RCS "Award Speeches" Challenge, Thank You Card

The next card challenge has started over at Red Carpet Studio and I hope you all will join us.  The challenge runs from today, April 28th to May 4th.  This time around the theme is inspired by Award speeches and you have to make a thank you card.  The sponsor is Dilly Beans Digi Stamps and they are offering up a prize of three digi stamps of the winner's choice.

The card design team was generously given a digi stamp by Dilly Beans to use in their cards.  Here's what I made....

I chose #336-Girl & Butterfly image to work with.  After I coloured it with my Spectrum Noir markers (this took a couple of tries, I keep having trouble colouring hair).  I mounted it to a purple panel.  On a white panel I stamped my flourishes (Inkadinkado) in Mellow Moss (Stampin' Up!) then stamped the sentiment (an old stamp by All Night Media) in olive green (StazOn).  I adhered the image with some foam dots and then mounted it on an olive green card base.  I'm really quite pleased with how it all turned out.  I hope it inspires you to join in the fun.  Always nice to have a thank you card handy.

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend!

Jingle Belles Recycled Card

Well, like I mentioned yesterday here is another card and it is also a Christmas one.  When I saw this challenge at Jingle Belles I knew exactly what I was going to do.  Now the challenge is to recycle an old Christmas card to make a new one.  I keep Christmas cards I get from family and friends for two reasons.  To keep track of who sent me a card and I keep the ones that I especially like in hopes of reusing them somehow.  So, here's my card...

The panel that contains the deer is from one of those cards.  I loved these deer right away and the idea for this card came to me right away.  It's a bit hard to tell but the deer are a gold foil so they don't photograph very well.  I tore the paper to look like a snowy hill and did the same with the panel underneath with the sentiment.  The sentiment is from Fiskars.  I used my unknown bare branch tree again and embossed it in a powder called winter wonderland.  It has sparkles in it.  I love how this card turned out.  I haven't reused my old Christmas cards much and this was fun to do so I think I may do more of this.  I still have them all.  :-)

Well, that's all for now.  Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Festive Fridays "Retro" Card

So, today's card is for Festive Fridays challenge # 06.  It's a retro theme.  Now, there's a lot of different ways to interpret the term retro.  I always think of the different patterns and shapes that are always associated with retro.  I had the perfect paper to use for this challenge.  It was a designer series from Stampin' Up!  You can't get it anymore and I've been hoarding my last remaining pieces.  Who knew it was for this challenge?  :-).

I've had this card made for the past few days but have been unable to post it because we've been having some Internet problems.  I've got no access to email or Facebook and limited access to blogger and couldn't upload my picture easily.  It's has been annoying to say the least. It seems our router is toast so had to get a new one today and still trying to get it working.   Anyway, the cool retro shape the sentiment is on I hand drew and cut out myself.  The sentiment was embossed in white and is from Inkadinkado.  The snowflakes are from a package of confetti from Michaels and I added the rhinestones.  It's simple card but it seems to say retro to me.  Hope you all like it!

I actually have another card to share but its for a different challenge so I need to do a separate post.  So, I'll be back tomorrow.  Anyway, hope you all have a fabulous day!

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue Wedding Hop!

Welcome to Day 1 of the Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue Blog Hop!

Wedding bells will soon be ringing as the wedding season is almost here, and the design teams of Red Carpet Studio and The Paper Nest Dolls have teamed up to provide you with some beautiful wedding inspiration by creating projects using Paper Nest Dolls digital stamps! If you've just come across the hop and would like to start at the beginning, please visit Red Carpet Studio.

Red Carpet Studio is a movie-themed challenge blog that runs weekly challenges, alternating between layout and card challenges each week. All of their challenges are inspired by either a movie or aspect of Hollywood!

The Paper Nest Dolls is a brand new digital/rubber stamp shop that sells adorable stamps inspired by the designer's children. Their stamps are sold here and they just started a challenge blog as well!

For my project today, I made...

This card was made using the digital image called Bride Ellie which was generously provided by The Paper Nest Dolls owner, Christine.  Isn't she pretty?   I used my new scroll embossing folder (Darice) on one of the background papers and and old Fiskars edge punch on the top edge of the blue mat around the image.  I used my Spectrum Noir markers to colour Ellie and added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter (Stampin' Up!) to the edge and waist of her dress.  I used a variety of flowers along the bottom and side which I made darker using Brocade Blue Ink (Stampin' Up!).  The large blue flowers are from Prima, the sheer ones are from Creative Impressions, and the small ones are from Walmart.  The leaves were die cut using my Slice machine and the Basics #3 design card.  The rhinestones and pearls all came from the dollar store.

Hope you all will join in the fun!  Thanks for visiting and keep reading for some info on prizes and the next stop on the blog hop!

The Paper Nest Dolls owner and artist, Christine, is very generously providing us with some blog candy from her online stamp shop and her brick and mortar scrapbooking store! To be eligible to win you must comment on every stop of both days of the hop. 

