Who's Getting Married?

This is the second wedding card I've ever made, the first one was for the last of our friends to get married.  Now I don't know anyone who is getting married.  I will just tuck this away and wait until I have a niece or nephew ready to tie the knot.  I have come upon another challenge blog...I soooo need counseling!  Die Cuttin' Divas is another fun challenge blog that I am going to start playing along with and the challenge this week is Tic Tac Doe.  It's super creative, so go check it out if you haven't already.  I chose the diagonal Black & White, 3 Patterned Papers, and Ribbon.  More Than Favors is also offering up a sketch challenge this week, and this is what I came up with when I put both challenges together.  I used Mini Monograms for the scallop square and Accent Essentials for the fun heart shape (Accent20).  There is some Washi Tape hidden behind the banners that tie the two background papers together.  It was fun creating this card, hope you enjoy!

Thinking of You

I am really loving MojoMonday's!  I love finding inspiration through sketches!  It really helps me think outside my little creative box that I find so limiting at times.  The sketch challenge this week is awesome, please go check it out if you haven't already!  The other challenge I am entering this card into is BBTB2's 3D Rose Challenge.  So I had to improvise on this challenge because you were supposed to use the Art Philosophy cart or any other cart with 3D flowers.  And although I would love to own the Art Philosophy cart, it's a little pricey for me.  If anyone knows if it is available for less than $90 please let me know.  I was only able to find it on the Close to My Heart website for that amount.  Anyway, instead of using a 3D flower image, I made my own using Accent Essentials.  There is a fun flower cut, it's Accent26S on the cart, that I thought could work as a 3D flower.  I cut multiple cuts at different sizes to layer, alternating the petals then rolling them up a bit after I fastened them with brads.  They turned out pretty well I think.  The base card is cut from Life's a Party, the circles and smaller scallop are cut from Mini Monograms.  I inked around the edges with none other than Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress ink and popped the sentiment up.  I really like how this turned out, I love when what you are working on just kind of comes together so nicely.  Hope you enjoy!

Poppin' Pun!!!

It's so fun that we get to start on our Easter cards too!  This card came about because of the challenges at FCCB "Fun with Puns" and My Craft Spot "Pop It Up".  I bought a new Studio G $1 stamp set with the "to my favorite peep!" sentiment and I was so excited to be able to use it!  I have always loved play on words and there are so many cute Cricut cuts that can be "punnied" up.  This cute little chick is from Simply Charmed, along with the cracked egg.  I did cut two cracked eggs, obviously, in order to have both shells and just glued them together.  I inked up all the edges with Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Ink to add a little something.  And all cuts are popped up with pop dimensionals from Hobby Lobby.  Super Fun and Springy!

A Little Sunshine

This little card turned out so nice!  I am excited about finding new sketches and seeing what I can do with them.  There are three challenges that I will be entering this card into.  The first is Whimsical Wednesday "Go Green", the second is Little Scrap Pieces "Emboss It", and the third is Cut It Up "Pinterest Inspired".  I found a card/layout on Pinterest last week that I really liked, I pinned it but hadn't done anything with it.  When I saw Cut It Up's challenge, I went back and found the pin.  It led me to stampdoc.typepad.com and the blogger said she got the sketch from MojoMonday.  Crazy little loop for me, because I decided I am going to start looking through their archives to find fun new sketches to work with.  Anyway, the embossing fit perfectly with Little Scrap Pieces' challenge, and I knew I wanted to use the fun green patterned paper for the Whimsical challenge.  It just all came together so nicely with these challenges complimenting each other in my little craft brain.  The butterfly came from Doodlecharms and I used fun glitter paper for that.  I used Mini Monograms for the Scallop and Circle.  The embossing folders I used were Cuttlebug's Juli's Garden and Bloom Dots.  I cut the scallop border using Spellbinder's Classic Scallop Edgeablilities.  The little "sunshine" stamp is from the Making Memories "Flutter" set.  This was such a fun card to make, I hope you like it!

Lucky

On to the next holiday celebrations...St. Patrick's Day!  Yeah!  This card was created for Cardz TV Stamps Challenge "Luck of the Irish".  Last week I picked up the Designer's Calendar Cartridge, and I love love love it!  So many fun images and things to do with the creative features!  It was only $16 so I had to get it!  Anyway, the mat is embossed with Swiss Dots, the hat is embossed with Argyle. I used glitter paper for the shamrock, added a cute little button, and inked around the edges and hat with Tim Holtz Tea Dyed Distress Ink.  The ribbon is from Joann's $1 bin, the stamp and patterned paper are both from Studio G.  I know most of my layouts are pretty simple, but I am looking to expand my creativity by following sample sketches from MojoMonday's archive.  If you haven't checked out that blog, I would urge you to do so, it has so many ideas!

