Clearly There Are No Bones About It

Hi, everybody! I'm back with another Online-Card-Class Inspired Card.  :)

Today's card features the layered acetate technique,with the back layer for the dinosaur's body and the front layer for its bones.

Bo Bunny trail mix dp; Staples acetate
Stampin' Up! no bones about it stamp set
skeleton heat embossed with Versamark and SU white powder
other inks used: various Distress Inks; StazOn jet black
circles punched with SU owl builder and cupcake punches
SU linen thread; stash sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way pen; Ranger multi medium matte

I really like the effect achieved layering this acetate. Gotta remember to use this technique again.  :)

In addition to sharing this in the OCC Gallery, I'm linking this up to the Simon Says Anything Goes and the SAS4Kids Animal Cards Challenges -- dinosaurs are animals, right?!

Parting Thoughts

This morning, humans and their fur babies celebrated the 19th Annual Dog Walk for the local humane association. Our fur baby would have had a miserable time because he's scared of other dogs... in spite of acting tough once the coast is clear. So, hubby and I walked with a couple of neighbors in his honor. 

Those of us at W2CB would like to remind you that are April/May challenge ends on Wednesday. In addition to a Guest Design gig, there are Paper Smooches gift certificates up for grabs. We'd love for you to stop by and play along with us.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A SUPER Mash-Up

Hi, everyone!

Clear & Sheer is the sixth Online Card Class that I've taken. And, every single one is fabulous. I just learn so much each and every time.

As you may know, I'm crafting from the road. So, my current stash is rather limited, and I didn't have a number of supplies needed to try some of the techniques shared today. Happily, I had the supplies needed to create this little tag.  :)

Stampin' Up velllum; Jillibean Soup dp; Distress Ink core paper; Bazzill black cardstock; Recollections white
Mama Elephant tiny heroes stamp set
image colored with Prismacolor pencils and inked with Memento black marker
"SUPER" sentiment heat embossed with Versamark ink and SU white powder
"IN... WAY" sentiment stamped in StazOn jet black
Twinery twine; stash sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Ranger multi medium matte

This little tag, which is going to be included with a thank you present to a new friend, is actually a mash-up of Day 2 and Day 3 techniques. Techniques used include:

• using vellum with pattern paper,
• stamp and color an image on paper before mounting on vellum/acetate with dimensionals,
• using ribbon/twine to create the tag's tie and another piece to create a bow,
• inserting a card -- or, in this case, a tag -- with a card, and
• adhering card/tag elements so that vellum/acetate adhesive is not seen.

In addition to sharing this in the OCC Day 2 gallery, I am going to link this up at the current Simon Says Anything Goes Challenge.

Parting Thoughts

It's been such a pretty exciting week, playing along with OCC lessons and watching our baby birds leave their nest. Today, I'm thankful for:

• the amazingly talented OCC instructors,
• the new and improved OCC Web site, and
• the little visitors who showed up on our balcony a few minutes ago -- two of whom are pictured at the right. 

Well, think that's it for today. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Magical Bouquet

Hi, everyone! It's Day 3 at the Clear & Sheer Online Card Class.

Remember when you knew in advance you were going to have to miss a day at school, and you asked your teacher for the assignment in advance? Well, I kind of feel like that's what happened with this magic card.

As luck would have it, I recently made a magic card for a couple of other challenges. And, I love it so much, I'm going to share it in the OCC Gallery. Hope that's okay.

To see card details, the original post is here.


Okay, it's time to play with some of the other Day 3 -- and Day 2 -- techniques. Yep, we had book club yesterday, and I'm just a little behind.  :)

Clear, Sheer, Merry & Bright

Hi, everyone! Hope the day is going well.

Last night, when I was working on a Day 1 Online Card Class card, I had a Eureka moment. (Don't you love it when that happens?!) What if.... I tried using washi to attach the vellum?

Strathmore watercolor; Stampin' Up! vellum; Recollections black; stash washi
Winnie & Walter big, bold sentiment
background applied using SU decorative mask, Distress Ink picked raspberry and peacock feathers
setniment stamped in StazOn on vellum and heat embossed with Versamark and white SU powder
stash sequins; adhesives: Scotch ATG; Ranger multi medium matte

• The background piece was created using a Stampin' Up! decorative mask. I masked -- no pun intended -- diagonal rows of the of the mask in Distress Inks using a Ranger blending tool. 
• I went with this stencil because I thought its polka-dot-like pattern would go well with the pink and white polka dot washi tape. 
• When the "& bright" seemed to get lost against the pattern, I embossed it on a white strip of paper... and I really like the result. It felt really Jennifer-Kristina-Laura-like to me.

