Happy Birthday LOTV!

So, I love LOTV stamps and bought this stamp and a few others when they were having their sale around the holidays. When I heard they were having their 9th b-day and were encouraging us all to make a birthday card in their honor with a chance at winning some stamps on their inspiration blog, I had to join in! This stamp is so perfect for the challenge, I thought.

 I have had Distress Ink pads since I began card making last July and have always loved the look of coloring with them. Well, I finally plucked up the courage to try it and this is actually my second attempt! I will show you all my first when it posts Sunday after next!  I drew my own cupcake and colored it and put it in the silver frame for a charm. The flowers are lovely Wild Orchid Craft and the sentiment stamp is Whimsy Stamps.

The paper pad is Love Me from MME. It was after Valentine's that I bought it in anticipation of next year, but the banner paper screamed birthday for this card!

I hope you all like it and my newbie DI coloring. If anyone has any tips I would love to hear them. I need more shading and I don't know if DI pads are okay to use or if reinkers or markers are better? I have lots of DI pads that I rarely use and just want to use them more often.

I will be entering this card into the following challenges:

LOTV (Birthday card)
Papertake Weekly (Sketchy #66)

Swirls and Lace

 Good morning again! I think this weeks challenge at Stamptacular Sunday will be really easy and fun. It's all about swirls and lace!
Our sponsor this week is Meljens Designs and are offering the winner four digis.


For my card I have used 'Jules' from Saturated Canary. 

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The paper is My Mind's Eye Bramble Rose and I used the sketch for this months Live and Love Crafts Challenge. It is a gorgeous sketch and makes for an easy card! I used Vintage Photo to distress the paper edges and Fired Brick to dye my seam binding a light salmon pink which I weaved through the crochet lace from my stash! I also used some paint in a mini mister diluted with water to spray my flower from Wild Orchid Crafts. 

The cream paper flowers I made myself using the paper from the MME pad and the Tattered Florals die from Tim Holtz. I used the smallest flower and put a pearl in the centers to tie in the pearl swirl I have running down the right side. I love the swirl! It is from Close to My Heart. And for an added extra something I have some pearl stamens also from Wild Orchid Crafts sticking out of my flower bunch. 

This sweetie was colored with Copics. I had her hair and skin colored for months and just got around to coloring the rest of her!

Here's a close up of my little flowers!

And here are the Copics I used.

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

Live and Love Crafts (Sketch)
Bunny Zoe's Crafts (Pearls and Flowers)
Allsorts (Animals)
A Gem of a Challenge (Bow)
CMC (Girly Image)
Paper Creators (Flowers)
Crafty Catz (dies and punches)
Forever Friends (Animals)
Penny's Paper (anything goes)

Layer it Up

It's another Sunday and time for another challenge with Kenny K's Krafty Krew! It is Team B's turn to inspire you for this weeks challenge:

Layers

We have two sponsors:

One lucky winner will be able to choose 5 digis from Kenny K Downloads

                               Another lucky winner will receive a generous Gift Voucher from Bearly Mine

Hop on over to the Kenny K blog to see what layered creations the DT have come up with and join in for a chance to win! And, please check back soon for my DT card for this weeks Stamptacular Sunday challenge.

Thanks as always:)

Two's Company

***This is my second post today, so please scroll down to see my Kenny K DT card if you haven't seen it                   already! ***

Good morning again everyone! I am so glad it is a three day weekend as I am sick again:( I don't know what's going on, but I just keep catching everything these last few months. Ugh! The good thing though is that it is another challenge at Stamptacular Sunday!

This week's challenge is a…

“TWO’s Company!”

For this weeks challenge you will create a card that uses 2 stamps, 2 colors and 2 embellishments!  Oh…and don’t forget to STAMP!  Afterall…we don’t call this the STAMPtacular Sunday Challenge for nothing!      

