Tickled Pink

Are you excited that tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day?  I am!  Last week I decided that I would schedule myself off for a couple of days in order to play along with all the challenges out there.  We are paper crafters and should celebrate the day that was set aside for us!!  Today I am working on some challenge blog challenges, and tomorrow I am going to play over at Big Picture Classes for the Creative Crop!

So after all of explanation for why I am playing instead of working, I thought I'd share my first project today. There is a fabulous sketch over at Cardabilities, and I knew I wanted to combine it with the colors challenge over at Play Date Cafe.  Of course, I needed to add sparkle, bling, and ribbon so it fits into the Really Reasonable Ribbon challenge, too!

The raspberry paper in the background and the circles is from the Dream Pop paper packet.  Let me tell you, this paper packet has a lot of colors and a lot of potential.  Do you see the diagonal lines in the background?  Those lines are embossed on the cardstock in the packet, so it makes perfect emboss resist designs.  I just sponged black ink on my circles, and I've got a brand new color!  I've also used black shimmer trim, tulle, and a final touch of pink sparkles.  Super duper easy!

Off to play some more!!

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Lucky

It is cooler this morning - thank goodness!  When there's "that" feel to the air and back-to-school supplies on the shelf, I start thinking of the warm fall colors.  It felt like the perfect time to pull out one of my favorite paper packets, Grace.  Except for the Jenni Bowlin bingo card, all supplies are from CTMH.  I used the sketch by Cherie from Sassy Lil Sketches.  Be sure to play along this month for your chance to win goodies from Scrap Freak and The Cutting Cafe!

I was also very inspired by the color challenge at The Play Date Cafe!

The handmade flower is so easy!  I cut scalloped circles with my nestabilities.  I simply cut on the scallop and stacked them.  Another thing I do is paint my circles with Ranger clear rock candy crackle paint. That allows the "petals" to easily bend. Handmade flowers are the challenge over at CARDS (Create: Blog).

This card is my example for my next challenge on Sketches for You (go to the group Brenda's Challenges).  I want to see flowers and fall colors!  Hope to see you playing along!

I loved the colors this week over at Play Date Cafe:

I sat down this morning to make a card with just plain cardstock (that's something you won't find from me often!), and here is my result:

I made the butterflies blue by misting white cardstock with sapphire glimmer mist.  Then I stamped the butterflies over the paper with black archival ink.  They are sparkly (if you click on the card, you will see it closer) because I sprayed the stamped butterfly then with iridescent gold glimmer mist.  This is a very simple card, but I like how pretty it turned out.

Lots of Pink

At least a lot more pink than I am used to working with!  There is a challenge over at Play Date Cafe using some colors that I am not accustomed to working with.  I guess this week is all about true challenge for me!

I combined these colors with the sketch from OCC Sketch Blog:

Items used: Bo Bunny Petal Pushers; Petaloo Color Me Crazy flower; Unity stamps; May Arts ribbon, Stickles

I was truly inspired to do this other piece of artwork from a sketch I saw on Inspirational Sketches:

I love this sketch because it leaves the crafting world wide open!  I grabbed an Art Blanche clipboard from my stash and covered it with Bo Bunny Petal Pushers.  I built two flowers using paper, Bazzill flowers, Imaginisce flowers, and brads.  The chipboard phrases are Melody Ross, and the ribbon is May Arts.  Truly quick and easy!

Both of these pieces actually fulfill the challenge over Our Creative Corner, too - creations showing what summer means to you.  Summer is all about the flowers to me!

Purples & White

I saw a color challenge on The Play Date Cafe, and I couldn't wait to sit down with these colors!

This picture reminded me of my lilac shrubs.  It will be about a month when they are in bloom, and I spend a great deal of time out on that side of the lawn taking in all the fragrance.  I have all of these colors of lilacs the white being a Japanese lilac tree in the middle of the front yard.  When those big beautiful white flowers bloom, I smell them all over the house.  I'll be sure to share pictures this year!  Anyway, the card I came up with is a sketch from Just Add Ink and the idea of bows from Our Creative Corner.

Except for the white ribbon, all the product on this card is CTMH.  I random stamped the big flowers on white daisy cardstock.  I stamped them in petal ink and rolled them in pansy purple.  It gave a very nice color!  then I just used a paper towel and sponged petal ink between all of the flowers.

Okay, So I Have a Couple More Cards Today!

This is my fourth post for the day, so if you'd like to see some other cards with different technique, scroll on down.   This post is for several challenges - OWH Stars and Stamps, Papertake Weekly (x2), Bo Bunny, Our Creative Corner, and Play Date Cafe.

Now, first I'd better say this.  I really do other things during my days off besides creating!  I know I've shown you a lot today, and I've been blessed with the time to craft today.  With it being Easter weekend, I don't foresee much time to create this weekend, so I wanted to get my fill in today.  Got keep up that "paper therapy," you know!!

In this post, I am going to show you a sketch from OWH Stars and Stamps:

For the card, I've used:  CTMH Dutch Blue Textured CS (front and back), CTMH stamp sets Just Because and Picture Perfect, CTMH White Embossing Powder, and random ribbon.  This card will also go in the Papertake Weekly challenge to make a spring card, and Play Date's challenge to use different blues.

Next, I'll spring you another spring card (for Papertake Weekly and Bo Bunny) that I've created with Bo Bunny Abbey Road paper.  I used the Our Creative Corner Sketch for the week.  Along with the paper, I've used CTMH ribbon, gems, and pearls and Prima flowers.

