CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 140 - Summer!

It's Friday!!  Now that my girls have been out of school for a full week, every day kind of feels like Friday.  But this one is just a tad more exciting than the others...it's time for a new CAS-ual Fridays Challenge! 

Michele, the fabulous woman behind the curtain at CAS-ual Fridays Stamps, has come up with a fun, summery theme.  When she thinks of summer, she thinks of tans, brightly painted toes, and wearing summery white clothes.  So for these cards, we used tan, white and one bright color.

Here is the card I came up with:

I mixed some white embossing paste with Picked Raspberry distress ink, then spread it randomly along a fun stencil.  While that was drying, I stamped the sentiment from Exclamations with a tan-colored ink (Crumb Cake from SU) and cut it into a small strip.  After adhering that with some foam squares, I finished off the card with some tan and pink enamel dots.  I think it turned out so fun!

That's all from me today!  Head on over to the Challenge blog to link up your creations!  I can't wait to see what you come up with.  :) 

Until next time...

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 139 - 4th Birthday!!

Happy May, friends!  (Wait, what??  Where did April go?!)  I can't believe it is already time for another challenge!  This one is a BIG one, too.  It's CAS-ual Friday's 4th birthday!!  And that also happens to be the theme for this month...

This month, the DT put together birthday cards using the CAS-ual Fridays color scheme of black, orange and turquoise.  It is so fun to see how everyone interprets that!  And without any further ado, here is the card I made:

I used the Amazeballs stamp set for this card.  I stamped the bubbly image using orange and turquoise inks, then stamped the sentiment in black.  Then I stamped over the Amazeballs sentiment with Versamark, then used clear embossing powder that has silver glitter in it.  It gives the card some subtle flair and I love it! 

Be sure to check out what the rest of the DT put together!

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time...

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 138: Krafty Bouquets

It's Friday, peeps!  I don't know about you, but this week has been a L.O.N.G. one and I sure am glad the weekend is almost here.  What else makes it great?  It's time for another CAS-ual Fridays challenge!

As you can see, this month's theme is Krafty Bouquets.  Grab your kraft paper, twine and flowers for this one!  The possibilities are endless!

Here is the card I made:

For this card, I decided to go the non-traditional floral route.  I used the heart note stamp from the Love Notes set along with the hearts from the Heart Board Fri-Dies set to create a simple flower.  I layered watered down Worn Lipstick distress ink on watercolor paper to get a textured look, then die cut it and used the four smallest hearts for the flower.  The heart note stamp was stamped using Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint distress ink.  I used strawberry stripe twine to finish off the card.

Here is a close up of the flower:

That is it for today!  I hope you will play along with this month's challenge and I can't wait to see what you create!

Until next time...

Paper Girls Challenge #76 - Shakers!

Good morning, everyone!  Today I am up on the Paper Girls Challenge blog with my very first post!  The theme this go-round is shaker cards.  If you have followed me at all, you know that I am completely digging this trend.  You can see other examples here, here and here.

Intimidate by shaker cards?  I was, too, until I saw a video on how easy they are.  I thought I would do a quick tutorial on how to put one together.  Here we go!

Here are the supplies you'll need:   

I did some stamping and pre-cutting, but you get the general idea of what you need. I used a piece of acetate for the window, but you can use any kind of clear plastic or even vellum. Don't have sequins?  Try using small die cut shapes and/or coarse glitter!

First I adhered the piece of acetate to the back of the window piece: 

 

Then I flipped it over and attached the frame and die cuts:

Next, I flipped it back over and attached the foam adhesive.  You can use whatever you have.  Foam squares work but just make sure to line them up right next to each other so the tiny bits don't fly out when you shake the card.  (This is why I didn't suggest fine glitter above.  I used foam squares and glitter together and the glitter still managed to seep out, even though I thought I had them close enough together.) 

For the final step, just add your sequins, beads, etc, remove the backing from the foam tape, and then stick the card base on top.  SUPER EASY!!

Here is the final product:

I hope this inspires you to play along with the Paper Girls challenge this round!  I can't wait to see what you create!

Until next time...

