Blue Christmas

The Christmas cards continue here. It’s been fun since I got my push to start making them last week.

This time I used SEI's Winter Song line for the background paper and Graphic 45 Christmas Past for the images.

For this card I used Cuttlebug's Snowflake embossing folder and Stickels. Trim is from Making Memories, ribbon is from May Arts.

Here I used the script embossing folder, the sentiment is from American Crafts.

Crystals are from Prima and the sentiment is Deja Views.
Thanks for stopping by...if you have time...check out Moxy Fab World Today Cath is featuring blogs from Canada. There are a lot of very creative ladies here in the 'True North Strong and Free'!

Oh What Fun...

Ok, so this really was fun! I got to play along with 2 Sketches 4 You again this week. Love the inspiration I get from the sketches and the design team, so much fun wrapped up in one little blog!

This is for Kazan’s sketch # 36. I used Cosmo Cricket’s Jolly by Golly line, Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug folder, trim was sent to me by my friend Barb, stick pin and metal sign are from Making Memories, ribbon is from Waste Not Paper.

Thanks so much for dropping in…Ivanka

Cards from our Card Day

So I thought I'd share the cards that we made at our card day. It's been a while since we had gotten together for a card day. I made some cards ahead of time to help them get back into it. Teacher I am not, but it was fun to share a few techniques that they hadn't seen before. The Cuttlebug embossing folders seemed to be a favorite.

We made these 2 cards using SEI's Winter Song collection. Sentiment is from Hero Arts (thanks to my personal shopper, Barb!)

Here the super cute girl image is from My Mind's Eye, Colorful Christmas collection.

It was such a fun day and it is so great to have friends to share this hobby with!

Till next time...Ivanka

World Card Making Day

Now here is a holiday I can really get into!! World Card Making Day is Oct 3rd, only a few days away. What are you doing to celebrate this wonderful hobby of ours??

Cath, over at Moxy Fab World started off a week of celebration by featuring amazing cards from talented ladies from all around the world. Paper Craft Connection blog has fun things planned all this week. And the Blog Tour on the WCMD website is definitely worth checking out! You'll find amazing inspiration from PC designers as well links to fabulous blogs from all around the world.

Here in my little studio...I'm celebrating WCMD by sharing what I love to do with two of my friends. We spent a day making cards, sharing ideas and just having fun being together.

Here are a few pictures of Card Making Day in my studio...forgot that my camera was on macro...but here they are...

The door into my studio...

Getting ready to create with some fab Graphic 45 paper.

We used SEI's Winter Song to make 3 Christmas cards.

Here's Misty loving her new tape runner...

...and Janet adding Stickles to her card...

...good friends and great times...what better way to celebrate the holiday?!

Hope you find some time this week and especially on Saturday to make a card and share some good times with friends.

Ivanka

Another 2S4Y card...

I'm sneaking in this quick post before I head off to bed. I used this weeks 2S4Y sketch to make this card. This was one of the cards we made in a card day I had at my house on Friday. More on that and pictures tomorrow...

Sorry for the indoor picture. It was dull and rainy today and then I just ran out of time. I used sei's Winter Song line for the patterned paper and die cut shape. The sentiment is Hero Arts heat embossed, QuicKutz label one die cut as well as the Fiskars treading water punch.

Hope you're having a great weekend, more tomorrow...Ivanka

It's Monday...time to get back into it!

Well, I think it's about time I got back into making some cards! It's been a wonderful and busy summer. And I don't know about where you live, but our September has been just gorgeous so far. Except today...it's raining and that's ok...because I got to spend some time in my craft room...crafting!
Since it's been so long since I've done anything productive, I wanted to start off slowly with this week's 2 Sketches 4 You by Laura.

I made this card for a coworker who is leaving us. The paper, journaling square, and sticker are from the Poppy line from sei. The rub ons are from One Heart, One Mind, flower is from The paper Studio and the gems are from Prima.

Thought I'd share this little gem my daughter made recently. She's 17 and she dabbles at making cards when the mood (or need) strikes! Usually it's a last minute card for a friend so I don't get to photograph it. I nabbed this one before it went out the door this weekend! The paper is from Fancy Pants Delight line and the rub on is Melissa Frances.

