Comfort Cafe Scraps Cards!

Good morning!  Monday is off to a great start so far!  Lots of chores out of the way already, and here I am, on here, avoiding the rest of them!  Here are some more cards I made using scraps of the Comfort Cafe DSP.  I love these kinds of cards to use up a variety of leftover pieces of paper, too small to do much of anything else with!  Perfect!  Here they are!  There's a bunch of them!!!

I did some sponging around the edges on this one, for some added depth!

 

Starburst or sunburst cards are so easy to make as well.  I followed Dawn Olchefske's video tutorial... and before I knew it I was churning these babies out!

 

The two cards above are very similar of course... I just made it mailable by switching out the dahlias for ribbon and brads!

Same story for the two above!  The one with buttons isn't really mailable, so I used a twine bow, which looks great as well!

 

I really like the simple 'thinking of you' card above.  Very easy and very nice.  By switching up the sentiment you could also have some really nice notecards or 'just because' cards!

This one is also really not that mailable, but I switched it up on my cards last Friday by tying a piece of ribbon around the sentiment flags, instead of the button and linen thread!

Hope you enjoyed todays cards!  I CASEd them all from here and there around the web... just collecting ideas for scraps of DSP!  Just sharing the love!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for my Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge post.  It's an absolutely awesome photo inspiration challenge!  See you then!

xo Anita

Spice Cake Scraps Cards

Happy Friday!  Finally!  This week has been crazy and I am soooo glad it is almost over!  As promised I have some cards that you can easily whip up using your scraps of DSP.  I needed to have some cards on hand for myself and these were a cinch to whip up in a flash!  Let's get right to it!

All my cards were made in no time at all.... and I actually used the basic layout and made another set using different DSP!  I'll show you those in the next couple days.

Have a great weekend everybody!

xo Anita

Merry Hello! - JUGS207, Merry Monday #76

Hello Everybody!  Happy sunshine-y day to you all!  It's a beautiful sunny fall day here in Chilliwack!  Love it!

I'm back with a card I made for the JUGS challenge!  I combined it with the Merry Monday challenge because I really wanted to use the Snow Much Fun stamp set, as it is severely underused over here, and I thought the JUGS colors were perfect for a sweet Christmas card!  One of my girls' teachers will probably get this at Christmas time!  Isn't it sweet?

I started with Naturals White CS as my card base, then layered Early Espresso and Red Glimmer Paper.  For the focal panel I stamped the tall snowman from the Snow Much Fun set in Black StazOn on watercolour paper and distressed the edges.  I stamped another snowman on a scrap of watercolour paper, coloured him in here and there using Early Espresso, Real Red and Crumb Cake (Kraft) ink for some shading.  I cut him out, skipping his arms and the birdies and popped him with some dimensionals.  He looks soooo cute in real.  I'm sure when my girls see this card, they will both want to be the one giving this to their teacher!  I'll probably have to make another!  I finished the card off with some hanging flag banners made of Summer Smooches DSP and frayed Natural Cotton Ribbon (Cream), Early Espresso Grosgrain and Crumb Cake (Kraft) Seam Binding.  I stamped two tiny sentiments, punched them out with the jewelry tag punch and clipped them with a library clip and a knotted linen thread!

Click the links to go and check out the Just Us Girls challenge blog and the Merry Monday challenge at Always Playing With Paper.  There's some great inspiration to be found!

Let me know what you think of my Christmas card!  I love to hear from you and love to check out your blogs too!  Hope you are having a fabulous week so far!

xo Anita

Thankful For Fall!

Hello Fall!  

Yes, it's definitely here... at least here in the Fraser Valley!  I love the rain... it's so cozy!  And so, because it's fall, and because I love that... I am showing you a card that honours this thankful season!  

I made it using a retired stamp set, Always Thankful.  I love it and hope to use it some more in this season!  Have a great Monday!  I'll be back tomorrow hopefully with some cards that I made last week using my scraps of DSP!  Love them!

xo Anita

MDS Monday.... on a Friday! MDSM31

See... the great thing about My Digital Studio is that you can scrapbook here and there and everywhere... between loads of laundry... at gymnastics.... while you are waiting at the glass repair shop for your bus... during kids' naps... in the backyard... you get the picture!  And that is what happened this week!  I've been working on this layout since Monday at gymnastics, all points in between, and now on Friday morning while I drink my coffee I finish up all the little bitty things about it... like getting all those rhinestones centered!!!

