Queen for a Day

Happy rainy Wednesday, everyone!  Today’s card is for three challenges!!!  I have been dying to try the Pals Paper Arts color challenge:

as well as this week’s Mojo Monday sketch:

and the City Crafter Challenge this week,  “royalty”!!

So here we go:

I used a crown image (along with others) from the retiring Established Elegance, to complement the queen sentiment from the retired You’re A Gem:

I also added a little banner and button from this year’s SAB goodies:

And did you notice all the stitching?  You will probably see MORE stitching because I finally got my craft room done and there is room for my sewing machine!  Woohoo! I went from this:

to this:

I still have some painting (see the above window frame)  and reorganizing to do, but I am so thrilled with the work my DH did….he did everything except painting the walls and making the curtain, both of which I managed to do!!!  I got new floors, new cabinets to hold my cardstock and supplies, new ribbon holders, a new ceiling fan and light,  and new countertops to replace my 7’ wooden trestle table.  I can sit at my computer and look out the window, and I can sew and have my ironing board all in the same room!!  It is so much easier to keep clean.  One of the things that helped me with my storage is transferring a lot of my wood-mount stamps to clear-mount!  I did clean out a few sets and will put them up for sale once the new catalog goes live!  Thanks for indulging me with these photos!

LIM74 & SSC

 

Wow, two posts on a Saturday!  If you’re looking for Linda’s Grandmom-to-be Blog Hop, you can click HERE!  I had an absolutely marvelous Saturday---it’s after 3pm and I just got out of my jammies…..which is UNHEARD of for me!  I had a chance to use a new set that I just won (thanks, Justin!) called Papaya Collage…SO pretty!  The Less is More challenge had a challenge to use their header as an inspiration, and the Simply Stamping challenge, which is a new one to me, was CAS.   I did a lot of masking and used several other sets beside the Papaya Collage:

It is almost one-layer----I popped up the butterfly and added a single markered pearl, but other than that, it is just stamping, stamping, stamping!  The frame was stamped in Soft Suede and I added a little Crumb Cake shadow, then stamped the other images in Stazon Black or Basic Gray. 

I used Nature Walk, Creative Elements, You’re A Gem and Bring on the Cake for the birthday sentiment inside:

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the Paper Players challenge!  I have run out of Cassidy pictures, but here are a couple of nature shots for you---we came home from church last week to find that a branch on a large pine tree had split off….in a very interesting way:

  

Doesn’t it look like a pencil point?  DH was wondering if it was at a knot….any ideas?

Monkey Challenge 93

Happy Monday!  Are there any Downton Abbey fans out there?  I am hooked on this series, and can barely stand the suspense until Sunday evenings to see the next installment.  I was so sad to see William pass away but glad he & Daisy got married!!!  Only three more episodes to go, to see if there is a “happily ever after” for any of the other characters!

Oh well, you didn’t come to hear about a PBS show, but to see my a la Card Monkey card, which, sadly, really lacks mojo.  Here’s the sketch:

This is one of those cards---you know, you have something in your mind and it doesn’t translate to the card.  The theme is “love” and I can only make so many cards for the man that I love, so I tend to think of the love between friends when stamping at this time of the year!!  This is a decidedly non-Valentine type love card:

I am trying to use some stamps that haven’t been “loved” lately, and this Have a Seat set is one of them. I tried to give it a vintage feel with a First Edition background, which was also stamped with some images from Established Elegance, as well as sponged with Soft Suede ink.  I mounted the little banners and tags on some Victoria crochet trim with mini brads:

Hope you have a wonderful day!  Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the ColourQ challenge, too!

Busted again---this time, the dresser:

What an innocent face!!!

