogs.

 

MTME Store

MTME Gallery

Lauren Meader

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Farida Rone

Kimberly Morrow

Lori Hairston

 

Thanks for stopping by! 

 



My Time Made Easy Release Day and Just Us Girls #165

Hi friends!  I have a two-fer today!  It's release day at My Time Made Easy and our weekly Just Us Girls challenge.  I'll get to the JUGs challenge in a minute.

 

First up, let's take a look at one of the three new templates from My Time Made Easy you can purchase and use TODAY!  This one is called Chair-ish You.  Isn't this amazing?  Lauren is a genius at creating these templates!  Let me tell you how I created this.  I cut it out using the Silhouette Cameo and More Mustard cardstock.  Yes, mustard cardstock.  To get the wood look, I used Stamp TV's woodgraining tutorial.  You run some white pigment ink onto the paper, then go over it with brown ink and this is the result!  Amazing result!  It looks just like wood!

When I first saw this template, I knew this was the technique I wanted to use on this template.  Here's a side view of this beautiful template.

You are probably wondering what this template is to be used for.  Take a look at the seat of the chair.  It's actually a box that opens up!  (I didn't take a picture of it opened...I always do that!)  Lauren has a picture of it opened in this post.  The pattern on the box is from the new Christmas Patina digital pattern paper.  I am in love with this new paper pack!

 

Now for the Just Us Girls sketch challenge for this week.  Our wonderful Andrea designed this sketch.  So many interpretations can be made with this one!

Here's my interpretation.  I made a card to go along with my chair.  I tried to make it manly.  I don't know if the ribbon counts as manly, but it was a necessary embellishment!  I used two of the five new digital stamp sets being released today.  The Happy Birthday sentiment is from Merriest Monograms set.  It's a great monogram set with some other frequently used words and frames.  The 100% Premium Quality, the gentleman, and the clock are from the new Vintage Vineyard set.   I added a strip of the Christmas Patina paper in the center of the base that was created using the woodgraining technique.  I used a Martha Stewart punch to get that scroll design.  I just added a brown button and a piece of the ribbon to match the chair template.

And here is the set together.  I'm pretty pleased with this set!   It came out just as I had pictured in my head.  That doesn't happen too often!  

Here are some blogs you need to visit to see more of the My Time Made Easy release.
 

MTME Store
MTME Gallery
Lauren Meader
Debbie Marcinkiewicz
Farida Rone
Kimberly Morrow
Lori Hairston
Lori Kalus
Pattie Goldman
Tangii Crain
Tina Hale

And here are the JUGs design team blogs you need to visit for the sketch inspiration.

JUGs blog
Andrea Matthews
Elise Durenberger
Lynn Mangan
Maria Levine
Marisa Ritzen
Vicki Dutcher

Thanks for sticking with me on this long post!  I hope you stop by again!