Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge - April 2016

 

Good Friday Morning!  Very excited to announce that starting this month I am on the Paper Sweeties Design Team!!  You know I love my Paper Sweeties!  And since I discovered the products a little over a year ago, I've "met" so many awesome bloggy people and made so many new bloggy friends.  Great products, great service, great people... what's not to love!?

 

Today we're sharing the April Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge Photo!  So pretty and for me the inspiration was the wreath... greens and browns... a little bit of neutral and the feeling of Spring.

 

 

Of course, I added a pop of .. well... ok a lot of pink.  I like to think the inspiration photo is the harbinger of Spring and this is the next day... when the blooms start popping.  Even here in the desert, we have an explosion of flowers on the cacti in April and it is beautiful!  I made this little ornament using a twig wreath that I picked up on clearance after the holidays and was so happy I was able to find it when I saw this photo!

 

 

I've been wanting to try cutting some felt with my dies for some time now, so for my wreath I added flowers and leaves from the Pretty Posies Stamp Set and Sweet Cuts.  The flower I used was just a little big, but the stamp set has "layer" lines on it so for those I stamped the flower onto the felt and then with scissors cut out the size I wanted.  Then I used the stem and leaf dies to cut out the leaves.  So easy and they cut like butta'!  Then I consulted my jar of buttons and found these very very old shaped buttons and added them.  It was like they were laying around waiting for this project.

 

So my most used ribbon?  Paper Sweeties crinkly Seam Binding Ribbon and I used the Cookie Dough here.  I wrapped it around the twig wreath and then tied it in a bow at the top. I just love the way the seam binding lays on a project and can be such a beautiful mess.  The Spring Joy Sentiment is from the Jelly Bean Time stamp set.  And I cut that yummy banner from glitter paper using the Birthday Banners Sweet Cuts.  These banners dies are great on their own like this or with the matching stamp set.  Another one of my favorite dies!

 

 

And those cute little birdies and birdhouse are from the Tree of Life Add-On Spring stamp set.  They are wonderful images that go nicely with the Tree of Life stamp set, but also they make great little add ons to so many cards... it's really an adorable set!  And I'm sure it's no surprise to see I've sprinkled my favorite sequins everywhere, these are the Watermelon Sequins which were the perfect mix of soft green and pink for this project.

 

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the Design Team has made for your viewing pleasure and further inspiration... you will not be disappointed:

 

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties

 Emily Frasier
Jeri Thomas 
Jinny Newlin - *April Guest Designer*

Jill Norwood

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Lisa Bzibziak  **You Are Here**

Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Michele Henderson

Nancy Penir
 Nancy Salkeld

April Guest Designer: Marsha Drain

 

Hope you play along with us this month!  Nothing to lose and everything to gain!  You could win some free Paper Sweeties goodies!! 

 

 

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #153

 

Welcome to this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge!  I needed to make a quick card this weekend... in my coffee flurry last week I forgot to make my brother a birthday card.  Luckily I had bought this really cool October Afternoon ephemera set that was all cool and western-y so most of these elements are from that.  The rustic wood paper is from My Mind's Eye.  My brother is all about the wood and the metal and he's a fantastic upcycler of old stuff... not as much western, but I think he liked it!  And it also made me rediscover some stuff that I think I'm gonna use to make a couple canvases so watch for those... because I am western-y... lol!

 

 

The horseshoe was in the packet from October Afternoon, but it was plain chipboard.  I just covered it with Versamark and used some embossing powder to give it a metal look.  The buffalo is a cool charm I bought on Etsy for not much $$, but my brother is buffalo-y so I new I'd use it for some projects for him.  The twine I got at Ross of all places and it's cool and variegated and it was perfect.  Also, I mixed and matched my metal colors... pewter to silver to bronze... I figured go broke or go home...

 

And I got this cool bucking bronco stamp from Jessica Lynn Originals during a facebook stampbook auction type sale she had... that was fun and I can't imagine that little card without this stamp on it!

 

So check out this week's sketch and play along!

 



My Creative Adventure, Friends, and a Little Bunny

So, it's been a couple days.   Coming off of the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop week long celebration is almost like being hung over.  My craftroom.. a mess:

 

 

The Craftermath

As one of my coffee cohorts put it... yup.  Don't worry... this post gets prettier.

