Peaches 'n Pearls

I have always loved fruit imagery in my artwork (see pics of beadwork below), and I almost missed the challenge at Cuttlebug Spot to use fruit this week. I made a really clean and simple card with Peachy Tilda, and started laughing when I realized this was just such a Southern Belle kind of card - peaches and pearls! Hope you enjoy! Don't forget my candy posted at the side!

Simon Says Thinking of You

Sometimes, you see an image and can envision immediately what you want your finished project to look like. That's what a thought when I saw this free digi (through this weekend) from Layers of Color. It started out as an arch, but I loved the idea of stacking the layers to make a very ornamental sphere. I colored with copics, and added Martha Stewart gold glitter pen for metallic details. The dots around the edge of the design were perfect to glue Swarovski crystals.

I used the sketch from Peachy Keen Stamps Challenges and played Simon Says Challenge this week to make a Thinking of You card. Every week, when you play at Simon Says Stamp Challenge, you are eligible to enter for more free goodies from Chris and from Lorraine, so you have the chance to win 3 prizes for that one card! You can't beat that.

MY BLOG CANDY!!!

I have been having so much fun in blogging world and have been so blessed to win such great candy, so I wanted to share in the fun by offering my own blog candy.




This candy will run from now until Dec.1st. The game is pretty much the standard...
1. Become a follower of my blog.
2. Post a link to my candy on your blog.
3. Leave a comment under this post with a link back to your blog.
Here is what is included (so far!) For every 50 entries, I'll add more goodies!

• All Childhood Album Kit from Quick Quotes
• Boy Canvas Scrapbooking Kit from Quick Quotes
• Quick Quotes Cherish Pack
• CTMH I Am stamp set
• 1 pkg CTMH pearls
• Gumdropz from Junkitz
• Scalloped Chipboard Album
• Fancy Pants Rub-ons
• Storytellers Club - Sentiments

Good luck! I look forward to meeting more blogging friends!

hugs,
Gini

Gingerbread Girl Recipe card

I had so much fun making this card- it really got me excited about all of the fun Christmas baking that will be coming up shortly! The image is from Digital Delights by LoubyLoo. What I thought was so fun about this card was the challenge from ABC-challenge
which was "H" for hidden. So, I made a pocket behind my image to add a recipe for a holiday treat. I think this would be a great way to take cookies along with a cute hand made card.

Warm Woolen Mittens

Inspiration can come from so many sources- and this week, Flourishes challenged us to make a card inspired by the song, "My Favorite Things". There were so many great images that I could have used from the lyrics, but I chose to make a card Warm Woolen Mittens. This card is also my entry for several other challenges:
Creative Belli Blog: Christmas themed embellishments (Felt snowflakes)
Charisma Cardz: Merry and Bright
By the Cute and Girly: Winter Wonderland

My beadwork

Some of you may have wondered why my blog is called Beadz? Well, I have loved beads all of my life and have been a beadwork artist for all of my adult life. These pieces take 100's or 1000's of hours to make, so in the past few years, I've been on a break from these large pieces and have been having so much fun with paper crafts. It's still giving me the creative outlet that I need, but a much quicker sense of accomplishment. When I compare my beadwork to any other craft that I pick up, it is so funny to me that I do the same things in any medium! I love layering and textures and colors. Let me know if you can recognize some of these likenesses as well.

This past week was a real ah-ha moment for me, when I added a beaded stalk of wheat to one of my paper creations. I love it when everything comes together.

I am just going to post these pictures without any real explanations for now, but please, if you have any questions, let me know.

Gettin Wild in the Woods

I love all of the adorable animal images that Marina Neira designs for The Greeting Farm- This card is for a challenge that they are holding for a Guest DT spot featuring her cute stamps. So let me introduce you to this furry little couple, with Mistletoe Kiss.

I stamped the birch tree background and colored with copics, highlighted with a white pen. For the sky background, I painted it with Twinkling h2o's. I cut a scalloped heart out with nestabilities, then cut a smaller heart from the off-cut and raised it with pop-dots. I used Core'dinations blue paper, run through the cuttlebug with the candy cane stripe folder to emboss it, then distressed the embossing the the stamped tree paper. I added yummy swarovski crystals around the border of the heart to set it off, added snow glitter for the forest floor, and a couple of mushrooms colored and covered in liquid glass. Finally, I had a background fitting for some Skunky Love (and no, I would not call this card Love Stinks - I personally think that love is grand!) I printed the image twice and colored the sweet little skunks with my Copic markers. Aren't they just so cute?!

With this forest backdrop, this is also my card for the challenge at
Spoon Full of Sugar - Make a scene (I think I made a scene with my forest background, and it looks like the skunks are makin their own scene!)
It's also a sweet Christmas card, so I used it for my entry to Roses on Paper Challenge (to make a Christmas Card). And I have the snowy floor of the woods for the snow challenge at Cupcake Craft Challege.

Another Layers of Color Card

This is another card I made with the great free digi from Layers of Color. This one is much poppier colors, but is still so elegant. I used felt diecuts for the background, so it gives the cards lots of textures.

Layers of Color

Are you ready for a release party? This image from Layers of Color is just to whet your appetite for the releases Nov.14-15, but the party has already started with free digis that you can grab right now and use to enter the fabulous contests that Laura has going on. I love anything architectural, so it was a no brainer for me to decide what image I wanted to use. I had the column set from Spellbinders, and I already had the DP with architectural images that went so well. I also used her belt buckle image and colored it with Metallic Spicas and added 2mm burgandy swarovski crystals to bling it up. Thanks Laura for the fun party favors!

Winter Wonderland Necklace

Since beadwork was my first crafting love, I thought it would be fun to enter a non-paper item in the new challenge By the Cute and Girly. The challenge was for a Winter Wonderland, and I thought this simple beaded necklace that I made with Swarovski crystals looks like ice melting. So this is for the non-card/ non-scrapbook entry. Thanks for looking.