Spring at last

Hello and good morning!

While I'm busy working on several upcoming challenge posts, I thought I'd show you a little of what's going on in my garden.  Today's high is going to hit 82 and spring is in full force.  We'll be having a few days of chilly weather (nights in the 40's, days in the 60's starting tonight), but that won't stop these babies from strutting their stuff.

The big spring crescendo won't happen for another few weeks, but the ladies are gearing up now.

This is Maggie.  She's an antique rose and wonderfully fragrant, with a sweet, yet peppery, scent.  When the weather's just right (like it is this morning), you can smell her all over the backyard.  What a way to greet the day.

A closeup.

Zephirine Drouhin, another antique, also very fragrant.  She, too, can be smelled throughout the yard.  She's also thornless and a very enthusiastic climber.  I tied her back in the fall, but as you can see she didn't want to stay put.  (The climber on the side of the house, Climbing Pinkie, will be featured later when she's got more blooms on her.)

This is Lafter, a somewhat modern rose and one of the only ones (the rest are antiques).  She's not a pretty lass to look at except when she blooms, and her blooms don't last long once fully opened, hence the closeup of this partially opened blossom.  Her coloring earns her a place in the garden.

Lots of iris.  The red Knockout roses are just getting going.  They will be covered with blooms off and on until fall.  Such hard workers!

By the front door.  The bushy rose in front of the pot of pansies is covered with buds.  Give her another couple of weeks and she'll be a mass of pink.  "The Fairy" is her name.

The climber behind is another Maggie, not a true climber, but this one loves to ramble about.  She, too, will be covered in blooms soon.  The red rose in front is another Knockout.

Doesn't look like much, right?  Just a big, rangy green shrub (Pittosporum); however, since I have no plants in my gardens that get to just sit around and look green...

... this one blooms with these tiny white flowers which are rich with a heady, warm fragrance much like that of honeysuckle or gardenia.  For the next few weeks the garden, the back alley, and the sidewalk on the other side of the fence will be heavy with this wonderful fragrance, my gift to the neighbors. There are no prima donnas in my garden - all of my plants have to work for a living by either having beautiful blooms, fragrance, attractive fall foliage, or a combination.  Ha!

So that, dear friends, is a taste of what the beginning of spring looks like in my little corner of the world.  The iris are in full bloom, but everything else is just getting going.  Will share more later as their dramas develop!

Happy crafting!  (And gardening!)

Winged Rose - Challenge Day at Digi Darla

Hello! 

It's time for another challenge over at Digi Darla's Challenges, and this week's theme is Challenge #58 - How Does Your Garden Grow, which requires flowers, trees or veggies in your card.  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!

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!  
 

My card today uses the Angel Wing Set 3 digi stamp.  I decided to do something different for this little notecard, hence the flying rose.  Why would a rose fly?  Well...I don't know, honestly, but I love it when wings are attached to objects.  Usually one sees hearts with wings, but I wanted to be different this time.  And since there's no sentiment, it can be used for any sort of girl card.

I printed the wings out on some lovely digi paper for a vintage feel and curled them a little bit to give them a bit more dimension.

The ribbon is hand dyed seam binding and the little embellishment in the middle is a bead cap with a pearl in the middle.  I've also used pearl string (or string pearls?) both behind the bow and around the inner edge of the oval base layer.

The tag was cut from more digi paper, and the little corner flourishes were die cut from crafter's foil, then pounded with a small hammer to flatten and distress them a bit.  "Pounded" is a bit strong, gently tapped is more like it.  They are paper, after all.  I embossed the top of the tag with gold ep.

The lace with ribbon running through it is an interesting piece.  I bought yards and yards of it at an antique store a couple of weeks ago from a lady who was selling her deceased mother's extensive supply of fabrics and trims, and I snagged several bags of wonderful old, hand crocheted laces, of which this was one.  There were probably 10 yds. of it in the bag, some of which I shared with my daughter.  It's gorgeous, and to think someone made it with their own hands.  I once tried crocheting with a metal hook.  Um...NOT.  It's big hooks for me.  I just don't have that kind of patience.  Or eyesight (anymore).

And that, dear readers, is my card for this week.  I hope you're inspired to check out the Digi Darla store, and while you're there, please check out the challenge as well to see what the rest of the lovely DT has created for you, and then play along!

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Oozak #13 - Anything Goes w/Pearls, Lace, Ribbon
Simon Says...April Showers and/or Spring Flowers
Divas by Design - Flowers
Crafts & Me #128 - Lace and Pearls
Charisma Cardz Challenge #14 - Tags
Allsorts #202 - Letter of name ("S" for Shea and seam binding)
RCS#32 - Hollywood Noir (vintage theme)
Pile It On #15 - Embossing
Eclectic Ellapu - Put a Tag On It

New DT Member for Inspired By Stamping

Hello and good Friday morning!

