Just For Fun!

Hello there, friends! Long time, huh? It's been an interesting few months here at the Fischer house. The job is going well, and the family is fine. We have been thrown a bit of an unexpected curve ball, but more on that later...  :)

I am SO happy to be posting today! My sweet stamping friends just couldn't let me stay away for long, so they asked me if I'd be willing to dust off my things and stamp once a month, Just For Fun. Yep, I'm back with the JiFFy girls! :) Here's how it works: one of us picks the image, and another picks the paper, and we all put them together and see what happens! And it's always Just For Fun.

This month, we've combined this beautiful Flower Basket paper from Pebbles' Fresh Goods collection with TCP's Admit One set and Big Ticket Cutups die (so generously donated by the very sweet Alma!). I had fun pulling ink colors from the paper, and I sponged the edges of the ticket with Antique Linen Distress Ink. The numbers on the side are actually a very important date in my near future (part of that curve ball I mentioned earlier...). Cryptic enough for you? ;)

Anyway, be sure to check out what the other JiFFy girls have created -- I'm sure there's plenty of eye candy in store!

Amy
Carole
Lori
Michele

I'll be back soon -- I'm so glad you stopped to visit!

Have a great day!

Christina

I {heart} Ewe

Happy Wednesday! I have a quick post today -- my little one is home sick (second sick child this week!). I told you I was trying to ink up my growing collection of The Cat's Pajamas stamps -- so here's a card for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge. Jen is the hostess, and she has an inspiration challenge for us. I couldn't resist the yummy color combination! I had stamped this image from the set Ewe Complete Me, so I worked it into my challenge card.

I used some retired SU! paper, Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder, Copics, and two TCP CutUps: Heart Trio and Icing. I embellished with buttons, Aqua and Cherry Divine Twine, and Sweet Thing Glitzy Glitter.

Have you seen this week's MFT Sketch Challenge? It's a great one! I didn't get my card finished for today, so I'll have it to share tomorrow! :)

That's it for now! Gotta go check on my little girl! Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!
Christina

TCP Tuesday... on Saturday

Happy Saturday! I finally had a chance to make a card for this week's TCP Tuesday challenge. Leigh is the hostess, and you can find the sketch HERE. I had been hoping for some free time to use my growing collection of The Cat's Pajamas stamps and CutUps -- they're just so much fun! :)

I love this Honey Bear. LOVE. I colored the image with Copics, then I cut it out and popped it up on dimensional boosters. I also stamped, colored and cut out the honey pot. I cut some felt with the Icing CutUps die, and I tied some Cherry Divine Twine through the button. The Valentine lollipop paper is from Imaginisce.

I hope you are having a good weekend so far! Chris and the girls are going to the Father-Daughter dance tonight, Kyle is going to the Valentine's dance, and Megan is working! That means a free night for me (and hopefully some stamping time)! YAY!

Thanks for stopping by!
Christina

Trying to Stay Afloat

Okay, it's been one of those weeks. You know, the kind where you feel like you're drowning in your to-do list and your everyday life. Seriously, I'm trying to catch some air and just stay afloat.

My 3 1/2-year-old nephew had open heart surgery Wednesday, so he has been on my mind and heart all week. The surgery was a success, but it's been a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of recovery so far. Please keep him (and my brother and sister-in-law) in your prayers. I'm taking a graduate course to renew my teaching certificate, and I have spent hours doing homework this week. Plus, I have a paper due Monday which I haven't started yet. I have four kids playing sports, so every night brings a practice or game. Oh, and did I mention that I am tutoring two afternoons a week? Yep, I'm insane.

SO, what did I do yesterday afternoon? I stamped. I just needed a little therapy time. This image and sentiment from The Cat's Pajamas set Ship Happens were just calling to me, so I made this card for my brother and SIL. The layout is this week's SCS Sketch Challenge 298. Since I inked up a TCP set, I played along in the TCP Tuesday Challenge, which is "Mad for Plaid." Admittedly, this paper is more of a check than a plaid, but it's the best I could do! :)

I stamped the image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Copics. I paper pieced the hats with the "plaid" paper and the spoon with TCP's wood veneer sheets. Of course, I machine stitched the panels and added a bow!

That's all for now! I hope you are having a good weekend so far! Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today!

Have a great day!
Christina

Carrot Cake with Sprinkles!

Hello! Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is off to a good start! I finally had a chance to make a card for this week's TCP Challenge. I recently ordered some new stamps and CutUps from The Cat's Pajamas, so I thought I'd play along!

