Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts

Paper Sweeties April Release Rewind!

Thursday, April 16, 2015

It's Release Rewind time at Paper Sweeties, when we showcase the new releases paired with previously released stamps. I can't decide if this is a difficult task or an easy one for me, because you could easily pair any of the Paper Sweeties stamp sets and come up with a fab card, so narrowing down which ones to use can be a dilemma!
I used both the new release sets, Tree of Life and Tree of Life Add-On: Spring, along with four other sets to make my card: Sophie, I Pick You, Spring is Here, and Feel Better Soon. Sophie's shirt and shoes came from the Feel Better Soon set. I just trimmed off the bottom of the dress to make a shirt. The shorts and frog are from the I Pick You set (that little frog just cracks me up!), where I lopped off the overalls to make a pair of shorts, and the sentiment came from the Spring is Here set. I created the background by tearing a piece of paper to use as a mask and sponging Mowed Lawn Distress Ink on the bottom of the cardstock and Broken China ink on the top. Sophie is colored with Copics. I added more detail to her eyes and I'm trying to learn to color cheeks with a little more dimension. ;)

This is a good card for someone with an April birthday. I created the inside sentiment on Word, printed it in reverse onto a transparency, then rubbed it onto the cardstock.

My Teamies are all so talented! Be sure to check out their Rewind creations, too!


And, remember, for a chance to win a gift certificate from Paper Sweeties, just enter the April Inspiration Challenge--Hoppy Easter.

papersweeties-inspiration#30

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Sweet week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Make Your Own Background
Sugar Pea Designs SPD14: Celebrate Spring
Corrosive Challenge #222: Floral Fantasy
Fresh Brewed Challenge April 15-21: Birthdays
Tiddly Inks #155: Springs In!
Kit & Clowder April Challenge: Flowers

~Hugs,

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Paper Sweeties April Release Sneak Peeks!

Monday, April 13, 2015

Hi Friends! I've been MIA for a couple of weeks, having the best time learning new ways to bind books! I'll tell you more about it later this week, and I'll have pics! In the meantime, we've got new releases at Paper Sweeties, and you are going to love them! Here's a sneak peek...
I used the new Tree of Life stamp set for the sentiment, and to heat emboss the white tree, and added lots of green leaves with the new Tree of Life Add-On: Spring stamp set. Because the tree and leaf stamp are separate these stamp sets are very versatile. I'm already envisioning the tree on a Halloween card in the fall! But, wait, there's more! See the three hearts hanging from the branch and that sweet little blue bird? They are part of the Tree of Life Add-On: Spring set, too, and I used the coordinating Tree of Life Add-On: Spring Sweet Cuts die set to cut them out! The Add-On stamp set has more than a dozen stamps to embellish the tree, and there is actually a matching die for every single one of them! The Tree of Life stamp set has a matching die set, too!!! See...I told you that you were going to love these!
I did a little decorating on the inside, but left it blank until I know who I will give it to.

I'll be back with another card tomorrow featuring the new releases, but for now, you'll want to check out what the rest of my talented Teamies have created for this month's release:


Have you played in the Paper Sweeties Hoppy Easter Challenge yet? You have until the end of the month--plenty of time to create something! Easter has already come and gone, but the colors in this month's challenge are perfect for any springtime or new baby creation. I hope you'll play along. You might even win a gift certificate for a shopping spree and a Guest Designer spot!


papersweeties-inspiration#30


Thanks for stopping by, and have a Sweet day!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve April 2015 Week 1 Sketch Challenge
613 Avenue Create #119: Anything Goes w/Optional Twist: (A2 card, Thinking of You, Sequins)
Sugar Pea Challenge SPD14: Celebrate Spring
The Cat's Pajamas TCPTues287 Challenge: Anything Goes
Paper Issues Challenge: Eggs-cellent Add-ventures with 17turtles

~Hugs,

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Paper Sweeties March Release Countdown!

Saturday, March 14, 2015

I'm back with another Paper Sweeties card for the March Release Countdown! I used the new I Pick You stamp set to give Abigail a little flower garden.
I colored the flowers, butterflies, basket and Abigail images with Copics, cut Abigail out with her very own Sweet Cuts die, and fussy cut the other images. I gave Abigail some plaid overalls with paper from a Little Yellow Bicycle paper pad, and fancied them up with a pretty Creamsicle sequin. Liquid Pearls accent the centers of the flowers. I colored each of the butterflies differently, then added white paint pen to one, and Stickles to the other two. To keep their wings raised, I used a little bit of transparent Pearl Pen under each one. The sentiment is heat embossed with white embossing powder.
A couple more flowers and a butterfly brighten up the white panel inside.

