I decided to try making another small sheet of handstamped patterned paper. Again, I added a bit of shine using my jelly roll glitter pen and liquid pearls stickles. What do you think of this one? It is sooo much fun to do!

I recently was challenged on a forum to make my own patterned paper by stamping images in different colours. This was lots of fun so the other day I tried making a couple more. I added a bit of shine using my jelly roll glitter pen and liquid pearls stickles. Next I'll have to see how they look after I've used them on cards! I don't think I'll ever get stuck without matching pp now because I can just make my own! Not only is it cheap it is fun to do too!

Anniversary Card

I made this card for my DH for our anniversary, and although I liked it, felt it wasn't fancy enough for 20 years. So I have decided to save it for some other time.

Favourite Card

Do you ever finish a card and think this just didn't turn out how I'd hoped? Or do you ever think, wow I like this one? Well I recently started working on a wedding card for a good friend and I took my time because I wanted it to turn out just right. Certain parts just didn't go as I'd hoped so I took my time trying lots of different things. Well after 2 or 3 days of going back to it I finally finished it! I have to say it turned out well and is one of my favourite cards! Problem is I can't post it yet because her wedding isn't until next week! After spending so much time on it I don't want to risk her seeing it before the wedding now would I? So please stay in touch and I will post it as soon as I can!

Unfortunately things have been rather busy at home lately, especially with 4 kids out of school so I haven't had as much time to make cards (other than the wedding card which took awhile) and post them lately. I will try to do so as time allows. It should get better in a couple of weeks as one of my kids will be in camp and another should be working more.

My Son is Turning 18!!!

Wow! Time sure does fly. It seems only yesterday, but it was actually 18 years ago tomorrow that I spent a good portion of the day in labour with my first child. I remember feeling like he was never going to come out!! He was already 11 days overdue and it was very exciting to think he could be born on his father's birthday! But, it turns out that he wanted his own birthday because he didn't come out until 2:04 am the next day! So on Saturday I will give this card to my son for his 18th birthday! The top pic shows the front view and the bottom shows the back. I used Black Magic Coredinations cs with the Happy Birthday Cuddlebug embossing folder. I sanded the raised edges to let the brown show through. The ribbon slide is also a CB die cut. I used versamark and bronze embossing powder to give it the faux metal look and stamped the number 18 into it while it was still hot. I also used the same technique on the back to make some faux metal screws. I learned how to make this stand-up card on a Splitcoast Stampers challenge. TLC228 It fits into an A2 envelope when it's folded up.

Card Details: Cuddlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder, ribbon slide die cut; Wal-Mart bronze embossing powder; Reflections cardstock; Versamark clear ink; and Offray ribbon.

Stamping 411 Challenge - SSC106

Tomorrow is my DH's birthday (shhh!) so I made this card for him using a challenge sketch from Stamping 411. This is the first time I have used one of their sketches, and I was happy with the way it turned out. The 3 squares are popped off the page.

Card Details: Blue CS and Striped pp - unknown; Stamps - unknown; everything else is from the dollar store!

Sue Krafty Kards Blogoversary - 99 Things

Sue at Sue's Krafty Kards has put together a list of 99 things that you need to answer to be entered in her #2 year blogaversary and a chance to win some blog candy.

So here’s the list.
My ‘Haves’ are in Red - I have done 49.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world/Disneyland Paris
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (no, but I've seen the Last Supper in Milan!)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Made a Snow Angel
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Stood in the rim of the Grand Canyon (I hiked the Canyon on the south rim)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (I live only 20 minutes away!)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an erupting volcano in person.
36. Taught yourself a new language (a little bit of sign language and spanish)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (drawn, not painted)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (a very small cardmaking business!)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Cookies for charity
62. Gone whale watching
63. Been given flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy
70. Visited Buckenham Palace
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt or blanket
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (only in Ottawa)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Been to the top of the Empier State Building
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (I'm over halfway through again too!)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox (twice!)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (John Travolta, saw Kelly Preston too, but didn't meet her)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Birthday Card

Have you ever started making a card, and before long realized that it isn't the kind of card you originally set out to make? This is one of those cards! I started out planning on making a birthday card for either my DH or DS so I picked the brown and blue combo of cardstock. But, then I saw a punch I just bought at a garage sale for 50 cents and have been wanting to try, and before I knew it I was making a very feminine birthday card! Although I think my hubby might like it, I don't think he would like to be the recipient of it!

Card Details: CS - Colormates choc. brown, Reflections - Off white & light blue; Emagination punch; Scrappy Cat stamp; StazOn Timber Brown ink.

More Than Scrapbooking July Challenge

The More Than Scrapbooking forum gave us a challenge this month to find an advertisement in a magazine and make a layout or card with it. The top picture is my card, and the bottom picture shows you the ad I used to come up with it. This is a fun challenge and good to try as it helps you learn how to find inspiration all around you!

Card Details: Black CS - Reflections; All other CS - Cricut; Nestabilities scallop circle die cut; CB swiss dots; Memories black ink; Stampcraft Thank You Stamp.

Larger Pictures

I'm slowly learning more about what I can do with my blog, and recently discovered that some of my pictures needed to be bigger. So when you scroll down, some of the pictures that were harder to view because they were so small, are now larger and easier to see.

I've also recently downloaded a program that helps me crop my pictures better. So hopefully the pictures will continue to get even better. My next step is finding better ways to display my cards when I take the pictures. I've been experimenting with different ideas, but I'm open to suggestions if you have any. Feel free to leave me some comments if you have any ideas that would help. Thanks.

Another Thank You Card

This is the second thank you card I made the other night. I seemed to be on a bit of a roll and got two done in a short time. I just cranked up the mp3 and had some fun! It was very relaxing too. The "Thank You" is a die cut that I embossed with 3 layers of Versamark and silver embossing powder. I really like the raised and faux metal look it gives!

Card Details: CB "With Gratitude" die cut; Spellbinders Impressibilities embossing template; Bazill CS; silver and shiny white cs are unknown.

Wedding Thank You

I've been making some sample wedding thank you cards for a friend to choose from. I had some fun the other night making a bunch of faux metal embellishments as well, so I used one on this card. I covered the section with the raised dots with a thin layer of Liquid Peals to give it a shimmery look, although I'm not sure it shows up so well in the picture. The sentiment is embossed with silver embossing powder.

Card Details: CB swiss dots folder and ribbon slide; Dollar store ribbon, wedding stamp, and bling; Heidi Grace Thank You stamp; Liquid Pearls.

Thank You Card

Don't you just love a good garage sale find? The Scrapping Nook which is my lss held a garage sale last week in which people could sell their craft supplies in return for store credits. I lucked out and picked up some great deals. The Emagination punch I used for this card is one of them! I bought it for 50 cents!! So I had to try it out and made this card with it.

Card Details: Emagination punch; Bitsy Stamp; Recollections CS; Whispers Stamp (Thank You); and Kaiser Crafts pink rhinestones.