Project Life - Seasonal Snapshot 2015

Have you tried Project Life yet???  I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant, scared and intimidated when Stampin' Up! first started carrying Project Life. I was used to, and comfortable with, scrapbooking in the "normal" way!  But once I started playing with the awesome kits that SU! carries for Project Life, I was hooked.

Last month I was chosen by my upline, Janet Wakeland, to be a display stamper using the Seasonal Snapshot 2015 kit.  This kit is in the current 2015 Holiday catalog and covers all fall/winter holidays!!  When you purchase all of the coordinating products:  the stamp set, card collection and accessory pack, you can do so much!

I love the versatility of this kit.  From school days to Christmas, you can do so many different things! The projects I have here give you a sample of what can be done!

The first project is a Halloween card using the popped out pieces from the pumpkin wood shape.  The pumpkin was cut with the 3" circle framelit and ran through the big shot with the Woodgrain embossing folder.  I wanted to mimic the texture on pumpkins.  The bats are in the stamp set and were stamped in black Staz on on Blackberry Bliss.  A piece of the corrugated Crumb Cake paper for the stem and Old Olive leaves punched from the Builder Bird punch.

I used the new Whisper White thick cardstock for the base, spritzed some Pumpkin Pie color on the background and accented it with the fabulous Black Glimmer paper!   Perfect Halloween card!


My next project shows a traditional Project Life page.  I used our wedding pics since we did get married in September, which technically is in fall!

But what this really shows, is how super easy it is to complete a page using the Project Life kits.  I used items from all the items available with the bundle.  The Project Life cards make it quick and easy to assemble your page and then using some specialty paper adds to it.  It's hard to see in the picture, but the black piece was embossed with the Woodland embossing folder.  Wooden leaves adhered to the outside of the pages just enhance the dimension of the page.

Hope you enjoyed your stop on my blog during this month's tour!!  Up next on the tour is Audra Monk!  You can click on the icon below to take you there.

Happy Stamping!!!

Ann

Beautiful Dreamer - Scrapbook Page #1 for Artisan Award entry

Happy Sunday everyone!!!  Today I have to share with you the first of my scrapbook pages I entered for the Artisan Award Design Team contest by Stampin' Up!

The page is 12 x 12 and uses Basic Black as the main page color.  I pulled the colors for the page from the picture of my granddaughter, Alysha, and what she was wearing.

I just love this picture of her and how I seemed to capture her dreaming off into the future!  That's why I went with the butterflies and cloudy day embossing folder (now retired) to try to capture that.

The butterflies were cut with the Beautiful Wings embosslit and Beautiful Butterflies die.  The large butterfly was actually "double cut" with the two large half butterflies on the die to give you a double effect.  I hope that make sense!  I then topped it with the larger butterfly from the embosslit.

The scallops on the title are actually circles cut with the 1 1/4" circle punch and topped with rhinestones.  I finished off the page by shadowing the edges with the Whisper White craft pad.

I really like how this turned out!!!

Thanks for looking!!!

Stamped Blessings!!

Ann :)

Mardi Gras Mask - 3D Project #2 for Artisan Award Entry

Hello all!!!  Here is my second 3D project that I submitted for the Artisan Award Design Team contest.  It's a mardi gras mask.  I've had this idea in my head for the longest time, then SU! made one in October 2011 (I think!) and I TRIED to make one last year, but it didn't work.  Soooo, this year I rethunk my plan and this is what I came up with!

First, I found a bigger mask to work with than I did the first time.  And then, instead of trying to cover it with designer series paper (dsp), I covered it with our now retired More Amore fabric.  I was so happy that I got the words on here straight the first time!!!  I adhered it with Mod Podge.

I colored rhinestones with a black sharpie and outlined the eyes with them.  The Vanilla Flower trim (now retired) was colored with Real Red ink.  The paper doilies above the eyes were colored with Basic Black ink and just cut in half and glued onto the back.

To give the mask a little more height,  I cut some dsp from the neutrals stack and the rosette die.  I then adhered a large rhinestone at each of the scallops.

The rest is pretty much embellishments to help make it "look pretty"!

Thanks for looking!!

Stamped Blessing!!

Ann :)

Burlap Topiary - Artisan Award 3D project

Hello all!!!  I really must get back in the hang of posting on my blog!  I have so many creations to share, but it seems like life just gets in the way!

