It Will Be Ok CAS18

Back when I used to scrapbook I LOVED using sketches.  That carried on to my cardmaking.  My favorite challenges have always been sketches.  So, you can guess my excitement when I discovered the Calling All Sistahs Encouragement Challenge is a sketch!  Check it out.

Imagine my surprise when I ended up with a Fall card instead of pink and glitter like I had planned.  I guess Fall is in the air.  If you check out the rest of the Encouragement Squad inspiration, you will quickly notice my card is not like the others. 

I started with a tag for this card by stamping the acorn, and coloring it with a blender pen.  Then making a mask for the acorn out of a post-it-note and stamping the leaves around it.  The little scallops needed something and I was going to use a marker to make dots, then I remembered the Candy Dots from Stampin' Up I have.   They are likely retired, so it was tempting to hoard them, but it was time they got used so I added one to each of the little scallops.  Then I was faced with what to do with the background to match the sketch.  I thought about pulling out one of my woodgrain embossing folders.  I also considered just putting down a strip of ribbon to mimic the line in the sketch.  In the end I remembered I have woodgrain paper so I pulled that out.  Then the jute ribbon on the wall caught my eye and I tried laying it on the paper.  Instant perfection.  

Now the top of my tag looked too plain.  I didn't have any ribbon to match the colors of my leaves and the brown ribbon faded into the background.  So, I tried a little scrap of red ribbon and bam! my card was complete.  Here is a little bit of my inspiration for this card.

Driving up to Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park last weekend.  Gorgeous and sunny Autumn day. 

Drive around the Hood Canal on our way to Port Angeles, WA. It was raining so I had difficulty getting good pictures, but we so enjoyed the driving!

Head on over to CAS18 to see what my talented Sistahs have created and be inspired to add your own ENCOURAGEMENT card to the challenge!  Don't forget to use our coupon code when shopping.

Stamps: Autumn Blessings, Breathe (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede, So Saffron (Stampin' Up) Lime Rickey, Sauna (Catherine Pooler)
Paper: Very Vanilla, Woodgrain DSP (SU)
Accessories: Blender Pen, Jute Ribbon, Neutral Candy Dots (SU) Scallop Tag Fri-Die (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)

Calling All Sistahs Reminder

It's the 17th of the month and that means it is time to check the girlies and schedule your mammograms.  October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and many places offer free or reduced price mammograms this month.  It's a good time to get in the habit of yearly mammograms.  

The sistahs from the encouragement squad are here to remind you each month the check yourself with our pretty pink cards.  Here is mine.

Now head on over the the Calling All Sistahs blog to read Michele's touching message and see what the rest of my sistahs have created.

Stamps: Calling All Sistahs (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine) 003, 025, 202 (Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers)
Paper: Black, White (Catherine Pooler LLC)
Accessories: Bubble Box Fri Die, Friend Fri Die (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)

VersaFine Ink Pad, Onyx Black

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 003, Fluorescent Pink

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 025, Pink

ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Marker 202, Peach Pink

Strathmore Bristol Pad 9x12

Ranger Distress Sprayer By Tim Holtz

Thank You Berry Much

Our youngest son, Michael, works at a local nursery.  One of the great benefits of this job is he brings home fresh fruits and vegetables from his boss's garden.  I wanted to thank them for their bountiful blessings shared with us, so I made this card.  :)  

Some of the fruits are "double dipped" in 2 colors of ink.  I took a sponge dauber to blend out the two colors in hopes of avoiding a harsh line.  This was a quick easy card to make.  I hope they like it!

Stamps: I Pick You (Catherine Pooler Designs)
Ink: Bellini, Grass Skirt, Melon Ice, Midnight, Orange Twist, Tiki Torch, Rockin' Red, Sauna, Tiara (CPD)
Accessories: Wonky Stitched Dies (My Favorite Things) 

Dream Chasers

Every year I choose a word for the year.  If I'm being honest, most years the word finds me.  Sometimes I hold onto for longer than a year.  The first year I wrote out my word to use it was Focus.  Life was chaotic and too many things were pulling my attention.  I really felt like it was important to Focus on one task at a time and see it through completion.  I worked on setting up a schedule to help me focus.  I started using planners again and started a bullet journal planner with FOCUS being the very first page.

The following year my word remained Focus, but this time it was focus on being in the moment, especially with my children.  This started with turning down the radio in the car and truly engaging and listening to them as I took them to and from school.  My oldest was in middle school and I realized all too soon they would be gone.  Some days I wanted to just turn up the music or talk radio to hear another adult, but I could do that on the way home.  When they were in the car I had their focused attention.

Fast forward to last year.  My word was DREAM.  Not just dream, but I felt like God was telling me to dream bigger.  To dream beyond what I thought was possible and to dream what I had never dreamed before.  It has been an interesting word with endless possibilities.  The problem was that 2017 was filled with heartache for me.  Dreams just didn't seem possible.  I still held onto that word though, and when opportunities came, I took them.  Here is the thing about dreams.  They can remain beautiful or scary or exciting or even heartbreaking, but to make your dreams a reality you have to do more than dream.  You have to do the work and chase those dreams.

My Rodan + Fields team is called the Dream Chasers.  Why did I choose that name?  So we can always remember what we are working for.  We are not just hoping and wishing, but we are running after those things we want.  We keep dreaming bigger and brighter, but we also have our feet on the ground running. 