CAS-ual Fridays Challenge Blog - CFC 137: Springtime Melodies

Welcome back!  It's time for another fun challenge over at the CAS-ual Fridays challenge blog!  You guys did an AMAZING job with the watercolor challenge!  I was blown away by the gorgeous creations that were posted.  Can't wait to see what you all create for the next round!  Speaking of which, here's the theme:

For this month's challenge, create something musically themed with spring colors.  I couldn't decide how to interpret springy colors, so I made two cards.  Here is the first:

For the first card, I thought about how flowers start blooming and the grass gets green again.  This is my first attempt at creating a bokeh background.  How did I do?  :)

Here is my second card:
 

This card was inspired by lots and lots of pretty flowers in a garden.  I used four different distress ink colors with a mask to create the bold frame.  I embossed the sentiment using my shimmery silver embossing powder. There is a fun surprise inside this card:

I used the musical note from Love Notes and stamped it on the inside of the card, using my shimmery silver embossing powder again.  I thought it was a cute touch.

That's it for today!  Thanks for stopping by and I can't wait to see what you create!

Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #94

Hello everyone!  Welcome back for a new round of the Ribbon Carousel Challenge!  This month's theme is Dad's, Grills and Summer Fun, which is appropriate given that pools are open, school is out (at least here it is), and Father's Day is right around the corner.  (And I am in denial about each and every one of those things because I swear it was just the beginning of April...where is time going?!)

So this month I decided to play on the Summer Fun theme.  Here is my card:

I am in love with the way this card turned out.  I used Paper Smooches' Crystal Clear and I Heart Art sets.  I even managed to use a couple of stamps from those sets in unconventional ways, which I am super proud of myself for even trying! The "tree" was created using a flower stem repeatedly in three different ink colors.  The table that the lemonade is sitting on was created using the solid pencil stamp from the I Heart Art set.  I just stamped it one way, flipped it over, then stamped it the other way.  Then once more for the stand.  So fun.  I watercolored the background using a blue ink pad with my water brush.  I did the same to color in the lemonade, using a yellow ink pad with my water brush.  The sentiment was made by masking off certain letters from sentiment stamps to create the wording I needed.

Thanks for letting me show off my card and don't forget to play along for the chance to win a 10-pack of wooden spools!  

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #91

 Hello everyone!  I am so excited to be designing for the Ribbon Carousel Challenge again!  For those of you who had not heard, the challenge went on a bit of a hiatus for a couple months, but now we're back and ready to play! 

This month's theme is Party Time!  This can be ANYTHING celebratory.  Graduation, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Pedicure Friday...you get the idea.  :)  Here is the card I created this month:

Ok, I know I said this in a recent post, but shaker cards just might be my new favorite thing!  They are so fun to make and just make me so happy to play with.  I can only imagine how fun they would be to receive, too!

These Allison Kreft Recorded papers were just perfect for this card and I love all of the fun colors of sequins that I used in the shaker card.  Sure, some of them are stuck at the top and side, but I think that just adds to the fun of the card.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you'll play along and I can't wait to see what you all create!  Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #90

I hope you all have started playing along with this month's Ribbon Carousel Challenge.  If not, there's still plenty of time to join in.  Be sure to link up your project to be in the running for a set of wooden spools filled to the brim with some amazing seam binding, baker's twine and May Art's ribbon!

With this month's challenge being to use washi tape, I wanted to use it in a way that was new to myself.  I mean, this blog does have "novice" in the title...even if some of you have been kind enough to tell me I don't belong in that category anymore.  :)  I consider myself a novice because I'm always learning, always trying new things.  And that is certainly the case for this challenge.

Here is my card:

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the feather shapes. First,I measured out the area that was going to contain the feathers (because I'm a planner like that), then covered the area with washi tape.  I put the paper on my cutting mat and let the Cameo do it's thing. 

I used some charcoal chalk ink to ink the edges of the feathers to make them more defined, then I tied them with baker's twine and put them on my card.  I added the sentiment and some enamel dots to finish it off and am really happy with the finished card.  It turned out the way I saw it in my head...I like it when that happens.  :)

That's it from me today!  I can't wait to see what you create!  Until next time...

