{kroppykat}

Papertrey Ink January 2012 Blog Hop!

2012-01-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

I am thrilled to join Papertrey Ink in their first 2012 Blog Hop! It's a step in the right direction for me as I resolve (again) to participate in more challenges.

The directive from Nichole: This month, in honor of the New Year, we are challenging you to pick your favorite project from 2011 and share it with all of us. To take it a step further, you are challenged to create a second card that is inspired by the favorite project you select. Your new version of an old favorite could carry over the color scheme, the layout or the stamp sets.

So here is my inspiration card from 2011:

And the new card.....

Using almost exclusively Papertrey Ink products (minus the heart punch), I opted to use the Take Three die to mimic the squares from the inspiration card and make a Valentine.

Have a great day, all, and thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Thanks So Much

2012-01-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

Today's word is "motivation" since this card was created solely for the purpose of utilizing this Papertrey Ink flower I've had on my desk for weeks. I love this flower (what's not to adore?), and it was time for it to have a home. The background texture is from a PTI impression plate, and the sentiment, label punch and ribbon are from Stampin' UP!. To mat the label, I simply punched an additional label in yellow, cut it in half and attached it to the sentiment along the top and bottom. Sheer genius, huh? But probably not my genius.

I should now be much more productive with that flower no longer taunting me . . .

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope it's been a good one for youl

More Flowers

2012-01-15T22:53:00.001-05:00

This stamp set from Hero Arts with matching dies is a new favorite of mine. The thank you card's layout is similar to Elizabeth's birthday card from my previous post.Sentiment from Paper Smooches (another fav)

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!

2012-01-11T17:08:00.000-05:00

A special wish today to my beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, on her birthday!! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are, sweetie. Love you!

Contemporary and Vintage Christmas Cards

2011-12-19T12:47:00.000-05:00

A quick post ... busy, busy. The first two cards are contemporary. I love the difference just changing colors makes! Which do you prefer? Do you like the more traditional color scheme or modern?

The third card has a more of a vintage feel to it. Even though I haven't made many layered cards lately, I do love the "Debbie Olsen look". I just have a hard time knowing when enough is enough =D

A Blessed and Merry Christmas to everyone. Thank you for your visits to my blog.

Hugs,

Colleen

Happy Birthday, Ashley!!

2011-12-15T20:18:00.000-05:00

I took a break from making Christmas gifts a few days ago to make a special birthday card for my niece. Using the cupcake from Papertrey Ink's "Sign Language", my favorite Martha Stewart punch and a sentiment from Paper Smooches, I came up with this colorful ditty for the cupcake-loving Ashley. Happy Birthday, sweetie! I can't wait to see you next week.

Thanks for dropping by today. I know everyone is super busy.

Hugs,
Colleen

Colorful Gift Card Set

2011-12-09T23:02:00.021-05:00

This is the first time I've used this year's Papertrey Ink anniversary set. I don't know what took me so long. By having my PTI stamps segregated, I sometimes forget about a set if I haven't used it.

These cards were inspired by this post of Susan Raihala's from back in July. I didn't CASE it entirely, but close. Most of the cards have a touch of bling using Copics' Spica glitter pens, and that doesn't show in the photos.

Sorry for the misalignment of the photos. I could not for the life of me get these arranged properly.

Thank you for the visit today. Have a great weekend.

Hugs,
Colleen

Second Post for Today!

2011-12-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

It's crunch time on Christmas cards and gift sets, so just in time I'm feeling the mojo stir and the ideas are flying. Be sure to check out the Santa card in the post below this one.

I used a Hero Arts background for this card using Versamark Dazzle on a cream base and heat embossing it. Love the sophistication this adds to a card. The die wreath is from Memory Box and the Poinsettia die and sentiment is Papertrey Ink's. Looking at the photo, I think a little inking around the edge of the card might look nice. I may try that. It feels like it needs something..

Now to clean up the royal mess I made for two cards =D

Thanks stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Paper Smooches Santa Card

2011-12-07T14:03:00.000-05:00

Kim Hughes of Paper Smooches has some of the cutest stamps! This little Santa has been sitting on my desk for a couple of weeks just begging to be inked, and just by dusting off my Copics and coloring him, I think I finally woke my mojo from hibernation =D It feels so good to get inky and be creative.

The background stamp is from Northwoods, and I stamped it in the new Evergreen Bough Distress Ink from Tim Holtz. Popped up Santa and added the inside sentiment "Ho, Ho, HO!" I know just who I'm sending this to....

Thank you for your visit today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Less Is More Week 41 One Layer - Leaves

2011-11-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

It took this challenge at Less is More to motivate me to make a card. I played a bit recently, but couldn't seem to complete anything blog-worthy. All stamps used are from Memory Box. The inks used were Kiwi Kiss, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Riding Hood Red and Cajun Craze from Stampin' UP! for the leaves and VersaMagic Jumbo Java for the wreath. The impression plate is from Papertrey Ink, and the ribbon is Stampin'UP! that I customized using Copic YG21.

It sure feels good getting inky and participating in a challenge. Just what the doctor ordered!

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

My, How Quickly Things Can Change!!

2011-11-08T14:07:00.001-05:00

Hmm.. I only thought I was busy before.

You know that I seldom discuss personal issues on my blog. You come here to be inspired by my wonderful card creations and uber coloring skills =D, but please indulge me today.

