Catching up...

So, it's been a while. Life gets busy and somehow the cardmaking gets pushed to the back burner. We've recently been out to Edmonton for my uncle's funeral. It was a very sad occasion to go home for, but the great family connection that we felt during our visit was so wonderful. Most importantly, we got to spend time with my 2 1/2 year old nephew...even got to shop at West Edmonton Mall with him...so much fun. Now to catch up with everything that's been going on here. I was able to play along with a couple of challenges. The first one is for this week's sketch at Card Patterns.

The paper and ribbon are from Stampin' UP, sticker flower is from SRM, rub on sentiment is from Deja Views, blue label is from K&Co, and the doily is from Martha Stewart.

Next is this weeks color challenge at The Play Date Cafe.

Here's a quick Easter card.

The image is from Somewhere in Time Collage.

And another quick Easter card using an image from Somewhere in Time Collage again.

Thanks so much for dropping in. I love hearing from you.

It's melting...

Well, it was another sunny day today...and look most of the snow has melted!!! Although it was one wet walk for our short little Schnauzer!

My card today is for this week's Card Patterns sketch. They're starting their 2nd Anniversary celebration tomorrow. I'm looking forward to all the fun.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Patterned paper: (newsprint) Stampin' UP

Stamp: (Flourish, Bliss) Stampin' UP, Sale-a Bration, (sentiment) Papertrey Ink

Ink: VersaMark

Blossoms: Prima

Button: Making Memories.

Thanks for dropping in...hope you're having a great start to your weekend.

Play Date Cafe

So today brings two new blog challenges for me...Play Date Cafe where the challenge this week is this color combo: And Wee Memories where the challenge is to use ribbon for a chance to win a May Arts ribbon prize!
And here's my take on both of these challenges using Card Patterns Sketch 98.
The paper is from Webster's Pages, sticker is from SRM, buttons are from Melissa Frances and ribbon is from Offray, die cuts are from Nestabilities.

And do you mind if I share a couple of cards my daughter made? She's home for the weekend and made 2 cards for her roommate's birthdays this week.

I may be a bit biased, but I think they're just beautiful! I'm always amazed and grateful that my girls will once in a while sit at my desk and create. I must have rubbed off on them somewhere along the way!

Thanks so much for dropping by today...Ivanka

One More Thank You...

It seems like I'm in 'Thank You' card mode this week. This one is based on Sketch #96 at Card Patterns and also on FLLC98 at the Flourishes blog to add pearls to your card.


The cardstock is from Jillybean Soup, patterned paper is from Webster's Pages, Many Thanks background stamp is from Stampin' Up, sentiment is from SRM, pearls and butterfly are from Prima and the twine was part of my Christmas gift from my wonderful friend Barb.

Thanks for dropping by today...Ivanka

4 Days...

Hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. I've been shopping for months now...hopefully I have everything I need, because I'm not going out there again! I think it's wrapping time tonight. Then if I really need something else, I'll make a mad dash for it in the morning.

How are you doing with all of your preparations?

Here's today's card based on this week's sketch at Card Patterns. This is going to Julia's piano teacher.


The green paper is from Kaiser Kraft, background paper is from Basic Grey and script paper is old 7 gypsies. The stamp is from Serendipity Stamps, stamped with Chianti ColorBox ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

Here's one of the small gifts I made for a couple of friends this year. I first saw this bookmark on The Stampin Pretty blog and she has a fabulous tutorial on how to make this bookmark here.

I used Webster's Pages paper and stickers. The stamp is from Studio G.

Here's the inside of the little card. Love this quote on reading from Dr. Seuss. Papers are Webster's Pages again.

It's quick and easy and a great gift for a friend who loves to read.

ps...I made a couple of these for me while I was at it!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Ivanka

Happy Birthday.

Two posts in one day?? It must be the rainy, damp day. I'm hiding out in my studio, no motivation to do anything Christmas related. Soon enough, I know I'll be complaining about the snow, so might as well enjoy the rain and the green grass while it's here.

This card is based on sketch #94 at Card Patterns and is also for Card Creations: Favorite Occasions Week Birthday Challenge in the Moxie Fab World.

The embossing folder is from Cuttlebug, stickers are from SRM (We've got your sticker), ribbon is from Offray and the scallop die cut is from Nestabilities.

Bye for now...
Ivanka

Card Patterns Christmas Card

Good Morning!

I probably have enough Christmas supplies to last several Christmases. It was kind of a 'soft' decision this year to not purchase too many new Christmas things. I say 'soft' because I know that my willpower is not that strong, so if I had hit upon a store that had new Christmas goodies...I most likely would have succumbed to temptation. Yes...I am weak, I admit it.

But that hasn't happened yet, so I keep pulling out old paper and stickers etc., and that's been working just fine lately!


My card today is based on this week's Card Patterns sketch. I think the paper is Bo Bunny, I used Nestabilities Label One for the die cuts. The wreath is from Sandylion, ribbon is from Hobby Lobby and the brad is from American Crafts.

