CAS on Friday - USE A DIE - CAS. #370

I run on coffee. Not Dunkin’s but any coffee! In the processing of organizing my dies here is yet another unused die. I love coffee cards and have purchased some stamps and dies to make them but this is my FIRST coffee card. It is clean and simple. My. favorite part is actually the message inside!

I could be talking to the coffee or I could be talking to you…lol

Sometimes it is a challenge to find papers that blend well but I got lucky with these colors. I keep a handful of pre-made card bases to choose from so it came together quickly. The outside greeting was from a separate stamp set than the inside saying…

To see other cards for this challenge: http://cleanandsimpleonsunday.blogspot.com/

Please make my day and leave me a love note below in the comments section

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Martie Pollard.

PP491 A Clean and Simple Challenge

I can’t describe how excited I am how today’s card came about. I have been slowly organizing my stamps and dies. I have been transferring them to unified packaging and cutting an example of the die, so that I can easily see what is inside. It is a game changer for me to re-familiarize myself with what is on my shelf, which will allow me to find what I am looking for quicker. I had received an email for the card challenge posted earlier in the day, so I knew the “requirements” - clean, simple and with men in mind. I came across this die (which I had not used since purchasing how many months ago? lol) while organizing yesterday and decided it make a good base. With cameras in phones nowadays it is something any guy can relate to…. http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/ to see all the entries.

I originally. had a red heart in the middle and decided blue was more appealing to a guy….belly laugh.

so many faces are being missed through covid quarantine …

The feeling of getting organized has propelled my joy in the art of paper crafting that i have not felt in a long time. The art of purging is helping too…

Please make my day and leave me a love note below in the comments section

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Martie Pollard.

1059 DAYS PP490 - A Color Challenge from Claire

There has been A LOT of things happening in those 1059 days since I last posted. 60 hour work weeks and the loss of my mom got in the way of me crafting and sharing. Now that I am unemployed (first time in my whole life) and home schooling 3 teenagers, my time spent paper crafting has been my saving grace. I can just get so lost in the process of creating, that time flies without crowding my mind with worries. Best therapy ever. I have decided to start up again with the Paper Players card challenge.

To see other cards submitted for this challenge:

http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/2020/05/pp490-color-challenge-from-claire.html

I recently acquired this stamp and it has been sitting on my crafting desk waiting to be used before putting away. This color combination of blue, pink and green provided the perfect opportunity as a blended background to showcase this stamp.

what an uplifting message to share with someone who is struggling <3

Please make my day and leave me a love note below in the comments section

Posted on May 11, 2020 by Martie Pollard.

TIC TAC TOE

I have been in a creative slump for quite awhile. It has been a couple of months with a card or two here and there but have not been feeling it. Thank you for this challenge...felt motivated by all the great designer samples. This is my first try at using the embossing paste. I like it! I did learn less is more when adding the ink. The basic gray looks very dark. I tried to add some birthday jazz by using the gray metallic shimmer card stock.

I chose the left row down and the left top to bottom right diagonal for my design.

Posted on June 17, 2017 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Blog Hop - Dog Days of Summer

This blog challenge left a lot to the imagination. Just what exactly is "Dog Days of Summer?" My interpretation is hot, sunny and cheerful. Can't wait to see what everyone else's interpretations will be... I am stop #11 in this month's blog line-up, but you may have just traveled over from Marisa Gunn's website. I love how her cards are clean and simple but super creative at the same time!

I used a glimmer pen on the sun for an added pop...

I love making cards for the hop and for other challenges but truth be told I am not a big fan of making projects. I made this at 6:00 am (an hour before I left for work) the day before the hop...woke up early stressing what to make...this super cute little box can hold a couple of Hershey kisses - and who doesn't love chocolate kisses???

I hope to remember this at Easter next year - perfect for jelly bean holders for my co-workers...

love how the Ken Oliver Color Bursts laid down for the background...

I have been working a part time job working weddings and parties for a caterer this summer, in addition to my full time job and have not had much time or energy for the craft room...this was super fun and it felt so good to be creative... thanks One Stamp At A Time for allowing me the privilege to participate.

Next up is the very talented Justin Krieger and i am anxious to see his take on Dog Days of Summer. He NEVER disappoints!

I hope my post has inspired you in some way. Leave me a comment and let me know just how...I personally enjoy blog hops for the variety and creativity and inspiration I gain from all you talented crafters out there!

