Ink Up

Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #137: Lavender Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Hi Blog Friends! Here we are back at Tuesday again, and time for another Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge (TMS#137). This week, Jessica, of There She Goes Stamps, is sponsoring us, and it's also the Judged Challenge, so the added twist is: Monochromatic.

Check out Melissa's sketch:

And, here's my interpretation:

I stamped the sentiment and cake image with Colorbox ink and set it with my heat gun before coloring with Copics. This card is for my daughter to give to a friend for her birthday, and my DD's one request was that I use a lot of Stickles, so I've used it on the cake and the two little candles in the sentiment to give the card a little sparkle. I wanted to add "pearls," but I think something is wrong with my Violet Pearl Pen. The dark purple dots on the small squares are the Pearl Pen. They wouldn't retain a pearl shape at all--just flattened completely out. I noticed while using it that it was very thin. Guess that one may never work right.

I loaded up the inside with more Stickles, but left most of it clean so my DD can sign it.

If you'd like to enter two challenges at once, the current TSG challenge is a "Surprise" challenge, which means simply to add a surprising element to your card. This could be a hidden message or pop up. If you really stretch your imaginations - this card could really hit that WOW Factor.

Ready to play? Good! Because we're ready to see what you do with this. Have fun and don't forget to go to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog and link up your creation and leave some love for the team. Be sure that if you want love left for you to turn off word verification. And, if you do decide to add the TSG challenge go on over to the TSG blog to link up there, too.

Thanks for stopping by today!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Topsy Turvy Cakes (Just Rite)
Paper: Watercolor Bouquet (K&Co)
Ink: Colorbox; Distress Ink; Copic Markers
Dies: Classic Ovals Lg, Classic Scalloped Ovals Lg, Fancy Tags Three (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Dots, Circles & Stars embossing folder (Sizzix); Offray ribbon; metal flowers; Stickles; Pearl Pen; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Pear Notecard Set & Matchbox Style Box

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:21:00 +0000

Hi Blog Friends! I hope you've had a great week and are looking forward to an equally fun weekend. School is out here today and Monday, so we have a long weekend of sorts--always nice. I hope to have a few new cards to share with you over the next day or two. I'll start with a little notecard set.

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #159, this week, is an inspiration photo. The challenge is to choose at least three colors from the photo in your creation. I chose the greens, gold, and brown.

This also fits nicely with the DYSU Challenge #62: Go Green.

For this notecard set, I used the gorgeous Pears stamp set for the image and the Cherries and Peaches stamp set for the sentiment on the box.

For the cards, I used a white card base, folded in half and cut with a Lacy Square die. I positioned the fold inside the die to maintain the fold. On a separate piece of white cs, I stamped the pears in black ink, then colored them with my Copics. I used a Labels Large Spellbinders die to cut the images out and sponged Distress Ink along the inside edges of the die while it was still on the cs. I adhered the image layer to a dark green layer that I had distressed with my Distrezz-it-All and sponged with Distress Ink. For the light green layer, I cut a rectangle to fit on the white base, rounded the lower edges with a Corner Chomper, sponged a little Distress Ink along the edges, then glued the other layers to it, finally gluing the entire thing to the card base. The three green sparkly dots are Stickles (of course!) :)

I left the front of the card sentiment-free so it could be used for any occasion, and the inside is blank, for a personal note.

The box is matchbox style. I have a tutorial for the box here. To get the height measurement for this box, I stacked the notecards and envelopes up, then measured from the table to the top edge of the stack. For the length and width, I measured one of the envelopes (remember, they are bigger than your cards). I only added about 1/16" to the height measurement since the cards will easily compress to fit in the box, and no more than 1/8" to the length and width so the cards wouldn't move around much in the box.

I decorated the box exactly like the cards, except I added a sentiment.

Because the box is a custom size, everything fit together nicely, and the interior box was just snug enough that it wouldn't fall out easily. However, for presentation, I tied a nice big organza bow around the box, making sure that the sentiment was visible through it.

This set was a lot of fun to make, and even though I was a little concerned about having to color five identical images, and get them all to be presentable, everything turned out fine. It was really good Copic practice, and I can always use more practice coloring!

If you are thinking of making a matchbox style box, I highly recommend that you try my tutorial at least once. There are a few more steps than in some matchbox tutorials because of the ends being doubled over, but because of that, it is sturdy, and makes for a very nice gift box for just about anything--notecards, candy, trinkets...you name it. :)

Well, that does it for me today. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a fun, crafty weekend.

~Hugs,

Stamps: Pears, Peaches & Cherries (Flourishes)
Paper: Lime green & dark olive green dp (designer unknown); 110 lb white cardstock for box
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Lacy Squares, Labels Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Sheer Ribbon (Offray); Stickles; distressing tool; Corner Chomper
Size: 4-Bar (Interior box dimensions: 5.25" x 3.75" x .75")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #136: Sweet & Sassy

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Happy Tuesday, Friends! Yes, happy is a good word for Tuesday because it's time for a new Tuesday Morning Sketch (TMS136). This week's sponsor is Guylou's Inimitability Digistamps, and our very own Marie designed the sketch.

I used the Eve digistamp, and Eve reminds me of the 1970's, with her bellbottoms and giant dangly loop earrings. I had the perfect paper--Hippie Chic, from DCWV--so I decided to paper piece at least part of her outfit. You would think paper piecing would be difficult with a digital stamp, but it's not. For this image, I printed Eve onto a piece of white cs to use as my base. Then I printed the image again onto white paper. I had a piece of cs that had strips of different dp's on one sheet, so I cut out the section I wanted to use, taped it to the white paper, lining up the dividing line between the two different dp patterns with the line on the image just above Eve's knees. I ran the paper back through the printer, printing the exact same image onto the patterned dp, and then cut out the pants from the dp. I did all my Copic coloring before attaching the pants to the image, and I used Copics to add a touch of shadow to the pants.

I used gold and silver Stickles for Eve's earrings and necklace, and for the rest of the card, I used dp from the same Hippie Chic stack. I just love the retro look! I mostly stuck to the sketch, but I really wanted to use the orange plaid cs on this card, so I trimmed my image as much as I could, and added the plaid as an extra layer to frame the image. It completely changed the look of the card, and brightened it up a lot. The "Sweet and Sassy" sentiment is from a Just Rite stamp set called, Topsy Turvy Cakes. I embossed the oval with a navy embossing powder, stamped the sentiment in orange, sponged a tiny bit of color around the inside of the embossed oval, then covered the entire area inside the embossed area with Glossy Accents.

