Artistic Birthday

This week's challenge at Pile It On is sponsored by Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs (DTD) so our theme is "Birthday Card for a Man".   

DTD has tons of images that are perfect for this theme, and I used Pierre Painter.
 

click to enlarge

The picture frame is a digi from TLC Creations (I colorized it in PhotoShop), and the "Splat" is from a sheet of free digis from Issue 101 of Simply cards and Papercraft magazine. I colored the splat with a green Sakura gel pen, adding detail with a PITT artist pen, and coloring the "canvas" with a Frost Blue Copic. I generated the text using Adobe Garamond.

I had particular fun making the paint stripe on the background. This is way more difficult then one might hope! I plopped down a few drops of orange acrylic paint, spread it with a small scrap of cardstock, added a bit more paint and let that drip naturally. I kept the results by giving a quick dry with my heat tool, although I mostly let it dry naturally.

Kimbee's Creations Sketch #9

Inspiration/Challenges:
Brown Sugar - Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - Male Card

Digistamps 4 Joy #53 - Anything goes + masculine bonus

Flourishes #192 - Birthday Card

Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday - Paints/Mists/Inks
Kimbee's Creations October Challenge - Sketch (they need MORE ENTRIES, so try this great sketch!)
Tandastamps - Masculine

Update: This card was a Runner-up (Top 2) for Digistamps 4 Joy #53, woot!

Thank you for visiting,

A very special - and PINK! - challenge

If you follow my blog, you know that I couldn't do any of this without my wonderful mom! So I always love a good mother-daughter story, like that of my Feline Playful teamie Dawn. Her mom has been battling breast cancer, so in a show of support Dawn is having her head shaved on September 8th to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer! [Update: Check out Dawn and her beautiful, brave, hairless family in her post-shaving post.]

I invite you to visit Dawn's Just Giving Page to read their story, and consider making a small donation. Hey, if you can afford a digi stamp this month you can help Dawn too!

Also, I hope you'll join us for the special BCA Challenge at Dawn's Crafting that runs September 4-29. The theme is Breast Cancer Awareness and/ or Think Pink (not just a little use a lot)! There are lots of delicious prizes up for grabs from Joanna Sheen, Saturated Canary, The Crafty Pad Designs, Mo's Digital Pencil, Dude Time Doodles, Crafty Emblies, Fairy Dust Crafts, Funky Hand, Iva Nova Chest, and Lindy's Maid Wid Luv.

There's a separate, sister challenge going on over at The Crafty Pad through the month of September. They have completely different sponsors, but the theme is the same: Breast Cancer Awareness/Think Pink. PLUS, they have a bunch of great BCA digis for FREE download.

I'm very happy to have been able to participate in Dawn's challenge by making this card: 

I printed the sentiment (a freebie from Create with TLC) directly onto the pink paper, and then stamped my Lace clear stamp from KaiserCraft in Memento Rose Bud ink directly on top. 

For the lacy element on the top right, I used a sort of Double /reverse embossing technique except that I used a solid die cut to create a shape. Although the instructions call to use a Texture Folder, I found that I was able to use my Fiskars Texture Plate with a little adjustment.

Although this is a serious card, I wanted there to be an element of humor as well, hence the underwear-and-breast pun that I think is evident in the design!

The lace frame was made by adhering strips of Wright's bias tape to white cardstock pieces, and simply framing the pink inset. Really quite easy!

clean&simple FTL #205

Inspiration/Challenges:
Catered Crop: Anything Pink
City Crafter Challenge: Monochromatic

clean&simple FTL #205: Sketch (right)
The Crafty Pad Special September Challenge: Breast Cancer Awareness/Think Pink
Live & Love Crafts Challenge: Lovely Lace and/Terrific Trim

Squigglefly: Monochromatic 

I hope you'll check out Dawn's challenge and the other great challenges I've entered and make a card or two yourself! Thank you for visiting,

Don't Forget Winona!

This week at Pile It On, the challenge is to Add some Metal, and since we're being sponsored by StitchyBear Digital Store (SBDS) I just had to make a card!

I used Vintage Chevy by SBDS creator Delicious Doodles to create this silly "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66"-themed card:

My Grandma lived in Arizona, so I spent many a summer traveling much of the area of the classic old Route 66 ... Boy did I have fun reminiscing about those family trips while making this card!

