Your Time to Shine

While getting inky the other day, I discovered that if you use the ink-smooshing technique on a deeply-embossed paper, the ink naturally stays on the raised section. It's so fun!

Inspiration:
colourQ Challenge: Color Combo #330 (Poppy, Limeade, Turquoise + White)

Freshly Made Sketches: Sketch #225

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It's a Bunny-eat-Peep kind of world

I already entered this month's challenge at Latina Crafter, but only with the color/theme; this time, I used the sketch. Actually, I made a card early this month using the fun sketch & one of my favorite Wonderstrange digis, but I gave it away before I got a photo!But it was fun to use it again for this silly Spring card.

The little eggs are from a patterned paper, carefully fussy-cut by my awesome Mom! I used an oval die to cut out the eggs. Both are from a beautiful & humorous patterned paper, but I copied the sentiment onto Shrinky Dink plastic. The pink rabbit die-cut is covered in pink & white flocking, and I added details with brown paper & a black pen. The Peep is an SVG from Miss Kate Cuttables. The broken egg banner is a sticker that I backed with shiny paper. The background is embossed, and edged with a Copic marker. I sure had had making this!

Inspiration:
Fun Cut's Alphabet Challenge: Monster (LOL, I keep imagining this as a giant monster-bunny, wreaking havoc on a Peep-bunny town!)
Little Red Wagon #330: Furry Friends
Latina Crafter #56: Sketch

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Bouquets of Purple Joy

The other day I was using a punch on three shades of purple papers, and the little pile of scraps was too pretty to throw away! I worked quickly to make this, so that the little pieces didn't get scattered or forgotten! But then I let the Stickles dry and forgot about it for a few days... Lucky I did, because the finishing touch was this pretty purple fiber that came with a sweater I bought just today! I inked the larger flowers, and added some microbeads in the shaker. The die is from Memory Box.The sentiment, from Clear Art Stamps, is stamped with three purple inks. Sorry for the photos; it has great texture & color IRL.

Inspiration:
Crafting Musketeers #34: Monochrome
Simon Says Stamp: Shaker (4th entry)

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Pilin' on more Paint

A friend from High School recently lost his mother, and I was inspired to make this card.

The theme this fortnight at Pile It On is Paint, so I started by painted the outer edges with a sparkly black paint. Then I inked the middle with blue inks, adding texture & blending with a wet wipe. I added some more black paint & several colors/kinds of embossing powders. The sentiment (Verve) is heat-embossed in neon yellow. The star shaker is filled with gold stars and backed with a neon yellow paper. I colored a black-an-white baker's twine with my fluorescent yellow Copic maker.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Country View Crafts' Challenge #36: Make your own Background
Simon Says Stamp: Shaker (3rd entry)

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

Simply Sunny Shaker

I've been having lots of fun with the shaker card kits by Jillibean Soup, so much so that I bought a few more! Here's a simple, sunny card. The die is from Memory Box, the sentiment is by Verve Stamps, and the shaker is filled with butterfly sequins.

Inspiration:
The Paper Girls #98: Sunshine
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Shaker (2nd entry)

Update: This was the lucky winner at SSSWC and The Paper Girls!

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Love One Another

One of my favorite types of cards are shaker cards, and I've been having lots of fun with the kits by Jillibean Soup.

The rainbow stamp is from an SP & Company set, and I colored it with Copics. The sentiment, from a Flourishes set, was stamped on shiny white paper, and the cloud-shaped shaker was filled with tiny gold stars. I cut the card base to make a square card, and punched a border on the bottom with a MS punch. I backed that with more shiny white paper. I've gotten several compliments on this card, so I think it's a design I'll go back to.

Inspiration:
Simon Says Stamp: Shaker
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything Goes (2nd entry)

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Pilin' on the Paint

The theme this fortnight at Pile It On is Paint. Time to get messy!

The rubber stamp, including the sentiment, is from Whipper Snapper Designs.I colored it with Copics & used real paint for the egg & brush. For the background & frame, I used the ink smooshing technique, but with acrylic paint. The background piece is a watercolor paper that I first embossed with an egg-patterned folder. The frame was made from a dot-embossed paper. The wood die-cut strip is an offcut from a previous project.  I punched a flower border on the bottom of the card.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafty Ribbons #144: LEAP (frogs, Kangaroos, kids etc)
Cut it Up: Leap Year (use a frog)
One Crazy Stamper: Anything Goes / no digital images
Sunday Stamps #120: Sketch
Vintage Stamping Challenges/Flonz Craft: Spatters & Drips

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

Birthday Cards at Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies our theme is Birthday Cards.

