Caffeine Fueled Paper Play - Little Acres

I'm up on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog today playing along with a challenge at Simon Says Stamp.  Here's a sneak peek!  Hope you'll come visit me there!

Little Acres July/August Challenge - Anything Goes

It's time for a new challenge over at Little Acres!  This time around it's anything goes!  Here's what I've created:

Love the new Lots of Poppies set available now at Little Acres Creations!  I created this quick card to kick off the challenge!  You must use at least one Little Acres Creations stamp set in your design!  Join the Little Acres Creations Facebook Group Here to play along!

Can't wait to see what YOU create!

A Yappy Birthday Card for My Puppy Loving Son

So what do you do when your son wants a dog of his own for his birthday.. that's it... whether he's got to steal yours or rescue one but he can't have one where he's living?  You make him a birthday card with some puppy balloons!

I'm also up on the Three Amigos Blog with this one announcing that our July challenge will be a little late because of vacations and the holiday!  We will have our new challenge and winners post up by July 6th!  Thanks for your understanding!  (I have used a die cut using an MFT die for the "birthday" word since our June challenge is Machine Die Cutting but I also included a hint to what our July challenge will be... can you guess??)

When I was trying to decide what his card would look like, I thought of the Balloon Alpha set from Little Acres Creations and then I thought of the adorable Bork (Stubby Pup) stamp set from The Ink Road.

I took some inspiration from our resident artist over at Little Acres, Miko (check out her awesome card here!) and stamped my balloon alpha letters in versamark onto vellum (I used vellum that was already colored because I had it and I knew it would be easier) and heat embossed in white.  I let it cool and then fussy cut them out

Stamped, colored and cut out my pups and then I arranged all of my "balloons" on the card and when I had the look I wanted, I attached everything using various levels of foam tape... letting some overlap (love the way the vellum let's some of the puppy parts show through...lol!)  I added liquid glass to my pups eyes and noses and added some highlights on the balloons, Miko style, using a white gel pen.

Finished off my sentiment by adding the MFT Birthday die cut.. I cut it three times in Glacier cardstock and stacked them.  Then I added some liquid glass to make it stand out.  After all was dry, I cut a few vellum balloon strings using the Craftin Desert Divas Party Die Set and added those in tucking some behind, cutting some short and letting some of them lay across another balloon or the sentiment.  LOVE it!

SO!  I created this using the colors I did to fit the Double Trouble Challenge and the Color My Heart Color Dare challenge which both use these colors!  I may have added the twist of "strings" for Double Trouble, but I'll let them be the judge of that... while I have no ribbon or twine or anything... I DO have balloon strings!...lol!  But honestly I'm good whatever the verdict because I wouldn't have done anything different.

Thanks for stopping!  See you again soon!

Little Acres Creations June Challenge is All About Summer!

It's time for a new challenge over at Little Acres Creations!  The theme this time is Summer and you do need to use Little Acres Creations stamps in your project!  See the Little Acres Blog Post here for all of the details!  Here's what I've made for today:

I am LOVING the new Balloon Alphabet available now over at Little Acres Creations!  I knew I wanted to make something using it and I decided a little Celebration scene with a sunny setting would be perfect!

Although once I got my letters colored and cut out I was a little worried they might not fit...lol!  But luckily balloons are never in a straight line... they just don't behave!  So I varied mine in height and used a little foam tape for some.  I love how it looks.  I added liquid glass for dimension and shine and was so excited at the effect once it dried.  I drew my lines in with a white gel pen and love that I could make them go wherever I wanted...

And then I turned to the baby goat from the Stinkin' Cute stamp set because he just looks like he's in celebration mode along with his little chickadee friends (who may just have celebrated too much already..lol).  An that sweet little heart balloon from Stinkin' Cute was perfect for that one little chick to bring along...

I'm playing along with the Outlawz Twisted Thursday Challenge and this week's Twist is Anything Goes!  My Favorite!

So be sure to check out this month's Blog Post for the details of this month's challenge, find out who won for May, get some inspiration from the team and you'll find a link to the Facebook Group there too so that you can join and play along!

Thanks for stopping!