You will have from now until midnight (EST) February 23^rd, 2012 to complete this challenge and post a DIRECT LINK to your submission into our InLinkz in order to be entered into the drawing for this week's fabulous prize donated by:

STITCHY BEAR DIGITAL STAMPS

PRIZE:  $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

For my card, I used "Wish Upon a Star" from Lili of the Valley. I've had it for awhile and finally colored her up and got her on a card.

The papers are MME In Bloom. The flowers are Wild Orchid Craft and the perfect sentiment is a Whimsy Stamp. I finally remembered to use my ticket die to cut it out! So, the flowers and the die cuts are my two embellishments and my two colors are peachy-pink and yellow. You might be able to tell from my image close up that I got a little caught up in the decorating that I almost put too many embellies on! I made a tulle bow with a charm and adhered it, took a picture and then remembered what the challenge was all about! Whoops! Thankfully it came off easily.

Isn't she sweet? I used R81, 83, 85 to color her and then went over it with a little R20 and 22 to try and give it a little more of a peachy tint. I have had the heather flowers for a while and finally used them. They were white and I used a little paint in a mini mister with water and sprayed them. I also colored the largest peachy flower, too. 

I thought I'd try something different and stamp the image using gray. I think the no line stamping that some people do is interesting, but I still really like the look of a slight line. So, I thought gray was a nice middle ground and I really like the softness it give the image compared to black.

I hope this gives some inspiration to someone out there! Make sure to stop by the Stamptacular blog to see what the other talented DT ladies have to share!

Challenges I'd like to enter:

A Gem of a Challenge (Dies and Punches)

Papertake Weekly (Hearts/Flowers)

CMC (Girly/Feminine)

ABC-Challenge (H-Happy Birthday)

Simply Create Too (Female)

QKR Stampede (A. G.)

Stampin' For the Weekend (Distress)

Charisma Cardz (A.G.)

Going Round and Round

Good morning fellow craftaholics! It's Sunday which means another challenge is starting at the Kenny K's Krafty Krew blog and it's Team A's turn to inspire you with this weeks challenge theme:

Going Round and Round

and our fabulous sponsors are

and

I am so happy with this card! I was stumped as usual with the idea of doing a shaped (round) card and then it dawned on me that I didn't have to. I could add round things to my square card. Duh! Sometimes I have a hard time thinking outside the square box, ha! And this is what I did!

I love the pops of red and I am so happy I finally used my tulip flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts! The black opaque swirl is from Close to My Heart and I computer generated the sentiment. The gorgeously naughty nurse is appropriately named "Naughty Nurse".

I colored her with Copics C0, 3, 5. 7, 9 and some B32 in her hair. Her eyes were B32, 34 and 37. Lips and clothes R32, 34, 37, 59. Skin E000, 00, 11, R20.

I had so much fun coloring her as I do all Kenny K images! I would love for you all to join in the Kenny K fun. They have a new freebie for February, so there are no excuses :)

I'd like to enter the following challenges:

CMC ( Girly and Feminine)

CAS-ual Friday's (B and W +1)

Dilly Beans (Black and Red)

Inspire Me Fridays (AG)

QKR Stampede (A. G.)

Raise the Bar(A.G)

Totally Gorjuss (For the Men)

Alota Rubber Stamps (Multiples of 3- 3circles, 3 flowers)

By the Cute and Girly (Roses are red)

Crafting Cafe  (A. G.)

Shelly's Images (Neutral with a POP of color)

Papertake Weekly (Hearts/Flowers)

PTT Inspiration

It's Tuesday and I have a couple cards to share for the Party Time Tuesday's challenge for this week! We would like to see the number three used or three of something.  We are being sponsored by There She Goes Stamps and the Cutting Cafe, so there are awesome prizes to be won if you join in!

For my first card I have used a really sweet stamp from There She Goes! This sweet pea stamp set came with several different sentiments which were all so cute. I had a hard time choosing which sentiment to use and I actually changed my mind at the last minute and restamped my white cardstock! 

