Vegetable Garden

I've been invited to be Guest Designer for April with the girls at Crazy4Challenges. Thanks for the invite.  I'm sure I'll enjoy playing along and seeing all the creations from the talented team.

This week, Joanne Grzelak gave the challenge, C4C230. She wants us to start thinking about vegetable gardening. This could include vegetables, gardening tools, seed packets, as well as vegetable plants or gardens.

I used Flourishes Garden Fresh set for my vegetable plants. It is colored with Copics.  I've added a handmade strip under my sentiment and a few dots just for some interest at the top corner. A button finished it off.

Recipe:
Stamps-Flourishes Garden Fresh set, Stamps by Judith/dots
Paper-PTI white and kraft cardstock, The Paper Studio/lime green gingham
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories- Button from Sew-ology, silver brad, hemp, Copics

About Birds

Today was my turn to choose the CAS266 challenge on Splitcoaststampers. The color palette is Still Life Blues from design-seeds.com I love blues and browns together. You were to use at least three of the colors.

I decided not to do my CAS card with white today because I found this Bazzill Icy Mint cardstock at Jo-Ann Stores and fell in love with it. I'm using it for my card base. I did a one layer and added something I love...birds and anything to do with them. That was the dessert option this week. You could do bird, birdhouses, bird nest, eggs.....You get the idea.

Recipe:
Stamps-Our Daily Bread Designs/Nest set, Stamps by Judith/dots (added for interest)
Paper-Bazzill Icy Mint and Gumball, bird is unknown blue, brown scraps
Ink-Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories-Taylored Expressions/Bless your Nest die, Scor-Pal

Hearts

Yes, it was easy. It's mostly chipboard. The arrow and sentiment are from Inspired by Stamping/ Arrows set.

My card is for the Queen for the Day on Splitcoaststampers , Diane aka fionna51. She makes a lot of CAS cards and I cased this wonderful card.

Entering this challenge:
Inspired by Stamping March Customer Gallery
Recipe:
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping/Arrows set
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories-Heidi Swapp embellishments/chipboard-HS00818 

Copper Birdcage

I tried something new today.....the copper technique. I found this technique through the talented Loll Thompson at Stamping with Loll. She has made several gorgeous cards using this technique. She also gives wonderful instructions on her blog about what kind of copper to buy and other tips concerning heating the copper to get pretty pinks, oranges, and blues.

I bought my copper from Hobby Lobby (ordered online) and it is from a company called K&S Engineering. It is soft copper-.005 thick-36 gauge. It cuts really well with scissors. I have read several ways crafters heated theirs but my husband heated mine with his industrial Makita heat gun. It gets hot so I was a bit afraid to try it. I had some pretty blues in mine but not on this piece. If it gets overheated, it turns to silver. 

This copper embosses beautifully and this die cut did great. I tried a much more intricate die cut first and it would not cut all the pieces. I used the Grand Calibur which cuts my intricate dies really well but couldn't get the most intricate one to cut with copper.

I made my card for the Mix60 mix-ability challenge on Splitcoaststampers. I am loving mixed media so much...fun, fun.  The challenge was: The Printed Word-incorporate printed text from old book, newsprint, etc. I just used a piece of designer paper with words on it. I placed a Tim Holtz stencil over it and sprayed with Tattered Angels glimmer mist/Dragonfly.

Challenges: Use Your Stuff Challenge Blog-challenge #128-INKS--I used Tattered Angels glimmer mist, Dragonfly

Tip Top Tuesday-Metal or Faux Metal-I'm using copper that has been heated with a heat gun
My tip for the Tip Top Tuesday challenge: Never leave your craft heating tool plugged in after using. I left mine plugged and it fell off a chair and landed on the "on" switch and starting running. There were papers nearby that could have overheated had I not been close.

Recipe:
Stamps-None
Paper-PTI white cardstock, Bazzill/Robin's Egg, Kraft, MME paper pad/Sunshine
Accessories-Taylored Expressions/Bless Your Nest-bird die, Tim Holtz/Bubble Layering Stencil, Marianne Creatables/Forest Branch, Spellbinders/Bird Sanctuary-birdcage, Tattered Angels glimmer mist/Dragonfly

Strawberries and Color Blocking

Good morning and happy start of the new week. Weekends really fly by, don't they? Hubby and I worked 8 hours in the yard on Saturday. We have 34 bags to be picked up by the street department this morning. Just about all of this came from the back yard. Several flower beds were cleaned out and re-mulched last week. And, now it is cold again....high 50's today. Well, that is cold for me...will be back to 71 by Friday. What I am really liking is that I can now see green coming in the grass and some of the trees getting green leaves. Yippee!

The CAS265 challenge today on Splitcoaststampers is color blocking and a twist of a putting a die cut or a punched shape on top of it. I used a long, narrow acrylic block to ink in pink and red. After inking, I sprayed a couple mists of water. I turned the acrylic block one direction, then a different direction to get the blocks. I stamped a few strawberry flowers on after blocking. The strawberry image is not punched or die cut. I stamped it and hand cut.

