MoxieFabWorld Pretty Pastels challenge and CPS 100

        Blossom, Lupine, Baby Pink Light, and Intense Pink

So here I am, with my try at the Moxie Fab World Color Challenge, Pretty Pastels.  I used the above Bazzill colours to make an Easter card!

I stamped this cute Easter with bunny from Stampendous onto the baby light pink(I used a SU pink), Lupine, Blossom and Intense Pink.  I added some Copic markers to the sweet bunny in the ear and cheek areas on the stamped baby light pink.  I cut the various letters from the different colours and arranged as seen.  The card front is Intense Pink and then layered with a smaller panel of Blossom.  I used a CuttleBug polka dots embossing folder on the vertical Intense pink panel and for the Lupine horizontal panel, a MS border punch.  Instead of a ribbon on the very left hand side of the card, I layered 2 strips of the cs that I created with another MS border punch.  That's pretty much it.  I really enjoyed piecing this card together.  Don't know if I will have time for the other Moxie challenges...

Thanks for taking a peek,

Hope your week-end is wonderful so far!

Chriss

My Flourishes/MFW Tuesday Trigger meets City Crafter

I know, long title, but it's for 3 challenges, something I don't often get to say ;)
For today's card, I stamped this new Flourishes rose heart onto Bazzill Sugar Cookie card stock with black PTI ink and coloured with Copic markers.  I cut out and then cut a larger heart from the Sugar Cookie, used a Tim Holtz distressing tool on the edges and adhered together with dimensional foam.  I used a Spellbinders rectangle and cut out this Core'dinations cs and then a scalloped Nestie on the Sugar Cookie cs.  The scalloping reminds me of the scalloped box pictured above for the Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger is sitting in!  Stitched these together.  
My card front is the same Core'dinations cs and I used a Sixxix from SU embossing folder.  I used a large EK Success border punch on the Sugar Cookie cs and then stitched X's in between the "flowers" for the City Crafter challenge #41 (Linda has challenged us to sew)  Finally, I added some hardware (as per the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge FTTC102 that Cindy is hosting) and a resin vanilla coloured rose that is newly acquired from Michaels.
That's it.  Three challenges, one card ;)
Thanks for peeking in today,
Chriss

Moxie Fab World Jewel Tones color challenge for Card Makers Week

Sugar Cookie, Sunshine, Pansy, and Blue Calypso

Another Moxie Fab colour challenge, the Jewel Tones and a MoJo Monday sketch!
First of all, let me tell you that I had a difficult time capturing this card.  All of the Sugar Cookie texture is just not showing up.  I tried to shoot this in a couple of areas in the house and also took it outside.  It may have been too late in the day.  I will try to get a better photo tomorrow in the morning and I may replace it, but for now, here are the details.
I am using the Mojo Monday #175 sketch and Verve Great Friend stamp set .  I could not find Blue Calypso at Archiver's last week, so I picked up Mysterious Teal.  It looks quite dark on the screen, oh dear.  I really did enjoy making this card with the great Bazzill textures, so lovely and easy to sew into.  The Verve sentiment looks beautiful in PTI Black against this Bazzill Sugar Cookie, a real classic look.  I added some stitching to the panels and hand cut the  Sunshine and pansy coloured Verve flowers that I had stamped onto the card stock.  
Another card done, I am on a mini roll ;)
Thanks for looking,
Chriss

MFW The Neutrals challenge

French Vanilla, Twig, and Smoky

Here is my Wonderful Friend card using these three colours for the Neutrals Challenge for Card Makers Week  at Moxie Fab World and I am using the Verve VLVJAN2011 week 4 sketch.
I am using the Bazzill Twig for the card front, Spellbinders Label and the simple SU scalloped border, the Smoky was put through the CuttleBug with a Sissix folder and the gorgeous wreath is a MemoryBox stamp.  I stamped the wreath in SU crumb cake onto the Bazzill French Vanilla (the SU crumb cake ink is quite close to the Bazzill Twig, sorta ;)  I added some colour to the berries using the a bluish gray Copic marker (the closest I could determine to Bazzill Smoky) plus I used a beige Copic to adjust the little bird's colour. (in a previous life he was attached to a paperclip and living at Anthropologie...I bought a little flock of them;)  
The sentiment is from the PTI anniversary set Round and Round. 
The ivory Japanese ribbon is some that I bought at my local yarn shop.  I am not sure how this would knit up...but it would be an expensive scarf as it is sold by the yard!
Are you playing along for these MFW Color Challenges?  Let me know if you are and what your favourite colour combo is.


