Enjoy Your Special Day

I found some more lovely spring like paper in my attempt to organize my stash of scrap paper.  I have some beautiful vellum with floral imprints on them that I had gotten from a scrapbook convention many years ago... and after cutting up some, I realized I liked this purple paper from K&Co more and ended up using only a bit of the bluish pansy one. But that's just how a card gets started sometimes.  For my center circle, I did a very light stamping of the rounded butterfly image from JustRite Botanical Gardens and heat embossed then fussy cut another butterfly from the same set to sit upon my bow.  And of course, what card would be complete without a few pearls?  

Recipe:

Stamps:  JustRite Grateful Hearts Vintage Labels Two, Botanical Butterflies

Paper:  K&Company Essentials Light Hue, Floral Vellum

Ink:  SU Lovely Lilac

Dies:  Spellbinders Splendid Circles, Vintage Lace Accents, Standard Circles

Accessories:  Purple Embossing Powder, Lavender Organza Ribbon, Pearls

Challenges I am playing in:

JustRite Friday Challenge: Spring Cheer 

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Simon Says Anything Goes With Pearls

Word Art Wednesday

Hiding In My Craft Room Spring Colors

Wishing You Flowers and Sunshine

It's so cold outside that I am very happy down in my basement with my little heater.  And I'm glad I got to ink up some of my JustRite stamps and play along in their challenge this week in combination with Simon Says Stamp's challenges.  Not sure if it's because of how many snow days we've had but I am really loving spring colors right now and this image from  JustRite Grateful Hearts Vintage Labels Two was perfect for coloring up in soft spring colors. And with their Tuesday Tutorial on altering dies fresh on my mind, I remembered to cut up one of my label dies to fit the image. Thank you so much for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps:  JustRite Grateful Hearts Vintage Labels Two

Paper:  Bazzill Lagoon

Ink:  SU Sage Shadow, Versafine Onyx Black

Dies:  Spellbinders Beaded Ovals, Fancy Tags Two, Decorative Labels Eight

Accessories:  Watercolor Pencils, White Satin Ribbon, Pearls

Challenges I am playing in:

JustRite Friday Challenge: Spring Cheer 

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Simon Says Anything Goes With Pearls

Word Art Wednesday

Hi

Apparently I am in a CAS mode - not that you could tell from the state of my desk.  I received a sample of some lovely gingham ribbon from my last order from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  I do love it when they stick a little something in my order.  I had some scrap paper that matched it perfectly (yay!) and did a literal take on the challenge from Heartfelt Greetings for the LOVE FEST challenge to make a simple card that said hi and had a heart.  Check, check, and check.  :)

Recipe:  

Dies:  ODBD Recipe and Tags, Provocraft Olivia

Accessories:  Gingham Ribbon, Cuttlebug Cross My Heart embossing folder

Challenges I am playing in:

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Hi, miss you

Perfect Paper's Crafting challenge was to make a card with layers...which is not too hard for me since I do like to mat all of my layers.  Looking at the piles of scrap on my desk, I noticed I had lots of little circles from the negative images of my dies.  I piled them on top of each other, thought of the letter i, add an H and how about a little written "i" inside the layered i to go with the "miss you" which is also handwritten.  I used the skinniest rectangle to cut out the space for an H from a block of black.  And you have the following card:

Recipe:  

Stamp:  None

Dies:  Spellbinders Circles and A2 Matting Basics

Paper:  Scraps

Accessories:  Corner Punch

Thanks so much for looking!

The Woods Would Be Silent

I made a tall and skinny card using MojoMonday's Sketch #334.  I like it that the skinny portion let the circle hang over the edge.  Instead of layers on the bottom of my card, I did score lines which were really really hard to photograph!  I also added a line of dark red pearls  down my panel for some contrast.  I do love that pop of red on a black and white card.

Here's a closeup of the score lines:

Recipe:  

Stamps:  Quiet Fire Designs Gentle Thoughts

Paper:  Recollections Feathers

Dies:  Spellbinders Standard Circles

Accessories:  Cardinal Red Pearls

Challenges I am playing in:

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

MojoMonday #334

Simon Says Anything Goes With Pearls

Word Art Wednesday

You're a Hoot

Isn't this owl just a hoot?  It's amazing how that little curve in his eyelids gives him such a unique look! Paper Smooches is hosting one of the Love Fest challenges at SCS and I downloaded their free digital stamps HERE for a cute and fun card.  I colored him with watercolor pencils and popped up the wood grain and the owl up to make the black hole look deeper.  Thanks so much for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps:  Paper Smooches (digital)

Dies:  Spellbinders Standard Circles

Paper:  Recollection, Coredinations

Accessories:  Sizzix wood grain embossing folder, square punch, twine

Challenges I am playing in:

