March 2011 SFYTT - Just Because

I have never made lunch box notes before.  Mostly because I am not the one who packs lunch for my DD.  I do like the idea however, so that is how today's card started out.  Once I added the sentiment though, this card turned into a wake up note, I don't want to embarrass my DD at school...

The image is from the clear stamp set Baby Mermaid: Can I Keep Him - so so sweet.  Amber Ink is known for their digis, but does have clear stamps too - not only are the stamps top quality, the packaging is oh so fun, just like the owners of Amber Ink! I paired up the stamps with new goodies from Cosmo Cricket {thank you CC - I won the Salt Air paper pack on the CC blog :>)}, it is as if the PP was made to go with the stamp images ;>). 
The card is based on March's SFYTT, which is sponsored by Amber Ink!  Inspiration came from this week's Etsy Inspired Challenge #132- also sponsored by Amber Ink!  Fresh Metal Jewelry is the inspiration site and I was pulled in by the colors and circles - I added just a bit of metal and ribbon!  I realize now that I forgot to add the bling to the mermaid's tail...oh well, bling does not come naturally to me, I will have to add it though, because it sure does come naturally to my DD!!!
Smiles,
Julie
Details:  Stamps - Image - Baby Mermaid: Can I Keep Him (Amber Ink) and Sentiment - Signature Greetings (PTI), PP - Salt Air (Cosmo Cricket), CS - Cream and Ocean Tides (PTI), Punch - Corner Rounder, Embossing Folder - Swirls (Cuttlebug), Copics and Twill Ribbon - Spring Moss (PTI). 

Make Believe

Little boys have the biggest imaginations.  I love listening to my sons talk to one another and make up stories.  My sons learned about the planets and outer space in pre-school and they constantly talk about taking a rocket to the moon.  When I saw "Space Boy" from Your Next Stamp I had to have it.  Plus, my supply of "boy" stamps needed some expanding!

How cute is the little astronaut?!!!  He is perfect for a birthday card and this one will be heading to a 4 year old.   I combined quite a few great challenges for my card:

Card Patterns - Sketch 108
Embellish Magazine - Colors and Masculine Theme
Your Next Stamp Challenge - Make it Sparkle (the stars are colored in with a clear Copic Spica)
Desert Island Crafts - Challenge #4 This time around the itinerary includes, buttons, a celestial theme, and fibers - I used thread on the button ;>)

Smiles,
Julie
Details:  Stamps - Space Boy (YNS), CS - Pure Poppy, Spring Moss and Spring Rain (PTI) & Grey (SU), Button - Pure Poppy (PTI), Ink - Tuxedo Black (Momento), Copics, Spica Copic, embossing folders (Cuttlebug), and dimensionals.

PTI March 2011 Blog Hop

March's PTI blog hop challenge is to use embroidery floss in a fun and inventive way.

I kept it clean and simple for this hop, but added some color.  The little animals from Tiny Treats Birthday are on parade to create a sweet baby shower card.
There is floss wrapped in between each strip to add some texture and fun!  I taped the floss on the back for all the stripes, then used just a bit of sticky tape to hold the top and bottom stripes in place.
Another CAS and QAE card!  Of course this card was not exactly quick, as I made it while sneaking in some t.v. time (A.I. to be exact - shhhh!).
Have a wonderful weekend and have fun hopping!!!
Smiles,
Julie
Details:  Stamps - Tiny Treats Birthday (PTI), Ink - Momento and SU, Floss - DMC, CS - White, Aqua Mist and Spring Moss (PTI) & So Saffron (SU) and embossing folder- Swiss Dots (Cuttlebug).

CAS with the Paper Players

Oh my, where does the time go???  March has been a super busy month.  Instead of crafting I have been sorting Girl Scout cookies, sleeping and sorting Girl Scout cookies!  There is an end in sight to this year's cookie season though and I am looking forward to sweet bunny creations.  Bring on flowers, sunshine, and fluffy bunny tails.
To get back in the paper crafting groove I am starting off clean and simple.  To give me a boost, this week's Paper Player's challenge is a clean and simple sketch.  I was inspired by Nance's take on the sketch found here.

That's it!  CAS and QAE (quick and easy!)!
Smiles,
Julie
Details:  Blue Skies (Verve), CS - White (PTI), White Twill (PTI), Ink - Sweet Plum, Lulu Lavender, Grape Jelly and Lilac Posies (Momento) {how yummy are those colors?!!!), Embroidery Floss (DMC) and Button - stash.

Flashback Friday 9.0

Amy is having us flash back again and this time it is to repost our first window card!  I distinctly remember this card from July 2009-- LOL!!!  There is a slight cringe with this one...I really like the concept, but well looking back at it I am not too thrilled with the colors and execution.

