ONE Card, TWO Challenges

I have been "coloring" and plan to continue to be as consistent as possible fore the 30 day challenge over at The Daily Marker. It's hard not to turn the end results into something so here's another card. I am linking this to the Colour Q AND CAS(E) the Sketch! Here are the challenge items.

AND here's my card ... for someone who needs some encouragement.

Since I used water colors my colors aren't as bold as those used in the challenge but I loooove the result of painting these across one of the Close To My Heart watercolor cards. The white pattern is on the card so all you do is paint and it shows up. Such an easy way to make your own pretty cards.

Retro Sketches #221

BLOBS ... That's what I like to paint with my watercolors when stamps are involved. I'm not so great at staying in the lines so I guess a little bit about where the stamps might go and paint a blob. Then after the blobs dry I wind up with something like this ...

I've been trying to color a little bit every day with some sort of medium. This set of blobs is from the third day and the results make me so happy that I made a card using sketch #221 with Retro Sketches.

YES ... this is the strangest combination of colors I've ever used as I dug through my various paper scraps. BUT I really love it for some reason in all it's weirdness. I hope my hubby likes it too when it winds up on his pillow some day. Love notes can even be written on cactus cards!

Thank you for stopping by today.

Challenge Accepted

Happy Monday ... I'm so excited that I was able to make a layout that fulfills TWO challenge blogs. The two sites are Color My Heart and The Memory Nest. I used the color combo and sketch to create this page. It makes me happy on so many levels.

Color Dare

Sketch

As you might expect ... I didn't let that one page stand alone. It's hard to scrap just one picture of almost anything for me. I only had three photos of my son's birthday so I easily could've fit them on one page. I made a companion page though because that's how I roll right now.

BUT WAIT ... There's more because I asked my friends to join me in the Color Dare. Here are three amazing cards made with the colors shown by some very talented ladies that I have the fortune of creating with on a regular basis. So. Much. To. Love.

Created by Bonnie Seeman

Created by Kerri Lorig

Created by Anne Rukke

Aren't these fantastic? I love that they all let me share them with you. I think they showed this color challenge who the boss is!!

Thank you for stopping in today. Please leave some love for my friends and I'll pass it along.

Share the Love - Rose Blossoms Blog Hop

Share the Love ... its' the name of a CTMH stamp set but it's also amazing advice for life!! This adorable stamp set supports Operation Smile. It's ONLY available in February for $17.95.  $7 of that purchase goes to those who need medical assistance with their smiles. How awesome is that? I love knowing I can create AND help someone I don't even know.

Maybe you came here from I Didn't Have Potatoes where you saw a colorful creation by Marg. OR maybe you're just getting started. No matter which, please take the time to hop all the way through to see what all of the amazing Rose Blossom artists have created. It's sure to be a great selection of ideas. I've seen a couple of sneak peeks so I know what I'm talking about!


Sometimes there are products that give you so many ideas you don't know where to start. This stamp set is one of those, so I turned to one of my favorite ways to get focused ... challenge blogs.  Here's what my friends in cyberspace helped me come up with.

Once I put this whole thing together I didn't want to put journaling on it. OK, let's be honest, there's really no room for journaling here! I love to tell the story though and my scrapbook readers know to look further just in case. Here's a close up of the spot where it's hidden ...

Products used ... Share the Love Stamp Set, La Vie En Rose Paper Pack, La Vie En Rose Assortment, Pomegranate Ink, Pomegranate Fundamental Assortment, and Beautiful You Picture My Life.

Thank you so much for coming to my blog today. You can hop on to Morgan's Blog, TweetScraps, where you're sure to see something wonderful. She has been inspired by this set since she first laid eyes on it. I can't want to see what she made. 

Here are the blogs that inspired me ...

The sketch comes from Sketches in Thyme.

The color palette comes from Color My Heart.

AND 

Heart 2 Heart Challenges is highlighting the Share the Love theme.

Sketch #156

It's hard to remember the last time I was able to do a sketch challenge. My collection of challenge blogs that I follow is getting longer every day. Here's one I just found called Sketches in Thyme. There's nothing quite like having someone else design a page for you. I really love this.

And here's the sketch. 

Close To My Heart is coming out with new products in a very short time. It makes me feel pressured to use things. I can't even begin to tell you all the different retired products you see here along with a little something current.  I will always love how all of these products continue to go with each other.

Freshly Made Sketches #160

Sometimes when there is soooooooo much to do ... I don't do it. It's probably not ok to be so honest, but I'm like a little kid. If something looks too hard I want to play instead. So I just took a break and did just that. Snip ... Snip ... Chirp ... Stamp ... Color ... Glue ...

Freshly Made Sketches gets all of the credit for the design. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever played along. Check out other creations with this sketch by clicking here --> FMS #160

OK, there's still work to do so ... gotta go do something "productive"!! Thanks for checking this out.

