I'm a Bird Lover!!! StampinB

It's snowing in my part of the South and looking very pretty. We're not as sick of it as some folks who have been slammed with it this winter. Actually, I'm loving it!

I'm such a bird lover and my favorite bird is the Eastern Bluebird. This image certainly looks like that kind to me. As hostess this week for the Stampin' B's Design Team, I ask that we use a bird/birds on our card or project. This image was given to me last year by Carol aka Gingerbeary8(on Splitcoaststampers) along with this beautiful birthday card. Also, I won a card of Carol's on the Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge and it was absolutely awesome. The envies are almost as beautiful as the cards.
 I 'm not case-ing Carol's card
 but I did kind of do some of the corners like hers and used my woodland branch punch because it just called for that. I know bluebirds don't like the woods unless they are really open  and, from what I've read, prefer a lot of territory (about an acre) for nesting but I thought the woodsy punch looked just perfect with the birds and branches on it.
I made a flower using Spellbinders blossom die cut, stamping a design on it and using three coats of VersaMark for a shine. I then used my stylus to curl the edges a bit and added the brad to the center.
My card will be entered into Mark's Finest Papers Speedy the Cats Friends challenge #41-Geri asked that we use a self made flower.

My leaves are a die cut and I've loaded them with Stickles. I guess the glitter in my paper wasn't enough.
Colored my image with Copics and used a chrysanthemum punch for the corners.

My card is entered into these challenges, also.

EtsyInspired Challenge-My inspiration came from this wonderful store Daisy Petal Designs and this Fall Feather Fascinator is the item I loved and chose for inspiration.

 This is what was under the photo, the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. ~Henry Van Dyke
I love that and it is so true.

Pear Tree Design #35-Free for All
Craft Your Passion #44 - Anything Goes

Hope you'll play along with the Stampin' B's this week. Just link your card using the Inlinkz tool.
Or, if using Splitcoast, use the keyword StampinB.

Recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Birds on Branch
Paper: Card base is Mark's Finest Papers from Grandma's Hope Chest Premium Paper Craft Pack, Stampin'Up! Night of Navy cardstock, Bo Bunny-Snowy Serenade
Accessories: Martha Stewart Woodland Branch edge punch, Martha Stewart Bird and Branch Corner Punch, Martha Stewart chrysanthemum punch, Making Memories antique copper brad, Sizzix Branch with leaves die cut, Lime green Stickles

New Home

My little birdie just moved into his new home and there are leaves so it must mean Spring has come. NOT at my house. Still cold as ever and expecting some snow tonight...maybe a few inches.
 I never have a card for someone moving into a new home so I took this opportunity while I'm entering Flourishes FTTC104-Button Up challenge to make one. Maki, the hostess this week said to use buttons on your card or project.

I made a very simple, one layer using Flourishes Home Tweet Home stamp set. I colored the leaves, bird,  and branches with Copics and Tombows. Added a crinkled ribbon, twine, and a button. I cut out and popped on my little bird and it's finished.

My card was also inspired by the challenge at Etsy Inspired Challenge -EIC125. My inspiration came from this wonderful Wild Leaves Hair Clip at Daisy Petal Designs.     

The leaves inspired me to use my Flourishes stamp with a branch and leaves and a pretty button.

My card is also for the challenge at Tuesday Throwdown #35 to use buttons on your artwork.
I've had this elegant button for a few weeks  and it has been begging to be used..so this is the challenge for me.

Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes Home Tweet Home
Paper: PTI white cardstock
Ink: Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Brown crinkled ribbon, JHB button, twine, Copics, Tombows

Soul Mates

I made my first felt, rolled rose today and it was so much easier that I thought. I watched a youtube video where the lady just drew her flower on cardstock and cut out. I ended up just cutting free hand. It was really fun! My rolled rose is for the challenge at Mark's Finest Papers-Speedy the Cat's Friends Challenge #41. The challenge is to use a self made flower on your card or project.

I'm using the colors from The Play Date Cafe challenge PDCC67. When I first saw the picture, I thought it was beautiful and then I couldn't imagine what I would do with those colors. But, in the end, I think I am pleased.

The Shabby Tea Room:Week #47-Get Creative  They ask you to make your own background (no patterned paper). And, make your own handmade embellishment (s). Mine is the rose I mentioned above.
 For the background on my card, I started with a white piece of cardstock, then stamping with an All Night Media stamp (no name) that has little specks all over it. I used Stampin'Up! Night of Navy, Tim Holtz Distressed Stormy Sky, and Stampin'Up! Cherry Cobbler. The next step was to stamp an Inkadinkado stamp called Swirly onto the paper and clear emboss. I see most of that was covered by my bird image. After this was finished, I sponged over my paper with VersaMagic chalk ink-Pixie Dust.

Love this little  image I found in Jo Ann's for $1. I stamped in SU Night of Navy and clear embossed. I ran it through the Cuttlebug with a circle and circle, scalloped nestabilitie and sponged with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Stormy Sky while still in the nestie.

Add a ribbon and a punched corner and it's finished.

Recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado Swirly, Inkadinkado mini clear Spring Assortment, All Night Media (no name)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Night of Navy.
Ink: Stampin'Up! Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler, VersaMagic-Pixie Dust, Tim Holtz Distress Stormy Sky
Accessories: pink felt, craft glue, grosgrain dotted ribbon from LLS, clear embossing powder, EK Success corner punch

A Valentine for My Princess

I was in need of a card for my sweet 6 month old granddaughter. I know she will be so excited to get this card (funny) and I'm hoping it doesn't go straight to her mouth. LOL
I have cased a card on SCS for the QFTD challenge #46. The Queen is Susan aka One4Joy. She has the most unique and wonderful gallery of cards. This is the card I cased. You really should take a look through her gallery.

I think the card is fairly self-explanatory and the recipe is at the bottom of the post. My flower turned out more orange. It is, irl,  almost the same color as my peach colored paper. Ugh! I tried to get the color perfect, but it didn't work with the flower.

I'm entering these challenges:

Mark's Finest Papers-Speedy the Cat's Challenge #40-Valentine Card
Paper Sundaes #54- Valentines
City Crafter Challenge #42  CCCB#42 All You Need is Love Use the word 'love' or a heart or both
Simon Says Stamp-Love is in the Air-use hearts, flowers or anything else that reminds you of LOVE'

Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities-Princess Crown, Studiog for sentiment (no name)
Paper: Mark's Finest Papers: Premium Paper Craft Pack Grandma's Hope Chest (I call it peach), PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Stampin'Up! Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: EK Success zig zag chain punch, Martha Stewart rhinestones, clear embossing powder, copics, trimmer with a wavy blade for the layer underneath the sentiment, Prima Lilliput Rose Tropocale

Embedded Image-Stampin' B's Design Team

This week, Vicky Gould gave the Stampin' B's Design Team challenge to do an embedded image. I had never tried this technique before. It was easy until I tried to emboss the image. That was only because of stray embossing powder. I was using red and it seemed to cling to my background no matter what I did. When I changed to brown, it did much better and left very little stray powder. I cannot tell you why.
The embedded image was a challenge recently on Splitcoaststampers. I did not do that challenge and didn't know what to expect but I think it turned out well. The instructions for this technique can be found on Holly McMillen's blog, Toy's Haven.

This is a summary of how to make the card:

Stamp a background image on light colored cardstock
Hold your VersaMark pad side down directly to paper. Go in one direction, turn
paper 90 degrees and go across again.
Apply a generous amount of clear embossing powder. Heat set.
Repeat steps 2 and 3. Repeat a third time. It makes a very shiny,
thick image.
Ink your silhouette image and stamp on clear embossed piece.
Apply darker embossing powder. Heat set. The image embeds
into the background. That is fun to watch.
Cut or die cut the image and make your card or project.

I'm entering my card into these challenges:
Speedy the Cat's Friends-Mark's Finest Papers-Valentine Card
Simon Says Stamp Challenge-Love is in the Air (creations with hearts, flowers, or anything that reminds you of love)
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge #46-Hearts a Flutter (let them see hearts)
TLC297-Splitcoaststampers-Embedded Image

Recipe:
Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers-Hearts, Hearts, Hearts (sentiment), Heart image has no name on stamp, All Night Media-Background stamp (no name)
Paper: PTI cream cardstock, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip, K&CO Smitten Pretties paper
Ink: Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Accessories: crinkled brown ribbon, Flower by Daisy Doodles-candy pink, Spellbinders rectangle, scalloped nestabilitie

Making a Fun Background

Let me tell you, I had so much fun making this card.  A friend, Carol, at Chocolate, Crafts, and Bears, Oh My! had made a card and  used a tutorial from this blog,  StampARTic .  I decided to check it out. Wow! What a wonderful blog-online magazine for card makers. I started looking at all the tutorials and found this one for a background that I really wanted to try. It is easy and so much fun.

I got out a white piece of cardstock cut to the right size, stamped a distressed background stamp with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Stormy Sky and then stamped my feather image with VersaMark Dazzle and covered with white embossing powder. After embossing, I sponged the cardstock with the same ink I had used with the distressed stamp. Then, I stamped the little nests from a Our Daily Bread Designs 'hand stamped just for you by' stamp.  It came with the 'You Will Find Refuge' stamp set. I inked ony the nest image for stamping.  My colors look a bit different on photo below....taken in a different light, but shows the layer before adding the next step.

After this layer was finished, I added my sentiment which is a stamp set from ODBD, Sing for Joy. I stamped it on a nestabilitie label and sponged around the sentiment with the same ink. My birds are waste from a border punch from EK Success called Birds and Holly.  O.K., the bad part--I then realized I had used other stamps than ODBD but wanted to enter the contest just the same. ( 2 ODBD & 2 others)

My card is for four challenges:
Our Daily Bread Designs-Blues Challenge (make the main color blue) ODBDSLC46
Stampin' Sister in Christ Challenges-#74 Psalm23-Use the colors blue(still waters) and green (green pastures) for predominate colors
Stamptacular Sunday#96 'Whateva' (be sure to use a stamp)
The ABC Challenge-N is for Nestie

Recipe:
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Sing for Joy & You Will Find Refuge, Stampendous-Feather Points, Stampabilities-Distressed Background
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up Night of Navy cardstock
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Stormy Sky
Accessories: blue grosgrain ribbon, Smooch Spritz on flowers, Stampin'Up! Dazzling Diamonds on flowers, QuicKutz-die cut (leaves), Quickie glue pin point roller, Spellbinders Label 4 nestabilitie, EK Sucess border punch -Birds and Holly (used only the waste parts), Prima flowers (spring mix)

Choo Choo Full of Love

I just had to make a Valentine for my sweet, little two year old grandson...actually I'll make a repeat for I have two that same age. They will get the same little train. They love the Polar Express movie so maybe they'll be excited to get this card.  I really had so much fun with this creation. I stamped the image three times and cut it out, then popped the top two trains. I really like the sweet, checked designer paper. The hearts are waste from a Fiskars graffiti heart punch. The sun is an adhesive button blossom and the train track is a Reminisce die cut sticker...Signature Series Trains.

I have been wanting to make some brads like the ones Carol from Our Little Inspirations makes for a lot of her cards. They are punched circles and then covered with glossy accents. How easy is that! Carol's always look so real (as in.. from the craft store). Plus, you can use paper to match the rest of your card. Also, they are easy for mailing. Of course, that won't help me any as I have three layers of the train and a thick train track to mail. So, the post office will get plenty for my card. Yikes!

My card fits several challenges:

QFTD45 on Splitcoaststampers. The Queen this week is Heather aka Isaiah40:31. I decided to case this card. I tried to keep the sketch and then added a sun and sentiment at the bottom.

Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge at Marks Finest Papers is to make a Valentine card. Just what I needed!

Paper Sundaes challenge #54 is Valentines

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #96-Whateva-just be sure to use a stamp -My stamps are the train and my sentiment

Delightful Challenges-Have /a Heart (Put hearts on your project)

Recipe:
Stamps: Stampabilities-Cutesy Train, Stampabilities 'I Heart You'
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Green checked paper from scrapbook store-no name
Ink: StazOn jet black
Accessories: Fiskars graffiti heart border punch, Reminisce-Signature Series Trains-die cut sticker (track),
Sassafras adhesive button blossom (for sun)

Swirls and Purples

The Play Date Cafe PDCC66 has a  color splash of  Lilac this week for their  challenge.  We are to use black and white a splash of lilac/purple. I love these colors...not something I use much but it is so pretty.

I want to thank the girls at The Play Date Cafe for choosing me as one of their runner up winners last week. I was very excited to get the 'Cream in our Coffee' badge.

