Whee! Another Challenge.. & it's Sketchy!

I'm totally off my rocker! I'm posting for two challenges today! Woooo!

This one is for Everything But The Kitchen Sink and their Sketch challenge.



I had these two ideas in my head, but I knew that I had this trip coming up to Vegas, I wasn't feeling great, I had just all this stuff going on. I tackled the "easier" one first and I hope I'll still be able to get the other one in tonight before the deadline.

I still like this card a bunch. I love monochromatic themes anyway and I totally love the paper I used and the cool Texturz plate that I embossed the white with to tie the ovals all together. It's groovy, baby! :D



I hate to call this a basic card, because really there's a lot of texture going on. Hope you like it!! And thanks so much for stopping by.


{Supplies:
Cardstock: Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah)
DSP - Scraps
White Button - Basic Grey
Embellishment - Looking Glass Flower Black & White (Making Memories)
Dry Embossing - Ring-a-Ding Texturz plate (Sizzix)
Punches - Large Oval Punch & Wide Oval Punch (Stampin' Up!) }

Color SPLASH!

Another challenge? Eek!



I was trying to get my brain wrapped around the Embellish Brads Color Challenge with all the bright colors and how I wanted to tackle it, and in all reality I had no idea what to do. This is one of the reasons why I stayed away from challenges in the past. *sigh* What to do?

I had the brads. So that wasn't the problem. But what could I do that would set myself apart from anyone else using the brads AND the colors within the brads and the constraints of the challenge. Hmmm...

I spent some time looking at my stamps, looking at my inks, looking at current trends and then I just started to play. What I finally came up with is a card I actually LOVE!! I have to say that even if this card doesn't do anything for anyone else I just love it. I am so happy with how it turned out. And I don't say that about my own stuff very often...for those of you who know me, you can vouch for this!

I hope that you'll at least like it, too:




and a close-up of the sentiment (Why? Just because I felt like it!! Hahhahaha!)




{Supplies:
Cardstock - White - Classic Crest Solar White (Neenah), Kraft (Stampin' Up!)
Ink - Broken China, Fired Brick, Mustard Seed, Shabby Shutters (ALL Distress Inks - Tim Holz for Ranger Industries), Versamark (Tsukineko)
Embossing Powder - Clear (Ranger Industries)
Stamps - Bold Flourish (Hero Arts), Mega Mixed Messages (PTI)
Twine - Stampin' Up!
Brads - Childhood Circle (Making Memories)
Punch - Large Oval Punch (Stampin' Up!) }

All these challenges & I'm going to VEGAS!

I'm so dying to get my hands into these challenges over at Embellish Magazine's blog and Everything But The Kitchen Sink and what am I doing? Yep, I'm heading off to Vegas tomorrow. Wooooo!! I can't be too heart-broken over that, can I? :)

I did start working on a pretty good idea for the Embellish Mag. challenge. I'll just have to work on finalizing things when I get back. I'm pretty excited about this card. Even if it doesn't win the challenge I'm digging this card.

The Everything But The Kitchen Sink sketch challenge idea? Well, I have TWO!! I may have to submit both! I wonder if I can do that? I'll have to scramble, though, since the deadline is the day after I get back. ACK!! :/

So be on the lookout for LOTS of posts once I get back from Vegas, which is Monday night. In the meantime, I'll be hanging out with my family and visiting with a few friends. I love going back there. Just totally recharges my batteries and makes me feel like a desert rat all over again. Man, I love that place.

Veterans Day

Although I just posted I can't let this day go by without wishing all members of our Armed Services a Happy Veterans Day.

I thank you for your service, your courage & your selflessness in keeping our country free....and fighting for that freedom. I also thank the family members who so stoically stood by and watched their loved ones go off to places unknown. To basically "be" the family while their loved-one was away.

I, personally, thank my dad who showed me the life that the military could provide. He provided for our family and showed us the world. It was a burden on my mom at times, but we went & saw some amazing things. Thanks, Dad. I also thank my sister. She taught me that I can do anything. Both these precious members of my family are retired from the Air Force. And, I thank God for them every day for their service and sacrifices during the years.

I was in the Air Force, too. And while I didn't retire I would have stayed in had they allowed me to. I just got too sick and was determined to be not fit to serve. I was devastated. I loved the military and felt like I was doing something worthwhile. I took that oath seriously when I raised my right hand.

I hope that you all take a moment today to pause briefly and give thanks. Give thanks to those who served in years gone by and those who are serving now. If you see a member of the military in uniform...say "Thank you", not just today but ANY day.

