February 12 Kits of Occasions - Garden Party

Good morning!  Can you believe that it is the last day of February? This month has been mostly sick-filled for us, and I feel like it has flown by.  Thankfully, Michelle Leone, the newest Papertrey Ink Designer (just had to throw that in there...we're so proud of her!) and wonderful host for this month's 12 Kits of Occasions sent us a fabulous "Garden Party" themed kit, which was just what I needed to end this month with a smile.  The cheerful colors and elements are so welcomed at this time of year when we are all anticipating the arrival of spring. The only things I added to the kit were a tiny bit of black twine and sequins, so make sure you head to the supply list here if you want to know more details. On to the cards!

Isn't this little bunny the cutest? Love him and his little bird buddy. (They come in a collection of bunnies and birds from Frantic Stamper). 

I am loving the little hints of green starting to pop up outside.  I have bulbs already coming up! (Crazy!  But it forgot how to snow here this here, so spring is making an early arrival at our house.) Anyway, after winter I'm always reminded just how beautiful green is, so I wanted to let these beautiful green stems shine. 

There is a reason the kit is named Garden Party as it also included some super cute cakes from Jane's Doodles and coordinating sentiments.  I had a lot of fun using cake on a mini Love Note sized card, which are my new favorite "tag" for birthday gifts. 

I loved the patterned paper in this kit, and after seeing Rebecca Luminarias' darling fringe ensemble (if you want to see total cuteness, check it out here) , I just had to fringe a little myself.  (This is another mini Love Note size card.) 

Another fun cake on a simple tag....doesn't this just scream spring?  Love that. 

My last card some of the stamped flowers and leaves in the set.  The little dot details are so cute.  And as luck would have it, it is the Simon Says: Anything Goes Challenge, so I'm linking all of these up for their challenge today.  

I sure love how the timing of that challenge works so perfectly with our 12 Kits post. ;) 

Thanks for joining me today!  Don't forget to go to the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog next, so you can see peeks of what all the other designers and our guest have created with this fabulous spring-filled kit, and then hop along to their blogs.  Wishing you a cheerful day! 

PTI Past, Present & Future: 2012 Challenge

Hello!  We had a beautifully sunny day today.  We played outside lots and I was able to make a card, which was icing on the cake...even if I did have to make it while I was browning the meat and preparing dinner.  Lol. Besides enjoying revisiting old sets, I have LOVED being inspired by my favorite past PTI designers again.  I knew I'd only have time to create one card, so I just had to CASE Cristina Kowalczyk.  She holds a very special place in my heart.  She is kind and generous and wonderful and was a great influence for good in my life.  How could I not CASE her?  Only wishing I had had a bit more time in my day to do her work justice.  I chose to CASE her LOVE you card for the 2012 PTI Challenge.  

I used PTI's Seeing Stars dies to emboss my panel, partially stamped a sentiment from Number the Stars, and completed the sentiment by cutting "stars" with PTI's Script Alphabet Dies...which I thought were the absolute coolest dies ever when they came out.  I'm glad I dusted them off again. :) I had to give a nod to Laura Bassen as well.  She's another all time favorite designer of mine.  I didn't have time to CASE one of her cards, so I used rainbow colors with her in mind. :) I think I liked my card better without sequins, but I made it for one of my nieces, and she most definitely appreciates sparkles, so at the last second I glued them on.  I snapped a picture right before the sun went down and then finished supper. :) Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Hope your week is off to a great start!

Papertrey The Past, Present & Future Challenges 2009-2011

Hello!  I carved out bits of time over the last couple days to play along with some of the PTI Anniversary Challenges.  I've loved revisiting old sets and seeing previous designers' work again.  Boy, do I miss seeing a lot of people's cards!

I started with a set released in 2009 for The Past, Present & Future:2009 Challenge.  It's subtle, but I used Damask Designs.  I actually found a panel a couple weeks ago with first and second generation stamping on it that I must have been stamped at least five years ago...maybe more.  It had gotten tucked behind some cards that I had received from friends.  The colors reminded me of winter, so although definitely not a typical theme for this set, I created a winter card.  I used PTI's Quilted: Winter and filled it with some beads I've been saving for just the right project (thanks, Michele!).  The sentiment is from a very old, but very much still loved set, Star of Wonder.

Next up, The Past, Present & Future: 2010 Challenge.  Maile Belles is one of my favorite card makers ever, so naturally I chose to CASE her autumn wreath card.  (You can find it here.)  Maile is brilliant, so I pretty much didn't change anything.

The stamps I used are from the PTI Don't Forget to Write Kit.  I just stretched the circle stamp into a little more oval shape.  The sentiment is from Choose Joy.  I'm ecstatic to now have this stamp set as part of my collection.

I'm also adding this card to the Simon Says: Fantastic Florals Wednesday Challenge.

My last card is for the The Past, Present & Future: 2011 Challenge.

My card is a CASE of this sailboat card by Jessica Witty.  I really miss seeing her work,  I paper-pieced the sailboats in PTI's Bitty Baby Blessings (the tiny orange flag was tough!) and a sentiment from Big Hugs.  My waves are the negative pieces from the PTI Simple Circles Border Die.  It's my favorite die to use for this kind of thing because it makes waves of varying heights.

And just because it smiles to make me see my work lined up all together.  I'll leave you with one last picture.  Hope you are having a beautiful weekend!