A few weeks ago my husband had a serious heart attack . . . I came very close to losing him. This wonderful, handsome, caring, generous man is the rock of my life, my partner and best friend, and I'm still reeling from the shock of almost losing him. I'm assessing our life and re-evaluating priorities as we make necessary lifestyle changes. And NO, I'm not shutting down my blog or giving up crafting . . . quite the contrary. I need this creative outlet more than ever. I just ~~wanted~~ needed to share this with you. Without a doubt, God was with us. I'm feeling extremely thankful and blessed and ask you to keep us in your prayers.

If my mojo hasn't completely deserted me, I hope to have something crafty to post later.

{{{BIG HUGS}}}

Birthday Wishes, Alayna Leigh!!!

2011-10-18T11:07:00.001-04:00

A very special young lady turns 8 today!! Happy Birthday, Alayna! PopPop and I love you very much and hope you have a wonderful day.

Alayna loves cats =D, so I decided to make her card using this cat from Unity. I paper pieced her with some A Muse tiny black gingham dp and SU! Melon Mambo card stock. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and the ribbon is also Melon Mambbo SU! I added a little bling with Spica pens on the eyes and heart charm. Alayna, I hope you like your card, sweetie!

Thank you for stopping by today as we celebrate Alayna's birthday, and I hope you have a great Tuesday.

Hugs,
Colleen

Quick Post, Quick Card

2011-10-11T18:32:00.000-04:00

Using a sentiment shared by Papertrey Ink during their anniversary celebration, I made a quick anniversary card using some A Muse patterned paper.

Still trying to carve out some "me" creative time . . .

I so appreciate your visit today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Quick and Easy

2011-10-06T14:04:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, busy! But so is everyone. I'm seriously in need of some creative release and hope to make up for lost time beginning now.

Here is a clean and simple birthday card that can go masculine or feminine depending on your choice of cardstock and designer paper. It's difficult to see in the photo, but I started with PTI aqua mist card stock stamped in versamark with a birthday background from Impression Obsession. Using some pp scraps to create presents, I cut the bows using a Memory Box die. The gold package is popped up adding some dimension.

I look forward to participating in some challenges this week, so stay tuned ;)

Thanks for taking time to stop by.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW 64: Color It and Less is More 33

2011-09-14T00:02:00.005-04:00

This week's OLW challenge by Susan is to COLOR IT! Stamp an outline image and color it with your choice of color medium. I chose this image from Stamps by Judith and colored it using various Copics. My paper of choice for a Copic colored one-layer card is Gina K's heavy weight card stock . . . wonderful stuff!!

I'm also entering this card in the Less is More Challenge #33, Anything CAS Goes! Chrissie and Mandi have a goal to reach 1000 cards by the end of this week. Go, go, go!!!

Thank you for the visit today. Comments always welcome *wink*

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW63!!!! Welcome Back!!!

2011-09-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

I'm so-o-o-o happy that OLW has resumed its weekly challenges. Wednesdays just weren't the same without it =)

Jennifer is hosting this week and the challenge is to create a one-layer baby themed card. Using a Sizzix die, an Impress polka dot border and sentiment from Stampin' UP!, my card is done! Well actually it wasn't quite that easy. My plan was to use a gingham background, but that just didn't work out on paper like it did in my head . . . sigh. Anyway, so happy to have time to play today. Life is just crazy lately.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Colorful Thank You

2011-09-05T00:44:00.001-04:00

Last year at Stampaway I purchased a stamp from Red Lead with tiny polka dots closely spaced primarily for the purpose of creating my own polka dotted embellishments. It's taken a year for that idea to come to fruition, but here ya go . . .

I used Stampin' UP! card stock and separated the layers for a more layered look without the thickness. The background stamp is a "Ditto" dittie (*snort*) that I found on clearance at Michael's. Sentiments are from Papertrey Ink.

A very happy, safe Labor Day to my US readers. I'm looking forward to cooking out with the kids and grandkids.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Inspired by Carol

2011-08-25T21:40:00.000-04:00

This post by Carol was the inspiration for my card. In particular, the card with the cattails and elusive Hero Arts sentiment is my favorite. I say "elusive" because my search for that stamp has come up empty. Never mind that I probably have a hundred (Carol is laughing because it's more like two hundred) other "thank you" stamps, that one must be mine. Can't find the cattails either . . [sigh]. When I do find these, I'll probably forget why I wanted them . . . now don't act like you've never done that . . . uh huh.

Memory Box Script background, Hampton Arts flower, PTI sentiment, and a little bling to create that design triangle thingy.

Thank you for stopping by and have a great evening.

Hugs,
Colleen

Practicing with Copics

2011-08-23T11:38:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to share a couple of cards I made and colored with Copics. The Daisy image is from Magenta, and the Sunflowers from Our Daily Bread.

Hugs,

Colleen

Catching Up!

2011-08-19T16:53:00.000-04:00

Once again I find myself apologizing for neglecting my blog. Life just gets in the way at times, unfortunately. And although I haven't been posting, I have been making a few cards.

