PPRS March 2012 Sketch Challenge: In Dreams

Hi Friends! It's Prickley Pear time! Want to have a chance to win a $15 gift certificate to the Prickley Pear store? Okay! All you have to do is make a card based on this sketch, link it to the PPRS blog post by the end of the month, and you're in the running!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I used a lot of green in my take on this sketch:

Be sure to stop by the PPRS blog to be inspired by what the rest of the Design Team has to share with you, then create your own card and link it to the PPRS blog post. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Thanks for visiting, and have a wonderful day!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Owl with Bird, In Dreams (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Origins (Basic Grey); vellum
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink
Dies: Big Scalloped Ovals, Classic Ovals (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Offray); faceted gems; sewing thread; Glossy Accents; Liquid Pearls
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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PPRS February 2012 Sketch Challenge: Heart Pocket

Hi there, Friends! It's the 15th, and you know what that means...Prickley Pear Sketch Challenge time! We've got a really cool sketch this month, that may have you thinking a little bit out of the box.

When I first saw all those circles, I immediately thought of buttons, or flowers, or some other grouping of round items--you know, the obvious choices. But, I don't always like to go with the obvious. So, for this month's challenge, I opted to think in hearts instead, with February being the month of love, and all. :)

I'll be interested in seeing all the different ways people interpret this sketch. The possibilities are endless. You can mosey over to the Prickley Pear blog to see what the rest of the design team came up with, then show us what you've come up with by linking your creation on the PPRS blog post by the end of the month. There is a $15 gift certificate up for grabs for one lucky participant!

Thanks so much for visiting me, and have a fantastic day!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Heart with Daisy's (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Summer Song (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Distress Ink; Staz-On
Dies: Classic Hearts (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Love is in the Air embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Berwick); Mod Podge; glitter; Stickles; Prismacolor pencils
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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PPRS January 2012 Sketch Challenge: Cupid with Wings

Hello Friends! Did you get a chance to see some of the new Prickley Pear Red Rubber stamps during the blog hop the past few days? Aren't they great! I hope you'll have a chance to order some of them.

Well, the 15th always brings another fun PPRS sketch challenge, and this sketch is so cool. At first, I wasn't sure what I would do, because, this is one of those sketches that works no matter which way you turn it. But, once I turned it on it's side and found my lace, I was good to go.

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, and all those new stamps crying out for ink, I decided to use the new Cupid stamp and make a Valentine's card.

I used red sticky tape to adhere the lace to the main panel. It was really thick on that side, so I backed the rest of the entire piece with three layers of crimped cardstock. I use that method in lieu of foam dots a lot. It seems to work a lot better for large areas.

Isn't this Cupid adorable? Yeah, he runs around shooting people with arrows, but with that angelic face, wouldn't you have to forgive him? :)

I colored him with Copics and fussy cut around the edges, using my trusty razor knife for the interior sections. Then, to set him off from the busy red and white bg, I cut a piece of gray cs slightly larger for his shadow, and popped Cupid up on it. I put tiny dots of Glossy Accents on Cupid's eyes.

The heart was fun to make. I cut the heart and wings out with a Sizzix die, then edged the heart with a glitter marker and heat embossed the Be Mine stamp with white embossing powder. Using a very pale pink feather, I cut two small pieces and hot glued them to the back of the wings. This was a kind of ratty looking feather, but I liked that messiness on the wings.

So, now it's your turn. How will you interpret the sketch this month? I can't wait to find out. So, head on over to the Prickley Pear blog for all the deets on the challenge and to get seriously inspired by the rest of the design team's creations!

Have a fantastic week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Cupid, Be Mine (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Yours Truly (Echo Park Paper); Basic White Paper Pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Copic markers, Distress Ink
Dies: Heart with Wings (Sizzix)
Accessories: Zing embossing powder; glitter ribbon (Joann); lace; rhinestones; Glossy Accents; foam dots; glitter marker (Martha Stewart); feather
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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A Prickley Pear New Release Party Blog Hop!

Welcome to Day Three of Prickley Pear's new release of Valentines and Steampunk themed Red Rubber Stamps!

To celebrate this new release we are having a three day long Blog Party with loads of inspirations by the Design Team and a give away! One happy participant will win a $15 gift certificate to the web shop. All you have to do is leave a comment on each of the participating blogs and tell us what you think about the new release. The last day to enter is Sunday, January 15th, at Midnight EST. The winner will be drawn randomly from one of the particpating blogs, and will be presented on the Prickley Pear Blog on Monday, January 16th.

