Friday, April 29, 2016

A little bird told me . . .

My goodness, April has been a busy, busy month for me!
Where has the time gone?

I feel I've neglected my blog a bit lately so I have a FUN TIME card creation
to share today and using up some off cuts/scraps at the same time!  Love when that happens!
I have had not ONE but TWO of these Impression Obsession 'Bird on a Branch' cuts laying on my work table for months now and finally today I decided to use one of them!  This is NOT AT ALL what I had in mind when I started making a card for today but you know how that goes . . . .

The other day I was visiting with the neighbor and her little 2 year old was pushing her bubble making machine on the driveway making ALL SORTS OF BUBBLES ... which was really cute!  But, then I noticed a cardinal sitting on the tree branch in the side yard and it appeared he was enjoying the bubbles as much as I was!  LOL!   Hence the bubble background paper used for today's card.

I am always in need of birthday cards so that will be the theme for today!
I think this could be used for a man, woman, young adult ... what do you think??

Challenges to share in:
Aud Sentiments Challenge - Animals & a sentiment (I hope birds count!)
Creative Knockout Challenge - Lots of Layers

Thanks so much for stopping by!
I'm TRYING to get all my goods gathered up for tomorrow's show ... luckily I can set up this evening!
So, with that being said, I'd better get busy!
Have a fabulous weekend ahead and as always . . .
Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Red cs, Olive cs, DCWV dp
Accessories:  Sue Wilson 'Greek Island' #CED5102, Poppy Stamps 'Thicket Frame' #1407, Impression Obsession 'Bird on a Branch' #DIE161, Woodware, USA 'Birdsong' stamp, Versafine Onyx, pop dots

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Birthday

Hello Everyone!
I hope you're having a wonderful day!
It's time for a new challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters 
and 'sistah' ANNA has chosen our theme.

BIRTHDAY

Heaven knows we can never have enough Birthday cards in
our stash so this challenge will be helpful in keeping a few extras on hand.


I actually created this card from bits and pieces that were laying
on one work table or another.  And, was put together in no time at all since
it consists of primarily die cuts which were purchased from the Dies R Us Store.

I hope you'll come join in our challenge fun and be sure to at least
pop over for some awesome inspiration from my 'sistah' designers.

Challenges to share in:

Cards in Envy Challenge - Another Year Older - Birthday

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
As always . . .



Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Red cs, Marianne Designs 'French Roses' dp
Dies:  Die Mentions 'Birthday Balloons' #DME-042, Cheery Lynn Designs 'Lace Corner Deco E' #B165, Impressions Obsession 'Square All-in-1 Frames'  #DIE294
Accessories:  Red Sequins

Sunday, April 24, 2016

The Robyn's Fetish Challenge #313 -"ANYTHING GOES" - 04/24/2016

Happy Sunday Friends ...
it's time for a new, fun challenge at Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog!

This week's challenge is:

ANYTHING GOES
 Today's sponsor is A Lil Digi Heaven
A LIL DIGI HEAVEN

 One lucky winner will receive 3 digital stamps of their choice from the A Lil Digi Heaven store.
So be sure to come join in our challenge fun!  That lucky winner could be YOU!!
I had so much fun creating a card today using the 'Dani' image.
Isn't she just adorable!!


I began by coloring this sweet image using my Spectrum Noir
alcohol markers then built the card design around her.

I hope you'll take a minute and swing by the Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog
to see all the fabulous creations the team has designed to inspire you.

 Thanks so much for stopping by today and please pop over to Robyn's Fetish Store and Blog.  We'd also love to have you come join in our challenge fun.   YOU could even be our WINNER!

As Always . . .

Recipe:
Papers;  White cs, Brown cs, Peach cs, Paper Pizazz dp
Dies:  Poppystamps 'Simple Banner' #836, Impression Obsession 'Large Bow' #DIE-063, Memory Box 'Cross Stitched Frame Borders' #99124
Accessories:  sequins, prima flowers, green Stickles


Friday, April 22, 2016

FCC #135 - "Sketch"

Hello my bloggy friends!
 Welcome to another Funday Friday Challenge.

 This week's challenge is a sketch:
 Our sponsor this week is:


 One lucky winner will receive 3 digis of their choice !!
 So make sure to play along this week~

Starts: Friday, April 22nd 12:00AM (EST)
Ends: Friday, April 29th  6:00PM (EST)



I had so much fun creating with this digital image called 'Magic is in the Air' along with today's sketch.  What do you think?  I just love how it came together!!


 I love beginning a card with a sketch and this one really intrigued me and I can
guarantee you I'll be using it again.

