Mummy's Here

 

HI again! It's my second post today because I didn't get this card posted yesterday. Scroll down for my Colour Q and Sketch for you to Try card. We did have a great yesterday- even though it did not involve stamping. We got a lot accomplished around the house. We will be painting on our main level soon (before Christmas) & we spent a lot of time at the paint store trying to pick out a color. Plus we got other supplies for some other home improvements projects. 

My card, another Halloween card was made using the Mojo Monday 264 sketch. 

All supplies are Stampin' Up except the large scalloped circle which was made using Marvy punch.
Have a great week! Hugs, Marilyn

Going Batty

Hello! My card today incorporated a sketch challenge and a color challenge; I love to combine these two types of challenges. Anyway, the sketch is from October's Sketch for You to Try by Jen del Muro on her site Iheart2stamp.com.

Interesting sketch, huh? Im anxious to view all the submissions to see what the other stampers did with it. I used the Colour Q #160 challenge calling for Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Black and White. My Rich Razzleberry looks a little more like a wine or a maroon; I had trouble with capturing the true color with the non-sunlight lighting.

Have a great day, friends! Marilyn

Supplies:
Stamps: image-Studio G ; sentiment- SU!
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango (SU), White (Neenah)
DP: Echo Park
Ink: Jet Black Stazon (Tsukineko), SU markers
Accessories: EF-Lacy Brocade, bat punch (SU)

Farewell CPS

Happy Weekend, friends! My card today was made for the very last CPS challenge- pick your favorite sketch. That would be a challenge to pick just one favorite from all the super CPS sketches. I did settle on the one below, CPS222. As sad as it is to see this blog go, I am happy for Tami Mayberry. I admire her for letting go of something she loves, the CPS blog, in order to make room for new exciting adventures in her life. I am also very excited as she will be working on Project Life which has become a recent interest of mine. Good Luck, Tami!!

I also used the colors from this week's Color Throwdown Challenge (CTD215) to use Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst & Black. 

I'm almost done with my Halloween cards & I'll be posting them every day between now and Halloween. So please come back soon. I really appreciate your comments & your friendship.
Hugs, Marilyn

"Not So Scary" Foursome

Happy Thursday, Bloggers! I hope you are having a great week. More Halloween cards from me. For those Halloween cards to arrive at their destination on time, they need to be in the mail by Saturday. So I hoping to finish the remainder by tomorrow. This card was made for the Pals Paper Arts (PPA 145) challenge. This week it is a sketch from Margaret Moody as shown below.

Pretty cool sketch, don't you think? I am sure that I will use it again; love the banner!

I've mentioned that I am on a buying moratorium, it is partly financial (to save a few dollars but no need for alarm there is still food in the pantry!) and partly to downsize or better put 'rightsize' my supplies. My studio is overflowing & it is hard to find my creativity in all of "the stuff", hard to keep organized, and thus at times, it is hard to find a clear horizontal surface to make a card. So anyway this stamp set is one of the culprits, it was one that I purchased because it was 'too good of a deal to pass up". Did I really need another Halloween set? Of course not! My Marshalls had the set of 8 Inkadinkado acrylics for $1.99 & they were labeled as past season. I thought they were cute & how could I pass up such a good deal?! Does this one stamp set take up that much space? No but five, ten or fifteen of these really good deals each month really does take up lots of room. So my mantra now is: "You live in the land of plenty, there will be more _(Fill in the blank)_ when you really need it." In other words- No Hoarding, no buying just because it is a good deal. 

I'd love to hear your strategies on keeping your supplies in check. If I get lots of ideas, I will devote an entire post to the topic. Feel free to email me if you'd like to remain anonymous.