What I have to share with you today is a burlap topiary.  I made this project as one of the 3d items for the Artisan Award Design Team contest through Stampin' UP!  Unfortunately, I was not chosen as a finalist, but now I do get to show off my projects that I submitted!!

This is a double ball topiary, pre-made, that I cut flowers from the Fun Flowers die out of burlap.  I used four different shades of burlap, 2 dark shades and 2 vanilla shades.  The center of the flowers have smaller burlap flowers in contrasting colors and then centers cut from our now retired fabric.  All of the flowers were attached with straight pins and then covered with the flower centers so you can't see the pins.  I have NO idea how many flowers I cut, but I DO know that I had burlap dust everywhere!!!  And was sneezing my head off!!

The jar was painted with plain white craft acrylic paint that was tinted with Pool Party re-inker.  There is two coats inside to give it a nice thick coat.  I kept the embellishments outside simple, since I wanted the focus to be on the topiary.

Of all the projects I did, this one was my favorite.  And took me the longest to complete too!!  Probably about 3 full days if I added it all up, but it was worth it in the end, even if I didn't win.  I just hope to see it on display at convention.

Thanks for looking!!!'

Stamped Blessings!!

Ann :)

Aloha My Friends!!!

OK, I'm trying this again today!!  Back in March I was scheduled to go on a weekend stamping retreat with some friends I've met through Splitcoast Stampers.  It's actually an organized event for those of here in Michigan, and some who have since moved away, but come back just for this weekend.  That's how much fun we have!!

One of the things we have is a Creative Mojo Door Prize, which is optional to enter, but I always do because you always have exceptional items to choose from.  Our theme this year was Tropical, so I decided to use my retired "Hawaiian" dsp and went from there.  Just an FYI, most of the items I used on this projects are now retied, sorry.

I started with a stand alone photo frame that I bought after Christmas on clearance!  Can't beat that huh?  The front of the frame was covered in a glossy finish so I opted to use Mod Podge to attach the dsp to it.  It took three coats to finally get it to stick!!!  But I love the final result.

To cover the seam between the two dsp's, I used a strip of the Natural Cotton ribbon stitched to a piece of white tulle I had laying on my desk.  Makes think of the grass skirts the hula dancers wear.  To get it to stick I hot glued it on.

The photo mat layers are made up of Purely Pomegranate, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White.  The Pomegranate and Pumpkin layers were distressed and white layer was sponged with Pumpkin ink.  A 4 x 6 picture will fit on here.  And since my fiance and I are planning a honeymoon in Hawaii, this frame will come in handy afterall!!

The flowers are the retired crocheted, felt and pretties ones.  The brads are non-SU!  The letters are "Thickers".  I wrapped a piece of linen thread around the bottom and the picture will slip right under it.

I hope you find some inspiration in my creation today!!!

Happy Stamping and Thanks for stopping by!!!

Ann  :)

Stampin' Up! Convention 2011 was awesome!!!!!

Hello all!!!  I know it's been a while since I've been on here, but I just got all caught up in getting ready for convention, then going and now I'm back home!  My how time truly does fly when you are having fun!!!

Convention this year was a blast!!!  Shelli spoiled us way beyond any year that I have been there and I can't wait to see how this new year plays out!  The new catalog is FANTABULOUS!!!!!!!   And the stamp sets we received are just awesome!  And the Holiday Mini coming is filled with even more wonderful new stuff!!!!  Have you heard we will have our own scoring tool - Simply Scored???  Can't wait to order that!!!

Here's some pics of convention to give you a taste of what went on:

My friend Brandy and I at Momento Mall.  We drove out from Michigan!!!

The theme this year was "Grow".

That is Rich Jutkins on stage, he is the President of SU!

Brandy & I during General Session.

Brandy, Chrissie, Lisa and I at the Garden Party on Wednesday night.

We had sooooo much fun!!!!  And the drive from Michigan to Salt Lake was not bad at all!!!  You could be there next year with me too!  They have an awesome sign-up special right now.  If you have any questions, let me know.  I would love to share the fun and excitement with you too!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

A Thank You Pear - CS40S

Hello all!!!  Wow two posts in two days!  Well, over on the Creative Sketches blog it's Thursday and time for another sketch!

