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I found the I Spy Sketches website and decided to play along. I had hoped to also enter a challenge over at Our Daily Bread Designs, but I missed that deadline (there's just not enough time for all of these contests!). Here is the sketch

Here is my card. The poinsettia stamp is from Our Daily Bread Designs. I stamped it with Momento Tuxedo Black ink. I ended up coloring it with my TH Distress markers. I tried using the Copics I had, but I am a real beginner with Copics, so I am not that great and I don't have very many colors/shades, so I was not very pleased with my attempt. I dry embossed the background cs, which is Fancy Pants St. Nick and used some TH Distress Ink in Forrest Moss to ink the edges. A little Stickles on the poinsettia and I am done! I hope to play with this stamp some more. I really like it!

Pumpkins, ribbon and texture

It's almost Halloween-I can't wait to see my grandson all dressed up and excited about Trick or Treating! I made this card mainly for the Cropchocolate.com's weekly challenge. We had to make something that had texture. I have not ventured too far into card making, so texture is still an open book for me. I have saved a few of the coffee cup sleeves from Starbucks. They are made from recycled, thin cardboard. That would be my texture. I was going to enter my card in the Page Maps sketch

but I missed the deadline :( I will enter it in the Unity Stamp Co. Challenge. We have to make a project that has pumpkins on it. I used Unity's "Thanks, thanks, thanks" stamp and colored it with pencils. I have a few Copic markers, but no Halloween colors. Here is my card

I am also entering this in the Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge ( http://reasonableribbon.blogspot.com/search/label/challenges ) which required a Halloween theme and some ribbon. Finally, I am entering it in the Ribbon Carousel Challenge (http://blog.ribboncarousel.com/search/label/Challenge ) which also required a Halloween theme and some ribbon. Wow...I have never entered a card on that many challenges. It's difficult to coordinate all of the details, but it was also fun :-) Supplies used: Purchased at Cropchocolate.com- Apothocary 6x6 cs by Echo Park, Tim Holtz Distress Inks:Black soot and Rusty hinge, Eucalyptus Stickles and American Crafts Glitter Brads. Other supplies-Unity stamp Thanks, thanks, thanks, Orange Peel Stickles, Starbucks cardboard cup sleeve, white cs, ribbon, a button and jute.

Unity WCMD Sketch Challenge

I loved the sketch over at the Unity Stamp Co. World Card Making Day challenge blog. I used it to make this card for the challenge. I combined this challenge with Challenge #36 over at www.cropchocolate.com, where we are to use neutral colors with 3 bright colors. Here is the sketch from Unity

And here is my card

I used Faith Begins Unity Stamp for my sentiment. I used Everyday Eclectic by Echo Park along with cs from a Random 50 pack of Echo Park cs (both purchased at www.cropchocolate.com). Other supplies: TH Distress Ink Broken China, Momento black ink, Thermoweb foam squares, lace from my stash.

Authentique Monthly Sketch Challenge/Unity WCMD Emboss

I am trying to incorporate various challenges into one project, since I work almost full time and am limited on crafty time :-( I took the Authentique Monthly Sketch challenge

and the Unity Stamp Co. World Card Making Day Embossing challenge and came up with this card

The products I used: Authentique Fresh collections (12x12 & 6x6), Zing Embossing powder-White, TH Distress Inks-Barn Door & Pumice Stone (all purchased from www.cropchocolate.com ) Unity Stamp set Vintage Doily Shop, Our Daily Bread Stamp set Get Well, Zva Pearls, Versafine ink Onyx black, Recollections Red glitter emboss powder.

C.A.S. Unity Challenge Card

I only had about 20 minutes to make a card for the Unity Challenge-Pennants and Banners, so I made this one real quick. I decided to pull out my Tim Holtz Distress Markers and add a little fall colors. Then I decided that some stickles would dress it up a little. I added some washi tape for some easy pennants and inked the edges with some TH Distress Ink in Vintage Photo. Easy Peasy!

Unity Stamp and Authentique Carefree card

I admit that I only used to use stamps very rarely in my scrapbooking, and usually it was only letters and numbers. I started making cards this past February. I discovered Unity stamps and have fallen hook, line and sinker! I love the paper lines that Authentique has come out with...some so vintage looking, while still incorporating enough color to be bright and cheerful. I made this card using Authentique Carefree collection (purchased at cropchocolate.com) and this adorable Unity itty bitty stamp.

I mixed equal parts of black emboss powder with clear emboss powder so that the embossed image was not quite so boldly black. It was stamped on cream card stock. I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers to color the flowers in the basket. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot to ink the edges of the background paper and the sentiment. Foam adhesive squares make the image and sentiment stand out a bit. I found some sheer yellow ribbon in my stash. It is one of my favorite cards I've made so far because it reminds me to just enjoy the simple things :) PS I entered this card on Unity's Friends with Flair Challenge-my first time :)

Crop Chocolate Challenge 34a

Another week has gone by and another challenge was posted over at http://Cropchocolate.com The challenge was to use one of the challenges from the Operation Write Home's blog hop and make a new card, using 50% of products purchased from cropchocolate.com. I chose Scrap happy's challenge (from her blog http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/2012/09/crop-chocolate-design-team-blog-hop-for.html ) I used the following products for my card: from cropchocolate.com-6x6 12 Days of Christmas paper by MME, TH Distress Ink Barn Door and Shabby Shutters, Tradition Velvet ribbon by FP, Sizzix emboss Folders-Winter set#3. other products-brads, Unity stamp, and Memento Ink-Cottage Ivy. But wait, it doesn't end there! We also had to create an Instructagram on http://instructagram.com It is a new site that has picture tutorials and will eventually have links to products needed to complete the projects. Very clever, right?

To blog or not to blog?

Here I go with a blog! Hi to anyone who wanders here! I can't say that I will be posting on it regularly. I will mainly use it to post projects to enter in challenges and contests. For now, it is an adventure just trying to figure out this whole blogging process! Until next time! Lucy

An Easel card and a "prize"

Cropchocolate.com had a weekly challenge (#32 ) where we were to create an easel card. I had never tried it before, so it definitely was a challenge. I did not get mine done in time to submit for the weekly random prize drawing, but I was very happy with how it turned out. I ended up sending it to my 90 something year old aunt who has major respiratory problems and is taking life day by day, and yet has still had a wonderful outlook on life and has held strong to her Christian faith. Being able to make and send this card to her was my "prize"!

Cards for Cropchocolate.coms OWH Blog Hop

Here are some cards that I made for the Cropchocolate.com Operation Write Home Blog hop that was held last week and over the weekend. Check out Cropchocolate's The Crop.com for links to other blogs and for other challenges.