Happy News!

I am super excited to share my announcement with you all today:  I am joining the design team at Inspired by Stamping!  

Owner Joanna Munster has created stamps that make my heart swoon.  Please do visit her shop HERE to see what I mean.  Her selection of flowers makes me all giddy (sigh).  My design team goodies are en route to me from Down Under as we speak, and I cannot WAIT to play with them!  Just wait until you see the June release (that's where I come in) - oh!

The design team really rocks -- such a nice group of highly talented crafters -- and you can check them out HERE.  I am honored to be joining them!  Thank you, Joanna, for this lovely opportunity.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

 

Play Date Cafe 133 - Love You

This is one of two posts today.  Please scroll down one post for the Inspired by Stamping 

challenge card, where I am a Featured Artist.

Baby Blue, Cherry and Denim are the new colors this week at The Play Date Cafe.  Don't they look so summery?  We have a great, unique sponsor too:  Mr. Cricut Crazy!

Mr. Cricut Crazy is an online stamp store owned by a teenage crafter named Tanner.  I am so impressed that he has his own business at this ripe age!   Bless his entrepreneurial heart.  :-)

Tanner generously gave each of our design team members a stamp set, and I received Friends, Friends:

I used the heart image and one of the sentiments.  With the heart, I was able to create a pretty flower --

I stamped it 8 times on red cardstock, trimmed each one, then assembled them with Scor-Tape on a circle die cut from red cardstock also.  With my fingers, I gently lifted each 'petal', then used Liquid Pearls to dress  them up.  The center is a button from Jolee's Boutique, topped with a rhinestone brad.

The ribbon 'stem' came off blanket packaging for one of our beds.  It has printing on the reverse, but so what?

Here's the block sentiment, with a bit of Liquid Pearls on each heart.

Hope you get a chance to play along with us, and don't forget to check out the design team's creations HERE.  Mr. Cricut Crazy's Design Team is also playing along, so that's double the inspiration for YOU!

Thanks for joining me and have a beautiful day!

Dimensions:  4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Friends, Friends - Mr. Cricut Crazy
Paper: Real Red - SU; white - PTI
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: navy ribbon from blanket package
Other: Ruby Red Liquid Pearls - Ranger; button - Jolee's Boutique; light blue rhinestone brad - SU

Featured Artist at Inspired by Stamping

I am super excited to be the Featured Artist at Inspired by Stamping this week!  After THIS card of mine took top honors there last month, owner Joanna Munster asked if I'd like to guest with her.  Of course I would!!!  Thank you, Joanna.  :-)

Here is this week's sketch:

And here is my neutral-toned take on that:

I used some new-to-me Verve stamps called Kind Words (both the flowers and the sentiment).  The lace is from JoAnns.  The buttons along the bottom are from my stash, and I coated them with clear glitter.

I like the contrast of soft satin with rough twine.

The clear vintage-look gem is from Recollections.  I added some tiny dabs of Liquid Pearls along the tops of the punched scallops, too.

I really hope you can join us at the challenge!  You do NOT have to use Inspired by Stamping's line of stamps or flowers to play.  You can find all the details and link up your creation HERE.

On a personal note, I want to enter my card at Moxie Fab World's Damask/Brocade challenge, and at Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge - to include a flower.

I noticed that I reached over 200 Followers on my sidebar.  200!!  I am so excited!  Thank you!  When my crazy-hectic schedule slows down a bit more in the coming weeks, I'll offer up some blog candy to show my appreciation.   

Be sure to check back here on Friday, when I'll be able to share some happy news with you all.  :o)

Thanks so much for coming by!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps:  Kind Words - Verve
Paper: Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, patterned - SU; white - PTI
Ink: Crumb Cake - SU; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: lace - JoAnns; taupe satin ribbon - Michael's; twine - Creative Impressions
Other: Double Embossed Dotted Lace punch - EK Success; pearls - Queen & Co; clear gem - Recollections; buttons; Crystal Glitter - Martha Stewart; White Opal Liquid Pearls - Ranger

Baby Balloon Bouquet

Hi there!  This week, Creative Inspirations Paints has a challenge about "Balloons."  I pulled out a Stampin' Up! set that I have barely used, Crazy for Cupcakes, and found a balloon there.

I used the masking technique to create my bouquet, and when I was finished with the masks, I stuck them to the inside of the stamp case, for another time.

