ChiBlossoms

Happy Friday! Hope everyone has a fab weekend planned. If you think cleaning wood floors is fab, then I'm going to have one. Well, just a little cleaner to get off prints and spills from the little munchkins being here. That is to be expected and it won't take long to clean.

I made my card today to honor Karen aka k dunbrook on SCS as she has been crowned Queen for the Day #53. I am case-ing this card. Karen does a lot of CAS cards so I went with that.

I am using an OnyXXpressions stamp and really love it. I stamped the bloom three times, colored with Copics, and after cutting them out, I cut into the petals of my blossoms so they would curl better. I popped them on and there you have it...my 3D flower.

I am entering these challenges:
Scrapbook Sisters #28 Anything Goes
Crafty Card Makers #42-Special Birthdays (my friends are special and will go to one of them)
I Did It Creations Blog-#47-Welcome Spring
The Creative Cottage Challenge #35-Spring has Sprung

Recipe:
Stamps-OnyXXpressions-ChiBlossoms, Stampin'Up! Well Scripted
Paper: PTI white cardstock
Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves
Accessories: green crinkled ribbon, Copics, EK Success corner punch

Swan Lake

A friend gave me this stamp set and I really love it. It is Flourishes Swan Lake. It is perfect to use this week for Flourishes Timeless Tuesday challenge #110 to do masking. Now, that is a fun challenge. Thanks, Maki.

 I stamped my swan, masked it off, then added the background of grasses, flowers, and rocks. This was using only two stamps from the set. I really like how it turned out.

I am entering my card into the Crafts and Me Challenges #27-Anything Goes
jac-inks Papercraft Challenges #4-Masking
Scrap-Creations-Spring has Sprung

Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes Swan Lake, Mark's Finest Papers-Our Family Tree (sentiment)
Paper: Making Memories Scrapbook Pad, PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Old Olive
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: ribbon FX grey blue grosgrain, Mark Richards silver metal brads, Copics

Stampin' B's Willow Tree-Masculine

Thanks to NancyRuth, I now have maybe 3 masculine cards in my stash. I just never make them and don't have one when I need it. NancyRuth is hostess this week for the Stampin' B's Design Team  and she asked that we make a masculine card.
Mine is very simple and I loved this willow tree and the wonderful adhesive border sticker...it is all about masculine.

Hope you'll join the Stampin' B's this week...just use the inlinkz tool on our blog.

My card fits these challenges:
Less is More-#7-CAS and Masculine
Everybody-Art Challenge #134  Happy Birthday
Crafty Cardmakers #42-Special Birthdays

Recipe:
Stamps: Onyxxpressions-Willow, Stampin'Up! Sincere Salutations
Paper: Stampin'Up! Kraft and Soft Suede, PTI white cardstock
Ink: Memento Bamboo Leaves, Tombow Marker
Accessories: Border Stickers from The Paper Studio 

Thank You

My family left this morning for their 8 hour drive back home and I miss them. Sure wish they lived closer.
It is hard when your children move far away. To soothe my misery, I went to the craft room and made a quick card.

I really love this 'Thank You' with the pretty swirl. I used a color challenge for my colors. One of the colors, Rich Razzleberry, is just one of my favorites.  The color challenge is Just Add Ink-JAI60

My card is pretty much CAS. I added a punch around the page border on one side, using just the one edge and added a button with the back side of a Rich Razzleberry dotted ribbon. The bit of ribbon peeking out on the side is Rich Razzleberry grosgrain polka dot.

My card fits these challenges, also:
Let's Ink it Up #11-Use die cuts or punches (punched border)
A Gem of a Challenge #17 Anything But Square
Clear it Out Tuesday #2-Buttons
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #103-Are you Talking to Me!?

Recipe:
Stamp-Inkadinakdo-Thank You Flourish Frame
Paper: Stampin'Up! Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Whisper White, Crumb Cake (mine is the old Kraft)
Ink: Stampin'Up Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Punch Around the Page border (not sure which-given to me by a friend), button from Jo Ann Stores, Rich Razzleberry grograin polka dot

Very CAS

How CAS can you get?

