Christmas in July challenge - Cupcake Craft Challenge

More challenges hope you aren't getting tired of them yet. This one works for the Cupcake Craft Challenge to create a pastel Christmas card. It also works for the Unscripted Sketches #65. I used Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses for most of the card. The base is PTI Blue shimmer cardstock and the stamp set used for the sentiment was Holiday Button Bits. Everything else was basic grey rubons, paper pack etc. Except for the little tags which I found at Walmart in the office section. The ink used was palette toile pink and PTI True Black.






My second card used another sketch from Unscripted Sketches - this one was a bonus sketch.

I just rotated the sketch for my card. I used Imaginesence Polar Paper pack for this card. Very quick and simple.

Beautiful Boys...

Adding another digi page. Hope I get better at this. Can't seem to remember the steps and have to start over at lesson one. I am sure that the more I do the better I will get. At least I am hopeful that is the case!

BTW - I am taking the Jessica Sprague - Up and Running digi scrapping classesfound here. Includes quick pages and loads of free elements. Great lessons as well.

Playdate Cafe, The Shabby Tearoom and Stamp Something

These are 3 more challenges I entered today. The PDCC #40 found here is all about Black & White with a splash of GREEN. The Shabby Tearoom challenge was 1-2-3. One ribbon, two buttons and 3 punches. Finally the Stamp Something challenge was to have something flowery in the project.

I am enjoying testing myself in the combining of challenges. Really gets me to thinking about how I want a card to turn out. This card turned out kind of shabby chic which I really like.

Now for the Shabby Tearoom challenge I incorporated one satin ribbon, 2 white buttons and 3 punches - circle punch, fiskars border punch and PTI die. Now I do have 3 circles but I took the challenge to be 3 different shapes. That may not have been the intent but I really wanted the flowers for the Stamp Something challenge to be black so they could fit my Play Date Cafe Challenge. Rather than mask and stamp I chose to punch out the flowers. I lined the inside of the card with white and a bit of patterned paper and I also made a matching envelope that is lined with the black & white patterned paper using the PTI envelope liner die.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink True Black and Stampers Select White
Patterned Paper: PTI Black & White Basics, Basic Grey Capella
Accessories: PTI Vintage Buttons, Mat Stack #1 die, SU! circle punches, EK Success 1.75" circle punch, Fiskars border punch, PTI True Black satin ribbon, DMC floss
Stamps: PTI Round & Round anniversary set

Anjillic Creations Challenge, Tuesday Taggers & 365 Day #150 challenge

A fellow PTIer (for you non PTI folks that stands for Papertrey Ink follower was hosting a challenge of Christmas In July. I thought it would be a good way to get a jump start on my Christmas card mojo. Her challenge is found HERE. I thought I would go ahead and try to combine challenges and so found a sketch challenge at 365Cards HERE. I also wanted to participate in yet another Papertrey Peeps challenge. This one was to do something that was out of the box for me. This was challenge #11 found HERE. My project also works for the Tuesday Taggers challenge found here of something Christmas as well as the Tuesday Throwdown challenge.

I rarely do anything that is CAS (Clean and simple). I much prefer to shabby things up... distress edges, ink up edges, lots of layers and patterns, etc. So this was a bit difficult for me to keep clean for sure. I did add a rubon and bling to the card so I am not sure that it is still considered simple but I did do my best.

Supplies: all PTI unless noted

Cardstock: Spring Rain
Patterned Paper: Rustic Snowfall & Bitty Box Basics
Embellies: Spellbinders Snowflakes and Ribbon Tags, Basic Grey Rubon & Bling, Martha Stewart die cut doily and SU! Bliss Blue brad PTI Linen/Canvas Impression Plate
Stamps: 2009 Holiday Tags
Ink: Spring Rain

Papertrey Peeps #12 & Timeless Tuesday

I decided while I was working in my studio today to try and get a few challenges in. This projects involves another Papertrey Peeps challenge found HERE. I also incorporated a Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge to use pins that I found HERE. Now I don't have any Flourishes stamp sets yet but I had a pin that I kept meaning to use. I added a couple of fun beads to the crystal pin and I really like the results. The Papertrey Peeps challenge used a quilted appliqued piece as inspiration. I chose to do layers in a shabby chic way as well as pull in the purple of the flowers. I really wanted to use flowers as well but ended up using butterflies instead. Overall I am pleased with it!

supplies: (all supplies are PTI unless noted)

Cardstock: Kraft
patterned Paper: Library Ledger and Guidelines, sheet music from fellow PTIer
Embellies: martha stewart foil leaf glitter, crystal straight pin, silver flat backed balls & beads (LSS - no name on these)
Ribbon: Plum Pudding Saddle Stitch
Stamps: Butterfly Dreams
Ink: Versamark, Plum Pudding & True Black

Mojo Monday #149 & Papertrey Peeps #9

I am participating in the sketch challenge by Mojo Monday foundHERE. I also thought I would combine it with the Papertrey Peeps challenge to incorporate travel into our project as seen HERE.