Now, this is a card I'm proud to upload to the OCC gallery! I'm also sharing this over at the current Jingle Belles Walking in a Washi Wonderland Challenge, the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes Challenge on the Wednesday Challenge blog, and the current Shopping Our Stash Think Ink Challenge.   :)

Now, off to Day 2 videos. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Clearly Happy about Vellum

Hi, everyone! It's one of my favorite kind of weeks.... an Online Card Class week!

The Clear and Sheer Class is all about using vellum and acetate on our cards. Today, the instructors presented a variety of ideas for attaching vellum.

Pink Paislee color wash dp; Recollections black; Stampin' Up! vellum
Winnie & Walter big bold sentiment in StazOn jet black
SU flower punch; stash sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Ranger multi medium matte

For my card, I used punched out vellum and sequins to hide my Ranger multi medium matte adhesive.

Wish my picture did the paper justice. And, wish I were sure about this card. I'm not sure there's enough contrast between the paper and the embellishments. But, it's too late now because those flowers and sequins aren't going anywhere. LOL

Just have to remember Jennifer's words of wisdom: If the card will bring a smile to someone, it's good enough. Thanks, Jennifer. Think I'll be reminding myself of these words quite a bit.  :)

Parting Thoughts

There's still lots of time to play along with OCC. (Their new Web site looks great, btw.) And, if you get vellum-ed and acetate-ed out, there are some great challenges going on at Send a Smile 4 Kids, Cards in Envy, and Words 2 Craft By. Or, maybe create something that uses one of the class's strategies and works for one of these challenges.  :)

On a totally unrelated topic, we had a bit of excitement here last night. The baby birds that have been residing in our little Birdie's Seaside House left the nest last night. Looks like we have three new feathered friends exploring our bushes and trees. The pic at the right shows one of our little guys. Sorry the pic is not better, but I was sneaking a snapshot or two or ten through our screen.)

So, today I'm thankful for:

• the birdhouse we inherited from the former owners,
• the chirping of baby birds, and
• the delight in watching them take their first flights. 

Can't wait for Day 2 of class! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Hug Me

Hi, everyone! Hope it's been a great weekend.

Tonight's card was inspired by Sketch Saturday #409 and the current Animal Cards 4 Kids Challenge over at SAS4Kids.

When it comes to critters, it's hard to beat Kim's Paper Smooches cuties. Today's card features two little bears from her Comforting Hugs stamp set. So, I inked up these NBUS cuties for the very first time to make the card below.

Simple Stories take a hike dp; Stampin' Up! core cardstock
Paper Smooches comforting hugs images and sentiment
stamping in black Color Blok, colored with Prismacolor pencils
bears and small heart coated with Glossy Accents
Creative Memories circle cutting system; owl-builder punch (with tiny heart)
stash twine and sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way glue pen; Ranger multi medium matte; Recollections foam squares

Once I decided to use the little bears, I decided to rotate the card to make it a horizontal design. Again, this is a little busier than my typical style. But, I think it totally works for a kiddie card. Sure hope it brings a smile to a little one's face at Nationwide Children's.  :)

The bears are on one of those tag elements that I never know what to do with that are included in the back of some 6 by 6 pads. And, the bears have been coated with Glossy Accents so they will pop right off the tag.

Parting Thoughts

Actually, I'm pretty beat. So, I'll keep this short and sweet.

Big thanks to the Sketch Saturday DT for selecting the rose card shown at the right as a Week #408 Top 3. What a nice surprise!

There is another week left for the challenges at Cards in Envy and Send a Smile 4 Kids. And, there's about a week and a half left over at Words 2 Craft By.

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Flowers, Flowers, and More Flowers

Hi, everyone! Happy almost Friday.

Today, I'm sharing the second card we made at Colette's Technique Tuesday.

SU paper, stamps, ink, etc.; sentiment stamped in StazOn jet black
stash sequins; gold Uni-ball pen "accents"
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way pen; Recollections foam squares; Ranger multi medium matte

What I love about this card is that we stamped the background -- 5 big flowers, 5 little flowers, some leaves, and lots of teensy yellow flowers. When I first saw Colette's samples, I thought it was designer paper. But, no, our fun was in creating our own backgrounds.  :)

The other cool thing is the way we created the banner's fish tail. Colette showed us how to place just the end of the banner underneath the bitty banner punch (with the banner coming over the top of the punch) to create a "perfect" fish tail. What a great idea for those fish-tail-challenged-cutters like me! (I'd snap a pic to show you but I don't have the punch with me. Sorry about that.)

I finished my card off a little differently than our class sample: placing the flower to the left, stamping a "thanks" sentiment, and adding a few sequins. Just not sure there is enough contrast between the banner and the yellow paper. Hmmm.... to tinker or not to tinker. That is the question!

Oh, if you're wondering about the gold specks on the blue die cut flower. Well, those would be oops inspired. LOL Turns out I somehow got a little of the Hello Honey ink on my flower. Of course, I'm the only one it would bother. But, I decided to add a few gold specks when I got home to draw less attention to my oops speck.