The cactus is embossed/cut from a Sprite can using Cuttlebug's Disney Out West set.I can't believe how easy this is! The first time I did it I was sure the edges would be sharp, but they really aren't. I did round off the thorn that sticks up over the top, however. I sprayed it with Meadow Green glimmer mist from Tattered Angels, and I really like the result. The key is to dry it with a heat gun ... it makes such a neat pattern.

The Vintage Chevy is paper pieced from Recollections metallic papers and white cardstock, and I added shading & detail with Copics. I then added some white flocking to the seats, because that would be awesome!

I created the sentiment cut-out in SCAL, using one of their standard shapes & the font Glaser Stencil D. I added the line border by hand, and colored in the letters with a Sakura glitter pen.

I used the wooden California & Illinois pieces from Studio Calico's Abroad Collection ("It winds from Chicago to L.A. / More than two thousand miles all the way"), colored them with more Meadow Green glimmer mist, and added tiny dots with copper Liquid Pearls for -- you guess it -- Chicago & L.A.!

The brad has been in my stash forever ... seriously, at least 4 years. I've had the two DPs probably even longer. I've had the green variegated ribbon for quite a while too, but this is its first cut.

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Cupcake Craft - The Great Outdoors
Creative Belli Challenge #149 - vacation/travel
Daisy Doodles Creative Challenge - Outdoors
Die Cuttin' Divas Challenge #76 - Anything Goes with a Die-cut
Dude Time Doodles Challenge - Travel (+ masculine)
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes

I don't know about you, but I never tire of the classic version of "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" as  performed by Nat King Cole, but I thought you might get a kick out of this tourist video with a more modern version of the song:

Thank you for visiting,

Celebrating the Olympics with OSAAT

This week at One Stitch at Time, we're celebrating all things athletic, whether your project is inspired by a sports in general, an Olympic event, or even the Logo / Photo Inspiration (below right). 

I used Knight 3 by IKEsART to make a Belated Birthday card ... I do plan on watching the opening ceremony in London on July 27th (well, watching it on TV!), and I wonder if there will be much medieval decoration? Jousting isn't an Olympic sport, but it is the Official State Sport of Maryland! I'm hoping that Umbrella Jousting will gain popularity, because it's hilarious! 

This is only my second attempt at quilling; it sure is fun, but not as easy as it looks! I adhered the quilled pieces with Diamond Glaze -- many thanks to Helen for the tip!

Hope you'll join us at One Stitch at a Time for our "Sports / Olympics" challenge. For entries using a StitchyBear Store product (be sure to add a # after your name when entering), you could win a £10 voucher to Crafts from Joanna Sheen. You're welcome to enter the challenge using different products, but will instead be entered into the draw to win a $3 coupon to StitchyBear. Can't wait to see your projects!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Craft Punked Week 29 - Olympic Games
Digi Doodle Shop's Best - Anything goes
Divas by Design - Anything goes
Dude Time Doodles - Anything goes for a Dude
Raise The Bar - Red, White & Blue
Secret Crafter - Olympic or Sporty

Thank you for visiting,

Dude Time Sports at Pile It On!

Dude Time Doodles is sponsoring the Pile It On Challenge this week, so we have the theme For/From a Man (emphasis on sports).

I used Football Phil by Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs, along with some of my Smirk brand papers & stickers, to make this motivational card:

I cut the metal strip with a Sizzix border die, and then heat-embossed the whole thing with a shiny blue.

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Pile It On Challenge #27: For/From a Man (emphasis on sports)
2. Crafty Boots Challenge: Sports
3. Here Come the Boys Challenge #30: Metal and/or Embossing
4. My Time Made Easy Pretty Patterns #65: Sketch
5. Waste Not Wednesday Week 24 - Use your forgotten stuff (I haven't pulled out my Smirk papers in forever! I also haven't used eyelets in a long time) 

Thank you for visiting,

Celebrating freedom with Dude Time Doodles

Welcome to my stop on the Dude Time Doodles June New Release Blog Hop! Your next stop is Charlene's fabulous blog.