 After printing out this sweet image onto a 4x6 piece of white card stock I
decided on my background paper to use as the basis for my coloring.  Then I got busy using a combination of Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Spectrum Noir pencils.  I wanted the wings to appear translucent to of course a touch of paper glaze was required (see image below).
 
 Next my trust Fiskars swivel craft knife came into play.
A few perfectly positioned pop dots helped to give this little fairy flight.
I just received a new grass die cut and it worked perfectly across the bottom of my card.

Challenges to share in today:
Crafty Creations Challenge - Stitching (real or fake)
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge - Winged Things

Well my friends, it is YOUR turn to show us what you can do for this challenge!  And I can't wait to see!!

Challenge Rules
1. Please post a direct link to your card/project post that includes your challenge,using the linky tool below.
2. Be sure to include a link back to our challenge
3. THREE entries per person and you must post a separate blog post for each entry.
4. All entries must be NEW and created for the current challenge.
5. You may combine with other challenges as long as you link back to us in your post.

* All entries that do not meet the challenge requirements Will not be eligible for top 3 or random/monthly wins.
The monthly prize drawings will only be mailed within the US and Canada.
You have until Friday, April 29 by 6:00Pm (Eastern) time to link up.
All winners will be announced on Monday, May 2nd.

Have fun and we look forward to seeing what you create!
Thanks for stopping by!
As always . . .

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, DCWV Brights Pink cs, K&Co designer paper
Dies:  Sue Wilson 'Pierced Tags' #CED4304, Memory Box 'Stitched Circle Layers' #30036
Accessories:  Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, Spectrum Noir pencils, SU dimensionals,



Thursday, April 21, 2016

Spring Time Craft Show

Hello Friends ...
Well, it looks like Spring has finally sprung here in Ohio and if the weather
is not enough of an indication of that ... the Springtime Craft Shows I'm involved in are!  LOL!
I've decided this year to only do 2 shows in the Spring and 2 shows in the Fall.
There are just too many other things I want to be sharing & doing with my favorite guy that
I don't want to be chained to my crafting table all summer long. 

Yesterday was my first Spring show which is actually a 'private' show vs your usual
open door crafting show.  This group of ladies are the same ladies I see in the Fall at one of
the local country clubs and they are fabulous.  
There are only a dozen hand picked vendors at these functions and I'm honored
to have been chosen to showcase my paper crafting for them.

Not only do the vendor's have the opportunity to showcase their products but
are also invited to partake in the luncheon and program.  FABULOUS!!
Yesterday's program was all about Weddings of Yesteryear!
Here's a few photos of some of the authentic gowns, shoes, under garments, wedding photos
and oh my goodness ... so much more!  I wish I had taken the time to grab
photos of the other vintage gowns ... they were AMAZING!!!

This lady 'knows her stuff' and the facts/information she shares is AWESOME!

Well that's it for me today ... lots to catch up on ... just wanted to share!
Hope you're having a fabulous day!
As always . . .

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Double D - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Hello Everyone!
Today begins a new challenge at the Double D Challenge Blog!

INSPIRATION BOARD
CHALLENGE PRIZE
For the next couple of weeks you have the opportunity to create using this fabulous inspiration board and sharing it with us at Double D.  Who knows ... your creation could be chosen among the Top 3 ... Winner ... or even possibly the Prize Winner!

Yep, you get another chance at winning this adorable Spellbinder 'Wellies' die.  
As you see I liked this die so much I just had to have one for myself and that was the basis for MY creation today.  The other dies I've used on my card are:
Poppystamps - Peppini Wreath (#1409)
Impression Obsession - Umbrella (DIE049)
purchased from the Dies R Us Store.

 So here ya go ... this is my inspiration sample:

What a fun time I had 'designing' my Wellies!  LOL!
The colors are not as 'true' as I had hoped (really need to read that camera book) ... what looks red is actually hot pink and what looks teal blue and actually more of an aqua.  Oh well ... at least the design is as it appears!  LOL  I've even added a touch of sparkle on my wellies with a touch of green Stickles.

The Peppini wreath has been laying on my work table for weeks now so when I started to create my card, my thought went to how I could incorporate it into my design.  Of course my flower is another snippet from the zillion die cut flowers I have in a bag ... just needed to give it a touch of color.  Oh and my acrylic rain drops have been in my stash for literately YEARS!!

 Challenges to share in:
The Crazy Challenge #220 - Spring is Here
Dragonfly Dreams Challenge - Spring is in the Air
Eclectic Ellapu April Challenge - Spring Flowers / April Flowers
I do hope you'll come join in our challenge fun.
Thanks SO MUCH for stopping by today!
As always . . .
 
Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, DCWV Brights pink cs, DCWV Brights aqua cs, Stampin' Up dp
Dies: Spellbinder 'in'spire Wellies' (IN032), Heartfelt Creations daisy,  Poppystamps - Peppini Wreath (#1409),  Impression Obsession - Umbrella (DIE049), 
Accessories:  Cloud 9 Design acrylic dots, Lime green Stickles, Graphic 45 sentiment, pot dots

Monday, April 18, 2016

Use Your Stuff - Favorite Punches

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!
I'm always so excited to start a new week in Blogland ...
to see what you've all created to inspire me and hopefully I can
create something that will inspire you in return.

Today I have a creation to share that I've created
for the new challenge over on the Use Your Stuff challenge blog.
 Beth is hostess today and she's asked us create with the theme ...

FAVORITE PUNCHES


 With all the dies I have collected over the past couple of years, I must
confess that my punches have been horribly neglected!  This challenge gave me the opportunity
to blow the dust off of them.  I've actually decided to choose only one punch to create with today ... and that punch is the Martha Stewart 'Floral Vine' punch.

I must tell you that today's card was 'pieced together' by using up some snippets
that have been laying on my work table.  The K& Co. design paper is a scrap left over from
making tea cups for the local Tea Shoppe, the frames are snippets from the 
Impression Obsession 6-in-1 Frame (#DIE242) left over from a project where I used the
larger frames and the double stitched grosgrain ribbon is all that was left
on a ribbon spool ... whew!~ just made it!!!
OH!  And the lady bug was cut from the little bitty piece of designer paper that I used 
for my background panel ... I just happen to spot him when I was tossing 
the remnant into the trash!

I hope you'll share your FAVORITE PUNCHES creation with us at the USE YOUR STUFF blog.

Till next time, thanks for stopping by and have an awesome week ahead!
As always . . .

Sunday, April 17, 2016

The Robyn's Fetish Challenge #312 -"ANYTHING BUT A CARD" - 04/17/2016

Happy Sunday Friends ...
it's time for a new, fun challenge at Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog!

This week's challenge is:

ANYTHING BUT A CARD
 We are happy to tell you there are TWO sponsors for this challenge!
Sponsor #1 is Robyn's Fetish
Robyn's Fetish Digital Stamps
The winner of this prize will receive their choice of 3 digital stamps from the 
 
MY STITCH BACK IN TWINE
AND, the winner of this prize will receive 2 digital stamps from the

Today, I've had the honor of creating with the Sunflower 2 digi from Robyn's Fetish Store


 Since our challenge is Anything BUT a Card,
I decided to create a gift bag and matching tag.

The images I chose from each store
worked together so well and I'm very happy with the outcome.

I started out by printing and coloring this sweet 'Garden Darcee' image.  I've used Spectrum Noir alcohol markers for my coloring
and dark brown card stock for my matting.

 Then with a regular brown lunch bag that you can purchase at just about any department store, I chose a designer paper that could
compliment the image/colors.

I also used the same designer paper to create the handle for my gift bag.  By adding a few sticker sunflowers from my scrapbooking stash, this fun gift bag came together quickly.

My matching tag was die cut using the Sue Wilson 'Frames & Tags - Pierced Tags' #CED4305.

I colored my Robyn's Fetish sunflower using Spectrum Noir alcohol markers then fussy cut around the image and POPPED it up on the tag.  The '4U' are Creative Memories stickers and for my ribbon I've used raffia. 

I think this set will come in very handy come fall when I
want to share a gift of homemade 'something or other' 
with a friend or neighbor.

Be sure to pop over to the Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog 
to see all the amazing creations designed by the team.


Challenges to share in:
Let's Color Saturday Linky Party - ATG w/something colored
Sweet Stampin Challenge - Tags
Craft for the Craic April Challenge - Anything But a Card
Quick Quotes Challenge - Tag It

 Thanks so much for stopping by today and please pop over to Robyn's Fetish Store and Blog.  We'd also love to have you come join in our challenge fun.   YOU could even be our WINNER!

As Always . . .

Saturday, April 16, 2016

More QUICK CARDS . . .

. . . using embossing folders and dies!

Morning All!
It's a beautiful Saturday here in Ohio and I plan on getting outside
just as soon as it warms up a little bit more ... but in the meantime, I wanted 
to share with you a few cards I made the other day for my upcoming show on Wednesday.

If you're anything like me, when a new product comes on the market, I just HAVE TO HAVE IT!
And what was the case with the 3d embossing folder.  I purchased several, 
created a few cards then moved on to something else.  WELL, they are beautiful and thought
it would be a good idea to create a few cards & just add die cuts for embellishment.  

What do you think?

CARD #1
CARD #2
Obviously I have used the same Spellbinder 3D - M-Bossabilities (E3D-006) embossing folder for each card but in a different color.

