Capture Life's Moments

I can't believe that it is already the end of April. Here is my tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 April challenge. I had hoped to receive my bird on a branch die before making this tag. Since I ran out of time, I had to improvise. I used the bird from Caged Bird and a part of Branch Tree for the branch. for my background stamp I used the music reflections stamp. Otherwise, for the most part I followed Tim's sample pretty closely. Now I'm ready for the May tag.

Wings to Fly

Lots of flowers is the theme for this month's Great Impressions challenge and Artistic Stamper wants lace and ribbon. These two challenges combine well together to make a very pretty card. Although the scan flattens the card, the bird and branch is actually stamped on the inside of the card. The circle was cut out of the base card front. The front of the card was then dry embossed with a cuttlebug embossing folder. The sentiment was stamped on white cardstock and then die cut. A gold marker was used to border the die cut. Once the sentiment was adhered, the flowers, lace, and ribbon were added to the card front. The image and sentiment are from Great Impressions stamps. The image and flowers were painted with Creative Inspirations Paints.

Vintage Child's Birthday

The SweetStamps challenge this week is stamped frame. To make my frame I took a quarter sheet of Kraft paper and die cut the center using Tim Holtz's mini ornamental movers and shapers die. I used the negative of the die cut for my frame. I then stamped the frame with foam number stamps and then embossed it with the Cuttlebut stars embossing folder. The boy image is part of the SweetStamps skipping children stamp and the balloons are from the See-D Celebrations stamps. The images were colored with distress markers. The sentiment is a combination of Outline Stickers and the foam number stamps.
This card is also being entered in the Take a Word challenge which is numbers and the Kraft Journal challenge which is just for kids.

Thanks Mom

I made this card with three challenges in mind. The Cheery Lynn challenge is for mom and of course, must have at least one Cheery Lynn die cut. The Stampsmith challenge is colors of spring  and must have at least one Stampsmith image.

The Mojo Monday challenge is a sketch challenge (see left).
My card is a 5x7 card. I used a bright yellow card base . I cut the squares from blue, lilac, and green cardstock. The butterflies are the mini butterfly set from Cheery Lynn. I alternated the styles of butterflies and I alternated the colors of pink and yellow. I used colors I felt really represented spring. The image is from Stampsmith and is bordered by a Cheery Lynn die cut from the reflections boutique mini pearl circle.  The tag is a metal one and is stamped with Stazon ink. The sentiment is from Club Scrap.
I have to admit that as I was working on this card I was afraid that it would be too busy and that the colors would be too much. I was really happy with the final results.

Beauty

To be honest, I had no idea which way this card was going to go when I started. This week's Bloggers Challenge is to make your own background paper. Anyone who knows me know that I love creating backgrounds. Then I decided that since Lisa and Gerri enabled me to purchase a Gelli plate, I would use mine to make the background. I started out with sky blue acrylic paint, some bubble wrap, some foam stamps, and a comb and created the first part of the background. When that was dry I went over the panel with mustard seed distress stain. Since acrylic paint is a resist for distress, I went over the panel with a damp rag and removed the stain from the painted parts. That left that lovely yellow wherever the paint had been removed.
The image is from the Octopode Factory. Her dress was paper pieced. The sentiment is a quote I found on the computer. My word was cut using a Quikutz alphabet. The flowers are a Spellbinders die cut.
My card meets several challenges this week. Ink on my Fingers Sunday challenge wants to see summer colors. (sky blue, red, yellow)  Simon Says Stamp and Show a word. (Beauty) Tuesday Throwdown challenged us to use some sparkle. (Flowers and letters are cut from glitter paper.) Three Muses wants to see words in art. The Octopode Factory challenge theme is fashion.

Faux Patina

This week in the Compendium of Curiosities challenge we were to try Tim Holtz's faux patina technique from p. 58 of his book. I used both versions of the technique on my card. The background is done with the faux patina technique. I also used the technique on the metal spinner and gears and on metal tape on the balloon sections. The stamps are all from Tim's Remnants set. I have to admit that I didn't expect such great results on the metal. I know Tim's was spectacular, but it seemed too easy to be true. I'll be doing this technique again!

Country Life

This month the Artistic Outpost referral challenge is birds. There are a lot of wonderful bird images in the AO collection to choose from. I finally decided that chickens are birds and that they need love too. So I went to my Country Life and Home stamp sets for my images and sentiment. The background is dry embossed with a cuttlebug folder. The design reminded me of chicken scratches. Have a fun day!