I used Silly Sam by Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs to make a card perfect for this year's celebrations:

The Design Team is featuring a total of three fantastic new DTD images, and one of the Dudettes - or Dude - will be named our MYSTERY HOST at the end of the hop and one lucky person who comments on that blog will win a free Dude Time Doodles image of their choice; So be sure to comment on each blog. You have a whole week to hop (through next Tuesday).

This is my last post as a member of the Dude Time Doodles team ... With the new season, I felt like I needed a change, so from now on I'll just be using their fun images as a fan! Many, many thanks to Boni, Tammy, and all at Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs for always supporting my creativity. 

Thank you for visiting, and enjoy hopping. Next stop: Charlene!  

Card Cupids NEW DESIGN TEAM Blog Hop

Hi everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Card Cupids Design Team Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Carol's blog; your next stop is Diane.

I'm super excited to be a new member of this fun team. I've sent in some cards to them before, and now I have an excuse to do so every month! Really hope you'll join me. In case you're not fmailiar with Card Cupids, here's the official mission statement:

Card Cupids believes that every child needs to know that they are loved. A stuffed animal to hold, along with cards that share a positive message can help lift the spirits of children that are faced with difficult challenges. Card Cupids, with the help of numerous volunteers, provides Card Cuddle Care Packages to countless children in hospitals, foster care, homeless shelters as well as children facing difficulties regardless of their economic background. To find out more visit Card Cupid's Blog here.

There are several new members to this great team, so we're having a Blog Hop as a way to introduce ourselves to eachother and our Card Cupids followers! Please stop by to welcome each of these fabulous ladies to the Card Cupids team. Just by leaving a comment on a Design Team member's Blog Hop post, including this one, you will be entered into a fun little give away for our two exclusive digis:

Here is our team:

Karen

Carol

CG (that's me!)

Diane

Gina

Katie

Kim
Michele

Nancie

Nubia

Pam

Ruthie

Sharla

Stephanie

Stephanie, Card Cupids Founder

You have until Monday, June 25 at 9pm EST to leave your comment.  Winners will be announced on each DT members blog as well as at Card Cupids on Wednesday, June 27.

In the spirit of meeting my new teamies, I wanted to share a little about myself... That's me, CG, in the photo on the right, with my wonderful husband at our wedding almost 9 years ago. I'm wearing my grandmother's wedding dress from the 1930s. Both of my grandmas did crafts -- mostly quilting, cross-stitching, and knitting, none of which I've inherited the patience for! My mom introduced me to scrapbooking and cardmaking about 5 years ago, and we've both been serious papercrafters ever since. 

I'm about to celebrate my 2nd full year of craft-blogging. I'm a member of the One Stitch at a Time Design Team, a former member of the Dude Time Doodles DT, and I also help with updates & sponsorship details at Feline Playful and Pile It On. I'm looking forward working with another great group of folks!

Your next stop on the Card Cupids Design Team Blog Hop is Diane. Thank you for visiting, and be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win those cute digis!

Smart is Sexy!

This week at Dude Time Doodles, we're all about Weddings and Anniversaries.

I used the M.C. Squared Set to make an Anniversary card:

I added some "romance" with adhesive pearls as well as 2 colors of Liquid Pearls. I used Glossy Accents on his glasses for a 3D effect.

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. CLP Challenge #48: Sketch
2. Paper Playtime - Anything Goes with Sentiment
3. Scrappy Frogs June Challenge - Celebrate Men
4. The Crazy Challenge - Recipe: Ribbon, Pearls, Dies
5. Try It On Tuesday - Anything Goes

Hop over to Dude Time Doodles and check out the wonderful DT cards, then link up your Wedding/Anniversary card for a Man.

Thank you for visiting!

Dude Time Doodles June FREEBIE Challenge

It's that time again...for our monthly FREEBIE Challenge at Dude Time Doodles!

This month, you get a chance to work with Johnny on the Spot. Now, you might think, "How in the world would I use a toilet on card‽" Well, if the Design Team's projects are any indication, there are lots of occasions it's perfect for. Wait till you see the range of ideas, it's amazing!

Personally, I was inspired to make a "Potty Training Congratulations" card. I don't have children, but from my watching my friends' experiences I understand that this is a huge deal. So I made a card for a boy on his Big Day, ha ha!

