My Personal Challenge

I wanted to put aside all the cards I "have" to do and just do a card for fun....so I tried something a little outside of my own comfortable box and tried using the color purple as my own personal challenge.  I'm not really a huge fan of the color, and noticed I really don't use it all that much on any of my cards.  Why not try something different I said to myself....and so I did :)

I love this image by Anita Be Stampin' and I think she's adorable in her purple little dress.  I envisioned her walking through the grass picking daisies..daydreaming her warm afternoon away; something I would love to do as I sit in front of my window looking at all the snow.  I used the sketch on the new Anita Be Stampin' challenge blog as my inspiration.   

Recipe:

Image:  Missy by Anita Be Stampin'

Medium:  Artist Loft Watercolor Pencils

Papers:  My Minds Eye

Cardstock:  Basic Brights -Textured Bazzil

Sentiment:  Acrylic Stamp by Studio G *reads Cherish the Little Things*

Distress Ink by Tim Holtz in Vintage Photo

Trim:  Making Memories

Lavender Stickles for barrette

Souffle pen by Sakura in White

Colorbox Sky Blue Pigment Ink

Other Challenges:

The Sisterhood of Crafters - Anything Goes Challenge

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

My cousin and his dear wife are expecting their second child - another girl :)  I am wicked excited for them and I can't wait to hold her.  Their little bundle of joy isn't making her grand entrance until the beginning of March, but when my friend Tracy S. sent me this adorable Magnolia image (thank you, thank you, thank you!!), I had to color her right away and make this baby a card...now!  No time like the present, right?!

Over at The Outlawz, the current Wednesday Sketch Challenge group provided this sketch, and it is what I used for inspiration. 

There's still time for you to join in the fun and play along, so hop on over and check them out!  I did use foam squares behind the entire Magnolia image to give it that 3D pop (doubt you can see it in this photo) and the sentiment I made myself using Print Artist.  As always, thanks for stopping by my blog and looking :)

Recipe:

Medium:  Artist Loft Watercolor pencils

Papers:  My Minds Eye Totally Girl

Embossing:  Textured Impressions by Sizzix Wedding Set #2

Stickles:  Diamond for Wings, Stardust for Die Cut

EK Success 3D-Dots Foam Squares

Challenges:

The Outlawz Wednesday Sketch Challenge - Sketch Challenge January 26

Magnolia Stamp Lovers - Sentiment Challenge

Magnolia Down Under Challenges - Challenge #81 Embossing

Home Tweet Home

After months of one delay after another, we finally closed on our new home!!!    We have quite a bit of work to do before we move the kids and the furniture, lol, so it looks like we won't be in until the beginning of March.  While I'm patiently waiting to move "home",  I figured I would start making "Change of Address" cards.  I've been toying around with the idea for awhile now, and figured with less than two months to go and quite a large Italian family to send them all to, I had better get crackin' on those cards!!

I love this super sweet image and sentiment from Doodle Pantry, and I think it works perfectly!!

Recipe:

Image and Sentiment:  Tweet House Freebie by Doodle Pantry

Papers:  My Minds Eye - Totally Girl

Trim:  Making Memories
Distressing done with Making Memories Distress Tool

Challenges:

OCC Three Muskateers Color Challenge

The Red Shoes

Growing up, Hans Christian Anderson with Danny Kaye was one of my favorite movies!  I love Danny Kaye (always thought he was kinda cute and endearing), I love musicals (all forms) and I wanted to be a ballerina for a short period of time, too..hehe.  Well conveniently, my twins (definately not my oldest!!!) LOVES Hans Christian Anderson.  We've been on an HCA kick for days here at the farm, so when Guylou offered this image for turning out 300 members over on the CDAC group (wooohooo!), I immediately thought of The Red Shoes in the film.  Well it just turns out that Guylou's Inimitability's newest challenge is Red. 
So drawing from my Red Shoes inspiration, this is my take on the challenge:
Recipe:
Image:  Alexandra by Guylou's Inimitability
Paper:  Martha Stewart Essentials
Digi Paper:  Lindsay's Stamps Stuff
Sentiment:  taylormade (The sentiment reads "Never, Ever Doubt the Power You Possess") 
Martha Stewart Craft Seam Binding half-inch ribbon
Pearls from my friend Theresa Gerber

