Pilin' on the Adhesives

This week at the Pile It On Challenge our theme is Adhesive Embellishments, such as stickers & decorative tapes. We're sponsored by Oak Pond Creations and I used Kim's adorable Camel digi stamp.

I used a cling stencil of a cut file by Bird (previously used for my ampersand card) to heat-emboss the shiny green design directly onto the patterned paper from my stash. I masked the edges and inked over the embossing with Wild Wasabi SU! ink.

The sentiment is from an Inky Antics set, and I stamped it directly onto wood tape that was partially cut with a QuicKutz die. I hand-cut the banner end.

I colored the adhesive pearl flourish with a blue Copic marker and used my Pearl White Copic for the individual adhesive pearls.

The outside border was created with heat-resistant red tape and blue embossing powder (thanks to Dr Sonia for the tutorial). I placed the front piece onto a Kraft card base.

I received some Michaels gift certificates for Christmas, and my husband helped me choose these rounded Spellbinders Nestabilities label dies. I've really enjoyed them! I used an adhesive sheet to adhere a large piece of raffia ribbon to a white cardstock, cut it with one of my label dies, and edged it with China Blue distress ink.

The happy camel from Oak Pond Creations was colored with Copics and attached with an Action Wobble.

CC&CC #85

Challenges/Inspiration:
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards Challenge #85: Sketch
Crafting By Designs: Thinking of You
Crafting for all Seasons: Dies
Cut It Up: Exotic Animal + Die Cuts
Fresh Brewed Designs: 1 Image and + 1 Sentiment
PDE Linky Party #41: Animals
Shopping Our Stash #190: Out of a Jar (embossing powder + background DP has been in my stash for many years)

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

Spooky Birthday - Celebrating at Pile It On

This week at Pile It On! we're highlighting Holidays/Celebrations. Whether it's current or upcoming, it's always good to have occasional cards in our stash! Our sponsor is Oak Pond Creations, and Kim has unique digis for about any occasion.

I used Edgar the Raven and Mabel Mouse. Last year, the Oak Pond Creations blog had a contest where people suggested names for this image; the winner was Ike. I missed the contest and the freebie, but I couldn't resist buying this fun image to make a card for a friend with a Halloween birthday:

I've been hoarding this raven-printed kraft paper, but I couldn't resist using it! The orange plaid DP is by Graphic 45. For the spiderweb corner embellishments, I cut up a doily by Bird's Cards that I cut on my Silhouette. The card base was cut with a Sizzix die.

If you know me, you know I couldn't resist using black flocking (Sparkly Fluff by OCL) on the raven. I colored the images with Copics, and cut them out with deckle scissors. The raven is pieced in three payer, although you can't really see the wing layer. I added Glossy Accents to his eye-glass. 

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Cards Galore Encore #1: Anything Goes
2. Charisma Cardz #50: Birthdays
3. Crafter's Cafe #45: Anything Goes
4. Crafting By Designs: Birthdays
5. Die Cut Divas: Make it Glitter + die cut (Sparkly Fluff on raven + card base is a Sizzix die, & the spiderwebs with cut with my Silhouette)
6. Lexi's Creations: Anything Goes
7. Melonheadz Friends Challenge: Birthday  
8. One Crazy Stamper: Anything Goes
9. Stampin' Royalty Challenge #209: Birthdays
10. Victorine Originals Challenge #75: 3 Layers

Update: I was one of the prize winners for Crafter's Cafe #45. Whoo hoo!

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

Just Sweet Enough

This week at Pile It On, we want to see NO Designer Paper on your projects. Don't worry, a little birdie told me that we'll be having a Designer Paper challenge soon!

Our sponsor is Oak Pond Creations, so I used their Lemons digi stamp to make a square easel card:

I layered the lemons using foam tape, so it's very 3D. I only used Copics for the leaves and inside the lemon; I inked the lemon skins with yellow ink using a finger sponge. It gave them a nice texture. I pinted the inside of the lemon with Glossy Accents.

I got the idea for the rosette lemon from the accordion-fold watermelons on the Fiskars website. I cut it from yellow paper using the TH/Sizzix rosette die. I cut a thin strip of what printer paper, edged on side with a yellow Copic marker, and glued it on top of the rosette's original scalloped edge. For the middle, I simply "quilled" a strip of white paper and glued it inside with Glossy Accents.

I used the emboss-resist technique for the lace. The stamp was heat-embossed in clear and inked in Broken China distress ink. I cut out the lace and glued it to the bottom of the front of the card, over the die-cut doily (Sizzix). The doilies were cut from white cardstock and inked with Broken China distress ink.

I made the text and banners in InDesign. The sentiment was inspired by a conversation my husband & I had recently with our waitress at Bahama Breeze. They make their lemonade with sugar cane, but the local Southern population is used to a much sweeter sugar. We talked about how different sugars are used in different places, and how we get used to one taste over another. Anyhoo, their lemonade was "just sweet enough," and I thought that would go well with this lovely Oak Pond image.

Finally, I added some green gems from my stash. The final card size is 5x5; I just bought some 5.5-inch-square envelopes and am enjoying making large cards!

Cards/Crafts Galore August Challenge

Inspiration/Challenges:
Artistic Inspirations: Die Cuts/Punches (Rosette & Doily dies)
Aud Sentiments #8: Anything but a birthday card + Sentiment
Cards/Crafts Galore: Bingo (middle row: Gems, Die cuts, Inks)
Crafty Sentiments: Dies and Punches
Jo's Scrap Shack #13: Anything Goes
Southern Girls - Things that begin with F (Fruit, Flower)
The Crazy Challenge: Anything Goes (2nd entry)

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

In the Garden with Sunshine Mail

It's time for a new Sunshine Mail Foundation Challenge (April 15 - May 1). Our theme is "In My Garden" and the only real rule is that you send in at least one card (Donation guidelines here).

I'd also like to invite you to join our April Card Drive; Just enter either of our April challenges and send in at least one signed card (just write a nice little message inside and sign it with your first name) to be entered to win a bunch of awesome prizes! All the info is here.
 
Our sponsor for this challenge is Oak Pond Creations (OPC), and they are having a Birthday Bash on the OPC Challenge Blog throughout the month of April.

I used Snail by Oak Pond Creations and digital papers from Mel Stampz to make this:

The buttons are just white plastic, but I heat-embossed them with green embossing powder. I strung them onto some baker's twine to resemble tomatoes growing. The sentiment stamp is heat-embossed as well. I put Glossy Accents on the eyes to make them "pop" even more!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Digistamps 4 Joy #64: Anything Goes
Glitter n Sparkle: Stitching real or not
OPC's Birthday Bash Challenge: Anything goes with an Oak Pond Creations image
Paper Creator's Crafts #7: All About Spots
Paper Pretties Wednesday Challenge #253: Buttons
That Craft Place: For a Child
Whimsical Designs: Embossing

Thank you for visiting & hope you'll join us for the Sunshine Mail Foundation Challenge,