Tomorrow, my favorite online retailer is closing their doors. They are going to try to keep the social end of the site up and running, but we'll see what happens. But my duties with their team end with my final post on The Crop today. Stop by and see mine, along with 2 other DT sisters projects.
This month was switcheroo month. Since I'm usually on the layout/cards team, I was to do altered art/home décor -- something like that. I chose to make a couple mini canvases. They were super quick to make.
I cut out the shapes with cardstock on the Cricut, covered them with washi tape by Doodlebug, and applied them to the 5x7 canvases with foam squares. You could use any shape you wanted for these canvases. I'm calling this art, "Love House", and "Key to my Heart". Both of them hang by the laundry room.
I hope this inspires you to try something similar. Stay in touch all my CC friends! I don't want the friendships to end!
I have this blog as a place to share my creative self -- be it card making, music playing, scrapbooking, altered art, home decor, or whatever direction my art takes me. My dogs are always a part of my home life, so they have to be a part of my blog, too.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
2 winners for 200 followers! Plus a card or two!
I had a give-away going on my blog last week to celebrate my busy week of scrappiness -- posts everyday and two blog hops. In the midst of it all, I reached and surpassed 200 followers, so I decided that was reason enough to give away two prizes. I'll announce the winners shortly, but first, a card:
I've been wanting to try the chalkboard technique, and this stamp by Raisin Boat seemed like a good one to start with. The Oops a Daisy stamp set has some fun images. I heat embossed this one, then offset is slightly with white ink. I used some Twisted Teal twine from Trendy Twine (on sale this month!), die cut the word 'MOM' on my Silhouette, and added a couple buttons (Theresa Collins Spring Fling), strung with some Close to My Heart Waxy Flax. The base is Carta Bella Kraft paper.
So, that's my simple card to share with you, before I tell you the winners. OK, enough of making you wait. Two winners, two prizes. I used random.org to first choose which days to pick my winners from (days 4 & 5), then the commenters. Winners are....
are you ready?....
Chris said: These turned out great!I really love the colours! on day 4, and
Jennifer Mitten said: Love this - I love butterflies and can never get enough of them! on day 5.
Congrats to both winners! Please let me know your addresses and I'll mail out your goodies for you.
I'm entering this card in Stuck on U Sketches -- Mother's Day die cut
Trendy Twine's kraft and twine challenge
Crafty Creations Challenges -- Mother's Day plus flowers
Cameo Creations Challenge -- Mother's Day
Silhouette Challenges -- Anything Goes
Marker Pop -- spring flowers
Oozak -- Anything goes with earthtones
Sister Act Card Challenges -- anything goes
D.L.Art Thankful Thursday -- Mother's Day challenge
Raisin Boat -- Mother's Day
I've been wanting to try the chalkboard technique, and this stamp by Raisin Boat seemed like a good one to start with. The Oops a Daisy stamp set has some fun images. I heat embossed this one, then offset is slightly with white ink. I used some Twisted Teal twine from Trendy Twine (on sale this month!), die cut the word 'MOM' on my Silhouette, and added a couple buttons (Theresa Collins Spring Fling), strung with some Close to My Heart Waxy Flax. The base is Carta Bella Kraft paper.
So, that's my simple card to share with you, before I tell you the winners. OK, enough of making you wait. Two winners, two prizes. I used random.org to first choose which days to pick my winners from (days 4 & 5), then the commenters. Winners are....
are you ready?....
Chris said: These turned out great!I really love the colours! on day 4, and
Jennifer Mitten said: Love this - I love butterflies and can never get enough of them! on day 5.
Congrats to both winners! Please let me know your addresses and I'll mail out your goodies for you.