Coffee Lovers Blog Hop Final Project

Well, I guess there's no getting around it ... it's time to say goodbye to the Spring/Summer 2018 Coffee Lovers Bloghop!  I mean... you still have a few hours left to play along if you wish, but this is my last one.  You can check it out here if you think you might be able to play along this time or if you want to check it out for the next time!  I'm ending where I began and playing along with some Little Acres Creations along with a couple others:

One of my favorite coffee cards to make is one that is made with sets that are not coffee related... and these cuties from Little Acres were not created to be added to a coffee card!  But here they are!

I started by doing some quick ink blending of blue for the sky and green for the ground.   Then I cut my first layer using the CDD Crazy Stitched Frames because I love that little bit of detail it gives.

I knew I wanted these guys to be flying over some trees or something and then I remembered the Perfect Blend stamp set from Sugar Pea Designs and that it had these awesome coffee bean trees on it, so I thought they'd be perfect!  It's a Coffee Bean Tree Orchard they are floating above!

And what really started this whole idea was this cool new stamp set from Little Acres, Balloon Alphabet.  I knew I wanted to use these for a coffee card of some sort and then when I thought of these cuties:

Love these baby animals from the Stinkin Cute set that was released last month!  And I decided they'd be just the sort to cheer someone up that needed it.  So I tied the balloon letters to them and set them off to do their job!  And I decided that the sentiment from the Piles of Smiles set would be just right here.  I just may have been inspired by my teamie Julie's card from earlier in the month... you can (and should) check that out here when you're done visiting with me!

Aren't they so cute!!??  That little lamb just looks confused... and the horsey's just going along with it.  I drew the balloon lines and then also drew some lines and tiny bows around the animals too!

And this guy is so excited... I'm not sure he even needs the balloon to keep him up in the air... but it's there just in case...

And on the inside I used some more beans from the Sugar Pea set and these sentiments from Honey Bee's Blah Blah Blah Stamp Set... love that set!

I'm playing along with the Outlawz Twisted Thursday with a Twist of Anything Goes this week... and I'm pretty sure this is Anything!

SO... that's that.  Another one in the books.  I've had SO much fun this hop!  I wish I could have fit in every stamp set I have ...lol!  But I'll be working on it so come back soon if you like what you see here!

Happy Making!!  And if you happen to be one of the Awesome Sponsors of this hop, thank you so much for your generosity!!  The creating... the inspiration.. the friendships... and the awesome prizes... some of the most fun I've had, I've had with my fellow caffeinated drink lovers (and yes, those who drink.... decaf... yuck... sorry... it just comes out like that... but I won't hold it against you!)

Coffee Lover's Hop - Day 1 with Little Acres!

So excited to be hopping at the 2018 Spring/Summer Coffee Lover's Hop Super Sponsor Little Acres Creations today along with my Teamies!  Chelle from Little Acres is offering up a $15 gift certificate to the shop as a prize for the Coffee Hop.  Just create a new project with the theme of Spring/Summer and coffee, tea, or hot cocoa and link up to the hop here!  The more creations you enter, the more chances you have to win and with tons of Sponsors and there are lots of chances!

This is my second project for today and I'm using the adorable Moo Brew stamp set from Little Acres Creations along with some dies from various Sponsors of the hop!

If I'm being honest, I started out planning on this being the opposite of what it is...lol!  Ms. Moo was going to be inside the cafe', sitting in front of a window with a view of the outdoors.  However, when I glued the letters that I die cut from a PTI die set onto the window, I meant to glue them on backwards... 'cause you know... the sign would read backwards from the inside.  In my usual fashion, I glued the letters on going the wrong way...lol... and the back side was not pretty!  So, rather than starting over (I rarely do that!) I changed the literal direction of this project..lol!

I created my window using an inside scalloped die from CDD, added the acetate, and glued on my sign.  Then I created my scene on my base piece always trying to keep in mind where the window was... I added foam tape to pop it up and left the paper covering on it until I was ready to glue it down so I could keep using it as a frame while I added all of my pieces.  The cups hanging in the background were cut with some new dies from ODB and they were the perfect size!  Ms. Moo looks so content sitting on her stool at the bar along the window, sipping on her coffee and watching everyone scurrying about while she relaxes and thinks about the card she'll start when she gets home to her scrap room... hmmm... sounds like the perfect morning to me!

Just love this sign in the Moo Brew set!!  This cafe' sells all of the best kinds of Cowfee!

You can get Moo Brew at a discount through Monday... 'cause there's this!

