Sweet Wishes

After the last month of making Christmas cards, I have a nice supply of Christmas paper scraps.  So it was super easy to put together this sweet card, especially since the little Candy Cane Bear is one of my favorite images from Di’s Digis, and Di’s current challenge is named “Use Your Scraps.” I used a sketch from one of Power Poppy's monthly challenges to guide my layout. It worked perfectly! (One thing that isn't perfect is the photo corner placement. I didn't realize the one on this upper left corner is so crooked until I saw the photo. That seems to happen a lot. Yet, I do love my photo corners!) 

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Di’s Digital Stamps (Candy Cane Bear)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Puffy Heart Sticker- Walmart

·   Front Sentiment- “Christmas Music…” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Here Comes Christmas)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Thinking of You at Christmas” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Christmas Cardinals)

·   Assorted cardstock, doily, photo corners and scraps of assorted Christmas papers from my stash

Entered into:  

Di’s Digi Stamps- Use Your Scraps                                                  

Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Sketch It Out!  
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week 31 Anything Goes                         

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                

Since I have many nieces who love mermaids, I recently picked up a packet of mermaid papers and ephemera at Hobby Lobby… and this week I took some time to play with its beauty! Patterned papers, torn and layered to create ocean waves, plus a sparkly mermaid tail in the distance creates the main focus. A few sentiments and a sprinkling of sequins finish the card, which went together quick and easy and sure to make a little mermaid lover’s face light up!

 

Supplies: 

·   Mermaid Tail, scales paper and starfish sentiment on the inside- Hobby Lobby Scrapbook Packet

·   Front Sentiment “Swishing By to Say Hi”- Imagine That! Digi Set (Mermaid Swimming)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Wishing you Oceans of Joy…)- Bugaboo Digi Set (Under the Sea)

·   Assorted background papers and sequins from my stash

·   Con-Tact Clear Self-Adhesive Shelf Liner  (Or  Clear Self-Stick Laminating Sheets. There are several options on the web.)

Entered into: 

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                                      

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #450-451 Anything Goes                   

Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday- Anything Goes 

Outlawz Challenge- Crash Your Stash- Sequins

I’ve never been a journal writer, so haven’t gotten involved in the rage of creating journals. However, I do appreciate all the beautiful journals I see across the web. A while ago the daughter of a sweet friend turned 16, and I knew that she would enjoy a hand-crafted journal. So I dug through my stash and found some items that I could use to celebrate her young life! Abbie was borne in China but came to live in the US as a young child and calls it her home. Her parents feel it is very important that she knows is proud of her ancestory… so they celebrate not just Christian and US holidays, but also Chinese holidays and special events. They’ve also made several family trips back to Abbie’s birthplace, so I know that they’ll also appreciate this journal. The journal itself went together pretty quickly. I liked the simple B&W texture of a basic Composition book that I found in the school section at a local Walgreens. I layered black and red cardstock to the front section of the journal to cover the lettering and create a nice backdrop for the journal’s focal point- a lovely old scenic print that I found in a small frame at a local thrift shop. I added a square of floral Origami paper behind the scene. After a bit of experimenting, I liked the look of placing it diagonally across the journal. After adhering all of these layers, making sure all points and corners were securely attached (since I knew the journal might get a lot of use) I created the Chinese coin embellishment that would be wrapped across the front of the journal. This coin was in my dear Mom’s jewelry box, which I inherited. It fit perfectly with this journal. I threaded gold cording through the holes then using an Exacto blade, cut a small hole in the binding near the upper left corner of the scene. After carefully threading the cording through, I positioned the coin, then taped the ends down on the cover's inside with gold Washi tape. I stamped small Chinese symbols to add some text to the journal. For the finishing touch, I traced a large round Chinese symbol from a vintage wall hanging to create a template, which I used to draw the symbol onto metallic gold gift wrap. After fussy-cutting the symbol I attached it to the journal with adhesive then secured it in place by cutting a large circle of clear peel and stick adhesive that I carefully positioned over it and then pressed in place.

Supplies: 

·   Composition Book- School section of any store!