I won this adorable Robot Birthday stamp set by V's Sweet Ideas from WordArt Wednesdays Challenge #200. The accordion card was based on a tutorial from Me & My Big Ideas.

Inspiration/Challenges:
ABC Challenge: B is for ... (Bot, Birthday)
Crafty Gals Corner: Fancy Folds
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything goes with Patterned Paper
Fab 'n' Funky: Male Birthday
Tinker- Dream: Birthday
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything Goes

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

Bloom with Love

One of the first stamp sets I owned was a collection based on works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I don't use it very often, as they don't stamp as well as other rubber stamps, but I thought this would be perfect for a one-layer card. This particular stamp is based on a set of 18th-century German playing cards. The sentiment is one of my favorites from Clear Art Stamps.

Inspiration:
Addicted to CAS: Bloom
Less Is More: one layer card - include a stem
Simon Says Stamp: One Layer Card (3rd entry)

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Simply Noted

We've had odd weather this year; It was so warm in December that the spring flowers started blooming! Now we have snow, but the birds are acting like it's springtime. This card was inspired the robins in the snow in our background.

I used my bird stamps from Art Impressions' "Fronts & Backs" line to make this one-layer card.

I stamped the birds & sentiment in QuickQuotes brown chalk ink, and colored the birdies with colored pencils. The sentiment on the second line is actually made of two stamps! I drew the lines with a colored pencil. The card base is a lovely piece of book paper.

Inspiration:
Bunny Zoe's Crafts: Things with Wings 

Ooh La La Creations: CAS 
Simon Says Stamp: One Layer Card (2nd entry)

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Shut the front door!

Mom treated me to this hilarious Shut the Front Door! sentiment stamp and I couldn't wait to ink it up! I also used stamps from the "Round Sentiments" set by SP & Company.

I also added a yellow, stamped star in the middle of the sentiment, and punched 3 little stars in the corner just for good measure! I think this will be a good card to send someone who has had some good news.

Inspiration:
CAS Colours & Sketches: #160 Sketch + CAS
Fantasy Stampers: Just one layer + Stamping
Simon Says Stamp: One Layer Card

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Love is in the Air at the Crafter's Cafe

The Crafter's Cafe Challenge theme is Love is in the Air. We're sponsored by Melonheadz, QKR Stampede, and Rick St. Dennis. I designed this card around the All You Need is Love sentiment on the digi stamp "Valentine Tangle" by RSD & the song "Love Is All You Need" by the Beatles.

I made a twisted easel card, propping up the top with a record player cut using Cricut's Bits & Pieces cartridge.

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

Sunny Sky Shaker

Mom & I visited Michael's the other day & found cute shaker card kits by Jillibean Soup on clearance! You know how much I love shaker cards. I inked the front of the card (a nice natural, textured paper) with the help of painter's tape. The sentiment stamp is from Art Impressions, and I filled the shaker with a mix of sequins & microbeads.

Inspiration:
613 Avenue Create: #161 Shaker Project
AAA: #58 Sequins + CAS
The Paper Players: #282 Color Challenge

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Pilin' on Handmade Embellishments

The theme this fortnight at Pile It On is Handmade Embellishments. I used digital paper & digi stamps from the Sew Grateful set by our sponsor, Doodle Pantry. My handmade embellishments are the little buttons, which I die-cut from Shrinky Dink plastic.

Inspiration/Challenges:

Copic Spain Challenge: Anything Goes
Crafty Creations: Hearts

DoubleClick Skittles: Use A Heart
Our Creative Corner: Sew and Sew
Simon Says Stamp: Have A Heart

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

I'll Never Desert You - Cards at Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies our theme is Any Card.

I used the Circle Step Card Tutorial by Beate for SplitcoastStampers to create a cut file in SCAL and cut it on my Silhouette Cameo.It's probably just as easy to do it by hand, though. I embossed the folded card with my Swiss Dots embossing folder in my BigShot. The desert scene is from Cricut's Campin' Critters Cartridge.

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