Today is my sister's wedding anniversary (Happy Anniversary, Sis!!), and this is the card I made. Using a Martha Stewart punch and some scraps, I created this background. (Boy it's a bugger to get those squares centered just right!) The flower was created using PTI's Sending You set and flower punches.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW59 Inspiration Challenge

2011-06-27T23:18:00.001-04:00

Susan's One-Layer Wednesday challenge this week is to let this picture from Pinterest inspire our creativity. Usually my thoughts evolve as I put ideas to paper, but this week I instantly thought of my PTI Year Of Flowers Collection and the Savvy Outline Dot Background stamp. The challenge for me was making it a one-layer card. I will still cover the sentiment with a popped up message later. In retrospect, I should have found a bolder, larger sentiment for this instead of trying to squeeze one between dots.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW57 Summer Holidays!

2011-06-10T17:14:00.000-04:00

WooHOO!! Two posts in one day, and I finally get to participate in the OLW Challenge. I've missed it so!

This week Jennifer has tasked us with creating a card "that is inspired by any or all of the following: summer, the beach, the sea, sun, sand, the lake, the cottage – pretty much anything that says summer and/or summer holidays." I just posted a card here for Emily's birthday on Tuesday that would qualify, but to stay legal, I inked up a new-to-me stamp from Catslife Press and paired it with an older Stampendous cling stamp that I think of anytime the word "beach" is mentioned in connection to stamping. I filled in the image a bit with my neglected colored pencils (wow am I rusty!) and added Rock Candy Stickles to the "water's" edge for some sparkle.

Now, please check out Tuesday's post and tell me which card you like better ;)

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Happy Anniversary, Carol and John!

2011-06-10T16:23:00.000-04:00

Just can't let the day pass without giving a shout out to Carol and John to wish them a happy anniversary. Have a great day guys!

This is the card I sent . . . nothing fancy. The ol' mojo definitely needing to be recharged.

I'll be back a little later to post my OLW card.

Hugs,
Colleen

Happy Birthday, Emily!!

2011-06-07T20:04:00.000-04:00

This post is a day late, but that's okay because Emily celebrates her birthday for at least a week =)

A simple card using an Inkadinkado dolphin from one of their mini sets, a sentiment from Hero Arts and the wave border punch from Fiskars. I colored the dolphin with Copics and raised part of the waves and the dolphin with pop dots. Added some Crystal Effects on the splash for more texture and dimension, and rounded the corners because I wanted to =D

Thank you for stopping by today. Hopefully, my posts will get more regular again.

Hugs,
Colleen

Versatile Blogger Award!

2011-05-26T00:52:00.000-04:00

Thank you, KingstonMama!

My thanks to KingstonMama for including me in her Versatile Blogger award list! I'm honored that she finds my blog inspiring. Google and Blogger aren't playing nice tonight, so I wasn't able to comment on her blog post or send an email to thank her properly. Here's hoping she sees this blog post. Thank you, sweetie!

Now, I need to share some things about myself.....hmmmm....

1) Besides card making, I love to crochet! I crocheted many years ago and haven't touched it for years, so am re-teaching myself.

2) I worked for ten years in pharmaceutical sales traveling all over Kentucky, So. Indiana and Cincinnati. I "retired" early when my dad became ill.

3) I have seven wonderful, beautiful, grandchildren and another on the way in July.

4) I have enough stamps and card making supplies to open my own store . . . seriously.

5) My husband is the most wonderful man in the world. I'm so lucky and a better person for loving him.

There are so many wonderful bloggers out there that making a short list to pass this award to would be impossible for me. So if you're reading my blog today, consider yourself a winner!

I appreciate the visits today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Retirement Card

2011-05-24T00:24:00.000-04:00

Please forgive a quick post . . . (why do I wait so late to get on the computer?) I made this card for the recently retired husband of my friend Carol. Stamps by Verve (happy) and A Muse (retirement); banner die by Papertrey Ink.

Thank you so much for stopping by today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Projects That Have Been Keeping Me Busy

2011-05-18T20:46:00.001-04:00

This evening I want to share pictures of some purses that I made recently. The inspiration for these came when my friend, Carol, and I were shopping at a rubber stamp store and spotted the cutest little paper purse. With no information or templates available, we studied the original, changed the buckle, added a "name plate" and tweaked a couple of things to come up with our own version of that purse. At my craft sales, I had a prototype that I took orders from, and I sold a purse with a set of six cards for $35. The first purse went to a dear friend for her birthday. I did not get pictures of every purse or the card sets for each, but here are a few. Some of the pictures were taken before I added the buttons to the front. (PS: The front pocket is a perfect place for a book of stamps.) I tried to coordinate the cards somewhat to the purses without making them too labor intensive. It's been a lot of fun making these and seeing the reactions of my customers, but I'm anxious to get back to participating in challenges and catching up on my blog surfing (blurfing?), so hope to get more regular in my posts again soon. Thank you for your patience. Please forgive the mixed up photos. Blogger is playing games with me tonight.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW52 Round and Round

2011-05-04T23:40:00.001-04:00

The Simplicity challenge this week is to "use a circle or multiple circles" on a one-layer card. I immediately thought of this stamp from Savvy with open circles that can be colored to coordinate with any design. After filling in the circles with a Copic, I added a K & Co. Grand Adhesion iris and a sentiment from Hero Arts for a super quick card. I was even able to get a good picture. Life is good.

Thanks for the visit. I hope your week is a good one.