For the inside, I punched a border from the orange plaid dp and attached it to the top of white cs, matted with navy. Then, I stamped a "sassy" birthday cake image and "Celebrate" sentiment (both from the Topsy Turvy set) in the lower right corner. I used a yellow Copic to add just a few bright touches to the flowers on the cake. This would make a great birthday card for a teenage girl, I think.

This is such a fun sketch, and a gift certificate from Guylou's Inimitability Digistamps is up for grabs! Don't you want to play along with us! :) For all the deets, and some fab inspiration from the rest of the team, head over to Tuesday Morning Sketches. You have until Sunday at 8:00 P.M. EST to link your creation.

I can't wait to see what you create! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, and have a great week!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Eve (Guylou's Inimitability Digistamps); Topsy Turvy Cakes (Just Rite Clear Stamps)
Paper: Hippie Chic (DCWV)
Ink: Copic Markers; Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Classic Rectangle Large, Classic Scalloped Rectangle Large (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Postage Stamp Edge Punch (EK Success); embossing powder (Stampendous); ribbon; Glossy Accents; Stickles; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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I've been Liebstered!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 03:39:00 +0000

Hello Friends! First things first...thank you soooo much for your concern and well wishes for me and my family during our recent storm. Happily, I can report that we made it through unscathed! And, for those of you in the areas that were hit more directly by that huge swath of nature's fury, I hope you were safe through it all, too.

***

Late this afternoon, I saw that I had a nice surprise in my comments. Dotty A honored me with an award--a Liebster Award! I had seen this on blogs, but never knew what it was. Well, if you're wondering, too, here's the scoop:

This award is for bloggers with less than 200 followers, to bring attention to your blog, and increase your following! So, in the spirit of good fun I am passing this award on to five worthy bloggers. Please stop by to visit them, and become a Follower.

Here are the Rules:

1. Show you're thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them. (Thank you, Dotty!)

2. Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know.

3. Post the award on your blog.

4. Bask in the love from the supportive people out there in Blog Land!

5. Finally and the best rule of all..........have fun and spread the love!

The five blogs I have chosen are listed below. Click on over to their beautiful sites, look around and don't forget to become a Follower.

Maria at Maria's Merry Makings

Marie at Ink'd Wings

Shannon at Enchanted Ladybug Creations

Sue at Card Therapy

Theresa at My Sassy Cards

Thanks for stopping by, and if you're not a Follower yet, I'd love to have you join me!

~Hugs,

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Beach Wedding: A Moving Sea

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 06:12:00 +0000

Hi Friends! This will be a really quick post. We are camped out in our basement right now, waiting out the storm, but I wanted to get this post in before completely shutting everything down.

I mentioned the other day that my SIL asked me to make a beach-themed wedding card for her. Well, my stamps arrived, so I was able to get it for her in time. I used Kathy's Lily Pad Palette Color Challenge for the colors, and the Viva la Verve March 2012 Week 1 sketch. The Simon Says Stamp Challenge is Anything Goes, so I'll be entering this card there, too.

And, here's my card:

I finally bought a roll of Eclipse paper, and was able to easily mask the shells so I could stamp them on top of each other. I colored them with Copics, added Glossy Accents to the inside part of the shells that would be shiny, and used a little Ultra Fine Flower Soft as sand. After heavily distressing the edges of the image panel, I used sponges and Distress Ink to color the background. I cut a couple of die cuts with a Foliage Spellbinder die, then added Sage Ultra Fine Flower Soft to that, too, before adhering it to the edge of the image panel. The pink bg cs is embossed with a swirl pattern.

The quote on the front of the card is one I found on the web. I could have printed it directly onto the cardstock, but I prefer to make a rub on with a transparency. I like a softer, stamp-like look, rather than a crisp, printed look on my text. I stamped a small seashell image in the center of the quote, in Antique Linen, and sponged Tea Dye ink on the edges of the Curvy Bookplate die cut. The tag die cut behind the quote was a taupe color, and I spritzed it with Perfect Pearls mist to give it an aged and slightly shiny look, but also to strengthen it. I've noticed that wetting cs then heating with my heat gun, often seems to stiffen the cs, and that particular die cut was a little flimsy.

For the inside of the card, I distressed a square of watercolor paper, sponged Distress Ink along the edges, then stamped the sentiments.

I better go...sounds like the storm is back. Thanks for stopping by my blog, and have a wonderful weekend!

~Hugs!

Stamps: Seaside Life (Flourishes); Wedding (Inkadinkadoo)
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Curvy Bookplate (Verve); Foliage, Fancy Tags Two (Spellbinders)
Accessories: D'Vine Swirls embossing folder (Cuttlebug); seam binding (Hug Snug); pearls; pearl brad; Glossy Accents; Perfect Pearls Mist; Ultra Fine Flower Soft
Size: 5" square

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Dream Journal

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Hi there, Friends! I've got a cute, simple project to share with you today. It's a blank notebook from Michael's dollar bin that I gussied up with a little country flair. I used the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club #61 sketch, the theme from Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #158: "Country Comfort," the ingredients and theme of "Take Note" from the Taylored Expressions February Key Ingredients Kit Challenge, and a torn layer for the Tuesday Throwdown #87 Challenge: Paper Tearing.

This is my first Key Ingredients kit and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I LOVE it! It's so great to have everything already color coordinated. Everything on this project came from the kit except for the dark brown cs, a Pearl Pen, and the metal embellies on the corners.

The stamp is from the Taylored Expressions Vintage Dreamer set (you can find the set on the same page as the Kit Club subscription information. I think you can still get the stamp set right now for half-off if you are a Key Ingredient Kit Club subscriber. I inked the stamp with several colors of Distress Ink, using sponge daubers, the added Pearl Pen dots and Stickles just on the rose image. I also stamped another image from the set (a floral motif) in the lower right corner of the gingham paper. The brown cs behind the image was embossed with a Woodgrain embossing folder and I tore the edges to give it a more rustic feel. I adhered all the pearls and metal embellies with Glossy Accents to make sure they stay on.

