A little birdie told me . . .

Happy Monday Everyone!

WOW!  It's supposed to be close to 50 here today!

YAY!  Spring is in the air!!!

So today I have a cute, springy birthday card to share with you

using papers and images from the Crafty Secrets Store.

Be sure to pop over to the BLOG for all the details on

the fabulous Warehouse Sale going on and you still have

time to join in our March Linky Party.

Inside

The design paper I have used today for the background and homemade flowers are from the Crafty Secrets Digital Radiant Paper Collection.  My adorable focus image and sentiment come from the Crafty Secrets Birds and Blossoms Printable Sheet Set.

The top two panels have been popped up with dimensional tape.

I am SO READY to see all the birds, butterflies and flowers outside ...

but for now I'll just have to be satisfied with the paper ones!

Challenges to share in:

Craft-Dee Bowz March Challenge -ATG with homemade bow

 Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge - Flowers and Ribbon 

2 Cute Ink Stamp Challenge - Spring

Card Mania Challenge - Spring

My Creative Moments Monday Morning Challenge - Think Spring

Simon Says Monday Challenge - B is for (birds, butterflies and birthday wishes)

The Crazy Challenge - Happy Birthday

Thanks for stopping by today ...

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead ...

As always ...

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs, Crafty Secrets Radiant Digital design paper

Accessories:  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson 'Final Touches Classic Rose' die set, Flower making kit & mat, Rose Stickles, Martha Stewart Butterfly Trio punch, Fiskars swivel craft knife (for fussy cutting), Organza ribbon, Craft-Dee Bowz bow making tool

EASTER coming early . . .

Happy Sunday my friends!

Today I have a fun card to share that I hope will put a smile on your face!

I've created it for the FIRST challenge offered at Creative Expressions Blog.

Their theme is EASTER.

Inside

I actually was able to do some 'repurposing' on this card also.

This adorable image came in the mail yesterday as

a part of a promotion from one of the charities we donate to

so of course Mark passed it my way figuring I could use it on a card somehow!

LOL ... he was right!

I love these Creative Expressions Sue Wilson dies (listed below)

and am thrilled to see they are now offering blog challenges!

Other challenges to share in today:

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge - Flowers and Ribbon

Craft-Dee Bowz March Challenge - Anything Goes w/Bow

 Crafty Catz Challenge - Song Title to Match your Image (Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail)

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Hope you have a fabulous day!

I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures this week ...

we've all had enough of this winter!!!

As always . . .

Recipe:

Image:  Repurposed from the mail

Papers:  White cs, Hot Pink cs, Pear Pizazz cs, Lilac cs, DCWV Easter Egg dp

Dies:  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson Spanish Collection 'Seville',  Spanish Collection 'Granada', Scandinavian Collection 'Corners, Borders & Tag', Finishing Touches 'Classic Rose'

Accessories:  Flower making kit & mat, Really Reasonable Ribbon 'Spring Rainbow' satin & grosgrain ribbons, Martha Stewart leaf punch, Pink Stickles, Dimensional Tape

Let Your Soul Take Wings . . .

Happy Saturday Everyone!

While my dear sweet husband was busy hooking up our new dishwasher last evening, I decided to 'stay out of his way' and created at card for the new challenge over at Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog.  Their challenge this time around is a FLOWERS & RIBBON theme.

Well, I just joined their Ribbon Club (OMG what gorgeous ribbon packs) and I've been busy making my own homemade flowers so this challenge had my name on it!

Here's what I created ... hope you like it!

OMG I have seen so many BEAUTIFUL creations from the RRR design team using 

this green & purple color combination, I just couldn't wait to create

a card using it myself.  I'm so happy with the outcome!

Here's a couple close-ups of the details ...

I think my flowers are getting better!

But I'm going to keep practicing ... that way I'll have

a large selection of different styles and

colors that I can choose from when

I don't have the time to make them 'on demand'.

 

 A few other challenges to share in:

Brown Sugar Challenge - Spring

QKR Stampede Challenge - Bring on the Green

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge - Green

Creative Moments Challenge - Anything Goes/Spring Green

Double Click Challenge - Use the color Green

Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge - Green +White+Choice of Color

Word Art Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Craft-Dee Bowz March Challenge - Anything Goes w/Bow

Impression Obsession Challenge - Think Spring

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I hope you've found inspiration in my design.

