Every Day... (RSCC13 &2S4Y)

So, quick post, then I have to be getting to bed. Way too many late nights in the last few weeks (I'm due for a 9pm early bed time re-charge soon), but I do enjoy down time each night after work, no matter how late my down time starts. On a night like this, I just sit, relax and enjoy the silence while I am making a card or scrapping a page. No music needed at all. I wonder if I am the only one who will trade in much needed sleep just to have an hour or so to myself before turning in for the night...

Back with another Raspberry Suite challenge and this time I combined it with my first try at a 2 Sketches 4 You sketch. I had heard and read about the sketches from perusing all the other blogs, but decided I would try it after seeing Sharon's card (Paperfections) today. Love those apples! So about my card... I had a slightly different take on the sketch since the vertical panel had the sentiment and I didn't want to cover it up. So I just put the oval behind it. But all the pieces are there!

I made this for my husband's cousin's daughter (still following me?) who graduated from high school this year. We couldn't make it to her party (baseball game!), but still want to make sure we send her a congratulations gift.

She's off to college next year. Ahhh to be heading off to college. I remember that time for me like yesterday (even if it has been way longer than that - LOL)... what a wonderful time in my life... my history. Too bad I don't realize it fully at the time (does any 18 year old?). But you know what they say about hindsight... Do you ever wish to go back and do any of your life again? Part of me wishes I could go back, but in the end, I wouldn't change anything I did or really want to go back. My life TODAY is a wonderful gift and I can't imagine not being exactly where I am. So my goal is to work hard to enjoy each day to the fullest, because in the end you never get any of it back anyway...

Ok - that was a random tangent... this was just supposed to be a grad card! Definitely time for me to head to bed! Later.

WSC 90 (almost!)

Hello, hello! Checking in with my try at WSC 90. This is one penguin who is very secure with his inner penguin! I wanted to dust of this guy this weekend to make a birthday card for young girl. So I figured that a healthy dose of pink, with some green would do the trick. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it - LOL!) And of course you can't forget the purple pail.

I used the sketch as a guide and pretty much only deviated in that I used a circle for the main image instead of the oval. The penguin wouldn't fit in an oval, so that made that easy. ;)

On a side note, I can't believe it is only Monday... Well, it just means there is that much more week to enjoy LOL (again, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Trying to enjoy the moment - no matter what kind of a moment it is). Have a good one!

Deets: Inky Antics Penguin; PTI - Birthday Basics (sentiment); CS: PTI: Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet and White, PP (can't remember where it's from since it was a scrap); Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Other: Prismas & Gamsol, Copics, Sweet Blush Ribbon, Nestie

What's Black, White and...

...red all over. Answer: My card for this month's PTI Blog Hop! :)

Hello, hello... SO excited for another monthly blog hop. Can't wait to see all the creative goodies out in paper crafting blogland. This month, Nichole called for out take on texted background. So this was my take on it. I still am old school when it comes to the thinking about the newspapery text on actual newspaper - hence using Soft Stone as my base! I then out with a polka dot background (really lovin' PDB II - the spacing of the dots are fab and perfect, imo) in Fresh Snow and then stamped the scripty text in grey to finish my background.

I decided to focus on the newspapery text to ground my big 'ol red flower (get it? - red all over LOL). A perfectly picked button with a black bow and there you have it. Black, white and red all over. ;) Now I'm off to check all the other texty-creations. Thanks for visiting.

Deets: (All PTI, unless noted) Stamps - Friends Til the End, BB Text Style, Birthday Basics; CS - Soft Stone and Pure Poppy, Ink: Fresh Snow, VersaMagic Red, Versamark; Other: Button, DMC Floss, Ranger Embossing Powder

Welcome to my 1st TIChallenge!

Hello, hello. Quick post before I call it a night. Busy weekend full of fun things ahead, so I need to be ready, refreshed and on my toes. They never are long enough (the weekends, I mean), are they?

I have gotten hooked on following this very creative blog for a couple weeks now, and I am finally getting a chance to jump on her weekly summer Inspiration challenge. Tina (bka as Travelingmama!) has these wonderful pics that serve as the inspiration piece for whatever you decide to make each week. Love her style, both as a papercrafter and blogger. She has a great "voice" like that. So thanks for the daily dose of inspiration, Tina! :) Here is the challenge pic and this is what I came up with for it.

