Hello Friend!

Good Monday morning!! I hope you all had a great weekend! It's Monday so it's Card of the Week Sketch Challenge time! The sketch this week is pretty straightforward but this means there are tons of things you can do with it - and I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Be sure to upload your creations to the Card of the Week Community Photo Gallery for a chance to be the featured artist this weekend!

Here's the sketch created by Page Plan designer Renee Morris-Dezember. That large area in the center is like a wide open canvas!

I pulled out a stamp I haven't used in forever! It's from Stampendous - I just love this cute little Ollie owl. The paper is more from my Summer Matstack from Jillian - there are so many different papers in there! I chose to hightlight the blue in the background paper because the blue added a bit of a refreshing touch to the browns and kept it from looking too fallish. The sentiment is from Birds of a Feather from Papertrey Ink and I colored the image with my Copic markers. I tried to get a bit artistic on Ollie's feathers but looks like I need a bit of practice! :)

I'll be back a bit later today with another sketch card - did you see??? Kitchen Sink Stamps is the sponsor at Card Positioning Systems this week!! I'm so excited to see what the designers over there make with the fabulous KSS stamps! Go check it out and then come back later to see my card! :)

Cardstock: Brown (Bazzill), Bashful Blue (SU!), Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink), Summer Matstack (DCWV), Stamps: Ollie Sunflower (Stampendous), Birds of a Feather (Papertrey Ink), Inks: Burnt Umber (Palette), Accessories: Ribbon (Target), buttons (my button tin), Dimensionals, Linen Thread (SU!), Corner Rounder punch, Copic markers

A Card and Some RAKs

Good morning! I'll be brief today because I have a lot of pictures . . I have been soooo bad at posting the beautiful RAKs I've received lately! So sorry to all the wonderful people who have blessed me with happy trips to the mailbox - you absolutely made my days and I am grateful!!

I did manage to stamp this one card a few days ago. It was for Julee's Mojo Monday #14 (although I was too late for the deadline!). The cute little stamp is by Stampendous. The paper is DCWV Christmas Glitter Stack available from the Paper Pretties Corner Store - it has some beautiful paper in it and a TON of paper, a really great thing to have! The sentiment is from Elzybells and the snowflake embellies are some I picked up at Target last week. Of course I used my awesome Nestabilities - which by the way I have noticed are on quite a few Christmas lists! Have you considered signing up for the Paper Pretties Nestabilities Now Club? It would be the Christmas gift that keeps on giving!! You would get a different set of Nestabilities dies every month - what a great gift is that?!! Here's where you sign up!

Ok, on to the RAKs:

This gorgeous Christmas card is from Florence -you all know her blog :Flossie's Follies. I discovered a few weeks ago that we have something in common - she has a summer place in NY state where I have relatives - a very small town outside of Cooperstown. Such a beautiful area - farm country and I LOVE it!! Thanks for the great card Florence!!

This cute card is from my fellow Prettie Girl, Kristine Reynolds - LOVE it! Love the bright colors and the cuttlebugging - Kristine is the Queen of RAKS! There's another one below - thanks Kristine!

This fab bella card is from Andrea Hayes - remember she had me as her Featured Crafter a few weeks ago? She sent me this great card as a Thank You. Andrea, Thank YOU!!!

This is also from a fellow Prettie Girl - Joanne Basile - such pretty colors and a great design!!

Another Prettie Girl card?? Wow! Do I have the best friends or what!! This gorgeous creation in purple is from Jillian Winters - I always loved that set!! Thanks Jill!

Here's the other card from Kristine - doesn't she color great! Love her bright take on things!! :)

Here's another Prettie Girl card - this from Alli Miles. She has a great eye for detail, color and style - thanks for such a gorgeous card Alli! :)

Last but certainly not least is this beautiful creation by Allison Fillo- you know Stampin' When I Can. Can you believe that will the blurfing and linking and working she does, she still has time to make and send beautiful cards for Christmas??!! I am truly in awe!!

So thank you again ladies for all the cards and have a great weekend everyone!