See for yourself!

I used MDS Monday (as usual!) for great inspiration!  The Walk In The Park kit was perfect for this layout of my youngest daughter SarahLynn sharing a snuggle with my mother-in-law, on a day spent at the Golden Ears Provincial Park way back in May!  Love holiday weekends spent with family, fishing, BBQ-ing, eating and chatting!

Go check out MDS Monday for yourself... they never fail to inspire.  Play along to get your creative genes flowing!  The challenge involved a sketch, using DSP, and the Arrange > Align and Group functions.  Pretty fun stuff!  I didn't skew my panels of DSP filled punches too, too much... it was making my neck hurt trying to look at it!  My DSP is pretty colourful, and it was just a little too wonky for my liking, so I backed it off a few degrees!  Ahhh... much better!

Here's the sketch that inspired me!

Have a relaxing weekend... and don't forget to find some time to be creative!  See you later!

xo Anita

JUGS206, HSSCC168

Hello again!  I'm back for just a quick sec before I go round up all the school kids in the bus again!  My little junior pre-schooler is all tuckered out after her morning at preschool, so I tucked her happily in bed and there she shall remain till I wake the little sweetie!  Works perfectly for me... more time "working" in my office!

I really wanted to play along at the "Just Us Girls" challenge site this week.  They had a great technique that I wanted to give a whirl, and I loved Marisa Ritzen's card that she made using it, so I went right ahead and used the same stamp set.  Love that set, by the way!   I have followed Marisa's blog for a few years and always love her cards... and she's a Beautiful British Columbian.... just like me!  Just an hour or so down the road!

Anyway... on to what you are here for!  Here's my card!

I used the colours from the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge.  I could have gone Christmas with them, but decided to be different!  Flowers that I stamp are the only ones that survive around me... I have definitely not inherited my mother's green thumb!  My husband is the gardener around here, and if I do happen to touch something in the garden... it seriously dies!  Failure to thrive or something!

The grid technique was really fun to do... the end result is somewhat imperfect when you stamp over it... which is really quite perfect for me!  I stamped the grass in Baked Brown Sugar very lightly, this is like third generation stamping!  I coloured the flowers with my SU! markers and did the whole "huffing" thing... which made me feel somewhat light headed!  It's a big stamp!  Some ruffled trim and ribbons, a sentiment from the Six-Sided Sampler on a flag banner.... and I was done!  Easy peasy!

    

 

I have also decided to try out for the JUGS design team.  I love being crafty and getting inspired by other people, and like to think that maybe others could be inspired by me!  Isn't that what this is all about?  Sharing our love of papercrafting, learning by doing and helping others love it as well?  I also love all the new 'friends' I make by doing this!  I love to share and share what I love!  

Wish me luck!

Thanks for looking!  Have yourself a fabulous day!

xo Anita

My Friend - DD #70

Hey everyone!  I've got a simple but beautiful card to show you today.

I haven't done watercolouring in a while, and I've forgotten how relaxing it is!  It is so easy to do and your finished card has so much impact... I've really got to try to do this more often!  

Take a look!

I used the colours Pistachio Pudding and So Saffron along with my Pleasant Poppies stamp.  A little ruffled trim and some ribbon peeking out from underneath my sentiment... and voila...  done, and done!

I am linking up to the fabulous Dynamic Duos challenge today, since that is where I received my colour inspiration from!  Love their colour combos.... 

Thanks for peeking in!  It's almost Friday!  Yay!

xo Anita

CCMCFALL13-03, FM127, SSSC193

Hello again!  In between bus runs, groceries, preschool and ortho appointments, I still managed to make a card for a friend of mine!  Unfortunately, the grandmother of one of my close friends passed away last week, and I wanted to be sure to send her a card to let her know that we are thinking about her and her family in this time.

