Thank You

Bling it on is this weeks Bloggers Challenge. Creative Belli is looking to see ribbon and pearls. The layout of my card is based on the sketch challenge at Mojo Monday. My base card is kraft cardstock with a layering panel of deep brown. The sentiment on the center panel is from Our Daily Bread Designs. The stamped pumpkin is from Club Scrap. The pearls are from Zva.
Both Kraft Journal and  Fashionable Stamping are looking for Autumn or fall  colors. ODBD has an anything goes theme.

Autumn Leaves

It's been a long time since I've been able to blog. My computer hard drive crashed. Yes, the dreaded crash. Fortunately, I did have a lot of my stuff backed up, but of course, not everything was saved. I got a new computer, but it has Windows 8. Now, there's a whole new learning curve! I really wish that Microsoft would stop trying to tell me what I want and need, instead of me telling the computer. 
But now, back to my challenge card. This week the Blogger's Challenge is backgrounds (one of my favorite challenges). My layout is based on the Mojo Monday challenge sketch. To make my background, I started with a brown panel. I used one of my recently received stencils with yellow pan pastels. The leaves were die cut using paper from one of Tim's paper stash pads with a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die  and then inked with distress ink. I thought that the sentiment (Club Scrap) was so cool and very appropriate.
I am also entering my card into these challenges: Tuesday Throwdown has an anything goes challenge. Word Art Wednesday is always anything goes with an appropriate sentiment. Creative Belli is a color challenge looking for red, yellow, and orange. The Frilly and Funkie challenge  is also anything goes. The Artistic Stamper challenge has an autumn theme. Great Impressions is asking for fall colors.

You Are My Sunshine

This week there are several challenges relating to the sun and summertime. Summer brings to mind bright sunshine. I just added a fantasy balloon flight and the sea to conjure up a picture of summer fun. My sunny background was made using a texture fade from Tim Holtz on a yellow cardstock panel. The balloon, ocean waves, and sentiment oval/frame were die cut using Cheery Lynn dies. The sentiment was stamped using a Club Scrap stamp.
I am entering this card into these challenges: Cheery Lynn Designs -- hot time in the summer, Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge -- Ode to Sunshine, City Crafter --summer time, and Creative Belli -- summer.

Flowers

It's time for Bloggers Challenge again and this week the challenge is to die for. This is one of my favorite challenges since I am now addicted to using dies. I used several die cuts on my card. The doily (ambergris doily), the roses (miniature rose die), the trellis (trellis), and the vines (ivy corner flourish) are all from Cheery Lynn. The doily is cut from parchment (SweetStamps). The background design paper is from Club Scrap. The trellis was cut from wood paper also from Club Scrap. The sentiment is from Rogue Redhead Designs.
I am entering my card into several challenges: Cheery Lynn...roses; SweetStamps...flowers; Simon Says Stamp...anything goes; and  Creative Belli...flowers.

Full of Blessings

I had a lot of fun playing around with this card. It worked into several challenges this week. As a base I used the sketch from the Mojo Monday challenge. All of the stamps, including sentiment, are from the Artistic Outpost Flower Market stamp set. Therefore, I am entering the card into the Artistic Outpost April referral program challenge. City Crafters wants to see clouds. On the upper background panel, you can see clouds which I stenciled onto the design paper.Simon Says Stamp has an anything goes theme. SweetStamps wants to see three of any item. (I used 3 different design papers. There are three panels of images. I used the same small butterfly three times.) Mark's Finest Papers Friends of Speedyhttp://mfpspeedytv.ning.com/page/friends-of-speedy-tv-challenge-69-04-22-13-1-2-3had a recipe challenge: 1 ribbon, 2 buttons, 3 different design papers. Great Impressions wants to see pastels and polka dots. Both MFP Simple Salutations and Creative Belli are looking for spring.

Erin Go Bragh

It's St. Patrick's Day weekend which means spring is just around the corner. Hooray!

