Belated Unscripted

Here's my project for Unscripted Sketches this week...only a FEW days late! My computer is not always working so well and crashed completely over the weekend. Even now I'm running on borrowed time......

I found out last week that my cousin is having a GIRL! So finally I can make cute pink and purple and frilly baby items!!!

Hopefully the computer will cooperate and I'll be back soon....but cross your fingers just incase!

Smiles,

Designer Spotlight

Good morning! Welcome to Unscripted Sketches Christmas in July. Today is another Designer Spotlight day and it's shining right on me! The holidays are so hectic both at school (I teach first grade) and with trying to fit everything in with my family and traveling to see the inlaws, so I try to plan ahead a bit. It just doesn't always work! This year I'll also be going to Grad school so I really need to plan ahead.

One thing I make sure to do, is thank those people who are always helping me out during the year, like coworkers, classroom volunteers, family and friends. A sweet treat can be so much more special with a bit of special packaging, which is what I'm showing off today.

I found this sweet mini paint can at Michaels for a couple bucks and was able to dress it up simply, but elegantly with some SU Christmas dsp and ribbon. I added a tag (with to/from on the back) and put the santa hat on to make it a bit more festive. I couldn't leave the top bare either:

I'm not sure what will go in this, but that's the great part of planning ahead. I almost baked cookies just for the sake of photos but it's been HOT here for two weeks, and if I bake them I will eat them. I've been good about exercising and losing weight so I don't want to do that! These can be filled with candy, cookies or even tiny gifts. We'll see when the time comes.

I didn't want to just show off packaging that I spent money to buy before decorating. Luckily I save EVERYTHING just incase. You really can use just about anything.

This jar has been with me for many years. I think it came with a Christmas cross stitch kit from a former coworker who taught me to crochet and knew my love of crafts. So the hat came with it too! I just added a tag and I can either fill it with something yummy or add ingredients for a friend to make their own something yummy...festive pot holder and all!

At school we do a Secret Santa every year (for those who want to participate) and I have not yet met a recipient that didn't list CHOCOLATE as something they like. This funky little test tube will look great filled with some M&Ms (red and green of course). I kept it from a watch my father-in-law brought back for me from a trip in the Carribean. I knew I could use it eventually!

And while I'm sure I could spend a week going through the basement and finding things I've kept "just incase" I wanted to make a few simple tags for last minute things. This may go on a plate of cookies, a candle, or a bag of candy. The perfect size (2 1/4 x 3) to go on something small:

They are all together with my Christmas decorations now so I should be all set come December 1st. Now just what should I fill them with? Leave me a comment with an idea or what you traditionally give as little thank you gifts.

Smiles,

Another Saturday...

...another Unscripted Sketch. This week there's a piggyback color challenge--I used Close to Cocoa, Glorious Green, Real Red and a scrap of blue snowflake paper I had.

Today I'm at work at Hallmark for my LAST day....truly the end of an era for me. I've worked there for 13 years (just under half my life) and though I need to get away, I'm sad to be done. I'll be happy to have my Saturdays back, but sad to no longer buy anything with a discount. I suppose I can save my money for stamps and cardstock rather than Vera Bradleys now!

Hope you head over to Unscripted Sketches for a fun sketch, another guest designer, and all the Christmas in July fun!

Smiles,

Another patriotic color combo

Good morning! Today is a happy morning for me, I don't have to be at work until 10 so I get to workout first. Somehow on summer vacation with all my spare time I love working out. Just wish I could keep it going on September....maybe this will be the year!





Today is another Sketch it Saturday for Unscripted Sketches. I stuck with a Real Red, Night of Navy, and Whisper White (with a touch of Kraft) color combo to make a truly patriotic card that goes with the Pals Paper Arts inspiration challenge.

This is on it's way to Pennsylvania to my great-great aunt. I figure she's seen as many 4th of Julys as anyone--we'll be celebrating her 107th birthday at the end of August.

For now, head to Unscripted Sketches to check out the rest of the DT's work and see who today's guest designer is. Remember to play along because those who play along 3 times in the month are entered to win a Distrezz-It-All from Thoughts2Paper!

Smiles,

Sending happy thoughts

Yay, I finally have something to share! This weekend is the OWH blog tour and I didn't think I could participate or even make a card, but with a bit of cleaning I've got something created. Thanks to the colors Stacey chose this week for her Curtain Call Color Challenge too! (I did end up having to add orange for the flame though!)

For my card I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and added bling (in the form of Stickles on the candles) in honor of Glitterbabe Stef's new challenge blog. I knew as soon as I came across my envelope die in my cleaning, I had to create a card for a hero that looked like a hero sending a card. Does that make sense? I love mail, that's all I know.

If you haven't already, head over to Unscripted Sketches for Christmas in July. Yesterday there was a bonus sketch (trying to find time to play!), today you can meet our new designer Linda (then head to her blog HERE), and tomorrow is another Sketch is Saturday with a guest designer. BINGO starts Sunday too (wish I could play, so sign up since I can't!).

