TMS#96

Good Tuesday morning! I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day holiday and were able to spend some time with your loved ones. My Dad is a veteran, so he was in a parade...he has been every year for as long as I can remember. I always get tears in my eyes as he marches by.... Thanks to all veterans who have served; and thanks to those who serve their country now.

As you know, Tuesdays mean another sketch from Melissa at Tuesday Morning Sketches. I tell you...her sketches have stumped me lately! I decided to go with a clean and simple approach this week. I used some DP from the girls' paperie (one of my new favorite companies...love the vintage flair), some sponging, and simple embellishing. The sentiment is stamped on vellum, then adhered to the paper. I got out the supplies to make my own flower embellie, but then remembered these Prima roses in my stash...I thought the size was perfect.

Sentiment: Stampabilities

Ink: Palette Burnt Umber

Paper: PTI Fine Linen, the girls' paperie DP, The Paper Studio Vellum

Embellies: PTI Dark Chocolate Twill, Prima Rose, Swarovski Flatback Crystals in "Smoked Topaz"

Tips and Tricks:

Often you can see the adhesive when using vellum, so I like to use small embellishments in the corners of my project to cover it. I simply place a tiny dot of adhesive between the paper and vellum, then add another tiny dot to the top and cover it with my embellie.

I can't wait to see what the rest of the DT has done with this tricky sketch! I hope you will visit the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check them out too!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

Cupcake Fairy

I'm involved in a monthly image challenge with a group of friends on SCS. This month Denise sent us this adorable Mo Manning image to work with...I think she is just precious! I am also excited that my card was completed before the end of May...yay!

The image is colored with pencils and her eyes are dotted with a black gel pen. I was tempted to add some glitter, but she is stamped on shimmer CS so she is so shimmery in real life. I kept the layout simple and let the fun pattern of the DP do the work for me. I made a few felt flowers and used some Swarovski flatbacks for a bit of extra glam.

Image: Mo Manning

Ink: Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Blueberry Sky and True Black, the girls' paperie DP

Embellies: Swarovski Flatback Crystals in "Jet"

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinders Nestabilities, MFT Die-namics Rolled Flower and Rolled Rose Dry, The Cat's Pajamas CutUps Die (leaf), The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

Here's close-up of this precious fairy. I wasn't able to capture the shimmer of the CS, but you can see the details a bit better. I wish I could draw like this...Mo's drawings are amazing! Note the pretty red nail polish...I couldn't resist!

I am also entering this in the Corrosive Challenge Blog's cupcake challenge (if I make the deadline).

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

The Cat's Pajamas Tuesday #160

Good morning! I decided to play along with The Cat's Pajamas challenge this week; once I saw the sketch, I knew I had to make time! I used to play a lot, but just got out of the habit.... So many challenges...so little time! Leigh was the hostess this week and she designs fabulous sketches; you can check out her post here.

I make very few "man cards" so this was a challenge for me. I was about ready to throw in the towel and told myself to "just finish it already"! LOL I think the problem is, I don't really work with these colors a lot, so they were a bit out of my comfort zone. As you see...no pink!

The DP is from Bella BLVD and I bought it because the back of one of the sheets has the coolest crossword puzzle. I can't wait to use that for something! Meanwhile, I went for the colors.... The whale is paper pieced and I used a die for the waves. It's finished off with some Baker's Twine, a button, and a glittery star (more about that later).

Image: The Cat's Pajamas

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Black Marker, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: SU! Basic Gray and Cherry Cobbler, PTI Enchanted Evening, G.P. 110, Bella BLVD DP

Embellies: PTI Pure Poppy Baker's Twine, PTI Hawaiian Shores Button, Distress Stickles in Brushed Pewter

Extras: Prisma/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilitie Die, The Cat's Pajamas CutUp Wave Die, EK Success Star Punch

Here's a close-up of the star. I applied a thick coating of Stickles, let it dry, then added more where it seemed sparse (the glitter glue "shrinks down" a bit when it's dry), then let it dry again. Let me tell you...it took forever to dry! I about cried when the kitty jumped up on my work space to look out the window; I ran over to the table and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw it sitting there unharmed. I could just see it sticking to her long white fur and me chasing her through the house to retrieve it! Not fun! LOL

All right, that's it for me today! I hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend...enjoy and be safe!

Angela

Changito Thank U

Hello! How's your Friday going so far? It's great that the weekend is almost here! Today I have some cards to share that my daughter requested for her track coaches and manager. Quite frankly, I was surprised considering she always acts like I am a bit "off" because I enjoy stamping so much! LOL Anyway, I sent her to my card rack to pick out a sample card for me to work with. We decided to make a different color for each person. The colors are from the color family SU! used to call "Bold Brights" and I used to work with these colors a lot...funny how our styles change over the years. I do think the bright colors look pretty all lined up.

