Ugliest Card Ever

No really, this one is a doozie.

Cutie Suzanne Dahlberg over at The Card Yard is having a blog hop today for April Fool's Day encouraging everyone to share their ugliest card ever.

I had no trouble whatsoever finding multiple! This was before my blogging days, so I'm reposting the card here (gulp). It is really terrible!

Even the photograph is terrible! This was posted originally to Splitcoast, way back in 2006. I have a few others during that time frame that are nothing but awful.. I got a big laugh out of looking at them. I am really glad that things have changed!

Be sure to head over to Suzanne's Blog and join along with the Ugliest Card Ever hop!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Monday Mood Board #7

Good morning and Happy Easter!

I have a busy day ahead of me, as I am sure you do too. I wanted to pop in quickly to share what I have made for this week's Monday Mood Board Challenge from Wplus9.

And here is Dawn's inspirational mood board picture:

I was so excited to finally have the motivation to pull out one of my little wooden spools to use on this card. I wrapped it in patterned paper. The rest come together pretty easily, combining a fabric topped brad and a shimmery button with Wplus9's C'est La Vie stamp set and Pinking Squares dies.

Thank you for stopping in today. Have a wonderful day!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: C'est La Vie - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal, Lake House - Wplus9; Groovy Guava - SU!
PATTERNED PAPER: For the Record - Echo Park Paper Co.
INK: Groovy Guava, Early Espresso - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Clear Cut Stackers: Pinking Squares Die - Wplus9; Doily - Wilton; Button - PTI; Brad - Colorbok; Mini Wood Spool - Darice; Sewing Machine - Janome

Play Date Cafe Challenge #175

Hello there!

It is once again time for the Play Date Cafe to bring you our fabulous color challenge.

This week's colors are lavender, buttercream, and vanilla.

And here is what I created for this week's challenge:

I used the Words of Wisdom and Borderline sets from Verve Stamps.

Keepin' it simple with some stitching and pretty buttons.

I hope you will join us! You can link up your creation over at The Play Date Cafe Blog. You have through Tuesday, April 2nd to play along. While you're there, you can check out the Cup of the Week prize from this week's challenge sponsor, Ribbons Unlimited Inc.!

Enjoy!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS:
Words of Wisdom, Borderline - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Winter Wisteria, Fine Linen, Vintage Cream - PTI
INK: Wisteria Wonder - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Buttons - PTI; Sewing Machine - Janome

10 Minute Craft Dash #14

Hi there!

Swinging by to bring you my take on the current 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge. I'm prepping this post during the intermission of the hockey game, so let's see if I can write it in 10 minutes too!

Here are the challenge colors:

Lovely, springy colors. This is what I came up with. I am really crushing on this Mini Blooms set right now.

I die cut a circle from Oatmeal cardstock and randomly stamped the flowers and leaves from the set. I sliced half the circle and stitched around the outside edge before hitting it with a little Antique Linen Distress Ink. The sentiment was die cut from Kraft cardstock using the Wonderful Words: Hello Die.

Time to finish: 9 min 18 seconds.

I think a set of cards with different colored flowers would make a really pretty gift. Really love this stamp set.

That's it for me - going back to the hockey game! Have a great day! :)

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Mini Blooms - PTI
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal, Kraft - Wplus9
INK: Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss, Crumb Cake - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Wonderful Words: Hello Die - PTI; Standard Circle Small - Spellbinders; Sewing Machine - Janome

Monday Mood Board #6

Well, the weekend has just about come to an end and I'm sitting here wondering if we are going to get the monster snow storm that they were predicting. The forecast keeps changing, and at this point I won't be surprised to wake up tomorrow morning to just a dusting.

It has been a few days since I've stamped, I needed some couch time with my hubs, but I wanted to get my Monday Mood Board #6 creation on paper.

Here is this week's inspiration picture. Is it wrong that I just kind of want to eat the cookies?

I used leaf images from the Folk Art Florals set to create my wreath. I lightly sketched a circle in pencil to use as a guide, then erased it once I had stamped the wreath. The plaid pattern was created using the border images from Country Charm.

Thanks for popping in!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Country Charm, Folk Art Florals, Spring Tags - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Ballet Slippers - Wplus9; Pale Plum - SU!; Vintage Cream - PTI
INK: Pale Plum, Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Lucky Limeade - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Diamond Stickles - Ranger Industries; Sewing Machine - Janome; Corner Chomper - We R Memory Keepers

Viva La Verve!

Hello there!

Today I am excited to bring you this week's Viva La Verve! sketch challenge!

Won't you play along with us?

I got a little tilty with the main panel, and I encourage you to do the same! Here is the card that I created:

I used images and a sentiment from the Brighter Days set. I adore this set, I love the encouraging sentiments and gorgeous typography!

The VLV sketch challenge is hosted on the Verve forum over on the Splitcoaststampers site. I encourage you to head over there and check out the challenge rules and join us! You could win $100 in Verve goodies, and really, who can pass that up?

I also hope you'll stop in the forum to see the amazing samples that some of the other DT ladies created using this week's sketch. They seriously knocked it right out of the park and put my little card to shame! I told you - these girls are good!

