Banners and Pearls

I made this card for the current challenge over at Twisted Tuesday. The challenge is to use Banners on your project. The TWIST: use pearls on your creation. 

I really love the look of the chalkboard cards that are very popular right now. So, that is the look I am going for with this card. 

Birthday cards remind me of fun activities so I used the new set from Stampin' Up! from their Sale-a-bration catalog. I think Ferris Wheels are fun! I remember sitting at the top and rocking the seat, teasing my sister, and making her protest. I was eight and she was nine. 

Birthdays also remind me of bright colors so that is what I used. 

Here I took a couple of pictures showing how I made my banners. I just used a square punch to make the tails. Easy!

We would love to have you join in our challenge over at  TWISTED TUESDAY CHALLENGES. They go for two weeks so you have a little more time to submit your project. Make a card, scrapbook page or 3D item. I can't wait to see what you come up with! 

I am also entering this card here:

Make It Monday #132-Anything Goes

Sentimental Sundays #146-Anything Goes

The Shabby Tea Room #158-Anything Goes

Challenges 4 Everybody #16-Anything Goes

Love to Create challenge #57-Anything Goes

Spring Canvas

Hello, and happy Monday to all. I have finished my first of four seasons' canvases that I am working on. I spent a lot of time working on it and it is finally finished to my satisfaction. 

I used many paper flowers here, some ribbons and butterflies. 

I also painted and textured some chipboard for my title. I am just in love with pink lately, and all soft colors. I guess I am anxious for spring! 

Thanks for taking a look, and I would appreciate any comments! I am also entering this creation in the following challenges: 

Sentimental Sundays #145: 3Embellishments that start with the letter B with a sentiment-I have 2 butterflies, and 1 bow.

One Stitch at a Time challenge #154: Anything Goes

The Shabby Tea Room #157-Oh, So Pretty In Pink

and here is the inspiration photo:

Also,the Papertake Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes

Make It Monday #131-Anything Goes

Everyday is an Occasion-Anything Goes

A Challenge

I have another card challenge for you from Twisted Tuesday challenges. It is make something for spring and the TWIST is to use green. 

I thought that I would do something along the lines of St. Patrick's Day. I never get the chance to use these types of stamps that I have in my stash. So, I went and did it, I used my Good Luck stamp and made a four leaf clover. I could probably use this card for a graduation card. Do you have any other suggestions for how or for what occasion I could also use it for? 

Come and join us at Twisted Tuesday for this challenge. I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

I would also like to enter this in the following challenges:

Make It Monday 130-Anything Goes 

One Stitch at a Time 153-Green

As always thanks for visiting! And thanks to my followers!

Hi There...

 I want to thank Mary H. at Carolina Cards for passing on this Liebster Award to me. She is very sweet and  has a lovely blog. Please take a moment to visit her. Mary, thank you, I am tickled pink!!!

ABOUT THE AWARD

This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you award it to five blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these blogs.

RULES FOR ACCEPTANCE

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have fewer than 200 followers. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this awesome award!

PAY IT FORWARD

Here are five awesome blogs that I think you should check out:

1.  Jeanette

2. Gale

3. Bonnie

4. Susan

5. Shanni

 I hope you'll visit each blog and check out all the wonderful projects they have posted.  Thanks again, Mary for the nomination and I hope you will all pay it forward!!!

Teenage Masculine Celebrate card

I thought this would be a great teenage boy Celebrate or Birthday card. I was racking my brain trying to come up with a card design for the Twisted Tuesday challenge this week and decided on this. It's amazing how pressure can make you creative! I needed something quick and something that would work with our challenge theme, which is:

Use a button or brad on your creation this week.

The TWIST- Use paper piercing on your creation

This is also a one layer card with one embellishment which is, of course, the button. Can you see the paper piercing? I paper pierced four stars on here, see if you can find all of them. 

I used the stamp set Extreme Elements from Stampin' Up! on this card with a simple primary color theme: red, yellow, and blue! 

What do you think? I would love to hear any comments. As always, thanks for visiting!

I also hope you pop on over to Twisted Tuesday Challenges and take part in the challenge. I would love to see what you come up with!

I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:

Make It Monday #128-Anything Goes

Challenges 4 Everyone #14-Anything Goes

Everyday is an Occasion -Sunday {Fun}day #6-Anything Goes

I made this card for the challenge on Sunny Challenges and Creations. They have an easy sketch and they are asking that you use some of your free sale-a-bration products from Stampin'Up! I used the embossing folder I got. I also used a paper rose that I made from instructions from  Stamping Shanni, a blog friend that I discovered. She has beautiful paper roses! I gave it a try but I have to practice more. 

