Scootin' By!

This cute image from Mari Digis Stamp Store was such fun to use on a card! Being a "white hair" myself I wanted to color her hair the same. Come on by the Creative Moments Blog and play along with Challenge #141. The theme is "two flowers". On my card I added a flower to her hair and one for decoration.

The image was downloaded, resized, printed and colored. I had a little trouble with one of my Copic markers dispensing too much ink and some spatter but I persisted. The panels were adhered to the card base with the focal panel being adhered with foam tape for dimension. The flowers were created using a punch. The sentiment was computer generated. The inside was lined with white cardstock and decorated with patterned paper and a few scattered flowers.

We hope you'll stop by Creative Moments Challenge Blog and share your project with us. Just put two flowers on it and post it!

Materials
Stamp: Bzzt by Mari Digis Stamp Store
Inks: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate; SN for alcohol markers
Paper: CTMH "Penelope" (retired)
Punch: Stampin' Up! Boho Blossoms
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); gems from stash

Happy Spring! Step Card

Although my card includes Easter eggs and Easter was a few weeks ago, the eggs symbolize new life, which, in my hemisphere, is what spring is all about! The cactus flowers are breaking out with buds, the Palo Verde and Bottle Brush trees are already bright with color and we have plenty of honey bees.

April 15th is also World Art Day. The date was chosen in honor of the birthday of Leonardo da Vinci, a symbol of world peace, freedom of expression, tolerance, brotherhood and multiculturalism.

We hope you'll join our semi-monthly challenge #194 at The Crafter's Café by submitting your project. The challenge begins on April 15, 2018. There is a prize! My image of the jar filled with eggs came from our sponsor, Scribbles Designs. Take a look at their blog filled with digital images for your projects.

My card is a fancy fold called a horizontal center step card. There are plenty of tutorials on You Tube providing instructions to make this vertically or horizontally. After measuring, cutting and scoring the step card base, it was decorated with patterned paper. The jar and egg images were downloaded, resized, colored and fussy cut. The flowers were created with a punch. All of these elements were adhered to the card, some with foam tape for dimension and some directly onto the card base. The sentiment was computer generated and adhered with foam tape. Gems were added for some sparkle. The inside of the card was lined with white cardstock and decorated with a few flowers.

Visit The Crafter's Café Challenge #194 for inspiration from our Design Team and play along with us!

Materials
Stamps: Digital Image "Easter Eggs in Mason Jar" by Scribbles Designs; sentiment computer generated
Inks: Copics Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Basic Gray, Elegant Eggplant, Hello Honey, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Bermuda Bay, Perfect Plum; SN for alcohol ink
Paper: Dare 2B Artzy "Honey Bloomz" Collection
Punch: Stampin' Up! Boho Blossoms
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); gems from stash

All Occasions

Having used this stamp, Artistically Awesome, several times over the past, it has become a favorite to use for any number of occasions. This card is in response to Try Stampin' on Tuesday's Color Challenge #2 - Plum, Sage and Mauve. We hope you'll play along!

The stamped image was colored with Copics, ink dusted, matted with green cardstock and backed with foam tape. A panel of patterned paper was adhered to the eggplant card base along with a coordinating ribbon. The focal panel was attached. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of white cardstock that had been dusted with ink. The panel was decorated with ribbon and a fussy cut portion of an identical colored stamped image.  A sentiment will be added when the card is used. One of the Copic markers spattered lightly onto the focal image. I liked the effect so left it exactly as is.

Please share your creations with us at TSOT Color Challenge #2. We'd love to see them!

Techniques: Stamping, coloring, ink dusting, fussy cutting
Size: A2

Materials
Stamp Set: Stampin' Up! "Artistically Awesome"
Inks: Stampin' Up! Perfect Plum; Memento Tuxedo Black; Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Lucky Limeade (retired); SN for alcohol markers
Paper: Stampin' Up! Painted Blooms Collection (retired)
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape) & ribbon (Elegant Eggplant); dusting brush by Judikins

A Poppy for You

The Brown Sugar Challenge #277 for April is up and running beginning on April 6, 2018 through Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 9:00 am Mountain Standard Time (USA). The theme is to create a project for Mother's Day or something using pearls (or both)! We'd love to have you play along.