Other Challenges:

Meljen's Designs "Pink and Red" challenge
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight on Pencils
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #37 Use Red and a Die Cut

Wrapping Things Up

The birthday celebration that has been going on over at Bugaboo Stamps for the past week is finally drawing a close.  This week as been so much fun and rewarding--Bugaboo really knows how to throw a party, lemme tell ya!  I have a feeling that next year's celebration will be even better :)

The last two mini-challenges of the week were Birthday Theme on Thursday and Anything Goes on Friday.

So for the Birthday Theme, I decided to do something a little different.  I went with one of Bugaboo's images from their Har Repotter set.  Not your average birthday card, but I like the uniqueness of it and I'm thinking this could be something for one of the many male Harry Potter fans in my family ;)

Recipe:
Image: HARPOT gentle one by Bugaboo Stamps
Sentiment:  TLC
Gold and Silver Stickles
Distress Ink by Making Memories

Last but not least, Friday's Challenge - Anything Goes.  Well of course I had to go with a Valentine's Theme, of course! ;)  Here I decided to use an image by Bugaboo currently offered in the new January 2011 digi club set, another huge favorite of mine, Sunbonnet Teddy:

Recipe:

Paper:  Martha Stewart Essentials Paper Pad

Digi Paper:  Doodle Pantry

Sentiment:  TLC

Creative Memories small heart punch

Souffle pen in Grey

Gelly Roll pen in White

Diamond Stickles

Gems:  Darico Self-Adhesive

Bugaboo Bling and Sketch Challenges!

The fun at Bugaboo Stamp's 1st birthday celebration is still underway!  Every day there is a new mini challenge to play along and up your chances of winning some fabulous prizes!  There's still time to join in the fun, so if you have a chance, go check out their challenge blog, Catch the Bug.

Tuesday Bling Challenge
Jodie did it again by offering an adorable free little clown image that you had to use and dress it up with some bling.

Recipe:

Papers:  My Minds Eye

Trim:  Making Memories

Bling:  Darico Gems in Pink

Diamond stickles for collar

Souffle pen by Sakura in light orange for polka dots, White Souffle pen for daisy petals

Sentiment:  TLC 

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

For this challenge, you were asked to base your card using this sketch:

So here is my interpretation of the sketch using the adorable Bugaboo image, Sunbonnet Hearts, which has got to be one of my new favorites:

Recipe:

Image:  Sunbonnet Hearts by Bugaboo Stamps

Papers:  Making Memories and SEI

Sentiment:  BirdsCards

Distress Ink:  Making Memories

Heart Punch:  Creative Memories

Puppy Love

The fun and excitement never ends over at Guylou's Inimitability!  To kick things off in the New Year, Guylou is hosting an Anything Goes Challenge!  All you have to do is upload a newly made project to your online blog or gallery. You can enter any project as anything goes and it will count for one entry!  But guess what?!  If your project includes a Guylou's Inimitability digistamp, it will count for two entries.  If your project includes the feature digistamp "Angela", it will count for three entries.  If you don’t have a GI image, you can visit Guylou's Inimitability Store or you can have a look for a freebie in her groups on Crafters Digital Art Center or Paper Craft Planet!  Not only is there a chance to win a digistamp of your choice from her store, but the winner also gets to be a Guest Designer for an upcoming challenge!  So easy, so why not play along?!

Once I saw this adorable image, it captured my heart.  I'm sure it will capture yours too!

