Dude Time Doodles February Inspirational Challenge (+ CPS Day #7)

This week's Dude Time Doodles Challenge is to use the Photo / Color Inspiration on the right, along with die cuts and punches.

Our sponsor this week is Stamp-by-Step, and one lucky winner will receive a $15 gift certificate to their store! This photo has so much potential...can't wait to see what you create!

Don't ask me why, but as soon as I saw the Bug (from DTD's Kill It Kevin! set) I had to make him a Scarab beetle. I don't know if anyone else looks at this photo and thinks "Ancient Egyptian Symbolism!" ... just call me the Omm Sety of Dudeville Hollow!

Both circles are embossed & cut with Spellbinders dies on my Big Shot, and the borders are done with an EK Success punch I found on clearance.

CPS Sketch #242

Inspiration:

Card Positioning Systems 5th Anniversary Celebration: Day 7/ Sketch #242 (right)
Digital Tuesday Challenge #147: Use your Stash + digital element (the fabric papers & gold ribbon are from my stash; I've had teh gold ribbon for years!)
Dude Time Doodles Inspiration Challenge: Photo / Color Inspiration + die cuts & punches

Stamps: Bug digi from Kill It Kevin! set by Bonibleaux Designs/Dude Time Doodles, sentiment by Create with TLC


Update: There's a little story that goes with this card...originally, I had labeled the image "Kevin the Bug," as I thought I had seen it written in the store, but fellow DT member Kevin McCrafty pointed out to be that it's actually from a set. So I wrote him this poem ('cause Kevin always serves the virtual beer at our DT parties):
Like a lug
I misnamed my bug
after the Dear
who has the beer.

...and being McCrafty, he wrote this back to me:
If you love Beetles try wiggity grubs,
or even a scarab beetle
what ever you do, don't put them in stew
or name them after the wrong people.

Love my team!

15 Cards: CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration

Just to put it into perspective, I compiled all the cards I've made for the CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration into one handy graphic:

The original posts for these cards are archived here.

Thanks again to all at CPS for the great challenge and inspiration!

Think fast! (CPS Day #15)

As you know, ideas for cards can come from anywhere...well, this idea actually started with a piece of trash that blew into our backyard. It was one of the first bitterly blustery days of Winter, and when I took the dogs out I found an empty package for a nylon Ninja Face Mask, which sparked my imagination... Originally I was going to use the actual packaging for this card, but it proved too fragile. For better or worse, if you can imagine it you can find it on the internet, so I found a Ninja Clipart download site with great free images. My husband helped me settle on the sentiment:

CPS Sketch #231

I used Sketch #231 from Day 15 of the CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration, which worked perfectly for my sliding sentiment. (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.)

I decided to go with a black-and-white scheme, and I wanted it shiny so I printed it on photo paper. I designed it all in Adobe InDesign... I even worked the Gradient tool! The diamond pattern is actually a series of lines ("Strokes"). The footprints are from the Ninja Clipart download site, as are the throwing stars that I used to make the little flower (this makes me SO happy!) I resisted the urge to use a ninja-style font and went with Pea Whitney Rae, one of the free handwriting fonts available from Kevin and Amanda.

I printed the ninja image twice, and popped it up with foam tape. The ribbon is white silk, which seemed appropriate!

This was inspired by the following challenges:

Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #61: Monochrome Magic
CPS 5th Anniversary Day 15: Sketch #231

Card Cupids February Drive: CPS Days 9 and 14 + Motivational Rock

Using the the sketches from Days 9 and 14 of the CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration, I made birthday cards for Card Cupid's February Drive:

CPS Day 9, Sketch #5

I cut down this Thomas the Cat pre-colored diecut from Lili of the Valley to match the rest of the shapes. I combines the balloons & sentiment from a Bentley Bear stamp set, and found a perfect matching cake in a set from Our Betty.

CPS Day 14, Sketch #45

I was really inspired by the Cropped Digi Image theme at Digi Makeover Challenges: it worked really well with Gab in the Groove from Just Some Lines. I stamped the white silk ribbon with a Great Impressions stamp in three colors of dye inks (pink, Fire Brick, and brown); this was inspired by the recent tutorial at the SP & Company Stamps blog. Thanks!

Update: The card I made for the Cropped Digi Image Challenge at Digi Makeover won the random prize! Thank you!

