Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A Bit of Creative

At last, a beautiful, sunshiny day. Snow is melting like crazy, temp might even get up into those warm temps. And while it still looks like winter outside, with many huge piles around the yard, my African Violets know it is spring. Just look at their happy faces!



 I really need to start that spring house cleaning-like washing walls, windows, rugs, etc. But we are still needing fires in the wood stove, and I really like to wait until we are through with that. Hmmm, maybe tomorrow I will make a start. We'll see............

Today I have a card using the Sweet Sunday Sketch #182, and mostly Stampin' Up products. The only items not SU are the marker I used to color the butterfly's body, the white cardstock the flower is stamped on and the Classic Circle Spellbinder used to cut out the flower, oh, and the image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.... because my SU black pad is lost in that black hole in my craft room (I really need to clean THERE!!!)


I colored the flower (from SU Creative Elements) using Rich Razzleberry ink and a blender pen. This is my first attempt at this technique, and I think I need a bit more practice ^.^  I inked the 'Just Thinking' image with Rich Razzleberry ink and cut it out with the 'Window Frames' die. Papers used are SU Polka Dot Parade, and Cottage Wall DP, and Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White and Old Olive Cardstock. I sponged Rich Razzleberry ink around the flower circle with a sponge. The sentiment (SU Fabulous Phrases) is stamped with Old Olive. I had to add the butterfly because I messed up the first stamping of the sentiment. The butterfly (SU Creative Elements) is stamped on a scrap of white shimmer CS with Summer Starfruit ink., and I colored the body with a brown marker. Finished with 2 SU white pearls.


Monday, April 22, 2013

Hydrangea B-Day

Happy Gloomy Spring Day, Um, I mean Happy Earth Day! If we could see the earth-dirt that is. A few bare spots, but still lots of snow. At least I can see over my snowbanks to pull out of my driveway again! And there is snow in the forecast again.


Today's card is for the Sweet Stop Sketch challenge #207.    
 

 I am again working with the K&Co. Hydrangea stickers. They are so pretty-and I have had them forever. Have to get them used up:) The patterned papers are from a retired Stampin' Up pack, but I don't know the name of the pack. The card base is SU, I think it is Bashfull Blue. The green cardstock for the focal point is from DCWV, cut  with Spellbinders Curved Rectangles. The sentiment is from Sweet N Sassy Stamps 'Happy Birthday' set, stamped with SU Old Olive, sprinkled with Clear Embossing powder and heat set. Added 3 Basic Grey green rhinestones for balance.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

FTL Clean & Simple

First of all, my prayers go out to all those affected by the tragic bombing in Boston yesterday.  Such senseless acts are just mind boggling. I pray that whoever is responsible for this cowardly act is located and dealt with. May you find God's peace through all of this.
My card today is for the Clean & Simple Sketch Challenge #235

 

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 For my background I used  the dragon fly  design papers from the K&Co. Botanical pad, mounted on a piece of SU Marina Mist. For the focal image I finally inked up one of the double flower stamps from Verve's 'Budding Blossoms' stamp set. I've had this set forever and had only used one of the flowers from it. I think I need to use it more. Love this little flower. I inked it up with Versa Color Lapis Lazuli ink and stamped on a scrap of SU Whisper White. I filled in the flower with Copics B000 &  B00. I stamped the leaves and stems with Versa Magic Tea Leaves. I added lines to the leaves with Copic G99, and a slight shadow areound the flower image with Copic C0. I cut the sides of the image and mat (SU Always Artichoke) with Spellbinders long deck
led rectangles. I used a scrap of SU old olive card for the sentiment, stamped in Versa Magic Hint of Pesto. Added the little dragonfly sticker to finish it off.


Monday, April 15, 2013

Birthday Mash-Up

Hi all, Sorry for not posting again for awhile. Was busy with 'life', then hubby went in hospital for 'out patient' surgery and was there 5 days (He apparently can't handle the anesthesia either). So on the road back and forth to town and the hospital all last week. He is home now and all is pretty much back to normal. He is out at the 'sugar bush' today helping our daughter & her husband make  Maple syrup, collecting the sap and feeding the fire!

This card is made using the challenge over at the 'Friday Mash Up' Challenge #105. This week's challenge is:
  1. Create a project using the "Sketch".
  2. Create a "Birthday" project.
  3. Or Mash it Up and create a "Birthday project using the Sketch".




 

I have been working on a batch of cards for Operation Write Home using K&Co. Susan Winget Botanicals 12 x 12 papers and a bunch of stickers that match. In sorting through all the stuff in my project basket I came across this flower image I had colored some time ago, but never used. It just went soooo well with this scrap of the K&Co paper, I had to sneak it into a card (so the stickers wouldn't be jealous, ya know?). The daisy image is from 'Enjoy every Moment' by Close to My Heart. I stamped it in Black Staz-on on white smoothy cardstock and colored it with Prisma Colored pencils and mineral spirits.
I cut out the flower image with Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles #3 (from smallest), and sponged Memento Pistachio Ink while it was still in the die. I used the Resplendent Rectangles #4 to cut the mat from Bazzil Purple cardstock. I mounted it to the card with foam dimensionals. The sentiment is from Sweet 'n Sassy's Happy Birthdays set. I stamped it on a scrap of white with the Memento Pistachio ink and fish-tailed the ends with my 1" square punch. I tied a double length of SU Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine around the die cut, slipping it through the slots in the mat. I love the soft colors of the K&C design papers. This card will go into my own stash as in order to make the sketch work for me I had to make a bigger card, and not an A2 that OWH requests. Enjoy, and please leave a comment. Feed back is always appreciated!



Here are some pics of some of the cards I will be sending off to OWH in the near future.

        


    




Tuesday, April 2, 2013

More Botanicals

Quick post this morning-have to run off to Prayer Shawl Circle meeting.




Made this card with sketch #111 from Try Stampin' on Tuesday. Just some DP from K&Co. Botanicals pad, some Stampin' Up Always Artichoke cardstock, and Co-ordinations Color core purple cardstock and a scrap of white. Used a K&Co. sticker as the focal and mounted it on a piece of Always Artichoke cut with Spellbinders Labels one, and then mounted that on white cut with SB Decorative Labels One. Cut a strip of the purple with Martha Stewart Cherish border punch. I distressed the edges of the Design paper. This will go in my box for OWH, so no sentiment. Then it can be used however the soldiers would like.
Happy Day!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Pretty flutterby

Quick post today. This card is for the Flutterby Wednesday Challenge #233, to use Blue, Green and Yellow, and of course have  a butterfly or fairy!



Still lovin' the Graphic 45 Secret Garden. Such wonderful designs and colors.
Stamped Our Daily Bread Ironwords borders in Momento Bamboo Leaves on ivory cardstock, then cut it out with Spellbinders Deckled rectangles. I cut a scrap of navy cardstock with Spellbinders Scalloped rectangles for the mat. Used 2 of the Secret Garden green prints for the background. Cut the scalloped border from a piece of the yellow DP with Martha Stewart Deco Shells border punch. Butterfly is  from the same yellow DP with SU Bitty Butterfly and Elegant butterfly punches, shaped around a pencil and layered, then yellow rhinestones for the body. Added the K&Co. Hydrangea sticker, and some square Basic Grey green rhinestones to finish it off.  Enjoy!