It's been fun using up Christmas supplies...and in return making room for new stuff next year! It's a vicious cycle!

Bye for now...Ivanka

Challenges x 3!

Christmas card season has hit my house. So it was good to come across 3 sketch/challenge sites that seemed to work well to get me going. And since it's Oldie Moldie Monday, it's time to dig into my stash and find some long forgotten papers and embellishments to use.

The first challenge was the Sketch Sunday challenge on 365 Cards.


The papers and tag are from K&Co (Christmas Cheer), embossing folder is Victoria from Cuttlebug.

Here's another card with the same supplies. The ribbon is from Martha Stewart.

The second sketch challenge is from Clean and Simple Stamping....although there is no stamping on this card.

The paper was a gift from my friend Barb last year and has a wonderful shimmery look to it. The snowflakes are foam from a Michael's and the sentiment is really old from Making Memories.

The third challenge sketch is from Card Patterns.

The paper is again from K&Co., the glittered snowflakes are from Toner Crafts (Michael's post Christmas sale last year), sentiment is from SRM stickers.

Here are 2 more cards with the K&Co. paper and embellishments.

So that's it, that is the end of the K&Co Christmas Cheer Mat pad. I used it all up!!!!

Just 3 million pieces of paper left to use up!!

Happy Monday,
Ivanka

August already?

Holy cow, the summer is just flying. Are you finding that too? There is just not enough time in the day. My poor little blog seems to have become a monthly event.

I did find some time this week to play along with this weeks Card Patterns sketch. This cute snowman is from a set of tags that I bought in the post Christmas sales in January. The snowflake punch is from Martha Stewart and the card base is from the $ store. This is quite possibly the most inexpensive card that I've ever made!


Here are a couple of quick and easy cards that I made with scraps, Colorbok borders and SRM stickers.

Thanks for stopping by. The weather here was just beautiful, sunny with no humidity. Loved it! Hope you're having a good start to your weekend.

Card Patterns Sketch 66

Good Morning! How is your weekend shaping up? It's just beautiful here today and tomorrow is forecast to be even nicer. We're hoping to do a few things around the house and then head out to the boat, maybe a BBQ at the marina.

Here is my card for sketch 66 over at Card Patterns. (I'm the Guest DT this week!!! Yay!) The beautiful blue paper is from GCD Studios embossed with the swirls folder from Cuttlebug. I used Label 4 from Nestibilities for the square and then stamped the border with Vintage Label set from Papertrey Ink. Sentiment is from PI as well. Ribbon is from Offray, pearls are from Basic Grey, rhinestones are from MAMBI and the tag is from Making Memories.

Hope you have time to play along with the Card Patterns blog this week. I'm always amazed at how different all the cards are using the same sketch.

Have a great Saturday!
Ivanka

Card Patterns Sketch 65

Busy days around here. Along with work and regular stuff, May and June get filled up with year end school activities and dance and music recitals. This year, we also have 2 graduations at our house. All of that leaves little time to create.

I do need a little creative fix once in a while, so this afternoon, I snuck a few minutes and made a card for this weeks Card Pattern's sketch challenge.

The cool shoe image is from a set of greeting cards I got at The Discount Emporium store here in town. I try and make it in there every few weeks. You never know what treasures you'll find in there and they usually have great deals on note cards.

The patterned paper is from K&Co., sentiment stamp is from Papertrey Ink and the ribbon is from Offray.

And just a little exciting news to add to today's post...I get to be the Guest DT member for Sketch 66 at Card Patterns. I'm thrilled to be given this chance. Check back on Saturday...

Thanks for stopping by today,
Ivanka

More Luscious Red!

It's a gorgeous Sunday here today. We did some yard work, dug up some Periwinkle (it just takes over, doesn't it?) opened the pool and just enjoyed the wonderful sunshine.

Then I snuck away to play with paper. I'm back to using the new Lush line from My Mind's Eye. It comes in black, red, brown, pink, blue and green. And it's simply luscious! The Damask paper that I used today is flocked and just so pretty.

This is for the sketch 64 challenge at Card Patterns. I just love the way it turned out, this sketch just spoke to me. When I found this gorgeous ribbon in my stash, I knew it would be perfect with the Damask.

I used Nestabilities label one die cut and the Vintage Label Set and Birthday Basics stamps from Papertrey Ink. The flowers I used were some of the first ones I bought when Prima first came out with them. They were a perfect match. The scallop border die is from QuicKutz.

So that's all from me today. I am off to do Taxi Duty...the girls need me.
It's nice to be needed!!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

The Moment I Met You

The cards I find hardest to make are for other cardmakers. Right behind that are cards for those closest to me. I want those special cards to be just right for the person I'm making them for. So needless to say, Valentine's day cards for my sweetheart are tough.

So here is waht I came up with for this Valentine's Day. I loved the verse the minute I came across it. It comes from Love Lines, a CD from Bluegrass Publishing, and it just says everything I want to say. Perfectly.