I am case-ing a card for the QFTD #52 on Splitcoaststampers. Her name is Connie aka stamp300. Here is her card. I made a few changes but used a birdhouse as she did...something I love.

I stamped a birdhouse and also a branch alongside the sentiment. Made a score at the top, tied some twine, added a button, colored the birdhouse and that's it!

My card is entered into these challenges:  Digi Doodle Shop's Best #51-Anything Goes
Clear it Out Tuesday #2-Buttons
Paper Sundaes #60-Keep it Simple


Recipe:
Stamps: Hero Arts-Birds and Branches (barrel of 18 small stamps)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! chocolate chip cardstock
Ink: Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Accessories: twine, button from Jo-Ann Stores, Scor-Pal, Copics

It's All About Spring-Stampin' B's

This week Emily Keaton is hostess for the Stampin B's Design Team challenge #102 and asked that we make a thank you card using spring colors-one color must be pink. I colored my flowers pink but kept fooling around with colors until I think they look salmon. But, there are some pink roses, Emily.

We hope you'll join the Stampin' B's this week, and if so, please link on our blog with the inlinkz tool.

I am using the sketch for this card from Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #102:

This was a fun sketch and would love to use it again.

My card also fits the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #109 to use butterflies.
Who doesn't love those creatures and they give a promise of Spring and Summer.

Papertake Weekly Challenge is Trio-Tastic-Use three of something (I have used three roses)
Creative Cottage Challenge Blog -Spring has Sprung

Recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado-Nest with Flowers, Stampin'Up! Perfect Punches (sentiment)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Baja Breeze, Old Olive, and  Chocolate Chip
Ink: SU Chocolate Chip, Memento- Dandelion
Accessories: Stampin'Up! oval scallop punch, Cuttlebug textile embossing folder, Sizzix branch w/leaves die cut, Spellbinders circle nestabilitie

Vintage Wildflower

Back from a weekend out of town and looking forward to this weekend when my sons and families come to visit. The weather is supposed to be very pretty...sunny and even reach 80 degrees at least one of the days . Yea!
I'm really looking forward to that!!

I want to honor Bridget aka bfinlay with this card. She is Featured Stamper this week on Splitcoaststampers and has a beautiful gallery of cards. I chose this one to case. I really love the CAS look of her card.

I am entering my card into these challenges:
Paper Sundaes#60-Keep it Simple
One Stop Craft Challenge #122-Clean and Simple
Simon Says Stamp-Anything Goes
Little Claire's-#2-Flowers

Recipe:
Stamps: Heartfelt Creations -Vintage Wildflower 2 PreCut Set, Stampin'Up! Whimsical Words
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Old Olive, Hobby Lobby black cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo black
Accessories: Spellbinders Peony Nestabilites to cut flower, Martha Stewart Classic butterfly punch, QuicKutz leaves die cut, Copics

Fuchsia and Pearls

Bbrrrrr...I'm freezing. Cannot get warm because we have had those wonderful days of warm weather, then it turns cold again and it is almost unbearable. I went out to eat tonight and I'm sure the air conditioner was on and the temps were in the 40's outside. It can' be just me that freezes in those places, can it? Of course, you see all the people working in the restaurants in short sleeves. Makes you just want to ask them if they're comfortable because the customers sure aren't. O.K., I'm through venting over this...maybe.

Then, it was on to Jo Ann's to get ribbon for my card. I wouldn't have spent nearly as much time in there if it had been as cold as the restaurant. And, that would have probably been good. Have you ever noticed that no matter how much ribbon you have, you never have the right shade or the width you want or whatever. Of course, when I got in Jo Ann's I went wild in the button section and purchased several and I'm using one on this card. I just love pretty buttons.

I'm using a stamp set/die cut from Heartfelt Inspiration for my Fuchsia image. I absolutely love it. I colored it with Copics and added pearls to the swirls. For my strip behind the image, instead of patterned paper, I used VersaMark and embossed the Fuchsia image to make my design. I stamped the single Fuchsia twice, cut with the matching die cut and popped with pop dots. Added my sentiment, ribbon, and button.

