Freshly Made Sketches #400

Happy Monday!! I hope you are all having a great morning.

I am popping in today to post a card for some challenges. I created a sympathy card for a wake I need to attend on Tuesday.

I used the Hello Bluebird Stitched Tag Builder Die set and MFT's Stitched Flower dies to create my card. I was inspired by this weeks Freshly Made Sketches #400 for my card and Clean and Simple Colours and Sketches Challenge as the inspiration for my card.

 

I had die cut all the flowers out of white and used ink to color the flowers in.

I scored the background to get the embossing for the background.

The sentiment is from Your Next Stamp's "WhatNot Sentiment" Set.

That is all from me today. Thank you for taking the time to stop by!! Have a great day!!

Cards for Challenges, College Drop Off and Paper Scraps

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope you are all having a FABULOUS weekend!!

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here in CT this weekend, just in time for me to go back to work tomorrow. I had such a great summer and have mixed feelings about going back to work. On one hand, I need some structure again in my life. On the other hand, I am still not ready emotionally for students to come back.

Today I am posting a couple of cards I created today using The Ton's "Sunnies" stamp set. I have had this set in my stash for over a year and thought it would be fun to pull out and FINALLY use.

I stamped the sun glasses with memento black ink and used Copic Markers to color the glasses in. I covered a portion of the glasses with Nuvo Crystal Drops in Bright Gold and the whole frame with Glossy Accents.

The inside of the sun glasses were covered with clear Nuvo Aqua Shimmer to give them some shine.

Both the pattern paper and the die cut border are from scraps. I added a bit of glitter paper to give the card a bit more punch.

This card was inspired by CASE this Sketch #336, Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Clean and Simple, and Time Out Challenge #142: Fashionable. I think these glasses would be fashionable, don't you?

My second card is a repeat of the first card BUT I used more of a reddish orange color scheme.

You cannot tell in the photo but I embossed the background with a We R Memory Keeper Polka Dot embossing folder.

I added some sequins for a bit of bling on this version of the card.

I really love how both these cards came out!!!

In other news, we dropped my daughter back off college on Thursday. I cannot believe that she is now a sophomore!!!

It seems she had a TON more stuff this year to bring and she forgot things like coats and her toothbrush!!! The traffic was not horrible from CT to DC this year, which I am thankful for. I also was able to catch up with one of my college friend's and her husband while we were down there.

Her room mate did not arrive until today so the room was quite bare. She wanted to wait to decorate with her room mate.

In other news, I have been trying to organize all my paper scraps. My drawers were overflowing so I took the large pieces and cut them into 4 14" by 5 1/2" pieces.

This project has taken me FOREVER as I am doing it while watching TV with my husband. I am keeping smaller scraps in the drawers. I started doing this project because the bigger pieces of paper were getting crushed with all the papers in my drawers!! First word problem!!!

Well that is all from me tonight. I thank you for stopping by. Have a GREAT night!

More Vacation and a Challenge Card

Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you all had a great weekend.

Today I am popping in with a card that was inspired by two challenges. I will admit-it is bright!!

This was inspired by this weeks CASE this Sketch #335 and TGIF Challenge-All On Black.

 

I chose to use Versamark Ink and heat embossed colored embossing powder for my card with CAS-ual Fridays Stamps "Just Breathe" stamp set.

This stamp set is being RETIRED and it is one of my favorites!!

I have a difficult time heat embossing on black because I always have residue from the anti static tool. It is hard to get off black cardstock!!

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps is having a 25% off retirement sale on a TON of stamps and dies HERE.

You can use my code NORASENTME to get an additional 15% off your total!!!

On another note, I just came back from another short vacation on Friday. I went to visit my Aunts and Uncles in upstate NY. They are in there 70's and I don't get up their often enough. I also got to see my Great Aunt who is 96!! I feel bad because she cannot walk anymore and does not have enough strength to wheel herself around.

I cannot believe I am even posting this because this is so awful of me, (my daughter says I am terrible at Selfies!!) but figured who cares. She had no idea what a selfie was either!!

One of my Aunt's and I went to an Antique/Craft shop and then to Clayton, NY for lunch.

There was a "Super Yacht" in port. It was HUGE!!!!

See what I mean about not being able to take selfies?

I came home Friday and then Saturday we drove to Boston to drop Charlotte off at her cousin's. Chris and I bought tickets to go see the Downton Abbey exhibit in Boston.

 

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. They did have a ton of the clothes worn in the show and the dresses were GORGEOUS!!

They had a replica of the dining room, with place cards and dishes. It was beautiful.

They also had a replica of the Downton kitchen. However, my favorite were all Edith's dresses that were on display!! Some were originals made for the show using vintage fabric and trims, others were actual vintage dresses.

This blue dress was my favorite.

This dress was my second favorite.

Look at the detail on this!! They had a bunch of Mary's clothes too but I only photographed a few.

I LOVED the jewelry and the hats too!! I wish hats were in style because I can rock a hat!

Well that is all from me today. I know there has a lot of photos and I apologize!!

I thank you for stopping by. Have a GREAT night!!

Thinking of You-CAS-ual Fridays Stamps

Hi everyone!! Today it is my turn over at the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog. I created a "Thinking of You" card and made my FIRST EVER video!!!

To learn how I created this card, hope on over to my post and watch the video.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!! Have a GREAT day!!

Nautical Themed Cards

Happy Monday!! I hope you all are having a FABULOUS day!! It has been BEAUTIFUL day here today. I DID NOT enjoy the nice weather, though but instead spent it inside finishing some cards and piecing together some die cuts for future cards.

Today my two cards I created for the Twofer Card Challenge #19. I created a birthday card and an encouragement card.

The theme was a nautical theme.

The first card I used a Neat and Tangled stencil, some Distress Ink and Copic White to create an ocean. It wasn't actually supposed to be an ocean stencil but I decided I would make it so!!

I then stamped images from Simon Says Stamps "Your Light" stamp set.

I used Copic markers to color in the light house and the sky.

I added some red twine and a sentiment that was heat embossed from the same stamp set to complete my card.

My next card, I used the same stamp but stamped the light house on a circle.

I used used a dot coloring technique to color in the lighthouse with Copic's and colored in the ocean with no shading at all.

I then masked the scene and used Distress Ink in two colors to create a night sky. I used Gel Pen and Spika markers for the "stars."

I mounted the circle on a vellum circle that I had stamped the image on as well. I then mounted both on an A2 card base that I had covered with patterned paper.  The sentiment is from My Favorite Things.

I am entering this second card in the Fab Friday Challenge #169, which was a sketch that was the jump off point for the design of this card.

I am entering my first light house card into Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge which is Midsummer Blues.

On another note, I only have two free Mondays left and I am dreading going back to work. I am using my last days to go do some things that I haven't gotten to this summer. I go to visit my Aunts that I haven't seen in a long time. Very excited to go away for a few days by myself. Sometimes a longish car ride (5 1/2 hours) by myself is kind of fun. Then we take Charlotte to my niece's house, which is outside Boston, and will spend Saturday in Boston with my husband. I have to enjoy my time when I have it!!

Well that is all from me today. I thank you for taking the time to stop by. Please tune in tomorrow. I am up on the CAS-ual Fridays Stamps Blog with my first VIDEO tutorial for a card!!! 

Have a FABULOUS night!!