Have a great day! Marilyn

Supplies: 
Stamps: Trick or Treat (inkadinkado)
Paper: white (Neenah), Black and Only Orange (SU)
Designer Paper: Happy Halloween (Echo Park) - another really good deal but I don't recall the details
Ink: Jet Black Stazon (Tsukineko); SU markers
Accessories: Black Grosgrain ribbon (retired SU)
 
 

Chevron Witchy

Happy Monday, friends! Here is a card I made last night. I'm several cards short on the number I need for Halloween. I addressed my envelopes the other night & then counted the cards I already had on hand...darn- more envelopes than cards.

The sketch I used was from Freshly Made Sketches (FMS57). This is a sketch that is very versatle. Just take a look at the gallery on the FMS website. Flip it, change the shape of the central image & you've got a completely different card.

I used the colors from the ColourQ challenge (CQC159).  

Great colors for fall or Halloween. I don't think you can tell but the little witch has got googly eyes, which will make one of my great nephews happy. This card also qualifies for the Raise the Bar Challenge (RTB116) to use a witch.

That's about it from here- lots to do today so I'll be back later tonight to check out your blogs. Have a great Monday!! {{{Hugs}}} Marilyn

Supplies: 
Stamps Ghostly Ghouls (SU), sentiment (Studio G)
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Basic Black (SU), White (Neenah)
Designer Paper: Chevron (Paper Imaginations), Green-black stripe (MS)
Ink: Black Stazon, Markers- Pear Pizzazz, Tangerine Tango (SU) 
Accessories: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Bat Punch (retired SU), ribbon (Target $1 spot), Google eyes (Paper Studio)

Brilliant Blue- I love you!

Hello Blogger Friends! I hope you are having a nice weekend. Today I played all day...wow! It has been a long time since I've done that & it sure was fun. I visited with friend who was selling her handmade jewelry at an artist market which was located at one of the old parks with huge trees, gorgeous gardens & beautiful fountains. Next I went to a stamping event that another friend was holding. We made five cards- they were all so cool! The trees here in St. Louis are at their peak of fall colors & so driving was enjoyable too.

The card I made tonight was for two challenges. The first challenge was My Favorite Things' Wednesday Sketch Challenge (MFTWSC94) shown below. It is the first time I've played this challenge even though I have had good intentions of playing many times. They give away prizes & you can win even if you don't have any MFT stamps. How nice is that!?!! So check it out!

The second challenge was for the Color Throwdown Challenge (CDT214). The colors are Old Olive, Summer Sun, White & Brilliant Blue. Brilliant Blue is one of my very favorite colors. You may know that I love the color blue- any shade! And Brilliant Blue is at the top of my list. I have a few sheets of paper left & I am hoarding a partially used packet of 12 x12 for scrap-booking as it happens to be one of the High School's colors. (My youngest will be graduating with her undergrad degree in May...do you think I will ever get the HS years done?! HA! Maybe I should just start using it too! LOL)
Yet, I digress...anyway, when I saw this challenge, I just had to play.

One last note- I am being frugal these days as I look for a new position, so what this means for you is this: you will see a lot of retired (or not brand new) papers and stamps. This is a good thing for me as I have so many supplies; I am actually quite happy as it will help me pare down and it will spur my creativity to look at my current supplies in a new ways. Not having lots of new things certainly won't keep me from enjoying stamping and card making! 

I hope you like my card, but even more importantly I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
Hugs, Marilyn

Supplies:
Stamps: You're So Tweet (MFT- Pure Innocence), Tiny Tags (SU)
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Watercolor (SU), White (Neenah- Solar White)
Designer Paper: Prestwick, Playdate, Ski Slope (all retired SU)
Ink: Jet Black Stazon (Tsukineko), Ink- Brilliant Blue, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Bashful Blue. 
Accessories: Blender Pen, Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Brilliant Blue brads (SU); Yellow Bradletz (ProvoCraft- circa 2006)

Mojo Found :)

Hi blogger friends! Happy weekend! My day started out wonderfully- with a cup of coffee in hand, I finished this card and several others. Doesn't get any better than that! My card was made for two challenges. The sketch is this week's Mojo Monday sketch shown below.

