A Few Challenge Cards

This first card is my take on Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #105. My inspiration came from these beautiful cards posted recently by my blogging buddy Deb’s on her Scrapbook Czar blog. No lack of Mojo there!  I love the way she created three gorgeous cards in one sitting – all using DCWV’s La Crème Matstack.

My card is pretty straightforward. I inked around the edges of the focal point image and sentiment with Bamboo ink using a sponge dauber. I struggled a bit when it came to placement for the sentiment. In fact, since starting this post, it has been moved up from the lower left corner. I like it better now … I think. I always find it interesting how, when looking at my card on the computer monitor, I see things (potential improvements usually) that I don’t see when the card is right in front of me.

Material & Tools: Colonial White, Black, and Bamboo cardstock; DCWV La Crème Matstack; Black and Bamboo ink pads; Close to My Heart Treasure Life and TLC stamp sets; Hero Arts pearl accents; Martha Stewart Large Butterfly punch; 1 and 1-1/4 inch circle punches; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

 

 

“Fruits of Labor” is the theme for Raise the Bar Challenge #10. I colored my image with Prismacolor pencils and OMS, trying my darnedest to get the colors to coordinate with those on the patterned paper.

My initial thoughts were that this card would have to be one for the husband. Then, I thought about all the people I collaborate with on a one-on-one basis at work. I’m going to tuck this card into a desk drawer and save until such time as I’ve brought a tough project to fruition with the help of a co-worker.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Cocoa cardstock; Basic Grey 6x6-inch Nook and Pantry Paper Pad; Black ink pad; Stampendous Fresh Fruit stamp set; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Antiqued Copper mini brads; Black My Legacy Writer; Prismacolor colored pencils; Gamsol odorless mineral spirits; Blending stumps; 3M foam mounting tape

 

 

This final card today is my contribution for Unscripted Sketches #47. I must have pulled out 10 stamp sets before finally selecting “A Tweet.” I inked up my bird stamp with Honey ink and then used a sponge dauber to ink some Cocoa ink around the edges to give the image a little added dimension. It’s wing, which is not part of the stamp set and was cut freehand, is popped up with a piece of foam tape.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Cocoa cardstock; Basic Grey 6x6-inch Origins paper pad; Cocoa, Honey, and Bamboo ink pads; Close To My Heart A Tweet stamp set; Ribbon from Michael’s; Antiqued Copper bitty and mini brads; Stampin’ Up Photo Corner punch; Sponge dauber; 3M foam mounting tape.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. The wedding yesterday was lovely. I’ll tell you a bit more about it on a day when my post isn’t already so long. For now, I’d better finish up on some projects I started yesterday. Thanks for stopping by, friends! Later …

A Couple of Sketch Challenges

I spent way more time dinging around making these cards than I should have today. I'm gonna pay, I'm sure, making the old adage, "If you want to play, you gotta pay," true. Darn. Why are weekends only two days, and why, oh why, does the clock move twice as fast on the weekends as it does during the week?

And now, about my cards. This first one is my take on Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #85. The paper, again, is from Studio 45 with the exception of the Autumn Terracotta piece, which is just cardstock with same-color ink smooshed on it directly from the stamp pad. Prettier than plain ol' cardstock I think. As for other details, the butterfly was stamped, colored with markers and cut out. I wish Colonial White didn't look so white when photograph, and I wish you could see that the butterfly is dimensional, it's body attached to the circle with Liquid Glass and its wings bent forward. Up close and personal, it looks like its about to fly off the card.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Autumn Terracotta, and Black cardstock; Studio 45 Botanicals Collection Ode to a Butterfly paper; Black ink pad; Sunflower, Autumn Terracotta, and Goldrush markers; Butterfly Kiss and Happy Birthday stamp sets; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Black mini brad; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Piercing tool; Martha Stewart Embossed Zigzag Edger punch; Liquid Glass; 3M foam mounting tape.

