A Red, Black and White Birthday

I laid in bed for almost an hour tonight without being able to get to sleep so I decided to get up and make a card. If I can't sleep, I might as well be doing something enjoyable!!

This card was made with the inspiration from three wonderful challenge sites:

Repeat Impressions What If? Wednesday Sketch F812

I didn't deviate much from the sketch; kept it fairly simple and I really like how it turned out. I did add the banner with the birthday sentiment.

 

AnnaBelle Stamps Say It In....Red, Black and White

I followed this one to the letter; Nothing but red, white and black on this card!

Just Us Girls 123 Technique Challenge

We're to use or create an image with a button center. I hope that my flower qualifies. I have a red layer with white dots, then a sold red smaller layer; finally there is a solid red button in the center of the flower with homemade bakers twine threaded through the button holes and tied in a cute little bow!

The circle and banners were cut out with Spellbinders dies and white brads were added at the bottom corners of the three panels.


Hope you're all having (or will soon have) a restful night's sleep,
Betty

Red, Gold and Green

I have a Christmas card to share today, made from the color combo at 52 {Christmas} Card Throwdown and the sketch challenge at Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary Day 14. To the sides are the color challenge and sketch challenge photos:

My ornament image from Stubby Stampers was stamped with Versamark Ink and embossed with gold powder, then painted with reinkers. I managed to get outside the lines so I had to fussy cut the ornament and pop it up on the white panel which was sponged with Stampin' Up So Saffron. The metallic gold and red papers were  both embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folders -- both the white and gold panels were cut out with Nestability Long Scalloped Rectangle dies. A strip of ribbon and a bow tied with the same ribbon completes this card.

The anniversary festivities are nearing an end for Card Positioning Systems. I have discovered just how much I enjoy their sketches so will be using them to jump start my card making in the future! Deadline to enter your cards for the sketch challenges will be February 18 -- so you still have plenty of time to get your cards made and entered. Prizes for individual sketch winners and the grand prize winner (for someone who has entered all 15 challenges) will be announced on Feb. 24.

Still cold, rainy and windy -- please come back, 70 degree temperatures!!
Betty

Thank You Card

Today my card is made with a sketch from Papertrey Ink. This is Day 6 of their 5th Anniversary and Nichole has given us a choice of five sketches to choose from. I chose Sketch #5 and my sentiment from from PTI's set Think Big Favorites #6 -- (too bad it wasn't Think Big Favorites #5!!) The beautiful turquoise paper with white dots is from a Stampin' Up Designer Paper pack, Island Oasis. Satin ribbon came from The Dollar Tree; I found the buttons in my collection and tied them with my homemade baker's twine. The shiny turquoise stickers are from a Martha Stewart pack and I also used MS Branch punch.

On a more personal note, it's a coldish, rainy, windy day in Chapala. This kind of weather is so infrequent it surprised all of us this morning. So, we'll think about how nice it was yesterday. I've been wanting to show you both a sunrise and sunset from the same day and we managed to capture it yesterday. So, now, for your viewing pleasure........

Sunrise on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012 from our front porch

Sunset from the back, viewed from the mirador (roof) of our house



If you can stand a little more trivia, I've been listening to record albumns today -- yes, vinyl -- 33 1/3 rpm -- LPs -- nostalgia, right????  The Best of Sam Cooke (1962, RCA), Neil Diamond's "Greatest Hits" (1968), Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's Greatest Hits (1970), Simon & Garfunkel Bookends (1968) -- includes Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate. We only brought about half of our record albums with us to Mexico -- but I'm glad we brought the ones we did!

Staying inside, taking a trip down Memory Lane,

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

Thanks with Satin!

Oh My Goodness!! Have you al seen the calla lilies blooming at Flourishes? Beauty, beauty, beauty!! This is one that I definitely need to add to my collection!

There is a Noon Day Challenge there today and another one tomorrow -- today, we are to be inspired by the following photo....

The beautiful satin ribbon was the inspiration for my card. All of my colored satin ribbons were not the proper color, so I went with white. I added a strip of ribbon to the horizontal stripe and then added a bow. I think that I would feel properly thanked if I were to receive this card!

Another wonderful challenge going on today is at Nicole Heady's Papertrey Ink blog, Capture the Moment.
If you follow this link you will not only find today's challenge, but their new products for February. This challenge inspired my color choices. Each one of the PTI design team picked a favorite color combo and we were to choose one for our card, using at least one Papertrey Ink product. Yesterday, or maybe it was the day before, Nicole gave us a freebie download with a number of wonderful images. The little flower with the stem "frame" was designed by Tiffany Pastor and provides the focal image for my card. The sentiment is from a PTI set, Gracious Vases. The color combo is a favorite of Dawn McVey:

The sketch that I used is from Freshly Made Sketches, #21, with its clean beautiful lines.

I hope you enjoyed my card and that you will join me in one or all of these challenges!
Betty

Birthdays - A Bird and A Bear

I have two cards to share with you today. The sketches for the layout of both of my cards come  from Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary challenges.

This card uses the sketch from Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary Day 9. The papers are from Basic Grey and the sentiment is from AnnaBelle Stamps. The image is a photo that I shared on my blog several days ago of an oriole who has been making himself at home on my hummingbird feeders. What a blessing it has been to watch these beautiful birds!

I would also like to enter this card  at the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #155  challenge - "Fly Away With Me" (use a bird on your project).

My next card is for Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary Day 7. 

The image is from Sassy Cheryl's and has been colored and blended with colored pencils and baby oil. The sentiment is from Stampin' Up and the embellishments include a flower of several layers and a little clothespin that I colored with a Bic Marker. I'm thinking it will be a cute birthday card for one of the children in our church.

Have a joy-filled day,
Betty

Delight in Life

The cover of this little notebook was inspired by the sketch at Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary Day 10. I made pink the dominant color because Lee Murphy chose this sketch to use and we want to keep our hostess happy!! Here is the sketch.....

I am enjoying making these notebooks and the CPS sketches have been just perfect for them.I'm glad we have several more days of sketches -- they'll help me finish my notebooks!!

Betty