I'm entering this card in Stuck on U Sketches -- Mother's Day die cut
Trendy Twine's kraft and twine challenge
Crafty Creations Challenges -- Mother's Day plus flowers
Cameo Creations Challenge -- Mother's Day
Silhouette Challenges -- Anything Goes
Marker Pop -- spring flowers
Oozak -- Anything goes with earthtones
Sister Act Card Challenges -- anything goes
D.L.Art Thankful Thursday -- Mother's Day challenge
Raisin Boat -- Mother's Day
Saturday, May 4, 2013
I may be using Icicle Stickles, but it's finally Spring!
Happy National Scrapbooking Day everyone! I hope you find some time this weekend to participate in some of the fun activities happening around scrappy land, including the All That Stickles icicle linky party!
The birds are returning, the motorcycles have been ridden for the first time in 2013 (it's cause for celebration when the Harley's come out of the garage), and most of the ice is gone from the lake. Yes, spring is finally here in NW Wisconsin. Well, maybe. We got 17 inches of snow on Thursday so the only flowers around here are those I see on paper. I felt the need for some springtime flowers, so I colored this fun image from one of the All That Stickles sponsors this month, Bugaboo Digital Stamps.
I also used a tab and dew drops from another great sponsor, The Robin's Nest. The icicle Stickles are on the centers of the flower petals. Here's a close up so you can really see the sparkle.
The birds are returning, the motorcycles have been ridden for the first time in 2013 (it's cause for celebration when the Harley's come out of the garage), and most of the ice is gone from the lake. Yes, spring is finally here in NW Wisconsin. Well, maybe. We got 17 inches of snow on Thursday so the only flowers around here are those I see on paper. I felt the need for some springtime flowers, so I colored this fun image from one of the All That Stickles sponsors this month, Bugaboo Digital Stamps.
I also used a tab and dew drops from another great sponsor, The Robin's Nest. The icicle Stickles are on the centers of the flower petals. Here's a close up so you can really see the sparkle.
I colored the image with Copic markers, then used a little Fairy Dust Creative Inspirations Paints on the petals before adding the Stickles to give them some shimmer (easier to see IRL). The dew drops are in the center of each flower. I used Simple Stories Summer Fresh 6x6 papers, some Really Reasonable ribbon, and a retired Close To My Heart stamp for the "for you" sentiment on the tab. A spellbinder label die made the shape behind the colored image.
I am having a giveaway with some great stuff -- a 6x6 paper pad, some Stickles, twine, a Close To My Heart stamp set, and some miscellaneous bling. To be eligible to win, please follow my blog and leave a comment on this post. To increase your chances, also comment on my posts from Tuesday, April 30, Wed, May 1, Thursday, May 2, and the Mixed Media Art Journal hop post beginning May 3. And, since I made it to 200+ followers this week, I'm going to pick 2 winners.
Don't forget to join the current linky party on All That Stickles using Icicle Stickles. You have through May 10 to link up your icicle creations.
I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Creative Inspirations -- Anything Goes
Really Reasonable Ribbon --Sparkle, Bling, and ribbon challenge
Simon Says Stamp -- Happy Mail
Sister Act Card Challenge -- Anything Goes
Crafty Creations Challenge Blog -- Mother's Day with Flowers
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Mixed Up Media Chix Blog Hop and Of COURSE! Friends With Flair
It's here! It's here! The art journal hop is here! Here's the line-up for today's mixed up media hop in case you get, well, miXed uP!
Maria Levine - http://riacreations.blogspot.com
Chris McAdams- thriftysisters-chris.blogspot.com go here next!
Lynn Goldman - http://sunnyroomart.blogspot.com
Before we get to this mixed up media event, I want to show you the mixed up weather I've been dealing with.
I'm writing this post Thursday evening. It's been snowing here since last evening. We have about 17 inches of snow. These pictures were taken this morning. There's probably another foot more snow now. I barely made it TO work, then barely made it home. It's May! We're supposed to have flowers, sunshine, SPRING! Not a major winter snowstorm! Yah! Mixed up it is.
