Winter hits!

We have been without power since Thursday night so I am finally catching up! I will post some cards tomorrow. Head on over to Pollycraft and get in the drawing for the Sweet Dreams Springtime Retro set. I will keep my fingers crossed!

Starring Edwin

I saw this plaid dp in my paper pack and it just called out to Edwin! I used the sketch #35 from Papertake's Weekly Challenge Blog. I used the plaid as the background and layered two coordinating green panels and added stitching to give it contrast. I put the vertical strip in a dark brown and then popped up Edwin in the middle of it. I thought the stars were a nice addition, because what boy doesn't want to be a star?!

This also qualifies for the challenge on the Roses on Paper Challenge #32 for making a card for men, and the Quixotic Challenge #15 - One for the boys.

I hope everyone has a great day! Happy Crafting!

Cooking It Up With Katie #11 and DT Call

Hello fellow crafters!

I have decided to go for my first attempt at a design team! Katie, at Cooking it Up With Katie Challenge Blog, is looking for 4-6 crafters to join her as DT's on her biweekly challenge. Check out her site, enter her challenge, then email her with your details and maybe you could be part of the DT!

So the challenge this week was to make something girly, use paper piecing, and use at least 2 designer/patterned papers. Here is my entry:

I can never decide which pictures to use, so I'll just include them all!

The easel card is made with Stampin' UP confetti cream paper. I layered the seafoam designer over the red/pink paisley dp and then added the ribbon and the charm. The girl image is from Stampin' Up set Summer by the Sea. I stamped her on white and colored her with watercolor crayons and a blender pen. The next step was to cut her out and adhere her to the card with pop dots.

I used the Big Shot and Borderabilities die called Eyelets to make the layer on the bottom of the card. The large pearl was added at the bottom to make the easel stay up, and then I continued the pattern of pearls up the paper to make it look like the large one was part of the swirl. Added some more pearls at the top, and then because I thought it needed just a little something extra I used diamond dust in the eyelets of the border paper!

This card also qualifies for these challenges:

Lots To Do Challenge - Use a Machine

Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Challenge Week 28 - Use a Charm

Twilight Notebook

Here's a quick project to get you all through the weekend! My son is going to yet ANOTHER birthday party tomorrow, so here's the gift I made to go with him! Abbi is a Twilight fanatic, and that is the theme of her party, hence the photo!

I made this altered notebook with the sketch from Charisma Challenge #7. Black and real red cardstock from Stampin' Up, circles cut from the Creative Memories circle cutter, and silver eyelets put on by my crop-o-dile. The A is chipboard embossed with silver embossing powder.

Head on over to Charisma Cardz and take part in their challenge!

Week of the Man!

My second post today! Woo hoo, go me! :)

Well it seems that everyone is onto Masculine cards this week! I have started playing along at a blog called Cards for Men, so this works out perfectly for the rest! :) The challenge this week was to make a card primarily green. Here is mine!

The layout was from the Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge. The main image panel I stamped on glossy paper using the large Meadow from Stampscapes and adding the bear from the Stampin' UP set Yukon. I colored it with dye based inks with a blender pen and sponges. I sealed it with Pearlcote Pearl Glaze, then backed it with black. I made a 5" square card base out of old olive cardstock and punched out four 2" squares from certainly celery cardstock. I used a black pen to create the "stitching." Used Versamark ink to stamp some leave on the certainly celery. It was lacking something so I decided to stamp the oak leaf from Stampin' Up set Lovely As A Tree. I cut it out and put it in the upper left hand corner with a pop dot.

Challenges this fits with:

Cards for Men - Green challenge

Sweet Sunday Sketch - #56

Charisma Cardz - Male

My Time to Craft Challenge - Green

Rosie - D's Challenge - Just for Men

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #7 - Masculine Cards

Crafty Creations - Stitching

Wow, that sure is a lot! Guess that goes to show you I have been browsing way too many blogs! I hope everyone has a great day!

