Happily Ever After

I haven't made a wedding card for quite a while; no weddings recently.  But a couple of days ago, a friend asked me to make one for a family wedding this weekend, and then I remembered how much I love making these kinds of cards.  

I'm entering this into Lily Pad cards month long bling challenge!

  

Inside Sentiment:

In storybooks, marriage is a Happy Ending,

In real life, it's a Happy Beginning.

The wedding glitter die cut tag is from Making Memories.  Sentiment sticker is from SRM, We've Got Your Sticker.  Ribbon is from Offray, embossing template is Vintage Wall Paper from Stampin Up, I used the negative side.  The rhinestone on the ribbon is self adhesive and just beautiful, but I don't have a manufacturer for it, sorry.

Hope you're having a wonderful Friday.

Ivanka

It's Tuesday...

Lately, I'm all mixed up with my days.  My work schedule has recently changed and I keep having to remind myself what day it is.  Funny how a small change in routine can mess you up like that!

My first card is based on the challenge at CAS-ual Friday blogspot to use monochromatic color scheme with 3 different shades of the same color and brown.  It's also based on the sketch challenge this month at Lily Pad Cards.

The tag is from K & Co, embossing folder is from Stampin' UP!/Sizzix, stamp is from Papertrey Ink.

The next card for the color challenge at The Play Date Cafe (PDCC 100), the Kraft Journal blog to use witches, ghosts or goblins with Kraft paper.  It's also for the Create: blog to use 3 different edge border punches.

Patterned paper is form Stampin UP!,  My Mind's Eye, and Echo Park.  Stickers are from SRM.  Border punches are from Stampin' UP!, EK Success and Fiskars.  The image...well I wish I knew where it came from.  It was loose in my Halloween pack of supplies.  If I find the source, I'll add it here.

Thanks so much for dropping by today...oh and I wanted to share that CardMaker Magazine has just introduced a new blog.  Check it out CardMaker Blog.

Ivanka

Happy Fall!

The days have been lovely, the nights cool. It's the first day of Fall, my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler weather, the beautiful colors of the leaves turning and that wonderful feeling of coming home to a warm, cozy house.  The only bad thing about fall is that winter is not too far behind.

My card today is for the Authentique September color challenge.  It's based on the sketch from Clean and Simple stamping blog.

I used the Blissful line from Authetique, the 6 x6 paper bundle.  It's so perfect for cardmaking.  The birthday definition stamp is old from Hero Arts, the hearts are from Stampin' Up, trimmed and pop dotted.  I used Fiskars Threading water punch for the border and the Martha Steward score board for the score lines.

Happy Fall, Y'all!
Ivanka

Happy 50th

50 year old; one owner; needs parts; make offer.

Over the hill and on a roll...

yep...just a few of the jokes we were tossing around last evening as we helped our friend Keith celebrate "THE BIG ONE".  Milestone birthdays are hard...therefore we throw a party...to lessen the blow!

This was the card I made for Keith.  It's based on the sketch at Cardabilities.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.
Ivanka

Patterned paper:  Authentique, Blissful
Sticker Numbers:   SRM
Run ons:  7gypsies
Ribbon:  Offray
shipping label, stained with walnut ink

Hello Friend

Small confession time...I have a HUGE pack of My Mind's Eye 'Wild Asparagus' line of paper.  I mean it's ginormous, the whole line.  Yes, it's older, but I love all the papers in there.  I pull them out often.

Yet that doesn't stop me from buying more MME papers.....

This is my latest purchase Lost & Found (Portobello Road).  Love it...but I am getting a tad smarter and am mainly buying the 6x6 paper packs.  So much more convenient and cost effective for cardmaking.

This is based on the sketch challenge (27) on the MME blog.  It's a great way to crack into a new pad of paper.

Thanks so much for coming by.
Ivanka

Decorative label punch:  SU
Sticker sentiment:  SRM
Ribbon:  Michaels
Embossing folder:  Cuttlebug
Edge Die Cut:  Tim Holtz

Thanks So Much Card

And so another week begins.  Just like that the weekend has flown by.  It's beautiful outside, a very nice day to have Monday off.

Today's card is based on the sketch at Clear and Simple Stamping, although no stamps were harmed in the making of this card!   It's also based on the color challenge at The Play Date Cafe and this weeks challenge at CAS-ual Fridays, to make a fall paper pieced card.

I made two die cuts of the branch, then cut them and adhered behind the flower.

It is also Oldie Molide Monday for Barb and I.  It's a day where we dig up older but still lovely supplies, and give them new life.  It turns out that everything on my card is fairly new.  The oldest thing I used is the flower brad.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Script cardstock:  Jillybean Soup
Patterned paper:  Pink Paislee
Sticker: SRM
Flower:  Prima
Flower brad:  Imaginisce
Branch die cut:  Sizzix/Stampin UP!  

Penny Black Christmas Card

I'll just start by saying that I am not much of a stamper.
But I do a darned good job of collecting all kinds of stamps and accessories!

That's one of the reasons I love to find stamping challenges, it gets me going.

