Friends

This week the challenge at The Octopode Factory and at Take a Word was friends. The layout of my card is a quarter turn rotation of the sketch challenge at Critter Sketch. The Octopode version of the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum characters from Alice in Wonderland looked perfect for a friends challenge as they walk along arm in arm. I thought the sentiment was ideal for a friends card.

Your Future Awaits

It's graduation time of year and the challenge at Cheery Lynn is just in time. The theme is for the grad and I need a graduation card for my grandson's aunt tonight. For the layout I used this weeks Mojo Monday sketch challenge. Although faint on the scan, the background paper has music imprinted on it. The paper is from Club Scrap and has a wonderful texture. Behind the mortar board and diploma, I needed a smaller doily, so I used the inner doily from the Polynesian sails oval. Behind the doily is mini flourish one. The mortar board and diploma is computer generated and the sentiment is from Club Scrap.

Roses -- Faux Porcelain Style

It's near the end of May and I'm just finishing up  my May tag for the Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2012 challenge. When I first saw Tim's instructions, I thought that he had lost it. I loved his tag, but faux porcelain roses ... was he kidding? No he wasn't, and I'm so glad he did it. What a wonderful technique and the spool vase is so cool too. I actually ended up making several more roses. I don't know what I'll use them for, but they are so pretty.
I'm also entering this tag in the Tuesday Throwdown challenge which is 3-D, the City Crafter challenge which is a rose is a rose,  the SweetStamps challenge which is anything goes, and the Great Impressions challenge which is anything goes.

Kitty at the Window

They don't call it a challenge for nothing. This week Cheery Lynn's challenge was to add a door or window. Cheery Lynn has so many wonderful windows and doors dies, but unfortunately I don't have them yet. They are still on my wish list. So I went another route. I created a window and used the Dutch doily rectangle frame to create the lace curtains for the window. The kitty is sitting on the window sill dreaming of being outside. The outside view was made using a cuttlebug embossing folder with the bird and grasses. I used the flourishes from the Japanese lace and flourish frame and added sunflowers made with the miniature rose die. I am also adding this card in the Take a Word challenge since that theme is dream.

Patriotic Holidays of Summer

This card was created combining the Mojo Monday sketch, the Compendium of Curiosities II challenge theme of brushless watercolor from p. 49 of Tim Holtz's new book and Simon Says Stamp and Show a summer holiday.
I took the Simon Says theme and decided that the summer holidays are all about Americana and patriotism. We have Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. With that in mind I brought out Tim's Americana Silhouette stamp set and texture fade and went to work.
The background layer  is done using the stamping with stains technique (Creative Chemistry 101) and letterpress. The red panel was done using the Cuttlebug highlights technique from Technique Junkies. The image panel was stamped using the brushless watercolor technique from p.49 of the Compendium II book. Ms. Literty actually looks awesome in real life. She loses a little bit with the scan.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone!

Neutrals

It's Bloggers Challenge time again and this week the challenge is green/brown neutral. To create my card, I started with a wonderful stamp from Dina Wakely, some kraft cardstock for the base card, and several scraps of burlap and brown and beige card stock that I had on my table. The grungy flower was stamped with pesto ink and then colored over with lettuce ink. The edges were inked with gathered twigs distress ink. I decided to used the birthday sentiment since my brother has a birthday coming up soon and I knew he'd like this card.

Escape

I guess it's better late than never. I missed the deadline for this week's Compendium of Curriosities II challenge. I have not skipped a challenge for Compendium 1, Grungy Monday, or Compendium II. So even if I missed the deadline, I am posting my challenge card. The challenge this week is tissue wrap collage from p. 38 of Tim's book. I had never done this technique before. The result was interesting. I think I have to practice this one a little more.