Thursday, May 31, 2012

Play Date Cafe 134 - Sending My Love


Apricot, Canary, Latte and Rose are the new and different palette of colors this week at The Play Date Cafe.  I can't wait to see what you all create with 'em!

After hours of brainstorming an idea, this is what I came up with:


The patterned papers are from a retired (what else? seems like all I own) Stampin' Up! kit, the name of which I cannot recall.  I won them in a blog candy giveaway some time back.


The sentiment and the doily behind it are from Wplus9's Mehndi Medallions.  Love that set!  The rose sticker is from Anna Griffin.

It's obvious that last week's challenge (red with two shades of blue) was a fave among you all.  There were so many players, and the work was outstanding!  I had a really difficult time choosing winners.

We'd love to see your work 'hanging' in our gallery at The Play Date Cafe!  All the details on deadlines and the prize for "Cup of the Week" can be found HERE.  Hope to see you there.  :-)



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps:  Mehndi Medallions - Wplus9
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, patterned - SU; white - PTI
Ink:  Sahara Sand - SU; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers:  sheer vanilla ribbon - Stamp Simply Ribbon Store
Other:  Big Shot; Anna Griffin rose sticker; pearls - Queen & Co.; Grommet Tags, circle dies - Spellbinders; Garden Trellis punch - Martha Stewart

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Hello!

Hi everyone!  I have a new post at my other blog, bleu hydrangea.  It's called "Transformation of a Garden and a Self."  While showing pictures of my garden, I have a story to share with you.

I'll be back in a couple of days here, with a new Play Date Cafe card.  See you then!


 

Monday, May 28, 2012

Merry Mondays - Comfort and Joy

Merry Christmas!  I know what month it really is, but I've been in a holiday mood while crafting my cards as Featured Designer for the Merry Monday challenges in May.   


This is the final May sketch, and I can't wait to show you what I made!


I admit that, at first, I had trouble with this sketch.  I made two other cards, using patterned paper scraps, and my critic 13 YO told me "No way."  I guess she was right, because after looking at them, they just didn't seem 'blogworthy'.  Then this winter white confection happened out of nowhere.


I already had a glittered snowflake and a glittered cereal box-chipboard star on hand, so putting this centerpiece together was fast and easy.  The doily die cut is from Martha Stewart.  The cream snowflake patterned paper behind it is part of a Hallmark Christmas card that I snuck into my crafting drawers, knowing it would find a good home someday.  And the lace is from, of all places, Walmart.  Yup.

Have I enticed you to play with us?  I hope so!  Check out what the other Merry Makers have cooked up for you, too:



A big thanks to Lesley Croghan for asking me to be the May Guest Designer at the Merry Monday Challenge!  I had so much fun creating Christmas cards for your challenge, and you are a complete pleasure to work with.  :-)  You're the best, Lesley!

Thanks for coming by.  Have a wonderful day!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Bright Spirits - Verve
Paper: white - PTI; Very Vanilla, white stripe - SU; piece of a Hallmark card (snowflake pattern)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black - Tsukineko; Walnut Stain Distress - Ranger
Fibers: twine - Creative Impressions; lace - Walmart
Other: cereal box chipboard; clear glitter, silver tinsel glitter, doily die cut, Himalayan snowflake punch - Martha Stewart; pearls - Queen & Co.; Dotted Scallop punch - EK Success
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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Prayed for You

Hello everyone!  A special 'hello' goes out to the folks who recently subscribed by email, or became a Follower on the sidebar.  It makes me happy that you like my stuff enough to subscribe.  :-)  Thank you!

This post is a little wordy, so if you want to skip down to the card, I don't mind at all!

In the Winter 2012 issue of a magazine called 'Artful Blogging' a blogger named Lynda Naranjo (lynda-naranjo.blogspot.com) said some things that rang true for me.  I'm sharing an excerpt here.

  "Keeping a blog takes planning, work, and commitment.  There are weeks when my life gets busier than I had planned and sometimes my blog gets pushed to the back burner.  When that happens, I feel disconnected, as if a part of myself has gone missing.
"Planning my posts in advance is much easier than just flying by the seat of my pants.  Using the scheduling tools that Blogger provides has been very helpful to me in planning my future posts. ...But it doesn't end with uploading a post to my blog.  Visiting other bloggers who take the time to read and comment on my blog is just as important as updating regularly, if not more so. Every week I try to set aside time to visit other blogs.  This is where friendships develop and connections are made.
 "During a particularly busy period in my life...I realized how much I needed to blog.  Blogging is my social network -- the place where I connect with other creative souls to inspire and be inspired.  Bloggers are like my co-workers; reading someone else's blog is similar to having a chat in the coffee room or dashing out for a quick lunch."
It's as if Ms. Naranjo was reading my mind.  I have had SUCH a busy month or so in my personal life, and my blog has taken kind of a back seat (even though it may not seem that way to some).  I'm thankful for the Advanced Scheduling that Blogger allows me to do.  :-)  Even though I am able to get some posts of my own up, I haven't had as much time to visit other blogs, and I miss it.  This busy period is temporary; soon, I'll be back to visiting you all, as I so enjoy.

Annnnd on to my card now!


This is for a friend who is going through a rough time, and I'm hoping it will cheer her up.


This is a 'custom' bloom, assembled from little petals I picked up from the floor of a craft store (I was only helping them clean up, you know).  I used a pearl brad, and some shimmer paint from Creative Inspirations Paints:  'Fairy Dust' doesn't give color, just glorious iridescence.  You can use it on almost anything!  LOVE the stuff.


This little tag is from a $1.50 bag of chipboard from Michael's, and I wiped Whisper White craft ink over it.  My friend Tammy inspired me to do this.  (thank you, Tammy!)  A Verve sentiment on a white oval punch and some pearls finish it off.

I'm entering this card at:


An exciting piece of news to share:  last week, I delivered over 160 of my handmade cards to a local shop called Arts Plus Gallery, where they are on consignment.  I know for sure that one sold the day they debuted (my stepmom had visited the shop, and told them that she's related to me, and they shared that bit of news with her).  Yesterday was a special event on the avenue where they are located, and often get lots of foot traffic.  I'm hoping some more cards were sold!  Keepin' my fingers crossed....

I'll see you tomorrow with my last card as May's Featured Artist at the Merry Monday challenge.

Thank you ever so much for hanging with me for this long post!



Dimensions: 4.25" x 5.5"
Stamps: Notes of Prayer - Verve
Paper: white - PTI; gingham/plaid, dots - Nana's Nursery Boy - DCWV
Ink: Whisper White craft ink - SU; Memento Tuxedo Black - Tsukineko
Fibers: Venise lace; leaf ribbon - Really Reasonable Ribbon; twine - Creative Impressions
Other: Fairy Dust paint - Creative Inspiration Paints; oval punch - SU; floral border punch - Martha Stewart; petals (floor at JoAnn's craft store); chipboard tag - Michael's; pearl brad - Bride's (bridal section at Michael's); pearls - Queen & Co.; corner rounder punch - EK Success

Friday, May 25, 2012

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!

 

Thursday, May 24, 2012

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

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

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

Monday, May 21, 2012

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!




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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Friday, May 18, 2012

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:


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

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