This week on the Penny Black blog, they've been showing simple stamping ideas.  Right up my alley.

So I dug out Penny Black's In a Pear Tree set.  I colored it with Twinkling H2O's and added some gems.  Sticker is from SRM and the lights are from Jolee's.  Pretty darned easy. And a Christmas card done for the year!

Thanks for coming by today.
Ivanka

The Studio is Open (finally!)

So, it's been quite a summer. 

We drove to NYC...

 Yes, those are my stellar photography skills!!

Loved Times Square...wish we could have stayed longer to see some of the shows.

Cruised the Eastern Caribbean.  This is St Thomas.

Then had a lovely family boating vacation on the Trent Severn Waterway.  With two teenagers, we know that those will be fewer and fewer in the years to come.

Pepper got to come too!

So those are some of the reasons that my studio looked like this most of the summer.

But now, I'm back at it and loving it!
I love summer holidays, but I really love being back in a routine.
This card is made for Moxie Fab World vertical sketch challenge in Card Ideas for Paper Crafters Week
Nothing like a good sketch challenge to get the cobwebs out of the studio!!
Patterned Paper:  Teresa Collins, Mr. & Mrs.,
Ribbon:  Offray
Sticker:  SRM
Wand:  The Party Store

I  hope you've had a wonderful summer.  Thanks so much for stopping by.
Ivanka

Hello...

Holy cow, the days are flying by. We're well into summer, wish it could last forever. Not much creativity happening during these hot days. I'd rather be out in the pool, enjoying the girls while they still want to spend time with me! :)

I did get to play with CAS-ual Fridays this week. The challenge is to make a 'manly' card using kraft paper.

I started off with this one:

But I wasn't sure it was masculine enough...

So I made another one...

Both really simple...seems to be my speed these days.

The tree stamp is from Hampton Arts, Happy Birthday sticker is from SRM, newsprint paper is from SU, polka dot is from Echo Park. The tag punch out in the second card is old from 3 Bugs in a Rug, brad is really old from Foof-a-La, stamp sentiment is from Studio G.

Thanks so much for dropping by. hope you're having a wonderful summer.

Sunday Evening...

There is a fun challenge going on this week on the CAS-ual Friday blog...we get to play tic, tac, toe. The challenge is to pick a row, then use that as the recipe for your card.

So I chose buttons, flowers and twine. My design is also based on this weeks sketch on the Clean and Simple Stamping blog (is it ok that I didn't do any stamping on this?? Hope so :)

I used a Cuttlebug embossing folder (Victoria), scalloped border is from Colorbok, sticker is from SRM, flower is from Michael's, twine and button are from my stassh.

My next project is for the City Crafter Challenge blog. The challenge this week is to decorate a jar. Decorate a jar is what I started out to do, but what I ended up doing is organizing some of my flower collection...a nice bonus, don't you think?

The script paper is from Stampin' UP, ribbon is from Offray, vellum tags are from Making Memories.

Thanks so much for dropping by. I hope you've had a wonderful weekend. After a few days of heat and humidity last week, the cooler weather here has been so nice. I love having the windows open and feeling a cool breeze.

Ivanka

Graduation Card

Last year was a big grad year for us. We had a grade 8 and grade 12 grad both a few weeks apart. It was wonderful and nostalgic time. It's hard not to tear up when your baby is leaving high school and moving on to university. But it was almost worse for the grade 8 grad for me. These kids had been together since they were 4, and here they were teenagers, moving on to high school.

This year brings a few friends graduating. Here's the first of my grad cards. This is based on this weeks' challenge at the CAS-ual Friday Blog to make a CAS grad card.



The embossing folder is from Cuttlebug, decorative label punch is from SU, ribbon is from Offray, grad cap is from Recollections, letters are from Making Memories.

Here's to a wonderful Graduation season!

Ivanka

Hello Card

Good Morning.

What are you up to today? I'm putzing, and cleaning, and hiding in my studio if time permits.

Today's card is based on this week's The Play Date Cafe challenge which is a color splash. The challenge is to use black and white with a splash of green.

Here's the inspiration:

Here's my card.

The paper is from Echo Park (For the Record) stamp is from Hampton Art, blossoms are from Prima and the brad is old from One Heart, One Mind. I glittered up the flowers with some shimmery Craf T chalks.

Happy Friday everyone.

Ivanka

Father's Day x 2

The Create: Blog challenge for this week is make a card for Father's Day. Making cards for guys is not always the easiest thing but somehow when I started, these two came together quickly.

The journal note is from Echo Park, the embossing plate is from Sizzix, I inked it with platinum ink. The gaffer tape is from 7 gypsies and the letters are Thickers from American Crafts. This card and the next one are based on this weeks sketch 219 at Card Positioning Systems.

The great image is from Crafty Secrets, from the Summertime Images and Journal Notes. It's just perfect for a Father's Day Card. The black cardstock is embossed with the Argyle embossing folder from Cuttlebug and then inked with platinum ink. I used 7 gypsies gaffer tape again and Offray ribbon. The photo corners are from Canson and the sentiment is from SRM.

