Paper Sweeties April Inspiration Challenge #30 - 'Hoppy Easter'

I don't know about you, but lately I had been feeling like winter would never end. Now, here it is, Spring--almost Easter! How does that happen? I hope it's not an April Fool's joke! ;)

Well, it's no joke that it's time for the Paper Sweeties April Inspiration Challenge: Hoppy Easter! And, I had a blast making this card.

If you are familiar with Paper Sweeties images, you already noticed that Abigail's eyes look different. As with a card I posted yesterday, I was inspired to try my hand at adding eye detail by Jane at Jane's Box of Colours. My detail is nothing like hers, but it's a start. ;) I also added folds to Abigail's paper pieced dress, from the Jelly Bean Time stamp set, using Copics, and gave her a satin sash with a gold Spica pen.

I used the Viva la Verve March 2015 Week 3 sketch for the card design, but instead of using a skinny fishtail banner under the bow, I cut a fishtail window to make a shaker. I have only made one other shaker card, but I just love Paper Sweeties sequins (Jellybeans is my favorite!), and the best way to be able to use lots of them is in a shaker. My Teamies often make beautiful shaker cards, like here, here, here, here, and here.

On the inside, I sponged Distress Ink around the edges of a piece of green cardstock, then masked off the center and stamped a spatter design in white pigment ink, stitched three banners to the top, then stamped a sentiment and cute little flower from the Bloom & Grow set.

I hope you'll join us in this month's Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge! Just check out the amazing creations my Teamies have to share with you. They are sure to spark your creative mojo!

Annette Witherspoon

Cheryl Lea

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

 Emily Frasier

Jill Norwood

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett

Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

Tammy Hobbs 

April Guest Designer:  Jinny Newlin

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Sweet Week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve March 2015 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Pastels
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create #117: True Anything Goes...No Twist!
Sugar Pea Designs Challenge SPD14: Celebrate Spring
Corrosive Challenge #221: Hop Into Spring
ColourQ Challenge: CQC285
Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 303
Paper Issues: Eggs-Cellent Add-Ventures with 17Turtles
Robyn's Fetish Challenge #257: Easter Cards
TCP Tuesday #287: Anything Goes
The Paper Players Challenge #238: Claire's TicTacToe Challenge: Die Cut/Sequins/Blue

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Paper Sweeties March Release Sneak Peeks!

Hello Friends! It's Friday, the 13th! And, what does that mean? Well, what else...it's time for the March Sneak Peeks at Paper Sweeties! Yay!!! You're going to love this month's release. As soon as I saw the Sweet Cuts Stitched Tags #1 dies, I knew I was going to have to use them immediately!

After cutting three tags from designer paper, I heat embossed Easter and Spring sentiments from the Jelly Bean Time stamp set onto two of the tags, and on the third tag, I added a fussy cut basket from the new I Pick You stamp set and filled it with eggs from the Bloom & Grow stamp set. Three different trims are tied to the tags, with a Cotton Candy Twine bow added to the bottom tag. Finally, I added several clear sequins from the Sweetheart Mix Sequins, and one of the pink ones to the basket.

Just behind the tags, using a stencil and molding paste, I added a Harlequin design to a piece of kraft cardstock, then spritzed it with several colors of Dylusions Ink Spray. After everything dried, I sanded the stenciled area to tone down the colors a bit, and added white paint to the torn edges, and a bit of wonky sewing around the edges, also. Behind that, is a white layer, embossed with a chicken wire design, and accented with Brushed Corduroy ink.

To leave a smooth area for personalization on the inside, I used an embossing diffuser with the chicken wire embossing folder, then stamped a sentiment from Jelly Bean Time and a sweet little butterfly from the new I Pick You stamp set.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Paper Sweeties Design Team for more inspiration:

Cheryl Lea (you are here)

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Jill Norwood 

Julie Tucker-Wolek
Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lysa Rohrer 
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

What's New

Stitched Tags #1

I Pick You

Sweet Cuts Stitched Tags #1

Thanks for stopping by!  Come back tomorrow for another sneak peek of the I Pick You stamp set! It's a real cutie!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #259: Use any previous SSSC sketch (I used #248)
Your Next Stamp Color Challenge #9
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: B is for... (Basket)
613 Avenue Create Challenge #114: Anything Goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #113: Flower and Ribbon or Trim
Fresh Brewed Designs Challenge: March 11-17--Flowers

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Bunny in the Grass

Hello there! Are you all decked out in your Sunday best for church, headed out for an Easter Egg Hunt, or getting ready for a family gathering? Maybe all three??? Or, are you still in your jammies, spending the day on the couch, totally taking it easy? However you celebrate Easter, I hope it is a happy day for you and yours!

I've got a couple of Easter/Spring cards to share, in honor of the day and the season...

