Masculine Artifacts

We made our reservations over the weekend for summer vacation in the Outer Banks. Boy I can't wait, especially now with the snow flying and the temperature well below freezing.

This is another swap card using Artifacts and making it masculine. I've cased it from some talented stamper on SCS, just don't know who. Thought the colors were fun - close to cocoa, chocolate chip, always artichoke and taken with teal. I can't remember when the last time was I used teal! Used several backgrounds, did some sponging, added hemp, and popped up the long front piece.

Off to work I go! When I get home tonight, it's back to my stamp room!!

What a Crazy Life!!

I cannot believe it has been this long since I've posted to my blog!! Life definitely is getting in the way. It's not that I haven't been busy making cards, I've been making extras to send to my Divine Secret Sibling! I can't have her find out who I am too early!!!

This card is for the February Demo Planner Challenge found on the demo side of SCS. I liked this layout and color combination best for a sympathy card. I do hope to play with the other two color combos though!

The flowers and verse come from the set Close as a Memory. I colored the flowers with Pale Plum marker then hit the edges with the Elegant Eggplant marker. Old Olive was used for the stems. The verse is stamped in Black stazon on a top panel of vellum. Of course I sponged around the flowers and overstamped with Linen in creamy caramel - no card would be complete without a little sponging!! Paisley background in old olive finished up the stamping. Minimal embellishments I felt were needed.

Stay healthy everyone. I've been down and out with a bad cold and now my DS is coming down with one. I'm hoping he feels better in the morning so he can go to school. Actually so does he because tomorrow is gym, his favorite.

Winter Has Arrived!

Temperatures have fallen and so has the snow - and it's still coming down. Talk about being spoiled. Not much snow all winter and here I am complaining!!! Gotta admit, I much prefer a green Christmas!!!

Here is my color challenge card for this week. We were to use Sage shadow, Pale plum and Close to cocoa. I am using brown in a lot of my cards recently, just love it. It use to be black, but now I've evolved! First time for using this set too. And it was one I pre-ordered when the Winter Mini SU catalog first came out to demonstrators. Just a little watercoloring was all it took for the flowers. Then of course the linen background and sponging were required! I'm really hooked on these colors, may have to try another one.

New Challenge

An SCS challenge for SU Demos only. Using the suggested sketches and color combos listed in the Demonstrator Manual for this month, create a card ... and here's mine. My colors were Bravo burgundy, Bordering blue, and Natural ivory. I can't believe that I need to FINALLY order more Bordering blue!!!! I think this is the very first pack I bought 4 years ago. What's so funny about it is blue is my favorite color!! I must just go for other blues! I used the sponge dauber to color in the flowers, sponged around them in blue, then dragged the edges thru the stamp pad. Double backgrounds of course - Floral in Bordering blue on blue and Cheesecloth in white.

I sure hope the predicted snow holds out for tomorrow. The kids were off school today - I have so much to do I need the day tomorrow all to myself to take care of everything. We'll see what tomorrow brings! Stay warm!

Busy Weekend

I was up till 2am working on these cards for a swap but still didn't get them all done!! Kanji is a set I definitely don't use much so it was nice dusting it off and putting it to ink. I love color and these ones suit me just fine -- basic black, real red, tempting turquoise, whisper white. I'm also big on backgrounds - I used Bamboo II in real red on the larger red layer and Cheesecloth in white craft on the smaller red. I even think this was a sketch challenge I used for the layout - thank goodness for those sketch challenges! They have helped me more often then not.

I Need Help With This One!!

I just don't know if I like it or not! Is it the blue (Not Quite Navy)? Maybe it's the layout. I just don't know. Don't you hate it when you have a great idea for a card and it doesn't come out the way you wanted! This is for a swap, needed to use only Earth Elements for cardstock and ink. Also needed to use ALL the stamps from the Balmy Breezes stamp set. I did Versamark resist with the moon, brayered on Creamy caramel and Really rust then stamped the tree in Timber Brown stazon. Oh well, on to the next set of swap cards!! I'll keep posting them as I finish -- only the ones I like that is!!!!!

Happy New Year --- A Little Late!!!

Okay, so it's way past the new year and I am finally updating my blog! I thought once the holidays were over I would have tons of extra time -- silly me!! Gotta get back into the routine of things.

I made this card for a swap using one of the sketches from the sketch challenges. Does it look masculine? I hope so because I'm sending it off to my Dad for his 79th birthday. It's hard to tell I'm sure but the berries on the navy panel are stamped in Encore copper. I love the Peaceful Wishes set, can use it for more than Christmas.