LANGUAGE OF FRIENDSHIP~

Got into card / envelop making yesterday and today.

Be sure to scroll down to see the 'box' envelope

I made to put the 'too' embellished card in,

with just a short toot~

And, check the last of this post to see my

Tipsy yard decoration I made this year...

First the card...

I was inspired by DD's (Kim who is Living in Paradise) card. She used some DP from SU! that I just couldn't get the hang of. It's dark paper and I didn't find it very inspiring, but her card is so elegant that I decided to give it a try. I almost threw this away and start over with softer colors. I persevered though and finally finished it late last night. Then I made a envelope with the new SU! diagonal score board this morning. What fun to be able to make matching envelopes and not put a beautiful card into a plain white one! But the embellishments were too 'thick' and would be mushed so I decided to make a box envelope. I followed SU! directions and cut a 7 3/4" square on the first one, but for the box envelope I cut an 8" square. Then I scored (on the diagonal) at 4 1/8, added a 1/4" and scored it again. Repeat on the opposite side. Flip again and score at 3 1/8", add 1/4" and score again. Repeat on the opposite side. It was difficult to tape together because it would flatten out when I tried to super sticky tape it. So...I cut a 1/4" thick core board the size of the card and folded the envelope around it and then had a firm surface to retain the shape of the 'box'. Clear as mud? Maybe the pictures below will help.

I believe the post office would charge extra

for this due to the bulk of the card/envelope.

I should mail one to myself and see!

I am entering this card/envelop in the following inspiring challenges

Everybody Art Challenge - monochromatic brown

All Sorts Challenge - any die will do



CCEE Stampers - for a guy

Chocolate Coffee Cards -Shades of brown and Cream colors, YUM!

Cooking It Up with Katie - for a special guy, texture and finish with a little metal

Crafty Calendar Challenge - flowers in bloom

Craft Your Passion - things with wings

Creative Craft Challenge - tweet, tweet

Cupcake Craft Challenge - birds of a feather

Desert Island Crafts Challenge - Choice of 10 (ribbons, wings, metal hardware)

Fussy and Fancy Challenge - for a guy

Incy Wincy Designs - Anything goes

Lollipop Crafts - Flowers in bloom

Love to Create - Anything Goes

Paper Play Challenge - use a die cut

Party Time Tuesday - Anything Goes

Pile It On - Make your own embellishment (flower)

Stampin' for the Week-end - Show Us Your Style (Vintage)

Sugar Creek Hollow - circles

Sweet Stampin' Challenge - ribbons and bows

Pals Paper Arts - Sketch

Now for the Tipsy Surprise!

My time is consumed with Pinterest

the past several months.

Lots and lots of pins.

Haven't tried many of them except for recipes.

 My DH is lovin' that!

I saw the Tipsy flower pots and actually

made it in our newly enlarged flower bed.

The directions said to use rebarb to 'chain' 

the pots through the drainage holes.

DH suggested a Shepard's hook.

I said "Naw, can't get the pots over the hook!"

Mark your calendars! 

He was right!

Ignore the marigolds around the bottom.

Didn't think they would grow since

I started them from seeds.

Mark your calendars! I

 was wrong again!

OK, put your calendars away.

I'm only allowed 2 wrongs each year.

I'm done!

ps On the Shepard's hook I hung our hummingbird feeder.

We have had Orioles, woodpeckers,

and hummingbirds using it.

SAM

A SMOOCHY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Life got in my way and did not leave any time or mojo for card making the last couple months.

End of the school year was way too busy as usual.

Less than 24 hours after my last day of work I'm sick, with a fever.

It lasted 2 weeks and took another 2 weeks to get my energy back.

In the middle of all that, my DD Kim came home for a 2 week vacation.

She ended up taking care of me.

I'm not a very good patient!

Then my DD and good friend Patti J encouraged me to dig deep for the mojo.

I did.

And,

Here it is!

The sad part about all of this is that I placed a couple orders with SU! from the new 2012-13 catalog and I didn't even 'play' with it till today. Love the new catalog and for this card I used the new Bright Blossoms stamp set and Summer Smooches DP. Oh, please notice that I made a matching envelope. I also ordered the new diagonal scoring plate, never used it till today and in less that 5 minutes (that includes reading the simple directions), I had made an envelope. Think of the money I can save! Also new to me, is the edgelits-Adorning Accents (and embossing folder to match). Check out the bottom portion of the front of the card. Everything went together very quickly and just following a few challenges made it even easier to dig up that lost mojo!