And, very fitting for this Mixed Up Media Girlz Hop that I've gotten involved in. Do you ever agree to something, then think, "oh my, what have I done?". Well, that's exactly what happened to me here. Maria does these fantastic art journals all the time and I've been thinking I need to try it. So, when she mentioned this hop, I thought, "that's just what I need to get me going, plenty of time to figure out how to do an art journal." Then, all these REAL art journalists started signing up for the hop and displaying their work, and well, here I am. Over my head. But that's art. And that's how you learn. And, here's what I have to show you.
AND!!!! If you leave me nice comments, I'll give away some blog candy, LOL!!
OK, this first journal piece I did was on some paper that I had from a Fancy Pants Memo Notebook. The paper was too thin. It curled and bled through. But, it was what I had at the time.
Since it's art, I named the piece. It's called, "leftovers"
I had lots of scraps on my work space -- too nice to throw away, so I ended up using them on this page. I used a stencil in the lower left corner, but didn't like how it turned out, so spent some time "fixing " it. The floral silhouette stamps are Unity/Donna Downey Insightful Meadows. I used Studio Calico mists on this page. Here's a couple close ups:
This quote about art seemed very appropriate for the new mixed media maven that I am.
After I did this first page, I got an actual art journal, with thicker paper to work with. I did a 2-page spread in my new art journal. Here's what it looks like:
I used some wonderful Dylusions ink sprays on this page, along with Hero Arts neon inks. There's Unity stamps all over the place, too, including that big beautiful butterfly, called, appropriately enough, "Bold Butterfly". Here's a close up of it.
And, you can see the quote I used on these pages. So true! Art DOES make me happy. And, here's another close up of these pages.
You can see a Christy Tomlinson (Unity) background stamp, and one more quote from the Donna Downey (Unity) 'Art and Possibility ' set. The "I am an artist" quote is a little tongue in cheek on this page. I intentionally got ink on the rim of the stamp so it would stamp "dirty" (leave a mark). Yeah, I'm an artist alright. The smaller butterflies are a Close To My Heart set called "Butterfly Kisses".
Oh, I forgot to tell you the title of these 2 pages. Ready? "Splatter. splatter. art."
That's it for the art journaling. I truly hope that Maria organizes this again. I want to do more of this and try something more technical. I have some ideas in my head. I just have to find time to put them on paper. Deal, Maria? Another hop?
OK. I mentioned blog candy. I've got a giveaway going on this week. I've had a very busy bloggy week of inspiration, posting everyday since Sunday, and participating in 2 hops. To celebrate all this inspiration, I'm giving away a 6x6 paper pad, some stick pins from Pinque peacock, some twine, ribbon, bling, a stamp set, and miscellaneous scrappy goodies. To be eligible for this blog candy, please follow my blog and leave a comment on this post. To increase your chances of winning, comment on my posts yesterday (May 2), Wed May 1, Tuesday April 30, Monday April 29, and Saturday May 4.
And, because I somehow made it to 200+ followers this week, I'm going to choose 2 winners when this is all said and done. Winners will be announced early next week.
That's it for me. If you're participating in any National Scrapbooking Day events over the weekend, I hope for much scrappy mojo for you. Now, hop on off to Chris' blog to see her artsy goodness. I just love her style and so will you!
It's an Anything Goes plus Ribbon Challenge on 3 Girl Jam!
Did you hop with us yesterday for the New Ribbon Colors Blog Hop? If you didn't, it is SO worth it. Start at the 3 Girl Jam blog and go from there. You'll be glad you did!
Everyone loves a challenge, right? And the Anything Goes challenges seem to be the most popular. We've got a great one happening from now until May 9 on the 3 Girl Jam Challenge blog. It's sponsored by Trendy Twine and 3 Girl Jam. Trendy Twine is giving away a starter pack of twine. 3 Girl Jam is giving a $10 gift certificate to use in the store. You gotta love that! Here's a little inspiration using both products for you...