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #89

Hello, hello!  I'm glad to be back today with my very first official post as a member of the Ribbon Carousel Challenge crew! 

I decided to make a get well card because I seem to make a ton of love-themed and birthday cards.  Plus, I wanted another excuse to pull out my Paper Smooches Healthy Vibes stamp set.  :)  Here is my card:

 
To make this card super authentic, I used the corner of a tissue to fill the tissue box.  I have used tissue paper for this in the past as well.  

Be sure to play along with us!  The winner will receive 10 wooden spools filled with your choice of seam binding, baker's twine or May Arts ribbon.  Awesome prize, right?  So link up for your chance to win! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time...

Some news...

I just wanted to share some exciting news...

I was chosen to be on the Scrapbooksteals.com Design Team for the Winter term!  As I said in the announcement over on the SS blog, I feel like I have come full-circle in regards to Scrapbooksteals.  Starting from being a fan, to making lasting friendships within the SS community, to attending the crop and now being on the design team.  Aside from working there, this is about as far as I can go in the SS world!  :) 

I'm excited to show you the projects I've been working on!

Until then...

My Uncommon Miracle

Hello, all! Happy Friday! Hope it's going to be as gorgeous where you are as it's supposed to be here!

Today is my last featured post over on the Authentique blog. Super sad, I know, but I am coming away from this experience with tons of...well...experience! I feel like I've grown so much as a crafter since being a part of Authentique's first design team (as well as my own!!). I've challenged myself to push outside of my crafty comfort zone and I genuinely feel that the work I have created while on this design team have been some of my best.

Alright, sappy stuff aside. Let's get down to business! I have a layout to share with you and then I'll get on with the good stuff...a giveaway!!

This is the layout that I created for my post today:

So pretty, if I do say so myself. :) I love how this turned out! Be sure to check out my post for more details!

If you've been following me for a while, you know that I tend to always use a sketch or some sort of inspiration to create from. Well, this layout is no different. I used a sketch from a sketch book I found at my local craft store. I can't show you the sketch because I'd be violating the copyright laws, but just know that it looks like my layout. :)

Now, on to the good stuff! To celebrate (or mourn, you're call) the end of the Authentique design team term, I am giving away one Genuine collection.

Pretty, isn't it? :)

Here is how you win: Become a follower of my blog (and Authentique's blog if you aren't already), then leave me a comment! Simple as that! I'll leave this giveaway open until Saturday, March 31st at midnight CST and I will draw and post the winner on April 1st! Giveaway is for US and Canadian residents only.

Thank you so much for following me on my Authentique DT journey and be sure to stay tuned because there's always something to scrap! :)

A Splendid Wreath

So we all know that I like to refer to myself as a scrappy "novice." I like to say that because I feel fairly new to the scrappy world and have been s.l.o.w.l.y. trying to do things other than just scrapbook pages and cards. The proof? The project I created for today's Authentique post! Check it out!!

Be sure to head over to Authentique's blog to see how I put this little cutie together. :)

Until next time...

Splendid...

Today I am featured over on Authentique's blog, so I thought I would show more about my layout here on my page. Now anyone who has followed me for some time knows that I tend to scrap better when I have a sketch or another layout to work off of. Well, just because I'm a DT member doesn't change this fact. :) I searched through the past Scrapbooksteals sketches by the fantastic Kristy Lee and came across one that would work perfectly for the picture I had.

Here's the sketch (MWM #35):


And here is the layout I created:


I have used this sketch in the past, but I have to admit that I like this layout MUCH better than the original one I created with the sketch. I love how the colors of the Splendid collection go so perfectly with the colors in the picture. And I made a couple flowers to match as well.

I know I'm tooting my own horn here, but I am so happy with the way this turned out. I created this for my best friend (who is in the picture with her daughter and her newest niece) and I really hope she enjoys it.

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time...

Stop and smell the Blissful flowers...

I created a fun layout today on Authentique's blog. I'll show you the layout, but you'll have to head over there for more details! :)