Here's a close-up of the pink card (my favorite color). The green panel is embossed with a Cuttlebug folder, Changito is colored with pencils and the flower is accented with Doodlebug glitter.

Image: Stampendous

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Passion Pink, Yo Yo Yellow, and Only Orange, PTI Dark Chocolate

Embellies: SU! Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Doodlebug Glitter

Extras: Crayolas/Goo Gone, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

Ivy took the finished cards to school, had the other girls on the team sign them, then presented them in clear envelopes at their end of the season pizza party.

Here is a picture of Ivy from this season. It's a bit fuzzy, since I took a picture of a photo. The girls had a fun season; it was their first, so they were practicing with the different events to find their niche. We were surprised to have Ivy switch to the high jump; we always thought she would stick with the long jump. My husband was a great long jumper and Ivy had previously won a gold medal in the long jump at an independent meet. Whatever she decides to do is okay with us; we just encourage her to do her best and have fun doing it!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

TMS#95

Good Tuesday morning! Since it's Tuesday, that means we have another fun sketch from Melissa at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Our sponsor this week is Digital Delights.

The seahorse is colored with pencils and cut out; last I added a bit of glitter. I really liked this DP, so I used vellum for the small panels and adhered it with mini brads. The image panel is Cuttlebugged and I added some waves cut with a die. I finished it all off with varying sizes of black brads just to add a bit of "pop".

Image: Digital Delights

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Baja Breeze, PTI True Black, Imaginisce DP, The Paper Studio Vellum

Embellies: Spare Parts Brads, Barbara Trombley's Art Glitter in "Polar Bear"

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Cuttlebug "Bubbles" Embossing Folder, The Cat's Pajamas CutUpS Wave Die, Spellbinder's Nestabilities

I hope you will head over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to see what the rest of the DT has created...I can't wait to check them out myself!

Thanks for stopping by today; have a good one!

Angela

Bellarific Friday

Hello and "Happy Friday"! I decided to play Stamping Bella's challenge this week; I used to play every week and it has been a long time.... I just couldn't resist this CAS sketch. I think Daisybella is so cute and I love that I got to add some of the sparkly stuff! LOL

Image/Sentiment: Stamping Bella

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select, Hibiscus Burst, and True Black

Embellies: Spare Parts Brads, Doodlebug Glitter

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Label Die

I think I may whip up some more of these, using different colors and sentiments.... Might be good to have on hand!

Thanks for stopping by today; enjoy your weekend!

Angela

Changito Birthday

Hello! Here's a card made with this week's SCS sketch challenge; I thought it was a challenging sketch. It showed squares where I used the circles, and the image panel was not tilted. I have to say this did not at all turn out like what I had planned! It just kept evolving along the way....

I received this set from a stamping buddy for my birthday. I LOVE Changito! He makes me smile and we all need a bit of that, right?! Changito is colored with pencils and his eyes are highlighted with a black gel pen. I used some Making Memories charms and brads for embellishing. Did you notice those tiny brads on the image panel? I think they are so cute!

Image: Stampendous "Changito BDay" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Stamper's Select and Dark Chocolate, SU! Blushing Bride, American Crafts DP

Embellies: Making Memories Charms, Spare Parts Brads

Extras: Crayola/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

I am also entering this card in the Corrosive Challenge, which is birthdays.

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

April Image Swap Card

Good morning! Today I have the card I made for the monthly image challenge I am in; notice it says April...I am a bit behind! A bunch of friends on SCS takes turns mailing out the image for the month, then we all make a card with it and post it. It's really fun to see what everyone creates. Our April image came from Joanna. The June image just arrived, so I really need to get going with my May card....

I used Jen del Muro's May SFYTT; love her sketches! The image is colored with Prismas and the eyes are dotted with a black gel pen. Instead of matting the layers, I sponged the DP since I was going for a shabby chic look. The rose is handmade with a MFT die; the edges of the felt were sponged before I assembled it (in real life the rose matches the ribbon on the bear...I don't know why the colors look off in the photo). I finished it off with some crocheted lace, ribbon, stickpins and a pearl.

Ink: Palette Burnt Umber, Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: PTI Kraft and Dark Chocolate, the girls' paperie DP

Embellies: SU! Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Wright's Crocheted Lace, Maya Road Stickpins, The Paper Studio Pearl

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, MFT Die-namics Rolled Rose Die, PTI Blueberry Sky Felt, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

April down...May to go! Stay tuned....

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

TMS#94 Crayon Resist Technique

Good Tuesday morning! We have another challenge over at Tuesday Morning Sketches; this week it isn't a sketch, it's the crayon resist technique.

