Polkadot Door Blog-iversary Party!

I hope you will forgive me when I confess that I am here without any paper creations. I've been very busy with some very exciting things that I am bursting to share with you all! This past week has been incredibley busy as we moved house ... again. It might be another week before I am posting regularly again so this is a perfect time to share some very exciting news.

May 7th the Polkadot Door turns one!

(happy birthday to us!)

To celebrate Sarah and I have some exciting plans in the works. We will be hosting a bloghop and inspiration challenge, and if it goes well, we would like to continue it every month! There are so many exciting sponsors lined up for the weekend that you really need to make sure you check it out. We've teamed up with some of our favourite designers and the inspiration of the day will blow your mind away!

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ICSketches Spring Bloghop!

If you just happened to find this post, please start at the beginning : ICSketches.

Welcome to the fourth stop in the Spring into ICSketches Blog Hop! The design team has provided some awesome inspiration as I'm sure you'll discover as you hop through the blogs. Remember to leave a comment on every blog, and then finish up at the ICSketches blog for a chance to win some amazing prizes.

ICSketches Challenge Blog
Susie
An
Rebecca 
^ You are here.
Debra
Dawn
Jessica
Nicola
 Stacy
Jill

There are prizes to be won at every stop along the way too and the Polkadot Door is no exception! I'll be giving away this little package to one lucky person who leaves a comment and becomes a follower (if you aren't one already). Its that simple.

and that's only my giveaway! We have so many fun sponsors lined up for this blog hop. Visit the ICsketches blog for a full list of the prizes. I'll be posting the winner of my blog candy on Friday the 22nd, so be sure to check back!

I had so much fun creating my card for this blog hop. We used Dawn's sketch #111 as our starting platform. I picked up this little donkey stamp last year already from Mejiens Designs. It was offered as a limited edition freebie, but its so cute I would gladly have paid for it. Free stuff is wonderful, but free stuff I love is even better. I've been trying to get into the habit of writing more thank-you notes lately. Its a good habit to get into and the more I look around, the more things to be thankful for I see.

The pictures are a little dark, I apologize. I was in such a hurry to take the pictures and put this post up that I decided not to wait for the batteries for my external flash unit to charge. I do things like that, because I'm sort of an inpatient person. :-)

The card came together really easily. Its simple, yet I love it. I raided my stash of vintage buttons and ribbon to come up with the different embellishments and coloured the donkey with my crayola pencil crayons. One of these days I've promised myself to either invest in better crayons, or maybe even copics. But for now that keeps getting put off because I seem to always find other uses for my money.

SUPPLIES

Misc Ribbon, floss, and buttons

Meijen Design Digi stamp

My Minds Eye Paper

Before I go, I have to share this picture with you. I had some crafting company last night and while they might not be on a design team or have a blog of their own, their cards certainly deserve a little recognition.

Have fun blog hopping!

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Get Sketchy #83

I haven't been doing much crafting lately.  Between growing one human and trying to care for three other small ones, I haven't had much energy to spare.  

For a while it looked like winter was finally over and spring had settled in, but yesterday morning we woke up to snow, with 10 to 15 cm forecast.  Yuck!

Anyway, I decided that in protest of the weather I am going to ignore my housework and growing pile of laundry, and instead spend all day playing with paper.  We'll see if the kids co-operate but I have a suspicion that they will still require feeding at least once or twice.  

Oh well, if nothing else I got my card for this week's Get Sketchy challenge completed.  

SUPPLIES
October Afternoon patterned paper, chipboard stickers

Bazzill kraft cardstock

I absolutely love the Modern Homemaker line from October Afternoon.  I think I have now officially used up every single scrap of it from my February Apron Strings kit. 

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The Whole Gang

I don't scrapbook often as you can tell by reading through the blog. I've been trying to change this trend though, as scrapbooking is another great way to be crafting when my card box is full and I have no design team requirements to fill! Its been a stretch for me, coming away from my 4 x 6 canvas and moving into the 12 x 12. Mostly because I'm now working with a square shape, instead of the rectangle. Am I the only cardmaker who has trouble with the bigger size work space?

I really need to go and get some pictures printed off for some new pages. My photo stash is quite small since I wasn't scrapbooking. Now that I'm doing a little more of it, its time to get some recent photos printed off. I saw the technique for the flower embellishment thingy on the CARDS blog a few weeks back. I've been wanting to try it for some time and this seemed the best place for it. The other embellishments on the page are stacked buttons from my stash, and floss swirled this way and that. I printed off the journaling and cut it in random places to look a little more interesting. Overall I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Took me an awfully long time, but we don't need to go into details .... :) I hope to be making a few more pages in the upcoming months, its certainly a good exercise for my crafting abilities!

