The older I get....

Hey all. Just one more quick post about this card I made and want to share with you:

And the inside:

I made this yesterday and finished it under 15 minutes! WOO HOO! No sketch or color guide. I just went for it! It's a personal best for me I think! LOL! I love off color humor. If you met my family you'd understand! This card is for my Dad! HA! He's gonna love it!

Well, I'm done with the computer for tonight. Time to relax with my book now. Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you all have a fabulous weekend!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Bugaboo Stamps - golfing Gus; Happy Birthday from Stella - friggin candle set
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Clear Snap - Chestnut Roan
DP: Echo Park - This & That Charming
Card stock: Recollections
Adhesive: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; American Crafts foam dots
Accessories: Fiskars corner rounder; Tonic/TH distress tool

Happy Anniversary.../RS#5

Hello and happy Friday! I made this card the other day, but only realized that I never blogged about it. And the challenge that it's for is due in, oh, a couple hours. I excel at procrastination! LOL!

Here is the inside:

I used the sketch from Retro Sketches #65:

Well, I mostly used the sketch. I took some liberty with it and omitted the first layer. I made this super CAS. And I also used some dimensional stickers that I've had for ever! Woo Hoo! Not my best work by far, but I tried to make a card in under a half hour and I did it! (Finally! Normal time to make a card? at least 2 hours. I know, it's so sad!) I get distracted by all the different papers, patterns, ideas, etc then I can't make up my mind what to do. Anyone else like that?

Anyhoo, that's all for this post. I have one more to do then I'm gonna relax and continue to read the book I'm into right now. I'm reading a series by Nevada Barr about a Park Ranger (Anna Pigeon) who always seems to find murder and mayhem at whichever park she's stationed at. A good whodunit series without all the blood and gore! LOL!

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!

Chris
Supplies
Stamps: Hero Arts - Everyday Sayings
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: American Crafts - Color Crush
David Tutera card base
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik
Accessories: K& Co. Ladybug Stickers; Fiskars corner rounder

Shark Attack?/MME May Sketch Callenge

Hey all and a good Wednesday to you! I took a small break from my craft cave for a few days. Saturday was our 22nd wedding anniversary so we went on a date: dinner (Olive Garden) and a movie (Star Trek)! Both dinner and movie were fabulous! Sunday we did yard work, I planted the rest of my flowers, and we just sat out on the deck and enjoyed the day reading. Ahhhh! Monday for the holiday, I made BBQ ribs, home made potato salad and baked beans. YUM! We also started watching season 5 of True Blood. I like the series, but I think the books are so much better!

Ok, enough about my weekend. On to what I made!

Surprise! I made a layout! It's been ages since I made one, so I did! I'm using the sketch from My Mind's Eye May sketch challenge:

All papers are from the MME The Sweetest Thing collection. Instead of squares, I used my Hexalong dies. I used up a lot of the little bits of paper I kept. I just couldn't throw them out, and it paid off with this layout! For the straight stitches, I opted for some zig zag stitches.  I think the hardest part of this was the journalling. I don't journal a lot on my layouts, so it was super hard for me to come up with something to say that would border all four sides of the page. It. Was. Torture! (I also wrote bigger than I normally do, so that helped! ☺) I finished with some enamel dots and called it a day!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great evening!

Chris
Supplies:
DP - MME - The Sweetest Thing
Card stock - recollections
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Paper Smooches - Hexalong dies; WRMK - Sew Easy tool; DMC floss; MME - Enamel Dots; American Crafts - Thickers; Jillibean Soup - alpha stickers; Marvy Uchida marker

Drunken Stampers challenge 129: The Hangover

Hello my lovelies and happy Saturday! It's time again for another Drunken Stampers challenge! This week is challenge #129 - The Hangover!

I swear we had no IDEA that the third installment of this movie series was coming out now! LOL! As always for this term, our challenges are based on the movies: either the title or the theme. (In this case, Las Vegas) I have to admit, I've never seen this movie. (hanging head in shame. Only because my boyfriend, Bradley Cooper, is in it and I haven't seen the movie yet! LOL!) Anywhooooo, it's team Midnight Margaritas turn this week so here is my take on the challenge:

So, I went with the theme. After spending hours researching this movie (Googling the story line, quotes from the movie, and Vegas themed cards) I came across a Pinterest picture that showed wine glass charms. (go figure!) One of which said "snake eyes", and an idea was formed! After printing out 'snake eyes' on card stock, I used my Epiphany Crafts tool to make the charm. And guess what? Those dice were once ice cubes!

