Oh, Hello - DD#76

Happy Wednesday!  I had a wee bit of time (my daughter decided one hour was long enough to nap!) this morning to make a card, and this is what I came up with.  Honestly, I think it took like 45 minutes total! (choosing stamps, supplies, layout, Dynamic Duo colours, and the execution of it)  That's not a bad way to spend 45 minutes!  I loved it!

It's really a very pretty card isn't it?

 

 

I LOVE this embossing folder.  So elegant!  And the colour combo of Wisteria Wonder and Perfect Plum is just stunning.  Perfect Plum is not one of my most used colours (for that matter Wisteria Wonder isn't either!), but together they are great!  That's the thing I love about challenges.  They make you do stuff you wouldn't normally do!  Which is not necessarily always a good thing... but in card-making and stamping... it's great!

 

OK... time for lunch!  Seeyou tomorrow I hope!

 

xo Anita

Happy Big Day! CCMC274

I had a few minutes (literally) to make a card this afternoon, and this is what I came up with!  I used the colour combo at Create With Connie and Mary... 

and used the layout of a card from fellow demo Jenny Peterson that I had saved in one of my folders.  It came together so quickly!  Here... check it out!

Totally love this colour combo and have saved it for future use as well!  It's a really happy one isn't it?  I used some Soft Sky candy dots in the corner... I really like that they are so flat!  Perfect for the mail... which is where this card will go for my sweet niece Abigail, who will have a birthday in just a few days!  Hope she likes it!  I know her Mommy will!

Okay... that's it... off for my afternoon run... yeah, not like a "run" run, but my school bus run.... although it sounded good didn't it?

xo Anita

Look Who's Turning... 3! FabFri29, FM133

Hello again!

Second post for the day... it has to be quick.  My little lady will wake up from her nap any minute!  I played along with FabFriday and the Friday Mashup.  

I turned the sketch on it's side and mashed it up as well using the challenge colours AND cake!  Cupcakes are little cakes aren't they!   Yum, yum!  This card will be for my baby who will hopefully celebrate her 3rd birthday in just a couple weeks!  Boo hoo!

Here's my card!

This is such a fun and colourful card!  I never would have used gray tones on a cupcake... but it works!  I trimmed my chevron ribbons in half and frayed them a little.  I squeezed some Basic Gray sprinkles on the middle cupcake... that was about the best I could do for that colour!

Three cupcakes, three candles... three years old!

Seeya later.

xo Anita

Happy Fall Ya'll!! JUGS212, AW03, FMS109

Good morning everybody!  I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!  It was my brother-in-law's (the hilarious one from Friday's post!) birthday on Saturday... and I forgot to send him a card, much less make him one!  Thankfully I know that he totally doesn't care if he gets his card in the mail a week late!  He's probably used to it by now... although lately I've really been trying to get better and I think I'm improving!

Anyway, today's card is for three challenges... I grabbed the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, used the colours from the inspiration photo at Just Us Girls, and am also linking up with the Around the World challenge, since for once I used all current SU! products.  

 

Here's my card!  I love it!

And a little closer up view of the most darling teeny tiny little sentiment.

I used a few different stamp sets for this one.  I took the sentiment from the Apothecary Art stamp set, used the Lovely Little Labels to frame it, and punched out a couple little labels with the Little Labels Punch Pack.  For my focal panel I used the lovely tree from Lovely As A Tree, and coloured it using my markers and the thumping technique.  Totally fun!  It reminds me of all the beautiful trees we are seeing around my neighbourhood right now!  I used Naturals White CS as my card base, Eastern Elegance DSP for the Crushed Curry, Early Espresso and Cajun Craze!  Awesome fall colours!  To finish it all off I wrapped some linen thread around the main panel and tied a naturals wood button on!

Let me know what you think of my card!  I love hearing from you!  Hopefully I'll have lots of crafting time this week!

xo Anita 

MDS Monday... on Friday!

Ahhh... finally Friday!  I haven't had a single chance to get down to my office this week... so today, when all the kids are home, I finally sat down to finish this layout I started last week!  Strange that I finally get a chance... when my kids are all home!  But, anyway, if that's what it takes, then that's what I get!  

