Just a quick post today of my card for the Card Patterns sketch 114. Our sponsor is Catherine Pooler who's an SU! Demo. She provided the pretty papers and ribbons that I used on my card. The fairy and sentiment are from the Butterfly Kisses set by The Craft's Meow.
I hope you can join us at Card Patterns. And don't forget my Spellbinder dies giveaway. More info in my previous post. And FYI, you don't need a blog to enter the giveaway. Just sign in as Anonymous and leave your basic info, so I have a name when picking the winner.
Enjoy your day tomorrow, especially you moms out there. We celebrated today with a dinner and a movie. We saw Rio, a Disney film, which was much better than I expected. We all enjoyed it.
Just a quick post before the girls and I soak in the sun that finally showed up today after several days of rain and snow.
This is for my Card Patterns sketch this week. My good friend, Lisa, is the sponsor. She's a Stampin' Up! Demo and is offering a very generous gift certificate to her Stampin' Up store and some special promotions you don't want to miss. Check out her blog for more info. The daffodil and sentiment are from the Stampin' Up set, Abundant Hope. The debossed background is a Cuttlebug Folder Victoria. I did the Inking your folder technique on it using Memento New Sprout ink. (Gina did a demonstration of this on Stamp TV).
Here is a close up. The flowers are multi-layered and were colored with Copics.
Finally, SRM Stickers now has a Facebook Fan page. Check it out to see some project inspirations from the DT and a chance to win some sticker goodies.
Since the November/December issue of PaperCrafts magazine is out, I can finally show you the very first card I have ever published (it's on page 23). It was the only one I submitted for this particular issue and I was so thrilled when I received the acceptance email.
I made this card using gifts from my generous friends and finds from my travels. The patterned paper was sent by my friend, Doris (Thanks, Doris). The crocheted flower was a gift form Lisa (Thanks, my dear friend). The smaller pearls were from my mom (I can't thank you enough, Mom). I found the pearls in Israel last year, the button I bought here in Croatia, and the lace is from my home country, the Philippines.
On another note, have you read Gina's blog today? She just announced her newest illustrator. It's the lovely Tami Mayberry of the CPS sketch blog fame. I can't tell you how honored I am to be designing alongside her. And she's starting with a bang with her first release next week. You can see a snippet at Gina's blog.
Another card for Moxie Fab's Classy & Elegant holiday card challenge. I just love to use Kraft CS for elegant cards. And that flocked damask pattern is just perfect with Kraft CS. I've had this "Merry Christmas" stamp for awhile, but I don't know which set it came from. I do know it's by Stampin' Up.
Stamps: Merry Christmas (SU) Ink: Memento Tux Blk Paper: Kraft (PTI), La Creme (DCWV), Rocket Red (GinaK Designs) Other: MS Arch Lattice border punch, Red ribbon (PTI), Poinsettia flower (Making Memories)
Two more cards for the Moxie Fab challenges going on right now. And tomorrow, I will show you my favorite of the 5 I made for Cath's challenges.
The first card is for the Style with Stamping and the Fun & Cute Challenges. I had to stretch my coloring on this card. I love my copics, but sometimes I don't know what I'm doing :-). I do know that I need the GinaK Pure Luxury white or ivory cardstock to get the best results.
Stamps: Unity June KOTM, Jolly Christmas by Hero Arts Paper: GKD white, Ripe Avocado by PTI and Pink Passion by SU Ink: Memento Tux Blk, Pink Passion, Copic markers Others; Lace apron punch by Fiskars, Ripe Avocado ribbon and Hibiscus Burst button by PTI
My second card is my humble attempt at Vintage shabby chic. This is one style I LOVE seeing others make because I love lace, pearls and ribbons, not to mention anything vintage. But I can't seem to make it work for me. I love everything straight, so I can't do collages very well. :-)
Stamps: Holiday Silhouettes by Inkadinkado, SU Cute and Curly Paper: GKD Green Apple, DCWV La Creme, Foolala by Autumn Leaves Ink: Old Olive, Bravo Burgundy Others: Buttons by PTI and Buttons Galore, Ribbon by Michael's, lace
First, the Elegant Postblog hop is still going strong. You can go directly to the post THEREand make sure you leave a comment to be entered in the blog candy that includes the Elegant Post stamp set and other paper goodies. Make sure you follow the links as there are so much inspiration in everybody's creations.
And second, have you seen my latest exciting news? I'm now designing for my favorite sketch blog, CardPatterns. I was a guest designer for them a few months ago and I thought that was exciting...being asked to be in the DT is a million times more! I couldn't believe my eyes when I read CardPatterns' sketcher extraordinaire, Michelle's email asking me to be in the design team. I am so honored to follow her easy-to-work-with sketches with some of my favorite cardmakers in the world. Make sure you go check out CardPatterns' blog and join us for this week's challenge.
Thanks, Michelle, for giving me the opportunity to be part of your super talented team. I know I will grow a lot as a paper crafter just by getting to know everybody in the DT.