Be sure to check out the awesome creations from the rest of the Design Team for more inspiration:

Cheryl Lea (you are here)
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jill Norwood 


What's New


See you tomorrow for the Paper Sweeties March Release Party

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: B is for... (Blue)
613 Avenue Create Challenge #114: Anything Goes
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge #86: For a Child
Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge: March 11-17--Flowers

~Hugs,

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Paper Sweeties March Release Sneak Peeks!

Friday, March 13, 2015

Hello Friends! It's Friday, the 13th! And, what does that mean? Well, what else...it's time for the March Sneak Peeks at Paper Sweeties! Yay!!! You're going to love this month's release. As soon as I saw the Sweet Cuts Stitched Tags #1 dies, I knew I was going to have to use them immediately!
After cutting three tags from designer paper, I heat embossed Easter and Spring sentiments from the Jelly Bean Time stamp set onto two of the tags, and on the third tag, I added a fussy cut basket from the new I Pick You stamp set and filled it with eggs from the Bloom & Grow stamp set. Three different trims are tied to the tags, with a Cotton Candy Twine bow added to the bottom tag. Finally, I added several clear sequins from the Sweetheart Mix Sequins, and one of the pink ones to the basket.

Just behind the tags, using a stencil and molding paste, I added a Harlequin design to a piece of kraft cardstock, then spritzed it with several colors of Dylusions Ink Spray. After everything dried, I sanded the stenciled area to tone down the colors a bit, and added white paint to the torn edges, and a bit of wonky sewing around the edges, also. Behind that, is a white layer, embossed with a chicken wire design, and accented with Brushed Corduroy ink.

To leave a smooth area for personalization on the inside, I used an embossing diffuser with the chicken wire embossing folder, then stamped a sentiment from Jelly Bean Time and a sweet little butterfly from the new I Pick You stamp set.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Paper Sweeties Design Team for more inspiration:

Cheryl Lea (you are here)
Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jill Norwood 




Thanks for stopping by!  Come back tomorrow for another sneak peek of the I Pick You stamp set! It's a real cutie!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #259: Use any previous SSSC sketch (I used #248)
Your Next Stamp Color Challenge #9
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: B is for... (Basket)
613 Avenue Create Challenge #114: Anything Goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #113: Flower and Ribbon or Trim
Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge: March 11-17--Flowers

~Hugs,

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Bunny in the Grass

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Hello there! Are you all decked out in your Sunday best for church, headed out for an Easter Egg Hunt, or getting ready for a family gathering? Maybe all three??? Or, are you still in your jammies, spending the day on the couch, totally taking it easy? However you celebrate Easter, I hope it is a happy day for you and yours!

I've got a couple of Easter/Spring cards to share, in honor of the day and the season...
Isn't that little bunny the cutest? It's a Serendipity die, and I cut it from white cs, then painted the body with gold metallic paint and colored the flowers with Copic markers and a clear Wink of Stella pen. I actually had to color the flowers twice because I couldn't keep up with all the little petals the first time. To make it easier on the second attempt, I die cut the bunny, but before I removed any of the flowers from the die cut, I covered the back of the bunny with removable tape then pushed all the petals out from the front so that they stayed stuck on the tape. After coloring them, I just laid the painted body of the bunny back over the flowers, pressed them in place, and removed the temporary tape, replacing it with permanent tape so the petals wouldn't fall out. The eye was colored with a pink marker, then I used a black Spica pen to draw in the black pupil and coated it with Glossy Accents. The grass was cut from white cs and colored with Copics, also. The background was fun to make, and SO easy. Alcohol inks, glossy paper, a straw, and a little lung power was all it took. I left this card blank inside so I could use it as an any-occasion card.
This card is very similar to the first one, but I added a little more color on the background, and instead of coloring the flowers on the bunny, I filled them with a Pink and a Green Pearl Pen instead. They remind me of the little candy flowers that are on chocolate bunnies sometimes. This bunny took me a very long time to make because I had trouble getting the Pearl Pen to cooperate. It was a little runny and wanted to flatten out. So, I ended up really gooping (is that a real word???) my Pearl Pen on the petals, then, while they were still wet, I added 5 or 6 layers of the bunny's body over them. That way, the petals didn't run all over the place--no smearing! In real life, there are so many layers now, the bunny looks more like a wooden bunny!
This was my DD's Easter card this year, so I added the Easter sentiment to a white panel, then used the negative die cut from the front of the card as a frame for it.

