An ATC Challenge

I haven't done alot of ATC (Artist Trading Cards) in a year or so, but while surfing the net, I found a challenge blog called Wicked Wednesday Weekly ATC Challenges and thought what fun it looked. So their challenge this last week was Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes, hmmm, I can do that. So I pulled out my After 5, Aunt Mae stamp from Stampers Boutique that I have had for years and my snow white sentiment from Inkadinkado and some holeless beads and some homemade papers and had some fun. I didn't enter in time for their challenge but it was still fun!!

A Pastel card and more cleaning!!

Clear Dollar Stamp blog Clearly I Stamp, had their second challenge of the month and it was to use pastels. I love the Enchanting Carousel set. Katie got it for me and I have only used it a couple of times, so I got it out and used some pastel papers that I had and colored it with my watercolor pencils and inked around in Aloe Vera chalk inks,, ran the mint green through the cuttle bug with the swiss dots folder and added some pink with white polka dot ribbon. I really like how it turned out. (the picture does not do it justice, the wavy lines are back, but on Keith's phone, not mine - I just think they don't want to take my pictures!!!!!)

I spent the day with all 4 nephews - 7 yrs, 4 yrs, 3 yrs and 7 months!! After they all went home, I went to work on the other side of my craft room and I actually have two more bags for ARC and lots of goodies for the preschool. I will have pictures as soon as I can get some.

Card Positioning Systems Sketch Challenge #252

Yep, another card today. I have been contemplating this card all week. It was hard to find the right colors to go with the background printed paper but I did it. It is for the CPS #252. I have been trying to use up some of my stacks of paper and when I found this sweet pink flower one, I wanted to use it. It is from DVWV the Sweet Stack, the tulip color is from CTMH, the brown is Expresso cardstock from the Paper Co. The stamp is from My Favorite Things Pure Innocence - Start the day with Wheee.

I am enjoying the time I am spending in my craft room again. I still have lots of work to do in it as the girls have used half of it for their junk to get thrown into, so now that is next on my list!!

Unscripted Challenges #142

It's been a long week, but so fun!! After the little boys go home and dinner is done, I have been spending about an hour or so in my craft room. I am loving it!! This weeks challenge at Unscripted Sketches was a great sketch with a piggyback challenge, use the sketch and add a pocket. I am going through my papers and re-organizing them and I have alot of paper from paper stacks in colors, so I found these blues/purples and used them. The little girl is an image I received in a swap years ago and is Elzybell -Flower Girl. I enjoyed making the little bookmark to put in the pocket and used a edge flower stamp from CTMH's Be True set.

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #37

This weeks challenge on the Ribbon Carousel Challenge Blog was to use non-traditional colors for Valentines cards. So, I grabbed my CTMH Childhood Portrait set and used CTMH chocolate, ponderosa pine and garden green inks and stamped the tree and couple on the bench. The papers were from a DCWV paper stack called Linen Closet. Then I used some chocolate twine from Ribbon Carousel. I just love this card.

Deconstructed Sketch #35

This weeks Deconstructed Sketch was a fun one. I even used my sewing machine, now that I have my craft room half picked up. I used a cupcake stamp from Hey There Cupcake by Stampendous and the sentiment was from Impression Obsession. I added some brown ribbon to it and the paper is Making Memories Embellishment Paper Cosmopolitan Collection which I love!!

Cleaning, Organizing and a new sketch done!

I decided to get the husband to put my shelf up in my craft room last week, since I had the week off from the snow, so he did. I have been slowly cleaning it up and cleaning it out. I have three garbage bags and two small boxes for ARC donation so far, and a box for the preschool. This is the new shelf with the beginnings of what will be stored on it. I also rearranged my sewing machine cabinet and have my machine on it so I can use it too.

So, tonight after the little boys left, I went in and made a card for My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch from last Wednesday.

Card Positioning Systems Sketch 251 and a snow week!!

Snow, yep, we have snow. We only have about 3 inches, but we also are about 17 degrees and northeast winds, so its cold. Where all my nephews live, they have over a foot of snow, so I haven't seen them since Monday :( I have had some time to do some cards and also am in the process of organizing my craft room. Kevin sent over some of Katie's storage systems for me to use and I worked in there last night for a while. Hopefully today, since Mr. Wonderful is home he will help put up a shelf I got 3 Christmas's ago!!!! But on to the CPS Sketch 251 - You can see it here. I used a Bella stamp image that Katie gave me a while back, I have a stack of images from swaps and different people that I have found that I need to use!! I colored her in and then layered her on some paper from paper stacks. I used my scallop circle Nestabilities and the sentiment is from Hey There Cupcake by Stampendous.

Deconstructed Sketch No. 34

Yep, another post today. I am having a great time using my snow days for making cards. I found another sketch blog that had a great sketch, The Deconstructed Sketch. I decided to try their sketch and it was fun. I used a Studio G - Hot Fudge Studio image on the tag, Making Memories Fresh Anthology Collection -Eliza papers, Maraschino Twine from Ribbon Carousel, Blue Ribbon from Sheer Creations at Michael's.

