Welcome Spring -- for Julia Spiri Challenge Blog

There's a new challenge starting today at the Julia Spiri Challenge Blog.   Challenges go for 2 weeks.  They are anything goes -- with a twist.  This time, the twist is a fun one -- unusual hair color! Oh yeah!  

Here's a springtime beauty with an unusual hair color to share with you:

I used Julia Spiri digital image, The Spring Flowers, colored with Copic markers.

The card base was cut out on my Silhouette Cameo, with a file found in the Silhouette Design Store.  I cut The Spring Flowers out with a oval cross stitch die from Die-Namics.  The ribbon is from Really Reasonable Ribbon.  The sentiment is from Sweet Stamps, cut out with a die from Top Dog Dies.   All the card stock used on this card is from Close To My Heart, except for the Copic X Press It blending card, used to color The Spring Flowers on.

I hope you can join us the next two weeks at the Julia Spiri Challenge blog for our Anything Goes with optional Unusual Hair Color Challenge.  There's great Julia Spiri images to win, and I'd love to see what you make! Please join our Stamps by Julia Spiri Facebook Group, too.  There's contests, inspiration, and tons of fun to be found there!

I'd like to enter this in the following challenges:
D.L. Art -- May Linky party
IDCB -- ATG
TTCRD -- ATG
Not Just Cards -- ATG
Word Art Wednesday -- ATG
Eureka Stamps -- April Showers bring May Flowers
QKR Stampede -- Feminine cards

It's Been Fun! With Sweet Stamps

Greetings, all my crafty friends.  August is fast coming to a close, which means my month of guest designing for Sweet Stamps is ending.  I have enjoyed it very much!  I have one final card on the Sweet Stamps blog today. This week's challenge is a birthday challenge.  Everyone needs a supply of birthday cards, so make one and enter the challenge!  I used several Sweet Stamps on this card, including my favorite butterflies.  Here's what I made:

 

 

I used one of the Artsy Fartsy stamps (AF4), "French Calligraphy" to create the background layer on this card, my favorite "Fanciful Butterflies" set (S600), and "Fancy Birthday Stacked" (9099D) for the Sweet Stamps images. The doily is also from the Sweet Stamps store. It is a Cheery Lynn die, Eastern Star (DL230).  It cuts beautifully!  Designer papers are My Mind's Eye The Sweetest Thing Bluebell 6x6. The ribbon is from 3 Girl JAM and the stick pins are by Close To My Heart.  I made the butterflies by heat embossing with clear embossing powder on Outdoor Denim card stock, then mixing various Perfect Pearls colors with water and painting it on.  The embossed areas resist the paint mixture.  I love the effect. The card is on a CTMH Outdoor Denim card stock base. I think this would be an enjoyable birthday card to receive, how about you?



Anything Goes -- at Sweet Stamps

I am having so much fun with my guest designing for Sweet Stamps this month. The month is going WAY too fast!

A new challenge started yesterday over on the Sweet Stamps blog, and it's the always popular theme of "Anything Goes".

When I was given the opportunity to guest design for Sweet Stamps, I was also given the chance to pick out some stamps to design with.  The first one I chose was this dashing young lady, Margery (Margery 527).  She's a beauty, and I HAD to color her!

 

Isn't she fun? I paired her with some old fashioned looking papers I picked up from Hobby Lobby, added a nostalgic sentiment, also found in the Sweet Stamps store, "Old Fashioned Wish" (9065E). Both images were lightly sponged with Tim Holtz distress ink in worn paper to further the 'aged' look.  Some Close To My Heart ribbon, a stick pin created for me by a friend, a Bazzill card base, and voila, the card is complete! I hope you fall in love with Margery!



A Bouquet of Good Wishes

Hello, blog friends.  I'm guest designing again today on the Sweet Stamps blog.  Their monthly challenge started this week, and the theme is masking.  I worked on several different masking techniques before I came up with one that I liked.  I love daisies, so used them on this card:

 

 

I used the Sweet Stamp, "Daisy Bunch" (3033H) for the masking technique.  The sentiment is Sweet Stamp #9126C, 'A Bouquet of Good Wishes'.  After masking and stamping the daisy image several times, I colored them with watercolor pencils.  I fussy cut several images and used foam tape to elevate them .  The card was cut out on the Silhouette. I used papers from Simple Stories, and ribbon from 3Girl JAM.  Come join the Sweet Stamps Challenge with your own masking challenge!



Everybody likes BLING!

I'm guest designing again today at Sweet Stamps blog. The challenge theme this week is 'bling'.  Yeah.  I LIKE this theme! I had a great time designing a card and blinging it up!

