Lavender Daisy and a Tote

Hello again...I'm baaaack! I've got one more card to share with you today, as well as a sewing project. I'll start with the sewing project, as I only have one photo for that.


I made this quilted tote bag for a friend I met when I first started my blog, about nine months ago--Hi, Heather! (I posted a similar tote bag here, where you can also find a link for the free pattern, but I used French seams inside this one so the seam edges are enclosed.) Heather probably has no idea how much she helped me back then, answering all kinds of questions, critiquing my blog, and giving me encouragement when I thought I was never going to get blogging or cardmaking figured out. I've still got a lot to learn, but at least now I know it's not impossible. Thanks for getting me through the hardest part, Girl!!! Couldn't have done it without you! :D I'll get this in the mail to you on Monday.


Now on to the card.

I used the colors from The Play Date Cafe Challenge #129, of Dusk, Magenta, and Seedling--a luscious palette!

I stamped the daisy with Staz On ink, then used chalk and a wet paintbrush to color it. The edges of the image panel were torn with a deckle ruler, then I sponged Distress Ink on it. The lavender and green panels are all dry embossed. The bg layer was embossed with a Sizzix embossing plate. It's subtle, but you can see the squares if you look closely.

I made an envelope for this card using my Martha Stewart Scoreboard. Because the paper is patterned, I added pieces of solid cardstock for the mailing address and return address, and the scalloped border is decorative.

The inside is partially lined with paper that coordinates with the card. I really like making matching envelopes for my cards, but they are too time-consuming to do it often. 

Well, that will do it for me tonight.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC129: Dusk Magenta, Seedling

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Moving Along with the Times: Garden or Flowers

Pixie Dust Studio Challenge #124: Embossing

Little Darlings Challenges: Flower Challenge

Thanks for stopping by...again! :)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Watercolor Daisy (Hampton Art)
Paper: Best of Brenda Walton (K&Co); watercolor paper
Ink: Distress Ink; Staz On
Accessories: Chalk; deckle ruler; Real Estate Sign Large punch, Scallop Diamond Edge punch (EK Success); Corner Chomper; Swiss Dot embossing folder, Script Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Squares embossing plate (Sizzix); twine (The Twinery); foam dots; scoreboard (for envelope)
Size: A6 (4.5" x 6.25")

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It's a Hoot!

Hi Friends! Hope you are having an excellent week! I've been busy reading The Hunger Games series and haven't been able to pull myself away! Have you read it? What an exciting story! I can't believe it took me so long to finally get around to reading it. Now I can't wait to see the movie!

But, on to the good stuff, right? ;)

My SIL asked me to make a birthday card for her new DIL, who is enamored with owls. Ashley is so much fun to be around, I couldn't resist making a fun card for her. (I don't think she sees my blog often, but if you do, Ashley, just pretend the card is a surprise, okay) *~D

The Viva la Verve April 2012 Week 3 sketch and color palette from the ColourQ #134 challenge worked great together for this card.

I used Copics and lots of Stickles to dress the owl, and I sewed a line through the center of the leafy sprigs die cuts to give them added interest.

The main sentiment was typed in Word, printed on a transparency and rubbed onto the cardstock. Being an owl-lover, I'm hoping Ashley knows that a family of owls is called a parliament, but if not, I'll make sure my SIL knows, so she can explain it. The Happy Birthday sentiment is a stamp. 

I had a lot of fun making this card. Thanks for letting me share it with you.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve April 2012 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
ColourQ Challenge #134
Creative Craft Challenge 2: Animal Antics
Little Darlings Challenge 22: Flowers
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and have a HOOT of a day! :D

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Gem Stone Birds (Inkadinkado); Greetings (TPC Studio)
Paper: Happily Lost (Lily Bee Design)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Copics
Dies: Peony Nestie, Fair Isle Pendant, Curved Rectangle, Fancy Tags (Spellbinders); Leafy Sprigs (Verve)
Accessories: Paper Lace II embossing folder (Cuttlebug); seam binding (Hug Snug); mini round gems; flowers; foam dots; Stickles; sewing thread; transparency (to make rub on sentiment)
Size: A2 (5.5" x 4.25")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #143: Tinkerbell Birthday Card

Hi Friends, and Happy Tuesday! It's time for the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge! Yaaaah! This week our sponsor is Sassy Studio Designs--isn't that Little Honey's Tinkerbell image sweet!

Our sketch, this week, is one that gives you a lot of room to play, adding as much or as little as you'd like.