The sketch this week made me stop and think for a minute and I wasn't quite sure what I was I going to do!  But once I looked at my dsp and thought of the new stamps I wanted to ink up, it just fell into place from there!  Don't you just love it when that happens?? :)

The card base is Whisper White, layered with Poppy Parade and a piece from the Pocket Full of Posies dsp.  Now, I have to admit when I first looked at this dsp in our pre-order period, I wasn't all that thrilled.  I mean I like retro and funky, but this seemed even a little funky for me!  But, I ordered to give it a try and I have to say I am glad that I did.  I've been cutting into it like crazy!

The center panel is Pear Pizzazz layered with WW.  I stamped the pear from one of the new hostess exclusive sets, Faith in Nature.  I used black staz on and then watercolored with the different stamp pad lids.  I really like how my pear turned out!  Not sure how much you can see, but I spritzed it with my Soft Suede marker after.  The sentiment is stamped in Poppy And a piece of linen thread is also wrapped around it.

The double ribbon strips are punched from So Saffron and then pearls are attached.  The entire center panel is is up on dimensionals.

Enjoy!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~~Ann~~~

Summer is here and Getting Creative with Ann is back!!!!

Hello all!!!!  Well, getting back into the swing of things is much easier said than done!  Now that I actually feel like I have creative thoughts flowing in my head I seem to run out of time to put them together!!  I have alot of sketches and notes, but not a lot of completed projects!!  Ever happen to you?  Hopefully that changes now.

This week, actually June 21st, is the actual first day of summer.  Are you ready?  I know that I am.  Before we know it, all that white stuff will be here again and it will be cold and icky out!!  Until then, lets celebrate summer!!!

Anything you can create that celebrates the beauty and fun of summer is up for grabs!  Show your love for summer fruit, the water, beverages or whatever! 

What's better in summer than lemons, oranges and friends?  Odd combo, but it's summer so does it matter???  This cute set, Tart and Tangy, is soon to retire at the end of the month.  I have really liked using this set and am sad to see it go.  But, in the new catalog there is an equally cuter set to take it's place.  The sentiment comes from Simply Said, another retiring set.

I started here with a Whisper White card base and layered with Daffodil Delight and another layer of WW.  The bottom part was put through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dots folder.  Strips of sticky strip just above the embossed part holds the ribbon down.  And the white pom-pom trim is not SU!  I was trying to make the lemons and oranges look as if they were "attempting" to balance on the card, sort of going with the saying.  Make sense?

Now, as I stated in my post here, I am making some slight changes to the GCA.  Primarily with the "stampin' goodie" packages that I send to the winners.  As much as I love to send these packages out, for multiple reasons I find it is not realistic for me to do so.  Time is my biggest factor with many changes happening at work that are going to be pulling me away from home more often.  In place of the stampin' goodie packages I will be choosing one person each week as that week's "Creative Stamper".  The card will be highlighted on my blog and a link to the stampers blog, or gallery, will be provided.  I really want to come up with a "blinkie" to give out to each "Creative Stamper", but I have very limited knowledge about putting those types of things together.  If anyone out there knows how, or know where I could get the info to do so, I would soooo appreciate the direction.

I am also looking into the Mr. Linky program for adding your entries too.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by June 25, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA135 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

Creative Sketches Color Challenge - From a Strawberry!!!!

Hello all!!!!  Boy does it feel good to be back to stamping and blogging.  I am humbled and overwhelmed get well wishes and thoughts of concern.  So much love out there in blogland and stamping!!

Anyway, this week over at the Creative Sketches blog it is a color challenge - inspired by a Strawberry!!!  The colors are Real Red, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi and Soft Suede.  I had a hard time not making a Christmas card with these colors!!!  LOL!!

I saw the sketch for the Mojo Monday this week and decided to try it out too!  I really liked the mix of stripes and circles.  I also paired this with a new fave technique of mine: Faux Mother of Pearl.  The large butterfly is done with Real Red and the smaller on with Soft Suede.  The sentiment comes from the new Level 1 hostess set in the Summer mini.

Check out the Creative Sketches blog and play along if you have a minute.

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Where in the World has Ann been......????

