Hugs and Fishes

The Clean & Simple Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers today is to make a card with the Dr. Suess title "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" inspiring your creation. I went with the two fish as inspiration not the colors. That is mainly because I purchased this ribbon a while ago and had yet to break the seal. You know frugile me picked it up at one of my local craft stores (LCS) in a clearance or sale bin. I need one more spool of ribbon like I need a hole in my head, but I couldn't pass up the fun colors and design. I did not purchase the bermuda bay ink pad & the solid images did not stamp well with marker coloring so my images are stamped in Taken with Teal and outlined with Bermuda Bay. I think the effect is interesting. Hop on over and play along. Here's to a great Monday!

Supplies:
Image & Sentiment: Fishy Friends (#3019-TAC)
Paper: Night of Navy, White, Old Olive, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Taken with Teal, Black, marker- Bermuda Bay
Accessories: ribbon- Michaels

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Sunday!
This card was made for my Father-in-Law who celebrated his 84th birthday this past Friday. We had a family party on Saturday complete with ice-cream cake.

Have a great week!

Supplies:
Images: The Journey (Tim Holtz); sentiment-Simply Chic Stamps (Provo Craft)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Simply Celery, Vanilla, Close to Cocoa, DSP- retired SU (SU!)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU), Vintage photo (TH-Ranger)
Accessories: HPH, color spritzer (SU), twine, book page

Daddy's Girl

This is the card my daughters gave their dad (my DH) for Father's Day this year. I just love this image and set (called Greatest Dad) from The Angel Company. It was a special but now it's available in their new catalog. My coloring was with Copics- I'm learning. I often don't have much time for practicing but when I do have an open image, I am enjoying the playful challenge.

My husband has always been a very involved and loving father. So this image of a dad on the ground playing is just the kind of thing he would do with the girls.

Have a great weekend!

Image: Greatest Dad (TAC)
Papers: Bermuda Bay, Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, White (SU!)
Ink: Tuxedo Black, Copic Markers
Accessories: Brilliant Blue brads, Large oval punch (SU!)

Pretty Petals

Today's card was made for the sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I had the DSP and cardstock out already so I decided to go ahead and use it for the challenge. Below are a few of the cards I made earlier this week with this retired SU! DSP (Sweet Always)~ the reason the papers were already out. These colors are good for young ladies, so I know my daughters and their friends would like the cards.

{sorry the pic isn't the greatest- it's hard to get three cards in one shot }

I want to make more cards with the retiring colors, DSP and other DSP that I've been neglecting. Most of my friends and family have no idea if I am using "old retired" stuff including colors and stamp sets. So I may not post much in the SCS gallery, but I'll posting here on my blog in case there is an idea you want to case. All that said, it won't keep me from purchasing all the new SU! in colors and new colors in the line though. LOL!

Have a great day!

Golfin' Back Home

It's good to be home! I've been away for over a week at a professional conference. Great conference & it was fantastic visiting New Orleans even though my sightseeing time was limited. But as much as I love to travel, I am happy to be home with my family. Since I am still catching up with life - ahhh- you know unpacking, laundry, bills...I am posting an older card that I did not showcase. I made for my father in law for Father's Day.

I used a technique from Gina K's stamp TV called recessed diamond background where you use your scor-pal to emboss your background diamonds & then distress with the same color ink as the cardstock. Here, I used SU! Garden Green. (Green in my FIL's favorite color)

Thanks for checking in; hopefully, I will get some stampin' time soon & have something new to show you.

Supplies:
Image: Vintage Golfer (Stampabilities)
Paper: Garden Green, Bordering Blue, White, DSP- retired SU!
Ink: Garden Green
Accessories: Scor-pal

Lavender Dreams

A little lavender floral card that I made a while back that I had not had a chance to blog it. Things are busy around my house- I am still stamping but not posting near as much. Hope you are enjoying your summer!

Another Birthday Card!

My take on the Queen for the day challenge (QFTD16) over at Splitcoaststampers. Dorothy (aka etsdas) was our honored stamper. I cased this card of hers.

I made another birthday card. My family has been raiding my stash for birthday cards for their friends and family. So besides from being flattered, I am making more to add to the stash.

I apologize for not posting more and not visiting your blogs. Life has been a little crazy- nothing tramatic except not having much time with my paper and ink. I'll be around a lot this weekend so I hope to e-chat with you!

Happy 4th to my American friends!

Supplies:
Image: Piece of Cake (CTMH), Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)
Papers: Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, DSP- Razzleberry Lemonade (SU!), White (Neenah)
Ink: Rich Cocoa (Momento), Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo (SU!)
Accessories: Apricot appeal brads

Thanks & Free Font Fridays

This is my take on the Sketch Challenge (SC285) on Splitcoaststampers. I like this one~ very versatile. So I will be duplicating this one at least a few times. I used the newer Basic Grey papers called "Green at Heart"; some of the DPs in the pad match well with SU! Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo which is what I used here.

