Va-va-vroom

I just adore this free digi stamp from Floweret, and thought it would be fun to paper piece it for this week's Paper Pretties Challenge. I decided to go way outside my comfort zone and went PINK for this week's Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge at Mark's Finest Papers.

I also played a little Tic-Tac-Toe with the Card Crafter's Circle (see the board below). I chose the right-to-left diagonal: Embossing, Digi, Bling.

I dry-embossed the bottom of the Kraft piece using a Tim Holtz Texture Fades folder, and ink-distressed it a bit with Rose Bud Memento ink.

The stitching is actually a stamp from the great Stitchery Doo set by SP & Company. I stamped it in Memento Tuxedo Black and heat-embossed it with Kaleidoscope embossing powder from Stampendous! for a little bit of Bling. I also heat-embossed the Hero Arts sentiment, with MS pink powder.

For the paper-piecing, I used about every piece of pink paper in my stash! Eight papers in total, plus a white piece that I built onto. The skin is actually a light pink... I added color to the hair, light & seat with Copics.

I strung some bakers twine across the background, and popped up the image piece with foam tape. I added a pink gemstone to her helmet for a final touch, and she's OFF!

Thanks for visiting!

Update: Many thanks to Floweret for spotlighting this card on her blog!

Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #15

Inspiration/Challenges:

Card Crafter's Circle Challenge #15: TIC TAC TOE - Embossing, Digi, Bling

Paper Pretties Monday Challenge: Paper Piecing/Piercing

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge Week 100: Shades of Pink

Mopedbrud digi stamp by Floweret (thank you!)

Dude Time Doodles Piles It On!

This week's challenge at Pile It On is sponsored by Dude Time Doodles, so we have the theme "Manly Cards," whatever that means to you! It can be for a man or boy, or something that a man or boy would give. Hope you'll join us.

I used the Ernie Carpenter set from Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs.

I heat-embossed the Builder3 sentiment onto blue metallic paper. I had lots of fun with Ernie: I colored him Copics, and then used Flowersoft on his hammer & cuffs, and flocking on his hat and hair (love the Sparkly Black flocking from Our Craft Lounge!)

I cut strips of Echo Park DP for the background, and covered the edges with dark blue-and-white baker's twine. I strung up the "loose wires" (actually silver elastic) with my favorite brads.

For the inside backing paper, I used a piece of silver-embossed white, handmade paper I found in my stash. I colored this Carpenter Box digi from Tiddly Inks, added silver FlowerSoft on the pliers, and stamped the "Happy Birthday" Hero Arts sentiment & heat-embossed it in silver.

Challenges:

Pile It On - Manly Cards

Skipping Stones Designs - Sketch Challenge

Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge - Brads (or eyelets)

Crafty Creations - Heat Embossing

Little Red Wagon - Felt or flocking

Fussy and Fancy - Happy Birthday (or use animal print)

Kathy’s Lily Pad Palette - Color Combo (with Our Craft Lounge)

Our Craft Lounge - Color Combo + photo inspiration (with Lily Pad)

Pile It On for the New Year!

I'm so pleased to be ringing in the New Year with Pile It On's first challenge of 2012! Our Anything Goes theme is sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, so I know you'll want to join us!

Boy, we have a talented bunch at Pile It On, made even better with the addition of our fabulous new teammates. Our whole team is participating this week, and even your favorite volunteer (er, me) joined in with this altered box (originally packaging for delicious cheese).

Here are my challenges for this project:

Pile It On #01: Anything Goes

Colour Create Challenge #86: Blue, Silver & White + Embossing

CRAFT Challenge #135: New Year

4 Crafty Chicks Crazy Egg Challenge #70: Something New

Paper Pretties #186: Ring in the New Year

Top Tip Challenge #66: Anything Goes

Stamps: Pretty Pendants & matching SVG files by SP & Company, frame by Fiskars, sentiment by Hero Arts, Freeform font (2s slightly modified)
Paper: Recollections (two versions of silver paper & glitter cardstock), Core'dinations
Tools: Zip Dry & Tacky glues, red double-sided tape, Marvy heat tool, stamp block, Cricut & SCAL
Embellishments: Offray ribbons, silver elastic, stash brads, Stampendous & Recollections embossing powders, Elmer's glitter pen, tissue paper flowers, Tattered Angels glimmer mist (Granite), Copic marker for edging (Royal Blue)

Thank you everyone, and here's to a great year of crafting!

Bunnies ain't fakin', a-whole lotta shakin' goin' on.

Easy now.
Shake, Baby, shake!
I'm entering this card into the Anything Goes/DT challenge at Aud Sentiments. Oh how I'd love to be a part of their team!

I also made this card for the following challenges, and I thank everyone for such great inspiration. I took each challenge very seriously, and enjoyed seeing how all the different ideas worked together. I'm really happy with how this turned out.

PaperWorks Co. Recipe Tuesday: Easter image, 2 papers, a bow
Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge: Sketch
Cards for Men Challenge #8: Easter

The movement lines on this image really made me want to make a shaker card. I really like the result, but it took me 8 tries to get a complete, smudge-free stamp on the plastic. Thank to StazOn ink remover, however, I was able to clean the plastic to reuse. For the "shaking stuff", I used the multi-colored pile of scraps from this week's border-punching. I like how it sticks to the edges, but still shake really well.

For the sentiment, there was no question: TLC Creations! I'm so glad I bought her $10 sentiment license. She's always posting freebies like this one that I grabbed (with a thank-you, it's only fair) just knowing it would come in handy.

I added a green overlay to the sentiment image, made a banner with a yellow stroke in InDesign, and printed it at "Best" onto vellum. Then I heat-embossed it with transluscent yellow. For the inside sentiment, I hand-stamped it in green and embossed it with the same powder.

I found myself stuck with how to color this stamp, as it's so full of possibilities. So I asked my editor (and husband) and he said, They're Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail going to Sunday School. I never would have thought to color them like actual bunnies! Somehow he always knows the direction I really want to take, when I'm too busy looking in all directions.

The PaperWorks Co. "recipe" calls for only two [designer] papers, so I chose a stripe-embossed white paper and a busy black-and-white polka-dot paper. I liked how they contrasted with the bright spring colors. I also liked that I could have the stripes going one way behind the rabbits, and the other way for the card itself.

I cut the frame with SCAL & Cricut, adhered it to foam tape and then lined the the whole thing with ribbon. I think it adds a quiet touch of color, and was certainly easy to do.

Hope you'll consider entering some of these fun challenges, and thank you so much for visiting!
*
Bunny Hop stamp: The Peddler's Pack Stampworks
What's Shakin' sentiment digi stamp: TLC Creations
Happy Spring sentiment stamp: StudioG

Copic markers:
Rabbits: E35, RV21, E51, E33, E31, E000
Blues: B39, BG10, BG15, BG49, B23, B32, B05
Reds: R27, R59, R02, R29, RV29, E000, E02, RV23, RV21
Yellows: YO4, Y000, Y06, YR12, Y17, Y02, Y08, Y13

Update 5/2/11: This card made the Top 3 for the Cards for Men Easter Challenge.