Bright and Cheery Birthday

Hello everyone...I hope all the mom's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. It's nice to be spoiled once in a while, isn't it?! I had a great day, got some nice gift certificates, great coupons for help with housework and a wonderful dinner cooked by dh. It was a very relaxing day.

My bright and cheery birthday card today is for the challenge on Card Positioning Systems, sketch #115. It was a very easy and fun sketch to work with. The paper I used is from We R Memory Keepers, the top is embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folder, the trim is from the $ store, die cut flowers are from Sizzlits, sentiment is from Studio G and letter stickers are from Making Memories.

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you're having a good start to your week.

Sharing an umbrella...

It's been the weirdest day weather-wise today. It stared out rainy, then it was sunny, then we had several thunderstorms pass through, then tons of wind and now it's darned cold. All that weather has made it nice to stay in and create.

I made this card for a challenge on Moxy Fab World. The challenge is to make an encouragement card using something rainy day related. I came across this sentiment a long time ago, but never had the opportunity to use it. When I saw this challenge and found the 3D jelly sticker (at the $store!) I knew it would be the perfect time to use the sentiment. And it's a perfect card for our neighbours, the husband is in the hospital and not doing very well.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're haveing nicer werather than we are...Ivanka

Design Elements...

I have a box that I keep in the cupboard full of 'design elements'. In there I keep all kinds of 'things' that I've tried on previous cards/projects but for one reason or another it just wasn't working. So they become 'design elements'. Really they're just 'leftovers' but labelling them 'design elements' sounds so much more appealing, don't you think?? And every once in a while, I dig through the box and pull some little gem out and suddenly the stars align and that design element ends up becoming part of a new creation. I've used a few of these 'gems' in my cards today.
Love the Cosmo Cricket paper, it's so soft and pretty. The sticker is from PSX on Creative Imaginations script paper. Ribbon is from Offray.

Have I told you of my love for PSX stickers? I think they're so pretty on cards, but since PSX isn't around any longer, the stickers are getting harder to find. So sad.

This Penny Black sticker has been in the box for a while, I never knew what to do with it. I'm glad to finally be able to use it on a card.

The 'grandma' has been in the box for a while too, but here I think it is so pretty with the Crate Paper and Martha Stewart ribbon.

Nothing from the box here, just using up some older Crate Paper.

And another great thing about these 'design elements' is that when I package them up and sell them at the LSS garage sale, they go like hot cakes!!

Do you keep any leftovers to try and use again?

Baby Boy time...

I needed a few baby boy cards so I sat down and made a bunch to have on hand. It turned out to be a good time to dig into my stash and use up some older supplies.

Here the felt embellishments are from Martha Stewart (they're actually new), paper is from My Minds Eye-Bohemia, sentiment is from the $ store, painted white.

Here the paper is from Crate Paper, image is a sticker from Melissa Frances, button is also from Melissa Frances and the scallop die cut is from QuicKutz.

The paper here is from Making Memories, Circle scallop punch is from Marvy, dimensional paint is from Tulip, sticker is from Melissa Frances, sentiment is from $ store.

This paper is from Daisy Bucket, and metal embellishment is from Making Memories.

It felt really good to use some of my stash on these cards. I wish I could keep going and keep using old supplies...but the new papers are calling out to me...and I need to use them before they get to be 'old supplies', right??!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Scrap-y Monday

Mondays sure come around often don't they?? How does that happen?? At least it was a beautiful day today. We just came in from a walk, the dog loved running around in the park and they had just cut the grass today so it really felt (and smelled!) like almost summer. It seemed like the whole neighborhood was out tonight. It's so nice to see the neighbors after a winter of hibernation.

The reason it's a scrap-y Monday is because this mini card was made from the scraps sitting on my table. The paper is from We R Memory Keepers, flower is from Prima, stem is from Sizzix, flower middle is a sticker from K&Co., the stamp is from Maya Road, rub ons are from Karen Foster and Deja Views.

