Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 355 (TSSC355)

Happy Monday--and Happy Birthday to me!  Today is my 50th birthday and also day one of a fitness challenge that I am doing to lose 20 lbs in 6 weeks!  I am so excited to be doing this challenge as I actually gained all the weight back that I lost last time so it is just like starting over, except this time you have to work out 5 times a week with trainers and I am hoping to create new workout habits.  Here's to the next 50 years--God willing!

So anyway, back to the true reason for this post.  The new sketch challenge.  I have to say I thought this was a super easy sketch but I had a hard time.  Do you ever have those types of days when you just can't seem to make anything work.  A card like this would take me about 10 minutes normally but this one took forever and i don't even like it.  I can not for the life of me get this image to stamp cleanly-I have tried every trick I know--I think I may have gotten a bad one.  But I am sorry to say I will be sharing my card anyway--no time to play around anymore today.  So why not begin with the sketch....

And my sample---

Stamps: Balloon Bash

Paper: Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, SAB DP

 Ink: Coastal Cabana, Calypso Coral

Other: scallop edge border punch

Now for the AMAZING design team's samples....

Mary Brown

Jonia Smith 

Robbie

 Nicole Tugrul

Tanya

Carolyn Bennett

Sue Root

Looks like the team has their mojo going strong!  Love all the samples from them! I am excited to see what your sample will look like. Be sure to come on back and link up your sample to the linky tool below.

Remember you have a full week. 

Here are some basic rules for the challenge....

1. You have a full week to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too! 
   Add your sample below
   Thanks!  Mary Jo

Top three for sketch challenge 354!

Love this sketch and the samples that were shared.  Here are my top three picks in no particular order.  Take a moment to visit each creator's blog to see more of their work!  Click the link below each image.

Lynne in NI

Lizy

 

Thank You

 

Thank you so much for playing along this week!

Congratulations to the winners!  You are all welcome to add my badge to your blog if you so wish! I hope you find time to play along this week too. Thanks again! You can grab the code for the button on the upper left hand side of my blog. I will be right back with the new sketch! 

Mary Jo

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 354 (TSSC354)

Boy oh boy is it cold out there!  We are at -9 degrees with a wind chill that is as low as -30 degrees.  In my humble opinion that is just CRAZY!  But at least it gives me a reason to stay in the house and stamp!  I hope you find a reason to stamp this week too, I have a simple sketch for you to try and I am sure you will love it.  Here is the sketch.....

 

And my sample--It is my first sample with the new Balloon Bash stamp set--I always struggle with using balloons on cards for some reason?? Not sure what the problem is but I never like them.  I like when everyone else uses them but not when I do.  Strange, but true!

 I love a black and white card and since those were the scraps that were sitting on my desk I went with them!  

Stamps: Balloon Bash

Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White and Stacked with Love dp

Ink: Real Red and Black

Other: rhinestones and stars

Now for the design teams samples.  They are super cute and each one is so different this week--lots of fabulous ideas......

Tanya

 Mary Brown

Jonia Smith

Sue Root

Nicole Tugrul

Robbie

 Thanks ladies as always you rocked it!

  I am excited to see what your sample will look like. Be sure to come on back and link up your sample to the linky tool below.

Remember you have a full week. 

Here are some basic rules for the challenge....

1. You have a full week to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too! 
   Add your sample below
   Thanks!  Mary Jo

Top Three for Sketch 353.

Well, I guess I stumped you guys with last week's sketch--there were only two participants?!  So I can't very well pick a top three can I?  But I can show you the two that played along since they were really fun and deserve an extra shout out......

Sarah T

Colien

Thanks so much ladies your cards are fabulous and you deserve to be applauded! You can view more details about the individual cards by clicking on the links below.  

You are both welcome to add my badge to your blog if you so wish! I hope you find time to play along this week too. Thanks again! You can grab the code for the button on the upper left hand side of my blog. I will be right back with the new sketch! 

Mary Jo

Painted Petals on Tuesday

This really is one of my favorite sets right now--in case you can not tell from how many cards I have already made with it!  It really is an easy set to create nice simple cards with especially if you combine it with Painted Blooms DP.  Love the colors and the patterns in this paper. 

Stamps: Painted Petals

Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Whisper White and painted Blooms DP

Ink: Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Black, Blackberry Bliss

Other: black marker for edging

Here is the sketch .....

 

Come on over to the Try Stampin' on Tuesday Blog and play along.

By the way--did you get your Painted Petals Tutorial yet?

Six Beautiful Cards

full color photos of each card

step by step directions

each card and directions are on a separate page--great for classes

detailed supply list --cut list with all dimensions--tips

ALL FOR ONLY $2.50

Thanks for stopping by today--see you soon. Mary Jo

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 353 (TSSC353)

Hello and thanks for stopping by today. It is time for another sketch challenge and this week we have a bit of a different one for you.  Remember you have a full week to play along--so don't worry if you can't get to it today--print it out and do it when you have time over the week.  Just be sure to come on back and add you link to the linky tool below when you are done.  Here is this week's sketch......

