A Note of Thanks

Happy Friday!! Today's card is a clean and simple thank you card using the Splitcoaststampers Sketch 238 (SC238). The stamped image is from Pocket Silhouettes and the sentiment is from the Thank You Kindly sets by Stampin' Up!

I didn't post yesterday because I spent the day looking for a no-kill animal shelter or foster system for a baby kitten that was orphaned at my house this past Sunday. I became his surrogate mom Monday and have been taking care of him all week; unfortunately, circumstances don't allow me to keep the little guy who, by the stage of his development, is about 3-4 weeks old. Yesterday evening I got a call from one of the shelters I contacted and they are going to take him in and put him in a foster home with a mother cat who has two kittens about the same age--hoping she will "adopt" him as one of her own. He has been a really sweet little guy. For not having been around people, he has loved being held, stroked, fed, snuggling, and playing. He just discovered his legs and has been wobbling around a bit here and there. He is going to be called "Mel", so here's wishing Mel a wonderful life going forward; he's already beaten some odds at a very young age!!

Thanks for stopping by today and having a look around! Have a wonderful Friday!!

Virtual Stamp Night Mini

This past Friday, April 23, was another Virtual Stamp Night Mini at Splitcoaststampers. Virtual Stamp Nights are a series of challenges for which you receive instructions/guidance, and then have 45 minutes to complete the challenge. There was a lot of buzz about the theme being showers and flowers . . . I couldn't wait for it to begin. I looked at the "shopping list" and had all but one item -- but some generous person happened to offer that item on Freecycle, so off I went to get it and then I was all set! The challenge for this card was to create a monochromatic "pastel" baby card. The stamped image is from the Year After Year stamp set by Stampin' Up! The dark purple layer of card stock was embossed using the Argyle embossing folder (though it doesn't show up well in this picture). Generic paper flowers were added for a little bit of "bling" and to make the card a bit more feminine. The elephant image was paper pieced (after stamping the focal image, the image was again stamped on scrapbook paper, cut out, and glued in place).

Tomorrow begins my regularly scheduled QKR Monday posts, featuring stamp images and sentiments from QKR Stampede. I will be posting on the QKR Stampede blog the first and third Monday of each month; however, I will post a project on my blog every Monday.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a wonderful Sunday!

Virtual Stamp Night - Silver Medals

I am absolutely amazed! I received an email from Splitcoaststampers indicating that one of my gallery photos that was submitted for the Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) challenges was moved to another gallery. I was curious to see where it had been moved to since I was careful to upload it using the correct VSN keyword. There was a link to follow, so I clicked on the link and my card had been moved to the 2010 VSN Olympic Medal Winners category; that gallery can be seen here. A few minutes later I got another email with the same message for a different card I entered. Two of my cards won "silver" medals and are pictured below! There were prizes offered by Spellbinders. I do not yet know what the prize is or if it is only for "gold" medal winners, but just to have been chosen is quite an honor since this was my first participation in a VSN challenge event.  The stamps used for these cards were from the All Holidays, Mini Mates and Wild Rose stamp sets by Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by!

Virtual Stamp Night (Friday)

Last night I participated in my first Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I know VSN has been around for a while--how long I am not sure. I never looked into the details of VSN before; however, I saw a post about it this past week and decided to look into it further--it sounded intriguing. This is actually a 2-day event, starting Friday evening and continuing Saturday afternoon. Prior to the start of the event, a "shopping list" detailing some of the items you will need for the challenges is provided. Having this list in advance gives you the opportunity to beg, borrow, steal, or purchase any item(s) you may not have readily available. The actual challenges are posted every hour and anyone wishing to participate has 45 minutes within which to complete each challenge. Everyone is "on their honor" for complying with the time limit. You can participate in one or all of the challenges--it's up to you. Anyone wishing to post their challenge creation has to do so by a pre-determined deadline. Prizes are offered for each challenge--how cool is that?!?! If you go here, you can read about each of the challenges and their inspiration. The cards below are the cards I entered for four of the five challenges that were posted last night. Each card has already been posted to my gallery on Splitcoaststampers. I do plan to complete the first challenge--a very challenging sketch--just have to come up with an idea. Stamps used for these cards are Birdhouse Flourish by Indadinkado and Cold Play, Elegant Greetings, Jolliest Time of the Year, and Moose You So Much by Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunset/Sunrise Sympathy

This card was created a while ago and has been sitting in my "stash".  It just happened to suit the "Ways to Use It" challenge at Splitcoaststampers. I titled this Sunset/Sunrise Sympathy based on a conversation had many, many years ago with a friend's mother regarding an image (bare trees) on a memorial card (the cards received when paying respects at a funeral home). An individual had commented that the image of the trees was very depressing and emphasized death/dying. My friend's mother responded that she saw the image not as a representation of death but, rather, as a tree seen in Spring before leafing -- a rebirth. So, this card image could be viewed as the sun setting on this (earthly) journey and simultaneously rising for the journey ahead.  All a matter of one's perspective, I suppose. The images used for this card are from the stamp sets Heartfelt Sympathy and Upsy Daisy by Stampin' Up! Thanks for stopping by!

Blossoms Abound Color Challenge

This card was created for this week's color challenge at Splitcoaststampers, details of which can be found here. I did not have any Soft Suede card stock, so I substituted Chocolate Chip. The scalloped circles were cut with Nestabilities Large and Small Scallop Circle dies, the white card stock circles were cut using an EK Success Circle Scissor. The butterfly was stamped on the main focal image and colored using watercolor crayons and a blender pen. A duplicate image was stamped, colored, cut out, and mounted using dimensionals. Stamp sets used for this challenge were Blossoms Abound and Dreams du Jour, both by Stampin' Up!  Thanks for stopping by!

Dabbed Shimmers

The following cards feature the technique "Dabbed Shimmers" from the February 2010 issue of the Technique Junkies newsletter. After completing the technique, the card stock was placed in embossing folders (Tiny Bubbles and Heart Blocks) and put through the Cuttlebug. This is a quick and easy technique and the finish is stunning with lots of shimmer!

This card was made using stamps from Silly Sealife and Very Punny by Stampin' Up!

This card was made for the Splitcoast Stampers card sketch challenge found here and uses a stamp from Small Script by Stampin' Up!; the heart stamp has no manufacturer's mark.