I chose to highlight around my image instead of coloring the image. I applied my white crayon, sponged on the ink, then wiped the excess ink off. It was kind of fun! I was going for a gradient effect, but had a had time achieving it...maybe because of the kraft paper...not sure.... The strawberry is from Unity and I paper pieced it. I found the stamp at Archivers and it also has coordinating paper from Jillibean Soup. How fun is that?

Stamp/Sentiment: Unity

Ink: Palette Burnt Umber

Paper: PTI Kraft, Dark Chocolate, and Bitty Dot Basics

Embellie: Spare Parts brads

Extras: White Crayon, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

I hope you will head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog to check out what the rest of the DT has made. This week is a judged challenge, so it would be great if you could join us and play along too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

SC332: Stella Rose Chick

Happy Wednesday! Isn't it great to be over the hump? 2 more days until the weekend! On Wednesdays I always look forward to doing the SCS sketch challenge if I am off work. I love today's sketch; I think the way the horizontal strip lies between the other layers is cool...I'll have to remember this trick....

Since the image panel was pretty small, I went to one of my go-to stamps...the Stampendous Calendar Chicks. I have been wanting to use this pretty DP since I brought it home, so it was a pretty easy choice. The chick is colored with Prismas; her eyes are dotted with a gel pen and the flower centers are dotted with a glitter pen. The rose is made with a MFT die.

Image: Stampendous "Flower Chick"

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen, Copic Spica Glitter Pen

Paper: PTI Vintage Cream, Ocean Tides, and Smokey Shadow, My Mind's Eye "Stella Rose" DP

Embellies: The Paper Studio Bling

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, MFT Die-namics Rolled Rose Die, The Cat's Pajamas Cut-Ups Die (leaves), The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

I thought I'd show you a picture of my scraps.... I had originally adhered the card to a SU! Crushed Curry base. I decided it was all wrong and did a bit of surgery with my scalpel; although the finished card is no worse for the wear, I decided it's probably good that I am a nurse instead of a surgeon! LOL

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

TMS#93 (and a true confession)

Good morning! It's time for another sketch from Melissa at Tuesday Morning Sketches. I was really excited when I saw our sponsor was Sassy Studio Designs...I love the Honey images! Our DT member Kathleen makes the most adorable cards with them, and they are colored beautifully! I am really excited to see what she will come up with this week....

Okay, it's time for the true confession.... My initial excitement when I saw this image turned to dread when I realized I would have to color a lot of red. Red is hard for me to color! Also, since Kathleen colors hers so beautifully, I knew I had to bring my "A game". Talk about pressure! Ack! She did take me a long time to color, but I was happy with how she turned out so all is well.

I know Valentine's Day has come and gone, but I decided to go with the Basic Grey Sugar Rush line anyway. I really like the colors and thought the hearts were somehow appropriate for the image. The DP is pretty busy, so I embellished simply with 3 Bella Dots. I really wanted to apply pink glitter to Honey's uniform, but DD told me "No" (fireman don't wear glitter...well, I am thinking they probably don't get all dolled up either...I could be wrong though....).

Image: Sassy Studio Designs Digital Image

Sentiment: The Cat's Pajamas

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Ruby Red, PTI Smokey Shadow, Basic Grey DP

Embellie: Bella Dots

Extras: Prismas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

I wanted to show you a close-up of Honey's face.... I think she is so beautifully illustrated...look at those eyes!

I have to tell you, I am really excited to see what the rest of the DT has done with their image. I am betting the cards will knock my socks off! Please head to Tuesday Morning Sketches to check them out....

Thanks for stopping by today; I hope you will be able to play along with us this week.

Angela

Mother's Day 2011

Hello! Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers in blogland. I wanted to share the card I made for my Mom; I had hoped to post it earlier, but I finished up the gift box at the last minute today. Do any of you do things on the fly? I always seem to be running 2 steps behind....

The idea for this card came from the May/June issue of Paper Crafts Magazine; it was on page 72 and designed by Betsy Veldman. I just love her style...so beautifully shabby-chic! I do have to admit mine doesn't look a whole lot like hers, but my Mom loved it and that's what counts. I figured with the pink flower and bling, it was a sure bet! I did some sponging and used some dies and felt to make my embellishments.

Sentiment: Papertrey Ink Quilter's Sampler

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Palette Burnt Umber

Paper: PTI Lemon Tart, 7 Gypsies DP (double-sided)

Embellies: PTI Button, MAMBI Bling

Extras: Fiskars Border Punch, PTI Dressform Die and Felt (Raspbery Fizz, True Black), MFT Die-namics Rolled Rose Die and Felt (green), The Cat's Pajamas Cutup Die (leaf), Needle

I had bought my Mom some jewelry and decided to make a gift box to hold the card and the jewelry. I took a few photos and will give a brief description of the steps to make the box.

