Nesting Doll Thank You

One final share tonight-this Nesting Doll Thank You card. I loved this stamp set when I bought it last year, but I have to admit that I have really struggled to use it. I've tried lots of different color schemes and mediums (ink, markers, colored pencils) and it just never comes out right. Today I decided to just use dark brown ink and stamp the doll on kraft cardstock. I loved it! Then I just distressed the edge of the kraft cardstock with Creamy Brown chalk ink.

I created this card for three different online challenges. First, I used this month's sketch from Sketch For You To Try. I chose this image for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge, which was to make a card based on a childhood memory. My memory was my trip to the Soviet Union (back when it WAS the Soviet Union!) I went as part of a school trip when I was 13. I spent two weeks there. One of the souvenirs that I brought home was a set of nesting dolls. This stamp was perfect, and I paired it with a floral patterned paper from Stampin' Up! that reminded me of the design on my nesting dolls. Finally, because I used my favorite kraft cardstock, I am entering it in Kraft Journal's Anything Goes challenge. Speaking of The Kraft Journal, my Vintage Thinking of You card won a Top 3 in their Flourish challenge!

Thanks for stopping by again tonight-I'll be back tomorrow with more shares!

Valentine Hoot

I made this VERY pink Valentine last weekend as part of the Hero Arts 90 Minute Scramble. This little challenge was so much fun. At the announced time, a Hero Arts hostess (Barb was this week's!) announces a theme or embellishment that you must use on your card. After the announcement, you have exactly 90 minutes to complete and upload your card. Barb's challenge was to use a frame on your card. I used my Spellbinders Nestability die to cut a scallopoed square, then I cut out a circle from the center. I then popped the frame up around my owl image using pop dots.

Stamps are from Hero Arts; papers are from the Target Dollar Spot a few years ago. Still trying to make a dent in my stash!

Lots of Projects featuring *NEW* Momenta!

I can finally share all of the projects that I made for CHA! I'm SO excited that my cards are on display at the show. I'm hoping to see a pic of them on display there! :D

All of the products used will be available on the Momenta website in a few weeks.

Krafty Hello

I made this card for several challenges. The colors were inspired by the photo above, from the CR84FN Color challenge #12. Soft and pretty, and very feminine, don't you think? These would make great colors for an Easter card, too.

I used the Card Patterns Sketch #99 for this. I loved this sketch-it's a great design that I know I will use again and again. I think it's the scalloped border-one of my favorite things to include on a card. You could easily change this up by using a different border punch in place of the scallop. My scalloped border is actually a premade chipboard border from Technique Tuesday. As I try to use up some of my stash, I am finding lots of goodies that I had forgotten about! The chipboard circle, scalloped circle, and flower stamp are also from Technique Tuesday.

I'm lovin' my kraft cardstock lately, and this is my entry for the Kraft Journal's Anything Goes challenge this week. finally, it is also my entry for the new Altered Alice challenge blog to create a hello or goodbye card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Teal and Orange Thank You

I have SO many projects to share with you! I'll start with this one which I made for the Hero Arts "Catalog Inspiration" challenge and for Kim's Off the Wall Craftiness Challenge #42 to use white, orange, and teal. It's such a fun and sunny combination, don't you think?

For this card, I used both colored pencils and markers to color the little girl. I stamped the Thank You background using Broken China Distress Ink. then I just combined these stamped images with some papers from my stash. I really dug deep into my scrap bin for these! The orange Double Dot cardstock is some that I've had for 3-4 years, and the aqua solid (which has the script Thank You stamped on it) is about 10 years old! It is from one of the original SEI sets! I am really making a dent in some of my stash! The flower is from Hero Arts, the button is from DeNami Design, and the ribbon was from my bottomless stash of ribbon. :)

I will be back later with some of the cards that I made for Momenta's booth at CHA. Now that they have been shared on Momenta's Facebook page, I can share them here. You're gonna love the new products!

Love You Tons

Even though this card is really simple, it was a hard for me to make! Tiddly Inks' "Refresh Me" challenge was to make an all-white card (the image could be colored.) I don't think that I have ever made a card like this before. I started with the image, which was fine because I could use my colors. Then I struggled because I wanted to use patterned paper-I chose embossed cardstock instead. Then, I wanted to add some fun green ribbon-I chose white twine instead. Finally, I REALLY wanted to add a colored button-but chose white instead. It was tough, I tell you!

