My First (Intentional) Monochromatic Card

It's Monday, and time for a new challenge at Eureka Stamps.  They don't call these things "challenges" for nothing!  This one scared me!  I have never intentionally made a monochromatic card, although I may have accidentally done it a time or two.  So, setting out to accomplish it set shivers down my spine!  But, I managed it, I think.   In fact, once I figured it out, I decided to make two:

and

I used Eureka Stamps digi 9702 on both of these cards, and colored it with Copic Markers.

The cards were both cut out on my Silhouette.  The butterfly pop up card is found in the Silhouette Online Store.  I used Echo Park cardstock on both cards (same piece of paper, just reversed).

Tell me, which card do you like best?  I can't decided...

And, don't forget to enter the Monochromatic Challenge this week at Eureka Stamps.

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

Sister Act Card Challenge -- ATG

D.L. Art -- Thankful Thursday -- July Linky Party

Fairy Tale Stampers -- Summer (must use stamp/digi)

Totally Gorjuss -- Butterflies

Always Wear Your Invisible Crown!

I have this dog, Sophie.  Everyone calls her the princess.  She's my Golden Retriever that goes to work with me everyday.  She has free reign of the nursing home.  That's 97 residents.  And 145 staff.  And families.  And volunteers. And....well, you get the picture.  She's the princess.  So, when given a choice of The Cutting Cafe assignments this time (Top Hat Set, Party Hat Set, or Assorted Crowns), there was really no choice.  It HAD to be the Assorted Crown set.  And, it HAD to be all about Sophie:

I made this layout of Sophie, at the nursing home, with some of her subjects friends.  She's with some nursing students who instantly fell in love with her, 2 young girls who spent all afternoon lying right beside her, and she's with 2 of the ladies that she spends time with each and every day.  Sophie is a well-loved dog!  I could go on for hours about the benefits of having a free-roaming dog in a nursing home, but I think these pictures speak for themselves.  Does this look like an institution or a home?  Do you see people living in these pictures or waiting around for life to end?  Sophie may be the princess, but being princess is no easy job!
The Path of Positivity Challenge Blog has a theme of "Dreams".  Sophie fulfills many dreams for the residents of the nursing home where she and I work.  She is the reason some of them get out of bed in the morning.  They have to make sure her water dish is filled, they have to make sure and "save her a little something" at meals, they have to go to the activity room to "see what Sophie is up to."  She is a dream maker and fullfiller of dreams at the same time.  Our dreams change as we age and become simpler.  Finding joy in something as basic as a beautiful dog makes life better.  I truly believe that Sophie knows she is at work and has a job to do.  Her favorite rooms seem to be the hospice rooms where she spends countless hours with families.  Yeah, she's the princess, but she deserves the title!

Here's a closeup of the sentiment stamp (it's from Close To My Heart), and Sophie.  The crown I placed above her head is from the Assorted Crown Cutting Files set.  Seriously, that dog was made to wear a crown!

Here's a closeup of another crown I used in the set:

I used my Cricut to cut the heart overlay (CTMH Artbooking Cartridge) and my Silhouette to cut the crowns and the Sophie font.  All products are by CTMH, except the 2 foil papers I used on the crowns -- they are DCWV.

I haven't made a layout for a long time, so it was fun to take some pictures and make this one.  Sophie is a great subject to scrapbook about!

Make sure to check out the Cutting Cafe blog on July 21 to see the rest of the projects by the talented design team.  Leave a comment and you may win 3 sets of your choice. Fun!!

(All pictures used with permission)

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Crafting at the Weekend --  ATG

Fantasy Stampers -- Animal Magic

Creative Fingers -- ATG

D.L. Art Thankful Thursday -- July Linky Party

Fussy and Fancy Challenge blog -- All About Gilrs

Bitten By the Bug 2 -- Dog Days of Summer
Path of Positivity Challenge blog -- Dreams
Anything But a Card Challenge -- ATG
Great Impressions Stamps Monthly Challenge -- Animal Friends

Surf's Up! For My Scrap Chick

Hello, and happy Friday, crafty friends!  It's summertime -- surfin', sippin' cold drinks, enjoying the waves.  Today's project for My Scrap Chick features all of these summertime things:

This surfin' penguin is celebrating warm weather! Doesn't he look like he's having fun, hanging ten?

I sized him to fit on a standard A2 card front, and used various papers from the Fancy Pants Summer Soul 6x6 Paper pad.  The crinkle ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM. It's the Coral Crush from the Caribbean Splash Bundle.  The "LOL!" sentiment is from a retired Close To My Heart stamp set.  

Like this adorable penguin, I'm going to Live Out Loud the rest of this summer!

Don't forget to visit My Scrap Chick for other wonderful cutting files -- and there's always a Friday Freebie!  There's something for anything you can imagine!