I masked the smiley faces and the melted water, then added the dots with a marker to make them look like dice! For reals?! Yep! (Yeah, I'm still patting myself on the back for that little bit of brilliance. HA!) But that is where the brilliance ended. I haven't finished the inside yet. Not sure what to do with that. But I'll think of something, I always do! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to check out what my Midnight Margarita teammates dreamed up!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. - June 2012 KOM
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: Echo Park - Happy Days
Card stock: Bazzill Basics
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D Foam Squares; Helmar 450 glue
Accessories: Marvy Uchida markers; Epiphany Crafts round 25 tool, bubble caps & charm settings; Bead Landing jump rings; KI Memories ribbon; 'snake eyes' printed from Microsoft Word 

You Graduated?/Unity's FWF

Hello and happy Friday! And for my fellow American peeps: Happy Memorial Day weekend! I'd like to share a card that I made for the Unity Stamps Friends with Flair. It's been forever since I played along so here it is:

Here is the inside:

I knew I wanted to use this itty bitty as a graduation card. (I know, very weird, but I think it worked!) I even used the school colors too! Keeping with my MO, the punch line is one the inside of the card. (Just love this stamp set! LOL!)

That's all for now. Time to relax and start the long weekend! I hope that you have a great evening!

Chris
Supplies:
Unity Stamp Co. - IB Shut the FRONT Door; IB Bitty regards
Ink: Memento - Paris Dusk
Card stock: Bazzill Basics
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D Foam Squares; Glue Dots; Recollections - red tape
Accessories: Queen & Co. Washi Tape; Darice- orange cord; "You graduated?" printed from computer

Oh em gee/PS Sparks - Cool Shades May 2013

Hello my lovelies and happy Thursday to you! Well, I didn't make the Sparks design team for this term...but I will be trying again in 6 months! In the meantime, I made a card for the Paper Smooches Sparks: Cool Shades challenge:

and the inside of the card:

Here are the colors to use: red, kraft, blue and teal:

Yep, I'm gonna use this for yet another graduation card! LOL! I think I only have 2 or 3 more to make. (Again, it was a fertile year for our families! HA!) I've used three stamp sets and three dies on this card. Woo Hoo! Note: The Duo Dies usually have a center cut out. What I did was die cut it and used the negative to trace the outline onto a piece of kraft paper. I simply fussy cut that then inked the edges. I'll use the first die cut for a future project. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Well, that's it for tonight. Leftovers for dinner as the hubby will be late. His company starts their golf club today after work, so I'm assuming he'll be playing...That is, if it's not raining where he's golfing! Isolated thunderstorms on the agenda tonight. (As I type this, it's started to rain here!)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a relaxing evening!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Flap Happy, Slang Gang, Simply Said
Ink: Memento - Nautical Blue, Lady Bug; Clear Snap - Chestnut Roan
Dies: Paper Smooches - Duo Die 3, Hexalongs, Butterflies 1
DP: Bazzill Basics - Lucy's Crab Shack
Card stock: Bazzill Basics - teal & red Two Scoops card stock; Recollections - kraft, white
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik; Helmar 450 glue
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Recollections rhinestone swirls; Colorbok rhinestones

To You..../Dahlhouse Designs: Wanna Sketch #5

Hello and happy Tuesday my lovelies! Did you know that Lisa Arana of Dahlhouse Designs (re)started a just for fun sketch challenge on her blog? No? Well, you do now! ☺ It's called Wanna Sketch and I based my card from the current sketch #5:

Here is the inside of my card:

and the sketch:

I decided to mirror the sketch for this card. Love these CAS sketches: they help me use up the itty bitty scraps of paper that I just can't part with! LOL! (I know there's many of you that are the same way! ☺) I wanted to use a kraft card base but it seemed a bit plain to me, so I used a zig zag embossing border on it. I went over the design with some Peeled Paint DI to make it stand out a little more. It breaks up the white space just enough, without taking away from the main panel grouping. (Well, at least that's what I think! LOL!)

