My favorite cards from 2011 -

This is the time of the year when lots of bloggers are reminiscing about their favorite projects of the past year.  Karin Martin is hosting "A Year in Review" on her blog, so I thought I'd jump on that bandwagon with my favorite cards from 2011.

This bird makes me happy since he is from cardstock that was covered in washi tape stuck in a plaid pattern.

Colored with Copics, this card features a fun layout and a set from SU! that has been sadly neglected -

The flower on this card is a removable pin - a card and a gift all in one!!

Carved my own chevron stamps - boy, have I loved using these on lots of projects this year.

Patterned paper that matches any color combo you want is possible if you stamp your own.

Sometimes everything adds up just right - That's how I feel about this CAS butterfly card!

The colors, stamp set and "beachy" feeling of this card set makes me miss living in Florida.

A gorgeous coat in a Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger sparked this yellow paper rose on a pink damask background.

This is one of my favorite cards ever from last year.  All the vintage images (Graphics Fairy) were imported, resized and printed onto vellum.  I cracked myself up with the punny sentiment - 

YUP - those are my favorites from 2011 - 

Happy Anniversary Herringbone

Have you seen the Herringbone tutorial that Beate Johns did on Splitcoaststampers this week?  So fun!!  If only I had read the instructions instead of just looking at the pictures!  Once I finished I realized that she ran her base cardstock through the Xyron to have a sticky background for her paper strips. . .

I glued each and every strip down individually.  No wonder I was thinking, "This is such a cool look but it takes SO long." - duh!!

Patterned paper is from Basic Grey (Curio, Granola); Sentiment from a muse|studio (Essential Sentiments)

LIM40, CAS143 - True Friend

Seems like forever since I've made a CAS card - in fact, I missed out playing on many of my favorite challenge blogs last week.  In an attempt to remedy this egregious error (does that make me sound smart?), here is my card for the CAS143 Sketch Challenge from SCS and the Less is More Challenge (Red and Orange).  All supplies used are from a muse|studio including the sentiment (On the Wing) and the leaves (Wild Rose).

Tomorrow will be a fun (please, oh please, be fun) excursion with the boys.  My man-sized 14-year old has grown out of nearly everything in the past few months.  No school tomorrow so it is time for a new winter coat along with new jeans, etc.  While he hates shopping he does love to eat so when I told him we'd eat at Schlotzsky's he was game to go.  Maybe (most certainly) I will drop by Michael's to check out the Martha Stewart new line of craft paint - mom needs to have something to look forward to too, right?

Happy Anniversary, Corey!!

Guess who has been married for 21 years today??!!  Did you guess my husband, Corey?  Then you would be correct - the best 21 years of his life!  Would you believe that he was 20 when we got married and that I was 10?

One of the many things that Corey loves about me is my practicality (that's what I tell him anyway) and what, I ask, could be more practical than combining your anniversary card with two challenges??  The first is the Vertical Sketch Challenge from the Moxie Fab blog pictured above (turn the sketch upside down).  The second is the CAS133 challenge from SCS to use kraft and bright colors.

Stamps are from Stampabilities and a muse.  Heart is grungeboard painted with Claudine Hellmuth paint and then covered with Tim Holtz Rock Candy.
Happy Anniversary, Cor - LOVE YA!!

CAS125 - Moxie Fab Stamp It! Cards Week Challenge

Today's card is for the Splitcoaststamper's CAS125 - Red, Black and White plus the Moxie Fab Stamp It! Cards Week Challenge to create a card in which stamping is the predominant element.  While you can get quite complicated in a background, it is also fun to keep it clean and simple by stamping one element (Clever Girls stamp set) repeatedly.

Adding pearls to the centers of the flowers adds just a bit of "fancy" to this quick and easy card.  The added bonus is that I've used my crimper twice in a week!!  Sometimes I go months without remembering that tool -

All supplies used in this card are available in my

online a muse|studio shop!

