Be happy...

...it's contagious.  I love this sentiment!  As soon as I saw the picture at Cure For the Monday Blues this week I thought of it.  

It's such a happy picture.  So many things to look at and so many bits and pieces to choose from.  I zoomed in on the polka dots, the color yellow, and the slight imperfections in the pieces to come up with this.

These are the days when I am glad I don't get rid of stamps.  I'm not sure how old that flower stamp is but I know where I lived and how many kids I didn't have when I bought it so I know it's been around for awhile.  The imperfect scallop is actually a stamp that was stamped with a Marvy Matchable ink pad and had cut.

Thanks for sharing part of your day with me.  I'd love to know what you think.

Amanda

Supplies

Stamps: Stampin' Up (Flower), PTI (Polka Dot Basics, Ombre), Stamping Bella (sentiment)

Paper: PTI (White)

Other: Marvy Matchable Ink, Copics, Momento Ink

Easter Wishes

I really need to get started on Easter projects.  I know Easter is still more than a month away, but I am not a last minute kind of girl.  I also don't like to count on having any kind of inspiration at the last minute.  I already had Easter on my mind this week when I popped over to the "Just Us Girls" Challenge Blog.  The color combo this week seemed like a nice fit for Easter so away I went.

I really like the light colors with that splash of navy.  As color challenges aren't my favorite I hesitated, but I kept coming back to it and eventually came up with something I liked.  

I used Year of Flowers from Gina K.  I love those flowers!  Some of my favorites of all time.  And I used Puff Pink Embossing Powder to bring the tulips to life.  

Thanks for spending a minute of your day with me.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: Gina K. Designs (Year of Flowers), PTI (Mega Mixed Messages)

Dies: PTI (Tiny Tags, Oval Shaker)

Paper: PTI (Fine Linen, Soft Stone,Enchanted Evening)

Other: Ranger (Distress Ink, Embossing Powder), Sizzix (Embossing  Folder), Ribbon

Papertrey February Blog Hop

Today is the day for the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.  A beautiful photo to interpret.

I love the colors in this photo.  They remind me of tie dying shirts and my favorite color combos.  I took the opportunity to play with my Distress Inks and watercolor paper and while I made several beautiful backgrounds, the one that called my name today was a much softer version of the colors.  I had the idea of white butterfly so when I walked into the art room this morning to the now dry papers this is what came out.

Thanks for looking.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI (Think Big #3)

Dies: PTI (Beautiful Butterflies)

Paper: Watercolor paper, Stash (pale, pale pink), Glossy White

Other: Ranger Embossing Powder, Distress Ink

St. Patrick's Day Luck

There's another great sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch this week.  At first glance I saw a rainbow and with St. Patrick's Day in a few weeks it was easy enough to bring it together.

While the center was easy, the strip was a bit more difficult until I remembered a stamp I've had longer than I care to admit.  I don't want anyone thinking I'm old or anything.  With that figured out I came up with this.

I hope your day feels a little brighter.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts (Best Wishes/Good Luck Background), Unknown pot (there is no information on it)

Dies: My Favorite Things (Rainbow)

Paper: PTI (Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Lemon Tart, New Leaf, Blueberry, Royal Velvet), Stash (Black, Indigo, gray marble)

Other: Momento Ink, Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Glitter (ART Institute)

We love you

Today I am sharing a card inspired by the Cure the Monday Blues Challenge photo.

This was a difficult photo for me to work with, but eventually the various ideas produced something.  It was a long process!  I focused on the colors of the chair and used the board on the wall to create a Mother's Day card for a dear friend.  

The card is from the little people in my world.  

I hope you like it.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI (Tiny Treats: Valentine), Purple Onion (Alphabet), Northwoods Rubber Stamps (frame)

Dies: My Favorite Things (Fishtail)

Paper: PTI (Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Lemon Tart, White), Stash (orange, pink, purple)

Other: Copics, Enamel Dots, Brilliance Ink,  Momento Ink

Orange equals Halloween

I know I'm terribly off season, but that's how it goes.  The Fusion Challenge this week has a beautiful photo with orange, teal, and brown and they have a super cute sketch to boot!  I took the orange and brown and found a big ole happy jack-o-lantern to make a sweet little Halloween card.  That's two Fusion Challenges in row that led me to Halloween.  At this rate my Halloween cards (I only need a few) will be done before Easter!