Isn't that little bunny the cutest? It's a Serendipity die, and I cut it from white cs, then painted the body with gold metallic paint and colored the flowers with Copic markers and a clear Wink of Stella pen. I actually had to color the flowers twice because I couldn't keep up with all the little petals the first time. To make it easier on the second attempt, I die cut the bunny, but before I removed any of the flowers from the die cut, I covered the back of the bunny with removable tape then pushed all the petals out from the front so that they stayed stuck on the tape. After coloring them, I just laid the painted body of the bunny back over the flowers, pressed them in place, and removed the temporary tape, replacing it with permanent tape so the petals wouldn't fall out. The eye was colored with a pink marker, then I used a black Spica pen to draw in the black pupil and coated it with Glossy Accents. The grass was cut from white cs and colored with Copics, also. The background was fun to make, and SO easy. Alcohol inks, glossy paper, a straw, and a little lung power was all it took. I left this card blank inside so I could use it as an any-occasion card.

This card is very similar to the first one, but I added a little more color on the background, and instead of coloring the flowers on the bunny, I filled them with a Pink and a Green Pearl Pen instead. They remind me of the little candy flowers that are on chocolate bunnies sometimes. This bunny took me a very long time to make because I had trouble getting the Pearl Pen to cooperate. It was a little runny and wanted to flatten out. So, I ended up really gooping (is that a real word???) my Pearl Pen on the petals, then, while they were still wet, I added 5 or 6 layers of the bunny's body over them. That way, the petals didn't run all over the place--no smearing! In real life, there are so many layers now, the bunny looks more like a wooden bunny!

This was my DD's Easter card this year, so I added the Easter sentiment to a white panel, then used the negative die cut from the front of the card as a frame for it.

This alcohol ink technique is so easy, I plan to make several more--probably a card set in the near future!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Easter!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve April 2014 Week 3 Sketch Challenge

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Animal Antics

613 Avenue Create Challenge #68: Anything Goes

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Confetti Crush

Paper Issues: Pitch Perfect (incorporated a "lawn")

The Paper Shelter Challenge #154: Spring is Here

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Alleluia!

I got a new Our Daily Bread stamp on Saturday, and, unlike a lot of stamps that just get stacked on a counter until I'm ready to use them, this one saw action right away! :) It's pretty, all on it's own, but, OMGosh, I can't get over how gorgeous it is with color!

I needed a card for my DD's baptism yesterday, and I hadn't been able to find a stamp that I thought was right for a 9-year old. I "settled" for this cathedral window image, but once I had finished the card, I couldn't believe I almost passed this stamp up! It's gorgeous! I wanted to emboss it onto acetate and color the back so it would look more like stained glass, but for some reason, the acetate couldn't stand up to the heat, so instead I stamped it onto white cs, colored, then fussy cut it, went over all the stained glass lines with a black Spica pen, then added Glossy Accents to all the windows. I topped it with a couple of bows, a sweet mini doily die cut, which I embossed with black embossing powder, and a gold, heat embossed cross image, that I found in Michael's dollar bin a couple of years ago. The Alleluia sentiment is also heat embossed, and the green flourish die cuts are coated in clear glitter. I wanted just a little something in the upper corners, so I transferred the negative pieces of an outline sticker.

To give the personalization panel on the inside the look of crumpled paper, I sponged Dusty Concord Distress Ink around the edges, then tapped the edge of my inked sponge tool randomly across the cs. The Bible verse is stamped in Pear Tart Memento ink, and the page dividers in Dusty Concord. The perforated lines on the outer edges of the dp mat were made with an MFT die. 

The window stamp ended up being perfect for a Baptism, and my DD loves her card! But, don't you think this would be perfect as an Easter card, too! :-)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Happy Easter and/or Sweet Treats

Corrosive Challenge #197: Pretty Pastels

The Paper Shelter Challenge #153: Easter Time

Thanks for stopping by, and have a blessed week!

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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John 11:25

Hi Friends! I almost let Easter pass by without making a single Easter card! I still have cards left from last year, so it wasn't absolutely necessary, but I did manage to get one made just in time.

The color palette for this card came from the Play Date Cafe Challenge #175. I stamped the Flourishes image in gray ink, then colored with Copics, using Distress Ink to sponge inside the die. I used the out-of-the-box technique so I wouldn't have to cut any of the image off. Because I made the card base 5" square, I didn't have a circle die large enough to fit behind the image die cut, so layered two purple, oval die cuts, and cut the yellow die cut into four parts so I could spread them out.

I followed the sketch fairly closely, adding a sentiment panel, and I used pearls in one corner instead of photo corners. For the sentiment panel, I sponged Milled Lavender Distress Ink inside the die cut, stamped the Bible verse in dark purple, then edged the die cut with a gold calligraphy pen.

I cut decorative corners on the two layers inside the card. For the yellow layer, I sponged Scattered Straw Distress Ink around the edges, then stamped the image from the front of the card on the left, letting it fall off the side of the card, and I also stamped the single Easter Lily in the lower right corner.

And, that'll do it for me today. Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Easter!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Seems a Little Sketchy #35 (SALS #35)
Play Date Cafe #175 (PDC175)
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Quotable

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: He is Risen (Flourishes)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress Ink; Gold Calligraphy Pen
Dies: Exquisite Circles, Classic Squares Sm, Labels 18, Floral Ovals (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Morocco Lace Edge Punch (EK Success); Decorative Tile Set embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon; Deco Corner Chomper; pearls
Size: 5" sq.