Also, I'll enter my card into the Curtain Call Challenge-Farm Fresh

Recipe:
Stamps-Taylored Expressions/Strawberry wreath set
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black and Angel Pink, SU Cherry Cobbler
Accessories- red and white gingham ribbon, Copics/R20, R35, R37, R39, G20, G21, G24, Y02

FAITH...and in color

I'm at it again with the bright colors....maybe not as bright as the one last week, though. The challenge, WT471,  today on Splitcoaststampers is Button it Up. I love buttons and could use real or faux. I made the button under the "H" with a Marianne Creatables die and used two buttons at the bottom from my stash. The "Faith" stamp is from Taylored Expressions.

My template is Tim Holtz splatters layering stencil which I colored through with Copics. The border is DCWV Washi tape (Vintage Collection). I colored my letters in the word "FAITH" with Copics.  The colors I have used are: G02, G21, Y38, E71, YG63, YG03, and for the stencil R21.

Happy Spring to all!

Almost Spring

Guess what arrives this week? The FIRST day of SPRING!!! I hear everyone saying, "YES, YES...bring it on." :-)

My card is for the CAS challenge today on Splitcoaststampers. The challenge is: Featured Stamper.
We are going to case a card from one of the former CAS DT members.
One of the current team members chose Loll Thompson for everyone to case. Wow! You just can't find a more
fabulous stamper than that to case. Her gallery is full of  the most beautiful CAS cards ever.

I chose to case one of her Christmas cards.  Isn't it just adorable?

Recipe:
Stamps-Taylored Expressions/Egg-Stra Special set
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink-Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories-Copics/B000, B21, R29, R35

Sunshine and Good News

I am soooooooooo excited today. I guess only you that go over to Splitcoaststampers will understand.
I was chosen to be on the Dirty Dozen team. Whew! What an honor. It is something I could only dream about. And, now it has come true. It has been an exciting day now that the reveal has been made. It was hard keeping it a secret for a while.

O.K., now to my card.

Holy Smokes! Look at this bright card. I made it for the Mix-Ability challenge on Splitcoaststampers.
I'm working on Mixed Media and finding it so much fun. Really, my card is not this bright in real life. I tweaked and worked with my photo software but it just wanted me to post a bright card.

The challenge was: BAG IT:

Use a plastic bag as your "printing plate" and make a background for your project.

I used a Wal-Mart bag torn open and placed my acrylic paints on it. I brushed and smeared them around with my fingers. Then, I placed my cardstock on top of it, pressed on it, and got the colors. I used two different colors and did each one separately. The stamping of the sunflower, grapes, key, and sentiment was done next.  My sunflower was stamped and over-stamped in different colors. The center of the flower was done with Liquitex Modeling Paste.

I'll enter my card here: Inspired by Stamping March Customer Gallery

You can take your sunglasses off now as you move on. LOL  No, wait...here is the recipe.

Recipe:
Stamps-Inspired by Stamping/French Country and Graceful Hydrangeas
Paper-PTI white cardstock
Ink-Memento Toffee Crunch and Rich Memento, VersaMagic chalk ink/purple hydrangea
Accessories-Americana acrylic paint/Baby Blue and Camel, Liquitex Modeling Paste

Let's Bake Something

A bit different kind of card for me. This week on Splitcoaststamper's CAS challenge #263, the challenge is A Sweet Inspiration, Sweetly Does It-ceramic word décor by Polyvore.



 

 

 

I was inspired to use some of those cute polka dots on my mixing bowl and to make a card that could have a pocket on the inside with a recipe to send someone who loves to bake.

 

I'm using the Apron & Tools die set from set from Our Daily Bread Designs. I thought I would use designer paper on part of my utensils to replicate the B & K in the  inspiration word.

 

The letters are from Memory Box/Parker lowercase letters. The recipe card is a recycled one that I've had forever. I just gave it a tear and placed it behind the bowl.

 

That does it for me today. Hope you're having a great week. I was until the weather turned from 75 degrees yesterday to the high 40's today and tomorrow.  That's March for you, right?

 

 







I don't usually get around to making a card on Sundays but I was in the mood today. I really wanted to go for a walk in the park but it was a bit nippy with the wind blowing. I sure enjoyed yesterday. I think it was 70 degrees and sunny. Hubby mowed the lawn in the morning and later in the day, we worked in our back yard. I was trimming dead parts off my ferns, trimmed off the ornamental grasses and the wild clematis on the fence. What fun just to get outside and do something.

I love this bunny and pansies. I thought it would make a nice Easter card. It is colored with Copics.

The card was made for the Featured Stamper challenge on Splitcoaststampers, #370. I cased this card belonging to stamping_mynn.

Recipe:
Stamps-Penny Black Splapstick Stamps/Pansy Bunny, Inkadinkado/60-00512
Paper-PTI white cardstock, DP is Deja View/Sweet Romance and Grey Floral dbl sided
Ink-Memento Rich Cocoa
Accessories-Stampin'Up! Certainly Celery ribbon, Copics RV52, RV55, RV63, RV19, YR14, YR24, G12, G20, G24, Y28, E70, E84, E000