Hi to my Bloggers Challenge friends. I'm a little late in posting, but I missed last week, so I had to participate this week. The challenge at Bloggers Challenge this week is think spring...and I am! I'm on the watch for robins and early flowers. I went to the Chicago Flower Show this week and saw all of the crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Oh, it was wonderful!

My card is all stamped this week, except for the base background design paper from Webster's Pages. I did add the shamrocks (Kitchen Sink Stamps). I thought, what announces spring more than St. Patrick's Day, flowers, and the color green. I love the simple silhouette flowers (Club Scrap) against the background. The sentiment says it all.

I'm also entering this card in several other challenges. Creative Belli and Take a Word have  the challenge of green. Sweet Stamps, Friends of Speedy, and Simple Salutations have St. Patrick's Day as the challenge.

Jubilee

Thank you Simon Says Stamp and Show for this weeks challenge. We are to use a stamp we love but never use. I probably could have created 100 cards that fit the theme. However, I went to my collection of wood mounted Club Scrap stamps and finally decided on this stamp. I love the happy, but distressed look of the stamp. It's the kind of card you can use for any celebration.
I'm also entering this card into the Creative Belli challenge which is red, white, and black and into the Mark's Finest Paper Simple Salutations challenge which is  anything goes (with a sentiment).

Queen of Hearts

I went quite a ways off my comfort zone when I created my Queen of Hearts. My background is grungeboard die cut into a heart shape. I then used picket fence and pewter stains to color the heart. It actually is very silvery (the lighting today was very poor.) I embossed the heart for texture. The queen is actually an angel die cut, but I thought that she looked very queenly without the wings. On the right is a diecut heart with one of Tim Holtz's sayings stamped on it. "The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. On the left are two diecut and rolled flowers. I think these are really cool flowers. The heart background is bordered in lace and stands on a diecut easel.
The queen is being entered into Bloggers Challenge with the theme of cut it out; into Creative Belli with the theme of Valentines/hearts; into Frilly and Funkie with the theme of lacy, heartsy Valentine project; and of course, into the Quietfire Queen of Hearts Challenge.

Mardi Gras

"With the most recent unmounted stamp plate, Rogue Redhead Designs has gone "Behind the Scenes" with a set of background stamps.You can add some stylish flair to your paper crafting and mixed media creations with these versatile background stamps.  Alone or paired, they are sure to steal the scene with your next stamped project.  Featuring reverse sequin waste, handwriting, bubble wrap and a handwritten music sheet, these backgrounds will lend themselves to a variety of projects.

Get Behind the Scenes until March 31, 2012 for the low introductory price of $17.60, 20% off its regular price of $22.00. Don’t forget that Rogue Redhead Designs also stocks mounting supplies!  You can also get this plate bundled with a sheet of EZ-Mount Cling Foam for $21.10 or bundle this plate with both a stamp storage panel and a sheet of EZ-Mount Cling Foam for the low price of $22.60."

Today is Bloggers Challenge Day and the challenge theme is create your own background.  I created my card by stamping the the bubble wrap background stamp twice. First I stamped it in denim blue. then I moved the stamp down and to the right about a quarter inch and stamped it again in butterscotch. The image and sentiment are both from the Rogue Redhead Carnival Dreams stamp set. I thought that the theme was an appropriate since Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is February12th.

I colored the image with Tombow markers and added a little rhinestone bling to the Mardi Gras costumes. I will also be entering my card into the Creative Belli challenge which is rhinestones, Tuesday Throwdown which is bling it on, and Cornish Heritage Farms which is use a die cut on your card.

Love

It's Sunday afternoon and I had a little time to play. I created a card for several challenges. Simon Says Stamp and Show challenged us to show lace, love. Tuesday Throwdown wants us to frame it. Our Daily Bread Designs has a  similar border it theme. Creative Belli wants to see purple and blue.
For this card I got a chance to use a frame from Cheery Lynn Designs that I hadn't used before. The background stamp and sentiment are both from ODBD.  I love the love sentiment. The purple and blue color scheme just developed. The colors worked together.