For my blog hop card, I'm using the Mojo Monday 223 sketch and the January color palette from Kathy's Lily Pad Palette Challenge.

I chose the new Hearts ATC stamp and the True Love stamp for the front of my card.

  

I heat embossed the True Love sentiment with silver metallic embossing powder, however, it was difficult to see on the patterned paper. I really wanted it on that part of the card, so I took two different purple Copic markers and colored the embossed area. I like the result and it's nice to know I can match my embossing to just about anything this way, now. :)

I did a lot to the Hearts ATC stamp, but the photo doesn't do it justice. In person, it has an irridescent, almost translucent, dimensional look to it. To achieve that look, I first stamped it with a purple Colorbox pigment ink. Then, I colored the hearts randomly with Prismacolor pencils that matched the dp and used Gamsol and a blending stump to blend and soften the colors. Next, I spritzed it with silver Shimmer Spritz. After that dried, I saturated the entire thing with mineral spirits. (I'm not sure if that step actually did anything, but I gave it a try). Once the mineral spirits dried, I re-stamped the image with silver Colorbox ink, and again with Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. I also sponged the Chipped Sapphire ink along the edges of the rectangle. I attached it to the main panel of the card with shiny silver eyelets. That's Crystal Stickles on the little white dots of the lavender circle die cut.

Here's a shot from another angle so you can see the layers and the dry embossed panel better. There is actually a fairly large heart embossed on the white layer, but the circles ended up covering it up.

For the inside of my card, I used a sentiment stamp called "Each Day." I used Spellbinders Edgeabilities to cut the brackets and hearts at the bottom of the sentiment panel.

Here's a close up of the decorative edge. I filled the open circles with peacock blue Stickles, and the open hearts with lavender Liquid Pearls.

And, that's it for my card. What do you think about the new stamps? Me? I love them! I'm going to take that Hearts ATC stamp and do some experimenting. It's so pretty just stamped and left uncolored, but I liked how much the image changed every time I did something else to it. Now, I want to try other things--maybe my Copics, some paint, chalk, nail polish...anything I can find. If I come up with something fun and funky, I'll be sure to share it with you. :D

In the meantime, don't forget to leave a comment on my blog about the new stamps, then be sure to visit the others on the Design Team to see what they've got to show you and leave comments on their blogs, too.

Kristii

Cheryl (that's Me!)

Ujjwal

Audrey

Remember, you have until Sunday at midnight to comment on everyone's blogs for maximum entries in the drawing. 

Thanks for stopping by today, and Happy Hopping! Good Luck!!!
 

Stamps: Hearts ATC, True Love, Each Day (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Violet Garden-Digital paper pack (Print Candee); Cafe Mediterranean (DCWV)
Ink: Colorbox; Distress Ink; Copic markers 
Dies: Std Circles Lg, Classic Scalloped Circles Lg, Classic Rectangle, Classic Bracket Edgeabilitiese (Spellbinders); Brackets (Tim Holtz & Sizzix)
Accessories: Love Is In the Air embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Zing silver metallic embossing powder; Prismacolor pencils; Gamsol; mineral spirits; ribbon; pearls; eyelets; sewing thread; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; Shimmer Spritz; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Live Among the Flowers

Hello Friends! [If you are looking for my Flourishes Timeless Tuesday post, click here. If you are looking for my first Tuesday Morning Sketch post, click here.] I'm back with the final card for my notecard set. I used the Tuesday Morning Sketch #128 for this one and the CR84FN45 color challenge colors.

I colored the flowers with Prismacolor pencils and used gamsol to soften it up. The cameo is a button with the shank cut off. 

Thanks for stopping by today, and be sure to check out the Tuesday Morning Sketch blog for details on the judged sketch challenge this week.