 

So I spent yesterday tidying up a little bit... emphasis on the word little.  And now.. or at least this morning, I had a whole foot square area in which to work.. so the tidying stopped and the creative work began.  I can't help it.  I'm easily distracted by sparkly things.. and my hurricane ravaged scrap room has plenty.. so I gave in.  Here's what I ended up with:

 

 

It's been since.. idk... the Fall or Winter hop I think... long enough ago anyway... I started what was going to be a snow globe .. the star being a little deer I purchased at Michael's.  I started my scene with glitter and Modge Podge and go so far as the point where I needed a little bunny and all work stopped.  I had nothing small enough.  I whined and stomped my feet.  I looked and searched... willing to pay for just the right little bunny wherever I found it... Etsy... Ebay... Goodwill... other second hand stores... maybe someone didn't realize how very valuable a tiny bunny is and was selling it and maybe even a whole big collection of dusty little woodland animals... no luck.  So I kept whining... and I was in the middle of whining to my then shiny new friend and lover of all tiny woodland creatures and anything else no one realizes the value of.. and she said.. "I HAVE a tiny bunny"... and my heart stopped.   She said, "I'll send it to you."  And when it came in my mailbox, not long after... in a box filled with all kinds of other crafty goodies... it was perfect!

 

 

What you need to know about Mitra... she loves to shop at the Re-store in her town.  Who wouldn't.  It supports Habitat for Humanity and at her location not only do they sell old home building and renovating items, but they also have household goods.  You really do need to follow her blog to see all the wonderful things people just don't want anymore that she can see wonderful new beautiful creations in.  She snaps them up and turns them into works of art.  In fact!... if you go there now, you can see my bunny's cute companion.  So please do be sure to go there when you are done here.  You won't regret it... and also be sure to make it a regular stop when your blog hopping around because not only does she make fantastic and beautiful creations of all kinds... but it's always a great read and you'll leave feeling better... so you can find her HERE!

 

 

I tried to make my piece pretty from all sides... I mean the front is obvious... but I wanted the back and sides to be pretty too.  Originally it was going to be in a globe, but I was going to modge podge glitter around the back and sides and just leave an opening in front for the scene... but what I ended up with was just too dark... you couldn't see the best parts!  And that was before I had most of it done... I just knew it wasn't right and so there my project sat.  Not even half done.  With the most perfect bunny waiting for its home.. it sat until this morning.

 

 

And then yesterday... as I was reading Mitras Facebook post about daffodils and spring... I got excited again.  I had bought these "cloche" type containers at a second hand store in the Phoenix area for a couple dollars.  But... it was too short.  And then I remembered the cupboard full of Grandma's old teacups that I'd been contemplating altering in some way because .. well... they're in the cupboard.  But do I dare do anything permanent?  Will I regret it?  Well, this worked out perfectly because I was able to put the top of the cloche over the top half of the base and the bottom half nestled into the cup and I didn't have to and didn't want to glue anything down because there is room in the base for on of those little battery operated tealights and since they don't last forever, I can easily dump out the beads I've filled in around the edges, replace the tealight... put everything back and if I ever want to I can just pop the whole thing out... although I don't see that happening because I love it the way that it is.

 

 

And I've used so many things that friends have given me including that pretty pink crocheted doily from my friend Tracey (her blog is also well worth taking a few minutes to check out); the cute little birdies and beads and flowers are from another friend who has no blog.  In fact, you won't catch her gluing too much or with glitter in her hair, but when someone she knew cleaned out a stash of beads, baubles and ribbons, she immediately came to me...lol. 

 

 

And those cute little birdies are laying in a nest they built inside a couple teacup charms I bought for ... idk... 25 cents maybe on Etsy along with some gold fibers they found laying around my room.  There are other bits and pieces too.. but by far... my favorite is the bunny.  Thank you Mitra!!!!  For your constant inspiration, your friendship and one cute little tiny bunny.   It feels so good to finally have a home for him.

 

 

Thanks for stopping and listening (if you made it all the way through) and come back tomorrow for Atlantic Hearts!

 

 

 



A Sad, Sad Day! Day 8 - The Final Day of the Coffee Lovers Hop

 

This isn't what I had planned for the last day of the Coffee Lovers Hop, but this idea popped in my head this morning and I decided to go with it.  I don't think I'm done with coffee projects quite yet so stop by every once in a while!  This adorable Bunny Painting Egg and coffee cup (I used Coffee Couple and covered up the face) are digis from Craftin Desert Divas as well as the Stitched Label die which is becoming one of my most used and favorite dies.  I used the CDD Home Sweet Home stamp set to add flowers to the cup.  I'm also linking up to the Choux Choux Paper Art Spring/Easter Challenge.

 

I finally got to use a stamp I got during the last coffee hop from the Latina Crafter... adorable right?  I stamped it in versamark on the vellum and embossed it with black glitter embossing powder.

 

I used one of the Coffee Couples' wrap as a template to cut my wrap out of some of my fun watercolor paper I made recently.. it was my favorite piece and It's getting smaller.  Sigh.... between that and the hop ending I just don't know how I'll get through.

 

I cut the stitched label using vellum so I didn't cover up all the splatters that I stamped using the CTMH stamp set Ink Blot.  The two extra flowers that I stamped and cut out have a cute little Doodlebug Sprinkles from the CDD shop.