I stamped this rather large image and cut around parts of it. It is layered on top of black cardstock and gray designer paper. Colored my flower with Copics of two colors of purple. My ribbon is black and white houndstooth. Glitter glue is added to the center of the flower and then a sentiment and that is all it needed.

My card is also entered into the following challenges:
Cutie Sunday #128-Everything is Permitted
Digi Doodle Shop's Best-Swirls
Sundays with Chrissy  #13-ribbons

Recipe:
Stamps: Stampendous - Floral Brocade, Mark's Finest Papers-Ladybugs and Carnations
Paper: black cardstock from Hobby Lobby, PTI whtie cardstock, Best Occasions Mixed Media Pack (dp)
Accessories: Houndstooth ribbon from Hobby Lobby, Gary M. Burlin & Co. purple glitter glue

Stampin B's Design Team Meets 'The Rose'

Want to hear some good music? It ties in with my card for the Stampin B's Design Team this week. I was inspired by this song, THE ROSE by Bette Midler.  In my opinion, this is
a beautiful love song.
This week, the Stampin B's have another fun challenge (#95) from NancyRuth to be inspired by a song title. I wanted to do Book of Love in the movie Shall we Dance (2004). Does everyone love that movie as much as I do?  Oh, that escalator/dept. store scene was so dreamy. But,  I didn't have what I needed to do that card so I moved on to Bette Midler's awesome song, THE ROSE. Love it just as much.

My card was cut with the Cricut. The image I used is Vintage Rose from Stampabilities. I did the ink marker to rubber, huffed and stamped. Filled in a bit of the image with copics. Then, I cut out another rose and popped it up after adding Stickles to the edges.
I used some unknown designer paper with musical notes behind the nestie and on the sentiment. The butterfly is vellum and edged with a gold leaf pen, then added a gemstone. The ribbon finished it off.

We hope you'll join this fun challenge here and be sure to include the song title in your description.
Use the Inklinz tool to upload your card on the Stampin B's blog or upload to the SCS gallery.

I am entering this card into a few more challenges:
Wee Memories challenge #40-Free Your Creativity-any creation goes
A Spoon Full of Sugar #136-Valentine Creations (yes, this is a valentine)
Craft Your Days Away CYDA Challenge #12-Represent love

Recipe:
Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers (sentiment) Hearts, Hearts, Hearts--Stampabilities-Vintage Rose
Paper: cardstock to cut card unknown, PTI white cardstock, designer paper unknown, vellum
Ink: StazOn Dove Gray
Accessories: Martha Stewart classic butterfly, Spellbinders Shapeabilities Fancy Tags, Spellbinders Rectangle nestabilitie, Star Dust Stickles, Krylon gold leafing pen, pop dots, Copics, Celebrate It ribbon, Cricut for cutting card, Stampin'Up! spiral punch

Vintage Sympathy

I really need some good excitement in my life so I could come here with good news and not have to talk about the dark, dreary, dank, and dismal weather we are having. Besides, I have a cold...so let's just move on. LOL Truly, life is good.
My supply of sympathy cards is always short so when I saw Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge #39, I was happy to see it was to make such a card. Thanks, Joanne.

Stampin'Sisters in Christ challenge #73 was given by Linda Lucas to do a vintage style card/project

Simon Says Stamp Challenge-Bingo-- What a fun challenge using the Bingo board shown below:

You are to choose three items in a straight line. It can be horizontal, diagonal, or vertical. I chose the lace, flowers, and embossing.

My card is using a flower from Mark's Finest Papers Apples and Camellia stamp set. I stamped twice, cut out, and glued the two together for some depth. I used a gold leafing pen to go around the edges.
The piece I embossed my sentiment on is a Spellbinders Pierceabilities die and I love it. I cut out the die, pierced, and sponged the heart while still in the die.
I added my lace, crinkled ribbon, a pearl and it is all finished.

Recipe:
Stamps: Mark's Finest Paper-Apples and Camellia, Stampendous-Encouraging Words
Paper: K&CO paper pad, PTI cream cardstock, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Ink: Memento Desert Sand
Accessories: Spellbinders Pierceabilities ric rac scalloped border, lace from Jo-Ann's, crinkled ribbon, Queen & Co. pearls, sponge, Krylon gold leafing pen