Hugs,
Colleen

Pick An Age You Like

2011-04-17T00:45:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post. I made this card a few weeks ago and totally forgot it was in the camera waiting on me. I've been hoarding some JoAnn's trim that I finally decided it was time to use, and these stamps from American Art Stamps seemed like a good choice. The ladies are colored with Copics and mounted on Circa dp and the neglected trim that inspired me.

Thanks for the visit.

Hugs,
Colleen

Less is More Week #10 Sentiment Focus

2011-04-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

A quick post to participate in another challenge this week. I'm on a roll!

This week's Less is More challenge is to create a card with the sentiment as the focal point. As soon as I saw this challenge I knew just the sentiment I wanted to use. It's from Stampendous and has not seen ink yet because it is so large that I wasn't sure what to do with it. Ok, I'll make it the focal point (duh!) I stamped the background with a stamp from Stampin' UP! in Memento Pear Tart (luv that color), added the sentiment on top of that with Memento Rich Cocoa, placed some Copic colored-to-match pearls in a triangle and rounded the corners of the Classic Crest cream card base. Done! And I couldn't be more pleased with it. Doncha just love it when an idea comes together better than you envisioned it?

Thank you for your visit today. Comments most appreciated ;D

Big Hugs,
Colleen

FLT 135

2011-04-08T18:16:00.001-04:00

Go me! Three challenges in four days! That's what I'm talking about!

This My Minds Eye 6x6 paper pad has been calling my name ever since I got it. And FTL 135 reminded me of the Edger Die that I got from PTI but have not used. I tend to get in a rut, using the same dies, embossing folders and even the same few "go to" stamp sets. So I welcomed the opportunity to stretch that box a bit and use something new from my stash. The flowers are from Papertrey Ink's Beautiful Blooms II that I stamped, cut out, crumpled, and layered with a PTI button and twine as a finishing touch. The sentiment is from Hero Arts . . . uh . . a well-loved set . . . Ok, so Rome wasn't built in a day, my friends =D

Thanks for taking time to visit. Comments most welcome ;)

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW 48: A Sympathetic Challenge

2011-04-07T19:13:00.001-04:00

This week's creative challenge from Susan is to create a one-layer sympathy card using an image other than a flower or tree. So, after finding a sentiment favorite, I decided this butterfly from Inkadinkado was the perfect accompaniment. I tried two different backgrounds giving totally different looks, so am posting both.

Thank you for the visit today. Your comments are much appreciated ;)

Hugs,

Colleen

PTI Make it Monday #9

2011-04-05T22:57:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge from Papertrey Ink is to using heat embossing on your project. Since heat embossing is what first intrigued and sucked me in to this hobby many years ago, I put aside some other projects I'm working on to participate in this week's challenge. I started by using Versamark to clear emboss the largest leaves from Turning a New Leaf on to a background of Spring Moss card stock. I then used PTI's Diamonds Impressions Plate to add texture and stamped a sentiment from Flower Fusion #1. Using the flower die from FF#1, I cut flowers from PTI Hawaiian Shores, Orange Zest and Raspberry Fizz, crumpled those and punched centers for them from card stock stamped with a Bitty Background Block that matches the Diamonds Impression Plate. (Be still my heart, I do so love that about PTI products). I pop dotted the flowers to the leaves and matted the entire piece using a Vintage Cream top folded card base. It all came together quickly and very nicely, if I do say so myself =D

Thanks for stopping by today.

Hugs,

Colleen

2011-03-05T22:27:00.000-05:00

This week has been a busy one! Today was a craft sale, and I've been making cards like a crazy lady. But it was a lot of fun, and I now have a little slush fund to recycle for new goodies =D

The cards I'm sharing tonight use a wonderful coffee cup outline image from Flourishes and sentiment from Impression Obsession. The background is one of my favorites from Hero Arts. I love paper piecing and that coffee cup just begged for something imitating fine china . Cosmo Cricket delivered, and I added a little shading to create depth. It all came together quickly. I have the visual triangle thingy going on, and it just feels good. I see more paper piecing in my future. Question: Does paper piecing disqualify it from being a one-layer card? Inquiring minds want to know.

Many thanks for the visit today. Much appreciated.

Hugs,

Colleen

Greetings From Paradise

2011-02-28T23:54:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick post of a one-layer card. I cannot remember the name of the company that made the thin, blue, flat stamps . . . See Dos?? or something like that. Anyway, I stumbled across this in my stash and decided it needed ink. The sentiment is from a Wordsworth set and I colored it with Copics.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Less is More Week #4 Recipe: Three Boxes

2011-02-27T18:14:00.000-05:00

I'm really loving challenges these days. They tend to give me focus, which I sorely need lol!

The recipe for "three boxes" jogged my memory of a die I purchased recently from Papertrey Ink that I hadn't used yet, so . . . this is the result. The inks are from a Martha Stewart kit I purchased at Michael's. They ink up the clear stamps from PTI very nicely. The card stock is Stampin' UP!'s Soft Suede, Pear Pizazz and Very Vanilla.

Thanks for the visit today.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW42: I've Got the Music in Me

2011-02-25T23:01:00.001-05:00

ETA: Well, it was bound to happen. My friend Carol and I have very similar cards for the challenge. I started not to post mine, but what the heck. Carol, I swear I didn't see your card before making mine. I guess great minds really do think alike ...