Two $20 Gift Certificates

Prima Flower Prize Pack

Ready for the next stop? It's Erika's blog!

Red Carpet Studio

The Paper Nest Dolls

Tonya

Lori Ann

Chas

Kelly

Kim

Erika

Dawn

Lydia

Anneliese

Darcy

Sandra

Happy Hopping! :)

A Plethora of Snowmen...

While I haven't been making any cards lately (although I think I may try tomorrow), I have been working on some crafts for the Christmas crafts fairs I participate in for this year.  It may seem early to be working on Christmas stuff but I have to start early to have enough to sell.  Besides I love Christmas so I don't really mind.  :-).  I've got two crafts to share today.  The first are my snowman pins.  Pins are quite popular here at Christmas and I did well with these last year.  I've got some ideas for some other ones too.  Here they are....

Cute aren't they?  I want to make a reindeer and polar bear version too.  They are pretty quick to make.  I use Sculpey clay for the head and nose.  The eyes are paint and the mouth and eyebrows are permanent marker.  The hats are made from the fingers of gloves.  :-)

The next project I'd like to share are these sock snowmen.  Yep, I said sock.

These adorable guys are made from socks!  The bodies are filled with some rice and poly fill and the hats, scarfs and sweaters are made from socks too.  The eyes are brads that look like buttons.  They were the perfect size.  The noses are made from Sculpey clay.  These come together pretty quickly as well and are super fun to make.

Well, that's all I have for now.  Have a fabulous day!

New RCS Challenge "Old Hollywood", Make a Vintage Card.

It's another fun challenge at Red Carpet Studio and this time inspiration is drawn from old Hollywood movies.  You have to make a vintage style card.  The challenge runs from April 14th to the 20th.  The sponsor is The Robin's Nest.  The prize is a $10 gift certificate to their online store.

When I saw this challenge I was a little bit worried.  I don't think I have ever made a vintage style card.  I've always admired them but its just not my thing.  One thing about being on a design team is you get pushed creatively.  This is a good thing I think.  In any case it was with great trepidation that I set out to make this card.

Well, it took me FOREVER to create but I think it turned out pretty well.  My whole card was made round the chipboard cameo that I painted and made all old and distressed looking.  I got that chipboard from Michaels. It's a Studio 18 product.  Once that was done I went through my new paper stack I won from Paper Crafts Magazine's blog.  It by DCWV called Tradewinds and its GORGEOUS!  There is also some paper from a Colorbok paper pad too.  I used a damask embossing folder by Sissix to emboss the bottom of the card and then sponged to make it antiqued.  I cut part of a handmade doily to attach to the top part.  I didn't want to use a whole one or it would be too bulky.  I used some blue Prima flowers which I darkened by sponging with blue ink.  Not sure where the flower with the text on it came from but the flower on top is from Creative Impressions which I sponged brown then added a rhinestone.  The small blue flower is from Forever In Time.  Don't know where the pearl brad is from.  The sentiment is from Fiskars.  Whew!  And that's all she wrote!  :-).

Anyway, I hope you all will join us in all the fun!  Have a fabulous day!

So confused...LOL.

So it's come to my attention that I may not have needed to get all worked up over the loss of the google reader.  Also the fact that my follower gadget I have is not the usual one everyone else uses and I actually looked and realized that is sooooo true!  What the heck?  How did I not realize this?  Also, where do I find the one everyone else has???   Is it a google + thing?  Although when I tested it it seemed to go to the same place everyone else's does.  Oh dear, I think I may need to take some of my blogging buddy's offered help.  LOL.  I think I'll still keep Bloglovin but I need to get the other gadget too.  So bear with me while I try and figure this all out!  :-)

***UPDATE***

So, I've been doing some research and it looks like the followers gadget I have is a smaller version of the other one everyone else has.  And it looks like that one isn't available anymore.  They actually removed it from the gadgets list.  So, don't know yet if this means it'll go away or if you have it already it'll still be there or what.  Still looking into that. In any case, my smaller version works just like the other one as it takes you to the page where you can follow publicly or privately.  I think the difference is it doesn't show how many followers I have or pictures.  Which I find a little annoying. :-)  Hopefully, it won't disappear too.  :-)  Anyways, I'll carry on my research and thank you all for being so patient!

****UPDATE #2****

I found it!!  I finally discovered the follower gadget everyone else has!  Oh joy!  :-). It's in the "more gadgets" section and its just labeled "followers" and described differently.  What an annoyance!  But happy day, I found it so its now there.  People can still use Bloglovin if they want.  :-).  Thanks for all your patience and to the great people that tried to help me!  :-)

Goodbye Google Reader, Hello...Bloglovin?

