Sleepy Saturday Morning Coffee Card

It's Saturday morning and here in North Dakota the rain tapped slowly on my bedroom windows, making it extremely hard to pull myself from beneath the covers. Now I'm sitting on my couch, typing this blog and sipping on a pumpkin spice latte that my boyfriend brought me. Life is good. 

Since it's all coffee all the time in bloggyland this week, what do you think I have to show you all today? 

That's right - a coffee card! 

This is from STAMPlorations latest stamp set (which also comes with coordinating dies) Anywhere There's Coffee. Make sure you pop over to the STAMPlorations blog during the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop, because we're giving away lots of additional prizes for the lovely people who stop by and leave a comment!

Have a wonderful hoppy day! 

Coffee Hop! Woooooooo!

It's my favorite time of the year!!! That magical time when everyone in the blogosphere turns their minds to my first love - coffee. That's right - it's Coffee Loving Papercrafters Hop day! And STAMPlorations has a new release of some awesome coffee stamps and dies. 

I wanted to do a little gift card holder using one of the new stamps, Framed Coffee to Go.

This stamp had so much chalkboard-esque potential that I couldn't help but to play off that by adding an intricate background using DIY chalkboard tags from American Crafts. 

The orange and the black are very Halloweeny. so I thought it would be perf for the the Fall Hop. 

Go play along! Go see the amazing coffee cards! 

Make sure to stop by STAMPlorations blog to check out all the newest stamp sets. 

If you do, you could win some awesome prizes - gift cards and/or die cuts! 

You can see the full stash of STAMPlorations coffee-themed stamp sets here.

Happy Hopping!

Fusion Challenge - Buttons Galore Card!

Well peeps - it's time for another challenge on the ol' Fusion block. Today, I'm going to showcase my love of buttons, display some pretty little cards, AND tell an embarrassing story. So sit back, buckle up, and prepare for some awesomeness.

Before we get started, let's talk about the brand new, uber funky and cool inspiration image from Fusion -

Check out that explosion of ephemera. I will also state right now, for the record, that that insipration image is EXACTLY why I love visual challenges. I never would have put black stripes with pastel polka dots and kraft elements. But guess what - I will now! 

See?

 

I took one look at that image and started gathering supplies that would match and then I just started layering and gluing and layering and gluing. 

This card is a mix of funky buttons, chipboard, and old earrings (that's what those leaf bead droplets are). 

And I couldn't just stop at one card - I made 2! 

 

I feel very Lauren Bergold-esque with my mix of elements and lack of stamping.

  

I hope that you'll go see what the rest of my Fusion sistahs made and play along in the new challenge, which will run for 2 weeks! 

I also wanted to play along in some other sweet challenges out there on the interwebs, so here they are: 

Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

Unicorn Challenge - Happy Birthday

 

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Now, I did promise you all an embarrassing story - so here goes. 
When I was a youngster, I had a button collection. I kept them in a little container in my room and would go through and admire my buttons from time-to-time. Sometimes, I even carried them with me in my pocket. 

One day, I went over to my cousins' house and I popped a button into my mouth (as kids do with practically anything) and was chewing on it. We were all roughhousing and playing together and my cousin threw a brick in my general direction that I think I was supposed to catch. Being the nonathletic person that I am, the brick instead hit my stomach, causing me to swallow the button. 

Panicking, I ran into the house where all the adults were playing a non-brick-throwing game and asked if I was going to choke or die because I had swallowed the button. 

My cousins, of course, were dying with laughter and they made a little rhyme that they still - to this day - will chant in the most public of places. 

"Becca, Becca button eater,

Had a button couldn't keep it.
Put it in her mouth, 

Thought it was yummy,

Swallowed it straight,

down to her tummy."

So now you know my deep, dark, button eating secret. ;) 

I hope you enjoyed the cards! Thanks for popping by!

First DT post for FUSION! Wooo!!!

That's right! If you missed the news in my earlier post, I'm an official design team member for Fusion! Woooooohooo! I always loved playing in their challenges and now I get to BE a part of their challenges. *insert happy dance here*

And just check out this beeeeauuuuuuutiful inspiration image and sketch.
Fusion is one of those awesome challenges that lets YOU be your own boss. We don't trap you into a corner here - Pick either the sketch or the image or both. We don't care! 

I loved all those leaves smattered all over that cake, so that's where my mind went right away. 
I used a Spellbinders die to cut a ton (and I really do mean 2,000 pounds or at least that's what it felt like as I was making all of them) of paper leaves.

After I cut them, I added color by spraying some Peeled Paint Distress Spray Stain onto my mat and dipping the flowers. (This is why I can't have nice fingernails.)

After that, I added some shimmer to the leaves by sccchhhmearing some Inka-Gold onto them. Isn't that sparkle fantastic?!

I stamped a sympathy sentiment, used some patterned paper and some Prima flowers and put it all together. Love how this turned out, even if it is for a sad occasion. 

I hope you'll come join us at Fusion for my very first challenge! Make sure to pop over and see what the rest of the design team made! 

I'm also going to link this up to:
Everybody Art Challenge - Leaves

You are Amazing - Winnie & Walter Rerun Challenge

I'm really excited to participate in the Winnie & Walter Rerun challenge this go-round because I actually own the stamp set they're featuring for once! Wooo! (Not that you need the stamp set to play along in this awesome challenge - you can also CASE one of the designers cards, so get your butts over there to play!)

