{ last one for August }

I am so excited that tomorrow is September! I love the fall season and I am definitely ready for the fall temps that are in the forecast for this week and long weekend!!
I combined Taylor's sketch with Kim's color challenge for my card. Here goes:

I used buttons, adhesive rhinestones and lots of paper layers!

Card Recipe:
paper- garden green, black and hollyhock- CTMH
stamps- happy birthday- CTMH
other- adhesive rhinestones- Michaels, buttons- CTMH

{ color chef challenge #60 winner }

This adorable card that Denise made won the color chef challenge from last week. Thanks again to everybody who played along! Denise- I sent you an email.

{ color chef challenge #61 }

Color Chef Challenge #61

blue     red     honey     cream (or white)

I really embraced clean and simple for this card. I used my MS Score Board to create a 1 inch border towards the bottom of my card and then I stamped two images repeatedly in that space. The thank you sentiment is mounted. Very simple.

Card Recipe:

stamps- circles and dots- inkadinkado, darcey collection- anna griffin

ink- cranberry, honey, indian corn blue- CTMH

other- foam mounting tape- Hobby Lobby, Martha Stewart Score Board

I hope you'll play along!

{ CAS 105 }

Pretty simple. I mounted the thank you sentiment.

Card Recipe:
stamps- treasure life- CTMH, darcey collection- Anna Griffin
ink- cranberry, indian corn blue, honey- CTMH
other- apron lace border punch- EK Success

{ embellish challeng: squares }

Here is the card I created for Ashley's challenge this week, which was to use black, green & purple as well as incorporate squares.  

 

I used one of the larger label dies as the frame for the focal point. For the woodgrain purple squares, I first stamped a few rows of the woodgrain and then used my 1 1/4" square punch.The flower is stamped, trimmed and mounted onto the squares.

Card Recipe:

stamps- woodgrain, a year of flowers: violets- PTI

ink- petal, black- CTMH

other- nestabilities label 1, cuttlebug, adhesive rhinestones- Michaels

{ color chef challenge #60 - prize! }

I've been slacking a bit the last few weeks of summer with my color challenges- if your summer has been as busy as mine, there hasn't been as much crafty time as I would have liked. Thanks to those of you who have hung on with me and sent nice emails to see if I'm still living on this planet!

To thank you for playing along with the Color Chef Challenge, I'd like to offer a $5 gift card to a randomly chosen winner to Two Peas as a token of my appreciation for your participation!

Color Chef Challenge #60

Light Blue     Red     Brown     White or Cream

My card came together easily and this is a set that I "had" to have but haven't played with much. I love the leaves that I used and see lot's of potential for this one.
The set comes with a round dot with polka dots which I stamped, cut and mounted on top of the card. To get the blue background, I took a makeup sponge and dabbed it in my crystal blue ink pad and rubbed it randomly over the white stock. I did this after I stamped the tree image but it could be done before as well.

Card Recipe:
stamps- Grown with Love, Happy Birthday- CTMH
ink- cranberry, crystal blue, chocolate- CTMH
paper- cranberry, crystal blue and white- CTMH
other- pop dots- Hobby Lobby, Apron Lace Border Punch- EK Success
I'd love to see what you can create with this color combo! The rules are easy- just use the colors for this challenge and link directly to your card!

{ CAS 104 }

This card involved minimal stamping. I layered cream on cream for this card and a bit of kraft paper.

The top layer of cream was embossed using the argyle folder in the cuttlebug. Instead of ribbon, I used some natural twine. I always struggle for masculine birthday cards and I think this one passes!

Hope your weekend is swell! We're actually sweltering here in MN. G-R-O-S-S. The bank said that it was 95 and the humidity has to be at least that as well.

{ double dose of color cue }

The color challenge over at Stamp Away With Me is one of my faves so I decided to do a couple different cards.

For this card, the card base is white. The layer with the scalloped image is mounted onto the card base. There is a red piece of cardstock on the upper portion of the card front with white over that. The flower and leaves are mounted to the card.

For this card, I created the background by alternating the gold and turq colors alternately. The sentiment is mounted on top of the card front and finished off with a couple of adhesive rhinestones.

Funny how although I used the same colors on each card that they can look so different!

{ CAS 103 }

I cannot resist a CAS sketch!

Here's my card...

Very simple-
paper: grey flannel, cranberry and white daisy- CTMH
ink- twilight- CTMH
stamps- floral flourishes- inkadinkado, a year of flowers: violets- PTI
other- adhesive silver ball- Michaels, ribbon- Archivers

{ heart to heart }

There is a FAB sketch going on over at H2H this week! And, this is actually my first time playing.

Here's my card:

I used a combination of my favorite stamp sets (I feel like I'm always saying that)...anyhow, among my faves are Boutique Borders, Tickled Pink and Happy Birthday. This card was very simple to make- I used boutique borders to make the pattern on the ocean layer. Then I stamped and mounted the flowers onto the grey circles, which were cut and embossed using the cuttlebug.

That's all she wrote!

{ Lord Have Mercy }

Lord Have Mercy...sketch that is.... although I could be talking about the heat index of 100 we've had the last few days here accompanied with about 80% humidity. It's down right gross around these parts.

