It's What??

Yeah. How about that. My fall can be summed up in one sentence, "Holy (choose your own expletive)! What do you mean it's _________________ ?!"

I'm a bit behind.

I've made a few cards,but since I've been lost in a perpetual state of catching up, I haven't photographed or posted any. I'm lucky they made it to their intended recipients on time. I'm hoping two weeks off will help me get my act together.

So, of course, I'm pushing Christmas cards out the door as fast as humanly possible, but I really wanted to get something posted. Thankfully, I've found some sketches that made that easier.

Thanks, Deconstructing Jen! I love your sketches and would get even less done without you! Here's her sketch:

With any luck, I'll turn it later today and get another knocked out... Hey, a girl can dream!
Stay warm!
Elizabeth

Infinite Possibilities

Wow... I've been high-on-life full of opportunity and possibilities this week! I've been working with the idea of a leadership theme in my fourth-grade classroom this year, and I think that looking at school through that lens will be good for all of us. I'm excited! I've also been continuing to work on thank-yous for those who have donated to AJ's fundraising campaign. When the trip (see the right-hand column) was originally announced, I really didn't see how he could go. The kindness of friends, old and new, have made an impossibility possible. :)

So, here's another card to thank a contributor:

It's also for the challenges at:
Totally Gorjuss - Leaf It In
Stampin' for the Weekend - Photo Inspiration - Pretty, isn't it?


The card was designed around this sketch from Deconstructing Jen


The recipe:
Paper is My Mind's Eye - Lost and Found
Stamps and dies are Verve sets: Joyful Blooms, Words of Wisdom, and Sunny Days.
Seam binding's from the stash.

Thanks so much for stopping through today! Please leave a comment and come back soon!
Elizabeth

Still dreaming!

... and I'm still cranking out thank-yous for AJ's fundraising campaign. To tell, the truth, I'm getting a big fried on these, which doesn't sound like I'm grateful. I am! People have been so generous! Until I get caught up, though, thank-yous are what I'm doing.

What's a bit complicated, though, is that he'd rather, of course, that they were masculine, and there aren't a lot of warm and fuzzy, 'you are so the best' masculine images out there. He won't have anything to do with cartoon-y images, "They're for little kids!".  Nearly all of his contributors are female, most of my supplies are oriented that way as well. For now, he'll just have to live with something in the middle. :/

Anyway, here's yet another one.

The inside says, "Thanks for helping me chase mine!"

It's made from this week's Sketchbook Saturday sketch.

It's also stripey, so we'll enter it into the challenge at 4 Crafty Chicks

Thanks for stopping by today! Please leave a comment and come again soon!

Thanks for the Mojo!

Needed some! My going-to-be-an-eighth-grader is fundraising for a Charlotte Children's Choir trip. I've got a lot of thank you cards to make, and I'm about out of ideas.

Thanks, Mojo Monday!
Here's the sketch:


I love that sentiment! It's a good one for a kid who's out dream-chasing. :)

The rest of the recipe:
Balloons and foofy clouds are a stamp and die set from Taylored Expressions.
Sentiment is from Words of Wisdom from Verve.
Paper is 'Splash' from Echo Park.

Thanks for swinging by today! Please leave a comment, and come back!
Until then, stay cool! (Yeah, right!)
Elizabeth

Dream Big

That's what we're doing around here! My13-year old is doing a lot of fundraising for a trip to Costa Rica next summer with the Charlotte Children's Choir. One of the perks for donating to his Indie Go Go campaign is a handmade thank-you card. I've got a lot to do!

Here's today's work:

I tried to do up the inside, too. Dear Stamp Companies, if you find time, could you whip up some thanks-for-helping-me-with-my-fundraiser sentiments? Thanks!

Ah, and now the recipe:
Image - is a digi from Tiddly Inks
Sentiments - both of them - are from a Verve set, Words of Wisdom
Paper is Echo Park, Yours Truly
The center circle is an MFT Die-Namic, Dainty Doilies
Lace is from the stash.