The Power of Purple

I can't believe I have to wait until October to give this card to my sister.  She LOVES purple, and even though Amethyst is the birthstone for February, I'm using this for her birthday.  BBTB2 has offered up the challenge to create a cake or cupcake card using Amethyst in honor of February.  I am also entering this card in Paper Playtime's challenge this week of using a sentiment stamp.  I used Sweet Treats for the cupcake, sent the chocolate through the Divine Swirls embossing folder, inked up all the edges too.  It was fun combining all the papers and shades of purple for this card.

Anxious for Spring!

I am so anxious for Spring to get here!  I love all the bright fun colors that represent Spring and warmer temps!  It was fun working on this card and being able to use the Spring colors.  The patterned paper is from Blossoms and Butterflies by DCWV, the mat was embossed using Sizzix's Flowers, Sparkly folder, and the hat is cut from Kate's ABC's.  I used ColorBox Chalk Ink Warm Violet to ink around the edges of the mat and circles.  I added a touch of bling to the hat and the Recollection flowers.  The sketch is from MojoMonday's 281 challenge.  I am also entering this card in My Craft Spot's challenge of Flowers and Pause Dream Enjoy's challenge of Use a Hat.  When I decide who and what I am going to give this card to and for, I will stamp a sentiment either at the bottom, or in the top corner.  Thanks for checking in!

Kiss the Cook!

I was so excited about this challenge!  I have been wanting to make a recipe card for my sister-in-law since last month and just hadn't gotten around to it.  Well, it's done now!  Thanks FCCB!  The challenge this week is "Kiss the Cook".  Anyway, my husband and I love the Vietnamese soup called Pho (pronounced Fuh).  My husband's best friend introduced it to him 15 years ago, then I was introduced to it on one of our first dates.  It's definitely one of our favorite dishes.  It has also become a favorite with my husband's brother's family.  We got together with them in January to show them how to make it, but I never gave my SIL a written recipe.  This will be perfect for her!  I'll probably laminate it before I give it to her.  It's very simple, but it works.  I used Create-A-Critter for the bowl of noodles, George for the PHO, and I embossed the mat with The Paper Studio's Quatrefoil (maybe that was a typo on the label and it's supposed to be Quarterfoil) embossing folder from Hobby Lobby.  I really like how it turned out.  Maybe there are a few Pho fans out there in my blogiverse :)

Okay, So One More Valentine...

I totally lied, I said I was done with Valentine's cards.  One last one, I promise!!!  I couldn't NOT participate in the Crafty Cardz Challenge, especially since it's the first one after the launch of the new and improved name!  I'm so excited for Mary and her team over at CardzTV!  The challenge was to create a Valentine with a "critter".  I have combined this challenge with Whimsical Wednesday's challenge of 3, 2, 1 (3 of something, 2 of something, and 1 something).  Well, I found a cute Studio G stamp set for $1 at the "Wally" store, as we call it in our home (Wal-Mart), with the Owl pun and I wanted to use it.  I decided not to use the obvious Owl from Create-a-Critter, even though he is soooo cute, and opted for this little guy from Animal Kingdom.  I have had the Animal Kingdom cartridge for over a year and have never used it, I thought now would be a good opportunity to try it out.  The branch is from Home Decor and the cartoche is from Sweethearts.  I embossed the light pink mat with Paper Studio's Curl Ribbon Embossing Folder, which you can't see very well, but it is a very close match to the strips of patterned paper, which by the way there are 3 of.  The owl's 2 eyes are Recollections Rhinestone bling.  And the 1 bow is tied from Jute and stuck on with a glue dot (and can I just say, "How did I make it almost 2 years crafting and card making without ever using glue dots?" I LOVE THEM!).  I inked all the edges with Tim Holtz Tea Dyed Distress Ink and popped the owl and sentiment up on pop dots.  I'm happy with how it turned out, the owl isn't my favorite; he definitely isn't as cute as the Create-A-Critter one, but he works.  Thanks for enduring this post, if you got through it, so many run-on sentences my English professor would scold me!  Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Various Valentine's Challenges

Guess what?  Yep, another Valentine card...all the challenges this week have been centered around Valentine's, as Thursday is the Day itself.  And honestly, I hope this is the last Valentine's Card I'm going to do this year...I'm kind of burned out.  I was even to the point of just kind of combining different elements of all the cards I've done into one.  I embossed the mat with Doodle Hearts, the lovely lady is from Sweethearts (she does have a partner usually, I just cut him off).  The flowers are from Recollections.  I inked all the edges with ColorBox Chalk Ink.  The layout was designed by MojoMonday for their sketch challenge.  I'm also entering this card into the following challenges:
More Than Favors
FCCB
BBTB2
Little Scrap Pieces
My Craft Spot
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a fantastic Valentine's Day!!!

Spotlight Sunday!

Holy Cow!  I can't believe how lucky I am to be the Spotlight over at FCCB!  I was so honored, excited, and most definitely flattered that I was picked.  Thanks Arin for everything!  Thanks to everyone who has stopped by to visit as well!