Thanks so much for dropping by.

Ivanka

Best Wishes Card

Today I'm playing along with a couple of clean and simple challenges. I'm quickly becoming a huge fan of this style.

First my card is based on the sketch FTL 141 at Clean and Simple Stamping. It's also for CAS-ual Friday challenge blog to bring on the bling.

Love this color combo. The patterned paper is from Echo Park, stamp is from Me and My Big Ideas. I used Maya Road metallic ink and then heat embossed it with clear powder. Bling is from Kaisercraft, ribbon is from Offray and the brad is old from One Heart, One Mind. Sentiment is a rub on from Joanne's.

Hope you're enjoying your Saturday. Thanks for dropping by.
Ivanka

Think Pink

It's been a long time since I've made a baby card. I bought these Pebbles chipboard baby embellishments a last month in Edmonton and promptly lost them somewhere in my studio. I came across them yesterday (buried under a stash of paper!) and was so happy to use them today.

This card is for this week's 'Think Pink' challenge on the Create: Cards blog to make a 100% pink card. It is also for the stripes and polka dots challenge on The City Crafter challenge blog. My first time playing along with City Crafter, such a fun blog.

The paper is from Stampin' UP, ribbon is from Offray, charm is a baby shower favour from Michaels. Those little foot prints are so precious.

Off I go to find more things buried in my studio....

Ivanka :)

Tuesday Trigger

Every week Cath at Moxie Fab World comes up with an image challenge, Tuesday Trigger.
This is the trigger for this week.


Cute, isn't it? Whimsical too.
I really don't do whimsy very well at all, but I must have been up for this challenge, so off I went digging for my 'whimsiest' papers.

This is what I came up with.

I picked up on the blue and bold black on the plate with this paper from Stemma. It seemed perfect. The mirror is from Paper Bliss, and like the paper has been in my stash for years. The Karen Foster rub on sentiment finished it off.

Feels good to use up some supplies and it feels really good to challenge myself to a little whimsy...

Thanks for taking a peek.
Ivanka

Oldie Moldie Monday

My friend Barb and I came up with a challenge for ourselves to try and use long forgotten papers and supplies. And Oldie Moldie Monday was born. Barb has been very good about posting an OMM card each week but sad to say, I've been neglecting my stash in favour of 'new' papers.

So this morning I dug deep, right into the bottom of my scraps box and came up with these 7 gypsies papers from many, many years ago. I still love them, they are so perfect for masculine cards. Finding them was like running into an old friend. lol

My card today is based on this week's sketch at Card Positioning Systems and the Get Sticky challenge at Wee Memories.

The twill tape is from Martha Stewart, decorative label punch and brads are from Stampin' UP, stickers (happy) is from Jenny Bowlin, (birthday) is from SRM. Embossing folder is from Cuttlebug.

Thanks for stopping by today and taking a little trip down Memory Lane with me. I hope your Monday has been a good one.
Ivanka

It's Sunday

Yes, it's been a while. :)

I was so glad last night when inspiration hit in the form of this weeks' Play Date Cafe Color challenge and CAS-ual Friday's button and twine challenge. I love these colors! I don't remember using this combo before but it just came together so quickly and before I knew it, two cards were made. Don't you just love it when that happens?

Here's the color inspiration:
Here's the first card...

Patterned paper is from Echo Park, embossing folder is from Cuttlebug, sticker is from SRM, button is from Stampin' UP, twine is unknown, and the ribbon is from MemrieMare on etsy.

Here's the second card with flower, button and twine from my stash.

So where has the last month gone? And how come time is going by so fast?

I hope you're doing well...and as always, thanks for dropping by.

Ivanka

It's a Moxie Fab Day

Moxie Fab World has been celebrating Paper Crafts latest release issue 350 Cards & Gifts and Cath has set out a bunch of challenges to get into the spirit of the issue. And since it's Oldie Moldie Monday where we give love to those long forgotten supplies, all of the products that I've used today have been in my stash for years. It feels great to use up old supplies. I made 2 cute little sets of Thank You for the Card Sets challenge. The 2x2" mini envelope die is from Sizzix.

The paper for the envelopes for this set is from a paper pad that is from Sizzix....from many moons ago. But it's so cute and perfect for these little envelopes. The 'thanks' stamp is from Stampin' UP!

Next is a little pillow box for the Gift Wrap Challenge. The pillow box die is from Sizzix, ribbon is from Offray, buckle is from Rusty Pickle (I've been hoarding it for years!) and the pearls are from Kaisercraft.

Finally, Amy Tsuruta has started a new blog Flashback Friday where we get to go back and revisit some of our past creations (the good, the bad and the ugly!)...perfect to fit in with today's Oldie Moldie Monday theme. The challenge this week is to find the first project with stitching on it.

I had to go digging deep...I don't even know what year this was, probably 2005. Sewing and I don't really get along too well and this is the only card I could come up with with stitching on it.

Thanks for coming by today. See you soon,

Ivanka

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.