I matted my layers with black cs, sewed one of the panels with a meandering stitch, and framed my image with pieces of a Parisian Accent border die cut. I love that diagonally striped dp that I used as the bg design.  It really frames the rest of the card nicely.

Tinkerbell is colored with Copics and I used Stickles on her wings, and a white opaque pen on her teeth and the highlights in her eyes. I'm still learning to color hair, and I was fairly pleased with how Tink's hair turned out here, but my DD informed me that Tink has yellow hair, not brown. :) I sponged Spun Sugar Distress Ink around the edges of the image layer while it was still in the die.

The inside of the card is simple. I used an edge punch on the corners of the black cs--not my neatest job, but I'm learning to embrace non-perfection, ;) and I used scraps from the front of the card to cut the two die cut accent pieces. The sentiment is from the In the Park stamp set from Taylored Expressions.

Now, don't you want to come play with us at Tuesday Morning Sketches? It's always a blast! Head on over there and see what the rest of the DT has to inspire you and be sure to visit their blogs. Melissa has one of the best DT's around. I can't wait to see what you create!!!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Do You Stack Up Challenge #68: Stripes

Whimsy Stamps Challenge #35: Punches or Die Cuts

Little Darlings Challenge #21: Pastels

Crazy For Challenges 133: Use Black Cardstock

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the week!

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: Little Honey's Tinkerbell digital stamp (Sassy Studio Designs); In the Park (Taylored Expressions)
Paper: Kissing Booth, Sweet Threads (Basic Grey); Fairy Flora (Prima)
Ink: Memento; Copics; Distress Ink; white opaque pen
Dies: Classic Ovals Sm and Lg, Parisian Accents, Curved Rectangles, Bird Flourishes, Lattice Pendant (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Morocco Lace Edge Punch (EK Success); ribbon (Taylored Expressions); rhinestones; sewing thread; Stickles; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Sweet Baby

For my Week 4 Our Craft Lounge April Artist of the Month post, click here.

Hi Friends! Hope you're having a great start for the week. The card I'm sharing with you today is a baby shower card. Four of my nieces are having babies before the end of the year, so I figured I better get busy making cards for them.

I don't know if the babies will be boys or girls, but I figured, out of four, at least one should be a girl, so I made this card pink.

I used the Viva la Verve April 2012 Week 4 sketch. Instead of the arrow shape, I went with scalloped ovals that look a bit like clouds.

I used Glossy Accents on the moon and Stickles on the stars.

Here's a look at the inside.

I'm going to try to make my posts a little shorter, so I won't go into how I made this card, but if you have any questions, please send me an email or post a comment and I'll get back to you quickly. Also, you will find links to some of the products I used at the end of this post.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve April 2012 Week 4
Color Throwdown #188
Crafty Friends Challenge #2: Use Two Die Cuts
Little Darlings Challenge #21: Pastels
Whimsy Stamps Challenge #35: Punches or Die Cuts

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful week!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Moon Baby digital stamp (Pink Gem Designs); Tiny Flowers & Tags (Flourishes); Summer Afternoon (Taylored Expressions); Blessings (Michaels)
Paper: Splendid (Authentique); Vellum
Ink: Copic markers; Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Blossom Nestie; Big Scalloped Ovals Sm (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Diamond Edge Punch (EK Success); ribbon; rhinestones; Stickles; Glossy Accents
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #141: Butterflies

Hi Friends! Have you played along with Tuesday Morning Sketches yet? If you have, you know how much fun it is, and if you haven't, this is the perfect time to start, because our intrepid leader, Melissa, has come up with a great sketch, Digital Delights is our fab sponsor,and this week is a judged challenge--not a random drawing! Being a judged challenge, there is a twist, too: Think Spring! You ready?!? Let's go!

Here's the sketch:

And, here's my take on it:

I rotated the sketch and tweaked it just a bit by tilting the main image panel and adding an embellie. The yellow corrugated layer is from a shipping box. I peeled off one side of the paper, painted it, then sanded it to give it a more distressed look. 

For the image, I stamped it in black ink, then embossed it with clear embossing powder. I wanted to use the current Kathy's Lily Pad Palette Challenge of pink, green, and yellow for this card, so I colored the leaves and vines green, one butterfly in shades of pink, one in shades of yellow, and the largest in both pink and yellow. I love how that one turned out, with orange in the blended areas. I added Stickles here and there for some sparkle--always essential in a girlie card. ;)

The sentiment is from Flourishes' Tiny Flowers and Tags set, and I used the coordinating Classic Tags Template die to cut it. See how the knots on the lace lined up perfectly with the eyelets on the white die cut border? I didn't know that was going to happen until I was actually putting it together. I love it when things work out just right, by pure chance.