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope that you get to play along with this fun challenge! Have a wonderful day!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Birthday Sampler; A Magical Spring
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger DI - Peeled Paint
DP: Echo Park - this & That Charming; MME - Everyday Tango
Card Stock: Recollections (kraft); Bazzill Basics (turquoise)
Adhesive: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D Foam Squares
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Cuttlebug - Charles Embossing Border; Marvy Uchida markers; Fiskars corner rounder

You're Smokin' Hot!

Good morning peeps! I'd like to share a card I made for my hubby for our anniversary, which is this Saturday:

Here is the inside:

I've had this idea in my head since I first saw the Hot Spots Lg #2 die from Paper Smooches. The one I used here just screamed HIBACHI GRILL to me! LOL! The kabob and steak from the Alfresco set both fit on here perfectly, but I stamped, colored and fussy cut two kabobs for my card. (I may have to make another card using the steaks! Maybe a 4th of July card? Hmm.....!) I found and printed out that super cool flame clipart from the internet and stamped the sentiment at the top. I masked the grill image so that I only used the smoke and stamped that 3 times along the bottom of the panel, then used a grey marker to fill in some of the smoke. On the inside, I inked up the Happy Anniversary stamp with Cantaloupe then went over the bottom half of it with Tangelo, to sort of mimic the color of the flames. (So happy how that turned out!) Stamped the grill in the bottom corner and added a heart and I was done!

Don't ya just love it when an idea turns out sooooo much better than you planned? This, I think, is one of mine! (If I do say so myself! ☺) I'm also going to enter this card for the Paper Smooches Sparks DT call. Wish me luck!

Well, I'm off to go grocery shopping now. (Ugh!) Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a fantastic day!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Alfresco, Good Gab, Wicked Nauticool
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Grey Flannel, Tangelo, Cantaloupe, Lady Bug
Card stock: Bazzill Basics (black); Recollections (white)
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; Therm-o-web Glue Dots
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Paper Smooches - Hot Spots Lg #2 Die; Marvy Uchida markers; Flame clipart from internet

2013.../Sweet Sunday Sketch #184

Hello my lovelies! I hope that you had a relaxing Sunday today. Andy and I went to see the movie Oblivion today, and if you are SciFi geeks like we are, I definitely recommend you see this movie - it's fantastic!

Anyhooo, onto a card I'd like to share with you all. I based my card from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #184:

Here is the inside:

and the sketch:

I followed the sketch pretty closely this time. I have two nephews and one niece who go to the same high school and are all graduating this year. (and 5 total graduating this year from high school and 2 from college. Apparently, it was a fertile year for our families when those 5 were conceived! LOL!) I used the school colors and mascot again for this card. Instead of the banner, I used a diploma sticker that I had in my stash. (It feels good to finally use what you have hoarded, doesn't it?!)

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and hope you get to play along with this challenge! Have a great evening!

Chris

Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts - Celebrate Everyday, Everyday Sayings
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: Studio Calico - Snippets
Card stock: Bazzill Basics
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; Scotch Scrapbooking glue
Accessories: Grand Calibur, Standard Lg & Sm Circle Nesties; MFT - Star Border Die-Namics; Sticko Diploma sticker; number stickers; Mascot printed from internet

Paper Smooches Sparks DT Call

Hi all! I have a couple more cards to share. I'm also entering them for the Paper Smooches Sparks DT Call:

Here is my first card:

Wait for it - here is the inside:

LOL! I know right?! I based my card (loosely) from the January 2013 Picture Perfect challenge, and also used Retro Sketch#63.

I had the stamp for the inside sentiment already, and as soon as I saw the shopping bag die I HAD to use them together! I even crinkled and distressed the bag to look old! LOL! I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE a good punny line!!

