Another Card Challenge

I mostly like clean and simple cards.  I probably do better at clean and simple cards.  Ok, so I really stuggle with things that AREN'T clean and simple.  When my upline and I were working on some card designs for the Operation Write Home event we did back in October, she sent me a link to a blog for this type of cards.  This week, I decided to do one of their card challenges.  I'm not sure I like the card I did, but I am going to enter the challenge anyway.  : )   Clean and Simple Blog

My entry: 


I'm thinking ... it's crooked.  Hmmm....

It's kind of different for a birthday card, isn't it.  Well, some of my friends and family are creeping up to the big 50 year thing that seems to bother so many people. So I made it in black.  hahaha...  (I'm not there YET, so I don't know if it will affect me.  I honestly don't think it will.  I mean, geez.  It's just a number.)  Anyway, I also hate to throw stuff away and decided to use the little teardrop shapes that punch out of the Blossom Bouquet punch that is in the summer mini.  I scooped them up, used tweezers to hold the tiny little pieces, glued them, then stuck 'em down in no apparent pattern.  I ran the black piece thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice EF.  Used the (retiring) Spiral Border Punch on the edge.  The sentiment is just the Decorative Label punch, the 1 3/4 x 7/8 oval punch and the (retiring) 1 3/8 x 5/8 oval punch.  Finished it off with three Basic Pearls.   Am I using enough retiring stuff??  Probably will be seeing a LOT of it for the next couple weeks. 

I think I really like the look of the teardrops embossed into the paper.  Not so sure it looked exactly like what was bouncing around in my mind, but thats ok.  I do that a lot!  And now, I have a 'reason' to keep the leftover stuff from the new punch.  :)  I don't have the doily one.  It looks like it might have some fun stuff to keep, too.  *I am NOT a hoarder!

Cribbage and Crystal Effects

This was supposed to be done yesterday, but while I was trying to download some pictures, Blogger decided it was time to do some maintenance.   Geez... I was doing important stuff here!  :)


My husband and I play cribbage.  I'm not very good, but he puts up with me.  Our biggest problem is remembering who's crib it is.  While we were in Florida, we came up with a way to keep track.  We had a lotion bottle that we would pass back and forth.  Whoever had the bottle, got the crib.  Last night we were playing here and there was no bottle of lotion, so this is what we came up with.Isn't he CUTE?

Don't they look alike??

Ok.  Enough of that.  I have a couple of things to show you tonight!  The first is the new In Colors.  I hope you can see well enough. 

The top right one is the pool party color.  I like them....

This is something else I learned how to do.  It goes by many names, but what it IS, is crystal effects with re-inkers.  Punch an image with your favorite SU! punch.  Place the punched paper on a non stick surface like waxed paper.  Cover the whole thing with Crystal Effects.  Put a few drops of re-inker of your choice of colors in a lid (keep them seperate).  Take a straight pin and touch it to the first drop of ink just to get ink on the pin.  Touch it to the CE.  Add a couple other colors.  Don't do too much or it will look muddy.  Drag the pin thru all the colors to swirl it around.   It's really pretty.  :) There are three colors in this one.  All new colors.  Oh and by the way... THANKS BUFFY...  Better directions here!

Get readyfor the new catalog and some pretty cool new colors!

Today I was playing with the new In Colors from SU!  The first time I saw them I thought they were pretty nice.  Now I've decided that the ink colors are WONDERFUL!  I think I can show them, but I want to make sure I really can.  They have SO many rules on what can be shown before the release date.  I know I can TELL you what they are.  Maybe tomorrow I can post pictures.  The bummer about that is that you can't really see the colors the way they are. 
Wisteria wonder - a light purple color
Calypso Coral - its kind of a orangy color (don't get me wrong... its purdy)
Island Indigo - looks a lot like Not Quite Navy, but maybe with a bit more green
Pool Party - aqua-ish
Lucky Limeade - hmmm.. well.. lime green but maybe just a little darker

I really like them.  I wasn't quite certain about the Pool Party, but I used it on just Whisper White card stock and yummy!  Maybe I will keep them!  I will look over some rules and maybe post a little something tomorrow with the colors.  I didn't order any of the pre-order stamp sets this go around.  I'm waiting on a BIG order July 1st so I can get my hands on the new HOSTESS  sets!  LOVE them! 

Did I tell you I LOVE the new colors?  Oh, well, just in case you missed it the first time (or two!).  Until tomorrow...