Pals Paper Art Challenge 133

Here's my second PALS challenge card. But first I must thank Sandie Conner for giving me the answer for making my flower. It was the last part to come together and Sandie's design made it happen!

I just love the pattern of the DSP I used from the Paisley Petals collection. There's just something so comforting about this pattern, even though it's abstract.

Okay, so maybe the DSP looks like little amoebas floating around with wheat kernels inside, but they're pretty amoebas.

Anyway, I wanted to create a soft look that kept the abstract vision with a bit of a seaweed effect. Sound strange enough? Well, the design pretty much came together bit by bit, but isn't that how it always is when designing cards?

Materials used - all Stampin' Up (unless otherwise noted)
Stamp sets: Elements of Style, Build a Blossom
Paper: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango
Designer Series Paper: Paisley Petals

Here's the challenge:

Mojo Monday 237

Here is my Mojo Monday card for this week. I'm going to give it to my co-worker and friend Sherri because she loves ladybugs.

It only seemed fitting to have the card outside in the garden for picture taking to let the ladybugs enjoy their flowers!

I got the idea for making the ladybugs from Linda Heller at Stamping School  I've been subscribing to Stamping School for over a year and use her tutorials regularly as a source of ideas and instruction.

I used the polka dot stamp from the For All You Do stamp set on Real Red card stock to get the ladybug spots. I'm going to go back and put some antennas on their heads because I didn't have time to add them earlier (shhh...it will be our little secret).

Materials used - all Stampin' Up (unless otherwise noted)
Stamp sets: For All You Do, Something to Celebrate (retired hostess)
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black

Here's the sketch:

Mojo Monday 236

I was a little mystified by what to do with this week's Mojo Monday. I had a quilt in mind, but there aren't many quilts made with only horizontal stripes. So I cut some coordinating designer paper from my stash, ran it through the Big Shot and voila! Instant gratification.

 

Materials used - all Stampin' Up (unless otherwise noted)
Stamp sets: Happiest Birthday Wishes (Hostess)
Paper: Concord Crush, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Ink: Concord Crush

I find cardmaking to be very rewarding. I feel like I just finished a quilt in less than an hour. Okay, maybe a little longer than an hour, but certainly faster than if I actually sewed something together.

I have a little secret to share with anyone out there listening. I'm going to sign up to be a Stampin' Up Demonstrator on April 30. I have to wait until the 30th because I'm going to change uplines (I was a demonstrator for a short time last year). I think this time around I'm going to go beyond the "hobbyist" level. I have the strangest drive to share this craft with everyone. I just know there has to be more people out there who don't know how wonderful it is to do paper crafting. Especially in the area where I live.

Perhaps I'm a little obsessed. Oh, I hate using the word obsessed. "Driven" or "addicted" might be better a better way to describe it. There are just so many reasons I love papercrafting. Mostly I guess because it fulfills the creative urge inside of me. And I get something to show for my efforts. That was always the problem with crafting in the past. I would never finished anything! My mother was always sewing and crocheting. My sisters are all great at sewing and needlecraft. Me, I just had lots of plans, but never got anything done. Now I'm doing it and I'm loving it!

Blogging is fun too.

Pals Paper Arts Challenge 132

My first PPA Challenge! Wow. It's been fun. I started out with the Mixed Bunch stamp set and Blossom punch  from Stampin Up which reminded me of Spanish tile.  I kept thinking about tile work found in my hometown in Southern California which is beautiful Santa Barbara. There's lots of beautiful Spanish tile work in that town.

I found a technique for making a tile design on Splitcoaststampers by scoring the cardstock in 1/2 " increments.  I then swabbed the scored cardstock with Pretty in Pink ink straight from the pad. No sophisticated technique doing that part of the card.

So here is my finished project. Hope you like it.

Materials used - all Stampin' Up (unless otherwise noted)
Stamp sets: Mixed Bunch
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Soft Suede

Here's the challenge:

Happy Resurrection Day - He is Risen!

I love Easter. It is a day to celebrate the Lord's greatest victory. And our great promise for everlasting life for those who know Jesus as Lord. Yes, it is a good day to celebrate!

Mojo Monday 235

I made this card for my friend and co-worker Socorro.  We are both social workers and our job is to help families overcome life's difficulties. When our clients need help with motivation, we might ask them a question like "from a scale from 1-10, how willing are you to start working on ....(fill in the blank)."  When I gave Socorro the card, she laughed and said, "it's a scaling" card."  I laughed too realizing how perfect it was for us.  Okay, maybe this is not the most obvious story if you're not a social worker, but sometimes our humor is a bit warped.  Well, hope you at least like the card!

 

Materials used - all Stampin' Up (unless otherwise noted)
Stamp sets: Perfect Words (Hostess)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Robin Hood Red, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Robin Hood Red, Black Stazon

Here's the sketch:

I also made this card using the Mojo Monday 235 sketch

Thanks for coming by! Please post any comments you may have.  Getting comments makes my day!

Embossed thank you cards

Here's a few 3x3 thank you cards I made for my Avon customers. I used the Blossom Punch and Mixed Bunch stamp set from the Stampin Up Ocassions Mini.  The flowers have a kind of opaque look. Simple but cute.

Mojo Monday 234

Here is my Mojo Monday for this week. Whew. Just barely getting it in with a couple of hours to spare. I'm thinking of swapping out the button because it looks too big. The photo is a little dark too but I'm afraid to change it because I'm not sure what happens to the photo linked to the Mojo website. Oh, to be just a little more technically savvy.

Here's a better picture. I'm still going to fiddle with the button - so stay tuned. Any suggestions?