sweet sunday sketch challenge #11 + a bonus

Good morning - It's time for another Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! Here is the deal: make a card with this layout and use Mr. Linky down at the end of my post to enter your card. On Thursday at 2 PM (Mountain Time), I'll randomly select one card to feature on my blog. So, as long as your card is linked in the Mr. Linky box by 2 PM Thursday, your card will be in the drawing. Be sure to link directly to the blog post or gallery image which features your card. You may post a picture of the sketch on your blog, but please save the image to your computer first. Use the keyword SSSC11 if you plan to post your card at SplitcoastStampers or another online gallery.

Are you ready for your bonus?! So many big things to celebrate here - my blog is over 100K hits AND... I am SO excited to tell you one of my cards is published in the March issue of Cards - can you see me jumping around the room in utter elation?! This is the card they published (although the colors in their photo of it are WAY off, but what are ya gonna do?), you can find it on page 143 - tee hee! Anyway... to celebrate I'm giving away some goodies for one random participant in this sketch challenge. All you need to do to qualify for the drawing is make a card with this week's sketch and post it to Mr. Linky and on Thursday at 2 PM I'll use Random.org to choose a winner. Sound YUMM-O? The lucky winner will receive the March issue of Cards, 2 Sale-A-Bration stamp sets (Congrats & Polka dot Punches), and an assortment of yummolicious embellishments - 3 library clips, 3 Kiwi Kiss corduroy buttons, 3 Pacific Point corduroy buttons, 4 flower brads, and 7 5/16" brads. Anyone can play - so get your game face on and get crackin'! The card I made measures 6-1/2" x 3-1/4" if you would like the dimensions and try to make one that size if you can - it's part of the challenge of it all *grin*.

OK, off you go! Have a great day and good luck!
Karen

OOOPS!!! Mr. Linky is live now - sorry gang!


recipe -
stamps: flight of the butterfly
ink: so saffron, pumpkin pie, chocolate chip
paper: bravo burgundy, pumpkin pie, whisper white cardstock, maine bluebery & pumpkin pie paper patterns dsp
accessories: rectangle/scallop nestibilities, yellow grosgrain ribbon (american crafts), flower fusion accents & elements, fresh favorites 2 brads, scallop edge punch, horizontal slit punch, stampin dimensionals

and the winner is...

#84!

Shelli is our big winner and here is what she said...

My biggest dream would be to improve all the relationships in my life. Especially the one I have with God! Thanks for the fun and inspiration!
Shelli

Shelli, if you could please email me your snail mail address, I'll get your goodies right out to you.

Thank you everyone for all of you comments - your dreams are very inspiring: from having a baby, family health, a healing miracle, job security, to more time to stamp. My big dream for the year is to work on having more projects published and really making time to enjoy everything in my life. Sometimes I get a little too focused on myself and I need to change that this year.

Here's to another fun year!

Karen

time for some blog candy...

That's right! It's Blog Candy Time! First of all, a HUGE thank you to all of my readers - you have all been so supportive and kind with all of your encouraging comments. This past year has been such a fun journey for me and I've grown so much as a stamper/card-maker/paper crafter. Your kindness has helped me find a place where I am comfortable and excited to show off my little hobby. Thank you all SO much.

Ok, drum roll.... Here is your candy!

Included in your candy today is: 1 Friends & Flowers Simply Scrappin' Kit (unopened and brand spankin new), an assortment of Almost Amethyst Prints designer series paper (double sided, 12x12 sheets), a yard or so of amethyst polka dot organdy ribbon, an assortment of American Crafts paper (double sided, 12x12 sheets), 2 boxes of American Crafts coordinating embelishments, 1 roll of coordinating American Crafts ribbon, 2 Hodgepodge Hardware kits - almost complete (missing the square frames and a few brads, sorry about that) in aged copper and antique brass.

So what do you need to do to get your hands on all this fabulousness? Just leave a comment! Leave me a comment telling me what your biggest dream is for 2009 and I'll pick a random winner on Sunday, the 18th. Please be sure to leave an email address for me to contact you in case you are the lucky chosen one. Everyone is eligible to win, both near and far, so sign up! I'd love to hear from you.

Good luck!!

Karen

and the winner is...

Char!

Char in So Cal said...
Congrats on hitting 20k... your blog is FAB!!I have ben stamping for 6 years and right at this very moment I am in a slump. My mojo went on vacation sometime last month and I am just waiting for it to come back to me... yah know?? Thanks for the op tp win some really YUMMY blog candy and congrats again!!