Doodling with Zentangles

I must admit, it was playtime when I made this card. When Stampotique Designs challenged us with oodles of doodles, I knew I had to try my hand at Zentangles.  Isn't she wearing the most fashionable outfit! I also used the heart which looks like it has doodles and the sentiment (all Stamps are Stampotique) which seemed to be word doodles. Even my embossed background looks like doodles. This card also meets the challenge at Fashionable Stamping which is embossing.

Blossoms

Card open

The current challenge at Sweet Stamps is to create a card using the Double Dutch Fold. Classy Cards 'n Such challenged us to make 3-D Art. Inspiration Journal has water coloring as its monthly challenge.
My card uses the double dutch fold. Above is the closed card. At the left is the open view. For the CCnS challenge, I layered and popped up flowers from 3-D Art. I used a Cheery Lynn doily and two Cheery Lynn corners. I also added some Want2Scrap bling. (all available at Classy Cards'n Such).
Inspiration Journal wanted to see watercoloring. The flowers on the bottom doors were stamped on watercolor paper and watercolored using distress markers and a waterbrush. By the way, the stamps are part of a larger new release stamp from SweetStamps that I recently won. The new release flowers there are gorgeous.

Bon Voyage

This week Fashionable Stamping has nautical as its challenge theme and All Things Tim's April challenge is new to you.
I guess the nautical is obvious. For ATT it was necessary to also use at least two Tim Holtz products.  New to me is the stamp set I used, the distress markers I colored with, and the gelli plate I used to create the background. Both the stamp set and the distress markers are Tim Holtz products.

When It Rains, It Pours

Here is a fun card I did for the Tuesday Throwdown recycle challenge. My stamps are all from Rogue Redhead's Just Sayin' stamp set. For the background panel I dry embossed it using an embossibilities folder from Spellbinders. Then I used the tissue tape technique from the current Technique Junkies newsletter. I couldn't find any light colored tissue paper, so I used some dark blue (recycled from some packaging) and stamped with white pigment ink. The window was die cut using a ODBD/Spellbinders die and modified slightly. I dry embossed a piece of packing acetate (more recycling) to look like rain. It doesn't look like kitty will be going outside to play anytime soon. the sentiment says it all.

Fairies

This week Bloggers Challenge is a sketch challenge. The challenge at Critter Sketch is fairies and the challenge at Kraft Journal is use your stash. My card works with all three challenges. I followed the sketch, used lots of fairy images, and pulled out items from my stash that I hadn't used in ages.
The base cardstock is Kraft. I just love the background paper. It is from Graphics45 Once Upon a Springtime.  I've been saving it for way too long. This was the perfect card to get me to use some. Both stamped fairy images have been in my stash for years. Again, it was the perfect time to pull them out and use them. I used glossy accents on the focal image for emphasis. The paper lace was the perfect touch to the center of the card. Do I have to say that I've been hoarding it forever.

Queen for a Day

Showing Post-It-Note Pad



 The challenge at the Octopode Factory this week is anything goes. I chose to make a project this week. It is a post-it-note holder. I used Elizabeth 2 as my image. I added a little bling to her crown and necklace. She is colored with Copics. My background is distress stains over stamped with stamps from the Tim Holtz collection. The cover is manila paper and I lined it with some designer paper from my stash. The sentiment is computer generated, cut out, and highlighted with glossy accents. I think it will be a fun addition to one's desk.

S-P-R-I-N-G

This weeks challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs is a word challenge. We were to create something using at least three of the letters in the word SPRING for the parts of the piece. This is my card:

S - Scripture

P - Pink or lily Pad

R - Rectangle

I - Ink

N - Nestie

G - Gelatos (used for stamping and coloring the lily and lilypad)

Living Inspired

I pulled out my My Mind's Eye paper and decided to do this month's challenge which is hexagons. To create my card I used the sketch at Mojo Monday.
I started with a background panel of MME paper (Darling Dear). I overlayed it with the chicken wire stencil from Crafters Workshop (hexagons) and sprayed with denim glimmer mist. I finally got to use my hexagons die from Sizzix to cut the center panel hexagons from different patterns of MME paper (A Beautiful Life). I stamped the hexagons with inchie stamps from Chapel Road stamps (Class Act Inc.) The sentiment is from The Angel Company and is stamped on one of the tattered banners from a Tim Holtz die.