Decorate to Celebrate!

Okay, so I am venturing out a little on my blog.  I have mainly used my blog for cards, but that's not all that I do.  I enjoy working on home decor projects and decorations as well.  So when I discovered the Decorate to Celebrate blog, I thought I would give it a shot. (Thanks Arin!)  The current challenge is to create a decoration with, of course, a Valentine/Love theme.  The wood heart I purchased from Oh My Crafts!  They have a website, but I live close enough to their warehouse that I picked it up there.  I also got the paper from the warehouse, I believe it is retired paper from Making Memories.  Of course, I used Mod Podge to adhere the paper.  I used the Home Decor cartridge to cut out "Adore".  A few pieces of Recollections bling, ColorBox Chalk Ink around the edges, and Studio G ribbon.  The acrylic paint is Craft Smart Chocolate Brown.  I sure hope this qualifies for the challenge, I had fun making it and it is the centerpiece on my table.

Kidz Kardz Valentine Set

Cardz TV Stamps DT issued a challenge to create a set of 3 3"x3" kid's Valentine's cards.  The Design Team has some amazing projects, and like most of them, I had to use Create-a-Critter.  Such a fun cart, especially for kids!  As I was looking through the images, these insects jumped out at me.  I cut the mats out from Accent Essentials and rounded the corners of my base cards.  I wish I had a set of CardzTV stamps, they are all so great.  At one point I'll be able to get some, just not quite yet.  Anyway, I printed out these fun puns onto white cardstock from my computer and cut them down to little flags/tags.  I inked the edges with Dark Peony ColorBox Chalk Ink from the Rose Petals stack.  Super fun and super cute!

Spring is Here! (Well, not quite)

I sure wish Spring was here!  We are getting so stir crazy staying inside day after day, and this Spring will be a huge milestone for our little family.  My husband will begin the Maintenance phase of his Cancer Protocol and will be able to re-enter society come May.  It has been a long road, and we are so anxious for warmer weather.  Anyway, I was excited to work on something other than Valentine's for a bit, and the Spring challenge from Bitten By the Bug 2 allowed me to do that.  I also used this card for the Paper Playtime challenge of "Border Punches".  I was excited to use the Walk in My Garden cartridge (I got it for Christmas) and this wheelbarrow is a fun cut.  The border was made using the Spellbinders Edgeabilities, which I love so much more than actual border punches.  I mixed and matched the Classic Scallop with the Classic Ric Rac.  This card was very refreshing to make!

My First Shape Card

This was a first for me!  I have been intimidated by using the card function on all my carts so I am thankful for the Cricut Cardz challenge "Be My Valentine" to kind of play around with it.  I appreciate the Cricut Cardz Design Team and the inspiration/instruction on how to create a shape card.  So this circle card was cut from Birthday Bash along with the scallop.  The heart was cut from George, and the couple was cut from Sweethearts.  I inked the edges with ColorBox Chalk Ink and I used dimensionals inbetween each of the layers for a 3D look.  I really like how this turned out, it was something different for me.

My Love Bug

This is a fun card I created for a couple challenges this week.  My Craft Spot issued the challenge "Valentine's for Kids" and Pause Dream Enjoy issued the challenge "Mainly Red".  I used Simply Charmed to cut out the cute bug and phrase "love bug".  The "my" comes from the same cartridge, but I cut it down from the word "yummy" that goes along with the cute pie image on that cart.  I embossed the mat with Swiss Dots, and cut the patterned paper with Spellbinder's Edgeabilities Classic Scallop.  This was a challenge for me cause I don't usually work with red - pink, yes, but not much red.  I am happy with how it turned out and think I might give it to my nephew. 

Top 3 Pause Dream Enjoy

I couldn't figure out where the button was for this on the PDE blog, so thought I would just copy and paste the pic.  I am super excited about being chosen though! Thanks Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge Design Team!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

 

This card was made with my super girly, sweet little niece in mind.  The colors are her to a "T".  Anyway, other than reminding me of her and bubble gum, this card is sweet and fun.  The hearts are cut from Create-A-Critter and I used Swiss Dots for the embossing.  I used stickles to decorate the balloons, and my niece will LOVE them!  I am entering this card into two challenges this week.  Go Fish Challenges issued the "I Love You" challenge and FCCB issued "Queen of Hearts".  I have never been a Valentine's Day advocate, but this year I have been having fun with the different papers, cards and other home decor projects I have been working on.  It's been fun.

Just Chillin'

Bitten By the Bug 2 and Whimsical Designs issued challenges this week having to do with winter because it's been so cold lately.  We experienced more single digit temps in January than I can remember...it was COLD!  Anyway, this cute snowman was cut from Doodlecharms, then I ran him through the Cuttlebug with the Divine Swirls folder and tied some WRMemory Baker's Twine around him for his scarf.  His blown-away hat is from Create-A-Critter as well as the phrase.