I heat embossed the Unity stamp "Puddle Jumping" onto glossy cardstock, used a brayer with a rainbow ink pad, then wiped off the ink where the stamp was for a neat resist effect. I made the background paper using a different Unity stamp, "Written in the Clouds". I made a frame around the glossy resist piece using 4 brads and Limeade Trendy Twine from the Spring Mini Pack. The beautiful white ribbon is a new one, just hitting the 3 Girl Jam Store. It's the dress white ribbon from the Navy bundle.
I have a giveaway on my blog this week because it's such a crafty, exciting week for me. To be eligible to win the blog candy (stick pins from the Pinque Peacock, 6x6 paper pad, Close To My Heart stamp set, Twine, and some miscellaneous bling), please follow my blog, & comment on this post. To increase your chances to win, also comment on my blog posts from Monday, April 29, Tuesday, April 30, Wednesday, May 1 (the New Color Release blog hop with 3 Girl Jam), tomorrow's post with the Mixed Up Media Blog Hop, and Saturday's post for All That Stickles using Icicle Stickles! I'll choose the winner early next week.
Don't forget to link up your Anything Goes plus Ribbon projects with us, and of course, a little Trendy Twine would be great, too!
Everyone loves a challenge, right? And the Anything Goes challenges seem to be the most popular. We've got a great one happening from now until May 9 on the 3 Girl Jam Challenge blog. It's sponsored by Trendy Twine and 3 Girl Jam. Trendy Twine is giving away a starter pack of twine. 3 Girl Jam is giving a $10 gift certificate to use in the store. You gotta love that! Here's a little inspiration using both products for you...
I heat embossed the Unity stamp "Puddle Jumping" onto glossy cardstock, used a brayer with a rainbow ink pad, then wiped off the ink where the stamp was for a neat resist effect. I made the background paper using a different Unity stamp, "Written in the Clouds". I made a frame around the glossy resist piece using 4 brads and Limeade Trendy Twine from the Spring Mini Pack. The beautiful white ribbon is a new one, just hitting the 3 Girl Jam Store. It's the dress white ribbon from the Navy bundle.
I have a giveaway on my blog this week because it's such a crafty, exciting week for me. To be eligible to win the blog candy (stick pins from the Pinque Peacock, 6x6 paper pad, Close To My Heart stamp set, Twine, and some miscellaneous bling), please follow my blog, & comment on this post. To increase your chances to win, also comment on my blog posts from Monday, April 29, Tuesday, April 30, Wednesday, May 1 (the New Color Release blog hop with 3 Girl Jam), tomorrow's post with the Mixed Up Media Blog Hop, and Saturday's post for All That Stickles using Icicle Stickles! I'll choose the winner early next week.
Don't forget to link up your Anything Goes plus Ribbon projects with us, and of course, a little Trendy Twine would be great, too!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
3 Girl Jam New Color Release Blog Hop
It's a big event! It doesn't happen often! 3 Girl Jam has released 3 new bundles of ribbon and the whole design team is hopping today to showcase these luscious new ribbons for you. Here's the lineup, just in case you came here midway, or you get lost along the way.
JulieK- http://3girljam.blogspot.com/
Kendra- http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/
Rebecca- http://bloomingpink.blogspot.com/
Carri- http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
Cheri- http://djssundries.blogspot.com/
Nicole- http://teachdanz.blogspot.com/
JulieO- http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/ -- you are HERE!
Elizabeth- http://www.217creations.com/
Madge- http://www.thescrappinlounge.com/
Jessica E- http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com/
Jovan- http://www.cardsbyjovan.com/
Abby- http://scrappin-abby.blogspot.com/
Jessica B- http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com/
I know you have already seen some fabulous creations, and you've heard all about the new bundles (The Navy bundle {Navy and Dress White} the Coffee and Cream bundle {latte and cream} and the Royal bundle {purple passion and gold crown}), but I just had to mention them again. They're so scrumptious that have to be talked about. And, they have to be used. And, they have to be showcased!