I am thrilled and delighted to tell you that I've been invited to be one of the two newest Design Team members for one of my favorite stamp company blogs, Inspired by Stamping (IBS)!  There is so much to see and do on this site, including shopping, entering challenges, learning from the many tutorials, etc., and I have enjoyed their products and challenges since I first discovered them a few months ago.  And now I get to play with the girls all of the time!

My card today was modeled after one of the tutorials on Whoo Hoo Wednesday by the talented designer, Kendra Sand.  It was WHW #95, how to make a shaped notecard.  I used the largest die from Fancy Label Dies 1 for the card itself and a smaller one for the sentiment, with one of the stamps from the All Year Wishes 1 stamp set.  I've inked the edges of the paper for a more vintage feel, then applied some Scalloped Border Crochet Trim, topped by a thin strip of vintage velvet ribbon.

The pearls are from my stash, and the flowers are IBS Small Flowers, which I sprayed with a homemade shimmer spray to add a more vintage feel.

This little card, while small in size, will be ever so useful as a simple note for various reasons, and I enjoyed making it so much I plan to make many more!

So head on over to the IBS website and check out the IBS store and Joanna's blog, and look for me soon!

Happy crafting!!

Challenges entered:

Oozak #13 - Anything Goes w/pearls, lace, ribbon
Simon Says...April Showers and/or Spring Flowers
Divas by Design - Flowers
Crafts and Me - Lace and Pearls
613 Ave. Create #14 - Anything Goes w/Spring Fever (my roses are blooming!)

StampNation LIVE!

Hello!!

I'm back from the First Annual StampNation LIVE! event and have taken a couple of days to recover and catch up.  I have to say it was the most WONDERFUL event and far exceeded my expectations.  There were approximately 30 members in attendance, many of whom have known each other since StampNation's inception, and we are already looking forward to a much larger group next year!  I've been with them for a year and felt like they were my family, so it was nice to finally get to see them face-to-face.

 

Crafters have to be some of the nicest people on the planet, and there were quite a few tears when we said goodbye to each other.  Some were even my own!

 

Me with the founder of StampNation, Catherine Pooler.  She is a livin' DOLL.

A few of us made a midnight run to Walmart for "stuff" (including hairspray for me) on Friday night, but first we stopped by Catherine's home to see her fabulous craft room.  Yes, we are all in our jammies.  Yes, we went in our jammies to Walmart.  It WAS midnight, after all, and we were right in the middle of the StampNation LIVE Pajama Party.  Did I say it was midnight, after all?

More hijinks.

My BFF Kimie.  (Or Kimie-kins as I have nicknamed her.  She's my sweetie pie.)

There are plenty more pictures.  About 750-800, to be closer to exact because one of the members' husband came along who spent 3 days photographing the constant action and fun.  What a guy!  Suffice it to say, a great time was had by all and we are already planning for next year's event.  The SEQUEL!

Thank you for joining me today, and I wish you a lovely warm spring-like Thursday.  As for me, I'm going to pick up my other sweetie, Sweetie, who has been in Puppy Bootcamp for two weeks for obedience training.  It's now time to start training her owner!

Happy crafting!

Sweet Baby - Digi Darla Challenge #57

Hello! 

It's time for another challenge over at Digi Darla's Challenges, and this week's theme is Challenge #57 - Take Me Out to the Ballgame, which requires the use of a pennant, flag or banner.  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!

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!  

My card today uses the super cute Blessing of Heaven 3.

 

I colored the little darling with Copics and used gold glitter for the teensy hanging star.

Can you see the sparkle on the doily? I also added glitter to the grungeboard star which I first painted with Creative Inspirations paints.

The banner was stamped, cut out, then folded over a strip of baker's twine with the addition of tiny bows and more glittery grungeboard stars as "anchors." 

And that is today's card.  Thank you so much for joining me and I hope you'll head over to Digi Darla's challenge to check out the offerings of the other members of the DT, then play along with us!

Happy crafting!

Supplies:

Stamps: (DD) Blessing of Heaven 3, (Paper Sweeties) Banner Wishes, (Recollections) Miniature Alphabet
Ink: Printer, Versafine Smoky Gray
Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Annalee (Prima)
Extras: Dies: Circle Stax 1 & 2, Dainty Doily Duo (Dienamics), CI Paints (Mellow Yellow, Canary), Copics, chipboard stars, CI Resplendence Angel Dust (glitter), baker's twine, gold glitter

Challenges entered:

Tammy's Scrappin' Corner #57 - 1 image, 2 dies (circle, doily), 3 embellishments (stars)
Inky Impressions #104 - For a Child
Crafty Ribbons #42 - Anything Goes w/Ribbon (does twine count?)
3 Girl JAM #15 - Pastel Colors w/Ribbon (does twine count?)
Frosted Designs - Scallops 

Paper Sweeties Sketch #6

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

Creative Inspirations

Hello and good morning!

