White on White Easter

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel Pecan

Today I have the honor of being a guest designer over at The Sisterhood of Crafters. thank you, Darlene, for inviting me to be a part of your team this month! I'm so excited! :)

the theme for this fortnight is 'White on White.' when I first heard the challenge theme, I knew it would indeed be a challenge for me. I have never made one of these cards before, so took a deep breath or two and away I went! :)

I started with the Tim Holtz Fancy Frame embossing folder and layered a cross from the Spellbinders Cross collection in the center. a Cheery Lynn Fanciful Flourish die wraps around the cross and embossed frame. the butterfly is from the Cheery Lynn Tiny Things with Wings die set. I actually die cut 2, stacking one on top of the other. the top butterfly's wings bend upward. roses are from Wild Orchid Crafts, and sentiment is from  a Shady Tree Studios stamp set. I used sahara sand ink to lightly distress all edges. some pearls, a stick pin, and a pretty satin bow add finishing touches. rock candy distress stickles add touches of glitz and shimmer.

I hope you will try your hand at this technique and play along with us! thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Sentiments - Easter
Going Grey with Scrap Creations - Easter
Just Inspirational - embossing
Sweet Stamps - Easter
Bunny Zoe - monochromatic
Card Mania - Easter
Craft Dee Bow Z - anything goes with a handmade bow
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes/Easter
Craft Your Passion - no designer papers
Crafty Bloggers - die cuts or embossing (both)
Eureka - ribbons and bows
My Craft Spot - Happy Easter
Cheery Lynn - anything goes
Dream Valley - Easter
Sweet Stampin' - Easter
Craft for the Craic - Easter or Spring
Cut it Up - die cuts and Easter
Get Inky - Spring or Easter
Sister Act - anything goes
Emerald Faeries - Easter and/or color combo (used 2 of the colors in palette)
Crafting Musketeers - monochromatic
Natalie and Amy's - embossing
WAW - anything encouraging goes

Thank You So Much, Little Ladybug!

Coffee of the Day - Coconut Macaroon

Coolio news - I am a March Guest Designer over at the Love To Scrap Challenge blog! I was so excited when Leslie asked me if I would be interested. well yeah! of course! :)

The new challenge starting today is a really fun one. it's called 'Back it Up' and the idea is to create your own background using no patterned paper for the bg. wow! challenging, yes, impossible, not really. grins! Sponsors are Bugaboo (prize is 7 images) and Eureka Stamps (prize is 5 images).

I used the cutie Bugaboo image 'Lady Bug Flower Pot' on my card.  the bg was made with a mix of red and pink gelatos. I have found that I like to spray mine with a frosty glimmer mist rather than plain water, as this gives the entire piece an all over shine. once this dried, I used the inside of a padded envelope to stamp in white craft over portions of the card base. 

the few paper scraps I used are from the Basic Grey Serendipity collection, flowers are WOC, brads are SU!, and sentiment sticker is from SRM Stickers. little accents were made with both clear & black spica glitter pens and then stickles on the lady bug's dots.

I hope you will play along in this fun challenge by trying something perhaps new and different from your usual style. it's always neat to mix it up every once in a while! :)

Challenges:
Challenges 4 Everybody - anything goes
Come and Get It - flowers
Glitter 'n Sparkle - add a sentiment
Robyn's Fetish - anything goes
Allsorts - spring is coming
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Cards Galore Encore - use a stamp or digi
Ladybug Crafts - anything goes
Natalie and Amy's - flowers
Crafts 4 Eternity - texture
Sister Act - anything goes
The Stamping Boutique - use glitter (stickles, glitter pens, glimmer mist)
Fan-tastic Tuesday - anything goes that is square
Card Mania - use a sentiment