Well, I'm afraid I have a confession to make.  All this talk about Google Reader going bye-bye has been kind of going over my head.  I didn't fully realize how it affected me.  You see, I've never used Google Reader.  *blush*. I never even clicked on the link until recently.  I always just looked at the recent posts of all my blogs on the main Blogger page in my Reading List and then went to the blog from there.  So, I kind of didn't pay attention to all the stuff about the reader going away.  That is until I realized that the friend connect/follower gadget would disappear as well.  So, I've been doing some research.  I've seen Bloglovin mentioned a lot and decided to try it.  It seems okay and the new "Follow My Blog" seems to work.  I'm feeling a little out of my depth though.  I'm still pretty new to blogging and I was just concentating on the posts for the most part.  Hopefully, I'll get it all figured out.  I'm probably making it seem more complicated than it really is.  Anyway, I thought I'd mention about Bloglovin.  It's kind of neat really and seems pretty straightforward for the most part.  If you want to check them out click HERE.  Pretty easy sign up process.  And you always have the choice to follow by email too.  :-)

In other news, I found out this morning that I was Top 3 at Addicted To CAS in their challenge #9, code word was Spring.  Wooohooooo!  I haven't gotten too many recognitions yet so every one is pretty exciting.  It was for this card...

Which you may recall from a recent post.  :-).  Just wanted to share the news.
Have a fabulous day!

A Sketch, a Tree, Some Bling and a Great Colour Scheme

Well, the title really says it all.  This card came into being with the help of four challenges.  First up is Cas(e) This Sketch.  It was a great sketch this week and I immediately got the idea for my card right away.  The tag was perfect for what I wanted to do.  Here's the sketch...

Now here's my card...

(A closer look at the bling)

Now, the next blog that influenced the making of this card was Christmas Cards All Year Round.  Their challenge was to use a tree.  Rather than a traditional Christmas tree I went with the bare branch tree embossed in white.  This is an old stamp and no idea who makes it but pretty sure it came from Crafts Canada.  Remember that now out of business store?  Well, you Canadians might.  :-). Anyway, next is the bling.  That influence is courtesy of Jingle Belles.  You had to add glitter, bling etc.  I've got some in the ribbon (from Michaels) and my fav dazzling diamonds glitter (Stampin' Up!) around the tree and on the snow banks.  And last, but certainly not least, the challenge blog that came up with the colour scheme.  Festive Fridays!  Aqua, pink and gold.  What a pretty and untraditional combo.  The snowflakes are by Technique Tuesday and Inkadinkado.  The ink colors are all ColorBox.  I think the sentiment is Inkadinkado as well.  Whew!  It came together fairly easily despite one false start.

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

Where all the magic happens....

So, I haven't been able to get into my craft room all week but this weekend my husband is going to give me some time and occupy our son so I can get crafty.  :-). What a great husband, eh?  Well, I thought that I would share with you some pictures of my craft area.  It is my secret "shame".   LOL.  I will admit it....I'm a messy artist.  I do clean, purge and organize every so often but it never seems to last.  Right now, my craft table is a sea of stamps, ink pads, embellishments, paper and all the other things that are so important to creating all my projects.  Le sigh.  Where are the craft fairies that clean up all the craft tables?  ;-).  Anyway, I thought these pictures might amuse you, my followers.  Or perhaps they'll make you feel better about your own messy areas.

Someday I may get my dream craft room but I'm pretty sure it'll be a mess most of the time too.  LOL.  Well, I'll leave you with this thought....

Oh boy, am I ever!!  LOL!!  Have a fabulous day everyone!

Apple Truck Birthday

Last week was my husbands birthday and I wanted to come up with a card I knew he would like.  Now, like a lot you out there, masculine cards can be dufficult sometimes.  However, I got this idea in my mind and it turned out pretty much the way I envisioned it.  I love it when that happens!  So here it is....

I used three stamps to make this card.  Two, the truck and sentiment, are from Stampin' Up! And the tree is from Rubber Stampede.  I made a mask of the truck and stamped the tree using this mask to get it behind the truck.  My husband loves this truck image.  He wants to own a truck like this someday.  Well, technically he does own a old '57 Chevy truck but it does not look like this.  It's orange for one and its not in great shape.  He was going to fix it up but has changed his mind.  Too far gone for him.  LOL.  Anyway, I coloured this with coloured charcoal pencils (Schwan Stabilo) that are aquarellable (water soluble). Makes it look like water colour.  I used water colour paper too.  I've never done this technique before.  I've had the pencils for years and never touched them.  I like the effect and I think I'll do this technique again.  In any case, my husband liked the card.  :-)

I think I'll enter this card into the Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog.  Their current challenge is birthdays as its their 4th birthday.  Happy Birthday!  :-)

That's it for now.  Have a fabulous day!

The Ugliest Card Ever

There's a blog hop going on over at The Card Yard and its all about your ugliest card.  I know I have many, many, many.......  Anyway, this card is not from too long ago.  Sometime last year, in fact.  I had this great idea and it just didn't turn out.  The image doesn't work with the background, I got too heavy handed with the sponging and the colours just look blah.  I really don't like this card at all.  I will never give it to anyone.  The funny thing is........I still have it.  LOL.  It's seems like a terrible thing to throw it out.  Well, here is the ugly thing.

Nope, still ugly.  LOL.  So, what's your ugliest card?

Have a fabulous day!