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Really Reasonable Ribbon:  One for the Boys

ODBDSLC192 Shaped Card

Last week's Shining the Light Challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs was to case someone you admire and I had chosen Becca Feeken.  I feel like I did a much better job casing her with this week's challenge to make a shaped card (no straight-edged square or rectangular card).  I used lots of layers and pearls; my bow is smaller because I didn't want to hide this wonderful and TRUE verse.  Thank you so much for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: ODBD Scripture Collection 11

Dies:  Spellbinders Pearl Effects

Papers: Heart and Soul Collection and Christmas Paper Collection 2013

Ink:  ColorBox Mudslide

For more inspiration for this challenge, please visit my challenge team sisters:

Chris Olsen, Linda Carson,  Elizabeth Whisson, 

Cheryl Scrivens, DJ Rants, and Robin Clendenning

To see all the creations in one place or join the challenge, click here. You have until Sunday, March 2nd to join us. For this challenge you may use any stamps but it you have any Our Daily Bread Designs stamps we would love to see you use them. If you participate, you have a chance to win the $15 certificate toward ODBD stamps or to be Spotlighted for the Shining the Light Award (The Shining the Light Award is only for those who use ODBD stamps). We would love to see your creations.

Challenge I am playing in:

Word Art Wednesday
SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Inspired by Zenspiration

Been busy this weekend...so third post of the day.

I never really got into doodling but I really enjoy lettering.  Now I'm trying to combine both after discovering Joanne Fink's Zenspirations.  I'm so OCD that I tend towards more formal lettering so this has been really good for me to let it go (a little bit anyway!)  My first attempt at doodling was to imitate the stamped star with some smaller ones and then I handwrote the sentiment.  Very stiff and not free and fun.  

Recipe:

Stamps:  Rubber Stampede Swirl in Star

Accesories:  Calligraphy pen, ribbon

This second card features the patterned monograms inspired by Zenspiration.  I'm weird about monograms... I don't want to send someone a card with my initials (why would they like a card with mine unless they were the same?) but it makes sense to give someone a set of card with their initials.  By that logic, they couldn't use those cards.  "Deep" thoughts!  So I made this card to send to someone.  This was my first attempt at patterning... I think I'll be doing more of them.  It was quite fun and more forgiving than traditional calligraphy.  

Recipe:

Stamps:  None

Dies: Spellbinders Standard Circles

Accesories:  Fiskar and eksuccess flower punch, Martha Steward frond punch, Black satin ribbon

This last is just a picture of my first attempt combining colors, patterns, and a verse. The spacing bothers me a bit and the shape of the cross is a bit off... see why I can't doodle? I love the Pigma pens but here I used the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens because they come in lots of beautiful colors.

Challenges I am playing in:

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Word Art Wednesday

Really Reasonable Ribbon:  One for the Boys

Thanks so much for looking!

Let's Go Outside

Here's another card featuring Kiki, aka Stamping Bella's Butch.  I created a spring image in the window by sponging and added Kiki who really really wants to go outside and a banner across reminding us to enjoy each and every day that God gives us.

Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamping Bella Butch and Mimi, SU! Summer Afternoon

Dies:  Memory Box Grand Madison Window and Rounded Fence Dies

Challenges I am playing in:

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Word Art Wednesday

Puppy Love

I can't color this puppy any other color except light brown and touches of beige... because my own little dog are those colors.  I had him cut out and sitting on a bunch of different layouts and papers and nothing was quite right until I decided on this very CAS card.  The circle frame and the dog are both popped up on dimensionals and as my dog loves to jump through rings, this is perfect.  Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps:  Stamping Bella Butch and Mimi

Accessories:  Circle punches, corner punch, Navy satin ribbon and tan ribbon

Challenges I am playing in:

SCS LOVE FEST challenge 2014

Really Reasonable Ribbon:  One for the Boys

i heart you

I've been having fun with the annual Splitcoaststampers.com LOVE FEST challenge. This set of card  was inspired by Sweet 'n Sassy's color inspiration challenge and CAS(e) this Sketch.  I love it when two challenges combine and instantly you see the card you want to make.

  

Only... I saw what I wanted to make but I didn't have the right stamps or dies so I didn't use any.  I printed the i and u in brown, cut out the hearts by hand to get it just the right size and wrote the words on the banner by hand.  The hearts and dimensional banners (great tutorial found here at SCS) are popped up so it does look more interesting in real life.

In an attempt to love my four boys equally yet differently, they have their own version of "I love you".  I tack on a phrase at the end based on our conversations or favorite book I read to them as a baby.  So it's "I love you through and through," "I love you more than you know," "I love you always and forever," and "I love you; my baby you'll always be."  

Thanks so much for looking!