Dragon Balloon Birthday - Pilin' on the Tic-Tac-Toe

The theme this fortnight at Pile It On is Tic-Tac-Toe. We're sponsored by Eureka Stamps.

I used the first column from our PIO Tic-Tac-Toe board: Balloon, baker's Twine, Stripes.

This accordion card was inspired by a tutorial from Me & My Big Ideas; I made a matching birthday card for his brother this year.

Although this features bold designs, I wanted to feature the Dragon Balloon from Eureka Stamps' unique line of shaped balloon images.

The balloons are from an Elizabeth Draft die set, and the vehicles are from Taylored Expressions' "Transportation Little Bits" set. The sentiment stamp is from Jillibean Soup, and I heat-embossed it in neon yellow.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: Anything goes with Patterned Paper (2nd entry)
Tuesday Throwdown: For a Child
Just Add Ink: Add anything starting with B (balloons)
QKR Stampede: Birthday Cards
WOW Embossing Powder Challenge: Anything Goes with Embossing Powder

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

Spring has Sprung! -- Seasons at the Crafter's Cafe

It's time for a new challenge at The Crafter's Cafe! This time, we're all about Seasons: What season are you enjoying right now? What's your favorite season? I was inspired by Spring, our current season in Maryland & probably my favorite. It's fun watching everything bloom. I used "Tulip Frame" by Eureka Stamps, one of our generous challenge sponsors.

I colored the image with Copics, using a very light blue for the background. The sentiment is stamped in blue on a woodgrain-patterened paper. I framed both pieces with Kraft paper. The background papers are from my stash (I've had them for years!) and I covered them with a layer of glitter embossing powder.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Crafty Boots: Use a Sentiment
Di's Digis Designs: Embossing
Moving along with the Times #18: Spring Flowers
Use Your Stuff: Kraft + Stash (patterned papers)

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

Pilin' on more Leaves

click to enlarge

The theme this week at Pile It On is Leaves. I made a Thanksgiving card with an image from our sponsor, Eureka Stamps, but I also stepped in for a teamie and made a Thank-you card using their Open Maple Leaf digi stamp.

I colored the image with Wink of Stella glitter pens and Copics. The acorns are premade with the gold glitter tops, but I heat-embossed the bottoms with copper powder. The squirrel & sentiment are wood embellishments; I colored the "thanks" with a gold Wink of Stella pen, but kept the squirrel as-is. The sheer yellow ribbon and orange glitter paper are from my stash. The card base is a shiny gold paper.

It's a lovely day here in Baltimore, with plenty of leaves & squirrels to enjoy!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Craft for the Craic: Something Glittery
Eureka Stamps: Give Thanks
Just Keep on Creating: Anything Goes
Mojo Monday: Sketch #422 (3rd entry)
Simon Says Stamp: Thanks/Thanksgiving (2nd entry)
Simply Create Too #98: Give Thanks
Sweet Stampin: Autumn leaves
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything Goes (2nd entry)

Update: I won the prize for Eureka Stamps #165!

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

Pilin' on the Leaves

The theme this week at Pile It On is Leaves. We're sponsored by Eureka Stamps, and I used their lovely Tree Losing Leaves digi stamp.

I stamped the sentiments directly onto the image with black Memento ink; the "Happy Thanksgiving" is from Personal Sentiments, and the verse is from Clear Art Stamps. The image itself is colored with Copics, although I did digitally add the blue background. The pumpkin was cut from shiny white paper using my Cricut (Create a Critter 2), and I added the black lines with a Pitt artist pen and color with Copics. The small leaves were die-cut with a Tim Holtz die, and the flowers are from my stash.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Bitten by the Bug: Cricut-cut Pumpkin (Create a Critter 2) on Fall project
The Crafty Addicts: Anything Goes/ Use A Die Cut
Doodle Pantry: Any Digi Goes
Moving along with the Times: Leaves &/or Trees
Simon Says Stamp: Thanks/Thanksgiving
Sisterhood of Crafters: Fall
Taylored Expressions' Share Joy Challenge #10: Sketch + Inspiration Photo
WordArt Wednesdays: Anything Goes

Update: This was chosen as the Project of the Week at Bitten by the Bug!

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

Girly & Lacy Cards at Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies we're challenging you to make a Girly & Lacy Card. This challenge has two sponsors: All Dressed Up and Eureka Stamps; I used Baby Animals by Eureka Stamps.

I'm entering this project into the following Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Stuck on U Diecut Challenge: Birthday Party + Die Cuts (lacy heart die)

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

Zentangle + Black & White Card - New challenge at Crafting with Dragonflies

This fortnight at Crafting with Dragonflies we're challenging you to use the Zentangle technique to create a Black & White Card. This is my first time using this technique, and I was inspired by the tutorials at Tangle Patterns and the beautiful creations by the Crafting with Dragonflies Design Team.

This challenge is sponsored by Bugaboo Digi Stamps and Eureka Stamps, and I had fun doodling inside two different sizes of Eureka's Stained Glass Sun:

Although I've always admired people who do beautiful the Zentangle designs, but honestly I didn't feel like a good enough of an artist to do such design-specific doodling. It seemed overly complicated, but once I started looking at Tangle ideas and projects, I found that it sort of simplifies doodling.Once I got comfortable with some basic designs, I kinda just did my own thing. I was specifically inspired by the Knightsbridge Zentangle, Ko'oko'o by Mary Kissel (the braid pattern), and Reticulated by Livia Chua. The doodle on the wood owl is based, very loosely, on Warangaie by Sandra Strait.

