Inspire

Good Sunday afternoon!

I meant to have a post ready to go this morning but my card was sitting on my desk half finished while I was at church and then lunch with our kids.

You know what they say..."the best laid plans...."

I saw this Clean and Simple sketch a couple of weeks ago and put it in my Sketch Folder of sketches I want to try.

It worked so well with the frame image from Unity's January Kit- "To the Moon and Back".

I have a special friend who is inspiring me in so many ways recently. She will be getting this card in the mail this week. Because she really does inspire me!

It's laundry today at my house. And I've got a bunch! Found some great deals yesterday while I was out yardsaling with my daughter-in-law.
But, today marks the last day of my Growing in Unity week and that means a free stamp set for one of my followers. You still have a little time to follow the blog and comment on all of the week's projects/posts. You have until 6 pm CST!
I will be back in a bit with the winner of the Unity Kit!
Blessings~
Angel

Card Recipe:
Stamps~Unity's January Kit- "To the Moon and Back"
Ink~ Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz
Paper~ Pretty in Pink, Pear Pizzazz, K & Co Urban Rhapsody DP
Accessories~ SU Scalloped Border Punch, Divine Twine, We R Memory Keepers hardware

Growing In Unity

Happy Wednesday!
If you've found me by way of the Unity blog, I am so very glad you stopped by. I am so excited to be this week's
Growing in Unity stamper!
YEAH!
To celebrate, I will have projects made with Unity stamps all week long and then on Sunday I will draw a name from all of the week's comments (Mon-Sun). That person will win Unity stamps!
Who doesn't like Unity stamps?

I have 4 of the Unity monthly kits so far and LOVE them. My project today uses the bird image from February's kit and the thank you sentiment from January's kit. I masked the sentiment to take it from one line to two to fit my circle embellishment. I love how this card turned out!
I sure hope you aren't getting tired of these "Woodhaven" papers because I have one more project to show you!
Don't forget to leave a comment! (One comment per post please.)
Unity is giving one of the following free kits to one of my followers: Margarita Moments, Along for the Ride, Berry Good Life or Grow Yourself Extraordinary. You can subscribe or follow my blog by clicking the link on the right sidebar.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Angel

Recipe:

Sketch- VLVMar2011

Stamps- UNITY- Jan. To the Moon & Back & Feb. The Best is Yet to Be; Damask-SU

Paper- Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Kraft, White, Colorbok Woodhaven DP

Ink- Baja Breeze, Black, White
Accessories- Victoria CB folder, Circle Punches, K & Co fabric brad, Prima, Paper Studio Pearl, mini flower punch (Michaels $1), Scalloped Border Punch (SU), Sponge

Kickin' it Up a Notch!

This was actually the first of the 2 cards I made that are similar. I followed the 4th sketch of 5 March Verve sketches for this one. And I used my extra elements for the first card I posted today.You can see the glittery flower a little bit better in this picture.

I sure hope the sun comes out tomorrow so I can get better pics!
Don't forget to leave another comment on this post for a chance to win some Unity stamps for yourself!

Blessings~
Angel

Card Recipe: Card is 5.5" Square
Stamps~ Just You (March KOM) Unity
Ink~ Baja Breeze, ,Old Olive
Paper~ PTI White, Kraft, White, Colorbok Woodhaven DP

Accessories~ 2 way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Vintage lace, EK Success Dotted Wave border punch, square punch, corner rounder and sponge

Another Planner

I am almost done with my planners. I have basically treated them as cards- just a different size. For this planer I used what I thought was the 4th March Viva la Verve sketch, but it was actually February's. OOPS!

This planner is for my neighbor and the inside pages have horses on them, so I wanted the cover to be a soft "country" look.

It's been fun to get back into the stamping groove and posting on a more regular basis! I should be back Monday!
I hope you have a great weekend!
Blessings~
Angel

RECIPE
Stamps~ One of a Kind (SU)
Ink~ Baja Breeze
Paper~ Vanilla, Kraft, Baja, SU DP (Manchester)
Accessories~ Corner Rounder, Victorian CB folder, twill tape (SU), And I think Blue Bayou stitched ribbon which at first I thought was Baja

SWEET Unity

I just couldn't wait to play with my newest Unity Stamps! The March Kit of the Month was another winner. I've never been disappointed!
I decided I needed more birthday cards...especially juvenile ones. So that is going to be my mission over the next few weeks. Besides, they are FUN cards to make!

