Cyclamen from the Garden

This week the hostess of the Stampin' B's Design Team, Faith, asked us to use two different dies and piercing on our card. Well, I ended up with three dies but because there are no rules on our challenge, I'm A-OK. The piercing was done with the die still in the nestabilitie making it really easy.  This is for challenge #117. We hope you'll play along. If so, just use the inlinkz tool to upload your card.

I'm using a Flourishes image called A Year in Flowers-calendar set 3- for my image. I chose Cyclamen and did a bit of masking and stamped the image twice. I really love it. I colored with Copics and gave the white area some sponging with Memento Dandelion ink. The sentiment is also from a Flourishes set called Seeds of Friendship. I am entering my card into the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday blog challenge #124. Tammy Hershberger gave us this wonderful sketch this week. Oops! I guess I didn't exactly do the circle as shown on the right side.

Over at Mark's Finest Papers, Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge is given by my good friend, Carol Hurlock. She asked that we use a lot of sparkle and bling. I have added the green rhinestones and some sparkle (which may or may not show up very much in my photo) from my Gelly Roll pen, along with a flower button.

For Your Inspiration #8 has a lovely scene for getting you inspired: I loved the earthy tones of the cliffs along with the  green bushes and vines.

Also, my card will be entered into the Splitcoaststampers Fan Club challenge. Their monthly them is 'Text Me'. I computer generated my text which was found at Wikipedia.

Recipe:
Stamps: Flourishes-A Year in Flowers-calendar set 3, Flourishes Seeds of Friendship
Paper: PTI white cardstock, ColorMates Deep Caribbean Coral, designer paper is BasicGrey/Curio
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Dandelion
Accessories: Spellbinders circle and scalloped circle nestabilitie, Spellbinders nested pennants, green rhinestones, button from Jo-Ann Stores, piercer, text from Wikipedia, Celebrate It ribbon

Two Blog Awards

The first award I'm showing is from Dr. Sonia S V at Cards, Crafts, and Kids Projects. Thank you so much Dr. Sonia! You should visit her blog as she has some very interesting projects. I'm thinking soon she may start stamping cards as her interest may have peaked on that craft after winning some stamps from blog candy, Right, Sonia? I say that with a smile.
I am to list 7 things about myself and pass on to 7 others bloggers.

1. I love needlepoint pillows and framed needlepoint.
2. I sing in two choirs (sometimes just one) as I have been slack in my church choir recently.
3. I don't really like to cook...just eat.
4. I have three grandchildren 2 yrs. and under.
5. I love to work in my yard.
6. Love Mexican and Italian foods.
7. I love shopping for just about anything...crafts, decorative items for my house, baby items, clothes...on and on.



On to the next award:

This award is from Asmita at Ruchi Art and Craft. Please visit her blog as she makes some lovely things, too.  Thank you so much for this Award! I am glad you thought I was deserving.  Gosh, it makes me want to go the market and buy some luscious strawberries and make a pie or whatever. There is so much to do with those wonderful berries.
Now, I am to do the same thing to accept this award as with the first one.

1. I don't watch much tv but listen to the tv news all day.
2. My favorite color is..........hmmmm..maybe turquoise.
3. I LOVE going to the beach.
4. I don't have any pets, but love dogs.
5. I am trying to quit staying up so very late at night commenting on cards and uploading (bad habit).
6. I don't get a lot of sleep.
7. I have never had a hobby I like as much as card making.



Now, as I am not sure I can narrow this down to 14 people and not leave out anyone, I am just saying to each person that visits my blog, consider yourself deserving and pick up the award if you like because I know you are all very talented.
Hope that is o.k. with you Dr. Sonia and Asmita.

Tuesday Throwdown-MyGrafico--double flap card

Good Tuesday morning to you! This morning I have some good news to share. I have been asked to join the Tuesday Throwdown blog challenge girls as a Design Team member and I look forward to working with each one.
This week MYGRAFICO is our sponsor and gave us some lovely, pre-colored florals to work with. The name is called Spotsy Dotsy Floral Collection.There are a lot of elements, borders and papers in the collection.
I saw this double flap card at Dawn's Stamping Studio and wanted to give it a try. There is a video and the card is really easy to make. I curled my flower a bit with the stylus, put some greenery behind it that I punched out, and added a butterfly punched out of red glitter paper.
I'm using my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots  and my favorite, Textile, embossing folders.



My left flap opens and show the sentiment. I used a Happy Birthday sentiment and it could be Happy Birthday America (as we are doing red, white, and blue) or it could just be a birthday card for anyone.

You can open the right flap and this is where you can write a note. I added some plain paper for writing as I had embossed this area. I also printed out the same flower as on the front, just a smaller version, and added to the top of the notecard...just for a pretty touch.