…..well I haven’t been out seeing the world, that’s for sure!!! Yes, I know it’s been over a month since I last posted. And in my last post I commented that I had been dealing with dreaded migraines. I actually wound up at the emergency room one afternoon because it got so bad.

Needless to say, my doctor has seen me more this past month than he usually does in a year! I feel like I’ve been poked and prodded from every end. Not really, but almost!!

So, long story short, and not to bore you with my issues, the month of May is pretty much a blur to me. We played around with my medications, taking some away and adding some. One he added is Topamax. Anyone who suffers from migraines and takes this medication knows that when you first start it, it practically can drain you of all your energy. That is one reason why I have resisted going to it, but it just came to the point where I had no choice. And on top of that I have not been sleeping well at night for some time, so that meant I barely made it through the day and the thought of stamping, and blogging, at night was not happening. Even the weekends were spent sleeping or just laying on the couch.

However, I am extremely happy to say that I am on the road back to “life”! The Topamax appears to be doing what it needs to for the initial dose, but I suspect it will need to be increased. All of the tests I went through have come back normal (so I have proof that I am normal!!!), except for the sleep study I had. Still waiting for the results, but I believe that I will be doing a second one with a CPAP machine on.

And I finally feel like stamping, and blogging, again. It really hurt that I couldn’t stamp or blog. I love sharing my work with all of you and I so appreciate each and everyone of you that stops by to visit. So you can expect to see more postings again from me.  Like, starting tomorrow!!!!  The Getting Creative with Ann challenges will resume this Sunday, June 12th. Some changes are coming, but I’ll post that in another post.

Again, thank you to all who have continued to stop by, send me emails to see how I was and just say hi. I wasn’t ignoring you, but computer time wasn’t a top priority either.

