CAS(E) a sketch and Make it Monday

Hi there! Long time no stamp! Actually I've stamped some but not posted here. There is always Instagram! :)

I saw someone post a card for the CAS(E) this sketch challenge (#255) and it looked simple enough, thought I'd play along. I also used Lizzie's technique demonstrated for Make it Monday at Papertrey Ink, shadow stamping a sentiment. You can hardly see it on my sample but I stamped the word "serenity" in gray and then a pale shade of pink, Spun Sugar actually. It looks like a pink shadow, barely there.

Had fun! No time to chat much right now, I fussed for an hour trying to get into my blog just to post and it is past time to be thinking about dinner. Thanks for looking. Have a great day!

Papertrey Ink Brushed Birds; soft stone cardstock, Alte New lace die, Spun sugar, Raspberry Fizz and a pink distress oxide ink (which one??? can't go look right now!), gray; Gathered Garden die, sequins, glitter

See? If you look real close you can see the pink by the gray on the sentiment....

Papertrey Nov 2017 blog hop

Hello! Its been a while since I posted. I think I muffed a few things along the way too. Anyway, it is time for the November 2017 Papertrey Ink customer blog hop. I really liked the image chosen for inspiration and I keyed into the cream colors, the plaid, the pumpkins and the gold centerpiece for my inspiration.

I've been trying numerous ways to use the tag from the Holiday tags mini kit. I have more pieces that I can't share right now because they're for a gift, but I will have them soon!

Thanks for looking and happy hopping!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Autumn Scarecrow; Dies: tiny tags and Holiday tags; Paper: rustic cream, watercolor; Inks: Ranger distress inks, variety of fall colors; Other: ribbon, copper stickles, sequin assortment

Sketch Saturday #489

Welcome to the weekend! Today there is a new challenge at Sketch Saturday and this week's sponsor is Paper Nest Dolls. We invite you to play along for your chance to win a few digital files of your own. The rest of the design team has done a fabulous job using this week's sketch! Here is my contribution.

This post is a bit short since I am traveling out of town right now. Thanks for looking and happy stamping!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink; Paper: PTI linen, vintage cream, patterned papers, vellum; Ink: Tim Holtz Ranger distress ink in vintage photo; Other: Copic markers, gold stickles, My Favorite Things stitched circle die, sequins

CAS(E) this Sketch #246

Saw a card on Instagram for this week's CAS(E) this sketch and had an idea using another set Dawn McVey designed way back in 2009. Happy, cheerful sentiments like the designer herself. Fall colors are still in full glory in our area although I expect that to change this weekend.

While the sentiment was designed by Dawn, I did pair it up with a few other products to complete the card. The owl is from Lil' Inker Designs, which might not quite fit the sketch but I wanted it to help complete the card. The embossed leaves from from a PTI set called Autumn Scarecrow. I used Distress Ink colors of Mustard, Pumpkin and Candied Apple with the "smoosh" technique for the watercolor background and the woodgrain embossing plate for the main body of the card.

Thanks for looking and wishing you all the best Dawn as you recover!

Blog hop for Dawn...A Joyful Heart

Welcome to Saturday and a special, rather impromptu blog hop to celebrate the designs and the heart of Dawn McVey. She has struggled for ages with health issues and just recently traveled to Washington, D.C. for a special operation that we pray will fix the problem once and for all. You can read more about it here.

We thought it might help provide some cheer and show our support to use some of her lovely stamp designs on cards for a special blog hop, just for her.

I have selected Holiday Greens and A Cheerful Heart, two stamp sets she designed, along with a die I think she created, the Basic Bookmark 2 die. I also used the leaf silhouettes die because it is rather new to me and I was having fun playing with different colors and papers. I also twined silver and gold threads to play along with the Make it Monday challenge, I thought they looked rather nice twisted along the spine of the leaf die. I pulled a stamp set from the "vault," Silent Night, for the sentiment and a wee star to accent my first card.

So if you can find time to play along, please do! And Dawn, we love you!!! Praying for your recovery!

Stamp Set: Holiday Greens, Silent Night (Papertrey Ink); Paper: Kraft, vintage white, gold, red, Pure Poppy patterned paper; Inks: PTI Chocolate, Pure Poppy, Americana, Stormy Seas, Chartreuse; Other: glitter, gold thread, ribbon, gold embossing powder, woodgrain embossing plate (PTI), leaf silhouette die

Stamp sets: (PTI) A Cheerful Heart, Background Basics Botanicals; Paper: Aqua Mist; vintage white, white, silver, sparkle white; Inks: Ranger Distress spun sugar, Grape; PTI Lilac; Dies: Leaf silhouette, Bookmark Basic 2; Other: glitter, woodgrain die, leaf silhouette die, purple and silver ribbon, silver twine

Sketch Saturday #487

Good morning and welcome to week 487 of the Sketch Saturday challenges!

This week features a square card with patterned paper or square shapes in the four corners and a circle at the center. It is high time I got started on some Christmas cards. I thought I'd use red and white, classic Christmas colors, for my creation.

I did cut out squares and have washi tape separating the layers but the washi is a birch pattern and the layers themselves are off white so it is much more visible in person. I did make the red circle a bit large since I wanted to mimic the look of an ornament.

I diecut the word "merry" from glitter paper and then used paper ribbon to make a bow. Now that isn't a proper bow but a cheat, since it is paper. It is all glued together and the button is popped on with a glue dot. You cannot tie a paper bow. :)

Thanks for looking and hope you can play along.

Stamps: none. Dies: Papertrey Ink Wonderful Words: Holiday die collection, notecard die; My Favorite Things stitched circles; Paper: white, PTI pure poppy patterned paper, rustic white, glitter paper; twine, jingle bells, birch paper ribbon, woodgrain impression plate, red striped paper ribbon, pure poppy button

PTI Customer Blog Hop October 2017

Good evening! Thanks for stopping by. Papertrey sponsors a customer blog hop once a month based on an inspiration photo. The photo is below and I was drawn to the colors and the watercolor look of the various pieces. I added some orange to lend a bit of contrast to the yellow in my watercolor background because my yellows and honey toned yellow stock is a bit sparse. I did struggle with this challenge a bit, nothing immediately came to mind. I don't look at anyone else's creations before working on mine because I don't want the outside influence, so it will be fun to go have a look finally!

I added the thin strip of red patterned paper because of all the reds in the inspiration but also a touch of birch paper ribbon and the die cuts from Gathered Garden, since so many of the inspiration photos featured nature or trees.

Thanks for looking and happy hopping!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Year of Psalms February; Paper: PTI rustic white, watercolor paper, teal, navy and honey nut; Ink: Distress inks and honey nut; sequins, birch paper ribbon, pure poppy patterned paper