This alcohol ink technique is so easy, I plan to make several more--probably a card set in the near future!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Easter!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Paper Issues: Pitch Perfect (incorporated a "lawn")

~Hugs,

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Happy Spring!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Happy Spring!!! I don't know about you, but I have been ready for Spring for a long time! Now we just need some warm spring weather to coordinate with the calendar! :)
 


For this card, I used the Viva la Verve March 2014 Week 1 Sketch, as well as the colors from the color portion of the same challenge. As usual for me, I turned the sketch sideways, and in place of the 3 fishtail banners, I used a branch die cut.

I also added a warm gold color into the color palette, as I'm wishing for warm spring days to hurry up and get here!



I first stamped the nest image in Desert Sand Memento Ink, then roughly colored it with Inktense pencils. With a paintbrush and water, I blended the color. After it dried, I inked the stamp up again with Espresso Truffle Memento Ink and stamped over the colored image. Since I stamped the image in such a light color originally, the lines disappeared in the Inktense coloring, and I didn't have to worry about lining up the stamp perfectly the second time. I used Prismacolor pencils to add subtle shading, and a Spica Atyou clear pen for shimmer on the leaves and eggs. For the frame, I used the Medallion Two D-Lites die set and cut 4 frames, layering them to give it some lift, then I die cut the colored image with just the outer die so it would fit behind the ornate die cuts. For the branch, I cut it once in brown cs, and once in a green dp, which I shaded with Peeled Paint Distress Ink and a Spica Atyou clear pen. I trimmed all the leaves off the green die cut and glued them to the brown one. The sentiment is stamped on an oval die cut, and I sponged Scattered Straw inside the die before removing the cs. I hand cut the oval behind it. On the card base, I put 1/4" Scor-Tape on the top and bottom edges, then coated them with white glitter. I did some sewing on the background dp, then glued it to the card base and added all the other elements, including a little bow on the sentiment oval, and a few Swarovski crystals.
On the inside, I sponged a Labels 28 die cut with Scattered Straw Distress Ink, then stamped the floral image and sentiment in Memento inks and added light color to the image with Prismacolor pencils.

I can almost hear the birds chirping! ;)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

~Hugs,
 
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Timeless Tuesday #262: It's a WASH!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014


Happy, Happy Tuesday! Aaannnnd, we're back...with another Timeless Tuesday Challenge!
Deborah is our hostess this week, and she has challenged us to get out those rolls of Washi tape and actually use them! I don't know about you, but I rarely use Washi tape. They are in a drawer, so I often forget I have them, but even when I do remember, I have a hard time figuring out where to use them. So, this was a real challenge for me. But, I persevered, and before I knew it, I was a Happy Camper!!! ;)

This card is not my usual style. I love fun, bright colors, but I don't use them in large doses in my cards very often. But, I recently got some Gelatos and wanted to give them a try, and since they are all bright colors, that's what I went with. :) I used the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch #166 for my layout. The bright bg paper is my first attempt with Gelatos. I just scribbled a few colors from the MFT Color Palette Challenge #3 (had to use pink and blue to make the purple color since there isn't a purple in the Gelato set I have) onto a piece of textured watercolor paper then used a paint brush and water to blend them. After it dried, I mixed some gesso and water and did a little dripping and dropping with a water dropper. For the image, I first used the S'More Fun Silhouette Cut File to cut out the camper and that cute little banner, stamped the images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored them with Copics. All those gold areas on the camper are meant to look like rust, but I'm not sure it comes across that way. ;) The vellum circle behind the image was dry embossed with a blueprint embossing folder, and the sentiment was heat embossed with black ep. The kraft strip in the center of the card has a piece of Washi tape on it. 