I was playing along at MDS Monday... which never fails to offer a great challenge.  Here's the great sketch... I have another layout that I made using this sketch, but can't show it to you just yet!  Come back on the 1st of November for that one!

 Here's my layout, made in MDS of course!  Can I just say it again... I LOVE MDS!

First off... isn't this picture a beautiful one?  My oldest sister Christine, her husband Arie, and their Fabulous Five had this taken in their backyard last year.  Even the fence matches their clothing!  I stayed true to the colour scheme by recolouring alot of my elements in grays and blues... depending on what the original colour of the embellishment was.  

This layout was alot of fun to make, maybe especially because I love my sister dearly... her husband is hilarious (my sister hates it when we get going, as once we start laughing, it's hard to stop!) and these five kids are very dear to us... but they all live clear on the other side of the country!  Lots of love went into this layout Chrissy... hope you like it!  I've got more of just the kids... so stay tuned!

OK, that's it for me today... we are off to visit a brand new little niece born to my hubby's sister.  I see cute baby layouts in my future!

xo Anita

Thinking of You - HSSCC#170, SSSC195

Happy Friday to you all!  Another gorgeous day here... so I will be quick so I can get out there and do some much needed work!  

My husband needed a sympathy card at work large enough for about 30 guys to sign, so today's card is a 5 x 7 card.  It is also a hybrid card.  I started in MDS with a sentiment from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp brush set in Basic Black printed out on Naturals White CS.  I also have a stamp brush on the inside of the card.  I wish I could tell you which verse it was, but my hubby took the card to work already so I can't tell you for sure... but it's from the same stamp set.  I COULD open up MDS and see what it was again.... but I don't feel like it right now!  Just trust me!

Anyway, here's the card.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out!

You can see that I used the Inspired by Nature stamp set.  Love that set!  I 'stamped off' first in Garden green for the grass stamp, and stamped it a few times to make more grass.  I coloured the flower stamp in Garden Green and Tangerine Tango markers, 'huffed' on it to make it 'come back to life', and then stamped it on top of the grass.  I matted my focal panel with some more Garden Green and Elegant Eggplant to go along with the colour challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  I was also using the sketch from the Sweet Sunday sketch challenge, so I placed a small scallop circle and button on the front of my card, just underneath the sentiment as well.  It really balanced it all out!

 

Oh, and because my card was not a regular A4 card size, I needed to make my own envelope... which looked very nice when I was done.... but I don't have the envelope punch board... YET!  I know now, I definitely need it!  I wish I had taken a picture with the envelope, but didn't.  It looked just that much more special with a matching envelope of Garden Green.  It's on my list of 'things to get'!

OK, that's it!  Have a fabulous weekend!  Perhaps I'll be back before Monday... hopefully!

xo Anita

Merry Christmas - PP#167, Merry Monday #79

Hi there!  It's a beautiful day here in the Fraser Valley... no time to be thinking about Christmas yet.... but I went ahead and made a Christmas card anyway!  I used the Merry Monday and Paper Players challenges to inspire me... and the end result is sure shiny and sparkly!

I used the emboss resist technique on here.  I heat embossed my tree in white, sponged some Midnight Muse and Pool Party behind, wiping the excess off of my embossing when I was done.  I also stamped some falling snowflakes in Pool Party, finishing off with my Midnight Muse sentiment and some Dazzling Diamonds to give my tree some sparkle!  

On my second photo you can see the Dazzling Diamonds a little better than in the first... but it's pretty hard to see.  It's there though... and in real it's just gorgeous!

OK... that's it for me.  Have a wonderful day!

xo Anita

JUGS210, DD#74

Hi Everyone!  Really quick post today!  It's a miracle I'm even on here!  I was busy, busy, busy in my scrap room, when my two year old decided that a nap was not on her list of things to do today... so... yeah.... try making a card with a technique you've never done, and she needs to know if Dora's head goes this way or that on the puzzle and if she can twirl your chair for you so you can have fun too... or if Mommy is gong to do the noisy thing yet... the noisy thing is my heat embossing gun!  So, technically if I wanted her out of my office... all I have to do is lay that thing on my table!  But, yeah, that's not so nice really, poor thing!  