This cute little elephant is a free digital stamp from Tiddly Inks. When I printed him, I was trying to think of a cute little saying. As I was looking through some of my clear stamps, I saw this cute little saying in a pack of Studio G valentine sentiments. I had never had a stamp that worked with it, so it had sat, un-inked, for a couple of years. I can't wait to make more using these two stamps! While I do feel "refreshed" by this challenge, I can't wait to add some fun, colorful embellishments to my next cards!

Also, I have not heard from my second place winner from last week's [ippity} stamp giveaway. So, I have drawn another name. Congratulations to...KELLY CRANFILL! Woo-hoo! I know Kelly has a sweet little boy and a new little girl at home, so I know she will have lots of occasions to use the "Love in Return" stamp set from {ippity}.

Just Saying Hello

I made this card in response to a friend's Facebook post that said her mom was feeling a bit down because of poor health. She had asked if any of her cardmaking friends would want to make her mom a card to make her smile. I know that I always smile when I see an envelope in the mail from a fellow cardmaker. :)

It also uses papers that my sweet cardmaking friend Stephanie Muzzulin recently sent me. Aren't those patterns and colors so spring-y? I hope they make Jana's mom smile. The stamps on the outside are from Gel-a-Tins (flower) and Hero Arts (sentiment.) The greeting inside (hello) is from Lawn Fawn.

Although I used a sketch I found online, this card is not for any contests, challenges, or submissions. It's a "just because" card. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in all of the competition, as one cardmaker recently commented. Underneath it all, we do this for the craft. I love to make cards, and every once in a while, I make a card "just because." I hope you do, too. :)

Do you like Cosmo Cricket, Copics, and Some Odd Girl? *GIVEAWAY*

Some Odd Girl is celebrating their anniversary with some great giveaways all week long! You can check it out HERE. If you leave a comment, please add that I sent you-I'd appreciate it!

Here is the "run-down" of the week's events:

Sunday, 1/16: Kick Off and Run-Down (with a little question)
Monday, 1/17: 1 Digi, 3 Ways Challenge
Tuesday, 1/18: An Odd History and Mini Blog Hop
Wednesday, 1/19: Some Odd Girls Color Challenge
Thursday, 1/20: Kids Coloring Challenge
Friday, 1/21: Some Odd Elements Challenge
Saturday, 1/22: Mini Card Challenge

Each daily challenge has its own prize, plus there are some BIG prizes, too! Hope you can play along!

Birthday Butterfly

This is a card I made for my friend, Connie. Her birthday was yesterday, but I didn't want to post the card until I knew she had it. I didn't want her to see it on the blog first!

I used this sketch from Stepping Stones Design. The colors were inspired by EAD Designs' Turtle Love Color challenge. All of the stamps used on this card are from {ippity}. This week's Unity Addicts Challenge (UAC34) was to pick one of your oldest Unity stamps and pair it with one of your newest. I just started using Unity stamps last summer, so they are all pretty new to me! I decided to take a stamp from {ippity}'s first release in Fall 2009 and use it with one from the most recent release. The butterfly is from Devoted and the sentiment is from the new Party Hat Wishes set. I love this butterfly stamp. It is perfect for layering. The bottom layer is pink marbled cardstock and the top layer is pink patterned paper. All of the patterned paper on this card is from Stampin' Up! Finally, I knew that the sketch included 5 little accents under the sentiment. I have been using a ton of gems lately, and I was all out of pink and brown rhinestones. So, I pulled out one of my cases of brads and found these rich chocolate brown brads that matched perfectly. This week's challenge over at 4 Crafty Chicks was to use metal on your card, so this fit the bill perfectly!

So, Happy Birthday, Connie! I hope you have a great day and got lots of scrappy birthday goodies! ;)

Happy Couple Card and Glitter Giveaway

You all know I like to add a touch of bling to my projects. Just a touch. ;) Sometimes it's gems, sometimes it's pearls, sometimes it's glitter. Wanna get some FREE glitter? Meyer Imports is having a giveaway on their blog. You can check it out HERE. Tell 'em I sent you!

For this card, I used a submission sketch from PaperCrafts magazine. I made the card, but I didn't submit it. I don't know why I didn't, I was just having a "not very confident" kind of day on the day of the deadline. :( Now I kick myself for not submitting all of the cards I had made for the call. The good news is that I will be sharing them with all of you sooner!

First I cut a panel of white cardstock, then covered it with rectangles that I trimmed from patterned papers. I used monochromatics, but I think that I will try this card again with brighter scraps. It makes for a fun background! Then I just popped this panel up using foam squares. And look-no stamping! I used a puffy sentiment and chipboard wedding ring stickers. I added a touch of bling to the diamond using Rock Candy Distress Stickles. I love that the photo caught the sparkle of the diamond!