I actually love making mini cards...I should remember to make more of them. It's a great way to use up scraps.

Hope you're having a nice evening.

Saturday...

So not much happening around here. It's National Scrapbook Day and I've seen a lot of activity on line but had no time to participate. But at least I can say that the neglected house is now clean, the pile of laundry is done and I even got a few minutes to create. Not a bad day after all. Now if I can talk 'you know who' into taking me out for dinner, it'll be a perfect day.

For my 'Mom' card, I used some gorgeous satin ribbon I recently got at a great little store called Write Impressions. As well as beautiful ribbon, the store is filled with beautiful cards, wrapping paper and unique gifts. I get inspired as soon as I step through the door. The patterned paper is from We R Memory Keepers and American Crafts. I cut the flourish (Sizzix) from Tim Holtz grunge board and painted it white. The flowers are from Prima.

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you've had an inspirational kind of day.

Digging Deep...

You never know what you’ll find at the bottom of the drawer, do you?? This challenge had me so deep down in the bottom of my paper drawer that I needed a flashlight…

This is a card for Kazan’s sketch #25 at 2S4Y and the minute I saw her card for the sketch, I knew I wanted to attempt a teen guy card for a friends son’s upcoming birthday.

The paper and ribbon are from Stemma. They are a few years old, but still give me that funky feel whenever I pull them out. The bottle cap…remember those??? I don’t know who made this one, but I still have a container of them and was so happy to find one that matched the colors of the card. And it felt quite therapeutic to whack at it with my rubber mallet on the basement floor!! The metal star is from a Christmas tag set I’ve had for a few years, the twine is from Karen Foster, Cuttlebug dots embossing folder, and the ‘cool’ letters and stars are from Me and My Big Ideas. I sanded and distressed the heck out of this card, and there it is-my teen guy card! Hope the teen guy I made it for likes it.

Since I had the paper out, I made another card…back to my girly roots! To the Stemma paper, I added a QuicKutz scallop border, Prima flower, K&Co. bling and sentiment-again from the bottom of the drawer.Thank you for stopping by…what’s at the bottom of your drawers??????

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

Happy Monday!

I don't mind Monday's. But then I don't work Monday's. My weekend just continues....once everyone has left for school, I get to have the day to myself. It's a very nice way to start the week.
This is a card I made for Card a Liscious challenge #20. The challenge is to make a birthday card using blue, green and circles.

The frame is from the $ store, painted white, flower die cut is from Sizzlits, flourish is from QuicKutz, sentiment is from Deja Views, bling is from Kaiser Craft, Cuttlebug dots embossing folder.

Thanks for dropping by. Hope your Monday has started your week off well!

Life is a Gift

I have a wonderful friend that I never would have met had it not been for the Internet. We met when we were both on the Simply Sentiments staff and even though the magazine is gone, our friendship has continued. It's wonderful to have a great friend that shares your passion, that supports you and that shops for you!! And Barb is one great shopper!! Almost everything on this card was sent to me by Barb! Thank you...you have wonderful taste Ms. Barb and you're a wonderful friend!!
This card is based on a sketch from Mojo Monday. Another friend I met on line designs for them-Sarah. I've always been a big fan of her cards and have finally made it over there to do one of the sketches.
The paper is from My Mind's Eye-Bohemia, butterfly is a die cut from Sizzix, rub on is from Little Yellow Bicycle.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you've had a wonderful weekend.

Recycled...

This is another card for Our Creative Corner's recycle challenge. For Christmas, I received a calender from a friend and it came in a beautiful box. I kept the box thinking I may use it for something. The image on the front was so pretty that I knew it would make a great card. So here it is, cut to fit the front of the card. I added Offray ribbon, Making Memories buckle, Prima crystals and Pressed Petals letters.

It's beautiful here today, hope you're having a wonderful Friday.

A Mother is...