A fabulous challenge this week from Jennifer Styles: to create a one layer musically themed card. I started with a totally different card in mind, but couldn't make it work. So I went a totally different direction, and I'm very happy with the outcome. In fact, I already made two more cards while I had everything out. Sometimes I just make things too difficult . . . and that's not just in card making lol

The musical score stamp is from Stampendous and the sentiment is from Savvy. I added some black glitter to the treble clef with a Copic Spica pen. The inside sentiment is from Verses. I wish now I had added some little music notes on the inside in red . . . I think I'll go back and do that.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs,

Colleen

Thank You for Your Hospitality

2011-02-25T01:05:00.001-05:00

I recently attended a wonderful gathering of friends and needed a thank you for the hosts. I've been seeing a lot of die cut frames used on cards and that inspired this one. That wonderful wood grain background is from Papertrey Ink - love it!

I'm still working on my photography skills and photo editing with Picasa. Better lighting in the way of a light box is coming.

I appreciate the visit today. Thanks much!

Hugs,

Colleen

Forgotten Card

2011-02-23T15:16:00.000-05:00

Oops! Here's a card I thought I posted previously. I've been making cards for a craft sale that's in a couple of weeks, and last year had a request for cards with horses on them so am trying to comply. The horse is from an Inkadinkado clear set (colored with Copics) and the dp is "Wanted" from Cosmo Cricket.

Thank you for the visit today. I hope to be back later with a post for the OLW challenge.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW41 Christmas!

2011-02-19T21:03:00.000-05:00

Susan's challenge for OLW this week is to create a one-layer Christmas card using red and green on a white or cream card stock base.

Since most of my Christmas stamps are stored away off season, I used a little reduced $1 stamp that I picked up recently at JoAnn's and paired it with a Papertrey Ink sentiment. Truly a 5 minute card because I didn't have to examine each and every Christmas stamp I own before deciding on the "perfect" one =D

As always, I appreciate the visit.

Hugs,

Colleen

Thinking of You

2011-02-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

I LOVE patterned paper . . . love, love it. There should be a ten step program for the obsessive compulsive need I have to collect October Afternoon, Cosmo Cricket, Basic Grey, etc., etc. designer papers. Did you notice that I said "collect"? That's because I buy a lot more of it than I use. Well, today's card breaks the cycle, and Pebble's designer paper becomes the focal point. A Stampin' UP! leaves die, a Sizzix dots embossing folder, a Spellbinders Label, a Martha Stewart border punch, and a Hero Arts sentiment are the details arranged on SU! kraft card stock.

Thank you for your visit and encouraging comments and a Happy Valentine's Day.

Hugs,
Colleen

PTI Color Challenge

2011-02-09T22:36:00.000-05:00

Poppy Red, Spring Rain, Kraft and Vintage Cream is the color combo I selected for the PTI color challenge. "Heart Prints" is the stamp set I used for the heart and sentiment.

Thank you for the visit today.

Hugs,
Colleen

PTI Tag Download Challenge 6

2011-02-07T01:28:00.000-05:00

Last and definitely least (favorite) of my creations today. It's getting late . . . that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Hugs,
Colleen

PTI Tag Download Challenge 5

2011-02-07T01:19:00.000-05:00

Submission #5

Hugs,

Colleen

PTI Tag Download Challenge 4

2011-02-07T01:16:00.000-05:00

Submission #4 for your approval . . .

Hugs,
Colleen

PTI Tag Download Challenge 3

2011-02-07T01:14:00.000-05:00

Submission #3 . . . My lighting seems to be getting progressively worse. So sorry.

Hugs,
Colleen

PTI Tag Download Challenge 2

2011-02-07T01:11:00.000-05:00

My second submission for the PTI challenge. The only non PTI product is the ribbon, and it's from Stampin' UP!

Hugs,

Colleen

PTI Tag Download Challenge 1

2011-02-07T01:07:00.000-05:00

The pictures aren't the greatest because I waited so late to take them, but I just had to submit some cards for this challenge from PTI. So here goes . . .

I tried to incorporate mostly PTI product, but there are a few things you may question so if you need more details, just ask.

Thank you for the visit.

Hugs,

Colleen

PTI Customer Favorite Contest Entry

2011-02-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

As part of PaperTrey Ink's Fourth Anniversary celebration, there is a contest for a ginormous prize of PTI products. One of the ways to win is to post or (re-post) your very favorite PTI project for the year on your blog and add it to Inlinkz, so I've chosen to re-post this card from November 15, 2010. My second choice would've been this one.

A happy Saturday to everyone, and thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW39

2011-02-03T00:14:00.000-05:00

Susan Raihala's one layer challenge this week (to stamp an image, use a border stamp and add bling in some form) got the ol' creative juices flowing. The shell border was stamped with Encore gold metallic ink and gold embossed. The palm tree was stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent inks in Rich Cocoa and Thyme. I added Stickles Rock Candy to the edge to imitate the foamy look of the air bubbles created as waves crash ashore.