Sometimes it's tricky to get a good photo of the beautiful shimmer.  The pink balloon doesn't look like it does in real life.  It's not quite this bright and intense:

The curlicue border and sentiments are SRM stickers that I won recently.  This is the first time I've ever used  SRM.  I love the stuff!

Hope you get a chance to play with us!  Some info-to-know from Creative Inspirations Paints blog:  Each week you will be given a challenge to find inspiration in/from what ever the challenge theme is... you can be as literal or abstract in your inspiration as you want....Just make sure you can tie it back to the theme! Challenge closes at 6:00pm Eastern on Saturday.

The rules can always be found by clicking the tab "Challenge Rules" at the top of the page.
You do not need to use the Creative Inspirations Paints in your project, however, if you do, tell us which colors you used, and your name will go in the drawing twice! Each month, one person will win 5 jars of paint in the colors of their choice. The winner will be randomly drawn from all the people who have played that month, so make sure to join in on our challenges each week!

Thanks for visiting me today!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes - SU
Paper: white - PTI
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Other: corner rounder punch - EK Success; We've Got Your Border (sentiments, curlicue) SRM Stickers; Blush, Sage, Light Purple, Mellow Yellow, Sea Foam paints - Creative Inspirations Paints
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Double the Damask

Hello!  I have two damask cards to share today, and both are being entered in Moxie Fab World's Damask & Brocade challenge.  When I saw that challenge go up, I just melted.  I ADORE damask patterns.  Unfortunately, my schedule has been SO very busy lately that this is my first chance to enter the challenge.  Today, I needed - not wanted, but needed - to make a card (or two), just because.  Ever feel that way?

Let's get to the cards.

Other challenges entered with this card: A Blog Named Hero, the challenge:  to dust 'em off (use stamps you haven't used in some time - mine is the Flourishes 'Thank You' set); and Flourishes Timeless Tuesday: use a flower. 

I do love this Flourishes tulip and have missed it!

The Large Fabric Design stamp looks so pretty in Wheat Versamagic ink.  I was lucky to find a scrap of satin ribbon in approximately the same hue.

The next card uses some amazing gift wrap.  I LOVE the design and the chocolate-and-Tiffany blue combo.

Even though the gift wrap is thin, it cut well and adhered like a dream onto a cardstock base.  (I used a Tombow adhesive tape runner, my usual)

This sentiment is new for me, also.  It's by Technique Tuesday.  The 'quivery' letters are intentional; I did not mess up my stamping!  LOL

A touch of bling on the sentiment area and down in this corner are all the adornment it needed (beside the bow).

Found out today that THIS card received an Honorable Mention at Papercraft Star.  Thank you, Papercraft Star!

I'll be back tomorrow with a Creative Inspirations Paints card.  It's quite CAS....very different from these two cards!  See you soon.



Tulip Damask card:
Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Thank You - Flourishes; Large Fabric Design - Hero Arts
Paper: white - PTI
Ink: Wheat Versamagic, Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: satin ribbon scrap
Other: Copic markers; pearls - Queen & Co.

Blue Damask card:

Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Simply You by Ali Edwards - Technique Tuesday
Paper: Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla - SU; gift wrap
Ink: Antique Linen - Ranger; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: sheer brown ribbon - stash
Other: Big Shot; Fancy Tags Two, Parisian Motifs dies - Spellbinders; blue gems - Queen & Co

Merry Monday - Season's Greetings

Hi!  I'm back with another Merry Monday challenge card as their Featured Designer for May.  I love this sketch, and the suggestion of lace along those borders (though you could use something else, like punching, or pom poms, or whatever you think of!).  I turned the sketch to a horizontal position and went from there.

Once again, I pulled out some Christmas paper scraps from Stampin' Up!  (I'm LOVIN' using up these pretty scraps!)

I used a Hero Arts sentiment and a clear snowflake stamp from Michael's, bought for a song more than a year ago, on an oval die cut.  How do you like the little punched snowflake cluster?  Had to add my pearls, you know!

Would you like to see what the other Merry Makers have whipped up for you?  Check 'em out!

