A Journeyful Retirement

Yes I know. Journeyful is not a word, but I couldnt think of anything else. One of my coworkers is retiring tomorrow. I've known about it for at least a month but only in the very last hour have I started (and completed) a card for her. She's moving to Santa Fe so I thought the cowboy theme was fun & appropriate.

This week's TCP Tuesday Challenge, TCPTUES107, was a color challenge of Turquoise, Red & Ivory. I ended up pulling out a whole bunch of things I rarely use. A very big prima flower and DCWV citrus mat stack. I stamped out my little scene using TCP's Having a pow wow. And the sentiment's from Verve's Bountiful backgrounds. The sketch is from Jen's SFYTT this week. And does she have the most fantastic sketches?


The Dets:
Stamps: TCP Having a pow wow, Verve Bountiful Backgrounds
Paper: MB vanilla bean notecard, PTI pure poppy, DCWV citrus dp
Ink: Memento black, Brilliance pearlescent chocolate, Copics, spica glitter pens
Accessories: spellbinders circles & rectangles, prima flower, diamond glaze, spots & dots embossing folder, kaiser pearls

CA Boy Birthday

This week's Club Anya Monday Mania challenge was to use the colors kraft, sand, khaki and olive green. So I thought this challenge would be perfect to beef up my "boy" birthday card stash. So including this card, I now have...one boy birthday card.

I used my TGF Skateboard Ian because I wanted to try a fatigue/camoflague type shirt with copics. I took out the star on his shirt b/c it didnt quite reflect the punker/grungy boy look I was going for. Gosh, I'm like getting flashbacks from high school now...bleached hair...ratty beanies...skateboards...duuude.

I had these awesome little metal flower shaped brads but when I asked the boy if it'd be appropriate for a boy card his response was - "not unless you try and hide them in a manly type tree, or he's skateboarding over them." So no flower brads.


I also went over the edge of his board with a little diamond glaze. Not exactly true to high school skateboards I knew b/c they were all covered with duct tape.

The Dets:

Stamps: TGF Skateboard Ian, PTI Siggie Greetings

Paper: PTI kraft & dark chocolate, SU!

Ink: Mement black, copics, Versacolor pinecone

Accessories: Diamond glaze, eyelets, crop-a-dile, spellbinders rectangles, swiss dots embossing folder

Last minute FFF

I havent played along in Farm Fresh Friday in a long time. But I loved this week's sketched and I thought Pretty Hat was perfect. Plus I havent used it in forever. I think I've only inked it up twice.

I sponged the edges of the rectangle with my PTI chai dye inks. And paper pieced part of her outfit. I've had my Basic Grey Porcelain pack for a while now but havent used this in ages. And of course since I'm on the felt kick, I die cut a felt flower with my PTI dies.


The Dets:
Stamps: TGF Pretty Hat, Savvy sentiment
Paper: MB mocha notecards, BG porcelain paper pack
Ink: Brilliance pearlescent chocolate, Memento black, PTI chai tea dyes, copics, sakura stardust
Accessories: PTI flower dies, MS punch, felt, spellbinder rectangles

I {heart} felt

My LSS was having their anniversary sale. And so I got to pick up a few pieces of pretty felt. It should tide me over until my PTI order comes with my lovely Hawaiian Shores felt.

For my card I used this week's Taylored Expressions sketch, TESC109. I first strategically placed the PTI Flower dies on the paper to die cut then. Then I ran it through again w/ swiss dots. The white circles are also small pieces of felt cut out w/ my spellbinders. I topped it w/ some buttons from PTI's spring button mix and added a layer using my medium scalloped border. Though I still need to figure out a better way to straight cut felt, b/c it wasnt working properly with my paper cutter.

The Dets will be coming later...

Swing Time...

So the last time I was home I picked up the new Swiss Pixie's Nora on a Swing. She is sooo cute. And instead of leaving her uninked and lonely for months, I decided to do this week's ATS Wednesday Challenge.

This week's challenge was distressing. So I used my PTI chai tea inks for edging each of the panels. I tried sanding the edges of my dp, but now I want those distressing scissors. I also inked the edges of the vellum flowers I punched. And the scalloped circle panel was some brown felt I got from my LSS.

The Dets:

Stamps: CC Designs Nora on the Swing, Amuse senti, MB flourish

Paper: MB vanilla bean notecard, BG porcelain paper

Ink: Memento ink, copics, PTI chai tea inks, Brilliance pearlescent chocolate

Accessories: MS punch, kaiser pearls, spellbinders circle, felt

Wishful Wedding

I'm fairly certain that my all time favorite (Verve) stamp set is Wishing You. Its just so versatile and I love the font. So when I had to make a card for the wedding on a good friend from college, I pulled that set out.

Its a pretty simple card. I cut a scalloped circle and regular oval out w/ my spellbinders and layered it over panels of dp I got from the MM Wedding pack. I added a few black accent pearls to the corners. And I think the brides colors were some sort of pink and silver, I added a few pink primas. I have such a hard time using those flowers...I'm not sure why...

