That's why they call them "Challenges"...

Today's challenge over at SCS was to make a card inspired by a bookcover at this site. My card is based on this bookcover (small photo). . This is quite outside my box, but hey, doing this sort of thing makes us grow, right? :) I used my new Papertrey Ink set called Bird Watching Additions (my first order), which I used for the colored bird images. The black and white birds are from Crafty Secrets and my daughter's Disney Hannah Montana set, of all things LOL!!. The blue cardstock is SU's Blue Bayou, and the rest of the paper, ribbon, and bling are from my stash (companies long forgotten, so sorry!) I computer-generated the sentiment.

So let me tell you, I had a very nice experience with Papertrey Ink. I put in my first-ever order, which included two stamp sets, white cardstock, vellum cardstock, leaf ribbon, and buttons. Everything was FABULOUS - the quality is excellent. BUT.... the buttons fell well short of the advertised quantity of 100 to 275 buttons per bag. So I sent an email to customer service, and you know what? I got an email back from Nichole Heady herself (she's the founder/owner) apologizing, saying she would send me an ADDITIONAL set of buttons free of charge, and saying that they will change their website to better reflect the actual quantity of buttons now in the packets (apparently they were doing it by weight, but as the buttons got larger, the quantity got smaller). I was blown away by the quick, personal, and wonderful response. I will definitely order from them again! It's so nice when people do the right thing - made my weekend :) Have a wonderful weekend yourself!

Buttons and Lace ATCs

An ATC that I made for our local swap tonight in Apex, NC.
I just love this Botticelli clipart image (I've used her before) and this Cornish Heritage Farms stamp set (Ornamental Beauty) designed by Julia Stainton. Our theme was to use buttons and lace, so I raided my mom's stash of vintage mother-of-pearl buttons and old lace - what fun! I had the cards done yesterday, then noticed that today's Ways to Use It challenge over at SCS is buttons. Now that's a great piece of luck LOL! If you'd like, check out the rest of the gallery here. Thanks for looking and have a wonderful day!

A Few Patriotic Creations

EDITED TO ADD: I used rubber that already had cling mount attached, so the shape is stuck to the acrylic mount permanently.

A few little thingies I created after gazing at patriotic blogs over the weekend. I made the ATC as part of a set that I am going to incorporate into Birthday calendars for my family for Christmas. The tag is for today's Theme Thursday challenge, which was to make, well, a tag! (Or incorporate one into your artwork :)

I am always looking for ways to use the rubber I have left over from rubber stamp sheets and sets. I decided to try a few rustic stars (I say "rustic" because these things I make myself are NEVER perfect. So they're "shabby chic" LOL!) I just used an ancient template I had, traced out a medium and large star, and adhered on either side of a 50-cent acrylic block.


I stamped the stars in blue and red inks on the base of a tag, and embellished from there.


The "real" stamps are from Prairie Rubber Stamps, Stampabilities, Hero Arts, and JustRite.
Have a great day!

Let's Go Canes!!!

Taking a break to go to Game 3 of the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Penquins Eastern Conference Finals playoff game. I guess you can tell who I'm rooting for :) Have a great Saturday.

Anniversary Numbers

I needed to make an anniversary card for my husband, but couldn't come up with an idea that wasn't too feminine and gushy. Luckily, along came the Theme Thursday challenge, which was numbers. Now that's something a guy can understand :). This card has numbers on it that are significant - some just to us, and others that anyone can relate to. For instance did you know that 143 means "I love you"? Each number stands for the number of letters in the three words. And 831 - that means "8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning." A little love number trivia for ya. The music is vintage (we were both musicians a long time ago - we met at college in a dorm called "Arts House" that housed arts-loving students). The token says "happiness" (don't know if you can see it). And he'll just have to put up with a little girly touch - a red rose for love LOL! Have a great evening.