Art Impressions and Julie Nutting Prima Stamp

 

Happy Labor Day!
I have enjoyed the long weekend- spending time with family and friends!  I managed to squeeze in a little time at my LSS Absolutely Everything and purchased some new stamps and more paper! I was going to live without the paper but Paige was with me and I told her to pick out some paper and she did a fabulous job!

I used a recent OWH sketch for the first card made with the Prima stamp. I love that these stamps are also sized for A-2 cards...even without a face- I love the images!  I rotated the sketch... this is one I will use again! I used Copic X-press it for my image, tuxedo black Memento ink and papers from American Crafts 'spooky'.  Clear glaze from Sakura on the bat and her shoes added some shine.

I could not resist the sweet images from Art Impressions Mini Front and Backs...Elf and Reindeer set along with the matching dies. And this was perfect for the challenge posted at AI http://artimpressionsstamps.blogspot.com/2014/08/challenge-143-front-back-challenge.html

My photo is crooked since the reflection from my light kept showing on the acetate window. I used papers from Jillibean Soup; winter tortellini and spinach soup 6x6 pad. The window, drapes and tree dies are all by Memory Box. I perched the cute deer on top of a snow bank....love his face!





 

 

I continue to make cards for OWH-even though they need less cards- that is a great thing! I feel like I now have more time to make cards for special people in my life.... I have a care package ready for the post office and I will be adding some cards to that box...with the hopes that the recipient sends the cards to someone very special! I do not to post too much and ruin the surprise but I will post more information soon! LOL
Have a wonderful week,
Diane

Playing Catch Up-Again!

Welcome! I feel like I have been running behind for much of 2014...and I  am hoping to change that! But for today- I am just going to get up to speed!

The fun ladies at Words to Scrap By have come up with another challenge this month. Make a card inspired by one of these movies:

• There's no place like home. (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
• The stuff that dreams are made of. (The Maltese Falcon, 1941)
• Here's looking at you, kid. (Casablanca, 1942)
• May the force be with you. (Star Wars, 1977)

I adore the Wizard of Oz but decided to use a Unity Stamp (thanks Jen!) and go with Casablanca. I keep trying to think what it would sound like if Humphrey Bogart said the sentiment! I used colored Sakura Glaze pens on all of the eyeglass frames and I used clear Glaze across the lenses. A super simple card but I am liking it!

Join in on the fun by clicking here:
http://words2scrapby.blogspot.com/2014/03/w2sb-challenge-3-and-oscar-goes-to.html


The Midweek ThrowDown at OWH is a good one to encourage us to clean up our scraps! I do not save a lot of my scraps so I started with papers that were free with a UK magazine.I like the colors in the papers but this card is not going to highlighted in my 'favorite cards from 2014'!!  LOL 
 http://operationwritehome.org/midweek-throwdown-scrappy-background/

And I wanted to make some western cards for my next box to OWH so I used one of the sooo stinkin cute images by My Favorite Things. I paper pieced a lot of his outfit. The layout was not what was in my mind- but I wanted the cowboy to take center stage.,,hmmm- I feel like it needs something! I think the last time I used this stamp- I made a lassoo from jute. I think I may need to do that again!

And here are a few cards that are not for challenges and are going in my OWH box. I did use scraps for the birthday card...if the scraps are on my table and catch my eye- I use them right away. Otherwise- just more stuff to add to my overwhelming amount of supplies! And speaking of supplies....I store my stamps in clear DVD cases- and I will store 2-3 sets in one case- most of the time by the same maker. I label the spine and slide the image sheet into the DVD outer pocket....it kind of drives my friend Kelly crazy! I figure- I have limited space and if I combine a few sets...I will have room to buy more! And really- my brain can handle it...I usually can find what I want pretty quickly! Sorry Kelly!

I love the colors with the black! gorgeous! All from a pad by KaiserCraft- Violet Crush.