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This month's challenge at Card Cupids is to "create a motivational card for a child", so I grabbed this cute DJ digi from KennyK Downloads, a sentiment from Create with TLC, & a fun Guitar Hero stamp set from StudioG (I think) and made this bright number (without any help from CPS!):

I'm thinking that I will add a "Happy Birthday" sentiment and send it in as part of their Birthday card drive.

Thanks to all for the inspiration! (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.) 

Gettin' funky... CPS Days 8, 11 and 13

I've had so much fun this past week, creating all 15 cards for the Card Positioning Systems' 5th Anniversary Celebration. (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.) These three are my personal favorites, as they all really made me think out the box card!

CPS Day 8, Sketch #102

This is such a little love note to my Big Shot... the circles are embossed/cut with Spellbinders dies and the double-rosette was created with my new Tim Holtz die. Love it! I don't have the extender, so I had to tape the paper onto the die and run it through twice. The sentiment is heat-embossed in blue.

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CPS Day 11, Sketch #170

Mom sent me this this stamped image of an Arizona Snowman scene, and it was as much fun to color as it looks! I visited the Arizona desert throughout my life, so it has a special place in my heart; I even made teh snowman a "sandman" and added a little frost with Polar White FlowerSoft. The snowy bits are filled in with Stickles.

I punched the snowflakes (MS punch) out of 2 grades of sandpaper, and embossed & sanded a white/blue Core'dinations cardstock for the background.

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CPS Day 13, Sketch #121

I put this card together with pieces I made in a class at Crop Girls taught by Jennifer Dove, where we used the groovy Fran•táge technique (more on that here). I cut the circles with Spellbinders dies; the sentiment is stamped on cork and cut really well! My favorite part of this card is that I used no adhesives, only brads and eyelets!

Thanks for looking, and a special thank-you to CPS for the inspiration!

Shopping my Stash with MelJen's Designs + CPS Day 12

I bet you're getting tired of me bragging, but I'm on a roll! Well, who could resist the Jug Band set from Bonibleaux Designs/Dude Time Doodles that won my card a top 3 spot at Shopping Our Stash's People Who Need People challenge?! The boys are very excited, and egged me to make a last-minute card for their current challenge. Although the challenge is officially Valentine's themed, we also have the option of using one of their sponsor's images instead, and I just had to use my newly-acquired Robot Boy digi from Meljen's Designs! I wanted to make this a boy's birthday card for Card Cupid's February Drive, so no hearts, just a lot of love:

CPS Sketch #118

Oh, and you didn't think I'd pass up the opportunity to use another sketch from the CPS 5th Anniversary Celebration did you?! Today's it's Day 12, Sketch #118! (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.)

The shiny K.I. Memories papers are from my stash; actually, I took them from my mom's stash in Arizona, so they went a long way to make this card! I printed the sentiment (a freebie from MelJen's; Thank you!) directly onto the star paper, then paper-pieced the balloons and tiny stars on top (that I printed on white and colored with my Copics, same as the main image). I filled the sentiment in and added detail with gel and glitter pens.

The two stars on the bottom right are actually punched out; the punched pieces are the red stars on the top left. The lavender flower brad in the middle star has been in my stash for at least 4 years!

Happy unbirthday to you all!

CPS Day 10...Glittery silly Dilly

CPS Sketch #26

I'm having so much fun making my way through all 15 sketches of Card Positioning Systems' 5th Anniversary Celebration! (All my cards for the CPS Celebration are archived here.)

I'm so tickled (and honored!) to have made the Top 3 for the Dilly Beans Freaked Challenge. Megan's images are so much fun to create with, plus my husband is also a big fan!

Thank you all for the awesome inspiration!

CPS 5th Anniversary Day 10: Sketch #26 (top right)

Dilly Beans Challenge: Love is in the Air

Can You Digi It? Stock Spotlight Saturday: Glitter Paper

I think it's pretty obvious that I had a blast coloring this image (Framed Zombie Hearts 4 by Dilly Beans) with my Copics! I added the stripes on the hair myself -- my first time being so bold! I had originally colored the face in yellows, but it felt too washed-out, so I went over it with Celadon Green (YG25). I used the colorless blender added shading to the neck. I used the Copic "dotting" method on the backgrounds and the wings. The hearts are actually cut out & popped up with adhesive foam.

The heart images on the right side are from Dilly Beans' Girlie Skellies pre-colored digi collage sheet. I made the wings from a coated glitter paper, using an angel-wings chipboard template from Maya Road.

The wavy paper in the middle looks so much cooler in person; it's Prismatic paper from Colorbök. Can You Digi It?'s Stock Spotlight Saturday inspired me to use this lovely blue glitter paper that Mom just sent me. Thank you! (Be sure to check out their DT's awesome projects and tips on coloring glitter paper with Copics.)