Ribbon Carousel RCC36

I really liked the sketch this week at Ribbon Carousel Challenge blog. It was a challenge for me, I think these challenges are making me come out of my normal layering shell and adding more goodies. I used an image that I was sent years ago of a Matilda and colored her in, I took my EK Success corner punch of the hearts, some flowers I have had laying around for a long time and some beautiful ribbon I got in the January Ribbon Club Kit. I just love how she turned out.

Unscripted Sketches #141

This weeks sketch for Unscripted Sketches was fun. I used my new dollar stamp from Michael's. Some Wassail Basic Grey paper, CTMH Holiday Red Ink and a beautiful red flower made by Katie Renz. I really like this sketch.

Ribbon Carousel RCC35

I found this great new site called Ribbon Carousel. They have awesome ribbon and other great products. I got their January ribbon set and I love them, plus some twine! Her challenge was to make something inspired by a pinterest posting that you can see here, RCC35 Inspired by Laurel. The sponsor this week is a Digital Stamp company called Whimsie Doodles and so I checked them out and found Mailed my Heart so I used her with some blue papers and my two blue copics I own and Denim Bakers Twine.

Clearly I Stamp Clearly Inspired Challenge #43

Clear Dollar Stamps, Clearly Inspired Blog's challenge #43 was Valentines. I love the set called Yard Yabber. I got this set when it came out and used it for K & B Lawn Care's Christmas cards that year. I had planned to use the weedeater for a card for Mr. Wonderful, and when CDS said Valentines, I jumped on it. I used my Embossing folder Textile Textures with Holiday Red Ink on it to do the background. My camera is not working and I have to use my phone and I take terrible pictures :(

Unscripted Sketches # 140

This weeks sketch at Unscripted Sketches was a fun one. I had already cut out and colored my animals from TaDa Creative Studios and I used the papers from there too. These are obviously discontinued as I couldn't find them, but I love using them. The Baker's twine is Maraschino Red from Ribbon Carousel.

A quiet weekend around here and I hardly got any time in the crap, I mean craft room!! I did do a easy card for my great-nephew who will be 3 this month. I stamped the big number 3 from a CTMH set and then went through a bag of stickers I was given that needed to be organized and put in the sticker box, and use all the different number 3 stickers I could find! I am sure he will like it!! I did get to spend some time with him on Saturday and I guess I taught him to pedel his trike!! We are building a fence and a small building/barn at their house to house Cissy's horse and a calf for them, so Keith has been out there helping get things ready.

My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 53

Yep, two sketches from My Favorite Things two weeks in a row. I love this stamp called Start the Day With Whee!. I love to swing!! I can remember spending hours on the swing set when I was little and growing up. If I am at a park and can swing, I will swing!! The papers are all from Close to My Heart and are some that Stamp Katie got for me for fun. I love those papers, pretty much my favorite colors to make cards from, pink, chocolate and blue!!! The picture is a little blurry, for some reason I just can not get good pictures.

Card Positioning Systems 249

Here I go again, with another sketch, this one from Card Positioning Systems. Their sketch was a neat one and I chose to use a square card that opens down the middle. I used an image I had from Clear Dollar Stamps that I had colored a while back from the Cruisin' Classic Set. The car actually is attached only on the right side so that the card can open in the middle.

Yes, those are blueberry muffins sitting there. Still using my phone and the kitchen counter for good light!!!

Unscripted Sketches #139

I found a new challenge sketch site, called Unscripted Sketches. I like to do sketch challenges, it is so much fun and I can use any color paper I want, so I decided I would try this last weeks.

I love this stamp by Great Impressions Framed Garden Bicycle. I stamped it then colored in a few spots, the added Flower Soft in Sweet Pea for all the flowers. The papers are Pink Bazill and Blue Coredinations. I used a Martha Stewart Doily Lace edger punch on the pink. The picture doesn't so it total justice. My camera isn't working, so we are using my cell phone!! lol

A project I have been working on is a Chicken book for 2012. We got 7 baby chicks in March of last year, ended up with two Roosters, George and Mork who moved to Keith's brothers farm. George still lives there, but Mork ended up getting eliminated by George. One of the babies died and one got ate by the dog, so we ended up with three, Princess (a white Delaware), Little One (a Barred Rock), and Rockstar (a Americana). So, on July 1st, we got 8 more! Buffy (Buff Orpington), Penelope and The Other One (Ancana's), This and That (Barred Rocks) Ginger (Rhode Island Red) Spongebob (Delaware) and Squirt (who we thought was an Amercana, but it Cicilian something). So, they run half of our backyard. We usually get 9 eggs a day now and we share them with our friends, the Renz's and family and friends. I wanted to keep track of egg production - Browns, whites and Easter Egg colors and how much they cost us, so I took a composition book and made a journal!! Calvin with some of the ones we got in July.

Rockstar, Princess and Little One in the yard.