Here is my second card:

and the inside:

I based this card from the October 2012 Picture Perfect challenge

Another graduation card done! Woo hoo! I googled the school colors and mascot again. Go figure, the colors are black white and 'Vegas gold' (whatever that is. I just went with yellow) The mascot is a phoenix, and this is the actual mascot. I just saved the image onto my computer. (There's a tiny amount of orange in the flames, so I hope you'll forgive me for that!) I embossed congradulations in white and colored the photo corners with a yellow marker before adhering to the grey card base. After stamping the inside, I colored a couple of the letters with gold Smooch ink.

So there you have it. Wish me luck! Oh, and if you are also trying out, good luck to you too! Thanks for stopping by!

Chris
Supplies for Happy Birthday card:

Stamps: Paper Smooches - Digits; Unity Stamp Co. - July 2012 KOM
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Ranger DI - Walnut Stain
DP - October Afternoon - 9 to 5
Card stock: Recollections (kraft); David Tutera card base
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; Scotch Scrapbooker's Glue
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Paper Smooches - Shopping Bag Die; MME - rhinestones; Die cut arrows from my stash

Supplies for Congradulations card:

Stamps: Paper Smooches - Smarty Pants, Slang Gang, Knick Knacks
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Versa Mark
Card stock: DCWV (grey); Bazzill Basics (black)
Strathmore water color paper
Adhesive: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares
Accessories: Clip art from internet; Avery photo corners; Marvy Uchida marker; Stampendous White Embossing Powder; heat gun; Clear Snap Gold Smooch Ink

conGRADulations.../PS Sparks Designer Draft challenge/PS Sparks DT Call

Hello and happy Thursday my lovelies! Boy, it took up thru half of the month of May, but we are FINALLY starting to see warm weather! It seems strange that it's 85 degrees out right now, and only two nights ago we had FROST warnings! That's just crazy! I'm just so happy since I love warm weather, and I finally was able to plant flowers in my planter boxes and pots! YAY!

So, it's getting closer to June and with that month comes graduations. Between my side and Andy's side of the family, we have 7 nephews and nieces graduating next month: one from college and the rest from high school! (Crap, I'm getting OLD! LOL!) I thought it was way past time for me to get my mojo working again and make some graduation cards. Here's the first one I've done. I'm playing along with Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge: Designer Drafts, and I'm also entering this for the Paper Smooches SPARKS DT call.

Here is the inside:

and the sketch:

I followed it pretty closely, except adding another pennant and the eagle. I made this specifically for one of my nephews. The school colors where he attends are blue and green and the school mascot is an eagle. This is no ordinary eagle: it's an eagle wearing a graduation cap! LOL! I used the circle graphic stamps from the Teen Routine set for the polka dot element. (I didn't want them too dark, so I stamped them off on some scrap paper before stamping them on the card.) And of course I had to use a notebook punch for to edge the white panel! HA!

Well, that's all for now. I have more cards to make so I'm off! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic day!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Smarty Pants, Circle of Honor, Teen Routine, Slang Gang
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Rich Cocoa, Paris Dusk, Bamboo Leaves
Card Stock: DCWV - card base; scraps
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D Foam Squares; Elmer's Extra Strength Glue Stick
Accessories: Marvy Uchida markers; EK Success notebook punch; Making Memories number stickers

Sparks challenge: Trend Watch May 6-12, 2013

For my Drunken Stamper's post, just clink on the link here, or keep scrolling!

Hello and happy Sunday to you all! I'd like to share a card I made last night for the current Sparks Challenge: Trend Watch from Paper Smooches:

And the inside:

My card is based off of this inspiration picture:

Go to your happy place? I'm all for hopping in a sailboat and sailing to a tropical island! That would definitely be a happy place for me! LOL! I used two PS stamp sets for this card plus a border die to make the waves. It came together pretty quick once I decided what to do. (Which was a process of looking through all my beachy/nautical themed paper, looking at a bunch of sketches to see if one would work. Getting frustrated because all of THAT took about two hours. Walking away to go fill a glass of wine. While doing that, I thought up this scene.) Yep, true story! LOL! Ironically, I used paper from Echo Park's Metropolitan Dot's and Stripes collection! Go figure!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

Chris
Supplies
Stamps: Paper Smooches - Wicked Nauticool, Get Outta Town
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, Ladybug
DP: Echo Park - Metropolitan Dots and Stripes
Card stock: Bazzill Basics (red); Recollections (white, kraft)
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik; Elmer's extra strength glue stick
Accessories: Grand Calibur; Paper Smooches Borders 1 Die; Marvy Uchida markers; Martha Stewart score tool

Drunken Stampers #127 - Porky's

Good Morning my lovelies! It's Saturday morning which means it's time for a new Drunken Stampers challenge: #127 - Porky's!

