Finally--my sketch challenge and the LNS challnege too!

I always seem to get into some type of funk with my crafting in September--maybe because it is such a crazy busy month for me--I really need to get one or two things off the September calender next year seems EVERYTHING has to be done in September, lol.  What is wrong with the other months???  Oh well, it is what it is!

I finally got around to doing my sketch challenge for this week--here is the sketch in case you forgot by now!

You can play along by clicking HERE!

and here is my sample, I combined it with the LNS challenge to make a teacher gift. I kept it crazy simple by making a card and then matching up a few magnetic clothes pins and a fancied up ruler--how simple is that project--modge podge and scrapbook paper and you have a pretty ruler-from a really cheap one!

It was made even simpler by using the pretty daisy embellishments that I have had laying around for years.  I believe they are K and Company--but not really positive. 

The colors on the card are Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink and Daffodil Delight along with Very Vanilla 

Hope you are having a great week.  

Here is a new picture of my puppies for you too

they are the other part of what is keeping me busy--what was I thinking with two, lol.

Can you read those eyes--they are saying but mom, we want to stay up and play--it is only 10pm!  

Happy Today

Mary Jo

Try Stamping On Tuesday!

Here we go again--we have another sketch for you to try.  I am still working on staff appreciation card sets--this is number six.

 

Here is the sketch we are working with this week!

And here are the cards individually.....

 So Saffron

 Lucky Limeade

 Pretty in Pink

 Calypso Coral

Island Indigo

other supplies used

Tea for Two DP, oval framelit, nestability scallop die, blender pen, markers

Be sure to check out what the rest of the team did

and play along too

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE CHALLENGE

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 264 (TSSC264)

Wow, this month is just flying by--glad to have nice weather though!  Thanks so much for stopping by today-it's Monday so that means I have a brand new sketch challenge for you to play along with.

Here are some basic rules for participation..

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!

And now for the sketch....

I have been working on a bunch of card sets for our staff at the middle school.  Today I am sharing my fifth set.  This one is a hybrid card--I do not have that many school themed cards and I am trying to make some of the sets gender neutral so I opened MDS and created the center image for my cards.  Kept this set super simple and used black and read--don't know why that always makes me think of school????

I am excited that this also fits the new bi-weekly challenge on Latenightstampers --we are making gifts for teachers! 

Now that you seen the sketch and my sample let's move on to the real talent -- my fabulous design team and their samples....

Mary Brown

Carolyn Bennett

Tanya

Nicole Tugrul

Eileen LeFevre

Jonia Smith

Robbie 

Sue Root

I told you they were talented!  Now we want to see what you do with the sketch!
Be sure to hop on back and add your sample to the linky tool below.
Thanks, Mary Jo

Staff Appreciation card set number 4!

If you are a regular here you are aware that I am the coordinator for our middle school staff appreciation luncheon and I have been working on some card sets to give as prizes.  This is set number 4!

As I have stated in previous posts the supplies are a mix and match of stuff from my stash.  The base of these cards is Bashful Blue.  I think they are one of my favorites!  Simple and cute--don't you think?  Anyway, lots to do today so this is going to be a short and sweet post--enjoy your day!

Flashback Friday!

Still working on School Themed card sets. This is set number 3. So for today's challenge I pulled out the retired sets--Tart and Tangy and Say it With Scallops.  I also use the Deconstructed Sketch 101 for my jump off point.  As with the previous card sets I am mixing and matching colors and papers --a few of which are not Stampin Up but from my old old stash.  I can tell you the basic colors used in these cards are as follows: Basic Black, Real Red, Bashful Blue, Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive.  This is not one of my favorite card sets to date but as time winds down I just need to get them done, lol! 

Here are some individual pictures -- which is your favorite?

I actually think I like the blue and plaid one best--go figure-couldn't be more UN-traditional! 

Here are pictures of the retired/flashback sets. 

 

Don't forget to check out what Nicole did for the challenge this week--remember that is who thought of this great Flashback Friday challenge to begin with--I just hopped on it with her!

Happy Friday! Mary Jo

School Staff Appreciation Card Group Number 2

As I mentioned on Monday I am in charge of our Middle School Staff Appreciation Luncheon and in an effort to make it a bit more special without adding too much more to the budget I am making some of the gifts.  You will notice that all of the card sets from this point on will be a combination of different items I am finding in my stash--trying to use up some of the CRAZY amounts of stuff laying around my studio--so there will not be full details given for the cards as I am not sure I even know all the details, lol!  Hope you enjoy the ideas though.  The first set was posted in Monday so this is set number two!  Monday's set was pretty feminine so I will be trying to stay a bit more gender neutral for the next few.

I am so happy with this card--I have had this ruler tape in my kitchen drawer for years and did not really know what to do with it, but could not get rid of it because I knew one day it would dawn on me what I can do with it--well the day has come!!!  This was such an easy card to reproduce too--those who follow my blog know I do not like to make multiples of the same card! 

The lighter gray on the card is one of our new colors. Smokey Slate--the base is Basic Gray. 

Hope you have a great day!
Mary Jo

Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 263 (TSSC263)

Welcome to week 263 of my weekly sketch challenges.  I love the sketch this week and the Design Team rocked it -- as always.  Wait to you see all the fabulous samples for this week.  Let's get started with the sketch...