So... very quickly now, so I can finish up!  Today's card is for the JUGS challenge of Die Inlay!  Never done this before, definitely will do it again... I'm thinking of starting with a base made of the starburst/sunburst technique I did a couple weeks ago and using the same flower I used in today's cards.  Be sure to check out the link to Jennifer McGuire's video... I see some more videos on her channel I'll have to check out when I have some time!  I am also linking up with the Dynamic Duos colour challenge.  Such a pretty colour combo isn't it?

Here are my cards... I couldn't decide which one to use... so there are a few here for your viewing pleasure!  Enjoy!

I can't decide which is my favourite... the one with more white space, or the other.  I think the one with more white space has a little more impact, but the other is so pretty with the strips of DSP.  What do you think?

So, there you have it.  I used strips of DSP from the Tea For Two DSP, Floral Frames Framelits (say that five times fast!), Very Vanilla CS as my card base, and a beautiful sentiment from the (retired) Elementary Elegance SAB set.  On one card I stamped it in Calypso Coral, and on the other I heat embossed in white on a strip of Calypso Coral CS.  I love the way they turned out and will definitely be doing this again!  Stay tuned!

xo Anita

Party Hearty! CCMC272, RS#85

Happy Tuesday... again!  This is my second post for the day... scroll down to see my post for Stampin' Celebration!  I had a little time to make a card while my sweetie was at preschool, and here's what I did!  A card for my nephew who will turn 9 on Thursday!

For this  card I played along with the colour challenge at Create With Connie and Mary and used the sketch from RetroSketches!  It worked perfectly for this card!

I actually started this card in MDS!  I used one of the talking bubbles from the Lemonade Stand stamp brush kit, took the 'party hearty!' stamp brush from the Party Hearty stamp brush set, cropped each word to orientate one underneath the other, made it bigger to fit in the talking bubble (ignored the pixelation warning!  it's totally fine!) and... Voila!  Print! (after changing the colours of course!)  I cut it out using my paper trimmer, rounded the corners and cut carefully around the little arrow thing-y at the bottom!  Then I started using my 'real stuff' to finish it off!  Neat-o, huh?

Check out the challenge sites... they always have great stuff going on.

Hopefully my nephew will love his card... I know he is super excited about his birthday this week!  Nine is super important... next to ten of course, which is double digits!  

Thanks for looking!  Hopefully I'll have some more time later to make yet another card!  Off to pick up my sweetie!

xo Anita

SCIC#71- Summer Lovin'

Soooo... it's already the middle of the month!  Can you believe it?  Time flies!  It really hits me when I look at layouts like the one below, and realize that these photos are already 5 months old.... and the little smartie pants in the pictures will be three years old in a month!  Waaaah!  Although, I'll be the first to admit that I am not sorry to kiss the terrible twos good bye!

ANYWAY... like I said, it's the middle of the month.... and you know that means it's time for some sketch inspiration over at Stampin' Celebration!  Wahoo!  I hope you played along with the awesome photo challenge we posted on the 1st of October.... if not.... NO WORRIES... you still have until the 25th to link up your gorgeous creations!  Check out the sketch challenge we have for you and play along with THAT if it strikes your fancy!

Well... it struck my fancy alright!  I had a blast choosing nine fun pictures of my littlest lady for this layout.  I chose to go with a scrapbook layout designed in MDS (again!)  Check it!

 It's not the kind of layout I've ever made before in MDS... it's sort of a scene in the park... the grass, the tree silhouette and the girl swinging, the sun and clouds up there... you know.... a scene in the park!  (with nine pictures, of course!)  No?  Not feeling it?  OK, it's just me then!  It's different then my usual.... but I like it!  

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

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

OK, so click on over to Stampin' Celebration, check out the challenge post and all the design team's creations based on it... and get creating yourself!  You could be our Pick of the Party for October!

xo Anita

I used a variety of downloads for this MDS page... if you would like to know what they were, or how I did something on here... please leave me a comment and I will gladly email you a list or explain how I did something.  I've had some technical problems lately, which apparently is because of how I copy and paste large amounts of text from my MDS supply lists on here... and that's something I want to avoid this time around... I'm not the most techy individual, so I'm just keepin' it easy!

Ciao for now!

