Laughing Giraffe

Playing the From the Heart Sketch challenge, using this cute digital stamp, Laughing Giraffes.

Here is the sketch:

The oval of animal print (Doodle Pantry) is cut with an Elizabeth Crafts Stitched Oval die.  I used SU Apricot ink to make the splotches (Joy Clair) on the GKD Saffron card stock base.  The image is colored with Copics. Trying to keep the nature idea, I tied a bit of twine to some raffia ribbon. "Smile" is an old stamp from a dollar bin.
This will be a fun card for Send A Smile 4 Kids.

Challenges:
From the Heart Sketch Challenge
Word Art Wednesday  - anything
2 Crafty Critter Crazies
7 Kids College Fund - anything 
Simon Wednesday - anything 

You Can't Win Them All

Thinking outside the box is not a strong point of mine.  In order to get out of the rut of easy cards, I am really challenging myself lately.  I confess I have tossed more than one card but it has been fun to see what I can come up with.

 I am still playing with some of my new stamps and wanted to use this Framed Zinnia by Stamplorations but how to use it so it didn't look lonely on the card using the sketch below, that was the challenge.

For my background panel I used Tim Holtz Tea Dye distress ink and then stamped it with a Stampin Up' Linen Background stamp using Apricot ink.  The butterflies are Gina K Design stamped with the Tea Dye distress ink.  But the zinnia stamp still just sat there on the paper.  So I started adding - first twill tape, then I cut a frame with Pumpkin cardstock, matching the card base.  Still not happy so I cut out some leaves with the Elizabeth Crafts Jasmine leaves die.  Finally I added the black lace.
The image is colored with Copics.
I would have like it better if I had not used the twill but after using Scoretape it was not about to be removed!
Oh, I almost forgot; I used two colors of liquid pearls around the center of the flower, Cantalope and Daffodil.  Here is a close up of that and maybe you can see a bit of how I scored the leaves.

Thanks for looking and of course I love reading your comments.

Challenges:
Work It Wednesday - flowers
Stamploration Anything Goes challenge

Stamploration Sketch and Theme

7 Kids College Fund - anything
Simon Says Wednesday - flowers
Time Out - photo inspiration

New Lantana Stamp

This  stamp is a new stamp but also a new plant to me.  I didn't know what a Lantana was until after ordering this stamp set, Beautiful Lady,  by Altenew.  It was fun to play around with Copics and try to capture what the flower looks like (emphasis on the try).

Definitely loving this butterfly die by Birch Press.  I used three tiny black pearls for the body.
The sentiment is from the Altenew Fresh Freesia set.

Thanks for looking and I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

Challenges:
Time Out - photo inspiration
7 Kids College Fund - anything
Sugar Pea - photo inspiration
Simon Says Wednesday - flowers
Work It Wednesday - flowers
Stamploration Sketch and Theme - wings

Just Bee-cuz

I haven't made any cards for kids lately so I dug through my left over printed images and found this cute little guy.  Because he is an image by From the Heart, I used the weekly sketch from FTH too.

Usually my cards are pretty simple - one or two layers, not much of a layout,  but this sketch looked like a challenge and of course, I love challenges.  I mirrored the sketch but stayed very close to all the elements of the sketch.

Embossing folder- Darice "I Dream"
Flower - Cuttlebug
Copics
Thanks for looking.  Always love to have you comment. 

Challenges:
From the Heart - sketch
7 Kids College Fund - anything
Simon Wednesday - flowers
Send a Smile 4 Kids - die cuts

New Every Morning

Two of my favorite Bible verses are Lamentations 3:22-23  "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.  They are new every morning.  Great is Your faithfulness."

I love this frame by Ginny Maxam.  The verse fit beautifully inside.  (Once again I saved the digital stamp without saving the source. ugh!)
The flowers and frame are colored with Copics and Prisma pencils.  After using distress ink on the edges, I distress (scruffed) them and adhered the panel to a piece of Kraft that I had also distressed with ink and tool.
Sketch:

I colored another image with different colors and added a few sequins.

I like the first one better but I like these colors too.
Thanks for looking.  Love it when you comment.

Challenges:
Tuesday Morning Sketches 
Sugar Pea - photo inspiration
Crop Stop - anything
Simon Wednesday - flowers
7 Kids College Fund - anything

Wishing You Well

One of my sisters had knee surgery last week so I thought I would send her a get well card.  I don't make very many.  She likes quirky, play on words, etc.  This is the closest I could come.