This is so much cuter than it was before I covered it, and no more difficult than making a card! :)

Well, time to head out to the car rider line. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Vintage Dreamer (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Lost & Found Two (My Mind's Eye); Watermelon CS (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento
Accessories: Woodgrain embossing folder (Sizzix); pearls (Want 2 Scrap); Flora & Fauna Metal Accents (K&Co); Stickles; Pearl Pen; sewing thread
Size: 5.25" square

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You Are a Treasure

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Hello there...again! Didja miss me? My photo editing didn't take nearly as long as I expected, so without further ado, here is my last card for the day:

I stamped the sentiment first, then masked it and stamped one of the flowers. I then masked that flower and stamped another flower. I colored the flowers a little bit with Copics and used Mustard Seed and Vintage Photo inks along the edges of the sentiment panel.

The sketch is the Viva la Verve February 2012 Week 3 sketch, and the color palette is CR84FN49.

The sentiment panel, flower, and leafy sprigs are all raised up with foam dots.

Eyelets on the vertical flag. The paint peeled a little bit, but I like the look on this card.

I stamped the flower once in Vintage Photo ink, then again in Mustard Seed, slightly offsetting the second stamping, then cut it out with a Scalloped Circle Nestie. Then, I adhered the button to the flower with hot glue, using just a little more than necessary so it would form the little nubs in the holes.

I decided not to add a sentiment to the inside of the card, instead just decorating it with the same flowers I used on the front. I just loved coloring them. For the edges of the white panel, I used a deckle-edged ruler and moistened the paper just a little bit before tearing. I then sponged Mustard Seed Distress Ink along the edge of the paper and followed that with a light swiping of Vintage Photo. I can't believe I've had these stamps so long and haven't used them like this before. They are really pretty grouped together.

Well, that's all I have to share with you today. Looks like I may actually get to bed before midnight tonight! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Tag Time, Sunny Days (Verve)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey); Watercolor Bouquet (K&Co)
Ink: Distress Ink
Dies: Leafy Sprigs, Curvy Bookplate (Verve); Classic Scalloped Circles Lg, Floral Doily Accents, Floral Doily Motifs (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Eyelets; Paper Lace II embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Offray); Distress Stickles; Liquid Pearls; Enamel Accents; button; foam dots; deckle edge ruler
Size: A2 (4.25" 5.5")

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Keep Fighting

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 02:19:00 +0000

Hello Friends! Hope you've had a good day. I had an appointment this morning that ended up lasting until lunchtime, but was still able to get a couple of cards made, so I'd call this an excellent day! I've been asked to make a beach-themed wedding card for next month, and while I'm waiting on the stamps I ordered for it, I decided to try out a beachy color palette.

Have you seen the blog, Design Seeds? I LOVE IT! Not only are there tons of color palettes to drool over, you can use these little slider things to do a palette search or you can simply search by theme. Very cool. For this card I went to "The Sea" theme and scrolled until I found one I liked. It's called "Beached Tones." Aren't they gorgeous!

I used the Viva la Verve February 2012 Week 4 sketch. It looks like a simple sketch, but, for me, these type sketches just about make me break out in hives!!! I'll take lots of busy layers any day over CAS!

So, here's the card I came up with using the VLV sketch and a beach palette:

The bg paper is one that I found at a half-price scrapbook store awhile back. It's beautiful paper, but it's 12x12, so the design is huge, and since I don't do scrapbook pages, I was thinking I'd never get around to using it, but the colors were perfect for this particular color palette, so I decided to try it anyway. I didn't realize, until I edited the photos of the card that the lace design on the paper actually looks a little like sea foam. When I am making that beach wedding card next week, I may have to pull this paper out again!

The sentiment on the front of the card, and on the inside are from two different Verve stamp sets, but they go together so well.

And...that's it's for this card. I said in the beginning of the post that I'd made two cards. I did, but I still have to edit the photos of the second card, so I'll be back a little later with that one.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you in a few! :)

~Hugs,

Stamps: Words of Wisdom, Blue Skies(Verve)
Paper: Roses & Lace (Paperwhite)
Ink: Distress Ink; Colorbox
Dies: Floral Doily Motifs, Bird Flourishes (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Classic Butterfly punch (Martha Stewart); Script Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug); pearls, Enamel Accents; Stickles; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #135: What???

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Hi Blog Friends! Can you believe it's already Tuesday again? Wow, the days really fly by, don't they? But, I love Tuesdays because it means we have another sketch for you at Tuesday Morning Sketches! I can't wait to show you the card I made with this week's awesome sketch, created by our own Melissa.

Digi Doodle Shop is sponsoring the challenge this week, and I used the most adorable Digi Doodle image for my card. It's called Twitty Diddle. He's a bird, maybe a pelican, and he appears to be just a little surprised, or maybe worried. Whatever he is, I love his expression. I colored him with Copics and used Glossy Accents on his eyes.

And, here's how I interpreted that deer-in-the-headlights look:

Whaaat?!? Don't you know that's what he's thinking? I had such fun with this card! I sewed all the layers down, cut the Fancy Tag out of chipboard, coated it with Mod Podge, then sprinkled it heavily with glitter and sprayed it with a clear gloss to keep the glitter from flaking off. I put Liquid Pearl dots on the perimeter of the image and popped it up onto the glittered tag, then popped the entire thing up on the card.

For the sentiment, I cut the letters with my Alpha Bubbles dies, colored them with a Martha Stewart glitter marker, then adhered them to the card with glue.

Here's a look at the popped up layers.

For the inside, I printed the sentiment, in a dark brown, onto a transparency and rubbed it onto white cs. I colored in the letters with Copics, in a gradient pattern of three shades of blue, then added Diamond Stickles for sparkle. I attached a scrap of dp left over from the front of the card and added Liquid Pearls to the motifs. The yellow doodling just above the dp is hand drawn with a fine tip marker. On a piece of blue cs, I scored lines along the edges, adhered the sentiment panel to it, then glued it into the card.

I can think of a dozen occasions for which I could send this card, for everything from encouragement to congratulations--even for a birthday! And, little Twitty Diddle is so stinking cute, I know he'd add a smile to someone's day.