As busy as the front of this card is, the inside was much more difficult for me to design. All I knew was that I wanted to use this Spellbinders Flying Beauties die cut. I've had the set for awhile, but never used it. You can't see it in the picture, but after sponging Distress Ink on the butterfly, I spritzed it with Shimmer Spritz, so it shimmers in the light. The flourish underneath the sentiment is from the In Flight stamp set from Our Craft Lounge--perfect since that is a butterfly set, too. 

Okay, that's it for my card. I sure hope you can join us at Tuesday Morning Sketches this week! And, for some fantastic inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the DT to see how they interpreted this sketch. You may be so inspired, you'll want to make more than one card for the challenge! ;) I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'll be entering this card in the following additional challenges:
Simon Says Stamp: Use Your Favorite Tool (Mine is the Big Shot!)
Little Darlings Challenge 20: Outside
Kathy's Lily Pad Palette Challenge: Pink, green, yellow
Flourishes Bring Back Beautiful Challenge 21: The Beauty of Friendship
Crafty Friends Challenge #1: Vintage

Thanks so much for visiting me today! Hope you have a wonderful week, and have fun with the challenge!

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: On Butterfly Wings (Hampton Art); Tiny Flowers & Tags (Flourishes); Sunny Days (Verve); In Flight (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Sweet Nectar (K&Co); cardboard
Ink: Copics; Colorbox; Distress Ink
Dies: Classic Tags Template (Flourishes); Fair Isle Border Petites, Fleur de Lis Rectangle, Flying Beauties (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Clear embossing powder; lace (Joann); acrylic paint; flower; twine; Stickles; Shimmer Spritz; Enamel Accents; sanding block
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Our Craft Lounge--April Artist of the Month: Spring Up

Hello, Friends! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with family, worship, good food, and relaxing fun! If you have a little one, I'm guessing that the Easter Bunny made a visit to your house, too. He certainly made his annual stop to our house, to the delight of my DD. She has always loved the Easter Bunny.  We might miss getting a Santa photo on occasion, but we always make a trip to see the Big Bunny! So fun!

I'm back for Week 2 as Our Craft Lounge's April Artist of the Month, and the card I want to share with you today is an Easter card, featuring the cutest little bunny. He's from the stamp set, Hoppin' Into Spring.

To make this card, I first stamped the bunny, then masked him off before stamping the garden at his feet. Don't you just love his little coat? He reminds me of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit.

I used my Copics to color everything, then masked the bunny and garden, hand drew a couple of cloud masks, then used my Copic airbrush to color the sky and ground. When I colored the sky, I used the blunt end of my Copic for a smooth finish. For the ground, I used the brush end of the marker to get a stippled look. I used a gold Pearl Pen to add a button to the jacket, and gave the eggs some sparkle with Stickles. I used a Scoring Board to score lines close to the edges of the image layer. Thanks, Shannon, for that fantastic idea!

For the "dirt," I used Brown Sugar Sparkly Fluff, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite products. I love that it completely covers whatever it is on, and it has just enough glitter to liven up your image without overpowering it. Plus, it is SO soft. I just ordered most of the colors and can't wait to find fun ways to use them!

The purple embellishment on my twine bow is another clay embellishment that I made. I made the mold from a Tim Holtz button. I used white clay, painted it with acrylic paint, then brushed just a little Distress Ink Reinker over that. After it dried, I used my gold calligraphy pen to add a few highlights, then I coated it in a satin gloss finish. It is hot glued on top of the bow.

The sentiment on the inside of the card is from the same stamp set. I added the lines under "you" with a black marker. 

The Hoppin' Into Spring stamp set is great for an Easter card, but one of the things I love about it is that it is really versatile. It includes a spring sentiment about dirt, several gardening images, and an adorable image of the bunny upside down in a watering can. Plus, if you make the eggs white or brown, or even add tiny dimensional flowers over the eggs in the basket, the image I used today could be used anytime, not just for Easter.

Well, that's all for me today. If you're not already a follower of the Our Craft Lounge Blog, you should check it out. They have fun challenges and the Design Team is super talented. And, you can see all the wonderful stamp sets and Sparkly Fluff colors here.

I'll also be entering this card in the Little Darlings Challenge 20: Outside.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back tomorrow with a new Tuesday Morning Sketches card. Hope to see you then. 