This is my card for CPS Sketch #112. A great sketch and fun to work with. I used Cosmo Cricket, Scrapworks and K&Co patterned paper, Martha Stewart ribbon, flowers from Prima, Sizzlits flower die cut, QuicKutz scallop border die cut and One Heart One Mind rub on.


I like the sentiment on the front but I'd love some help with how to carry it through to the inside.
A Mother is...? My first thought was...A Mother is a Blessing.

How would you finish it?

A Bouquet of Challenges...

So not having had any creating time lately, I have felt quite rusty. When this morning brought with it rain, I snuck away to my studio and did some creating. To help the juices flowing and clear out the cob webs, I visited a bunch of challenge/sketch sites for some inspiration. Here's what today brought...

The first one is for Laura's sketch 24 at 2S4Y.

Here I used Cosmo Cricket paper (love it!!) which I bought last week in Edmonton, Scenic Route journaling die cut, K&Co. flower, Offray ribbon, Anna Griffin stamp and Cuttlebug script embossing folder.

This one is for the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. The challenge is to use 2 embossing folders and make the card with a nature theme. I used the Tiny Bubbles and Script folders. The paper is from Cosmo Cricket again, cardstock is from Bazzill, sentiment is from One Heart, One Mind and I used it on vellum, flower is from K&Co. For the stem of the flower I used trim that I just got in Edmonton as well, but I have no idea who makes it. I used Fiskars treading water punch to finish off the bottom edge.

These two cards were made for Card a liscious. The challenge is to make a thank you card that incorporates polka dots, stripes and the color pink. The images are from Crafty Secrets, rub on is from Reminisce, trim is from Making Memories, flowers are from Prima, striped paper is from K&Co., scallop die is from QuicKutz. The purple dot paper is from BoBunny, it's double sided, heavy weight and tons of fun to work with.

The last one for today is for Our Creative Corner where the challenge was to use something recycled on your card. I used a paint chip that has been lying around since our basement reno in the winter (we didn't use any of these colors). The patterned paper is from 7 Gypsies, argyle Cuttlebug folder using Coredinations cardstock, One Heart One Mind sentiment, May Arts twine, button.

It has been a fun day and a great way to start the week. Thanks for stopping by.

Ladybug Picnic...

Years ago, when my youngest daughter started dance lessons, her very first tap recital number was called The Ladybug Picnic. The costumes were adorable. I wish I had a picture to share of her wearing it, but that was before our family entered the digital age, so you'll have to trust me on this-it was just precious. And to see a group of 4 year olds in their ladybug costumes and black shiny tap shoes...well it still warms my heart.

So I was smiling the whole time I was creating this card for a friend at work. I found the image on the internet and added bling and Stickles. The patterned paper is from Bo-Bunny, I used the Cuttlebug embossing folder and Studio G's birthday stamps.

I think I'll head upstairs to pour over the pictures of my very own ladybug when she was very small...

Lovely Colors!

This is for this week's sketch challenge on CPS-sketch 103. I made this a couple of days ago, just didn't get around to posting it here.
I love the pretty colors in the patterned paper and in the flowers. Can't wait for spring to get here! Enough snow and rain and sleet and sand and pebbles at my front door. I'm so ready for green grass and daffodils and tulips peeking through the ground! Can't wait!
The paper is from Me and My Big Ideas, flowers are from Bazzill and Prima, crystal flourish is from Prima, the silver ball trim is from Michaels, button is from Making Memories and the Scrapper's Floss is from Karen Foster.

Only 2 more days till the weekend!!!

Just the Basics

I had some time this afternoon and wanted to make a card for Kazan's sketch #20 at 2 Sketches 4You. Turns out that desire don't mean a thing. Nothing worked. I changed colors, themes, card sizes and orientations...nada...zip...
I finally decided to break the sketch down to bare bones and made 2 quick masculine themed cards that are just the basics. Turns out...I kindda like them...

