Manly Birthday - TPE #301

Hello Monday again!

It's now time once again 

for another fun challenge with 

Ella and her team 

at 

The PiNK Elephant Challenge #301 

Theme---Masculine Birthday

Stop by The PiNK Elephant Challenge blog and check out the inspiring work the rest of the team has left for you!

Below is my card:

You would think with nothing but testosterone in my house, masculine cards would be right up my alley.  However, not so much.  I sometimes struggle with creating something manly for the men in my life.  I don't even have very many masculine stamp sets, but slowly I am accumulating a few more.  

For this card I used some wooden stamps from Michaels own line, Recollections.  I think I picked it up a year or so ago because I was still lacking in masculine stamps.  I like the ship, it's pretty classic as are the shell stamps.  I stamped the ship with Timber Brown ink onto patterned paper from We R Memories "Indian Summer" pad and the background paper is also from the same pad.  I adhered them to an embossed background, I think it's Sizzix.  I stamped the seashells in the same Timber Brown and fussy cut them, ran them through my Xyron so they would stick well.  The sentiment is from Taylored Expressions and also stamped in Timber Brown.  I finished off the card tying some rope knots and sticking to all four corners.

For Following Challenges:

I'm entering in the following challenges this week:  Freshly Made Sketches, AAA Cards, Mod Squad Challenge and Seize the Birthday.

Mod Squad Challenge-- Masculine

Anything Goes

PiNK Elephant Blessings!

Undies - The Challenge #37

Good Morning Monday

and 

Happy June 1st!

Summer is officially 19 days away but it already feels like it here in the South!  

We've had several days close to 90 in May.

But forget the heat, check out the new challenge we have at

The Challenge! ---

It's a sketch!  Flip it, turn it, invert it --- just so it is recognizable!

Go see what the rest of the team has created for some fabulous inspiration:

Anita Madden
Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener
Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Lori Tecler
Michele Ferguson

Nance Salkeld(that's me)

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Welcome 

this month's Featured Designer

-Karolyn Loncon

Guest Designer - Joyce Mehrberg

I tried to think outside the box a bit on this week's sketch challenge.  So, I came up with undies...

The stamp set is from Raisin Boat.  I think the set, including the sentiment is adorable.  I used a scallop frame die from WPlus9 and oval Spellbinders die.  I fussy cut the undies after stamping them on pattern paper from Echo Park's Sweet Girl pad.  I topped it off with come SU candy dots.

For Following Challenges:

Seize the Birthday - Anything Goes

Challenge Blessings!

Remember - TPE#300

Happy Monday Again!

Happy Memorial Day, Americans!

Hug and thank a veteran!

It's now also time for another challenge 

with Ella and her gals!

And it's our 300th Challenge! YAY!

The PiNK Elephant Challenge -

#300- Anything Goes!

Yes! It's the end of the month once again, which means Ella wants to see whatever you wish to make!

Stop over and check outt what my fellow design teammates have done here! 

Be sure and leave each of them some blog love!  

We love comments too!

Since today is Memorial Day here in the States, I chose to make a card honoring our veterans:

I used paper from the Pebbles paper pad, Americana.  The eagle stamp is from TPC and embossed in gold.  The stencil sentiment is a Heidi Swapp mini stencil sprayed with Heidi Swapp white color shine on top of navy cardstock.  I die cut a couple stars, embossed the navy one and added a doily die cut behind them.  Die cut some scallop borders.  I was trying to use elements from those red/white/blue half circle banners you see hanging out for parades.  I finished off the card with some gold enamel stars.

PiNK Memorial Day Blessings!

Teacher Appreciation - The Challenge #36

Happy Monday Everyone!

Happy Memorial Day, Americans!

Hug and thank a veteran!

It's also time for a something new 

at 

The Challenge!

This week is a theme -

Celebrating Teachers

School years around the northern hemisphere are coming to a close and summer is just coming!

Several of The Challenge team are teachers themselves and I know they are all looking forward to their summer breaks.  Since my sons both just finished college, I don't really have any teachers to send cards to so I'm dedicating my card to all my crafty/blog friends who are also teachers!

Make sure you check out the rest of The Challenge Team's fabulous cards and leave them some blog love.  We love comments too!

Anita Madden
Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener
Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Lori Tecler
Michele Ferguson

Nance Salkeld(That's me and where you are!)

We also have some guest designers this week:

Fabiola Jaques - Guest Designer

Antonia Speelman - Guest Designer

Sandie Munro-Featured Designer

Give them some blog love as well!