I hope to be back with another colour group later today or early tomorrow.
Thanks for looking...hope you are warm and cozy,
Chriss

Is it Spring yet?

This card is for the following three challenges
CR84FN12 color challenge
The Dirty Dozen Sketch DDSKETCH0111
The Impression Obsession Is it Spring Yet? 
I wanted to use this cute Spring Garden Boot  That I purchased just before Christmas and I actually pictured it in pinks and lavenders, so when this CR84FN challenge appeared yesterday, I gathered up my supplies and started on it this morning.  I am really enjoying embossing kraft card stock (this one is PaperTrey Ink) and love the deep impressions.  I also used PTI's Dotty Biscotti to match the solid PTI cs "Lavender Moon". I used the Dirty Dozen sketch of the month from SCS, just rotated it a quarter ;)

I coloured the boots and flowers with Copic markers and cut out, dimensional foam on the back and layered onto a kraft Spellbinder oval.  Another very easy card!

Thanks for taking a peek!

Chriss

The beautiful lavender lace...from Ros.  I loved everything that she sent to me in a swap last Fall and I am actually using instead of hoarding :)

Aqua and red Valentine

Good Monday morning!

Here's another Valentine made with these paper doilies, this time, using one of my favourite colours...aqua.  I know it's not a conventional colour theme for the big V Day, but couldn't resist!  I layered the paper doily onto the same colour card stock as the card base, stamped the Lockhart cupcake in Versamark and embossed with Aqua Zing embossing powder, coloured the cupcake top with aqua Copic and filled in the hearts with a red liquid pearls (those hearts are tiny!).  Cut out and adhered to the paper doily, added the layered SU sentiment and layered a couple of Prima paper flowers with a couple of punched hearts.

I created the side border with some scalloped border punches, lace from Ros and a May Arts polka dotted ribbon from my stash.  Another easy one!

Hope you have a great start to your week.

I have a lot of housework to do and I have to pack up and go to Montreal early next week to see my Mom.  My DD will accompany me and I feel very blessed for that.  Mom is not in good health and I will be there for at least 10 days.

Thanks for visiting,

I will be back later in the week (I hope) with some Moxie Fab challenges that I really want to do...

Chriss  

Classic red/black and white Valentine

Good Saturday afternoon all!  Here's a simple kraft/red, black and white Valentine that I made with thees red Valentine doilies that I got at my grocery store yesterday!  Great detail on them, 20 to a pack from Hallmark, also available in white, a real steal of a deal around $2.00.
Anyway, I used PaperTrey Ink's kraft cs and embossed the front with a Sixxix folder, made some borders from MS punches and some polka dot pattern paper, tied a SU kraft seam binding ribbon around all and then added this SU sentiment and positioned a tiny red heart over the flower in "you".  The little bird is also a MS punch and I used a red Copic on the heart and adhered over the polka dot heart on the heart doily.  How simple is that?
Have a great day,
Chriss

Garden Window with Purple Flowers

Hello again!  It is a very cold day here today and the wind is blowing!  Warmer days are ahead, but until then, here is a card that i made for the City Crafter Challenge #40, to use handmade flowers on a card and I am combining this with the Impression Obsession challenge to create a card using the colour purple, based on the SC316 sketch challenge.
I started by stamping this pretty I.O. Garden Window image onto a sheet of cherry wood "paper" and then onto a scrap of a light blue patterned paper.  I went over the window frame and window box with a white prismacolor pencil to give it a bit of a whitewashed look.  I coloured the flowers, leaves and my cabbage with Copic markers and used a white gel pen to hi-light the curly edges of the lettuce.  I then cut out the patterned paper version, minus the window box and frame and adhered it to the stamped image on the wood paper. I arranged the different sized panels (all Memory Box 6 X 6 from Poppyfinch) onto the front of the card, adhered and then layered the image on top in the center panel.  The paper flowers are made from the Poppyfinch papers, and a floral Cuttlebug die.  The fabric rose has a pearl center and I made it from a silk scarf that I had and have never worn, but the silk is luscious and very easy to work with.  The sentiment is also an I.O. one and I stamped it a couple of times onto a scrap of purple paper from my stash and used SU punches to cut out and separate the words.
That's it :)
Thanks for taking a peek!
Chriss

A couple more pink Valentines

Hi there, yes, I am creating with pink, believe it or not!  I find these papers so delightful and easy to work with,  They are the Basic Grey Bittersweet and a new K and CO.

