Final March challenge at Heart 2 Heart

Happy Easter! Here's the Easter card I made for my husband:

If you follow this blog, you know that I've had a lot of fun participating in all the March the challenges at Heart 2 Heart and playing with Close To My Heart (CTMH) products. Here I used CTMH papers (card base, background, circles) and one of their cute clips. I stamped the image onto kraft paper and colored it with SU! pencils and Sakura glaze & glitter pens.
(Sorry the photo isn't great; I took it really quickly without natural light).

Inspiration/Challenges:
Cards for Men Challenge 6: Easter
Heart 2 Heart: Easter
Make it Monday with Kraft Outlet: Chicks Rule + Kraft
My Craft Spot Challenge #92: Strings & Things
There She Goes Challenge #200: Sketch

Update: Wow, I was the March monthly prize winner at the Kraft Outlet!

Thank you for visiting,

More Fun with Close to my Heart

I'm having fun catching up on the March challenges at Heart 2 Heart, as they are having a special March Madness promotion with lots of prizes. You can see all my cards, featuring CTHM projects, here.

The papers and key & keyhole stamps are from CTMH, and the keyhole chipboard piece is by Graphic 45 (see the text inside the keyhole? that's a sweet CTMH stamp!). The polka dot digital paper is by Mel Stampz, and the sentiment is by {ippity}/Unity.

Inspiration/Challenges:
I {heart} Card Sketches #10: Sketch )Oops, missed the deadline!)
Heart 2 Heart Challenge: Go Green + CTMH products (paper & key stamp)

Thank you for visiting,

From One Mustache to Another

I really like the mustache trend that keeps coming back, so I'm eager for any opportunity to participate in a Mustache challenge, like the one this month at Heart 2 Heart; plus, it's also a chance to use more of my new CTMH products!

My father-in-law's birthday is coming up, and when I asked for ideas from my husband he said, "Clean & simple style with a Mexican theme." Oh he's so sexy when he talks crafty lingo! Anyhoo, this wasn't what I first thought I'd end up doing, but I'm very pleased with the result: 

My husband's dad's family is from Mexico, and actually he, his dad & his uncle have pretty impressive mustaches, so I gave myself the theme of "From One Mustache to Another". These CTMH papers reminded me of a certain type of Mexican tile, and I love using my Dilo en Español stamps. I used 3 stamps from their Queremos Pastel set (the original version; I see they have a lovely new version), heat-embossing the top in gold and the bottom in silver.

The mustache cut file is from Bea Original. I cut it from a brown CTMH cardstock – which cut beautifully by the way – ran it through my sticker machine & covered it with black Shiny Fluff/flocking (Our Craft Lounge).

I matted the pieces with a simple black cardstock, and made the border on the white cardstock with a PITT small-tipped pen.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafty Creations #214: Embossing
Creative Card Crew #33: Masculine
Heart 2 Heart: Mustaches + CTMH products

Thank you for visiting,

Fun with Close to my Heart

I had a lot of fun participating in the Spirelli Technique challenge at Crafting by Designs, and was so excited to learn that I was their February prize winner! Let me tell you, I've been eagerly awaiting my Close To My Heart goodie package from CTMH consultant Cindy Leek! And boy, I wasn't disappointed. I received lots of yummy paper of different weights, a book of sketch ideas, some adorable metal clips, and a set of clear stamps. Oh CTMH, you had me at "paper"!

Anyhoo, I was very excited to be able to participate in the challenges at Heart 2 Heart, as I've never had enough CTMH products to meet their requirement (I have some flocking and bottled ink). They are having a special month-long prize challenge going on, so I'm hoping to enter a few more of their March challenges if time allows [by the time I posted this, I had made all the cards for March!].

Speaking of Time... I had actually wanted to enter their "Spring Forward" challenge when it was posted back on March 4, but I couldn't figure a good way to use said flocking & inks. So imagine my joy when I received a Time-themed stamp set! Whoop! I inked up that bad boy and made a quick card using a sheet of CTMH's My Reflections DP.

All the stamps are from the CTMH set, except the sentiment which is from Stampendous. I stamped the watch frame in bright yellow and heat-embossed it with yellow, so it's really yellow! I inked the inside with a little SU! Barely Banana ink and stamped the sentiment in black. Everything on the blue band is heat-embossed in white; I colored the sentiment with a marker.

Inspiration/Challenges:
ColourQ #181: Color
Heart 2 Heart: Spring Forward + CTMH products (Time + paper & stamps)
Seize the Birthday #11: Feminine Birthday + Sketch (This isn't exactly girly, but I think it's pretty feminine)

Update: Whoop, I was the random Grand Prize Winner for the Heart 2 Heart March Madness challenge!

Thank you for visiting,

Going Dotty with Pile It On & StitchyBear Designs

Time for a new challenge at Pile It On... I really like the theme, but well I should I chose it! We're playing with "Dots" this week, and let's face it I'll take any opportunity to pull out some of favorite dotted embellishments.