¿Que Pasa?

So, what are YOU doing? I attempted a card using a really cute stamp set from Stampendous called Spanish Messages Perfectly Clear™ Stamps. You can see the whole set here.

Eddy's mother's birthday is this weekend and it seemed like a really good opportunity for me to try out this set. I was hoping to make her a really lovely card with the sentiment in her native language, so I hope she likes it. I know she adores flowers, so that's why I chose the paper that I did. It's one of my favorites from Stampin' Up! - Bella Bleu.



Can't wait to see her this weekend for her birthday celebration and give her the card.

{Supplies:
Cardstock - Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, DSP - Bella Bleu (all Stampin' Up!)
Ink - Not Quite Navy (Stampin' Up!)
Embossing Powder - Clear (Stampendous)
Die Cutting - Nestabilities Petite Scalloped Ovals (sm), Petite Ovals (sm), & Petite Ovals (lg) (all by Spellbinders)
Ribbon - Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!), Navy (random - from Michael's)
Brad - Styled Vanilla, Hodgepodge Hardware (Stampin' Up!)
Pearls - Pearl stickers (Recollections - Michael's) }

Card for Kelly

Do you have one of those friends who just makes you smile simply because you know them? Yeah...I do, too.

Her name is Kelly Marie. She's the super fun girl over at lawn fawn cards (lawnfawn.blogspot.com) and she just makes me laugh and smile even when I don't feel like it, or frankly, don't want to. In ways, she very much feels like my soul sister. She and I connect on a level I really just can't explain. Kelly is ridiculously gifted in the card-making community, she's a super fun chick, but is also loving and a HUGE inspiration to all those who come in contact with her, too.

Kelly has some health issues. For those who know ME, well, that is something I can identify with all too well. She has been having a rough few days. I wanted to make her a card to let her know really how much she means to me, and hopefully just bring a smile to that really pretty face of hers.

I hope you see this card, Kelly and smile.



There's a lot of supplies that I used to make this card so I'll update tomorrow. I just really wanted to get this card posted so my dear friend, lawn fawn, would see it before the night was through.

Take care, friend, and hope you feel better super soon.



**Edited to add the supplies:

{Supplies:
Cardstock - Chocolate Chip, Whisper White & Old Olive (Stampin' Up!), Textured orange (Bazzill)
DSP - What A Feelin', Skip to My Lou (Blue Skies Collection by American Crafts)
Ink - Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!), Versamark (Tsukineko)
Dies - Labels One Nestability (Spellbinders)
Dry Embossing - Retro Squares (Sizzix)
Embossing Powder - Apricot & Chestnut Opaque, Zing! (American Crafts)
Sentiment - Mega Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink)
Punches - Scallop Edge Punch (Stampin' Up), Arch Lattice Edge Punch (Martha Stewart), Upper Crest Border Punch (Fiskars), Morocco Lace Edger Punch (EK Success)
Misc - Buttons (Basic Grey), Twine (SU), Platinum Stickles (Ranger Industries)}

Challenged for Toilet Paper

This is my very first challenge EVAH!! And nope, I'm not dipping my toes in, but JUMPING IN! EEK!

This challenge is sponsored by Everything but the Kitchen Sink and hosted this month by Kelly Marie over at lawnfawn.blogspot.com

Here is this month's challenge:



I really had no idea what I was going to do with this, but I decided to just grab some CLEAN toilet paper and see if I felt inspired. My card really has nothing to do with toilet paper, but more about texture and what you can do with it. Does that make sense? I guess, more that you shouldn't feel limited. Yeah...that's it!

So. Here's my card. Hope you like it! :)





And here's a close-up of the flower:



















I had more fun making this than I expected to. It was a little frustrating at times only because the TP is so very delicate to work with, but I do like the overall effect.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. I'd love to hear any comment or feedback that you may have. (Yes, that's a hint! )


{Supplies:
Toilet paper - Kleenex Cottonelle
Cardstock - Kraft (Stampin' Up)
DSP - Basic Grey (Indian Summer Collection)
Ink - Ranger Distress Inks in Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain
Dies - Sizzix/Stampin' Up - Sizzlits Little Leaves, Embosslits Flower Burst, & Top Note Die.
Misc - Basic Grey rhinestones & Chip Sticker Shape; Stampin' Up brads,
Ribbon - unknown from Michael's}

**Edited to add - I should have mentioned the items that were "TP'ed" : The flower, leaves and the Top Note die are all cut from the toilet paper.