They are showing off the In Bloom: Renee's Leaves stamp set and I got wicked excited to pull it out and play. I maaaaaay have mentioned this a time or two before but I LOVE Fall and thought these leaves would be the perfect chance to get my autumnal coloring skills on. 

 I began by stamping one leaf, cutting a mask and then masking and layering and masking and layering. 

Whole lotta masking. Whole lotta stamping. 

I colored my image in using various tones of Spectrum Noir markers and then layered some circular shapes, used some hints of gold foiled paper and added teensy sequins. 

The sentiment is from my Strong Women stamp set.

I'm also going to play along in 

Just for Fun Challenge - Fall and

Pink & Main Challenge - Autumn

 

Thanks for popping by! 

Multi Patterned Paper Stamped Card

I'm up with another card today. I wanted to bust out some of the massive hoard of paper I've got going on in my craft room, so I looked for a sketch that would let me create some major layers. 

And I found one that I hadn't played in before called Paper Play Sketches. Look at this lovely design! 

All of the papers I'm using are from a DCWV paper stack. 

As you can see this card is a whole lotta layering of patterned papers. I stamped a sentiment from the STAMPloratios BOLD SENTIMENTS: Hashtag Authentic stamp set. 

I haven't played with this much patterned paper in quite awhile and it was a fun change of pace! 

I'm also going to link it up to: 

Aud Sentiments - Anything Goes + a sentiment

Crafty Sentiments - Lots of Layers 

Thanks for popping by! Hope you're all having a fantastic Labor Day weekend!

Sunflower Gorgeousness Card

My favorite flower is a lilac, but my favorite flower to COLOR is a whole different story. When it comes to that category, the sunflower has no close seconds - it is by far my favorite bloom to ink up. 

So when I saw the sketch for this month's STAMPlorations Theme & Sketch challenge, it immediately gave me a chance to think Fall and pull out the gorgeous Large Happy Sunflower stamp.

To play along in STAMPlorations challenges you can use ANY products/stamps you want!!

Choose to play with the challenge theme

Choose to play with the challenge sketch

Choose to play with both! 

The possibilities are endless! (ok... there's really only 3 but still...)

Here's the theme and sketch for this month -

So I inked up my stamp using Vintage Photo Distress Inks and then I started coloring it in with Fossilized Amber Distress Markers. 

I used a waterbrush to get the color to blend nicely. Then I stamped a sentiment from the VIGNETTE: Chevron and Arrows set onto a piece of vellum. 

Finally, I made my center panel by using the Crazy Double Running Stitches Nestable die and I added some drips of Fossilized Amber Reinkers and Vintage Photo Reinkers to the card. I added some drips of water to my Reinker drips and let them flit down the page. 

***Please note - I tried the reinker bit as an experiment and I would NOT recommend it. I felt like I wasted a lot of ink and it didn't run smoothly. There are so many better ways to get drips/splatters***

Anywho - here's the finished product, which is very sunflowerlicious and therefore makes me very happy. :) 

I'm going to enter this baby into Virginia's View Spray, Mist & Splatter challenge. (It's not using Altenew - I hope that's ok).

I'm also going to play along to Addicted to Stamps CAS challenge, and Shopping our Stash Try something New Challenge.  


Thanks for popping by! I hope you'll go give some love to these challenges this month!

Mixed Media Harvest Blessings Card

Ahhhhhhhh September. Pumpkin Spice Lattes return to the land of all things good. The smell of apples is in the air. You can take deep breaths and inhale.... Cough* Cough* OUCH! That was a wasp. 

Seriously - up here in North Dakota, you can't walk 2 steps without encountering one of the stingalicious flymobiles - and breathing deeply is done at your own peril. 

Autumn is my most favoritest season, though, and I can't wait to become a boots-sportin', PSL-guzzling, sweater-wearing gal again. 

Over at the Mixed Media Card Challenge, we are celebrating Autumn in fine fashion with our new challenge. 

 

Our theme this month is Harvest Basket with the optional element of Fruit. 

For my creation, I inked up a stamp that has been beckoning me since I bought it last Fall. It's a gorgeous autumn basket from the STAMPlorations HOLIDAY EXPRESSIONS: Thankful for Autumn set. 

I'm sorry I don't have my usual process photos to show off - I actually made this background a while ago when I was just putzing around having some messy fun in my room. 

I can tell you the process, though. 

1. Sponge a mixture of Mustard Seed and Fossilized Amber Distress Inks on a sheet of cardstock
2. Ink up a grungy-looking stamping with Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks and randomly plop that baby onto the sponged paper.
3. Apply gold texture paste through a stencil in random areas around the edges. 

My image was colored with Spectrum Noir Makers and Distress Markers and then I embossed the sentiment on a sheet of vellum. 

I'm going to link my Harvest beauty up to:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner - Anything Goes
Little Red Wagon - Lets Get Inky

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In other BIG and super cool news! I'm so excited to announce that I was invited to be a part of the 2016-2017 Fusion Challenge team!

 WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

I love the Fusion Challenge and the seriously talented design team they've always seemed to gather so I was uber chuffed when I got the email! Hope you'll pop by & check out my new teamies!