I have been working hard on tons of new cards for Momenta's booth at CHA. You're going to love the new products-they are SO CUTE! That's all I can say for now. Sworn to secrecy. :)

Lots of Love

Today's card was originally a new baby card-I just thought that these soft colors reminded me of a new baby. You could easily change this card up by using reds and pinks and making it a Valentine. All stamps are from Unity's "Mix-Up of Cuteness." Cardstock is from Momenta. Many of Momenta's cardstocks have a bright or deep shade on the front and a softer color on the back. I used the softer colors for this card.

Thanks for stopping by today! I know this was a quick share, but I have been super-busy making some Momenta projects that I can't show you yet...not until CHA starts. ;)

Birthday Eye Chart

I had to chuckle when I saw this stamp in the new Party Hat Wishes set from {ippity}. You can see the whole set HERE, and you can order it by emailing me at sharecropperskits@gmail.com. How cute is that birthday eye chart?! For this card, I paired this set with a fun color combo from ColourQ challenge #67. The sketch is part of the Hip Hop Twist Challenge for January. Thanks for stopping by today! Today is a snow day here-which means lots of inky time today. :) Stop back tomorrow for more projects

Plum Birthday

I made this elegant card for my mother-in-law's birthday. I started out with a very different design in mind, but ended with this simple design. I loved it! The embossed background was just what this card needed to make the white space as elegant as the image.

As you can see from the inspiration photo above, this card is made using the beautiful colors that Kim has selected for this week's Off the Wall Craftiness Challenge. The plum/burgandy and taupe cardstock are from SEI, and I think that the ribbon is from SEI, too. I'm not sure-I've had it in my stash forever! The paper, however, is brand-new. I just received it from CARDS magazine as a goody for being published in the September 2010 issue. :)

The design is based on this sketch from Create with Connie and Mary. The JUGS Challenge this week was to decorate and line a matching envelope for your card. It gave it such a finished look!

Delightful Winter Dressform

I just finished up my entry for the new Lawnscaping Challenge #1. The challenge was called "All About Snow" and entrants were encouraged to use Lawn Fawn stamps. I have 4 different sets of Lawn Fawn stamps, but none of them were winter-themed! I saw that Ashley Nguyen Newell, from the Lawnscaping DT, used a non-winter set with snowflake paper to create a cute birthday card. Great idea! I used my "Sew Lovely" dressform and the sentiment from "How Delightful". I paired these with snowy papers from Imaginisce, snowflake frames from Spellbinders, and a felt snowflake. The little ice skates were cut from patterned paper and hung over the corner of the frame. Doesn't everyone wear a little snowflake dress and matching skates when they go skating? :)

Also, remember my Peachy Birthday card? It made the Top 3 at CR84FN. Check out the new blinkie in the sidebar! :)

WINNERS!

I have been making cards, but I can't share them-yet. ;)
I do have 2 winners to announce, though! I decided to draw two names, even though we didn't hit 100 followers, just because you are all so sweet. We did a really high-tech drawing...I wrote each crafter's name down on a little scrap of paper and my daughter picked two names from the hat.
The winner of "Life's Little Moments" is...


Lesa!


The winner of "Love in Return" is...


jmahugger!

Please email me at sharecropperskits@gmail.com to claim your goodies!

Happy Birthday to my Mom...and a present for YOU!

Today is my mother's birthday. Shh...don't tell her I told you, but she is 75 today! We are having a little party for her here this afternoon, so I'm just going to do a quick post...with a GIVEAWAY!
First up, though, is the card. I made this card to match the gift bag from THIS post. The card is based on the sketch from Unity's Hip Hop Sketch Challenge #39. I really loved the design, plus I added the scalloped border that extends beyond the edge of the card. I love that look!

Now for the GIVEAWAY! I am giving my mom lots of different cardmaking supplies for her birthday, including some {ippity} stamps (of course!) Would YOU like to win some {ippity}? I'd love to give you some! Here's how you can win:

1. Leave a sweet comment for my mom for her birthday. :)
2. Become a follower of my blog.
3. Check back here on Monday for a winner!

I will take comments until Sunday, 1/9, at 11:59 PM EST. I will draw a random winner and post the name here on the blog on Monday. You've got to check back! The winner will have one week to email me at sharecropperskits@gmail.com to claim their prize. If I don't hear back from her, I will draw another name.

BONUS: I am giving away the "Life's Little Moments" set to one lucky winner. HOWEVER, if I get 100 followers, I will draw 2 names, and the second winner will win the "Love in Return" set. AND, if I get 200 followers, I will draw a third winner to get the "Farm Fresh" set! How cool is that? Be sure to spread the word! :)

Links to some giveaways!