Smiles,


Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Kraft, Night of Navy dsp
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Stamps: Tag Time (retired SU), On Your Birthday (SU!)
Other: Sizzix stamp die, Sizzix envelope die, Silver stickles, dimensionals

Unscripted ColourQ

Thanks so Unscripted Sketches and Arielle's ColourQ challenge I've finally got something to share.

I enjoyed the sketch, even though all the pictures I had in my head just wouldn't fit into those little squares. Maybe I'll redo it this week with something else I was imagining.

I hope you find time to head over and check out the rest of the DT work and our top 3. So many great entries to choose from last week! And after you play along this week head back on Thursday July 1st for the beginning of Christmas in July. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....not really, but it's 31 days of Unscripted fun!!! Check out a bit more about it HERE and HERE but find out all the detail by heading to Unscripted Sketches later in the week.

For now I'm off to the driveway because I'm having a yard sale. Got to clean the basement so I can clean up the stamps and get creating more often. See you soon(er than next weekend)!

Smiles,

Christmas in July

Like the song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year...." I do believe that about Christmas. But I'm also one of those crazy people that thinks that in July when Hallmark puts their ornaments out and sometimes I have a Christmas gift swap with some friends. It's the BEST! So, please join Unscripted Sketches this July in celebrating:

Something new EVERYDAY! And not just sketches, but some fun stuff and stuff to get the mojo going again. Head over now to pick out some songs for BINGO and maybe you'll win something.

Smiles,

Unscripted black and white

One more day, one more day...I think I'll be thinking that all weekend. Even though techinically I have two days of school left, only one more with the kids. The end is in sight! I'm looking forward to relaxing a bit next week and hopefully starting to create again.

For now, I was able to make something for this week's Unscripted Sketch. Since it is the third Saturday of the month there is also a piggyback challenge: use black and white in honor of National Eat Oreo day. Yum! That kinda stumped me so I threw in green galore (my final scraps, sniff) in honor of double stuffed mint oreos and here is what I came up with:

This is also for the PPA theme challenge, summer. I've had a wedding each summer for the last six years and this year is no exception. I was going to make the panel say birds to go with the cuttlebug embossed background, but my cursive just wasn't cutting it. Always I can handle.

I hope you find time to play along with Unscripted Sketches this week, so head over to check out the rest of the DT inspiration and last week's top 3!

Smiles,

Unscripted and a Winner!

Boy am I glad it's Saturday! The end of the school year (and all the children in the class) have been kicking my butt and I'm just exhausted these days. 11 school days left and then I can play and be crafty WAY more often! Today I'm off to a bridal shower so I used this week's Unscripted Sketch to make a card for the bride...

I bought her a breadmaker (yummy!) and wanted to give her my favorite bread recipe for Anadama Bread, a cornmeal and molasses bread. I've never made it in a breadmaker but I'm sure it's just as delicious. So the navy ribbon goes around to the inside to hold a little pocket I created for the recipe card. The colors are her wedding colors from the save-the-date and invitation.

As for the blog candy winner from the challenge I set last week for the OWH blog hop, lucky number 3 Susan G was the winner. Shoot me an e-mail Susan and I'll get your candy out to you so you can make some more beautiful cards!

Hope you'll head over to Unscripted Sketches to see the DT's beautiful work (in a slightly new format) and play along yourself. Happy weekend!

Smiles,

OWH Memorial Day bloghop with an Unscripted Challenge

What a beautiful day we have here in NH and I'm so happy to up with the sun and ready to hop a bit for the Operation Write Home Memorial Day blog hop! You should've arrived here from Pat but if you need to start at the top of the hop, then click on the banner and you'll get back to me soon.


My red, white and blue missing you card for today is fairly simple. I used today's Unscripted Sketch, though I forgot a beautiful stars and stripe ribbon behind my button bear...oops! But the sketches are unscripted, so that's okay! I love my star brads, perfect for anything OWH.

I discovered OWH last year (though they were Cards for Heroes then) on the Memorial Day blog hop and sent in my first cards by the end of the summer. I think this is my third hop now and it's so much fun. I love to make cards for Heroes to send home because I know my mother would've loved one from my brother when he was in Afghanistan a few years ago. I love stopping by the Facebook fan page to see what kind of encouraging comments there are for crafters and the thanks that has been left by heroes and by those they love. What a wonderful way to thank those who are serving. So THANK YOU to all those who are serving, or have served. And for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, take time to remember them this weekend.

My tip for making cards for OWH is DON'T WORRY! They can have some bumps and lumps so embellish 'em, they can be for just about any occasion (birthday, thinking of you, love, missing you, etc), and they are always appreciated. Head over to the Mailroom for tips and to get shipping addresses. And don't feel you need a full box before you can send cards in, get a small padded envelope and fill that up. Warning...you will want to send more! Shipping adds up for OWH so I always try to include a donation with my cards, even if its just $1 or $5. Every little bit helps!