This second card took me out of the box a bit. I think I've said before that while I love the patterned paper I used for this one, it's a reach for me with regard to figuring out what to do with it. While my original intention was to stamp a flower using the Angel Whispers set I used for the stem, leaves, and sentiment, I got the idea to use a flower from the coordinating patterned paper. After cutting out the flower with a Nestabilities die, I mounted it on a same-size piece of chipboard. I also detailed (not so evenly I might add) around the edges of the petals with a Juniper marker and stamped the dotted circle in the center (or close) using a stamp from my Solo E set. The corner element under the flower was added after the card was "done," and I noticed it appeared something was "missing." Oh, and by the way, the sketch is this weeks A Sketch for You to Try on the i{heart}2stamp blog.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White and Olive cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Collection; Chipboard; Olive, Garden Green, Cocoa, and Juniper stamp pads; Juniper marker; Angel Whispers stamp set; Stampin' Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon; Yellow brad; Corner rounder; Stampin' Up Photo Corner punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set.

There are a hundred or so other sketches I'd love to do, but instead, I'd best get with the program and get some chores done.

The wedding reception last night was interesting. Because the bride is a daycare provider, a good number of the guests were little people - all buddies. It was pretty wild. Mathias, I learned, loves to dance. Following his lead, however, is difficult (an understatement). Bjorn danced, too, but not with Grandma. Instead, he found a little girl he didn't know and asked her to dance. Turns out, however, that the little couple's parents attended prenatal/birth classes together. Interesting.

Did I say I had work to do? It's time to get busy. I hope your weekend was great. I'm feeling fine again and am ready to go back to work tomorrow. I'm looking forward to making it a good week. Hope you are, too. Thanks for stopping by! Later...

Simple Saturday and a Challenge(s) Card

This top card is my Simple Saturday offering, inspired by this card on the Jennifer McGuire Ink blog. I used a white gel pen to make the dots on the background. I colored the frog with markers. I usually color these little Penny Black frogs with Prismacolor pencils but think the markers worked out OK on this one. I kinda like this card that would work for a guy, gal, or kid of any age.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Sweet Leaf, and Topiary cardstock; Topiary and Black ink pads; Citrus Leaf, Topiary, Desert Sand, Brown Bag, and Black markers; Hero Arts Dots & Flowers stamp; Penny Black Toadily and CTMH Happy Birthday stamp sets; White gel pen; Black My Legacy Writer; Liquid Glass.

"Let's Polka" is the theme for this week's Stamp Simply challenge on the No Time to Stamp? blog. The sketch is Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #79. The polka thing is polka dots - my favorite. I chose to use coordinating papers from Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird collection. I love these papers but struggle with them a big, perhaps because they are so bold. That's something I need consider the next time I see something wonderful someone else has made and before I go flying off to some website to gather some up for myself. Back to my card: With all that color and pattern, I left my chicken white. I colored her with markers and used a blending pen with Juniper and Chocolate inks to shadow and ground the image. You'll note I'm using a black My Legacy Writer for outlining again, and the detail you probably can't see on either card is the Liquid Glass I used on the frog and chicken's eyes.

Materials & Tools: Colonial White, Ponderosa Pine, and Juniper cardstock; Cosmo Cricket Early Bird collection; Black, Ponderosa Pine, Juniper, and Chocolate ink pads; Honey, Holiday Red, and Gray Flannel markers; Whipper Snapper Designs Standing Chicken stamp and CTMH Happy Birthday stamp set; Stampin' Up Old Olive grosgrain ribbon; Juniper mini brads; Black My Legacy Writer; Liquid Glass; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set; Piercing tool; 3M foam mounting tape.

Although I could write a novelette about all that is on my mind, I'm going to opt to go make something happen instead. And believe me, I'm sparing you. There's a lot rolling around upstairs today, some of which is personal, troubling, and stuff/crap that would take an entire novel to explain, because it's taken an entire lifetime to transpire. Anyway, accomplishing something will make me feel better. I hope your day is a good one, and as always, thanks for stopping by. Your visits and kind words mean more than you know. Later...

Simple Saturday on Sunday ...

I'm late. Yesterday was a no mojo day to the point I didn't even try. I can't say that I'm oozing with creativity today either, but I gave it a shot.