Thanks for stopping by today...Ivanka

Cards for a Cure

One of my coworkers was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Yep, out of the blue. Really makes you realize how fragile life truly is.

At work, Barb is such a treasure, friendly and helpful to the end. After collecting for a group gift, visiting and keeping in touch through email , I felt that I wanted to do more to support her in this battle. I've supported causes and charities in the past, but this one was so close to home, I knew I had to get involved.

So I'm starting off by doing a 5k walk in support of Breast Cancer research. Since I find asking for donations not such an easy task, especially after just having done the MS walk in the spring, I needed to come up with a different way to raise money. Hence the Cards for a Cure idea. I spent a couple of days going through scraps and leftover projects and making a bunch of fairly quick cards. All the proceeds are going toward Breast Cancer research.

Here are some of the cards....

Thanks for stopping by...it's been a busy summer and I haven't been here much. Hope to rectify that in the next few weeks. It felt so good to get back to my 'happy room' and just make cards. And the fact that they're helping me to support a friend, well it's even better.

Ivanka

GCD Studios Go Bold and Simple Contest

I don't know...sometimes I'm a little behind the times. I guess it's just that there aren't any great LSS stores around me (maybe that's a good thing!!) but I seem to be a little slow to find new things. GCD Studios paper is one of my latest great finds. Have you seen it? It's double sided and the Small Dots from the Chianti Collection that I bought has got a wonderful sheen to it that just makes any project a bit more special. So when I found their Go Bold and Simple contest on their blog it got me thinking...and creating.

The frame is from Michaels $ bin, the wreath is from Sandylion Sticker Designs.
I used Spellbinders Die, Nestabilities Labels One.

I love how this one turned out. After Christmas last year, I hit a great sale at Shopper's Drug Mart. I think I got this pack of cards for about $2. The best thing is...the envelopes match (I love that!!). The GCD paper was a perfect match to 'enhance' this card! Makes for an economical way to get through my Christmas card list this year. The rub on sentiment is from Imaginisce.

Thanks for popping in...hope you've had a great weekend...I get to do something exciting tomorrow...we're going to see Beyonce!! Woohooo...I'll try and get some descent pictures to share.

Ivanka

Email Posting...

Am I the last one to find out that you can email posts to your blog? You can even text them (not that I can text with any speed or accuracy!!!)! But wow, emailing a post in is so simple...and fast. This is going to make blogging so much easier and faster for me!! Yay!

Here’s my first emailed post…and since I’ve not created much lately, I’m sharing a card I made for a coworker who was leaving a little while ago. The image is from Luna Girl, rub on is Basic Grey, Rhinestones are from Little Yellow Bicycle. Flower is from Prima.

So anyone want to chime in...did you know you could email a post to your blog??

Summertime...

So...how's your summer going so far?? I love summer, love the warm weather, the green grass and the beautiful flowers. I love having BBQ's on the deck and drinks with friends. I love walks with Pepper and whom ever wants to join us, and I love wearing shorts and sandals. The only bad thing about summer is that I don't have time for much more than a quick visit to my scrap room.

It's been a fun but busy few weeks for our family so far. We've done a couple of boating/camping trips and have done tons of work around the house. I think Steve was a little relieved to go back to work today to get a rest from all the painting, digging, cutting and rearranging he's had to do around here!

Here's a few pictures from our trips...

Catching up with the paper on the boat...cool weather but gorgeous scenery.

Meghan, Julia, Alex and Dana keeping each other company and giggling a ton!

Canada Day BBQ on the boat. It warmed up just enough for the girls to have a swim.

So, now we're home, the laundry is well underway and I've finally had a chance to make a card. I came across this challenge on the new Core'dinations blog to use everything but the kitchen sink to create a project. I love challenges like this, they really get me thinking and on the lookout for things I can use.

I found some washers in the garage and I ran them through my Sizzix BIGkick for this effect. I used a cutting pad on the multipurpose platform and then placed the washers right on the cutting pad. The Core'dinations paper went on next, followed by a silicone rubber pad and the impressions pad. I sanded a bit and added Prima studs to the centers of the washer impressions. The rub ons are from American Crafts.

There's still lots of summer left...hope you're having a good one.

Ivanka

A nice surprise...