The colors are based upon the CR84FN challenge to use light pink, tan and cream as shown above.Be sure to read the quote- its from a famous Missouri author and humorist, Mark Twain, aka Samuel Clemens. Love it!

I'm happy with this card- mostly because I broke out of a long period of "lost mojo".  It took way too long to find my groove. This lost mojo happens to each of us at some point & my solution is to CASE others so that I keep stamping; in essence, "riding the storm out". When I have made originals during this stretch, it has been awkward & required lots of concentration. But yesterday & today, it all just came together- not much conscious effort, just flow. So it was a very happy day today! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend, friends!

Supplies:
Stamps: Floral Silhouette (Stampabilities); Sentiment (Studio G)
Paper: Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake (SU!)
Designer Paper: Blushing Bride- polka dots (SU!), Lost & Found- Madison Avenue (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Regal Rose marker (SU!)
Accessories:Circle & Curly Label punches (SU), Circle nestabilities (Spellbinders), Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon, Pink Pirouette Taffeta ribbon SU!). pink & white twine (The Twinery), button- stash.

Christmas CASE

Hey there friends! My card today is a CASE from Lynn Put who was the Featured Stamper on Splitcoaststampers this past Sunday. I started my card on Sunday afternoon but then got distracted getting ready for the girls to come home on their college fall breaks. (how did their empty rooms get so dusty?!) Anyway, her gorgeous card is shown below.

 

I just love Lynn's style. It is the style that I aspire to create. She uses designer paper frequently (me too!) & she often has a few layers but at the same time it is a very clean looking style. I'm not sure what you call the style, but I love it! If you have a chance to glance through her gallery you too will be inspired by her work.

I kept the diagonal DP & the Lovely as a Tree single tree. I kept the same basic design & the button. I substituted the paper layer with a paper & scalloped tulle ribbon. 

Thanks for stopping! I'll be back later tonight after I join a friend for dinner & then grocery shop on the way home. Hugs! 

Supplies: All Stampin' Up

Stamps: Lovely as  Tree, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler

Designer Paper: Festival of Prints stack (current Holiday catalog)

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler button, 1/8" Lucky Limeade organdy ribbon (2012 SAB enchantment pack),  Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Tulle (Current Holiday catalog)

Keep Calm & Shop On

Hi Friends! How are you? All is well in St. Louis. Our weather has turned cooler; probably like your neck of the woods. My DH and I are doing some re-decorating of our home- wallpaper removal, new paint, & new decor. We've also been downsizing. Since we started mid-summer, we've made three trips with a filled SUV to our local Goodwill. Since I am home full-time now, I thought I'd be creating cards & on-line checking out galleries & challenges, but I haven't been. I am having a lot of creative fun in our home though but I feel a little rusty with my card making...whenever I get away from creating daily then I am much slower & also more indecisive about the details. Let's see if I can get back into the daily routine. I enjoy it so much when I play in the studio every day!

My card today is for the CR84FN challenge. The colors are light blue, yellow and green. I chose to use River Rock as my background base to coordinate with my focus of green. I rarely use River Rock so I thought it would be good to switch it up. My DP is from my 6x6 pad of Basic Grey Picadilly. I just love this color combo from CR84FN- my Studio is painted in colors similar to Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery so I wanted to challenge myself to use a different green. I was so indecisive about the big brad, ribbon and blue floral embellishment that the card stayed on my desk for two days- I changed the embellishments numerous times & finally just made a decision on what you see here. Below is a close-up. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping! I'll be back later tonight to see your galleries,
Hugs, Marilyn

Supplies:
Stamps: Carry On (SU!)
Paper: River Rock (SU!), White (Neenah)
DP: Picadilly (Basic Grey)
Ink: Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight (Sponged edges of nestie shape) (SU!)
Embellishments: Jumbo Grommet in white, Vintage Flower in Blue, 3/8" Old Olive ribbon (SU!), White Large Glitter Brad (hiding under flower) (Americal Crafts), Labels 4 Nestability (Spellbinders)