Alter Something

This is my card for the challenge at Joan's Gardens this week.

Here are the requirements:

• Use a square
• Alter something...even if it is a card
• Use flower paper...you can make it 
• You must use something sold at Joan's Gardens on your card.

My 2 inch square frame has rounded corners. The frame and the flower are a purchased embellishment.

The flowered paper is from an old Colorbok 12x12 paper book designed by Tracy Porter.

The thing I used that is sold at Joan's Gardens is a Cuttlebug folder. The folder that I used (Checkerboard) is no longer produced but Joan has plenty of embossing folders for sale. If you don't see what you want, just let her know and she'll be able to get it for you. One good thing (there are many) about Joan's Gardens is that she only charges you for the actual mailing costs -- no price gouging on shipping!! By the way, this embossing folder also features squares!!

My altered something is a card. Here is a picture of the card that I chose to alter.

Hope you have time to play in this challenge too  -- let's see what you come up with to alter!

Betty

A Challenge at Joan's Gardens

My cardmaking style is layered, clean and simple, but I think I've managed to capture all of the requirements for the challenge at Joan's Gardens, which are:

• Use black and white
• Use an embossing folder
• Use flowers, pearls and lace
• Use something sold at Joan's Gardens

As you can tell right away, I've used black and white. Also used a favorite embossing folder from Stampin' Up, Square Lattice. For many years my favorite has been Swiss Dots; guess now I have two favorites!

Got two requirements done with one swoop -- my Memory Box Prim Poppy die was purchased from Joan's Gardens. I have a flourish of lace and the pearls are quite subtle (meaning you have to hunt to find them!!). I've put a pearl at the center of the flower on the lace and at the left side of the sentiment frame. The stamps are from the set Wedding by Inkadinkado, which I purchased on my last trip to the States in June of last year.

By the way, I won't be traveling back to the States this summer; instead my daughter is coming to see me!! I'm so excited -- I've been here in Mexico for two years (can it really be????) and this will be the first time she's come -- can't wait to show her around "my town"!

Bye for now,
Betty

Steadfast Love of the LORD

I've got to get this one posted today to meet tomorrow's deadline for the challenge at Joan's Gardens. Here are Joan's challenge requirements:
1. Use Butterflies
2. Use some type of scallops or lattice
3. Use yellow or gold colors
4. Use patterned paper for your background.

I have used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches, challenge #32. Here is their wonderful sketch.

I would also like to link up this card to Word Art Wednesday, a challenge site dedicated to encouraging, uplifting messages on cards. They give you a beautiful piece of word art to work each week with but you can also enter any card with scriptures or encouraging and uplifting words.

My card was made with the cover plate quatrefoil die by Papertrey Ink. I trimmed the cut piece since I didn't need it to cover the entire card. This wonderful scripture stamp came from Layers of Color, a stamp set called Encouragement. The butterflies are made with a Marvy punch and small yellow pearls.

For those of you who know that I sell my cards at a market on Mondays to raise funds for dental care for a boys home in a nearby village, it was a pretty slow day yesterday BUT I received an email this morning from a friend who wants me to make 9 cards for her so that really encouraged me! There are two new boys at the home and these two plus two more will be taken to the dentist on Friday.

Have a wonderful day everyone,
Betty

A Christmas Card and a Corner Bookmark!

I have two projects to share with you today. The first is my card for Sketch #13 at Merry Monday. Here's the sketch:

I made my card with a paper pack from Hobby Lobby called Magic of the Season.  I love these red, black, white and ivory papers -- just something a little different from traditional Christmas colors. I also used an older Stampin' Up pack of rub-ons called Old Saint Nick for the snowflake and the tree border with the sentiment "May The Season Bring Gladness". I usually follow Lesley's sketches to the letter -- they are very striking without a lot of extras! Check back with me next Monday -- I'm excited to be a guest designer for Merry Monday Challenge #14!

Next, is a corner bookmark made for the weekly challenge at Joan's Gardens.

It was made by cutting off the corner of an envelope from that most sought after item -- junk mail! Both sides were covered with the red and then a bit of  a border punch was adhered and then I added a little flower I cut out from a piece of patterned paper. Super easy!!

It's another beautiful day in my neighborhood -- hope it's the same at your house!
Betty

A Pink and White Layered Challenge

The layout for my card is from the sketch challenge at Pals Paper Arts. I'm cutting it close as this challenge closes at noon today but here is their Sketch 129.....

I think all the layers of this sketch are a really neat look and they fit in perfectly with the challenge at Joan's Gardens to (1) use pink and white with lots of layers, (2) use one rectangle layer, (3) use one oval layer, and (4) use one dimensional flower.

My flower stamp is from Stampin' Up and the sentiment is from Gina K. Designs. The edge punch is Martha Stewart and the pretty pink dp is from Stampin' Up. All the little rhinestones went on quickly with the help of Embellie Gellie. Have you used this stuff???? It's amazing how easy it is to attach a bunch of little gems in a short amount of time!

The sun is rising and the birds are singing -- I think it's going to be another pretty day!

Betty

A Basket of Flowers

Joan's Gardens is having a challenge to make a get well card with a basket of flowers, using patterned paper, with green and white as the main colors.

This was a fun card to make. I went looking through my digi images and found buckets of flowers, pots of flowers, and vases of flowers. It was a while before I found a basket from Digi-Sparkle. I filled my basket with flowers that I had punched out a long time ago and never used. The sparkly flower centers are stickers from Martha Stewart and I also used a MS branch punch for the greenery. The sentiment is from a Gina K. Designs set, Say It With Flowers. Used a Spellbinders Fancy Tags die to cut it out.

No rain today, but it's still overcast -- my sunshine has not made its reappearance yet!

Betty

Springtime Card

My card today was made with the sketch from Day 12 of Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary and the recipe from Joan's Gardens to make a springtime card in blue and white with some sort of lattice and perhaps, add a bird. Nothing says springtime to me like birds singing, hence the stamp from a set by Clear Art Stamps which was cut out with a Nestabilities die and sponged with blue. I used a Stampin' Up Bashful Blue card base, DP from a Stampin' Up kit, with the lattice work created by a die from Papertrey Ink, Cover Plate - Quatrefoil.

My heart sings as I look at this card and out the window at all the hummingbirds and orioles and even a mischevious squirrel! Hope yours is singing too!

Betty

Last Minute Christmas Cards

I made four of these cards tonight for the attendants who take care of my mother-in-law at her assisted living home. The Inkadinkadoo angel was stamped with versamark ink and embossed with Winter Wonderland Opaque embossing powder. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up. After embossing, I ran the panel through my Big Shot with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder and adhered it to a white base with a little panel of silver metallic card stock. I would like to enter my card(s) in the following challenges:
Annabelle Stamps - Christmas Card
For Fun Challenges - Christmas - Anything Goes
Joan's Gardens - Quick Christmas Card
Paper Play Challenges - Christmas Theme

Thanks for stopping by during this busy season!
Betty