 

Because poppies vary from gold to orange to red, I colored them using a variety of different markers. I used an image from Crafty Sentiments Designs. The image was downloaded, resized, printed, colored and fussy cut. I also isolated the poppy and printed five of them, which were done the same way as the girl image. Onto a card base, a die cut scalloped strip was adhered along with a plaid panel. A strip of cardstock was die cut along two edges, decorated with a white ribbon and adhered. The sentiment was computer generated and adhered along with two other banners. The images were adhered using foam tape for dimension. Pearls were added. The inside was decorated with a strip of plaid paper and the last remaining poppy.

I encourage you to try to win a prize by joining in the challenge fun at Brown Sugar!

Materials
Stamp: Digital Image "Emmi Lou - A Poppy for You" from Crafty Sentiments Designs; computer generated sentiment (font: Gigi)
Inks: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Peach Parfait (retired); SN for alcohol ink
Paper: Lawn Fawn plaid
Die: Lawn Fawn stitched scallop border die
Misc.: Stampin' Up' Dimensionals (foam tape), pearls & ribbon

Friendship Fancy Fold Step Card

For Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #287, I made a vertical center step card. This is probably the simplest of the various styles of step cards. There are plenty of tutorials available on You Tube for making step cards. I kept this one at an A2 size for easy mailing but because I later added the large pearls, it probably would be better to give this card in person and not send it through the mail. I did not use a die to create the card base. It really is very simple to create the base if you have a trimmer/cutter device.

To the white card base I added the striped paper. I also added a decorated layer of cardstock to the center section that I die cut on three edges with a stitched scallop border die. The rectangular design with the light pink sentiment was cut from patterned paper. The flowers were created using a punch and the word "friend" is from a die. Most of the flowers were adhered using foam tape to add more dimension to the card.

The challenge colors are:

If you don't have the exact colors, that's ok. Feel free to look through your stash and select colors that are closest to these and play along at Color Dare #287. You may be eligible for a prize! Just don't add any colors or neutrals other than what is explained in the guidelines.

Techniques: Fancy fold, die cutting, punch cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Materials
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White heavyweight, CTMH Blossom & Bashful, DCWV Silver Foil
Paper: Echo Park "Imagine That" Collection - #ITG146010 Journaling Cards & #ITG146007 Bubble Trouble
Dies: "Friend" - source unknown; Lawn Fawn stitched scalloped border
Punch: Stampin' Up! "Boho Blossoms"
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape), Martha Stewart pearls

Where's the Coffee?

The Creative Moments Challenge #140 is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, April 4, 2018. The optional theme is "relaxation". My cute little "Teacup Chihuahua" from Wink Wink Ink is excited waiting for his morning coffee but I think he'll calm down. Our challenge lasts for two weeks so I hope you'll visit our blog.

The image was downloaded, sized, colored and fussy cut. Onto the card base, a large panel of cardstock was adhered with a strip of brown cardstock on the right edge. Two die cut labels, the larger of which was dry embossed, were also adhered after the edges were sponged with ink. The image was adhered using foam tape for dimension. The sentiment was computer generated, adhered to a cardstock banner and backed with foam tape. The brown candy dots were added. The inside of the card was decorated with a strip of patterned paper matching the paper die cut label.

I urge you to join in the challenge fun and play along at Creative Moments!

Techniques: Coloring, die cutting, fussy cutting, dry embossing, sponging
Size: A2

Materials
Stamps: "Teacup Chihuahua" from Wink Wink Ink & computer generated sentiment
Inks: Copic alcohol markers & Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise, Peach Parfait (retired); SN for alcohol ink
Paper: From my Stampin' Up! stash (retired)
Dies: Spellbinders Labels
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Candy Dots (Chocolate Chip) & Dimensionals (foam tape); Cuttlebug EF (Dotted Zigzag)

Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun for the Frog family using the partial die cutting technique.