PDCC78, CP112, TTSCS14 - Have a Beautiful Day

Do you hear that squeaking sound?? That's me - just barely making it in on time for the Play Date Cafe Challenge for this week! Red, Baby Blue and Pink are not colors I would ever - EVER put together but I kinda think this card turned out pretty cool -

Swiped the layout from Card Patterns Sketch 112 and this card is also for a first time challenge for me - TTSCS14: The “It’s Time to Color” Challenge! I saw this challenge mentioned on someone's blog the other day but for the life of me I couldn't find it again so I GOOGLE searched and found out that this is a SCS Challenge sponsored by Teri Anderson! I LOVE Teri Anderson - she is so cool and my "most favorite-ist" Paper Crafts Go-to Gal!

Stamped (Technique Tuesday - My Little Poppy Shoppe) and watercolored this panel several weeks ago but sat it aside and totally forgot about it - it unearthed itself while during bill paying time and seemed just the thing to use today! The patterned paper is from the Jubilee collection from Memory Box; silk ribbon from May Arts; Sentiment from A Muse.
The boys and I were in the hallway for 30+ minutes this afternoon during a tornado warning and we are under a tornado watch right now - AARRGGHH!!

PDCC #74 - Smile!

This card features a technique that is new to me - Delft Tile.  The tutorial was featured on Splitcoaststampers a few weeks ago and it intrigued me.  When the colors popped up for this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge #74 I decided to give it a whirl - Doesn't it really look like tile?  So cool -

I had a hank of purple silk ribbon and some iridescent Zva crystals to embellish this card that features stamped images/ink from A Muse | Studio (stamp sets - Hand Scripted and Ornate Elements).

Gotta dash - time to get things ready for the week and watch Celebrity Apprentice (definitely a guilty pleasure)!!

CAS90 - Gingham and Checks

This card is for the Splitcoaststampers CAS90 Gingham and Checks Challenge. Our 8th Grade son went on an overnight band trip yesterday with dad as a chaperone. The controlled chaos at the school when I dropped my husband off couldn't help but make me be thankful for all the work that the teachers do (I was also very thankful that I am NOT a teacher)! This card also fits into Glenda's Random A Musing Challenge 88 - Pop Up your Sentiment! I cut the apple with my Slice; paper and sentiment are from A Muse.
What has your weather been like today? I spent some time in the hallway with the dog and the fish while the tornado sirens were going off - The field trip bus had to pull over to let everyone shelter in a hospital until the storm passed through - Can't wait for my family to be all together in one room again!

Get Sketchy/Play Date - CAS Crinkled Coral Flower

This card uses this week's Get Sketchy #59 layout, colors from The Play Date Cafe's Challenge #50 and the Inspiration word from Splitcoaststamper's CAS Challenge - Crinkle.  Apparently I am hooked on big poofy flowers these days!! 

The Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die cuts out flowers so quickly with the Cuttlebug.  I run the flowers through the crimper until I could peel them in half and put the soft side up - the leaves were cut with the Perfect Petals Die Cut set from Heartfelt Creations for Spellbinders. 

Patterned paper is Basic Grey Basics in white; center strip is made from Tim Holtz Tissue tape; Zva crystals; ribbon from SU! and sentiment from A Muse.  I think these flowers are so beautiful but my husband doesn't get it at all - he always says they look like something that I've crumpled up and meant to throw away.  MEN, what do they know?!

Ways to use it - Tissue Paper

This week's Ways to Use It Challenge (WT291) on Splitcoast Stampers is to use tissue paper.  I was inspired by Julia Stainton's card and decided to make a tissue paper flower but changed it up by using  some printed tissue paper that I bought on clearance from Target. 

I love a card that looks like a lot of trouble but is really a breeze to make!!  Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Die; Basic Grey Basics kraft paper pad; Basic Grey Basics Micro Mono Stickers; Making Memories Shimmer Flourish Chipboard; Jolee’s Boutique button sticker; Papertrey Ink silk ribbon; A Muse Twinkle stickers

CAS86 - Splitcoaststampers Sketch

It has been ages since I've done one of the Clean & Simple Challenges on Splitcoaststampers - this time around it is a sketch challenge and those are my favorites so I jumped in to play!