 

Thanks for stopping and it's been so much fun!  Hope to have a visit from you again and I'll visit you right back.. I promise!  Don't be a stranger.....

Lucky Day 7 of Coffee, Stamplorations and ChouxChoux

 

Welcome to Day 7 of the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop!  I've been spending some time collecting coffee stamps and other java paraphernalia since my first hop last Fall but have not nearly used enough of it.  So today I picked a set from Stamplorations and a set from My Favorite Things that I hadn't used yet.  I'm joining in Stamplorations Theme and Sketch Challenge and also the Easter/Spring Challenge over at Choux Choux Paper Art.

 

Those stacked cups are from a Stamplorations set called Coffee Happy... I decided to color them solid colors since I have so much else going on on this one.  That adorable bunny is from My Favorite Things and the set is called Somebunny and those eggs are from a very old retired CTMH set.  They were the right size so I was happy to re-discover them! 

 

Now.. just a side note.  I blame Amy Tsuruta, Superheroine and fearless leader of the Coffee Lover's Blog Hop for all of my purchases that occurred as a result of finding this awesome tri-annual celebration of stamping and hot beverages.  When I post my pics on Instagram I tag my projects that use these purchases with #amymademebuyit.  Right now, it's me and some girl whose friend Amy apparently made her buy a hat.  I think we should all start tagging our creations with products we won or bought as a result of this hop with ...

 

#AMYMADEMEBUYIT

Let's claim it!  You know it's her fault you bought it anyway!

 

 

I digress... so the theme of the Stamplorations challenge is Texture and Stamps.  I had so much fun using my coffee stain stencil from the Latina Crafter...first I used it to sponge some inks and then keeping it in place I applied some clear embossing past.  It's so hard to see here, but I LOVE the way it looks.  And I added a little more texture by embossing the yellow base... it helped me decide to color her pretty little dress yellow... amazing how she managed to keep that dress clean while making such a mess coloring those eggs!

So ... here's a story... on the Stamplorations blog they suggest that if you create a CAS card you can also link up to their Clean and Simple Challenge with your Theme/Sketch challenge card.  So yup... I was gonna do that.  Well... not so much... the first to go was the "C"... yeah... fingerprints everywhere... and then of course "S" had to follow because .. well, I had to add stuff to cover up the messy bits...lol!  I just don't think I'll ever be able to make a Clean and Simple card.  Too much of a slob.... shrugs shoulders...  guess I'll leave that to the experts... and I don't think I better wear a yellow dress while crafting.

 

Anywho!  Check out all of these challenges and the blog hop and join in!!  Prizes.... Prizes.... Prizes!!!

 

 



Coffee Lovers Hop Day 6 - You Had Me At Brentwood!

So... he's a cutie isn't he?  You can download him for free at the Jessica Lynn Original website to use during the Coffee Lover's Hop!  There are still a few days left... it's not too late!  And while you're there take a look around... there are a lot more really adorable Brentwood images as well as a whole lot of other really original and awesome images... of course... Brentwood IS my favorite.  All three frames were cut using my Craftin Desert Divas Fancy Frames Dies.  The largest one I cut from one of the watercolor papers I've been making over the last few weeks.  The middle is out of Canary CTMH Cardstock and the smallest I cut around the digital image of Brentwood that I printed and then I colored him and sponged various ink colors around to give the feel of a sunset.

Look at him all winky winky... or.. is he just seeing the world from one eye until his coffee kicks in?  I think he's winking at me.  The purple glittery heart on his mug is leftover (still) from my CDD Heart of Hearts die.

I cut the sun out of the same watercolor paper using my CDD The Sky Is The Limit Die.  The extra sentiment is from Stamplorations (they have some of the best coffee stamp sets).  The ribbon and pretty sequins are from Paper Sweeties and that pretty faceted badge in the center of the ribbon is CTMH.

So!  Set a date with Brentwood... download him and make something and post it during the Coffee Lovers Hop.  You don't have to have a blog!  You can post from Pinterest... I mean everyone is on Pinterest, right?  Instagram?  No excuses!  Play along... there are prizes to be won and there is fun to be had!

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #152... and some coffee...

 

Welcome to this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge!  As you may be aware, we're in the middle of the Spring Coffee Lover's Hop so of course my card is coffee themed.  And I'm also playing along with Aud Sentiments Bingo and a Sentiment Challenge and the Color My Heart Color Dare!

I've used quite a mixture of products this week.  Some items are leftovers from old projects and some are brand new.  First I used the Tim Holtz embossing folder on the background, embossed with versamark and white on white and then used my watercolors to splash around a little of each of the other colors in the color challenge.  It has a really cool texture... almost suedish.. and I like the way it came out.  I cut two panels from CDD's Fancy Stitched Labels Die set.  The sentiment I got during the last coffee hop from the Latina Crafter.  Love shopping with her and she has a section of coffee/bilingual items and I've found quite a few gems over there.