Think I'm gonna link this up to the current Simon Says Make It Girlie Challenge.

Parting Thoughts

I have so enjoyed stamping with Colette's merry band of stampers. I am so thankful for:

• their willingness to embrace a newcomer,
• the group's generous and giving spirit, and
• having found a stamping home away from home. 

Just a reminder as we approach the weekend that there are some fun challenges going on at Send a Smile 4 Kids, Cards in Envy, and Words 2 Craft By. Hope to see you there.  :)

In the meantime, have a great day! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Girly, Shimmery Butterflies

Hi, everyone! I'm here today to share a card we made in Colette's Technique Tuesday class.  :)

Stampin' Up! products
butterfly and flower coloring in Prismacolor pencils
Wink of Stella and Uni-Bsll gold pen accents; stash sequins

We made the card base last night and stamped major elements last night. Today, I added a little color to the flowers, a little more color to the butterflies, some gold accents around the scalloped centerpiece, and a few shiny sequins.

I've made gate cards before, but this closure was new for me. I just love the way the circle on the right fits through the opening of the scalloped piece on the left. Great idea... an idea I'm sure to use again!

And, luck was definitely on my side. My on-the-road-stash butterfly options were rather limited. Colette provided a perfect card for the current Butterfly Beauty Challenge at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog. I'm also linking this up to the current Make It Girlie Challenge on the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog.

 

 Parting Thoughts

There are two more weeks to play along with our April/May challenge over at Words 2 Craft By. Chances are pretty good at winning one of those Paper Smooches gift certificates!

Hope the rest of the week goes well. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Purple, White, Silver... and Vellum!

Hi, everyone! Hope the week is off to a great start.

Today, I'm sharing a card for the Purple, White, and Silver Challenge over at Merry Mondays.

Stampin' Up! vellum; Distress Ink milled lavender core; Recollections white
Strathmore watercolor paper, inked in DI seedless preserves
SU festival of trees stamps
heat embossing: Versamark and Stampendous silver powder, DI seedless preserves and Recollections clear powder
ArtMinds silver sequins; adhesives: Scotch ATG, Ranger multi medium matte

The vellum techniques that Jennifer McGuire has been sharing recently were the other inspiration for this card. The white rectangular piece is a small notecard, mounted on colored layers, inside a vellum shell.

As the pic shows, the silvery detailed tree is embossed on the front -- placed so that the purple base peeks through the silvery tree.

I played with different shades of purple sequins before deciding the silver. Think the silver ones added just the right finishing touch of sparkle.

Parting Thoughts

The April/May Challenge at Words 2 Craft By is inspired by the Byron Caldwell Smith quote:

Our spring has come at last with the soft laughter of April suns an shadow of April showers.

We'd love for you to share your flower festooned and/or weather inspired cards with us at W2CB. There are a couple of Paper Smooches gift certificates up for grabs, as well as a guest designer spot.


Looking forward to a stamp-club, book-club day. Should be a fun afternoon! So, today, I am thankful for:

• friends who love to play with paper,
• friends who love to discuss good -- and not so good -- books, and
• knowing the directions to both locations!

Have a great week. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

CIE Another Year Older

Hi, everyone! It's another Cards in Envy Monday!

Our theme for the next couple of weeks is Another Year Older. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to make that special birthday card for my nephew who is turning 16 at the end of the month. And, from what I hear, my nephew has a Virginia driver's license at the top of his wish list.  :)

Distress Ink fired brick and chipped sapphire core; Recollections white and silver glitter cardstock
computer-generated original license plate embellishment
Making Memories stash letter stickers
Sizzix/SU embossing folder; SU owl builder punch (for tiny circles)
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way pen; Recollections foam squares

Hope my nephew likes his card. And, we hope you'll join us at Cards in Envy for our Another Year Older challenge. Remember the A2 size requirement has been dropped but your entry still needs to be flat enough to be sent in a standard envelope.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

SAS4Kids: Animal Cards 4 Kids

Hi, everybody! Hope it's been a great weekend.

Today's card was inspired by the current SAS4Kids Animal Cards 4 Kids Challenge... and some really adorable furry super heroes.  :)

Jillibean Soup dp; Stampin' Up! cherry cobbler; Recollections white and black cardstock
Mama Elephant tiny heroes images and sentiment, stamped in StazOn jet black
images colored with Prismacolor pencils
SU twine; ArtMinds sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zots glue dot; Ranger multi medium matte
 

Okay, this little card is so much more my style than the rose card I published yesterday. LOL!

