Keepin' it Kool - Any Card Goes with Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies our theme is Anything Goes, cards only. I used a fun digi stamp from KaDoodle Bug Designs that I've had for quite some time but haven't used.

The background is a white cardstock embossed with a Sizzix folder that I first covered with a yellow ink. I like the effect. The ants are plastic buttons that I heat-embossed with a shiny black powder; I added "thread" with a gold pen. I made the "lemon" with a Sizzix die, adding detail with the gold pen & a yellow Sharpie and cutting out a little wedge. I used a Versamark pen to fill the letters with neon-yellow embossing powder. The shaker portion is covered with vellum, and is filled with yellow-orange mircobeads.

Die Cut Divas' September Challenge

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafting with Dragonflies: Anything Goes, cards only
Die Cut Divas: Sketch (flipped) + Die Cut & Dry Embossing
Doodle Pantry: Anything Digital Goes
Eureka Stamps: Monochrome



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

Cicada Pirate

Today (September 19) is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and to keep up my tradition of Pirate-themed projects I made this 3D project using a "dog day" Cicada shell.

I cut the Pirate Ship shape with Cricut's Paper Doll Dress Up cartridge from a gold/tan double-sided paper. I inked the tan sides, and pieced the sails with a shiny white paper.
The pirate hat & eye patch were sized from a printable template by Making Friends that I fussy-cut and carefully glued to fit this little guy.

The sentiment is a classic by TLC Creations that I printed & di-cut and inserted into a slit in a small branch. The base is die-cut from a textured paper. It's all pretty much held together with Glossy Accents.

Thank ye for visiting,

Rare Oddities

My mom gifted me with some sheets of Graphic45's funky & lovely "Rare Oddities" collection, and I've been planning on making a gatefold card with it. I was finally inspired to do so by this week's free Cricut Craftroom cartridge, Chemistry Icons, and ended up adding a shaker to the card.

If you're familiar with this paper collection, you'll notice the little elements I paper-pieced and the color I added to the front text with gel pens. I also added some Candi to the corners.

Here's the card closed:

...right side opened:

...and fully open. I used gold & teal microbeads to fill the shaker portion behind the chemistry set.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations: Anything Goes with Twist of Magic
Come and Get It: More than 1 Fold
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper September Challenge: Anything Goes with Patterned Paper (2nd entry)


Thank you for visiting & for inspiring my crafting,

Sky Scene at the Crafter's Cafe

This week at The Crafter's Cafe we're challenging you to Create a Sky Scene. One of our great sponsors is Rick St. Dennis, and I used his amazing "Aerocruiser for Lady B" digi stamp to create this tunnel card inspired by the tutorial by Shelly Hickox using Karen Burniston’s Pop it Ups Accordion dies from Elizabeth Craft Designs.

I used a blue, double-sided cardstock that is frosted white on one side (Core'Dinations) for the base and the die-cut clouds (IO). Inspired by the Steampunk quality of the image, I used stamps from Forever in Time's "Old Fashioned" set. I used gold, silver, or glittery white embossing powders, and inked the backgrounds with Sky Blue ink (Inkadinkado). I fussy-cut all the images, using my finger knife to cut the interior sections.

The hot air balloon is a wooden embellishment. I added some gear die-cuts to decorate the balloon, and glued a white cloud onto it. I used Broken China distress ink to stamp the sentiment (HOTP).

I colored Lady B and her Aerocruiser with Copic markers and gel & glitter pens. Her lap blanket is covered with Flowersoft; I didn't have yellow, so I died some Polar White Flowersoft with liquid Sunshine Yellow ink (TH/Ranger).

For the background, I used more of the white/blue cardstock, debossed it with a cloud-patterned folder (Darice), and sanded it to bring out the blue.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Craft and Smash: Clouds
Crafty Friends Challenge: Something beginning with B (Balloons, Blue)
Just Us Girls: Balloons
Rick St. Dennis Digi Fans & Friends: Anything RSD goes
That Craft Place: Steampunk

Thank you for visiting & hope you'll join us at The Crafter's Cafe,

Pilin' on the Birthdays

The theme this week at Pile It On is Birthday. We're sponsored by Craftin' Desert Divas and I used their fun Birthday Girl Bears set by Too Cute by Jessica/Marjorie Ann Designs to make this 2nd Birthday card for our niece:

The base card is a double-sided DP from my stash. I covered the bear with flocking, and used FlowerSoft for her tutu & the hat tops.

The inside pop-up sentiment was made with SVGcuts' Premium Pop Up Cards SVG Kit.