Onto the card:

The card was very easy to make, though it uses lot's of layers!

I ran the ocean color through the cuttlebug using the branch folder. The stamped image is trimmed down to fit the sketch. The border punch was used on both sides to create almost a ribbon look then topped off with some adhesive rhinestones.

Card Recipe:
stamps- strawflower daisy- hero arts
paper- black, honey, cranberry and ocean- all CTMH
ink- cranberry- CTMH
other- parisian border punch- EK Success, branches cuttlebug folder, cuttlebug, kaiserscrap adhesive rhinestones

{ best wishes }

Here is another card I created using Posy from CTMH.

Easy to create!  And, I used the color combo from this weeks color challenge!

{ color chef challenge #59 }

Color Chef Challenge #59

Cranberry     Black     Honey     White

I had time to create a color challenge this weekend and I hope you'll play along!. I had to laugh when I saw the CTMH challenge this week because it is the colors I mentioned above plus green. Hopefully you will find time to play with both if you are looking for another great color challenge.

Here's my card, using a couple of my favorite stamp sets:

I created a background using with one of my FAVE stamps from Boutique Borders and then I stamped the flower and petals out, mounted the flower and attached it to the card front. You can sort of see how I repeated one layer of the border on the inside of the card. 

I hope you'll play along if you have some time! Can you believe we're nearly to the middle of August? 

{ color chef challenge }

I was planning to return with a color chef challenge today but my camera battery is dead! I'll be back later this evening with a post for the color challenge. Thanks to those who have been checking in with me in my blogging absence during this busy summer!

{ CAS take 3 }

Here's another card I created using Natasha's sketch

Card Recipe:
stamps- a year of flowers: violets- PTI, Sassy Icons- Me & My Big Ideas
ink- lime pastel fluid chalk ink, pansy purple- CTMH
other- adhesive silver balls- Michaels

{ CAS 102 round 2 }

Here's another quick card that I made using Natasha's sketch:

Easy. Peasy.

Added buttons to the center of each design.

Card Recipe:
Stamps- sassy icons Me & My Big Ideas, happy birthday- CTMH
ink- cranberry, ocean- CTMH
other- buttons- Walmart

{ CAS 102 }

Another "I can't get to my stamp table fast enough" sketch from Natasha. Love her CAS Sketches.


I should be staining the fence right now, but thanks to an awesome thunderstorm this morning we won't be doing that today. I made a few cards using one sketch. Love the versatility of Natasha's Sketches

We have a super fun day on tap....the MN Vikings Training Camp takes place in our town and my boss hooked us up with some tickets in the VIP tent tonight so we're headed up there and following that up with going to Ribfest that is at a new location this year- a brand new park down by the river...which makes me think of Chris Farley and living in a van down by the river....Anyhow, my brother-in-laws band is one of the bands that will be playing tonight- The Murphy Brothers. Then it's a bonfire after that.

Are you doing anything fun?

Card Recipe:
stamps- majestic- American Crafts, Happy Birthday- CTMH
paper- grey wool- CTMH
ink- rouge fluid chalk inkpad, black- CTMH
other- adhesive rhinestones- Michaels

{ scrapbooks- staying organized }

Organizing upcoming scrapbooks- is there such a thing??? I am STILL working on my scrapbook from last years trip to San Francisco with my sister. And now I have a scrapbook to do for my trip to Las Vegas last week. And there are others waiting in line as well. As I said, is there such a thing of being caught up or organized???

This is an idea that seems to work nice for the San Fran book. I was there for 5 days and am scrapping by day. I printed 168 pictures. Yikes. A plethora of excuses prevent me from keeping up with my scrapbooks:

• I don't have the right paper. Even though I'm storing approximately $600 worth of all kinds of paper that I HAD to have for a project that swirled through my mind while in the store but was lost the second I got to the parking lot
• 168 pictures for one week. Where oh where do I start?
• Cards are so much easier and quicker to make.
• I purchased and started a cute little American Crafts D ring book and then changed my mind when I imagined trying to fit 168 pictures plus other stuff into the book so I switched to a 12 x 12. There is another empty scrapbook for the project shelf.
• I would like to scrapbook by day but then think maybe I should scrap all the photos of food together so maybe I shouldn't scrap at all until I can make up my stinkin' mind. Yeah, super productive. 

So, as you can see I've made enough excuses for delaying the project and I'm obviously hung up on the fact that 168 pictures seems overwhelming to scrapbook.....

I found this hanging expanding file in a desk drawer and I never used it for anything. I thought one way to jump the hurdle on this book is to organize them by day, since that seems to be another thing I'm hung up on

.

I took some time to organize my pictures by day and each day was devoted a folder, as well as ticket stubs, take out bags, menus, etc. Sooooooo now I have no excuse but to sit down and scrap a day.

In the back I keep random things on my tours that I can pull from for titles, captions, etc. For instance, a tour book from Napa Valley,. area maps, bus routes or business cards that I picked up, etc. I also kept a notebook in my purse while traveling so I could jot down notes that I wanted to remember in terms of scrapping the stories for the week, so this is in a pocket as well.

 So, now that I'm organized, I need to pull paper from my shelves and get to it!!

 Do you have any organization tips you could share to keep me motivated and organized?