Scrapbooker's Blog Tour

Thank You so much to Tina Gale at My Scrappy Ideas for nominating me to participate in the Scrapbooker's Blog Tour. We met as sister Close To My Heart consultants. She's so sweet to think I'm worthy of this blog hop. It's quite humbling to see what other people are out there creating and be asked to join the list. This "event" involves answering six questions so here goes ...

1 - What am I working on right now?
     I'm working on making memories!! It's a beautiful Fall in Minnesota. I'm quite taken with the beauty of it all. I just want to be out with the colorful leaves and the pumpkins and my wonderful family and friends. I'm taking an overwhelming number of pictures BUT can I help it if this time in my life is full of blessing? I'm really just trying to live these days to the fullest. I'll have all Winter to scrapbook!

2 - How long does it take me to create a project?
     I like fast and simple. I can usually make a layout in an hour or less. Let me qualify this ... I have to be alone (I talk too much at scrapbooking events) AND this only applies to the pages I do for my own scrapbooks. When I create a layout for my customers to purchase it can take FOREVER!! I want it to be just perfect for other people.

3 - What are my favorite things to create with at the moment?
     Paper ... it's always about paper for me! Have you seen my bi-line?? There truly are an unlimited amount of possibilities in just one piece. I have boxes FULL of embellishments ... more than I can use in a lifetime ... but I'm going through a "flat phase". I like the simplicity and speed of using only paper and some coordinating stickers. It could have something to do with the number of pictures I have waiting to be put in the scrapbook. I start with a desktop full of co-ordinating items and in the end I usually find myself putting most (if not all) of the embellishments away. See??

4 - How does my process work?
     The process for a scrapbook layout almost always starts with pictures. Even if I have decided to use a certain paper I don't go very far until I have some pictures to go with it. I have created without pictures and LOVED the freedom of it, but in the end I don't have something completed. My scrapbooks are crying out to me for something to hold on to.
     Once I have the paper and the pictures it's kind of a free for all. A lot of the time I just start cutting paper up to see what happens!! The page you see above happened just like that. I had the paper, the trimmer and some coordinating elements. It really took about 15 minutes to get to this point. (I don't have the pictures on it because this is something that I will be offering my Close To My Heart customers in November.) I can be fussy too BUT I get really frustrated with myself when I try to think too hard. It's not ME to be detailed.

5 - How do I become and stay inspired?
     It sounds a little haughty to say it but I like to stick with ideas that come from my own head. I don't want to look around too much because I don't want to be a copy cat. With that said, if I don't have an idea floating around in my head I go to all of the places that everyone else does ... Pinterest, blogs, & books. There are some beautifully creative things to look at!! I also look through my own scrapbooks. It's fun to recreate favorite layouts with different pictures and products.


6 - What is my signature style?
    Simple (very) & hopefully unique. I want my work to be original as much as possible. In order to do this I look at a product and say ... what was this intended to be used for? Then I try to do something different. LOL!! Here's a page below using "baby" paper. I love to scrapbook every day stuff. Of course I make layouts of birthdays and holidays and vacations BUT my favorite layouts have to do with people in my family doing what they do. I love to scrapbook their personality.

Whew ... did you make it through all of those questions and answers? It was probably easier for you than it was for me. I feel a little like I just visited a counselor!

I can't wait until next week when I can see how Marg Van Patten and Mary Gunn answer these same questions. I looooooooooooooooooooove their blogs and their work. They both have a passion for making things that connect people together. They're creative beyond comprehension but it goes far beyond the art of it all. They both enjoy life and make sure to capture it in their scrapbooks. You can click on their names to see what they're creating now BUT make sure to go back on Monday, October 20th to see what they each have to say.

Thank you for stopping by! If you're visiting me for the first time you can also check out my other blog that's business ONLY!! I call it the Pretty Pieces Café.

Color Dare #91

Ariana ... that's the name of this paper pack and she's being featured over at the Color Dare. Of course I'm playing along because I LOVE her. This is the first paper pack that I cut into from the current Idea Book. I love all of the different colors of paper and today I get to use them all. What a beauty?

Do you like the design of this card? I really think it shows off the paper. AND it's the cover design on the Originals pattern book by Jeanett Lynton. These books are inspiring beyond description. I'm constantly going there for all kinds of great ideas. 

This book comes in the new consultant kit from Close To My Heart. THIS MONTH ONLY you get the consultant kit AND a FREE Cricut cartridge of your choice for $99. That's over $400 in product. WOW!!!