This is the sketch:

I also used the Inspiration picture/color theme from Cupcake Inspirations challenge #198. Here it is:

I used my colors from Stampin'Up! since I don't have the brand that they are using here. My colors are 

Pool Party, So Saffron, and Wisteria Wonder

I am also entering the following challenge:

Make It Monday #128-Anything Goes

A card with Music

This is a One Layer Card. I came across this challenge on Less is More. There are some really lovely cards made with just one layer. I was inspired so I decided to join in on the fun. 

The challenge is this:

It's that certain week once more where our challenge is to make a

 One Layer Card

This time we would like you include some reference to

MUSIC

so, I used a stamp set from Stampin' Up! that is retired now, but I haven't used it much, and it fits this theme just wonderfully!

The words say this:

"Where words fail, music speaks"

Hans Christian Andersen

I stamped and embossed with copper embossing powder on Kraft paper. The picture was taken with a flash so it doesn't look like Kraft paper but it is. The first picture is more accurate on the colors. The shiny embossing doesn't show very well either. Oh, some day I'll learn how to fix this! For now, thanks for taking a look!

Entering in the Less is More challenge Week 106

Pool Party and Pink Pirouette

(If you click on the picture it looks a lot better)  I got a chance this weekend to make a few cards. I made this one for Valentines Day and for the challenge over at Dynamic Duos.

The colors are very soft and I thought about using them on white but changed my mind and tried them out on Kraft paper instead. I like how it turned out. I am very challenged by the one layer cards and also thought that I would try to make one. Here is the result. 

I'd also like to enter this into the:

 Make It Monday challenge #127-always Anything Goes  and 

Sunday {Fun}day #6 challenge

Allsorts challenge week 193-Valentines

Couples Black Tie

Twisted Tuesday has a new challenge! It is Couples Black Tie. 

THE CHALLENGE

 My 15th wedding anniversary is this week. So, to keep in the spirit of that :) make something for a loving couple. It can be an anniversary card, Valentine card, house warming creation, a scrap page of the happy couple, whatever you like.

THE TWIST 

Include the color black, preferably ribbon or lace, but anything black will do :)

So, I made this card. I tried to keep it simple. I hope you like it. Happy Anniversary to Melina! 

I would also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Make It Monday #126 -Anything Goes (mine is #134)

Papertake Weekly Challenge-Anything Goes (mine is #37)

Lady Anne's Challenges-Anything Goes (mine is #240)

Tic Tac Toe challenge

It's time for another Twisted Tuesday challenge! This week the challenge is Tic Tac Toe Mechanics!

Use the tic tac toe board to make your creation: Use 3 in a row-it can be across, down or diagonal!

The TWIST...Let a machine help you with your creation this week. Like your Cricut, Cuttlebug, Big Shot, etc. 

I made some die cuts with my Big shot and arranged them on my background here. Then I sponged around them and took them off. I added some rhinestones to give the page some "sparkle." I also used my sewing machine around the outside edges of the page and to stitch down the picture to its frame. 

I added a bunch of embellishments on the page as you can see. The flowers came on a roll, like ribbon, and I got it at Walmart. I just love them! As you can see I also added some little blue rhinestone flowers here as well. 

I just want to mention the twine. Since I had to use three elements for the tic tac toe, this is the second and the Congratulations is the third.  So, I went diagonal on the tic tac toe board. The picture is an oldie from my stash of old family pictures. I am not sure who these people are but they are related somehow. I wish more people would label their pictures so later descendants could at least know their names!

I hope you will take a few minutes and visit the Twisted Tuesday challenge blog and join the fun. We would love to see one of your creations for sure! 

I would also like to enter this in the following challenges:

CR84FN70-Color challenge:

Use Your Stuff #67-Collage

Crafty Catz Challenge #166-Anything but a Card

Make It Monday #124-Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting and leaving comments, I do appreciate them and you so much!

Tax Time

Just want to let everyone know that I have been working more since Thanksgiving and will be working more hours through tax season 2013 because I am a tax preparer. It is going to get busier and busier. With this year being really weird because of a lot of changes in the tax laws, I don't know how much time I will have to make cards. I will still be posting every two weeks for the Twisted Tuesday challenges. I will do more as time allows. So, if you don't hear or see a lot going on here, it's because I can't keep up with everything. Is it terrible to wish it were all over already and that spring were here? I live in Minnesota. We are supposed to have below 0 degree weather this week! I'll be inside but not doing my "art." I have a goal this year to EXERCISE. It is the word I've chosen this year. I choose a word each year for my art journal. It is a goal, and a mission. Last year my word was transformation, and yes, I went through a transformation!!!

This year I am going to EXERCISE in more ways than one. I am going to physically exercise, exercise my mind, my faith, etc. I can't wait to see the results in December! I share my art journaling on my other blog:
http://dirtyfingersbysharinelson.blogspot.com/
Take a look from time to time...

Thanks for checking in on me every once in awhile and leaving comments. I appreciate all of you so very much!

Stamping off the edge...