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Hoppin' Into Spring (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Abrianna (K&Co)
Ink: Copics; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Labels Thirteen (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Twine (The Twinery); Sparkly Fluff (Our Craft Lounge); Pearl Pen; Enamel Accents; Liquid Pearls; Stickles; handmade clay embellishment
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Our Craft Lounge--April Artist of the Month: Keepsake Box

Good Morning Friends! Today is a special day for me because it's my first day as the Our Craft Lounge Artist of the Month! I was so excited when I received Kendra's email inviting me to be their April AOM! I'll admit that I was a tad intimidated when I saw that I would be following Sankari Wegman, their March AOM, but I sure loved seeing all her fantastic creations every Monday. If you didn't see them, be sure to visit the OCL Blog and check out her posts from last month. I promise you'll be WOWED!

For my first project this month, I was going to make a card, but I noticed that my DD was amassing a collection of cards from family and friends, and she didn't have a place to keep the special ones. So, I decided to make her a little keepsake box, and I chose to use the beautiful Our Craft Lounge stamp set, You Make Me Happy. Coneflowers are one of my favorite wildflowers--especially the purple and orange variety.

This box started life as a sneaker shoe box.

I couldn't get the entire label off the inside of the hinged lid, but with all the tabs inside this box, holding it together, I decided to forego lining the inside. I covered the outside with a solid yellow paper and distressed all the edges with Tea Dye Distress Ink.

Then I used a sheet of dp from the Abrianna K&Co collection to cover the top and three sides of the lid. Aged Mahogany Distress Ink is sponged on all the edges of each piece of the dp.

After gluing the dp to the lid, I added a beautiful metallic braid to the edges with Scor-Tape. Using 1/8" Scor-Tape, I also attached yellow mini puff ball trim all around the top edges.

Here's a close up of the braid and puff ball trim:

I stamped the coneflower image three times to create a larger image, using Eclipse tape as a mask where necessary. I then colored it with Copic markers and added 24K Gold Sparkly Fluff to each flower center. 

If you haven't tried Sparkly Fluff yet, you should. It's a real treat to use. It adheres easily with glue, has a very soft texture, and is beautiful on an image. You can see it in the photo above on the flower centers.

My DD loves receiving cards for any occasion, and they always make her happy, so the sentiment in this stamp set was perfect for this project, as it will be used to store a bunch of happy memories. :) I stamped it in black in the upper left corner of the image panel.

After distressing the edges of the image panel with my Distrezz-It-All and sponging Tea Dye Distress Ink, I cut a Fancy Tags Two diecut in half lengthwise, sprayed each half with Perfect Pearls Mist, and sponged the edges with Distress Ink to give them a metallic look, then adhered them to each end of the image panel. I added a few black rhinestones for interest. Before adhering this panel to the box, I glued a paper baker's doily in the upper right corner of the box. Then, I tilted the image panel slightly and adhered it over that.

The blue corner flourishes deserve a post all on their own, but for now, I'll just briefly tell you that I made a mold of this from a Recollections embellishment, then made four corners out of white clay, painted them with blue acrylic paint, then wiped the excess off and colored the gold accents on with a caligraphy marker. I sprayed a light coat of clear acrylic on them to help keep the gold from getting scratched off.

I added a couple of glitter chipboard flourishes to the left side of the box and made a large six-loop bow to attach over them. I made the flower from two artificial flowers that resembled burgundy daisies. I didn't really like how they looked, and didn't care if I ruined them, so I tried a little experiment with my heat gun. I heated one of the flowers from the underside until the petals crinkled and it resembled a closed flower bud. Then, I glued that to the top of the other flower and heated that from underneath, too, until those petals encased the first flower. I added the leaves to the bottom, heating them just a little bit, to give them some texture. Then I used hot glue and attached the flower to the middle of the bow. I love how it turned out. It's way too big for a card, but for something like this, it's perfect!

Thanks for staying with me to the end of this post. I hope you enjoyed all the details on the box, and if you have any questions about how I made any of it, just shoot me an email and I'll be glad to answer them. 

And, thanks again, to Kendra and the girls at OCL for inviting me to join them for a few weeks. I'm looking forward to spending Monday's with Our Craft Lounge all this month, and I hope you'll plan to join us, too!

I'll also be entering this project in the following challenges:

Little Darlings Challenge 20: Outside

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

~Hugs, 

 

Stamps: You Make Me Happy (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Abrianna (K&Co)
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Fancy Tags Two (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); Metallic Braid, Mini Puff Ball Trim (Simplicity); artificial flowers & leaves; paper doily; shimmer chipboard flourishes (Making Memories); clay corner embellishment (original from Recollections); Sparkly Fluff; Perfect Pearls Mist; rhinestones; shoebox

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