TST #133 Better late...

.....than never!

Yes folks things have been so crazy around here I just have had to put stamping on the back burner.  I had sent notification through that I would not be able to take part in this weeks sketch challenge for Try Stampin on Tuesday, and this morning I had literally 5 minutes to play so I did.

This is the great sketch that we had to work with this week.

This card used very little DSP.  I cut out a piece of DSP that was 1/8" smaller than the 4.25"x5.5" card base and then I cut a piece of the same card base that was 1/8" smaller again.  Using my DSP I cut out the centre section to 3"x3 3/4".  Once I had the centre section cut out using one of my swirls dies I die cut the centre of that.  I didn't leave anything out because the piece that I cut out I used on the inside as embellishment.

Then I added the two buttons with the twine running through them.

I hope you like what I have come up with.  Check out the other Great Designers over at Try Stampin on Tuesday and don't forget to give the sketch a try.

Since I was late entering my card for the Try Stampin reveal, I was able to search out and add it to a couple of other site challenges.  Cuttlebug Mania - die cuts and Die Cutting Divas - Just Because.

Next week starts a new venture for Try Stampin.  We will be have two sets of teams and each team will post on alternate weeks.  Each week to start there will be a blurb about one of the Designers on the Team, so make sure you check back and see who and what is happening.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

TST # 132 Sense of Time...

I must confess before I even start my blog for today.  The card you are about to see is one I made a couple of years back.  Fitting that my title and the card would be made with the SU set "Sense of Time" because these days I just feel like I have no time or I am running out of time.

I missed last week because I have been with my Dad looking after him.  He had a few dizzy spells and was very unstable on his feet so the Retirement Complex that he is in sent him to the emergency for investigation.  Good ending to this story.  After I have tried for several years to convince his old family doctor and specialist that he is on toooooo many medications the specialist at the hospital remarked that it was no wonder he was having dizzy spells because he was on too much medication.  Finally!!!!!  Long story short Dad's medications have been reduced to almost half of what he was on and even a couple of the ones that he remains on have been reduced.  The improvement in Dad has been 180 degrees.  He is more alert and has no problems walking even without using a cane or walker which he had to do before.  We have been fortunate enough to win the lottery with this specialist because he is also a geriatric physician and totally understands what is going on with Dad.

I am hoping that things will start to settle down over the next couple of weeks.  Unfortunately because my brother lives in Florida, I am the only sibling around to help out with Dad.  If it were not for my Dear Hubby I would be totally insane by now.

Now onto today's card.  I modified the Try Stampin on Tuesday sketch just a tad but the inside of the card makes up for the front.

I used my Cricut for a lot of the cut outs on this card, along with my circle cutter.  The outside is fairly simple but once you open it it comes to life.....

 

The inside of the card resembles more of the sketch than the outside and that was why I chose to use it for this sketch.

I don't have the SU pop up cake die but I managed to create a makeshift version so that I could put together this card.  Rather than stacking the die cut pieces one on top of each other I spread them out.

 

This card took a while to make as I remember it, but it was well worth it once it was finished.  Needless to say because it took so long to make I cherish it and it is in my office showcase.

Now it's your turn.  You don't have to be as elaborate as this card but if you need more inspiration hop on over to the Try Stampin site and see what the other Great Designers have in store for you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

HOC C&S Sketch Challenge #1

This month over at House of Cards we have a sketch challenge for you.  The same sketch will be used for all four styles of cards.  Last week we had the Fun & Cute cards and this week we are on to the Clean & Simple cards.

As with any Clean & Simple card there should be very little on the card and they should have a lot of white space on the card.  It does not mean that you have to be a single layer and this week I have chosen to use a raised centre point on the card. 

Starting with my Music Notes wheel from Stampin Up I used Concord Crush to lay the notes across the card front.  Then with my Cuttlebug and the Spellbinders Labels Five dies I die cut a border, along with a single piece of white CS for the sentiment.  This section was raised up using dimensionals.

 

I ended up with a slight boo boo when I inked the sentiment and needed to hide it so instead of placing the accents at the side of the centre point I went with the diagonal corners.  Boo boo all gone!  The bling was actually tear drops and I just used two together to form a heart.  Then I finished off the card by rounding each of the corners.

This card could be used for a variety of occasions, wedding, anniversary or just for that special someone in your life.

Now it's your turn.  Show us your Clean & Simple style using the sketch.  Don't forget to post your card on the House of Cards sight for all of us to admire.  Need more inspiration?  See what the other great Designers have in store for you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

TST #130

This week is has been a shocker.  First we lost a dear neighbour and dear friend and then I go to work and a co-workers husband passed away from Stage 4 cancer, diagnosed only a short time ago. With the saying that things come in three's we are hoping with fingers crossed that we do not have another loss too soon.

My card this week pays tribute to my co-worker.  Although we do not work in the same department we  do see each other on a regular basis.

The sketch this week at Try Stampin on Tuesday lends itself perfectly to this card.  I decided to give my MDS program a bit of a workout.  I don't use it enough so I just played with it and came up with this.

I started this card with the three small pieces of DSP in the upper left corner.  Then picked my stamp.  I have the Hello Doily stamp itself but it is big and I wanted something a little smaller. After playing around with the MDS program I came up with my design.  