The Mama Elephant rabbits are quickly becoming favorites- they make me smile! And the dies are ME too and I LOVE that the edge 'stitching' is part of the die! 

Well, my girls are all coming home so I am looking forward to spending "quality time" {as Paige says} with some of my favorite people on this planet! I have so much in life to be thankful for and I know how blessed I truly am- but every time Cori, Paige and Maggie make plans to come home...my heart expands when they call or text to make sure I can spend time with them! My sister and her husband have done a damn fine job raising 4 awesome kids (Tessa is in middle school- so she does not have to 'come home' from college and the big apple!) and I am so thankful they share the girls with me! 
Thanks for stopping by and craft on!
Diane

OWH Sketch 211 and 2 New Loves!

Hello! I hope you are enjoying the Olympics and have had time to watch some of the events.
Today I am sharing a few cards- 3 are inspired by this week's sketch


I like this sketch- one card I stayed true ot the sketch- the others..well.... I went off track a little bit!

 The most true to the sketch!

 Based on the sketch- the bears are so stinkin cute and I love this frame from CTMH Artbooking--- my newest favorite Cricut cartridge!

 The frame above is also from Artbooking. And the stamp and die cut below- yup- from CTMH! I think you already know my newest love is Artbooking-- but I am also wondering where enamel dots have been all my life?  I love how sleek they are, not a high profile and they add just a touch of fun!

Have a wonderful week...I have a 4 day weekend coming up! I recently worked an unexpected Saturday..so I am taking this Friday off to compensate for my time...sweet! 

Thanks for stopping by- a shout out to my girls-- wawa2 to Tessa, Maggie, Paige and Cori--- and of course- to Lola!

Diane

A Quick Card!

Hello! Just a quick card to play along with today's Midweek Throw Down at OWH-we are challenged to make a card with hexagons. 
http://operationwritehome.org/midweek-throwdown-hexagons/

 I used Spellbinders dies for the hexagons,  Bo Bunny Smoochable 6x6 paper pad, Bazzill cardstock, Memory Box Classic uppercase alphabet die, Signo white pen, a stamp from 'You' by Simon Says Stamp and enamel dots by My Mind's Eye- Lost and Found Antique....love these! Perfect for OWH- lots of shine without glitter and a low profile. Can you see the shimmer? I also purchased some enamel dots by Doodlebug-love a simple accent!

Have a wonderful rest of the week and I hope you are safe if you are having some wintery weather.
Thanks for stopping by,
Diane

Manly Yes...But I Like it Too! (And an Anniversary Shout Out!)

Do you remember the Irish Spring commercial? This weekend OWH is having a Card Bowl and we are challenged to make masculine cards.... thus the first part of my title!
             

Yesterday's challenge was for the monthly ODBD challenge and for February we are to make a card with the color brown. And amazingly- we have already exceed the goal of 50 cards! Wahooo!
Please go see all of the great cards! 
http://operationwritehome.org/odbd-february-challenge/

I used MFT camera die and stamps- and yes- I heat embossed the sentiment! A rarity for me! LOL 

Today's OWH sketch is fabulous and the sample card is by Donna- one the absolutely nicest people I have 'met' online-and so very talented too! You have to go visit Donna 
http://designingkeepsakes.blogspot.com

                                                               
                                             

For my sketch card, I used a CTMH stamp and die cut from the Artiste Cricut Cartridge. I was very surprised on my birthday with a bit of cash so I splurged and purchased some crafty supplies......  and man did I have some fun ordering!! I ordered the CTMH Artbooking cartridge and a few CTMH stamp sets, some Paper Smooches stamps and dies and some embellishments from Simon Says Stamp! I also re-stocked my supply of Copic X-press It Blending Card with an Amazon gift card---so I have loved coming home from busy work days to find packages waiting for me! lol!