This first card is for a challenge at Card Patterns Sketch, #98.  I love the panels and added simple stitching to them.  The felt hearts are some that I picked up at Michael's and have been having fun with them!  I stamped the Hero Arts "lots of hugs" onto white cs and just cut out and applied to the hearts with glue.  Th flower that I created with started with this MS doily and some PTI and CuttleBug dies.  I added a Jenni Bowlin vintage style button that I got at Ellen's a while ago and filled in the button hole with some tiny dangly cuttings from some lace and then added some MS glitter.  I had also wrapped the bottom striped panel with some MS baker's twine and added a punched out heart.  SIMPLE!  Here is a close-up of the different layers.

The next card  is a just for fun card that I wanted to create movement with the felt hearts.  I used the K and CO papers for the main card front and for the punched out heart that is centered in the middle of the crocheted lace panel.  The little embossed paper heart is a MS and the little floral stick pin is from the same K and CO collection.  Same amount of stamping on this card :)

Thanks for looking and I hope that you are having a safe and warm week!

Cheers!

Chriss

Paper and Lace Pretty in Pink Valentine

Hi there!  Hope everyone had a good start to the week?  I have been busy making some Valentine cards, some for friends, some just because I have all of this cool Valentine "stuff" and I want to make use of it!
I like the way this card came together, my version of Shabby Chic, without the artful distressing and fewer embellishments,  It doesn't even have a stamped image or sentiment on it!
The paper is K & CO, paper doilies from MS, some lacey hearts trim, satin and chiffon ribbon and a stick pin with a heart, also from K & CO.  The flowers are some from the UK that I ordered early LAST year.  It's about time that I start to use them, before I lose them ;)
hugs and cheers,
Chriss

The colors of Love (or a birthday)

Flourishes is having a new release of stamps for January and I saw a preview today of some floral hearts...so very pretty, I will be adding this to my collection for sure!
As seems to be customary for Flourishes at release time, they have issued a colour challenge to make a card using pink/white and red and you can win the new release of stamps.  Pretty exciting to me and I am always up for a challenge to make a few cards to add to my birthday stash (it is a small stash right now)
I inked up this new set from last month Flourishes called Mix n Mugs first stamping the mug onto a scrap of pink paper and cut out and then the floral bouquet directly onto some white card stock and cut with a Labels 14 Spellbinders Nestabilities die.  I coloured with Copics (I need more variety in the pinks) and cut slits along the stems and also in the top of the mug.  This let me insert the bouquet into the mug :)  The background ledger-like paper is a Cosmo Cricket from the Girl Friday collection.  The borders were made with Basic Grey papers from the Bittersweet collection and I used a MS border punch and an EK Success punch.  I stamped the birthday sentiment directly onto a MS embossed heart sticker...easy!
Thanks for taking a peek today,
Cheers!
Chriss

MoxieFab button cupcakes

MoxieFabWorld Color Inspiration for Card Makers Week Day 1 Bold and Bright

So here is my try at the colours above.  A very easy card to put together and another to add to my birthday stash!  I am trying to use some papers that I have had in my "collection" and I was pleased to see that I had this versatile polka dotted black and white, 2 colours down, 2 to go.  The pink is from a stack that I had, not sure what brand, maybe Bazzill and the Jenni Bowlin buttons were the last colour for the equation, yay!  I decided to make it very simple, stamped a Lockhart cupcake bottom(cupcake liner) on some polka papers, cut out and used the JB buttons for the "cake".  The thread I used on the buttons is a silk thread, very rich and lustrous.  The sentiment is PaperTreyInk from the Big and Bold Wishes set.  Hope you are having a great day and are cozy warm.  It is quite cold here today, unusually so and I have to go to work shortly..
Until next time,
Chriss

MFW Gray and Pink Bee

I've been working on some Valentine cards for my family and designed this one for my DD.  She is 24 and very active, like a little bee!  She mentioned to me just this last week that IF she ever decided to get a tattoo, it would be of a pink and gray bee, a tiny one.  Well, this is a thought, I can make a card for her that will mean something to her and I can enter it into the MoxieFabWorld Gray is the new Black challenge :)