Lesley Croghan

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Thanks for visiting me today.  I hope you are inspired to play with us!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Merry Christmas Trees - Hero Arts; snowflake - Michael's
Paper: Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Whisper White, pattern - SU
Ink: Sahara Sand, Early Espresso - SU; Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: lace trim - JoAnn; brown sheer ribbon scrap
Other: Doily Lace border, Glacial Snowflake punches - Martha Stewart; Dotted Scallop border punch - EK Success; pearls - Queen & Co.; Double Hole punch - SU; Big Shot; oval die - Spellbinders
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Shabby Chic Rooster

Hello friends!  I fell in love with the inspiration picture from Papercraft Star's challenge this week, which is to use Checks/Gingham:

If you look carefully, there is a rooster pillow on the gorgeously-dressed bed.  I took inspiration from that, as well as the bed skirt, the colors and the cream flowers on the nightstand.

This little rooster has never seen ink before, and he's been nesting in my house for a few years.  :-/  It's from a Fiskars set called Vintage Farmhouse (link at the end of this post).  I colored him with Copic markers.

The lacy stamp border is from Sweet Stamps (Swirly Parchment Frame).  I thought it kind of looked like fancy chicken wire.

The gingham gets kind of lost after all I put on this card, but you can still see it here!  The flower is from the bridal department of my local craft store, and I dolled it up with Crumb Cake ink on the edges, a large pearl and some clear glitter, too.

Other challenges entered:

• Moxie Fab World's Gingham Challenge
• Flourishes Timeless Tuesday - "Alphabet Letter" - choose a letter and use at least three supplies/elements beginning with that letter (I used "R":  rooster, red, ribbon)
•  Sweet Stamps, where the challenge is 'My Favorite Color'.  I LOVE creams/whites and used them liberally on this card.

I promise to get back to visiting you all on your blogs sometime soon.  Life is SO hectic right now, and it's all good, but oh my!  Don't know if I'm coming or going.

Two quick happy notes -- I was excited to see that THIS Christmas card of mine has been repinned over 110 times on Pinterest.  Wow!  I am floored and honored.  

Also, in early June, I will be joining another design team, and I just can't wait to share my happy news fully with you!  Gotta keep it secret a little while longer.  :o)

Enjoy your day, and thanks for visiting!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Vintage Farmhouse - Fiskars; Swirly Parchment Frame - Sweet Stamps; Gingham - Market Street Stamps
Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black - SU; white - PTI
Ink: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler - SU; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain - Ranger
Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions; Venise lace - eBay
Other: flower - AC Moore bridal dept.; pearls - Queen & Co., Recollections; markers - Copic; Garden Trellis punch - Martha Stewart; glitter - SU; Postage Stamp punch - EK Success

Play Date Cafe 132 - Color Splash

Time for a fresh, new palette of colors at The Play Date Cafe, and we've got a neat Color Splash -- the splash is Mustard!


I kind of miss using More Mustard cardstock from Stampin' Up!, so I dug into my scrap piles and made a medallion - my very first!

I haven't pulled out my Lattice Bigz die in quite some time, and it seemed perfect for this Color Splash.

Our sponsor this week is Want2Scrap, and they sent me these gorgeous black pearls -- look how they are just made for the Lattice!  Thank you, W2S!

There are so many wonderful tutorials about making medallions.  I just played around and got the hang of it pretty quick, but if you'd like to see a step-by-step photo tutorial, Pink Persimmon has an easy one.

Our guest designer this week is Karen Taylor, and all of our girls have some awesome inspiration for you lined up at The Play Date Cafe.  Hope you come play with us!

Thanks for coming by today.  :o)



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Purely Sentimental - Verve
Paper: white - PTI; Basic Black, More Mustard - SU
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: black ribbon
Other: Doily Lace punch, Scoring Board - Martha Stewart; 1 1/4", 1 3/8" circle punches - SU; Big Shot; Lattice Bigz Die - Sizzix/SU; black pearls - Want2Scrap
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Coral Couture Cards

My DD has several big special occasions coming up in these next few weeks, including graduation, Confirmation, and a birthday.  On Mother's Day, I had precisely three hours to craft (one of my wishes for that day - would've liked more than three hours, but hey...), so I pulled out my Coral Couture stack from DCWV to put together some quick cards for her.

Here's the graduation card:

The paper stack comes with a page of die cuts, so I matted this one on white cardstock, then got fancy with two Spellbinders tags behind it.

The second card, made with paper from Coral Couture also, is for her birthday:

The sentiment and frame are from new-to-me Verve, Small Celebrations.