Altered Card Box -- for Fitztown

Hello, and happy Thursday!  Fitztown  has a new challenge that started this week.  I'm honored to be guest designing for them again today.  This week's theme is an "altered item". One of my favorite things to alter are card boxes -- it's something I can have on hand and give as a gift, filled with handmade cards:

The box is 6 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 inches deep.  It will hold about 8 handmade cards with envelopes, depending on how embellished they are.  I inked the edges of the box with Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Tarnished Silver, then, using Mod Podge, attached Close To My Heart paper from the Lucy paper pack.  I used the Fitztown image, Garden 7 as the focal point, coloring the flowers to match the papers.  I used Copic markers to color the flowers.  I used a Spellbinders Gold label die in 2 sizes.  The flowers started out white, but I inked them to match the papers and added matching brads (flowers and brads from CTMH).  The rhinestone flourish is also from Close To My Heart.

Here's a view where you can see the box a bit better:

This is a great challenge -- it takes us out of our comfort zones a bit and does what it's supposed to -- challenges us!  I had a wonderful time with my altered card box for Fitztown!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:

Miram's Crafting blog -- containers
The Sailing Pineapple -- Anything but a card (limited to one entry)

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

Hello, and happy Thursday! Do you remember that childhood game of searching for the missing button?  My grandmother, who had the BEST button jar, used to have us play it alot.  I LOVED looking through her button jar and searching for the button!

This week, at Delightful Challenges, the challenge theme is "Button, Button, Use a Button or Brad".  Well, why use one button when you can use several?

Here's what I did this week!

Yup, lots of buttons! A rainbow of buttons!

I used the delightful 'rainbow digi' from Digital Delights by Louby Loo.  It's available colored and uncolored.

I used the Spring Sentiment set and put the "Hello Sunshine" in the cloud.

The papers on this card are Echo Park Dots and Stripes.  The card stock is by Close To My Heart.  The buttons are all from Basic Grey, and they are threaded with Close To My Heart Waxy Flax. I colored the Rainbow image with Copic markers.  I used a We R Memory Keepers Cloud Corner Chomper on the various layers. 

The challenge this week at Delightful Challenges is sponsored by The Robin's Nest 

Come join in our "Button, Button" challenge!

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Sister Act Card Challenge -- ATG
D.L. Art Thankful Thursday -- July Linky Party
Fan-Tastic Tuesday -- ATG (must be square or rectangle)
TTCRD -- ATG (2 of 2)
Crafting From the Heart -- ATG
Love To Scrap Challenge Blog -- ATG
Marker Pop Challenge -- ATG
My Craft Creations -- ATG
The Paper Nest Dolls -- ATG
Avenue 613 Create -- ATG
Scribble and Scrap -- ATG

Papertake Weekly Challenge -- Buttons, Bows & Bling (any combination)

Retarte -- ATG &/or Buttons

You Are My Anchor -- for DigiStamps4Joy

It's Wednesday, and it's time for some mid-challenge inspiration on the DigiStamps4Joy blog.  Our current challenge is "For the Boys".  My husband and I love to kayak and spend time on the water -- especially Lake Superior.  So, I went with a nautical theme for this challenge:

I used the beautiful DigiStamps4Joy stamp, "My Anchor" on this card: 

I colored the anchor with Copic markers, then fussy cut it. I placed it over another stamped image of the anchor.  It was mounted with foam tape on the card base.  I used Fancy Pants paper on this card.  The twine was braided to look like an anchor rope.  It is Cherry Red baker's twine from Timeless Twine. The sentiment is from Unity Stamp Company. 

Come join in on the "For the Boys" Challenge.  You have until July 22!

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

Sister Act Card Challenge -- ATG

D.L. Art Thankful Thursday -- July Linky Party

Cardz 4 Guyz Challenge -- At The Beach

Creative Card Crew Challenge -- Sea/Beach

Fan-Tastic Tuesday -- ATG (must be square or rectangle)

TTCRD -- ATG (1 of 2)

Crafting From the Heart -- ATG

Crafty Cardmakers -- Under the Sea

Love To Scrap Challenge Blog -- ATG

Marker Pop Challenge -- ATG

My Craft Creations -- ATG

The Paper Girls Challenge -- Red, White, and Blue (Main color theme to my card)

The Paper Nest Dolls -- ATG

Avenue 613 Create -- ATG

Scribble and Scrap -- ATG

Fresh Brewed Designs -- By the Sea/Summer

So Sweet Berries -- for SVG Attic

Hello, and happy Tuesday!  We've had a cool, wet summer here in NW Wisconsin, so strawberry season is going longer than usual this year.  I love berry season!  That was the inspiration behind today's project for SVG Attic.

This shaped card from SVG Attic is called the "Sweet Sentiment Card SVG Collection".

Cards like this are so fun because you can get many different looks depending on the papers you use.  The designer papers on this card are all Echo Park Dots and Stripes. 

I hope you enjoyed this berry sweet card -- gotta go pick berries!