Falling Into New Friendships

Hi Friends!

It's hard to believe I've been away for so long, I almost forgot how to post :) Forgive me though, life got in the way and crafting was set on the way back burner.

I'm back today with another round for our Dueling Darlings group! But first I must apologize to our Dear Diva leader, Kelly, and all the Darlings for missing last month's round! I'm still working on that card. xoxo

Judy and Debbie came up with a really fun theme this month to incorporate both the change of seasons and celebrate the arrival of our new Darlings, Suzi, Tracie and Shelly--Falling Into New Friendships.

Judy sent us a real smorgasbord of papers and embellishments. Such great items to play with and TONS to choose from (thanks, Judy)!!

For my card I decided to take the die cuts and create a bookmark. I used clear poly "cardstock" (which is transparency paper from the office supply store) to create a pocket for the bookmark. This allows all of the great patterned paper to continue to show through and gives the allusion that the tree is among it's dsp friends :)

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit all the other Divas and Dazzlers!! (see links on side bar)

My Little Friend

Hi Friends!
Hope your day is off to a great start!
Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is a theme challenge - USE YOUR FAVORITE EMBELLISHMENTS. All you have to do is use one or more of your fave embellishments on your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.
My favorite embellishment is the button/twine combo! It's definitely my go-to! Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll play along!

Thank You, Sheri!

Hi Friends!
Today we have a very special post for The Pink Elephant. As some of you may have read, last week was Sheri Gilson's last post over at TPE. Sheri has dedicated her time and talent each Monday for the last 6 years and has inspired so many with her awesome creations and kind and thoughtful comments on all participant creations.

We wanted to make sure Sheri knew how much she means to all of us and give her a huge, huge THANK YOU!!

A few of us have cased one of Sheri's amazing creations. I could never, ever do her original card justice (see below), but I did my own simple style version (above) using stamp from PTI and papers from K&Company.

If you'd like to join us this week in creating thank you cards and submitting them to the TPE Blog, please do! We will consider all of your creations a tribute to Sheri!

Congrats On Your Triumph

Hi Friends!
Hope your day is off to a great start!
Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is ANYTHING GOES! All you have to do is submit your card or project by linking up to the TPE Blog.

For my card I've used a stamp set from Amuse Studio and paired it with papers from Basic Grey.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll join in the fun this week!

TPE Gettin' Sketchy

Hi Friends!
Hope your day is off to a great start!
Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is a SKETCH challenge. All you have to do is use the sketch above as inspiration for your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll join in the nautical fun this week!

World's Greatest

Hi Friends!
Hope your day is off to a great start!
Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is a theme challenge - FATHER'S DAY. All you have to do is use Father's Day as inspiration for your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.

For my card I've used stamps from Papertrey Ink and some fun elements like corrugated cardstock and burlap for a textural touch.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll join us celebrate Father's this week!

Farewell and Merci

Hi Friends,
I have some very sad news for you today. The Deconstructed Sketch has run it's course and this will be the last one. Be sure to pop over to Jen's blog and read about this final (2 week) challenge.

I've had an amazing time being part of this super talented group of Ladies and was so blessed to have been in on the fun since sketch #1.
I will cherish that invitation from Jen forever!

This is not the end of the sketches though. All 204 will continue to circulate and provide inspiration whenever one of us needs a layout!

For my card I've used a retired Torico stamp created for There She Goes and paired it with papers from Basic Grey. I wanted to find a sentiment stamp that said, "thanks for the wonderful time," but a simple thanks to Jen and to all those who stopped by to see my Thursday creations each week, is truly heartfelt.

Hope you'll join us for this final sketch!
(P.S. this is not the end of my blog, just a notice that the Deconstructed Sketch is ending)
Arielle
Cresta
Jen
Sheri
Tangii
Tracey

Blessings

Hi Friends!
Hope your day is off to a great start!
Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is an inspiration challenge. All you have to do is use the photo below as inspiration for your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.

For my card I've used a sentiment from Unity Stamps and paired it with various papers I found to match the photo.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll join in the nautical fun this week!

My Craft Space

Hello Crafty Friends!
This is Kadie and I'm here to show you my little corner of the world :)

I moved last year and I feel like I'm still trying to make progress on getting my "new" space up to speed with my former space, but I'm going to hush the perfectionist in me today, because I truly am thrilled to share my retreat with you!

