Funny Mother's Day Card - STAMPlorations Theme & Sketch

It's a brand new theme and sketch challenge day up at STAMPlorations. We've got a whole new theme & sketch for you to try your hand at! 

I'm still on the Mom Card train "chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo! 

And I made this card with the new Sweet & Sassy Mom stamp set. I masked off the flowers and added a row of  moms by stamping them over and over again in a (semi)straight line. I watercolored and added a sentiment at the bottom. 

So how can you play along at STAMPlorations? Choose either the sketch or the theme OR mash 'em up and use both! 

Hope to see your card in the mix for the awesome prizes we're giving away! 

STAMPlorations New Release Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hello Ladies and Gentlemans! Today is a very special day because it's a new release party!!! I always love breaking open a new package of stamps. Something about hearing the crinkle of the bag and trying desperately to unstick the polymer clings from the packaging just does it for me. 

STAMPlorations is releasing 4 new sets today and they are all focused on the special ladies in your life - yo mama. 

I want to show off the card designs I made using these fantastic new stamps:

Using The Bee's Knees Parfumerie. The vintage perfume bottles were a perfect pairing with these old-timey 1920's ladies.

Using Big Grins by Becca Cruger - Sweet & Sassy Mom. If you're looking for a mother's day/lady set that pairs humor and sweetness, this is the stamp set for you! 

Using Dee's Artsy Impressions - Best Mom Ever. I love this big ol' flower arrangement and used watercolors and gold shimmer to really make it pop. 

Using Shery Russ Designs - One Cool Chick. This artsy girl was just screaming for a graphic, edgy design and I happily obliged. 

Here's what you need to know:
Number one, these stamps are in the STAMPlorations store right now and my bloggy readers can get 20% off their ENTIRE order by using the discount code STAMPGIRLBECCA at checkout.

Number two - if you hop along, we're drawing 2 prizes. One commenter will win a choice of a stamp set and one commenter will win a $15 gift certificate. Winners will be drawn from comments left on the STAMPlorations blog and participating designers blogs. 

What are you waiting for! Head over to the New Release Party and hop along!

Fusion - Truck Bouquet

We're over this week's hump and much closer to hippity hoppity Easter! But after Easter comes Mother's Day and that's the type of card I'm showing off today. 

Now... for those of you wondering how many mothers I have - no, I was not adopted by a tribe of roving gypsy women and I did not grow up on a polygamous commune.  I sell my cards at craft fairs and mother's day cards always fly off the shelves during this time of year.

This particular card is inspired by the newest Fusion Card Challenge.

I loved the big ol' bouquet of roses, and also chose to incorporate the sketch. If you haven't played along at Fusion, it's super duper easy! You can choose either the sketch, or the card, OR both and create a fusion! 

My card was pretty easy peasy to put together. I stamped a back panel using a floral burst from Unity and then stamped my focal panel once with the same design.

I watercolored my flowers with a combo of Distress Oxide inks and Distress Inks. 

To complete the look, I stamped a snarky sentiment from my brand new Sweet and Sassy Mom set, which will be released by STAMPlorations in the next couple of weeks! 

Taaaadaaaa!

I hope you'll hop over to Fusion and play along! 

I was inspired to play along in: 
CCEE Stampers - Humor
Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers - S is for Silly

Butterfly, Love, and Card Concept

HHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapppy Wednesday! I hope you all are having a fantastic hump day so far! If not - don't worry! You've got plenty of time to change that and do something for yourself that is gonna make your attitude shift. 

As for me, I'm in the mood to share another Mother's Day Card. 

This little lovely was inspired by the new The Card Concept challenge, which is up on the blog TODAY! It's so springy and pretty and... well... just LOOK at it! 

I incorporated the color scheme and the butterflies into my design. 

My background was made using kraft paper and Distress Oxides, using the dipping technique. I added 3D stickers from Bo Bunny and a sentiment from Winnie & Walter. 

Viola! 

We're welcoming some brand spankin' new designers to The Card Concept team this challenge and boy are they a wealth of talent! Wowzas. Seriously - you need to go check it out and then play along with us! 

