Clean and Simple Challenge

This week's Clean and Simple Challenge at Splitcoast was to do a Valentine. Only requirement was to keep it (yep, you got it) clean and simple. I actually CASED (Copied) a card that was created by another stamper. I used different stamps, a different embossing plate and added a few embellishments. So I guess I didn't copy hers...I used hers as an idea springboard for my card.



So...how often do you go to Joann's or Michael's with a 40% coupon in hand and not get to use it because it seems EVERYTHING is on sale? I went to Joann's today. Got 8 sheets of cardstock (on sale 4/$1), a pair of scissors for rag quilting (on sale 40% off), 4 fat quarters of fabric (clearanced for .50 each), and a package of basic color threads (also on sale). Didn't get to use my coupon at all. I need to get more denim and more batting so I can start my rag quilt but the cutting line was HUGE so I may go back later in the week and use my coupon on that. Also, as an FYI, all quilting books were 40% off. There were several I eyed but couldn't bring myself to spend the $.

Hope everyone gets tomorrow off for MLK day. Honestly, I'm not sure if tomorrow is officially a holiday or not at my new job...but since I still don't have a laptop or access...it is still a day off for me. :-)

Thank You Cards

These are the cards I sent out this year. Well, at least most of them looked like this one. I tried to keep them pretty simple yet with a little bling.



I tried to take the picture at an angle that shows the embossing. The bottom of the card is white with snowflakes dry embossed on it.

I made a couple cards today so will be sharing those in the days to come.

Fall To Layout

There is a blog I've mentioned before that I really like to visit. It is called Clean & Simple. She has layouts she calls "Fall To Layout (FTL)" which means they are the layouts she returns to time and time again. This is one of her FTL's and I can see why. I made a first one, and then a second...and then a third! All within a couple hours. Clean and simple!



The ladybug is from TAC (The Angel Company). Greeting is from Hero Arts. Enjoy!

Jane

Be Happy Penguin

I love my Memory Box penguin stamps. If I had to choose between the Memory Box Penguins and the Stampendous Changito monkey stamps...it'd be a realllllllly hard choice!



The greeting is part of a Hero Arts greeting that says BE HAPPY EVERY DAY. I just inked up the first two words. The layout was taken from a CAS (Clean and Simple) challenge on Splitcoaststampers.

Enjoy!

Jane

A Little Silliness

Sometimes I just love to "play" on words.





The donut stamp is from Michael's $1 bin. The saying is stamped using Karen Foster Snap Stamps. I stamped the donut twice and cut the frosting off the second image and popped it up on top of the first image for dimension. If I could FIND my "liquid glass" I would have used that to make the frosting looks glazy...but I can't find it (the story of my disorganized life). Also, if I had them I would have used some beads as the sprinkles on the donut. Instead I just colored the frosting area and used stickles on the sprinkles.

All in all, I still like it, just had invisioned it with the ideas noted above and then couldn't carry them through to fruition. Hate it when that happens!

Mojo somewhat reinstated...

I've made a few cards over the last couple days. I'm not sure I'm totally LOVING any of them. You know...sometimes you make a card and you want to show it to everyone you know. Well, my stamping mojo isn't THAT much back yet! LOL. But I do like the cards I've made well enough. So...here is one of my "somewhat mojo reinstated" cards. :-)



For this card I used an old stamp set from Close to My Heart which has solid shapes in it. I used a circle stamp and then did the "rock and roll" technique with Citrus Leaf and Clover Meadow inks and stamped the circle. Repeated 5 more times trying my best to get them equidistant from each other. Then I added the greeting (another CTMH set) and the shooting star (from a Disney set I got at Walmart for $2 clearanced). Added the ribbon and tada...done. Simple but I like the color pop of the green. Looks better in real life. Had a hard time getting a decent picture of the true green color that it is.

Jane

CAS Challenge

This card was based off of a CAS (Clean and Simple) sketch challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I don't love it as much as some of the others I saw...but overall I'm happy with it. What do YOU think?



On another note, someone ran into our mailbox today. We are in a rural area where there are four mail boxes per metal post/base. The post is set in concrete. Whoever hit it this time did a really good job. All four mailboxes were sheared off the base. Two were savable but the other two (including ours) was not. They actually ran over ours (you could see the tire print on it). I thought it was really funny...just because how often do you see a FLAT mailbox? I asked hubby if that meant we can only receive FLAT rate postal items now. :-P He didn't find it as humourous as I did. LOL.



My hubby dug out the hole and replanted the metal base. We got a couple older ones and replaced ours and the neighbors next to ours. So now all is relatively well with the world. The pole itself is crooked so it looks like the leaning tower of mailboxes but at least we can get mail again tomorrow!

Clean and Simple (CAS) Challenge

This card was inspired by a CAS sketch challenge on SCS. I think it came out pretty darn cute!



The cupcake stamp is from $1 set I bought at Michael's. The greeting is from Clear Dollar Stamps.



Here's the inside. I just pen stitched/doodled around the edges. Then I closed the card and used the circle cutout as my guide for stitching the circle around the image itself.

My dang dog (the puppy) has eaten TWO stamps within the last couple weeks. They are my $1 stamps I just bought. One I've used once and the other I haven't used at all. Argh!

Hope everyone has a GREAT Friday!

Jane

Simple Thank You

I've been inspired by all the "Clean And Simple" (aka CAS) cards on SplitcoastStampers lately. All in all, I like how this came out. I think, in the future, I would use a clear sentiment stamp so I could make sure it lined up better (or just stamp it once) but I liked the idea of fading it out.

What do you think?



Jane

Another Super Simple One

This follows the same general idea as the card I posted a few days ago. I did add another layer and a little more embellishment. I got the charm at a bead store. It works well here.



All in all, I think I like the squares directly on the card better than adding the other layer. Oh well, live and learn.

Jane

Super Simple!

I really like how this simple card turned out. And all you have to do is use some scraps and a square punch (or paper trimmer would work too).



I also added just a bit to this...I added some dry embossing (horizontal lines above and below the line of squares). A little "bling" on either side of the greeting. And a ribbon at the top. Easy smeasy!

Jane

Simply Classic Card

I saw this card layout on the Clean and Simple blog and decided to try my hand at it.

The flowers are prima flowers that I got long ago from a secret sister. I'm really NOT a flower person on cards...so a little goes a long way for me...this jar will probably last me the rest of my life! LOL. I do like the way this turned out though.



Can you see that I dry embossed on the card? It's kind of hard to see on the white. But I did a single line above the three squares and a double line below the three squares. The greeting is from Close to My Heart. Here's the inside (the rest of the greeting):



Did you read about the 93 year old man who froze to death? He was behind on his electric bill so apparently they installed some device that limits his usage and if he reaches the limit it turns off and it has to be "rebooted" in order to give any more power. This man was a WWII vet (like my father) who fought for our country. It makes me sick. Yes, there are resources out there that I'm sure COULD have helped...but would a 90+ year old man know about those resources and would he physically be able to go out and get them? The neighbor said there was money paperclipped to the bills on the table. He was going to pay. He wasn't trying NOT to. I don't know all the details...just what I've read in the news. But if it's like the news states...then I think that electric company is guilty of killing him.

On that dreary note, I need to get ready for work.

Jane