Stampin Celebration Mid Month-spiration Sketch!

 Happy Wednesday to you all!  I'm back with some Stampin' Celebration Inspiration!  We've got a great sketch for you seeing as it is the middle of the month!  Here it is!

 

I made a scrapbook layout in MDS of course!  I haven't been able to do too much MDS lately... I shouldn't say that... I've been doing it, but not my girls' albums.... so I hope to get on that again!  I've been busy, busy, busy with some.... sewing!  Come back in a few days hopefully and I'll have taken some pictures of the American Girl clothes I've been sewing!  Yes, Mom... you read that correctly!  You should see them... they are as usual.... so CUTE!  I definitely need to stick with sewing doll clothes rather than people clothes... too many hilarious episodes that involve clothing gone horribly wrong!  Anyway.... way off topic here...

... here's my layout!  I used a bunch of (sort of) new stuff.  The Amped Up Ampersands kit, Nobody's Business... and one more, but I cannot think of the name right now... I'll look it up and edit this when I do!

Don't forget to go check out the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration challenge blog, and all the other designers... there's is some fun stuff going on there!

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

Cori Kozak - Creative Chat

Nina Dee - Deesigns by Nina Dee

Krista Jensen - Krista's Stamper Room

Anita Krul - My Paper Chronicles

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

OK, so... get busy creating!  Use the photo inspiration from the 1st of the month, or use the sketch from today... or a combo of both, make something in MDS, make a card, a hybrid project... whatever captures your fancy... but be sure to link it up at the Stampin' Celebration blog so we can check it out and you can have a chance to be our January Pick of the Party!

xo Anita 

Wonderful You - JUGS#222, CMCC#2

Mr. Brown came to the door yesterday with a big ol' box of goodies for me... so I sat down to play this morning.  I turned to the JUGS sketch challenge and used the fun colour combo at Colour Me...!

I used the Happy Watercolor stamp set and the Decorative Dots Folder from my box of new goodies and then the Loving Thoughts stamp set from the SU! catalogue.  Oh, I also used my new triangle punch for something.... can you tell what?  I flagged the ends of my sentiment banner with it!  This works even slicker (is that a word?) than the square punch does!  Perfect!

Check it out!

I used my embossing folder on a piece of vellum!  Love that look!  For my sentiment, I heat embossed with white powder on a Marina Mist banner!  I also scored and folded the banner so that the middle part would be popped up a bit off of the card!  Really pretty!  The colours on here are not nearly as vibrant as they are in real life... unfortunately it was a rainy day, so my lighting wasn't the greatest and I had to use the flash:(  

My card turned out just beautiful, and I can't wait to see who I will send it to!

Seeyou later!  xo Anita

Thinking of You - CCMC284, FM141

Hello!  I had a very few minutes this morning to make a card!  I did not manage to get it done before it was time to pick up my youngest from preschool, so I did it up here in the kitchen while she chatted it up with a little friend from preschool who is here for the afternoon!  Phew.... they are three... going on thirteen!  Little divas!

Anyway... despite their chatter and occasional 'difference of opinion' I have managed to finish my card and post it here!  I used the sketch from The Friday Mashup! and the fresh colour combo from Create With Connie and Mary.  They worked perfectly together!  I used a retired stamp that I had actually never used, but made me think of spring (which I am already looking forward to!) and I watercoloured it, using the challenge colours... I snuck that black in by inking the stamps with it!

Here's my simple card!  I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

Fresh, fun, bright and springy... don't you think?  And by the way... I have one of those Africa bikes that are so sturdy and comfortable, you feel like you are sitting on a couch.... I kid you not!  I bought it on Craigslist, but it is this ugly flat black colour... well... I've got a vision for it this coming spring!  My hubby bought a professional paint sprayer last summer and I think I see some of this Bermuda Bay on my bike... or maybe Coastal Cabana... haven't decided!  He assures me it is possible... but it will be a ton of work taking it completely apart and then re-assembling it afterwards!  Hopefully we don't forget any parts!

