Blushing Bride

Hello and Happy HUMP DAY- woohoo!  It was almost 80 degrees here yesterday and is supposed to be again today.  Of course I have to work but it makes it so much easier to get up in the am when the sun is shining!

You may have noticed, but I've really been getting into Cure for the Monday Blues lately.  Taheerah's challenge is fun!  I love her inspiration photos and her creations.  I am always inspired to take my creations to a different place that I don't normally go.  Check out the inspiration for the Cure #15.  Wouldn't that be an amazing wedding to be at?!  It looks fun and I love all the bright colors and the touches of gold.

Here is what I did with my card this week.  I used my PTI Diagonals Die set.  I cut my base on some vanilla CS and mounted it on my wood-grain paper.  (BTW, this woodgrain is part of the DCWV Gilded Paper Stack that is perfect for this challenge.  I bought it last Sunday, a very fortuitous find!) I cut bits of the CS from the colors I saw in the inspiration photo, including some gold glitter paper (not from the DCWV) and filled them into the pattern randomly.  I embossed my sentiments from CAS-ual Fridays in gold to play that up a bit more.  I snapped this resin flower off a bobby pin (I was never going to use it anyway) and popped it up above some gold accented ribbon.  I finished it off with some different sized sequin for a little extra shine (close up at the bottom)

All that gold and shine gives me a jolt of electricity, which is why I am entering this in to CASology #93 this week, the cue is Electric! I am also entering into Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge featuring yellow. 

I now notice that my colors don't quite match the inspiration photo from CFTMB- BUT I still love the result!  I am going to a wedding in July, perhaps that blushing bride will receive this card and hopefully like it!

Thanks for stopping!

Insert smiley face here

Hey Ya'll!  I know the Sequin Shaker Hop over at Pretty Pink Posh is over (ended last night) but I thought I'd make and share one more anyway.  :)  I hope you walk away feeling happy from this one because it is infused with good vibes.

The star of the show here is Mr Smiley face hanging out among all those flashy sequins.  They are from the Top Dog Dies Camera Finishers Die Set.   You can also see the #Feel Better! sentiment.  The hashtag is also part of the die set and the sentiment is Lawn Fawn's Our Friendship Grows set.

Do you think this would cheer you up if you weren't feeling well?!  I sure hope so.  One of my Top Dog Dies DT teamies isn't feeling so well, so maybe I'll send it to her!

Before you go, be sure to head over to Kimberly's blog (Wienerhoneymooners) and say Happy Birthday! :)

Unexpected results

For Easter this year, my daughter picked out a different egg dye kit that what we have normally gotten this year.  OK, no prob.  I opened it to fine the dye is in little ketchup like packets, no water or vinegar necessary.  I am thinking. "Oooh, this is going to be easy."  Well guess what, I was wrong!   Because this was all done by hand with a tiny spongue applicator, no dipping, nothing to hold the egg with and it was sticky!  After dropping a few on the floor and having sticky mess all over I can tell you we won't be buying that again.

BUT...yes there was a silver lining here... the colors were so vibrant and beautiful that I was sad to just toss it.  So I got a dish of water, some paint brushes and watercolor paper and we did a little painting.  By diluting the dye solution it wasn't sticky any more AND it yielded wonderful results!  The point, well this little CAS card was doing using that egg dye.  What do you think?  Pretty cool eh?!

This is from the Sweet Stamp Shop set Color Wheel.  It is now retired, but I won't be getting rid of it any time soon because I love it.  The sentiments are some of my fave.  So anyway, I embossed it white and then applied my egg die like watercolor paint.  Once dry I stamped my sentiment in black.  I let it sit for a while (a week) and then came back it to it and added few sequins and mounted it up for a nice finish. The colors are just so vivid, I love them!  It is always fun when you get some cool unexpected results.

I haven't been doing my question of teh day as much anymore, so maybe I should call i the monthly question?  Oh well, I am going to keep it as is for now.  Meanwhile, I have one for you....  Today's Question of the Day is- what kind of things have you used in your paper crafts that may be outside the norm but turned out pretty cool?

Entering this into:
CAS on Sunday- Sparkle and Shimmer
Simon Says Stamp Wed Challenge- Keep it CAS

Thank you for stopping friends!

Sequin Shaker Hop

Hey!  Tomorrow is the big Sequin Shaker Hop Day over at Pretty Pink Posh!  Are you excited?!  I sure am!!!  Today the Top Dog Dies DT has put together a mini hop in anticipation of the PPP hop tomorrow. Why?  Well because #1 it is going to be fun and #2 Top Dog Dies is offering up one of the prizes for that hop!  Woop-Woop!

OK, here is the Top Dog Dies DT list for the mini hop, be sure to visit each of these fabulous ladies to get inspiration for tomorrow! 

