Thursday, October 28, 2010

Truly Scrumptuous Challenges Sketch


Recipe:

Penny DuncanCreations poinsettia svg cut files (Her site is lovely and she is so generous!)
Creative Imaginations Radiant Rain shimmer mist
white watercolor pencil to make veins in petals
My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market paper
Martha Stewart border punch
chipboard flourishes from stash
glitter
gold and yellow rhinestones

I'm entering it in the following challenges:

Truly Scrumptuous Challenges -- sketch
ABC Challenge Blog -- glitter
Simon Says Stamp -- "Punch 'Em"
Stampavie and More -- Christmas
A Spoon Full of Sugar -- "Let's Get Punchy."

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Let it Snow!


I actually made this using a sketch that has since expired, but I liked it enough to go ahead and use it anyway. I feel like I cheated in that I didn't actually make anything on the card; rather, I bought all of the embellishments. But it fits a few challenges, so I'm posting it anyway.

Recipe:

Basic Grey "Olivia" paper
red foil paper
Martha Stewart border punch
silver and black ribbons from Michael's.
"Let it Snow" chipboard embellishment from "K&Company"
Snowflake embellishments from "K&Company" (I could be wrong on that. I can't find the package they came in. If I am wrong, they are probably Jolee's.)

I'm entering it in these two challenges:

The Crafty Pad -- Christmas theme
Delightful Challenges -- Christmas
Gingerloft Challenge -- winter

Inspirational Panic Attacks--priscillastyles challenge #MMSC76


Night before last my heart suddenly starting beating 170 BPM, and it was POUNDING so hard I thought it was, for sure, going to burst and that I was living my last moments. The same thing had happened two nights prior, but had only lasted about 10 minutes, so I just told myself it would be over soon--but it wasn't. After 45 minutes I was terrified and decided to call 911. A gazillion EMTs showed up at my house, put all their electronic doo-dads on me, and . . . my heart was fine! They couldn't get it to stop beating so fast while they were there, but they explained that my heart was not the problem, and that I was probably having a panic attack. Not that that is a good thing. . . but . . . WHEW! I wasn't dying.

Anyway, these guys were so gentle and kind, especially given I hadn't really needed them after all. My mother suggested I make a card to let them know how sorry I was I'd wasted their time, and how they had really comforted me and helped me through this.

Since all of the EMT's were men, I decided to make it as masculine as possible--including the use of black glitter, which I've been wanting to use for a long time now. I loved the sketch from Priscilla Styles, especially because my "thank you swirl" stamp was perfect for the bottom element. I was even more pleased when I realized my Maya chip swirl was not only perfect for the top element, but that it complemented the "thank you" swirl beautifully. I hadn't planned it like that, and, in fact, had been wracking my brain trying to think of what to use for the top swirl. When the light bulb finally went on, I couldn't believe how perfect it was. I love when things come together like that.

I haven't made a matching envelope yet, but I'm going to. One of the things I love about using digital paper is I can design a matching envelope. Unfortunately, it's very expensive as it uses a lot of ink--even when I set it at "fast draft."

The recipe is as follows:

Little Dreamer Designs "Urban Grunge" digital designer paper
SEI "Alpine" digital designer paper
Stampendous "Thank You Swirl" rubber stamp
Martha Stewart border punch
Versamark
Stampendous white opaque embossing powder
Zing red embossing powder
Maya chipboard swirl
SVG Cuts Breezy Butterfly cut file
Cuttlebug "Swirls" Folder (I think that's the name--not sure but you'll probably recognize it on the butterfly.)
C'ordinations black paper with white top
red rhinestone
white floral wire
Cropadile
white eyelets
Color Box black ink
black glitter

I'm entering it in the following challenges:

Priscilla Styles -- sketch
The Paper Players -- designer paper, something punched and a sentiment
2 Sisters Challenge Blog -- anything goes
Mark's Finest Papers -- a diecut or a punch
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge -- black, white and one other color
The Stamp Man Challenge -- cards for men
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenge -- So long as it flies.
Anything Goes Challenge Blog -- black and white
Tuesday Throwdown -- anything goes
Totally Gorjuss -- sparkle (It's hard to see in the photo, but the butterfly is outlined with glitter. Also, the rhinestone sparkles.)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Hydrangea Birthday Card



I just received this hydrangea stamp in the mail and couldn't wait to start playing. I was inspired by Cowgirl's Sunday Challenge to make my own background, which I did using a script stamp. Additionally, it's impossible to see in the photo, but I folded the back-most background paper a couple of times to give the card some nice dimensio. It's very pretty in real life.