Lexi's Creations - Happy Birthday

Just Us Girls - color challenge-red, white and blue

The Saturday Challenge - color challenge-red, white and blue

Stamping 411 Color challenge - high school colors, graduated from McCluer in 19--!

Let's Ink it Up - favorite embellishments (ribbon and pearls)

Creatalicious Challenge - Anything Goes

Robyn's Fetish Challenge - Anything Goes

The Crazy Challenge - recipe-ribbon, pearls, dies/punches

Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge

Thanks for stopping by!

SAM

From the Heart~

Using SU! supplies

(and anxiously awaiting their newest catalog)

I made this CAS embossed

"From the Heart"

 card.

Inspirational challenges are:

Alphabet Challenge - G is for Garden

By the Cute and Girly - Spring is All Around

Crazy 4 Challenges - Gardening or the great outdoors

Creative Card Crew - Ribbon

CropStop - emboss

Deep Ocean Challenge - Punches/Dies

The Order of the Opus Gluei - Beyond the Garden Gate

Paper Take Weekly - anything goes -optional lace

Pixie Dust Studio - Flower

I Did It Creations - Buttons, Blue and a Button too

Stamp, Scrap and Doodle - Ribbons and Bows

Stamping 411 - sketch

SUO Challenge - Mother's Day

The Cuttlebug Spot - Flowers for Mom

The Pink Elephant - Spring Time

Truly Scrumptious Challenge - distressing, Die cuts/Punches

Tuesday Morning Throwdown - "In the Garden"

Pals Paper Challenge - Color

Kaboodle Doodles - Dimension

4 Crafty Chicks - favorite embellishment (shiny ribbon)

Stampin' for the Weekend - no less than 4 layers

CES Challenge - No Squares Allowed!

Oldie But Goodie - Punches/Die (SU! sentiment is 'way' old!)

Desert Island Crafts - Choice of 10, I did punch shape, bright colors, button.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week...

I will
6 more days of school

and then

SUMMER VACATION!

Which means,

visiting with our daughter

and

getting 'stuff' done that
I didn't get done during the school year!

SAM

Paws'tively Celebrating!

Secretaries Day and Nurse's Day are right around the corner.

 Even though it's not a celebration of a new little baby,

I'm still in the punch art mode.

So I made 'doggies'
(they all have and love their pups so much)

 to tell each how Paws'tively Perfect they are!

If you like to play the game where you find the differences

in 2 pictures you can play it now!

Well the left one is for our 2 wonderful secretaries and the right is for our school nurse -

See it now?

That's right, I added a thermometer and a Kleenex for the nursie card!

Gosh I must have made it too easy!

Well, how about noting the inspiring challenges that helped design this set of cards...

Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - Bingo (Emboss, Punches, no pattern paper)

Craft Your Days Away - Metal (Look close, brad dog bone!)

Craft Your Passions - die cuts and punches (boy did I use a lot of punches!)

Crazy 4 Challenges - Make your card POP by adding lack Cardstock

Cute Card Thursday - Metal

Fussy and Fancy Challenge - Punches/die cuts

Joanna Sheen Challenge - Someone special (all 3 ladies are my friends!)

Lexi's Creations - punches and/or dies

Polly Craft Challenge - Cute Critters

Ribbon Carousel Challenge - Use bright colors

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - loaded with layers

Pals Papers Crafts - sketch

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a fantastic week!

SAM

Mixed Bunch...

Lovely tag card using SU! Mixed Bunch and Marina Mist.

A very easy 'stamp your own background'

with trio flowers from 'Language of Friendship' set.

Sentiment is from 'Well Scripted'.

Inspirational Challenges are:

Crafty Ribbons, Cute Card Thursday, and One Crazy Stamper are challenging a Birthday theme

Do You Stack Up? challenged a favorite color

Gingersnap Creations - challenged only 2 colors (blue, brown, neutral white)

Lollipop Crafts - challenged white with a splash of color

Paper Crafting Journey challenged Pretty Pastels

Party Time Tuesday challenged a selection of a monochromatic color

Let's Ink It Up challenged to Show Us Your Flowers

Scrap Creations challenged ribbons and pearls

Totally Stampalicious challenged a bouquet of flowers

Crazy Challenge challenged No Designer Paper

The following pictures show gifts I made for the hostess of a Stampin' Up party.

Thanks Tonya, soooooooooo much fun!

A Gift Bag...

Candy Bar and Baker's Twine Holder...

Thanks for stopping by.

I have done a clean-up/moved stuff around in my 'crap' room,

so hopefully I can gear back into making some more paperies!