Top Dog Dies Blog - 

Amy Tsuruta

Giovana Smith

Karen Letchworth

Katie Brooks - You are here!

Renee Robbins

Here is what I made for our mini hop:

These are large scale gift tags made to go with baby shower gifts.  I used the Top Dog Dies Baby on Board Dies Set.  I cut them out in the DP and then used the negative with a colored layer of blue or pink behind.  Inside of course I have some glossy and satiny sequins from Pretty Pink Posh.  The DP and stamps are from Lawn Fawn.  What do you think?!  I think cute and super easy!

OK, here are the hop details:

Date: The blog hop will start on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at 6AM, PST and will run until Monday, April 28, 2014 at 11:55 PM, PST.

Where: It’s taking place  Pretty Pink Posh blog. They will have a link-up widget where you can link up your project and then hop along and see what others have created.

Who: We want EVERYONE to be involved. If you love sequins and have a blog, you are welcome to join along. Don’t have a blog yet? This is a great time to start one!

Prizes:  There will be prizes offered up by various sponsors, again.  You can see the full list below!  

Oh and one last thing- here is a coupon for a discount on Pretty Pink Posh through tomorrow!  

aEnjoy and thanks for stopping!

Fusion #8

It's one of my favorite times of the week.  Can you guess?  FUSION time!  Yay!

Here is our inspiration for this week:

What would you choose to work with, the picture, the sketch or both?

Here is what I did.  I focused on the chevrons using my new Pinkfresh Studios colored wood chips.  The Stamps are from Sweet Stamp Shop and the DP- Maggie Holmes.  That tag- got it at TJ Maxx, 4 different colors in a set of 20.  Total bargain!

OK, so here's the deal.  The girls have some AMAZING creations, so go check out the Fusion blog and the other DT's blogs too.  The rules are at Fusion as well.  I sure hope you'll play and I can't wait to see your entry.  

Thank you for stopping by today!

Entering this into:
Seize the Sketch #18

Serendipitous

Hi.  I wanted to share a dynamic duo trio of colors with you today.  I am sooooo in love with this combo of black (I used dark grey...charcoal, but that is the new black right?!), rich razzleberry and the option of gold. I was totally inspired by this combo over at the Dynamic Duo's site.  WOW!  

It was very serendipitous that I popped in to my local craft store the other day and found these We R Memory Keepers Journal Cards on SALE!  AWESOME!  But the star of the show here (in my opinion) are the stamps from Sweet Stamp Shop.  The blooms are from Elegant Flowers. I colored them using a little melon mambo, a LOT of rich razzleberry and a touch of elegant eggplant for my gradient (mostly retired SU! colors).  The sentiment is from Monogram it and the stars are from the New Years set that retired (booo-hoo!).  I stamped the stars in Delacata gold and added a little touch of gold twine.  For the final touch, I added a tiny bit of smudged gold onto the top of the flowers (it was actually a happy accident, but shhhh, don't tell!)  Here is a close up where you can kind of see the gold on the blooms.

I love the result and I love this color combo!  YUMMY!

I am also entering this into the CAS-ology (this week's theme is garden) and Retrosketches and Addicted to Stamps and More (make your mark!).

aMUSEd

I love this crafty blogging world of ours.  There are so many amazing creations and people who inspire out there!  I mean really, it is just amazing seeing it all.  Who is one of your favorite crafters or favorite creations?  I'd love to hear so I can check it out and see for myself.

One card maker I am in awe of is Joni Nina Anadaya (Papell with Love).  She makes the most amazing creations!  Most of them are elegant, though some are cute too.  One thing I love is that she always incorporates elements or patterns or something different that I would never think of.  Checking out her stuff inspires me to try new techniques, combine different products or just look at things differently.

So today, I am sharing a card with you that I made based the below card (which can be found here)  by one of my muses, Joni.

I was inspired by so many things, the colors the ombre effect of the pink, the ruffle at the bottom.  All of it really.  So I made a card based on this inspiration and here is what I came up with.  To make my card, I first I took my white CS and repeatedly stamped and embossed the shapes from Peacock Pretties from Reverse Confetti in Gold.  Like Joni, I applied an ombre wash of color using a watercolor pen, I used Cameo Coral (this is a retired SU! color that I just can't give up).  I then added the ruffle.  I am not sure what medium Joni used, but I applied mine with this awesome chevron tissue paper (if you stop here frequently you know tissue paper is my thing right now) and a little strip of sparkly paper, to mimic the effect of Joni's bow.  I added some DP from Teresa Collins You Are My Happy peaking out the top.  I finished it off with a sentiment from Sweet Stamp Shop Monogram It and some sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. What do you think?  I am no Joni Nina Andaya, but I am aMUSEd by the result and I hope you like it too.

Entering this into:
City Crafter Challenge Blog #208- Paint it
Pink Elephant #247- Water Color

Thank you for visiting!!!!!!!