Another thing I did, which I didn't take a picture of, is I stamped the hydrangea on the inside of the card but did not color it. I saw that on someone's blog (I look at so many I can't keep them straight), and thought that was a great idea. (I'm sure most of you have already done this a million times--I'm still learning!)

This card came together very quickly, and I made myself stop to keep it from beoming too much. Best of all, it qualifies for the following challenges:

Everybody Art Challenge -- blue, green and brown
Tuesday Morning Sketches -- anything goes
Lexi's Creations -- birthday
Cowgirl's Sunday Challenge -- make your own background

Recipe:

Basic Grey "Phunky Phlorals" digital paper printed out
Inkadinkado hydrangea stamp
Inkadinkado script stamp
Martha Stewart border punch
SVG Cuts Swirlies file
Versamark
Stampendous pearlized blue embossing powder
Inkadinkado black dye ink
Distress Tea Dye ink
watercolors

Monday, October 18, 2010

Priscilla Styles Sketch






I really enjoyed making this card following the sketch at Priscilla Styles. I try to make all my cards 4.25" x 5.5" so I can send them to Operation Write Home, who then distributes them to the soldier's so they will have hand-made cares to send to their loved ones. The problem is, that realy cuts down on design space, but I'm trying to discover ways to make up for it.  In the second picture you can see the envelope I made to match the card. I think it's a very sweet set for a young birthday girl out there.

(For some reason the photo looks like the butterfly is covering the "day" in birthday. It's not--but I couldn't get a good angle to show that.)

I really debated about putting the rhinestone flowers at the top and bottom of each panel, because it might be a bit too much; however, I think it is just perfect for a younger girl who loves shiny things no matter where they are. So I decided to go ahead and use them--just for her!

I'm also entering this card in the following:

Craftalicious Challenges -- anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown -- something in threes (in this case, the three panels)
Lexi's Creations -- birthday
Paper Sundaes -- for someone little
Cinema Saturday -- something die cut or  cut by hand. (I feel a bit guilty entering it in this one as the movie Edward Scissorhands is the inspiration. But I DID cut the tags myself--so while it's not very creative, especially compared to ES, it should be okay.)
Our Creative Corner -- at least three embellishments
Totally Gorjuss -- predominately pink
The Crafty Calendar Challenge -- birthday (It also called for using autumn colors, but that part was optional.)
Fairy Fun Fridays -- tickets or tags

Recipe:

Basic grey "Phoebe" papers
tags cut from my cricuit george cartridge
Versamark to stamp "Happy Birthday"
Stampendous white opaque embossing powder
A fun little butterfly from my stash.
floral wire to make the bow
rhinestone flowers from my stash

Friday, October 1, 2010

Sketch from The House that Stamps Built


I used the sketch from The House that Stamps Built to design this card, and I really enjoyed it. I purposely made it a masculine card for Operation Write Home. Someone told me they get plenty of feminine cards, but not so many masculine cards. I don't know if that's true or not, but it gave me a chance to do something different, and I was pleased with the result. (That doesn't always happen!)

Recipe:
Papers from Die Cuts with a View, "The Home Stack," and "Linen Closet."
Maya chip board swirls
birthday candles rubber stamp
digital "happy birthday"
Stampedous embossing powder with brown Pearlex mixed in

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

Some Odd Girl -- monochrome
Pixie Dust Studio -- swirls (yeah, I know they barely qualify, but they ARE swirls. :) )
Cards for Men -- autumn colors
Craftalicious Challenges -- autumnal colors
MelJens Design Team and Challenge Blog -- monochrome for Operation Write Home