Do any or all of you out there suffer from tying everything back into stamping and creating?  Do you see an article of clothing and think, oh! I must make a card with that colour combo?  Do you save something from packaging to make something else with it?  Maybe I'm just weird, but it happens to me all of the time.  This flower is made from a Spellbinders Flowerability bouquet that I embossed with the die and tan mat, added a jeweled center and added some loops of gray twill (the handles from an Anthropologie bag !) that I thought gave the flower a nice homey look.
The bee is a Pink Paislee stamp from the Queen Bee series and I stamped once on the pink cs and the sparkly bee wings were stamped with SU basic gray ink onto some SU sparkly white cs and I then went over the sections with a clear Spica sparkly pen and a pink Spica that I used on the wing edges.  The polka dot gray paper is some old SU and the circular border is a PTI die (1st time that I am using it ~ love it!) I hope she likes this :)

MFW~Gray is the new Black

Here is an entry for the Gray is the new Black challenge going on at the MoxieFabWorld.  I have loved gray and yellow for some time now and I think it makes for an elegant Wedding card.  I used this Cosmo Cricket paper from Everafter and made the flower embellishment from a couple of PTI flower dies and a Spellbinder floral.  A lot of rdges on the card are sponged with craft SU Going Gray.  Some stitching here and there, the perfectly sized Verve sentiment from Love Story, a MS border punch and the gray pearls that I bought at Ellen Hutson's give it the elegant finishing touch (imho)

Here is a close-up that shows the gray button I have been itching to use.

Thanks for visiting and I hope your weekend involves family and fun and some stamping :)

Cheer!

Chriss

List of fours from Tanis

This from TannyP (I just read this on your blog)
here goes...

1. Four shows that you watch:
Dexter
Divine Design
House Hunters International
Californicationwaiting for ...Nurse Jackie, The Big C
 2. Four things you are passionate about:
My Neil, Caitlin and Ryan
GardeningStamping
spending time with friends

3. Four words/phrases you say a lot:
Actually
Really?!Are you serious?
Sounds like a plan

4. Four things you've learned from the past:
A sense of humour can get you through a lot of trying times
Don't put too much on your plate
There’s a reason for the way things turn out (I second this Tanny)
I can accomplish more when I make a list
5. Four places you would like to go:
Italy
France
Spain
Australia
6. Four things you did yesterday:
Went to Direct Buy to price commercial style range
Cleaned the wood blinds in kitchen and family room
Made a card and blogged it
Family dinner at home 
7. Four things you are looking forward to:
Our square foot vegetable garden, MrB set it all up today! (we still have to plant in it)
Being more organized and maybe getting a card published one day
Organizing the garage
Seeing my friends from Toronto in Austin this year and Neil's family from Montreal(and maybe China) for American Thanksgiving in Austin


8. Four things you love about winter:
I left Montreal to escape the winter, but
I do think the first snowfall is pretty, especially clinging on the plants and trees
Walking in the snow late at night when you can hear the echoes of every crunch under your feet is something to be experienced
Being all snug and warm in the house while there is a blizzard outside
I honestly can't think of one more...


9. Four people I tag to play along (no worries if you pass :)!!)  I know there are only 3 here, but if anyone reads this and wants to play along...
Joan at Stamping with a Passion
Ros at Mikey's Mom
Lydia at Understand Blue

Hopscotch Valentine

Another Hopscotch Valentine!  Love this Basic Grey Hopscotch pad for Valentines cards, yummy colours!
I used another coloured Lockhart cupcake and this time I used Claudine Helmuth multi medium gloss on the pink hearts.  I like this effect as it gives a little dimension to them and they stand out more with the shine.  I used the end of a paper clip to apply the medium.  The punched shape is a SU punch from a while ago.
The border is layered with a wide white ric-rac length, a MS lacy borders punch and a narrow strip of the brown pattern paper.
The sentiment is an older one from SU and I used SU basic brown and added a few pink pearls to frame the hugs & kisses.
Here are a couple of close-ups.
Thanks for stopping by
Hugs,
Chriss