CQC #210, FM131

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians!  We have so many things to be thankful for, and one of them for me... is YOU!  I appreciate each and everyone of you that comes faithfully here to my little corner of blogland.  I love reading your comments, and checking out your blogs as well!

I had some free time today... my husband is off fishing with our oldest daughter (a Thanksgiving Day tradition, he says!  hah!), my youngest is napping and my other little homebody daughter is reading books for a read-a-thon at school!  Craft time for me!  

I played along with the Colour Q challenge, and the sketch at Friday Mashup.  I didn't mash it up this time as I'm not really into making things for Halloween at all... no spooky projects for me!  But I totally loved the sketch they had for us!  Check it out!

I went with a grateful/thank you card... seeing as it's Thanksgiving... and there are always opportunities to give out thank you cards!

I stamped my image in Black StazOn on watercolour paper, and coloured it using my watercolour pen and the challenge colours!  I had to dig around in my box for some Dusty Durango... but I found two whole sheets of it!  By varying the amounts of water I used on my stamp image, I got varying shades of Dusty Durango on the wheelbarrow handles and pumpkins.  I used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch cut in half lengthwise to peek out on either edge of the DD panel.  And how fun is a Tempting Turquoise wheelbarrow?  Fun, right?

I hope you enjoyed my card!  Go check out both challenge sites and play along yourself!  So fun!

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for our new mid-month challenge from Stampin' Celebration... it's a sketch this time around!  See you then!

xo Anita

FabFri28, FMS 107

Good morning to you all!  I managed to squeeze some card making in on Saturday, and I decided to play along with a nice simple sketch at Freshly Made Sketches using the FUN colour combo at Fab Friday!  Be sure to check out both sites... they've always got great challenges going!

I wanted to make a card for my aunt and uncle who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary!  I decided to make them one to go along with this gorgeous autumn season.  Now, I realize you don't exactly see Rich Razzleberry leaves laying around on the ground.... but you know... we have a couple trees in our backyard, and those leaves are so vibrantly red, they LOOK HOT PINK!  Seriously!  So, you see... I can have Rich Razzleberry leaves if I like!  And I like!

Here's my card!  It turned out great if I do say so myself!  And I got a "wow" from my husband who usually says they look good... when he hasn't even looked!

You may be wondering where my Basic Black is... I just couldn't seem to get it in there without making this card look Halloween-ish... so I stamped my sentiment in it for an easy fix!  For the tiny Tangerine Tango scallop, I cut a scalloped ribbon in half and peeked it out from behind my natural cotton, on which I frayed the edges. (love doing that!)  I loved this sketch too... I'll definitely be using it in the future as well!  

Leave me a comment letting me know what you think about my card!  I love hearing from you!  Seeyou later.

xo Anita

Summer Home

Hello Friday!!!  Quick post today... lots on my agenda!  Love this simple layout using an OLD download (included in the original full version of MDS!)  Also... imagine the background of this layout if you will... it is white and gets lost on the white background of my blog!  It's there though!

Man.... once I really started looking through all my downloads and opening them all up to take a peek... I really saw what goodies I had, and am inspired to use more of them, instead of all the new trendy ones.... although, I love new, trendy ones too!!!  I've got a TON of stuff in MDS since, when I got the new MDS... I combined the two programs on my computer.... to have ONE GINORMOUS ONE!!!!  All the better to scrapbook with, my dear!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!  To all my fellow Canadians, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

xo Anita

Make A Wish!

Good morning Thursday!  No more school this week for us!  It's a long weekend in Canada, made even longer by no school today, tomorrow and Monday!  Yes!!!  No real sleeping in here though... we're so used to getting up early that it happens automatically now.... I know, right?  Anyway... it's good to get the day in gear.... usually the early starts mean a pretty productive day, so hopefully that can include some crafty time for me!

Here's a layout I made in MDS a little while ago already, but never shared on here.  

Off to pour a coffee and tackle the day! 

xo Anita

Never Doubt Yourself!

Have you ever?  Doubted yourself?  We probably all have at one time or another... this layout and these pictures are proof you shouldn't!  I have one pretty sporty daughter, and one not so sporty daughter... she wasn't interested in anything involving exertion or the like... (I'll never be able to do it anyway...) until she came with me to my older daughter's gymnastics class... and LOVED it!  She went from not being able to do a cartwheel or anything of the like to not being too shabby at all!!!  And when I see these pictures, taken a couple years ago already... I see even more how far she has come since then!  