And for my sample I used the cute Hey Valentine set that I bought to actually use for children's birthday cards after Valentines.  Cute images that will fit with different sentiments.  I struggled to get a good picture of this--think it is all the reds??  Or maybe my camera needs a good overhaul--too bad I don't really know much about the setting to know what is right and wrong but it has been off since my son used it for a photography class??  Oh well, at this point it is what it is--hopefully you can get the idea and still be inspired by it!

 

This little fox is really cute don't you think? It is difficult to see in this picture but there are small pearls on there too that are colored with my blendabilities.  It is much cuter and much less cluttered looking in real life.  

Stamps: Hey, Valentine, And Many More

Paper: Basic black, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe and Stacked with Love dp

Ink: Black

Other: small heart punch, pearls, word window punch, scallop edge framelit, blendabilities

Now for the rest of the team's samples.....

Tanya

 Mary Brown

Nicole Tugrul

Robbie

Jonia Smith

Sue Root

Fabulous job ladies!  I am so thankful for you all.  I really think I have the most talented team around.
I am excited to see what your sample will look like. Be sure to come on back and link up your sample to the linky tool below.

Remember you have a full week. 

Here are some basic rules for the challenge....

1. You have a full week to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too! 
   Add your sample below
   Thanks!  Mary Jo

Top Three for sketch 352 (TSSC352)

So, participation has been down for the last few weeks again, but the samples this week are all fabulous.  Makes is so much harder to pick.  Below are the top three in no particular order--please take a moment to click on the links below the samples.  Those links will take you to the creator's blog and give you the opportunity to leave them a comment or see more details about the cards.

 

Janies entry for TSSC352

 

Sarah T

  

Lily Patch Stamps

Thank you so much for playing along this week!

Congratulations to the winners!  You are all welcome to add my badge to your blog if you so wish! I hope you find time to play along this week too. Thanks again! You can grab the code for the button on the upper left hand side of my blog. I will be right back with the new sketch! 

Mary Jo

  

It is true, Love Is Kindness!

Another fun stamp set from the Occasions Catalog is the Love is Kindness set.  It is only one stamp but has so many possibilities.  I just love tulips too so that makes it even nicer for me!

Yellow and Red are also colors that make me feel happy so I decided to use those with these pretty Spring flowers to bring a bit of faux sunshine into my (and your) day!  Hope  you enjoy.  The layout is pretty simple and creates an simple yet elegant looking card.  Love when you can mail with one stamp!  Yea for that! 

Stamps: Love is Kindness
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White and Best Year Ever DP (SAB FREEBIE)
Ink: Black
Other: marker for edging, blendabilities for coloring

Did you get to check out my newest tutorial yet?  It is a fun one with six fabulous cards. 

Six Beautiful Cards

full color photos of each card

step by step directions

each card and directions are on a separate page--great for classes

detailed supply list --cut list with all dimensions--tips

ALL FOR ONLY $2.50

Thanks for stopping by today--see you soon. Mary Jo

Painted Petals Card Set Tutorial.

The first tutorial of 2015 and it is with my favorite set from the new Occasion Mini--Painted Petals.  This tutorial is full of fabulous cards all using the Painted Petals set and only a few other limited supplies!

Six Beautiful Cards

full color photos of each card

step by step directions

each card and directions are on a separate page--great for classes

detailed supply list --cut list with all dimensions--tips

ALL FOR ONLY $2.50

  Automatically sent to your paypal e-mail as soon as payment is made!   

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 352

Thanks for stopping by today to check out the new sketch for this week.  I love the sketch this week and think you will enjoy it too.  The samples are wonderful and we are excited to see what you do with it.  Here is the sketch.......

And of course my sample for the challenge, I used the beautiful Painted Petals stamp set with some fun and fresh colors.

Stamps:  Painted Petals

Paper: Painted Blooms DP, Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Whisper White

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Mossy Meadow, Black

Other: ribbon, black marker, wide oval punch

Now for the rest of the teams designs!

Sue Root

Tanya

Carolyn Bennett

Robbie

 Mary Brown
 

Jonia Smith

 Nicole Tugrul

Wowzers, those are wonderful!  Don't you agree?  Thanks so much ladies you rocked this sketch as always.  I love you all and appreciate you being on my design team!  I am excited to see what your sample will look like. Be sure to come on back and link up your sample to the linky tool below.

Remember you have a full week. 

Here are some basic rules for the challenge....

1. You have a full week to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too! 
   Add your sample below
   Thanks!  Mary Jo