I used Circles Interrupted by Floppy Latte Designs:
 

I colored the sweet image with Copics and Sakura glaze pens. It's difficult to see in the photo, but the background is colored with blue dots (2 different Copics). The sentiment stamp is from a Penny Black set, and you know I couldn't pass up a chance to use my hot pink embossing powder! The yin/yang DP is from Graphic 45, the banners are Washi tape, and I added some paper Candi Dots. The frame is a embossing folder/die set by Disney/Sizzix, cut from a shiny gold paper (Recollections). I finished it off with help from a cream Pearl Pen (Viva Decor).

Tuesday Morning #190

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. 4 Crafty Chicks #134: Circles
2. MyGrafico: Anything Goes
3. Oozak: Anything goes with spring
4. Our Daily Bread Designs Challenge: Spring Has Sprung
5. Pause, Dream, Enjoy: Anything Goes
6. Stamp with Fun: Anything Goes
7. There She Goes: Anything Goes
8. Three Scrappy Gals: Spring
9. Tuesday Morning Sketches #190: Sketch
10. Vickie's Challenges: Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting & hope you'll join us this week at Pile It On,

What's Up?!

Time for another Use a Digi challenge at One Stitch at a Time!

I used Oscar by Gingerloft, available at StitchyBear Digital Stamps.

The speech bubble is from Mel Stampz's Patterned Conversation Bubbles digi paper; the sentiment is from the framed version of Oscar, and I out them together in InDesign.

I've had these feathers for a long time, and so was so excited to have a chance to use them! I paper-pieced Oscar and covered him with light brown Flower Soft (for tips on doing this, see my recent Top Tip post)

I made the ostrich-feet "ribbon" by stamping just the feet from an ostrich stamp from the BaZooples #4 set by Inky Antics. The burlap trim is from My Mind's Eye.

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Bearly Mine #78: Anything Goes
2. Cards in Envy: Use Paper Strips instead of Ribbon
3. Creative Creations Challenge Blog: 2nd Entry / Things with the letter B (talk Balloon/Bubble, Bird, Burlap)
4. Eclectic Ellapu: Whimsical and/or Funny 
5. Love to Create: Anything Goes
6. One Crazy Stamper: Anything goes
7. Stamp and Create: Fur or Feathers
8. Stamp n Doodle: Anything Goes
9. Through The Craft Room Door: Anything Goes
10. Top Tip Tuesday #97: Funny creation (theme entry)

Hope you'll join the Use a Digi challenge at One Stitch at a Time this week (and be sure to check out my teamies' fabulous projects). For entries using a StitchyBear Store product (be sure to add a # after your name when entering), you'll be eligible for our main prize. You're welcome to enter the challenge using different products, but instead you'll be entered into the draw to win a $3 coupon to StitchyBear Digital Stamps. Can't wait to see what you create! 


Thank you for visiting,

Up Up and Away!

Believe it or not, I wanted to keep this project simple...! But it's for Mom, and I always like to pull out all the stops for her. Plus, so gave me these gorgeous Graphic 45 papers!

The washi-ribbon-twine section on the bottom was inspired by a card I saw at A Consuming Passion.

It's a big card, at 6x6. I even decorated the inside:

Inspired by the Matching Card & Envelope challenge at Art Impressions, I used some of the same DP and elements to decorate a 6x6 petal envelope:

The stamps (sentiment & vine) are from a Country Companions/DoCrafts set.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Art Impressions Challenge #105: Matching Card & Envelope
Cards by Lady Anne / Stamp Challenge: Anything goes + Stamp
Created With Love: Button Up
Creative Creations Challenge Blog: Things with the letter B (Balloon, Button)
Penny's Paper-Crafty #119: Gingham/Checks
Sassy Studio Designs: Paper Piecing

I had so much fun using this Art Impressions limited-edition Stamp:

Art Impressions pledges to donate 100% of all proceeds of the 2013 Limited Edition stamp to the Obediah Fund, which will support Open Arms International's Kambi Teso outreach. This collector's stamp will ONLY be available from November 20, 2012 to May 20, 2013! After May 20, the molds will be destroyed and it will never be sold again.

Hope you'll consider purchasing this fun stamp for a great cause!

Thank you for visiting,

Hop hop hop!

I really liked the theme of this week's Squigglefly challenge: Card that depicts a Song. I thought that this stamp plus a wobble would be great for a "Bunny Hop"-inspired card. And since this is for my nieces, I went ahead and put two bouncin' bunnies on there (both are attached with Action Wobbles)!

The dance instructions are from the actual back of Capitol Record's "The Bunny Hop" compilation LP, posted by LORAC! on Flickr. I added a bit of color of Copics and some of the violet ink I used to distress everything.

The bursts are cut with a die from an a•muse studio set. I generated the sentiment with the font LD Music.