Anyway... enjoy the rest of your day!  Thanks for looking!

xo Anita

Chalkboard Art - PP177

I've got some chalkboard art for you today that I created in MDS.  I used a quote that I found online somewhere.  Sorry, I have no idea who or where to credit... I just googled 'grandchildren quotes' and it came up.  This is one of those fun little things you can buy one of those neat frames for (you know... THOSE neat frames!) and keep it on  display on your kitchen counter or your desk... anywhere really!  Anyway, I should also say that I of course don't have grandchildren, but I made this for my Mom and Dad... and will probably print another one for my in-laws... I know they would love it too!

I am linking up with The Paper Players today for their 'Clean Slate' challenge.  Go check out all the awesome samples the design team has created.  So much inspiration there!

Here's my project!

Hope you like it!  I have to admit... I was PRETTY PROUD of it when all was said and done!  Anyway... usually when you do that, get too proud I mean, your computer will crash or something, so... knock on wood!  I spent alot of time looking online for suitable fonts, downloading dingbat fonts and then trying to figure out which letters went with which dingbat I wanted exactly!  Yep... lots of fun!

Here's another one I made (a few weeks ago) for the cover of the Brag Book I made for my parents.  This one is showing through the front cover picture cut out (about 2"x4") from a Costco photo book. It's pretty simple, but I was equally proud of it when done!  I just thought I would show it to you as well!

That's it for me... SarahLynn has decided she isn't napping today... hopefully all her nap-less days in the Christmas break haven't formed a habit, and made her decide she is done with them for good!  Her naps is when I get my card-making done!  (fingers crossed!)

xo Anita

Thanks Much! CTD#273

Happy Monday everyone!  I've got a quick thank-you card today.  I resolve to send more of these this year!  Who doesn't feel great when they get one of these for just the smallest of reasons?  I think it makes people become more aware of the things they do for others when they get a thank you for something they've already done... keeps the love flowing!

I played along with the colour challenge at the Colour Throwdown.  It's a beautiful combo, and I have a few more ideas swirling around in my head for it!

I was also partly inspired by MDS Monday's new challenge.  It has hexagons on it.  I didn't link up there though, since I didn't use MDS.

                                               

OK, here's my card! 

I literally whipped this card up in a few minutes.  I used the background stamp from the Truly Grateful stamp set, heat embossed with Tempting Turquoise embossing powder and layered some stamped and punched hexagons from my Six Sided Sampler.  I layered that up on a Basic Gray panel that had been embossed with the Hexagon Folder, matted it on a Tempting Turquoise panel and used Smoky slate for my card base.  Seriously, I am ashamed to admit, that it was the very. first. time that I used Smoky Slate.  Ever.  I know... I'm sorry!  It's a beautiful soft colour!

Go check out the challenge blog... there's still a little time to play!

I'll be back in a bit with... some chalkboard art that I made in MDS!  

xo Anita

 

A Wish For Peace - Merry Monday #88, CMCC#1

Hello again!  I found a new challenge blog yesterday, co-founded by the fantastic Hayley Kew and Tara Bourgoin.  It's a colour challenge, and sounds like it's going to be so much fun every week!  I hope to play along as often as possible!  Go check it out here... Colour Me...!  I combined their first colour challenge with the one at Merry Monday, which was to use an animal on your Christmas card!  I know it's juuuust past Christmas... but I may as well get a head start on this years, right?

I used my VERY ancient but one of my favourite Christmas sets A Wish For Peace.  I think the dove is beautiful and a real symbol of what Christmas is all about.  I stamped my images in Island Indigo, then using my SAMJ I stamped directly over it with Versamark, sprinkled my Heat and Stick Powder, then sprinkled and heat set my Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

It's soooo hard to catch the shimmer and shine in the photo... but with the last two photos you can hopefully get an idea!

 I was putting off taking these pictures because it is soooo dark outside today, but these will have to do!  Sorry!  It's been mostly very dark and dusky out there, so it won't get any better than this!

