Happy Mother's Day Card

Amazingly, I haven't made a single Easter card this year. Usually I make a few to send out, but not this year...yet I made a ton of Valentine's Day cards. Go figure...I guess I needed to change it up a bit.

So I'm skipping Easter and moving right into Mother's Day. Barb put the bug in my ear to start my Mother's Day cards. They do sell really well at work, so here I am...

And I'm back with doing another challenge at Die Cuts R Us this week. Not only are they a crafty little place, they're super friendly! While you're over visiting them, have a peek in their store. Wonderful products at really good prices.

I changed the sketch a tiny bit. The patterned paper is from Basic Grey (Eva). I used more of the handmade paper dry embossed with Cuttlebug's candy cane stripe folder. Ribbon is from May Arts, flower is from Prima and the sentiment is a stamp from Anna Griffin.

Thanks for stopping in today. I'm off today so I get to enjoy some gorgeous weather out there. I'm starting my morning with a coffee date with friends and then running some errands.

Ivanka

CPS 160

I love the sketch at CPS this week. It's clean and simple and has so many possibilities. It came at a perfect time to help me make the cards for a swap I'm in.

Here's my take on the sketch. The paper is from Basic Grey (Eva), the hand made pink paper was embossed with Cuttlebug's candy stripe embossing folder. The sentiment is a digital freebie from here. Love this!! 1/2 pearls are from Martha Stewart.

I love it when a sketch fulfills a need! Perfect.

Thanks for dropping by today.

Ivanka

Monday's Card

Were you around earlier today when there were some issues with Blogger?? All of my pictures had disappeared. There were only red X's where the pictures used to be. For a minute I thought I had really done it, but soon realized it was a Blogger issue and not my fiddling with the new blogger templates. I was sure glad to see all the pictures back this afternoon.

It' time for OMM (Oldie Moldie Monday), where we dig out some products that have been in hiding too long and give them some love. Today's card is based on the sketch at the Clean and Simple Stamping blog. I'm so glad to have found this blog, great inspiration for clean and simple stamping. Right up my alley!

The image is from Serendipity stamps stamped with Versafine ink. The paper is ???. It's one of the pieces that's been in my pile for many, many moons. The border is from Colorbok and the sentiment is from SRM stickers (still loving them!).

Now for something that will make someone smile...I came across this great blog while following a link from Becky Higgins...it's eighteen25. Have a look...Download and print this sign and let the fun begin.

I've got my sign printed and my plastic eggs ready to go. I'm going to 'egg' the girls at work this week. I can hear the giggles already!!

Hope your week has started off well. I'm off to watch Dancing with The Stars. Last week was certainly interesting. What will this week bring??

Ivanka

Caardvarks Lacy Days

The challenge at Caardvarks is to make a stamped card and use some lace on it. While I'm not an expert stamper in the least, I have been having fun digging through my stamps and using some that have hardly seen any ink in the past few years. For a non-stamper, I sure have a nice collection of stamps!



The stamp is from Serendipity Stamps, colored with chalks, sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. The background paper is from K&Co, lace is vintage from a second hand store. We have a wonderful little Bibles For Missions second hand store in town and I make regular stops in there to check out their craft drawers. You wouldn't believe the great deals I've gotten on ribbon, lace and buttons.

Here's another card with the same image. Sticker sentiment is from SRM, ribbon is from Offray.

Thanks for dropping by today...Ivanka

Thinking of You Card

One of the Drs. in our clinic is just a very sweet man. Well past retirement age, but he still keeps going. We'll really miss him when he does finally retire. His wife has recently not been well, so this is a card for her.

It's based on this week's Taylored Expressions sketch #105. The only stamping though, is the sentiment by Studio G. The rose is a sticker from PSX. These are the stickers I fell in love with years ago and now that PSX is no longer around, I almost hate to use them. I still find them in stores occasionally, so I'm not desperate yet. Everytime I make a card with one of these stickers, I just love how it turns out.

The papers are from Basic Grey, Nook and Pantry.

Thanks so much for dropping by,
Ivanka

Rainy Monday...

Wasn't there a Carpenter's song like that? About rainy days and Mondays? Yes, I'm that old....

Rainy Mondays are ok sometimes, they let me not feel guilty about hiding in my room and putzing about.

So, I checked out the challenge on 365 Cards Blog this morning. It's Movie Monday and today's movie is Alice in Wonderland, not necessarily just the movie, but anything that inspires you from the theme. That was never one of my favorite stories, but then thinking about it and doing a bit of research, I came across this image of a tea cup that I fell in love with.

The image came from The Graphics Fairy. It's a fabulous site for all kinds of images that are great for card making. The best part of this site? It's an Angel Company, so you are free to use the images on your cards and the images are great quality.

