If only I could Read Directions!

Friends with Flair viewers, I apologize.  That entry is 2 down now.  Please scroll to find it.  There's Unity stamps in the next entry, too, though!

I never was very good at following the rules!  Once I started linking my projects on the "those that are left behind" blog hop on cropchocolate.com, I saw that one project can only be entered in 3 challenges.  Darn!  And I was on such a roll with that patriotic card.  But never fear, I'll just whip out another one!  This card will be entered in 3 and only 3 challenges.  And they are:

bethd488 - http://engineeringmemories.blogspot.comPROJECT USING THE AMERICAN FLAG AS INSPIRATION -COULD USE RED, WHITE, BLUE, STRIPES, STARS, ETC.
scrapaddict-laura - http://scrapaddict4life.blogspot.com/CREATE A CARD USING A JOURNAL BOX (aka JOURNAL DIE CUT, JOURNAL SQUARE, ETC..) AND BLING
Christina - www.thriftysisters-chris.blogspot.comA PROJECT CELEBRATING CANADA DAY OR INDEPENDENCE DAY
And, here's the newest challenge entry:

For Those Left Behind Blog Hop Challenge Projects

Friends with Flair peeps, there are projects in the next post for you to see also.  Please scroll down!

I've cranked out 2 projects in a very short period of time for a bunch of challenges over on Cropchocolate.com.  I'm going to enter these 2 projects many different ways.  First, I'll show you what I've made since leaving work at 4pm (it's now 5:45):

I'm going to enter the card in the following challenges:

Create a project using black or dark background with 3 different patterns & a ribbon. This is the challenge of the week on cropchocolate.com.  I started with an Outdoor Denim card base (Close to my Heart), used 3 different papers from the MME American Made paper pack, and used ribbon and homemade baker's twine for the pinwheel stem.

I'm also entering the card in:

clayton528 – http://www.upinthenightwithkat.blogspot.comCREATE SOMETHING THAT REMINDS YOU OF SPRING
Scrappy Canuck – http://scrappycanuck.wordpress.com/CREATE A LAYOUT IN UNDER AN HOUR OR A CARD IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES
by belle - http://stuffbybelle.blogspot.comCREATE SOMETHING THAT INCORPORATES A HANDMADE NON-PAPER ITEM
bethd488 - http://engineeringmemories.blogspot.comPROJECT USING THE AMERICAN FLAG AS INSPIRATION -COULD USE RED, WHITE, BLUE, STRIPES, STARS, ETC.
scrapaddict-laura - http://scrapaddict4life.blogspot.com/CREATE A CARD USING A JOURNAL BOX (aka JOURNAL DIE CUT, JOURNAL SQUARE, ETC..) AND BLING
NinaN - http://ninastimeout.blogspot.ca/USE A PINWHEEL ON YOUR PROJECT
Christina - www.thriftysisters-chris.blogspot.comA PROJECT CELeBRATING CANADA DAY OR INDEPENDENCE DAY

Pinwheels remind me a spring, so it fits Clayton528's requirments.  It took me less than 30 minutes, I made my own baker's twine using 2 types of embroidery thread wound together, I used the American Flag as inspiration, I used a journal card to stamp my sentiment on, then added some bling, and threw in a pinwheel for Nina.  And, with the Celebrate sentiment, I'm using it as a July 4 card.

I'm also entering this card in the newest Unity Chick Challenge.  I used this sketch as my inspiration:

I used a Unity Happy Everything stamp set for the "Celebrate" sentiment, and the star is from a Unity grab bag I just got in my garage sale order.

I've had this tin for a long time.  I got it from cropchocolate.com.  It's a Making Memories Vintage Findings tin.  I wasn't sure what to do with.  When I saw this challenge, I had an idea:
NanCDru – Char http://craftychicchar.blogspot.com/2012/06/for-those-who-are-left-behind-blog-hop.htmlPROJECT USING ALCOHOL INKS

So, for Char's challenge, I used 3 alcohol inks, 2 stamps from the Unity 12/11 Stamp of the Month kit, and butterfly bling I received in a hot chocolate order on CC.

Now, to start linking all these challenges.  Off I go!

