Thank You, Pt. 1

Hello!

Today's featured card is a thank you card for a very lovely lady.  I can't be any more specific than that because, on the off chance that she's checking out my blog, I don't want to spoil the surprise. 

Believe it or not, this card was quite difficult for me.  I'm thinking it's because I don't use a lot of green of this shade in my cards, and I had quite a time figuring out how to incorporate it into a cohesive whole.  The image was easy enough to work with, and I knew I wanted to make the card blue and white with yellow accents, but that pesky green nearly got my goat.  In fact, I had the bow adhered to the card with some other bits of ribbon attached underneath, and it screamed "hot mess!" at me so loudly that I took it off, took it apart, retied the bow (no small feat with bits of glue dots still adhered) and simplified the whole decoration a bit.  The patterned paper is just plain white card stock with my favorite flourish from the Stampin'Up! stamp set "Everything Eleanor" stamped all over it.  This was layered onto green card stock and sewn with a nice "U" stitch.  In green, of course.

The image was colored with Copics and the flower centers have a bit of gold glitter added for pizzazz.  It was then layered onto a yellow lacy oval die cut and decorated with a green satin bow.

Sooo...when reading a tag, one reads from left to right, correct?  Note to self: stamp the words backwards on the tiny tag so they don't show upside down on the finished card.   <sigh>

Rhinestones finish the front of this fresh, springlike card.

The inside has been completed with contrasting card stock and some stamped-off flourishes from the same  stamp as was used on the front.

I hope she realizes how grateful I am for her and the assistance she gave to me recently.

Thank you for joining me today and I wish you a lovely, floral fresh spring day full of crafting goodness.

Happy crafting!
 

In Sympathy

Hello.

Today I'm sharing with you the card that nobody wants to make, and that is a sympathy card.  A friend's grown child suddenly passed away over the weekend and I was informed about it yesterday.  I will be going to the memorial service tomorrow, and I will be sending this card to the family today.

As it is for such a somber occasion, I've kept it extremely simple.  The image is from Flourishes ("Calla Lilies," but I think it might have been discontinued) and I've colored it with Copics.

I've inked the edges of the base layer with light green ink and raised it up along with the flourish die cut window so there would be some dimension on an otherwise rather flat card.  Both layers of the sentiment have also been raised.  

Pearls on the four corners complete this card.

That's it for today, dear readers, and please offer up a prayer for the family.  To bury one's child is an unthinkable situation.

Hugs,

Shea

No challenges today.

Snowflake Bear at A Gem of a Challenge

Hello!

It's time for another challenge over at A Gem of a Challenge, and this week (Challenge #91) the theme is "Pearls", which can include anything pearlescent, be it paints, papers, embellishments, etc. This challenge will run from 8:00 AM August 3, to 6:00 PM August 9, and the prize for the winner will be 2 individual digi images (NOT SETS) from Pink Gem Designs. So do head on over and see what the rest of the lovely Design Team have created, then join us, won't you? We'd love to see you!

For this card I used the adorable PGD stamp "Baby Polar Bear."  Isn't she just the sweetest thing?  For the white base layer I sponged two colors of blue ink through a snowflake stencil.  OK, I'll confess - I used the wrong color of blue ink and redid it with the correct color thus giving a slightly two-toned appearance.  I like it.

I colored her with Copics then masked her while I airbrushed the background, also with Copics.  Some clear glitter on the littls stars and snow, and some gold glitter on the big star added a nice note of sparkle.  I splattered some thinned white acrylic paint to mimic falling snow, once again masking the image.

The diecut snowflakes have been glittered up, and I hand wrote the word "JOY" on the tiny banner and added a couple of pearls.  Pearls also decorate the little bear's winter scarf.

A different angle to try to show the sparkle and dimension.

I also stenciled the inside a little bit.

Thank you so much for joining me today and I wish you a lovely Saturday doing the things YOU want to do, be it crafting, spending time with the family, or both!  And don't forget to visit us at A Gem of a Challenge and play along!

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Simon Says...Anything Goes
Divas By Design - Favorite Color Combination (red and navy)
Pile It On - Anything Goes

Stamp Nation - Sketch

 

Teddy Girl

Hello!

