Saturday, May 29, 2010

Sketch Challenge at PCP


Karen's Doodles has had a very busy week! Our new store launched - along with 30 of Karen's designs in red rubber! Another fun thing happening is that Karen is sponsoring the sketch challenge at PCP. So here is yet another way to win some adorable KD's images!

I really love how this card turned out! I used What a Catch. It was a great sketch, and I hope that you will play along with us.

Challenges:
PCP Sketch Challenges - sketch
One Stitch at a Time- Furry Friends
Opus Gluei - Seasonal Icons
Cricut Cardz - brads (I cut the baseball and pennant with my cricut)
Delightful Sketches - texture
Creative Inspirations - distressed
Cuttlebug challenges - pennant
Quixotic - embossing
Charisma Cardz - Going Round in Circles
Crafty Catz - Boys are Back
S2G - masculine

My Guest Designer card for Delightgul Sketches

I was so honored to be asked to be the guest designer for Delightful Sketches this week! The whole team is always friendly and inspiring.

I chose to make a joy fold card using the Scotland Fiona set. Growing up, I had a neighbor named Fiona, whose father was Scottish. Maybe that was part of the reason I was drawn to this set.


Card Recipe:
Digital Stamps: Scotland Fiona
Acrylic stamps: Sentiments - CTMH
Papers: Dream Streets - Mairzy Doats, SEI velvet paper
Medium: copics, stickles
Ribbon - Organza from Really Reasonable Ribbon
Embellishments: felt - CTMH; crocheted flower, Bohemian' stitched brad

Challenges:
One Stitch at a Time - Furry Friends
Practical Scrappers - felt
Opus Gluei - Seasonal Icons
Crafty Cardmakers - Inside Out
Sketch and Stash - sketch
Digital Tuesday - cute people
Delightful Sketches - texture

No more pencils, No more books....


Are you ready for school to be out? Summer is almost here - yay! I have really enjoyed seeing the wonderful creations that the other Beary Scrappy gals have shared with you all week, but it has also struck panic in my heart, because I was absolutely stumped with the theme this week of No More Pencils, No More Books.

I finally decided to use Cheerleader Hilda the Hippo from Motivet. My thought was all of the kids (and teachers) will be cheering that school's out. I thought how cute it would be to cover her pom-poms with flower-soft to make them nice and fluffy. The problem is, when I finished, it looked like she was holding two small shrubs.

So here is the new story for Hilda:

Hilda had always been such a good student- straight A's, class president, even captain of the cheerleaders, but even prize pupils go a bit crazy when it comes time for senior pranks. Upon a dare from the other cheerleaders, Hilda snuck out of class, went outside, and right there, in front of the principal's window, dug up his prize rhododendrons, and took off running with the shrubbery. She didn't stop until she got to the local Wal-mart, where she sat down in the middle of the parking lot, and put up a sign "Plants for sale." She quickly sold the shrubs, and made enough money to buy pizzas for the whole cheerleading squad. She was never caught, but rumor has it, that no other flower has ever grown in that spot again.

Be sure to stop back on Monday to see what our new theme will be (and I promise, I won't write any more silly stories for you!)

Card Recipe:
Stamp: Motivet Cheerleading Hilda
Paper: Pink Paislee 365 Degrees, bazzill
Medium: Copics, Flower-soft
Embellishments: Basic Grey buttons, ribbon

Challenges:
Friday Sketchers - sketch
Inky Impressions - Distressing, stitching
Incy Wincy - button up

Friday, May 28, 2010

It's never too early to start working on Christmas cards!






I am a procrastinator, so perhaps it is a good thing that Flourishes is sponsoring a monthly Christmas card challenge (See it's the 28th of the month, and I'm just getting my entry in for the month!) Maybe this way, I will actually have some great cards ready in time to send out for Christmas.

I used the distress crackle paint in rock candy over my angel image that was colored with copics. After my crackle was dry, I rubbed distress inks over it, to really give it an antique patina.

So, is it too early to start wishing you a Merry Christmas?

Challenges:
Flourishes - sketch
Incy Wincy - button up
ABC - "V" vintage
Creative Inspirations - Distressed
Stampin Sisters in Christ - Distressed
Simon Says - Blue, green, brown
Charisma Cardz - Going Round in Circles
Colour Create - soft green, light aqua
Create 4 Fun - vintage
C.R.A.F.T. - blue and green
Opus Gluei - Seasonal Icons
Delightful Sketches - texture

Let him sleep...


Are you up for a fun challenge? Studio 313 Hotspot always has challenges that make you think. For the next two weeks, the challenge is to make a card that is inspired by one of the top 10 all-time best selling albums.

For my card, I used Studio 313's newest image, Sweet Baby Angel, and was inspired by the song Dream, from Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album. I think I was in about 4th grade when that album came out, and I remember blasting it all summer long.

What creative ways can you be inspired? Be sure to link your card up at the Hot Spot for a chance to win a fabulous prize!

Challenges:

CPS- sketch
Practical Scrappers - Felt, fabric or tulle
Digital Tuesday - cute people
Crafty Catz - the boys are back

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Life with You is Charming




Welcome to Thursday, and my day to share with you some inspiration using Really Reasonable Ribbons. I love all of the creative things you can do with this leaf ribbon. When I started looking at my stamps, I envisioned a flower vine twirling through the castle window. I stamped, colored and cut out my window, and added some dimensional dots behind it to raise it up, and wrapped the ribbon around the window frame. I added just a little Flower Soft along my vine, and voila! the perfect flower vine.