REMEMBER ... turn those clocks AHEAD tonight!

As always ...

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, SU Pear Pizazz cs, lilac cs, grape cs, DCWV Latte matstack dp
Stamp:  Impression Obsession 'Let Your Soul' ... #D13038
Ink:  Memento 'Bamboo Leaves', Tim Holtz 'Dusty Concord',
Dies:  Spellbinder 'Opulent Ovals', Cheery Lynn Designs 'Fanciful Flourish Small'
Accessories:  Dimensional Tape, RRR satin ribbons, Wild Orchid Crafts butterfly, large sponge daubers, flower making kit and mat, Craft-Dee Bowz bow maker

Through my window ...

Happy Friday my friends!

REMINDER:  This weekend we SPRING AHEAD!

That's right ... Saturday night turn your clocks AHEAD one hour before you go to bed.  

Other wise, you'll get to church Sunday morning only to find you missed the sermon! LOL

Now onto today's card.  

I know I'm late ...  I had a lot going on here today but STILL made time

to play the new challenge over at Poppystamps Challenge Blog

called "Through my Window".  What fun!

There's nothing I love more than to look out my window and see birds in the trees.

We have several bird feeders in the backyard so we see

several types back there but I LOVE it when I see my FIRST ROBIN 

of the spring and it's usually at the Crab Apple Tree in the front yard!

So that was my thought behind today's card.

I've used the Poppystamps 'Grand Madison Window' die to set the scene.

By simply stamping my Stampendous Branch Trio bird image onto white cardstock then sponging over top with Tim Holtz distress inks, I was able to create the scene that I viewed 'through my window'.

I had fun creating the INSIDE Wall view as well.  

The 'paneled wall' is a sheet of 6x6 Basic Grey 'basics kraft paper pad' design paper.

The 'decorative' panels on the lower portion of the 'wall' are actually the 'window squares' that fall out of the Grand Madison Window die when I die cut the window a second time on the design paper.  I simply spaced them across the bottom. To create the 'chair rail' I used a scrap piece from the panel wall paper ... sponged it with a cocoa color brown ink and adhered it with the lines running horizontally vs vertically.  Clever huh?  lol!

Here's a peek at the inside of my card using the 

Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous 'Nature's Moments' stamps.

A few challenges to share in:

Dream It Up Challenge - Marching into Spring (using Stampendous stamp)

FHL Throwback Thursday Challenge - ATG using retired or 1 yr+ stamp (mine are more than 2)

Little Red Wagon Challenge - Birds of a Feather

Moo Mania Challenge - Black Bird

Scrapy Land Challenge - ATG using Scrapy Land Dies (Poppystamps)

Well, that's it for me today.

Wishing you all a FABULOUS weekend ahead.

My new dishwasher showed up today (hubby's installing it as we speak) ... guess I need to go dirty some dishes so I can give it a try!!  LOL

As always . . .

For a Friend . . .

Hello Dear Friends!

It's been a crazy week around here so far but I did take this morning 

to create a card 'Just For Fun' that I think you'll enjoy.  

I know I enjoyed making it and as you'll see I'm still practicing 

making homemade flowers.  This time around using the new 

Heartfelt Creations Botanical Rose stamps and Botanical Wings (coordinating) dies.

First of all I want to point out that the SAME colors were used on everything that was colored on this card including the paper used to die cut the ribbons, the leaves as well as the main image.  BUT once again my camera has tricked you into thinking these are different colors ... grrrrr!!  LOL!

 Here you can see the card laying next to the sheet of white paper that I laid my die cuts on to color before placing them on the card.  Ooops I noticed I didn't include the GB3 (yellow) marker that was used for the flower centers.  My background paper is actually SU Pink Pirouette but looks more coral in the photo.  I really need to spend some time learning more about the settings on my camera ... but that would take away from crafting time ... oh dear, can't have that!  LOL!