It's time for another challenge over at A Gem of a Challenge, and this week (Challenge #86) the theme is "Teddies."  This challenge will run from 8:00 AM June 29, to 6:00 PM July 5, and the prize for the winner will be 2 individual digi images (NOT SETS) from Pink Gem Designs. So do head on over and see what the rest of the lovely Design Team have created, then join us, won't you? We'd love to see you!

My project today is a gift bag for a baby.  I've never done a gift bag before so it took longer than expected, but it was fun working with large sizes of everything and I look forward to making more of them!

The stamp is Baby Girl Teddy (available here) and she was so much fun with which to work.

I colored her using Copics and gave her fur some texture using Colorless Blender and a piece of terry cloth.  As I was coloring her booties I suddenly ran out of one of the pink colors and didn't have a refill - yikes!  Fortunately I had enough for both booties and the bow and decided to paper piece her jammies.


The pacificer ring is a jewelry jump ring, and the baby bottle is a button that my daughter discovered in a jar of vintage buttons last week.  Lucky for me!


The trim on the baby's outfit is made with Puffies which I like much more than regular puff paint as you puff it with a heat tool as soon as you apply it - no dry time required.

I used the Silhouette Cameo for several elements - the large doily, corner flourish, words, and to cut the image out (yay, no fussy cutting!); however, I chose to attach the charms separately, as I wanted a little movement on this piece.  They are colored with Smooches and attached with metallic gold braided thread.

I painted the words with white Creative Inspirations shimmer paints and added a few rhinestones for stars.  I even had baby-theme tissue paper!

A pretty two-ribbon bow and a lace rosette flower finish things off.

I offered to give this to my daughter as her boss' wife is going to have a baby in a couple of weeks, but they're having a boy so it's back to the drawing board for me.  Anyone need a baby bag for a girl?

Thank you for joining me today and I do hope you'll head over to the Pink Gem Designs challenge!
Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Simon Says - Anything Goes
Crafts and Me - Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Stripes (base layer)
Color Throwdown #248
Crafty Ribbons #50 - Anything Goes w/Ribbon

Winged Sentiment - Challenge Day at Digi Darla's

Hello! 

It's time for another challenge over at Digi Darla's Challenges, and this week's theme is Challenge #59 - Earth Day, which requires at least one thing recycled on your project.  One winner will receive 5 Digi Darla images, and any entries using a DD image get entered into a SECOND drawing for 3 images, so you could conceivably win 8, yes, eight Digi Darla images!  It's happened before!
If you use a Digi Darla image, make sure after you link up to add DD with your name so we won't miss you!  

You have until April 27, 9:00 PM EST, to link up to the Digi Darla website.

My card today is using wings again.  I guess I'm in a "things with wings" kind of mood lately.  The DD image is actually a sentiment, "Good Friends Are Like Angels," which you can find here.  Sometimes I don't want an image so much as I want to just say something, albeit with a bit of decoration.  (A bit?)

My recycled item is the large pink and white flower, for which I used a piece of cardboard from a shipping box, and said box contained craft supplies.  Fitting, right?  I should have taken pictures, but I think we all know what corrugated cardboard looks like.  I first dry brushed it with white acrylic paint, then dry brushed it again with pink, then when that was dry I ran it through the Big Shot to flatten it before die cutting the shapes.

 
Here's a closeup showing the flower with the rhinestone brad in the middle and some of the hand dyed flowers surrounding it, plus a little of the tulle that's behind it.

And here's a close up showing the rest of the flowers.  I colored white and tan flowers with Copics and alcohol as one would use watercolors, dipping the brush in alcohol, then in some Copics ink that was smeared on an acrylic block.  The colorful edges were done with Copics dabbed on afterwards.  Perfect Pearls comprise their centers.  

And here you also get a close up of some more of the wonderful, hand made lace that I recently bought at an antiques shop.  I probably bought 6 or 8 different kinds which you will be seeing in many, many upcoming projects.  The lady who made them had no idea how far and wide her lovely laces would travel!

Here you can see the two dp's which I stamped with coordinating inks and also DI in the opposing corners.  Gives the dp a little more depth.  And see that wonderful leafy ribbon?  That comes from Really Reasonable Ribbon, as do the green ribbons behind the main flower.

 
The "image" was colored with Copics, sponged with distress inks, and layered atop the wings.