I've got a challenge with some candy in honor of this weekend's hop.



The prize: a SU Sale-a-bration set (from last year I think) Polka Dot Punches. Due to shipping costs, US only please. Thanks!
Now it's time to continue on the hop by heading over to Betty at Simply Scrapping.

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and don't forget to say thank you to those you know who serve and anyone you may see in uniform this weekend!

Smiles,

Unscripted Sketches with a Chocolate Chip twist

It's National Chocolate Chip Day...but you already knew that, right? There's a day for everything I guess. In honor of that, along with today's Unscripted Sketch there is a piggy back challenge to use something chocolate chip--ink, paper, ribbon, or even a stamp, let the chocolate chips be the stars this week!

This was my card for my mother on Mothers Day, with the message that "Mothers are the stitches that hold the family together" on the inside. If you've ever been to her blog you can see immediately that she's a quilter, so I tried to create a square with paper. And of course the "thread" is chocolate chip on this one!

I hope you find time to play along (and that I find time to play at all!) this week, so head on over to Unscripted Sketches to check out this week's top 3 and more inspiration from the DT.

Smiles,

MOM

Good morning! In honor of Mothers Day (Happy Mothers Day early to all you moms out there!) I took this week's Unscripted Sketch and turned it into a Mothers Day card for my MIL. I went through all my sentiment stamps and tried to create a Wordle, which is the popular thing at school right now. In other words, many ways to say Mom. In fact, I might have done this last year. Hmmm, I should check.

The sketch was a lot of fun to work with, so head over to Unscripted Sketches and check out all the rest of the inspiring dt work. Then jot down the sketch so you can play along yourself....can't wait to see what gets created with this one!

If you're a mom, hope you find time to relax and create this weekend and that your family treats you like the queen that you are. I'll try to do the same for my mom!

Smiles,

Unscripted NSD

Happy Saturday morning! It's not an overly happy one for me because my vacation is over and I'm headed back to school on Monday. I'm not ready!!! But I guess I need to just look on the bright side that we only have 35 days of school left....LONG days!

Today is National Scrapbooking Day so for this week's Unscripted Sketch I did a layout. Will I ever finish this scrapbook? I hope so because my friend's baby is due tomorrow and I hoped to have it to her before the baby came. Maybe before the kid's first birthday at this rate!

My favorite part of this is the bow that matches the bride's dress. I'm not overly pleased with the rest but that's probably why I've been avoiding scrapbooking. Any tips on just jumping back into it? I can use all the help that you have to share.

For now, head over to Unscripted Sketches to play along and see what other inspiration the DT provided you with.....

Smiles,

Earth day blog hop, and birthday CANDY!

Good morning!!!!! Not only am I happy because it's Saturday, but I'm also on vacation this week so I'm sure to get more play time in. Woohoo!

Today, Unscripted Sketches is having a blog hop in honor of Earth Day. Not only is there a sketch, but also a piggyback challenge to use something recycled. If you didn't get here from Beth (and here AMAZING card) then head to the top of the hop at Unscripted Sketches.


For my card I looked around my (messy) workspace to see what I had, since I found no inspiration elsewhere in the house. I found the inside of a card, sent to me with a coupon from somewhere for my birthday and cut out the sentiment for my panel. I then looked around for bits of ribbon I hate to part with and found the hearts lying around from Valentine's day too.

It's subtle on the backround piece, but I used a new Houndstooth embossing folder. So much fun and it doesn't take away from the main pieces--just a bit of texture.

And, in addition to a hop and Earth Day, today is my birthday! So since I love presents I'm giving away candy. Leave a comment by Wednesday April 28th and I'll pick a winner to receive a retired (oldie) SU set and a matching tag punch. I forgot that it comes with 3 stampin spots too (certainly celery, real red, brocade blue). I'll even enter followers twice!


To continue on this Unscripted hop, head over to see what Debbie has created. Then go back to Unscripted Sketches to play along for yourself!


Smiles,

swirly thanks

Another weekend in spring, and more snow here in NH. Yes, I said SNOW! I woke up to wipe slush off my car yesterday and it looks like a cold and rainy weekend, with the chance of snow now and then. Such is New England.....


But on a happier note, it's time for a fun and funky Unscripted Sketch!

I loved the torn edge of the sketch so I turned it up a notch and did two layers. Tomorrow I'm heading up a team for the local MS Walk and the colors The National MS Society uses for their walks are green and orange. This card even matches the t-shirts I'm making up for the team. (I'll share those tomorrow Mom, they're stitches even if I didn't stitch them!) This is one of many thank you's headed out to my generous family and friends who have supported me in my fund raising. I did the swirl stamp in the background and added the swirl thickers afterwards for a bold color to ground it all.

I do hope you'll head over to Unscripted Sketches this week to play along and check out the other fabulous work the DT made with this sketch!

Smiles,