Stamps are Serendipity (tree) and Inkadinkadoo (sentiment). Buttons are from Melissa Frances.
Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully my creativity will catch up with me sometime this week...

It's All About the Flowers...

I'm slowly learning the editing features (and getting faster at it!). Like anything it's not as hard as I first thought. I made this card for a challenge at Card-A-Licious . The challenge was to make a thank you card using something felt, some stitching and the color pink. This was exactly the challenge I needed to use these gorgeous felt flowers that I bought from Craftyds Creations Etsy shop. They are just the cutest little things. Check out Dolores' shop for more super cute felt embellishments.
The felt and the stitching for this challenge are courtesy of Craftd. The paper is Poppy from Sei, ribbon is from Offray, button from Melissa Frances, Scrappers Floss from Karen Foster, Fiskars treading water punch, rub on from Deja Views, piercing template is from Timeless Touches, and the image is from Luna Girl, Victorian Flowers and Birds CD.
Thanks for stopping by...

I hate to admit it...

...but I am digitally challenged. Yes, it's true...digital diva I'm not. I've never really needed more than the basics. That is till I decided that I wanted to add a watermark to my photos. So I asked the question about how to add one on Cuppas and Cards and that's how I discovered Picasa. I've had time this morning to play with it and have finally added a basic watermark to my image. Not quite the 'digital diva' realm...but a good start!

So this is my card that I'm sharing today (complete with a watermark!!) I hope the excitement is not too much for you!!

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper
Patterned Paper: Black-Foof-A-La, Cream-Chatterbox
Ribbon: Offray
Felt Border: Queen and Co.
Flower: Kaiser Crafts
3D flower sticker: Sandylion Sticker Designs
Rub On Sentiment: Déjà Views

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you're having a great weekend.

Happy Color Continues....

Yes, it's still winter and yes, I'm still trying to 'happy up' my days with bright colored cards! The bright colors just seem to jump out at me when starting a new card. This one was done for the CPS Sketch #102.

Patterned paper is from K&Co. (blue) and We R Memory Keepers (orange), chipboard label is from Scenic Route, flowers are from Prima, button from my stash, Ribbon from Offray, stamp from Hero Arts, Fiskars Threading Water Punch and Cuttlebug Argyle embossing folder.

Did you catch any of last night's Grammy awards? I was popping back and forth and loved all of the performances, that would have been a great show to be at. Coldplay was great. We saw Chris Martin interviewed on 6o Minutes just before the Grammy's and decided that we really like him even more than we did before. He seems like such a nice guy. If you missed the interview you can see it here .

And just a bit of music trivia to leave you with today. Do you know what the # 1 song for Feb. 9, 1979 was? It was...Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? by Rod Stewart...now is that a blast from the past or what??!!
Want to know more # 1 songs through the ages...check out this site....The #1 Song on this Date in History

Hope your week started off well. Thanks for stopping by...

Happy Color

I want to share a wonderful blog that I found At Home with Kim Vallee. I'm so inspired by Kim, a designer, lifestyle and entertaining expert and an all around sharer of all things fun and funky! Her blog is full of neat ideas, neat products and great finds.While browsing, I came across this entry on filling your walls with happy colors.

Those are definitely happy colors. I love the green and I wish I had the gumption to paint my walls those beautiful colors, but Plain Beige Jane that I am, my walls are shades of beige. Not on cards though...there I can be brave and explore all kinds of colors. I love the way the green and black came together in this card. This was based on Kazan's Sketch for the design team application on 2 Sketches 4You

The patterned paper is from American Crafts, Cuttlebug Argyle embossing folder, flower from Bazzill, 3 D sticker flower from Sandylion, ribbon from Offray. I folded the ribbon and tacked it down with adhesive as I went across the card.

I used to be a more of a plain beige Jane on my cards too, but bolder colors have started to creep into my designs and I gotta say, they're making me happy!

Pop on over to 2 Sketches 4 You to check out the new spring design team. I know you'll find lots of Happy Color there!!