 I colored the flowers up with Copics. For a dimensional look I stamped the image twice, colored one, cut the petals out and popped them on foam tape and adhered them to the other image. For my three of something I used MS Doily punch to layer three papers. I added some seam binding dyed with Fired Brick DI and inked the paper edged lightly with Walnut Stain.

 For my second card I was lucky enough to use a cutting file from the Cutting Cafe. I also used their digital image called Valentine's Laundry on the front. It comes black and white or pre-colored like I have used it. I think it's called Heart Trifold card. My 'three of something' is the three large hearts I cut out and faux stitched and the three gems on the heart for my Happy 'heart' day sentiment.

 I wanted to try out a Valentine's card idea for my kids' class Valentines, so I used the cut file with the heart cut out in the center. I taped some cellophane over the heart and folded the last page behind the heart like a pocket, added some M&M's and glued it shut. I thought it was really cute, but I don't think I have the patience to make 75 of them! Maybe I'll make three more- one for each of my kids and figure out a simpler, quicker one for their classes.

I hope you all get some inspiration from my projects and can't wait to see your creations with '3'! And, if you have any ideas for a quick Valentine's to hold a handful of M&M's please chime in!

From The Heart

Hello again! This is my second post for the day, so scroll down if you'd like to find out what the theme this week is for the Kenny K challenge!

Stamptacular Sunday has another challenge for you this week! The theme is "From the Heart". 

For this weeks challenge you will create a card with a sentiment as the MAIN FOCUS of your card.  The theme and colors are your choice!  Oh…and don’t forget to STAMP!  Afterall…we don’t call this the STAMPtacular Sunday Challenge for nothing! 

The lucky winner of the challenge will win their choice of 7 digis from Bugaboo!

I was lucky enough to find a cute dollar stamp at Joann's to use for this challenge. I cut my own heart out of red cardstock and used foam dimensionals over the stamp's heart. I used black and white stripe ribbon that I won from the Color Me Creative contests they had over Christmas from a Close to My Heart sponsor. I wish I knew her name now. I feel terrible. I used a flourish embossing folder for the background and I really like how simple and classy it looks.

This is the perfect challenge to join to get a Valentine's made for that special someone. If you need more inspiration check out the Stamptacular Sunday Challenge to see the other DT's  "From the Heart" cards.

Thanks for looking and can't wait to see what you all create!

I'd like to enter this card into the following challenges:

TBD

To the One I Love

Good Sunday morning everyone! It's time for another challenge over at the Kenny K Krafty Krew Challenge blog! 

This week's theme is "To the One I Love".

We are sponsored by Kenny K Downloads

the winner gets to choose 5 Kenny K digis!

Our second sponsor is Marianne Designs

with this awesome stamp set and die set!

Don't forget that to be in the running for these generous prizes we would like to see you use a Kenny K image.

It's Team B's turn so be sure to check out Kenny K's Krafty Krew for inspiration!

And, please look out for my second post for today for my Stamptacular DT card for this weeks new challenge:)

Gents and Gems

I'm back again with my Stamptacular Sunday Challenge card, so if you missed my Kenny post just scroll down to the next post!

For this week it is all about the men in your life! It's Gents and Gems this week! We want you to use a male image and throw some gems in there for good measure!

This is my take:

The image is "Cool Trucker" by Kenny K colored with Copics.  I used some gray gems for a masculine touch and added some orange eyelets in the top right corner to balance the orange stars in the opposite corner. For some reason I always want to add eyelets to boy cards! The paper is Heidi Swapp's No Limits.  

Thanks for looking and please check out the Stamptacular blog to see more inspiring creations for our Gents and Gems challenge!

I'd like to enter thi card into the following challenges:

Bunny Zoe (Anything Goes)

Simon Says Stamps (Anything Goes)

Oozak (Anything goes with your fave colors-Blue)