I made some other cards with a shell/beach theme but they don't meet the challenge requirements, so I'll save those for another day ; )

As always, your visit is most appreciated and inspires me to post, so thank you.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW37 Revisited

2011-01-28T23:15:00.003-05:00

Since there were still scraps on my desk from a previous OLW, I decided to see what other cards I could come up with. For the challenge card submissions, the backgrounds were stamped in white, the sentiments in red and then both clear embossed. For the first card, I decided to punch up the background a bit by stamping it in white and then embossing with white embossing powder. Then, no longer restricted by the challenge parameters, clear embossed the sentiment and Iayered it on the background piece. Velveteen hearts from Stampendous, ribbon and a red mat were added to both cards and the matted piece popped up on a kraft base. For the second card, I felt an additional white edge was needed, so matted everything on a white card base. As you can see, I'm still learning how to edit photos in Picasa. Suprisingly, the pictures taken inside look better than those taken on the patio table outside. Or is that just my lack of expertise with the tuning tools? Naw . . .

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW37 SentimentS

2011-01-20T16:36:00.001-05:00

I must admit that when I first read this week's OLW challenge, I found it very er .... challenging. But I had promised myself I'd participate in more challenges, and so put the ol' thinking cap on and began perusing my stamps hoping for a light bulb moment of great inspiration. And this was what I came up with. The background stamp is from Stampin' UP! and the sentiment is from DeNami. I used SU! card stock in Kraft on the first card and Going Gray on the second. That's SU! white kraft ink and Colorbox Lipstick chalk ink on the sentiments, and I clear embossed after stamping. (Note to self: Turn off the ceiling fan before sprinkling embossing powder.) Maybe I still have "it" after all :D This card just "feels" good. You know what I mean.

Thank you for taking time to visit today.

Hugs,

Colleen

Birthdays Are Like Wedgies . . .

2011-01-18T22:05:00.001-05:00

A quick post. My mojo is still playing hide and seek. I'm creating, but the results are less than stellar and not giving me much satisfaction when (finally!) done -more like frustrating - and definitely not blog-worthy.

Here is a one layer card. I was in the mood to color. The inside sentiment is "They just keep sneaking up on you".

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Hugs,
Colleen

FTL123

2011-01-15T23:15:00.003-05:00

Let me start by apologizing for neglecting my blogging duties for so long. This is important to me, and I need to better prioritize my time. I'll try to do better. I have a new camera and laptop and no longer have access to Photoshop, so there's been a bit of a learning curve not only with the camera but also with Picasa. Please let me know if you think these photos look as good as previous ones. And any tips you might offer for Picasa are most welcome. (I thought I'd never figure out how to resize photos!) I'm also without my lighting for shooting pictures, so must rely on sunny weather.

After not stamping for a few weeks, I decided to use a sketch in hopes of locating my lazy mojo, and this week's sketch challenge on the Clean & Simple Stamping blog was just the nudge I needed.

I used a Stampendous clear stamp (oldie) colored with Copics. The dp is some old KI Memories holiday paper I resurrected and planned to use for holiday cards, but didn't so it was staring at me begging to be used.

Thank you for your visit today, and thanks to the Clean & Simple Stamping Blog for the great sketch.

Big Hugs,

Colleen

Another Christmas Card for the Stack

2010-12-07T13:04:00.002-05:00

I may have to rethink my plan to make all my Christmas cards individually versus the assembly line process. Time just isn't on my side.

This card uses a Hero Art's background and sentiment and Papertrey Ink die and card stock. I stamped the Enchanted Evening card stock with Stampin' UP! white craft ink (this is becoming my favorite white ink to use for backgrounds) and the sentiment in Brilliance Rocket Red. I opted to add some interest to the tree by stamping it with Versamark using a Cornish Heritage Farm background stamp.

Thank you for the visit today. A special thanks to Pauline for becoming a Follower . . . much appreciated.

I'm off to look for more hours to add to my day . . .

Hugs,
Colleen

Yellow and Gray

2010-12-02T20:25:00.003-05:00

As a follow up to yesterday's post as promised, more hot air balloon cards. I saw a design show awhile back on HGTV where a bathroom was done in gray and yellow. The room turned out beautifully, and I made a mental note to try that color scheme. This polka dot paper from October Afternoon sparked that memory and these cards are the result. The Hot Air Balloon stamps used on these are from Verve.

Now, I really must get back to making some Christmas cards . .

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs,
Colleen

Have You Ever Done This?

2010-12-01T17:45:00.006-05:00

Edited to add: The customer chose the top card :D

You flip the piece of double-sided patterned paper that you're working with to add ribbon or adhesive and discover maybe you like the coordinating pattern on the back better? Then being the indecisive individual that you are, cannot decide which side is better suited to your project? So what's a gal to do? Simple . . . make one of each and let the customer decide! This beautiful dp from SEI was the cause of my recent dilemma. Stamp set and die are from PaperTrey Ink. So which card do you think my customer will choose? And which do you prefer? The original design was the top card.

Thank you for the visit today. I have 2 more hot air balloon cards to share later in totally different colors - yellow and gray. And, hopefully, I'll find time to participate in OLW31. Have a great evening all.

Hugs,

Colleen

Meowy Christmas

2010-11-27T23:06:00.000-05:00

A quick Christmas card for a quick post. Busy, busy . . . 'tis the season.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hugs,
Colleen

Congrats to the New Grandparents!

2010-11-20T13:03:00.001-05:00

My sister and her husband became grandparents for the first time Thursday afternoon, and this is the card I made for the wonderful occasion.

This awesome stamp is from Impression Obsession, and I colored it with Copic markers.

