Scrapbook Expo San Diego

Here are the items I purchased today! I arrived before 8:30 am and purchased a VIP ticket to get into the exhibition hall one hour before the general public. The goodies advertised for those who got there early consisted of a variety of coupons and vouchers, one Spectrum Noir pen (neon pink), and one small glue stick. It was worth getting up early to beat the crowd.
These 2-sided 12x12 papers will be used for 'One Sheet Wonder' cards. At 33 cents each, they were a bargain. I could not locate a 6x6 paper pad I loved, but did score this 4x6 pad for $2.
I went nuts over the specialty brads and bought the squirrels, farm animals, seashells, and gears sets. I could have bought many more...
JudiKins gave away a small container of 'Diamond Glaze' if you had a coupon downloaded from the Expo website. Very cool.
But the most exciting find for me was a new, cheaper brand of alcohol markers called Spectrum Noir.
I bought 2 sets of 6 markers: Browns and Yellows. The lady in front of me in line purchased lots more---to the tune of $314. The dragonfly card was colored using these markers and now I can finally get into coloring!!! I am starting small, but can already see my stash of these growing and growing like bunny rabbits. All-in-all in was a fun day, I spied a few friends, and arrived home ready for a nap :)

My Oldest Embellishment

Here's my entry for Shopping Our Stash #107: Use Your Oldest Embellishment. At the beginning of the years, I purged my stash and gave away lots of stickers, papers, alphas, and seldom-used items. For some reason, I saved a number of summery stickers purchased years ago when I was scrapbooking all of our summer vacations. I CASE'd this card from one made by Sandy on her weekly OWHtv show at Operation Write Home. It is fun to tear paper and set that half-moon on the horizon :)

Colored CS: Bazzill

Sentiment: unk

Stickers: Creative Imaginations (now Splash of Color) and Autumn Leaves

Unscripted Sketches #216

Here I used one of my current favorite clear stamp sets from Stampin' Up!: French Foliage. This is a versatile collection of stamps that I will use again and again. I like this sketch, too!
The paper is from my stash. Ink: Stamp Cabana (dark red and green), Ranger Distress (wild honey), Border Die "Savannah Border" by Memory Box. Note: the 3rd row down is a different paper than the other rows. It was supposed to be more obvious (!)
Challenge: Unscripted Sketches #216

S & S Midweek Challenge: Cards 4 Kids

This was another great challenge! Just had to decide what adorable Doodle Pantry image I wanted to use. I went for a summery theme. Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by...

Pre-colored Images, Patterned Paper, and Sentiment: 'Scuba Sheep' Digital Collection by Doodle Pantry

Oval Dies: Spellbinders

Fish Brad: K& Company

White Brads: my stash

Small Circle Punch (used at the corners): unk

Sweet Geometric Shapes

Isn't it nice when 2 or more challenges work together? Yes! Today I decided to figure out a way to use some of the pretty paper from a Mary Engelbreit pad I found in the dollar bin at Michael's. The 12 sheets of patterned paper are pretty and very thin. Each one had to be reinforced with white cardstock. I cut the corners off of one 6x6 sheet for the squares and finally had a chance to use one of the cupcake brads I bought ages ago because they were so darn cute. I punched a couple of images from leftover pink paper for the raised circles at the bottom right to complete the sketch.

Challenges:
Shopping Our Stash Challenge 106: Geometric Shapes
Tuesday Morning Sketches #203
HIMCR #102: Die Cuts (Hiding in My Craft Room)
Challenges 4 Everybody #22: Anything Goes
Sister Act Card Challenge #11: Anything Goes
Through the Craftroom Door: Anything Goes

ME Patterned Paper: Michael's
Sentiment: 'Berry Nice Mice' Collection by Doodle Pantry
Circle Dies: Spellbinders
Brad: my stash
Small Circle Punch: Creative Memories

I Moose Ewe!

This is one of my newest pre-colored digital stamps. It is so adorable that I couldn't stop making cards with it when I printed it out yesterday.
The image is from Dustin Pike Designs and the sentiment was created on Microsoft Word using Curlz MT font. All patterned papers from the 6x6 paper pad "Pink Lemonade" by Lawn Fawn. All cards going into my next Operation Write Home box.

(sorry about the camera strap in the upper right corner)

OWH Sketch # 177

This was a fun sketch! Lots of patterned paper and layering; my favorite ;)

DSP: "Pink Lemonade" 6x6 Paper Pad by Lawn Fawn
CS: my stash
White Circles: Candi by Craftwork Cards
Sentiment: Wood-mounted Stamp by Hampton Art

CTS #32

Here's another fab sketch web site CAS(E) this Sketch! I'm nuts about sketches as well as other kinds of challenges, and boy, there are a lot of them out there in cyberspace. Some of the challenge sites I have found have so many links to their challenges (like 250!!) that I feel like mine will be lost in the crowd. Plus, I don't feel like wading through all of them. Anyway, there are plenty of cards linked up on this site, generally > 100 per sketch, and the Design Team does an awesome job. Plus, these are 'clean and simple' card challenges; my favorite! So here's my take.
I may make more of these for my Operation Write Home box. Our heroes do miss their loved ones everyday.