The Dets:
Stamps: Verve Wishing You
Ink: Versafine black
Paper: MB licorice notecard, MM wedding pack
Accessories: tonic ticket punch, prima flowers, kaiser pearls, spellbinder ovals

Bright and cherry greetings

So it maybe overcast and rainyish in my hometown of Washington, but I'm sittin' here in sunny Hawaii right now. Aint that just *awesome*? So I thought this card would perfectly match the bright and cheery morning I'm currently having.

I made this card for my lil sis' birthday, which was in November. But I'm fairly certain I got it out to her on time, I just never posted it. I used TGF's Susie Surprise, which I had so much aspirations for but have only made a couple of cards.


The Dets:
Stamps: TGF Susie Surprise
Paper: DCWV citrus paper, MB notecard
Ink: Memento black & copics
Accessories: Tonic ticket punch, kaiser jewels, fancy square punch, cuttlebug d'vine swirls embossing plate

Mercy Pumpkin Sketch

I'm continuing on with my "trying to get my stamping mojo back" with another sketch challenge. This time I'm using Mercy's Tuesday Sketch Challenge, MTSC68, and, boy, do I *love* her sketches. The boy thought this looked very "halloweeny" but...esh...its a puppy in a pumpkin. How cute is that??? And besides, it (along w/ my MFT bunny butts) have been sitting sadly, uninked for months.

You may not be able to really tell, but the scalloped circle is die cut from a piece of dark brown felt. I found this "stiff felt" from Michaels for $.99 each. It cuts pretty well, but it's probably not as thick as 100% wool, but at $.99 where can one go wrong with that. I sacrificed a bit of sparkly stardream bronze paper and ran it through one of my c-bug embossing plates for the background. Then I mounted both panels for a little more dimension.


The Dets:
Stamps: Verve Hello Pumpkin, So Happy
Paper: MB licorice notecard, SU!, BG indian summer, Stardream bronze, brown felt
Ink: Brilliance pearlescent chocolate, Memento black, copics
Accessories: kaiser pearls, cuttlebug d'vine swirls embossing plate, spellbinder tag & scallop/standard circles, M's satin ribbon

Life's lemons...

One must remember the old adage - when life gives you lemons, stamp. That's my motto for today.

I decided to use this week's Mojo Monday Sketch, MOJO133, for a stamping kick start. I even brought out my MFT Tea for Two that I've been hoarding for months. I think I've heard somewhere that we're supposed to actually use our stuff and not hoard them right? And what's better pick-me-up then bunny butts.

So you cant really tell in the picture (you'll just have to take my word for it...) but I put some of that crushed velvet flock (or as the boy calls it, pricey lint) on the little bunny tail. Its a true (synthetic) cottontail. I totally dig the sentiment, I wish I wish I could write that pretty like...

The Dets:
Stamps: MFT Tea for Two
Paper: MB notecard, BG lemonade paper pack
Ink: Brilliance graphite black, memento black, copics
Accessories: PTI raspberry fizz ribbon, crushed velvet flock, spellbinders scalloped & standard ovals

Hostessy Monday

So anyone who frequents the Club Anya blog knows that Mondays are now Mania Monday's. It gives us, Anya Lovers, a reason to get out of bed on Monday mornings. Well reasons other than work of course. And the super awesome thing about this week, I get to play hostess for a day! Fun stuff.

My challenge this week is ABC Monday, anything but a card. I've made several bookmarks in the past, here and here. I love using Miss Anya's for bookmarks as it combines my two current favs, reading and stamps.

The Dets:

Stamps: TGF Miss Anya Dressy, Rain Snow Shine

Paper: SU!, DCWV, MM wedding paper pack

Ink: Memento, copics, stardust pen

Accessories: cricut, BG buttons, cuttlebug, spellbinders scallop and long rectangles, ribbon

Its been awhile...

Forgive me, bloggers, for I have been...really really l-a-z-y.

Last week (or possibly the week before) the boy's cousin had a baby. This is the card I made for them before said new baby girl was born, yet it still sitting on my desk waiting to be written in and mailed. I'm using the excuse that I didnt know how to spell the new baby's name. Though they recently sent us a picasa gallery and we now know her name is spelled Keira...or was it Keara. I have no idea.

Anyway, I used one of my fave new sets, PTI Tin Types. The Melon Berry paper I used didnt quite turn out so well in the picture. But I used two the background stamps to create this card, stamped one in melon berry ink and then again w/ another in fresh snow. I used my Signature Greetings set for the sentiment. The border is a Martha Stewart punch I just got that I think totally rocks, though I find it a bit hard to use.


The Dets:
Stamps: PTI Tin Types and Signature Greetings
Ink: PTI melon berry, fresh snow, Brilliance pearlescent chocolate
Paper: PTI Kraft and melon berry
Accessories: MS border punch, PTI melon berry ribbon, PTI button