This is my take on Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #74. It's a simple card for a simple sketch.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Clover Meadow, and Tulip cardstock; Creative Basic Animal Cookies Collection; Animal Cookies Level 2 paper packet; Dutch Blue, Tulip, and Clover Meadow, and Dutch Blue ink pads; Sweet Baby and Say it in Style stamp sets; Sunflower mini brad; EK Success Dotted Wave Edger punch; Black My Legacy Writer.

Evidently, something got the best of me on Friday night, as I woke up yesterday all stuffed up and entertaining the nastiest of headaches. After the boys left, I worked on wedding stuff for a couple of hours and then slept all afternoon. The "time off" left me with an overwhelming amount of stuff to try to get done today. That said, I'd better get to it.

I hope you are having a great weekend. While Friday night was the extent of my "fun," it was enough. I had to laugh at Mathias yesterday morning though. With a downtrodden look on his little face, he declared, "But we didn't get to see the hippos." I tried to convince him that hippos aren't farm animals. Guess we're going to have to make a trip to the country with that boy. LOL. Enjoy your day! Later...

Time Well Spent

Here's my card for Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #69. I used five coordinating papers from Basic Grey's Granola pad. I love the colors. I paper-pieced the cup and discovered that once all the card elements were in place, there wasn't much left for me to do. I added the three brad and attempted to find a spot for some ribbon, which ended up being a no-go. Enough is enough! For my tastes, it's fine just way it is.

Materials & Tools: Materials & Tools: Colonial White cardstock; Basic Grey Granola 6x6-inch paper pad; Cocoa ink pad; Flourishes Coffee with Friends stamp set; Pewter mini brads; Martha Stewart Arched Lattice Edger punch.

How's your day going? Anyone with any big plans for the weekend? As for who picked up the Cootie game last night, it was Mathias ... without being told. He was only too happy to after not just beating, but skunking his daddy and me. Neither of our Cooties had any legs ... the lucky one was the only one who could shake a six! With luck like that, the kid should have been at a roulette table. The little boys are in fine form this morning with Bjorn asking to use the computer before I'd downed my first cup of coffee. In other words, I wasn't quite "with it" yet. LOL. Our party is at 1 p.m. today 60 miles away, so I'd best go finish getting ready, gather up the young ones, and hit the road. Unless the hubby has other ideas, I'm hoping for some stamping time when I get home. Enjoy your day! Later ....

One of a Kind II

Here's my take on Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #68. I used papers and stamps from Tickled Pink as well as the May Stamp of the Month, Be Yourself. I've seen so many cute cards made with the SOTM and the big flower from the promotional set. It's like they were made for one another. Although I think my card is fine, I might have liked it a tish more had I used a solid paper for the background. I think Cuttlebug-embossed white would have done for me, and I could have dyed the little crocheted flowers blue ... Ah, I love how I realize how I could have done it better -after the fact! LOL.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy, Crystal Blue, and Blush cardstock; Tickled Pink National Scrapbooking Month promotion; Black and Blush ink pads; Be Yourself May Stamp of the Month; Ribbon from Wal-Mart; Heavenly Blue Bigger Brads; Fiskars Sunburst border punch; Cuttlebug w/Nestabilities Classic Circles set.

Happy Friday! What have you got planned for the weekend? Me? I'm going to clean, clean, clean, and, in my spare time, get ready for my stamp club meeting on Sunday night. While I can't say I'm all excited about the cleaning thing, I've been "in the zone" for the past couple of days, and once it's done, it'll be done ... for a while, anyway. For now, we're going to pick up Bjorn and Mathias and take them out for supper. Enjoy what's left of Friday! I'll catch ya later ...

A Sketch Challenge

Hello, again! Although I'm still in my jammies, I'm up and stamping! It's a good thing. LOL.

Here's my take on Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #64. It's a fun sketch and perfect for the fun Be Yourself set.

Materials & Tools: White Daisy and Black cardstock; Daydream paper packet; Black ink pad; Be Yourself May Stamp of the Month set; Offray ribbon from Walmart; Martha Stewart Doily Lace Edger punch; Piercing tool; Stampin' Up Piercing Guide and Mat.

I feel better for having done something, even if it was only to make a card. If wishing makes it so, I'll be perky again tomorrow! Catch you then...