AND for more chances to win, you can join the Little Acres Anything Goes monthly challenge for May over in the Facebook Group here!  Just join the group and add your photo to the Challenge Album for May!  You do not have to use Little Acres stamps if you don't have them yet!  There is a $10 randomly drawn prize!  You can read the blog post here for more info and get creating!  As you link up to the Coffee Lovers hop, some and join us at Little Acres too!

Please do visit often because I LOVE to play along with the Coffee Lovers Hop and I'll be in my craft room, paper flying, all week!

Little Acres Creations Monthly Challenge for May!

I have a super quick post for you to let you know that Little Acres Creations is hosting a monthly challenge starting this month!  Details are in the LAC Blog Post here and you can enter by posting your photo in the May Challenge Album in the LAC Facebook Group here!

My card was made using the new Stinkin' Cute stamp set from Little Acres Creations and the most awesome Lawn Fawn Spring Perfectly Plaid paper pad!

Hope to see you there!

Happy Mother's Day! With Little Acres

DON'T LOOK MOM AND STAY OFF THE INTERWEB!  Had to pop in a day early to post this because I wanted to tell you about a sale going on over at Little Acres for Mother's Day Weekend!

Right??  Get yourself a Mother's Day Gift!  You know what you want!..lol!

So here's what I made using the latest coffee house mouse set, Cafe Dreamers:

I just LOVE this adorable set... those adorable mice with their coffee (or tea) cups... the sugar cubes, and that little teabag!  I created a table setting... this adorable little boy is sitting with his mom in the early morning while she has some tea and tells him stories.   And it's hard to see... maybe you didn't notice that pretty Sunflower picture on the wall...

... Has an eclipse!  I love these subtle surprises in a card... it's much easier to see in person than to photograph...lol!  But hopefully you can see it pretty good here... I stamped the sunflower from the Summer Blessings set onto the diecut frame and stitched rectangle (from PTI); colored it in, and then I diecut MOM out of the center of it using some MFT Alpha Dies.  I cut them three or four more times in white and stacked them all together.  I added some CTMH Liquid Glass again to make it stand out a bit more.. makes it harder to photograph, but it looks nice in person.

I'm playing along with the Heart2Heart Challenges Mother's Day Challenge for May.  You should check it out here!

And look at this sweet boy listening intently.. he just loves his mom!  

And her in her crown... 'cause she's the Queen... at least for today.... she has her most important make adoring her. (love how the CTMH Liquid Glass makes that tea look real!)

So that's how I'll feel when my boys call me ... they are far away, but I know I'll hear from both of them.  And I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day too... whether you're a people mom, or a dog mom, or a cat mom, or a lizard mom (I have a lizard grandson and I love him too).  His name is Optimus.  But I digress...lol!  Have a wonderful day everyone!  Hope to see you again soon!  And don't forget to get shopping!

It's a Brew-tiful Day!

It's an exciting day over at Little Acres Creations Blog!  The winners have been announced for the birthday celebration!  After you're done here be sure to head over there to see if you won!  But before you do that, hope you'll stick around to take a look at what I have for you here!

When I first saw this stamp set I fell in love with it!  These sweet adorable little piglets are just undeniable!  The stamp set is called Pigments of Imagination.  Of course... after it came to my mailbox, I had the idea to do this!  (You knew I would!).

  

I decided to try a little "no line" coloring for this one.  I'm pleased with how these cuties turned out.  I found a Memento Pad in Sand and that's what I've been using when I try the no line coloring look.  (I hear there is a cool new disappearing ink from Inkon3 and when I try that, I'll let you know what I think!)

Well, of course that splash of mud looked like coffee to me!  And these cute little piglets looked like they were having so much fun...And this little gal, jumping through the air... she's about to make a big splash!

And this is my favorite piglet (OMG... that piggy butt!)... he was already swimming this morning and is sunning himself on this Brew-tiful Day (that phrase die is from Stamplorations and the large cup is from Memory Box and I love them both)!

So thanks so much for stopping by and sticking with me!  I tried to make it short and sweet so you can get over to Little Acres to see if you won anything!  Be sure to come back often this week... it's going to be a busy week!

Caffeine Fueled Paper Play-A Two-fer (Maybe a Three-fer!)

I'm up on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog today and I'm playing along with a few challenges!  Here's a couple sneak peeks!  Hope you'll come and check out the details!

Little Acres Creations Collaboration Hop with Coffee Loving Cardmakers!