Where Creativity Meets C9 Sneak Peek

Hello, friends!  I'm over at Where Creativity Meets C9 today sharing a couple cards encouraging you to share love year round.  Hope you'll join me there. :) 

Baby Trio: PTI Past, Present, & Future: 2008

Hello again!  Can you believe it?  Two posts in one evening, but I have a few more cards that were inspired by Kara's recent Friday Inspiration Files 300 Week Celebration that I never got to share.  At the time I was also playing along with a PTI's Make It Monday to mix patterned papers, but I missed that deadline, too.  I'm so glad that Bitty Baby Blessings was one of the featured stamp sets on PTI's Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future: 2008 as it gives me a reason to share these cards with you.  Bitty Baby Blessings has remained one of my very favorite PTI sets for many, many years.

This darling baby card by Amy Kolling (from Kara's Week #135) started it all.  I loved the white frame against the mix of patterned papers, and this is the card that resulted.  I used lots of PTI goodies: Bitty Baby Blessings stamps and dies, a frame from the Don't Forget to Write Kit, Cloud Dies, and some soft stone and aqua mist patterned papers.

I decided to stick with the baby theme.  I haven't made baby cards in a long time, and I'll be needed a few in the coming months.  My next card is a very simplified CASE of Jocelyn Olson's card from Week #149 of Kara's Inspiration Files.  (Anyone else really miss seeing Jocelyn's creations?!)  This time I used PTI's Seeing Stars dies another PTI product I've had and loved for a long time.

My last card was inspired by this card my friend, Leigh Penner, made from Week #195.  I didn't change much of anything.  I loved the the layout, stripes and polka dots, positive and negative layered die cuts, and button detail in the center, so I kept it all.

I won this fun WPlus9 Whimsy Alpha from Kara, and it was the perfect way to finish off this card.  And I was particularly proud of myself for pulling out some button brads that I've had for ages!  Aren't they fun all together?  That PTI striped soft stone paper is my very favorite patterned paper.   

I'm also linking these up to the Simon Says: Cute Wednesday Challenge because there isn't anything cuter thann babies..or baby cards in this case.

Thanks so much for visiting today!  Hope you have a fabulous week!

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Love Note

Hello!  Happy Valentine's Day!  A couple weeks ago Kara (from K and R Designs) celebrated her 300th Week of Inspiration.  I've been enjoying and pinning from Kara's Friday Inspiration Files for years, so I had to play along.  Unfortunately life got in the way, and I wasn't able to post any of the cards I made for her challenge, so today I'm sharing one of them.  I haven't CASEd anyone in a while, and I forgot how fun that can be.  I chose to CASE this card from the super talented Alice Wertz.  It was from Week #249 of Kara's Inspiration Files.  I loved the fun layout (something I would have never thought to do!) and had fun mixing products from lots of companies. I'm linking this up to the Simon Says: Cute Wednesday Challenge because aren't these little critters from Mama Elephant's Up, Up & Away darling?  So glad I pulled them out.  It's been a long time.

I drew little stems and added hearts cut from Concord & 9th's Love Notes Envelope Dies and the sentiment is from Concord & 9th's Love Notes Stamp Set.  The leaves come from PTI's Embellished Elegance, the hexagons from Simon Says Stamp. I finished the card off with a few Pretty Pink Posh sequins that I pulled out of a past 12 Kits of Occasions kit (thanks, Lisa!).

I hope you've had a wonderful day.  I am so grateful for my sweet friends from this cardmaking community!  I've been extra blessed by your kindness this week.  Thank you!

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Where Creativity Meets C9 Challenge #6

Good morning!  There is a new challenge up at Where Creativity Meets C9 today that is absolutely perfect for this month.  The theme for Challenge #6 is "Love" and since it feels like I've done a lot of florals lately, I wanted to go in  a different direction.

This card comes together in a jiffy...always a good thing in my book!  It starts with stripes.  I sure love stripes.  They are great for feminine and masculine cards, and Concord and 9th's Stripe Builder is so perfect for creating large striped backgrounds.  

The large sentiment from Love Notes takes center stage and the little heart trios are actually one of the flower clusters in Concord & 9th's Flourish set.  I've always thought they looked like little hearts, and was happy to finally use them in that way.   

I can't wait to see how Where Creativity Meets C9's Love Challenge inspires you!  There is so much to love about Concord & 9th, and you might just be the lucky gift certificate winner...giving you even more to love. :)  Make sure you head to Challenge Blog to link your projects up and to see the other designer's awesome cards.  Hope you have a fantastic day!

**Just a not: Affiliate links used at no extra cost to you. :) Thanks for your support!

Heartfelt Greetings

Hello!  Last night I had a bit of time to make a card.  I was inspired by lots of challenges and went to bed with a smile. :) The theme of the card came from Simon Says: The Color of Love.   The colors and feel of the card were also inspired by Inspired by All the Little Things #41.  (It only took me 41 challenges to play along...I always love the inspiration photos...but better late than never, right Tracey?)

And my sketch was inspired by CTS #207.  My sweet friend Michele made this sketch, so I had to play along.  I placed all my pops of color in accordance with the placement of the little sunbursts in the sketch. The large sunbursts being the large flowers and the small sunbursts being the buds. These beautiful flowers come from PTI's Don't Forget to Write kit, and I am SO excited to finally be able to use it!  In the fall I was talking to my sweet mom about how I wished I had gotten the kit when it came out because Marybeth had sent us some of the flowers in our July 12 Months of Occasions kit.  I pulled it up online to show her pictures and much to my shock, Papertrey still had the kit available.  My sweet mom bought it for me as a Christmas gift, and I've had the box for months waiting for Christmas to arrive, so I could use it.  And now I get to link it up to NBUS Challenge #10.  Yay!