I also started with this sketch from The Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge


It's also for the challenge at
Totally Papercrafts - Can you digi it? (Yes, I can! I've been waiting such a long time, for Saturday...)
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today! It's so much nicer to be in blogging and out of the heat. All the excuse you need to hit the craft space instead of the pool! Ours has turned to bathwater.

Keep cool!
Elizabeth

Father's Day - a Little Late

I love June! :)
We'll be traveling to Texas to do the once-a-year week at my parents' soon, and since it's so close to real Father's Day, we'll be celebrating it when we get there.

So, here's my card for Dad:

I used the Viva la Verve sketch from Splitcoasters to get started. The rest of the recipe is:
Stamps: Verve's Happy Days
Paper: Echo Park's 'Splash'
Distress Ink, a little Memento, Copics, and brads

It's also for the challenges at:
CASE study - CASE this (too cute!) card:

I lifted the colors and swirls.

CCEE Stampers - Masculine cards

Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave a comment and come back soon!
Elizabeth

Mahalo Plenty!

I'm going to be needing a lot of thank you cards! My seventh-grade son sings in our city's children's choir, and they'll be heading to Costa Rica next summer for a choral festival there. We've got a lot of fundraising to do. (Ugh!)

Here's one of the first.

... and inside

Love the little hula girl, and how making the flowers was easy-peasy, once I got the shim right. (I thought I'd blown up my Cuttlebug, lol!) We've got a soft spot for all things Hawaiian here. Lilo and Stitch was AJ's favorite movie in his early childhood. His big, huggable Stitch, still on his top bunk, is almost 'real' (If you remember the story of the Velveteen Rabbit.)

I used last week's Sweet Sunday Sketch to start...

... and then used this recipe!
Stamps: MFT's Pure Innocence - Hula Girl
Dies: MFT's Die-namics: Hibiscus, Fishtail Banner, and the waves
Paper: Echo Park's 'Splash', DCWV Core'dinations.
Colored with Copics

It's also for the challenges at:
Charisma Cardz Challenge - Summer
Paper Play Challenges - Use a die
Allsorts Challenge - Any Die Will Do

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please leave a comment and come again soon!
Elizabeth

Lucky 37

Well, the older of my two little sisters is pushing 40. I've tried to avoid pondering exactly how messed up that is (Wasn't she just, like, 10? And if she's 37, that makes me... oh, good Heavens!) and to have a little fun with it.

I whipped up this set for her. It was a blast to do!
It's also for the challenges at:
CCEE Stampers - Use three embellishments. (The card has ribbon, pearls, and die cuts.)
Paper Sundaes - Anything Goes
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - Freebie Week = Anything Goes
MFT Wednesday Stamp Club - Use this sketch:


I got the idea and learned to make the felt fortune cookies - the box has a half-dozen of them in it - from this video by Jody Morrow. Here's a detail shot of them:

I even found a website that listed sentiments to type up for fortunes. :)

... and a better shot of the card.
The recipe:
Stamps: MFT Pure Innocence - Good Fortune
Dies - MFT Die-namics- I used By the Numbers, Mini Monarch Border, and Vintage Flourish.
Papers - Red is Piccadilly from Basic Grey, others are Echo Park - Yours Truly.
Pearls and ribbon from the stash.
Used my Bow Easy for the bow. It is easy, but I can't get the second tail to stay put! Grrr.

Thanks so much for dropping by today! I wish Good Fortune to you, too!

Elizabeth

More Sunny Days

... wish we could get a few more! The temperatures have been warm all winter (A friend's friend called it "June-uary" on a Facebook post.) but we've had more than our share of the dreary greys.  Since winter's been cancelled, I'm ready for some of those Carolina blue skies!

So, maybe that's why sunny days are on my mind.

Another reason to look forward to spring - longer days. I'm having a hard time shooting cards after dinner - usually when I get them done - and the light's gone. Using PSE helps, but then the color gets distorted. Any ideas?