Winter Blues

What better to do on a chilly winter day than sit and read a book. It's snowing (Look hard and you'll see the snowflakes) and too cold to go outside. I created this card for the Winter Blues challenge at Rogue Redhead Designs.  The wallpaper is made using a Sizzix embossing folder. The window and curtains are made using Spellbinders dies. All of the stamps are Rogue Redhead Designs. I had a lot of fun paper-piecing the girl and her chair.
I am entering this card in the following challenges: The challenge at Simon Says Stamp is black/white and a splash of color. Cornish Heritage Farms wants no red or green. Creative Belli has winter or snowmen as the theme.

Joy to the World

Since Tim Holtz started the 12 Tags of 2012 in February, he promised an extra tag for January somewhere along the way. Well, here it is. The music tissue paper over the grungeboard pointsettia is so cool, and so Tim! I love the dimension and texture of this tag. I even got to use one of my grungeboard flourishes that I had bought back when grungeboard was a new item. I'm so happy that I was able to complete all 12 tags--and on time too!
I'm also entering this tag in a few other challenges: Creative Belli has a Christmas theme; Artistic Stamper has a home for Christmas theme; and Great Impressions has an anything goes theme.

Thankful

This is my version of the November tag for 12 Tags of 2012. I thought that it was appropriate to post it as we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. I love everything about fall (except that winter is close behind). Tim's colors, stamps, and dies are perfect for autumn projects.
I am also entering my tag in the Simon Says Stamp and Show, the SweetStamps challenge of Thank You, and the challenge at Creative Belli which is thankful/gratitude.
Wishing everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving a happy and joyous holiday!

Hero

Before I start today's blog, I want to say Happy Birthday to my adorable 2 year old granddaughter. I love you Jayda.

 

 

My card here represents a number of challenges. The layout is based on the sketch from this week's Mojo Monday.
Simon Says Stamp and Show a hero. I dedicated my card to my Dad. He's 92 and going strong. He's got a heart of gold. He's my hero. The Kraft Monday challenge and Mark's Finest Papers Simple Salutations challenge and the Creative Belli challenge all want to see autumn or autumn colors. Simon Says Stamp has the theme of neon, hexagon, or chevron. 
As I was working on this card, I got a chance to use my chevron background stamp which I've been looking at for weeks. My base card and image frame are kraft cardstock.  I used Tim Holtz tissue tape which I colored with my distress stains. I have so many rolls, and never remember to use it. My focal image is from Oxford Impressions. The leaf is a diecut from the Tim Holtz collection. The letters for "Dad" were die cut. The "my hero" are from Tim's Chitchat words, or sort of. It's amazing how a thin black marker and the letter "o" can change so much. "Her" became "hero". Yes, necessity is the mother of invention. Shhh, it's our little secret.

Back to School Time

Monday is Labor Day. Many kids are already back in school, and the rest should be heading back next week. Two of the challenges I play in have back to school as their theme. So this card will be entered in the Kraft Journal challenge and the Creative Belli challenge.
I enjoyed working on this card. I was able to pull out several items that I hadn't used in ages, if ever. The background panel is the reverse side of a piece of Graphic45 paper from An ABC Primer. I then dry embossed it with an alphabet Cuttlebug folder and highlighted the letters lightly with sage distress ink. Across the top is a piece of washi tape that came from a numbers collection I had bought a long time ago. The image is from Paper Artsy. I had purchased these stamps back when I first discovered vintage and grunge. The sentiment is from Club Scrap and is stamped with paint on a piece of glossy black cardstock. Hope all of our kids (and us too) have a great school year.