I had glitter absolutely everywhere, but see.... that's the thing I love about challenges... they seriously make you do stuff you wouldn't normally do (in a good way!)  I don't think I've used glitter more than a handful of times in the last five years!  It was in and on EVERYTHING!  My girls have this book on CD from the library all about this young girl who goes to a birthday party held at 'Glitterati', and that is the only work I could think of to describe my desk (and me!) when I was done!

xo Anita

Cutest Baby Ever! RS#95

Hi there!  I've got some adorable baby cards for you today using some Tea for Two DSP scraps, a fun sketch from RetroSketches and a few punches with stamps!  Check it out!

And here's my card!

A little closer view of the focal point!

Here's my 'boy' version!

Close up of the focal point on the boy version.

I made a baby girl version first... then loved it so much I changed up the card base colour from Pretty In Pink to Bashful Blue (both retired, I know!) to also make a baby boy version!  I am sending them out to a few friends who've had babies in the last little while!  I know the colours are retired, but I was using some Tea For Two scraps which is also retired, and these were the co-ordinating colours!  Because of that I decided to use up some of my old Bashful Blue and Pretty In Pink DSP to make matching envelopes!  A.dor.a.ble!  Just adorable!

Sorry for the picture quality... it has hardly gotten light here at all today.... VERY GLOOMY and DARK!

See you in a bit for another post with a Christmas card!  Yes, I know!

xo Anita

Happy New Year! SCIC74

Good morning everyone!  I'm here with my first blog post of the first day of the new year!  We've had many reasons to be thankful in 2013, and now I want to wish you all the very best in 2014.  I want to thank you all for the many kind words and comments you've given me this year... I appreciate them all... each and everyone of them!  I hope you will continue to visit me here in 2014.  I'm not real big on 'making resolutions', but the one thing that I really want to do this year is give MORE CARDS TO PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM!  The elderly people in our church always have their birthdays posted, we always hear about the ill or those who've had hardships or been in the hospital, the discouraged and lonely, etc, etc... so this year instead of only remembering the happy things, like new babies and marriages, family birthdays, etc... I want to make cards (and give them!) for those who will not be expecting one from anyone, much less me and my family!  It will mean making ALOT of cards and possibly I'll forget a few, but it's really something I want to do this year... and every year! but lets start with this one! 

I also want to say thanks to my fellow Stampin' Celebration DT members... I love being on the design team with all of you, and am immensely grateful for having this opportunity!  Thank you!

So now... after a month of barely being on here, I'm back because it's the first of January, and that means we have a new challenge for all of you!  Take a look!  Isn't it so pretty?!

I just love this colour combo... and I actually could not decide in which direction to go.  I ended up NOT USING MDS!  What?!  Yes... I made a card for this challenge for once... I actually made a few... but this is the one that made the cut!

So... what do you think?  Will you play along with us this month?  You could be our Pick of the Party for January!  Check out the blogs of the other design team members to see what they have created.  You could be inspired!  We love to see what you do, so be sure to link up your project on the Stampin' Celebration blog so we can check it out!

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

Cori Kozak - Creative Chat

Nina Dee - Deesigns by Nina Dee

Krista Jensen - Krista's Stamper Room

Anita Krul - My Paper Chronicles

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

OK... one last thing... just because I haven't been posting on here through the last few weeks doesn't mean I haven't been creating anything!  My husband has had a week off and we have totally just enjoyed relaxing and drinking coffee and playing with the kids, and I'll tell you... I have made a TON of cards in the last couple weeks!  I don't have all the pictures of them yet... we've had some gloomy days not the greatest for picture taking... but I'm going to work on that and show you what I've been up to the last while!  I haven't forgotten about showing you the 21 digital pages that I made in less than a week either!  Yes... you read that right!  21!  And now that my mom has received her Grandchildren Brag Book (you know it's true Mom!) I can freely show it here too!  Stay tuned!