Inspiration/Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks #263: Birthday
Craft It Up & Link It Up Linky Party by Craftin Desert Divas: Just for Kids
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything goes with Patterned Paper
Moving along with the Times: Cute Animal
Paper Minutes #399: All About Children
Seize The Birthday: Birthday
WordArt Wednesdays Challenge #200: Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Thank you for visiting & inspiring my crafting! Hope you'll join us at Pile It On,

Magical Magic Card with Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies our theme is Something Magical.

I made a magic card based on a SplitcoastStampers tutorial, but I created this cutting file in SCAL. Other than the base card, which I cut with my Silhouette Cameo, the pieces were cut on my Cricut using their Paper Dolls cartridge. Don't you just love that cute rabbit!

The acetate portion of the tag (I used an ink-jet-friendly transparency sheet) is printed with a sentiment I made myself.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Sparkles Forum Challenges: More than one Fold
Through the Purple Haze: Happy Birthday
WordArt Wednesdays Challenge #200: Anything Goes

Update: I won a lovely prize from V's Sweet Ideas for WordArt Wednesdays Challenge #200. Thank you!

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

Heartfelt Condolences

Sadly I had need of a condolence card this week, and as they are very emotional for me to make I used inspiration from craft challenges to help me create this card:

All the pieces of this card are made from the same textured watercolor paper. The diamond-patterned background was embossed with a Sizzix folder and inked with a bright yellow ink. The lattice piece was cut with the Small Trellis Arch & Edge Cutter dies from Designs by Robert Addams, and inked with a slightly deeper yellow. I used Broken China distress ink and Spellbinders dies for the sentiment & background shape. The background shape is also embossed with a Sizzix folder. The sentiment piece is popped with white foam, and I finished the card with a strip of orange burlap.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Lawnscaping : Texture
Mojo Monday: Sketch #414
Sunday Stamps: Color Combo (Vanilla, Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight & Crushed Curry)

Thank you for visiting & for inspiring my crafting,

A Nod to Nudie - Boys will be Boys at UnstampaBelles

 The UnstampaBelles September challenge is Boys will be Boys, with the twist of sharing your opinion on what makes a good male card/gift. Remember: no stamps!

I've been asked many times for my thoughts on making cards for men, and my first answer is always: Depends on the man. But my main suggestions are: Texture, Interactivity, and Humor. You can never go wrong with a CAS card with a pop-up inside. Those pointers aside, I was inspired by some very manly music & the costumes that go along with it. I also broke two rules a good friend has for male cards: No glitter or roses!

The other evening my husband & I had fun listening to some ol' Country music (mostly Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris) and ended up marveling at the suit/costume designs by Nudie & Bobbie Cohen of Nudie's Rodeo Tailor (Be sure to check out Nudie's Official Facebook page). My husband challenged me to make a card inspired by these incredible costumes. I had fun with it!

The card design is based on Mel Stampz's Jacket Card. I used two store-brought handmade papers: a beautiful embossed white paper for the shirt, and a black paper with a silver rose design. I embossed the lapels with black powder, and added the red details with red glitter glue. I altered an embroidered rose to make a twig-n-berries design for the lapel, as a pun on Nudie's classic design.

The charm is from Korthobby, a fabulous shop based in Norway that sponsors the Sketchy Colors challenge blog. Recently I won a beautiful bag of metal charms from them, which included this one, which apparently translates in English to "real men" from the Norwegian Ekte mannfolk (I checked this with a friend living in Norway, but if you have a different translation please leave a comment). Can't you imagine this charm being worn by a 1970s s[w]inger!

Here's a song & some suits that inspired this card:




Inspiration/Challenges:
Art Impressions Stamps Challenge #167: Southern Style
Natalie and Amy's Challenge #36: Use a Charm
Ruby's Rainbow #11: It's A Man's World

Be sure to check out the fabulous projects by my teamies and hope you'll join us this month at UnstampaBelles!


Thank you for visiting,

Monochromatic for a Child at the Crafter's Cafe

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge theme is Monochromatic for a Child, partly in celebration of National Child Awareness Month. Starting today, our challenges will run roughly 2 weeks, on the 1st & 15th days of the month. For this challenge, we're sponsored by Bugaboo and All Dressed Up Stamps, and I used A Star is Born by All Dressed Up.

I used a Sizzix Flipitz die for the card base, and a Shake It plastic piece for the shaker on front.

Thank you for visiting & hope you'll join us at The Crafter's Cafe,