As with most cards for small children, this is for the parents as well. I've read that people put pebbles, marbles, and even cheerios in the bowl to help little boys aim...that fact inspired the pearls.

I used a thin, brochure-type photo paper from HP's Everyday line for the Johnny on the Spot digi stamp, as well as for the large circle which I cut/embossed with a Spellbinders die.

 

Hope you'll grab this freebie and join us at Dude Time Doodles; the prize is a chance to join the Design Team for the month of July!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Dude Time Doodles: Freebie/Guest Designer Challenge

i{heart}2stamp June Challenge: Sketch
Going Grey With Scrap-Creations Challenge: Celebration
Try It On Tuesdays Challenge: Anything Goes


Update 10/24/12: I finally had occasion to send this card, to my high school friend's son, who just completed potty training! My friend is very crafty so I knew she'd get out of it. Here's the photo she posted on FaceBook:

It went through the mail great, whew! I love making cards, but I love making smiles more ha ha!

Boys and their Toys ... with Dude Time Doodles

June is busting out all over, and that means it's time for the Dude Time Doodles First Wednesday Challenge, when one of the DT chooses the theme. This month, Kevin McCrafty chose "Boys and their Toys", and since most of the "boys" in my life aren't so much into sports and cars, I chose a Cooking theme:

My husband is a great cook; We have a similar style of knowing what we want to do and just doing it, but I tend to pretend to stick to a recipe. He usually doesn't bother with that, and the results are always delicious! He doesn't remind me at all of Chef Burly Becky here, although I bet he could juggle a whisk & a knife if he put his mind to it!

My color combo was inspired by a photo of the front of the Real Maestranza in Sevilla, taken by a dear friend... I don't have her permission to publish the actual photo, but you can see some different photos of it here.

I couldn't find a tutorial for the marble effect that I wanted, so I adapted the Cracked Glass Heat-Embossing Technique, starting with a layer of white, and added an extra layer of clear after cracking & inking it.

The black, heat-embossed design is from an Annabelle Stamps set. 

Inspiration/Challenges:
Dude Time Doodles: Boys and their Toys
Di's Digi Designs Challenge: Male-inspired
Dream Valley Challenge 33: Humour
Fetch-a-Sketch Challenge 25: Sketch (rotated)
Here Come the Boys Challenge #28: Anything Goes
Totally Stampalicious Challenge: Funny

Update: I won one of the prizes for Fetch-a-Sketch Challenge 25!

Thank you for visiting!

Dude Time Doodles May New Release Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Dude Time Doodles New Release Blog Hop! You should have arrived here from Charlene's fabulous blog. Your next stop is all things Anne-made.

The Design Team is featuring three fantastic new DTD images, and one of the Dudettes - or Dude - will be named our MYSTERY HOST at the end of the hop and one lucky person who comments on that blog will win a free Dude Time Doodles image of their choice; So be sure to comment on each blog. You have a whole week to hop (through next Tuesday).

I used Sagremor the Foolhardy by Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs, along with a quote from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, to make this royally nerdy card:

I have a very special place in my heart for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as it's one of the movies my husband introduced me to when he was "courting" me way back when. This is the kind of class-specific joke that I love, and after conferring with the Dude Time Hollow brain trust we decided that it's not really cursing, it's just an archaic use of a word!

I used several techniques for this card, so here's a little tutorial-ish list:

1. Crenelated Castle Wall Top: Cut the dotted strip from the Sizzix Sizzlits Dots & Scallops Decorative Strip Die with your die cut machine. Using your paper trimmer (or scissors, depending how straight you can cut!), cut the strip in half horizontally. Ta-da, easy crenellation!





Castle Wall embossing plate

2. Castle Wall embossing plate: I followed the tutorial by Carolina Girl. (I totally get a kick out of the fact that I made this with cardboard from a Tsingtao beer six-pack box!)


3. Small banners: Fold a strip in half, keeping it in place with a binder clip (don't crease the fold!), and cut a triangular notch in the bottom. Glue it together, leaving about a quarter of an inch at the top unglued. Cut small notches on the top to make hanging strips. Outline the banner with a gold pen (I used a Sakura gel pen for the main part and a thin Elmer's pen for the tops). String the banners; here I used a gold thread-covered elastic ribbon that came with a box of chocolates my husband bought me for Mother's Day ... he's a pretty awesome guy, isn't he?!) 
• I adhered the ribbon to the card with a thin line of ZipDry silicon glue, plus a gold brad on each end for extra support.