Hope you'll join us at the Tuesday Throwdown challenge.

Challenges I'm entering:
Sentimental Sundays #61-Use patriotic colors and a sentiment
Penny's Paper Crafty #56-red, white, and blue
Scrapbook Sisters #41-card challenge/Anything Goes

Recipe:
Image: MYGRAFICO-Spotsy Dotsy Floral Collection, Mark's Finest Papers-Hearts, Hearts, Hearts (sentiment)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Night of Navy, Old Olive, Baja Breeze,  Real Red, misc. red glitter paper
Accessories: Cuttlebug embossing folders-Swiss Dots and Textile, Martha Stewart fir punch and classic butterfly punch, Spellbinders nested pennants

Island Beauty

I love Rubber Stamp Tapestry's 3 peg stamp sets. They're easy to use and there is so much you can make with them. Today I'm using their Island Beauty set and just mixing up the colors.

The QFTD66 on Splitcoaststampers is Marie aka momof5sons and I cased this card of hers, changing the stamp set, turning my card, and using a different sentiment and colors. Just mostly kept her design.

Challenges:
Moving Along with the Times #104-Clean and Simple
4 Crafty Chicks-Clean and Simple-no more than 2 layers
Dutch Dare Card Challenge #118-Clean and Simple

Recipe:
Stamps: Rubber Stamp Tapestry Island Beauty, Stampin'Up! Well Scripted
Paper: PTI white cardstock
Ink: Memento Purple hydrangea, Spring pansy, Angel pink, Bamboo leaves, Pear Tart
Accessories: Go with the Grain ribbon

Stampin' B's----Diamond Fold

I love trying new techniques so this week I decided to make a diamond fold card.  I went through 2-3 different papers before I found one that was as strong as needed (that wouldn't tear on the scores). I thought this would be a great card for my Stampin' B's Design Team card. Joanne asked that we use a friendship sentiment.
I won this stamp set, Planted With Love, recently from Mark's Finest Papers. I think it is such a good set for summer and I had a lot of fun with it.
The tutorial for this technique can be found here on Splitcoaststampers.


Below is the card after it is unfolded. You should give it a try. It did take me quite a bit of time to make
but mostly because of the problem with the cardstock I was using. I was wishing I had a piece of good cardstock in 12 x12 for the base (which you need) but all my good go to was 11".


I used several items making this card and the recipe is at the end of this post.

The Stampin' B's hope you will join us. If so, just link with the inlinkz tool here.

I have a few challenges I want to enter:
Speedy the Cat's Friends challenge #60-make a card with at least one button
Stamp Something-Make something with pretty papers.
Make it Monday-#42-inspirational creations
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge Blog #33-Use red
Hooked on Craft Challenges #1-Anything Goes

Recipe:
Stamps: Mark's Finest Papers-Planted with Love, Blackberries, Sunflowers, and Bees (sentiment)
Paper: Base (unknown), Stampin'Up! Real Red, PTI white cardstock, designer paper is a Cosmo Cricket Mini Deck pad called Salt Air
Ink: Sponged the doilies and MS corner punch piece with Memento Aloe Vera, Memento Tuxedo Black for image
Accessories: Copics, Martha Stewart Laurel Leaf corner punch, Martha Stewart doily, Sizzix branch with leaves die cut, BigBag buttons from Michael's, Spellbinders nested pennants die cut

My Big Yellow Flower

Today on Splitcoaststampers, the Queen for the Day #65 is Vicki Dutcher. I wanted to case this card of hers.  I am mostly just keeping the sketch. I am using a big flower instead of a butterfly and different papers/ribbon. I want to enter it into the Dirty Dozen Monthly Theme challenge on SCS which is 'Text Me' so I used my text background stamp.

Use it Tuesday #9-Use your unused dies, punches, cut-outs.  Mine is the large flower die cut by Sizzix  called Flower, Beauty Bloom that I've had for about a month and never used. I did my flower with Stampin'Up! Crushed Curry and a soft Martha Stewart yellow paper and sponged the tips on the middle layer with SU Crushed Curry ink.

Southern Girls Challenge #21-Anything Goes

Recipe:
Stamps: Stampendous Dream Text, Stampin'Up! Vintage Labels (sentiment)
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Stampin'Up! Crushed Curry,  Martha Stewart yellow cs,  ColorBok designer paper
Ink: Stampin'Up! Crushed Curry, Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Sizzix Die-Flower, Beauty Bloom, Martha Stewart Double Loop punch (showing one loop only), sponge, Offray ribbon, EK Sucess brad, gemstones Stampin'Up! oval punch

Butterflies and Vines

This week, the hostess for the Stampin' B's Design Team challenge #115 is Vicki Dutcher and she wants us to use a border punch. I really love this EK Success English Ivy punch and thought it would look pretty with the butterfly wheel I used.