ColourQ120 and then some…

Happy Tuesday, peeps!  Check out this dazzling color inspiration for today’s ColourQ Challenge:

I almost went with a literal interpretation and got out my Paisley background stamp, but my wee little granddaughter was sick and she was demanding my attention, so I went with a different, CAS design:

These colors were a little more challenging to work with than I imagined!  I stamped the frame (Fresh Vintage) in Bravo Burgundy, the crown (Established Elegance) in Rich Razzleberry, the words (You’re A Gem) in Island Indigo and added a little panel of Wisteria Wonder Patterns DP beneath my diecut and embossed top edge.  How cool is it that the Curly Label punch fits the inside of this frame:

It’s popped up with a dimensional, and the “58” is popped up with two dimensionals!  I did another card with these colors, a single-layer card using yesterday’s SCS CAS challenge, which was a sketch:

It also qualifies for the Just Us Girls challenge (collage stamping) and the Less is More challenge (use a bird on your one-layer card).   I used a variety of vintage images for this one; the backgrounds were stamped using my acrylic blocks as stamps.  Thanks for looking; I hope you have a chance to play with these regal colors.  Show us your take on the challenge over at the CQC blog!

On a happier day!!!

More Fabric

Can you stand any more fabric projects?  I have been having fun with SU’s Spice Cake line….so pretty! Here is a gift bag I made for one of my club hostesses:

It’s just a brown paper bag trimmed at the top to fit a half sheet of cardstock.  I used some fusible web to adhere the fabric to the cardstock, then sticky stripped the cardstock to the bag; added a little button embellishment with a fabric banner and a fabric tie.  Sentiment is from You’re A Gem.

At the club meeting we made a simple box from the #2 die and used fabric as a tie-on embellishment:

And finally, I saw ADORABLE gathered fabric baskets here and knew I just had to make one!  Unfortunately, I again used that fusible webbing to adhere my batting to my fabric, and the type I used does not work with a sewing machine….so I had to hand sew the entire thing and it is a MESS!  So I will try this again, but I at least wanted to show you how cute it could be:

Be sure to look at Sarah’s baskets so you know what they’re supposed to look like!  Thanks for visiting today!

Monkey Sketch 74

Oh, those sweet girls Terry & Shirley over A La Card Monkey---they asked me to be a guest designer again!  Of course I said “yes”!  Here’s the sketch, with the theme “You’ve Got A Friend”:

and I was just looking for an excuse to get my new Creative Elements inky:

I hadn’t done anything vintage for a while….the Well Worn DP gave me my colors.  I first stamped the emblem image from Artistic Etchings and punched them out.  Then the floral image was stamped first in Versamark, then Night of Navy and stamped on Very Vanilla, then embossed with Clear embossing powder and shaded with Crumb Cake. 

I stamped the flourish on some First Edition DP, layered it with vellum; stamped the frame and sentiment from You’re A Gem on another piece of vellum and layered it on top.  SU’s new beautiful velvet ribbon and an Antique brad finished it off.

I hope you’ll play along with all the other creative stampers at the Card Monkey this week!!!

Just a fun little picture of MY little grand-monkey:

CCMC164

Well, between torrential rain, thunder, lightning (and don’t forget the earthquake on Tuesday!!!), I did manage to get a little stamping time in this morning while Cassidy took a good nap! This was originally for the Pals Paper Arts challenge today, until I remembered it was supposed to be CAS!  Oops!  I’ll post that one tomorrow! I used the sketch from Create with Connie & Mary:

and broke out my new Spice Cake designer paper:

I had tons of fun with this card!  I cut some wide striped ribbon and made a little fringe; I added some sparkle to my leaves from Day of Gratitude, and added some glimmer brads for a little bit of shimmer:

I just love this color combo, too!  Thanks for visiting today!

Wee Details:

• Stamps:  Day of Gratitude, You’re A Gem
• Paper:  Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Spice Cake and Cajun Craze Patterns DP
• Ink:  Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Chocolate Chip
• Acc:  Wide Striped Ribbon, Corner Rounder, Victoria Lace, Glimmer Brads, Linen Thread, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Dimensionals, Daubers, Small Oval Punch