I'm entering this into the Top Tip Tuesday Challenge with some tips on applying 3D embellishments:

TOP TIP:
Use your sticker machine to add flocking and paper piece your image.

Here I have my bunnies all cut out, and my supplies at the ready.

I ran the bunnies & tummies through the sticker machine – image side down – and started by covering the tummies with white flocking.

I took the bunny off of the sticker paper and adhered the tummy & ears. I use a tray to catch all the extra fluff, so I just cover it and press to get a nice even layer.

TOP TIP #2:
Here I used superfine Flower Soft from there "Teddy Bear" collection; it works fine with the sticker machine, but best with a wet adhesive like Tacky or, my favorite, a ZIG  glue pen.

I glued the tale piece back on. I put everything together before adding the final touches with Glossy Accents (because it takes a while to dry).

Top Tip #3:
Glossy Accents works best for Flower Soft and heavy elements. I also used it to adhere the microbeads to the button and well as the left-hand corner of the card.

I made the little bows from rafia using the fork technique and, I swear, a Cake Breaker/Cake Fork.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Anything Goes Challenge #88: Seeing Double
Cutie Pie Challenge: Easter
In the Pink #17: Spring/Easter + Pink
Melonheadz Friends Challenge: Easter or Spring
Squigglefly: Card that depicts a Song ("The Bunny Hop")
Tammy's Scrappin Corner: Easter
The Pink Elephant Monday Card Challenge: Easter
Top Tip Tuesday #97: Funny creation/ TIP


Update: I was chosen as "Top Tipper" for Top Tip Tuesday's ROFL Challenge!

Thank you for visiting,

Bonnets & Butterflies

I have several adorable Easter/Springtime stamps so I figured I better make the most of them! This time I inked up a new-to-me stamp from a Penny Black set (I've used other stamps from the set before, but not this one). I stamped it three times: once on the green background (cut with a Spellbinders die), once for the colored portions, and once for the the bunny pieces. I ran the bunny pieces through my sticker machine and covered it with white flocking. I also added from superfine white Flower Soft on its tail.

The corner embellishment is a chipboard piece that I covered with pink embossing powder, and them added Glossy Accents and covered it with glass microbeads.

I inked the doily blue with chalk ink, and cut out some tiny butterflies from the DP. After cutting them out, I painted the butterflies with Creative Medium to make them more durable.

Fairy Tale Challenge #63

Inspiration/Challenges:
Craftin Desert Divas: Easter
Craft Your Passion: Ribbons or Lace
Fairy Tale: Photo Inspiration
Sketch Saturday: Sketch
Try It On Tuesday: Hats & Easter Bonnets

Thank you for visiting,

Flippin' Happy Bluebirds

I was so thrilled to win the Wobble challenge at Art Impressions with my Dr Seuss card, and even more thrilled to win a $10 GC to their store; although perhaps my best "prize" was how much my nieces enjoyed receiving it!

I've admired AI's "Fronts & Backs" line for quite some time, so I just had to buy this cute group of birds and make a Notch Swing Card (Does anybody recognize this technique and know it's proper name? I know I must have seen it somewhere.)

I made little notches (they need to be a bit bigger than slits) in the card, and tucked the image circle into them. It easily swings...

...to reveal the bird's backs and the rest of the sentiment:

Inspiration/Challenges:
Inky Impressions Challenge #101: Add Blue for Colon Cancer Awareness
Really Reasonable Ribbon: flowers and ribbon
Rhedd & Rosie's Challenge Blog: Birds
Simon Says Stamp: Sketch #1 
Sparkles Forum March Challenge: Birds
Tando Creative Challenges: Flowers

Thank you for visiting,

Swingin' into Spring with Sunshine Mail

Today begins a new Sunshine Mail Foundation Challenge (March 15 - April 1). The only real rule is that you send in at least one card (Donation guidelines here).

Our theme is Swing into Spring, and we're sponsored by A Day for Daisies digi stamps. It's such a fabulous, unique digi stamp company, and the Sunshine Mail DT was lucky enough to be able to choose their own images for this challenge. I used Boys Love Trees:

The background is embossed with my Darice embossing folder (if you follow my blog, you know I can't get enough of this embossing folder). I printed the sentiment (TLC Creations) and then embossing it by lining it up in the folder. Then I just fussy-cut it out and popped it up with foam. The sheer rainbow ribbon is from my stash.

The image is colored with Copics. I made the image background in several steps: First I colored the blue portion & texturized it with Blender solution & cloth. The I painted the tree with Crackle Paint (Ranger), and added Flower Soft to the leaf sections. The boys are cut out and glued on to top for a little dimension.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Celebrate the Occasion #103: Spring Is In The Air
Crafting for all Seasons #47: Spring
Crafty Ribbons #40: One for the Boys
Crafty Sentiments: Hello Spring
Delightful Challenges: Here's one for the Boys
Little Miss Muffet Challenge #56: Boys Only

Thank you for visiting & hope you'll join us for the Sunshine Mail Foundation Challenge,