This card was made with my Dream Chasers in mind.  I created the background by masking off the outer edges, using a waterbrush to brush water over the center and then add soft swatches of color.  Once it was dry I added some stamping.  It is a clean and simple card, but captures the dreamy look I was going for.

What are you dreaming about?
What is your word of the year?

Stamps: Believe (Clearly Besotted)
Ink: Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet (Distress) All That Jazz (Catherine Pooler Designs) Versamark
Paper: Bristol (Strathmore)
Accessories: White Superfine Embossing Powder (Wow) 

Ranger Distress Mini Ink Pad, Wilted Violet

Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, All That Jazz

Ranger Distress Ink Pad, Shaded Lilac

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

My Sweet Petunia Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7)

My Sweet Petunia Creative Corners

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Cubes, Shades of Purple

Altenew Crisp Dye Ink Cubes, Green Meadows

Altenew Clear Stamps, Happy Dreams

Hero Arts Clear Stamps, Come Fly With Me

Catherine Pooler Reinker, All That Jazz

VersaMark Ink Pad

Wonderful Mother

If you read my post a few of days ago, you saw the card my husband didn't choose to send to his mom.  I can't say I blame him.  I'm pretty sure she would love this one too.  She once told me that yellow roses are her favorite, so I try to include a yellow rose on her cards when I can.

This card is a combination of "old" and "new" (at least to me) products.  The layering flowers and leaves are new to me, and although the puffy diamond embossing folder isn't new, it is new-to-me.  I have to admit my embossing folders have been collecting dust for a few years now.  That is why I held off so long on getting this one, but after loving every card I saw using it, I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet and get one.  Then I "made myself" use it before putting it away with the other lonely embossing folders. Perhaps I need to start using them again more often.  I do love the texture and look they give to cards.

The ribbon, sentiment stamp and cross stitch square dies were all happy to be used again.


Stamps: The Sweet Life (PaperTreyInk) You Are Wonderful (Clearly Besotted)
Ink: Bellini, Tiara, Midnight (Catherine Pooler Designs) Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Sweet Sugarplum, Wild Wasabi, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Blushing Bride, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories: Cross Stitch Squares (My Favorite Things) Organza Ribbon, Tufted Dynamic Embossing Folder (SU)  Silver Watercolor (Kuretake)

Lawn Fawn Clear Acrylic Block, 1.75 round

My Sweet Petunia Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7)

My Sweet Petunia Creative Corners

Ranger Multi Medium, Matte Mini, 1/2 oz.

Quilled Creations Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle 0.5 oz.

Silver Brush Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes, Short Round 12

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, 6 Color Set

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Pearl Colors, 6 Color Set

My Favorite Things Die-namics, Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX

Lawn Cuts Dies, Small Cross-Stitched Square Stackables

WPlus9 Design Studio Clear Stamps, Rose Builder

Altenew Clear Stamps, Beautiful Day

Feel Better with Copic coloring

The moment I saw this stamp, I had to have it.  I've been on something of a stamp buying freeze because I wasn't doing much stamping and did need to do anymore collecting if I wasn't going to use it, but I just had to color this image!  I'm so glad I did.  I've tried watercolor and Copic so far.  Next I think I will pull out my inktense pencils and see how that goes.

Speaking off too much schtuff to buy more... I have a serious "collection" of patterned paper, but the past couple of years my style has been more on the clean and simple side.  Plus, I love making my own backgrounds, so my paper hoard (let's just call it what it is) has grown to the point I can't justify buying anymore pretty paper.  Not to mention I have no place to put it when I do.  The only way to remedy that is to start using up what I have.  I suppose I could make a big bonfire with them and eat s'more's.  S'mores are good, but I just can't bring myself to burning my pretty stash.

Stamps: Handlettered Encouragement (Simon Says Stamp) Mondo Sakura (Essentials by Ellen)
Ink: Midnight (Catherine Pooler Designs)
Paper: Solar White (Neenah) Fairy Dust (Kaiser Craft)
Accessories: V0000. V000, V01, V04, BV20, G21, 0 (Copic)  Wonky Stitched Dies (My Favorite Things) Mondo Sakura Dies (Essentials by Ellen)

Essentials By Ellen Clear Stamps, Mondo Sakura by Julie Ebersole

Altenew Clear Stamps, Fresh Freesia

Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies, Mondo Sakura by Julie Ebersole

Ranger Multi Medium, Matte Mini, 1/2 oz.

Quilled Creations Precision Tip Glue Applicator Bottle 0.5 oz.

My Favorite Things Die-namics, Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX

COPIC Sketch Marker V0000, Rose Quartz

COPIC Sketch Marker V000, Pale Heath

COPIC Sketch Marker V01, Heath

COPIC Sketch Marker V04, Lilac

COPIC Sketch Marker BV20, Dull Lavender

COPIC Sketch Marker G21, Lime Green

COPIC Sketch Marker, 0 Colorless Blender

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, 25 pk

Catherine Pooler Ink Pad, Midnight

Catherine Pooler Reinker, Midnight

Lawn Fawn Clear Acrylic Block, 1.75 round

My Sweet Petunia Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7)

My Sweet Petunia Creative Corners