Why don't you join in and repost your first window card?  Check out the Flashback Friday 9.0 blog post HERE and link up!
Smiles,
Julie

Easter Tree

Like almost everyone out there, I am ready for Spring.  The idea of an Easter egg tree popped into my head and the only problem was that I did not have any "egg" stamps.  That was until I turned the leaves and wings from PTI's Everyday Button Bits into eggs. 

My card uses sketch #105 from Card Patterns.  All that distressing is for PTI's Distressing Edges Make it Monday challenge.  Plus, I am playing along with Desert Islands Crafts Challenge #3 - I took the following 3 from the itinerary:  a square card, distressing, and no sentiment.  You have to go check out the full list for Desert Islands - the challenge is a recipe of sorts, but you only need to choose 3 items.  Fun, fun, fun!!!
Smiles,
Julie
Details: Stamps- Falling Leaves and Everyday Button Bits (PTI), Ink - SU and PTI, CS - PTI, Button - PTI, Embossing folders - Swiss Dots (Cuttlebug) and Plaid (Sizzix), Punch - Martha Stewart, Twill - PTI and embroidery floss - DMC.

Verve Fan Hop

This month Verve is a hoppin'!  Besides the March Diva Inspirations Hop, there is also a Fan Hop.  I could not resist inking up some Verve and joining in the fun!!!  All you need to do is link up a new creation using at least one Verve stamp by Saturday March 5th at noon MT to this post on the Verve Blog.  There are prizes too!  Verve gift certificates will go to one random participant and one random commentor - gotta love it!  Check out all the participants HERE.

For my card, I went CAS with the set Thankful Accents and brought out some sunny yellow. 

Now this is one of those deceptively simple cards.  It takes me a long time to get it just right because there is no room for error.  The good thing is that I always end up with about 3 or 4 similar cards, most with just a small mistake that the non-stamper will not even notice (or so I tell myself) ;>).

My card is inspired by the latest MFW Tuesday Trigger.  I do not usually reach for such a bright yellow, but I saw the photo and it made me smile and want to create.  I don't know about where you live, but there is still over a foot of snow on the ground at my house and it is no longer pristine and white.  I am ready for the summer sun and green grass!  The lace of the circle stamp recreates the lattice in the door panels and I added just a small small pop of color from the flower.
Oh what fun - such a great way to start the weekend, enjoy hopping!
Smiles,
Julie
Details - Stamps - Thankful Accents (Verve), Ink - Tuxedo Black (Momento), Yellow (Colorbox), and Old Olive (SU), Button (PTI), Ribbon - black seam binding (All That Scraps) and corner rounder punch (Creative Memories).

Singing for You

Paper piecing seems to be the hot challenge right now. Today I am playing along with the Paper Piecing challenge on MFW and Yvonne Yam's guest blogger Laurel Seabrook's fussy cutting and paper piecing challenge!  If you are new to paper piecing or even an experienced diva, you should pop on over to this post and check out Laurel's time saving tips (plus, join in her challenge!).

Besides the sweet paper pieced bird, I decided to do some quilting.  Isn't quilting true piecing?  Did you see the quilted card tutorial over on SCS?   The blocks in the latest CPS sketch, #207 called out to me to quilt.  Oh how I wish I could create a fabric quilt as fast as these paper ones :>)
Yay, it's almost Friday!!!
Smiles,
Julie
Details:  Stamps - Harold's ABCs (Lawn Fawn) and I Love You (We R Memory Keepers), PP - Circa 1954 (Cosmo Cricket), CS - Cream & Black (PTI), Ink - Tuxedo Black (Momento), and a square punch.

P.S.  How fun are Lawn Fawn stamps?!!!   I created the sentiment using Harold's ABCs.  I won this set from the Lawn Fawn blog and LOVE it.  This is my first Alpha set where there are multiples of the letters, which makes it soooo much easier to spell out whatever you want and stamp it all at once.  Now if only I could spell...I realized after I stamped Birthday that I had left off the H :>)  Oh well, it was a good thing I was going for all over the place with the letters to begin with!

Glitter Baby!

I figured I might as well start off March right and post something new!  I saw last week's PTI challenge, glitter strips and decided to take it a step further and make a glitter frame.  This fits in perfectly with Stamptacular Sunday's 100th challenge to make your own frame.

Sweet and simple, the glitter adds some fun.  I cut out the smaller rectangle layer and used that as a guide to line up double-sided super sticky tape on the card base to form the glitter frame.  So easy and I really did not get glitter everywhere - I hope!
Smiles,
Julie
Details:  Stamps - Enjoy the Ride (PTI), CS - Aqua Mist and White (PTI), Buttons - Poppy (PTI), Glitter - Stampendous, sticky tape, and Ink - Black (Momento).