I almost didn't even show the inside of this card, it's so plain. But, I thought I'd show an easy way to spruce up the inside with hardly any effort at all. The strips of color on the top and bottom of the white die cut are simply from the die cut negative that was left over after cutting the bg for the front of the card. All I had to do was distress the edges with Distress Ink to match the front of the card, then glue them onto the white panel and trip the excess. Barely any waste at all, and it took all of 2 minutes to finish the inside.

So, now that it's your turn, I hope you'll play along! I can't wait to see how everyone takes on this challenge! I'm hoping to get inspired on new ways to use Washi tape!!! For the challenge, you don't have to use Flourishes stamps, but if you do, you get two ballots toward the weekly prize! You can find all the details for the challenge here.

Also, take a moment to be inspired by all our designers' blogs, and be sure to leave some love for them, too! :)
~Hugs,

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Song In My Heart

Monday, March 10, 2014

We had upper 70s weather here today! YAY! I think Spring may finally be here! And the card I have today feels like Spring, too. 
I am having a heck of a time getting my cards posted in time for challenges lately! So, I'm going to be short and sweet before I miss another one! :)The challenge I missed this time is Mojo Monday--one of my favs! :( I used the Mojo Monday 335 sketch for this card. It's a great sketch, even if I did miss the challenge! The birdhouse and music note dies that I used, and the sentiment, are from The Cat's Pajamas (I recently won a Cat Cash Code from TCP--Thanks, Alma!). The tag is a Verve die. For the birdhouse and the note, I cut each one 5 times, layering the die cuts to make them more dimensional. I put Glossy Accents inside the heart on the birdhouse, and used a Wink of Stella pen on the note and the little gingham heart on the sentiment. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
TCP Tuesday #259: "March" to the Beat of a Different Drummer
Verve Spring Has Sprung March 2014 Inspiration Challenge
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Tag It
613 Avenue Create Challenge #62: Anything Goes
Freshly Brewed Challenge March 2014: Choose Your Challenge
Paper Issues Challenge: Tip-Toe Through the Tu-Lips

~Hugs,

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Groovy!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Happy Saturday! I needed a light, cheery card today, so I went way out of my comfort zone, and used colors that are borderline pastel.
The layout is from the Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 2 sketch, and the stamps are from Verve. I stamped the Verve flowers, which are two-step stamps, with Memento inks, then shaded them with Prismacolor pencils. The white highlights are an acrylic marker (best white pen ever!), and it's hard to see in the picture, but I used several Atyou Spica pens to add sparkle. I stamped the top part of the sentiment in black, then inked up the bottom half with Angel Pink. "Groovy" is outlined with a Pitch Black Spica pen, and I went over the rest of the sentiment, too, for a little more groovy shine! ;)
I used a really sweet multi-patterned dp (Hello Spring by Little Yellow Bicycle--discontinued) for the bg on the inside of the card, and positioned the sentiment layers so that the cute scene at the top wasn't covered up. I was a little concerned about not having enough space under the sentiment to write anything personal, but the pink strip on the bottom would work for that, too, so it's cool. ;)

I hope "you make everything Groovy" this weekend, you "Wild Thing!"


I know, I just dated myself. ;~D

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve February 2014 Week 2 Sketch Challenge
TCP Tuesday: Spring Time
613 Avenue Create: Anything Goes
Paper Issues Challenge: Color by the Numbers
Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Cozy Quilt

~Hugs,
 
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Kitchen Sponge Flower & Altered Journal

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Hi Friends! I hope you had a great week! Can you believe it's already spring? It had started getting nice and warm here last week, so I packed up my DD's winter clothes, and suddenly it's cold again! Brrrrr! I'm ready for some heat! :) Pining for warmer weather got me in the mood to create something bright and cheery--spring-like.



I saw today that Tim Holtz was having a Tattered Floral Challenge, and since I actually have that die, I decided to see what I could come up with. I wanted to try something different, so I got out a new kitchen sponge and ran it through my Big Shot with the Tattered Floral die. It came out squished flat, but after I colored it with Distress Inks I spritzed it with water which intensified the ink colors and made the flower/sponge expand. The burlap flowers were originally ivory. They were colored with Dylusions Ink Sprays. The entire flower is held together with a large jeweled brad.

I used the Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 4 Challenge sketch for my layout. The main sentiment is a Verve stamp, and the Artist and Voyage stamps are from Stamper's Anonymous. They are all embossed with brown ep.