Can't help but love these little guys. I can't believe I hadn't gotten around to using them until now. So glad I packed them in my on-the-road stash.  :)

Parting Thoughts

It was a beautiful day here. So, I made a point of doing a little reading down by the shore, and I am thankful for:

• clear blue skies,
• light breezes, and
• the warmth of the sun.

A new Cards in Envy challenge goes live tomorrow morning, and the April/May Words 2 Craft By challenge posted on Wednesday. Hope you have a chance to check out these challenges, as well as the SAS4Kids challenge.

Have a great week. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

So, this is where my rose is supposed to go!

Hi, everyone!

Several weeks (months?) ago, we embossed and painted roses on vellum at Colette's Technique Tuesday. I loved the rose, but found it a little large for my typical A2 card.

Then, I saw today's Saturday Sketch. These angled sketches usually give me problems and, to be honest, I don't have a lot of big images in my make-shift-road stash. That's when I saw this pretty rose and realized it is perfect for today's sketch.  :)




Almost all SU products, most of which I can't identify
sentiment: masked "hello love" from SU guy greetings
SU botanical vellum; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
circles: owl builder and cupcake punches; faux stitching: drawn with Memento black pen
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zots glue dots; Zig 2 way glue pen; Ranger multi medium matte; Recollections foam squares
 

Confession time... This is busier than my typical cards, and I'm not entirely sure I like it. That said, I do think the rose is a great fit for the sketch. Oh, and if the card looks a little warped, it's because of the multi medium matte used to adhere the rose.

Confesssion #2:  Hubby's had to endure me butchering the opening line of Adele's first release from her new album. So, when I showed him the front of the card, his response was, "Does it say from the other side?" Classic hubby!

 

Parting Thoughts

It's been a couple of fun days. Hubby went to the golf tournament and had a rain-free day! We've done a little more thrift shopping, a little beach walking, and spent the afternoon with a sweet couple we've come to know pretty well these past few months.

So, today I'm thankful for:

• new friends,
• gorgeous weather, and
• a great buy on some really cute shorts.

An Animals 4 Kids challenge started at Send a Smile 4 Kids today. Hope to work on that card tomorrow. And, the April/May Mother's-Day-inspired challenge posted at Words 2 Craft By on Wednesday. There is a guest designer spot, as well as two Paper Smooches gift certificates, up for grabs. Hope to see you at both challenges!

Have a great Sunday. As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Flowerful Thanks

Hi, everyone! Hope the week is going well. The best news is that tomorrow is Friday.  :)

A Flowerful Thanks

 

 

Today's card was inspired by Mojo Monday 443. Fortunately, mojo was with me today.

I knew I wanted to make a thank you card with a floral motif. And, fortunately, I had the perfect paper and images for the task. There was some pretty Jillibean Soup paper and cute Paper Smooches flowers that were perfect for this sketch-inspired card. So, this card came together much more quickly than other recent cards have.  :)

Jillibean Soup blossom soup; Strathmore watercolor paper; Stampin' Up! core browns
Paper Smooches crystal clear flowers, stamped in Distress Inks and colored with Prismacolor pencils
Paper Smooches crystal clear vase, heat embossed with Versamark and Recollections clear powder
Stampin' Up! good greetings sentiment, heat embossed with Versmark and SU white powder
punches: Martha Stewart butterfly; SU owl builder and cupcake (for tiny circles)
Maco Multi-Purpose Labels (for masking)
stash sequins; adhesives: Scotch ATG, Ranger multi medium matte, Recollection foam squares

• For starters, I rotated the sketch to make a horizontal card, with a sentiment strip running along the bottom.
• My ink stash is rather limited. I used Prismacolor pencils to tone down the mowed lawn and spiced marmalade colors so that the orange and green blended in better with the dp colors.
• The vase was heat embossed on dp and fussy cut.
• The Stampin' Up! "give thanks" sentiment  was masked for my card's sentiment.
• Two shades of brown cardstock were used, placing a dark shade as the base layer and sentiment to pop the blue paper and the sentiment strip. The edges of the brown papers were inked with DI walnut stain using a Ranger blending tool since the papers were core cardstock.
• I decided to go with a tone-on-tone embellishment in the top right, punching a butterfly from a sheet of butterflies in the paper collection.
• Finally, I opted to leave out the embellishments (indicated on the sketch by the two smaller stars) because whatever I tried felt like it was getting lost against the floral patterned paper.

I'm also linking these little flowers up at the April Showers Bring May Flowers Challenge over at the Simon Says Monday Challenge Blog.

Parting Thoughts

There are a couple more days left to play along with the Flowers and Fantasy Challenge at Cards in Envy. And, there are just a few more hours left to play along with the Mom/Special Lady Challenge at SAS4Kids. However, the challenge at Words 2 Craft By just started yesterday, and there are Paper Smooches gift certificates up for grabs this month!