With Mother's Day just around the corner, I thought this box would be perfect for a Mother's Day gift. It could hold chocolates or a gift card, even some perfume or lotion.
I used the Close To My Heart Cricut Artiste Cartridge to cut out the box. All the new ribbons are used on the box. The are tucked in around the flower. Here's another angle:
I don't know where I got that butterfly from. One of those things I've accumulated over time. Does everyone do that?
Have you chosen a favorite new ribbon color yet? I like the Coffee & Cream bundle best, no, I mean the Navy bundle. Umm, I mean the Royal bundle. *sigh* better start shopping! After hopping of course! One lucky person will win a bundle of each new color during this hop. Just leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way.
I am giving away blog candy this week. To be eligible, please follow my blog and comment on today's post. To increase your chances of winning, also comment on my posts from Monday, April 29, Tuesday, April 30, Thursday May 2, Friday May 3, and Saturday May 4. I'll announce the winner early next week when I've recovered from all this crafty inspiration.
Now, hop on to my design team sister, Liz, at http://www.217creations.com/. You'll love her work. She's always full of inspiration!
JulieK- http://3girljam.blogspot.com/
Kendra- http://luv2scrapnmakecards.blogspot.com/
Rebecca- http://bloomingpink.blogspot.com/
Carri- http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
Cheri- http://djssundries.blogspot.com/
Nicole- http://teachdanz.blogspot.com/
JulieO- http://muddypawsinkyfingers.blogspot.com/ -- you are HERE!
Elizabeth- http://www.217creations.com/
Madge- http://www.thescrappinlounge.com/
Jessica E- http://chick-n-scrap.blogspot.com/
Jovan- http://www.cardsbyjovan.com/
Abby- http://scrappin-abby.blogspot.com/
Jessica B- http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com/
I know you have already seen some fabulous creations, and you've heard all about the new bundles (The Navy bundle {Navy and Dress White} the Coffee and Cream bundle {latte and cream} and the Royal bundle {purple passion and gold crown}), but I just had to mention them again. They're so scrumptious that have to be talked about. And, they have to be used. And, they have to be showcased!
With Mother's Day just around the corner, I thought this box would be perfect for a Mother's Day gift. It could hold chocolates or a gift card, even some perfume or lotion.
The flower was cut using the Close To My Heart Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge. Paper is CTMH For Always. The new ribbons are all available in the 3 Girl Jam Store. And, the best part!?! They are on sale! All ribbon orders are 20% through May 5 (excluding bundle deals).
Here's one more view of the box and the beautiful new ribbons...
I don't know where I got that butterfly from. One of those things I've accumulated over time. Does everyone do that?
Have you chosen a favorite new ribbon color yet? I like the Coffee & Cream bundle best, no, I mean the Navy bundle. Umm, I mean the Royal bundle. *sigh* better start shopping! After hopping of course! One lucky person will win a bundle of each new color during this hop. Just leave a comment on each of the blogs along the way.
I am giving away blog candy this week. To be eligible, please follow my blog and comment on today's post. To increase your chances of winning, also comment on my posts from Monday, April 29, Tuesday, April 30, Thursday May 2, Friday May 3, and Saturday May 4. I'll announce the winner early next week when I've recovered from all this crafty inspiration.
Now, hop on to my design team sister, Liz, at http://www.217creations.com/. You'll love her work. She's always full of inspiration!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
It's my day on "The Crop"!!! To celebrate, I have some blog candy to give away!
For those of you unfamiliar with, The Crop, it is the blog of Crop Chocolate, one of the company's that I design for. Today, I am the featured designer. For the complete instructions, details, and such, you'll find all that on The Crop.