I added some flourishes, which I adorned with Stickles, and a couple of clay embellishments, which I first sprayed with glossy paint.

Since Washi tape is translucent, and the spine was originally black, I sprayed the spine with white primer before I started adhering things to the book. After decorating the covers (I covered the back of the book with one of the dp's that I used on the front cover), I used several different Washi tapes to cover the spine.
Here's a look at the back.

That's all there was to it. I love how it turned out--especially my sponge flower. You'll be seeing sponges in another project again soon, I'm sure! ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic weekend!

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Challenge
Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 4 Challenge (VLVMar2013)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Easter/Spring
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Water
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #212: Bring On Spring (FTTC212)

~Hugs,

 
Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve); Classics #1 (Stamper's Anonymous); Vintage Traveler, Under Lock & Key (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Que Sera Sera (K&Co); Summer Song (My Mind's Eye); Glitter cs (Studio 18)
Ink: Distress Ink; Versamark; Dylusions Ink Spray
Dies: Tattered Florals, Elegant Flourishes (Tim Holtz/Sizzix)
Accessories: Edge punch (Recollections); Zing embossing powder; Corner Chomper; kitchen sponge; brad; Washi tape; rhinestones; sewing thread; Pearl Pen; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; burlap; clay embellishments; spray paint (for clay embellies); composition book
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Our Craft Lounge--April Artist of the Month: Spring Up

Monday, April 9, 2012

Hello, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with family, worship, good food, and relaxing fun! If you have a little one, I'm guessing that the Easter Bunny made a visit to your house, too. He certainly made his annual stop to our house, to the delight of my DD. She has always loved the Easter Bunny.  We might miss getting a Santa photo on occasion, but we always make a trip to see the Big Bunny! So fun!

I'm back for Week 2 as Our Craft Lounge's April Artist of the Month, and the card I want to share with you today is an Easter card, featuring the cutest little bunny. He's from the stamp set, Hoppin' Into Spring.
To make this card, I first stamped the bunny, then masked him off before stamping the garden at his feet. Don't you just love his little coat? He reminds me of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit.



I used my Copics to color everything, then masked the bunny and garden, hand drew a couple of cloud masks, then used my Copic airbrush to color the sky and ground. When I colored the sky, I used the blunt end of my Copic for a smooth finish. For the ground, I used the brush end of the marker to get a stippled look. I used a gold Pearl Pen to add a button to the jacket, and gave the eggs some sparkle with Stickles. I used a Scoring Board to score lines close to the edges of the image layer. Thanks, Shannon, for that fantastic idea!


For the "dirt," I used Brown Sugar Sparkly Fluff, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite products. I love that it completely covers whatever it is on, and it has just enough glitter to liven up your image without overpowering it. Plus, it is SO soft. I just ordered most of the colors and can't wait to find fun ways to use them!

The purple embellishment on my twine bow is another clay embellishment that I made. I made the mold from a Tim Holtz button. I used white clay, painted it with acrylic paint, then brushed just a little Distress Ink Reinker over that. After it dried, I used my gold calligraphy pen to add a few highlights, then I coated it in a satin gloss finish. It is hot glued on top of the bow.

The sentiment on the inside of the card is from the same stamp set. I added the lines under "you" with a black marker. 

The Hoppin' Into Spring stamp set is great for an Easter card, but one of the things I love about it is that it is really versatile. It includes a spring sentiment about dirt, several gardening images, and an adorable image of the bunny upside down in a watering can. Plus, if you make the eggs white or brown, or even add tiny dimensional flowers over the eggs in the basket, the image I used today could be used anytime, not just for Easter.

Well, that's all for me today. If you're not already a follower of the Our Craft Lounge Blog, you should check it out. They have fun challenges and the Design Team is super talented. And, you can see all the wonderful stamp sets and Sparkly Fluff colors here.

I'll also be entering this card in the Little Darlings Challenge 20: Outside.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with a new Tuesday Morning Sketches card. Hope to see you then. 

~Hugs,
 
Stamps: Hoppin' Into Spring (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Abrianna (K&Co)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Labels Thirteen (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Twine (The Twinery); Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Pearl Pen; Enamel Accents; Liquid Pearls; Stickles; handmade clay embellishment
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")
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