Looks like a mini-monsoon is headed our way tomorrow. Of course, hubby and I predicted this two weeks ago. There is a golf tournament this weekend that hubby was interested in attending. By the time we got around to buying his ticket, the four-day passes were gone. So, he decided to buy a one-day pass for... that's right.... tomorrow. (We even told the clerk that there was sure to be a monsoon on April 15!) The weather sounds like it's not going to be at all pleasant for watching golf -- wet, chilly, and windy. Poor hubby.   :(

As for me, I'm planning on being warm, dry, and grateful for:

• card-making supplies,
• WiFi, and
• lots of sites with lots of inspiration!

Hope the weather will be better where you are. Until next time, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Merry Monday #200

Did you hear the news that Merry Monday is celebrating its 200th challenge? Well, I just recently discovered Merry Monday and really wanted to play along with this milestone challenge.

There are four ways to join in the Merry Monday #200 fun. For my card, I was inspired by:

• the sketch and
• the inspiration photo -- by its ornaments and its colors.

Recollection black; Bazzill white; Distress Ink spun sugar core paper
Stampin' Up! vellum and gray core paper
SU Christmas Collectibles image, heat embossed with Versamark in Stampendous silver tinsel powder
images and sentiment stamped in StazOn jet black
stamps: SU good greetings; Paper Smooches holly jolly and Mama Elephants reindeer games
punches: SU Christmas Collectibles, owl builder, cupcake punch; CM corner rounder
SU baker's twine and ArtMinds sequins
Creative Memories circle cutting system
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way pen; Ranger multi medium matte; Zots glue dot

• The background vellum is actually gold striped. However, the look of its opposite side was perfect for the color palette I wanted to use.
• I played with various colors of three circles in the top right corner and top of the tag, including black circles. I finally went with tone-on-tone circles, limiting my use of black to the sentiment strip.
• I placed some silver sequins around the punched spun sugar ornament to bring a little extra pizzazz to that element of the card.
• Finally, the image in the sentiment strip circle is a combination of Mama Elephant ornaments and a Paper Smooches bow, while the sentiment itself is from Stampin' Up!

Parting Thoughts

I've found myself struggling to find card-making mojo this week -- napping, instead of crafting yesterday and Monday. Even today's card was a bit of a struggle. But, I'm glad I stayed with it because I really did want to get my Merry Monday card done before the gallery closes. LOL... Think I've made cards for two recent challenges but was too late to link up the cards. Sound familiar?!

So, today I am thankful for:

• the return of card-making mojo,
• the wonderful design team we have at Words 2 Craft By and the amazing cards they've made for our April/May challenge, and
• those yummy lunches at Wayback Burger.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

W2CB #28: The Laughter of April Suns...

... and the shadow of April showers.

Hi, everyone! These words from Byron Caldwell Smith serve as the inspiration for our April/May Words 2 Craft By challenge.

And, here's my interpretation of this month's words.


Canson watercolor; Recollection glitter
Paper Smooches spreading sunshine sentiment in StazOn jet black
Paper Smooches stitched and easel dies; Lawn Fawn mini snowflakes dies
Tim Holtz stencil
Distress Inks scattered straw, faded jeans, chipped sapphire applied with Ranger blending tool
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Ranger multi medium matte

After pondering the quote, I wanted to convey the idea of going from stormy weather to sunny skies. I hoped to illustrate this by blending blue and yellow Distress Inks -- without creating green. And, I think I might have accomplished this after all. In addition, I thought this Paper Smooches sentiment perfectly captured my intent.

We'd love for you to join us at W2CB.

• The challenge runs through Wednesday, May 4.
• Our challenge winner will be invited to join us as a Guest Designer for a future challenge.
• And, one follower and one participant will be randomly selected to receive $10 Paper Smooches gift certificates.

Parting Thoughts

Gonna link my card up to the Paper Smooches May Guest Designer Search. A gal can dream, right?!

Have a good day! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Joyous Reindeer

Hi, everyone!

Hope you all had a great weekend. It's been an interesting mix of activities around here: a few walks with hubby, lunches at McDonald's, some Masters golf watching, and a wonderful double film feature at my favorite theater. The double film feature dominates today's gratitude  list.

Today I'm thankful for:

• the yummiest movie popcorn on the planet,
• great books that inspire great movies, and
• the Pat Conroy film festival at my favorite indie theater.

As many of you know, hubby and I spend quite a bit of time in the Lowcountry. This is such a gorgeous part of our great country. It's beauty and lifestyle made a life-changing impression on a young Pat Conroy, and Pat shared his love of his Lowcountry in so many of his books. Today, the local theater ran The Great Santini and Conrack (based on the book The Water is Wide) as part of its monthly film series that benefits Habitat for Humanity. It's been a long, long time since I settled into a theater seat with a heaping bag of popcorn and enjoyed a double bill. And, you know it's got to be a pretty special event to pull me away from watching a final round at Augusta.  :)

Now for my Sketch Saturday inspired card.

