School Girl...

Memories of starting school.

I was the kid who liked going to school.

In my 50s before I stopped going to school.

And now...

I work at a school!

So many school challenges and so little time...
Raise the Bar Challenge - Primary colors of red, blue, green
Designed 2 Delight - Progressive free image challenge "Maisie Belle"
StampinB Design team challenge - easel card

Belli Challenge - gingham

Digital Tuesday - Cute and Girly

Craft us Crazy - anything goes

Crop Stop - anything goes

Totally Gorjuss - As you like it

All Sorts Challenge - Back to school

Crazy Challenge - Back to school

Paper Craft Star - Back to school

Paper Play Challenge - Back to school

Party Time Tuesdays - Back to school

Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Back to school

Totally Paper Crafts - Back to school

Just Add Ink - something from your stash 

[flower soft, had to have it and this is the first time I've used it!]
365 Cards, Day 177 - album inspired

I'm a TOP SPOOL winner!

Well, best get off the computer and get ready to get "BACK TO SCHOOL" tomorrow!

SAM

EVERY FLOWER...

IS TO BLOOM...

Digital art by Faith at Designed 2 Delight.

I took it up another step and finally figured out what to do with a PNG digi. 

I layered it on top of a free digital background paper. 

Placed a brown frame around it. 

Printed it. 

Cut it out with just a little white edge and viola! - a matted image! 

Placed on top of embossed Bermuda Bay, brads, bling, punched flower, 

dotted ribbon, a card base of soft suede and again - viola! - a card! 
all done in WORD

Life can be so simple at times.

Challenges:

Designed 2 Delight - Every Flower is to Bloom free digi

D2D Designer's Challenge - anything goes

Everybody Art Challenge - brown and blue

Paper Pretties - brown, blue + choice (pink)

Card Positioning System - sketch

Top Chef - I picked 3 of the 4 ingredients

Here's your FTR19 recipe.

      Colors – jewel tones of pink, violet and blue, gold/yellow and brown

                 Stamps and Stickers – gears or clock works, wizards and magic, butterflies, text/script, sentiment

                 Color Mediums – stamping/distress ink, markers (ProMarker, Copics), and acrylic paint

                 Embellishments – ribbon, brads, tags, polymer clay, glitter/Stickles

                 Techniques – mix-media, collage, use and/or layer digital stamps, edge the card with paint

Kaboodle Doodles - ribbons 

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge - use a lot (at least 3) of your favorite embellishments 

[ribbon, brads, punched flowers and pearls]

CELEBRATE - tomorrow is TGIF!

SAM

School Daze

Quick post, off to my first Copics class!

365 Cards, Day 170 - vintage plus blue

Color Lab Color challenge - pool party, pear pizzazz, soft suede

Creative Inspirations - back to school

Cupcake Craft challenge - sketch

Desert Island Crafts - I picked: dry embossing, real machine stitching and vintage

Speedy the Cat's Friends -emboss
Paper Craft Star Challenge - inspiration photo
Papertake Weekly - bingo: free, ribbon, lace
Pile It On - blue
Polly Craft Challenge -distressing
Simply Create Challenge - time to distress
Stamping Bs Challenge - distressing
Sugar Creek Hollow - vintage/buttons/bows
Pink Elephant - stitching
Truly Scrumptious - lace
Tuesday Taggers - anything goes
Simply Create Challenge - time to distress
Color Create Challenge - blue, green, white, red and brown
Deep Ocean Challenge - light blue
Challenge Up Your Life - no patterned paper
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Little Red Wagon - Back to School
Paper Pretties - Back to School
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Back to School

Till next time - SAM

STITCHED PUMPKIN

You're never too old to learn and learn I did this week-end! When Faith at Designed 2 Delight sent me my free digi - Stitched Pumpkin - I knew I wanted to paper piece it but boy oh boy I hate fussy cutting! So I looked on the internet and found GIMP which I had downloaded some time ago and never used. 

So I used it. 

The pumpkin and border is 'paper pieced' and I didn't have to pick up a pair of scissors! Don't ask me how I did it. I'm not one to read directions. I am one that will keep clicking till something happens. The only problem I had was trying to change it after I had filled each section. . .

Not good for someone who changes their mind a lot, 
but maybe the structure I need to learn to read directions...?

I am entering this card in the following challenges:


Crafty Ann's Challenge - Scallops and/or Fancy Borders
Hot Spot Challenge - Fall color trend, I used the brown, teal, and bamboo
The Play Date Cafe - Fudge, Goldenrod, Teal

Designed 2 Delight - Stitched Pumpkin digi
Sketch Saturday - 

Challenge Up Your Life - No Designer Paper

Well the weather is super duper here in the Midwest. 