Always lovely to see you - I hope you're gearing up for a fab weekend!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Brighter Days - Verve Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Pool Party, Bermuda Bay - SU!
PATTERNED PAPER: So Happy Together - Echo Park Paper Co.
INK: Melon Mambo, Pool Party, Night of Navy - SU!
OTHER: Chevron Embossing Folder - Sizzix; Sewing Machine - Janome; Label Die - Spellbinders; Button; Washi Tape

Play Date Cafe Challenge #174

Hello there!

It is once again time for the Play Date Cafe to bring you our fabulous color challenge.

This week's beautiful colors are rich jewel tones in amethyst, emerald, and peridot.

The Craft's Meow is sponsoring us this week, and I used their Happy as a Lark set for my card. You know me, anything with a bird!

I started by inking up my card base with Distress Inks in this week's challenge colors. Then I stamped and embossed the bird image and sentiment.

I hope you will join us! You can link up your creation over at The Play Date Cafe Blog. You have through Tuesday, March 26th to play along. While you're there, you can check out the Cup of the Week prize from this week's challenge sponsor, The Craft's Meow!

Enjoy!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Happy as a Lark - The Craft's Meow
CARDSTOCK: White - Wplus9
INK: Dusty Concord, Peacock Feathers, Shabby Shutters Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; White - Wplus9
OTHER: Detail White Embossing Powder - Stampendous

Serendipity Stamps Challenge #8

Hi there!

It is time once again for a new challenge on the Serendipity Stamps Challenge Blog. The challenge for this week is to create a center step card. You can find a tutorial for the technique here.

I used the Water Lillies (1258F) stamp for my center step. I stamped it a few times, orienting it differently on my cardstock each time to give it a different look. I am not sure where that pretty pond is, but I want to find it.

I debated whether to add the sentiment or not, but finally went with it. It is A Light Heart (323D).

Stop over to the Challenge Blog for all the details and to see the fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Design Team:

Jeanne Jachna

Jenny Gropp

Marybeth Lopez

Miriam Napier

Pauline Pollington

Serendipity's special this week is 20% off Baby and Childhood Stamps. The special runs through Wednesday 3/27.

Have a great day!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Water Lillies (1258F), A Light Heart (323D) - Serendipity Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Pool Party - SU!; Oatmeal - Wplus9
PATTERNED PAPER: So Happy Together - Echo Park Paper Co.
INK: Tuxedo Black Memento - Tsukineko
OTHER: Copic Markers

Waltzingmouse Stamps March Blog Party

Hello and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is the monthly blog party at Waltzingmouse Stamps. This month's theme is LUCK, so perfect for today's holiday. Here is the card that I created for the event.

I used the vintage shamrock girl digital image available in the freebie section of the WMS store and combined it with a sentiment from Compact Sentiments Part 2.

Of course I made sure to add lots of green!

Short and sweet for me today, I won't keep you! Be sure to head over to the WMS Blog to find out the party details and link up your creation!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Celtic Heritage, Cabin Plaid Backgrounder, Compact Sentiments Part 2 - Waltzingmouse Stamps
CARDSTOCK: Vintage Cream - PTI; Green Acres - Wplus9; Certainly Celery - SU!
INK: Gumball Green, Wild Wasabi - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries
OTHER: Vintage shamrock girl digital image - Waltzingmouse Stamps; Sewing Machine - Janome; Harlequin Impression Plate - Sizzix

You are the Best - MMB #5

Howdy friends.

So glad its Friday - how about you? I have been so cold this week, I just can't get warm. Even at night I keep waking up feeling like I am freezing. I hope I'm not coming down with anything. Anyway! Last night I sat down for a little crafty time.

This is the inspiration picture for this week's Monday Mood Board challenge. What stood out for me right away was the patterned heart and the patterned paper with the little clusters of red flowers. I let those ideas mix around a bit and here is what I came up with:

I die cut a heart from a post it note and stuck it down over my square of Oatmeal cardstock. The little flower cluster is from the Very Vintage Florals set. I inked the flowers up with one color ink and the leaves with another. I wasn't worried about being too perfect, and it was easy enough to keep them separate. The little dots are from the Spring Tags set. I live for this - searching through the stamp sets to find which little tiny image will be perfect for the design I am working on. It is fun to experiment with these little accent images.

Anyway, I stamped all that with the post-it note heart mask on, doing my best to stamp around the edges to help define the heart shape. Once that part was done, I added a sentiment (from Written on Ribbon) and a threaded button.

A pinked navy square grounds the design, and the little clothespin adds just the perfect accent.

Before I head out, I wanted to remind you that the Waltzingmouse Blog Party is on Sunday the 17th. We'd love for you to join us! The theme this month is LUCK, and even though it is St. Patrick's Day you can create any type of card with a luck theme. If you want to go the St. Patrick's Day route, Claire has a few free images you can use. So now you have no excuse for not joining us! :)

Take care!

------------
Recipe
STAMPS: Very Vintage Florals, Spring Tags, Written on Ribbon - Wplus9
CARDSTOCK: Oatmeal - Wplus9; Night of Navy - SU!
INK: Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Night of Navy - SU!; Antique Linen Distress Ink - Ranger Industries; White - Wplus9
OTHER: Heart Nestabilities - Spellbinders Paper Arts; Pinking Blade - Fiskars; Red button; Clothespin