 

Joyous Mama Elephant Reindeer

Today's card is inspired by the Sketch #407, which posted yesterday morning. I just couldn't help myself. I soon as I saw those six square elements, I thought of six little reindeer.

I love these little Mama Elephant reindeer so much that I think I see them in my sleep. I sure do end up seeing them on my cards quite a bit. LOL

I promise that I have a few other Christmas stamp sets in my stash. But, none of the other images hold a candle to these sweet little guys.  :)






Strathmore watercolor paper; WRMK merry & bright; AC Christmas cardstock

Mama Elephant tiny reindeer, colored with Prismacolor pencils and Uni-ball gold pen, outlined with a black pen

masked Stampin' Up! good greetings "peace & joy" sentiment, stamped in StazOn jet black

Creative Memories circle cutting system; SU linen thread; stash sequin; candy cane Stickles (for noses)

adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way glue pen; Ranger multi medium matte, Recollections foam squares

I'm also linking my little reindeer up to the following holiday challenges:

• the colour green challenge at Craftyhazelnut's Christmas challenge blog, and
• Winter Wonderland's bauble challenge -- hoping my homemade bauble counts.

Parting Thoughts

There is a Mom/Special Lady challenge at SAS4Kids and a Flower and/or Fantasy challenge at Cards in Envy. Our April/May Words 2 Craft By challenge goes live on Wednesday -- midnight EST.

Have a great week! As always, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

merry & bright

4/27/2016 Update: I'm going to share these little guys in the pre-class gallery over at OCC  Clear & Share.  :)


Hi, everyone! Happy Weekend!

Today, I'm sharing a holiday card featuring some vellum techniques shared by Jennifer McGuire. She's been doing some really fun things with vellum and, luckily, I have a couple of vellum sheets in my on-the-road stash.

Stampin' Up! vellum; Strathmore watercolor paper; KaiserCraft merry & bright
Mama Elephant reindeer games, stamped in StazOn and colored with various Distress Inks
SU good greetings sentiment in StazOn jet black
Stickles; Twinery baker's twine

The outline of the reindeer are stamped on the vellum and colored on the watercolor paper front inside the vellum base.

Originally, I adhered the reindeer panel to a plain watercolor paper base. But, the card felt like it needed more color. So, I re-did the card interior to have a dp front with more visual interest. And, this was my first attempt watercoloring these little guys. Not bad... not fabulous... but not bad.  :)

I'm sharing these little guys over at the Merry Monday Getting Sentimental Challenge.

Parting Thoughts

Looks like another gorgeous day here. A great day for a walk on the beach. Today's gratitude list is inspired by beach sightings and an infamous golf outing.

• the laughter of kids splashing in the water,
• daddies who comfort little one after learning-to-ride-their-bikes mishaps, and
• the non-existence of video evidence of my one-and-only golf outing.

This golf outing of mine occurred over 30 years ago. My friend Linda was working a summer job at a country club. Turned out the club's golf course was closed on Mondays -- open only to employees. Linda and I figured this was the perfect way to decide if we wanted to learn how to golf.

So, we met early one Monday morning. I brought clubs, and Linda brought another employee who offered/volunteered/was coerced to caddy for us. Oh, and before I forget to mention, neither Linda nor the caddy brought clubs. That's right, the two of us had no previous golfing experience -- not one lesson to our names -- and one set of clubs between us.

As it turned out, our caddy was just as inexperienced as we were. It was so bad that the caddy thought he might as well play, too. We ended up taking turns: one of us teed off, one of us hit the approach shots, and one of us putted. I can only imagine the embarrassment if this had occurred in the age of You Tube, blogging, and viral videos.  :)


Think that's it for today. Looking forward to a little cardmaking this afternoon while watching the Masters.

Have a great day! And, until next time, thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

A Special Bouquet...

... for a Special Lady.

But first...

Three Things and a Story

Today, I'm grateful for...

• my $2 thrift-store pajama bottoms that are just the right length for this petite gal,
• a sweet e-mail from a dear friend thanking me for her homemade birthday card, and
• the start of Master's week.

I didn't used to enjoy watching golf on television. Truth be told, when my dad watched it on Sunday afternoons, I thought it was about the most boring thing ever. But, watching Jack Nicklaus win the Masters at age 46 was pretty special. Maybe it was even more special because he is fellow native Ohioan. But, thirty years later, I still remember to this day where I was for Jack's spectacular Sunday round of golf. And, on that Sunday, I became an avid fan of watching golf's major championships.

Stay tuned for additional golf stories these next few days.  :)

A Special Bouquet for an SAS4Kids Mom

Every so often, I get it right -- when the card turns out even better than I had hoped. Know what I mean?