Thanks for the visit today. The weather this weekend in Louisville is wonderful for November, and I plan to take full advantage. Have a good 'un!

Hugs,

Colleen

Happy Anniversary

2010-11-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

Another order fulfillment card. I really like the way this turned out and so did the customer. The balloon is from a Verve set and cut with Spellbinder's Label 10. The dp is from a 6x6 pad of OffBeat from Basic Grey. Background embossing and felt clouds used PTI products. On my monitor, the dark color looks black but it's dark brown, and what looks white is Neenah Natural White (cream).

Thank you for stopping by today. Hope it's been a good one for ya.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW 28 Up, Up and Away

2010-11-16T18:33:00.000-05:00

Well, I did get my room cleaned up . . . somewhat . . . mostly . . . so decided it was not too late to participate in OLW28. Since I still had a few remnants of the makings for the card from this post, I decided to see if I could make it a olw qualifier. The colors are not as brilliant used on the kraft card stock, and I didn't do as much blending since I was trying my best to keep the inks from bleeding through. But this is the result. All stamps from Papertrey Ink except the background which is Cornish Heritage Farms.

Thank you for the visit today.

Hugs,

Colleen

Up, Up and Away

2010-11-15T17:13:00.000-05:00

I had a special order for thank you cards with a hot air balloon theme, and this is what I came up with. Nichole Heady used kraft, white and red so effectively in a recent post, that I wanted to use that same color combination. I also looked back on Nichole's coloring of the balloons during the count down projects for this set and got ideas from that for some of the balloon colors. Other than that, this is pretty self explanatory. If you have any questions, I'm only an email away.

Thanks for the visit today. I may make another balloon card (without layers) for OLW28, so hope to participate in that later. I must clean up my room before I can do another thing, though. It looks like a bomb went off in there LOL . . . no, seriously.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW27 Merry Little Christmas

2010-11-09T18:39:00.000-05:00

A couple of $1 stamps stamped with Memento inks and enhanced with a little Copic Spica glitter pen. Done.

Thanks for the visit today.

Hugs,
Colleen

More is More

2010-11-04T00:48:00.000-04:00

2010-10-12T13:14:00.001-04:00

My niece, Ashley, and her husband are expecting their first child in November. There was a baby shower Sunday, and I made this card to go with the gift. Inspired by my girlfriend, Carol, I added a "pinafore" type layer from dotted vellum and secured it with ribbon. The dress began from the Sizzix Baby Onsie, but I only used it as a pattern for the top of the dress and then used a Spellbinders Mega Scalloped Oval nestie to create the hemline. No pattern for the pinafore . . . just a series of trials and errors, but I'm pleased with the result and, more importantly, so was Ashley. The little rose bud on the bow was added for her middle name, and just polished off the card . . . imho.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hugs,

Colleen

Look Who's Turning 4 - Peyton!

2010-10-07T01:21:00.003-04:00

Sometimes a card comes together just as envisioned. Other times, like with this card, it evolves. And what started out in my head as a very girly card, ended up gender neutral leaning toward boyish. Hey, there is a pink balloon in the bunch . . . Anyway, after investing so much time in the process, I opted to send it on its way - not completely satisfied with the final product, but realizing it will serve its purpose. Hey, I can't be Julie Ebersole or Susan Raihala everyday, right?

The balloon is an old (1995!) stamp from CC Rubber Stamps with a matching punch from Punch Bunch. Sentiment is from Impress Rubber Stamps, and for information on the fabulous background stamp see this post.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Colleen

Masculine Card

2010-10-04T23:13:00.001-04:00

Feeling a little under the weather today, literally. Louisville has gone from daily high temperatures in the upper 90's to frost advisories tonight, and it's creating havoc with my sinuses. So a simple card it is... This beautiful stamp is from Inkadinkado, and I just stamped it and highlighted a few areas with Copics. Sometimes that's all that's needed. Then again, tomorrow I may look at this card and feel differently. . .

I appreciate the visit today.

Hugs,

Colleen

OLW21 Inspired By Nature

2010-09-28T16:54:00.000-04:00

Another fabulous challenge by Susan this week. I'm a little late to the party because I was out of town and am still rushing to get caught up.

This butterfly stamp from Inkadinkado jumped off the shelf and insisted on coming home with me on a recent shopping trip. For someone who is not particularly crazy for butterfly stamps, I certainly have amassed quite a collection.

The coloring (Copics) is not my best. The prototype actually looks better. This one needs more blending, but it was either use this or skip the challenge. My husband expects dinner when he comes home from work. LOL

Thank you for the visit. I hope to spend lots of time in my stamp room in the next few days. I absolutely go through withdrawal after being away from it so long.

Hugs,

Colleen

It's Your Day!

2010-09-20T23:32:00.000-04:00

A real quick post - limited internet access. Shoe stamps by Hero Arts. I'll have to get back to you if you want the manufacturer of the the sentiment stamp. Copics utilized for coloring. Apologies for the hit and run.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Colleen

More of the Same.... Almost

2010-09-17T00:33:00.000-04:00

2010-09-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

Another great challenge this week over at Simplicity's blog. I went looking through my stamp stash for something with polka dots and found this butterfly stamp from Michael's $1 bin begging for ink. The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's Round and Round anniversary set and the tiny magenta gemstones that don't show up well in the photo are from Hero Arts.

Thanks for the visit today. Have a good 'un.