This term is all about the movies. You can either make a project based on the movie title, or the theme, (farm animals), or go crazy and do BOTH! Totally up to you! This week is team Midnight Margaritas turn to inspire you! Here is my card:

and the inside:

The inside says it all! LOL! I hope that you get a chance to play along this week! Be sure to check out what the other Midnight Margaritas dreamed up for this challenge!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Chris

Supplies:
Stamps: My Cute Stamps (sheep), Inkadinkado (Happy Birthday)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black; Clear Snap - Frost White
Card Stock: Bazzill Basics; DCWV
Adhesive; SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam Squares; Glue Dots
Accessories: Grand Calibur, Std. Oval and Lacey Oval Nesties; May Arts ribbon; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots EF; Rhinestones and stickers from my stash

24 hours.../CTS#27

Good morning all! As I'm typing this post, I'm watching Good Morning America's Mother's Day segment with Emeril, and I'm balling my eyes out! LOL! What a heart wrenching-turned-heartwarming story! It just confirms to me that the smallest act of kindness can be life changing to someone else in such a huge way!

Ok, enough mushy talk! LOL! On to my card. ☺ This card was based (very loosely) on the CTS#27 sketch:

Here is the inside:

and the sketch:

I inked up one of my Gus stamps from Bugaboo that I haven't used yet. I just love that grumpy ol' guy! LOL! I decided to do minimal coloring on the image and just use only card stock. I added a border sticker near the bottom and also put brads in the corners. I like how it turned out.

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a great day! TGIF!!

Chris
Supplies:
Stamps: Bugaboo stamps
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black, bamboo Leaves
Card Stock: Bazzill Basics
Adhesive: SA by 3L - 3D foam squares, MyStik
Accessories: Stickers: SRM (celebrate border), Making Memories (nope); Marvy Uchida markers; brads from my stash

Happy Mother's Day - RS#62

Good Morning my lovelies! I can't believe that it's been over a week since I last posted anything! I've been away having fun at our annual 'Girl's Week at the Beach'. My sister's good friend (and neighbor) owns a beach house on Topsail Island in NC, and we've been renting it for the last few years at this time to get away from hubbys, kids, life, reality, etc. and to celebrate my sister's birthday, which was this past Sunday. I'll talk more about it but first I want to share a card I made using the current Retro Sketch #62:

Here's the inside:

and the sketch:

I kept it simple and followed the sketch closely. After I stamped the image, I colored it lightly with Prismacolor pencils, just to give it a hint of color. I fussy cut and popped it using some foam squares onto an ombre panel. I really like how the hint of color in the image looks against that bold ombre background.

So, quick-like, getting back to the beach, even though I didn't bring any paper crafting supplies, I did do some crafting! Mary did some updating in her house and one of the things she did was add a cute little shelf in the master bathroom. She asked me to glue some seashells to the shelf to give it a more beachy look. Here's what I did:

Simple and easy to do! Mary had the glue gun there already and we just used found shells! How cool is that?! If you are interested in renting a beach house, THIS is the house to rent! She has everything there! (well, you do have to bring your own food, booze, and clothes! LOL!) Here is a link to the beach house: Nextasea  to get information on this house and see some pictures of it. (Ok, so I told Mary that was going to blog about the shelf, but didn't tell her that I was going to try to get her house rented! LOL!)

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you all have a wonderful day!

Chris

Supplies:
Stamps: Unity Stamp Co. - April 2012 KOM; Hero Arts (Happy Mom's Day); MFT (Enjoy...)
Ink: Memento - Tuxedo Black
DP: American Crafts - Color Crush
Card stock: Bazzill Basics
Adhesives: SA by 3L - MyStik, 3D foam squares; Glue Dots
Accessories: Prismacolor pencils; Doodlebug twine