A Prettie Challenge

Ok, I'm starting a new feature today . . . Prettie Challenge Wednesday. I've told you before that the Paper Pretties DT does a fun little weekly challenge where one member posts a challenge and we have one week to complete it and mail it to another member of the DT. We decided that it might be fun to all post those challenges and cards on the same day so that you all can see how different each creation can be!

Today we are posting the challenge that was issued by Alli Miles - a color challenge (you know how Alli loves color!!) using Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla and either Soft Sky or Cool Caribbean. I love these colors together - have seen a lot of close variations of this lately and it's so nice!

Here's my card. I used these absolutely adorable Ollie & Olivia stamps by Stampendous which are available in the Paper Pretties Corner Store. I just think these owls are the cutest!! I just got some Fun Flock - ever used it? I never had but wanted to give it a try - sooo much fun!! I think I need to perfect my technique (there are a few heavier spots) but overall it was soooo fun. You just use a glue pen or something similar, sprinkle on the flocking, smoosh it down a bit and viola - you have a brown fuzzy Olivia - how cute!!! As you can see I also used my Cuttlebug with the Swirly embossing folder which I brushed with some Cocoa ink to give it some depth. The sentiment is also Stampendous. The brads are Queen & Co., (also available in the Corner Store), and the ribbon is SU Chocolate Taffeta.

So, travel around later today to the other DT member's blogs (Alli, Christie, Joanne, Jillian, Kristine, Charmaine and Julie C) and see what they've done - I think you'll have fun seeing how each of us interpreted the challenge!This week's challenge will be issued by Joanne - can't wait to see what it is! Why don't you play along?? It'll be fun!!

Thanks for stopping in - oh, lots of Lizzie Anne stamps arrived in the Store yesterday - check them out!!

Beate's WSC#20

It is so beautiful here right now - we must be experiencing "Indian Summer" because the temps are in the 70's with lot of sun promised for this week. The children will definitely be enjoying these days outside!

My new Stampendous Ollie & Olivia stamps from the Paper Pretties Corner Store arrived on Friday and I was so excited to play with them! I think owls must a big trend right now, it seems like all the stamp companies have at least one owl image. I love these Ollie & Olivia ones though - they have character! :) This stamp is called Ollie Scarecrows. I used Beate's WSC#20 for the layout. What a fun card!! The DP is retired SU! from last fall. This card came together pretty quickly - can't wait to play with them more!

Hope you all have a great Monday and enjoy this gorgeous weather!!

Cardstock: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, So Saffron, WW, SU! DP (retired) Stamps: Ollie Scarecrows, You're a Hoot! (Stampendous), Ink: Brilliance Black. Accessories: Black Brad, Orange & Olive grosgrain, paper piercer, Round Tap punch, watercolor crayons

Beeeeee Happy!

Quick post today . . . I bought these adorable bee images (I know, I'm way behind the times!!) made by Stampendous from the fabulous Corner Store at Paper Pretties (where BTW as a member of Paper Pretties, you get 10% off in the Member's Only shopping area, every day!). I bought the DP there too as a "Suggested Add-on" to I think the April My Favorite Things Card Kit Package. I've seen sooooo many great cards made with these little guys I had to try one!

Isn't he cute?? I know you don't see sparkly aqua bees in nature but then how many of us think real bees are cute??? I did a little paper piercing and added some glitter to make him extra fun!

So much to do, so little time!! Oh, but I do need to say a huge THANKs to the fabulous Beate Johns for the beautiful RAK I received yesterday! Doesn't she do gorgeous work? and how in the world does she fit it all in?? Amazing!! Thank you so much Beate, you definitely brought a smile to my face! I'm sure the whole planet visits her blog Fresh & Fun, but if you haven't - GO THERE!!

Card Details: Cardstock: Bazzill Walnut, DP - don't remember! Stamps: Stampendous, Ink: Black Stazonm Soft Sky, Prismacolor Pencils, Accessories: brads Making Memories, ribbon Michaels,glitter, Dazzling Diamonds (SU) and Martha Stewart, dimensionals