I sometimes wonder if I strangle the creativity out of these type of challenge as I seem to take them kinda literally. Which leads me to often wonder how creative I really am. But in trying not to be too hard on myself and just enjoy my hobby, I just ignored the thoughts and forged on.

So here is my thought process. I was struck immediately by the wonderful colors, the arch of the door and for some reason that window (hmmm... this actually gets less creative as I type this out - LOL). I used Soft Stone as my base (reminded me of the door and window frame). I used a stamp I have had for a while and have always loved of a three tier plate of desserts for 3 reasons: (1) the handle with its loop and flourishes reminded me of the door and the general shape reminded me of the door; (2) the deserts kinda reminded of me of something you would either have or bring to a home) and; (3) I just really wanted to dust off and use this image! I then used the orangy- square to mimic the window next to my "door." And lastly I decided to use a "home" sentiment to wrap it all together. See... I told you it was pretty literal. But it was my best effort!! Ok, so this ended up not being so quick of a post, but that's ok too.

Thanks again for a fun challenge - I look forward to next Friday's! I'll be back tomorrow with my PTI blog hop entry. I can't believe I got it done sooner than the day of the blog hop (will wonders never cease - LOL)!!

Back (FINALLY!) with RSCC 12

It's a been a busy last few weeks - where does the time go? Somehow, a day turns into a week in just a blink of an eye. Crazy how it just flies. Anyways... getting back into the stamping swing of things with a challenge and some new goodies. My little obsession with this whole stamping thing really cracks me up sometimes. In the whole scheme of things, it is such a random hobby for me... but I think that's why I love it so... it is sorta the square trying to fit in the circles of my life. Scrapping fits for the most part, since I have kids and lots of pics of them, but making cards... not so much. It would be so much easier and time efficient for me just to buy the cards - I'm always saying that time is flying anyway, but there is a certain something about making them... must be why I am stubborn when I comes to making them and not giving into the more sensible choice. Oh well. Just one of the many thoughts in my brain right now. The other ones being what I'm going to have a for a snack (for some reason, I'm hungry tonight) and my agenda of things to accomplish at work tomorrow...

Soooo, back to my card. Here is for Dawn's latest color challenge. I'm so drawn to doing these. I seriously can't believe how long I've personally been keeping this up (given how my stamping really ebbs and flows depending on the rest of the landscape of my life at the time).

This new PTI button set it fun and I have to say, I've never had a thing for fruit when I comes to stamping, but lately, it seems like I might be wrong about that notion (wouldn't be the first time - LOL).

A summer card for season

Hello, hello! :) Here's a summer birthday card that I made this week for the daughter of one of our close friends. She turned 8 and so I wanted to put a bunch of bright fun colors together to celebrate her birthday. The thought of combining the coral and the pink came by way of a fun accident. I had 2 scraps of those colors next to each other in my scrap bag and the combo caught my eye. I thought it looked fun and just went with it. So I actually had my own color inspiration! :) I hope that she liked it and that I have a few more of these color inspirations on a regular basis.

I used a fun set from CHF - the stamps had been getting a little dusty, so I thought it was time to re-visit and use them again, especially since it is SUMMER. Normally I would color in the images, but in this case I just used stamped them on different colors of CS. I like the look and have to remember to do this again.

...So maybe the break from my CHF stamps was a positive thing creatively for me. ;) Stay tuned to see what else I can come up with creatively.

RSCC #11 - Martini, anyone?

Here's my try this week for Dawn's color challenge.

Not a color combo I would think to put together on my own, but that's why I enjoy doing these. I've been on a streak - I've done a few of these color challenges in a row now (yay!). For some reason I was drawn back to this image, which was a freebie in an eP package sometime ago. I also used a combination of copics and prismas/gamsol to get all the colors in. I like the way this card turned out. Anyway, this will go into my stash of birthday cards for some figure use. Love when I can just come downstairs and find a card and be ready to go! And I think this is a card one of my friends would enjoy receiving.

Hope that you had a great July 4th weekend - I did! Lots of family time in the SUN! I can't believe the weekend is almost over. Busy week ahead, so not sure how much stamping will be going on in the following days, but I know that when I do, it'll be relaxing and very enjoyable. Have a great week ahead! :)

Deets:

Stamps: Rubber Romance; CS: PTI - Raspberry Fizz, Soft Stone; Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and VersaMagic - Red Magic; Other: Copics, Prismas and Gamsol, Bitty Dots - New Leaf, SU dimensionals and Kaiser rhinestones