SUPPLIES

My Minds Eye Paper

Misc Staples, floss, buttons

American Crafts Thickers

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ICS Sketch

This has to be a really quick post, its been busy! With the coming of spring seems that everything I put off during the winter months refuses to be ignored any more. The to-do list is growing almost as fast as the mud puddles . . .

Its another card based on the ICsketches newest sketch. Enjoy!

The next month here at the Polkadot Door is going to be exciting! We are celebrating our first anniversary and have some big plans in the works. We'll be announcing next week what the plans are going to be. Curious? I'm so excited to be telling you soon! 

 

 SUPPLIES

Misc buttons, ribbon

My Minds Eye Paper

Recollections Stamp

Chatterbox Rub ons

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A Card Without a Name

For this week's Get Sketchy challenge I used up some scraps from my February Apron Strings kit.  The card itself came together really easily, but I am not quite sure what type of card it is now that it is done.  I was originally thinking a Mother's Day card, but I haven't been able to come up with any sentiments that I like to use on it.  

Any suggestions? 

SUPPLIES

Recollections cardstock

October Afternoon patterned paper & chip stickers

Annie42 scalloped circle 

This week Get Sketchy is being sponsored by One Crazy Stamper, so head on over to the blog and post your creation, we'd love to have you play along. 

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Sassy Lil' Sketches #4

Twice a month I have the privilege of working with the talented group of ladies from the Sassy Lil' Card Sketches team, and its always one of the highlights of the month. I love the sketches that Cherie comes up with, and perhaps maybe none more so than this weeks challenge .... Its simple, yet there is so much room for interpretation. I love how my card came out using the sketch as inspiration. Maybe you should check out the website as well, because not only do you (like me) get a helping start, but if you play along there are fabulous prizes to be won from The Crafters Workshop!

 

There are so many birthdays around here (with 12 siblings + grandkids + inlaws + boyfriends huge family) one can certianly tire of balloons and "Happy Birthdays", its nice when I get an excuse to make something for some other reason, like when I want to write a letter to a friend who happens to be on the other side of the continent. Thats a perfectly good reason, right?

There are lots of banners out there right now, its a very popular item on both LO and cards, but when I saw the button banner on a brilliant lady's site, I knew that it was time to change the whole banner thing up, just a touch. the buttons are threaded onto the DMC floss, and then glued in place (with my trusty little glue gun, maybe not the most innovative usage in the world, but its proved to be the best where lots of buttons are involved). Butterflies were punched using the Martha Stewart Butterfly punch (thanks Sarah!) and distressed using glimmer mist. Its actually quite painless, the wetness from the mist causes the little pieces of paper to fold into just the  right curves!

There are a lot of things about this card I like, but maybe I should just show it to you so you can tell me if you like it!

SUPPLIES:
DMC Floss

Prima Flower

Making Memories alpha, hardware

Chaterbox Rub on alphas

Misc buttons, fibre, clock

K & Company Ancestry Paper

Its a beautiful spring day, I hope you are out enjoying the sunshine after this long winter!

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Hope you had a nice day ....

... because we sure did! I'm hoping that this sunny weather really is spring, and not just a calm before the next (snow) storm. Being already April, I'm so very ready for the last of the snow and ice to leave, and there is still lots left to be the last of!

I have a card to share for you today using the sketch from ICSketches where I'm one of the design team members. For those of you who are interested, there is a DT call going on right now. We're looking for three new members. Sound intriguing? Better check it out!

Sarah and I have been working on some really exciting things for the Polkadot Door blog, and I can't wait until I'm allowed to tell you what it is. Its going to be so much fun! Be sure to check back often, because in the next few days we'll be posting some information about our first anniversary _____. Can't say anything else until we've worked out a few more details.... Until then, here is something that I can share with you!

SUPPLIES

American Crafts Thicker Sticker

Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Chatterbox rubons

Basic Grey Alpha stickers

Misc paper, thread

Card was designed using the ICS sketch #109 and Do You Stack Up Colour challenge for inspiration.

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Get Sketchy #81

 

SUPPLIES

vintage music sheets

misc ribbon and paper

wooden heart

This week's Get Sketchy challenge is being sponsored by the lovely ladies over at Christian Paper Crafts. 

Beautiful site, be sure to check it out as well as the fabulous ladies at the Get Sketchy blog!

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