So, will you join us for the sketch challenge? I sure hope so! You have until Sunday at 8:00 PM (EST) to link your creation, and one lucky winner will win a gift certificate to the Digi Doodle Shop! All the details are on the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog, and you can get more inspiration from the rest of the design team there, too.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a creative week!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Twitty Diddle--digital stamp (Digi Doodle Shop)
Paper: Hattie Papers (My Mind's Eye); Circa 1934 (Cosmo Cricket); Splendid (Authentique); chipboard
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink; glitter marker (Martha Stewart)
Dies: Labels Fourteen, Fancy Tags Two (Spellbinders); Alpha Bubbles (Sizzix)
Accessories: Seeing Spots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); rhinestones; sewing thread; glitter; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; foam dots; transparency (for making rub on letters)
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Another Corner Bookmark: Butterfly

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:48:00 +0000

Hi Friends! Another corner bookmark, another quick post. And, like the previous bookmark, I'll be entering this in the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #157: Create a Corner Bookmark. I'm not going to go into details, as it's a pretty simple design, but if you want any information about what I did, just leave a comment and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

The front:

The back:

See...quick, wasn't it? :)

Note to Mom...DD decided she wants this bookmark instead, so the silhouette bookmark is all yours, if you still want it. :D

Thanks for stopping by, and have a fantastic week!

~Hugs!

Stamps: In Flight (Our Craft Lounge); Grape Floral Background (Stamp Camp)
Paper: Mariposa Stack (DCWV
Ink: Distress Ink, Sharpie marker, Memento
Dies: Bird Flourishes, Labels Fourteen (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Dot edge punch (Martha Stewart); clear embossing powder; ribbon; sewing thread; Stickles; Enamel Accents
Size: 4"

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FTTC157: Corner Bookmark

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Hello Friends! Quick post here today. The challenge this week for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday is to create a corner bookmark--yet another project I've never made, but I can't imagine why not. It was easy, and fun.

My color palette is from the Color Throwdown #180 challenge. This is such a nice, soothing palette.

Here's my bookmark:

I used Beate's SCS video tutorial as a guide to making the bookmark. I sewed dp to the bookmark base before folding the edges down in the back, then added ribbon, Liquid Pearls, and Stickles.

I used a silhouette from Flourishes' Sweet Days of Summer stamp set for my image. I love that it's a girl reading, and the tree fit into the circle die cut perfectly. It's embossed with Chocolate embossing powder, then I sponged Distress Ink for the ground and sky, and used Flower Soft for the grass and flowers in the tree, and Sparkly Fluff for the ground under the tree.

The sentiment on the back of the bookmark is from the same stamp set as the silhouette.

My DD saw this and immediately called dibs on it. :) My entire family are readers, but, even at seven years old, my DD is the most avid reader, so she probably would have gotten this anyway, but I'm glad she liked it so much she requested it herself.

And, that'll do it for today. Thanks so much for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

~Hugs,

Stamps: Sweet Days of Summer (Flourishes)
Paper: Just Chillin' (Making Memories)
Ink: Memento; Distress Ink, clear embossing ink
Dies: Std. Circles Lg, Classic Scalloped Circles Lg, Classic Ric Rac Edgebilities (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Dot border punch (Martha Stewart); Zing embossing powder; Offray ribbon; sewing thread; Sparkly Fluff; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; Flower Soft
Size: 4"

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TESC153: Just Sittin' Here

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Happy Friday, Friends! I hope you've had a good week and have a wonderful weekend planned. I also hope you've got some crafting time budgeted because it's time for the new Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge (TESC153), and this week's amazing sketch was designed by the super-talented Sankari Wegman. For my colors for this card, I used the TCPTues198 color challenge palette.

I am thrilled to be Taylor's very first "Top Chef" (did you see my new Top Chef blinkie in my sidebar?), but I have to tell you, I was feelin' the pressure to make another card worthy of that honor. :) I had a lot of different ideas for those little bitty squares, but in the end, I decided to use the spotlighting technique (my first attempt at this technique) and created a park scene. I hope you like it.

Normally, I think, when doing spotlighting, you leave the main image uncolored and only color the spotlighted areas, but for this, I colored the entire image very lightly, then colored the spotlighted areas darker. I always like a little sparkle on my cards, when I can, so I added crystal Stickles to the background, and used light blue Stickles on the spotlighted areas.

For that sweet little bench, I stamped the image on blue woodgrain dp, did a little shading with a Copic marker, added Pearl Pen dots for the hardware, fussy cut it, then popped it up with foam dots.

I stamped the sentiment on white cs, then cut it out with a leaf die from the Flower Creations Three Spellbinders set. I used Distress Inks to give it some color.

I had fun with the inside, too. I punched the Enchanted Woods border, then used Distress Inks to color it. I used Peeled Paint on the bottom, then Crushed Olive, then Worn Lipstick along the top edge. Then, using Vintage Photo Distress Ink, I inked the bottom edge of a piece of white cs so it would show behind the die cut trees. Finally, I sponged Tumbled Glass Distress Ink above that, for sky, and glued the tree border to the bottom of the cs. Just to give it some definition, I sponged Worn Lipstick along the edges of the entire piece of cs before gluing it to the inside of the card.

So, that's my interpretation of the newest TESC sketch. For more inspiration, check out the rest of the Design Team:

Cheryl Lea, Featured Top Chef (That's ME!)

Cassie Trask

Jami Sibley

Lisa Hjulberg

Lori Craig

Margie Cortina

Monika Davis

Rachel Sztonyk

Tracy Clemente

Taylor VanBruggen <---- get all the details here

Remember, Taylor has a random drawing for a gift certificate, and she also chooses a new Top Chef with every challenge. Will it be you??? I can't wait to see what you create!

Have a spectacular weekend!

~Hugs,

Stamps: In the Park (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: The Green Stack (DCWV); Best of K&Co
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Std. Circles Lg, Flower Creations Three (Spellbinders)
Accessories: 3/4" circle punch (EK Success); Enchanted Woods Multi-Shaper; Gridlock embossing folder (Sizzix); ribbon (Ellen Hutson); pearls; sewing thread; foam dots; Stickles; Pearl Pen
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #134: A Magical Day

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Hello Friends, and Happy Tuesday! You are going to love the sketch this week at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Kathy designed a square card with diagonals--FUN! And, if you haven't played along with us at TMS before, now's the time to get started. Our sponsor this week is Pixie Dust Studio, and you should check out the digi stamps there. Too, too cute!!!

I used Lily Pad's Virginia's View Challenge #2 as my inspiration for the colors and part of the design. I couldn't resist when I saw all those dots. Liquid Pearls and Stickles are two of my best friends lately! :)

The image is a Pixie Dust Studio digital stamp called Laurel Wings. Isn't she sweet? I had such fun coloring her with my Copics and adding Stickles to her wings and flowers. And, take a look at all those dots!!!