The "Thank You" sentiment was computer generated using Creating Keepsakes font called Woodbine Swatches. I signed up as a member for the CK Club when I was at the CK convention in St. Louis back in April. One of the perks is access to over 100 free fonts. But you don't have to be a member to get free CK fonts. Each Friday, "Free Font Friday", a new font is available for downloading for that week & then replaced with another font the following Friday. I am really happy I joined this club not only for the free fonts but for the scrapbooking forum and postings and especially free access to digital magazine issues of Creating Keepsakes and Simple Scrapbooks. Since I struggle with scrapbooking this is really great for me.

Happy Friday!

Supplies:
Images: Eastern Blooms (SU!), Sentiment- Computer generated; font- CK Woodbine Swatches
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, White (SU); DP- Green at Heart (Basic Grey)
Ink: Pink Passion (I don't have a Melon Mambo pad...at least not yet {{WINK}}
Accessories: Punches- 1' circle, 1 1/4" circle, 1 1/4" square, 1 3/8" square (SU!); paper ribbon (Green at Heart- Basic Grey); brads (Basic Grey)

Cupcake Birthday & Coral Blooms

This card was made for the Featured Stamper challenge on SCS. LeAnne's gallery is filled with wonderful creations. I chose to case this card. I am very happy with the Close to My Heart acrylic stamps- very crisp images & no need to prep or prime the stamp in order to get a nice image. I love this sketch and have used something similar and possibly identical in the past. I used up some retired stamping up designer paper. One thing that is really nice when you use double sided DP is that you can cut the full size (in this case 3 3/4 X 5 panel) and then just cut it in half and flip one side over and mount; because the double sided DP always matches. Another thing I love about this sketch is that you can use the center ribbon or narrow paper to hide if the designer papers don't match up precisely. It is a fairly quick card.

I am really happy with how this card turned out. And happy because it is honoring a very special stamper. This was made for the Queen for the Day SCS challenge. Lesley, aka Marleygo was crowned on Friday. It took me several days to complete as I only had a few minutes on Friday and Saturday to work on it. I chose to case this card. It is perplexing to me how sometimes when I start with an idea- whether it be a sketch, color combo, a case, or embellishment and as I create the card, it morphs. Most of the time, my idea doesn't look like my imagination pictured. I know other stampers experience this as I have read similiar descriptions.

I intended to also complete this past Tuesday's color challenge with this card, but I couldn't get turquoise to work. So I stuck the other two colors- cameo coral and ruby red and added close to cocoa. The image panel started larger like Lesley's; but that didn't look right either despite numerous adaptations. I just love this creative journey, don't you?

Have a great week friends! Marilyn

Cupcake Birthday Supplies:
Stamps: Piece of Cake (CTMH-D1407)
Paper: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery (SU!), White, DP- retired SU!
Ink:Tuxedo Black (Momento), SU markers: Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Nestabilities- circle and scalloped circle (Spellbinders), Apricot Appeal ribbon (SU), glitter glue (Sulyn Industries- stash recycled from my kids old art cabinet)

Coral Blooms Supplies:
Stamps: Eastern Booms (SU!)
Paper: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa, Vanilla
Ink: Cameo Coral, Close to Cocoa, Ruby Red
Accessories: Ribbon- 5/8"white organza (SU!), Button (stash), adhesive pearls (want2scrap)

Happy Anniversary

Don't you just love this clock image? I sure do! It's from a fairly new set from Mark's Finest Papers & it's called Take The Time & Father's Day. It's great for masculine cards and scrapbook pages. Today's Free for All challenge on SCS was to make a masculine card; and the Queens for the Day was Connie Jo9. I cased this card

I made several changes and tweeks to accomodate the image size, the verse and a more masculine pallete & now it is a little hard to see the Connie Jo's original in my card. But it was this card of Connie's that inspired me.

On a personal note, this Sunday my husband & I are celebrating our 29th wedding anniversay & this will be his card. My husband is the best man in the world and a great father. I am just so very blessed!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Image: Take the Time (Mark's Finest Paper)
Sentiment: computer generated using Engraver font
Ink: Rich Cocoa (momento), markers- Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa (SU)
Paper: Sage Shadow, Close to Cocoa, Vanilla, (SU!) DSP- granola (Basic Grey); clock face- scrap (unknown)
Accessories: clock icons (the paper studio), gold brads (SU), gold pen on clock hands, Spritzer tool, CB folder-branches (Provocraft)