It's a Washi kind of Friday

Happy Canada Day and Independence Day, my Canadian and American friends.  There' ll be a lot of celebrating going on this upcoming week.  Enjoy the summer celebrations.

I've read on many Friends With Flair blogs that Washi tape can be found at Target, and for a reasonable price.  The nearest Target to me is 50 miles away, but I got there last weekend.  Woohoo!  I got myself some fun tape. And, on the way out, I found the perfect basket to store my new tape in. So, I had to play with it.  I have a card and my newly decorated basket to show you this week, my FWF peeps, made with my newly acquired washi tape.

The stamped image is from Unity's Stamp of the Week.  I colored it with watercolor pencils and a water brush.


I have another card, too.  This one I made for a Scrapbook Steals Monday Card challenge, and Operation Write Home card drive.  I used a Unity stamp for the sentiment, Spellbinders dies for the butterflies, MME So Sophie paper, and a new border punch.

Here's the sketch I loosely used on the above card.



Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

New stamps inspire me!

I just got this stamp set in the mail today, from Ippity Chick Angie Reece (thanks, Angie!).  They were my prize for winning a Chick Challenge. And, I had to get them inky.  It so happens that the theme of the stamps fits in perfectly with this week's sketch, so sometimes life works out so well!  Here's my card for the current Chick Challenge:

I was working from this sketch:

I used Echo Park Sweet Day 6x6 papers, some Tim Holtz distress inks, the Ippity stamp set "How you doin'"  and some bling from CTMH.  I hope you like my take on things.

Friday again, gotta love it!

I have a couple of pictures and a story I want to share with my Unity peeps before I show you my projects for the week.  I am the activity director in a nursing home.  I'm always looking for ways to get kids into the nursing home to interact with residents, and looking for successful intergenerational projects for the 2 age groups to work on.  These pictures are of 11 elementary summer school students and about 8 nursing home residents making greeting cards for Operation Write Home on Wednesday morning.  We were able to make over 40 cards in about 1 1/2 hours of card making.  We had a blast!

And, here's a couple of cards I made last weekend.  It was a rainy Saturday, so I got to play with my new Unity kit of the month (the hexagon border).  I also used 2 Ippity kits.

 I colored this card using TH distress inks and a paint brush.

This flower was colored using my 4 Copic markers.  I tried some shading for the 1st time, and used my gray marker to chane the green on parts of the stem and flowers.  I still have Copic fever.  I've been researching the darn things every evening, trying to find the best deal, and trying to find info on the best started colors.  I got some helpful hints last week (thanks so much!)  if anyone else has advise, I'd love to hear from you.  Where do you buy your markers?  Did you start with a set or did you build your own?  Who's recommendations did you go with if you built your own?  Any help is appreciated!  Thanks for looking at my pix and reading my long post!

Another card, more challenges

I've got another card to share for challenges on the Unity and Ippity websites.  I used this week's Chick Challenge sketch to make my card:

And here's what I did --

I used the June kit of the month, inking up the hexagon stamp to create the "flower".  I colored the flower with distress inks and a paint brush, then added the felt for a stem and leaves.  The sentiment is from the May kit of the month.



Friday again! and it's time for Friends With Flair

It's Friday, it's Friday!  Time for Friends with Flair! I promised to have a card that I was happier to show to everyone this week, so I took a little more time with this one, and made lots of layers.  I used the sketch from this month's Kit of the Month sketch challenge, which looks like this:

This was a really fun sketch to work with.  It seemed like there were many possibilities, and many ways I could have gone with the sketch.  This is what I did with it:

And here's a closeup of the stamped image.

I used October Afternoon Sidewalks papers, Lawn Fawn trimmings, a button from my stash, Memento and Close To My Heart inks, and the April 2011 Kit of the Month.  I'm going to enter this in the June Kit of the Month challenge, also.

I have a card in the previous post where I used Copic markers for the first time -- all 4 of them in my collection.  I'm looking for any info I can find about Copics, and I know many of you use them.  I would love it if you would leave me anything you feel is important in my comments section -- where you buy them, paper to use with them, ink to use, how you know which markers to buy, all that good stuff.  I would SO appreciate it!!!