Lots of Hugs

Hi there, back again with an inchie card for Ellen's inchie inkling challenge.  I chose to use black and white with red, a classic for Valentine's day.
I stamped the Lockhart Hearts cupcake and coloured with a red Copic and a Spica glitter pen, then cut out. Stamped the image again on this tiny gingham paper that I have in my stash and cut out the cupcake liner, adhered to the cupcake image and popped up on foam and layered onto the red polka dot paper circle.  This was added to the card front and I placed a Kaiser rhinestone circle frame around it.  The border layers were created with a MS punch and an EK success punch.  I stamped the Hero Arts "lots of hugs" onto white and punched out with the small MS tag punch and layered onto the same gingham.  The hearts are felt and I added a gingham brad to one of them (I have had these for years and I want to try and use something old on a lot of the cards that I make!) and left the other laying over the border and silk white ribbon.  Very simple!
Thanks for taking a peek,
lots of hugs...
Chriss

Birthday SFYTT

Happy Thursday everyone!
Just a quick post before I tend to the grocery shopping...
I made this birthday card using Jen's January 2011 SFYTT
I don't have any of The Cat's Pyjamas stamps (which is a requirement to win for the month) but I wanted to make something with my new Basic Grey "Hopscotch" paper and show off this great sketch that Jen designed, so here it is :)
I also made this for the Inchie challenge going on at Ellen's, but I misread the details, so I will be back at the drawing board for this one (I was supposed to make the card with black/white and one other colour).
The stamp is a Lockhart cupcake with petunias that I coloured with my Copic markers and cut out.  I layered onto a piece of the solid blue from the Hopscotch pad cut with a PTI die and then a circle of textured pink card stock that I had in my stash.  I added some zig zag stitching at the top and bottom of the panel and some straight stitching on the solid pink panel.  The tall vertical panel was created with a MS border punch.  I added the three pink pearls for a little je ne sais quoi?.  It still looks a little sparse to me...hmmmm, I may add a flourish yet.
The sentiment is from PTI.
Hope you are having a great day,
Cheers!
Chriss

Card Architecture Heart Owls

Good morning!
Here's a little card that I made for Ellen Hutson's "Card Architecture" challenge from the premiere issue of CrEate.
I wanted to use up a length of this pretty May Arts ribbon from my stash and some scraps of various patterned papers to create with this cute Heart Owls stamp from Hero Arts (purchased from Ellen).  I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo black ink directly onto two different scraps and cut out.  I coloured in the wings, beaks and eyelashes with Spica and Copic markers and added a teeny aqua crystal to her flower on her right ear.  The cute couple was layered onto a label 14 shape of kraft card stock and then layered onto a classic oval nestie shape.  The front polka dot paper is from PTI and I stitched all around with ivory quilting thread.  The right hand edges were made with two border punches and I wrapped the ribbon around and threaded through a large aqua button from my stash and tied a simple bow.  The aqua crystal flourish finishes it off.  I think this could easily serve as a Valentine or Wedding card, what do you think?
  I will be using this template some more this month.  It is a great and simple sketch to work with.  I hope to read all of Ellen's and her contributors' features in this new issue as it seems there is a wealth of information for me to refresh on and implement!
Thanks for taking a peek!
hugs~Chriss

Love Story with a glittery touch!

Happy New Year!


My first card of the year, made this morning from this great sketch for Viva La Verve.
I have had these Heidi Grace patterned papers for about a year now and have been wanting to use them.  I love the colour combo and the combination of the pretty fonts. When I saw the Viva La Verve sketch, I knew that I wanted to finally cut into these papers!
Quite straight forward, stitched around the different patterned paper panels, the frame and sentiment from Verve called, appropriately, Love Story.  I stamped the frame on PTI kraft and cut out, coloured with a Copic marker and added a touch of glitter on the beautiful frame "corners".  The sentiment was stamped on PTI ivory and I used a petite oval Nestie.  The border punch that I used on the front of the kraft card front is a MS.  The inside of the card has a long strip of the far right patterned paper along the bottom edge.  The pretty jewelled piece over the sentiment is a hair barrette that I bought a few weeks ago.  There were an assortment of 12 to a package from a store that I had never been to before, Sam Moon.  An expensive embellishment, but I couldn't resist at the time.  At least I put it to use :)
My goal this year is to participate in challenges, to use a lot of what I have in my stash and to actually get the cards out in the mail for birthdays and holidays.  I am sure that many of us have similar intentions, but I would love to hear what your "crafting resolutions" are this year!
I made this card for the Moxie Fab glitter challenge that is going on until Monday and the Viva La Verve sketch challenge!
Now it's off to continue the tidying and cleaning in the house!   Cheers~ Chriss