Our theme this month is "Grandmother's Quilt". I don't know if my grandmother was ever too much of a quilter, but she did make a baby blanket for me that I still have and cherish. I love quilts -- especially the patterns, so I used the theme to my advantage and went searching for quilt patterns I could turn into card patterns. Here is what I found:
I started with circles. Using a bone folder, I turned down each edge to make a square on 9 circles. I arranged these into a pattern to look, hopefully, like a quilt. The papers are My Mind's Eye On the Sunny Side. The base is Echo Park Splash. The wonderful stick pin is from the Pincque Peacock. The sentiment is a Unity Stamp. The ribbon is from Ribbon Carousel.
I made the card again in another color scheme to show how different it looks:
This second card uses Echo Park 6x6 This & That Charming Paper, Close To My Heart desert sand cardstock for the base, antique white crinkle ribbon from the 3 Girl Jam Store, and a Unity stamp.
And, the last card I made for this month's Grandmother's quilt project is a Silhouette cut file. It's called a Wedding Ring card and is designed by Lori Whitlock. Here's the link, if you have a Silhouette. http://www.silhouetteonlinestore.com/?page=view-shape&id=31873
This last card uses Traditions 6x6 papers, American Crafts white cardstock, Carta Bella Kraft cardstock for the base, and a Close To My Heart stamp set, "For My Friend". There is some My Mind's Eye twine on this one, also.
I'm having a busy week on my blog this week -- today's post, yesterday's post, a New colors hop with 3 Girl Jam tomorrow, May 1, a project on the 3 Girl Jam Challenge Blog and this blog on Thursday, May 2, another hop with my art journal buddies May 3-5, and a post for All That Stickles using Icicle Stickles on Saturday, May 4.. To celebrate all this crafty madness, I'm giving away some blog candy. I have a couple Pincque Peacock pins from my friend Jessica, a 6x6 paper pad, a Close To My Heart stamp set, some twine, and some miscellaneous bling. It's good stuff! To be eligible to win, please follow my blog, and leave a comment on today's post. To increase your chances, also leave a comment on "The Crop" today, then come back here tomorrow for the 3 Girl Jam blog hop and comment again. Increase your chances even more by coming back on Friday for the Mixed Up Media Hop. I'll choose the winner early next week. Once I recover from all the inspiration of this week!
Our theme this month is "Grandmother's Quilt". I don't know if my grandmother was ever too much of a quilter, but she did make a baby blanket for me that I still have and cherish. I love quilts -- especially the patterns, so I used the theme to my advantage and went searching for quilt patterns I could turn into card patterns. Here is what I found:
I made the card again in another color scheme to show how different it looks:
And, the last card I made for this month's Grandmother's quilt project is a Silhouette cut file. It's called a Wedding Ring card and is designed by Lori Whitlock. Here's the link, if you have a Silhouette. http://www.silhouetteonlinestore.com/?page=view-shape&id=31873
This last card uses Traditions 6x6 papers, American Crafts white cardstock, Carta Bella Kraft cardstock for the base, and a Close To My Heart stamp set, "For My Friend". There is some My Mind's Eye twine on this one, also.
I'm having a busy week on my blog this week -- today's post, yesterday's post, a New colors hop with 3 Girl Jam tomorrow, May 1, a project on the 3 Girl Jam Challenge Blog and this blog on Thursday, May 2, another hop with my art journal buddies May 3-5, and a post for All That Stickles using Icicle Stickles on Saturday, May 4.. To celebrate all this crafty madness, I'm giving away some blog candy. I have a couple Pincque Peacock pins from my friend Jessica, a 6x6 paper pad, a Close To My Heart stamp set, some twine, and some miscellaneous bling. It's good stuff! To be eligible to win, please follow my blog, and leave a comment on today's post. To increase your chances, also leave a comment on "The Crop" today, then come back here tomorrow for the 3 Girl Jam blog hop and comment again. Increase your chances even more by coming back on Friday for the Mixed Up Media Hop. I'll choose the winner early next week. Once I recover from all the inspiration of this week!
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