When I saw the challenge on the Friday Mashup, I knew I needed to just sit down and make some time to do it right then.  I used the beautiful colour combo from Create With Connie and Mary, and the current Sweet Sunday sketch challenge for more jumping off points.  My card came together pretty easily.  I love that when that happens... and playing along with challenges seems to make it happen!

 

 

 Here's my card!

My Big Shot is still not fixed, so I had to cut around this stamp... but hey, I think it worked out just fine!  The colour combo is perfect for this card... it seems sort of warm and caring... am I weird or what?  I used dimensionals to pop the sentiment part of the stamp up off the Soft Sky panel, and then used more dimensionals to pop the Chocolate Chip panel off the Chocolate Chip DSP.  

Thanks so much for looking.  Leave me a comment letting me know what you think about my card, and so that I can check out your blog and we can be friends!  Have a great 'rest of the week'!!

xo Anita

PS... the little glittery things at the bottom of my picture is NOT dust!!!  Apparently the little sparklies in my black fabric are very visible in photos!  I cannot promise that there isn't dust everywhere else in my house though!!!

CCMC268, RS #81

Hey y'all!  I'm back with another card for you!  I love playing along with challenges.... they really seem to get my creative mojo going, so that's what I got here again!  I was inspired by RetroSketches 81 and Create With Connie and Mary 268.  A sketch and a beautiful colour combo make for a finished card in no time at all!

I made a ladies' birthday card.  My sister-in-law ordered some cards and using challenges for inspiration, I am well on my way to filling her order!  Here it is!

I was a bit more challenged on this one because, like I mentioned earlier... my Big Shot bit the dust, and it seemed like every good idea I had for this card involved the Big Shot!  I had no idea that I NEEDED it so badly!  When my husband was taking it apart, I stopped him and made him promise that if he took it apart and couldn't fix it again, that I could order another right away!  Well, fortunately, he found the problem, so I have ordered replacement parts from Sizzix.  Shipping costs are more than the parts cost themselves!  ($23 total... parts, shipping, duty)  They come from California and I am in BC, so hopefully they'll arrive at the end of this week and my Handyman can put it back together... otherwise I know what I'll be ordering... overnight too yet!  

I was actually surprised at how much junk was inside my Big Shot.... five years worth!  Stuff that I certainly didn't recognize and do not ever remember cutting!!!  Makes me wonder if my girls are Big Shotting behind my back!  Hmmm...

Anyway... go check out those challenge sites.... there's always so much inspiration on them!  Thanks for checking out my card!  Don't forget to leave me some love!  I love comments!

xo Anita

PP163, PPA171, FMS103

Hello... Happy Monday!  It's the start of a brand new work week... so I'll just get the show on the road here, as I have lots of fun things to do.... and some not so fun.... my Big Shot bit the dust this weekend.  It is five years old, so it was bound to happen sometime.  My husband took it all apart and found that it needs a couple new parts.... so we'll see what that costs!!!! (fingers crossed!)

I am linking up with three challenges today.  I needed to make a birthday card for my niece, she'll be having a birthday in a couple weeks, so I played along at the Paper Players with their CAS For Kids challenge!  I used the Freshly Made Sketch and the fresh colour combo from the Pals Paper Arts.  

Here's my card!

It's a pretty easy card to replicate... and I have to be honest.... I am not totally happy with this because I had wanted to run the card base through the Big Shot with an embossing folder.... but ALAS.... BROKEN BIG SHOT!!!  Boo hoo!  So I went ahead with the sponging and no embossing, and I guess it looks alright, but still.... you know when you had something different pictured in your mind, right?

 

Now... go check out those blogs for yourself, get inspired by all the crafty creations, and link up your own card or project!  Thanks for taking the time to look at mine!

Have a great week!  xo Anita

Mid-monthspiration! SCIC#70

Hi Everybody!

Welcome to my 100th blog post!!!

It's the middle of the month (what? already?) so that means it's time for a little mid-monthspiration sketch at the Stampin Celebration Inspiration Challenge site!  It's such a fun sketch too!  I had a great time scrapping some hilarious photos of our two year old.  At least they are funny for us... we know her.... and she really knows how to work it too!  What a kid!  Here's the great sketch!

And here's some inspiration for you!