Anyway, this one's for the Viva la Verve sketch challenge at Splitcoast and also for:
2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Use Stitching.
Crazy 4 Challenges - Use Stripes and Polka Dots
Pile It On - Sending Happiness
Flutterby Wednesday - Anything with Wings

The recipe:
All images are Verve - Sunny Days and All Aflutter
Papers are My Minds Eye - Lost and Found (I think this one's Madison Ave.)
A bit of lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Scalloped circle die is an MFT die-namic.
Odds and ends from the stash.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Here's hoping for sunny days (literal and metaphoric) for all of us!
Elizabeth

Stay There Forever

I love this Pooh-Bear quote. It sounds like the original Pooh, not the made-to-sell-lots-of-stuff one. A boxed set of A.A. Milne stories and poetry is among the first books I remember owning. :)

This fun set is Verve's Hundred Hearts. The card is for The Viva La Verve sketch challenge at Splitcoast and a few others:

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Pink and Red

Paperplay Challenges - Love Letters

Totally Gorjuss - Lurve - Y'all snuggle up and stay warm over there!

Catered Crop - Hearts

... and, of course, use this sketch:

The rest of the recipe:

Paper is Echo Park's Yours Truly. Dies are Verve, as are the other images. Pink stamping is Memento; silver stamping is Brilliance.

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope everyone enjoys their Valentine's Day (and, many, a Winter Wonderland to go with it! I am a bit jealous.)

Warm Fuzzies,

Elizabeth

Carpe Diem

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend! It seems that Old Man Winter finally decided, now that my daffodils are up and confused, to make an appearance. I know that the girls in Europe would LOVE to trade places with me - it will be 60F here by mid-week, so I won't whine. I'll just enjoy some time inside. :)

This is my entry for the Viva La Verve sketch challenge that's at Splitcoast every Friday:

It's also for the challenges at:
The Pink Elephant - Use Pink. It's Ella's third birthday! Way to go - you've built a blog that has really endured. No small accomplishment.
Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes
... and VLV - use this sketch:

The recipe:
Paper is Echo Park - Victoria's Garden. Images are Verve (I'm in looove with that 'fly!) stamped with Momento. I used a seam ripper to distress the edges of layers. Ribbons are from Really  Reasonable Ribbon. That's a Nestie in the center, touched up with Rose colored Distress Ink.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop over today. Please leave a comment - I learn quite a lot from them!
Stay warm!
Elizabeth

Just! Like! You!

   Did your parents ever yell that at you when they were just that fed up? This, my dad's favorite curse, came at the end of many a stern lecture. "I hope you have five kids! Just! Like! You!"
    Well, whoever's the Patron Saint of Parents Driven Insane by Teenagers must've heard, because between the two of us, my sister and I have four of them. Just. Like. Us.
     For the record, I find that endearing.
     Here's the Valentine that's going to my sister's house:

It's also for the challenges at:
4 Crafty Chicks - Love Is in the Air
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges - Love Is in the Air (Man, that stuff is going around!)
I {heart} 2 Stamp - This month's Sketch for You to Try:

   
What's the recipe?
Images are all My Favorite Things - Pure Innocence. Rolled roses are made using MFT's Die-namics Medium Rolled Rose. The little flags and pole are also Die-namics. Circles are all Nesties. Paper is Echo Park - Yours Truly. She's colored using Copics, and her little dress is paper-pieced.

Here's a better look at the roses. This die makes them easy-peasy!

That's a dark grey in the left panel. It didn't photograph well. I need to learn to better use the color editing on my PSE.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Elizabeth

... and a Fail

I really liked the inspiration sample at CASE study challenges:

Isn't this fab? I love the bright colors underneath!

So, I wanted to try a sample with negative die cutting myself. Ran into problems - this is the biggest one.

See the tiny holes? They're the dots that let you line up the dies and stamps (which I'm not using.) I just couldn't come up with anything that would keep the guide dots from cutting. Grrrr.

 Here's my solution:

I covered them with random itty-bitty, glittery hearts. Ups the cute factor a bit, but really screws up the balance, knowwhutimean? My 12-year old thinks it's great, so that makes me happy, but as far as challenges go, this one's a fail.

Still, it was fun to try. :)

Recipe:

Dies - Verve

Papers - Echo Park

Hearts - K & Co.

Thanks for stopping by. Please come again soon. I'll do better, I promise.

XX

elizabeth

It Don't Mean a Thing...