The inside is simple, but still feminine:

So, will you play along with us this week? I hope so. You have until Sunday at 8PM EST to link your creation. The rest of the design team has lots more inspiration for you to feast your eyes on at the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog, and all the details for the challenge are there, too. I can't wait to see your project! Thanks for stopping by!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Laurel Wings (Pixie Dust Studio); Proud as a Peacock, In Flight (Our Craft Lounge); In the Park (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: The Whimsy Matstack (DCWV)
Ink: Copic markers; Distress; Memento
Dies: Classic Rectangles Sm, Classic Scalloped Rectangles Sm (Spellbinders); Tiny Sweet Scallop (Verve)
Accessories: Clear embossing powder; seam binding (Hug Snug); rhinestones; eyelet; button; flowers (Recollections); foam dots; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Liquid Pearls; Enamel Accents; Shimmer Spritz
Size: 4.25" square

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African-Themed Wedding Card

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 22:59:00 +0000

Happy Thursday, Friends! I'll be brief today. My SIL is going to an African-themed wedding soon, and asked me to make a wedding card for it. I used the February 2012 Week 2 Viva la Verve sketch, and turned it on it's side:

Here's the result:

I did a lot of distressing on the edges with my Distrezzer and also by inking some of the edges then wetting and curling them up. I zigzagged the main panel and used a straight decorative stitch on either side of the yellow zigzag pattern on the long narrow rectangle layer at the top of the card.

The sentiment was stamped on vellum in Staz-on ink, then I tore and inked the edges with Distress Ink.

Here's a close up shot of the wild animal cs. Can you see the "sand" I added to the tan areas? That's ultra fine Flower Soft.

For the flower, using the two smaller dies in the Daisy Heads Spellbinders set, I cut two each, inked the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink, then curled the petals up with a stylus. I stacked the layers, gluing only the center of each one, then spritzed the entire flower with a light mist of gold Shimmer Spritz. The center is made of gold colored beads, which I coated in Glossy Accents.

I made the layer directly behind the white sentiment panel by stamping a burlap background stamp in Tea Dye, then Forest Moss Distress Inks.

So there you have it, my non-traditional African-themed wedding card. I hope my SIL likes it! :)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great night!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Words of Wisdom (Verve); Wedded Bliss (Jen Martin); Tag Lines (Flourishes); Burlap (Stamp Camp)
Paper: Safari Chic (DCWV)
Ink: Distress Ink; Staz-On
Dies: Daisy Heads, Foliage (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Twine; rhinestones; beads; eyelets; sewing thread; Glossy Accents; Flower Soft; Shimmer Spritz
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Bon Anniversaire Mon Ami

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:48:00 +0000

Hello again! One more card for today. This card is an anniversary card, made using a Just Rite stamp I picked up at the convention two weekends ago. For this card, I'm using the Ribbon Carousel Challenge Sketch #40, the CR84FN48 color palette of Chartreuse, Gray, and Lavender, and the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #156 theme of Love, with red incorporated into the design.

Aren't the colors Mona chose this time beautiful! I always love learning new things, so I decided to look up chartreuse. I found out that chartreuse is the name of a French liqueur, and is a color halfway between green and yellow and that there is a green chartreuse and a yellow chartreuse, with yellow being considered the more traditional of the two. In my opinion, yellow chartreuse isn't very pretty. The green chartreuse is exactly 50% green and 50% yellow and is what is displayed on Mona's palette.

I've been seeing this Shabby Chic Labels Four stamp set for awhile, so when I spied it at the convention I went to recently, I grabbed it right up. I was a little bit intimidated about coloring it, but once I got going, I found it wasn't nearly as difficult as I'd imagined. I made the little roses on each end of the stamp red for the Timeless Tuesday challenge that required some red.

I turned the sketch sideways and layered a chartreuse satin ribbon and a lavender chiffon wired ribbon behind the image in lieu of a cs layer and flag that is on the sketch. Behind the Labels Four die cut I layered a portion of the largest Bird Flourishes die cut, then a Fleur de Lis Rectangle, then two of the Fancy Tags Two tags. I tell you, those Spellbinders dies are gorgeous when they are layered. It would be so easy to get carried away with them, but I think I got just the right ones on this card.

I put a thick coat of Glossy Accents on the center portion of the image.

I tried a lot of different things where the red flower is before settling on that particular flower. I think it works well with those two little blips of red I colored on the stamp, though.

On the inside, I first stamped another stamp from the Shabby Chic Labels Four set. I used Crushed Olive Distress Ink, and stamped off on scrap paper one time before stamping in the card. Then I used Aged Mahogany Distress Ink and stamped the Bon Anniversaire sentiment from that same stamp set. Finally, in Milled Lavender Distress Ink, I stamped the single rose stamp from Flourishes Sweet Nature stamp set. I also sponged Milled Lavender Ink lightly around the edges of the cs before adhering it to the inside of the card.

Well, that's all I have for today. Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget that you have until February 29th to enter the Prickley Pear February Sketch Challenge--$15 is up for grabs!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Shabby Chic Labels Four (Just Rite); Sweet Nature (Flourishes)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey); Sweet Nectar (K&Co)
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Labels Four, Fancy Tags Two, Fleur de Rectangle, Bird Flourishes (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones; flower (Recollections); foam dots; Glossy Accents
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Boo Boo Bear in Pink

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Hi there, Friends, and Happy Wednesday! I hope yours is a good one! Warmer weather is headed our way here, so I'm having a great day!

I've got a get well card to share with you today. I'm using the Mojo Monday sketch #228 for the layout, and the Color Throwdown #179 palette for the colors.

For this card, I colored the sweet little Boo Boo Bear image with Copics and added Glossy Accents to her nose and pads of her feet. You can see the shine pretty good in this photo.

After die cutting the image, I spritzed a Fancy Tags Two die cut with Shimmer Spritz, then adhered it to the back of the image and popped the whole thing up with foam dots.

For the flowers, I made two rolled flowers using the Rolled Scalloped Flower die. One of them was made with cs and the other with felt. The third flower is a Recollections flower.