Tomorrow is my birthday - 48!  Gosh, I am certainly reaching that 50 mark awfully quickly!  I am not certain where time goes, but I think it is absolutely true when they say that time goes faster as you get older.  Mind you - I am not "getting older" by any means!  I am firm believer that you're only as old as you feel.  Today when I was raking I felt my age (LOL!), but otherwise I am as chipper as a 28 year-old.  Glad to say I am much wiser than I was 20 years ago though!!  Jerry is taking the day off of work to help me celebrate tomorrow.  Macy's has a huge garden display on their 8th floor, so I am thinking I would like to go there.  Then, of course, we'll have dinner at Tryg's where Shane will be working.  Spending time with both my men is the best present I could ask for!!

Remember to Smile Today!

Look at this cute Nerdy Bird paper packet from Sassafras! I couldn't help but participate in this Page Maps challenge! Such a fun sketch, too!

I pulled out the new Cosmo Cricket Material Girl paper for this card. Those vintage patterns, measuring tape, and buttons - so wonderful!! Alogn with it, I used a clear button, brads, waxy flax, and a spiral clip form CTMH. The sentiment is from Hero Arts and the flower is Prima.

Do you know how to make your clear buttons match your project? Just put a little Ranger Glossy Accents (or CTMH Liquid Glass) on the back of your clear button. Adhere that to the paper of your choice. Let dry a few minutes, and then you are ready to work with it. So nice to have matching buttons!

The next sketch is #156 from CPS Card Positioning, and I incorporated the Play Date Cafe color challenge:

For this card, I pulled out my CTMH Key to My Heart stamp set. It was a promotional stamp set, and I use this set over and over again. I simply love the flourishes! The flowers are Prima, the rub-on is Colorbok, and the remaining items are all CTMH.

Yummy

What lovely inspiration over at The Play Date Cafe this week. As soon as I saw the picture, my thought was "boy is are those colors yummy!" So I knew immediately what I would do.

I pulled out my Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper. Along with CTMH Colonial White CS and ribbon, Bazzill Fudge CS, and my Inkadinkado coffee stamp, I was able to finish this card relatively quickly.

Sharing a Couple of Cards

I have been having just a wonderful time in my craft room this afternoon! It's been so snowy the last couple of days, but today the sun is shining warm and brightly here. So nice to have the blinds up and be nourished with all that natural light!

The first card I made today is for the Bo Bunny card challenge. I used Flutter Butter paper alogn with vellum. The flower is Bazzill, the ribbon and stamp are CTMH, and the rest of the embellishments are from my stash.

This second card was so much fun to make because the combination of colors and elements are way out of my comfort zone. I am not used to using such a bright blue and then a jade green together. Also this is the first robot I've ever used on a project. This will fit into two challenges - the Play Date Cafe color challenge and OCC Sketch Blog challenge.

Items used to make this card are Bazzill Carbo Cream CS, Paper Company Jade Metallic, CTMH Moonstruck and Black CS, Just Chillin' Slice card, Hero Arts stamp set, and random ribbon and gems.

You're a Star

This challenge over The Play Date Cafe was really a fun one for me! I kept wanting to pull out a blue or a red to go along with this. And I could have added a bit here or there, but I was having more fun trying to come up with the basics - gold, silver, black, and white.

I used CTMH colors - desert sand, grey flannel, black, and white daisy. I embossed the edges and stars (CTMH Shining Star set) with gold, silver, and black. You'll always see a little bit of shine in embossing because I use Versamark Dazzle and I have a bit of glitter in my embossing powder.

I decided to play along this week at The Play Date Cafe. The challenge was to use the three colors from their example picture.

I had some Little Yellow Bicycle die-cut paper, and I cut out the center medallion. It was easy enough to thread SU cranberry ribbon through the holes that were already on the paper. From their I created a shadow box with snowflakes to put behind the piece. A little glitter and a button, and it's all done!

I have some ideas about what I want to do this. It would be a lovely piece on the tree, and I think I would spray some pearl glimmer mist on it then to complete it. I've also got a page where it would be a nice embellishment. Of course, it would make a lovely tag as well! So I'm not certain yet where it will go - just know it is going to be used!!

Today I wanted to create a card with clean lines. I do love distressing, but every once in awhile, I just love the look of a card that's simple and clean.

Penny's Challenges gave me a great pattern, and Play Date Cafe gave me just the inspiration in colors I was looking for!

CTMH Cardstock - Twilight, Bamboo, Chocolate, Colonial White, CTMH Gracious Greetings stamp set, Prima Flowers, CTMH Chocolate Waxy Flax, Fancy Pants All Fall buttons

Red, White, and Black

I love these three colors together. They are so bold and bring such a clean look to artwork. That's one of the reasons I wanted to participate in this week's Play Date challenge with the requirements of using these 3 colors.

As a sidenote, I will tell you these were my wedding colors 19+ years ago. I wore white, Jerry & his best man wore black with a touch of red in the cumberbunds, and my maid of honor wore a black lace dress. Our wedding was accented with red roses. Okay back to the card!

I used my scalloped nestabilities to make the hole in the front of the card. I also embossed the edges of the scalloped circles, but that is harder to see in the picture. I used my CTMH Soulmates stamp set for the hearts. To make the red pop, I stamped the hearts in Dazzle Versamark and then embossed them with cranberry embossing powder.

To make the clear buttons at the top match and stand out just a little bit more, I used liquid glass and black print paper. It's a great way to get those pretty buttons without paying a fortune! Just put a little liquid glass (or gloss accents/crystal effects) on the back of your buttons and place it on matching paper. It works as an adhesive. I then threaded the buttons with cranberry waxy flax. Of course, with these colors, you just must have rhinestones. Red sparkles gave the finishing touch to the card. Enjoy!