The Spellbinder Labels 18 coordinates with this embossing folder and I have utilized the Labels 18 one step further ... besides simply die cutting the panel, by laying the next size smaller DIE on top of my background die cut and tracing around the outside edge with a white Gelly Roll Pen.  This added yet another layer appearance.  Only on Card #3 did I do something a bit different and did faux stitching around the embossed edge of the background die cut panel.
CARD #4
CARD #3

The flowers on all the cards were created with two Creative Expressions Sue Wilson dies sets.



My word dies are also Sue Wilson dies ...

Quick, Easy and Beautiful!  Perfect for you need a quick card and can be adjusted to fit any occasion.
Well that's it for me today.  I'd better get a few more craft show things finished up and get outside.  This weekend is going to be 70s here in Ohio and I'm in desperate need of some sunshine!  LOL

Challenges to share in:
Simply Create Too Challenge - Stitching (faux or real) Card #3

As always ...

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Fun with Die Cuts

Happy Thursday Everyone ...

I've been very busy lately trying to be sure I have enough 'goodies' ready for next week's
show.  This particular group of ladies (a closed show) delight in the more feminine designs
so, I have directed today's designing thoughts towards pretty designer paper & die cuts.

I have a couple FAVORITE design paper companies ... one is Heartfelt Creations
and that is the one I chose to work with today.

 CARD #1:

This particular paper pack may not be available any longer ... it is from a few years back.  But, they have some AMAZING paper packs that you will want to take a peek at HERE.

My cards are 5x7 in size and geared more towards a 'note' card so the inside in blank and can be used for any occasion. The die I chose for this cards is Spellbinder D-Lites 'Fantastic Floral' #S2-009.  I die cut it from white card stock then sponged the color with a large sponge dauber and Memento 'Bamboo Leaves' ink.

With a  few sequins and a stamped sentiment, I was able to call this creation DONE!

CARD #2

I have used the same paper pack but different dies. The dies used on this creation are:  Sue Wilson Finishing Touches 'Trailing Ivy' #CED1423 and Technique Tuesday 'Hello'  #DIY0383. 

Most of the dies I have used on these cards all came from the Dies R Us Store.  I have linked you directly to the dies currently available and for those that are out of stock at the present time, I have linked you to the company page at the Dies R Us Store.

A few sequins are the only embellishment I felt this card required.  Oh and I did use a white gelly roll pen to add a few dots to the wings of the butterflies.



CARD #3

For this last card I actually was able to use up a few scraps I had on my work table.  

Sue Wilson Designs - Greek Island Collection - Corner. Border & TagFor instance, when I'm die cutting a lace panel.  I typically cut it in a continuous long length then cut it to the length I need for my card.  Whether it is used horizontally or vertically.  This piece just happened to be left over and just begging to be used.  This lacy die is from Joanna Sheen and is called 'Harriet Lace Edger' ... isn't it beautiful?


Well, that's all I have to share with you today.  Take a look around at some of those beautiful design papers you have in your stash.  I'm sure you can find a few that just by simply adding a sentiment and/or die cuts, you will transform it into a masterpiece!

A few challenges to share in today:
 Crafty Gals Corner Challenge - Die Cuts or Punches
I hope you're having a wonderful day and looking forward to a fabulous weekend!  It's supposed to be a beautiful weekend here in Ohio so I'm looking forward to getting outside and soaking up some sunshine.

Have a great day and as always . . .

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Sisterhood of Crafters - Generations

Happy Day All!

It's time for a new challenge at The Sisterhood of Crafters and
team mate Agata has chosen an awesome theme for our creations.
Agata has chosen as her theme ...

GENERATIONS
(use an old picture on your projects or anything to do with generations)

How unique and awesome is that idea!?!
I love vintage design so this theme really spoke to me.
Here's what I came up with ... and had so much fun creating it!


Isn't this image fabulous?
I could have actually gone back in our family cookbook and
retrieved a photo very similar from my very own family archives
but chose this sweet image from a pack of vintage images I purchased
at Adventures in Stamping several years ago. 

(LOVE the hat! ... so Downton Abbey ... in fact I think Mrs. Hughes had one just like it! LOL)


Sorry ... I just had to go online and find a photo
of Mrs. Hughes ... her hat is very similar.
Anyways, I hope you'll come join in our challenge!
I can NOT wait to see what the team and YOU create.  This is going to be great fun!

Challenges to share in:
Lemon Shortbread Challenge #13 - Anything Goes
Retarte Challenge #74 - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by!
As always . . .




Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, Brown cs, Paper Pizazz 'Tan Catalog' dp
Image:  TJ Designs 'Vintage Photographs Collage Pack'
Accessories:  Vintage lace, K&Company epoxy sentiment, Spellbinder Shapeabilities 'Imperial Gold - Gold Corbels and Accents',