 

Stamps: Clearly Beautiful Flowers (Prickly Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Cafe Mediterranean (DCWV)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Dies: Lacy Squares (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); pearls; pearl brad (Art Minds); buttons; Stickles; Enamel Accents; Perfect Pearls Mist; colored pencils; Gamsol; waxed linen thread
Size: 4 Bar (3.5" x 4.875")

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Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Monday: Hello Pretty Bird

Hi there, friends! And, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season! My DD got her much anticipated karaoke machine for Christmas and an unexpected "real" sewing machine. We're being serenaded at all hours of the day and night, and aprons and tote bags will probably be showing up around here in droves very soon. :)

My DH is recuperating quickly from his knee replacement surgery and even though I fell down the stairs a few days ago and sprained my foot and ankle (did I hear someone say "sympathy pains"?), I'm still able to hobble around, so it's not getting in the way of my cardmaking. Good thing, too, because it's the first Monday of the new year, and that means it's time for another Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps creation.

 

I used the Tuesday Morning Sketch # 126 for my card layout. I turned the sketch sideways and took a couple of liberties, but followed the basic design.

 The flowers on the right side of the card are the die cut negatives from the Lotus Border die cut. I filled the centers with two different colors of Stickles and edged each petal with Crystal Stickles after spritzing them with Shimmer Spritz. The die cut bird is adorned with Stickles, also. I heat embossed the word "Hello" in the birdcage with a green embossing powder.
 
The brown and white strips along the top of the card are strips of decorative tape. I've had it so long, it had lost all it stickiness, but it still worked fine with a few dots of glue.

 
I left the inside blank for a personal message. I just love tilted panels.
 
It's been two weeks since I posted a card here. I was afraid it was going to be really hard to get back into cardmaking, but one card is all it takes to get me excited about stamps and paper again.

Be sure to go by the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Blog and see what the other ladies on the Design Team have to get your creative juices flowing.
 
Thanks for stopping by today! And, may the New Year bring you good health, pure joy, and overflowing prosperity.
 
~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Bird & Birdcage (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps); Everyday Sayings (Hero Arts)
Paper: Best of K&Co; The Basics (The Paper Studio)
Ink: Memento, Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Dies: Bird (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps); Labels Thirteen, Labels Four, Bird Flourishes, Lotus Border Petites (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Glossy Accents; Shimmer Spritz; Stickles; Ribbon (Michaels); embossing powder (Adirondack); Pearl Pen; Decorative Tape (Heidi Swapp); foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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PPRS December 2011 Sketch Challenge: Merry Christmas Poinsettia

Hi Blog Friends! It's the 15th, and that means it's time for another Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Sketch Challenge. Here's December's sketch. I love the two sections of three stripes. There are so many ways you can go with that.

With Christmas only ten days away, I wanted to make at least one more Christmas card.

Now's your turn! Here are the rules:

**Make a card based on this month's sketch and link it up using the linking tool on the PPRS blog, no later than December 31, 2011.

**We'd love to see you use your PPRS stamps, but there are NO product restrictions--the challenge is open to everyone!

**The prize is a $15 gift certificate to the PPRS web shop! You can use it for Clear Stamps, dies, and best of all Red Rubber Stamps! Anything in the PPRS shop!

**One winner will be chosen by random.org for a $15 gift certificate to the Prickley Pear web shop!

How easy is that? For lots of creative inspiration from the rest of the design team, check out the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp blog, then create your own interpretation of this sketch. Who knows, you may be starting off the New Year with a $15 gift certificate for PPRS goodies!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you get to do something crafty and fun this week!!!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Poinsettia Bunch, Merry Christmas 2 (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Susan Winget Glad Tidings (K&Co)
Ink: Copic Markers; Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Classic Ric Rac Edgeabilities, Holly Accents (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Polka Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Zing embossing powder; Pearl Pen; Stickles; Distress Stickles; Enamel Accents; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Monday: Winter Post

Hi Friends! Did you have a nice weekend? We got our Christmas tree up and decorated here at home, so now I've just got to get my shopping done and the gifts wrapped. Oh, and let's not forget sending out Christmas cards. :)

Speaking of Christmas cards, it's Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps Monday and I'm excited to share my card with you today. As you might expect, it's a Christmas card.

I used the red rubber Winter's Glow Postage Stamp for the front of my card. I colored it with Copics, used a teeny bit of Stickles on the candle flame, and used Glossy Accents on the lantern glass. It's mounted on an Ironwork Accents die cut that is cut from gold colored duct tape. I cut the die cut in half so I could spread it out long enough to fit the stamped image.