For the inside of the card I printed a sentiment from the computer, "Life with you is Charming", and cut it out using a Spellbinders ribbon tag.I then used the same regal light blue organza ribbon with gold accents that I used on the front of the card, to add some interest on the inside.



Do you want in on some really exciting news? RRR is going to be starting challenges with awesome prizes on June 1st! Please be sure to head to the RRR blog for details on how you could win some wonderful prizes!

Challenges:
Kraftin Kimmie - How Charming
Paper Sundaes - Favorite book or fairytale - Camelot or anything to do with King Arthur
Crafty Cardmakers - Inside out
Cupcake Craft Challenges- black, grey + 1 (blue)

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Sunshine and Apples



Today, I am so happy to share with you a card made using Sunshine and Apples from Belles N Whistles. I live in the mountains of North Carolina, and apples are one of our main products. We have an Apple Festival every year at Labor Day - so this stamp just makes me smile!

I think I distressed this card every way possible - tearing, shredding, inking with distress inks, glimmer mist. I even distressed my ribbon that I used to make the flower, with ink and glimmer mist, to make it match my DP papers a little better. Don't forget to enter our DIY flower challenge at the BnW blog. You could win a $25 gift certificate to Belles N Whistles! How is that for a sweet prize?

Challenges:
Midnight Madness: Sketch
Stampin Sisters in Christ - Distressing
Sketchy Colors - Earth Colors
Stamptacular Sunday - Pearls and Swirls
Shabby Tea Room - Polka Dot Tea Party
Charisma Cardz - 3D
Pixie Dust - Add a pearl
Clearly I stamp - flowers
Create 4 Fun - vintage card
Flourishes - DIY flowers
Color Throwdown - color challenge
Creative Inspirations - distressed
Wild Flower Wednesday - distressed
ABC- "v" Vintage
Totally Gorjuss - Bling it on

Monday, May 24, 2010

Say So Long, Farewell to Cavities!



I'm a dental hygienist, so I may think this is funnier than you do! But the challenge at House Mouse this week was So Long, Farewell....what's a girl to do but use the stamps in her stash? So farewell to cavities! I have been wanting to use this stamp for quite awhile, and this just seemed like a funny way to use it. I colored the image with distress inks (this is the very first time I've tried that!)

The inside of the card says "Have a Toad-aly Terrific Day."

Challenges:
House Mouse - So Long, Farewell
Artful Inkables - recipe - 1 circle, 2 ribbons, 3 buttons
Sketch Saturday - sketch
Card Drive for Lisa Cook's sister Jayme
One Stitch at a Time- furry friends
Crafty Cardmakers - Inside Out
Design Dollies color challenge - blue, green, brown, white
Incy Wincy - button up
Crafty Creations - Encouragement
Colour Create - Soft green, light aqua

Stitch it up with Karen's Doodles



Welcome to another fun challenge from Karen's Doodles. We are asking you to use one of my favorite techniques - stitching. Feel free to hand, machine or faux stitch anywhere on your project. Just be sure to use one of Karen's images, so you can be in the running for some free digis!

For those of you that don't know, my husband is a high school choir teacher. On Wednesday night, he came in my studio and said, "Honey, could you make some graduation cards for me to give to my Seniors tomorrow night at our spring concert?" Luckily, he only had two Seniors singing in the concert, and I got them done. I used You've Come a Long Way Baby Girl. The cards are pretty much the same, although I tried to personalize the hair/eye colors for the girls - and tried different fancy stitches. If you need to make any graduation cards this year, there is also a boy version of this image available.

Challenges:
Posh - Sketch
Crafty Creations - Celebration
Creative Inspirations - Card for a Child
Charisma Cards - 3-D

Belles N Whistles Flower Fun!


I am so excited today! To begin with, I get to share with you my first card as a DT member for Belles N Whistles! I love these stamps designed by Elisabeth Bell and am just tickled pink to have been named as a member of their awesome team! The other excited news is that we are now holding a Belles N Whistles Challenge every other week - and it starts today. Our inaugural challenge is DIY flowers. Don't you just love it?




For my card, I used the Watering image. This cute stamp is from the spring collection. I made my flowers using a Spellbinders flower die and grungeboard. I was really going for a polka-dotted yellow, but they turned out more like wild leopard flowers, but hey, they're fun! If you would like to play along, just make sure to use a BnW stamp and make any kind of flower for your project. Then be sure to upload your picture to the challenge folder in our gallery. If you need some inspiration, be sure to check out all of the wonderful creations from my team members - These ladies really know how to rock a challenge!

Details:
Stamp: Belles N Whistles - Watering
Medium: copics,Glimmer Mist, stickles, Distress Inks, CTMH ink pads
Papers: CTMH, Bazzill
Accessories: Organza ribbon (Really Reasonable Ribbon), Chipboard - CTMH,
Pearl Flourish - BG
Tools: Spellbinders, MS branch punch

Challenges:
Creative Card Crew: Sketch
Sir Stampalot - Blooms and Butterflies
Flourishes - Chipboard
Stamptacular Sunday - Pearls and Swirls
Crafty Pad - Over the Edge
Totally Gojuss- Bling it on