Happy Stamping!!!!!
 
~~~Ann~~~

Happy Mother's Day - DIC145

Hello all!!!  Two posts in one day!!!  Need some more inspiration for Mother's Day cards?  The photo that Maria has picked out for us on the UDI Blog can help you out!

I'll post all the details tonight.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Happy Father's Day - CS28 with a Holiday!!!

Hello all!!!  This week the Creative Sketches team has an awesome sketch and combo of making it a holiday card.  Any holiday, just pick one!

Off to work right now, but will post all the details later.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Hello Baby Cakes - GCA133

Hello all!!!  We had a gorgeous day here in Michigan, but we are also under a tornado watch!  That must mean that spring is here!

Here's another baby sample for this week.  I made this on Sunday with the leftovers from the cards I made the grandkids.  Guess I was having too much fun with the quilting technique!!

With these squares I just randomly, in some order, put them together!!  Make sense?  Once I had the pattern I wanted, I went around each square with my white gel pen and did the faux stitching.  Doesn't show up too much after I embossed it with the Elegant Lines ebf.  Backed it with a Crumb Cake layer.

The sentiment and white/pear scallop oval come from the Nursery Suites Quick Accents.  I used my oval scallop from the Movers & Shapers set and then backed that with a Whisper White decorative label punch.  The overall set is up on very thick dimensionals.  Then, I used dimensionals under the pear scallop layer and one more under the sentiment.

The baby jammies is from the Simple Life level 1 hostess set out of the Occasions mini.  I used paper piecing by stamping first on WW in Brown staz on and then again onto the dsp.  The heart is punched from the owl punch and popped up with a tiny dimensional.  A mini library clip with the new WW baker's twine finishes that off.

The scrunched ribbon is using the Crumb Cake seam binding and then pulling a thread from the middle of it.  I've tried to do this many times and usually break the thread I'm pulling on!  But this time it worked perfectly and I am very happy with the end result.

The finished size of this card is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 and has a WW card base.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #132 - Anything Goes with a Technique!!

Hello all!!!  Sorry for the late posting.  Actually, I thought I had it posted earlier and just needed to add my sample!  Oh, well!

So, the challenge this week is "Anything Goes" theme wise, but with the additional twist of using a technique. Is it required to use a specific technique? No. I just like finding all the new techniques that I can!! If you do use a technique you found on a blog, in a paper craft mag or even one you came up with, let us know so we can check it out too!!  A couple of sites I can lead you to is SCS - Try a New Technique challenge and Technique Junkies.

Actually the sample I have for you tonight is one of the technique cards we did at club today.  This one is called Faux Mother-of-Pearl.  And does it pack a WOW!!  A little messy, but the results are worth it.

Started with a card base of Daffodil Delight, folded at the top.  On a piece of Whisper White the swirl from Baroque Motifs was stamped in Wild Wasabi and the flower in Tangerine Tango.  Once those were stamped the entire piece was run through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice ebf.  Sort of gives the panel the look of fabric, doesn't it?  I took my inspiration for this card from one I saw on Stampin' Connection by Brenda Ruse.

The butterflies were cut with the Butterfly die and Big Shot with glossy white card stock. 

To create the Faux MOP look you need shimmer paint, preferably white, plain or glossy white card stock, paper plate, plastic wrap and ink.  Here's how it goes:

1.  Pour a little of the shimmer paint onto a paper plate.  Scrunch up the plastic wrap and lightly dip into the paint.  Dab off excess if needed.
2.  Dab the paint over the image, or panel, randomly.  Leave parts of the card stock open.
3.  Set aside to dry.  Doesn't take long.
4.  Once dry, use a sponge or brayer to cover the image or panel with the ink of your choice.  On my sample the large butterfly is sponged with Daffodil Delight and the smaller one with Tangerine Tango.
5.  Set these aside to dry for a few minutes.  Then embellish and finish your card!

Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta and white crochet thread finishes off the butterfly.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 23, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA132 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

Creative Sketches Color Challenge - 28 & Diva Inspiration

Hello all!!!  Another week has come and gone and here we are at another Thursday.  Time for both the Creative Sketches and UDI Blog Inspiration challenges!!!

The challenge this week on Creative Sketches is to use the colors of Daffodil Delight, Bashful Blue and Elegant Eggplant.  What a combo!!!  I played with this combo some the other day for my GCA 131 card.   I have to say that the Bashful Blue threw me for a loop!

So, I started with a Whisper White card base and the sketch from Stamping 411 for this week.  A nice easy and clean sketch.  Worked for me with these colors!  And I pulled out a stamp set that I haven't used, at all, and put ink to it!!  (And I buy more why???)

I used Silhouette Sentiments, a level 1 hostess set.  Since the Bashful Blue was throwing me off, I tried to keep it to a minimum.  I stamped the weedy flower image in Bashful Blue, randomly.  With the sketch you can really use anything on the left hand side, so I stamped the images in the three colors.  The smaller flower which I stamped in Elegant Eggplant, is from Because I Care, another level 1 hostess set.  Notice the theme???

The rest is really quite simple, and easy.  I stamped the bird/branch and then stamped the bird again and cut it out.  It's popped up with dimensionals.  Whisper White taffeta and Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta were used with white crochet thread tied around and through the button to hold it on.

If you get a minute, check out each of the sites and play along!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #131 - Anything Goes with a Sketch!!!


Hello all!!!  Today is a fabulously warm and beautiful day in my area of Michigan!!!  It's at least 80* out!  Not to last forever, but the temps coming up this week aren't so bad either.

I haven't done an "Anything Goes" challenge in awhile, but this one has a slight twist.  I've said it on here many times that I LOVE sketches.  Any time I find a new one, or a card with an unusual layout, I make I save it!  There are so many blogs out there now that have specific sketch challenges and one of them I happen to be a design team member of!!  What a plug, I know!  Check out the Creative Sketches blog to see all of the fabulous sketches they have.

So, the challenge this week is "Anything Goes" theme wise, but with the additional twist of using a sketch.  Is it required to use a specific sketch?  No.  I just like finding all the new sketches that I can!!  If you do use a sketch you found on a blog, in a paper craft mag or even one you came up with, let us know so we can check it out too!!

My sample this week is using the weekly sketch challenge on Mary Jo's blog, TechnoStamper.  She posts a new sketch every Monday.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 16, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA131 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

Happy Stamping!!!!

~~~Ann~~~~ 

Clearly for Mother - GCA130 & LNS115

Hello all!!!  I have another Mother's day card to show you today.  As you know this is the theme for this week's GCA and for the Late Night Stampers group I belong to.

Actually, for me, this card turned out to be quite CAS!!  Doesn't happen very often, but I used the sketch from the Create with Connie and Mary blog that just said CAS to me.  And, I was able to use up some scraps that I had laying around!  Bonus!!!