One could close their eyes and pretend it is fall!

SAM

Happy Birthday Fishes!

An Under the Sea scene using a technique in which 

you cut out sections of the dry embossing.

I matted the whisper white C S with a 'water' patterned paper 

to show through the cut-out sections. 

Hard to see, but the little tag says "Best Fishes"

365 Cards, Day 163 - Setting the Scene - Under the Sea

Our Creative Corner - no flowers

Incy Wincy Designs - something new (copics) something old (stamp set-Sushi Bowl party)

Craft Your Passion - Under the Sea
Paper Playtime - projects with water
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Crafts and Me - anything goes

Party Time Tuesday - Inspiration Picture

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week-end!

SAM

Happy Birthday Little Mouse!

White on White Birthday card with a free digi from Designed 2 Delight. 

A Spoonful of Sugar - Happy Birthday

Birthday Sundaes - Happy Birthday

Craft Your Days Away - Happy Birthday

Crazy Challenge - emboss

Designed 2 Delight - free cupcake mouse image

Designed 2 Delight Designers Challenge - bling

Do You Stack Up? - emboss

Inspirational Card Challenge sketch

One Stitch At a Time - Use a digi

Paper Pretties Blog - die cut

Simon Says Stamps Challenge - WOW, White on White

Tuesday Throwdown - Birthday

Anything Goes - Happy Birthday
Cute Card Thursday  - CAS
Freshly Brewed Designs - CAS with no more than 3 embellishments (pearls, ribbon, flower)
Raise the Bar Challenge - open

Thanks for stopping by and TGIF!

SAM

CHRISTMAS STAMPIN' ALL YEAR LONG...

and I have been invited to be their 
guest designer

this week for an terrific challenge of

"Gimme the Bird"! 

So much fun and wonderful to be a part of such an great team and challenge. This is the first year of my entire life (and I'm not telling exactly which decade that would be!) 

that I have had any kind of Christmas card completed. 

Thank goodness for challenges like this that light a fire and get me movin'!

I used the image "Kissing Penguins" from Pink Cat Studio. Such a fun image and combined with the current Mojo sketch I couldn't help but make such a cute Christmas card. 

If you participate this week with
 Christmas Stampin All Year Long 
you will have a chance to win 
5 images of your choice from Pink Cat Studio



Now, let me introduce you to my interpretation of "Kissing Penguins"!

So get out your stored away Christmas paper crafting supplies, rev up your mojo,

find a bird image and make a Christmas card and get that stash a growin'!

I am entering this in the following challenges:

Top Chef - Catered Crop - my recipe is a mixture of 
Copic coloring, glitter and die cut shapes.

Craft Us Crazy - is anything goes

Do It with Digis - Christmas in August

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge - Christmas

Paper Play Challenge - Christmas in August

The Shabby Tea Room - mix and match 3 designer papers

Totally Gorjuss - Christmas

Thanks for stopping by

and

Merry Kissmas to All!

SAM

Beachy Summer Dreams...

An impromptu visit to St. Louis netted me a couple new stamp sets

- one being tropical -

that inspired me to take up all the summer challenges posted now

 and see what I could do with it.

 Now for my list of challenges!

By the Cute and Girly - by the sea
Cooking It Up with Katie - recipe: old [flourish die cut, buttons, ribbon],
new [stamps, Pattern paper], favorite techniques [embossing on PP and sanding]
CES Challenge - feeling the blues
Crafty Calendar - water theme
Craft Your Passion - open
Deep Ocean Challenge - sea
Incy Wincy Designs - monochromatic
Lil' Red Wagon - heat embossing (the sentiment)
Paper Issues - make a splash
Paper Take Weekly - Anything goes
Pixie Dust Studio - Monochromatic with favorite color - BLUE!
Saturday Challenge - Monochromatic
Tuesday Morning Sketch -

Moxie Fab Tuesday Trigger -

Your Next Stamp Challenge - beautiful borders, use border punches
CCEE Stampers - seasonal either 'summer' or winter
Crafty Anns Challenge - Summertime...and the living is easy
Craft Your Days Away - summer time
Crazy Challenge - Sun is Out
Creative Craft Challenge - Summertime
Creative Inspirations - Summer
Critter Challenge - summer fun
If the Shoe Fits Scrap It! - summer
One Crazy Stamper - fun in the sun
Paper Pretties - Lazy days of summer
Pile It On - Fun in the sun
Really Reasonable Ribbons - Sizzlin' Summer
Stamp Something - summer fun
Try It On Tuesday - from the beach
Tuesday Throwdown - summertime
Frosted Designs - circles
365 Cards, Day 156 - cheer someone up "When Life Gives You Lemons"

Whew! That should be enough for one day!

SAM