**GLITTER** New Challenge with A Place To Start!!

Happy STAMPtember!  It's a new challenge at A Place To Start and our theme this month is Glitter!!  This theme was kind of made for me!!

Just a few challenges:

• Classic Design Challenge - #9 Anything Goes
• A Perfect Time To Craft - Anything Goes
• Krafty Chicks - #679 Anything Goes
• Pearly Sparkles - #88 Traci's Recipe Challenge (Pink, Sparkles and/or Pearls--I used pink and SO MUCH SPARKLE!)
• Polkadoodles - #35 Anything Goes 1/2
• A Gem of a Challenge - #18 Anything Goes 1/2
• Creatalicious - #266 Anything Goes 2/3
• Di's Digi Stamps - Die Cuts or Punches 2/3
• Sheepski Designs - #78 Make It Feminine 2/3
• My Time To Craft - #515 Die Cuts 2/3
• Worldwide Crafters and Colorists - #8 Anything Goes 2/3
• Die Cut Divas - Anything Goes 2/4
• Word Art Wednesday - #611 Anything Goes 4/5
• Creative Fingers - #260 Anything Goes 6/6
• Crafting Happiness - #146 Anything Goes

Be sure to visit the blog, play along and check out all the other DT's awesome projects!  Thanks so much for looking and happy stamping!  Laters!!

A Fairy Hello with Dies R Us!!

 Happy Tuesday everyone!  Lisa here, with a fun fairy hello card.  The fairy isn't even the star of the show, the layered background dies from Birch Press are!!!  Check out how Dazzle-ing they are.

Aren't they amazing?  These are the Birch Press Dazzle layering dies.  You get a set of three and omg they're all fabulous because yes, you can use them individually, but layered is pure papery greatness!!

So let me tell you how this card even came to be.  I was going to do something completely different but I got some new cardstock and when I saw these three colors together, the card just kind of blew up from there.

I found that the layers were missing something, so I cut the top out of black glitter paper instead of the textured cardstock and added it on top for dimension.  I don't find the centers of these dies really need a lot of adhesive, so instead of putting adhesive on the paper before cutting the dies, I just put Scor Tape all around the frame and a few pieces in the center.  Easy Peasy!

I wanted to add a fairy, so I pulled out my Tutti Designs Mini Fairies set.  I had a hard time deciding which one to use and where to put him or her.

My card needed a sentiment so I pulled out an oldie but goodie, Lawn Fawn Scripty Hello.  I decided here to cut off the flowers in the hands of the fairy on the left.  I wanted it to look like the fairy was holding the greeting.

The final finishing touch it needed was some bling!  I used three sizes of clear AB gems to accent the sentiment on the card.  I love how it came together.

I hope this card inspires to check out all the amazing Birch Press layering dies that Dies R Us carries.  They're so fun and versatile.  --Lisa

Products Used:

• Birch Press Dazzle layering dies
• Tutti Designs Mini Fairies set
• Lawn Fawn Scripty Hello
• 1/4" Scor Tape
• 1/2" Scor Tape
• Tonic Textured Cardstock in assorted colors
• Recollections black glitter cardstock
• Clear AB rhinestones in 3mm, 4mm and 6mm
• Glitter cardstock scraps
• Mini glue dots

Don't forget to come join in the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog. There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  

 

 For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE

CHALLENGE BLOG

FACEBOOK

INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

Pretty Perfume Bottles with Dies R Us!!!

 Good morning!!  It's Lisa again, sharing a girly perfume bottle card with you today.  These Yvonne Creations Perfume dies make me think of my grandmother.  She always had a collection of pretty bottles sitting out that she picked for the style of the bottles rather than the fragrance.

I layered the bottles onto the nesting frames from the Yvonne Creations Snowflake Rectangle die set.  I like to look at my Christmas die sets and find elements that are not Christmas-related and use them all year long.

When I first cut the bottles out, I decided I wanted to fill in all the die cut holes, so I glued them to foil cardstock with Bearly Art glue and fussy cut around them.

I'm not always sure of my layout until I start taping or gluing things together.  I was almost sure this was going to be a vertical card with a big sentiment, but I didn't like how that looked.

I wanted to share something I do when I pop up elements that not a lot of people do.  Especially when my cardstock is thin, like this silver shimmer is, I can't stand when the cardstock like dips because there's no foam tape there.  So I put foam under the entire die cut.  I just snip my pop dots to fit in the little spots.

I know it looks crazy but it makes the card look so much more polished.

I glued all these Diamond Dotz stones on one at a time.  This really shows the difference between the plain and embellished die cuts.  They make it pop.

