This tulip set is one of the easiest to work with, I love the sweet cards you can make with it.  The sentiment is pretty cool and I am using it for my Mother's Day card this year because my mom is the kindest person I know!  I am so blessed to still have her in my life--she is my best friend.  Happy Mother's day to all of you who are moms.  I think it is the most important roll we play in this life! 

Don't know where the time is going but this is one time that I am not really complaining--it is May already--but that brings nicer weather and I love to be outside when the sun is out.  It is amazing how the sunshine can make me so happy.  Love it!

So welcome to the new 1st and 3rd Monday challenge.  For those of you who may be new to my sketch challenge I just recently stopped posted every week and changed it to the 1st and 3rd Mondays.  I hope that you will play along with us.  Here is our new sketch--you have until May 17th to participate--lots of time--you can even play along more than once with all that time!

Since the weather is nice I am way behind on inside things--which counts my crafting! So I am working on some Mother's day cards.  Thought this would be a fun sketch to work with for that.  I wanted a sort of fun/whimsy card so I searched though my papers and realized that little hearts and X's and O's could make a fun Mother's day card--after all I do love my mom!  So that is where I started and the rest just fell into place.

I have to say I love that cute "best mother ever" sentiment from And Many More.  So sweet!  I didn't even notice it before today??!  Weird how that can happen.

1. You have until May 3rd at midnight to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too! 
   Add your sample below

Long busy week around here--never even posted my samples from last week or anything else for that matter--but maybe I will get them posted later this week.  I do however have a sample for this week and on time even!  Nice huh?  Let's start with the sketch...

And now my sample.  I am trying to use up some papers and colors that will be retiring soon, and I have A LOT of them so I doubt I will be able to but this was a start.  I have not touch either sheet of the pretty paper from the Watercolor Wonder paper pack because the images are too pretty to cut up and use small pieces of it so I used a bigger piece and just made it look like two by adding the scallop circle in between. 

Here we go!  A new week--a new sketch.  Remember there are only a few basic rules to play along...

1. You have a full week to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too!
    
   Here is the sketch...
    
    
   
   
   
   And now for my sample...
    
   
   As I usually do I have combined my challenge with the new Latenightstamper's challenge for the week--we are making cards that celebrate things--in my case I am celebrating my mom!
   
   
   Stamps: Wonderful Mom Hearts a Flutter
   Paper: Pool Party, Real Red, Whisper White and the Sent with Love DP
   Ink: Real Red, Basic  Black
   Other: pearls colored, scallop border punch, corner rounder, framelits
   
   
   And now for some samples from the incredible Design Team.....
   
   
   
   

   

   Mary Brown

   
   

   

   Nicole Tugrul
   
   

   

   
   Robbie
   
   

   

   Jonia Smith

   
   
   

   

   Carolyn Bennett
   
   

   

   Tanya

   
   

   

   Eileen LeFevre
   
   

   

   
   Sue Root
    
   Amazing cards ladies!  Thanks.  Now it is YOUR turn.  Don't forget to come on back and add you DIRECT link below. Happy Monday!
   Mary Jo
    
   
   
    

Wow, what a crazy crazy week we had in this world!  I am sure you have been keeping up on all of the details of everything that has been going on since last Monday-just crazy.  My prayers are with all of those who are affected in any way but the horror that happened both in Boston and Texas this week.  My heart aches for all the pain and suffering.

Trying to get back to a regular schedule here and I we are ready for a new sketch challenge.  I hope you will find time to play along, here is the sketch and a few basic rules for the challenge....

1. You have a full week to play along!
2. Create a new card using the sketch as your inspiration.
3. Use any products you choose.
4. Add your card to your blog or other on-line spot and link back to this challenge.
5. Come back here and add a direct link to your sample for the challenge and NOT you home page of your blog--people will not look for your challenge card--trust me.
6. And this one is not really a rule but a request--get rid of that word verification!  It makes it hard for us to comment on your samples.  It is easier for you to delete the spam then for us to jump through tons of hoops to comment.  If your put your comments on moderation you do not have to worry about spam--you will have the option to delete it BEFORE it ever goes on your blog so you will ALWAYS be safe!
7. Have fun and tell you friends to play too!
   And now for my sample...
   
   As I generally do I combined it with the Latenightstamper's challenge for the week--Switcharoo--use a scrapbook layout for a card or vice versa.  I found this scrapbook page in the Stampin Up Spring Mini catalog and turned it into a card...
   
   
   How fun was that--I used the hearts, stitching, and elements around the picture.  Fun challenge!             
   
   Stamps: Wonderful Mother
   Paper: Real Red, Pool Party, Basic Black, Primrose Petals, Very Vanilla and More Amore DP
   Ink: Real Red
   Other: framelits, button embosslit, baker's twine, markers, sewing machine
   
   
   Now for the samples from the INCREDIBLY talented Design Team!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Mary Brown
   
   

   

   
   Tanya
   
   
   

   
   
   Eileen LeFevre
   
   
   

   
   Nicole Tugrul 
   
   

   
   Robbie
   
   

   

   Jonia Smith
   
   
   

   

    Carolyn Bennett
   
   
   
   Sue Root
   
   
   Wow, weren't those fabulous?  Now it is YOUR turn!