And that, my friends, is my little card today.  I'm not really sure how I'm going to mail it as I don't have any plastic card boxes big enough.  I guess it'll get very special packing.

Thank you for taking the time to join me today, and do visit the Digi Darla challenge to see what the other DT has come up with, then do play along with us, won't you?  We'd love to see you! 

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Tuesday Throwdown #143 - Focus on the Sentiment
Creative Card Crew #34 - Handmade Flowers
Frilly and Funkie - Upcycle for Earth Day
Inky Impressions #105 - Punches/Dies
Crafty Ribbons #43 - Pink and Green
Allsorts #203 - A Passion for Flowers
Fussy and Fancy #87 - Vintage

Pile It On #16 - Budding Color Inspiration

Shabby Postcard - Challenge Day at A Gem of a Challenge

Hello!

It's time for this week's challenge over at A Gem of a Challenge, and the theme this week (Challenge #76) is "Distress It."  This challenge will run from 8:00 AM April 20 to 6:00 PM April 26, and the prize for the winner will be 2 individual digi images (NOT SETS) from Pink Gem Designs.  So do head on over and see what the rest of the lovely Design Team have created, then join us, won't you?  We'd love to see you!

My card today uses two digis from PGD, Butterfly Postcard and Keep Calm and Eat Cake.  I have quite decided I like combining digis, and these two go together like, well, cake and frosting.  Speaking of which, my cards lately seem to have had lots of "card frosting."  Guess it's a clear indicator of how I like my cake.  A little cake (or card) and LOTS of frosting (embellies).

I've noticed a lot of challenges lately focusing on Earth Day, which is April 22, and their requirements are to recycle something, which inspired me to use a couple of recycled items on this card. 

 One is the paper toweling I used for the roses. 

After spraying some ribbon with some of my homemade shimmer sprays (pink and brown), I used a paper towel to wipe up the interior of my spray box, and I liked the look on the towel, so I sprayed it a little more and die cut it with SB Rose Creations dies to make roses!  You can see where the original wiping section was, but that just gave more depth to the resulting flowers.

The other recycled item was the gold leaf I used on the buttons.  There are always "crumbs" left over when I use gold leaf, and I do hate to throw them away, so this time I used them on some buttons.

The remaining flowers were airbrushed with Copics, and the leaves were enhanced down the centers with Copics as well.

Perfect Pearls form the centers of the flowers.

And I couldn't resist a teeny, tiny gold leafed button to use as the "postmark."

Close up of the messy bow with another gold leafed button and some linen thread.  You can see the distressed edge of the base layer on which I also stamped some French script for depth, then sponged around the edges with distress inks.

And that, dear readers, is my distressed card for today's challenge.  Please do join us at A Gem of a Challenge this week - we'd love to see you!

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

The Shabby Tea Room #162 - Pretty Shabby (recycled paper towels and gilding "crumbs")
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner #58 - Spring Has Sprung
Tuesday Throwdown #143 - Focus on the Sentiment
Creative Card Crew #34 - Handmade Flowers
Frilly and Funkie - Upcycle for Earth Day 
Red Carpet Studio #32 - Hollywood Noir
Inky Impressions #105 - Punches/Dies
Fussy and Fancy #87 - Vintage

613 Ave. Create #15 - Sketch

 

Hello, Friend- Pink Gem Challenge "Animals"

Hello!

It's time for this week's challenge over at A Gem of a Challenge, and the theme this week (Challenge #74) is "Animals."  This challenge will run from 8:00 AM April 6 to 6:00 PM April 12, and the prize for the winner will be 2 individual digi images (NOT SETS) from Pink Gem Designs.  So do head on over and see what the rest of the lovely Design Team have created, then join us, won't you?  We'd love to see you!

My card today uses four, count them, four digi stamps.  That's my record to date as I'm still somewhat new to the world of digi's.

They are Little Gem in Love,Wall, the brand new Blossom Branch (which I flipped), and Love Birds, which I altered a bit.  And isn't that the fun of digi stamping?

I combined some fun techniques for my background paper, including heat embossing with clear ep on white CS using large doily stamps, then airbrushing the layer with a yellow Copic.  Then I embossed some smaller doilies, again using clear ep, then airbrushed pink and blue Copics which blended with the yellow to result in a host of Easter colors.  I know, I know, Easter's come and gone, but this blend of pastels is my favorite mix of all.  Work with me, people. 