Of course, this probably means that I could technically still learn to do a cartwheel myself!!!!  Yeah, not gonna happen!!!

OK... we're on the downward stretch to the weekend.... yummy Thanksgiving weekend for us Canadians... take care everyone!  See you tomorrow!

xo Anita

Walk in the Park.... Stanley Park, that is!

Hello!  You're back for another layout!  And if you're not.... here you are anyway!

I CASEd this layout directly from Kimberly Van Diepen... I loved her layout.... and now I love mine too!  This layout uses mostly all Walk in the Park downloads.  Sweet isn't it?

xo Anita

A Split Second Of Our Lives

Good morning!  This week I'll be sharing some of my MDS layouts with you!  Maybe not all of you do scrapbooking, but stick with me!  I'll get back to some more cards next week, but I've been short on time the last couple weeks and honestly, haven't really had a chance to get down there and stamp!

Here you are!  A sweet layout featuring our baby (then!) on her first camping trip when she was eight months old!  The happiest camper you ever did see!

I literally whipped this layout up using a premade template from the Split Second download!  So unbelievably easy and fast.... even my Mom could do it!  (Hi Mom!)

Seeyou tomorrow for another sweet layout.... featuring more cute children!

xo Anita

Thankful For Fall!

I've got a few more cards today that use some DSP.  Not scraps really, but larger pieces this time!  These are such simple cards to create... and some of that DSP from Stampin' Up! is just so beautiful!

Take a look for yourself!  These are basically all the same card, just a few details like DSP and embellishments switched up for each one!

Aren't they so pretty, but SOOO easy?!?!  The little details like paper piercing around the label, really put the finishing touch on here.  These would be great for anyone to just have on hand.  A thank you card is something I like to just give to people when they least expect it!  My mother-in-law did some baking for me once, spur of the moment, and she sure didn't expect to get a CARD saying 'thank you' once again, a few days later.  But it made her day right back!  My husbands youngest sister also does babysitting for us... FREE OF CHARGE!!!... if that doesn't deserve a thank you by way of a beautiful card... I don't know what does!  She loved getting a card.... it just makes it seem that much more thankful I think!

Now here is one more card that I found in my folder of pictures that I didn't show you yet.  This one uses scraps again, and is the same layout as one I showed you a few days ago!  But this one has a whole different look just because of the DSP that I used!  This one is so fun and bright!  Love that!

OK... that is what I have for you today!  Hopefully when you come back tomorrow, I'll have another card for you!  My nephew has a birthday this weekend and I haven't made him a card yet... and his sister has one the day before and her card is already in the mail!  Can't have that!  At least in my house.... everything, and I mean EVERYTHING has to be EVEN STEVEN around here!!!

Don't forget to send a card to someone this weekend!  It is World Card Making Day on October 5!!!

xo Anita

Test

Sorry no card or MDS layout!  Just checking out my blogger problems with publishing!  Not all posts are showing up, so to see older posts... click on my archives!

Hopefully this gets sorted out!

xo Anita

Summer Piano Recital - SCIC#71

Hello October... and so far, it is definitely a happy fall y'all!! In honor of welcoming in the new month... it's time for a Stampin' Celebration!  Won't you come and party with us? We've got a beautiful photo inspiration to get your creative juices flowing... let's see what you do with it! We'd love for you to get stampin' or MDSin' or scrappin' or whatever it is you do... and link up your creations so we can visit your blogs and see what you've got! 

Check it out!  Here's the challenge photo... 

... and here's some inspiration.

I used the new feather woodcuts and the new burlap ribbon for the first time!  The burlap is definitely going to be showing up on MANY of my future layouts!  Love it!  And of course, I now think I need it in real too!

Click on each of the names and links of the rest of the design team to follow along on our blog hop.  Check out what everybody has done with this inspiration!  So much eye candy!  Don't forget to leave them some love along the way as well... everyone loves comments!

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

So... get creating!  Don't forget to link up on the Stampin' Celebration blog so we can see what you've done.... and come back on the 15th for some more inspiration!
 

Seeyou later!  xo Anita