Here is the inspiration:

And here's the result:

Thanks for taking a moment out of your day.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: Stamps By Judith (Jack), PTI (Trick or Treat)

Paper: PTI (White, Dark Chocolate, Ripe Avocado Patterns)

Other: Momento Ink, Copics, Tape from the Stash

Out of this World!!

This is the last of my Papertrey Anniversary challenge entries. It has been a fun week over there, but now it is coming to an end.  This challenge was to create blue ombre in on your card.  I was undecided on my approach until it occurred to me to combine this with the this week's sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch.

I decided to pull out Boy Basics: Out of this World.  I know a few little people, and a few big people for that matter, who are really into space.  However, I went with the kid feel for the Winter Wonderland challenge this week.  Lots of Distress Ink later and we have this.

I considered going with a planet that looked like Earth, but I didn't trust my drawing skills to be able to pull that off!  

Let me know what you think.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI (Boy Basics: Out of this World)

Dies: PTI (Boy Basics: Out of this World)

Paper: PTI (White, Lemon Tart)

Other: Embossing Folder (Sizzix), Ranger (Distress Ink), Brilliance Lightening Black Ink, Copics

Silver and Gold

Another post today...playing catch up as the deadline for the Papertrey anniversary challenges is tomorrow.  This challenge is all about metals!  Create a card using only neutrals and metallics.  I chose to use both silver and gold.  I am also entering this in Christmas Stampin' All Year Anything Goes.  

I broke out Vintage Ornaments and the Additions to make this card.  I still love the shape and classic feel of these ornaments.

Thanks for taking a look.
Amanda

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI (Vintage Ornaments, Vintage Ornaments Additions, Tremendous Treats: Christmas)
Dies: PTI (Vintage Ornaments)
Paper: PTI (Rustic White), Stash (gold and silver)
Other: Embossing Powder (Stampendous), Embossing Folder (Sizzix)

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I am sharing a little gift for the hubby today.  One of the anniversary challenges at Papertrey this week was to make a gift bag with matching tag.  I made a pillow box for a bit of candy using Tiny Treats: Valentine.

I took all the cute little sayings that seemed appropriate and lined them up to decorate the pillow box and then used "i love you" and the Valentine's Day heart to finish off the tag.  It was wrapped with twine to ensure no little hands helped themselves to the candy.

Let me know what you think.
Amanda

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI (Tiny Treats: Valentine)
Dies: Sizzix (Pillow Box), PTI (Tiny Tags, Tremendous Tags)
Paper: PTI (Winter Wisteria, Raspberry Fizz)
Other: Ink (PTI - Raspberry Fizz, Versacolor Boysenberry), Divine Twine

A bouquet for you

The challenges continue at Papertrey.  Today I have a submission for the Build a Bouquet Challenge. 

It turns out I don't have many flower stamps from Papertrey.  And while I'm sure I could have used some from somewhere else it didn't seem right for the challenge.  Here I used flowers from some of the free stamps the company has given over the years.  

Thanks for taking a minute out of your day.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI (Ruby Reprise, Botanical Silhouettes, All About You, All About You Additions, Giga Guide Lines, Pretty Petals)

Dies: PTI (Limitless Layers 2 1/4" ovals, Tiny Tags), My Favorite Things (Fishtale Flags)

Paper: PTI (Ripe Avocado Patterns, Lemon Tart, Raspberry Fizz, Kraft, White)

Other: Ranger (Distress Ink), PTI (Raspberry Fizz Ink), Divine Twine, Cellophane bag

Spring into Action!

As the Papertrey anniversary celebration continues the challenges keep coming.  I am a few challenges behind, but today I am springing into action with an underused set.  The challenge actually called for using a set that you had never inked up, but I couldn't find one in my stash.  I'm pretty good about breaking out the new stuff, but sometimes the older stuff gets pushed aside.  As I was looking through my stuff, I came across Tiny Treats: Birthday.  I bought this set for the tiny rocket to match the bigger one that is part of their Boy Basics line.  I swore I would never buy a set of that size for one stamp, but when you are asked to plan a spaceship birthday party you do what needs to be done (ok, I'm a sucker for planning parties to the best of my ability!).  So, while I didn't have any unused sets I did have the rest of the set that was just going to be sitting until someone, or something, pushed it to the forefront of my mind.  So I came up with this sweet little card.