That's all for this card. I'll be back in a little while with an anniversary card I made with a new stamp I got at the convention last week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Boo Boo Bear (Whipper Snapper Designs); Sunshine Cheer (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Sweetness (Pink Paislee); Garden Party (DCWV)
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Rolled Scalloped Flower (My Favorite Things); Crocheted Circle Die (Our Daily Bread); Fair Isle Pendants, Fancy Tags Two (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Bloom Dots embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Michaels); pearls; flowers; sewing thread; foam dots; Glossy Accents; Liquid Pearls; Shimmer Sprintz
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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PPRS February 2012 Sketch Challenge: Heart Pocket

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000

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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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #133: Get Well Soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:15:00 +0000

Hello Blog Friends, and Happy Valentine's Day to you! We're back with another Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge, and this week is the judged challenge with a 2-1-4 twist: you must use 2 ribbons, 1 embellishment, and 4 layers. Think you're up to the challenge? Well, let's hope so, because our sponsor is DRS Designs and their stamps are fab! I mean...just look how cute sick little Leonard is in this photo. :)

Jessica George has come up with a really unique sketch for this challenge:

She designed this to be a 4-1/4" square card and a scrapling. However, I made my card, incorporating everything into one card--not because I'm clever or ornery :), but because I didn't know what a scrapling was. Darn it! Turns out scraplings are cute and fun to make, too. But, in case you don't know what a scrapling is, it's just basically an A2 card base that you trim down to a 4-1/4" square card. The leftover scrap can be decorated to coordinate with your card to be used as a bookmark, or gift tag, or whatever you want. Isn't that a great idea! Anyway, you can make one card, as I did, or design a card and scrapling. I know I'm definitely going to make a scrapling eventually--just not today.

Here's my take on this sketch:

I colored Leonard with Copics. Then, I added Glossy Accents to his thermometer and glass vase, and a drop of Stickles to the center of his flower. I also drew little lines on the screw top of his ice pack. For his blanket, I colored it with Copics, then used the colorless blender to make light lines, then used a Prismacolor pencil over that to add a plaid design.

The image was cut out using a Crocheted Circle Die, then I paper pierced it by holding a Spellbinders circle die in place and piercing inside it to get the holes in a circular pattern. The sentiment was heat embossed.

For the ribbons, I cut slits in the dp and just pulled the ribbons through before tying them.

Here's the inside:

I used a Prismacolor pencil to draw the blue lines. I love that look.

So, that's it for my card today. Be sure to go to the Tuesday Morning Sketch blog to check out the rest of the Design Team's awesome creations, then design your own and link it to the site for a chance at a fantastic prize from DRS Designs. I can't wait to see what you create!

Thanks for stopping by my blog, and have a crafty week!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Leonard Pig Sickday Blues (DRS Designs); Sunshine Cheer (Our Craft Lounge); Lg Porcelain Crackle (Stamp Camp)
Paper: Picket Fence (Lily Bee Designs)
Ink: Copic markers, Distress Ink
Dies: Crocheted Circle Die (Our Daily Bread); Fancy Tags Three (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Organic embossing folder (Cuttlebug); embossing powder (Zing); ribbon (Offray); Prismacolor pencils; button; twine (The Twinery); Glossy Accents; Stickles; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Love You Always

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:51:00 +0000

Hi Friends! I have another Valentine's Day card to share with you today. This one is for my DD to give to her daddy, my DH. She calls him Papa, and she absolutely adores him. She's in the second grade, and reads at a sixth grade level, but she still wants her Papa to read to her every night. It's their "thing." Their plan is to do this until she grows up and moves away. Isn't that sweet?

I used another older Mojo Monday sketch (#170) for my layout. The theme for Our Craft Lounge OCL104 is Vintage Love, and the Flourishes Bring Back Beautiful challenge this month is BBB19: The Beauty of Love, so I think this card handles both of those pretty well.

I am loving my new By Lori Designs digital images. This one is Suzy, and she reminds me of my DD, with all that curly hair and demure expression.

I colored Suzy with Copic markers, fussy cut her out, added little dots of Liquid Pearls for buttons, then popped her up with foam dots. After stamping the hearts beside her, I sponged Victorian Velvet Distress Ink in them and added pink rhinestones for sparkle. I used a Pearl Pen for the pearls on the Fleur de Lis Rectangle die cut. The Valentine ticket is stapled onto the card with a mini stapler.

After die cutting the blue heart, I sponged Victorian Velvet Distress Ink around the edges while it was still in the die. Then stamped a burlap design on it in Stormy Sky Distress Ink. Using my Distrezzer, I distressed the edges of the heart, ticket, and main panel, sponged Walnut Stain, then randomly dabbed water here and there to smear the ink, rolling up some of the edge, too. I stitched the main layers by randomly changing between zigzag and straight stitching, and also changed up the width and length of the stitches as I sewed.

The inside is a little unusual. See what you think, then I'll explain my thoughts behind it:

Since this card is from my DD, I wanted it to "feel" like it was from her. When she makes cards, she tends to get really carried away when she likes a particular stamp or ink or glitter glue (I may have to put my Stickles under lock and key!) So, when I decorated the inside of this card, I used the "lots & lots of love" sentiment, then stamped the "Happy Valentine's Day" sentiment lots & lots of times, along with that little heart stamp. To my DD, the more she emphasizes something, the more it means to her, and she would really, really, really, want her Papa, my DH, to know that she loves him and wants him to have a Happy Valentine's Day. She's such a Sweetheart!

Well, that's it for today! Hope your day is filled with crafty fun!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Puddle Jumper-Suzy--Digi Stamp (By Lori Designs); Valentine Savings (Hero Arts); Burlap background (Stamp Camp)
Paper: Kissing Booth, Oxford (Basic Grey); Vintage Style Valentine Tickets (Miss Cutiepie Inspiration)
Ink: Copic Markers; Distress Ink
Dies: Classic Hearts, Classic Scalloped Hearts, Fleur de Lis Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Offray); pearls; sewing thread; Glossy Accents; Liquid Pearls; rhinestones; Pearl Pen; mini staples
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Always Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:57:00 +0000

Hi Friends! Happy Sunday to you!!! I have a sweet little Valentine's card to share with you this morning.

The current Kathy's Lily Pad Palette Challenge colors are red, pink and lime green.

Now, I love the challenges over at Lily Pad, but I wasn't sure I was up to this one after I saw all the cards the design team came up with. OMGosh, they are FAB! You've got to check them out. But, the colors are perfect girly colors, and my DD needed another card for a darling little girlfriend, so I gave it a shot. Besides, it ain't called a "challenge" for nothin', right? :)

I used another cutie pie Puddle Jumper digital image from By Lori Designs called MaryJane, and colored her up in the challenge colors. My DD has had a pair of pj's that looked similar to this, so I imagined MaryJane's outfit as pj's, and gave her some fuzzy Flower Soft slippers to match.