I hope this inspires you to look at your Christmas dies and see what else can be made with them. Have a crafty day! --Lisa

Products Used:

• Yvonne Creations Perfume Bottles die set
• Yvonne Creations Snowflake Rectangle die set
• 1/4" Scor Tape
• 1/2" Scor Tape
• Bearly Art Glue
• Sticky Thumb Foam Dots
• Momenta Alcohol Ink Cardstock
• DCWV Glitter Cardstock
• Assorted Foil cardstock scraps
• Silver shimmer text weight cardstock
• Diamond Dotz assorted stones

Don't forget to come join in the fun at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog. There's a new challenge theme offered on the 1st and 15th of each month and one lucky randomly drawn winner will receive a gift voucher prize to the Dies R Us Store.  

 

 For your convenience, all the important Dies R Us links are provided below.

click below for:

STORE

CHALLENGE BLOG

FACEBOOK

INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

31 Days of Crafting - Day Eleven - Sweet New Year!

Happy Monday!  A quick detour from my shopping day to share this fun New Year's card.  As you know I'm trying to work harder at making seasonal cards all year long this year so I'm not so swamped from November-January.  It's going okay so far.  I just looooooove how this card came out.  The photos just don't show how sparkly and shimmery it is in person.

Just a few challenges:

• DLArt Linky Party
• Happy Craft Challenge - Anything Goes
• A Gem of a Challenge - #3 Anything Goes
• Artistic Inspirations - #213 Anything Goes
• Pearly Sparkles - #38 Make It Girly 

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!!

750 Posts!!!!!

HOW did I get here?  I mean I KNOW how I got here, but how did I get here?!?  This is a crapload of posts.  I know I make a crapload of art, but still!!

I'm really proud of me for keeping up with this for so long.  I don't usually stick with anything!

I got some new dies recently and I knew that my first project with them would be a card to mark this milestone!

I'm not usually huge on showcasing all sides of a card, but looooooook:

This is the cover of the card.

When you open the accordion out, you get three high-fashion models.  These girls were inspired by the original ponytail Barbie doll.

The reverse side of the accordion.  I really wanted it to be a birthday card because this many posts is like celebrating a birthday!  The blank white card is to write your greeting on.

When the card is closed, this is the back.

Lots of challenges for this card:

• Inspiration Destination - #56 Anything Goes
• Not Just Cards - #25 Anything Goes
• Artistic Inspirations - #142 Anything Goes 
• Scrapbook Blessings - Anything Goes
• 30 Day Coloring Challenge
• Sweet Stamps - Anything Goes
• DLArt Linky Party
• Polkadoodles - #43 Add Sparkle, Bling or Glitter 1/2
• Brown Sugar - #169 Anything Goes 1/2
• Simply Papercraft - #16 Anything Goes 1/3
  Create and Inspire - #32 Anything Goes 1/3
• Pixie Snippets - #200 Anything Goes 1/3 (dolls were constructed entirely out of scraps!)
• Creative Fingers - #96 Anything Goes 1/3
• Penny's Paper Crafting - #250 Anything Goes 1/3
• Julia Spiri - #4 Dies or Punches 1/3
• The Cat's Pajamas - #301 Anything Goes 1/3
• Craft Your Passion - #284 Anything Goes 1/3
• The Sisterhood of Crafters - Die cuts or Punches 1/3
• Crafting with An Attitude - #8 Anything Goes 2/3
• The Crafty Addicts - #3 Anything Goes 2/3 
• A Crafty Mess - #3 Anything Goes - 2/3
• Your Scrapbook Place - Anything Goes 2/3
• Creative Ladybird - #8 Anything Goes 2/3
• Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes 2/3
• Lacy Sunshine Color Your World - Anything Goes 2/3
• Lil' Patch Of Crafty Friends - #20 Anything Goes 2/3
• Word Art Wednesday - #206 Anything Goes 2/5
• Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 2/2
• Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes 3/3
• Creative Inspirations - #332 Anything Goes

Thanks so much for looking and for joining me on my artsy journey.  Lots more to come.  Laters!!

Full of Grace - My 500th Post

500 posts.  That's a lot of cards.  A lot of stamps, ink, paper, adhesive and time spent constructing said cards.

I've thought long and hard about what the project for this post might be, and I've decided that it's obvious.

MUSIC.

Everything with me is music.  I decided to start this blog listening to Katy Perry.  The name for this blog comes from a Sarah McLachlan song.  If someone has made a music stamp, I probably have it.  That's how much I love music.

My favorite song of all time is Sarah's "Possession".  I've been working on a canvas with those lyrics for awhile, and it's not finished yet, so I couldn't share it.  I wanted to use that song on another piece, but it wasn't coming together so I made this instead.  "Full Of Grace" is another great one, and has special meaning since it was used in a great episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  It's especially fitting too, since we're in the middle of one of the coldest winters, EVER.

I absolutely LOVE how this turned out.  LOVE. The colors, the glitter and shimmer, everything.

Closeup of Charlee, one of my Unity girls.

Handmade snowflake/flower hybrids.  Love them, too.

