Birdhouses

It's Saturday and I should be working outside in my yard but found some challenges I couldn't resist so here I am. Anyway, it is 97 degrees and I will wait until it cools down.

I made my card for the Inspiration Challenge, IC243 on Splitcoast Stampers. It was inspired by Birdhouse Blessings on Etsy. I've had this image colored a while so I'm glad to use it.

This card is also for the Sketch Saturday challenge:http://sketchsaturday.blogspot.com/
There is plenty of inspiration for this sketch from their wonderful team.

It is also for the PaperPlay challenges: http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/
Wow! This was 'Anything Goes'. How easy is that? My kind of challenge!

Stamps: Art Impressions (Birdhouse Neighborhood)
Sentiment: Stampin'Up! Trendy Trees
Tombow Markers and watercolor brush for coloring
Classic Scallop lg. Spellbinder's nestability
Nikki Sivils burlap buttons
Ink: Danube blue for sentiment
Paper: K&CO Carolyn Gavin Designer Paper
SU Baja Breeze
Cuttlebug distressed embossing folder

Bird Admiring a Flower

I'm on the tired side today but managed to get a card made for two challenges over at Splitcoast Stampers. For the "side-swiped" (you know, like a car side-swipe or someone walks by and side-swipes you) challenge which is to do something special with 1-2-3 or all sides of our card, I used piercing on the bottom. I embossed the top with a pretty Cuttlebug flourish given to me by a good friend.

The card is also for another challenge on SCS called QFTD (Queen for the Day) and that is to honor a special stamper. This week was Francie aka Francie G. She has a beautiful gallery of cards so no problem choosing what I wanted to case.

Stamps: Martha Stewart peg stamp starter kit (love it)
Paper: SU Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Melon Mambo and white cardstock
Ink was from the kit listed above except for the Memento dandelion ink for sponging sun, Memento Summer Sky (bird)
Bird charm from a friend on SCS, Pam aka Pam124
Cuttlebug embossing folder-organic flourish

Angel's Landing digital piercing template

Got to run. I have a rushed day...singing in a concert tonight for the W.C. Handy Festival which is a yearly event in my city. Everyone have a great Friday!!!!

Good Fortune Cricket

Today is the beginning of a new challenge week for the StampinB . Vicki Dutcher gave the challenge to make a birthday card. I have this cute A Muse stamp called grasshopper. I think of it as a cricket because they are closely related. You know, in some countries, the cricket is known to bring good fortune and I guess that is why I have a cricket paper weight on my desk.

But, in one country, it is said that if the cricket is chirping constantly, it foretells pregnancy (maybe I should throw mine away) LOL. But, if the cricket quits chirping, money is expected.

(O.K., I'll keep mine).

This card is also entered into Caardvarks July birthday challenge.

Stamps: Hero Arts-Fanciful Leaf Filament, A Muse-grasshopper, Sentiment is computer generated

Paper: Making Memories scrapbook pad- Be Inspired, SU Always Artichoke

Mark Richards gold metal brads

Ribbon FX

Tombow markers

StazOn ink-Olive Green

corner rounder

Oil Spill

Before I show you my latest card, I wanted to show you a couple pictures, one of them from my vacation last week. We are all familiar with the oil spill. I was in Orange Beach, AL, just next to Gulf Shores.

These are before the spill and after. What a tragedy for everyone. As you can see, the beaches are almost empty in one of the pics and it is like this is all up and down the beach (where the tractor is cleaning) and the earlier one shows how crowded it usually is, although they are doing a good job keeping the beaches cleaned. A few people were swimming in the water but the red flags were out. I just would not want to be in that water. We did see a lot of skimmers but I also, on one day, saw a bit of oil washing ashore. It is just heartbreaking. Just wanted to share this with you. Now, I'll go post a card.

A Flower for You

I did the color challenge today on Splitcoast Stampers. I improvised just a bit with the colors but think they worked really well. I didn't have the new Stampin'Up! colors yet so used some of the older ones. So glad that is allowed. My card was also made for Queen for the Day, another challenge on SCS. The Queen was Sallie aka hobbydujour. I used her sketch called Blossom for this card.

Stamps: Stampin'Up! Pretty Amazing and SU Trendy Trees for sentiment

Paper: SU Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, and white cs

Inked my flower with SU Perfect Plum

Punches used: SU oval and oval scallop, Martha Stewart Classic butterfly, MS Quilted punch

Sizzix die cut-Scribbles Swirls

RibbonFX

Sheep Stood in Wonder

Today's Splitcoast Clean and Simple challenge, CAS77, is to be inspired from a children's book,

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. I decided to go with the red and blue colors but no fish. I wanted to make a Christmas card with this wonderful sheep image. It didn't have to be colored and I just added a sentiment and ribbon and it is finished.

Stamps: Rubber Art Stamps-Sheep and Stars, Sentiment is Studio g

Ink: Stampin'Up! Night of Navy

Paper: Stampin'Up! Real Red cardstock

Sheer blue ribbon

White Swan

For the StampinB blog challenge this week, Vicky Gould asked us to use a background stamp.

I used a beautiful swan image from Mark's Finest Papers, Our Side of the Pond set. My background stamp is polka dots (something I love). I'm also happy because I got to use one of my favorite border punches. I love the combination of red, black, and white so this was a fun card for me to make.

Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers-Our Side of the Pond, Stampin'Up! Sincere Salutations (sentiment), Stampabilities Polka Dots bg stamp

Ink: StazOn jet black

Paper: SU Real Red, black cs from Hobby Lobby

Spellbinder's oval nestabilitie

Dimensionals to pop up the swan

Black grosgrain ribbon

SU oval scallop punch

Fiskars border punch-Read Between the Vines

Tombow Markers

Pine Cones and Needles=Masculine

While I was on vacation this past week, I decided I would finally start a blog. I'm hoping to have a lot of fun and hope you'll come by often for a visit. For my first card, I need a masculine for Speedy's Friends challenge at Mark's Finest Papers. Love these pine cones and needles and they needed no coloring. It was a fun and easy card.

Stamps: Hero Arts-Big Pine Cone, Mark's Finest Paper sentiment (Our Family Tree)

Ink: Stampin'Up! Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip

Spellbinder's Deckle Nestie

Making Memories antique copper brad

Twine
Paper is Corn Husk from Mark's Finest Papers