Mmmmm Cupcakes!

Someone had a challenge for pink and brown a few weeks ago, and I had some leftover scraps....don't they just make the great cards?!

This card is 5" x 5", made with chocolate chip paper and some designer paper for the edge. All images are from a Craft Affair clear set called Life is Sweet. I put the cupcakes in the backgound on the brown paper with Versamark ink. The tag was punched with the Big Shot from the Sizzix die Card, Scallop w/Flowers. The "buttons" are stamped from the set and cut by hand and adhe

red with pop dots. I added pink ribbon to the designer paper strip and as a holder for the tag. This is definitely one of my favorite color combinations.

This card qualifies for the following challenges:

Pink Elephant #54- Use Ribbon

Little Red Wagon #16 - Ribbon

Thanks for taking a look at my cards!

Keeping Your Ducks in a Row

Hello again! Snow is expected for today. Just when I was getting ready for Spring! Don't worry I have a springtime card that will get us out of the winter doldrums.

The image is another free digi from Pollycraft called Spring Things - Follow the Leader. See my sidebar for a link to the site. Again my favorite medium is water color crayons and a blender pen, so what else would I use?!

I backed the image on dark green cardstock. The waves of light green on the top and the bottom were made with a Creative Memories cutter. I used the yellow in the middle to offset all the white, and added some brads to balance the card.

A nice simple card with a plea for warmer weather!

This card qualifies for the Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #14 - Digital Delights, and also the C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #37 - Digi Coloring.

Sky Fairy Love

Hello! I decided to try something different and make a card with a digital stamp. I found this great site Tales from Pollycraft where you can get a free digital stamp every Friday. It is awesome for the digi beginner!

Ok, so the digi I used is Pollycraft's Sky Fairy - Love from Above. I colored it with my watercolor crayons and a blender pen. I made some green squares with my 2'' punch, and the heart from the Creative Memories heart punch. I attached it all with double face tape and used the Ultimate glue for the purple "tail" to the heart.

This card qualifies for the Dare U 2 Digi Friday challenge to use a digi and punches.

It also qualifies for the Stamp Simply Challenge #126 to use the colors purple and green.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello! Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your family and loved ones today. Here I have a picture of the treat bags that I made for the kids this year. I used the template from the Belles 'n Whistles blog. You can find it here. I then covered the sides with designer paper and made a decoration on the front with a heart and diamond dust on the Nestabilities scalloped circle. The last part was to wrap the tag on with ribbon and stuff with goodies!

This qualifies for challenge #16 from the Paper Makeup Stamps Blog to make a treat box! Check out the site for all the great examples!

Purple Tilda

Hello again! It has been a few days since I have posted anything. I looked at the house over the weekend, and realized I had to dig it out from underneath the filth! LOL! Ok, it wasn't that bad, but has taken some time to clean!

Ok, here's my entry for the Mojo Monday Challenge 125. I know, I know, it IS Thursday! Oh well. I decided Cherry Tilda needed some purple to color her day. Added a little bling on her hair ties (thanks for the idea Mom!). Posed her with pop dots over the pier from Art Impressions. I used some designer paper, the green, and propped all that on purple paper. Oh yeah, also wrapped a bow around the brown and green layers and added more bling in the upper left and lower right sides.

Special thanks to my husband for making me this wonderful box with which to take my pictures for the blog! Here's to no unusual backgrounds! :)

I have been spending time coloring in images, so I hope to have some assembled cards over the next week or so! Until then happy stamping!

Beautiful for Men!

I put this card together for the challenge over at Cards for Men blog. It was a sketch challenge with the option of love/Valentine. The requirement for all cards posted on the challenges for this site is that they have to be cards for men or boys. I thought this was an ingenious idea, as there are lots of men out there who don't like the "frilly" cards! Head on over to their site and check it out!

On this card I used paper scraps, so I'm not really sure what the companies or color names are. The images are all Stampscapes, and so is the sentiment.