Several years ago my husband and I made a deal, he could get a motorcycle if I could get a craft room. He was more than agreeable. Little did he know he would never see me again. Haha. Only kidding (mostly). I saw this entertainment center and I knew the shelving and compartments would be perfect for the space I had at the time and I wouldn't have to part with it when we eventually moved. In fact, when we did end up moving last year, our agent knew that if there wasn't a room with a wall that this unit could fit on, he shouldn't even show us the house. Teehee.
And lo and behold, God blessed me with a new craft space and a second home for my wall unit. :)

On one wall I decided to take frames and hot glue twine inside so that I could clip and display a few of my favorite cards.

And on the third wall I have a bookshelf that houses most of my stamps, patterned paper and cards looking for homes. Ohhh! And I also this super cool rack at a steal of a price, because it was intended for Christmas cards and Christmas was long over. Umm, hello, the crafter's card calendar is all year long, so this was a no brainer for me. :)

Now that you've seen all 3 corners of the room, I'll show you a little bit of how I organize things in it.

This filing drawer is perfect for all my colored cardstock!

I decided that the best way to utilize my buttons was to put them in a spice rack. So I looked for one that had visibility of the buttons without having to take out each jar and one that was also round so that it didn't take up a ton of room on my desk when it turned.

Inside the cabinets of this unit are pull out drawers that were made for DVD's and CD's, but are also the a perfect match for stamp cases. I also knew that I wanted a good way to organize my dies and still keep them hidden. So I lined the inside of each cabinet with magnetic vent covers.

I have a variety of areas in my room where I store stamps, but one of my favorites is in these plastic storage containers. They are perfect because the stamps cling to the inside and each case has a handle, so I can transport stamps very easily if I'm doing a class or stamping with friends. They also work really well for Washi tape (6 rolls fit very easily) and other embellishments.

And this, as they say, is where all the magic happens!

Thanks so much for taking a tour with me. Feel free to come for a visit anytime!

To Forgive Is Canine

Hi Friends!
It's Thursday and you know what that means--Deconstructed Sketch time! And here is sketch #203 for you!

For my card I've used a retired Torico stamp created for There She Goes and paired it with papers from Basic Grey.

Hope you'll join us!
Arielle
Cresta
Jen
Sheri
Tangii
Tracey

You're #1

Hello and Happy June 1!

Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is a MASCULINE BIRTHDAY THEME. Use anything masculine as the inspiration for your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.

For my card I've used this super fun stamp from Art Impressions, colored him up in Copics and paired him with some misc. manly papers from my stash, as well as some (very appropriately named) "sprinkle dots."

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll join us this week!

Birthday Wishes

Hi Friends!
It's Thursday and you know what that means--Deconstructed Sketch time! And here is sketch #202 for you!

For my card I've used a Miss Anya stamp from The Greeting Farm and papers from My Mind's Eye and Echo Park. The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Mixed Messages.

Hope you'll join us!
Arielle
Cresta
Jen
Sheri
Tangii
Tracey

Memorial Day

Hello to you on this Memorial Day Monday!

Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is ANYTHING GOES. Use anything your heart desires as the inspiration for your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.

For my card I wanted to pay homage to those that we honoring the memory of today. They are not forgotten.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll join us this week!

If You Bring Me Coffee

Hi Friends!
It's Thursday and you know what that means--Deconstructed Sketch time! And we made it, we're in the 200's now, and here's sketch 201!

For my card I've used stamp sentiment from Amuse Studio and papers from MME. I was just feeling a little cheeky with this card. Such a fun sketch this time around!

Hope you'll join us!
Arielle
Cresta
Jen
Sheri
Tangii
Tracey

So Proud of You

Hi Friends!
Hope your day is off to a great start!
Today's challenge over at The Pink Elephant is a GRADUATION theme challenge. All you have to do is use GRADUATION as the inspiration for your card or project and link up to the TPE Blog.

For my card I've used this retired A la mode stamp from My Favorite Things and kept it pretty simple to let the Copics speak for themselves. :)

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you'll join in the fun this week!

Anything But A Card

Hi Friends!
It's the 15th of the month and that means it's time for another DUEL with the Dueling Darlings!

This month our hostesses are Carol and April and they challenged us to make anything but a card. This is a HUGE challenge for me, as I generally don't think outside the box. But thankfully for me, Carol (our Diva hostess with the mostess), didn't challenge me to do so. I just had to THINK BOX! teehee

So I created this little thank you gift box. A great idea for any summer event to say, "thank you" to the hostess with a lil sumpthin' sumpthin'.

Thanks for stopping by today and don't forget to check out what the other Divas and Dazzlers have for you! (links on my side bar).