Vintage Easter Bunny Tag Set

Coffee of the Day - Salted Caramel Pecan

I have fun news to announce to all of you today - I am on the brand new Doodle Garden Challenge Design Team! I am so excited, since I have long been a fan of Jennifer Nilsson's art. I have actual stamp sets going back a few years! ;)  You can not only find her cute digis in her Etsy store, but her stamps at My Favorite Things, Latina Crafter, and Sugar Pea Designs. She is one talented chica, and I am very honored to be part of this team! :)

Our first challenge is 'Anything Goes'. There are a few cutey freebies available on the site if you would like to use those to play along. We ALL love freebie images, but please do respect Jennifer and her art by not sharing these on other forums or with other crafters, but instead directing people back to the blog. thanks! :)

I used the adorable 'Billy Bubble Bunny' and 'Betsy Bubble Bunny' images for my tags.
tags were first watercolored using gelatos and then embossed across a portion with the SU! vine folder. papers and postage stamp stickers are from the Basic Grey Fresh Cut collection. I am so thankful to Basic Grey that I won this collection from them! what a happy  happy dance! it has such pretty colors and designs! :) the little bingo cards are from a vintage Milton Bradley game board image I found online. flowers on boy bunny tag are vintage and from girl bunny tag are Wild Orchid Designs.  her little heart is covered in rock candy distress stickles. some enamel dots and buttons were added to finish.

Please be sure to pop by to wish the rest of the team a big congratulations as well as see the pretty things they have made! I hope you will play along, too! :) enjoy your weekend!

Challenges:
Alphabet Ch - B is for buttons and bows
Challenges and Candies - spring around the corner
Crafty Catz - anything goes
Cute Card Thursday - spring
4 Crafty Girls - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons - ribbons and buttons
Milk Coffee - emboss it (hi to my old teamies!!!)
Little Red Wagon - spring
Allsorts - spring is coming
Paper Shelter - animal magic
Paper Pretties - try a new technique (playing with gelatos!)
TTCRD - anything goes
Craft My Life/All Crafts - anything but a card
Crafting From the Heart - anything goes/use flowers
Floral Fantasies 5th Anniv - fave item: buttons

Flowers and Candy, wait, did someone say CANDY?!?

Coffee of the Day - Texas Turtle (caramel, pecan, and chocolate)

Hello! well y'all have to bear with me. I have another few cards to post this week where we were given an image for free as long as we promised to play in the challenges. deadlines are quickly approaching, so I am trying to hurry to get my projects finished. was sick in bed this weekend, so that threw me off a bit. plus Tyler was home so I wanted to spend time with him when I could.

This cutey image, Lollipop Leslie, comes from a new to me Etsy store, Art by Miran. she has some really pretty images that are waaaaaaaaaaaaay out of my coloring range. this one seemed like something I could handle, so thought I would give it a try for the Facebook 'Make it Girly' challenge.

papers are from the new Basic Grey Fresh Cut collection, sentiment is Create with TLC, flower is Wild Orchid Crafts, enamel dots are Teresa Collins, and chalkboard tag is MME. the sentiment portion was cut with a SU! punch and then sprayed with Mr. Huey's mist. scan got a bit wonky because of the big flower.

I hope to be back in another day or so with a project to share if all goes well. take care and  have a most wonderful week! thank you for stopping by!

btw - I am having a horrid time with blogger loading the blogs I follow on my dashboard. it's been more than a week since I've been able to see them, no matter how often I refresh. I promise to try to get around to your blogs to visit as soon as I can see them again.

Challenges:
Glitter 'n Sparkle - bright & funky colors
One Stitch at a Time - girly
Squirrel and the Fox - something spooled
Outlawz Greeting - anything goes
Di's Digi Designs - bingo: digi, die cut, flowers
Inkspirational - bingo: flowers, buttons or brads (button), punches or dies (both)
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper - anything goes with patterned paper
Feeling Crafty - dies and/or punches (both)
Creative Fingers - anything goes
WAW - anything goes that is encouraging

A Thankful Kangaroo

Coffee of the Day - Holiday Blend (I think it's cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel...)