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT BLOG HOP Tic-Tac-Toe

What a fun, fun blog challenge. I am the first stop on this happy train, but you may have just traveled over from Edna Marie's Inkspiration. I love how her cards run the gamut from neutral to brights and from clean and simple to intricate.

I chose the middle row across. Glitter pen - Dies - Sequins.

The glitter pen, Wink of Stella clear, was hard to capture in the above photos. This image gives you a better idea of how shimmery the butterfly appears up close.

I chose to make a few little trinket boxes with the envelope board as my project. A perfect accompaniment for my card. I work in an office setting with 7 other women and it is nice to have a few made in my stash box for any last minute celebratory occasion.

Thank you so much for joining us today. I hope you enjoyed my post and would love to hear your comments. Next on the blog hop is Anna Smith. Her cards and projects are sure to please. Click on the next button to see her creations.

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

Osat Blog Hop Tic-Tac-Toe

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

ppa 294

Yesterday a coworker and friend buried her mom. Her mom loved all things owl related. I made my first owl punch card/tags for a blog at Christmastime. Lisa commented how her mom loved owls so the card and tags went to her...I hope this card brings a smile to face and reminds her of all the great memories that they have shared over the years. Big hugs to Lisa and her family.

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Blog Hop Spring Has Sprung

Welcome to March's OSAT Holiday Blog Hop!!! You may have just come from Renee's page - I am an admirer of her variety of styles in her card making - just one of the many talented crafters here to hop with you today! If you get off track, there is a list below to guide you.

Today's theme is Spring. I live in New England so when I think of Spring, I think of RAIN. After the showers come the flowers, but first the RAIN and lots of it!

I also think of bright colors and that is what I wanted my card to represent. The knowing of what is coming if we can just get through the rain - the rainbow - the array of beautiful flowers - the sunshine - for me it is a reminder to be in the moment and just enjoy life!

I thought this sentiment was perfect for the little gift bag to hold a few packets of seeds to accompany the card. Flowers and vegetables do make my yard look like it is celebrating...

This is a peek of what I will see as I go in and out of my front door once Spring has sprung...now if only I can get my grass to grow better this year!

I am the last hopper on today's blog so the next button below will take you to the #1 spot.... I hope you enjoyed the card and gift bag and all the other great cards and projects shared by the One Stamp At A Time crafters. See you next month!

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Posted on March 10, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

PPA228

Thanks for stopping by! To see other cards for this challenge click here

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Love Is In The Air

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Welcome to February's OSAT Holiday Blog Hop!!! You may have just come from Kelly's page - she has a super pretty valentine to go with her "sweet" project - makes me think SPRING! She is just one of the many talented crafters here to hop with you today! If you get off track, there is a list below to guide you.

This month's theme is Love Is In The Air - yet not necessarily a Valentines theme. Hmmmm....time to think outside the box. I have been organizing my work space and craft storage little by little recently, and have pledged to use items that have been waiting for just the right card! My Lawn Fawn hot air balloon stamps and dies fit the bill!

I have never been to a hot air balloon event but I am mesmerized by the beauty of all the brightly colored balloons floating along. Actually, in 1988 I did get up early and head to the local airport in Tracy, CA for such an event, but alas, it was cancelled due to high winds. Actually experiencing a hot air balloon ride is on my bucket list too. Maybe the next time I visit my daughter in Colorado we can make it happen... (hint hint Kate).

I arranged the stamps on a clear block and then stamped onto a piece of white card stock, sponging over completely with soft sky ink. I stamped another white card stock, colored, cut out with dies and glued onto the sponged background piece of card stock. Once matted onto black, I could not decide whether to place on a white or colored card. After polling a group of friends and family, the pink won by popular demand.

I had a few ideas for my project, as there are a couple of tools that I have not yet used either...such as the curvy box and baker's box thinlets. Instead I found this tutorial on you tube and realized it was a perfect accessory to my card. Here is the link to the tutorial.

I hope you have enjoyed my Love Is In The Air card and paper project... and to all of you hopping today - Happy Valentines Day....may you be surrounded by your loved ones every day!!! Don't forget to leave me some love today but posting a comment...i appreciate your thoughts.