The birdy paper is from my Basic Grey Offbeat 6x6 paper pad.  I made a goal a while back to use every pattern in the collection and this card takes me one step closer - I only have a couple left.  The bird stamp is an Autumn Leaves $1 stamp I got a few years back; sentiment is from A Muse; ribbon from SU!; and Tim Holtz Tissue Tape.  The happy bird is colored with Copics and has a bit of sparkle from a clear Spica pen.  Hope you are having a great day!!  It has gotten so cool out that the air conditioner has not turned on in a few days.  I LOVE Autumn!!  Can't wait until the leaves start to turn colors!

CAS76 - Tissue paper flower. . .

This card is for Splitcoaststamper's Clean & Simple Challenge #76. More playing around with my new Basic Grey Cappella 6x6 paper pad which I matched up with some A Muse Green Madeira patterned paper - don't they look pretty together?

My flower is different from ones I've done in the past. I used a circle punch to punch several thicknesses of tissue paper and topped it with a silk flower ripped from the stem ($1 per stem at Wal-Mart) and finished with a pretty brown pearl brad. The tissue paper adds some "heft" to the bloom.

I sewed around the edges and added some bling with a glittery swirl. The sentiment is from A Muse's clear Vintage stamp set - Headed out the door for a baby shower! Don't you just love babies??!!

CAS63 - Leaf Frond

This card was inspired by Splitcoaststampers' Clean & Simple 63 challenge. I stamped the A Muse Leaf Frond onto white glossy paper so that explains the touch of glare on the picture. Such a simple card but so striking from across the room! There are challenges for every day of the week on Splitcoaststampers - I've had a gallery on there for years. Sometimes I post a lot to it but then there are times I don't post for months. Occasionally I go and look at how differently I stamp now from when I started - a little trip down memory lane.
Stamps - A Muse 6-4167D Leaf frond
Ink - Momento dye ink in Grape Jelly, Potter's Clay and Bamboo Leaves, Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap distress ink
Paper - White and kraft cardstock
Accessories - A Muse sheer white ribbon, SU! scalloped edge punch, Tim Holtz Foam Tool (for distressing)

Sweet Sunday Sketch 60

This card is based on the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 60 from The Sweetest Thing blog. Remember when micro beads were THE thing?! I know you do - just admit it. I've been digging through my stash of stuff lately and decided that they were the touch that this card needed. The paper is from an Inque Boutique 6x6 pad called Memoirs.

Flowers are from Maya Road, ribbon and sentiment from SU! I dare you to go digging through your supplies - maybe you will find some "oldies but goodies" too!

CAS52 - Astro Flower

This is the CAS52 Challenge from Splitcoaststampers this week. I reused some paper ribbon from a past project.
Sure enough - when I stamped the sentiment disaster struck! What to do?! Quickly I cut a new strip of 3/4" x 5 1/2" white paper and stamped the sentiment perfectly (isn't that how it always goes?) - I glued it right over the offending portion of the card and all was well - no one will ever know the difference unless you tell them!
I wish all my mistakes were as easy to fix as this one was!
Stamps - A Muse 2-4089C Astro Flower, 9-8596B Thanks for all you do
Ink - Momento Dye Ink in Black Tuxedo, Rose Bud, Grape Jelly, Bahama Blue
Paper - Assorted A Muse Couture Shimmer Papers
Accessories - A Muse Palm Grosgrain Stitched Ribbon, Art Institute Glitter

SCS - CAS25

It has been ages since I've done a challenge on SCS - BUT I'm loving the new Clean and Simple card category and since I'm such a big fan of Krystie Lee I decided to give it a try - Here is my interpretation of CAS25 -
I had some new Hero Arts stamps that hadn't had ink yet - Paired them up with my trusty A Muse cardstock and Juliette papers (Sage and Latte) and my two favorite A Muse sentiments - I've used my Thanks Script so many times that the words are wearing off the side!! Now that is love! Sheer French Roast ribbon was the finishing touch -