I pulled the color combo from the paper which was from some Sassafras papers I bought a little while back from CraftySteals.com. If you've never heard of them, you have to check them out. They have 1 "steal" a day and they hunt the cutest stuff for their bargains! I have been very happy with my purchases from them.

This card was made for Jen's March Sketch for you to Try (SFYTT) that I turned on to its side as well as the Meljens Challenge which was dots. It also goes into the pot for the Papertake Weekly Challenge- Triotastic and both Paper Play and Let's Ink it Up to emboss.

It's Friday and we are going to see the grandbaby and of course his mommy and daddy. It's family pizza/game night!
Have a good one!
Blessings~

Angel

Recipe:

Stamps~ Unity

Ink~ Versafine Black

Paper~ Summer Sun, Taken w/ Teal, Poppy Parade, SU White, Sassafras Lass DP

Accessories~ Swiss Dots CB folder, Corner Rounder, brads, Christmas Red Stickles

Romans 8:28

I am still playing along in challenges and it is really getting my stamping mojo going! First of all, I checked in with Our Daily Bread Designs yesterday and saw that they were having a scrapbook challenge to use the color fuchsia and or crystals. Well, I did not do a scrapbook page, but used those elements as my starting point for my card instead. I am not entering the challenge as it is not a scrapbook page. I saw the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to use Stars! And lastly I played along with the sketch challenge at There She Goes.

My card is pretty straightforward. I added a layer of Crystal Effects to my punched & embossed star and sprinkled a bit of glitter over the top. It really stands out!

Thanks for visiting. I am off to find some more challenges! teehee

Blessings!
Angel

Recipe:

Stamps~ Scripture Collection 1 (ODBD)

Ink~ Melon Mambo & Rich Razzleberry

Paper~ Melon Mambo, Razzleberry Peach Parfait & Razzleberry Lemonade DP- SU

Accessories~ Regal Flourishes CB folder (Tim Holtz); Star Punch; Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds glitter; Corner Rounder, Distressing tool, Pop Dots; Michaels $1 stitched purple Ribbon

"BLUSH"ing ODBD

Our Daily Bread Designs is celebrating their 3rd anniversary this year! These stamps continue to be my go-to scriptures and if I had my own way (and more $$) I would certainly own a lot more of their stamp sets!
The scripture I used for my card today was the verse I chose for one of the first anniversary scripture collections. I am participating in their Anniversary Challenge by using pearls on my card today. They are brown but I hope they still count. They matched the Basic Grey "Blush" papers so nicely!
The sketch I used was Viva la Verve Week 2. And I am also entering this into the Crafty Pad challenge to use buttons.
Thanks for visiting today!
~Angel

Stamps: Scripture Collection 2 (ODBD)

Paper: Basic Grey Blush, Early Espresso

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

Accessories: Vintage Pink RicRac & Button, Brown Pearls, Circle Punch, Moroccan CB Folder

A Black & White Proverb

While trying to get rid of a headache today, I did a little bit of stamping to get my mind off of it. I knocked out 2 challenges on this card-

both the Mojo Monday Sketch

as well as the Get Your Diva On Challenge which was to use neutrals with a pop of color.
The card was pretty quick once I decided on black and white. I dug through my scraps and found this cool black and white DP. The verse is one of my favorites and is a Plain Jane by Verve. The Victorian Embossing folder brought the black background to life. I nearly went with red as my color splash, but instead went with the bright spring green Prima flower and ribbon (Hobby Lobby) as my pop of color. Instead of hauling out my Wizard and dies, I went easier since my verse fit perfectly into my Marvy oval and scalloped oval punches.
Stamping helped a little, but I am hoping I am headacheless tomorrow so I can help take care of my grandbaby.
That's all I have for now!
Thanks for visiting!!!
~Angel

Recipe:
Stamps~ Verve Plain Jane (Prov 3:5)

Ink~ Versafine Black

Paper~ PTI White, Black (SU), B&W scrap (?)
Accessories~ Martha Cosmos Punch, Prima, Brad-stash, Ribbon (HL), Victorian CB Folder, Marvy Oval & Scalloped Oval punches

More Planners!