I was inspired by the color palette from Paper Players this week:

I think the Coral Couture papers fit this color assortment pretty well; how 'bout you?

I am showing off spring flowers at my blog, bleu hydrangea, if you'd care to see them.  :-)

Thanks for coming by today!



Graduation Card:
Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Paper: white - PTI; So Saffron - SU; Coral Couture - DCWV
Other: Big Shot; Fancy Tags die - Spellbinders; pearls - Queen & Co.; corner rounder punch - EK Success
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Birthday Card:
Dimensions:  4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Small Celebrations - Verve
Paper: So Saffron, Taken with Teal (card base)- SU ; white - PTI; Coral Couture Stack - DCWV
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: white cotton lace - Simplicity
Other: Big Shot; Floral Doily Motif die - Spellbinders; 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop border punch - SU; bracket punch - EK Success; pearls - Queen & Co.

Merry Mondays - O Christmas Tree

Warning:  long, wordy post.  I just have so much to share!  If you want to skip right down to the card, please be my guest!

Good Monday to you!  For those of you celebrating Mother's Day in the US, did you enjoy your special day?

My hubby and I went to a sold-out Red Hot Chili Peppers concert on Friday night, my first concert in at least 15 years.  It was FANTASTIC!  I do love that band, and it was a big thrill to see them perform live.  It sounds weird, but it felt like a private concert...for several thousand people.  ;-)  We had terrific seats in a box, with easy access to drinks, food and bathroom.  Now THAT is how you do a concert!

On Saturday and Sunday, DH and I worked really, really hard on our backyard.  We dug up many plants that we don't want to keep, relocated some, and tilled the soil with manure and peat.  I filled and hauled at least 20 wheelbarrows full of topsoil from one end of the yard to another (hubby did way more than I did, too).  Today, DH planted 6 ft tall Emerald arborvitae plants (tall privacy hedges) along the back fence.  We still need to buy a couple more.  I've been wanting privacy out back since we moved here 15 years ago.  Our backyard is just like a fishbowl, with neighbors on all sides, able to see our every move in the backyard.  I'm going to feel more at peace now with this modicum of privacy!  When I get some pics taken, I'll be sure to show you.

I received my copy of Card Creations by Paper Crafts magazine on Friday, and found my pink-and-kraft sympathy card on page 137.  Hooray!  It's a big issue, just FULL of inspiration, I'm tellin' ya.  I've been poring over it a little bit each night before bed.

News that has made me incredibly happy and kept me insanely busy:  a local boutique that features handmade items has asked me to put my cards on consignment in their shop!  I'm so excited!  There are a few little finishing touches that each of my (hundred+) cards need before they can be put on sale, so that has me working hard.  There is a street fair taking place Memorial Day weekend on the same street as the shop, and they get good foot traffic then.  The owner wants me to have my things in the shop in time for this event.

DD has Confirmation, a birthday, and 8th grade graduation all stacked up within several weeks of each other, and I'm just feeling a tad overwhelmed. ;o)  It's allllll good, though!

Okay, time for a card!
How is this for a nice easy Christmas sketch at Merry Mondays?  It's my second week as a Featured Designer and I can't wait to show you what I made!

I used a new stamp set, bought at Overstock.com, by JustRite.  It's already gone from that store!  You really need to act fast on Overstock.

As in last week's post for Merry Mondays, I used only papers from my $1 Stampin' Up! Scrap Bags (from my demo).  Doing these challenges gives me the PERFECT reason to use them!

This star is from the same JustRite set, and I gave it some shimmer with Autumn Wheat paint from Creative Inspirations.

I love how this word tree looks embossed in gold!

Now check out what the rest of the Merry Monday Merry Makers have done:

Lesley Croghan

LeAnne Pugliese

Nina Forsyth

Wendy Aungst

Why don't you join us?  Link your creation up HERE by noon on Sunday (PDT).  I hope to see you there!

And if you read all the way to the bottom of this post, bless your heart!  Have a great day!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: O Christmas Tree - JustRite
Paper: Very Vanilla, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, patterned papers - SU
Ink: Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko; Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap - Ranger
Fibers: cream lace - Spare Parts
Other: gold embossing powder, heat tool, markers - SU;  Autumn Wheat paint - Creative Inspirations Paints; Infinite Loops double edge punch - Martha Stewart; pearl - Queen & Co.
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