My wonderful friend, Michele Gross, is having a great giveaway on her blog! She is celebrating her "blogoversary" by giving away a light tent from CowboyStudio. This is a must-have if you photograph/blog about your projects! You can enter HERE.
Leah Killian is also offering a free Nook Kit-from her monthly scrapbook kit club. You can enter to win it HERE. In addition to the giveaway, there are some really adorable projects posted on her blog. Check it out!

Mini Valentines

I made lots of cards today, including this set of mini Valentines. Each of these cards is 4"x4", so I was able to get four cards from a 12"x12" sheet of cardstock. Each of the images is stamped and paper-pieced using scraps, so these Valentines are perfect for stretching your scrapping budget! Each of the images is highlighted somewhere with Glossy Accents to give it a little bit of shine.

I pulled out my Marvy scalloped heart punch, too. I don't use this very often, but it was perfect for these CAS cards. It provided a nice base for my paper-pieced images. The stamps are all from Unity's "Mix-Up of Cuteness". So cute!

This set of cards is my entry for the Paper Play Challenge-Clean and Simple.

Owl Hugs

I feel like all of my recent blog posts have started the same way: "Just another quick and easy card..." I have been making a TON of CAS cards lately. Could it be that my style is becoming more streamlined? I'm not sure-but I am loving the CAS style. Cutesy CAS. :)

This stamp set is right up my alley. Mix-Up of Cuteness by Unity. This little owl is the reason that I bought this set! Isn't he a cutie? He worked well with this sketch that I wanted to use from Lucy Abrams, too. Her sketches are CAS, and I have been using a lot of them lately, so maybe that is why my cards are simplified. Whatever it is, I really like this little card. It just makes me smile. I made it for my friend Alina-I hope it makes her smile, too.

Cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper: Anna Griffin; Stamps: Unity Stamp Co.; twine.

Butterfly Note Card

Today's share is a really quick and easy card to make. I paired up some of my favorite {ippity} and Unity stamps and used all scraps from my stash. The notebook image is from Unity's "Le Chic" set, the butterfly is from {ippity}'s How YOU Doin'? set, and the sentiment is from {ippity}'s "Just Wanted to Say" set. You can get these awesome {ippity} stamps HERE. The little metal clip from Making Memories is the perfect touch for this card.

I made this card based on the sketch from Lucy Abrams' Sketch Week (Day 5). The color palette is from the Curtain Call Color Challenge #63.

More happy news: I woke up this morning and read that my Doily Thank You made the Top 3 over at CASE Study, and my Gift Bag Topper won the Unity Addicts Challenge! It's been a very good week-I can't stop smiling. :) (See?!)

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I {heart} visitors!

Some Birthday Projects and *HAPPY NEWS*

First up today is a card I made on Monday. I really love this stamp set-it's perfect for paper piecing. I used cardstock and patterned paper from SEI. I made this card for the JUGS Sketch Challenge #65.

This next project is a gift bag topper. What a beautiful way to dress up a simple kraft bag from the dollar store! I used two {ippity} stamp sets to make this: Now & Always and Just Wanted to Say. You can get them both HERE. All of the papers used on this projects are also from SEI. The gorgeous ribbon is from American Crafts. I made this project for the Unity Addicts Challenge #32. Yes, I am a Unity addict...and an {ippity} addict, a Lawn Fawn addict, and a Hero Arts addict! ;) This bag is going to hold some special scrappy goodies for my mom, who turns 75 this Saturday. I think she will like the bag as much as she likes the gifts inside!

And *HAPPY NEWS*-two of my cards have been chosen in challenges this week! My Doily Thank You made the Top 5 over at the Cupcake Craft Challenge, and my Heartfelt Thanks card was spotlighted at 365 Cards. A huge thank you to everyone who has left me such sweet comments all week long-I LOVE reading them, and I have been leaving lots of comments on blogs all week, too. It's just a nice thing to do, and I appreciate your sweet words. They always make me smile!

My Valentine Banner

Just a quick share today, but it's here. :)

I made this cute little card using Hero Arts and Studio G stamps and some Valentine paper from Target's Dollar Spot. (No, it was not bought this year, lol-1 or 2 years ago maybe?) I made my own little banner from paper scraps, then added little stamped hearts to each. I also gave the little girl a heart to hold. I added a bit of shine to the hearts with Glossy Accents.

This card is for the PaperCrafts January Gallery Challenge to make a Valentine.