Since I haven't had to make teacher gifts for years, this week's challenge really did challenge me!  I have a lot of school stickers and things for scrapbook pages, but I try not to use much of it since I'm only up to First Grade for both of my boys' books (yes, I did just mention they both just graduated college)!  I'm just a tad behind.  LOL

I wanted to do something with yellow flowers and I found this cute little mouse digital stamp in my computer files.  He's from Bugaboo Stamps.  So, I printed him out along with the sentiment, which is from Doodle Pantry digital stamps.  I thought it would look cute arched over the flower.  I colored them in Copics and Spectrum Noirs and then added a few diamond Stickles to the flower middle.  I used stitched mats from Lil' Inkers Designs and cut two small banners from Reverse Confettie (fat) and Lil Inkers (skinny).  The books and apple are Jolee stickers to make it more school official. The background paper is old, old, old.  

For Following Challenges:

I used the sketch at the Fusion challenge.

My Creative Space-With The Pink Elephant

Happy Friday Everyone!  The months of May and June, The Pink Elephant Design Team are sharing their creative spaces. This is week #4.  If you missed the others, stop by The Pink Elephant Challenge blog and check out Sheri's, Natasha's and Lori's creative crafty spaces!  It's been a lot of fun seeing all my teammates places where they create and get some organizational inspiration from them!

Today is my turn to share the place I spend about 75% of my time when I'm home --- my craft room.  I've been gone for about six weeks from all things bloggy and crafty due to my dad suddenly passing away in April.  I had actually been crafting that evening and left things a mess to go to bed. So when my mom called hours later, I just left it a messy disaster.  And, I had planned on doing a bit re-organizing too so I had to clean up the mess before re-organizing once I returned. 

I'm fortunate to have an entire room to call MINE for crafting, blogging, sewing, etc.  It's actually my second craft room here.  I had one in our basement but it got way too cold in the winter even in NC.  So, once he got married, I finally talked my hubs into repainting Patrick's room and making it my creative space.  The top walls before were sponged animal pattern for my son.  However, as I have lived in a house full of testosterone, I had to claim some girl power finally, so I repainted pink and white leaving the bottom brown and notice, even the fan is pink!  It's a pretty big room with lots of stuff in it!  I used my wide angle lens to get a shot of most of the room from the door as I could.  There are perks to being an empty nest! lol 

Some of the highlights of my room ----

In the center you notice a big island.  I confiscated that from my hubs' work room aka "man cave", lol!  I wanted to have it painted for this post, but with being out of town for a month before, it didn't happen.  That is where I do most of my creating and I can see out either window as I do.  On its shelf, I have two boxes of stamps along with a basket of pre-made card bases very handy.  I'm in the process of organizing them slowly the Jennifer McGuire way!  LOL  The top has most of my craft utensils I use most of the time.  The island is counter height and so I find myself standing most of the time.  The little black bag on the side is a small trash bin/cup holder. One evening my wonderful dog, Riley, sniffed out a candy wrapper in it and chewed half of one side of the bag off so now it's duct taped. 

Also, I read somewhere that standing more than sitting, while working, can be almost as beneficial to your health as exercise.  I'm not sure how, because the weight has not dripped off of me yet!  lol   

Just this winter I found that fabulous big four door cabinet (above)at the Habitat Restore for only $50. The Hubs helped me sand and paint it. We added the trim on the doors and around the rim on top.  It holds ALOT --- all of my different kinds of paints --- acrylics, oils, watercolors, markers, as well as most of my embellishments, wooden craft elements, almost every craft supply I own  fits into its three deep shelves!  

To the left of the cabinet are craft cubes with more various supplies like adhesives, emboss folders, glitter, etc, tucked away.  To the right is a pegboard my Hubs built and hung so I could have more items readily available when I need them.  And on the back of the door is a shoe organizer where I keep my punches.

Above the cabinet I have my Big Shot, dies, stencils, markers, inks. It is on my agenda to purchase a true marker shelf, but til that time, I repurposed tin cans -glued together and painted and an old small wooden crate for my Copics, Blicks and Spectrum Noirs.  That little shelf on the right side with my markers on it is another confiscated item from the "man cave"too.  I kind of call this my "joy" wall with the sentiment and family photos and mementos. 

Below shows the front of the room with a small desk in front of the window that holds my sewing machine and laptop.  In the cubes on either side I have envelopes, my computer accessories, 12x12 colored paper, computer paper, photo paper, etc.

  To the right of my desk is a bookshelf I've had since childhood, made by my uncle. It holds my papercraft mags, some photoalbums and books and jars of ribbon as well as some stuffed animals from my guys. 

On the wall next to the bookshelf I have a cube organizer with all my 8-1/2x11 papers stored underneath a bulletin board I recovered.  The frames are a sketch my son Patrick drew of a heart (Mother's Love) for me and the other is a religious picture of Jesus with children that belonged to my dad during his preaching days.  I also hung some fishing wire above the bulletin board to display currently finished cards. Above the fishing wire are some fave photos I have taken in various spots of NC.