I used the Mojo220 sketch from a year ago as a guide for my layout. It has a stripe along the left side of the main panel that I liked, so to tie in with the slippers, I made a matching Flower Soft edge.

The lower left corner seemed bare, so I hand-drew a couple of little flowers and added rhinestones to their centers. I'm definitely no artist, but I think the simplicity of the design adds a childlike "little girl feel" to the card.

All girly cards need sparkle, so I added rhinestones to the sentiment, pink Stickles to the heart, and Glossy Accents to the eyes.

And, you know me, I just have to decorate the inside, but I kept it super simple.

Well, the laundry room has been calling my name incessantly for the last hour, so I must put on my very sparkly crown of domesticity and deal with the rabble before a riot ensues!

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Mary Jane Puddle Jumper--Digi Stamp (By Lori Designs), Playful Animals, Valentine Sayings (Hero Arts)
Paper: Bright Pack (Colorbok); Sweet Nectar, Watercolor Bouquet (K&Co)
Ink: Copic markers; Colorbox; Distress Ink
Dies: Labels Seven; Classic Scalloped Circles Sm
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Flower Soft
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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In All Things

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:02:00 +0000

Hi Blog Friends! I hope, wherever you are, you are staying warm this weekend. Brrrr! It's cold here! Of course, I'm cold when it drops below 70 degrees, so what do I know. ;)

I thought by now, I'd have at least two cards to share with you, but it took me the entire day to make this one, and looking at it now, it seems like it should have been the easiest card I've ever made! It took me forever to figure out which dp I wanted to use, then just as long to decide what I wanted to do in the center panel. I think actually making the card took 30 minutes--the rest was deciding what to make. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, though, so I guess all the thinking time I put into it was worth it.

The sketch I used is the February 2012 Viva la Verve Week 1 sketch, and I followed the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday 155 theme of "Fly Away With Me," using a bird image and elements.

The two outer panels are cut from a piece of Webster's Pages dp, and the center panel is a piece of solid tan cs, which I stamped with a burlap background stamp, then a few times with a peacock feather stamp. The sentiment is from a Flourishes stamp set called Life Lines.

I had been eyeing this feather tutorial for awhile in Pinterest, and finally decided today was the day to actually make it. Wow, was it ever easy to make. I think it took me all of 5 minutes, and I was able to use the dictionary page with "bird" on it, plus it had a diagram of a bird, too! There is a template for the feather in the tutorial, but I just "winged" it and drew mine freehand. :) I sponged Distress Inks very lightly on it, just to have it match the dp's a little better, and it's popped up with foam dots along the "quill." If you make one of these feathers, a word of caution: Karen says, in her tutorial, that the feather is fragile. Well, guess what? It is! You have to be very careful manipulating it in any way or it will tear. When I mail it, I intend to wrap it in tissue paper and put it in a bubble envelope!

I added pearls to the outer panels, but still felt like the card needed something, so I put Stickles on the peacock's tail. It seemed garish at first, but once it dried, it was just perfect.

Okay, there isn't a single heart, or cupid, or anything else remotely related to Valentine's Day on this card, but after stamping the peacock feather with Versamark on the inside of the card, I decided to make it a Valentine's card anyway. I mean, who says a Valentine card has to be all red and white and gushy, right?

So that's my card for today. If you've got any floral wire lying around, get some newspaper or book pages and give that feather a try. I plan to make several more for future crafting projects! It's fun!!!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a spectacular day!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Life Lines (Flourishes); Gem Stone Birds (Inkadinkadoo); Happy Valentine's Day (Craftsmart); Burlap background (Stamp Camp)
Paper: Hollywood Vogue (Webster's Pages); dictionary pages
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento, Versamark
Accessories: Pearls, Stickles; floral wire; foam dots; sewing thread
Size: 8" x 3.75"

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Time With Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Hi Friends! I have some fun news about one of my cards today. A couple of days ago, I posted a card using an Our Craft Lounge stamp--a hot air balloon with hearts spilling out of it. I had won a gift certificate to Our Craft Lounge in a Lily Pad challenge and the balloon was one of the stamps I got with it. Anyway, I sent a link for the card to Lily Pad to thank them for choosing my card and they ended up featuring it on their blog! Then, late yesterday, just as my hubby and I were getting ready to leave for a date night (my daughter's dentist had a free parent's night out at his office, so we got to have a real grown-up dinner--AWESOME!), I got an email from Taylor at Taylored Expressions saying that she had selected ME as her very first Top Chef--for that same card! That's a new twist she is having in conjunction with her sketch challenge now. Whoo Hoo--I am pumped! And...I actually have one more bit of exciting news that stemmed from that card--yes, that same card, but I'll reveal that later. ;) Sooooo, it has been quite an exciting couple of days for me, and I just had to share it with all of you--my sweet, supportive blog friends!

And, now, I've got another Valentine's Day card. The layout is from the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge 152 (TESC152) and I used the CR84FN47 Color Challenge colors of red, pink and light blue.

This is a cute card that I made for my daughter to give to one of her best friends--a boy.

I colored the cute little By Lori Designs Be Mine Puddle Jumper image with Copics, then put Glossy Accents on the hearts and their eyes.

The blue "pearls" on the card are Liquid Pearls, and the red pearls were white, and I colored them with a red Copic marker.

The sentiment came from a piece of dp in a Prima Annalee paper pack, as did the strip of blue and the pink scroll edged border. Because the sentiment was six inches long, I split it into two pieces and used part on the front of the card and the rest on the inside.

And, here's a peek at the inside:

I'm slowly working through my list of the challenges I want to enter--just seven more to go. So you'll probably be seeing me at least a couple more times over the weekend.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a crafty weekend!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Puddle Jumpers-Be Mine-Digital Stamp (By Lori Designs); Happy Valentine's Day sentiment (Craftsmart)
Paper: Picket Fence (Lily Bee Designs); Annalee (Prima)
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink
Dies: Fancy Tags Three, Classic Ovals Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); pearls; Glossy Accents; Liquid Pearls; Corner Chomper
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Big Love

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 08:20:00 +0000

Happy Friday, Friends! It's another Noon Time Challenge at Flourishes: You've Been Framed (FLLCFEBRW2). You have to use a frame in some way on your card or project. I had a ball making this card.