Things That Matter

The Compendium of Curiosities II challenge has begun! The first challenge is from p.66 of Tim's book, Custom Foam Stamps. This Challenge is being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp.
My card is a totally Tim card. My custom foam stamp was cut from the umbrella man die. I had recently realized that the only umbrella man stamp I had was a small one from a clear stamp set. I don't have the rubber set. Shocking, I know. I now have a larger stamp version of umbrella man. How cool is that!. The sentiment is from Tim's set, Words for Thought. The background technique is archival resist from the Creative Chemistry 101 class.
This card is also being entered into Hel's Ink on My Fingers Sunday challenge which has the theme of men.

Cherish

A long while back I purchased a grab bag of Webster's Pages products. For this card I challenged myself to use a variety of those products to see what kind of card I could create. Everything I used, except the base cardstock (Club Scrap) is a Webster's Pages product. I layered a vellum print over a background print panel. The sentiment is a ticket shaped tag. The two flowers are made from sheer fabric with a pearl center.
Since Simon Says Stamp and Show has an anything goes challenge, I thought this card would fit perfectly.

Friend

This week the City Crafter challenge is just a hint of pink. This challenge gave me a chance to use a new stamp/embossing folder set I just got from Hero Arts/Sizzix. I stamped the collage stamp on a Ranger specialty stamping paper panel in jet black arhival ink. The butterfly was colored with a pink Tombow marker. The panel was embossed using the coordinating Sizzix embossing folder. Although it doesn't show very much in the scan, the flowers, the butterfly, and friend  is raised. I highlighted the notes with enamel accents for a little more texture.

Vintage Birthday

Here is a vintage birthday card made using a wonderful stamped image from Sweet Stamps, a couple of Cheery Lynn die cuts, lots of Creative Inspirations paints, some sticky back canvas, a little Shimmer Sheetz, and an outline sticker sentiment.
To create the background I used stickyback canvas. As I learned in Creative Chemistry 101, I removed the backing and stuck it to my craft sheet to keep it from curling from the moisture. I sprayed it with water and swiped it with various spring colors of CI paints. I stamped the image of the skipping children and painted them with CI paints. Once dried, I cut out the image and layered it on a  Swedish Spring Oval Frame. The butterfly is also a Cheery Lynn die. Shimmer Sheetz does not die cut well; instead it turns out as if it is embossed which is a cool effect. I painted the body with onyx paint. The sentiment is an outline sticker.
I am entering this card in these challenges: Cheery Lynn - birthday, Creative Belli - children (shimmer sheetz is forgotten embellishment) and Sweet Stamps - vintage.

Connoisseurs of Comfort

I've been MIA on my blog for a while now. It's been spring break for my kindergarten aged grandson. Since mom works weird hours, I have assigned myself the task of keeping him busy. We've seen The Lorax, visited the aquarium, spent the day at the zoo, and basically hung out together. It's been a lot of fun, but I haven't had very much studio time. School starts back and things should go back to normal.
I did grab a little time to make this card for Bloggers Challenge. The theme is black, white, and a splash of color. It's one of my favorite challenge themes. For my card I used a stamp from LaBlanche for my focal image with the sentiment coming from Club Scrap. I love the little kitty on the Victorian chair. I think the mouse might be safe since kitty looks so comfy.

CHAPTER 14 Challenge: Splendidly Dressed! Week 2

"After a time she heard a little pattering of feet in the distance, and she hastily dried her eyes to see what was coming. It was the White Rabbit returning, splendidly dressed, with a pair of white kid gloves in one hand and a large fan in the other: he came trotting along in a great hurry, muttering to himself as he came, `Oh! the Duchess, the Duchess! Oh! won't she be savage if I've kept her waiting!'"-- Chapter 2; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

April has arrived, which (in the northern hemisphere) brings thoughts of wearing your Sunday springtime best and perhaps donning an Easter bonnet! So we want to you to show us your Sunday best; ruffles, ribbons, lace, frills; however you want to interpret the challenge on the Altered Alice blog!
Enter using the Linky Tool on the Altered Alice Site by Friday, April 27. All entries are welcome but Alice in Wonderland entries are encouraged and will receive two chances at the drawing instead of one. Multiple entries are great but each must be on a separate post.

