Big Joy

Okay, I'm back, with my second super quick post of the night!

Here's the Viva la Verve sketch for March, Week 4:

And, here's my card:

These are the challenges I'll be entering this card in:

Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge VLVMar2012 (Week 4)

Do You Stack Up #65: Sew It

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Color Throwdown #185: Lime, Gray, Rose, Black

Thanks for stopping by. 

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: Tag Time (Verve)
Paper: Out of Print (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Tagged Rectangle Die, Rounded Scalloped Frame (Verve)
Accessories: Bricked embossing folder (Sizzix); mini pom trim (Simplicity); polka dot ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones; Stickles; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Dream Big

Hi there, Friends! I've got to get two cards posted in the next few minutes to meet the deadline for the March Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge, so you get a break from my usual ramblings and multiple photos. Bare bones for me tonight.

Here's the Week 3 sketch for the Viva la Verve challenge:

And, here's my card:

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge VLVMar2012 (Week 3)

Do You Stack Up #65: Sew It

Cute Card Thursday Challenge 210: Happy Easter!

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

TCP Tuesday #203: Tangerine, Lime Green, Sky Blue

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back in a few minutes with another card! :)

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve)
Paper: Bright Blossom (SEI); Farmhouse (Crate Paper)
Ink: Distress Ink
Dies: Classy Label Die (Verve); Ironwork Accents (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Damask embossing folder (Sizzix); flower (Prima); glitter (Martha Stewart); brad; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Writer's Idea Box

Hello Friends! How's your week been? We had a good one here, and are looking forward to Spring Break next week. It looks like spring is finally here to stay, and aside from the usual seasonal allergies, I'm SO glad!

I recently subscribed to the Taylored Expressions Key Ingredients Kit and Taylor has a special challenge each month, just for subscribers to use their kits. This month the theme is "Spring into Organization." I racked my brain for a good project for this challenge and was just about to give up when my daughter came to me with a request to make her an idea book for her writing. She is in second grade and loves to write stories, but she likes to draw a picture first, then write her story. She also likes to be organized about it. When I found this tutorial, I knew I had the perfect solution: a Writer's Idea Box!

Here's the box, all closed up. Except for the kraft cs, which I like to use for boxes because it's very thick and sturdy, the cardstock and dp are from the March Key Ingredients kit. The Echo Park brad on the flower is also from the kit. The white stamp on the box, as well as the typewriter, are from the Vintage Dreamer stamp set. The "Idea Box" alphabet is Curlz, by Sizzix.

I used the Daisy Heads Spellbinders dies and the McGill Starburst punch to make the flower. The brad is by Echo Park and was part of the March Key Ingredient kit.

When the lid is removed, the front falls open and the contents are revealed. The mini gel pens are from Michael's dollar bin. You could easily store crayons, color pencils, mini markers, or chalk there instead.

I used the Sky's the Limit stamp set for the inside of the front flap. I haven't put anything on either side of the center yet, but will probably put writing reminders there, such as "Use all your senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch," and "Ask questions: who, what, when, where, why."

Here's a look at what's inside the box.

My DD specifically asked for something that she could use to draw on, so I made her this mini clipboard.

Back View

I glued together two thick, sturdy pieces of chipboard, then covered the back with the same cs that the box is made from and covered the front with a piece of dp from the This & That pad by Echo Park that was in my March Key Ingredients Kit.

Front View

I used scraps to decorate a small binder clip, and the solid borders at the top of the clipboard are pieces of cs from the Kit, also. I sponged Distress Ink along the edges of the clipboard and the "dream" stamp is from the Vintage Dreamer stamp set.

For writing her ideas and stories, I made 3" x 4" mini books out of regular notebook paper. The paper and kraft cs was cut 6" x 4", folded in half, and stapled along the center. For the covers, I typed up some labels in Word, printed them on white cs, then cut them with a Labels One die. By having a place for a Book #, my DD can number her drawings so she'll be able to match them up with the correct book later. The flower stamp in the corner is from the In the Park stamp set. 

The little pocket at the front of the box will hold 3 of these books, but I made eleven, because eight more can be stored comfortably behind the mini clipboard. I sponged Distress Ink along the edges of each label, using several different colors. All the flowers were colored with Copics and no two were colored alike.

This sentiment, from the In the Park stamp set was so perfect for a Writer's Idea Box set.

Besides the Taylored Expressions March Key Ingredients Challenge, I'll also be entering this into the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamps: Anything Goes

Lily Pad Flower Challenge

Lily Pad Virginia's View Challenge

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I appreciate each and every visitor and I love reading your comments! You all are the best!

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: Vintage Dreamer, In the Park, Sky's the Limit (Taylored Expressions); Antique Typewriter Alphabet (Image Tree)
Paper: This & That (Echo Park); Pomegranate cs (Taylored Expressions); kraft cs
Ink: Colorbox; Memento; Distress Ink; Copic markers
Dies: Daisy Heads, Labels One (Spellbinders); Curlz Alphabet (Sizzix)
Accessories: Starburst punch (McGill); ribbon (Taylored Expressions); brad (Echo Park); copy paper; notebook paper; stapler; binder clip; chipboard; mini pens
Size: Box closed: 6" x 5" x 2"; mini book: 3" x 4"; mini clipboard: 4.25" x 5.5"

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #139: Hippity Hoppity

Hello Friends! With Easter coming up fast, I thought I'd use an Easter theme for my Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #139 card. My Creative Classroom is sponsoring the challenge this week. They have on-line arts & crafts courses--and a few are even free!

Jessica George came up with a fun sketch for us this week! 

The stamp set I used is called "Hippity Hoppity," from Our Craft Lounge. Aren't they adorable. There's also a bunny in that set, as well as a few more sentiments. Here's a close up of the three images I used today:

I colored the frog with Copics, then added Stickles for a glittery egg, and Sparkly Fluff on his bunny ears. I'm not sure you can see it in this photo, but I used Glossy Accents on his eyes, too.

I colored the basket with Copics and added some glittery eggs with Stickles.

This little guy is colored with Copics, and I gave him a snazzy, sparkly shell with Stickles.

On the inside of  the card, I glued the strip of dp, that was left over from the front, across the middle of the inside of the card. The sentiment panel is a Curved Rectangle Nestie. I stamped the carrots in a tangerine Memento ink and colored them with Copics. I used a green Sharpie to draw the sprigs on top of them. Wild Honey Distress Ink is sponged along the edges (inside the die).

Be sure to head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see all the yummy goodness the rest of the DT has to share with you, then create your own interpretation of the sketch and link up for a chance to win! I can't wait to see what you create!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday 209: Anything Goes

Do You Stack Up #64: Plaid

Flourishes Bring Back Beautiful BBB20: Beauty of Spring or Autumn

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday 162: Easter

Lily Pad: Stamps of Life Virginia's View photo inspiration

Lily Pad: Simon Says Stamp Flower Challenge

Moving Along with the Times Challenge 141: Easter Wishes

Our Craft Lounge 110: Spring Things

Simon Says Stamp: Bingo (Die cuts, lace, glitter)

Whimsy Stamps Challenge 31: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Hippity Hoppity (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Mango Frost Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Copic Markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Labels Two, Nested Lacey Pennants, Curved Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Lace (Joann); velvet ribbon (Fancy Pants Design); flower trim (Making Memories); flower brad; foam dots; Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Glossy Accents; Stickles; Corner Chomper.
Size: 6.5" x 4"

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #138: One In a Melon

Hello Friends! It's time for another awesome Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge (TMS138), and you are going to love this one. Our sponsor this week is The Stamping Boutique, and our own Kathy Curry has created a wonderful sketch, full of possibilities--no matter which way you turn this sketch it looks fab!

I turned it on it's side for a birthday card.

This card was so much fun to make--especially coloring that watermelon with my Copics. It's from the Wild for Watermelon stamp set from Flourishes. And, that scrap of red dp was not only the perfect watermelon color, it also has a "watermelonish" texture in the design. I used the out of the box technique to cut the oval around the watermelon and leave the leaf intact. I stamped the sentiment and some watermelon seeds on another oval and covered the seeds in Glossy Accents, then paper pierced that oval. The fork stamp is from the watermelon set, and I use a D'Vine Swirl embossing folder for the green cs.

After coloring the red part of the watermelon, I dampened a paper towel with colorless blender and laid it gently on it, creating a textured look, then I used Glossy Accents on the seeds.

The inside of the card was originally very basic, however...

...when applying the black Enamel Accent dots to the inside of the card, I got a blob in the upper left corner of the Labels One die cut. I tried to repair it, but soon realized I was making it worse, so I stamped the salt shaker from the same watermelon stamp set, put Glossy Accents on the "glass" and Stickles on the salt, then cut it out and glued it in the corner, and TaDa! No more blob!

To balance things, I stamped one of the watermelon slices, colored it, used the same paper towel technique here that I did on the front of the card, put Glossy Accents on the seeds and glued it in the opposite corner. The green dots behind the salt and slice are from the In Flight stamp set from Our Craft Lounge. The Happy Birthday sentiment is from the Say It Big stamp set, also from Our Craft Lounge.

That's it for my card. But, you can head on over to Tuesday Morning Sketches for more inspiration from the rest of the DT. All the details of the sketch challenge are there.

I can't wait to see what you create!!!

I'll be playing along with these challenges too:
Crazy 4 Challenges 128 (C4C128): Use Green
Do You Stack Up Challenge #63: use your Favorite Color (mine is GREEN!)
Cute Card Thursday Challenge 208: Happy Birthday
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: A Bit O' Green: Use Green
Whimsy Stamps Challenge 30: Emboss It! Wet or Dry Embossing

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Have a wonderful day!