Anyways,  a few challenges I'd like to share in today are:

The Shabby Tea Room challenge - Photo Inspiration

Beccy's Place March Challenge - Anything Goes using a Beccy's Image

Crafting By Design March Challenge - Anything Goes

Crafty Sentiments Challenge - Spring Colors

Retarte #37 Inspiration Challenge - Photo Inspiration (yep same photo as TSTR)

I do have a couple close ups to share with you and the list of product used will be at the end.

I'm truly enjoying making flowers again and how different they can be just by simply coloring with Spectrum Noir Markers vs Ink/Sponge.

 I did a lot of fussy cutting around the Beccy's Place image (one of her FREE images called Posey).

I think it made a beautiful focus for my card.

 

I hope you enjoyed today's card share!

Hubby wants to head to a couple stores to look for a new dishwasher so I'd better get going!

And, he's been putting slide outs in all my lower kitchen cabinets ... yahoo!!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

As always ...

Recipe:
Papers:  White cs, SU Pink Pirouette cs
Dies:  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson 'Spanish Collection Background' #CED1201, Poppy Stamps 'Mesa Leaf Outline' #1023, Poppy Stamps 'Classic Ribbons' #1005, Cheery Lynn Designs 'Friend' #B285, Heartfelt Creations Botanical Rose stamps and Botanical Wings (coordinating) dies.
Accessories:  Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers, Dimensional Tape, Fiskars swivel craft knife, Flower making mat & kit,

Note:  Most dies were purchased through Dies R Us Store

Happy Birthday Dies R Us Inspiration Blog!

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

I can't believe it was a year ago (March 1st) that we began sharing inspiration samples at the Dies R Us Inspiration Blog.  Each day Monday through Friday the ladies of this wonderful team have shared a new & exciting creation to help spark your mojo in creating with die cuts.  I can remember how excited I was to be selected as a member of this talented team!  I've learned so much from each one of them in their unique styles and use of die cuts on their card creations.

So, to celebrate the occasion, I've created this special card!

INSIDE

 Birthday cards are supposed to be bright and cheerful so I decided to create my own colorful background panel to use for my die cutting selections and place them on an all white card to really make them POP!  And, the dies used on this card are:  Creative Expressions Sue Wilson - Spanish Background #CED1201, Memory Box - Madera Corner #98237, Elizabeth Craft Designs - Balloons #726, Memory Box - Happy Birthday Extravaganza #98765

How much fun is it to turn a plain piece of white card stock into a colorful panel by simply sponging on a variety of ink colors

I chose to go in a circular motion with each color and fill in any white gaps between colors.  Of course, you could also do this in a striped pattern if you want to use the entire panel as your background. 

 Here is a side view so you can see that I popped up the center pieces of the balloons as well as the Sue Wilson background panel.   Just that little bit of added dimension can really add character to your cards!  

You may remember seeing this card on my blog last week using the opposite scheme ... colorful background and white die cuts (same Memory Box die).

 I really like both versions ... which one is your favorite???

 Reminder ... when you are shopping at our Dies R Us store and find that the dies you are looking for are Out of Stock ... simply click on the 'Put Me On The Waiting List' tab ... fill in the information and you will be notified via email as soon as it's back in stock.  It has been my experience that this typically doesn't take much time at all!

OH and don't forget to join in our new challenge over at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog ... this time around the theme is MONOCHROMATIC (and die cuts of course).

Well it's time for me to go get a piece of that Birthday Cake! LOL!

As always . . .

Crafty Secrets March Linky Party . . .

. . . and Design Team Challenge.

HAPPY MARCH EVERYONE!

With Spring right around the corner (YAY!), our theme at Crafty Secrets is

GO GREEN!

The team is showcasing Gardening/Botanical themed items with an UPCYCLING twist!

Remember, you DO NOT have to follow the theme to join in our challenges ... the only thing you ARE REQUIRED TO DO is use any Crafty Secrets products.  AND ... if you don't have any, just pop on over to our blog ... each month we are sharing something FREE that you can use to join in the challenge fun and have the opportunity to be our BIG WINNER!!!

With that being said, I'd like to share with you my recycling 'GO GREEN' project ...

THE BEFORE ...

AND THE AFTER ...

So what do you think?  

I love being able to reuse stuff that would otherwise end up in a landfill somewhere!

