A Mid Week Post

I have a few cards sitting around that were made just for fun that I have yet to share. Since the majority of my posts occur around the weekends I though it would be fun to have some mid week posts with these cards.

Wonderful Cupcakes
Supplies:
SU! Crazy for Cupcakes
SU! Warm Words
DCWV papers
Favorite Findings buttons
Ranger Glossy Accents (on cherries)











Some hand stitching along the right... used a Cutter Bee bug to make the holes then hand stitched with regular white thread. Took forever! Not sure I'll be rushing back to that technique right away.

Best Wishes for 50 More

Kristina Werner is celebrating her 50th Color Inspiration Challenge this week! What fun! I only wish I knew about them back in the beginning. This will be my 6th color challenge, not quite 50 but still quite fun.

Kristina's Colors













Best Wishes
Supplies:
Prima screen pattern stamp
SU! Short & Sweet
Penny Black Love in Bloom
DCWV papers
Prima flowers
Pearl stickers
Favorite Findings buttons
red ribbon - source unknown
Nestabilities Label One







In keeping with this week's stricter rules of color conformity, there used to be barely visible tiny bits of green in the patterned paper - I colored them brown!

Sweet Cuppin' Cakes

I decided to get back to cupcakes for this week's TECC. The result has me thinking of cutesy bakeries and wishing for a cupcake. Mmm cupcakes.

Taylor's Sketch

















You're Sweet
Supplies:
SU! Crazy for Cupcakes
Studio G from series 27
DCWV Papers
Stickles - Yellow and Cotton Candy

So Distressing!

In a good way! This week's Hero Arts challenge is all about distressing techniques. My previous forays into the world of distress have been pretty limited. I do have one Distress Ink (tea dye) which I like quite a bit, but I wanted to try something different this week. Pink!

This also fits in with the current Caardvarks challenge - trees. A new (to me at least!) contest - how exciting!

Hello Tree
Supplies:
HA Sparkle Clear Hello Tree
Prima screen pattern stamp
DCWV papers
Lah Di Dah Courtyard mini ribbon
Prima Flowers
Pearl stickers
Making Memories tiny alpha stickers
Nestabilities Label One








A quick photography note: Someone in the HA Flickr Group recently posted a link to the Strobist blog on DIY light tents (post here). I already have a light tent but haven't been thrilled with my lighting. I LOVED the poster board backround idea and wanted to try it. After my trusty sissy-in-law tested it out to great results (see them here) I made a quick run up to Walgreens for some of my own! LOVING the results!

Frog Prince

I took a bit of a break from crafting this week. I did make one card for the Hero Arts weekly challenge (focus on messages) but I don't like it so I'm not going to post it here. I just made this little card for Taylor's challenge. The message was done with HA stamps so I probably will enter this one into the HA challenge as well.

Taylor's Sketch:













Frog Prince
Supplies:
Imaginisce Snag'em Stamps Frog
HA small variety alpha
Prima screen pattern stamp
Bazzil Dotted Swiss cardstock
DCWV patterned paper
La di dah courtyard felted shapes
Yellow stickles (on crown)
Prima flower
Pearl sticker
hemp string
Favorite findings buttons

Mojo-in'

A new contest for me! The Mojo Monday blog has some great sketch challenges. I decided to play around with the one this week.

The Sketch:

















I actually planned the colors around the fabric covered brad. Came out light and springy!

Supplies:
Inkadinkado Doodle Flowers
SU! Crazy for Cupcakes (sentiment - rearranged to fit)
Versamark Dazzle - Frost
DCWV papers
Bazzil Dotted Swiss cardstock
Offray ribbon
Unknown flowers
K & Co. Classic K Margo Fabric stitched brad
Favorite Findings buttons
Stickles - Cotton Candy







Hard to see in the photo but I stamped little flowers on the sentiment square using the frost Versamark Dazzle.

DayGlo Inspiration

I looooove Kristina's colors this week!










I had the perfect image already stamped and colored! Although my card came out looking a bit 80s. Hm. Hadn't planned that. I am uncertain how it makes me feel.

Supplies:
Magenta hummingbird stamp
Stampin' Up! Crazy for Cupcakes (sentiment)
DCWV papers
Bazzil Dotted Swiss cardstock
La Di Dah Courtyard Felted shapes
Favorite Findings buttons
Ranger Glossy Accents (on the flower)
K & Co. gem

























I think it's missing a side pony tail and a snap bracelet.