And then it occurred to me there are lots of stamps sitting in the stamp cabinet that have seen nearly enough use.  So...I took inspiration from the sketch over at CAS(E) This Sketch to get going on St. Patrick's Day cards.  The sketch is a great one to work with.

I brought in the rainbow and a cute little leprechaun to create this.

He's such a fun little guy!  I just don't make that many St. Patrick's Day projects to use him all that much.  And sadly he was purchased as an unmounted rubber stamp without any label so I don't know where he comes from.

Thanks for stopping by!

Amanda

Supplies

Birthday

Stamps: PTI (Tiny Treats: Birthday, Fancy Flourishes)

Dies: Sizzix (Label), PTI (Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Circles), Memory Box (Square)

Paper: PTI (Kraft, Ripe Avocado Patterns, Aqua Mist, Pure Poppy, Rustic White)

Other: Ranger (Distress Ink), Momento (Gray Ink), Ribbon

St. Patrick's Day

Stamps: Unknown

Paper: PTI (Pure Poppy, Orange Zest, Lemon Tart, New Leaf, Blueberry Sky, Royal Velvet, Rustic White, White), Stash Gold, Indigo

Other: Copics, Momento (Black Ink)

Papertrey Anniversary Challenge 2

Papertrey has announced that Maile is back this year as a stamp designer.  So the challenge is to be inspired by her and her work.  I took a perusal through her blog and found a few themes in her work that I really like.  She does a lot of little strips to cover the edges of pattern paper.  She also cuts a lot of strips in interesting places and at interesting angles.  And she uses a lot of ink colors on one card.  I chose to try the strip over the edge of the pattern paper. I broke out All About You for the card.

I also pulled out a pack of pattern paper that gets forgotten from time to time.  

Have a happy day.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI (All About You)

Paper: PTI (Lemon Tart, white), Crate Paper (flowers)

Other: Momento Ink (Black), PTI Raspberry Fizz Ink

It has begun...

This month marks the 8th anniversary of Papertrey Ink.  Every year they have several challenges as part of the festivities and this year I am happy to join the party!  I really appreciate that their anniversary is in February, the grayest month of them all.  It seems this year they are allowing for more participation by extending the deadline of all challenges to the 15th so everyone still has time.

The first challenge was issued on the 5th.  The objective is to use one of the listed sketches AND one of the color combos on one card.   My choices:

And then I chose:

And I came up with:

It feels a little old school to me, but there's nothing wrong with that every now and then.  But I wasn't really done.  I had some extra time and honestly I had some conflicting ideas so I also used this sketch.

To come up with this.

Which was when I realized I really do need the tiny words from Tiny Tags II.

Thanks for taking a minute out of your day.  Let me know your thoughts.

Amanda

Supplies (Thank You)

Stamps: PTI (Think Big #2, Background Basics: Tin Types)

Dies: PTI (Beautiful Blooms II #3, Heart-2-Heart #7, Heart Border)

Paper: PTI (Hawaiian Shores Pattern Paper, Harvest Gold, New Leaf, Raspberry Fizz, Kraft)

Others: Ink (PTI Raspberry Fizz), Buttons (PTI), Twine (The Twinery, Whisper Graphics)

Suppies (It's Your Day)

Stamps: PTI (Think Big #2, Tiny Tags, Fancy Flourishes)

Dies: PTI (Basic Bookmark 2, Tiny Tags, Heart Border)

Paper: PTI (Kraft, Harvest Gold, Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores), Stash (Vellum)

Other: Pearls, Twine (The Twinery), Ink (PTI-Raspberry Fizz, Versamark)

Best Wishes as a Cure for the Monday Blues

This weeks inspiration photo at Cure for the Monday Blues is full of hearts and possible romance.  I took this opportunity to knock something off my "to do" list.

The daughter of a friend recently moved her wedding up by four months.  Apparently she and her man didn't like the planning process and just wanted to be married.  It really was a last minute decision.  So clearly I needed a wedding card much sooner than expected.  And since my Valentine's were already done this was the perfect time.