I have a new card for you today. It is for the Twisted Tuesday challenge. The challenge is to make a card and stamp off the edges. The TWIST is to also use something that is crumpled on the card. So, I used a large background stamp from Stampin' Up! and stamped off the side of the card. I then stamped again using clear Versamark and embossed the image with white embossing powder. I die cut some flowers and layered them after scrunching and squishing and squashing the layers. I sewed around the edges of the design, used tea dye ink to ink the edges and distressed them too! The blue is bashful blue from SU.

Here is a closer look at the embossing. I only used two layers on this card and then the 3D flower. The base cardstock that I used here already had the bits of spots on it. It is some older cardstock I still have from Stampin' Up! 

It is amazing to me all the paper I have! I've made tons of cards and still, more paper is left. I'm beginning to think that it is multiplying on its own.....(and I haven't purchased any either!)  Does anyone else feel this way? 

Anyway, please check out the Twisted Tuesday challenge on the blog and join in on the fun. 

Thanks for visiting and have a nice day! 

I appreciate any and all comments! 

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Make It Monday #123-Anything Goes

Challenges 4 Everybody #11-Anything Goes

Pinspirational Challenge #40- Using the picture below as additional inspiration for my card.

New Challenge at Twisted Tuesday

Hi, we have a new challenge this week at Twisted Tuesday!
The Challenge this week is to use the color blocking technique. If you don't know much about it just show us some blocks of color any way you interpret it. The TWIST is to use at least 3 different colors on your project.

Here is my project/card:

I didn't know what to make for this color blocking technique so I did some research on Google. I went to the Martha Stewart (she is so clever!) site and saw a beautiful picture of color blocking with place settings. I was inspired then to make this card. 

Come and visit our challenge blog and join in on the fun! 

Twisted Tuesday Challenges click here

I kept it simple. I would also like to add this to the following challenges:
Make It Monday  #122-Anything Goes
Crafty Catz#164-Anything Goes
Allsorts challenge blog 188-CAS (Clean and Simple)

As always thanks for visiting!

This Christmas I want to say Thanks

I have been preoccupied lately with "stuff." I do "stuff." I watch "stuff." I listen to "stuff." It's all "stuff." But I want to share with you something that isn't just "stuff."

 

This year has been a hard one for my family and myself. We along with many other people have struggled with finances. The economy has changed drastically in the last several years, so when things change so quickly it is very hard to adjust and challenges are many. Because of these financial struggles I've had to rely more on others, family, and most importantly God. I have found that this Christmas time is the best I've ever had in my whole life because of Him.

 

Without the preparations of righteous people who believe that there is a God, I would be without food for my family. I would probably be homeless, and without the necessities of life. The service that others provide because they believe that it is the right way to live, and because of the Savior's example to serve others, has greatly impacted my quality of life and those of my family. I want to reach out and thank all those good and kind and believing people for the wonderful and good and kind acts of service that they perform.

 

Here is a BIG THANK-YOU!

 

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We believe in Christ. We talk of Christ and we do everything we can to be like him. Now, we/ I am not perfect-who is? Only Christ was perfect. I try to be like him, not perfect. I and many who believe in Him try to be better people, and because of that I can rejoice at this Christmas time. I won't have much in the way of gifts to open on Christmas Day and neither will my boys or my husband, but we can feel the peace that comes when we wake up in our warm home, and eat our Christmas dinner and give thanks to Him and those that serve him. I am so grateful to Christ and to all of his followers, my family, and friends, and to my blog followers, and I wanted you all to know that.

 

Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving wonderful, uplifting comments! I am so grateful for all the hope and love that you give me.

 

And to all, I hope you have a

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

I'll be back in January.

Twisted Tuesday Challenge-Christmas Tag

 

Hi all, I have another project for you for the Twisted Tuesday Challenge!

The Challenge this week is TAGS and SMILES. The TWIST is What makes you smile?

 

 

So, your creation needs to be a tag or have a tag on it. The TWIST-What makes you smile. Show us your creation. It can be a favorite stamp you have and cherish (use it on your tag), your collection of embellishments, stamps, etc., or something crafty you received as a gift, etc...just don't forget to tell us and show us what it is that makes you smile when crafting!

 

As you can see I made a tag. I have a Vintage photo downloaded from the internet for free. I added some of my favorite embellishments-jingle bells, and a doily. I used a texture paint and glitter for the snow on the bottom of the tag and on the letters of JOY. I also love this color palette of soft pink, white and blue. These are the things that make me smile!

 

 

I found these letter tiles in my stash.

 

I love the jingle bells, and I love the vintage look.

 

Thanks for visiting and I do appreciate any and all comments! Have a Merry Christmas and /or Happy Holidays!

 

This will be our last challenge of the year and it will go for two weeks. We'll see you back on the first of January 2013! (with a sketch)

 

I am also posting this to the following challenges:

Make It Monday #120-Anything Goes

Challenges 4 Everybody #9- Anything Goes

The Shabby Tea Room #145- Shabby Chic Holiday