Happy Easter

I decided to use this week's TECC for my second and final Easter card. The first happened to also be a TECC. Interesting, eh!

Taylor's Sketch:

















Celebrate!
Supplies
DCWV papers
Bazzil Dotted Swiss cardstock
Stampendous Chickie Hop
La Di Dah Courtyard felted shapes
Favorite Findings buttons
Offray ribbon



























"I know you can't control yourself any longer. Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger. Don't you fight it till you tried it - do the conga beat!"

It's Magnetic!

Another challenging week over at Hero Arts. This week: stamp on something other than paper. I didn't think I had anything that would work for this week when I remembered my memory glass. I've been meaning to make magnets out of these forever. What better time than now?

The images are stamped directly on the glass with paper added behind for color.

Group shot:
Supplies:
Jet Black StazOn ink
Ranger Memory Glass
Ranger Foil Tape
HA Clear Design Cupcakes
DCWV papers
K & Co. gems
Pearl sticker
Offray ribbon
Favorite Findings Buttons
La Di Dah Courtyard felt images
Stickles - Crystal, Yellow
Super strong magnets attached with super strong glue




Close-ups:

















Pictures on the fridge inside were not turning out, so I took them outside to our metal workspace slash storage thing we have out there.

Pretty, Pretty Princess

Paper layers! I missed you! While procrastinating on my last Easter card this evening I decided to try out Dawn's latest color challenge. Five whole colors - oh my! I must say my new OttLite once again came in super handy for paper selection. I've been enjoying my life in HD and it helps me make sure my papers match.

Dawn's Colors:













Princess
Supplies:
DCWV papers
Studio G series 28 stamps
K & Co. gems
Stickles - Stardust, Yellow
Offray ribbon
Cuttlebug Swiss Dotts
SU! scallop border punch
EK Success swiss cheese & dotted scallop border punches; flower punch
La Di Dah Courtyard felted shapes

The New Flatness

I really wanted to push myself a little further with a one layer card. I was looking at Taylor's new sketch and was possessed to attempt it in one layer. I happened to be talking to Lysa at the time and she dared me to add Kristina's new colors into the mix, too. I couldn't pass up that challenge!

A special card for the special Hero Arts blog birthday!

Taylor's Sketch

















Kristina's Colors










Three Challenges: All in One Layer
Supplies:
HA Clear Design Cupcakes
Colorbox Lime Pastel, Ice Blue, and Dark Brown chalk inks (sponged)
Making Memories ribbon
Favorite Findings buttons
pearl stickers









I used a lot of scraps for various mats (lots of thinking on this one! Which part to sponge first?) and some strategic Xactoing for the ribbon.

So flaaat:

One Layer = Hard!

It's a special week over at the Hero Blog - It's the blog's first birthday! In honor of that, this week's challenge is to use only one paper layer (ribbon, gems, buttons, etc all still allowed). Talk about hard, I learned to make cards by mounting my images and using more than one layer. Plus stamping and coloring directly on the finished piece? Can't cover that up if you mess it up! I did find one elusive, one layer card I had attempted many moons ago. I remember I had abandoned it because I didn't like its lack of layers! Needless to say this week was a true challenge for me. Especially after seeing all the amazing creations on the blog and in the Flickr group, definitely some true works of art and some amazing faux layers - stunning optical illusions!

Here are my creations. Honestly I can't tell if I like them. I don't not like them, but I just have a hard time in a one layer mindset! "Hmm, are they missing something? Well, what would you add? Another layer!"

I started the easy route with a HA Card Art stamp:
Supplies:
HA CardArt Flower Thank You
HA flower gems
Stickles - stardust
pearl stickers
buttons unknown
colored with Copics











A Day to Celebrate
Supplies:
HA large and small solid circles
HA solid narrow rectangle
HA Clear Design Birthday Messages
Colorbox Chalk inks
Cakes colored with copics
Offray ribbon
K & Co. gems
Stickles - Yellow (on cake candles)






A harder one on Kraft paper (white paper is much easier!)
Supplies:
HA I love my Dog
HA small solid circle
Doodlebug Tags
Colorbox Chalk inks
Tea Dye Distress ink
Pup, frame, and ball Copic'd
Offray ribbon
Pearl stickers
Favorite Findings buttons
Ranger Glossy Accents ("drool" on ball, kind of hard to see)


Phew! I do have one more that was a special effort. Stay tuned for that post! (Or click here)