And did you know that  Paper Smooches is celebrating their 3rd anniversary? They are-and they have new releases too! I am so impressed with the quality of all of the products, how fun and cute the images are, the super fast shipping and the customer service is OUTSTANDING! Go give Kim some love and help celebrate!
 http://papersmooches.blogspot.com/2014/02/happy-3rd-anniversary-to-paper-smooches.html
                                    

Here is a card I made in honor of the anniversary... I look up to Kim--her talent, her kindness and her business! I tried to keep with the OWH manly theme- and I love this paper-- I hope that coral/pinky color in a few of the squares is not too feminine- I tried to color the hippo's tongue the same color!

Well- I hope everyone has a great week and enjoys the game tonite. I know there will be heartbroken fans as well as joyous fans...I look forward to an exciting game!
Hello to my girls- Tessa, Cori, Maggie, Paige and Lola!
Thanks for stopping by, 
Diane

A Whole Lot Going On!

Hello and welcome! I have lots to share with you today!
First- it is the day of my Top 13 of 2013 drawing! (Yup- it is my birthday and I had a fabulous day!) I did it the old fashioned way...all the names in a hat!
And the winner is.. Debbie Caldwell! Debbie, please email me at digirlwiz at comcast dot net and let me know if you want a GC to Oozak or Paper Smooches!!

Sandy asked the OWH cardmakers to send in kits for CHA for the Make and Give; so I sent in 3 sets. Sandy posted all of the cards on Pinterest ( http://www.pinterest.com/colourful/cha-2014/  )and here are my cards! I almost forgot to take pictures...you can see 2 are tucked into the envelopes- lol!

Paper Smooches stamps are so fun for kids (and grown ups, too)! I used my Cricut to cut the sun and the mountains, a Fiskars punch for the grass and the rest of the elements are too-cute Paper Smooches. 

 I used an OWH Hero Arts fundraiser stamp for my next card! I paper pieced the elephants, put them on an Action Wobble, and made a flip card with my Cricut. I like the movement of the wobble and the flip action when you open the card. The base paper is actually a deeper red-not the pink as it appears here! I wanted the card to be gender neutral with the red, blue and green!

A pouty Unity Stamps boy....I really liked coloring him! I tried to make his shirt shaded just right to make him look like he has a pudgy belly to go with his plump little cheeks! I want to hug this little guy! The papers for this card and the elephants are by Carta Bella- the Rough and Tumble line. Ohhh, so nice and thick, a nice texture and 2 sided! The kind of paper that makes me happy!

On to new cards! The midweek thrown down was to make bunny cards...so I decided to make a Cricut bunny- Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh. I used a general sentiment so he can be used anytime. Kids still love Pooh-right? 

And today's sketch: (Marlene always comes up with a good one!)



I decided to make another bunny card:

The panel behind the image is green- not yellow-- I am not sure why it came out such a funky color! I like this sketch- I like them all-they are so great to give me some direction!

And boo hoo for my beloved Patriots! I was hoping for a win but it was not to be...congrats to the Broncos!

Have a wonderful week and please take a moment tomorrow to remember  Martin Luther King, Jr and remember all the good he achieved and stood for!
Thanks for stopping by,
Diane

Another Sketchy Sunday and a Bit of a Cheat

Hello! Sorry Colts fans...but I am happy with the results of the game last nite!  I have a soft spot for Adam Vinatieri-so I like watching the Colts...but I like it when the Patriots win!

Since it is Sunday Marlene has another great sketch for us and it comes from Jen! I love Jen's cards and she is a sweetheart! Go visit her at 
thesparklewithinblog.wordpress.com

This is Jen's sample card- love the colors!

I had this little couch cut and stamped so I rotated the sketch a bit to fit it in the space- but I think my background paper is a little subdued. Jen's paper fills up the space nicely...mine looks like lonely white space- but I guess the sender is implying they are lonely- so it may work!
I am going to try another card with a different image with this sketch--I really like it!

I used the couch to make another card before I saw the sketch- I am liking this one more. I feel like I filled the space better since the image is so plain. 