I am still working on planners! Yesterday I wanted to use the Viva la Verve March sketches and decided they would make great covers for a couple of planners.

I paired up a couple of my favorite designer papers with some ODBD scripture stamps and came up with these 2.

They are a couple of my favorites yet. Only 2 more left to make!
Thanks for visiting!!!

See you Monday!
~Angel

Recipes:
Planner 1

Stamps: On Eagles Wings (ODBD)

Paper: Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, SU White & SU Razzleberry Lemonade DP

Ink: Razzleberry

Accessories: SU Scalloped Border Punch, Ribbon, flowers and brad (stash)

Planner 2:

Stamps: Hope (ODBD)

Paper: Regal Rose, Espresso, Shimmery cream, Basic Grey Porcelain DP

Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento

Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper (?) CB folder, punched flowers, brads

Whimsy Pair

I recently purchased the cutest Making Memories "Scrapbook Project Pad" named Whimsy. The 8x8 papers came with all sorts of embellishments including ribbon, flowers, chipboard, buttons and diecuts. At over 1000 pieces it was a steal at Tuesday Morning for FIVE BUCKS.

And did I mention it's C U T E?

I pulled it out yesterday afternoon and decided to grab a couple of sketches to work with.I chose the My Favorite Things SCS sketch for my first card. And didn't notice until I started writing this post that I had mixed up the sketches. I intentionally used a Verve stamp on what I thought was the Verve sketch. But it was the MFT sketch instead. OOPS! The card is still cute and fun.

And will be a great card to send to a friend going through a particular trying time!

For the next card, I used the Mojo Monday sketch! The Mojo Monday sketches are always a treat. They are one of my favorites!

Using the same Whimsy papers I made a birthday card for this sketch!
I love how the cupcake (from the $1 Michael's stamp bin) and the Wish with candle (Unity) went together like they were made to! Paper piecing is always fun. Since I lack those marvelous markers (whose name starts with a C and ends with a P) *sigh*, it's a good alternative to coloring at my house! Remarkably, my camera actually cooperated and let me get a decent close-up!

That's all from me for now! I hope to stamp again today!
I'm having a blast!
~Angel

Card Recipes

Card A (MFTWSC10)
Stamps~ Verve Plain Jane Phil 4:13

Ink~ Old Olive

Paper~ PTI White, Pixie Pink; DP- Memory Maker's Whimsy

Accessories~ Pink Divine Twine, SU Bird Punch, Pink Jewel

Card B (MOJO181)

Stamps~ Unity Wish (Nov KOM), Cupcake (Studio G)

Ink~ Versafine Onyx Black

Paper~ PTI White, Pixie Pink; DP- Memory Maker's Whimsy

Accessories~ SU Scalloped Border Punch, Petite Scalloped Circle Small Nestabilities, Making Memories Blue Flourish Chipboard, Crystal Stickles, Blue Square Brads (?)

The birthday card also qualifies for the Aud Sentiments Challenge

To the Moon & Back

I had some stamping time today and was up for a challenge so I joined Beate doing Claudia & Company's recipe challenge to use: stitching (real or faux), 2 patterned papers, buttons, a sentiment, circles and scallops! Whew! I used this week's SCS Color Challenge and I also glanced at the Unity Hip Hop sketch challenge!
After a couple of failed attempts, I finally came up with a card I could live with. Oh boy...my desk is sure a wreck! But I did have a relaxing afternoon stamping.
Thanks for visiting and Blessings to you!
~Angel

Recipe:
Stamps by Unity
Ink: Pear Pizzazz & Concord Crush
Paper: Concord, Pear & Bashful Blue; Memory Box DP

Accessories: Spellbinder Dies, Tim Holtz Embossing Folder, SU Scalloped Border Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Divine Twine and buttons from my stash

Pretty Butterfly

Browsing the web a couple of weeks ago, I saw a pretty card made with Jen's SFYTT. It was the perfect sketch for me to try out this beautiful butterfly stamp my best friend Peg sent me for my birthday!
More scraps from the scrap basket and the butterfly is paper pieced cuz I am just not a colorer!

Have a blessed day!
~Angel

FTL77 "LOVE"

I made a few of these cards for Valentine's Day, but figured I could use them for anniversary cards as well. The sketch was FTL77 from Clean & Simple.