I went all out and decided to show you guys the brand new in colors for the upcoming catalog.  I will be sharing lots of card sets over the next week or so due to my need to make lots of gift packs for the teachers and staff at our Middle School.  Hope you enjoy them.  This first set is using the this week's sketch and some brand new stamps along with the brand new in-colors.  The cards are all identical except for the color and embossing folders used on each.

Here is a shot of the group with the new color names!  You are going to love them!

 Stamps: Wildflower Meadow, the new plaid wheel and One in a Million
Paper: See Above colors and Whisper White
Ink: See Above colors and Basic Black
Other: marker, embossing folders, button embosslit, modern label punch, white baker's twine

Another thing you are going to love are the fabulous samples the Design Team has for this week's challenge.  They are so talented and I am so grateful for all they do each week! 

 

Mary Brown

Tanya

Jonia Smith

Eileen LeFevre

Nicole Tugrul

Sue Root

Carolyn Bennett

Robbie

We are excited to see your samples add them below.. 

  

Here are some basic rules for participation..

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!

Mary Jo



VC Rocks Final Blog Hop of the year.

Welcome to the final blog hop of the season for the VC Rocks' crew!  Another sad reminder that the summer is almost over--I want a re-do!  But although I am sad about my summer coming to a close there is good news too!  And that is the fact that there are 19 stops on this blog hop and the crazy talented members of the group are going to be sharing so many creative ideas with you that your head will be spinning!  The theme of this hop is Punches-Big Shot and Score Board projects.  I believe I used all of those and the MDS too!  So I suggest you find a comfy seat and enjoy the hop.  If you just came here from Jane's Stamp With Jane blog then you are on the right path but if this is your first stop that is great too, you can just keep right on hopping along until you end up right back here--that way you won't miss anything.  And of course if you get lost at any time you can always visit the VC Rocks home page and see the complete list of hoppers along with the links to their blog.  So no worries--just enjoy yourself.

My projects will begin with a few more teacher gifts.  That is the challenge on the Latenightstamper's group for the week and it is so appropriate as my son will be going back to school soon and I never send him empty handed!  I shared a few projects with you already in the previous post so if you missed those you might want to come on back after the hop and see them.

The first project is using the score board, bigshot and the MDS program.  It is a simple 2/4/6/8 box that is full of pencils for my son's teacher.  You know that is something that a teacher can never have too many of.  I decorated the box with a scallop cut on my big shot with the Tasteful Trim Bigz Die, then I added a cute saying created on the MDS to the front and finished it off with a tag cut from the Two Tags die.  Simple, fast and practical!  Score one for me!

 The next project also using the the score board, bigshot and the MDS program.  This one needs you to use just a tiny bit of imagination because it is supposed to be filled with homemade cookies but since my son does not go back to school until September 6th I thought I better wait a bit before I baked them, lol!  So use your imagination and pretend this cute box is filled with delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies--I can smell them already!

Again it is another simple box but I cut a window in it using the Apothecary Accents Framelits and the big shot.  The saying was done on MDS!  Again, quick, cute and this time yummy!

The final project is a big one for me.  Our church is hosting it's second annual women's retreat in September and these will be used there.  Again you may need a bit of imagination here--sorry.  They are decorated bags with matching decorated clothes pin magnets.  Last year we did the sweetest thing throughout the retreat.  We took time to write little "love notes" to the other women.  Just little notes saying we were glad to meet them, or that we enjoyed spending time with them or that they inspired us or any other little thing you could think of to lift up and encourage our sisters in Christ.  The bags that we used to hold the heart shaped pieces of paper with the notes on them kept falling over and it was difficult to find the right bag to put the notes into--each bag has someones name on it.  So I thought it would be fun to decorate the bags and hang them on a clothes line with matching decorated clothes pin magnets that the ladies can keep and use after the retreat as a reminder.  Hope this makes sense-Here is an individual bag--there will be names on each bag by the flowers.

And here a few of them hanging on a "line".  I still have a bunch more to make but they fit this theme well since I used punches for the flowers and the big shot for the butterflies on the magnets!

Each bag will be the same layout and design they will just use different colors and designs--I am using some of my retired DP that I have way way way too much of, lol!  I hope you enjoyed my project for this hop.  Now you can jump on over to see what the talented Barb Furlong has in store for us on her blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Mary Jo

Firt Day of School! So sad.

I am so sad that there are only a few more weeks before the kiddos go back to school. Summer is just so short. But since it is coming up so fast we decided to focus on Back to School projects this week on the Latenightstamper's group! I have so many ideas for little thank you type teacher gifts that I want to make. I know for sure what I am making my son's teacher for first day of school--just haven't been able to get all the supplies together yet so I will have to post it a bit later. But I did see a darling little idea on Pinterest to package up two tea light candles with a decorated box of matches and thought that would be a super cute little gift for some of the teacher/staff at school so I make one with a matching card. Hope you like it. Actually I hope the recipients like it, lol!

It don't seem like it in the picture but the flowers are the same colors.  I could not get the candle package and the large flower to both look good because of the glare of the plastic bag.  But I am sure you get the idea.  These were two of the projects at my clubs this month.

Stamps:  Stippled Blossoms, Just Believe
Paper: Island Indigo, Whisper White, Twitterpated DP
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Island Indigo, Basic Black
Other: Beautiful Butterflies embosslit, Little Leaves Sizzlit, box matches, tea light candles, clear envelopes, thin ribbon, MDS for sentiment.

Check back all week for more gift ideas.
Mary Jo