Hope you'll play along with us and use the inlinkz tool  at our blog linked above.

This week Stamp Something wants us to have something punched...well, I love that as I love using my punches so I am happy to play along

Simon Says Stamp Challenge-Bingo  My choice was shape, ribbon, and sentiment. Square was my shape.

Recipe:
Stamps- Mark's Finest Papers sentiment-Our Family Tree
Paper: Stampin'Up! Tempting Turquoise, PTI white cardstock
Ink: Stampin'Up! Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Roller wheel purchased at Hobby Lobby-Rollograph.com - 4 Flowers, EK Success English Ivy border punch, Copics for coloring the butterfly, Celebrate It white ribbon, Bead Landing filigree charm

Birdhouses Hanging on an Ocean Whitewashed Wall/Fence

I had so much fun doing the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday blog challenge #122. Maki is the hostess and asked that we do at least one circle and one square shape on our creations. My circles are the sentiment and birdhouse entrances and the square is behind my sentiment circle.
I'm using the Flourishes Home Tweet Home stamp set. I hung the birdhouses on my wall/fence and stamped a branch.

I wanted to try this technique of direct to paper and make an ocean whitewashed faux wall.  Lydia aka Understand Blue has  a tutorial for this technique on Splitcoaststampers...see Resources.

This is a quick post as I'm being carried shopping by a friend for my birthday to a wonderful scrapbook store and probably hitting Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Jo-Ann's today. Lunch, also. What a fun day ahead.

I'm entering my card in this challenge: Crafting for All Seasons Challenge Blog #3-Summer-what summer means to you. Summer means being at the beach to me, although  this doesn't show the ocean, I want it to be an outside fence or wall at the beach where I hang my birdhouses for the summer.

Anything Goes Challenge Blog #43 is Here Comes Summer

Recipe:
Stamps-Flourishes Home Tweet Home
Paper: PTI white cardstock
Ink: Memento London Fog, Sea Breeze, and Stampabilities Pigment white
Accessories: turquoise crinkled ribbon

Flower Spray

May I sound off a bit? Many years ago we had a sprinkler system put in the front yard. So, now it's going into the back yard along with some sod to replace some that had washed away, etc. Why didn't we do the back to begin with? No, I didn't want to. The crew started yesterday and cut my tv cable and a water line. Arghhhhh! Actually, it was no fault of theirs. They said the cable had been marked wrong and a long story with the water line. Just last week, we had ANOTHER storm and the tv cable went off on Sunday and didn't get repaired until Tuesday. Now, the cable company won't fix this until probably Monday. It is bad without a tv.
Edit: Two hours later-- My goodness, my internet and phone went out while typing  my upload. Guess what? Wire cut!!!!!!!! It is fixed temporarily until next Wednesday when it gets a permanent fix. Sometimes it just doesn't seem to pay to get anything done around your house. Does anyone agree?
I really shouldn't complain when I think of all the tornado, floods, and fire damage people have gone through and still suffering with.

So, on to my card. It is made using a KittieKraft tutorial for a flower spray. Kittie does awesome tutorials that are so easy to follow. Some of you may remember, last week I did one of her hydrangeas.

I want to enter my card into the QFTD 64 challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I cased a card made by the new Queen, Lee-Anne aka Shadow's Mom.

4 Crafty Chicks wants to see some Handmade Flowers for their challenge
Divas by Design-Use Florals

Recipes:
Stamps-None
Paper: PTI white cardstock, Martha Stewart nasturtium, Stampin'Up! Old Olive
Accessories: Martha Stewart fir punch-stamp and flower punch, French Scroll punch, Cropodile for tiny flowers, Cuttlebug textile and swiss dot embossing folders

Warm Thoughts

Lois (Clownmom on SCS) has issued  challenge #114 for the Stampin' B's Design Team  and she asked that we use one layer, 2 stamps, 3 colors. My colors are yellow, green, and brown. Being a one layer made it really simple and I just stamped my Inkadinkado sunflower collage image and colored with Copics. I tied a ribbon, stamped a sentiment and that is it.

We hope you'll play along. If so, just use the inlinkz tool to upload your card here.

Crafts and Me Challenges #38-Stamp Something
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #137 has a photo for inspiration:

        I was inspired by the colors, especially the yellows and greens.

Paper Sundaes #72 - Sentiments on your cards or creations. Should be something from the heart.

Recipe:
Stamps-Inkadinkado sunflower collage, Mark's Finest Papers Snowman Country
Paper: PTI white cardstock
Accessories: ribbon