By simply decoupaging the baby wipe container with a few of the beautiful design papers available in the Crafty Secrets Digital Garden Papers file, this plain white plastic container becomes a snazzy holder for my 'empty bean can' coordinating containers.  These containers are also usable for starting new planting ... that way you will be ready to put them in the ground once it thaws!  LOL!

I'm sure there are various ways to 'decoupage' but here's how I did it!

ITEMS NEEDED:

Recyclables

Mod Podge

Sponge Brush

Design Paper

Ribbon, Lace or Upholstery Trim (as I have used).

Hot Glue Gun (to adhere the trim).

Just so you know, I AM a fan and DO recycle everything I can.  I don't understand people who have the availability to recycle and don't take advantage of it!!   Grrrr!  How hard is it!!

Anyways ... off my soapbox ... this was a lot of fun to create and I am really happy with the outcome!  I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do until I started looking through my pile of 'stuff' ... then it hit me! I've added strips of burlap which I had left over from another project as filler.

Please be sure to pop over to see the amazing GO GREEN projects my team mates have created for you today!  AND ... we are thrilled to have Karen Letchworth as our March Guest Designer!

Links to our fabulous TEAM:

Kathy Clement, DT Leader 

Darlene Pavlick (you are here)  

Diane Hover

Elizabeth Lincoln

Ginny Nemchak

Gloria Stengel

Melody Clement

Michele Kovack

Shantaie Fowler 

Sheila Rumney   

and, this month's Guest Designer Karen Letchworth

Challenges to share in:
Anything But a Card Challenge - Green with Envy (I'm going GREEN in more ways than one)
Glitter and Sparkle Challenge - Anything Goes
Great Impressions March Challenge - Go GREEN
Altered Eclectic March Challenge - Anything Goes (no cards)
Recycle, Re-Purpose, Re-Invent Challenge - Anything Goes
Rhedd's Creative Spirit March Challenge - Altered Art/Mixed Media (no cards)

Now it’s your turn! Create a NEW project featuring any Crafty Secrets goodies and link it up on the Crafty Secrets BLOG by Sunday, March 15th at midnight PT. 

 One lucky participant will be randomly selected to win a lovely prize package from Crafty Secrets valued at more than $25 ... pop over to the blog to see what YOU could win!

Thanks for playing along! 

We can’t wait to see what you bring to the party!

 As always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  Crafty Secrets Garden Papers

Other:  Crafty Secrets Spring Cut-Out Kids, Mod Podge, sponge brush, hot glue gun, upholstery trim, Fiskars swivel craft knife (for fussy cutting), strips of burlap, silk daisy stems

613 Avenue Creates with Dr. Seuss

Hello friends and welcome back!

Today I have a DT card creation for 613 Avenue Creates to share

and WOW did I have fun creating this one!

Did you know that tomorrow, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss's Birthday! 

Well it is so we not only get to play with some fun images from our sponsors, 

but we also are sharing some fun Dr. Seuss sayings!

The sponsor I'm showcasing today is Melonheadz  and an image from the adorable set called Four Seasons Lucy Doris combo pack.

OMG how cute is Lucy!!

It looks like she's already for those April showers that are right around the corner!

This is as CAS (clean and simple) as my designs get!  LOL!

  My background panel was created by simply scribbling the lower portion (grass) with my DG3 Spectrum Noir marker and the upper portion (sky) with my TB1 marker. 

After printing her out at 5" tall, I simply colored her using my Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, fussy cut out her silhouette then popped her up.  

She looks so happy I figured rain or shine she was having fun so I chose 

THIS particular Dr. Seuss sentiment.

If you're looking for some fun today, why not come join in our challenge!

Remember, we are an ANYTHING GOES challenge that offers a TWIST!

So whether you choose to use the twist or not, you are welcome to come join in the fun!!!

A few challenges to share in today are:

Die Cuttin Diva's Challenge - Seuss Inspired

Inspiration Destination Challenge - Anything Goes

Mod Squad Challenge - Spring Ahead

Thanks for stopping by!

As always . . .

Recipe:

Papers:  White cs

Inks:  Memento 'Cantaloupe'

Accessories:  Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, SU dimensionals, Spellbinder Labels 17