Pssssst... I'm also up on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog today with a really cool tutorial on how to make this bold and graphic coffee card. 

Hope you'll pop on over and check it out! 

Spring has Sprung - Fusion Challenge Card

I don't know about you all, but Spring has officially come to North Dakota. It's a whopping 45 degrees out this morning, so I shrugged off my jacket and enjoyed the crisp morning air. I LOVE this time of year - no mosquitoes, no hornets... only a teeny bit of mud to deal with. 

So when I saw the inspiration image for the new Fusion challenge, my spring-filled heart sprung a spring-filled beat. 

ALL THE AWESOME PEOPLE WHO TOOK MY LATEST CARD CLASS!

I haven't had much time to play in my craft room in the last two weeks. Between meetings, prepping for and teaching a cardmaking class, a new workout regimen, and some volunteering I have been running around and crashing as soon as my little legs carried me home. Last night, I finally ducked into my craft room for a play session at around 9 p.m. and I didn't come out until the clock chimed midnight. :o 

I was too busy playing around with the beautiful inspiration image and sketch over at Fusion Card Challenge. 

It's so springy and fabulous! If you haven't played along at Fusion, you can use either the sketch OR the inspiration image OR both! 

I loved the woodgrain, mixed with the bright fun florals so that's how I was inspired by the image And I used the sketch, too. Bah-blam! Fusion!

That big ol' sentiment is from the Winnie and Walter The Big, The Bold, and The Happy sentiment stamp set. 

I hope you'll all go check out what the rest of my teamies have made and play along yourselves. The gallery holds some FANTASTIC inspiration!

I'm going to play along in these fun challenges, too!:
Try it on Tuesday - Botanical
Simon Says Monday - Things with Wings
Deep Ocean Challenge - Flowers Everywhere


Thanks for popping by!

Mixed Media Mother's Day Card with SO MUCH Texture!

You guys, you guys, you guys, I'm doing so many happy dances over this card I'm about to show you. I. Absolutely. LOVE IT! 

Look at all that texture - isn't it so dreeeeammmy? Ok, I'm a little bit of a freak for texture and I found a really awesome combo that I WILL be using again (and again and again). 

How did this happy circumstance come about, you ask? I'm glad you asked. 

Take a look at this STUNNING inspiration image from the new The Card Concept challenge. 

There are so many ways to be inspired here. If you haven't played at The Card Concept yet, it is fab. The design team is made up of card artists who span from clean and simple to mixed media and everything in between! So no matter what style of cards YOU make, your designs will be ogled and admired!

Now let me show you how I made my card! 

I rubbed some Dina Wakely gesso onto a piece of kraft cardstock with my fingers and then stamped some grunge.

Next, I added a layer of Ranger texture paste through the STAMPlorations Dots All Over stencil. 

And over the top of that, I drizzled some Dusty Concord and Tattered Rose Distress Spray stains. 

I used a concentrated spritz of water over the top of my drizzle lines, and let it drip down the page. 

Over the top of that I added some FaberCastell Glass Bead Glitter Gel. And ohmygoodness guys! This is the first time I've used this glass bead glitter gel and I'm in <3 <3 <3! It's so sparkly and adds a GREAT texture. 

Over the top of my mess, I added some gauze ribbon that I pulled apart and then I added a vellum sentiment overlay (this sentiment is from the Verve Button Best stamp set. 

Definitely gaga over this one, so I'm not even sorry for the picture heavy post! 

I'm going to link up my design to these awesome challenges:
Craft Stamper Take It Make It - Anything Goes
Inky Chicks - Flowers (stamps or as embellishments)
Crafty Calendar - Mum's Day or Special Female
Creative Artiste - Anything Mixed Media

If you like it then make sure to put a PIN on it! 

Also, definitely go check out the magnificently pretty inspiration my fellow Card Concept teamies made! 

Blooming Marigold Card - STAMPlorations May Challenge

Just a quick post from me today. I hope you all had a fantastic Mother's Day weekend - I know I did! My momma visited me, along with two of my aunts, and we spent the whole weekend out in my craft room. 