I love distressed cards--the more distressed, the better. So, for my "frame" I cut a Fleur de Lis Rectangle die cut from kraft cs, then cut a rectangle out of that. I sponged Walnut Stain Distress Ink on the frame, then spritzed Gold Shimmer Spritz lightly over it. The pearls in the corners are Pearl Pen pearls. Then, I took the rectangle that had been cut out of the middle of the frame, spread a thin layer of glue over it, and sprinkled Ultra Fine Flower Soft all over it (another purchase at the stamp convention last weekend).

To assemble it, I adhered the Flower Soft die cut to the front of the card, then tilted the frame over that slightly, gluing the corners so that the sides slightly bowed up. I left the upper corner of the frame completely loose. I colored the rose heart with Copics and added just a tiny bit of glitter to it. Then, I put foam dots on the upper right corner of the heart and glue on the left side and bottom of the heart, tucked the left hand side of the heart under the frame and the right hand side slightly over the edge of the frame. My thought was that the heart had so much love that it couldn't be contained in the frame. :)

In the lower right corner, I tore the dp a little, inked up the edge and underneath, curled it slightly, then did some stitching. In this photo, you can see the "cross stitches" on the right hand side of the card, and straight stitching on the bottom edge.

I also purposefully left the upper right corner unsewed and left long threads hanging, then I curled the corner back to give the card a worn look.

The Love sentiment was stamped on a strip of floral dp, using a glue pad, then I sprinkled glitter over it. I adhered that strip to a tag from the Spellbinders Fancy Tags Two set and put two small gold pearls at the top and bottom of the tag. The lower corner looked a little bare, so I hot glued two buttons in that area.

Here's a look at the inside:

Isn't the font used for the sentiment gorgeous! I think of this card as a Valentine's Day card, but it really could be for just about anything to do with love, don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by my blog, and have a wonderful weekend!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Hearts & Flowers, Lace Heart (Flourishes)
Paper: Kissing Booth (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento; Copic markers; Distress Ink
Dies: Classic Rectangle, Fleur de Lis Rectangle; Fancy Tags Two (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Paper Lace II embossing folder (Cuttlebug); pearls; button; twine (The Twinery); sewing thread; foam dots; glitter (Martha Stewart); Pearl Pen; Shimmer Spritz; Ultra Fine Flower Soft
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Sense of Wonder

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Hi Friends! I've got another challenge card to share with you today, but have more to make, so I'll try to be brief.

Flourishes is having a B&W+1 Challenge, and the winner receives all three new release sets! How awesome is that!!! The deadline is Friday at 5PM, so hurry, if you want to enter.

And, the first week of the month at Mojo Monday is the Mojo Madness Contest with prizes for the top picks. You have until Sunday at 8PM MT for that one.

So, let's get to it!

For the B&W+1 Challenge, I used the required black and white, and my one other color is a sort of olive green/old gold color. Even looking at it in person, I can't exactly tell what I should call it, but it's a beautiful color.

I used my Copic airbrush to color the sentiment die cut, stamped it with a sentiment from the Pears stamp set, then added 3 pearls. I tied the seam binding bow with my peg bow maker that my hubby made for me following Becca's instructions. But, you don't have to make your own now...Flourishes is getting ready to carry the Becca Peg Bow Maker in their store!!! If you don't already own one, and you love beautiful bows, you will definitely want to get this baby as soon as it is in stock!

I stamped the small floral image from the Pears set on the gold-colored dp Labels Seven die cut, and added some Stickles to the center of the flowers for shine.

I love decorating the inside of my cards. Sometimes I stick with a simple design, but sometimes, like today, I go all out.

I got the Labels Seven die this past weekend at the stamp convention I attended, and I am loving it! I used it for the two tilted panels on the front of the card, and on the inside, I cut two windows in the old gold cs, and layered a piece of the black lace dp behind the smaller one.

I cut one of the smaller dies and sponged Crushed Olive Distress Ink inside the die and stamped a sentiment from the Life Lines stamp set on it. The little black die cuts behind it are the left over negs from the black tag I cut out for my Lots of Love card yesterday.

Then I took the same die that I used to cut the largest window, and used it as a template to cut a piece of white cs with my craft knife--I cut inside the die to leave just a smidgen of the black cs as a mat. Finally I inked up the same floral stamp that I used on the front (Crushed Olive Distress Ink this time), stamped off one time, then stamped onto the die cut. It looks darker in the photo than it is in person. It's actually light enough to be able to write a personal message over it.

So that's it for now. I may be back later today with another challenge card (I've got about 10 challenges on my to-do list). In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and have a terrific day!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Pears, Life Lines (Flourishes)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey); Reflections (Prima)
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Labels Seven, Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Classic Ovals Lg, Fancy Tags 3 (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Paper Lace II embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Tropical Paisley embossing folder (Sizzix); seam binding (Hug Snug); pearls; Stickles; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Lots of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Cheryl) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:01:00 +0000

Hi Friends! Quick post here...I've got lots of challenge cards to make. :)

Flourishes is getting ready to reveal their new releases for February, so it's time for their Noon-Time Challenges. This is the first one--a Pinterest challenge! I love that peachy pink color with black and the cameos. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my cameos, : \ but I had the perfect color and style of dp!

Here's my take on the photo:

I made this card for my daughter for Valentine's Day. She loves dancing, and these shoes remind me of her ballet shoes. She's definitely a girly-girl! :D I wanted to use Stickles in the center of the flowers on the shoes, but I restrained because the inspiration photo is really soft looking and I wanted my card to have that same feel.

Here's the inside:

The silver heart is a scrap from my Q-Pig card from a few days ago. It's embossed duct tape. Here's a close up, in case you are wondering about how it looks. It's amazing how nicely it embosses.

That's it for now. You have until Friday at 5PM to enter this challenge, so if you're inclined to do so, better hurry!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful evening!!!

~Hugs,

Stamps: Make a Wish (Flourishes); Valentine Sayings (Hero Arts)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey)
Ink: Copic markers; Memento
Dies: Heart Circles, Fancy Tags 3, Classic Bracket Edgeabilities, Ribbon Banners (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Love is in the Air embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon (Joann/ Offray); duct tape; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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