Well, the card below is one of those rare creations.  :)



Strathmore watercolor paper; Recollections black; stash Mama Elephant acetate; DI spun sugar core paper
Stampin' Up! Love is Kindness stamp; Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon
Memory Box texture disperse stencil, embossed with Versamark and clear Recollections powder
Distress Inks spun sugar, picked raspberry, salty ocean, mustard seed, scattered straw
Creative Memories circle cutting system, with ovals edged in StazOn jet black
adhesives: Scotch ATG, Zots glue dots

I was really, really pleased at how well this resist, watercolored oval frame turned out. I've found that I've been having success applying my Distress Inks using a regular paint brush, as opposed to using a water brush.

As pretty as this card looks, I wanted to do a little something special with the tag to play along with the current Shopping Our Stash April Fools Challenge. So, I decided to play around with a technique that SU demonstrator extraordinaire Bernadette Kirk taught our stamping group. For details on creating the magic shown below, please click here.



From black and white to color! So, this is how Dorothy felt!

 In addition to the SOS Challenge, this card was inspired by the following challenges:

• SAS4Kids Cards for the kids to give to moms or special ladies in their lives, and
• the Try to Resist Challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.

Parting Thoughts

There are just a few more hours left to play along with our Began to Fly Challenge over at Words 2 Craft By. The challenge closes at 11:59 EST tonight. We'd love for you to stop by and share your interpretation of these words.

  

Thanks for stopping by and happy scrappin'!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane...

Hi, everyone! Happy Monday... or is that an oxymoron?

Regardless, it's a college-basketball-final-game Monday! I really don't have a horse in this race, so I'm hoping for a closer game than the Saturday games.

Three Things and a Story

It was an absolutely gorgeous day here. Temps in the 70s, nothing but sunshine and blue skies, and a light breeze. Let's just say it was a perfect afternoon for a walk on the beach.

So, today I am grateful for:

• skies so clear it seems possible to see forever,
• a fabulous whole-family-project sand castle, and
• pups who love a leisurely stroll with their masters.

As long as I can remember, there's been an elderly gentleman -- LOL, think he's the same age as we are -- who walks along the shoreline with his beloved dog. Every time we see this gentleman and his pup, the pup has a beloved stuffed animal in his mouth. And, we have never, ever seen the doggie put down his toy. So, every trip we hope to catch a glimpse of these pals. Needless to say, seeing them today brought a huge smile to my face.  :)

... No, It's Super Dad!

When deciding what to make today, I started the morning with a challenge blog hop. And, the result is a card that a little one at Nationwide Children's can give to a dad. (Please note, the current challenge at SAS4Kids is to make mom/special female cards. I'm just a little off schedule with this particular card.)

Today's Mojo Monday Sketch was a key inspiration for today's card. When I saw the sketch, I immediately thought of a red and white background and a blue field of stars.

Strathmore watercolor paper; Recollections black; Distress Ink barn door red paper
Stampin Up! vellum, heat embossed with Versamark ink and Zing embossing powder
Mama Elephant tiny heroes and Stampin' Up! guy greetings stamp sets, inked in StazOn jet black
Distress Inks salty ocean and fired brick, applied with Ranger blending tool
Prismacolor pencils
SU stripe  decorative mask; Memory Box texture brilliant stencil
Creative Memories circle cutting system; SU owl builder punch (for tiny hearts)
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2-way glue pen; Recollections foam square
 

However, the best laid plans, there are no stars in my stash. But, you know what they say about necessity. So, I went with hearts instead of stars. The blue panel was created by punching stars out of masking paper and inking up this panel. Moreover, my stash doesn't have any patriotic paper. So, the striped background also was inked using a mask from Stampin' Up! I used embossed vellum for the horizontal strip element so that the blue and red/white layers would show through a little bit while adding a little extra oomph behind our little super dad.

Hubby had mixed feelings about this one. He liked the little super hero. However, he didn't think that the sentiment was clear enough. Gotta love his literal view of the world.  :)

In addition to Mojo Monday, I'm linking this up to the following challenges:

• Shopping Our Stash's Something for a Big or the Biggest Boy... since it's intended to be given to a special dad by a little one,
• The Male Room's Magic/Fantasy Challenge, and
• Anything Goes over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog.

Parting Thoughts

The new Flowers or Fantasy Challenge went live this morning over at Cards in Envy. There is a Mom/Special Lady Challenge going on over at Send a Smile 4 Kids. And, there are two days left to play along with the She Began to Fly Challenge at Words 2 Craft By.  :)

Enjoy the game tonight, college hoops fans. It'll be the last one we see for a while. Just wish the tip was a little earlier.

Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

CIE Flowers or Fantasy

Hi, everyone! Welcome to another Cards in Envy Monday! But, first...