My Father's Day nautical card collaboration with DH (we'll call him Steve....) won a prize on Moxy Fab World yesterday! What a nice surprise. Hope he doesn't get a swelled head over this...or worse...want to split the prize package!!

If you haven't checked out Moxy Fab World, it's a great place with lots of inspiration and great challenges. Cath Edvalston from Paper Crafts Magazine finds the neatest trends to share and gives tons of inspiration on incorporating those trends into paper crafting cards/projects.

Today's card was sent to me by my ultra-talented friend Wendi for my birthday. She always amazes me with her creativity and her talent. That's why it's so hard to make a card for her birthday just a few short weeks after mine! I gotta get my thinking cap on!! Thank you Wendi.

It's cold and rainy here today...hope it's a bit nicer where you are...

Thanks for visiting,
Ivanka

Nautical Father's Day Card

So I have to admit that husbands can come in handy for cardmaking ideas at times!! I was stuck on ideas for FIL's card this year, so I asked the big guy if he had any ideas...and he did! The idea to use an old nautical chart for FIL card was perfect. He's an avid sailor and I think will really like the card.

The stamp is from Anna Griffin, charm is from Frost Creek Charms, Cuttlebug embossing folder.

I may have to ask for 'creative input' more often!

Thanks for poppin in,
Ivanka

Survived the weekend!

This is one of the few times that I can say that I'm glad the weekend is over. This was recital/concert weekend! Two dance schools and a music school all scheduled their end of the year recital/concert on Sunday June 14! What are the chances??!!

It was a bit tricky getting everything organized, but we tackled the day and now I'm glad it's Monday! It's too bad they were all on the say day, we were so rushed running from one event to the next, that we didn't really enjoy it all. We ended up ordering the DVDs of the dances so we can watch them again and enjoy them without the stress this time.

This door hanger is for the Caardvarks Depth Perception Challenge. I had a few of the door hangers left from when the girls used to do crafts. I covered it with My Mind's Eye, 29th Street Market paper. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder on Grandma's Kitchen paper from We R Memory Keepers. The image is Cotton Scraps from Crafty Secrets, chipboard is from Maya Road, flower is from Petaloo, buttons are (green)Basic Grey, (silver) Melissa Frances.

Thanks so much for dropping by. Check out the DT all the entries for this challenge on Caardvarks. There is some seriously gorgeous inspiration over there.

Ivanka

Saturday Afternoon...

...and there are 7, 13 year old girls in the pool! Yup 7 of them! Julia's been friends with most of them since Kindergarten, but what I want to know is when did they get so tall and so big? They've all grown up so fast.

I snuck away for a few minutes and so here I am sharing a card for Kazan's sketch 28 on 2S4Y.
Very fun sketch to play with. The top 30 is selected in their 1st anniversary card showdown and they're all such talented cardmakers. The weekly sketches are continuing too...so much fun going on over there.
I used My Mind's Eye, Wild Asparagus paper, and Fancy Pants paper for the label, which is a QuicKutz die cut. The letters are from American Crafts. The butterfly is a Sizzlits die cut.

Thanks so much for stopping by...off I go back to the screaming, giggling bunch in the pool!

Ivanka

Card Patterns #18-Take 2

Good Morning, it's Friday. What do you have in the works for today? I'm not sure what we're up to here, Julia has a PA day so is off from school, but is still sleeping...today I'm following the adage "let sleeping teenagers sleep", so it's still nice and quiet around the house. It's a beautiful morning out there so I definitely want to get out and enjoy it.

The card I'm sharing today is based on this week's Card Patterns sketch again. I liked this sketch so much that I did it twice! It really is a great sketch and it helped me get this birthday card made for a friend.

The paper is from Fancy Pants Design, I just love the bright summery colors. I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nestabilities die, Hero Arts Happy Birthday stamp and Martha Stewart cupcake.

Hope you're enjoying whatever you're doing today. Thanks for dropping by...Ivanka

To Love and Be Loved (CPS #119)

Have you ever noticed that there and 'card' people and there are 'non-card' people?? By that I mean that there are people who really appreciate a hand made card and those who just say 'oh that's nice', they like them, but that's as far as it goes. (I've heard that DH's can sometimes be like that!)