Next to the paper shelf is a bench, made by same mentioned uncle.  It was my childhood toybox.  I have refinished it and it holds ALOT of fabric!  It also usually contains a cat or border collie or both upon the seat most days.  ----Well and now true to form, Socrates has decided he wanted to be a part of the post as he wandered in while I was taking pictures!  I had to stop and raise the blinds for him.  Actually I think he wants Mom to stop and take him outside to sit on the deck.

My hubs also built me this wonderful wooden stamp shelf that takes up the entire wall by the closet.  That has to be one of my favorite things about my room!  Under it is an old dresser that holds 2 baskets of stamps (still organizing those-yes they're still a mess), and my printer.  The drawers contain ribbon, stickers, emboss powders, small paper pads.

My closet rounds out the room as far as supply storage goes.  On the doors I've started using some adhesive magnetic squares to store some of my dies.  That will be continued to be done at a later date. The hanging bag is a jewelry organizer I have unused dies I've cut and then not used. The Hubs built ceiling to floor shelves for me and most of the closet contains photos, paper keepsakes, frames, scrapbooks, etc.  One day it may all be nice and organized in like containers and colors.  I actually just purchased new photo boxes as the current ones are falling apart.  Just haven't transferred them yet.

A few other details --- a shadowbox holding my ballerina tutu from when I was five.  A photo of one of the Broadway plays, Wicked, that I saw in NYC with my BFF, and last but not least ---- Socrates' late night lounging area (when I'm up late crafting)!

         

Well, that's pretty much where I spend a lot of my time, lots of evenings and late nights when the Hubs is saving lives in the ER.  I have been known from time to time, to craft all night, share breakfast with him and then pile into bed with him, the cat and dog!  


Be sure and stop by the TPE Blog next week, Friday, May 29 and check out Joni's space!

Creative Space Blessings!

Pomp & Circumstance x 2!

Now it's time for  

The PINK Elephant Challenge #299!

Graduation Theme

Be sure and visit Ella's blog (TPE) and check out all the rest of the team's fantastic projects.  Then link up your own graduation themed card and play along with us!

I'm running late today with my posts.  If you read my last post, you'll understand a bit why.  Today is my first day posting in about six weeks.

It just so happens that both of my sons graduated college a week ago.  So, I made a masculine graduation card for one of them.  

I got home from WV one day, then two days later Dave and I flew out to Oklahoma for our oldest, Patrick's graduation from UCO (Univ of Central Oklahoma).  We went out a couple days early so we could both celebrate with him and his wife, Helen.  However, I had to miss his actual ceremony, which was on Saturday evening.  I had to fly back home Saturday so that one of us would be in attendance for our youngest, Ben's graduation from UNC (Univ of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) at 9:00 am on Sunday morning!  I went from being around tornado threats in OK to TS Ana raining down upon us here in NC! WHEW!  It was a whirlwind trip but I'm proud of both my boys and glad I got to see both of them in the same weekend!

  Patrick & Me                                       Ben & Me

For Following Challenges:

Cardz 4 Guys--#70-Make Your Mark

PINK Elephant Blessings!

Daisy Smiles - The Challenge #35

Happy Monday!

I'm back and it's time for ---

A fabulous inspirational photo challenge this week for you!  Check out the rest of my teamies' gorgeous projects!

The Team and Links: (alphabetical order)

Anita Madden
Claire Broadwater

Kim Heggins

Kimberly Wiener
Lee Ann Barrett

Lesley Croghan

Lori Tecler
Michele Ferguson

Nance Salkeld (that's me!)

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After I posted this photo for the team post, I noticed the lighting, while natural and outside, didn't look wonderful.  So, I took another photo:

It's been a long time since I blogged last, about six weeks!  Sadly, my father suddenly passed away the week after Easter and so it's been a roller coaster of a six weeks with me being with my mom for about a month.   I've missed my teams, my card making and my blogging.  It has been a little difficult getting back into the swing of just life, let alone crafting.  I had left my craft room just how I abruptly left it last, so it made for a fairly difficult first day back in that room.  Yet, I did it and creating again has been very therapeutic and soothing, particularly with this challenge.  Who can't help smile at daisies?

A little bit about what I did for my card ---

Those gorgeous yellow ball flowers inspired me to use the bokeh effect on my card.  I made the upper background bokeh and then also cut a piece for the background of my "smile" die also.  I backed the Smile die (from PTI) with a doily to help the bokeh show through more.  The daisies are an old die from Taylored Expressions. 

Now link up your own project inspired by our inspirational photo this week.  We can't wait to see what you create!

For Following Challenges:

Inspirational Challenge Blessings!