Blog Love :)

Hi Everyone,

I got the sweetest blog award message from Nellie a little while ago and in the midst of the birthday whirlwind that was this week - wasn't able to post it to do this sweet award justice. Nellie just started her blog and is just so very sweet. Her cards are beautiful as is her smile :) Thank you so much for this sweet award Nellie - you really touched my heart!

The rules of the award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 5-7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve nominated

So this is the hard part because I love everyone's blog and want to nominate Everyone!!! But since, that is a little hard to do since its a little late at night to link to Everyone's blog - consider all of you reading this TAGGED!!!  

There are some blogs that I have either just discovered or have been blog-stalking a little bit :)

Curt  (love his style and his sweetness - and his dogs are just soooo darn cute!  )

Bev (along with her card style, i love her writing style - she totally cracks me up :)

Regan (is just so much fun - and i LOVE her name: StampyMcStamperson :) LOL! That still cracks me up :),

Kath (is a total darling who makes beautiful cards! and is just so very encouraging :)

Kisa (she is a color throwdown queen with a great sense of style and wit!)

AND Susanna - who does such an amazing job putting together Card of the week and best of the Blogosphere - she is so sweet and lovely as are her creations. Thanks for the shout out on your blog Susanna! You totally made my day!

And of course - I totally love Brooke, Savitri, Maria, and  Christiane's blogs because not only are they amazing artists, they are truly beautiful people whom I have gotten to know and totally adore! I can't believe that we haven't all met yet...!!! 

I love the magic of blogland - where you can meet and get to know some of the most amazing people !!! 

Sending ya'll big cyber hugZ :)

Sankari

Second Card for: Kristina Werner Color Inspiration Challenge #19

Hi All, 

I couldn't help it - had to make another card for KW's color challenge. On the left were the colors that Kristina challenged us with this week. I loved the card that I made last night for this color challenge (you see that card here or scroll below) - but I kinda had this idea in my head and not enough time last night. 

The card enough was simple to make - a little tearing here, a little circle punching there and slap on some adhesive and call it a day. I guess the only thing somewhat different was that the image of the cheetah i stamped on the white part of the black cardstock and then cut it from the white side so that the it was reversed. It kinda worked better that way because of the way I tore the "hill" for the cheetah to sit on. 

The stamped sentiment was inked with white craft paint and when it was dry I went over it with a paint brush with white paint... why? you ask did I do that? I have no idea... I didn't want the craft experience to end ?? Now that I think of it, I could have embossed it with white - Oh well!

Maybe you are wondering what does a cheetah have to do with a thank you card? Well, cheetah's are my most favorite animal ... I think they are beautiful and amazing. When I was in Kenya I got to see a few on the "hunt" and I totally fell in love. So for me, to send a thank you card to someone with a cheetah on it - is sending them a thank you card with so much love in it. 

Well, I am going to take off  my craft hat and put on my chef's hat now... ready to wrangle up some supper. Since school has started, we are trying to get everyone back on an early routine.... Can ya'll believe that tomorrow is Friday! Where did this week go.

 Thanks so much for coming over to a visit.

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin Up! (I forgot the name of this set)

Ink: Frost White from Color Box

Paper: Black Cardstock, Metallic Gray Cardstock from Paper Company and Yellow from DCVW

Accessories: Circle Punch (2") 

KW Color Inspiration Challenge #19

Hello Everyone,

It's time for another Kristiana Werner Color Inspiration Challenge. Yay! I missed doing her last one because we were on vacation, so was pysched to do one again :) This week's colors are to the left: Black, White, Gray and the fun part is that we can choose our fourth color. That I think was the hard part because everything looks good with black and white... hard to narrow the choices. I ended up choosing an aqua blue as my fourth color

Since the wall in the photo was gray, I did the matte behind the little birds in a metallic gray. I liked the black and white square motif on the square pillow - so I wanted to have a few squares in the card. 

The squares were punched out with my CM square punches, the birds were stamped onto the squares by masking parts of that stamp and using the Stamp-a-majig to alighn the birds to the center of the square. The black cardstock used is a shiny black - I only have little snippets left - and really like the feel of this cardstock.  It was hard to take a pic of it because it is so reflective.