On the inside, I used the Small Snowflake 2 red rubber stamp as a background image, and the Christmas Season red rubber sentiment stamp is layered on top of an embossed red circle and another Ironwork Accents die cut. I used Stickles and Enamel Accents for a bit of glitz on the Ironwork Accent layer.

Be sure to stop by the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps blog and check out the other DT member's creations for this week. You're sure to be inspired by all the awesomeness going on there.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Winter's Glow Postage Stamp, Small Snowflake 2, Christmas Season (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: Blitzen Collection (Bo Bunny)
Ink: Copic Markers, Memento, Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Dies: Ironwork Accents, Std Circles Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Damask embossing folder (Sizzix); ribbon (Michael's); Snow Marker (Marvy); duct tape; snowflake brad (K&Co); twine; rhinestones; Enamel Accents (Inkssentials); Stickles
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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At Christmas

Hello Friends! I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. Did you do the Black Friday thing today? I did a little Black Friday internet shopping, but all those big crowds in the stores are too much for me. We took in a movie instead--Arthur Christmas. Cute, but not my favorite movie. And, of course, I made a card.

This one is for the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge 121.

I kept the inside of this card fairly simple.

The majority of stamps on this card are Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. Don't forget, you still have time to enter the PPRS November Sketch Challenge. The deadline is November 30, and you there are no product restrictions.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Small Snowflake 2, Holly and Berries Clear Stamps, Play and Make Good Cheer, Joys Be Many (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps); Christmas Characters (Inkadinkadoo)
Paper: 12 Days of Christmas (My Minds Eye); Dark Blue Distressed Snowflakes (Unknown designer)
Ink: Colorbox; Tim Holtz Distress Ink; clear embossing ink
Dies: Holly and Berries Die (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps); Curved Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Embossing Powder (Zing); Pearl Pen; Liquid Pearls; Shimmer Spritz; Sewing Thread; Gold Opaque Paint Marker (Marvy)
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps: Ornamental Kitty

Hi Friends! Can you believe it's already mid-November? The days really start to run together this time of year. But, being the 15th, it's time for the November Prickley Pear Sketch Challenge! Be sure to read all the way to the end for our NEW challenge rules! :D

Isn't the November sketch fantastic! It's so full of possibilities!

Here's my take on it:

I just love that sweet Ornamental Kitty's face. I colored her with grays and tans, although it's difficult to see in the photo. For the eyes, I used white Liquid Pearls for the highlight and covered both eyes with Glossy Accents. The ornament is paper pieced and I used Stickles to highlight the design. The purple and pink ornaments hanging over Kitty's head are cut from silver duct tape that was adhered to cardstock. I colored both of them with alcohol inks, including the design on top of the pink banner, but decided to cover the round one with Stickles for extra sparkle. The bg is embossed with a Regal Flourishes embossing folder. I swiped Perfect Medium over the raised edges, then brushed Perfect pearls over that for a subtle shimmer.

Now for those NEW CHALLENGE RULES. I think you'll like them! :)

**While we love to see you use your PPRS products, that is no longer a requirement. There are NO product restrictions--the challenge is open to everyone!

**The prize is a $15 gift certificate to the PPRS web shop! You can use it for Clear Stamps, dies, and best of all Red Rubber Stamps! Anything in the PPRS shop! And, let me tell you, if you haven't use a Prickley Pear red rubber stamp before, you are in for a super treat!

So, all you have to do is make a card based on this month’s sketch, and link it up using the linking tool on the PPRS blog, no later than November 30. Easy peasy.

One winner will be chosen by random.org for a $15 gift certificate to the Prickley Pear web shop!

Now, head on over to the Prickley Pear Rubber Stamp blog and be inspired by the rest of the design team's creations. Then, create your own interpretation of this sketch and play along for a chance to win a $15 gift certificate!

Whoo Hoo!!! I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you have an AMAZINGLY crafty week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Ornamental Kitty (Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps)
Paper: 12 Days of Christmas (My Minds Eye); Gingerbread Fun Mini Digi Paper (Designs by Krista)
Ink: Copic markers; Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Adirondack Alcohol Ink; Memento
Dies: Foliage, Nested Lacey Pennants, Classic Scalloped Circles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Regal Flourishes embossing folder (Sizzix); Paper Lace II embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones; duct tape; twine (The Twinery); metal snowflake brad (K&Co); Stickles; Liquid Pearls; Perfect Pearls; Glossy Accents; button; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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