·   Sketched tree image- found at a local Goodwill

·   Chinese Symbols “love” and “longevity”- Hero Arts wood mount peg stamps (retired)

·   Floral Origami paper, gold gift wrap, and a Chinese coin from my stash

·   Large round Chinese symbol is copied from vintage wall hanging

Entered into:  

Simon Says Monday Challenge- Art Journal                                  

Cute Summer Shoes

It’s Friday and time for the Colour Crazy Challenge. This challenge is also an “Anything Goes” but it adds a requirement- the creation needs to include coloring in “any colouring medium you like, onto any project you like, and in any colours you like.” I’ve never outgrown my love for coloring… which is why making cards is stress therapy for me!!

This weeks sponsor is All Dressed Up, and my DT easel card features a wonderful image named Shoes. I colored the image and positioned it on an A2 sized postcard, then adhered it to an easel card base (instructions can be found HERE.) I printed off a few extra flowers from the flipflop and decorated the computer-generated sentiment on the inside of the card. So fun!

I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Saturday Paper Ala Mode (The line-up of shoes provides simple flipflops plus two fancier versions of fun footware!) 

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi (with attached sentiment)- All Dressed Up (Shoes)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside sentiment- Computer Generated

·   Assorted background papers from my stash

Entered into:  

All Dressed Up- Anything Goes- #107 Anything Goes (July)      

Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #125

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                                      

Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- Fancy                 

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- July                        

I had so much fun creating the first card, that I asked Wendy Burns, artist/owner of All Dressed Up if I could use just the flip flops from her digi to make another card. She said YES! So I enlarged the flipflops, printed them off, traced them onto a scrap of yellow foam, cut them out, and set them aside. I colored the straps and flower on the digis, then trimmed them from the flipflops, leaving an additional strip of cardstock on the end of each strap. I added texture to the foam bases with a corrugator, slit small holes into them for the straps, threaded the extended strap ends through these slits, and taped them down on the underside.  The sentiment on the front is computer generated. I printed off another flower from the image, colored and fussy cut the flower then attached it to the freebie inside sentiment with a square of foam tape.

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Bugaboo (Deacon Elf Sitter)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Front sentiment- Computer Generated

·   Inside sentiment- WinkWinkWink freebie (Wishing You a Happy Day)

·   Assorted background paper and ypcycled calendar scene from my stash

·   Sheer black dotted swiss ribbon- JoAnne’s

Entered into:  

Incy Wincy Designs- Summer Colors

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Ocean or Beachy

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

An added note- One of the commenters from Australia noted that they call flip-flops thongs. Her comment reminded me of a funny situation a few years ago. At the time I worked with a federal grant that provided education on the danger of Methamphetamine use and Meth labs. My boss was once providing a presentation to a group of landlords, and noted, "When applying the strong cleaning fluid to floors make sure you are not wearing thongs." (Several people in the audience looked shocked. And many laughed! My boss turned pink and said, "I mean, flip-flops. We called them thongs when I was growing up not flip-flops!” He added, “So don't wear flip-flops when cleaning floors." Then added with a grin, " But, you can wear thongs if you’d like!”) That memory still makes me LOL! 

I won this Digi Doodles digi named “Mindy’s New Boots” several months ago and it’s become a favorite! Decided to feature her on a Christmas card. It was fun to use several scrapbook items that I purchased back in 2009 when I helped a friend make a family scrapbook-the Christmas Label on the front and matching patterned paper on the inside of the card. The black music score paper on the front compliments the lyrics, plus adds wonderful contrast to the card front. The sentiment on the front of the card is a freebie from a blogspot named Skogstokiga. (The freebies are replaced gradually so the one pictured might not be available when you check. However, there are dozens available so you are sure to find a few that you just have to have!)

I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Tuesday Color Challenge- Color Wheel (My card includes red, blue and green) and NBUs Challenge (scrapbook items that I’ve had for over a decade!)