I used Basic Grey, Nook and Pantry paper, Colorbok border, May Arts twine and Papertrey Ink sentiment.

And since it's Oldie Moldie Monday, I'm sharing a card where I've used supplies that I've been lovingly hoarding over the past several years. The card stock is from Prism Papers embossed with Cuttlebug HB folder, the patterned paper is from Basic Grey (Motifica-one of my faves), tree stamp is from Serendipity Stamps, sentiment is from Papertrey Ink and the photo turn is from Stampin Up.

If you'd like to join Barb and I in our Oldie Modie Monday challenge, we've set up a Flickr group where we will admire your cards in all of their oldieness! We may have a prize from time to time.
Thanks for dropping by...Ivanka

2 New Challenges

What I love about the blog world is that you never know where you'll end up with each click. I had some time earlier today and found all kinds of beautiful blogs to save to my faves.

One of the blogs I ran across today was a familiar face. I had met Linda years ago on a card message board and it was nice to come across her blog today. And through her blog, I found a couple of new challenge sites and was inspired to play along.

The first card is for a color challenge on Die Cuts R Us. The color choices come from the prize pack of My Mind's Eye products. I chose pink and off white.

The stamp is from Serendipity stamps, colored with chalk. The background is a Bazzill Journalling note and the sentiment is a sticker from SRM.

This card is for today's sketch challenge 21 on 365 Cards. The chipboard shapes are from Recollections, bling is from Prima and the sentiment is from K&Co. I used the tiny dots embossing folder, glued some crepe paper to the back and folded the rest over the front. It's neat to find a new use for my stash of crepe paper.

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It's been so nice to run across an old friend and to also find some new ones today.

Thanks for dropping by. Hope you have a great evening.

Ivanka

SRM Stickers...

My personal shopper Barb from Wisconsin, has come through once again. I just have to make a tiny little mention of something that I'd like, and next thing you know it's in my mailbox! With all the latest buzz over on the SRM blog about their stickers, I really wanted to try some. And yesterday they showed up in my mailbox courtesy of Ms. Barb! I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful personal shopper...and such a fabulous friend!

Here's my first card based on Laura's sketch at 2S4Y.

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Prism PapersPatterned Paper: K&Co.Sticker: SRM PressRibbon: OffrayRhinestones: Kaiser CraftBorder Punch: FiskarsI crumpled the circle and rubbled it with Craf-T metallic rub on.
Here's the same K& Co. paper on a card for Moxie Fab World's Doilies and lace challenge.

I'm loving the SRM stickers. They're so easy and fun to work with and are made especially for card makers. Gotta love that. Keep checking their blog, the daily inspiration from the design team in amazing.

Thank you Barb!

It's a Green Day

Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger-Lovely on the Green set this card in motion. I seldom use green, but this was fun. The clean and fresh look of the white and green together really do make me believe that spring is just around the corner.

So here's my card. It's also based on the current Caardvarks photo inspiration challenge which incorporates birdcages. As well as the Tombow Blog's challenge to create a spring themed card or project. And finally, I'm still stalking the Flourishes blog with all of their beautiful creations. The celebration for their grand opening runs all week. On day 3 the challenge was to case a designer's card. I chose this gorgeous creation by Cindy Haffner.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill Dotted Swiss
Patterned Paper: unknown
Border sticker: Colorbok
Punch: Marvy Uchida
Stamp: Hampton Art Stamps stamped and colored with Tombows Dual Brush Markers
Sticker: SRM
Gems: Studio G
Adhesive: Tombow Mono Adhesive permanent dots


Thanks so much for dropping by today. See you soon.

Baby Cards

Welcome to another Oldie Moldie Monday. When I saw what the challenge on Cuttlebug Challenges was this week, I knew that's what I wanted to use for my OMM card. I had to dust off the UTEE container before I could use it, I think it's been years since I've used it last. I was a bit worried that it may not work having sat for so long, but it worked like a charm. And it's so much fun watching it melt under the heat gun...yes, I need a life!! :)

So here are my 'cracked glass' baby cards for the Cuttlebug Challenge blog. They were very fun to make. The stamp is on old one from Anna Griffin and still one of my favorites.

Both Baby Cards are for the monthly challenge on the SRM Stickers Blog, it's baby month! I didn't have any of their baby stickers (they're coming in the mail, Barb found some in Milwaukee), but I did have a sheet of their Retirement sentiments and 'joy' and 'New Beginnings' worked well on baby cards. Their stickers really are perfect for cardmaking and so easy to use. I can't wait to get may hands on some more.

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The baby girl card is also based on a sketch I found on a new site I ran across earlier today, Flourishes. Be warned though, once you visit their blog, you may never want to leave. The stamps are beautiful and the DT cards are stunning! Really WOW cards!