Today I am going to be cardmaking with a friend. We will be making birthday cards, so I should have some of those to share with you on Tuesday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank You and Birthday cards

First up is a different type of card than what I usually do. All black and white! This one is based on last Thursday's challenge at 365 cards. The challenge was to use a silhouette on your card, and the twist was that you could only use black and white. This was a hard one! I stamped one of my Mimi images (from DeNami Design) and just colored everything in with a black marker. I was quite pleased with the results! I then reached into my scraps and found a piece of black and white patterned paper from American Crafts. The sentiment is from Lawn Fawn. I stamped it with Versamark ink and then embossed it with white embossing powder. I thought it needed some "oomph", so I gave the girls a little bit of bling with Icicle Stickles.

I just love this next card, Peachy Birthday. This card was also made for the 365 card challenge blog. Last Wednesday's challenge was to "Keep It Simple" by only using one image, one sentiment, and one embellie. Another twist was that you could only use 1/3 of the card surface. Again, quite a struggle for me since I love embellies! I love the patterned paper cake layers, though-I think they are an embellishment in themselves. All of these papers are from an old DCWV stack-Nana's Nursery. The cake stamps are from Lawn fawn, and the sentiment is from imaginisce. The colors were inspired by Mona Pendleton's new challenge blog: CR84FN.

Finally, I have a birthday card for my Hero Arts friend, Marilyn. I missed her birthday the other day, but I still wanted to send her a pretty card. Plus, I owe her one! Marilyn sent me an adorable card last summer, so it's my turn. :) This card is based on Sketch #2 of sketch week by Lucy Abrams. I used another stamp (the dressform) from Lawn Fawn, and the same Imaginisce sentiment. I also embellished the tag a little bit with a Martha Stewart border punch. Making a dent in my stash, too-the red polka dot paper is AT LEAST 10 years old! It came in a Bitty Paper stack from Provo Craft which I got when I first started scrapbooking way back when. I loved the color and the print, though, so it never made it's way into the circular file. I love the combo of red and teal. They look great with the kraft and white, don't you think?

My Scrappy New Year's Goals

I have set a big goal for myself this year. Several scrappy friends have been talking about doing the popular Project 365 albums, where they take a picture each day and scrapbook it. At the end of 2011, they will have 365 photos. I'm not much of a scrapbooker, but I am a die-hard cardmaker. I also like to hoarde scrapping supplies. :) I am combining these two "talents" to create my own spin on Project 365. I am going to post a new project each day (usually a card, but sometimes a layout, tag, gift bag, etc.) My goal: to have completed 365 projects by the end of 2011. The twist: I am not allowing myself to buy ANY new scrappy supplies (other than adhesive) until I meet my goal. That's right-no new stamps, papers, punches, or ribbon. These are all major weaknesses for me! I am, however, continuing to design for Momenta (a VERY generous company that sends me monthly goody boxes) and I am also going to be entering many, many challenges in hopes of winning some new supplies. (Winning is very different from buying, lol!

(This card is out for PUBLICATION!)

I am sharing a few cards with you today. The first two are for this past week's 365 Cards Challenge. This is a new challenge site for me, but it will hopefully keep me both motivated and inspired this year. Monday's challenge was to pick 3 patterns from a list of choices. I chose houndtooth, paisley, and plaid. Since I am trying to use up my scraps, I punched hearts from each of these patterns (and I threw in a polka dot just because I liked it!) Then I stitched the hearts to my card front, scored the edges, and added a stamped sentiment and three tiny gems. Not a bit of adhesive on this card! This card is also based on Day 1 of Lucy's Sketch Challenge.

Tuesday's challenge was "Let's Make Some Noise!" The task: add something that makes noise to your card. I thought about this one for a long time. As I was looking through my stamp sets, I saw the VW bug stamp and the "Just Married" license plate. I thought it would be cute to tie some "cans" to the back of the car. I searched through my embellies, looking for silver beads for the "cans". What I found instead were these two album extenders which came in a package of page protectors. They jingle when you tip the card, making just a bit of noise. I thought it was a pretty creative idea. :)

The third and final card of the day is for my friend and fellow Momenta designer, Kelly Cranfill. She recently had a little girl, Braelyn Joy. Congratulations, Kelly! This card uses a premade card base and chipboard stickers from Momenta. I tried a new technique that I just saw in the new Scrapbooks Etc. magazine. I put masking tape on the back of plain white muslin, then embossed it with a Cuttlebug folder. It really works! It was the perfect touch for my card. This is also my entry for the Cardabilities Sketch Challenge #18.

Thanks for stopping by today! Please come back again tomorrow for some cute and easy "Thank You" cards and the rest of my 365 Cards Challenge entries. As always, I would love to have you leave me a comment-they keep me smiling and motivated!