Thought I would share a few Mother's day cards with you today. One is a cute technique with acetate on the front! I love the concept--the colors I chose, not so much! I usually love bright colors but for some reason I was not happy with this. But as I said, I love the concept.  The herbs are stamped on the acetate with white stazon.. 

Stamps: Herb Expressions, Messages for Mom
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade
Ink: Basic Black, White Stazon
Other: Scallop Trim Border, Beautiful Butterflies Embosslit, Black Marker


And then a more muted one.  I am so excited to know that this stamp set was carried over from the Occasions mini!  It is so pretty and so easy to work with.  If you missed it during the mini you can still get it now!


Stamps:  Bordering on Romance. Messages for Mom
Paper: Pear Pizazz, So Saffron, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Other: markers, pearls

Hope your week is going well.
Mary Jo

And I am sure I know why. It was subconscious since I really do not like the card. I did this for the 411 sketch challenge for this week. I am not sure what my problem was but I could not get this set and that sketch to work, lol! But none the less, I am posting it anyway--seems someone always LOVES the cards I don't, lol! I think I over did it with all the elements. This is also for the Latenightstampers challenge to make a Mother's Day card or project.

Yea, just seems like there is too much going on--what do you think?

Stamps:  Messages for Mom
Paper: Concord Crush, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, in color dp
Ink: Concord Crush, Basic Black
Other: markers, pearls, scallop trim border punch, circle punch, scallop circle punch, ribbon, brads,  Filgree brad hardware, white gel pen.

Hope you are having a fabulous week!  Hump day!  My favorite!
Mary Jo

Geez, it took me all day to get this post up, blogger was being difficult.  Looks like it has decided to behave at least for now.  This week we are focusing on Mothers!  Appropriately so!  I took one of my favorite word stamps from the All Holidays set and added it to another sentiment stamp in the same set to come up with the appropriate sentiment for my mom.    It is actually a simple card but I like it.  I combined it with the Latenightstamper's Challenge 69 to use pearls and swirls.

I love this Bella Blue paper.  So easy to get beautiful cards with it. 

Stamps:  All Holidays, Messages for Mom (last mini)
Paper: Saraha Sand, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Bella Blue DP
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Other: embossing folder, sizzix sizzlets, markers, pearl from the pretties kit.

Hope you have a blessed weekend!
Mary Jo

This card just kind of took off on me, lol.  I seen this neat sketch on articticavenger and wanted to try it out.  As soon as I seen it I thought about making a fence but then I didn't want to cover it with the square and it just got out of control, I had to change the orientation of the sketch to fit the fence and so on and so on.  I do like how it turned out though, I think my mom will like it too.  It is also my last card for the Mother's Day Challenge on Latenightstampers!  Here is the sketch and my card.

Stamps:  Vintage Vogue, Well Scripted
Paper: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Whisper White, Kraft, So Saffron
Ink: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Old Olive
Other: brads (lots of them!) word window punch, wide oval punch, ribbons, sponges, retired rub ons  

Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!  The kids go back to school on Monday so it will be back to reality around here!  I can't wait till summer!

Mary Jo

I combined this week's ED6 challenge (feelin blue, use shades of blue on your card) with this week's LNS DTY challenge 67 (Mother's Day).  I really love the Bella Blue DP it is so easy to make beautiful cards with it.

Stamps: Thoughts and Prayers, Well Scripted, Tiny Tags
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Bella Blue DP, Very Vanilla
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Other: small oval punch, circle scissors plus, sponges, markers

Hope you are having a fabulous Wednesday!
Blessing to you,
Mary Jo

Phew!  This has been one busy day.  I am excited to welcome you to my Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 106!  I hope you will play along.  If you do be sure to come on back and link up your sample on Mister Linky below.

Here is this week's sketch...

As usual I am combining it with my DT submission for the Latenightstampers group.  This week's challenge is going to be Vintage.  Way out of my comfort zone here.  Be ready to see some samples that are not quite me.  I am still deciding if I like them or not.  Anyway here is the first one, using this sketch challenge.

Yippee it is Friday! I so love Fridays. And of course that means it is also Blogger's Challenge day too. This we were to make a Mother's Day card. So I decided to make both a Mother's Day and a Father's Day card, using the same basic idea which fits the Latenightstamper's Challenge of using circles. So I accomplished a bunch of stuff with these two cards.

The Mother's Day card is using Storage Units Ink and More stamps.

Here is what it looks like from the inside.

And the Father's Day is using 100% current Stampin Up! items.

And what this one looks like from inside.


I am running pretty late again today so I will come back later and add the details. If you want me to let you know when I have updated, leave me a comment with your e-mail in the comments and I will, for now I a late and got to run! Happy Friday!

Mary Jo