This is based on this week's sketch #50 at Card Patterns. The paper is from GCD studio's, ribbon is from May Arts and the buttons are old from Making Memories, held together with wire.

And since it's Monday, here's my Oldie Moldie card for this week. The paper is My Mind's Eye, the script paper is 7 Gypsies, the sticker is from PSX, letters are from Rebecca Sower and hardware is from Stampin' Up. Yes, everything on this card is very Oldie Moldie!!

If you'd like to join Barb and I in using up our Oldie supplies, leave us your link and we'll leave you some Moldie love.

Thanks,
Ivanka

Card Patterns and Oldie Moldie...

The weekend has come can gone. Hope you had a good one.

I'm starting of this week with a card for Card Patterns Sketch 49. This sketch was a bit of a challenge but I got through it. I used Pink Paislee Cupid paper and punch out tag, Basic Grey flower, Making Memories trim,buttons and stickers.

After Teri Anderson's recent Old stuff challenge, Barb and I decided we liked going through our stash (it makes room for new stuff, right?!) so we're bringing bringing back Oldie Moldie Mondays. I'm going to try and use up as much of my stash as I can this year...to make room for all the stuff I'm going to buy when I go and visit her next!!!

So here we go....I decided to bring out my MM paint and foam stamps. I still love using them and this was so much fun. The image is old K&Co. (that has to be the last of it!!), it's matted on Fiber Mark paper. The sentiment is computer generated.

This is a Penny Black sticker with more of my painting...

If you feel like joining in to the Oldie Moldie Monday challenge, feel free to link your card to either of our blogs. We'll come and admire all of your modiness....

Thanks for stopping by today,

Ivanka

Card Patterns Sketch 46

Happy Monday morning. I have a sick girl at home from school today and still sleeping, so all is quiet in the house. It is just no fun to be sick.

While I wait for her to wake, I thought I'd take a minute to post a card I made yesterday based on Sketch 46 at Card Patterns. I'm really keeping things simple these days. I think I'm still detoxing from all the Christmas cards I made in the past few months.

Isn't this the cutest image from Crafty Secrets? I've had it out to use for a while and it finally made it onto a card. The paper is from My Mind's Eye and the buttons are from Basic Grey.

I had a wonderful chat with my friend Barb yesterday. We got onto adhesive and she mentioned that she uses the ATG gun and how much she loves it. I know there's been a lot of talk about it, but I haven't seen one anywhere and to me it just seems really big and bulky.

Then I came across this article by Craft Critique. Everyone says that it takes a bit of getting used to. So what are your thoughts on the ATG gun? Which adhesive do you use? I'd love to hear from you.

Ivanka

Card Patterns

There’s another fun sketch at Card Patterns this week. I haven’t been able to participate for a while, so I was glad to get some time to play along this week.

The image is from Crafty Secrets, Patterned paper is from Making Memories, dots embossing folder from Cuttlebug, Flowers from Hero Arts and flourish and gems from Prima.

Hope you’re having a great week so far. We’re gearing up for Thanksgiving this weekend. Not sure what we’re up to, but I’m sure it will be yummy! 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

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

Christmas in May

Strange but true...it has happened right here at my house. I made Christmas cards in May!

I recently came across this blog: Christmas Cards All Year 'Round, and it just happened. Once I got all the Christmas paper and embellishments out, it was actually fun! One of the problems when making Christmas cards is that I always leave it to the last minute. But doing them now, with no deadline looming, was very refreshing. The challenge for this month is to use flowers on your cards. This seemed hard at first, but when I started digging through my stash, it turns out I had quite a few flowers I could use on Chrismas cards.

The first card is based on sketch # 16 at Card Patterns. Love this sketch and may have to make another card with it this week.



The paper is from Anna Griffin, sticker is from K&Co., flowers are from Prima, rub on is from Making Memories and rhinestones are from Creative Imaginations.

The rub on her is from Imaginsce, trim, flower and tree are from Making Memories, glittery flower is from Prima.

The gorgeous paper here is from Kaiser Craft, tag and trim are from Making Memories, felt poinsettia is from Hero Arts.

I don't think I have any more of this paper, but I think it's from Flair Designs (??), sticker image is from Penny Black, ribbon is from May Arts.

Sticker here is from Violette Stickers, flower and metal sentiment are from Making Memories.

***Please Note*** No 12 x 12 sheets of paper were harmed in the creating of these cards...all paper came from my scrap box!!

Thanks for dropping in today. Hope you have a wonderful week.

Card Patterns Week 12

Thank goodness for card sketch and challenge sites. I've certainly been inspired by them lately and have had a lot of fun checking out what everyone does for the challenges. I've recently found Card Patterns and it's a fabulous site for sketches and tons of inspiration.

Here's my card for this week 12 sketch. Patterned paper is from We R Memory Keepers, flowers are from The Paper Co.. framed jewels are from Making Memories, sentiment is from Crate Paper.
Thanks so much for visiting...Ivanka