This is a short post as I am out of town having a wonderful time at The Great Stamping Retreat, but I did want to pop in to announce that I've been invited to be one of the designers over at Creative Inspirations Paints.  I am thrilled half to death because I have loved these products ever since reading about them in blogland, and now I get to play with the ever so talented ladies on the team.  I will be posting my first project soon!

The  water-based paints are wonderfully shimmery and easy to work with, but what makes them so wonderful is that they're useful in so many applications.  You can dye ribbon, finger paint with them, thin them out, make shimmery sprays, and so on.  There are dozens of wonderful tutorials, plus the designers themselves inspire with their creative ideas, so please head on over to see for yourself.  And while you're there, don't forget to join their latest challenge "Inspired By: Anything Goes."

Happy crafting!

It's finally here!

Hello and good morning!

Just a note to say I'll be away for a few days at a much anticipated event in North Carolina that I like to call The Great Stampin' Retreat.  It is being hosted by my lovely friend Catherine Pooler of http://catherinepooler.com/.  She also runs the forum StampNation, which you can find here.  This forum is chock full of information, inspiration, education, and some of the most fun chit chat around.  I've learned a lot from this lovely lady and suggest you pop on by to see what she's all about.

I first discovered Catherine and her sites soon after I discovered the wonderful world of card making and have been a member ever since.  Not long after joining, several of us hinted that she host a retreat, and now she is doing just that.  (Oh, who am I kidding - we BEGGED her to host it!)  I am so excited to meet many of the wonderful ladies with whom I've been conversing over the past year!  There will be plenty of activities, gabbing, a pajama party and lots of pictures, which I will share with you here; however, I'll still be popping in to submit DT work, plus I have some exciting news to announce tomorrow!

So stay tuned, and in the meantime, happy crafting!!

Dancing Grampa

Hello! 

It's time for another challenge over at Digi Darla's Challenges, and this week's theme is Challenge #56 - Laughter Is the Best Medicine.  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!

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! 

My masculine birthday card today uses the Digi Darla stamp Dancing Gramps, which you can find here, and Dance And Pray, which you can find here.

I've paper pieced his mismatched (on purpose) clothes in two sections each so as to give the impression of depth and dimension.

You can get a better look at the layers here.  I've colored the rest of him with Copics and airbrushed the background with Copics as well.

And no, he is not drinking iced tea.  Not dancing like THAT!  The glass is shiny with Glossy Accents.

Some grommets add a bit of pizzazz to the sentiment.

Thank you for joining me today, and please do head on over to Digi Darla's challenge to see what the lovely design team has cooked up for you.  We'd love to have you join us!

Happy crafting!

Supplies:

Stamps: Dancing Gramps, Dance and Pray (both DD)
Ink: printer
Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, Basic Black (SU), A Mother's Love (MME)
Extras: Dies: Rectangle Stax 1 & 2 (Dienamics), Copics and airbrush, grommets, Glossy Accents,

Challenges entered:

Simon Says...Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes ("A very strict challenge")
Tammy's Scrappin' Corner #56 - Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers #88 - Humor 
Divas By Design - Use Metal
Charisma Cardz Challenge #12 - Happy Birthday

March Guest Designer - IBSIC Challenge #52

Hello!

Today is a happy day and a sad day all at the same time.  Once again, I am privileged to play along with the delightfully talented DT over at the Inspired By Stamping Inspiration Challenge (IBSIC).  That's the happy part.  The sad part is that this is my last week to do so.  Waahh!!  I have enjoyed my time with them immensely and will continue to play along in future challenges, so no, they can't completely get rid of me.  Heh.

The theme this week is inspired by this photo:

So as it's officially Spring (although some parts of the world have yet to see it), I thought I'd do something light, cheerful, perky.  WELL.  Do you ever have a card make itself?  OK, not literally, but what I mean is do you ever have a card that goes in the polar opposite direction of where you wanted it to go?  Because this card did just that.  

This is not light.  Nor cheerful.  Nor perky.  It's vintage.  And dark.  And er, um, downright (dare I say it?) MOODY.  Not bad moody, just...moody.  It's not my fault.  I sat and stared at my papers and dies and stamps and embellishments for a long, long time.  Ask my daughter.  Ask my DOG.  This card took on a life of its own, and if I didn't like it so much I'd almost be afraid of it.  

