Merry Monday #24-{Frosty Greetings}

Welcome to another week at Merry Monday!  The idea behind this challenge is to get a head start on your Christmas cards!  Each week, I choose one Merry Monday Winner who will then be a Guest Designer for a future challenge!  So get out your Christmas supplies and let's get to work! 

Lesley Croghan

For my card I used a scrap piece of Regal Rose designer paper and stamped a retired set called 'Serene Snowflakes" across the main panel. I had no Regal Rose Ribbon so used a small scrap of Pretty in Pink Taffeta ribbon for the ornament style sentiment. I used the 1 3/8" circle punch and the scallop circle punch. My card is very clean and easy to mass produce, I think it might look nice in other colours too...but Regal Rose and Basic Gray were on my mind because of the colours at Dynamic Duos. The design team has come up with some wonderful samples to inspire you. I would also like to welcome Guest Designer Karen Aicken.

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Narelle Farrugia

Bonnie Klass

Vicki Burdick (FD)

Karen Aicken (GD)

Merry Monday #19 {Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!}

Welcome to another week at Merry Monday!  The idea behind this challenge is to get a head start on your Christmas cards!  Each week, I choose one Merry Monday Winner who will then be a Guest Designer for a future challenge!  So get out your Christmas supplies and let's get to work!  My card involves a lot of layers! I decided to use some designer paper that I bought last fall but never seemed to use!  I wanted to my card to have a festive feel to it!

Lesley Croghan

Before I get to the cards from the amazing design team, I would like to welcome my Featured Designer for May, Colleen Dietrich. Colleen and I have "bumped" into each other in blogland for a few years now. She is a lovely person with a gorgeous card making style! I was thrilled when she agreed to be the Featured Designer this month! I have asked her to share a little about herself. Welcome Colleen! I also would like to welcome Rose Miller who is our Guest Designer this week!

Hi!  I'm Colleen Dietrich from New Jersey.  I am absolutely delighted that Lesley asked me to be a Merry Maker for the month of May!  It's been so much fun, playing Christmas music while creating my cards for these challenges.  

I've been making cards since 2007, and blogging since May 2010.  Over time, my cards have developed into a couple of different styles:  Clean and Simple, Clean and Classy, and Shabby Chic.   I get my inspiration from all sorts of things -- cards made by others, fabric, signs, photos and more.  You never know what style will turn up next on my blog!  

Here are the wonderful samples from the design team:

Colleen Dietrich-Featured Designer

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Rose Miller-Guest Designer

Paper Flowers for Pals and Stampin' Royalty

This week at the Pals Paper Arts, they have a great challenge which is all about Spring Flowers and the Stampin' Royalty also has a Spring theme!  These are some of the daffodils that are in our front yard! Hooray, Spring is here!

I wanted to try to make my own paper daffodils and had some fun!  I used Jaydee's awesome sketch at the Paper Players!  My flowers were created using the Fun Flowers Die and the Boho Blossoms Punch.  I used Daffodil Delight Paper of course!

This card is so bright and cheery in real life!  I think this will be the card I do with my Stamper's 6 Club this month!  I used the new Designer Paper called "Paisley Petals" and the sentiment from "Because I Care" is stamped inside one of the new "Four Frames" images.  The Paper and the Four Frames stamp set is available to purchase this month and hostesses can earn them for free!  So exciting!

Here is another picture of our overgrown but vibrant garden!  If you have any questions about my paper flowers, please let me know!

 Thanks for stopping by!

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Stampin' 411 Sketch Challenge

For the past few weeks I have missed the deadline for the Stampin' 411 Challenge and so tonight I was determined to make a card for it! I wanted to try to stretch myself and to really use the "Charming" set in an interesting way. So I decided to make a flower! The sentiment is from the SAB set Vintage Labels and the flower stem is from Fifth Avenue Florals. I tried to tie a bow to the ribbon but it just didn't look right, so I kept the ribbon fairly simple. I did use 2 ribbons...the Vanilla Satin layered on top of the wider retired Chocolate Satin Ribbon . I used Really Rust, Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke as my colours.

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley :)

Crazy for Challenges and Curtain Call Colour Challenge

This card was made for the current Crazy for Challenges Sketch Challenge and Stacey's current Curtain Call Colour Challenge. I have been looking for a reason to use my new "Beary Best Friends" Stamp set...I just orderd the matching word stamp set for this set and I am so excited about it! For now, I used my "Short and Sweet" set for the sentiment. The DSP is from the Sweet Pea Pack and also from the Pawsitively Prints Pack which is supposed to go with the Bear Set. I used my new Button Sizzlit to make the buttons on the side and used some white craft ink to draw some lines on the buttons to make it look like I had sewn them with thread. His little outfit is paper pieced with the DSP.The inside of the card was finished as well. I love the Scallop Trim Border Punch! I added a button on the inside too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lesley ;)

Of the Earth Trio

It is Friday! Hooray! I have been admiring some new sketch blogs and decided to play. I went to work creating three thank you cards with the same colours but different sketches. This was a personal challenge for me! I also wanted to use only two stamp sets: Of the Earth (a Hostess Level 1 Set) and Thank You Kindly (a SAB FREE set with a $65 purchase).

This card was made for the "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Blog. The sketch was fun and I used a 41/4"x 41/4" card base. I used some of that awesome Organza Ribbon again...I love it! Finally used my Modern Label Punch. I just love this sweet bird image from the "Of the Earth" set.My second card is a sketch from the "Unscripted Sketches" Blog. A new challenge for me and I liked the simple sketch. I dry embossed the white background with my Perfect Details folder and the Big Shot. I used the Corner Rounder Punch to add some interest to the card. Wished I had tied Organza Ribbon around the middle panel!
This third card is a sketch from the OCC Sketch Blog. I decided to make a paper flower to go with this card. I love making those paper flowers.That is it for now...I may try some of those wonderful colour challenges out there tonight!

