Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge #85

Another wonderful sketch from Jennifer Culbertson for this week's WMSC. I'm still playing with L'il Buddies so my card includes three of the adorable little chicks along with that sweet butterfly!

For some reason it seemed to take forever to complete this card. I made three tries to get the grass and chicks spaced correctly! Then the little guy in the middle ended up with his feet buried in grass so when I colored them with Copics they looked a little strange with the green grass streaks! I finally decided just to  cut some out and glue them on top! Both the chicks and the butterfly are paper pieced, using Bitty Dots patterned paper in Lemon Tart and Raspberry Fizz. A little shading was added with Copics.

Wow, it was so warm here yesterday that people were out working in their yards and running around in shorts. Can't believe it is still February!! 

So glad you stopped by. Love your visits!

SMILES,

Sharron

Supplies

Stamps: L'il Buddies, Say It Loud (WMS); Half and Half, Daily Designs Sentiments, Garden Variety (PTI)

Cardstock: Light Denim (Paper and Co.), Lemon Tart, Spring Moss (PTI)

Patterned Paper: Bitty Dots Basics (PTI)

Dies: Half and Half (PTI)

Additional: Memento Inks, Pearls (Recollections), Copics

Happy Birthday, Cathy!!!!!!

Cathy, The Empty Nest Crafter, is celebrating a birthday today and we're throwing a Card Party! We hope she is been having a fabulous day so far and is now ready to join in some blog fun!!

Cathy, if you have been following along on the blog hop, you have made it almost to the end. But you can also stop and start anywhere along the way. Here are all the party-goers:

Joyce

Renee

Kim

Marybeth

Jeanne

Sharron---You are here!

Jessica

Kara

And here is my card! Hope you are having a WONDERFUL birthday and are looking forward to lots of crafty fun in the year ahead!

I noticed that you use this WM set quite a bit too so I bet you love it as much as I do!

HUGS,

Sharron

Thankful Thursday

I recently received an email from a friend in the PTI Peeps group asking me to be a featured stamper on her blog. Gosh, I feel so honored--I've never done anything like this before!! Rhonda (Stamp n Piece) has started a new feature on her blog called Thankful Thursday. Here is a link to her first post where she explained her plan for the year. She was so sweet to ask me to do a card for this week and I was tickled to accept!

I wanted to do something using the trendy colors--pink and orange. I used a soft pink though--nothing too daring!! Cardstock is Sweet Blush, Orange Zest and Stamper's Select White (all PTI).

The butterflies are from Butterfly Dreams, a PTI set by Niki Estes and there are lots of different images! Aren't the little background butterflies sweet!! They are stamped in Amuse Pumpkin ink.

I used a die from PTI's Half and Half set and the butterfly die that goes with the stamps. The sentiment is from Waltzingmouse Say It Loud--probably my most used sentiment set--LOVE it!!! 

Don't forget to visit Rhonda's blog--you can see what she has posted for today and give her some support along her journey of thanks! I know she would love it if you linked one of your own thank you cards!! 

Happy Thursday,

Sharron

WMSC #83; Play Date Cafe Challenge #118

I know I am SO VERY late getting my WMS challenge posted but I didn't want to miss another one! The sketch uses a round card and I love that shape! This week's fabby design was done by Jennifer Culbertson.

And I love the colors in this Play Date Cafe Challenge so decided to combine the two! I haven't done a PDCC is a while and couldn't pass up these cheerful colors.

So here's my card!! I passed on the Valentine theme and went to Spring!!!

Since being introduced to Memory Box dies during the January 12 Kits of Christmas party, I've had the temptation to buy them all! Well, maybe that's a bit of an over-exaggeration but I have already placed two orders!! I instantly fell in love with this little bird so I foresee using it a lot!!

The WM stamps are two of my favorites--the plaid from Off Beat Backgrounds and Nordic Winter. Both are stamped with my new Amuse Ink (LOVE it!).

I'm keeping this short so I can get posted on time. As always, I love when you stop by for a visit!

Wishing you a happy weekend!!

Sharron

Supplies

Stamps: Off Beat Backgrounds, Nordic Winter (WMS); Everyday Button Bits, Tiny Treats-Valentine (PTI)

Cardstock: Stamper's Select White, Harvest Gold, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening (all PTI)

Dies: Heart Trio (PTI), Perched Reed Bird (Memory Box), Circles and Scalloped Circles (Spellbinders)

Inks: Amuse, Memento

Pearls (Queen and Co.)