Well, I only have 2 more birthday cards to make - I see the end in sight :) I really enjoyed making this card and all the card therapy it provided :)

Today is the first day of school! I have to get a ton done and am so glad that I had a chance to play :)

Thank you for coming over for a visit,

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Card Recipe:

Paper: Ikea Gift wrap, Shiny Black Cardstock, Metallic Gray Cardstock from the Paper Company

Ink: Staz-On Black

Stamps: Stampin Up 

Accessories: Ribbon (offray), Aqua Gel pen and color pencil. CM square punches

Show watched: Another World (1991 from Hulu.com - that site has everything!)

Jen's Sketch for You to Try & Color Challenge from the Verve Divas

Hi Everyone,

Here is a card made for Jen's Sketch for You to Try.  What a great sketch and boy can I use some sketch ideas - for all the birthdays this week. I feel like everyone's birthday is rolled into this week along with school starting and a million other things that have to get done before the week is through... phew! I am just tired thinking about all that :)

So, I think that is why it was fun to sit down and take a breather and make this card. It was also made for a color challenge from Charmaine from Meet the Verve Divas Challenge - the challenge is to make a card black and white card with a splash of color.

I love a black and white card - with a splash of ANY color - so it was hard to choose - but I went with a violet color. I love how this came together - and I played around for a while trying different flowers and other embellishments in the top right corner  - but it felt too busy next to the sentiment so eventually, I decided on a bow - but kept it kinda centered on the right side. I have to say that I love this stamp set from TCP - it is just so much fun to stamp and to color! 

So let's see... 3 birthday cards down... only 3 more to go and 2 anniversary ones too... but from the looks of it now - they might just be getting a happy anniversary phone call (LOL!) ....  

So preschool starts tomorrow and then on Friday is our turn to bring snack (how quickly it all begins!) I am thinking muffins and popcorn - any suggestions?

Hope all of you are well - and are enjoying the thought of the upcoming weekend is that looming on the horizon! Speaking of which I be off to clean all the bits of lunch that are looming on the floor (can you really use looming in that context... well, regardless - I still need to go and clean it :)

Thank you for visiting!

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Card Recipe:

Paper: Gift wrap, DCVW cardstock

Stamps: TCP!! I am lovin' this set

Ink : Staz-on Black, 

Accessories: Stcikles (Black,Platinum), Brads (Making Memories), Ribbon (Offray), Pearls from Martha

Show watched: Psych

2 Sketches 4 You - Kazan's Sketch Challenge

Hello Everyone, 

Here is a birthday card that I made for my father using Kazan's sketch for the monday sketch challenge from 2S4U! What a great sketch and her card for this sketch is amazing - love it!  As I mentioned in the post below - the birthday season is upon me - so forgive all the birthday

 cards that might be getting cranked out this week :)  

I had so much fun making this card ----- I got lost in craft world, while making a left at Stamp Street and totally missed my exit to  Energy Tomorrow Town while driving past an early bedtime :) But I had so much fun. 

 

I love getting lost in craft world... and of course I have been in lost in blog land for months.... I think I have blog fog .... I can't think of anything that isn't blog related....  or feel an itch to blurf much more frequently then I would like to admit :) But isn't that great - I get to meet all of YOU!!! 

And that is how I found 2S4U and I have to say that as soon as I saw Kazan's Sketch - I was pysched because  I wanted to try to make an inchie forthe square in the sketch, so that is what I aimed for, but it grew - but it's not qute a twinchie :) 

The window in the card is supposed to be part of a brick building (my husband doesn't think it looks like a window or a building.... but I gave him a blank stare and ignored that "critique" and kept cutting out little bricks and pasting them on... boy, do my fingers hurt from cutting little bricks out!). 

Instead of scallops going around that part of the sketch... I made some shrubery. I sketched out some bushes and a shrubby kind of tree and painted it with few layers of acrylic paint and cut it to fit the space. I am not sure they really look like shrubs - they look a little like green flubberkins to me - but I hope it looks like a shrub or 4... :)  When you open the window, the sentiment reads: Happy Birthday Dear You!  I love that little sentiment - it's so cute and little and teeny too.

Are you the kind of person who buys things that are little - just because they are cute....? I think I fall into that category... I think I am a sucker for marketing... if it is little and packaged cutely - even thought it might not serve a function... I feel like I must rescue it from its lonely existence on the store shelf and give it a cozy home.. The latest teeny weeny purchase was one little cute spoon.... that's right -- just one.... it was so little and brown and wooden and cute... but it is SO cute that I can't bear the thought of using it - so it is safely being kept in our junk drawer :) LOL!