I like to make my box 1/8" bigger than the card. I wanted it to be 1 1/2" deep, so I added 3 1/8" to the dimensions of the card to make the base. The top is 1/16" larger. After cutting both pieces, I scored on all 8 sides with my Scor-Pal and then creased the score lines.

Next I snipped each corner to the center of the square of the scored lines, and then cut 1/2 of the square away. I used a tiny amount of glue to adhere the triangular portion to the inside of the box.

This photo shows the assembled box and embellished lid. I line the bottom of the box with Warm and Natural batting; cut the batting to fit and adhere with a bit of glue. I decided to make a compartment to hide the jewelry (top left), so I cut a piece 1/16" smaller than the base and added 3/4" for the sides. Score all 4 sides, fold, and this time cut out the entire square in the corner. I pierced a hole in the center and used some floss for a pull loop (the floss is knotted on the underside).

Here's the finished box with the extra layer. I made the extra layer so that I could include the jewelry in the box, while having the card lie flat. The top is embellished with some sponged DP, a monogram, a button and some bling.

Here's the finished box with the card...I have to say my Mom really liked the box! I have made quite a few of them and it really dresses up the presentation of the card. She liked the jewelry too; so much that she immediately put on all 3 pieces! I don't think the necklaces were designed to wear together, but they looked nice all the same.... I had bought some Monet earrings and a necklace a couple of months ago. I went back to the same store a couple of weeks ago and found another coordinating necklace...on clearance. It was $6.99; the original price was $48. I couldn't pass up that deal, so now she has options!

I hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day today and were able to spend time with your loved ones!

Angela

Pure Innocence Sweet Treat

I was able to combine 2 challenges with this card today. The MFTWSC18 and WT331 at SCS; I am always excited when a card can do double duty!

The little gal is colored with pencils and her dress is paper pieced. I wanted to mimic the white flowers in the DP and after trying a bunch of different punches and combos, I went to my flower bin and found these flowers in my stash...I thought they worked rather well. I finished the card off with a bit of pink bling.

Image: MFT Pure Innocence

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: G.P. 110, Gina K Designs Pure Luxury, SU! So Saffron and Pink Passion, Doodlebug DP

Embellies: American Crafts Flowers, MAMBI Bling, White Grosgrain Ribbon

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, Spellbinder's Nestabilities, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

That's all for now; I am hoping to make time to get crafty this weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Angela

SC331: Changito with Flowers

I have been working on this card on and off this afternoon. I had a little excitement along the way when I had a fire in the kitchen.... My son had requested pumpkin pie for supper and I was just getting ready to pop it into the oven when I smelled smoke! My hubby had put a pizza box in the oven and I didn't see it before turning it on. Good grief! I was able to get it out, toss it in the sink, and hose it down with the sprayer. Unfortunately that's not all that got sprayed.... What a stinky mess it was! I am just thankful that the fire wasn't worse.... All is well now, after opening the windows to air the house out.

Alrighty then...back to the card. I was in the mood for Changito today, so I picked this fun spring image from my stash. The sketch was pretty simple; I like the clean, crisp lines. The image is colored with pencils and accented with gel pens. I embellished simply with brads and some twill.

Image: Stampendous "Changito Spring" Clear Set

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Sakura Black Gel Pen, Signa White Gel Pen

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! So Saffron and Ruby Red, The Paper Studio DP

Embellies: SU! So Saffron Twill, Spare Parts Brads

Extras: Prismas/Crayolas/Goo Gone, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

Thanks for stopping by today!

Angela

I Have a Winner!!!

I used Custom Random Number Generator to pick a winner from the 118 comments...the winner is 60!

*Alison* wrote: Okay.. LOVE these.. so fun and bright.. these are both so creative.. I just love the images too.. :) hugs

April 30, 2011 1:59 PM

Alison, please leave a comment on this post with your email address and image choice and I will have Christy email you your prize!

Angela

TMS#92

Happy Tuesday! As you know, on Tuesdays we have a new Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge.... This week we have a twist though...our sketch is from Theresa! Our sponsor is Stamp Fairy; isn't this little teddie adorable?! Check them out...they have cute images!

I decided to go with a monochromatic look this week, but ended up adding a bit of white when I found I didn't have matching ribbon. The image is colored with pencils and the bear's eyes are dotted with a black gel pen.

Image: Stamp Fairy

Ink: Sakura Black Gel Pen

Paper: G.P. 110, SU! Positively Pink

Embellies: Wright's White Grosgrain Ribbon, Spare Parts Brads

Extras: Spellbinder's Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Paisley Embossing Folder, The Paper Studio Sticky Doos

I can't wait to see the rest of the DT's images and what they have created with them.... Ialso hope you will join us this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Angela