Across the Pond - Pile It On "Best Wishes" Challenge

This week at the Pile It On Challenge we are sharing projects featuring Best Wishes/Congratulations sentiments. We're sponsored by StitchyBear's Digi Outlet, and I used this festive Big Ben digi stamp by Stitchy Stamps:

inside

I printed Big Ben onto a shiny white paper & heat-embossed it with a clear powder. I then inked it with several blue inks. The street-lamp patterned DP is from a DCWV collection. I sprayed it with gold Tattered Angels glimmer mist.

The banner and crown stamps are from the Cool Britannia clear stamp set by Louise Allen that I received from Quick Cards as part of the Diamond Jubilee celebration in 2012, which means I've had this set in my stash for some time! I was so happy to finally have occasion to use it.

I stamped the crown onto Shrinky Dink plastic, colored it with stamp markers, and hand-wrote the "best wishes" sentiment. I shrunk it in my toaster oven & attached it to the decorative pin with gold embroidery floss.

The banner was stamped in blue onto a yellow-inked medical paper tape, a technique I learned from Crafter's Companion.

This card was party inspired by the ATC Swap we're having within one of my other Design Teams (OSAAT) with the theme of "a different culture/county to your own". I like playing with a few ATC ideas and then making cards with some of them. The ATC is on its way to my teamie Susie in the UK (once she receives it, I'll post it) and I hope to send this card to someone special one day!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafting By Designs: Rock around the Clock
Crafty Creations #270: Use old something from your Stash (I've had this pin for several years & the stamp set has been un-inked for 2 years!)
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything goes with Patterned Paper
Creative Craft Cottage Digi Creations: Charms or Pins
Lia Stampz Challenge #71: Use a crown or put one on your project
My Heart Pieces: Use a Digistamp

Update: I was the prize winner for Lia Stampz's Crowns Challenge!

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

Make your Own Tissue Box at Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies we're challenging you to make your own Tissue Box cover (any size). This might seem daunting, but there are lots of easy tutorials out there, plus my fellow Design Team members have some gorgeous inspiration for you.

We're sponsored by Bugaboo and I used their wonderful Cat in Hat - Youer than You digi stamp as the inspiration for this design. The Dr Seuss-themed papers are from my stash, and I also included this colorful quote from TLC Creations.

I modified the Tissue Box Cover tutorial at Splitcoast Stampers. I used scalloped ovals dies for the top opening (Spellbinders, I think).

The only coloring I did was on the cute cat from Bugaboo. I also added some detail with a Blue gel pen on the top.

I liked the box without any embellishments, but I couldn't resist make a little bow for the top. I cut it from a blue rubber tourniquet (my poor husband has been having a lot of blood drawn & he always gives me these rubber strips to craft with!) and added a bit of white pom-pom ribbon.

Even if you don't usually make 3D projects, I hope you'll join us at Crafting with Dragonflies and make your own tissue box cover. I haven't had a box of tissues in the house for a long time, and I know that this have given me plenty of smiles as I grab a tissue running out of the house!


I'm entering this project into the following Challenges:
All Crafts Challenge: Anything but a Card
Crafty Catz #244: Recycle It (rubber for bow)
My Craft Spot: Bags & Boxes

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

School Time! - Pilin' On the Primary Colors

This week at the Pile It On Challenge our theme is Primary Colors (as the main colors) and we're sponsored by Bugaboo Stamps. They have some of my favorite school-themed images, so I made this Joy Fold Card for two of our nieces:

I used two of my favorite DPs (can't remember who they are by... Jillibean? October Afternoon?).
The small card was cut with a Spellbinders/PageMaps die. One of the notebook-edge borders is cut with a Die-namics die and the other is from an actual notebook! The bottom border was cut from DP with decorative scissors, and I punched the holes with my Crop-O-Dile.

The sentiment is a rubber stamp from Hero Arts, and the stars were heat-embossed in gold using a handmade wood-and-cork stamp. The flowers were cut/embossed from a SU! paper on my BigShot. I colored the adorable Bugaboo digi stamps with Copic markers. The sun paperclip is from my stash, and I added a scrap of red raffia to it. The gold spiral in the flower is also a paperclip. I used an actual mini-notebook sheet for the message section on the back.

Inspiration/Challenges:
As You Like it Challenge: Favorite Papers and Why (I adore Design Papers featuring regular-paper patterns; guess I could just use the real thing, but the DPs are so fun!)
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything goes with Patterned Paper
Hobbybook Designer Challenge: All about Kids
MilkCoffee Challenge: Use 2 or more die cuts
Party Time Tuesdays #184: Back to School
QKR Stampede #100: Back to School
STAMPlorations August Challenge: Stamps and Die Cuts
Whimsy Inspiration #73: Back to School

Update: This card placed in the Top 5 for QKR Stampede #100!

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

Gnome Place like Home -- Step Cards with Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies we're challenging you to make a Center- or Side-step Card. We have two sponsors, Handmade Harbour and Make It Crafty, and I used this whimsical Mushroom House digi stamp by Make It Crafty.

The Gnome with Toadstool digi stamp is a freebie from Spyder's Corner (thank you!) and I generated the sentiment myself (although I'm certain I've seen it as a stamp somewhere). The images are colored with Copics markers with details in glitter and gel pens. The googly-eyed ladybugs are brads from Michaels that I trimmed and glued on with Glossy Accents. I used a Martha Stewart punch for the corners.

Inspiration/Challenges:
City Crafter Challenge #223: Home Is Where The Heart Is (include a house)
Crafty Cardmakers: Fancy Folds
Fitztown Challenge: Step Card

Update: I was the lucky winner for Fitztown Challenge!

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

Inky Antics stamp set for Sunshine Mail

I was on the fabulous Design Team at the Sunshine Mail Foundation for almost two years, so I was especially pleased to be the winner of the Inky Antics giveaway benefiting Sunshine Mail. I won one of their adorable Balloon Buddies HoneyPOP Clear Stamp Set by artist Tammy DeYoung, as well as two packs of rainbow honeycomb paper! 

Because this design is all about the pop-up inside, I kept the front simple. I stamped the sentiment (which are separate stamps for each phrase) onto the large balloon stamp. I drew the ropes myself, and added a 3D bow from American Crafts.

For the inside, I stamped the image directly onto the base card and colored it with Copic markers. The honeycomb paper was easy to cut, with help from the template stamp in this fun Inky Antics stamp set. The trick with the honeycomb pop-up is to score the base card with a slight spine; I just followed the directions on the package, not what I usually do! I added some strips of the same DP I used for the front.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge #112: Thinking of You type sentiment
Craft for the Craic August Challenge: Craft Item You Have Never Used Before (Honeycomb paper)
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything Uplifting goes

The current 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). My mom and I just sent in over 30 cards, and I thank Inky Antics for this lovely gift that I'll use for more Sunshine Mail.
Thank you for visiting,