A ladybug thank you

I know I haven't been around for a bit. First there was the issue of the art room. Three times in one week I couldn't find what I was looking for even though I knew I had what I wanted. The only answer was, of course, a reorganization of the space which was almost like Christmas because while I found those things I was looking for I also found papers and cardstocks I forgot I had. Once that was done it was time to get ready for the next adventure. We went to Brussels to see the Flower carpet in the main square. Beautiful!! And crowded. Though it is Belgium so lots of chocolate!! The really good stuff! I only brought a few pounds back with me. And yes, I will be disappearing again as we head out on another adventure next week. But before then I hope to show you a few things I've been working on.

First up is another thank you card. It seems I lost a bit of my holiday mojo while working on the gift and I'm really hoping it returns before it's crunch time. This thank you came about mostly from the ladybug brads.



The image is from Stampendous and the sentiment is from PTI. The papers are from Stampin Up.

Thanks for looking.

I was wrong...

the birthday card was not the hardest one to make. Making an anniversary card for the doc was beyond difficult. Seriously. I went through at least five ideas that just did not work. I finally ended up with this one which I do like, but boy was it hard.



I don't know why I got fixated on black, but I did. At one point I switched to white only to come back to black. And while I wasn't going to do hearts look where I ended up.

The hearts and sentiment are from PTI.


Challenges:
Crafty Creations Challenge Blog - wedding/anniversary
Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenges - Pink and Black

Thanks for looking. And please, let me know what you think.

Thinking of you

I'm still working my way through the gift set. Thankfully I'm just about done. Today's card is my favorite in the bunch. It is not something I would normally do. I am not usually this simple. However, once the idea hit me I really wanted to see it through.



The hearts are from PTI, all stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent ink. The sentiment is from Stampendous from back in the day. It too is stamped in Pearlescent ink. Then all I did was add two strips of glitter and done.

Challenges:
Papertake Weekly Challenges - White and Bright
Cute Card Thursday - Whateva!

Thanks for looking!

Sweet Wonderful You

Working my way through the gift, it came time to do the birthday card I assume he will send to his wife. I discovered just how hard it can be to design for someone else without them knowing about it. I mean think about it...creating a birthday card for a man to send to his wife whom I don't know in a situation where they are apart. I had to turn to a sketch and I went with a red rose because I think it's about as universal as you can get for the occasion.



The rose is once again unidentified. The rose is colored with a red copic and then highlighted with the blender. The sentiment is from PTI. The embossed paper came that way from Creative Memories awhile back.

Challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges - sketch (Thank you!)

Thanks for looking!

Happy HOT Holidays

Working my way through the challenge of getting the cards done for the deployment gift and here is the holiday card. Since he'll be somewhere in the desert I figured a sandy, hot, crazy Santa would fit the bill. I didn't want to go overly mushy or sentimental because I didn't want the card to make the separation at that time of year even worse. So, a bright sunny day with a little sand and Santa.



The stamps are all Stampin Up. Santa and the tree are from a retired set. So glad I've never parted with him. To finish off the affect there is a strip of sandpaper.

Challenges:
Christmas Stampin' All Year - Sketch
Our Creative Corner - Christmas in July
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - Out of this world (I don't think we'll be seeing Santa in his bathing suit any time soon!)

Thanks for looking!

Brighten the day

As I said yesterday, I am working on a set of cards for my doctor who will be deploying very soon. This is the second birthday card and I really hope it brightens the day of whichever girl happens to get it.



I love this little puppy. I've had him for years. He's from Comotion Rubber Stamps. Sadly he doesn't get inked up as much as he should. The dots on the circles are from PTI. The sentiment is from Stampin Up.

Challenges:
Crafty Creations Challenges - Summer Lovin'
For Fun Challenges - Summer Colors
Sweet Sketch Wednesday - Sketch

Thanks for looking.

Make a wish

Though I am right in the middle of prime Christmas card making time I am shifting my mojo for the sake of my favorite doctor. Well, really it's for his family. He's deploying for 16 months. We'll have moved on by the time he gets back. I'm very sad. However, I thought the best gift to send with him was a collection of cards for him to have on hand to send back to his girls. This is the first of the birthday cards. I hope to get four birthday cards (one for his wife and each of their three daughters), a Christmas card, Anniversary card, and two anytime cards done in time for him to take. Wish me luck since there is also a teething baby in the house and a husband who isn't.



This card came about mostly because I saw the challenge over at Cute Card Thursday focusing on text. I remembered this big block stamp I bought from Purple Onion Designs awhile back. I love the stamp - all of them really - but had never gotten around to inking it up. Other ideas bopping around in my head involved this adorable mouse from Whiff of Joy and eventually the two came together.

Challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - Texting crazy
Charisma Cardz Challenges - Something with a tail
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Sketch
Party Time Tuesdays - Anything goes birthday

Thanks for looking!