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Blog Hop Thank You

Welcome to December's OSAT Holiday Blog Hop!!! You may have just come from Elizabeth's page - I am an admirer of her variety of styles in her cardmaking - just one of the many talented crafters here to hop with you today! If you get off track, there is a list below to guide you.

This month's blog hop is Thank You themed. When you thank someone by giving them a handmade card made just for them, that is SUPER cool. But, when you give them a handmade card and a little something something handmade too - even better!!!

This time of year revolves around home and family and friends. I know exactly who is going to receive this duo of cuteness...one deer friend!!! I hope that you all are having a wonderful holiday season and have that one special friend who is "deer" to you...speaking of which... here is another dose of cuteness. My daughter is always eager to help in the craft room or wherever else I may need her, Here she is modeling my treat boxes for me!

THANK YOU TO EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YOUR COMMENTS ~ AS CRAFTERS WE LOVE WHAT WE DO AND WE LOVE TO SHARE WITH LIKE MINDED PEOPLE

1. Ginger

2. Maggie

3. Elizabeth

4. Martie

5. AJ

6. Raquelle

7. Wynne

8. Marisa

9. Justin

10. Renee

11. Dena

12. Andrea Tucker

13. Tina Riddle

14. Megan Thompson

15. Kim Smith

16. Lori Mueller

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Blog Hop - Holidays

Welcome to November's OSAT Holiday Blog Hop!!! You may have just come from Maria Willis' page - I am an admirer of her use of bright colors - just one of the many talented crafters here to hop with you today! If you get off track, there is a list below to guide you.

I chose to share a Christmas card and matching gift tags with you. I have signed up to do a few craft fairs in the next few weeks and have been busy putting together some Holiday items to brighten the table. There are so many great ideas on Pinterest but this is something that everyone can use, is easy to make and a GREAT way to use up some of the piles of scrap paper we all have!

I have a confession to make...I have owned the Stampin" Up! owl punch for over two years and this is the first time I have used it!!! I have pinned a few really cute owl cards that I would love to make in the future. I stamped a Lawn Fawn Santa hat and used liquid snow to give texture to it. While doing it I spilled a drop and had to add some pearls to cover the spot...gives credibility to the saying "There are no mistakes in stamping, just opportunities for embellishments!"

I have had a lot of fun making the Christmas tags. The owls used on the gift tags were punched out from designer series paper and glued atop a larger square of coordinating cardstock (dug out from the scrap boxes)...which inspired me to create my owl Christmas card - FINALLY!

I hope that you have enjoyed my post. I love getting "online happy mail" - fondly known as comments. My favorite part of my posts {insert smile here}.

1. Ginger Pelfrey

2. Elizabeth

3. Diane Squires

4. AJ Bodine

5. Wynne Grob

6. Maria Willis

7. Martie

8. Renee Ondrajka

9. Megan Thompson

10. Kim Smith

11. Marisa Gunn

12. Dena Rekow

13. Lori Mueller

14. Tina Riddle

15. Raquelle Clifton

16. Jeanna Bohanon

17. Andrea Tracy-Tucker

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Blog Hop Halloween/Fall

Welcome to another OSAT blog hop! Can you believe that Halloween is just a few weeks away??? Oh my - time does seem to go by faster the older you get. Luckily I have three young ones to keep me feeling younger....You have just come from Elizabeth's blog #2 on the hop. Are you starting to feel inspired? If you get off track at any point the full line-up list is below and will move you along from blog to blog.

Speaking of Halloween there has been lots of chatter from the younger ones about choosing of their costumes. The oldest, who is eleven, has decided he will be handing out the candy this year. Heavy sigh. They grow up in a blink of an eye. I have chosen Trick or Treat as my theme for this month's hop. I hope my choices of card and scrapbook layout inspire and spark a fire for the upcoming holiday festivities!

Bats, pumpkins and many colored leaves....check! Looking a lot like Halloween if I don't say so myself...(I think I just did)

Even if Halloween is not a celebrated holiday in your home today it sure brings back memories - for me it is of trick or treating with my siblings back in the day - WAY back in the day! Happy Halloween Everyone!

If you would care to leave me a "treat" I am always up for a comment or question. Thanks so much for stopping by and Enjoy each and every stop on our OSAT blog hop.