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Our Craft Lounge--April Artist of the Month: Spring Up

Hello, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with family, worship, good food, and relaxing fun! If you have a little one, I'm guessing that the Easter Bunny made a visit to your house, too. He certainly made his annual stop to our house, to the delight of my DD. She has always loved the Easter Bunny.  We might miss getting a Santa photo on occasion, but we always make a trip to see the Big Bunny! So fun!

I'm back for Week 2 as Our Craft Lounge's April Artist of the Month, and the card I want to share with you today is an Easter card, featuring the cutest little bunny. He's from the stamp set, Hoppin' Into Spring.

To make this card, I first stamped the bunny, then masked him off before stamping the garden at his feet. Don't you just love his little coat? He reminds me of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit.

I used my Copics to color everything, then masked the bunny and garden, hand drew a couple of cloud masks, then used my Copic airbrush to color the sky and ground. When I colored the sky, I used the blunt end of my Copic for a smooth finish. For the ground, I used the brush end of the marker to get a stippled look. I used a gold Pearl Pen to add a button to the jacket, and gave the eggs some sparkle with Stickles. I used a Scoring Board to score lines close to the edges of the image layer. Thanks, Shannon, for that fantastic idea!

For the "dirt," I used Brown Sugar Sparkly Fluff, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite products. I love that it completely covers whatever it is on, and it has just enough glitter to liven up your image without overpowering it. Plus, it is SO soft. I just ordered most of the colors and can't wait to find fun ways to use them!

The purple embellishment on my twine bow is another clay embellishment that I made. I made the mold from a Tim Holtz button. I used white clay, painted it with acrylic paint, then brushed just a little Distress Ink Reinker over that. After it dried, I used my gold calligraphy pen to add a few highlights, then I coated it in a satin gloss finish. It is hot glued on top of the bow.

The sentiment on the inside of the card is from the same stamp set. I added the lines under "you" with a black marker. 

The Hoppin' Into Spring stamp set is great for an Easter card, but one of the things I love about it is that it is really versatile. It includes a spring sentiment about dirt, several gardening images, and an adorable image of the bunny upside down in a watering can. Plus, if you make the eggs white or brown, or even add tiny dimensional flowers over the eggs in the basket, the image I used today could be used anytime, not just for Easter.

Well, that's all for me today. If you're not already a follower of the Our Craft Lounge Blog, you should check it out. They have fun challenges and the Design Team is super talented. And, you can see all the wonderful stamp sets and Sparkly Fluff colors here.

I'll also be entering this card in the Little Darlings Challenge 20: Outside.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with a new Tuesday Morning Sketches card. Hope to see you then. 

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Hoppin' Into Spring (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Abrianna (K&Co)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Labels Thirteen (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Twine (The Twinery); Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Pearl Pen; Enamel Accents; Liquid Pearls; Stickles; handmade clay embellishment
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #139: Hippity Hoppity

Hello Friends! With Easter coming up fast, I thought I'd use an Easter theme for my Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #139 card. My Creative Classroom is sponsoring the challenge this week. They have on-line arts & crafts courses--and a few are even free!

Jessica George came up with a fun sketch for us this week! 

The stamp set I used is called "Hippity Hoppity," from Our Craft Lounge. Aren't they adorable. There's also a bunny in that set, as well as a few more sentiments. Here's a close up of the three images I used today:

I colored the frog with Copics, then added Stickles for a glittery egg, and Sparkly Fluff on his bunny ears. I'm not sure you can see it in this photo, but I used Glossy Accents on his eyes, too.

I colored the basket with Copics and added some glittery eggs with Stickles.

This little guy is colored with Copics, and I gave him a snazzy, sparkly shell with Stickles.

On the inside of  the card, I glued the strip of dp, that was left over from the front, across the middle of the inside of the card. The sentiment panel is a Curved Rectangle Nestie. I stamped the carrots in a tangerine Memento ink and colored them with Copics. I used a green Sharpie to draw the sprigs on top of them. Wild Honey Distress Ink is sponged along the edges (inside the die).

Be sure to head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see all the yummy goodness the rest of the DT has to share with you, then create your own interpretation of the sketch and link up for a chance to win! I can't wait to see what you create!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Cute Card Thursday 209: Anything Goes

Do You Stack Up #64: Plaid

Flourishes Bring Back Beautiful BBB20: Beauty of Spring or Autumn

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday 162: Easter

Lily Pad: Stamps of Life Virginia's View photo inspiration

Lily Pad: Simon Says Stamp Flower Challenge

Moving Along with the Times Challenge 141: Easter Wishes

Our Craft Lounge 110: Spring Things

Simon Says Stamp: Bingo (Die cuts, lace, glitter)

Whimsy Stamps Challenge 31: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Hippity Hoppity (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Mango Frost Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Copic Markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Labels Two, Nested Lacey Pennants, Curved Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Lace (Joann); velvet ribbon (Fancy Pants Design); flower trim (Making Memories); flower brad; foam dots; Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Glossy Accents; Stickles; Corner Chomper.
Size: 6.5" x 4"

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