The "wishing well" is a digital image which has been in my computer for many years.  I colored it with Copics and used an oxide ink on some of the shading of the shingles.  Still not sure how to use the oxide inks but I used a water brush and it gave the streaks I was hoping for.
The sentiment is Stampin Up.
Panel is cut with Di-namics Stitched Rectangle. 
I cut out a flower of yellow card stock with a Cuttlebug die and cut out another one of the green designer paper to use as leaves.  The flowers around the well and the Cuttlebug flower have liquid pearl centers.
Here is the sketch I used:

Challenges:
MFT Sketches
Simon Monday - use water
Simon Wednesday - photo inspiration
Crop Stop - anything
Joy Clair - anything
7 Kids College Fund - anything
Stamploration CAS  - twist use pastels

Love of Lilies

Last year my daughter pulled up all the lilies out of the flower beds at a house they had just purchased.  She is allergic to them.  Not me.  I LOVE lilies.  So I planted 24 bulbs.  Only 4 shoots came up.  Apparently squirrels like lily bulbs.  Ugh!  
Because I love lilies, I bought 2 Easter lilies for in the house. Pure white is so elegant but I also love all the Stargazer type lilies ( I hope one of the lilies that survived is a Stargazer) so here is a card I made with one of Ginny Maxam's beautiful digital lily images.

I colored the image with Copics.  The sentiment is from a birthday set.  The panel is cut with a Spellbinder die.  BG is embossed with a SU embossing folder.

Challenges:
Die Cuttin Divas - Spring
Sugar Pea - birthday bash
Cardz TV #6 - anything
Joy Clair - anything
7 Kids College Fund - anything 

Daffodils and Butterflies

 I am having fun with a few of my new stamps and dies that came in the mail this past week.

The stamp is Stamploration Framed Daffodils.  The die is Birch Press, one of three butterfly cuts.
I pulled out some old designer paper, added some distress ink on the edges and on the image around the flower.
The image was cut out with a Spellbinder die - almost the same size as the framed flower but stamping the image in brown and adding some distress ink, I think the rectangle frame edges aren't very noticeable.  The next size up for the dies was too big so I traced it onto the brown Kraft and cut it out free hand.
I love daffodils and narcissus.  Every year I tell myself to plant some when I see the beautiful clumps growing in other peoples' yards, even in the fields.  Next year!

Challenges:
Crop Stop - anything
Die Cuttin Divas -Spring 
Joy Clair - anything
7 Kids College Fund - anything
Simon Wednesday - inspiration board
CardzTV- anything
Stamploration - theme and sketch

Stamploration Never-ending challenge 

Stamploration - Things with wings

Birthday Accordion Card

 I'm back with another birthday card.  It has been a while since I made an accordion card.  They are always fun to make. The dies for the card are Elizabeth Crafts Circle Accordion Dies

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One of the fun features of making these cards is that you can make your card with as many panels as you want.  Usually I make three but this time I put only two together.
After cutting out how many panels you want, you can start adding pieces of designer paper.  Just cut them with the main panel die and then snip off the center tabs that hold the circle and cut off the edge.

Now decorate the circles as creatively as you want:  cut circles with the dies that come with the set, stamp sentiments and cut with the scallop circle, etc.
I did both for the right side.

For the left side panel I used the beautiful Die-namites Fragile Flowers

coloring the stems and leaves with Copics and adhering a piece of yellow cardstock behind the flower.
Next step is to cut off one of the edges and one of the tabs:

Now to assemble everything and form it into a folding card:
Adhere the remaining long edge to the back of the other panel and the remaining tab to the back of the circle on the other panel:

 (I like to cover the back of the circles with designer paper)
And now you have your accordion card!

I hope you've enjoyed what I've shared today!  And, 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.

Challenges:
Simon Wednesday - birthday
Work It Wednesday - Spring
7 Kids College Fund - anything
Our Daily Bread Design - die cut flower
Sugar Pea - birthday
Joy Clair - anything

Thank Goodness For CASEing

Sometimes when the mojo disappears, it is nice to be able to CASE someone else's idea, layout, etc.
I have so many Birthday cards to make in March and April but no ideas.  Thank goodness for other cardmakers who let us copy them.

I based this card on Julie Tilman's card which I am showing below:

Don't you love it?  I did.  So I took the idea of strips of designer paper and distressing them and then adding a sentiment in the middle.  The sentiment on my card is a stamp from a set of birthday sentiments.  After stamping I cut it out with a Die-namic Stitched Rectangle and sponged the edges.  The hearts are made with a Stamploration die; the flower with a Cuttlebug die.

Challenges:
Sugar Pea - Mix It Up Photo Inspiration
Sugar Pea - birthday
Simon Wednesday - Birthday
Joy Clair - anything
7 Kids College Fund - anything
MFT - color challenge
Cut It Up - CASE 
Stamploration Never Ending Challenge

Galvanized Pails

It won't be much longer before I can plant a few color bowls on the porches.  While cleaning out my dad's old barn, I found several pails, buckets, and oblong "whatevers" which I took home and use for planters.  Even though our house is not an old farm house, we live out in the country so some of these kinds of items are fun to use.
This digi stamp of Pail of Flowers is by From the Heart and I used it for the FTH sketch this week.