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Thanks for dropping by. Hope your week has gotten off to a good start.

PS...if you'd like to join Barb and I in our Oldie Moldie Monday cards, all you have to do is make a card using older product in your stash and add it to our Flickr gallery.

Tuesday Trigger

Check out Moxie Fab's Tuesday Trigger this week. Don't you get a wonderful feeling of spring from these images? I love all the colors and textures. The sun was out today and the snow is melting slowly. Spring is almost here....(I hope!)

Here's the trigger...
And here's my card. The patterned paper is from My Mind's Eye (Breaking Free by Jen Wilson)
letters are Thickers from American Crafts, butterfly die cut is from Sizzix.


My youngest turned 14 over the weekend and here's the card I made for my 'Jonas Brother's loving' daughter! This was just fun...the images are leftover Valentine's.
She loved it...I can't believe my baby is 14!

Thanks for visiting. Have a great evening.

Ivanka

Thank You Cards

A friend of mine recently lost her MIL and asked me to make a few thank you cards for her. It's never easy to lose a loved one and I know that she has wonderful friends who were generous in their time and support. I knew that she'd want these cards fairly quickly so I turned to some sketches to get these done quickly. For the first one I used CPS sketch # 156 .

The paper is from My Mind's Eye (Wild Asparagus). I had bought a paper pack with the whole Wild Asparagus line a while ago at Winner's (like Marshalls). I love, love this line and find myself using it a lot.

This next card is for Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge # 102. This is my first time playing with Taylored Expressions. My friend Barb has been playing with them for a long time now. Such amazing inspiration over at their site.

And so from there, I just kept going...

And going...

These all fall under my Olide Moldie Monday challenge. The paper is from 2007 and I'm sure I've had that stamp from Inkadinkadoo for many moons now. I think this is the first time it has seen any ink (gasp!). If you'd like to join Barb and I in our Oldie Moldie Monday challenge, we've set up a Flickr group here. The only requirements are that you use something that has been in your stash for a while. It doesn't really need to be that moldie...

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I'm sad that the Olympics are over, it was so nice to sit down in the evening and catch up with the day's events. It sure ended with tons of excitement yesterday frm the men's hockey game. Sad for the US to lose, it was such a nail biter! But I'm so glad Canada won it on home ice. Were you watching?

Ivanka

Cheery and Bright

Wasn't it just in the last post that I said I wasn't really adventurous with my colors? Umm, well I seem to be getting a bit more spunky!

The first card is for Moxie Fab World's Tuesday Trigger and also for Caardvarks challenge to use stickers. The bright, clean look of the Moxie trigger photo really inspired me. I did have to pop out to M's to get this ribbon. Can you believe I did not own a stitch of yellow ribbon. With all my ribbon, how can that be?? I'm quite happy to give this yellow beauty a new home!

Ribbon is from Offray, Paper is from Cosmo Cricket (Lil' Man), the tag is a sticker from American Crafts and the rub on is from Melissa Frances.

The next card is for the sketch on CPS this week, still using the Cosmo Cricket papers. The chipboard swirl is from Cosmo Cricket as well, flower is from Prima, sentiment is from Papertrey Ink.

And here is my new addiction. I recently won a prize on the Tombow Blog, and along with a bunch of great adhesives, the package included a pack of their dual brush markers. Not being a big stamper, I really had no idea where to start until I found Marie Browning's tutorial. On the weekend, I sat down and just played. When I realized how easy stamping with markers was, I pulled out some SU stamps that I've barely used and went to town. I just had so much fun coloring and punching!

Which leads me to my Oldie Moldie Monday card. The October Afternoon paper is really not that old, but it has been in my stash for a couple of years. I still love it. I used one of my newly stamped circles and a Papertrey Ink sentiment.

We're getting hit with a snow storm and they're calling for freezing rain. I don't have to go anywhere tonight, so I think it's back to my studio with more bright colors to cheer me up.

Oh and I'm planning to watch the ice dancing, the Can. team is in first place going into the final.

Have a great evening...Ivanka

Darned internal clock...

Would it be too much to ask for a little extra sleep on the weekend? Even a 1/2 hour would do. Nope...like clockwork, my eyes pop open, I look at the clock and it's 6:30. Same time each day, alarm set or not. Such is the gift of getting older...

Today's card is for the color challenge at Embellish Magazine.

I willingly admit that I'm not overly adventurous when it comes to color. I looked at the challenge at the beginning of the week and didn't think I could accomplish this. But as the week went on, I kept this challenge at the back of my mind. And then it came together.

The green in the flower is really much darker, couldn't get it to photograph well. The blue paper is from K&Co, brown is from Basic Grey, textured brown is from an art store (love it!), trim is from Making Memories, flower is from Prima, sticker flower is from Sandylion, sentiment stamp is from Papertrey Ink.