I'm entering challenges GALORE with this card!!

• DLArt Linky Party
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #93 Anything Goes
• My Craft Creations - Anything Goes
• Not Just Cards - #13 Anything Goes
• Imagination Destination - #21 Anything Goes
• Die Cut Divas - Words, Quotes and Sentiments
• Left of Center - #66 Use Your Dies
• FAT-tastic Tuesday - #73 Anything Goes with A Die Cut
• Loves Rubber Stamps - #139 Let It Sparkle
• Crafty Boots - Use A Sentiment
• Scrappyland - SPLAT (I used paint, ink, perfect pearls, embossing powder and markers)
• Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 1/2
• Top Tip Tuesday - Use Rubber Only 2/3
• Creative Fingers - #68 Anything Goes 2/3
• Simply Create Too - #79 Anything Goes 2/3
• Crafty Sentiments - Bling It On 2/3
• Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes 2/3
• Party Time Tuesdays - Anything Goes 2/3
• Simon Says Stamp Work It Wednesday - Show Us Something NEW  2/3
• Sisters of Craft - Anything Goes 2/3
• Cards Galore Encore - Use A Stamp or Digi Stamp 2/3
• Allsorts - #299 The Color Purple 1/3
• DLArt Thankful Thursday - #150 Use Blue 1/3
• Red Rubber Inspirationals - #208 Let's Hear It For The Girl 1/3
• Love To Scrap Challenge Blog - #48 Anything Goes 1/3
• Papertake Weekly - BINGO 1/5 (I played the center row - Die Cut - Free - Glitter)
• As You Like It - Favorite CAS or Fussy 1/3 (I like FUSSY 'cause there's never enough sparkle and shine!)
• Card and Scrap - #91 Anything Goes 1/3
• Crafting For All Seasons - #96 Dies/Punches 1/3
• Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Add A Little Texture 1/5
• Word Art Wednesday - #171 Anything Goes 2/5
• Little Miss Muffet - Anything Goes 1/1
• Scrappers Delight - #41 Anything Goes 1/1
• Bunny Zoe - For Girls
• Dazzling Diva Challenge - #63 Anything Goes

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!

Mega Meet 2014 Make & Take 1

Another Mega Meet has come and gone (sniff, sniff!) and it was, as always, EPIC.  If you've never been, I strongly suggest that you check it out.  The convention comes to Novi, MI once a year (Mother's Day weekend) and it's the most fun you an have while killing your feet and emptying your wallet.

The show is filled with fun new demos and make and takes and most importantly, this year, it featured TIM HOLTZ!  I'm sure all you know that I adore Tim Holtz.  I feel that the show needs some different organization but this year's show was worlds better than last year's!

Anyways, one of my favorite booths, Tessler Stencil Co., was at the Mega Meet and had a make and take.  When I got home with it, it looked like this.

I wanted to turn it into a card, but I knew it needed some cutesy accents, so I made dragonflies to embellish it. I used the same ink pad I used on the M&T so it would match.

I think it just pops now.  The colored background and the hummingbirds bring it all together.  I know you can't see it but the flowers have all been glittered as well as the birds' wings.

I'm entering some challenges, of course :)

• Just Be Creative Crazy Linky Party
• DL Art Linky Party
• Just Keep On Creating Linky Party
• Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes
• Sparkle N Sprinkle - Anything Goes/Use Glitter
• Just Inspirational Challenges - Anything Goes 2/3
• Speedy Fox and Friends - #212 No Designer Paper 2/5
• Scrappers Delight - #22 Anything Goes 2/2
• Rhedd and Rosie's - #32 All About Texture 2/3
• Penny's Challenge - #177 Anything Goes 2/3
• My Craft Spot - #137 Inking Technique
• Paper Take Weekly - Pretty Pastels 1/5
• Crafting For All Seasons - #77 Things With Wings 1/3
• Crafty Creations Challenge - #263 Use TWO (I chose die cuts and flowers) 1/2
• Inky Impressions - #159 Flowers 
• A Little Bit Crafty - Flower Power 1/3
• Emerald Faeries - #55 Flowers, Ribbon or Lace (I used flowers) 1/3
• Crafts Galore Encore Challenge - Anything Goes 1/3
• Dies R Us - #2 Flowers 1/3
• Flat Friends Challenge - #20 Punches and/or Dies 1/1
• Bloggers Challenge - Things With Wings
• Craftitude - #65 Dielicious 1/3
• Crafts 4 Eternity - #176 To Die For 1/3
• QKR Stampede - #88 Dies or Punches 1/3
• Sister Act Card Challenge - #57 Anything Goes
• Dragonfly Dreams - #5 How Does Your Garden Grow
• Dream Valley Challenges - #82 Things With Wings 1/3
• Eclectic Ellapu - Spring 

Thanks so much for looking and happy crafting.  Laters!!