Three Things and A Story

Today I am grateful for:

• morning walks with hubby,
• kisses from our thirteen-year-old pup, and
• the amazing Kim Hughes at Paper Smooches.

There are so many wonderful people in the paper craft industry, and Kim is one of the best. She is uber-talented, kind, generous, passionate... Did I mention talented?! Kim's rose is the star of the card I'm sharing today.

When Bobbi and I were starting Words 2 Scrap By (now Words 2 Craft By), Kim was one of our earliest supporters. She even offered up a PS Ahoy, Matey Stamp Set as a prize for last September's Talk-Like-a-Pirate Challenge.  :)

My CIE Card

Our challenge for the next two weeks is to make cards featuring flowers and/or fantasy elements. I chose flowers. 

For my card, I decided to finally get around to using that gorgeous gotta-have rose die from Paper Smooches.  :)

DCWV La Crème, brights, and neutrals matstacks; Bazzill black
Hero Arts sentiment, heat embossed in black soot
Paper Smooches single rose die
tiny circles: Stsampin' Up cupcake and owl builder punches
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zig 2 way glue pen

• I sure wish you could reach out and feel this card because I love the richness of this paper, including the cardstock used for the rose.
• The rose's colors are gorgeous against this black and neutral palette.
• The sentiment's font and length seemed perfect for this horizontal strip. (And, I never have a get well card on hand when I need one.)
• In the end, I went with a pretty simple design -- with very few elements -- to let this gorgeous rose be the undeniable star of this show.

Several challenges ago, CIE dropped its A2 requirement. But, all cards still need to be flat enough to fit into an envelope.

Parting Thoughts

There are still a couple of more days to enter the Words 2 Craft By She Began to Fly Challenge. We'd love for you to stop by and play along... and maybe pick up a Simon Says Stamp gift certificate along the way.  :)

Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!

Flowers for a Special Mom

4/27/2016 Update: I'm going to share this card in the pre-class gallery over at OCC  Clear & Share.  :)


Morning, everyone! Hope the month of April is off to a good start.

Three Things and A Story

Any fans of the Oprah show out there? Remember the gratitude journal phase? I remember faithfully reading my copy of Simple Abundance and recording three things for which I was grateful in my journal every at the end of the day.

These recollections came back to me recently as I was enjoying a lovely spring day. The gratitude journal really helped me focus on the positive after some pretty long days. So, after listening to and reading about all the craziness going in the world, I've decided to acknowledge those people and things that bring joy to my life.

Today I am grateful for...

• waking to the chirping of birds,
• indie films and the artists that make them, and
• the azalea blooms in the shot-glass vase that hubby left on our dining room table.  

Not too long ago, I found an azalea bloom on the ground. brought it home, and put it in a shot glass on our table. Hubby commented that it wouldn't last, to which I replied probably not but it was worth a try. Well, last it did! So, just this week, hubby surprised me with a couple of blooms in the same shot glass. Sweet!

Flowers for a Special Mom

Today's card was inspired by the following:

• the current SAS4Kids For Moms Challenge,
• Sketch Saturday sketch #406, and
• a recent vellum-panel-card post by Jennifer McGuire.

The SAS4Kids Challenge is to make a card for a mom or special lady that would be given by a child. Since my card might be given to a grandma, an aunt, or a foster/surrogate mom, I went with a sentiment-free, floral card that could be given to a special lady for any occasion -- maybe Mother's Day, but maybe for a birthday or as a special thank you.

Jillibean Soup stash paper; Stampin' Up! brown cardstock
Strathmore watercolor paper; SU vellum
Paper Smooches crystal clear stamp set
various Distress Inks and Prismacolor pencils
SU flower, cupcake, and owl builder punch
SU linen thread; stash Simon Says Stamp sequins
adhesives: Scotch ATG; Zots glue dots; Zig 2-way glue pen; Ranger multi medium matte

I loved the muted-softer-pattern look that Jennifer achieved with her vellum panel. Instead of making a vellum panel, I made a vellum overlay. By softening the look of the background paper, I was able to layer strips of another floral pattern.

The sketch worked really well for this vellum idea because of its two vertical strips. I was able to run tape on the back of the vellum along these strips... which means the vellum is well attached and no adhesive is showing through it!

I originally played with flowers -- in lots of combinations -- where indicated in the sketch. But, I felt like they were getting lost. Then, inspiration hit to stamp and fussy cut a few tags, and I loved the result.  :)

There is an Anything Goes Challenge going on at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog. So, I'm going to share these little flowers over there.

Parting Thoughts

The Cards in Envy Just Purple Challenge is open for about another nine hours. Another challenge will post tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Words 2 Craft By challenge runs through Wednesday -- with a couple of Simon Says gift certificates up for grab.  :)

Have a wonderful Sunday. Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!