There's a new challenge for the month of April at Try Stampin' on Tuesday. The sketch challenges occur every week but the technique challenges are monthly. April's technique is partial die cutting. This is my first attempt at this technique so is displayed simply but I am eager to try some with more complex cutting.

The frog who is bravely attempting a dive into the pond was done using the technique. Only a portion of the die was cut on the edge of the paper, then the entire image was stamped and colored. The inside of the card was colored using the old tried and true technique called "Direct to Paper". This means that the turquoise ink pad was dragged along the inside of the card to create the watery look.The remaining images were stamped, colored, die cut and adhered to the card base mostly using foam tape. The white surface on the upper portion of the front of the card was ink dusted. The clear droplets were added. I purposely omitted the sentiment until I am ready to use the card.

Please join in the fun and play along with our technique challenge at Try Stampin' on Tuesday!

Techniques: Stamping, partial die cutting, die cutting, direct-to-paper, coloring, ink dusting

Materials
Stamps: Lawn Fawn "Toadally Awesome"
Inks: Stampin' Up! Tempting Turquoise; Distress Oxide Broken China, Memento Tuxedo Black & Copic alcohol markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White & Barely Banana; SN for alcohol ink
Dies: Lawn Fawn "Toadally Awesome" & Reverse Confetti "Sun and Clouds"
Misc.: Pretty Pink Posh clear droplets; Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); Judikins stippling brush

Amaryllis

 

 

Sketch challenges are always my favorite type of challenge. Try Stampin' on Tuesday has a great sketch this time for Challenge #361. The option is Thinking of You. Please join us over at the TSOT blog and play along!



My card has a slight variance in the sketch interpretation and I am okay with how it looks. A small panel of pink cardstock and a panel of patterned paper were adhered to a panel of brown cardstock along with a strip of grosgrain ribbon tied in a square knot. This was adhered to a card base. The amaryllis was stamped onto a panel and colored. It was cut to size and edged with a stitched border die. The floral image was matted then backed with foam tape and adhered to the card front. The inside was decorated with a strip of patterned paper.

Our Design Team welcomes you to join in at our challenge so visit our TSOT blog and check us out.

Materials
Stamp: Rubber Stampede "Amaryllis"
Ink: Copic Alcohol Markers; Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette; SN paper for alcohol ink
Patterned Paper: from stash
Die: Lawn Fawn stitched border
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); ribbon from stash

Easter Lilies

 

 

The Design Team at The Crafter's Café invites you to join the two-week challenge, beginning on April 1, 2018. This time Challenge #193 offers three choices:

1. Sketch

 

2. Color (blue, green and yellow)

 

3. Sketch and color combined

 

 

Easter was several weeks away when I selected the "Easter Lilies" image from the Creative Bug blog. 

 

 

 

 

First, the background was stamped onto a panel of white cardstock along with a strip of yellow ribbon. This was adhered to a white panel and then to the card base. I downloaded the image, resized it into four sizes, then printed and colored the images. All were fussy cut with the smallest flowers being used to decorate the inside of the card. The remaining three images were adhered to the background panel at varying heights using foam tape. The droplets were adhered. The sentiment was computer generated and adhered with foam tape. The inside was lined with a panel of white cardstock and as previously mentioned, decorated with the smallest lilies.

 

We hope to see you over at The Crafter's Café Challenge #193!

 

 

Materials

Stamp: "Easter Lilies" digital image from Creative Bug; Impression Obsession (background); sentiment computer generated

Inks: Copic markers; Distress Oxide "Salty Ocean"

Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White & Marina Mist; SN for alcohol ink

Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); Pretty Pink Posh clear droplets; yellow ribbon from stash



Ballerina Birthday

 

My card was made for the Color My Heart Color Challenge #285. I had to use substitute colors for Pebble and Raspberry but the challenge guidelines allow for closely matched substitutes. The challenge begins on Friday, March 23, 2018 and ends on Thursday, April 5, 2018. There is still time to enter Challenge #284 as well.