The design team is so excited about showing off the brand new Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps from our sponsor, Stampendous (Website | Blog). This Alice is all dressed up from her shining shoes to the top of her hat, not to mention her frilly parasol! We will have THREE winners this month, and they will each receive the same Wonderland stamp set the design team is using!

Stampendous made this
great blog blinkie for us,
grab it if you want!

Stampendous has been a leading manufacturer of craft rubber stamps and accessories for over 30 years. With a wide variety of images, all drawn by artist/owner Fran Seiford, Stampendous has something to appeal to any stamper, scrapbooker, or home décor crafter! With the new Fran•táge Collection of stamps and essential accessories, Fran has embraced the vintage, collage look that is so popular in crafts today. The Wonderland Perfectly Clear™ Stamps Set is part of this collection and coordinates beautifully with the new vintage Embossing Enamels, Crushed Glass Glitters, Mica Fragments and Color Fragments in the Fran•táge Essentials. You can find Stampendous products at your local craft retailer or on the web at www.stampendous.com. Hundreds of ideas from Stampendous artists, an active Design Team, and fans world wide can be seen on the Stampendous Impressions Blog as well as on their Facebook Page and Flickr Group. Visit us on Twitter (@stampendous) and see our favorites on Pinterest.My Inspiration for you:

Here is Alice checking out her finery in the looking glass. The looking glass is made of metallic cardstock with the frame cut from wood paper with a Spellbinders die.

 This is a close up of Alice. I paperpieced her apron from gold metallic paper. The lace is embellished using a Viva Decor Glitter pen. I also added a feather in her hat. See how Daisy, her cat looks on. I love the checkerboard stamp floor.

 Here the white rabbit is holding up his watch to remind Alice that she should hurry up a bit.

 This is what the entire shrine looks like. Unfortunately, I had to scan it in order for the image not to be skewed. The mirror is metal cardstock. When you scan metal, you get black.

 Don't forget to add your challenge piece to the Altered Alice blog before Friday, April 27th. The prize is fantastic. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter.

Spring Birthday

This week the Bloggers Challenge theme is to die for. We are to use our dies to create our art piece. This was a fairly easy challenge for me. I tend to use dies in much of my work. Today I used Spellbinders dies for the rose and tag. The flourish is a Cheery Lynn die. I made it into a birthday card since a good friend of mine has a birthday early next week. I guess I'm getting into the Easter mood since I used Easter colors to make my card.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Easter Basket

 Easter is just days away and here's a little Easter basket to celebrate. My Easter basket represents several challenges.
Cheery Lynn challenged us to make a basket. First, I made the sides and bottom of the basket using one of the medium Celtic chain mega rectangle doily dies. I scored the die cut to make the front and back and the bottom. Then I cut a piece of cardstock to make the two sides. The handle is the country girl border die cut with a ribbon woven through the holes. It is attached to the sides with fancy brads. The embellishments are made using lace eggs 1, 4, and 5. The flowere are from the lace corner deco D set of dies. The rabbit is a digital image from the Octopode Factory.
the challenge at the Octopode Factory is bling it on. Although bling is hard to see in scans, Marigold the bunny has bling flowers on her bows and basket. She has a bling egg in her basket, and all of the flowers have bling centers.
The challenge at Take a word is eggs and the Tuesday Throwdown challenge is pastels.
It was a bit of a challenge for me to get everything to fit together. However, I think the end result  is a pretty good Easter basket.

Spring Bouquet

Spring brings so many beautiful flowers. There is something so refreshing and spirit lifting about a spring bouquet. I love this beautiful stamp from Sweet Stamps with its teapot full of spring flowers. Check out the challenge at the Creative Inspirations Paints blog which is being sponsored by Sweet Stamps. The theme is Easter. There is an opportunity to win paints or a Sweet Stamps gift certificate.
To create this card I stamped the image and cut it out using a Spellbinders die. I used the out of the nesties technique from Technique Junkies Emboss or Die CD. The image was painted with Creative Inspirations Paints. The die cut was sponged with CI paints. The base card is Kraft with green olive CI paint sponged over it. The lace die cut is from Heartfelt Creations/spellbinders. To finish off the card I used a border of bling. This card is for the challenge at Kraft Journal which is celebrate spring or Easter.