dancing with the stars

No, I am not referring to the show but rather to our trip to the David Dunlap Observatory which is home to Canada’s largest optical telescope.  It was a challenge for me getting there since it opens  at 8 pm, a time where I would normally be found happily crafting or vegetating on our couch (yes, while actually watching Dancing with the Stars! (the show)). But it seems like a nice place (plus my daughter wants to) so I obliged.  And I was glad I did because we had a great time.

Here is a layout I made of that visit…

I used Papertrey’s Big Ticket Basics set and headline alphabet die (I told you I am addicted to this). The patterned papers and embellishments are from Simple Stories’s 24 / Seven collection (another favourite!).

  

Close up of the journaling… 

The “Totally Cool” title is actually a stamp from Ali Edwards’ Incredible set.  Love the sentiments and the font on that sent.  I always wish that my script handwriting is as nice as that.

Another close up…

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sketched shapes

I typically gravitate towards floral / feminine sets.  But thanks to Maile Belles, I am starting to love modern sets as well.  Her new set, Sketched Shapes, is my current favourite modern set.  So easy to use and looks very polished, clean and fun.  I love it so much I made 3 cards in one sitting, mostly a CASE of her already perfect cards.

Here they are ...

... and all together now...

I am thinking that this set is perfect for making masculine cards.

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birthday style

I had a lot of fun trying out my new Birthday Style set from Papertrey. This set just makes me feel happy. 

Here is the first card I made which I gave to one of my guy friends who celebrated his birthday last Cinco de Mayo. 

Aside from the Birthday Style set, I also used Sentiment Signs, New Leaf bitty dots patterned paper and a couple of buttons from my stash.  This is probably a CASE from one of the DT's projects (but cannot remember now from whom :) ).

Since this set is so easy to use, I made a second card.

The sentiment is from Mini Blooms and I also included a tiny strip of smokey shadow patterned paper.

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pwp sketch #20 - frances-ism

I am back with another instalment of Frances-ism, a documentation of the silly things my daughter says and the funny stuff she does. If you missed the last ones, you can find them here and here.

Here is my latest layout...

I used Papertrey's stamp (Cutting Garden, Fabulous Frames, Calendar Basics), dies (Headline Alphabet, Tag Sale #7, Cutting Garden) and inks (hibiscus burst, summer sunrise, simple chartreuse, dark chocolate). I also used the Fabulous collection from Simple Stories for the patterned papers.

I am entering this to Leigh Penner's Pages with Papertrey sketch challenge. Here is her wonderful sketch.  I rotated the sketch to fit my photos and journaling needs and added the tag for some interest.

 Here is a closer look at my journaling...

... my title....

... and my adorable little tag.  I am seriously in love with the Cutting Garden set.  Such gorgeous flowers!

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pretty poppies

I have a quick post to share with you a card I made from one of Lisa Johnson's newer sets called Pretty Poppies.  This set has pretty two-step poppy silhouette images, an amazing text background image and a really nice font for the sentiments.

Here is my card...

Aside from Pretty Poppies, I used Papertrey's rustic cream cardstock for the front panel and pure poppy, kraft and smokey shadow inks.  

Close up of my favourite poppy image from the set... 

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watercolor wonder

I have a quick and simple card for today.  I fell in love with Maile's Watercolor Wonder set when it was released last March.  It  seemed easy to use and quite different from the sets that I already have.  I began by CASE-ing one of the Design Team's cards.

Here it is...

I used Smokey Shadow, Simply Chartreuse and Orange Zest ink for this.  The sentiment is from the Stylish Sentiments: Birthday set. I stamped it on an angle to correspond to the brush stroke.

I adhered my card panel to my base using foam adhesives.

It seems like you can never go wrong with this set.. the more random your strokes,  the more artsy it looks.  I will have to be more experimental next time.

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pwp #20 - I heart art

Here is my last instalment of our March break layouts.  After ROM and Casa Loma, our last stop was the Art Gallery of Ontario (or AGO), which is one of the largest art museums in North America.

I used Papertrey dies (tag sale #7 which I cut short, headline alphabets, tiny tags), stamp (tiny tags, fillable frames) and twine.  The rest are again from my new favourite 24/Seven collection from Simple Stories.

I am also entering this to Leigh Penner's Pages with Papertrey challenge is to use 3 tags, a stamp and twine. Again, I may have used more than 1 stamp so hope it is still okay.

Some close ups...

Love the corkboard type paper

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