... if it ain't got that bling! Which is difficult when doing cards for sons, husbands, etc. That's where I am now. How to give a card enough oomph without it going girly? That's a bit of a challenge. Especially since Valentine's is, basically, girly.

So, finding this sketch gave me a case of the happies. I think it's just what I needed to turn out a masculine-enough card that's still all about V-Day. I used some red Stickles to bling up the 'flower'.

... and here's the sketch:

It's from Iwona Palomountains's Sketchbook Saturday challenge.
It's also for:
One Stop Craft Challenge - On the Spot and Ribbon
The Pink Elephant - Favorite color combo - In winter, I love red, white, and black!
Paper Issues - All We Need Is Love
Paper Sundaes - Choose your favorite challenge from the past. I'm going with #90, favorite colors.

The recipe:
All images are Verve, all paper is Echo Park - Yours Truly. Scallop die is MFT. Label die is also Verve. Picked up the seam binding on Etsy.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate your taking the time. I hope you've had a lovely weekend!
Elizabeth

Dream Big

*Sigh* my one and only personal (as opposed to school) child turns 13 in about three weeks. While I certainly don't want him to be living here when he's 40, I must say that I'm getting a little weirded out by the fact that he'll only be around full-time a few more years. Have y'all seen the Disney commercial with the families and the teenage kids? One of the lines is "There are only so many mountains left to climb together." Aaaack! Yeah, that's pushing the buttons, Walt. Not cool.

So, here's his birthday card. It's got to be manly enough for him, but still kid-ish enough that I can stand it:

It's also for the challenges at:
The ABC Challenge - H is for Happy Birthday. My birthday wish for him is to continue to dream big. He's set a goal to earn a ROTC scholarship in the hopes of engineering airplanes and is already taking steps toward it. Makes the sky a good theme, even if hot air balloons don't blow stuff up.
Papertake Weekly - Die Cute Special. The big hot air balloon has a die that goes with the stamp. (I had to fussy-cut the little one.) Awesome poofy clouds are also teeny-tiny dies.
Bee Crafty Downloads - Celebratory with balloons. I think I'm celebrating. Okay, he is. Me, not so much.
Finally, this is my attempt for this week's Viva la Verve sketch challenge at Splitcoasters.

The recipe:
Balloon images, big balloon die cut, and cloud dies are Taylored Expressions
Die cut label, frame and sentiment are Verve. Edge die is My Favorite Things.
Papers are Echo Park. All stamping is done in Momento.

Have a wonderful long weekend! Thanks so much for stopping by...
Elizabeth

Birthday Wishes

So, it's only January, and already I'm behind on the Viva La Verve sketches at Splitcoast. Yes, that means it took me exactly one week to fail. Stupid working for a living! :)

So, this weekend I'm catching up. This one's ready for a friend's birthday on Feb. 7, which means I still need to knock out a birthday for my turning-into-a-teen son, Valentines, and an anniversary. Yup. Plate's full. I love having pretty cards to give, but have you noticed that after you start giving these, if you do a store-bought one for someone, they wonder what's wrong? Better kick it up a notch!

As long as I'm at it, I thought I'd enter challenges at:
Crafty Creations Challenge - something new. I got the flowers/sprig stamps and dies for Christmas. Yay!
Cupcake Craft Challenges - something new. Great minds think alike!

Recipe:
All images and die cuts are Verve. I dressed up the flowers a little with some Diamond Stickles. PP is Echo Park, most from Yours Truly, though the music's from Victoria Garden.

While I was putting this together, I began to wonder, "Exactly how many zowie-patterned papers can one use before making herself carsick?" Ha! Pattern-on-pattern can be a little tricky. I'm still thinking the pink sprigs might be a bit much.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by today. I genuinely appreciate it. Please come again soon! In the meantime, I'll be face-down in a pile of patterned paper!

Enjoy your weekend,
Elizabeth

Rise Above Fear

Whipped up a quickie last night. My friend, Kim, has begun a quest to improve working conditions for the teachers in our area. Last week, she arranged a meeting with a state representative for several of us, and is trying to make a difference. I'm proud of her.

It's also my attempt at the Sweet Sunday Sketch


Thanks for stopping by today! Happy New Year!
Elizabeth