Hugs,
Colleen

FOUR Posts In One Week and the "Followers" Widget Added

2010-09-07T22:06:00.002-04:00

I'm so on the ball this week . . . four card posts, and I added the "Followers" widget to my sidebar. I'm starting to feel like a real blogger. Any day now someone will share the secret handshake with me lol

I may have mentioned before that I have a few birthdays and anniversaries in September, so today's card is for an upcoming birthday. I colored this Kim Hughes owl with Copics and then took the white crayon still laying on my desk from the crayon resist technique used below to soften some of the browns a bit. I like the result. You just can't go back to the Copics after adding colored pencils or crayons or it will ruin the nib of the Copic. I used pop dots to layer the party hat and an additional layer for the pom pom. IRL it's very dimensional. The branch is a piece of a limb from a Spellbinders die.

As for the "Followers" widget . . . I'm not exactly sure how it works, but apparently some people use is to keep track of blogs they visit regularly. Anyway, I'm on board, so come along.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

It's All About the Presents

2010-09-06T01:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Labor Day to my US blog readers! I hope you have a wonderful day with more fun than "labor".

The card I'm sharing today uses a stamp I purchased at Stampaway in August from Stacy's Stamps. It is unmounted and, I don't know about you, but I tend to forget about my unmounted rubber when looking for inspiration, so I decided to ink this up before putting it away. I colored it with Copics and added a coordinating loop of satin ribbon. The sentiment is from Morning Star and is also a new Stampaway acquisition.

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Heartfelt Wishes

2010-09-03T21:04:00.002-04:00

Not a lot of stamping on this card -just the sentiment from Impress Stamps. The vase is a punch and the flower from an old Zip-ee cut die.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Your visits encourage me to be a better blogger ; D
Hugs,
Colleen

OLW18 I Caved

2010-09-01T18:10:00.004-04:00

For me, it seems like Christmas '09 was not that long ago. And while the stores eagerly anticipate the coming holiday season and begin merchandising earlier and earlier, I am in denial. I hasten pass the shelves in stores brimming with glitz and color, quickly skip over blog posts reminding me that I should begin making cards now to avoid the inevitable rush to come, and refuse to be lured into purchasing even one sheet of Christmas paper or adding another stamp to my already bulging stash. Yet, when Susan offered up her latest challenge - to use a tree - my first thought was a Christmas tree . . . sigh. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!
This tree image is from Northwoods, and I used the crayon resist technique with Forest Moss Distress ink applied with a sponge. The sentiment is from Hero Arts, one of a set of three, as I recall. The crayon ended up a bit shiny, so I added some Rock Candy Stickles for a bit of snowy sparkle. I'm very pleased with the result and can now return to my blissful state of denial. It was 90+ degrees here today for goodness sakes.

Thanks for stopping by.

Respectfully submitted,
Colleen

Here's the Scoop

2010-08-31T19:34:00.000-04:00

Here's a quick little card I made highlighting McGill's ice cream cone punch. I punched a couple of glittery papers and an appropriate "cone" colored card stock and then used some pop dots to build my ice cream cone. Even thought it doesn't show up well in the photo, I used an embossing tool and added some shading to create "waffles" on the cone. The rectangle is a stamp from Endless Creations, and the sentiment is from A Muse. What fun!

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW17 Border Stamps

2010-08-27T20:24:00.003-04:00

Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, two posts in one day. Don't get use to it *wink* I stamp nearly everyday and usually remember to take photographs . . . it's the editing and actual posting that proves to be the challenge.

And speaking of challenges, this week's challenge on Simplicity's blog is to use a border stamp. As I perused my numerous, never-seen-ink border stamps, I came to the realization that as drawn as I am to the idea of using border stamps (and even border punches and what about all those nifty had to have Stampin' UP! wheels, huh?), I rarely use them. And when I do, I tend to reach for the same ones again and again. So thank you, Susan, for another great challenge.

The border stamp I used here is from an old (and never used, I might add) Hero Arts set of 6 sewing related stamps. The sentiment is also from HA - a recent clear set called "Sew Artsy", and the wonderful vintage sewing machine is from River City Rubber Works.

Enjoy! And thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

Two Quickies

2010-08-27T11:34:00.000-04:00

I have a boat load of these Emerson Quillin designs from American Art Stamps and love them for a quick one layer card. Here I used one as a thank you and the other for a birthday. A little color from my Copics and done.
I'm off to participate in a couple of challenges . . .
Thanks for dropping by.

Hugs,
Colleen

OLW16 Stamp a Scene

2010-08-18T14:20:00.004-04:00

This week's challenge over at Simplicity is to stamp a scene - either one we create or one that is ready-made. I opted for the latter, using a Stampendous cling rubber stamp that is an Archiver's exclusive. I chose various Copic markers for coloring and added the A Muse sentiment. Inside it says "miss you".

Thank you for stopping by.

Hugs,

Colleen

How's Your Day Stacking Up?

2010-08-09T18:46:00.003-04:00

2010-06-21T15:17:00.006-04:00

I finally got around to putting thoughts to paper for Simplicity's One Layer Wednesday challenge. I've made some cards similar to this but don't think I've posted them. The flourish is from Memory Box and the sentiment from A Muse. I had a hard time deciding whether to round the corners, so made one of each.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy.

Hugs,

Colleen