Anyhoo --- I digress.... and I digressed so much that I don't even know where I am .... I have a feeling that the blog fog just got thicker -- so I might have to go and throw some cold water on my face and inject some hot java :)

Thanks so much for visiting and if you made it this far - thanks for reading this crazy rambling blog entry!

Hope you all have an utterly fabulous Wednesday!

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Card Recipe:

Paper: DCVW (Brights), DCVW (The Stack 5)

Ink : Staz-on

Stamps: Stampin' Up

Accessories: Green Paint, Brush, Prima wildflowers, Making Memories Brads, Offray ribbon, Martha punch trimmed, Orange stickles

Show watched: Monk, Family Guy

Mojo Holiday Monday Card

Hi Everyone, 

Its time for Mojo Monday! I didn't have a chance to play along with the 12 Anni-Verve-sary sketches - so I was psyched to see Julee's Mojo Monday Challenge. I loved this sketch - it is so versatile. I have all these ideas spinning in my head of different cards with this sketch .. just have to find the time :)

 I usually don't find my mojo till thursday - but it came early today because I got some TCP stamps in the mail!I have been eyeing them for a few months and so when I was actually holding them... I did a lil' dance when I got them and couldn't wait to use them. 

I have to tell you that Alma over at The Cat's Pajamas is awesome - she is just the sweetest ever - she went above and beyond in her shipping of these stamps - because of a whole craziness which can be for a later story - but the main point is - that She is Awesome! and the stamps are amazing - I love the way they ink up and give a solid impression - Love it Love it!!! Love it!!!

I really loved how this card came out - I haven't really gotten into the holiday realm of cardmaking because I think I am desperately trying to hold on to the last remaining days of summer - but how can you not make a fun holiday card with these cutie patootie penguins? They were so much fun to stamp, as were the mittens (which were paper pieced and colored). I can't wait to do more with this set - but I have to go clean up from breakfast first :)

Hope all of you are having a fabulous day :)

Ciao for now,

Sankari :)

Card Recipe:

Paper - DCVW

Ink - Staz-On Black

Stamps - TCP Kittie Christmas

Accessories: Ribbon (Offray), Brads (Making Memories), Crystal stickles, Corner Rounder

Show watched: Arrested Development (season 3) ... so funny - i wish they had kept it on the air longer.... anyhooooo......

Everyday Display Board - Birthday Display Board

Hi Everyone,

I made this for my friend Caty's daughter Chosie, who just turned 13 a few days ago - I can't believe she is an official teenager now!!! 

This is an Everyday Display Board from Creative Memories (it is 18x18 and comes in Black and Chocolate too) and is magnetic (with little white magnets) that allows you to display pics, things to do, etc. and then be able to change it around - it also has a hanging element, although I like to put mine on a bookshelf to be displayed. If you are interested in one of these, check out my Creative Memories site. I love doing these display boards because you can change all the elements so easily. 

Inside the little brown pouch (its so sweet  - it has little blue butterflies on it), I made 13 little tags with ribbon - and on each tag was a wish for her birthday. I had so much fun making this birthday present for Chosie - it really made me so happy and fulfilled to make something special that she can hang in her room. 

I can't wait to make one for my parents - that is the next project.

Hope ya'll are doing well,

Thanks for coming to visit,

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Thank yoU!

I am so excited to even be mentioned on Taylor's Blog! She highlighted the card below on her blog and I am just over the moon! I am so psyched. I was just getting ready to go to work and was feeling blah - but then seeing this - I am totally re-energized! Thank you for coming to visit and thank you all for your sweeeeeeeeet comments!

Have a great evening!

Sankari :)

Have A Delicious Birthday! Card

Hi everyone,

Good Sunday morning!

I feel like its been a whirlwind of a few days so far - lots of birthdays and birthday cake and wrapping presents and general craziness.... but fun. And in the lieu of fun - I had so much fun making this card - that I was cracking up while making it :)

I think I just made my favorite card! This was made for Taylor's Friday Cupcake challenge. I love her challenges - and I have missed participating in them when we were on vacation. When I first saw this card challenge - I said "Woo-hoo!" Why you ask? Well, I love cupcakes and cutting circles - so what could be better than a card challenge with cupcakes and circles??!!! Not much!!!  (how many "C's" were in that last sentence ?!? LOL!)  Her awesome sketch challenge (to the left) this week incorporated a lot of circles - 9 to be exact!.... and what popped in my mind was to do an action sequence where a cupcake was being eaten.