The sentiment, a quote from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was printed and heat-embossed directly onto the shiny black paper. I hand-cut the frame and doodled in it. The big sun is on a large bard, so it spins!

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

Sunshine Mail Foundation Blog Hop Day 2

Welcome to the second day of the Sunshine Mail Foundation Blog Hop! We're hopping all week (July 8 -12), with great prizes to be won every day.

Our sponsor today is Eureka Stamps, and the prize is 5 digi images.

To be eligible to win the prizes all you have to do is:

1. Become a follower of our blog
2. Add our Badge to you blog and link back.
3. Make sure you visit and leave comments on the DT members post:
   

   • CG
   • Lyn
   • Denise
   • Adina

I used Baby Animals by Eureka Stamps:

Did you know that the Sunshine Mail Foundation is July's featured organization for Split Coast Stamper's July Cards for a Cause Drive/Challenge? Hope you'll join in!
Remember to leave a comment for your chance to win. Your next stop is Lyn. Thank you for hopping with Sunshine Mail!

Howdy, 2013

I had so much fun Guest Designing this month for Eureka Stamps (you can see all my GDT projects here); their images are so much fun to color, and I liked being able to play with Southwest themes.

For their final challenge of 2012 and their first challenge of 2013, the Eureka Challenge team wants you to use Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue. I designed this card, featuring Eureka's Cactus, while visiting my Mom in Arizona.

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Eureka Stamps Challenge #20: Recipe
• Old: Metal embellishments (a friend gave Mom a big bag of Western-themed metal embellishments, and she passed few along to me), and jean-patterned paper 
• New: Bright green Liquid Pearls, patterned papers, and star ribbon
• Borrowed: Mom's gecko punch
• Blue: Blue patterned papers & blue thread (machine-stitched)
2. Hiding in my Craft Room #78: Freestyle
3. Jellypark Challenge: Old & New
4. Card Crafter's Circle: Anything Goes
5. Charisma Cardz: Anything Goes
6. Paper Play: Out with the old in with the new
7. Shelly's Images: Out with the old in with the New
8. Great Impressions: Anything Goes

Thank you for visiting,

Christmas Spirit at Eureka Stamps

It's my third challenge as the December Guest Designer at Eureka Stamps, and this week we want to see your Christmas Spirit. I mixed classic with silly with these sweet Holly Doggies:

It's such a silly sentiment, but I couldn't resist! It and the little bone stamps from a polymer set. I stamped them onto a precut tag, added the border with a PITT artist pen, and inked it with Vintage Photo distress ink. I colored the image with Copics and then added texture with the three colors of Flowersoft's Teddy Bear collection, using a ZIG glue pen.


Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Come and Get It Challenges - Anything Christmas
2. Eclectic Ellapu - Anything Goes 
3. Everybody-Art-Challenge #217 - Anything Goes
4. Here Come the Boys - Anything Goes
5. Lia Stampz Challenge - Winter holidays
6. The Squirrel & the Fox - Christmas 
7. Sunny Challenges - Winter holiday card 
8. Unique Crafters Challenge - Christmas 
9. Visible Image Monthly Challenge - Christmas

 
Hope you'll join in on the "Christmas Spirit" at Eureka Stamps this week. The challenge will end on Dec 23, and we'll be taking a break fro the Christmas Holidays, and then we'll return with a new challenge on the 31st.

Thank you for visiting,

Sparkle & Shine at Eureka Stamps

Whoop, it's my second week guest designing with the talented group over at Eureka Stamps! This week the theme is "Sparkle and Shine", and I used their Shadow Holly Square digi stamp:

I changed the black on the image to yellow, and printed it on a shiny paper. I colored the image with Sharpies and then covered it with Stickles. I just spent a fabulous two weeks with my parents (well, mostly fabulous...Why do I insist on reverting to 15 when I go back home?!), and I totally raided my mom's craft stash to make this card. We got the pretty paper at Michaels, and I found this lovely blue-and-gold ribbon at an estate sale...for a dime!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Card Crafter's Circle - December Celebrations
Dilly Beans - Traditional Christmas Colors
Merry Monday - Any Past Sketch / Challenge #5
Robyn's Fetish - Christmas Cards
The Ribbon Girls - Christmas Projects + ribbon
Speedy and Friends #136 - A Christmas Card, use Red and Green
Stamp your Life - Anything goes
Sweet n' Sassy Digi Challenge - Christmas

Thank you for visiting,

December Guest Designer at Eureka Stamps

I'm very tickled to announce that I was invited to be the December Guest Designer at Eureka Stamps! They have so many adorable and creative stamps — both digi and rubber.

Today begins their 17th challenge, with the theme of Winter Wonderland. Their store has lots of images that would work for this challenge, but I chose the fantastically fun Santa & Dillos. 

Although this card may not portray a traditional winter wonderland, for many in this world we have more sun than snow at the holidays! I'm visiting my folks in Sun City West, Arizona, so I had the perfect backdrop!

Challenges:

1. Crimbo Crackers #29 - Anything holiday/festive goes 
2. ATCs & Cards With Attitude - Anything Goes
3. DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge - December holiday 
4. Fussy and Fancy - I Love Christmas 
5. Jingle Belles - Anything (Holiday) Goes   
6. Paper Shelter Challenge #92 - Christmas 
7. Penny's Paper-Crafty #104 - More than 1 fold   
8. Stamp n Doodle - Fabulous folds
9. Wags 'n Whiskers - Christmas 
10. Winter Wonderland - Santa Claus is coming to town

I made a simple step card modeled after this one, made by my crafty inspiration, my wonderful Mom:

Thank you for visiting,