The image is colored with Copics.
The paper flower was in my stash.  The center is a black pearl embellie (no, not a melted Perler bead this time!).  The vine behind the flower is Cheery Lynn's  Fanciful Flourish.

Challenges:
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Double D - brights
Work It Wednesday - Spring
Joy Clair - anything
7 Kids College Fund - anything
From the Heart - sketch

All About Attitude

One of my favorite quotes from Chuck Swindoll is, "The longer I live the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it."  I like it so much I have it on my wall in my craft room. In fact I like this quote so much, I think I've put that in one of my blogs before! LOL
My card yesterday and my card today are exactly what this quote is all about.  So here is to looking at the bright side:

Both the sentiment and the image are digital stamps.  The sentiment is by a company that is no longer is business.  I thought I knew the maker of the image but when I double checked in the online store it wasn't listed.  So, another unknown source for one of my digis.
Very simple card cutting the image out with a Spellbinder die, sponging the edges.  The image is colored with Copics.  The three dots are melted Perler beads.

Challenges:
Sugar Pea - photo inspiration 

Time Out - rain, rainbows
Double D - brights
Joy Clair - anything
2 Crafty Critter Crazies - anything with a critter
7 Kids College Fund - anything
Cardz TV - anything 

Let It Rain

So much rain here in March.  The first few days of April have not been as bad.  There is a tendency to fret and fume about the rain, especially when there is yard work to be done but it is so wet there is standing water.  But why get upset? We can't change the weather.  It is what it is.   This sentiment is so true.  It is from a discontinued company.  The little girl image is by Dearie Dolls.

Image is colored with Copics.  Umbrella is paper pieced.  All three designer papers are from one pack which I have had for years. (Still a few scraps left!)

Challenges:
Simon Monday - rainbow
MFT - color challenge
Simon Wednesday - anything
Time Out - rain or rainbows
Joy Clair - anything
7 Kids College Fund - anything

Dies R Us and Me

It has been awhile since I gave up my positions on design teams, but I decided I was ready again so I am thrilled to announce that Dies R Us has accepted me into their Inspirational Team.
Twice a month I will be sharing a card on the Dies R Us Inspirational Blog and here on my own blog - a card or project on which I have used some of the wonderful dies you can find at the store.
So without any further talk, here is my first card:

I LOVE Elizabeth Craft dies.  They cut so well and wow, do they every have some wonderful dies.
This one is from the Garden Notes collection - Marigolds.
The flower petal dies are two sizes which allows you to cut and stack as many as you want.  I did only two and three layers because I did not want the card too thick for mailing.  There are three dies for leaves; one with a stem and two other leaves of different sizes.
After cutting all the pieces, I used Copic markers to put color into the center of the flowers.  After assembling the flowers, I arranged them onto an oval cut with one of the ovals that come in the set of Elizabeth Crafts Stitched Ovals, sponging the edge with a bit of yellow and orange ink.
The beautiful embossed paper is from a DCWV Citrus mat stack.
Ribbon is the last of this kind in my stash.
 

Don't forget to play along at the Dies R Us Challenge Blog for your chance to win a gift voucher to the Dies R Us Store.  A new challenge begins on the first and fifteenth of every month.  Be sure to Follow Us on Facebook too. 

click below for:

STORE
CHALLENGE BLOG
FACEBOOK
INSPIRATION BLOG

FRIENDS OF DIES R US PINTEREST PAGE

Challenges: 

Simon Wednesday - anything 

Cute Card Thursday - warm colors 

Joy Clair - anything  

Word Art Wednesday - anything  

Garden Path of Flowers

Sometimes an idea for a card or technique for that card ends up being more work than I originally planned.  Such was the case with this card.  I used digital stamps by From the Heart, making a design similar to the sketch. The cut and place, moving images over and over for placement stretched my patience but then after printed it out, I realized I did not leave enough room at the top of the page so I had to start all over moving each section, etc!  But I really like how it turned out.  It was worth the frustrations.  Isn't she cute?

I colored this according to the optional colors listed in the FTH challenge, using Copics.   I fussy cut a few extra flowers and popped them up on dimensional tape.   The grass is a Your Next Stamp die.  The clouds are Memory Box.
Here is the sketch I used:

Challenges:
From the Heart - sketch, optional colors
Crop Stop - anything
Crafty Calendar - Spring
Joy Clair - anything
Simon Monday - things with wings
Simon Wednesday - anything
Work It Wednesday - Spring
Word Art Wednesday - anything
Deep Ocean - flowers