Of course the Copics covered up the embossing, but a little alcohol on a towel wiped it off cleanly.

 Here's a closeup of the paper in action.  And the satin ribbon behind the crochet lace.

The image was colored with Copics, with chalk applied to the outer edge.

The sentiment is actually two stamps, surrounded by Perfect Pearls.  A double bow using two colors of ribbon finishes this card, and that, dear friends, is all I have for today.  Thank you for taking the time to join me, and I wish you a lovely day of crafting.  Don't forget to come join us at 
A Gem of a Challenge!

Happy crafting!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Little Gem in Love,Wall, the brand new Blossom Branch (which I flipped), and Love Birds (all PGD); Delicate Doilies (IBS)
Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, So Saffron, Whisper White, pink (unknown)
Ink: printer, Versafine Smoky Gray
Extras: Dies: Rectangle Stax 1 & 2 (Dienamics), circle punch, scallop circle punch, clear ep, heat tool, crochet lace, satin ribbon, Copics, Perfect Pearls, airbrush, chalks.

Challenges entered:

Oozak #13 - Anything Goes w/pearls, lace, ribbon
Timeless Tuesday #214 - Wrap It With Ribbon
Divas by Design - Spring Colors
Crafty Ribbons #42 - Anything Goes w/Ribbon
3 Girl JAM #15 - Pastel Colors w/Ribbon
Frosted Designs - Scallops
My Sheri Crafts #107 - Spring

Flower Power!

Hello and good morning!

Today's card is another floral one since yesterday's card put me in the mood to color flowers again, this time a hibiscus.  I've been wanting to color this image for the longest time, and the technique I used lends itself perfectly to stamps like this.  That technique is the Copics "flick" technique from each end of the petal in two different colors.  For this flower I used R24 (red) and YR04 (orange), plus greens for the leaves, which are separate stamps that I masked for this image.  I then colored the background with blue chalk.

How's THAT for in-your-face color?  I was inspired to go bold because these flowers typically come in bold colors.  I've met very few shy hibiscus..es?  Hibisci? 

The interior of the flower is green flocking, and the stamen is gold glitter.  The sparkle is gorgeous in real life.

The bee is a die cut from the SB Fanciful Flight set, and I applied gold Perfect Pearls to him for some metallic shine.  The sentiment is heat embossed.

I used Dew Drops on the red and green papers, and I already had light green ones on hand but only bright pink as well, so I colored them with Copics R89, and voila, red Dew Drops!  Gotta love alcohol ink.

Here's a peek at the inside where I've used some of the scraps left from the front designs. 

That does it for this simple card.  It's pretty straightforward (can you believe no ribbon, bows or extra flowers??), but of course it took all day yesterday as, once again, I had to fit the crafting in when the baby slept.  (The new puppy for those just coming on board.)  Thankfully she took several small nap-lets.

Thank you so much for taking the time to join me.  Here's wishing you a lovely day full of crafting and anything else that makes you happy.  As for me, I think I'll try a shaped card next.  Hope she takes longer naps!

Happy crafting!

Supplies:

Stamps: Hibiscus (There She Goes Stamps); Make a Wish Quotes (Fiskars)
Ink: Versamark; Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: X-Press It Blending Card; Basic Black (SU); Sugar Rush (Basic Grey)
Extras: Dies: Fanciful Flight, Labels Eighteen (SB); Circle Stax 1 and 2 (Dienamics); black ep, Perfect Pearls, Copics, glitter (Art Institute), flocking, chalks, Dew Drops, dimensionals.

Challenges entered:

Alota Rubberstamps #101 - Multiples of 3 (dew drops, 3 patterns designer paper)
Incy Wincy Designs - Pop It Up
Love To Create #53 - All That Glitters
Crafty Cardmakers #85 - Blooming Images
Timeless Tuesday #208 - Use Red
Creative Card Crew #30 - Birthday
City Crafter #147 - All That Glitters
Frosted Designs - Be Bold
Allsorts #194 - Things With Wings


SSS 198 - Sketch with Spin (Birds and/or Bees)