Here are the colors for this challenge:

 

My card includes some die cutting and coloring with colored pencils. The guidelines do not address the use of colors for skin tone and hair so I used black for the ballerina's hair and light pink for the skin. The ballerina's costume and the roses were colored by using an Aquapen and die ink.

 

 

Following is a photo of the inside of the card:

 

Here's hoping you will join us at the Color Dare Blog - pick a sketch challenge elsewhere and use our selection of colors to create your work of art!

 

Materials

Stamps: Sunny Studio "Tiny Dancers"

Inks/Colors: Spectrum Noir colored pencils, CTMH Bashful, Memento Tuxedo Black

Cardstock: Wplus9 Dove Gray (sub for Pebble); Stampin' Up! Strawberry Slush (sub for Raspberry)

Dies: Frantic Stamper Lattice Beauty Edger & MFT Peek-a-Boo Window

Misc.: Aquapen, flower sequins from stash



The Flower Pots

Spring has officially arrived in the northern hemisphere. The hummingbirds, whom I feed all winter, will soon be migrating north to their summer climates. I noticed a Gambol Quail hen walking her chicks yesterday. They live in Arizona all year. Just so cute they made me smile. The Palo Verde trees are filled with yellow buds. It won't be long to wait and we'll all be sneezing from the pollen. I truly enjoy spring in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

My card was made for an Easter or spring themed challenge at Creative Moments Challenge #139. The challenges are always Anything Goes but for fun there is an optional twist. I was asked to use a digital image from Bugaboo. I always enjoy browsing the wide variety of images available from Bugaboo and selected "Flower Pots".

The image was downloaded, resized, colored and die cut with a fancy rectangle. Clear droplets were added and the image was adhered to another panel of cardstock. A panel of patterned paper was adhered to the card base. The inside of the card was lined with white cardstock and decorated with a strip of patterned paper. The image panel was adhered to the base using foam tape for dimension. A sentiment can be added to the card when it is ready to be given.

I hope you'll take time to visit the Creative Moments Challenge Blog and consider playing along. Our challenge begins on March 21, 2018 and runs for two weeks.

Materials
Stamp: "Flower Pots" by Bugaboo (digital stamp)
Ink: Copics Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White & Bermuda Bay; SN for alcohol markers
Paper: "Pop of Color" from "All the Good Things" Collection by Vicki Boutin of American Crafts
Die: Cheery Lynn "Celtic Rectangle Boutique Frames"
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); clear droplets from Pretty Pink Posh

Pup in Boot - Just for You

The new challenge #192 at The Crafter's Café begins on March 15, 2018 and ends on March 30, 2018. This is the second card I made for the challenge. The first can be viewed HERE. The image I used is from one of the sponsors, Wink Wink Ink, named "Pup in Boot". Our optional theme is to use handmade flowers. I hope you'll take a look at The Crafter's Café blog and consider playing along.

The image was downloaded, resized, printed, colored and fussy cut. To a card base, a die cut panel was adhered. Using dies, the sentiment was cut twice from cardstock. The circle was also cut from a die and the hollyhocks were die cut and colored.  All of the die cut items were popped up using foam tape. The two die cut sentiments were stacked for dimension. The focal image was added, again using foam tape. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of white cardstock and additional flowers.

Please take a look at The Crafter's Café Challenge #192 and join in to become eligible for prizes:

Links to the sponsors are on the challenge blog but here is the link to Wink Wink Ink:

 

Materials
Stamp: Wink Wink Ink "Pup in Boot" digital image
Inks: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Tempting Turquoise; pink from stash; SN for alcohol markers
Dies: Spellbinders Classic Circles; Frantic Stamper "Penny Petals Panel"; Penny Black "Just for You"; Impression Obsession "Hollyhocks"
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape)