From rainboots/umbrellas to birdhouses

I'm back with one of Flourishes Noontime Challenges. It is a challenge where you could possibly win their entire July release and I'm liking what I see of those new stamps. This is their 'let's all case for fun challenge'.
Or, it may be called a Copy Cat Challenge. All you have to do is choose a designer from any of their teams and find one of their cards you like and case away.

I chose this beautiful and fun card of Leslie Miller's:

 It is so bright and cheerful. I LOVE birds, birdhouses, bird nests, bird eggs...you name it. So, I changed my image to Flourishes set Home Tweet Home and used the birdhouses and one of the small birds. The sentiment is from the Birthday Pennants set. I used a Cuttlebug strip 'Just my Type' at the top of my card to imitate stitching and changed the designer papers and cardstock colors. I paper pieced my birdhouses.

You can find Leslie's blog, Running with Scissors here. I love that name.

Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes Home Tweet Home and Flourishes Birthday Pennants
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Old Olive and Kraft, dp is from Paper Loft-wild daisies(bottom of card) and my die cut dp is Magnolia Ink-A Little Yummy for the Tummy...red plaid
Ink; Memento Rich Cocoa and Bamboo Leaves, Stampin'Up! Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Martha Stewart Laurel Leaf punch, Spellbinders Poseabilities Flower Creations die cut, Spellbinders nested pennants die cuts, Cuttlebug embossing folder-Just My Type

Happy Birthday

I posted a card earlier this week for my little granddaughter who just turned one year old. Her brother will be three years old this coming Saturday and they are having a birthday party this weekend. The parents can get away with having their parties together while they are so young, but just wait!! That won't work forever. Ha

My grandson is surely going to be the next Pele in the soccer world. He loves kicking a ball. Of course, it doesn't have to be a soccer ball...any ball will do. Plus, he is really good for a two year old. Occasionally, he kicks hard and misses the ball and down he goes but he doesn't have far to fall so it doesn't usually hurt..unless he is on concrete.

So, with all this ball kicking, I just had to make THIS card. It is so 'him'.

I am using a Mo's Digital Pencil image called Soccer Boy, making an out-of-the-box card. Adding some dsp for the clouds, colored the image with Copics, and stamped a sun. Of course, that is the Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder.

Entering these challenges:
Crafty Creations Challenges-#127 -Boyz to Men
Penny's Paper-Crafty #57-Happy Birthday


Recipe:
Stamps: Digital image from Mo's Digital Pencil-Soccer Boy, Art Impression - Simply Stated Greetings (sun)
Paper: PTI Lemon Tart cardstock, Blue cardstock from Hobby Lobby, Stampin'Up! Welcome Neighbor dsp  pad
Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug Happy Birthday embossing folder, Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle nestabilities

How About Some Bling?

This week for the Stampin' B's Design Team challenge #119, Pam asked that we 'Go Blingy and Embellie'-use as much bling and/or embellies as you can.  I did my best to please her by using a lot of pearl swirls and some flowers. We hope you'll get out your bling and embellishments and join us this week. Just go to the blog link above and use the inlinkz tool to upload.

My sister gave me this stamp from the $1 bin at Michael's. She gave me  5 of these and they are all butterfly/sentiment stamps. I had not seen these. They were wooden, large, and stamp really well.

I want to enter these challenges:
Craft Room Challenge-Butterflies
Stamps R Us Challenge Blog-Through the Garden Gate Theme
Totally Gorjuss-Summer Time

Recipe:
Stamps: Count Your Blessings (Michael's $1 bin)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Turquoise cs from Hobby Lobby, dp is unknown
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Martha Stewart double scallop punch, Copics, Martha Stewart hydrangeas, ZVA Creative adhesive pearls, Spellbinders long, classic scalloped rectangle die cuts, Cuttlebug textile embossing folder

Getting Sketchy at Flourishes

My gosh, I am fortunate this is posting as I lost everything on my blog except one card as I tried to post my labels, all because I put an exclamation mark. Yikes!!! Well, I'm back and breathing a sigh of relief..so let's get on with it.


My card is for Flourishes Get Sketchy ... and WIN! challenge. It is today's noon challenge and the sketch is given to us by Barbara Anders. You should check it out and possibly win their entire July release (4 stamp sets). Oh my, that would be awesome as I love their stamps! And, today is not the last day.

I am using Flourishes Humming Along set for the leaves, sentiment, and hummingbird. I hope it was o.k. to turn the sketch a bit. I was trying to preserve my clock. LOL I'm using some Webster's Pages paper and used both sides. Thinking I wanted some texture, I ran my nice, thick dp through a Cuttlebug textile embossing folder. Of course, there are Spellbinders that I use on just about every card. This is a classic,  large oval and I used a Spellbinders nested pennant to stamp my hummingbird.

Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes Humming Along
Paper: PTI Dark Chocolate, PTI white cardstock, Webster's Pages dp-Lullaby Lane (dbl sided)
Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves and Rich Cocoa
Accessories: Brown seam binding, Recollections Adhesive faux pearls, Copics

Chrysanthemums

I know it isn't the Fall season when we normally see chrysanthemums because it is 98 degrees today with a heat index of 110-115 degrees. I guess that means stay inside and craft where it is nice and cool.
I think these mums are so pretty and cool looking. It is Flourishes-A Year in Flowers, Sept. thru Dec.
I wanted to enter my card into the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge #126 to do embossing, wet or dry. I embossed with the Cuttlebug Bird Call embossing folder. And, my sentiment is from Flourishes Friendly Reminders.

I tried a new technique today I found on Flourishes Limelight Designer blog. Dina Kowal showed how to get dimension with your flowers by cutting and using a stylus on the back to pop them up. My top two flowers and the lower side flower are the ones I did. I hope you can see it in the picture. It looks really pretty irl.

I am also playing in The Play Date Cafe challenge #89. Listed are the colors for their challenge:
Mint - (my ribbon and leaves)
Taupe
Butter Cream

I'm using the sketch from Mojo Monday-The Blog Sketches #199

 Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes-A Year in Flowers-Oct. thru Dec., Flourishes Friendly Reminders
Paper: PTI white cardstock, ColorMates Light Creamy Cocoa, dp is unknown
Ink: Memento London Fog
Accessories: Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle nestabilities, Sakura Gelly Roll pen, button from Jo-Ann Stores, Martha Stewart double loop punch, mint green ribbon.

Tuesday Throwdown-Fun in the Sun

This week our Tuesday Throwdown challenge #57 is Fun in the Sun. We are sponsored by Pink Cat Studio where you can find lots of adorable digis of numerous kinds.

I chose 'Pretty Birds in Tree' for my card and colored with Copics, sponged some yellow for sunshine, added a couple of butterflies,  and punched some green grass. I'm matting on a Spellbinders Blossom die cut and using the Spellbinders Shapeabilities ribbon banners for stamping my sentiment.

I'm entering my card also into these challenges:
Crazy 4 Challenges: #95- Summer Themed card
One Stop Craft Challenge #139-Summer Time
Card Makin' Mamas #24-Summertime

Recipe:
Stamps-Pink Cat Studio digi called Pretty Birds in Tree, Flourishes Humming Along (sentiment)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, unknown red cs, Stampin'Up! Welcome Neighbor dsp paper pad on top, unknown dp on bottom,  green scraps
Accessories: raffia, Mark Richards gold metal brads, Martha Stewart class butterfly punch, Spellbinders Shapeabilities ribbon banners

Farm Fresh at Flourishes

I just had to play in Flourishes Farm Fresh  Challenge-FLLCJUL11. They want to see fruits or veggies as the focal point. This is a pre-release challenge and someone will win the entire July release. How I would love to be that very fortunate person.

I thought I had a Flourishes fruit or veggie stamp but couldn't find one. I am using one for the sentiment that is in their Humming Along set. The fruit is Rubber Stampede if I am not mistaken. I searched for it online and never found it. I have no name as I think it is from ebay. If anyone knows and will let me know, I'll post it. I am just guessing it is peaches..sure what it looked like to me so I got out my Copics and went with  peach colors.

My sketch was from the QFTD challenge #68 on Splitcoaststampers. The Queen this week is Roxie aka Rox71. This is the card I cased. I tried to stay true to her sketch but did not stamp my black and white border. My sis had given me this pretty Recollections chipboard border  and I thought it would be perfect. My border punch is by EK Success and is called English Ivy. Matted and popped up my image.

Hope I'm not taking liberties by entering this into Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge #63. It is to use a die cut as a background mat OR make your own. I cut my own mat because my image was large and I didn't have time to do an out of the box. Plus, I used a punch which I hope counts. If not, throw 'er out. LOL

For Your Inspiration challenge #9 gave us this beautiful photo to draw inspiration from. Wow! It is beautiful and I love the oranges and so many colors in the stained glass. I am using the black and green from the stained glass and all the beautiful oranges, plus the white from the sky.

Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes Humming Along-sentiment, Rubber Stampede???
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Old Olive cs, Black cardstock from Hobby Lobby, dp is Recollections Orange Small Dots
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: EK Success edger punch called English Ivy, Recollections Boutique Fleur Chipboard Border