Gift Holder - Crafting with Dragonflies Challenge

This is the 2nd week of Crafting with Dragonflies' Gift Card Holder Challenge. I made a money holder, but I wanted to share another version of a Gift holder that I made for my Mom's birthday:

I based the design on my parents' house in Arizona. The window was cut srom a shiny white Core'Daintions' cardstock using the Conservatory Window die from Sizzix/Susan's Garden. I made the shrinky-dink hummingbirds on the front with a Kaisercraft set. I decorated the card with two green felt ribbons and some mulberry flowers. I used bright green Liquid Pearls for the centers of the flowers.

I bought my Mom this Hummingbird die by Dee's Distinctively from the SweetStamps shop. I used the die-cuts to decorate the card, and then presented it as a gift on the inside:

I made a simple pop-up with a green cardstock and a pocket with patterned paper to hold the package.

The quail were cut with a Cheery Lynn die that I also bought at SweetStamps. I had originally planned on gifting Mom this set as well, but we both loved it so much I bought my own!

I'm entering this project into the following Challenges:
Craft Your Passion: Use something Transparent (Clear Shrinky-dink plastic for the tiny hummingbirds)
Lawnscaping: Critters
My Craft Creations: Always Anything Goes


Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us at Crafting with Dragonflies,

Clothespin Dragonfly

One of my favorite things about being on the Crafting with Dragonflies Design Team is that their challenges are truly creative challenges. Our theme for the next 2 weeks is Pegs (that's Clothespins to us Yankees!) -- the old-timey kind and springy ones are allowed. Use your imagination, and be sure to check out the creative projects by the Crafting with Dragonflies Design Team.

All I had were mini wooden clothespins, and after trying several ideas and even looking up some ideas online, I decided to use them to make a cute little dragonfly. I colored them with Copics and heat-embossed the pieces with a glittery powder. I used the spring from the body clothespin to make the antennae. I used Glossy Accents to adhere some tiny gemstones on the wings.

I came up with this quote myself: "O! to be as the dragonfly ... adrift with purpose." My best friend is traveling and has been reading a lot of Walt Whitman...I think his many texts with beautiful Whitman quotations inspired me too! The font is Pea Melody Shay from Fonts for Peas.

This month's Sweet Stamps Technique Challenge is Dryer Sheet Flowers, and I just had to try it. I used dies from the same set as the large shape (Shapez/Spellbinders). The used dryer sheets cut well, sandwiched between the die and a piece of cardstock. I used a brad to put the flower together, and topped it with a spiral made from a twisty-tie. The "leaves" were made with the hinges from a recently-replaced doorknob lock and an extra clothespin spring.

The background is a shiny iridescent plastic that I embossed with a Cuttlebug folder and sanded. It's much more striking in person. The corners were punched with a two-sided Fiskars punch. The card base is a shiny Recollections paper. I used the same large die to make a message section inside.

Inspiration/Challenges:
Alphabet Challenge: H for Handmade Embellishments
Polkadoodles: Things with Wings
Sisterhood of the Snarky Stampers: C is for Crap / 2nd entry (So glad I didn't trash those dryer sheets and springs)
Sweet Stamps May Technique Challenge: Dryer Sheet Flower

Update: This was the winner for Sweet Stamps' May Technique Challenge! I really enjoyed learning the dryer sheet flower technique.

Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us at Crafting with Dragonflies,

Easter Daffodils with Pink Gem Designs at Pile It On

Our theme this week at the Pile It On Challenge is "Easter Joys," so I made this Joy Fold card featuring Daffodil Vase by Pink Gem Designs:

I colored the Daffodil Vase with Copics, and the center flower is popped up with foam tape. The vase was pieced with a shiny white paper, colored with Sakura glaze pens, and coated with Ranger crackle paint.

The "Happy Easter" sentiment is from a Fiskars rubber stamp set, and is heat-embossed onto white silk ribbon from MayArts (this was the very last of this spool of ribbon...must get more!) The ribbon is finished with some liquid pearls. The green mesh is recycled from a bag of avocados!

The Joy Fold card is one of my favorite techniques, but I haven't made one in ages (see my past Joy Fold cards here). It opens up to reveal a sentiment from a Hero Arts rubber stamp, heat-embossed in two green Stampendous powders:

The leafy background was made with a K&Company clear stamp set and the same two colors of embossing powders. I added some Liquid Pearl accents in the corners. I used a Cuttelbug folder to deboss some of the white pieces, and backed everything with a bright green, textured Core'Dinations cardstock.

Inspiration/Challenges:

1. Card A Day Blog: Baby, Spring, Congratulations or Easter
2. Charisma Cardz #5: Something Not for Crafting (mesh from bag of avocados)
3. Crafty Boots: Green
4. Crazy 4 Challenges: Be Sentimental
5. Created With Love Challenges: Think Spring
6. Emergency Crafters: Flowers
7. Love to Scrap: Create your own Background
8. MarkerPOP Challenge: Lucky Green
9. Really Reasonable Ribbon #90: Show me the Green & Ribbon
10. Sweet Stamps #151: Fun Folds

Update: This was the winner for Sweet Stamps Challenge #151!

Thank you for visiting, and hope you'll join us this week at Pile It On,