The card base is Whisper White, layered with a piece of the Love Impressions textured dsp (still available in the Occasions mini).  The panel was cut at 3 3/4 x 5 to leave some of the card base showing.

For the main image I decided to open up, and use, the Beveled windowpanes I've had since the Occasions mini came out!!  I also used the stamp set, Clearly for You, which coordinates with the windowpanes.  Pretty in Pink satin wraps and holds the windowpane to the card.  These are tricky little things to play with, but I do like the end result!  I used a piece of Crumb Cake seam binding around the know and used a hat pin (non SU!, but we no longer carry these!) through the middle.

Not sure how well you can see in the photo, but I also used my Tea Stain distress ink around the edges and on the crown.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

Creative Sketches 27 and Diva Inspiration 142!!!! A winning combo!!!

Hello all!!!  Two fabulous things, NEW, have happened for April!!!  The first I told you about yesterday and that is the guest designer for Late Night Stampers for April and the second is I am joining the design team for Creative Sketches from April to October!!!  I love sketches and I love new challenges!!

With that being said, let me tell you about my card!  You can check out the sketch on the blog.  I hope you can play along with us this week!!!

To start off the card base is Very Vanilla, 5 x 5.  The color combo is Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso.  I did take some liberty with the UDI Inspiration pic for this week with these colors.  But, I wanted to use the Sweet Stitches dsp and the matching rub-ons.  I'm sure Maria will understand!

There is a lot of dimension on this card to.  The rub-ons I used are the of the little girl and the row of straight pins.  Daffodil Delight buttons from Sale-A-Bration with pearl centers finishes it off!!

Don't forget to check out the Creative Sketches blog and UDI Blog for two awesome challenges!!  Let me know if you play along too so I can check out what you created!!!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #130 - Happy Mother's Day!!!

Hello all!!!  Finally, I have the never-ending wedding invites done!!!  I am so envious of those stampers who can do CAS to perfection!  I have another set to do later this year and I will definitely be doing them CAS!!!

While Easter is late this year, it seems that Mother's Day is EARLY!!  (We can never win can we??)  So, anything related to Mother's Day: cards, scrapbook pages, gifts or whatever are in order for this week. 

My sample for this week's GCA is also a combo with the Late Night Stampers weekly challenge of Mother's Day.  And, I was also asked to be the guest designer for April!  How cool is that??  Now I'm really nervous about posting my work!

The card today is really quite simple and easy.  The base is Very Vanilla textured (and leftover from the invites), the second panel is plain Very Vanilla and the punched scallops and circles are Peach Parfait textured.  The dsp is from Sweet & Sour.  The sketch is from Clean & Simple stamping - FTL134.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by April 9, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA130 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!


~~~Ann~~~~ 

Love You - DIC141

Hello all!!!  Time for another UDI Blog Inspiration challenge!  I just love the inspiration picture that Maria picked for us this week.  A very simple, yet focused, picture of a Monarch butterfly on a yellow flower.  It gives such a nice feeling that Spring is finally coming.   Make sure to check out the UDI Blog and play along.

My inspiration came from the yellow of the flower and the butterfly.  The newest Technique Junkies newsletter is loaded with fun and interesting techniques to try.  The technique that I used on here is called Millefiori.  It is based on an Italian way for making stained glass.  I used three different sets to create the background piece:  Flower Fancy, Pick a Petal and Dreams du'Jour.  I can't give you all the specifics of the technique, but if you check out the Technique Junkies site, you can get the details for getting the newsletter.

The main image and butterfly come from the Dreams du'Jour set.  And this image is great for also using the Outof-the-Box technique because it's already set up for you!  I stamped it twice, once in black staz on and again in Kiwi Kiss.  I then cut the image out, leaving the leaves and bud outside the box, following the inner boxed lines.  I then layered it with a dimensional with the second image.

Luckily for me, I stamped a butterfly in just the right spot so I could cut it out and pop it up over the stamped image.  Helps to give it even more depth.

The "bow" is a faux bow using the instructions from Mary Brown.  The entire background panel and strip are popped up on dimensionals too.

This is going out to my March Just One partner with Technique Junkies.

Don't forget to check out the UDI Blog and play along if you can!

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~