 

That cute crown is a die from Poppy Stamps and see those cute little flower beads.. those were in my bag of goodies that I won from the Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge for the month of February and are old CTMH and so pretty!  Thanks so much Marie!  The cup is the teacup from the CTMH Treats of Friendship set.  I had stamped and embossed that one during the last hop as well and didn't end up using it.  I cut off the teabag so now it's a cup of coffee.  The fern leaves are from Artistry and the other branches are from a Tim Holtz set of dies.  And of course, my favorite sequins to use on a Color Dare project, the clear ones from Pretty Pink Posh.  Whew!

 

So join us over Atlantic Hearts this week and maybe you can link up with some of these other great challenges!  Thanks so much for stopping by and come back tomorrow for more coffee!

Craftin Desert Divas Linky Party Color Photo Inspiration Week 2!

 

Welcome to this week's Crafting Desert Divas Linky Party! The theme for this Linky Party at Craftin Desert Divas is “Color/Photo Inspiration”!  Please play along and create something that fits this week's theme and link up at the Craftin' Desert Diva’s Blog.

Every other Monday is the beginning of a new semi-weekly Linky Party over at the CDD blog. We hope you will share your projects with us! And there are prizes! Every Linky Party will have a winner and a Top 3!  The more times you link up…the more chances you have to win!!

 

Here is my project for this week's party:

 

I was so excited when I saw the inspiration photo for this one... the colors are just so beautiful!  I had a lot of fun with my watercolors here.  I took an 8x10 sheet of water color paper and just smooshed the colors from the inspiration photo all over.  When that was dry, I splattered a little more on and then when that was dry, I sprayed some gold color shine.  I used the largest die from the Fancy Stitched Label Die Set to cut out the shape behind the adorable Bunny In an Egg Digital Stamp that I colored with my Shin Hans and cut out.  I used the Fancy Frames dies for the pink and plaid layers and used some cardstock that I ran through my Big Shot for the base.  The plaid paper is from Doodlebug Spring Garden paper pad.

 

The little eggs and sentiment are from the Bunny Trail clear stamp set.  I added some gold Wink of Stella to the eggs to make them look a little like the eggs in the inspiration photo.  Maybe that was my favorite part about this inspiration photo... the gold :).  And that beautiful ribbon... was wrapped around my last order from Craftin Desert Divas... and it was perfect!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and come back tomorrow for this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge!

I'm also linking this up to the Easter/Spring Challenge over at ChouxChoux Paper Art!  Be sure to check it out!

Coffee Lover's Hop Day 3 1/2!

 

So I wasn't going to post this guy today, but I just love him so much I can't help it... this cute little digi is from Craftin' Desert Divas and was created by Mindy Beverly and he is one of my favorites for sure!  This sentiment came to me one night so the card has been rolling around in my head for a while. 

 

I've been using my early Saturday mornings to create some watercolor backgrounds with my watercolors and/or Ken Oliver Colorbursts or both.  I am soooo impatient and hate drying time so I thought if I just keep making various colored backgrounds they'll be ready when I need them and I must say... it's worked out great!   I created this one a while ago and knew I wanted to make some kind of night time theme with it and my sleepy Dragon was perfect.

 

Daylight savings has kicked his butt, but don't worry...he's taking his medicine and he'll feel better soon.

 

 

Do you like the little steam I made out of vellum?  This adorable digi comes with the dragon holding a cupcake, but since I needed him to be hanging onto some coffee, I stamped the coffee cup from the stamp set Got Coffee, colored and cut it out and placed it over the cupcake.  It worked out well, except the candle flame stuck up over the cup... if I put the cup any higher it would cover his face too much.  I tried making the candle flame into steam, but that did not work out too well... finally it came to me!  And I couldn't be more pleased with how it came out... along with a little liquid glass I think it looks pretty good!

 

And his hat!  He had a birthday hat on, but I grabbed my little Lawn Fawn Hats Off To You set and made his birthday hat out of the Santa hat and made it into a striped nightcap.

 

This is true.

 

Here are the CDD Products I've used:

 

Birthday Dragon Digi Stamp http://craftindesertdivas.com/birthday-dragon-digital-stamp/

Fancy Frames Dies http://craftindesertdivas.com/fancy-frame-dies/

Got Coffee Stamp Set http://craftindesertdivas.com/got-coffee/

Fancy Stitched Label Dies http://craftindesertdivas.com/fancy-stitched-label-dies/

 

So!  Thanks for stopping by again and don't forget to come back tomorrow for the Craftin' Desert Divas Linky Party!  It's one of my favorites so far...