I am so very excited to be participating in a Collaboration Hop with Little Acres Creations and the Coffee Loving Cardmakers!  And I'm on both teams so even more exciting!  This hop is full of ladies who are constantly creating pieces of artwork that I LOVE!  You are in for a treat!  

You probably found your way here from Julie's Blog!   We're showing off the new stamp set over at Little Acres Creations, Cafe Dreamers!  AND be sure to leave comments along the way for chances to win one of two $10 gift certificates to the Little Acres shop!  Yup!  You have until Friday, April 20th at 11:55pm Pacific Time to leave comments and the winners will be announced on the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog on Monday, April 23rd!

Now!  Here's what I have for you:

The first time I saw this set, I fell in love!  The sweetness of it!  For my first card, I went with the sweet!

For the base of this card, I cut my white cardstock 11 x 4 1/2; scored it at 5 1/2" and then decided where I wanted to use a border die to crop the front flap a bit.  It's probably a little higher than you'd normally see, but I knew I'd want that adorable little mouse sitting on the overturned coffee cup to show when the flap was closed.

I stamped the images on Copic friendly paper with Memento black ink, colored them with my Copics and cut them out... this sweet girl is doing some dreaming of her own... I wonder what's on her mind as she stirs her cup of coffee (I'm thinking she's planning her next mouse sized card).  I added a few glitter hearts and popped her up on the largest.

And this cutie pie... we know what he's dreaming of... maybe the girl... or maybe whether he'd get some of that yummy coffee... lol!  I popped him up in the corner, but let the image overlap the base and trimmed it along the edges.

And I thought this sentiment was perfect!  I added a few pretty paper flowers and some sequins and on the inside is a plain white heart ready for signing.

For my second card, I wanted to use some watercoloring because I made this one for the Outlawz Twisted Thursday for this week that has a twist of watercolor!

I started by cutting a piece of watercolor paper and did some ink blending in a couple shades of blue from the bottom right corner to the top left corner.  If I'm being honest, I actually ink blended the opposite way first, finished it, and it wasn't until I went to color my image that I realized the blending was going the wrong way for my design...lol!  So I saved that for a future project and made a new one!

When I got done blending, I splattered some water over the top and soaked it up with a paper towel to create more noticeable splatters.  Then I took some glittery stickles and randomly placed tiny dots of glitter all over it too.  I diecut some stars in different sizes and placed the largest in the right corner... again overlapping the edges and trimmed it.  Then I placed more stars and moved them around until I had the look I wanted and adhered them.

Then I stamped this sweet boy onto some watercolor paper using Ranger Archival Ink in black.  I colored him in using some Zig Clean Color markers and water.  I was purposely a little loose with my coloring and tried to be sure there was a lot of variation.  I cut him out and popped him up on top of the largest star.

I did plan most of this card as I was falling asleep at night, but I wasn't sure what I'd do with the sentiment until I finished with the rest of the card.   I love the look of a white on black sentiment, so I thought I'd stamp and emboss this part on a banner and stamp the second part of the sentiment on the inside... but then I decided to give balance to the card, I needed to add the sentiment to the bottom corner.

Seemed simple enough, but then I thought of this!  I stamped the sentiment directly onto the watercolor base in black ink and then embossed it in white onto black cardstock and cut out a couple choice words to emphasize them and it also helped to balance the black from the top right corner.  I love the look of this and I'll definitely do it again!

You're next stop along the hop is the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Blog!  

If you get lost along the way, here is the list of everyone participating in this Blog Hop!  (We do have a few hiccups this morning, so don't give up!  We're working on them!) Visit each place and leave some love and you'll have chances to win one of two $10 gift certificates to Little Acres Creations!  And when you're all done with the hop, be sure to check out the Birthday Bash Celebration Post over at the Little Acres Blog to find out how to have more chances to win more prizes and participate in a fun challenge!

Little Acres Creations

Chelle Ratcliffe

Heather Clay

Julie Tucker-Wolek

Lisa Bzibziak (You Are Here!)

Coffee Loving Cardmakers

Amy Tsuruta

Kerry Urbatch

Helen Gullett

Becca Cruger

Dana Gong

Dana Warren

Katie Brooks

Kathy Schweinfurth

Laurel Seabrook

Robyn Jordan

Miko

And don't forget about this!

Thanks so much and have fun hopping!