4. Message banner with faux gold stitching: Gold-embossed using the Cross Stitch stamp from SP Stamps Stitchery Doo set. See my tips for making such a banner in my tutorial.  


5. Paper choices:
• 12x6 blue cardstock, folded twice at 4 inches. I used my papercutter to cut the slight incline before folding.
• Textured gray cardstock for wall top
• Flat gray cardstock for walls: After embossing the pieces, I sprayed it with a matte coating to bring out the dimension. Then, I gently ran a silver ink pad over it, and then used a damp wet-wipe to blend it. Easy, and the result looks like I knew what I was doing, ha!
• 100lb Bright White cardstock (Hammermill): This prints beautifully in my little HP inkjet, but I know that a lot of people get it stuck in their printers. I like it best for Copic coloring, and it prints & stamps so well that it's my all-around favorite white too. Be sure to dry it with your heat tool after printing though; it definitely needs extra setting before coloring.


6. Lacey "grass": Wrights seam binding, adhered with a strip of double-sided tape and a touch of ZipDry on each end.

Hope this inspires you in some small way! Your next stop on the Dude Time Doodles New Release Blog Hop is Anne. Have fun with the rest of the hop, and be sure to check out this week's "Heroes" challenge at Stampin with the Dragon, sponsored by Dude Time Doodles.

Thank you for visiting!

Dude Time Doodles Birthday Challenge

This week at Dude Time Doodles, we're focusing on BIRTHDAYS! I used one of my favorite images, Cletus:

I quoted "Birthday" by the Beatles for the sentiment, and used the LD Music font to give it a musical feel. I could only find one video of someone playing this song on a banjo, but I think it would sound great!

For the background, I used a Fiskars texture plate to emboss the music-note pattern and distress it with TH Marigold ink.

I used Birthday Candles by Daisy Doodles, and colored all the images with Copics. Well, I actually colored the tiny candles on the inside (left) with colored pencils.

Hope you'll join us at Dude Time Doodles: make a fun Male Birthday card, link up, and you could win three Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs images your choice. You're going to love the DT inspiration too!

Inspiration/Challenges:

Allsorts Challenge Week 154: Card for a Man or Boy
Crafty Creations Challenge #170: Male Birthday Card

The Deconstructed Sketch No. 50: (right)

Dude Time Doodles: Birthdays

Little Claire Monthly Challenge # 21 'Male Theme'

Mad for Markers May Challenge: One For The Boys/ Use Masculine Colors

Pixie Dust Studio Challenge #126: For the Boys

Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #48: Masculine with Ribbon or Trim

May FREEBIE Challenge at Dude Time Doodles

Can't believe it's already time for our monthly FREEBIE Challenge at Dude Time Doodles! This month Boni is sharing Moe Stooge, and we look forward to seeing your take on the image. Remember, you could win a spot on the DTD Design Team for the month of June!

Although I wish that we only had occasion to send Congratulations cards, sometimes life isn't so fair, so I like to have some "Cheer Up" cards on hand as well!

The sentiment is from Rogue Redhead Designs' Just Sayin' set, stamped it with watermark ink and heat-embossed it in white. It picked up a little bit of the cardstock's texture too. The light-brown strip and Moe's hair are the same Core'dinations cardstock; I sanded the strip to give it a different look.

I don't usually use my scallop dies for Male cards, as they tend to look a bit lacey, but I was inspired by the Cardabilities Sketch and also felt that it could look classic rather than lacey. Hope I pulled it off! Same goes for those pearls in the corner!

The groovy background paper is from the Classic Calico Vol. 2 Paper Pad by Studio Calico (part of a 6th-month Design Team Anniversary present from Boni! Thank you!!!), and the ribbon is one of my favorites from my stash. The Sizzix borders and Spellbinders scalloped-circle were cut/embossed from Hammermill #100 white card in my BigShot.

Inspiration/Challenges:

Cardabilities Challenge #54: Sketch (right)

Ooh La La Creations: Make it Manly

Tammy's Scrapin Corner Challenge #9: Punches & Die Cuts
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge 76: Clean and Simple