Recipe:
Image:  Sundae with Heart by Guylou's Inimitablity
Paper:  Heartsaflutter Heartstripe by Doodle Pantry
Sentiment:  BirdsCards

Bugaboo Blue & White Challenge

The huge birthday celebration over at Bugaboo Stamps is still happening.  There are million ways to play along giving you a million ways to win some fabulous prizes!  You seriously have to go and check things out if you haven't had a chance to already!!

Each day this week, Bugaboo is hosting a different mini challenge on their challenge blog, Catch the Bug.  The first challenge of the week is Blue & White.  Your project must be primarily those colors.

For this challenge, I paper pieced her bonnet and apron with the same paper used in the scallop.  I had pictured her with a little white eyelet bonnet - so sweet!  I used one of my Cricut tools to poke tiny little holes in the mat around the image.

Recipe:
Image:  Sewsun Thread by Bugaboo
Papers:  Making Memories Fresh Anthology Collection-Eliza
Diamond Stickles  

Happy Birthday Bugaboo!!!

Well the day has finally arrived!  Bugaboo Stamps' 1st Birthday is here!!   If you haven't already, go "hop" on over to the Catch the Bug blog and join in the huge celebration.  To kick things off, Bugaboo's Blog Hop includes an awesome chance to gain inspiration with so many different ways to win some pretty awesome prizes!  Not only is there the fabulous blog hop, but then there is a Birthday Theme Weekly Challenge and every day starting Monday there will be mini challenges to play to possibly win even more prizes!  How can you go wrong? 
I am entering the following card into the Birthday Theme Challenge as my little way of saying, Happy Birthday Bugaboo!!! 
I tried a new technique called the "tent" card based on Beate John's tuturial over at Splitcoaststampers .  There are three different views of the card to try to give you the effect of the "tent" appearance.  The first shot is the front of the card:

The second shot is from the side and the last shows the tent effect:

Recipe:

Image:  Magnolia LOLLIPOP TILDA Rubber Stamp Yummy Tummy

Papers:  DCWV The Sweet Stack

Sentiment:  TLC

Lollipop:  Yellow Stickles, Lime Green Stickles, and Distress Stickles in Spiced Marmalade

Polka Dots (Bows/Dress):  Lime Green Stickles

SVG Frame file

*****Congratulations to Jodie on reaching such a very important milestone!  Wishing you many more years of creativity and prosperity!!*****

Happy New Year!

December 2010 really went out with a bang for us - a household full of sick children, a car that broke down twice, a 3 foot snowstorm and the holidays.  Phew!!! I am happy to report that things are starting to normalize a bit now, even though, admittedly, I still have up my tree and decorations, lol.  Oh well, something to do another day. 
No, today was my "lets make a birthday card for my best friend" day.  And since I've been blurfing (i.e. blog surfing) for the past few days and not crafting, I stumbled upon Bugaboo Stamps' freebie friday image, Dottie Cupcake.  Coincidentally, Bugaboo's current challenge on their Catch the Bug blog is Anything Goes!!!  So I am entering this card for Bugaboo's challenge and additionally, for the Crafty Sentiments Designs Challenge Blog's challenge, Anything Goes!  How perfect is that?!?

So here is the birthday card for my BFF.  I felt like doing something totally different when I saw this awesome image...but then for some reason I went with this sugary sweet blue and I'm happy I did.  I know it seems simple, but thats what I was going for.  I used Artist Loft watercolor pencils, patterned paper from The Sweet Stack, light blue pearls on the mount and white pearls for Dottie's earings.  I made an oversized photo corner using the same background paper.  I used Crystal stickles for the cupcake's frosting and distressed the edges of the image in Colorbox Sky Blue pigment ink.  Sentiment reads "Happy Birthday to the Girl that's still got it"

Flip open the card and inside it reads:  "Now if you could just remember where you put it!!  Happy Birthday with Love"    I retouched the photo to omit my family's names, but you can see that I used the same patterned paper from the front of the card along with some more of the blue pearls.