For the sentiment I used the "Rock and Roll" stamping technique I learned from Sami at SP&Company Stamps. I drew the cloud in pencil and then traced & embellished it with my black Copic (I really want a multiliner, but I can't decide which width I want to start with...any suggestions?).

Shades of Love (CPS Anniversary Celebration Day #6)

I was recently introduced me to Jellypark images and I'm becoming increasingly hooked! I love that the artist, Claire Keay, also sells original art and digis for charity. I grabbed her Girl with Thank You Bunting digital stamp as soon as it came out; all proceeds go to Little Havens children's hospice. I thought it would be perfect for with CPS Sketch #37, the sketch for CPS Anniversary Celebration Day #6.

CPS Sketch #37

The pre-glittered, double-sided DP is actually from My Mind's Eye's Lost & Found Christmas series, but it just felt right for this card!

I colored the image with colored pencils and distressed the piece with Antique Linen distress ink. Using double-sided tape, I created the border with a natural raffia. I used red raffia for the middle, and added the last of paper-bag bunting, made with the Pretty Pendants set by SP & Company. I added faux brads with Candy Cane Stickles.

I made this card for the following challenges:

Jellypark Challenges: Shades of Love
CPS Anniversary Celebration Day #6: CPS Sketch #37 (right)

Thanks for looking! I'm going to be posting lots of cards this week, thanks to CPS! You can see all my cards for their 5th Anniversary Celebration here.


Update: This card won a Top 3 spot for Jellypark's Shades of Love challenge! Thank you all!

CPS Anniversary Sketches 2-5!

The sketch challenge at Card Positioning Systems (CPS) is one of my favorites, so I'm excited to participate in all 15 sketches of their 5th Anniversary Celebration! I've already posted my card using their Day 1 sketch, and here are Days 2 - 5 (in order):

Day 2 / Sketch #166
Featuring digi stamp from MelJen's Designs

Day 3 / Sketch #54
Featuring digi stamp from MelJen's Designs

Day 4 / Sketch #220
Featuring digi stamp from MelJen's Designs

Day 5 / Sketch #38
Featuring digi stamp from Tiddly Inks
Candy Heart SVG set from Denise's Scrapbooking Room

I'm entering the card above into the following challenges:

Tiddly Inks Challenge #79: Valentine

iCopic Weekly Challenge #68: Hearts


Okay, off to work on the rest of the CPS sketches!

A Snowy Valentine

I awoke to the nicest present in my inbox: the new newsletter from The Stamping Boutique, complete with tutorial & freebie! I really like how Audrey's Heart includes a snow theme...at least in our area, we're more likely to have a White Valentine's than a White Christmas!

I decided to put off the card I should have made today and used the freebie to make this card, with more inspiration from the following challenges:

The Stamping Boutique Challenge #24: Die Cuts

Gingerloft Challenge #32: Let it Snow

Cooking It Up with Katie Challenge #88: Hearts + Punches + Embossing

Card Positioning Systems Sketch #136 (Challenge #1 of their 5th Anniversary Celebration!)

Totally PaperCrafts Challenge: Pearls and Lace
The Corrosive Challenge: I {Heart} You

I recently purchased some wonderful ribbon, twine & embellishments from the NEW online store Can You Digi It?, which you've got to check out. They have some great sales going on! I bought some wooden buttons, and was tickled to see some pretty wooden snowflakes include in my package! One of my favorite parts is that they're pre-painted white; all I did was edge them with a pink Copic marker (R83).I used teh same color to edge the backing papers.

I cut the little hearts with my Cricut, using the Walk in My Garden cartridge. The big Conversation Heart is from an SVG/SCAL set available for free at Denise's Scrapbooking. Thank you Denise!

I edged the light blue background with a Recollections border punch, and patterned the paper by stamping hearts & snowflakes on it and heat-embossing them with two different pink embossing powders (Stampendous & Martha Stewart).

I colored the image with Copic markers, and added dimension to the "snow" with Glossy Accents. I paper-pieced Audrey onto the the heart background, and popped up the little conversation hearts with foam tape.

I finished it off with some pink & regular adhesive pearls. What a great way to spend a chilly Sunday! I craft on my couch, with my husband in his chair playing XBox and working... I had red Copic build on the couch beside me, and Walt decided to jump up to take advantage of the blanket pile. In this house, we live around crafting!

Have a great day!