 

 

Supplies: 

·   Digi- Digi Doodle Studios (Mindy’s New Boots)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Front Sentiment- Skogstokiga Blogspot Freebie (I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas)

·   Inside Sentiment- “Christmas Music…” from Beccy’s Place Digi Set (Here Comes Christmas)

·   Assorted background papers from my stash

·   Snowflakes- Cheery Lynn Designs Die (C146 Snowflakes)

·   Snowflakes- Lawn Fawn LF995-Mini Snowflakes Die Set

Entered into:  

Digi Doodle Studios- FB Challenge- Anything Goes July  

Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Songs and Rhymes- All I Have To Do Is Dream

Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #138 Christmas in July (Week 4)

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #450-451 Anything Goes                   

Outlawz Challenges- Tuesday Color Challenge- Color Wheel  

NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff!)-  Challenge #16                    

Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Change It Up       

Crafty Hazelnut’s Christmas Challenge- #500 Anything Goes

3 Bears & An Elephant

I’ve been loving all the recent beachy themed challenges. This sweet image from Little Scraps of Heaven (LSOH) was just asking to be spotlighted! It was actually a freebie, which LSPH’s owner/artist offers every week.  Stop HERE to nab the current one! And, while you are there, right now all the LSOH digis are on sale and you can pick this one up for just $1. So stop by soon and I’ll be you will be adding several of her cute digis or sets to your collection!)

I had a few easel card bases on my craft table and used one of them as the base of this card. (I looked on Pinterest for a template and found one that I liked on an Operation Write Home website. It’s actually just the base for the easel card. If you fold the top portion back on itself it makes a nice stand-alone card.  Note, I’m not providing the link to the original website as I discovered that it must no longer be managed since OWH closed down several years ago. When I visited the site, I discovered that it a virus now lived there. Am glad that my virus scan zapped it before it could move to my laptop! But I did want to provide credit to OWH for the original template.)

 

Supplies: 
·  Digi- Little Scraps of Heaven (A Beary Cool Treat)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside Sentiment- Desert Diva (Sweet Birthday Wishes)

·   Assorted background papers from my stash

·   Beach themed stickers from my scrapbook stash

·   Partial Easel Card base- Template provided

Entered into:  

Incy Wincy Designs- Summer Colors

The Sisterhood of Crafters- Ocean or Beachy

Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                

Little Scraps of Heaven- Color Challenge  (FB)        

For my card I have used a Gerda Steiner Freebie "Let's eat Cupcakes" (which was provided in a past Gerda Steiner newsletter.) I did find it on the GS website HERE, where you’ll also find the link to sign up for the newsletter.  I colored the image with Spectrum Noir markers then added some realism to the balloon by tracing it with a fine-line permanent marker on yellow vellum. I printed off an extra copy of the cupcake, fussy-cut and colored it, then covered the "frosting" with glue that would dry clear. A final touch of realism was added by cutting “sprinkles” from very fine strips of scrap paper and sprinkling them onto the wet glue. I added some depth to the card by using an Exacto blade to trim around his front paws and gently lifted them. After attaching a square of foam tape to the center of the cupcake, I slid it under the raised paws, added glue to the underside of the paws, and pressed them atop the cupcake. The sentiment inside of the card is a fun freebie from Gingershouse. It pretty much sums up my battle of the bulge!

Supplies: 

·   Digi (with sentiment balloon)- Gerda Steiner (Let’s Eat Cupcakes)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Inside sentiment- Gingershouse Freebie (Losing Weight…)

·   Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue- used to attach glitter

·   Assorted cardstock, scraps of neon colors, wiggly eyes and twine from my stash

Entered into:  

Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #516 (Optional twist- Make It Funny) 

Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #450-451 Anything Goes                   

Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday- Anything Goes

Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge

My last card features a sweet digi from All Dressed Up. Like the cupcake digi, this one includes a sentiment which simplifies card making. After coloring and trimming the digi within a rectangular frame, I adhered it atop a rectangle of cardstock and then on to a gatefold card base covered with cloudy sky patterned paper. I’m leaving the inside of this card blank, as I want to keep it available to use as needed.  

Supplies: 

·   Digi (with sentiment balloon)- All Dressed Up (Hang In There)

·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen

·   Assorted background papers from my stash

·   Rectangle template from my scrapbook stash

Entered into:  

All Dressed Up- Anything Goes- #107 Anything Goes (July)      

All Dressed Up FB Challenge- For the Kidz                                    

Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                                      

Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- July