So I pulled out my stamps and found the cute little cupcake stamp with the cherry that would fit into my 2 inch circle. And then I stamped, masked, aligned with my Stampamajig and stamped and masked again. I took my black pen and then created "bites" in the cupcake and crumbs on the table and created a table by drawing a straight line with my ruler on all the circles at one time.

 

The last circle is my favorite. I think I am going to name this little guy Harold because he looks a lot like my son's teddy bear named Harold. So out came Harold and masked parts of the stamp so that it was just him in the last piece. I then paper pieced Harold and covered him with stickles and painted his eyes white. The ribbon was inserted at two slits on either side of the card and finished with a bow. The sentiment was created in Word,  to read "Have a Delicious Birthday."

This card totally makes me smile :) I was debating trying to draw Harold eating the cupcake in each circle and drawing that out - but then felt it was easier and simpler just to suggest the bites.

 I love the brown and turquoise and pink together. It was a total fun card to make and I think my favorite card so far.  

I loved drawing the little crumbs and afterwards I went over it with a little pink color pencil and a little bit of stickles. 

Its hard to see from the pic - but I love little Harold with his glitter glam and sweet smile after eating the cupcakes.... He is just the cutest... I think the hardest part of making this card was all the masking and use of the Stampamajig... but it was such a fun process and I enjoyed it so much. I suddenly had all these ideas for other cards using this sketch its just a matter for finding enough time in the day to get everything done.... I wish there were 8 days in a week and in between Sunday and Monday could be Stampday. 

Anyhoo - all this talk of cupcakes has gotten me hankering to fix some cupcake yumminess for Sunday brunch.

So off I go to raid the pantry!

Hope all of you are enjoying a super fabulous  Sunday!

Thanks for coming over to visit!

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Clear Stamps (Inkadinkado & Brenda Walters)

Paper: Cardstock DCVW

Ink: Staz-on Black

Accessories: Ribbon (Offray), Stickles (Red, Crystal, Eucalyptus), Corner Rounder, pink and white paint, Black  and Brown Archival pen from Creative Memories

Show watched:  Deserving Design by Vern Yip :)  don't ya'll {heart} Vern?!

Butterfly Thank You Card!

Hello All,

Today is a bright and sunny morning and we have big plans to make a quick stop at the post office, hit the park and stroll around the town square (I will be strolling as the kids sit in their stroller... have you ever noticed that the more you write the same word - the stranger it looks?? anyhooooo.... I digress....)  This weeks fun color swatch from the lovely ladies at the Color Throwdown (yes! I still love saying that word! who doesn't??!!) are these lovely 5 colors above. 

I was trying to figure out how to play with it... I think the color that really inspired me was the soft sky - it is a beautiful summery color and so I wanted to create a little summer scene.... but I was too lazy to clean up my craft corner (see post below) and so I decided to play in photoshop. The sentiment reads "Thank you for your kindness" and after printing it out, I added a brad (from American craft) on the main butterfly, some stickles on the butterflies (you can't go wrong with a little stickles on your card) and threw some ribbon (from Offray) and added some Faith dots with my paintbrush.  

I like the way this card came out. Its very soft and was made for my friend who just sent us a huge package of goodies. So I am off to the post office, but first need to go and clean up the breakfast mess (my daughter is learning to eat by herself - i think we need to get a dog so that I don't have to mop up 3 times a day (get a tarp on the floor you say? yes her range in throwing food is in the same league as legendary pitcher Nolan Ryan) so... off I go to clean the floor.... again! 

Hope you are all doing well and have a chance to get out and play today.

Thanks for visiting!

Ciao for now, 

Sankari

Fun in the Sun - Summer Card

Hi Everyone,

It was so much fun to jump back into making a card after almost a week and half of no inking... and for some reason everything felt like it took longer - I couldn't seem to find anything... I think that I might have to clean up this craft corner again... sigh!