Happy Stamping!

Lesley :)

Reverse Emboss with the Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder

I made this card to try a new technique that I will be teaching in one of my upcoming Technique Tuesday Classes. I used the Manhattan Flower Embossing Folder and a sponge to create a pretty card front. I used both Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose Inks. The paper is from To The Nine's and the cardstock is Sage Shadow and Pretty in Pink.I used the sentiment from the Thoughts and Prayers set. I am just LOVING this pretty stamp set!

Thanks for stopping by! If you are interested in taking one of my Technique Tuesday Classes and live in the area, please visit my Demonstrator Website found HERE.

Smiles,
Lesley ;)

Stampin' Royalty and Colour Q

I am playing with my Bella Blooms set again today!!! Oh how I love that pretty flower...why didn't I get that set long ago!!! I used the current Stampin' Royalty Sketch and Arielle's Colour Q Challenge to use Bashful Blue, Taken with Teal, Real Red and Black. I did use Bashful Blue, it is the soft sponging around the flower.I used my Stampin' Write Markers to colour directly onto the stamp to achieve both the Real Red Flowers and the Taken with Teal Stem. The DSP is an old Real Red hostess pack of paper I had stashed. The ribbon in Real Red is tied in a knot, for a different look. The flower is punched out with the Wide Oval Punch and that oval is on one of the dies from the Lots of Tags Die.I used the Kind and Caring Thoughts Set for the sentiment on the inside and the outside. Love that set too! I hope you like my card! Please leave me a comment so I may come and visit your blog too!

Smiles,
Lesley ;)

Stampin' 411 and Colour Q

My best friend's sister just had a baby! I am so excited for her and her husband. I had already made them a baby card for their baby shower so I wanted to make a special congratulations card for them. Last night I made THIS CARD. It is called an Easel Card and I thought that I would challenge myself again to make the card in the standard A2 size. It was easy! Then I decided to incorporate two blog challenges with this card. The Stampin' 411 Sketch and the Colour Q Challenge. Colour Q asked for Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana and Basic Gray with Whisper White. Such pretty colours and perfect for a baby card. I inked up my new set called "Well Scripted" in the Basic Gray. That Basic Gray ink is a nice alternative to Basic Black. It is softer for the baby card. I used SU!'s "Curvy Verse" set for the inside of the card...it stamped nicely in the Basic Gray too!

I used SU!'s "Perfect Details" Texture Plate for the White side of my card front. I love the pretty swirls and I thought they kind matched the theme of the Designer Paper. The Stampin' 411 Sketch was perfect for showing off the pretty Celery Patterned Paper I have from last year's Sale-A-Bration. Plus I had the ribbon too!

The flowers are a created with my Big Shot. I used the Sizzlits Daisy Flower Die and the Little Leaves Die. Then I pulled out my Boho Blossoms Punch to make the flower centres. Then with my Paper Piercer and Mat Pack, I created a little hole in each blossom and added a gold brad. I tried to "fluff" the flowers so they had more dimension.
That is it for now. I need to get some "real" work done, like laundry and paper work. I am hoping to do a big purge in my craft room today and to make it more efficient. My Big Shot is calling my name and I am hoping to do a scrapbooking page today. I want to get more scrapbooking done this year!

Have a terrific day!

Happy Stamping!

Lesley :)

Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge (CAS) and Colour Throwdown #73

This card was really a stretch for me...where is the main image? LOL! I used my SU! retired set called Big Flowers and tried to make a single layer card...I still layered it with the DSP but the main card face is one layer. The Sketch came from the current Stamping 411 Sketch #130!This is a fun and whimsical card...I started out making it for the current Colour Throwdown but he greens didn't work with this design so I had to make another card to incorporate that challenge. So I inked up my Snow Buddies set and went to work! I just love that little snowman!I am pretty sure these will be the last cards from me for this year!Thanks for stopping by! I wish you and yours the very best for the Holiday Season and the upcoming year.

Smiles,

Lesley :)

Pink Elephant Sketch Challenge #46 and Creative Card Crew DT Call (Anything Goes)

This card was made for the Creative Card Crew Challenge "Anything Goes"! I am also submitting this card for the Creative Card Crew Design Team Call. This card was also made for the Pink Elephant Sketch Challenge #46. I really loved the sketch and wanted to break into some of my new paper. I actually opened and cut into my SU! "To the Nines" designer paper. Here is a better picture to show off the finished inside. I love that Flowers in Silhouette stamp!The sentiment is from All Holidays and I inked it up in White Craft Ink and heat embossed it with White Embossing Powder. Then I used Chocolate Ink and my Flower in Silhouette stamp, also from SU!, and stamped it over the sentiment. Then I used a clean cloth to wipe away the brown ink from the embossed sentiment, thus doing a "Emboss Resist" technique! Yeah me!!! I need to challenge myself out of my comfort zone and do more techniques like this!!!Is the card too dark? I thought it looked like Chocolate and my friend in Vancouver LOVES chocolate and hopefully she will love this card too! I was not happy with the strip at the bottom of the card, maybe I should have used the Flower stamp along it as well. I inked all the Kraft paper with Chocolate ink and a sponge. I added some twine to the bottom to continue to earthy feel of this card.

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!

Thank you for stopping by!! I can't wait to see what everyone else does with this sketch!!

Smiles,

Lesley :)