The flower on her shirt inspired me to use the Bright Blooms... it's almost identical!  Cool!  I also cropped a bunch of the pennants and recoloured separate flags to make the pennant embellishment multi-coloured.  I do wish I had used a different button from the Sycamore Street kit... I think the one without the twine bow would have been better... just the knotted twine, maybe?  I will probably go back and change it still.  There is just a little too much twine 'hanging around' for my liking!

Hopefully I've inspired you somehow, somewhere to create something using this sketch!  Go check out all the other SCIC team member's fabulous creations by following along on the blog hop below. Then use the photo inspiration (from the 1st of the month), the sketch or a combo of both and enter your creation at Stampin' Celebration Inspiration before the 25th of September, for your chance to be this month's Pick of the Party!!!

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

Rochelle Gould - I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Cori Kozak - Creative Chat

Nina Dee - Deesigns by Nina Dee

Lauri Ingram - Paperville Crafts

Krista Jensen - Krista's Stamper Room

Anita Krul - My Paper Chronicles

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

My colours for this layout were inspired by the ColourQ with their absolutely brilliant colour combo!  Isn't it fabulous?  I LOVE BRIGHT, FUN, CHEERY, BOLD COLOURS!  Can you tell?  And the last few weeks, I've been blown away by their awesome colour combos... they do not disappoint!  Go check them out for yourself!

Here's a list of supplies used on my layout!  Lots of recolouring!!  And weirdly enough, I just looked at it and realized it's ALL EMBELLISHMENTS!!!  And a few pictures of course! (which I don't list on here)

Embellishments
    _Designer Kits\Lemonade Stand - embellishments\Lemonade Stand - watercolor
    _Designer Kits\Lemonade Stand - embellishments\Lemonade Stand - flower 1
    _Designer Kits\Lemonade Stand - embellishments\Lemonade Stand - flower 1
    _Designer Kits\Downtown Grunge - embellishments\Downtown Grunge - frame4
    _Designer Kits\Downtown Grunge - embellishments\Downtown Grunge - frame4
    _Designer Kits\Downtown Grunge - embellishments\Downtown Grunge - frame4
    _Designer Kits\Downtown Grunge - embellishments\Downtown Grunge - frame4
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - melon mambo 1 (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - button tangerine tango 4 (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - button tangerine tango 4 (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - ribbon pool party 2 (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - ribbon tangerine tango 2 (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - ribbon tangerine tango 2 (re-colored)
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - rich razzleberry 1
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - daffodil delight 1
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Staple & Stitching\Staple
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - daffodil delight 1
    Spice Cake Designer Buttons\Spice Cake Designer - pool party (re-colored)
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - melon mambo 1 (re-colored)
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - rich razzleberry 1
    Bright Blooms\Bright Blooms - daffodil delight 1
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - ribbon tangerine tango 4 (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Party Animal - embellishments\Party Animal - pennants (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Party Animal - embellishments\Party Animal - pennants (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Party Animal - embellishments\Party Animal - pennants (re-colored)
    _Designer Kits\Sycamore Street - embellishments\Sycamore Street - button rich razzleberry 4
    _Designer Kits\Party Animal - embellishments\Party Animal - pennants (re-colored)

Have a fabulous week!  And don't forget to follow along on our blog hop by clicking the links to the blogs.... leave 'em some love!

xo Anita 

Hello!!!

Hi everybody! Just popping by to say a quick "hello" so that you know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth! I do not know where the last week and half went... but... it's gone! I should get a chance in the next day or so to post some of my cards... I've been busy! I'll have a layout I created in MDS in the next few days as well! I just need to get pictures taken of my cards so I can get them on here, and then I'll be back in business! See you soon!

MDSM29, CQC #204

Good morning!  Happy Labour Day to you all!  And I DO have my work cut out for me today, so I'll get right to it!

I had a chance to play along again at the Colour Q and I also used the awesome sketch from the MDS Monday challenge blog.