Thanks for looking at my creations!

Metallic Hearts

I figured I had better get going on some Valentine's Day cards, and the challenges out there are happy to oblige me! I stamped the heart from Stampin' UP's Sketch an Event set on white paper. Used the edge of a pink ink pad with the direct to paper technique on the heart strip as well as the card base. The metallic look was actually achieved by putting aluminum foil through the Cuttlebug Dots embossing folder. I stuck that to the card base with heart brads. Next I layered the patterned paper across the bottom. I also cut out another heart to stick on the side with a pop dot and pink pearls to wind their way to it. It's hard to see, but there is also diamond dust lining the hearts for some more sparkle!

This card qualifies for the following challenges:

Raise the Bar - Hearts

Stampin' for the Weekend - Valentine Theme

Crafty Ann's Challenge Blog - Metallic

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Valentine's or Love

Paper Makeup Stamps Blog - Pink and Bling

Thank you all for supporting me and taking the time to leave comments! I appreciate the feedback! Happy Stamping!

Happy Hearts

I originally made this card for the Sketch and Stash Challenge layout, but it turns out it qualifies for 5 challenges! Go me! LOL!

In this card I made the pink and cream color combination that seems to be all the craze right now for Valentines. Cherry Tilda is sitting on the horizontal stripe made with my new designer paper called Bella Bella. The hearts are actually clip art that I re-sized and printed on colored cardstock then cut out. I also used my new pink pearls in the upper right hand corner. The Happy Happy sentiment came from a new clear set that I picked up called Life is Sweet by Craft Affair.

As you can see I had a shopping spree! :)

This card qualifies for the following challenges:

Sketch & Stash Challenge 28 - Layout

Charisma Cardz Challenge 5 - Love

Creative Inspirations Challenge 46 - Pink & Cream

La La Land Crafts #24 - Use Hearts

ABC Challenge - N is for New

Wow! I suggest you all check out these sites and see some great examples for your inspiration!

Until next time happy stamping!

Mojo Monday - Week 124 Challenge

Well, I was inspired by the last card I posted, to make one like that for the Mojo Monday Challenge. But first, I had to change a few things! Talk about never happy! LOL! In the main image I added a cabin that the people were walking to. Makes sense right? Stars are out, you have to be heading somewhere for the night! I put in some more trees and also added a different sentiment because I couldn't decide which one I liked better.

Again all images are from Stampscapes, the sentiment as well. I really love their stamps and making new scenes out of the same images is always amazing!

On another note, I want to put a question out to all of you crafting bloggers: How do you get nice sharp pictures that show all of that lovely detail? For some reason I am having trouble getting crisp images. I had tried scanning some of them, but the colors seemed to distort, and where it was blue it ended up looking purple! Talk about icky! :) Thanks in advance for all of your help!

Night Walk

Floral Fantasies blog is featuring a Challenge and Blog Hop. Sir Stampalot is moving to a new shop and is sponsoring the special challenge. The first prize is a Sizzix Big Shot and two Sizzix Bigz dies which cut boxes and shaped cards! Awesome! While you are there don't forget to take part in their blog hop for the chance to win some more prizes!

The challenge was moving, and they left it open to interpretation! So I decided on a nice walk in the woods!

I decided to make another easel card because it's my new favorite thing! The images and sentiment are from Stampscapes. I stamped all but the sky in Stazon black ink on glossy paper. The sky is stamped with ballet blue. I sponged the image with different shades of blue to show light and shadows. Then attached it all on ballet blue paper, and voila!

Stamps: from Stampscapes: sentiment, Hiker and Child, Tree Cluster, Crooked Path, Milky Way large

Ink: Stazon black, from Stampin' Up: Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Brocade Blue, Night of Navy

Paper: Glossy white, black, Stampin' Up's Ballet Blue

Accessories: pop dots, silver stars

Until next time, I hope you find beauty in nature (and stamping of course)!