I used Forget about the Cake and the Flower Buttons CutUps to make this birthday card. I colored with Copics, and I paper pieced the cake and icing with BasicGrey Cupcake paper. Of course I used the orange paper to create a carrot cake! ;) I applied some Liquid Applique to the additional icing layers, and some Icicle Stickles to the candle flames.

Tonight is Kyle's first soccer game of the season. I can't believe he's a senior -- the time has flown! I hope you have something fun planned for your weekend...  hopefully it includes some stamping! :)

Thanks so much for visiting today! I'm always happy when you stop by!

Have a great day!
Christina

Plenty of Piercing

Hello! Happy Thursday! When I saw this week's TCP Tuesday challenge at The Cat's Pajamas, I knew I wanted to play. The challenge, hosted by Amy, is to use your paper piercing tool. I used to use mine all the time, but now those pierced holes are replaced by machine stitching on most of my projects! I had a lot of fun with this card, and I really like the retro look of it! I did a lot of piercing -- it's a great stress reliever! ;)

That's all for today -- one more day 'til the weekend! The days are just a blur lately! I hope you're having a great one -- thanks for stopping by!

Christina

Stamps: It's a Mod, Mod World (TCP) Ink: True Thyme, Riding Hood Red (SU! retired), Vintage Touch Chai (PTI) Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, True Thyme (SU! retired), Whip Cream (MFT) Paper: The Boyfriend Mini Deck (Cosmo Cricket) Other: paper piercing tool, twill, MFT Braddies, dimensionals Card Size: 5.50" x 4.25"

TCP Challenge Card

Hello! TGIF!! Today's card is for this week's challenge over at The Cat's Pajamas. My sweet friend Joanne is the hostess this week, and she chose a color challenge: olive, light blue, and ivory. You can read all the deets on Joanne's blog HERE. The colors are those found in my beloved October Afternoon paper, so of course I had to play along! :)

The image and sentiment are from Smells Like Cake. I paper pieced the cakes and added some Stickles. I colored the rest of the image with Prismacolor pencils, and I sponged around the oval. It's a pretty simple design, but I do like it!

Before I go, I want to let you know that my friend Tracy is selling off a boatload of stamps -- stop by her Blog and give some of them a good home! :)

That's it for today! Thank you so much for visiting!

Have a fantastic Friday!
Christina

Stamps: Smells Like Cake (TCP) Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko), Soft Sky (SU!) Cardstock: Whip Cream (MFT), Kiwi Kiss (SU!) Paper: Cherry Hill, Ducks in a Row (October Afternoon) Other: Prismacolor pencils, Stickles (Ranger), Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Old Olive striped grosgrain, border punch, Dimensionals (SU!), button (BasicGrey), twine (PTI), white gel pen, sewing machine Card Size: 5.50" x 4.25"

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Yesterday was my son Kyle's 17th birthday. I'm not sure how that happened -- I'm NOT that old! ;) We celebrated with a family dinner at a favorite local restaurant. Here's the card I made for him. He has always loved penguins, so this image was the perfect choice! The stamps are from the set You Say It's Your Birthday from The Cat's Pajamas.

I used BasicGrey Boxer paper, and I colored with Copics. The buttons and twine are from Papertrey Ink. I paper pieced the balloon, pierced around the image panel, and sponged around the circle. I really like the way it turned out, and I think Kyle liked it, too! :)

Tomorrow I'll have the My Favorite Challenge for you, so I hope you'll stop back! Thanks so much for the visit today!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Christina

TCP Challenge

Hey there! Happy Thursday to you! Today's card was made with stamps by The Cat's Pajamas, which, sadly, were heretofore uninked. I've been a big fan of TCP stamps for quite a while and recently hopped off the fence to purchase a few sets. I was so glad I finally had a chance to play with them! Carole is the hostess of this week's TCP Challenge, which is a sketch challenge. Here's my take on it!

I colored with Copics and added some Stickles to the star and party hats. I'm seriously addicted to button and ribbon treatments lately -- I used another one here. Susan has a great tutorial for using buttons HERE at SCS -- check it out when you get the chance!

That's all for today! I need to go and finish up some teacher gifts for Caroline's teachers -- tomorrow is her last day of preschool! I can't believe my baby will be in Kindergarten next year! *sniff* Thanks so much for stopping by today! :)

Have a fantastic day!
Christina

Stamps: Smells Like Cake (TCP) Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko) Cardstock: Soft Sky, Old Olive (SU!), Perfect Paper Panels (MFT) Paper: Sweet Celebration Make a Wish (Bella Blvd) Other: Copics, Icicle Stickles, Circle Nestabilities, ribbon and button (MFT), linen thread, white gel pen, dimensionals