SAM

Happy St. Pat's Day!

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart..."

An Asian Artistry - One Layer card...

Love to see what other's do with a one layer card (ie. no layer except base).

Thought I would give it a try.

Entering in the following challenges...

Creative Card Crew - masculine

Kaboodle Designs- masculine

OLW79 - Stamp, stamp, stamp, one layer, use at 3 stamps, I used 4

Gingersnap Creations - Challenge of words

Sentimental Sundays - let's get sentimental

Happy Sunday to all!

SAM

~~~Butterfly~~~

Quick CAS card.

Why is CAS not so easy?

So maybe CAS isn't CAS?

uhm, deep...

I bought the stamp on sale. Love it for the doily look.

Just a few inspirational challenges today.

365 Cards, Day 352 - paper clipped (I used a round paperclip)

Paper Craft Star - butterflies

Craft Us Crazy - favorite color (black/white color combo, with pop of melon mambo)

and favorite embellishment (rhinestones, punches)

Our Creative Corner - Black and white with a splash of color

The Play Date Cafe - Black and white with a splash of hot pink

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - no designer paper

Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge - Anything goes

Clean and Simple Stamping - sketch

CCEE Stampers - white on white with a little color

Truly Scrumptious Challenge - all creatures great and small

Alphabet Challenge - animal antics

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

SAM

Birthday, Love, Copics!

Happy Valentines Day!

Wee bit of snow gave me a couple days at home.

Totally enjoyed the long week-end!
Couple of cards to show you...
the first card...

A Happy Birthday card for my bestest daughter Kim!

I didn't want to post this till she got her package so I've been

sitting (no, not literally) on it for a week now.

I am entering Kim's card in the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - free and easy February

If the Shoe Fits, Scrap It - Anything Goes

and the second card...

is a SU! Valentine card.

I turned the sketch and glued the blue DP

to the back so it lifts up to reveal the inside.

My inspiring challenges for Love card are...

Clean and Simple Sketch

Let's Ink It Up - Ribbons and lace

Crafty Creations - Swirly Whirly

CES Challenges - LOL...Lots of Layers

Cooking it Up with Katie - from a spool (ribbon), metal, sentiment

I Did It Creations - square cards

Totally Stampalicious - Texture

4 Crafty Chicks - Love is in the air

Creative Belli Challenge - Hearts/Valentines

By the Cute and Girly - Love is in the air

CRAFT Challenge - Valentine's Day

Craft Us Crazy - anything goes

Crafty Ann's Challenge - Love is in the Air

Crafty Calendar - Love and Marriage

Crazy Challenge - Valentine's Day

Creatalicious Challenge - All about lace

Creative Craft Challenge - Romantic with Valentines

Deep Ocean Challenge - LOVE YOU!

Do You Stack Up? - Love

For Fun Challenge - Put a little love in your heart

Fussy and Fancy - With all my heart

Hand Stamped Sentiments - Love is in the air

Incy Wincy Designs - recipe: 3 embellishments, 2 papers, and 1 image

Lollipop Crafts - with love

Oldie But Goodie - lace (Dp and Greeting Card Kid are a couple years old, Love stamp is new)

Once Crazy Stamper - Love is in the air

Paper Play Challenges - Love Letters

Simon Says Stamps - Love is in the air

Stamping 411 Color Challenge

Stamps R Us - Valentine/Love

Stamptacular Sunday - Pearls and lace

Totally Gorjuss - Lurve

Truly Scrumptious - Love and Hearts

Scrappy Frogs Challenge - die cut

And now, my new Copic storage!

I have this neat storage unit my DD gave me when we

reorganized my 'craft' (ie. crap) room...

And I stored my markers in a couple of letter holders,

never could find the markers I needed quickly...

Then I bought a big (4'x8') light diffuser grid at Lowes

and my DH cut it up to fit in my square storage cube

(He cut 3 so I could stack them for more stability)...

And this is the end result...

Viola!...

And this is a bird's eye view...

I have sketch copics and they fit in the tiny squares at an angle. I don't know if the other styles of copic markers would work or not. I went ahead and put my primsa markers in it too. Looks like I have room to grow. My daughter took one glance at it and said "You have room for 144 copic markers!"

I do need to admit though that this is not my original idea.

 I found it on Pinterest!

Whew! I think I'm done now. Haven't posted for a couple of weeks...guess I had more to say than I thought I would. Back to work tomorrow, 2 days with kids and then Professional Development day on Friday, Monday is a holiday and I have a Dr. ap'pt the next Friday. I think I'm getting spoiled!

SAM