Thinking of You with Pile It On

This week at Pile It On, we want to see "Thinking of You" cards/projects. I used All Wrapped Up by our sponsor, All Dressed Up Stamps:

I colored the image with Copics, fussy-cutting the girl to give it just a hint of dimension. I used the Blender Texture technique for the background, and cut it with a Spellbinders die in my BigShot.

I colored the hair last, because I couldn't decide on the color...so I asked my husband, because he always poses me with an agreeable challenge. He suggested "Light blonde...with blue streaks. A strong blue." I just love the result.

I found two stitching-and-flowers-themed papers in my stash, and edged them on my sewing machine. The yellow mesh is recycled potato packaging. The sentiment is a Starform outline sticker, colored with the same blue Copic I used for the hair.

The leaves are cut from scrap Aida (cross stitch) fabric with a Sizzix die. I cut it along with a piece of scrap cardstock for support. I then coated the pieces with Tacky white glue so that they didn't fall apart. I colored two of the leaves with a green Copic. I finished the card with a shell button, a white plastic button, and some twine.

All Dressed Up Challenge #9

Inspiration/Challenges:
All Dressed Up Challenge #9: Sketch
Cuttin & Stampin Challenges: Spring is Here
Cuttlebug Mania: Add Texture
Feeling Crafty Challenge #25: Dies and/or Punches
Love to Scrap: Anything Goes
MarkerPOP Challenge: Anything Goes
Oldie But A Goodie Challenge: Buttons + Stash item (buttons, papers)
STAMPlorations February Challenge: Stamps + Stitches
The Squirrel & the Fox Challenge #64: Something spooled
Top Tip Tuesday #121: Stitching


Update: This won the Texture Challenge at Cuttlebug Mania!

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

Crafting with Dragonflies - Card + freebie image

We have a really fun challenge theme for you at Crafting with Dragonflies for the next 2 weeks: Make a card using a Freebie digi stamp. Not only is this a chance to play with that freebie you've been waiting to use, it's a great way to learn about different companies and sample their images for yourself!

I've been meaning to use this Space Invaders in Disguise freebie from Wonderstrange for some time, as there a lot of gamers in my life. I printed it on Lunchbag Kraft paper from the Kraft Outlet and colored it with pencils.

I made the sentiment myself, using the fonts ArcadeClassic and Caflisch Script Pro. I printed it on a shiny silver paper and heat-embossed it in a shiny blue (see my tutorial for this technique here.) The tag was made with a die and stamp from a Doodlebug/Sizzix set; the frame stamp was heat-embossed in a green.

The Space Invader paper is from SMIRK, and the green/kraft cardstock is from a Recollections set. I inked the right-hand piece with several yellow and green inks; the edges of everything are inked with either Peeled Paint or Tea Die distress inks. The "messy stitching" was done on my sewing machine.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge #100: Bingo (2-word sentiment, 3D items, Something shiny)
Make it Monday with Kraft Outlet: Use a Die Cut + Kraft
Sketch N’ Dies: Sketch #1 + Dies

Thank you for visiting,and hope you'll join us at Crafting with Dragonflies,

My Heart Pieces and OSAAT

This week at One Stitch at a Time (OSAAT), our theme is Use a Digi. StitchyBear's Digi Outlet has hundreds of digital products from many wonderful artists, and if you use one of our products you'll be entered to win the super-duper main prize.

I used Ankhi by My Heart Pieces. I just love her work, especially her sweet little birds. Everything is colored with Copics, and I used the Blender Texture technique for the background. I enlarged the birds from the main image and gave them "wigs" with blue Sparkly Fluff.

I don't always use Prima flowers...but when I do, I use a whole bunch! I adehered them with Glossy Accents to give them some dimension, and added Liquid Pearls in different colors to the centers. 

The background was embossed using my BigShot and a Fiskars texture plate, and I inked the edges with China Blue distress ink. The mesh ribbon is actually a piece of netting from the pearl onions we had for Christmas dinner!