Hello! I have quite a few cards I need to make, so am trying to slowly but surely get into my craft room to get them done. biggest problem is that my printer is out of black ink and we have to wait a bit to get more. so I'm trying to use images I had already printed out, but had not had the chance to color. who know what y'all are going to end up seeing! grins!

Our next door neighbor, (they are just the most amazing, sweet couple!!!) gave me a gorgeous piece of pottery that she had made herself for Christmas. it truly brought tears to my eyes when I opened it. so I knew I wanted to make a special thank you card for her. I usually get the cards made for people, but am horrid at getting them mailed. all of mine need special envies and lots of postage, so have to wait until we have the money to take them to the post office. this one can just get walked next door! woo hooooo! one down out of a bajillion I owe everyone!

The sweetie little kangaroo is from A Day for Daisies, papers are from the Basic Grey Picadilly collection, little rose is Wild Orchid Crafts, 'thanks' is a new to me coolio SRM sticker. shimmerz paint was added to the wings and flowers, Mr. Huey's white spray was misted onto card base. everything else is from my stash.

I hope to be posting a bit more often.... thanks for sticking with me! :)

oh yes, Tammy at ADFD let me know that she sent in a card I had made using one of her images to 'Quick Cards Made Easy' for publication!!! so the magazine will be coming out the end of this month. it is the Feb. issue. thanks, Tammy! you are so good to me!

Challenges:
ADFD - add yellow
Emerald Faeries - things with wings
Animal Friends - punches or dies
Die Cut Divas - make it glitter (shimmerz paint)
Crafty Girls - anything goes
Ladybug Crafts - thanks
Creative Moments - anything goes/buttons & pearls (the shimmerz paint on the wings is actually a pearl tone)
Digi Stamps 4 Joy - glitter & sparkle (shimmerz paint)
Sisterhood of Crafters - use something new ('thanks' sticker)
TTCRD - anything goes
Whimsy - something new ('thanks' sticker)
WAW - anything goes that is encouraging
Loves Rubberstamps - metal (paperclip)
Word Play Saturday - yellow
One Crazy Stamper - anything goes

There's a Party Going On.... or there WAS! ;)

Coffee of the Day - Vanilla Macadamia Nut

Last night there was a fun party over at The Stamping Boutique Facebook page. I was only able to attend for the last 45 minutes, but had a great time! :) Not only were there several games, but also some neat papercraft challenges and a free image from the store given away. Challenges run until tomorrow, so you have some time to get a project made if you would like to play along. coolio prizes, which everyone loves!

I made a card for one of the challenges, which is just to make a party card using the free image. papers are from the Basic Grey Serendipity collection. I used my clear spica glitter gel pen to add lots of sparkly accents to the main image. the gorgeous flower is from Wild Orchid Crafts and was sprayed with glimmer mist to better match the colors. Maya Road twine was added to the party banner. little bits of shimmerz paint were added to the candles on the cake.

Have a great day! :)

Challenges:
Allsorts - button
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards - anything goes
Crafts Too Challenge You - texture plus something shiny or glittery (glitter pen, rhinestones, shimmerz paint, & glimmer mist)
Delicious Doodles - gems and bling
Jo's Scrap Shack  - anything goes
Polkadoodles - candy colors (these remind me of the colors of Smarties. grins!)
Totally Papercrafts - birthday or baby
Wags 'n Whiskers - sparkle (glitter pen, rhinestones, shimmerz paint, & glimmer mist)
Seize the Birthday - anything goes birthday (sorry, no 'topping' for me this week)
Divas by Design - anything goes
Inky Impressions - food (yummy birthday cake!)
Lady Anne's - anything goes with a stamp
Lollipop Ladies - Smarties plus dies & punches
Penny's Paper Crafty - 2 or more patterned papers
WAW - anything goes that is encouraging
TTCRD - anything goes
Parade Your Crafts - birthday (hi everyone! waving!!!)
Stamp and Create - birthdays