Speaking of Mother's Day, here's a card I made to celebrate the occasion.

 I used flowers from The Birds and the Blooms set, a border from the Artsy Border Maker set and the sentiment is from my Strong Women set. I drew in the frame around the masked flowers and watercolored one to make it POP! 

This card was based on the new STAMPlorations theme and sketch challenge.

 

That's right - you're in luck! This month is an ANYTHING GOES challenge or you can use the sketch. So use whatever stamps/products you have and come play along with us!  

Mother's Day Cards

Can you believe that Mother's Day is just around the corner?! It seems like it sprang up so quickly this year! I'm pretty excited because I learned yesterday that I was accepted into a juried local arts show. I hesitated to apply because my cards might not be considered "art" in the strictest terms, but I know how much hard work and sweat goes into each 4x6 inch piece and -gosh dangit- *I* think it's art! :) So when I got the acceptance letter I danced a little happy dance and felt validated. 

But then I thought... "Self, you're gonna need a whole bunch of cards."

And since it's right before Mother's Day, I thought I'd focus on those! 

 

My first card was a wee little shaker card that is heavily inspired by both RetroSketches current sketch & one of Keren's cards from the Winnie & Walter Rerun challenge (I don't have the Precious set, but I gave it a go with what I DO have.) 

I loved the way those gems and sequins peeked out from the shaker and I did my best to emulate it. 
I used the In a Word: Love Cutaway from Winnie & Walter and filled it with  Pretty Pink Posh's Springtime Sequins Mix. I wanted to define the cutout a little more so I added some faux stitching with a Fossilized Amber Distress Marker.

I have to say that making Clean & Simple cards is a bit of a traumatic affair for me. My anxiety levels are at all time highs because I keep thinking that I'm going to leave a smudge in all the white space (as I did on my FIRST attempt at this card... sigh). 


So what did I do?! I made ANOTHER Clean and Simple card. haha! 

This one was inspired by the current challenge over at Viva La Verve Sketches & Simon Says Stamp Monday - Show us your Metal - 

I embossed some of the artsy flowers from Verve's Button Best stamp set and followed it up with a sentiment from the same set. To finish off the look, I used some enamel dots. 

OOOOOoooo shiny! 

I can tell you that this one was a bear to photograph! 

Thank you for popping by my blog! If you enjoyed these creations, be sure to give them a Pin! 

Mother's Day Card and A Sketch Challenge - Crafty Gals Corner

With Mother's Day fast approaching, I realized that if I wanted to once again be my mom's favorite child this year, I had better get working on a card!

I am a member of a family of four children and though my siblings may strongly disagree, my mom loves me best of all. Just kidding. That title goes to my brother. *Cough* I mean... my mom loves all of us equally. *Cough*

It wouldn't be Mother's Day without showing a crazy picture first, though.

So this card is for my crazy, zany cooky mother... who loves me and whom I am growing to be more and more like as I get older... Yes. I admit it.

 I started with the latest sketch challenge from Crafty Gals Corner: 

I made some gorgeous flowers from the Stamping Boutique - an image called Poppies. I colored them with Spectrum Noir Markers (DR2, DR4, DR5, DR7).

Then, due to my penchant for coloring outside the lines, I realized my green stems were filled in with red. GRRR!!! What was I to do but to bust out the Perfect Pearls and paint in some shimmer. Problem solved!

I added some sparkly bits to the dots and drawn shimmer stars along the edges as well. And then I paired it with some pearls and some striped paper.

So now my mom will know that she's the best mom, and I will once again be in her good graces.

So head on over to Crafty Gals Corner and play along with our sketch this week! We've got some cool prizes for those of you who do. 

Our sponsors this week are:

Di's Digi's

Prize: $12 Gift Certificate 

STAMPlorations

Prize: $10 Gift Certificate

The Stamping Boutique

Prize: 2 Digital Images / 3 Digital Images if you use a TSB image

That's right! >>>3 sponsors<<<!!!

Anywho, I'm off now to go gloat over the fact that I'm actually going to manage to send out a card on time. Thanks for popping by!