Wishing You the Happiest of Birthdays

This is my second PTI challenge card. Love this design by Dawn McVey! I always think of happy colors when I think of her---and wonderful layering! See her card using the design here! I used a Half and Half die and one stamp from the stamp set. For the main image I used three of the dies from Limitless Layers 1 3/4". The background is Vine Label, an embossing folder from Quikutz, accented with pearls. And the cardstock is Raspberry Fizz and Melon Berry, along with Stamper's Select White. All are PTI products.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you are enjoying the challenges. I wish I had the energy to stay up and make more cards but I am exhausted so must head off to bed!

Smiles,

Sharron

PTI Anniversary Day 2

Unfortunately I missed yesterday's challenge but at least got to read all the fabulous news over on Nichole Heady's blog! Anniversaries are HUGE celebrations at PTI so if you haven't yet checked out the activities, be sure to visit Nichole's blog. Today there is a fabulous freebie download with a collection of designs done by the 2012 PTI Designers. The challenge is to make a project that incorporates one of the images. I would love to do them all but will have to save most of them to play with later!

My first is a CAS card using the design by Lisa Johnson. Aren't these little chicks adorable!!! Lisa has the cutest card using them here. My border at the bottom was made with a stamp from Background Basics-Retro that I colored with Copics.

I will be back shortly with another entry. Here is the direct link to the site where you can check out everyone else's projects!

Later,

Sharron

The 12 Kits of Christmas: January

Hi everyone!

So glad you dropped by today--there are some exciting activities! Find a comfy place to sit and grab a beverage (coffee for me!)--this is a long post--but full of lots of goodies--including links to 11 other blogs and information about some blog candy!!!

OMG, I have been so anxious for this day to arrive! I was thrilled when Renee asked if I would be interested in joining this new group. The name is a play on 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' and the idea was a concept from Renee and Suzanne to help us support each other and get our holiday cards done early. Each month one of us will prepare 12 kits of supplies--one for ourselves and 11 to send out to the other participants. We can select the stamps/dies/etc. from any company--use any styles, any colors--just whatever suits our fancy. And when the kit arrives at our house, it is like a birthday, Christmas or fun celebration every month! Our February kits have already started arriving and wow, it is SO ADORABLE!

Renee got us off to a fantastic start with the most wonderful die cuts and a bundle of the most awesome supplies! It was definitely like Christmas when it came in the mail!! Just looking through all these goodies was a treat! And she loves this window so much that she sent everyone a bunch of extras--so you may be seeing Spring window cards soon too!! Of course, now we'll all want our own window die! It's OOS most places but sure to be on many wishlists!! I ordered the smaller version (plus a few more Memory Box dies!) and my order just arrived today!!!! 

PHOTO BY KARA

I don't have a very large crafting area so I put everything from Renee's kit out on the dining room table. It was such fun to play with layouts! With everything right there, it is so easy to get started creating! Did I mention how much I LOVE this idea!!! We only have to make one card or project but I ended up with three---could have done more but thought I might be overdoing it!

Anyway, on to my first card............

One theory of the origin of the phrase "I'll be there with bells on" is from when horses, often adorned with bells, were a major form of transportation? When I saw these bells and black velvet ribbon, I knew I wanted to use the sleigh and make a bell strap for my card! But just couldn't bring myself to use all the bells---I only used three!! Everything on this card, except the MS coarse glitter came from the kit!

My second card is perhaps my favorite. 'Cuz I LOVE the plaid! I did add a piece of light denim cardstock for the sky and used two different circle punches to punch holes so it would look like snow! See Renee's card here--she is using a Memory Box Snow Die. Isn't it cool--this is my DIY version! The wreath was cut using a MS fern punch.

For my last card I added Santa and his sleigh from WMS Twas the Night Before Christmas. And I did a little something different with the tree. I cut a piece of white cardstock to place behind the tree so all the cutouts (see Kara's photo above) would appear white. Then I colored part of them red with a Copic marker. Did you notice how the design in the tree matches the design in the background paper? The whole tree was then covered with fine glitter.

Be sure to visit all the other blogs! We all schedule our posts to go live at the same time so, as I am writing this, I have not seen anyone else's. That's part of the fun!! Can't wait to go visiting myself!! Also Renee is offering some blog candy--a collection of die cuts of your very own so you too can play!! Check her blog for details. You just need to leave a little lovin' as you hop along!

Renee

Suzanne

Cathy

Joyce

Kim

Amy

Kara

Sharron--You are HERE! 

Marybeth 

Jeanne

Jessica

Christina

Thanks so much for visiting! Have fun!!

SMILES,

Sharron

Here is a list of some of the supplies included in the Kit that I used:

Stamps: Twas the Night Before Christmas, Compliments of the Season (both WMS)

Dies: Grand Madison Window (Poppystamps); O Tannenbaum Christmas Tree (Cheery Lynn); In the Meadow (PTI)

Velvet Ribbon (Simplicity)