And here is my big cheat! The midweek throwdown was to make a card using the chalkboard technique...not my favorite- BUT...I do have a pad of paper from My Mind's Eye with some great chalkboard pages... a little layering, a little ribbon- and there you have it- I am a chalkboard fraud!  But I like the card's simplicity...and besides...MME did the technique way better than anything I could create! I used my resources to the best of my ability- that is my story and I am sticking to it! 

And here is another card- just because! I love MFT a la Mode gals- and this one is so sweet! ( Are you humming the I Dream of Jeannie song?) I used vellum for her transparent pants- they are so cute in person! And the purple and the gold are DCVW glitzy papers-- shimmery without the dangers of glitter! LOL 

Have a wonderful week....Hi to Cori, Paige, Maggie and Tessa! Oh...and to Lola too! Here she is with her Christmas bow. Just to make my sister happy- please comment that she is regal, majestic, beautiful...lol- she is all of those things- but a big, slobbery darling too!

Have a wonderful week! And don't forget to post a comment on my post of January 1st....so you will be entered into my drawing! I will choose a winner next Sunday! 
Craft on, stay warm and Go Pats!
Diane

Plethora of Cards!

Welcome!
I have several cards to share with you today!(OK- 5- not a plethora...but it seemed like a lot! )

First up: January's Our Daily Bread Designs challenge is to use stripes on our cards. http://operationwritehome.org/odbd-january-challenge-2/  The oh so generous folks at ODBD not only will pay for shipping for 2 boxes of cards to be sent to our troops if 50 of us makes cards for the challenge; they also give prizes to 2 of the card makers...EVERY month! They are an awesome company!

Next up- we have this week's OWH sketch.  This is one of my favorites- love the layers and love the circles! Here is Cheryl's inspiration card:  

and you can visit Cheryl here:  http://scrappinforourtroops.blogspot.com/2013/10/owh-midweek-throwdown-color-challenge.html

My card is made from a digi stamp by Some Odd Girl, Authentique papers, copics, googly eyes, twine and spellbinders dies.

And here are a few more cards I made recently. I received my recent receipt from Sandy and I donated 533 cards in 2013! I was surprised by the number- yeah me- but realized that there are lots of cards that I do not post on my blog. So- I am going to try to post more of the cards I make- not just those for challenges. So here are a few cards- and you may notice a recent trend of mine- YELLOW!

 I needed more paper for card bases- I use Bazzill Card Shoppe Marshmallow- it is a nice, heavy weight..so I ordered more white but also got a pack of 25 sheets of Sour Lemon-- love it! Nice and sunny without being over the top bright yellow! 

And here is my tip for this week....did you know you can use your American Express points at Amazon? I got 3 packages of marshmallow and the 1 package of sour lemon-- for free! This is 200 card bases of very fine quality paper --just for using a card I use anyway! I like using my points on papercrafting items- I like this paper; it is more expensive but totally worth it- but when I do not have to pay- that is an extra perk!

And don't forget to comment on my Top 13 of 2013, 1/1/14 post to be entered into a drawing! 

http://dianecreateswithpaper.blogspot.com/2014/01/welcome-new-year-with-re-cap-of-2013.html

My niece Cori (Cori, Cori, Cori-in case you are counting!) came over this weekend and colored some cute images. We did not have time to make cards- she is headed back to school today- her last semester working on her Masters degree- gooooo Cori! (that is 5!) And Maggie - yes Maggie- is coming over today to interview me for a video. Yup- Maggie is visiting today! OK- so these 2 darlings COUNTED how many times they were mentioned in my blog in 2013 and razzed me that sisters Tessa and Paige made the news more often--so this year I will do my best to spread the love around! (I did tell Cori that she needed to do more exciting things to make the blog....LOL!) Oops-just got a text from Maggie! Maggie will be here in a while- so have to run!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Diane