Top Dog Dies DT and Scrapbook Circle Hop

Hey ya'll!  Happy Monday!  What better way to start your week of than with a blog hop eh?!  So here it is, Top Dog Dies DT and Scrapbook Circle are teaming up for this hop.

You know what we do over at Top Dog Dies.  Scrapbook Circle offers monthly kits to that are built to help preserve your family memories.  They share daily inspiration and provide a link for connections with other crafters.  They have been offering their kits for sever years.  Each one includes a custom printable and they also offer coordinating digital files. There are exclusive items and fresh product in each kit to inspire you to create!

Here is a super fun album that I made using the Top Dog Dies Camera Die ,  Top Dog Dies Camera Finishers Die Set and Scrapbook Circles Bucket List Kit.

That sweet little face is my daughter, perfect for the cover of my album.  The Scrapbook Circle stickers made the title "Picture This!"  The other bits are from the Camera Finishers Die Set.   I love having her face in the center focus of the camera eye piece...isn't she just perfect?!  Yep, pretty much! :)

We took a trip to San Diego two years ago (2012) and had so much fun.  We went to Sea World, the zoo, the safari park and the beach. The sun, the sand, the animals, it was wonderful!

Sea World was one of our very favorite things.  Sophie was just 4 years old, but loved touching all the creatures and feeding the rays and watching the shows.  

Other favorite moments included swimming in the pool daily.  We pretty much had to drag her away at the end of each swimming session. :)

We also went to Cabrillo National Park and got to see the surf splash up against the sandstone. Watching the flocks of pelicans fly by was magical.

It was the Best. Trip. Ever.  I love this little bit for the back pack, thank you Scrapbook Circle for having that in the kit!

Please check out all the other ladies projects and leave comments for them.  We all certainly appreciate the bloggie love.  Here is the complete hop list:

Top Dog Dies Blog
Scrapbook Circle

Amy Wanford

Amy Tsuruta

Giovana Smith

Katie Brooks 

Stacey Schafer  

Nicole Picadura

Renee Robbins

Karen Letchworth

Wendy Sue Anderson

Sara Zenger

Heather Leopard

Diana Fisher

Adrienne Alvis

Audrey Yeager

Diana Waite

Tessa Buys

Leslie Ashe 

So....do you want some prizes?!   No...Ok, thanks for stopping then....  JUST KIDDING!  Here is what you can win:

• At Top Dog Dies we are giving away one of the Scrapbook Circle Bucket List kits.  To win you can register over at the Top Dog Dies Blog. 
• Scrapbook Circle is giving away two $50 gift certificates for Top Dog Dies wafter-thin dies. 

In addition, both companies are running a promotion!  

• From now until May 31, 2014, Scrapbook Circle you can get 20% off with this code- scrapbook20.  
• Top Dog Dies is offering a discount that runs through April 27th with the following coupon codes. 

Thank you so much for stopping today and I hope you have fun hopping with us!

Up, Up and Away!

Hi!  Welcome to another Cut-it-up Challenge week!  This week we are celebrating birthdays! :)  Of course all the lovely DT ladies have some AH-MAZING creations, so you should head over to the CIU blog and their blogs to see!

Here is what I made for you this week.  It is a birthday balloon!  Super easy to make.  I used a circle die frown Lawn Fawn and put a little spacer in to not cut along the bottom.  I covered it in Doodlebug Designs Inc. Washi and then embossed my sentiment from Sweet Stamp Shop and tied on my string. DONE!  Did you clock me?  10 minutes, max!

So what do you think are you going to play?  There are some great prizes to be had, first is a May Arts Ribbon Trio from Sparkly Sweet Craft Notions and a $15 Gift Certificate to ScrappyDew.  Whew!  I wish I could win that!   

YOUR TURN!  Whaccha got?!? ;)  Head over to Cut-it-Up and check it all out. 

Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Entering this into:
City Crafter Challenge Blog # 207
CAS on Sunday- A Birthday to Die for

New Basket Tutorial

Hey ya'll.  I am over on Top Dog Dies Blog today with a tutorial for you on how to make these baskets.  I've got two versions below using the same Top Dog Dies Signature Antique Die.   Please visit me there. :)

The perfect confetti

Did you know that tissue paper makes the perfect confetti?  It totally does.  And this confetti is perfect for cards.  See!  Yet another fun use of tissue paper in card making.

So this card doesn't have one single stamp on it, which is odd for me.  Not only that but it is totally CAS, another odd thing for me.  I made this feeling inspired by Cure for the Monday Blues #13, specifically the egg tree.  Of course it is perfect for Curtain Call Confetti Crush- too.  The little jar is from Recollections, picked up from my local craft store.  The accents are from the April Freckled Fawn kit- LOVE!  I made the confetti with a little tiny circle die and my tissue.

Thanks for stopping today! :)