CS: White 110 pound 'Premium' Paper from an office supply store
Patterned Paper: "Serenity Collection" by BoBunny
Stamp: "Time Capsule" set by Fun Stampers Journey
Digital Sentiment: Sabrina Lopez Dupre Designs (located in an old folder on my laptop)

S&S Midweek Challenge: Things with Wings

Yay for another chance to play with my BoBunny paper pad. This is the same one I used with the OWH
6x6 Template. With 36 pages of patterned paper, there is still plenty left :) Come join us at the Stars and Stamps Blog for a Midweek Challenge every Wednesday. It's fun ;)

DP: "Serenity Collection" by BoBunny
Butterfly Die: "Darla Butterfly" by Memory Box
Challenge: Stars & Stamps "Things with Wings"

My Oldest Stamp

Thanks to Shopping Our Stash for encouraging me to once again use this sweet little bear stamp on a card.
This stamp was a gift from my best friend in nursing school. She gave it to me at least 25 years ago long before I began paper crafting. It didn't get much use back then and I am glad I saved it.
And a loud shout-out to Tuesday Morning Sketches for the layout! I wanted a contrast to the shades of green so I picked this rather garish orange. It looks more subtle here. Hope you like it and thanks so much for stopping by my little blogspot :)

Challenges:

Shopping Our Stash: SOS # 105 - Oldest Stamp

Tuesday Morning Sketches # 202

Bearly Mine Challenges: Anything Goes

Bear Wood-mounted Stamp: All Night Media
Green Chalk: Inkadinkado
Heart Punch: unk
Brown Ink: Chocolate by TPC Studio
CS: my stash

Unscripted Sketches # 214

Between yesterday and early this morning I managed to wrangle bits and pieces from my stash to create this card. I like the pink-and-brown combination. I cut up most of my patterned 12x12 papers into A2 card-sized pieces some time ago and I'm glad I had this pretty one left to use for the current Unscripted Sketches challenge.

CS and DP: my stash
Border Punch: EK Success
Heart Punch: Marvy Uchida
Sentiment: The "minis4circles" stamp collection by The Stamps of Life

The 6x6 Template

Well this was certainly fun! I used a 6x6 paper pad with patterns on one side only. I must have cut a few more pieces than necessary because I ended up with 14 cards. Here are the first 10 all put together. I am loving this idea because I like working with 6x6 pads. Thanks so much, Kathryn, for sharing these amazing templates with Operation Write Home ;)

6x6 Designer Paper Pad: "Serenity Collection" by BoBunny

Alphabet Thank You Digital Stamp: Create with TLC

Thank You Digital Stamp: The DigiChick

Cardstock: Bazzill and my stash

Green Ink: (distressing on one card) "Old Olive" by Stampin Up!

Tuesday Morning Sketches # 201

This sketch is rather 'busy' to me. Still, I had to give it a go. I used clear stamps from a set I found in a UK paper crafting magazine purchased in London by my daughter-in-law. Many of these type of magazines offer freebies (stencils, stamps, patterned paper) with purchase. They are very expensive if purchased in the states, not so much overseas. The flowers are paper-pieced and outlined in black. I also used my new nestability oval dies received in the mail this week. Yay!!
The stark white background was lightly chalked with green. It can be seen better in person.

Flower Stamp: "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" set by Rowena Stott Designs Ltd. (unable to locate a web site. This set may be exclusive to the magazine)

CS: my stash

Oval Dies: Spellbinders

Chalk: Inkadinkado

Black Pen: 'Vellum Writer' by Kurtake

Simple Sketch and No Patterned Paper

This was a fun card to make and is entered in two challenges.

Embossing Folder and Image: 'Flowers and Vines Set' by Sizzix and Hero Arts

Green Ink: 'Old Olive' by Stampin' Up!

Sentiment: The Stamps of Life

Embossing at Sentiment Tag: 'Birch Background' by Our Daily Bread Designs and Versamark

CS: my stash

Challenges:

Shopping Our Stash #104: No Patterned Paper

Unscripted Sketches #213

DPDC35: Use a Doodle Pantry Image

As I've said before, I look forward to the first of the month when Doodle Pantry has a new challenge! My stash includes a boat-load of Doodle Pantry images so it is just a matter of deciding which one to use. This time I printed out one I used for the first time here. Isn't it adorable? And the card will come in handy soon. My first grandchild is due in August!!! She's a girl ;) And I'm pretty sure she will be a very Sweet Baby.

Pre-colored Image and Sentiment: 'Crescent Moon' by Doodle Pantry

Yellow CS: Bazzill

Purple CS: my stash

Embossing Folder: Cuttlebug

Dies: Spellbinders

Entered into the following challenges:

DPDC35: Doodle Pantry Image

Songbird Challenge # 21: All Creatures Great and Small

Our Daily Bread Designs June Challenge: Water

Our Daily Bread Designs will sponsor 1-2 boxes of Operation Write Home cards to our deployed military this month depending on how many cards are completed and linked up here at the Stars & Stamps Blog. Thanks again, ODBD! Here's my card.

Image, Sentiment: 'summer4fun' collection by The Stamps of Life

Cloud Dies: Memory Box

CS, Brad: my stash

Ink: Chocolate by TPC Studio

Blue Chalk: Inkadinkado

OWH Sketch # 175

Oh boy! Another cool sketch from Operation Write Home. I received some yummy new crafting supplies this week from Lawn Fawn so I had a chance to use 'em. Come join us. There's a new sketch (with measurements!) every Sunday.

Clear Stamps: "Make Lemonade" by Lawn Fawn

DSP: "Pink Lemonade" 6x6 Paper Pad by Lawn Fawn

Green CS and Brads: my stash

Ink: "Pumpkin Pie" by Stampin' Up!