CUZ I LOVE THEM!
I had a scrap of this black and white DP and I was SO happy that it was enough to get 3 of these cards out of it! The flower was several scalloped circles punched from a vintage dictionary and layered and crinkled up with a button added. A friend had sent me a link to this tutorial and I had to try them!
I was very impressed at how the Versafine Onyx Black ink worked on these new Basic Grey Acrylic stamps! The "LOVE" sentiment is from Paper Trey!
I am on my lunch hour at my new job, so this is a "Quickie".
Hope you all are having a BLESSED week!
~Angel

FTL75 & A Question of Adhseives!

I love to stamp! And I especially love to stamp Valentines!
And I love to have a sketch to jumpstart my creative juices.
Clean & Simple is almost always a good place to start. And in fact, I've used their last 3 sketches for jumpstarts on my Valentines! This one is their Fall-to-Layout #75!

The several shades of pink on my ribbon was an inspiration to stamp the hearts in Rose Red, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink. Simple as can be from there!
Now, I've got a question for you!
I'm in the final stages of preparation to make the wedding invitations. Almost everything has been bought and printing is the next step. But thinking a little further past that to adhesives is giving me a bit of a hiccup.
here's why. Back when I started stamping a lot, I used Monoadhesive. I still have a few laying around. But towards the end of my using it, I wasn't happy with it's performance. And the bargains we were able to find on it grew scarce. So I started a search to find a better, less expensive adhesive. And I thought I had found it. I invested in a Scotch ATG gun and purchased a box of tape rolls for it. That box lasted me quite a while. But I have to say I was not pleased with the last few rolls. The rolls seemed to "warp" and the tape would end up coming off of the dispenser "nozzle" and I spent too much time trying to get it back on and going right. Then, the last straw for me seemed to be when I tried to use my last roll. The adhesive seemed to be on the wrong side. I've not yet found the time to contact Scotch about my problem, but intend to.
Since that time, I've been using a combination of Glue Glider Pro (similar to the ATG but smaller in size, the refills can be costly), double stick tape, Scotch Quick Drying Tacky Glue and this and that.
I am on the lookout for the perfect adhesive and I'd love to hear what YOU use!
Leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts on adhesives!
Thanks for visiting!
~Angel

ETA- THank you, Ellie, for the great ATG advice! I used your tip and ordered some new refills off Ebay! SO cheap!!! Don't have your email address, but wanted to say Thank you!

CPS153

This week's sketch at Card Positioning Systems was a pretty good start for a Valentine!

I made 2 of this one. The card measures 4 1/4" square. The background papers came from my scrap drawer and the colors are Pink Passion and Basic Black. The stamp set used is "A Little Somethin" from SU.
So easy!
Have a blessed day!
~Angel

Jen's SFYTT is Back!

Although my usual style is more "clean and simple" I do love to layer it up once in a while. And of course I can't resist a great sketch. Jen's SFYTT has been away for a while (Jen had a baby!), but she is bringing her sketches back in style! I plan on making all of the February designs if I can. I'm starting with this week's sketch and some romantic K & Company papers! (Brenda Walton- "Madeline").

I have NO idea why the flower doesn't seem to match in this picture.
Looks just fine In Real Life!
I've got a bunch of Valentines to post so it should be a full blog week!
thank you for stopping by!
~Angel

A Little Birdie Told Me....

...It's Taylor's birthday!
Happy Birthday, Taylor!
Something tells me there are probably lots of birthday wishes floating around Blogland for Taylor today! There may even be a few cards using her weekly Cupcake sketch!
Here is mine:

I wish I would have had some cupcake stamps on hand,
but all girls like flowers too, right?
Now, if the messiness of my stamp area after the card is finished is ANY indication of how pretty the card turned out, than this card would be a masterpiece. Too bad that is not a true gauge! Man, did I ever make a mess!
It's all cleaned up now though and I plan on stamping most of the day today. Frankly, my couch and I have been way too close the last few days.
The stamps are calling my name!
Be sure to stop by Taylored Expressions and wish Taylor a Happy Cupcake Birthday! She deserves it!
Blessings~
Angel