School Days

It's that time of year again; time to go back to school. This week's Bloggers Challenge is back to school. I created my card based on the layout from the Mojo Monday sketch challenge.
The design paper panel is from Graphic45 An ABC Primer which I die cut using a Cheery Lynn Reflections Boutique die, Celtic Chain rectangle. I layered the panel on red cardstock.  Instead of ribbon, I used a ruler sticker (I've had this embellishment in my stash for years. It was just the touch I was looking for today.)  The black panel was cut from a piece of very smooth cardstock which reminded me of a blackboard. The a, b, c letters are grungeboard painted with my white paint dabber. The letters were layered on the die cut butterflies. (Cheery Lynn) The other paper elements are also from An ABC Primer.
My card also meets the challenge at Cheery Lynn which is ABC; the Take a Word challenge which is wings; and the Creative Belli challenge which is winged things.

Nature Notes - New Release

Today Rogue Redhead Designs is releasing a wonderful new set of stamps. Express yourself with the latest half-plate collection from Rogue Redhead Designs - Nature Notes!  With the clean art deco lines of the 1920s, this elegant set focuses on the simple majesty of nature.  This set includes 3 main focal images, a mini background, 5 sentiments and 2 decorative elements.  Create sweet notes, eclectic ATCs and charming cards to celebrate the spirit!  Nature Notes will be available for its introductory price of US$12.00 until August 31, 2012, a 20% savings off its regular price of US$15.00.

Don't forget to check out all the great Specials available during the RRD Summer Sunsational Sale!  Need mounting supplies with your new stamp purchases?  We carry EZ-Mount Cling Foam and EZ Mount Stamp Storage Panels in our Mounting Solutions Section. Great stamps and a great sale. Who could ask for more!

My card today features the beautiful grove of trees and a sentiment.

When I was trying to decide which of these stamps I wanted to use on my card, my hand and my mind reached out for this stamp and the sentiment just followed. My day had been a little chaotic with my grandchildren wanting lots of attention. The peacefulness of this scene was so calming. I knew that I wanted to keep the feel of the scene, so I didn't want to add a lot of extra embellishments. The card is on the edge of CAS with just a little layering and a dry embossed background.
I am entering this card in the Creative Belli challenge which is vacation/travel. I really believe that this place would be a fantastic travel destination.

More Christmas in July

I love the Try That Technique Challenge from Technique Junkies. Most often I am encouraged to try a technique that I haven't tried before. That was true this challenge as we were to try Bohemian Layers from the Feb-Mar/2011 newsletter. I decided to make a Christmas in July card since that was the challenge at both Creative Belli and Mark's Finest Papers Speedy Fox and Friends. The inks used on the background are Ranger cloudy blue, sailboat blue, and denim. The tree stamps are from Mark's Finest Papers a Heinrich Co. The background stamp is the music background stamp from I Brake for Stamps. The star and sentiment were die cut using Tim Holtz dies and grungepaper. I used my white paint dabber to color and some rock candy stickles to add a little sparkle. I am quite pleased with how the card turned out.

I Pledge Allegiance

Since we just finished celebrating the 4th of July this week, I thought I would continue with the patriotic theme. This week's Bloggers Challenge is say it with words. For my focus I used the Pledge of Allegiance stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs. My background was dry embossed using a Sizzix folder. I then went over the raised areas with my white paint dabber. It kind of reminds me of a gingham tablecloth that one might use as a summer picnic. The side border was cut three times (in red, in white and in blue) using a Cheery Lynn die. I offset layered the three to create a patriotic bunting. I placed rhinestone stars around the background for a little bling.
I am also entering my card in several other challenges: Kraft Journal - red, white, and blue; ODBD - anything goes; Creative Belli - stars; and Inspiration Emporium - red, white, and blue.

Easel Gift Box

Well, the temperature in Chicago hit 101 today. What better place for me to spend the day than in my cool, basement studio. Today I created an easel gift box.  It actually meets several challenges. At Our Daily Bread Designs the challenge was to use three stamps. I used two sentiments and the bicycle image from the Bicycle stamp set. City Crafters  wants us to create a gift, rather than a card. Put some chocolates in the box and you have a wonderful gift. Creative Belli challenged us to create anything but a card. And I Brake for Challenges wants to see summer fun.
The easel box technique and the watercolor reinker are both techniques from Technique Junkies.