Pretty Spooky

Wow, I'm so honored to have made the Top 3 for Dude Time Doodles' Think Pink challenge. I'm so excited I could poot! (Please see my card to understand that last statement!) I couldn't resist taking up their invitation to participate in this week's challenge, and I'm excited to be trying out for their Guest Design Team call too. Won't you join me?! The deadline is October 18.

I don't usually do this, but I combine two color challenges onto this one card. For the background color scheme I used the Brown theme at DYSU, and I incorporated the Pink necessary for the Dude Time Doodles challenge.

Apart from the color, the other part of the Dude Time Doodles challenge is to use their fantastical freebie, Eyegor. Isn't he just something else! The hanging pieces are actually Shrinky-Dinks that I printed out and shrunk in the toaster oven. The middle one has a tiny Eyegor on it!

For the layout, I went to the always-great Fetch-a-Sketch.

Inspired by the theme at Stamptacular Sunday Challenge, I tore the background pieces, and used my distressing tool on all the edges, including ones I cut with deckle scissors. I also sponged some Antique Linen distress ink onto the image piece.

Thanks for the inspiration everyone!

Update: Whoo hoo! This card won me the November Guest Designer Spot at Dude Time Doodles!

Dem bones, dem bones gonna shake around

I remember when I first started surfing the craftosphere and people were referring to stamping as an "addiction"...boy do I get it now! I never have enough, apparently. I love to treat myself to the $1 bin at the crafting superstore, and I just had to have the set of these adorable Halloween stamps. They're such a fun mix of American Halloween & Day of the Dead. They are just the right size to make a scene, and fit perfectly in my Shake It lids. My first attempt was made for the following challenges:

Crafty Ribbons Challenge #3: Pretty Spooky

Cupcake Craft Challenge #163: Halloween

Samuel Taylor October Challenge: Halloween

Stamps: Studio g

Paper: Recollections, Echo Park, stash

Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, MS detailing scissors, Marvy heat tool, needle, awl, Recollections punch

Other: ZipDry glue, Recollections adhesive rhinestones, pop-up foam & micro beads, Versamark, Tim Holtz & Memento inks, Copics, Sakura & Elmer's gel pens, Studio g & Sweet Petites ribbons, baker's twine from stash, Shake It set from Impression Obsession, Stampendous, Recollections & Speedy the Cat (from Mark's Finest Papers) embossing powders

String art, via Let's Create

I've been following Helen's wonderful range of crafting projects at Let's Create for some time now, and I couldn't resist buying a few of her string art templates. (She has wonderful embellishments & crafts available on Etsy.) Helen definitely inspired me to try string art; it's not usually my kind of thing, but she does such beautiful things with it that I had to try it myself! I love the result, but it certainly takes time. A good project to work on while watching a movie!

I've only tried two of the templates: for my mom's birthday card and for a "commissioned" card for a friend of mom's after she saw her birthday card! I forgot to take a photo of the latter before sending it off to Mom, but here's her card:

The sun and "shine" sentiment are from Verve Stamps, and I won them at Mojo Monday (Thank you, I love them!). The birthday sentiment is a shrinky dink. Mom really seemed to like the card, and that was the goal!

Musically inclined

Dawn left a a lovely comment on my card for for the Link Up for Pink, and she also suggested I submit it into this week's Think Pink Dude Time Doodles challenge. What a compliment, thank you! I ended up making a different card for the challenge, with Marlooney images. I love Marlene's humor & her hilarious freebies, and once the freebie time ends her images are available at the Dude Time Doodles/Bonibleaux Designs shop.

I decided to make a set of cards, with my Dude Time Doodles card matched with one for the Make Us Laugh challenge at Cards for Men. Both cards are based on the Week 127 sketch at Sketch Saturdays. For the In Stitches challenge at Sweet Stamping, I added hand-stitching on the mats and machine-stitching on the backgrounds.

Here's the card for Cards for Men:

Inspiration:

Cards for Men Challenge #21: Make Us Laugh plus DT call

Sketch Saturday Week #127

Sweet Stamping: In Stitches

Here's the card for Dude Time Doodles:

Inspiration:

Dude Time Doodles Challenge: Think Pink

Sketch Saturday Week #127

Sweet Stamping: In Stitches

Supplies for both:

Digi stamps: Marlooney (thank you!), Fonts for WordArt: Platinum Hub Caps Solid & Folkard

Paper: DCWV, Paper Pizazz, Hammermill, Core'dinations, Recollections, China Blue Eyes Linen Finish Card Stock from Mark's Finest Papers

Tools: Fiskars papercutter, HP printer & ink, InDesign, MS detailing scissors, Marvy heat tool & punches, sewing machine

Other: tulle from WalMart, ZipDry glue, Simplicity thread, Scotch foam tape, baker's twine from Pink Paislee & stash

Copics: YG03, YG63, YG67, BG10, E11, YR00, E17, E000, RV04, RV02, 100


Update: My card made the Top 3 for the Think Pink Dude Time Doodles Challenge. Thank you!

Let It Snow...but not for a few more months

Oh my goodness, is it Monday already?! Dang. Although I finished this card yesterday, I didn't get around to photographing it until today ... so I missed the deadline for the Mojo Monday contest. Oh well, I had lots of fun with their great sketch. The theme is inspired by this week's Let It Snow challenge at Lili of the Valley (LOTV).

Both images are by LOTV, but I did not color the center image; it's a pre-colored die cut piece. The smaller image is an LOTV rubber stamp, which I stamped onto shrink plastic and colored with markers. I added FlowerSoft with Glossy Accents to both.

Inspiration:

Mojo Monday #109: Sketch

Lili of the Valley Challenge #115: Let It Snow

Stamps: Lili of the Valley, Studio G, Alys Paterson for Quick Cards Made Easy
Paper: LOTV, Shrinky Dink bright white plastic, Recollections, K&Company
Tools: Fiskars papercutter, stamp block, MS detailing scissors & punches, Marvy heat tool, Crop-O-Dile, toaster oven
Other: tulle from WalMart, ZipDry glue, Stampendous embossing powder, Versamark, Memento & StazOn inks, Marvy markers