Originally I was going to print the doily image on the turquoise CS but decided to use that as the main piece and print on white.  The embellishment came from a necklace that another co-worker had given me.  She didn't like the necklace, but liked the pendant that was with it.  So it was a win-win situation.

We never know what life with throw at us.  Sometimes it gets spread out and other times it comes at you full force.  This is one of those full force weeks.  Our Thoughts and Prayers are with both families and their remaining loved ones.  

Check out the other Designers at TST to see what they have in store for you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

TST #129

Time once again for Try Stampin on Tuesday.  Today we have a sketch for you that offers a lot of suggestions.  

When I first saw this sketch I thought iphone.  You could certainly make a great tween card using the icons for the iphones.  However I needed a card for my daughter to give to her boyfriend. Since her recent surgery on her hand she has been unable to do much on her own because it is her right hand.  So now we have a Sergeant in the army not only preparing all the meals and cleaning the house he is now in charge of hair duty.  Trust me she says he does a much better job defending our country than simple pony tail duty.  We love him anyway!

Using a black grey and white theme I started by cutting out the grey centre piece and running it through the Diamond Plate embossing folder.  Then with simple DSP I ran that through the Gadget Gears die.  I had a piece of DSP from the Dollar Store that had a chevron and the hand on the same piece so I cut those out.  I stamped the white CS using the Clockworks stamp and then using my spritzing tool I spritzed the entire card.

The cut outs were layered onto the card using dimensionals and then stamped out the sentiment and used the Round Tab punch to cut it out.  I reinserted this cut out one again and made a second punch to make the tab a little smaller.  Then I stamped out the "11" on a separate piece of CS.

I added three smaller cogs in the upper right corner along with a flag - kind of a "I surrender" touch just for my daughter.  She thinks that she can do it all but has quickly found out that through all of this she needs her family around her to help her get through it.  

I am also happy to report that her Teachers at College have gone to bat for her (bad choice of words since she broke her thumb playing baseball) and the Dean will allow her to continue so that she will be able to complete her Dental Hygiene studies on time.  Dedication and good work ethics have certainly paid off for her and her Teachers have taken this into consideration when fighting for her.  Very proud of her. 

So what to you see when you look at the sketch?  Need more inspiration?  Hop on over to the Try Stampin site and see what the other great designers have in store for you.  You will not be disappointed.  Don't forget to post your creation for all of us to see.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

HOC C&S Inspiration Photo "may all your WISHES come true!

House of Cards this week has an Inspiration Challenge.

When I look at this picture I not only see the colours I can almost picture the special occasion going on at the table.  Would it be a Birthday Celebration? a Romantic Dinner for 2? or a Special question being asked?  That was my inspiration for the card.

I started with my trusty Post-it notes and created a mask to run my Very Vintage wheel through. Then I sponged the background before removing the mask. 

Next my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig to the rescue and I stamped the "wishes" through the sponged area. Again with my jig I reinked only the smaller sayings and aligned them at the top and bottom of the sponges area. Then just in case that Special question was asked I added a little touch of bling!

What do you see when you look at the inspiration photo.  Colours or .....  Show us what has inspired you about this photo.  Then make sure that you share it with us over at House of Cards.  Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one.

TST #128

So this week I made sure that I had my card done on time for the Try Stampin on Tuesday challenge.

This past month has been crazy for me.  We are trying to clean up my Dad's home, since we now have him in a safe environment and we know that all of his needs are being looked after.  Just when I thought things would get back to normal (if there is such a thing!) my daughter sustained an avulsion fracture of her right thumb along with a ligament tear.  She was scheduled for surgery last Monday, but during the examination when the plastic surgeon saw her she manipulated the thumb and more damage was done. Her surgery had to be put off until later in the week.  This probably wouldn't be so bad but she is in the final stages of her Dental Hygiene Program at college and she will now be in a cast for up to eight weeks and unable to complete some of her clinical studies.  Lucky for her that she has a great faculty team to work with.  She will have to go before the Dean to plead a case so that she will not lose her final year, but her instructors are going to bat for her because she has completed more work than a lot of the other students along with more complicated cases.  Having Dean's list marks since she started college helps as well. Fingers Crossed! just don't use the broken one!!!

On to this weeks challenge.  When I first saw the sketch for this week I thought Christmas card. Mainly because it has been so hot out and the little accents in the bottom left corner looked like snowflakes.  But I decided to go French Foliage all the way.

I went with a more non conventional colour using Marina Mist for my card base. Then with a pale grey CS I stamped the splash marks from French Foliage all over it. I had ribbon from the Dollar Store that matched the colours perfectly.

Then with the Apothecary Accents die I cut out the shape and stamped it using the words and the postage mark from French Foliage.  With Soft Suede and Marina Mist I used the rock and roll method and stamped out 3 leaves and then individually cut them out.  The sentiment was accented with more of the same ribbon and then the whole card was finished off with a little Bling!

I hope you like what I have come up with.  Now it's your turn.  Need more inspiration, then hop on over to the Try Stampin Site and see what the other great designers have in store for you.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nancy

Your comments mean a lot to me so please remember to leave one!