The sponsor this week is My Grafico where you can find many beautiful digital stamps/images. I used one of the flower images in the Mix and Match Stems set. I printed it 4 times on a 6 x 6 piece of patterned paper, then cut the outlines to create the layered flower. I stamped the text stamp several times on Soft Sand CS to make the background.
Stamps: Mix and Match Stems by My Grafico, Birthday Messages by HeroArts, Text background by PTI Ink: Versamark, Pink Passion Papers: Soft Sand by GinaK, cardbase and DP by My Mind's Eye Others: lace by Wrights, Hibisucus Burst buttons by PTI
I love butterflies and GinaK's Take Flight set contains my favorite butterfly images.
Papers: Eggplant, So Saffron by SU, patterned paper by PTI Ink: Copic markers, Pallete cream pigment ink, Eggplant Envy Others: pearls, MS border punch
I have a blog hop coming up featuring my new GinaK set, Elegant Post. I hope you can participate. Now, I'm off to the dentist. My family try to do all the medical and dental necessities here before we head back to Croatia in two weeks.
Have you seen Gina's (of GinaK Designs) snippets on her blog? It's pretty exciting over there. Can you guess which one is my new stamp set to be released on the 30th of July? Stay tuned early next week when I give it away as blog candy. I'll be celebrating 4 months and 26,000 hits on my blog. Woohoo!
Here's a card I made inspired by travelingmama's Travel Inspiration Challenge #3 and loosely followed Card Patterns' sketch this week. That cute fish (from Eclectic Summer StampTV kit) was stamped on GinaK Pure Luxury CS and colored with Copics. The "seaweed" is a stamp from There She Goes' Act of Kindness set. I used my SU scalloped edge punch, a wonderful gift I received from a dear friend of mine, Lisa, for the water waves. The colors I used for papers and inks are Aqua Mist (PTI), Baja Breeze and Pumpkin Pie by SU.
I made this card a couple of weeks ago, but never posted here. This was my entry to Moxie Fab's Lovely as a Tree challenge. I just love Cath's challenges. I won Honorable Mention with this card and I'm truly honored that she would even include me. I've won two of her previous challenges and she includes a sweet note in the prize package that I will cherish for a long time.
The bird stamp and backgroud paper are by Basic Grey. Cameo Coral and Certainly Celery papers and Trendy Trees trunks are by SU. I hand-stitched the sentiment. The buttons are by PTI.
Here's my card using 2Sketches4You sketch this week. I used Unity's June KOTM again. I really like this set. The sentiment to go with the bee is just adorable and I can think of many sweet friends I can give this to. God has blessed me with many dear girlfriends, who are beautiful both inside and out.
I used My Mind's Eye papers. I bought a stack of 180 gorgeous papers for less than $10! Wow, I was like a kid in a candy store when I went to my first visit to Hobby Lobby. I am so glad I don't live in the US, or I would be spending all my money there!
I stamped, cut out and popped the bee out, which follows the Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday challenge this week. It's kind of hard to see, but I paper pierced the bee trail. The colors I used are Old Olive and Baja Breeze CS, and Ruby Red ink. This color combo is sort of a muted version of the Color Throwdown's combo this week (Kiwi Kiss, Really Red and Tempting Turquoise).
ENABLER ALERT: Make sure you check out GinaK Designs store. They are having a huge sale on 7 of their stamp sets from today until Monday. You can find more info on Gina's blog. She's also offering a huge blog candy.
Here's a card I made a couple of weeks ago using Unity's June KOTM. I just love coloring these cherries using Sharpie markers. I know I'm being a rebel for not having jumped on the Copics bandwagon :-). Actually, I did get on it for a little bit, but then got off quickly. I'm not patient enough to do the shading and blending...:-). I haven't given up on them entirely, but have put them on hold for now.
I had fun shopping yesterday, but didn't really find anything I had to have. I did buy a pair of Converse shoes for my oldest. I remember when I thought those were geeky, but now they are trendy, I guess.
I just want to let you know that I have these sets for sale over at SCS. They are all old, retired SU that come in their plastic containers, all gently use from a pet-free, smoke-free home:
A Greeting for all Reasons - $10 A Little Love - $5 All I Have Seen - $5 Anytime Greetings - $5 Close to Nature - $5 Fall Feast - $8 From the Heart - $7 Gifted Greetings - $7 Gifted Glove - $10 Hearts and Posies - $8 Little Hellos - $7 Mini Borders (foam stamps) - $1 Mini Messages - $5 Nice & Easy Notes - $10 Nice & Narrow - very stained rubber and some on wood - $7 Occasionally - $5 Ornate Ornaments - $8 Seasonal Patches - $5 Smorgasborders - $5 Thank You Blocks - $5 Weather or Not - $7 Winter Patches - $5 Year round Cheer (missing "Miss You" and "thank you") - $5
Priority Shipping is $4.95 for the first set and $11.00 for 2 - 4. These all must go, so make me an offer I can't refuse :-). Let me know if you are interested.