There are a lot of techniques here (and a lot of words to go with).  I stamped the first layer with a French script stamp because the subtle design already there wasn't enough for me.  

The flourish-y pieces started out as Nearly Navy over which I dry brushed some tan CI Paints, but that wasn't enough, so I then dry brushed Copper, which got the mood going.  The sentiment, from one of my favorite IBS sets "Just Because," was heat embossed with metallic copper ep (also from CI) and then cut with the IBS Fancy Labels Die 1.  Talk about gorgeous.  I inked the edges and then layered it onto a piece of blue CS cut with the next larger die.

I had recently made the tissue paper flowers and airbrushed the larger one with sage and blue Copics and sprayed the smaller one with my homemade antiquing spray.  The leaf flourishes are sage because, by then, I was concerned that the mood was getting too heavy and I needed to lighten things up a bit.

The fan was made with a strip of kraft that I had first drybrushed with a custom mix of CI paints lengthwise before scoring, then brushed over the top with Tan.  I added a gold button (antiqued with CI paint) and some ribbon bits underneath, then placed the whole thing on a lovely seam binding messy bow that I also airbrushed with a couple of colors of Copics.  Actually, it looked dirty when I had finished, so I went and rinsed out as much ink as I could, and THEN I liked it.  Go figure.

And that, lovely readers, is my swan song card for the divine IBSIC site for the month of March.  Maybe it's fitting that it be a little moody.

Thanks ladies, and happy crafting!!

 
Supplies:

Stamps: Just Because (IBS); En Francais (SU)
Ink: Versamark, Marina Mist
Paper: Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Marina Mist, Nearly Navy (all SU); sage scraps, Watercolor Bouquet (K&Co.)
Extras: Dies: Fancy Labels Die 1 (IBS); Leafy Flourish (Dienamics); Antique Frame and Accents (SB), vintage button, ribbon, tissue flowers, seam binding, copper ep (CI Paints) and copper paint (also CI).

Challenges entered:

Ladybug Crafts Ink - Anything Goes
Simon Says...Anything Goes
Divas by Design - Use Metal (button on fan embellishment, metallic copper paint and ep)
Really Reasonable Ribbon #68 - Flowers and Ribbon
Red Carpet Studio #29 - The Secret Garden
613 Ave. Create - Anything Goes

Guest Designer for Digital Delights!

Hello!

What a lovely day this is - I've been asked to be this week's Guest Designer over at Digital Delights by Louby Loo and am tickled half to death!

 

Digital Delights has a FABULOUS website.  Not only do they sell wonderful products (stamps, papers, cut files), but they have an awesome blog and tutorial section filled with dozens, and I mean DOZENS, of inspirational tutorials.  I've learned so much from this exciting website and refer to it regularly!

My card today is different (for me).  Can you tell what it is?  It's got lots of color, several layers, has a decoupaged piece...but... give up?

There's no ribbon!  Or flowers!  Or bling!!  And honestly, I tried adding some bits and pieces here and there, but in the end I felt this darling image, Flower Power Rosie, could stand on her own two feet, as could the Just For You Flower Sentiment.  Believe me, I tried.  Several times.  Digital Delights has scads of images like this that don't need a lot of frippery, and they're fun to color, to boot!!  (They have pre-colored images, too, in case you are so inclined.)

I decoupaged (or is it paper pieced - will someone enlighten me please?) her head/hat and popped it up on dimensionals.  I colored her with Copics and took a gamble on making the hat look like a straw hat as I had never done that before.  

Here's a better image of the popped up layer.  (Again - paper piecing?  Decoupage?)  You can see the subtle coloring around the edges of the image that I achieved using chalks.

And the sentiment, which I also colored with Copics.

And that, lovely peeps, is today's card.  It's not CAS, because I don't do CAS, and the image took ages to color, but this might well be the first card I've ever done that didn't have at least a bit of ribbon on it.

I tried.  Oh yes I did.  But little miss Rosie is just that good that she didn't need it.

Happy crafting!

Supplies:

Stamps: Flower Power Rosie, Just For You Flower Sentiment (both Digital Delights)

Ink: printer

Paper: X-Press It Blending Card, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise, Brights Stack (SU)

Extras: Dies: Labels Eight, Decorative Labels Eight (SB); Circle Stax (Dienamics), Large Scallop Punch (SU), Copics.  See?  Told ya.

Challenges entered:

ALOTA #103 - Springtime

Charisma Cardz Challenge #11 - Die Cuts

Red Carpet Studio #29 - The Secret Garden

613 Ave. Create - Anything Goes

C.R.A.F.T. #199 - Picture Inspiration (see below)