This was a good way to get my MOJO flowing. Hope you like what you see.

Supplies:

Cardstock: PTI Simply Chartruese
Patterned Paper: October Afternoon Thrift Store
Embellies: Studio Calico stickers, Making Memories adventure ring, silver capped eyelets, black brads (LSS)
Stamps: PTI Enjoy the Ride with matching die
Ink: PTI True Black

note: I also cut out the window in the car die and put an acrylic sheet in there for the window.

Up & Running

I am trying my hand at digital scrapbooking. I received a handmade gift certificate from my dh for Christmas that enabled me to buy 2 Jessica Sprague classes. Later I added a third class. Unfortunately, I really haven't had the time to work on these classes. But that ends today. Here is my first page. I will be adding more as I get them done.

Moxie Fab World - Shabby Chic challenge

Another card completed for a challenge. This one was to try our hand had Shabby Chic and/or vintage. Think this is more towards the Shabby Chic than vintage. I am really enjoying trying to do this layering and distressing. Been playing at Shabby Chic more and more often. I even added a matching envelope using PTI's envelope liner die. WooHoo! Gotta love the matchy matchy.







Supplies:

Cardstock: PTI Simply Chartreuse
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey Capella
Accessories: Martha Stewart doily die cut, Webster's Pages ribbon and sparkler, tag (Walmart office section), PTI felt and Dark Chocolate baker's twine
Stamps: PTI Mega Mixed Messages
Ink: PTI Vintage Tea Dye Duo and PTI Dark Chocolate

Trying out Classy & Elegant

So it's Card Style week with Moxie Fab World. An entire magazine was filled with examples of 4 basic styles. I took the challenge to try and create something classy and elegant. Here is my attempt:





What are your thoughts?

Supplies:

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Melon Berry
Patterned Paper: Kaisercraft
Accessories: Webster's Pages sparkler & ribbon, PTI Fillable Frames die, rhinestones
Stamps: Recipe Box additions and Damask Designs
Ink: PTI Scarlet Jewel and True Black

Red, white and green but not Christmas

Another Papertrey Peeps Challenge:

Except for bling all papertrey ink supplies

Creative Time...

Papertrey Peeps Challenge #10...

Whoops just realized that I didn't add the turquoise. RATS, oh well...I do have all the other colors in there.

The challenge was to use Simply Chartreuse, Hawaiian Shores, Smokey Shadow, a purple and white. I used Plum Pudding and Pale Plum as my purples.

White rectangle tag from SU! All other supplies are from Papertrey Ink. All About You, Big & Bold Wishes, and library Ledger stamp sets.

We be JAMMIN'

In our yard there are 2 apricot trees. The previous tenants told us they were fruit trees but because the landlords have the trees pruned at the beginning of summer they had never had any fruit and weren't sure what kind of trees they were. When we signed our lease contract we decided to NOT have them prune the trees.

So while I was in the US there was a windstorm that threw tons of apricots on the ground. James went out and gathered up all that was on the ground at the time. He ended up with a gallon size ziploc bag that he washed and halved, plus a very large bowl full of washed apricots. Then on Thursday, after returning from the US, Jared and I picked up another 1/2 bucket full of good apricots and almost 3 grocery bags full of broken, mushy, bird and ant-eaten apricots.

On Friday morning I searched the web to find a jam recipe and got busy. I ended up making 2 jars of apricot jam and 2 jars of apricot butter. I think I will stick with jam making. The apricot butter is tasty but takes twice as much fruit and twice as much time for the same two jars full of fruit. And pressing the fruit pulp through the sieve took so much time!








Friday night after James got home we noticed that the yard was again full of apricots. Picked them up and today, Saturday morning I made 3 more jars of jam. YUMMO!

Here are the last 3 jars freshly filled and cooling on the rack!