I made this card using Unity's June KOTM. I just love the look on this owl. I also used the CPS sketch this week. Stamps: Unity June KOTM Ink: Eggplant Envy, Memento Angel Pink Paper: Eggplant Envy, Guidelines paper pack by PTI
I also have a few things for sale/trade over at SCS, including some Copics, stamps from Unity, PTI, and SU. The prices include shipping and delivery confirmation. If there is anything you really want, let me know your best offer and I'll work with you :-). I have to sell these before I leave for Croatia.
I finally got one precious hour to stamp and clean up my desk a little bit today. We've been busy traveling all over the southeast and on the days we're not, I'm usually catching up on laundry and other things. I'm so thankful for my mother-in-law who makes sure we're fell fed while we're in GA, so that's one less thing I have to worry about.
I made this card for my friend, who just found out she has breast cancer. It's devastating news, but I trust in a sovereign God, who is in control of all things. I hope this cute little bird will cheer her up.
I used my Koh-i-noor pencils and a non-toxic brush cleaner I found at Michael's. It's a safer alternative to OMS, which I can't pack in my suitcase. This is the first time I'm using this coloring method and, though I know I still have lots to learn, I'm more than pleased with the results. I love this new GinaK Pure Luxury Red CS. It has a striped texture. The used this week's sketch from 2Sketches4You challenge.
Stamps: So & So Loves (Unity), Trendy Trees (SU) Ink: Close to Cocoa, Really Red, Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: GKD Red Pure Luxury CS, cream CS Other: Brown ribbon by Michaels, MS border punch
The GinaK release party last night was so fun. I hadn't planned to stay the whole time since I had so much laundry to do and we're headed on a road trip again today. But, I just couldn't leave my compter. :-). The new stamps and cards were just fabulous.
Here's a CAS card I made using the Bug Me Anytime stamp set. There are challenges and questions over at the GinaK forum at SCS. Make sure you participate to win some fabulous stamps from GinaK. This card uses Challenge #2 (to make a one layer card with one embellishment) and Challenge #3 (using the pink and brown color combo).
I did the repeat stamping technique (I'm not sure if that's what it's called) where I inked the stamp once and stamped it several times. I drew the outline using the Koh-i-noor brown pencil and the gaps are done by using an eraser.
And now the winner of the Bug Me Anytime set, according to Random.org is...
#15 Brenda!
Please email me your mailing address and I'll get your stamp in the mail. And I will be mailing the papers from my previous blog candy today too. I'm so sorry for the delay, but we haven't been home more than a day or two. I didn't think we would be this busy, but some things haven't gone as smoothly as I had hoped. But, we're enjoying ourselves.
The first card is inspired by this. I followed the color scheme, but changed my focal image to this seahorse. Both the seahorse and sentiment are from the latest StampTV kit. I did the rock and roll technique using SU's Read Red and Memento Tuxedo Black on GinaK Pure Luxury Cream CS. The Old Olive "seaweed" is actually a branch stamp from There She Goes' Acts of Kindness set.
The second card is inspired by this poster. I used my well-loved butterfly stamp from Inkadinkadoo. It was stamped in Close To Cocoa on an Urban Prairie (by Basic Grey) paper. The swirls stamp is from the Sept KOTM from Unity. The sentiment is from Trendy Trees by SU. The lace is one I found laying around and I just love its vintage look. The cardstock and ribbon are Aquamist by PTI.
As I was packing stuff to take on my trip to the US, I found my once-beloved SU's scrapbooking kit, Just Delightful. The colors somewhat resemble the Color Throwdown's colors this week. I loosely interpreted their colors because I don't have Tempting Turquoise and Kiwi Kiss. I used Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery instead. I paper pieced the swirls free hand. The sketch is from CPS #120.
Stamps: Happy Mail, Tweeterpated by TSG.Ink: White craft, Pink passion by SUOthers: Love and Happiness rubons
I'm glad I got to play some more today. We're headed to the US in a few days and I seriously have to pack. I am trying to figure out how much of my craft room I will take with me ;-). If you have any ideas, please let me know.
I've been a follower of Betsy's blog ever since I found it a few months ago. I just love her shabby chic style and her blog is just full of wonderful inspirations and small glimpses of her family life. Her blog is just one of those happy places I go to whenever possible. Betsy just issued a Stylish Challenge, where she asks you to look for stylish inspirations online and incorporate them on your card. I love this challenge because it' something I do already.
Here are my inspirations. I'm sorry that I forgot to take note of where I got them. So, if these look familiar, please let me know.
r And here's my card:
I just love that frame with the different patterns in the third picture. I tried to copy that same on my card. The sentiment is something I designed and can be available for purchase through Squigglefly. I reduced the size to fit in my curly label punch. The DPs are from PTI, SU and Basic Grey.