The banner was cut with a Spellbinders die from a shiny white paper, and stamped in China Blue with a sentiment from Clear Art Stamps' Rosy Wishes set. 

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafty Creations #256: for the birds
Mod Squad Challenge: Flowers
Red Rubber Inspirationals: Dreaming of Spring Flowers
Stampin' For The Weekend: Flower Power

Thank you for visiting,and hope you'll join us this week at OSAAT,

Anything Goes with the Sunshine Mail Foundation

The new challenge at the Sunshine Mail Foundation is "Anything Goes" & the only real rule is that you send in at least one card (it doesn't have to be the card you enter in the challenge; Donation guidelines here).

This was a bittersweet project for me, as it's my last as a member of the Sunshine Mail Design Team. It seems like just yesterday that I posted my first project, but it was actually June 2012. All of my Card Cupids/Sunshine Mail projects are archived here. Many thanks to the organization for all its good works! Glad I'll still be able to join your challenges.

I used the Lulu set by our sponsor StampArt Design by Kathryne.

I kept it relatively simple. The grass paper is from my stash, and the green mesh is recycled from a bag of avocados!

Shabby Tea Room #205

Inspiration/Challenges:
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards #58: One Button, One Bow, One Flower
Digi Sketch Challenge: Use the Color Green (T)
Shabby Tea Room: Sketch

Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us at Sunshine Mail,

Open your Eyes... Spots and/or Stripes at PIO

This week's challenge at Pile It On is "Stripes and/or Dots" and I had a lot of fun with it! We're sponsored by StitchyBear's Digi Outlet, so I used Globe Turtle by CraftyGirl Creations.

As soon as I saw this great image, I thought of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, where the world is carried on the back of a turtle. I used a quote from his book The Wee Free Men:  “Open your eyes and then open your eyes again.” I didn't make this card for any particular occasion, but it could be a fun card to celebrate Earth Day, which falls on Tuesday, April 22nd this year.

The inner circle, with the sentiment and ribbon pull, rotates independent from the base the the top turtle piece. This is a relatively simple technique: I glued a flat, round brad in between the top layers, and secured it in between the bottom layers. There's an eyelet in the bottom layer for stability. I made the holes & set the eyelet with my Crop-O-Dile.

I added some actual shells with Glossy Accents.

One of the challenges I'm entering this into is "Showcase your Style" at As You Like it. I think this is pretty representative of the classic CG style, ha! Lots going on, but with clean lines, and with a moving element. When I started cardmaking, I always had an interactive element. I also included paper piecing, one of my favorite techniques.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Animal Friends Challenge: Dots + Animal
As You Like it Challenge: Showcase (and explain) your Style
Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge: Lots of Patterned paper
Crafty Ribbons: Anything Goes with Ribbon
Cardz 4 Guyz: Spots & Stripes
Doodle Pantry #43: Any Digi Goes
Ruby's Rainbow: Spots and Stripes
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything goes (must be uplifting, no dark images or themes)

Thank you for visiting,

Vintage Altered Jar - Crafting with Dragonflies

It's time for a new challenge at Crafting with Dragonflies! This is a fun one: Alter a jar/tin with a Vintage theme.

Our sponsor is Digistamps4Joy, so I used their Malawi lady with pot digi stamp:

I bought this old glass jar, complete with mother-of-pearl buttons, at the church I live across from, Blessed Sacrament:

See it in the background, from my back porch? They currently own all the buildings you can see, but they are selling everything except the church proper to Marian House, a housing and rehabilitation program for women. Blessed Sacrament has run their own, co-ed housing program in their buildings for years, in conjunction with Marian House, for years... and their basement/gymnasium has become full of items left by residents. I try to stay away from Rummage Sales because my house is already FULL UP... but I wandered over there one Saturday and ended up with two tailgating chairs (I've never tailgated in my life!), an antique side table, a giant spool of orange burlap ribbon, and this fabulous jar-o-buttons! I paid a whole 50 cents for the jar and buttons... I could have bargained her down, but most of the money was being used to ship some of the better things to their sister church in Nigeria, and even I'm not that cheap! Anyhoo, the jar was relatively clean for its age, but it did have some pretty serious adhesive still on it from the long-discarded label, which I removed with the help of Un-du and a small razor. I washed it all in soapy water, which did the trick. The jar itself has some character, so I didn't want to cover it up completely. I used Tacky glue to adhere both the lace to the glass, the the fabric to the plastic lid.

I used one of the buttons for the center of this ribbon rose.

click to enlarge

Inspiration/Challenges:
Allways Something Creative #68: Pimped
Fussy and Fancy #106: Vintage
Stampin' For The Weekend: Anything But A Card


Thank you for visiting,and hope you'll join us at Crafting with Dragonflies,

Anything with a Heart at Sunshine Mail

click images to enlarge

Our current challenge theme at the Sunshine Mail Foundation is "Anything with a Heart" & the only real rule is that you send in at least one card (it doesn't have to be the card you enter in the challenge; Donation guidelines here). This challenge is sponsored by Stitchy Bear's Digi Outlet, so I used the Baby Bug Set by BB Kakes.

If you want to try your own Card in a Box, there's a great written tutorial at Splitcoaststampers, and a video tutorial by Stampin T! for a smaller version. I trimmed my card down to 5.5 inches tall, to fit in an American/A2 envelope; you can find my measurements here on my blog.

Here's the card all closed up:

And then it pops up into a box:

I colored the sweet fairy with Copics, printing her wings on vellum. The other images were printed on a pink paper and colored with Tekwriter gel pens and Smooch enamel.

The sentiment is by When the Scrap Hits the Fun. The heart-patterned papers are from a K&Company set that I've had for years. Love the vintage touches.


Inspiration/Challenges:
The Crazy Challenge: Fairytale (I've studied the DT samples & I think this applies as a "fairy tale")
Deep Ocean Challenge #70: Fantasy
Hanna & Friends: Hearts + cute/stamped/person/animal
Scrapbooker PhD: Hearts (use red and pink)

Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us at Sunshine Mail,

Simply Catty - Anything Goes at OSAAT

This week at One Stitch at a Time (OSAAT), our theme is Anything Goes. StitchyBear's Digi Outlet has hundreds of digital products from many wonderful artists, and if you use one of our products you'll be entered to win the super-duper main prize.

I used the Two Kittens set by Barbara Jensen, available at StitchyBear's Digi Outlet. The cats come separately, so you can arrange them however you like.

The window and window box dies are from Memory Box. Both were cut/embossed from a plain white cardstock, but the window box is coated with Crackle Paint. I covered a piece of manila cardstock with lace for the window background.

The sentiment is from the Paw Prints set by Ailie Busby, and the tag die & stamp are from a Doodlebug/Sizzix set. The pawprints are from a Studio G set, and heat-embossed directly onto the background in yellow.

The yellow tape is a true example of upcycling: it's medical tape! My husband had some blood drawn, and as soon as he came out of the office he said to me, "Wait until you see what they used to wrap my arm with! You'll love it!" How could I resist using it‽ I actually own some white medical tape like this; it didn't work for our medical purpose, so it got put it my crafting stash! I decorated this piece with a Washi tape and an adhesive die-cut tape.

Digi Sketch

Inspiration/Challenges:
Digi Sketch Challenge: Sketch and/or Theme (S)
House That Stamps Built: Kitties
Love to Scrap: Tags
Pause Dream Enjoy Linky Party #2: Friendship Cards
Twisted Tuesday: Use Tape + Twist: Use something that starts with a T, A, P or E (Tag, Alcohol markers/Animals, Pawprints, Embossing)



Thank you for visiting,