June 21, 2008 11:37 PM

Congratulations Char! This is the blog candy that you've won -

An assortment of prints paper (6x6), buttons, brads, and flower fusion felt flowers. And of course the bag of her choice. I so wish I could do more for all of you because you all have done so much for me - thank you all for your kind words of encouragement along the way!!

Thank you to everyone who posted a comment - I really enjoyed reading your crafting stories, and I found out that I'm not the only one who hoards my paper and accessories! Ha! I am getting better about using them now, whew!

Have a great day everyone and I'll be back soon.

time for some blog candy...

...Let's Make a Deal style! I came across this adorable little tote on Cindy's blog yesterday and I knew I *had* to make one too! So cute, don't you think? So here's the deal - I've just passed 20,000 hits on my blog and I'm just so floored and excited that you all keep coming back here to say hi and check out my cards and other little crafty items. I originally started this blog so I would hold myself accountable to use the things I buy to scrapbook and make cards and it has turned out to be so much more fun than I imagined. It's only been 5 months too! I've "met" some wonderful people in my journey and I'm very excited to see where the next 20,000 hits take me. Thanks to you all for lifting my crafting spirits! Ok, back on track here - I have some blog candy to give away and the winner will pick which bag they would like. From left to right, #1, #2, and #3. The winner will receive the bag and all the contents, which I'll reveal after the lucky winner chooses the prize. Be sure you don't pick the one with the donkey and cart full of hay, ok? Ha! Sound fun? Here's how to enter. Please leave a comment here at this post and tell me how far you've come in your crafting journey - Do you hoard less than you used to? Are you using more layers and bling? I know when I first started making cards it was pretty scary - my layers were miscut and crooked and forget coloring! I've definitely obtained more fun tools and accessories to use - I still have my eye on that Cricut, but that will have to be purchased on a major sale! Ok, enough rambling for now.

If you'd like to make a tote, you can view the tutorial here at Diana Gibbs' blog.

I'll choose a winner Sunday, June 29th at 2:00 when I get back from my MOPS retreat. Have a fun weekend! See you back soon.

~Karen

Details -
#3

stamps: seeing spots
paper: cutie pie dsp, so saffron, whisper white cardstock
ink: so saffron
accessories: a.muse mini twinkle stickers, round tab punch, 1/4" circle punch, slit punch, white grosgrain ribbon

#2
paper: east coast prep dsp, wild wasabi, soft sky cardstock
accesories: flower punches (ek success), black brads, round tab punch, 1/4" circle punch, slit punch, white grosgrain ribbon

#1

paper: berry bliss dsp, close to cocoa cardstock

accessories: flower punches (ek success), pretty in pink brads, round tab punch, 1/4" circle punch, slit punch, pink/cocoa grosgrain ribbon

and the winner is...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers: 5

random.org picked #5, so a big congratulations to Allison #2! Allison, please email me your address and I'll get your new fun freebies to you.

Thanks to you all for leaving your comments - you made my day! I had this fear that I would have to leave myself a bunch of comments, ha!

So many circles! This card layout comes from the April issue of Stampin' Success (a demonstrator's magazine from Stampin' Up!). Love this simple layout and it's fun at the same time. I scalloped the edge of the card to let a strip of patterned paper peek through, but you can't really see it when the card is sitting on the table. Here's more of what it looks like flat...

I got the idea for using the 5-petal punch over the 1-3/8 circle from the spring-summer collection catalog on page 163. I love how it looks on the square better though, maybe because it's bigger? Super simple, fun card that you can duplicate to fit any occasion and stock up on your cards.

Thanks for stopping by today!


Details - stamps: it's your birthday; ink: blue bayou; paper: soft sky, groovy guava textured, rose red/blue bayou/groovy guava prints dsp; accessories: 3/4", 1", 1-1/4", 1-3/8" circle punches, 5-petal punch, corner rounder, clear buttons and white thread

5000+ hits blog candy!

These past 2 months have been so much fun and I'm so grateful you have all joined me in my crafting journey. Originally I wanted a blog to journal my growth in paper crafting and now I'm just flat out addicted! My next goal is to do more crafting outside of cards - but I'm sure cards will still be the majority of my posts for a bit.

Now for the fun stuff! If you would like to be included in my blog candy raffle, just post a comment and I'll randomly pick a winner Tuesday morning around 10 Mountain. Up for grabs is a bit of this, bit of that really - some of my favorites!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Karen

candy includes: 4 pewter jumbo eyelets, 4 pewter build-a-brads, 4 styled silver flower slides, assortment of ribbon (soft sky, purely pomegranate, vintage violet, pretty in pink, certainly celery), and 3 clear buttons (sm circle, lg circle, lg square)