Yesterday, I met a new 'card' person and it's just so nice to have someone truly appreciate your cards. I sometimes bring a box of cards to work with me and leave them on the counter for anyone that comes by. I've had great response to my box in the past, but yesterday my new 'card' person came by and was truly happy to have found my box. She bought 5 cards.

It made my day.

So today is a day to myself, to catch up around the house and to create...I need more cards to fill up my box.

I made this card using CPS sketch 119. Love this sketch, very fun to work with. I used textile texture Cuttlebug embossing folder, My Mind's Eye Bohemia paper, Fancy Pants Delight Cards and Prima Flowers.

Thanks for stopping by...Ivanka

Card Patterns Sketch 18

It's so nice to be able to get some much needed cards made using challenge/sketch blogs. Here's another Father's Day card done using Card Patterns sketch 18.

I've had the quote saved for quite a while and it's nice to finally use it. Sorry but I don't know who it's by to give credit. I used Cuttlebug's argyle embossing folder, buttons from Melissa Frances, sticker letters from Making Memories, rub on from American Crafts, BoBunny dotted paper and We R Memory Keepers Grandma's Kitchen paper (blue).

Thanks for stopping by...Ivanka

Cuttlebug Challenge/Father's Day

Isn't it nice when you come across a challenge and you instantly know what you're going to create for it?? I love it when that happens.

This week, I needed to make some Father's Day cards so when I came across this weeks challenge at Cuttlebug Challenges to use your Basic Grey stash, I was a-grinnin'! Little did they know that I had a tidy little stash of BG dating back several centuries! (Yes, I am that old!)

This image (that I love!) is from Crafty Secrets Summertime Images and Journal Notes. I thought it was just perfect for a Father's Day card. Isn't that the coolest looking car? I used BG Motifica (a blast from the past, that's for sure!), Argyle embossing folder, Stampin' UP hardware and Rebecca Sower sticker letters. Love those, I'm so glad I still had some. They are perfect here.

Here I used Motifica and Aged and Confused BG paper, Argyle embossing folder and another Crafty Secrets image that is so perfect for a Dad card. The stickers and adhesive tags are from Rebecca Sower again. Check out Rebecca's Blog, she still amazes me with her talent. She was the first artist that made me look around for something to alter and to think outside the box.

Digging deep into the stash again, I came up with this sticker from Scissor Sisters. I don't believe they're around any longer, but I did come across some of their things on eBay. They were neat vintage images. I used Motifica BG again and a script embossing folder.

I have to thank the Cuttlebug Team, they got me using my stash and getting some much needed cards made. Thank you ladies!

2 Sketches 4 You Ultimate Card Showdown

Oh my, the weeks just fly don't they?! Holy cow, I blink and the week is gone. It's been a busy one but I did manage to get everything done on my 'to do list' on Thursday so that I could sneak in a manicure/pedicure on Friday. What a nice treat...I was using up last years gift certificate that Steve and the girls gave me for my birthday. So now I have pretty toes!!

I also managed to sneak some time for creating. I wasn't sure I would have time but I really wanted to join in on the 1st Annual 2 Sketches 4 You Ultimate Card Showdown. Have you visited the site lately? The prizes they have lined up are amazing! Not to mention all the card inspiration over there is truly out of this world!

Here is my card for the 2S4Y Ultimate Card Showdown.

Cardstock: Bazzill Dotted Swiss
Patterned Paper: Grandma's Kitchen, We R Memory Keepers
Image: Childhood Images & Journal Notes, Crafty Secrets
Velour trim: Making Memories
Flower: Prima
Twine: May Arts
Rubber Stamp: Stampin' UP!
Ink: ColorBox
Sticker Letters: Making Memories
Rub on sentiment: QuiKutz
Other: Button, lace, chipboard heart, sand paper

Thanks for stopping by. Good luck to everyone who entered the Card Showdown! I'm excited to see what the next few weeks bring! Some amazing card that's for sure!

June already??

I cannot believe that it's June already...where have the last few months gone?? The months are just flying by!

The weather today is not very June-like, it's cool and windy. It really feels like April weather. Oh well, summer will come, soon I hope.

This is my card for the May image swap on Cuppas and Cards . It is such a cute image and it was a bit of a challenge for me since I'm not a huge stamper (or a very good color-er!) but it turned out not too badly. I used Twinkling H2O's to color the image, everything else is from my stash.

Thanks for popping by...