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So now I'm thinking that I really like this color combo...thanks for dropping in today and for your comments. I love hearing from you.

Happy Saturday,

Ivanka

'Groovy' Friday

Groovy is one of those words that I (as mom) am not allowed to say out of the house. Close behind that are funky and cool. Goodness knows what would happen if one of the teenage friends heard those words uttered...gasp...so you know that I have to throw those words in just to torture the poor souls...

So on my little blog here, I'm safe in saying that today is totally groovy. Well that's what my card reminds me of anyway. The brown and yellow (we had appliances that color when I was little) and the lace, yes groovy and maybe even a little funky!

My card today is for this week's sketch on 2 Sketches 4 You. The paper is from Basic Grey {Nook and Pantry}, flower is from Prima, the funky cord brad is from Imaginisce, chipboard is from Maya Road, stamp is from Papertrey Ink. The textured paper is from an art store.

So there. Hope you have a very groovy, not to mention cool and funky weekend.

Ivanka
Ps...the men's skating final last night was amazing. So happy that Evan's artistry won over Evgeny's quad. Made for a great competition though.

CPS Sketch 154

Another week gone, amazing how fast the time goes. It's been busy around here and not much creating getting done. I didn't even get my Oldie Moldie Monday card posted til today.

The first card I made is for the CPS sketch #154 . The paper and chipboard are from Cosmo Cricket (Lil' Man), letter stickers are from Making Memories, felt # is from American Crafts, trim is from Michaels.
These next 2 cards are for a challenge on Cuppas and Cards and my Oldie Moldie Monday cards. It was our first anniversary celebration last week. The first challenge was to make a spring card and use only stickers. The paper is from K&Co. and Basic Grey, spring sticker is from Creative Imaginations.

The next challenge was to make a coffee/tea card. The paper and sticker here are from Creative Imaginations again, label die cut from Nestablilites (label 1), stamp is from Papertry Ink.

This next card was for a challenge on the SRM Blog, to use their blog title as inspiration to make a card. Have a look at their blog, my card was featured today. Woohoo. Wish I could find some SRM stickers, they should be arriving in stores soon, so I will keep searching.

I must admit that The Olympics are taking up a lot of our time around here for the past week. We seem to be glued to the TV. I'm looking forward to the Men's skating final tonight. Are you watching?

See you soon,

Ivanka

2S4Y-Sisters

If you have a sister, it's probably not always been an easy relationship. Well at least with my sister it hasn't. We are 5 years apart and fought like cats and dogs when we were growing up. But as adults, I couldn't have asked for a better person to be in my corner. She's always ready to help and support me in whatever I may need. With her birthday coming up in March, this quote just seemed perfect.

This is for this weeks sketch at 2 Sketches 4 You. The papers are all My Mind's Eye. The rub ons are from Melissa Frances and My Mind's Eye.

We may still have a bit of that old sisterly rivalry at times, but my sister really is a forever friend.

Hope you have a great weekend.
Ivanka

Get Sketchy #24 and Tuesday Trigger

It is a gorgeous day outside. The sun is shining and with the snow we had yesterday, it's so nice and bright out there. Made me think of summer...well almost.

Today's card is for the sketch over at Get Sketchy # 24. Very fun sketch to create with and this paper pack from My Mind's Eye really had me thinking about summer.

This is also for the 'Get Pinked' Tuesday Trigger at Moxie Fab World. I have a very PINK daughter, so we are very familiar with very bright shades of pink in our house!

All the paper and flower die cut are from Jen Wilson's Flip 'n Flirt collection for My Mind's Eye. The label die cut is from QuicKutz, gems are from Prima.

Thanks for dropping in today and helping me dream about summer.

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

CPS #153 and SRM challenge

Exciting title to this post isn't it??? Maybe as the day goes on, I'll come up with something more exciting.

So my card today is for the February challenge at SRM. The challenge is to use stickers and chipboard together on a project.

The patterned paper is from Basic Grey, Nook and Pantry. The chipboard is from a K&Co. Christmas pack, I used the back of the tag. It turned out to be the perfect fit for a sticker that I wanted to use. The journaling sticker is from American Crafts, the rub on is from Melissa Frances. Not sure who makes the ribbon, Barb shared it with me.

This card is also based on the sketch over at CPS. It's another great sketch and so fun and easy to work with.

The challenge at SRM runs all month and is a great way to use these up some chipboard and some stickers. I know I have a ton of each!

Hope you're having a great Super Bowl Sunday. Any party's going on? We're probably not going to watch too much of the game, but we're planning to make a ton of munchies and watch the commercials!! It's only us girls home this weekend....

Thanks for popping by,
Ivanka