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

PPA270 Color Challenge

It has been awhile since I have submitted to the Paper Pals Art Challenge. Life has a way of getting in the way. I usually overthink what I want to put together and today I played a little differently. My crafting desk has been a bit of a mess for a bit of awhile... I managed to get it 90% cleaned off this morning! I think that simplified my overthinking and here is my clean and simple, quick and easy card. I played with some different types of bling and embellishments, but they all seemed to drown out the simpleness - in the end the pearls won out...

To see the other entries click here

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT September Designer's Choice

Welcome to another fun OSAT blog hop brought to you by a talented group of crafters. This month is Designer's Choice and I can't wait to see what my fellow crafters have in store for you. Now that September is here, there is a crispness in the New England air. Tis' the season of pumpkin picking soon to be... you may have just started out or may have just come from the very talented Ginger's blog - number 2 on the hop hop. If you get off track at any point, the full lineup below will move you along from blog to blog.

This was a fun card to put together. It is amazing to see the difference what changing the paper will do for the outcome of the card. I learned a valuable lesson making the accompanying project. Always practice on spare paper - not the paper intended to accompany your card. OOPS! Luckily I have a pretty good selection of papers and am happy with the finished project.

Not perfectly coordinated (OOPS) but coordinated well enough for to get the gist of card and gift bag duo. This was made with the Stampin' Up! envelope board and is very sturdy.

Below is the list of OSAT hoppers today. You will find a treasure trove of inspiration. I love to hear your comments so take a minute and say hello!

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

PPA264: A Sketch Challenge

This has been not the greatest week. Okay, this has not been the greatest couple of weeks. I love how I can sit at my crafting table and just get lost in the creativity and just let go of all the stressful stuff in my life. I think that is why I have loved crafting since my grandma taught me needlepoint and knitting at a really young age...6, 7 or 8 - I am really not sure.. I could not find a piece to my sewing machine and decided to hand stitch the card instead. Brought back the joy of all those years of cross stitching I used to do.

Who doesn't want to have FUN on their birthday? It is the perfect wish for any day!!! Hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this weeks Pals Paper Arts Sketch Challenge. To see other submissions click here

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Posted on August 23, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

OSAT Back To School

I sit here shaking my head in wonder that my kids head back to school in less than two weeks. What a wonderful summer this has been for them. I am blessed to have my husband doing the stay at home dad gig AND doing a great job! They will be entering 6th, 5th and 3rd grades. This card and project will be going to my youngest's teacher - TBA.

The inside of the stars are the finished product of my two younger kids playing with Ken Oliver"s Color Burst Watercolor Powders on watercolor paper. A bit bright for my tastes, but luckily I don't toss much in the craft room. They are actually perfect for this card/project combo. With a little pop from some dimensionals these stars really shine!

I hope by sharing that I have inspired someone to craft up something - to recognize and welcome their child's new teacher. Thanks for stopping by - would love to hear your comments.

1. James Weber

2. Holly Stene

3. Ginger Pelfrey

4. Elizabeth Jeanne

5. Wynne Grob

6. Marisa Gunn

7. Kim Smith

8. Lori Mueller

9. Megan Thompson

10. Tina Riddle

11. Andrea Pancrazio

12. Andrea Tracy-Tucker

13. Martie Pollard

14. Diane Squires

15. Maggie Mata

16. Eva Bussom

17. Justin Krieger

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

PPA261: A Sketch Challenge

I think one of my favorite parts when doing a challenge is viewing all the different interpretations of the sketch. I have to remind myself not to be intimidated by the design teams cards - they are typically jaw-dropping. The challenge submittals are equally impressive. Pinterest is a treasure trove of ideas, but seeing cards that were made for a challenge to me is more inspiring.

To see other cards submitted to the challenge click here

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Martie Pollard.

Having fun with watercoloring...

I went to my first stamp expo in the beginning of June and have been having a lot of fun using the few items that I purchased ever since . One of the products was Ken Oliver's powdered watercolor paint. I use them incorporated with ink pads and aqua painter for more color options. What I love about the process is that you never know how the card will look until it is done. The amount of water and the blending of the colors is always a surprise ending. Then matching it with background papers and or sentiments and embellishments puts me in creativity heaven!!!

These are just a few of the dozens that I have made. They were a big seller at my most recent craft fair. I will finish up the ones I have left to mat and embellish and work on a special request that is quickly approaching. I think it brings me joy because my dad was an artist and I feel just a tad like an artist with that aqua painter...

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Martie Pollard.