Unity Stamp's Monthly Be Inspired Challenge

Haven't been entering challenges as much as I had hoped.  My laptop hasn't been working for awhile and really do not have the $$ to do much about it right now. I do a little bit of Facebook on my phone and head to the library when I want to make a special post or check my email.  I am hoping posting a photo won't be too difficult, as I have saved one of my cards to my Google drive.  

This time I decided to enter the sketch challenge. It's amazing how a sketch or a color scheme gives you the mojo you need to create.  I just love my Unity stamps!  This one is from some that my dear friend Carolyn Bounds sent me. Carolyn also sent me the cloud diecuts and I thought they'd be perfect for this card. This challenge goes until May 13, for more information and inspiration go to Unity Be Inspired Challenge.

Here is my take on sketch #27


Since I'm doing this on a computer at the library I'm going to try this shareable link. I hope it works!

Happiest Birthday

I tested the link and it looks like it works!! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest card. I hope you have a great week and an awesome weekend!  Isn't great that the weather has finally warmed up? :)

Squirrelfriends

That has become our nickname for each other. I am pretty sure it was started by Dawn S.,  and squirrelfriends seems to be the perfect definition of us, when we get together at a crop to scrapbook or make cards. Squirrely. Ok, so I was just informed by Mitch that squirrelfriends is from TV and not Dawn.  So I guess my TV watching kid gets the honor. Sometimes Mitch comes along...either to create or just to chit chat, laugh with us or show us comedic videos on YouTube, Facebook or Pinterest. This past weekend was a Crop 'til Midnight on Friday and an All Day Crop on Saturday at our LSS Picture This.  Mitch got off of work at 6:30 pm on Friday, so I just brought him along. Ally from work joined us and to my surprise Dawn was cropping too!  So we had a great time creating, chatting and laughing. I must say chatting and laughing oh and eating were most of my Friday night.  I think I created one card and tweaked two other cards.  Saturday was a little better for me, although I still spend too much time thinking vs actually creating.  I need to figure out how to break myself of this.  There are times when I've been on a roll creating card after card or scrapbook layout after scrapbook layout.  But lately it seems it's been a more difficult process.

I had my laptop along so I could look at sketches or get inspiration from blogs, etc.  Mitch used it Friday night for his entertainment and sometimes ours. But on Saturday it was only Ally and I. We were able to get ideas online and since Ally is new to this craft I was able to show her what distressing ink is and does, different ways to layout a page, etc.  I also noticed that CAS-ual Fridays was doing a no stamp challenge.  So I thought I'd create a card for that challenge.  I won a bunch of great stickers from SRM awhile ago.  One of my favorite sticker shapes, is the round ones. Probably for the simple reason that I have a few different circle dies I can use with those stickers.  Plus, the smaller doilies work really well with the larger circle stickers and I like adding doilies to my creations.  I followed a card sketch I had pinned on Pinterest from an older Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 176 and this is what I came up with.  

For CFC95 - no stamps

I used Lilybee Designs Double Dutch line, which made it go together quickly.  Of course, the SRM sticker made the perfect topping on the cake umm card. 

Since this got to be a little long, I'll post the other cards later this week.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so it's not Halloween just yet, but it is right around the corner.  It's sort of Halloween for me, because I won a few prizes around World Card Making Day.  I will post a photo of what I receive.  So far I've only received my prize pack from Reminisce paper.  I was Runner Up in a Pin and Win contest.  I got a nice sized box of scrapbook paper, stickers and dimensional sticker. Some of the scrapbook paper is die cut.  There is a huge snowflake, ornament and peppermint candy paper. There is probably more than that I just can't remember it at the moment.  I had to take two photos to get all of it in and really the photos don't show all.  

I have been busy creating inventory for an upcoming craft sale.  It is called Gifted Marketplace and will help to support the Eau Claire Children's Theater.  Mitch, my oldest, has been involved with ECCT since last year.  He's been in Camp Rock, Footloose, Legally Blonde and is rehearsing for Peter Pan right now.  You can check out Gifted here on Facebook. So if you are in the Eau Claire area, stop on out and do some holiday shopping.  It will be at the Oxford Theater Nov. 16 and 17th.  Which is also the weekend of Peter Pan, so I guess I will go either opening night or Sunday.  

Here are some of the creations I've made.  I have never made a set of 3x3 mini cards until a couple of weeks ago and now it seems that I'm on a roll. Smiles. I've also made boxes to store the cards in.  

3x3 mini cards 

Box to hold 3x3 mini cards

side view

3x3 minis using Reminisce paper, nestabilities and SRM stickers

more minis

some birthday minis 

Box for the birthday minis

I must say nestabilities, SRM stickers and pretty paper make it easy to create these little cards.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and fabulous Halloween!

Happy Fall!

It seems like I say this a lot, I really need to get back to posting on this blog more.  I do like to share my creations and photos. Speaking of photos, I am thinking that maybe I should try Fat Mum Slim's Photo a Day challenge again. You can see how far I got in July, grins.  Who's gonna join me?  It does help you to look at your subjects differently.  Here is the link for the October Photo a Day challenge. 

A month or so ago, on Facebook I was the lucky winner of generous package of SRM stickers.  I do enjoy their wonderful stickers.  As a person who has to watch her finances, stickers are a great choice for me. And hey you can still use them with your stamping, scrapbooking and lots of other fun ideas.  You can follow SRM stickers on Facebook here.

So here are a few of the cards I've made using SRM stickers:

Birthday Wishes from decorative Birthday set

Used a mini calendar on a card

Hello and Bluebird from a from a small sticker set 

Birthday Wishes from the decorative set and  the stamp is TPC.

With Sympathy is from a smaller set -
for those that know me gingham is a favorite  of mine.

Here is the SRM sticker blog if you'd like to stop by and be inspired.  I also like that they support Operation Write Home, one of my favorite causes.  I'm just starting to use my stickers that Susan sent me. All of the above were from stickers I purchased from my LSS Picture This. A HUGE thank you to Susan McShirley and SRM stickers for choosing me for such a generous prize package!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by! I hope your week is fabulous.  Hard to believe October is tomorrow.

Hugs and smiles,

Carmen