Card Recipe:
Sketch TECC72
Stamps~ Nature Silhouettes (CHF) Short & Sweet (SU)
Paper~ Pink Pirouette, Gable Green, Shimmery White, Melissa Frances DP
Ink~ Palette Black, Gable Green, Apricot, Bashful Blue, Pixie Pink
Accessories~ Floral Fantasy CB Folder; SU Fancy Fibers; Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware; White Silk Flowers painted w/ Shimmerz: Golden Wheat, Bubblegum, Sky Blue; Martha Stewart branch punch; SU Spring Bouquet Flower punch; Hero Arts green half pearls

An ODBD Sketch

The Our Daily Bread Designs design team is at it again! We've got a sketch for you to try. You're going to love it too! It's a fabulous "can't go wrong" sketch! The DT members were also been challenged to use a particular product from the ODBD store. (And if you haven't seen all the fabulous goods Kelley is now carrying, you've got to get over there and take a look!) I was tasked to showcase the fabulous SEI Jolie Chocolat designer paper pad along with one of the great new May stamp sets. As you know, the new sets are all patriotic (AND I LOVE THEM!) so my first thought was "I can't use these papers." But, my dear hubby flipped through the book and said "Sure you can." The result? I think it turned out okay!
Sorry for the bit of glare in the pic, but I wanted you to see the wonderful foil highlights in this DP! It's very COOL!
I used the new ODBD set- "In God We Trust". This eagle is fabulous and I LOVE the size of it!
Be checking out the ODBD DT girls' blogs this week and next to see their take on this sketch. And YOU are welcome to join us and make a card using the sketch. If you do upload to SCS, use the keyword ODBDSC03. All of the details will also be available at the ODBD blog tomorrow!
I leave for Kansas on Monday! But, I'm busy working on some more things to show you while I am gone. You won't even miss me!
Have a blessed Friday!
~Angel

Card Recipe:
Stamps~ In God We Trust (ODBD)
Ink~ Versamark, Choc Chip
Paper~ Choc Chip, SU Brushed Silver, SEI Jolie Chocolat DP
Accessories~ large & small Oval Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Textile texture folder, Hero Arts gem, SU brown ruffled ribbon, Silver EP, Star brad (Paper Studio)

Happy, Happy Birthday

I checked in at Splitcoast yesterday for the sketch and decided to use it to make this birthday card for my daughter's best friend back in Kansas. I can't wait to see her when I go back there in a couple of weeks. It's hard to believe she's 18 now too!

I've been having lots of fun with my Impressabilities plates! It's hard to see in this photo, but all of the panels are embossed with the Paisley Impressabilties plate as well as the main panel which is also sanded so the white core comes through. I LOVE that effect.
I actually pulled out a piece of Mauve Mist for this card. It's an older retired Stampin Up color that I wasn't sad to see go. But, I still have 2 packages of the stuff! I've really got to get a good purge done here soon!! The Mauve Mist matched the Memory Box "Sprout" papers perfectly though and so did the Wild Wasabi. I really like the combo actually!
What do YOU think?
Have a blessed day!
~Angel

Card Recipe:
Stamps~ Not sure where the sentiment is from but it actually says "Happy Belated Birthday"
Ink~ Wild Wasabi
Paper~ Wild Wasabi, Mauve Mist, Memory Box "Sprout" DP (ODBD Store), white
Accessories~ sandpaper, Hero Arts pearls(ODBD store), Nestabilities Labels 3 (ODBD), Impressabilities Paisley, Martha butterfly punch

The Greatest of These..

Today is April 1st and Our Daily Bread Designs has thousands of new stamps!

Oh....April Fools!
Seriously, ODBD is premiering 3 new sets and 1 single stamp today.
Click here to see them!
And I've made a card to show you today using one of the new sets. The set I used is simply named "Love" and you'll notice the sentiments go quite nicely with "Love One Another." The single stamp is the LOVE passage from I Corinthians 13. I am SO excited this is now in stamp form and in my collection!!!
I want to spend some more time stamping today, so I'll leave you with the recipe and be on my way!
Thanks for stopping by!
You Bless Me!
~Angel

Card Recipe~
Stamps: Love (ODBD)
Ink: Choc Chip
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Choc Chip, Bella Rose DP (SU)
Accessories: Eyelet Border punch, recycled ruffled ribbon (from a candy box!), Felt Flowers- SU, Red Flower & Dotted brad from my stash