         

Don't you just love the colour combo?  It's so bright and fun and cheery!  I do have to admit that I DID find it hard to find the right balance of colours though!  And... maybe it's still not right!  But it worked perfectly, in my opinion, with the pictures of my fun middle daughter!   And when I paired it up with MDSM's great sketch, it all came together pretty nicely, if I do say so myself!  Oh, and an added challenge from MDS Monday was to use frames!  Any frames, of course!  But for me... it was the ones from Downtown Grunge. (is there any other?)  Although in my defense I tried my very hardest to use the Fancy Frames download, but I just couldn't make it work!  There's always next time though!

Here you are!

Pretty colourful, huh?  I think it looks like one big party!  

Let me know what you think!  I love hearing your comments, and I read and appreciate each and every one of them!  

Well, off to pick up my school bus, dust the cobwebs out, and give it a little wash in preparation for the big day tomorrow!  Today was my last day for sleeping in and tomorrow the alarm clock gets moved back to my side of the bed!  Wish me luck!

xo Anita

Stampin' Celebration Time!

**Edit**  Links should be working properly now!

Wooooo-hooooo!  I'm SOOOO excited to finally share my great news with you!  I am now a member of the super, amazing creative, genius design team over at Stampin Celebration!  I still pinch myself now and then to make sure it's true!  So, on the 1st and the 15th of every month, we will post an inspiration photo (1st) and a sketch challenge (15th) on the challenge blog (and I will on my blog too!) and you can play along for a chance to be the "Pick of the Party" for that month.  It's sooo fun!  And addictive! I love playing along with challenges.... it just gets my creative juices flowing!

So, lets get started!  Today's the first of September, so that means we have this fantastic inspiration photo for you!  Isn't it beautiful?  

I've got a few creations to show you that I made with this as inspiration!

The first is a scrapbook layout I made in MDS, using the engagement picture of my own parents.... way back in the day!  (Hi Mom!)  I think they look so young and beautiful here.  And my dad seriously looks as young and handsome now as he did then!  My mom has only grown more beautiful (as only moms can!), and her smile is still exactly the same.  The one thing (of many!) that I love about my mom is her laugh!  

I didn't stop with a scrapbook layout though!  I also made a card using the Oh, Hello stamp set.  It's pretty simple, but so sweet!

Here's a little closer up view of the detail on the rose.  I used the paper tole technique to get more of a 3D look.  I love how it turned out!  It's those small little details and taking the time to do them that make it particularly special to send a card like this in the mail, and then to receive it!

And because I simply could not decide what to show you today, I thought I would show you the third and final item that I created using the inspiration challenge photo.  I found this frame at Home Sense, and decided to make a pretty decor piece for my scrapbooking room.  It sits on a shelf next to my desk, where I can see it everyday!  It's so pretty, isn't it?

Here you can see a little more detail.  The finished size of my project is 4x6, and fits perfectly in here!  I did use a retired stamp on here.  The Elizabeth stamp is such a beautiful one and seemed to be made especially for this project.  I could not resist!

I hope you've enjoyed checking out my projects.  Please click on all of our names to follow the blog hop and be taken directly to the rest of the Design Teams projects to see what all the other ladies have designed to inspire you.  Then don't forget to click on over to the Stampin' Celebration blog, check out that inspiration photo again and then go forward and get crafty, so that you can link up your own creation to play along for a chance to be this month's Pick of the Party!  We'd love to party with you!

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

Rochelle Gould - I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Cori Kozak - Creative Chat

Allison Ohran - Sweet Impressions

Nina Dee - Deesigns by Nina Dee

Lauri Ingram - Paperville Crafts

Krista Jensen - Krista's Stamper Room

Anita Krul - My Paper Chronicles

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

Supplies for card:

Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party
Stamps:  Oh, Hello 
Accessories:  linen thread, pearls, adhesive

Supplies for 3D item:
Paper:  Very Vanilla
DSP:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Very Vanilla
Ink:  Crisp Cantaloupe
Stamps:  Elizabeth
Accessories:  Mosaic Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Crisp Cantaloupe 3/8" Ruffle Stretch Trim,  5/8" Crochet Trim Victoria, linen thread, hemp twine, Very Vintage Designer Buttons, adhesive

Supplies for MDS layout:

This is quite a lengthy list.... if you would like to know how I did something or what I used, please feel free to say so in the comments and I can reply to you, or email you the list!

Have a fabulous week!  Happy September!  

xo Anita