Anyhow - I had so much fun with this awesome sketch from Laura from 2 Sketches 4 You - it made my head spin with all kinds of ideas. But the idea that was the loudest, was to do something summery. I found this beautiful stamp with the image of two little children holding hands a few months ago and HAD to get it because it looked soooo much like my son and daughter together at the beach. And since we just came home from the lake where we were by the water everyday - it felt so good to make this card.

I had to rotate Laura's Sketch 90 degrees clockwise and switch the bottom elements of the sketch around & then things seemed to come together. I had so much fun coloring this sweet stamp - my daughter has a beautiful dress that is the color of this dress and my son wanted me to color his shorts green - so that is the inspiration for the colors .... somehow creating this card makes me want to go back to the beach/lake :)  but without all the driving with 2 kids in the van. 

Hope all of you are having a stamp-fabulous wednesday.... wow this week is flying by!

Thanks for visiting,

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Card Recipe: 

Stamps - Clear Stamps and I have to find the rubber stamp of the boy & girl to see where it comes from

Ink - Martha Stewart Metallic and Black

Cardstock - DCWV cardstock neutrals

Accessories - Ribbon from Offray, American Craft Brads,  Platinum Stickles, Circle punch for the scallops

Show watched - As the World Turns (from last year on Hulu) how sad is that.....?

RAK from Mackenzie!

Hello Everyone,

Here is a lovely card from the lovely Mackenzie that greeted us as we returned home from our summer travels. I made a card for Mackenzie's Aunt Joan a little while ago - which was so fun and enjoyable to make a card for someone special. 

I love this sweet card - the scoring that you can't quite see in this picture really makes this card so sweet and the sweetest thing of all was the beautiful message inside :)

Thank you so much Mackenzie! I am always amazed by this blogworld where you can connect with someone you have never met - I think that crafters are just awesome! Meeting and getting to know all of you amazing people who blog has made the world feel smaller and cozier! Cheers to all of yoU!

Ciao for now,

Sankari :)

Got Cake Birthday Card

Hello Everyone, 

We are back from our summer travels and are all a little exhausted but happy to be home. I have to say that I am really impressed with how well the kids did in the van with all the driving - I think we clocked over 50 hours in the van driving on our road trips this summer - and with two little ones - that is not that easy - but they did great! 

On a side note - are you all as shocked as I am to walk into a store and see all the Halloween stuff???! I don't think I am ready for that at all - it still feels like summer to me..... :) 

Anyhooooooo - here is a little card that I made for my MIL that I didn't post before we left - its a fun card made with Clear stamps and left over scraps.... I really love this little guy holding his cupcake. The only fun little thing is that the little cherry is a red brad. Well, I can't wait to get crafting - but I still have to unpack all of our stuff... but hopefully today my fingers will get a little inky :) 

Hope all of you are enjoying these last days of the summer holidays and also enjoying all this lovely sunshine. 

Thanks for coming over for to visit - come back soon :)

Ciao for now,

Sankari

Easy Breeze-y Days of Summer :)

Hello All,

We just got back from the cabin yesterday (thursday) and it was just wonderful. The cabin is in Northern Minnesota and is maybe  3 hours from the Canadian border - it is so beautiful there! I love this picture of my daughter navigating the waters up at the lake (and in the distance, my DH and son are getting ready to go out into the waters ). 

The cabin experience is always wonderful - lots of relaxation - lots of swimming, boating, swinging in the hammock and hitting the flea market :) The kids just loved loved loved being in the water - I think they could just be there the whole day - they could have eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner in the water... :) Ahhh the easy breezy days of summer....  LOVE it!

Today is the first day that I have had internet in almost a week!!! Isn't that crazy!!! Especially when you realize that you might be a blog addict! Anyhoo we are leaving Minnesota in two days and are soaking up all the warm sun and fun family times while we can. Hope all of you are enjoying your summer and are all happy and healthy!!! 

We will be home at the end of the weekend - can't wait to craft soon!!!

Wishing you all sunny smiles,

Ciao for now :)

Sankari

Minnesota!!

Yay! We arrived in Minnesota! And the kids did great in the car the whole time (well, maybe except for 45 minutes when it was around their bedtime... but other than that - it was a pretty smooth journey :)

Can you believe its AUGUST!!! Wow!!!

Hope all of you are well!
Will post some pics soon!
Thanks for visiting!
Ciao for now,
Sankari