To make this card, I used inspiration from the Guest Designer's card at Case Study-CSC30. It was such an elegant card and I had so much fun making my version. I tried to keep her sketch as closely as possible with the image I used.  The card is made by Julie Tilman:

I'm entering my card into Simon Says Stamp-Anything Goes
Southern Girls Challenge - Use Flowers
LOTV's Challenge Blog #87-Say It With Flowers
Digi Doodle Shop's Best #50-Pearls
Paper Pretties -PWC144-Ribbon

My card will fit the Stampin' B's Design Team challenge this week to use bling.
I'm also entering my card into the QFTD51 challenge on Splitcoaststampers to honor  Jill aka Quillister. I see she has a card in her gallery that is really similar to this so it would be a perfect case for her card. How lucky can I be?
I'm going out of town and have no time to do another card until next week.

Recipe:
Stamp: Heartfelt Creations Exotic Fuchsia precut set, Mark's Finest Papers-Our Family Tree for sentiments
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin'Up Choclate Chip
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip and Soft Suede, K&CO dp (unknown name)
Accessories: Heartfelt Creation Springtime Medley die cut (matches the single fuchsia stamped for my card), Martha Stewart  French Scroll punch, Kaiser pearls

Stampin' B's and Award

Faith is hostess of the Stampin' B's Design Team this week and asked that we use bling. I used some gemstones and really blinged up my butterfly's bottom wings with jeweled gold embossing powder. I added some antennae with wire I had purchased earlier just for this purpose. The butterfly is two layers popped up.
I first had a blue ribbon I hated but brought out the blue center of the butterfly. I disliked it so much (and couldn't remove it) that I added my brown, crinkled ribbon over it, so now just a bit of the blue peeks through.
This is not my favorite card and I don't think I'll enter it into any challenges. Did you ever have one of those cards you would just like to do over but  there is no time?

Recipe:
Stamps: Close to My Heart-Butterfly Wings, Stampin'Up! Perfect Punches
Paper: PTI white cardstock, designer paper (unknown)
Ink: Memento New Sprout, Tangelo, StazOn jet black
Accessories: Copics, rhinestones, wire for antennae, Creative Imaginations "Beloved" for sentiment label, brown crinkled ribbon, blue ribbon, Stampin'Up! Modern Label Punch, clear deep impression embossing powder, jeweled gold embossing powder

I was given this wonderful award from sweet Peggy at The Nutty Cardmaker. She told me it is to highlight newer blogs. Mine was started 8 months ago so I believe it could be considered very new. In order to receive this award, here is what I should do:

 --Post and blog about the Liebster award and show the bloggers I have chosen for this award 
--Let the chosen know I selected them
--Copy and paste the award on my blog

Kathy   Entering Kathyville
Krischir   Purple Night Owl
Bonnie   Stamping with Klass ( Bonnie's blog is a good bit older than mine but I think she should have this award just the same.) I don't think she will mind being spotlighted.

All of these girls are such wonderful cardmakers that I have the good fortune of knowing through this wonderful craft of ours.

Congratulations

The Featured Stamper #213 this week on Splitcoaststampers is Neva aka n5stamper. I cased this card of hers.
Actually, I failed to notice this was a card she had cased that belonged to her daughter. Hope they will both like my card.
Don't you just hate when you photograph a card and tweak and tweak and can never get the color like it was on the card? I used every kind of light possible, including daylight. After doing everything I could and getting nothing but blue, I decided to let it be.

I stamped directly onto my aqua(or blue, ugh) paper, embossed with a white, deep impression embossing powder, cut out and popped a few of the leaves. It was finished after I added the sentiment and ribbon.
I am entering my card into these challenges:
Stamptacular Sunday #101-You Lucky Duck-Create a Good Luck, Congratulations, or Best Wishes card or project - Be sure to use a stamp
"Less is More" #5-Pastel Colors
Stampin for the Weekend #5-Spring (use a stamped image)
Simply Create #38-Flowers

Recipe:
Stamp: Penny Black-Windflower, Stampin'Up! Well Scripted
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Hobby Lobby for blue/green
Ink: Stampin'Up! Chocolate Chip
Accessories: white, deep impression embossing powder, Offray ribbon