I took inspiration from the pale background and the hearts and the little spring of greenery in the pitcher.  I love the hint of greenery in the photo.  I die cut hearts from the palest pink in my stash and used glossy white card stock behind the pink panel.  I also added some silver behind the focal point.

Thanks for stopping by.
Amanda

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI (Tiny Tags), Inkadinkado (Champagne scene)
Dies: PTI (Heart Prints)
Paper: Stash (pink, silver, glossy), PTI (white)
Other: Copics, Silver marker, Momento Ink 

Photo Friday

Here's a glimpse of a super cute town in northern Germany.  

Have a great weekend!

Amanda

With a Cherry on Top!

Today I am sharing a birthday card for a little girl whose birthday is coming up.  I used the sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch with the Color Play Combo that was in the Papertrey newsletter this month.  The sketch is really fun.

And the colors screamed birthday.  After seeing the sketch I knew I wanted to use this oldie, but goody ice cream stamp and when I saw the color combo the rest just fell into place.

Normally I don't particularly like color challenges, but this one was screaming at me.  It fit perfectly with the image I had already decided to work with on this project. 

I stamped and embossed the ice cream then colored it to ensure maximum color pop and applied glitter on top.  I painted pigment ink on the hot fudge and embossed it with clear embossing powder to make it glossy like freshly melted chocolate.  The whole ice cream panel is popped up, though it's hard to tell in the photo.

Thanks for taking a peek.
Amanda

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampin' Up (ice cream from years ago), PTI (sentiment)
Dies: PTI (One liners: Happy)
Paper: PTI (Sweet Blush patterns, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, White, Royal Velvet)
Other: Versacolor Ink, Momento Ink, Stampendous Embossing Powder, Copics, Glitter

The dark side

Today I am bringing you a very off season card.  Today I am sharing a Halloween card inspired by the challenge photo over at Fusion Card Challenge.

I know the photo is all about love and hearts and red and things.  But a forum friend gifted me a set full of cats and when I saw it the cats became the hearts which led to Halloween.

I used Psychedelic Embossing Powder to make the cats more magical.  I would love to use these cats with some black flock, but at the moment my flock supply is almost nonexistent thanks to the handy work of a little person who shall remain nameless.  The moon is simply silver vellum with added clouds.

Thank you for taking minute out of your day.
Amanda

Supplies:
Stamps: PTI (Superstition)
Dies: PTI (Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Circles), Memory Box (Mini Clouds)
Paper: PTI (Enchanted Evening, Soft Stone), Stash (Vellum)
Others: Colorbox (Black ink), Judikins (Embossing Powder), Ranger (Pumice Stone Distress Ink)

Welcome...

Today I am sharing a card for a new baby.  The little one is due at the end of the month so I wanted to make sure it we had everything ready to give before he or she arrived so we could deliver it before he or she arrives.  This week's Make It Monday at Papertrey got the gears going.

A confetti garland on the front of a house seemed appropriate and worked well with the inside sentiment "There's nothing like a baby so lovable and sweet to make a family happy and make a home complete."

So I  used Kraft card stock to make a house base and dressed it up.  I added tiny tags to my confetti garland "announcing" the new baby to all the neighbors.  

I'd love to hear what you think.

Amanda

Supplies:

Stamps: PTI (Home Made)

Dies: PTI (Tiny Tags, Sequins)

Embossing Folder: Sizzix

Paper:  PTI (Kraft, Fine Linen, Vintage Cream), Stash (Orange)

Other:  Ranger (Distress Ink), Sequins

 

40...is just the beginning

One more card  to share today for the Cure for the Monday Blues.  I could really go on and on with this inspiration, but time isn't on my side.  Though neon has been added to the list of party theme ideas.

I couldn't get the cake out of my mind and wanted to experiment with the splatter lines with straight up paint.  Lucky for my one of the littles did a sun project awhile back so I had left over neon orange and yellow paint in my stash.  A friend is during 40 this year and timing is everything.  Neon was pretty big back in the day, back when we young and the world was at our feet kind of thing.  So, 40 is just the beginning...

I simply poured some paint onto the card base.  And added the big old 40 with dies.

Thanks for looking!  Let me know what you think.
Amanda

Supplies:
Dies: PTI (Limitless Layers Circles 2 1/2", By The Numbers)
Paper: PTI (Basic Black)
Other: Paint (Martha Stewart)