I would love to have take advantage of this fantastic offer and join my team of Pretty Pieces. To get your free cartridge and the kit you can just click right --> HERE. Once you see everything in the kit you can go to the next screen by clicking "let's get started". If you have any questions at all please email me at shellynemitz@gmail.com

YES ... this card is going to be available Al A Carte in the Pretty Pieces Cafe. Do you wonder what that is?? Pop over to my Pretty Pieces Cafe blog to find out.

Retro Sketches #110

There are so many GREAT challenge blogs out there. Last week I played along with Operation Write Home. This week I'm trying out Retro Sketches. It felt like a good time to do something crooked!! I rarely use triangles or angles in general because truthfully ... it's not easy. BUT that's what these blogs are all about sometimes, a challenge. 

I love having a colorful card that's not really for any specific occasion. AND of course I love using up scraps. When this was first finished it was a little blech, even with the bright colors. Once I added the shimmer trim ... TA DA!!!

(For all of my perfectionist friends ... yes, that little uneven thing happening on the left bothers me a touch. BUT I'm taking the advice of this card. It's NOT worth sweating all of the little things in life. AND you know there are a lot of little things. So, maybe it's a flaw OR maybe it's creativity. I'm going with FUN!! This card is fun so it doesn't have to be perfect!!)

The Sketch

180 at OWH

It's a great day to do an Operation Write Home card sketch. This morning I determined that I would make the newest sketch no matter what!! Thankfully the designers over there never disappoint. Every time I determine to give the sketch a try the result is great. Here you go ...

 

And here's the sketch. There are a few changes on my part but overall I stuck with the idea. Thank you Stars and Stamps!! To see what others have done with the same sketch click here --> #180

 

Color Dare #50

This blog is about my love for paper and one of my favorite kinds of paper has pictures of my life printed on it!! If you aren't getting your pictures printed ... why not??? They really do you no good trapped in a computer or on a memory card somewhere. PRINT YOUR PICTURES!! (yes, I'm yelling at you)

One of my favorite ways to get my pictures printed is Studio J. I love that not only am I getting my pictures printed on paper, but the whole entire scrapbook layout is done. I just slip it right into my album for everyone to see.

Today I was organizing photos and what do you suppose I discovered ... this week's Color Dare. OK you caught me. It's not that fun to organize pictures so every now and then I get off task and look at people's blogs. I was excited to find the Surf's Up colors, which I already have Studio J layouts of.

So here you go Color My Heart!!

One of my favorite Studio J "toys" is titles. Digital titles leave handmade titles in the dust as far as I'm concerned!!! There are so many layering possibilities. I love this page just for the title. AND the memory is one of my favorites ... a bike ride along the beach in December with my family.

I took this panoramic photo while I was riding my bike ... it looks a little weird, but that's part of the fun of this memory. I took 40 some pictures while riding a bike!! 

Do you want to make Studio J layouts of your summer pictures with this great paper pack ... Surf's Up?

Click right here to set up an account and get started --> STUDIO J

I forgot to tell you ...

Actually ... I didn't really know until just recently ... but I was a top ten winner in April at Heart to Heart Challenges. (Click on the name to see all of the winners.) AND now you can see another "badge" on the side of this blog.

 

It was so fun to be recognized that I'm jumping in again with this week's challenge ... Tropical. Since I live in Minnesota there isn't a lot of Tropical in my life so I used the Surf's Up paper to get a more "tropical" feel. Here's my entry into the current challenge. See what everyone else is making by clicking right here --> Let's Go Tropical Challenge.

 

RBG Challenge #2 - Mother's Day Key

The creative process rarely seems to be a straight line. BUT I love the twists and turns it takes because if you keep on the path there's always an adventure ahead. Check out my latest journey. It amazes me.

I pulled out my Buzz & Bumble paper intending to make a layout for one of my future kits. I have a couple of ideas in mind, but I wanted to see if anything out there would help me push my ideas to the next level.

So I hopped on Pinterest and didn't see anything using Buzz and Bumble that would work ...  so I started to wander around and I saw this ... 

You can get a closer look at www.scrapwithsue.blogspot.com.

When I started trying to make something similar with the Buzz and Bumble papers I couldn't quite figure out the sizes. So I got out my massive stash of scraps to make some sort of prototype. The nice thing about making an example is that it's never a waste of time or materials. (especially when the materials are usually scraps!!) In the end a new layout is available for photos.

The most workable scraps I had on hand were from the Lucy paper pack. When I was deciding which side of the paper to use I noticed the little crowns all over. Which reminded me of this ...

Cricut Challenge

The second Rose Blossom challenge is the Mother's Day Key on the Artiste Cricut cartridge. It's amazing how creative you can be when you're limited. Of course there are no rules that say you can't add other shapes and the products you use are unlimited, BUT I like to stick with ONLY the button being featured. I gave page 74 a good hard stare down and came up with this ...

 Will this project ever lead me back to my Buzz and Bumble paper pack?? 
We shall see.