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: Wild for Watermelon (Flourishes); In Flight, Say It Big (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Best of K&Co; Que Sera Sera (K&Co); Origins Paper Pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Copic Markers
Dies: Classic Ovals Lg, Labels One (Spellbinders)
Accessories: D'Vine Swirls embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Michaels); pearls; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Enamel Accents; paper piercer
Size: 5.5" square

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Mother's Day Butterfly

Hi there, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I watched my DD climb her first rock wall--a scary adventure for both of us--but she not only did it, she did it twice! I can tell you, I was one proud mama, watching her.

As for cards, I've been working on some projects for future posts, but I took a little time out to make one for fun, and for a few challenges:



Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge: VLVMar2012 Week2
Crazy4Challenges C4C128: use green
Do You Stack Up DYSU63: use your favorite color
Moving Along With the Times #140: Special Lady
Simon Says Stamp: A Bit O' Green

For the sentiment circle, I stamped the sentiment, then the small butterflies, and added Stickles to the butterflies. The pink and white dots are Liquid Pearls. Can you see the small pink flowers stamped on the pink cs? I stamped those in VersaMark ink to get just a hint of design. I didn't want it overpowering the sentiment. The flower stamp came from the Prickley Pear Mini Birds Clear Stamp set.

I used the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp Butterfly 2 Clear Stamp Set for the sentiment, small butterflies, and large music butterfly. The small butterflies are covered in Stickles. The large butterfly was stamped with Memento ink, then I used Distress Inks to color it, and I spritzed it with Shimmer Spritz for just a little bit of shine. The edges of the butterfly were sponged with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. For the body of the butterfly, I used a gold Pearl Pen. After it was dry, I folded the curved the edges of the wings down a little bit, added a foam dot to the back of each wing, then glued the body to the card and popped the wings up.

The sentiment on the inside of the card is a Quietfire design. The pink flourish and butterflies are from the Butterfly 2 stamp set.

And, that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Butterflies 2 Clear Stamps, Mini Birds Clear Stamps (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps); A Mother is She (Quietfire)
Paper: This & That (Echo Park); Mariposa Matstack (DCWV)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Colorbox
Dies: Floral Doily Motif (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Textile Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug); mini round gems (Recollections); flower (Recollections); foam dots; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; Pearl Pen; Shimmer Spritz; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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PPRS March 2012 Sketch Challenge: In Dreams

Hi Friends! It's Prickley Pear time! Want to have a chance to win a $15 gift certificate to the Prickley Pear store? Okay! All you have to do is make a card based on this sketch, link it to the PPRS blog post by the end of the month, and you're in the running!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I used a lot of green in my take on this sketch:

Be sure to stop by the PPRS blog to be inspired by what the rest of the Design Team has to share with you, then create your own card and link it to the PPRS blog post. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful day!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Owl with Bird, In Dreams (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Origins (Basic Grey); vellum
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink
Dies: Big Scalloped Ovals, Classic Ovals (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Offray); faceted gems; sewing thread; Glossy Accents; Liquid Pearls
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #137: Lavender Birthday

Hi Blog Friends! Here we are back at Tuesday again, and time for another Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge (TMS#137). This week, Jessica, of There She Goes Stamps, is sponsoring us, and it's also the Judged Challenge, so the added twist is: Monochromatic. 




Check out Melissa's sketch:

And, here's my interpretation:

I stamped the sentiment and cake image with Colorbox ink and set it with my heat gun before coloring with Copics. This card is for my daughter to give to a friend for her birthday, and my DD's one request was that I use a lot of Stickles, so I've used it on the cake and the two little candles in the sentiment to give the card a little sparkle. I wanted to add "pearls," but I think something is wrong with my Violet Pearl Pen. The dark purple dots on the small squares are the Pearl Pen. They wouldn't retain a pearl shape at all--just flattened completely out. I noticed while using it that it was very thin. Guess that one may never work right.

I loaded up the inside with more Stickles, but left most of it clean so my DD can sign it. 

If you'd like to enter two challenges at once, the current TSG challenge is a "Surprise" challenge, which means simply to add a surprising element to your card.  This could be a hidden message or pop up.  If you really stretch your imaginations - this card could really hit that WOW Factor.

Ready to play?  Good!  Because we're ready to see what you do with this.  Have fun and don't forget to go to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog and link up your creation and leave some love for the team.  Be sure that if you want love left for you to turn off word verification.  And, if you do decide to add the TSG challenge go on over to the TSG blog to link up there, too.

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Topsy Turvy Cakes (Just Rite)
Paper: Watercolor Bouquet (K&Co)
Ink: Colorbox; Distress Ink; Copic Markers
Dies: Classic Ovals Lg, Classic Scalloped Ovals Lg, Fancy Tags Three (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Dots, Circles & Stars embossing folder (Sizzix); Offray ribbon; metal flowers; Stickles; Pearl Pen; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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