 

 

I used my new favorite, "go-to" butterfly stamp set on this card. It is the Sweet Stamps set, "Fanciful Butterflies" (S600).  There are 4 separate butterflies in this set, and they are beautiful. The sentiment is Sweet Stamps set #9099, "Fancy Birthday 2-line". I used My Mind's Eye Indie Chic:Nutmeg paper on this card, found in the Sweet Stamps store.  I used a Lifestyle Crafts doily die, some 3 Girl Jam ribbon, and bling from my stash.

I stamped the butterflies in 2 different shades of Close To My Heart blue ink (Indian Corn Blue, Crystal Blue) then used CTMH Crème Brulee, Crystal Blue, and Indian Corn Blue inks and a water pen to give them more color. The sentiment is stamped in CTMH cocoa ink.



I'm guest designing for Sweet Stamps! Starting with a Silhouette!

I have a month-long gig guest designing for Sweet Stamps!  I've been excited about this ever since Stacey invited me back in May! I have 5 projects lined up ready to go for the month Woohoo! Can't wait!  Thanks Stacey and Sweet Stamps!

There are weekly challenges at Sweet Stamps, so if you haven't discovered their blog and challenges yet, head on over.  This week's challenge is a silhouette challenge.  I chose the beautiful "Queen Anne's Lace Wildflower" stamp (6008G) to work with:

 

 

I thought I brought everything I would need to make my guest DT projects with when I went on a recent 4-day scrapbook retreat.  I discovered once I got there that I forgot my watercolor paints.  And, that's what I had planned in my head for this card.  So, instead, I used Gelatos.  The pink colored background paper is the top two colors of Gelatos, blended together with a baby wipe.  Then, for the backdrop to the flowers, using watercolor paper, I smudged on some Gelatos, wet down my finger, and blended.  I used Stazon ink for the Queen Anne's Lace Wildflower stamp. Some bling from my stash "tacks" down the corners.

Inside, I stamped this Sweet Stamps sentiment (9126C)...

 

That's it for me this week.  Next week's challenge is BLING! Yeah.  Gotta love that theme! Make a silhouette challenge and come link up!

 

 

 



Pinque Peacock News for Friends With Flair!

It's been an interesting week, but at least I have some great news to share.  My first week of vacation! Monday, I spent the day at work, taking a CPR course.  Not much of a vacation yet there.  Tuesday, 5am, I woke to a sick dog.  Sammy vomited ALL day Tuesday.  The only unusual thing we know of that he ate was one small Andes mint, and I got most of it out of his mouth!  Late Tuesday we took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with pancreatitis.  Not such a good second day of vacation.  Wed., day 3, Sammy seemed slightly better, so my husband and I traveled to the "big city" to do a little shopping and lunch.  Four hours later, when we returned home, we were faced with a totally vomit-filled kitchen, hallway, and bathroom from one end to the other.  Sammy had re-lapsed.  He was hospitalized from Wednesday afternoon until late Thursday.  When we were bringing him home, we noticed he was limping on his left front leg.  So, Friday, day 5, we took him back to the vet to see what happened to his leg.  They aren't admitting to anything, but didn't charge us for the visit and did give us some pain pills for the injury.  If this is vacation, I think I'd rather be at work!!  Today, my husband prepared the decks for staining, and tomorrow I'm going to spend the day staining decks.  How traumatic can that be?

Now, for my much more exciting news!!!When I started on the 3 Girl JAM design team last February, I became acquainted with Jessica Shelton-Buffa, a fellow designer.  I soon fell in love with her Pinque Peacock products AND Jess herself.  Jess is  all heart and energy -- what's NOT to love?  So, earlier this summer, when Pinque Peacock put out a design team call, I decided to apply. Today is the day I get to make it public that I'm one of the newest Pinque Peacocks!  Yea!  Can't wait to get my hands on those products and start designing!  In honor of the occasion, I created a card using some Pinque Peacock stickpins that I just "happened" to have!

 

 

I used a Pinque Peacock Angel Stick Pin on this card.  There's also a Unity Stamp set, "Moments in Bloom", Sweet Stamps "Fanciful Butterflies" set, 3 Girl JAM crinkle ribbon, My Mind's Eye 6x6 Indie Chic "Saffron" papers, and a crystal flourish from Close To My Heart. I used a water pen and ink on each butterfly to get the realistic effect.

There's an announcement today on the Pinque Peacock blog about all the new Pinquettes.

My husband and I both have next week off, too.  We're praying for a more relaxing, enjoyable week! Maybe I'll have some time to get crafty with my Pinque Peacock pretties!

 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp -- anything goes

Sister Act Card Challenge -- anything goes