Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #3 - Wedding, Die-cuts, Lace & Pearls

Hello Crafters!
It's already time for  challenge #3 at Fat-Tastic Tuesday. Can you believe it? We are so excited about this new adventure and hope you will want to come play with us.

Our wonderful sponsor for the next 2 weeks is:

 I adore Bugaboo images. They are so cute and whimsical.
Check 'em out!

This challenge was fun for me as my hubby and I are celebrating 31 years of marriage tomorrow. Wow is that a long time or what? Well, I can tell you time does fly...but we have enjoyed the ride.

So, that being said, I made a funny card this week.
The inside says:
"It's great finding
that one person to annoy
for the rest of your life."

I just couldn't resist as my hubby and I both have a comedic side - you pretty much have to if you've been married that long!

All my supplies this time were from my stash except the image (Bugaboo) and the pearls (SU). I did use a heart shaped die from Nestibillities as well. Of course I used my Spectrum markers to color my image.

Not a long post today as I am writing this before hubby and I go for an evening out w/o the boys (Friday). They don't want to watch the movie we picked anyway - plus they will get fast food which they love. They will probably end up playing on the X-Box. LOL! Kids!

We would love to have you join up in our challenge so get on over to Fat-Tastic Tuesday and check out the rest of the DT projects and link up your makes! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Happy Crafting!



Monday, May 27, 2013

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #43 - Paper Piercing or Piecing?

Hello Crafters!

The A-Team (that's me) is on over at Artistic Inspirations with a brand new challenge.
Our sponsor for this challenge is:


They have some great whimsical images over there so be sure and visit their shop.

Apparently there was some confusion about whether this challenge was
Paper Piercing or Paper Piecing.
Hmm...
I think you will be safe whichever you choose to do for this challenge.
I did Paper Piercing.

My image choice is called "little boy" and he's just the cutest little guy! All boy he is sporting a slingshot in his back pocket and a somewhat disgruntled frog in his hands. Given the smile on his face, he's rather proud of himself I must say.


The blue card stock is from SU although I could not tell you what color name it is. Brocade Blue maybe. I used Versa-Mark ink with a leaf stamp from Rubber Stampede for the background.

A strip of pierced Pumpkin Pie card stock (SU) is layered under a plaid paper from My Minds Eye of which I folded down a corner and pierced then secured with a printed brad (SU).

I colored my image with Spectrum markers and pierced the top left and bottom right corners. This piece was layered on Garden Green the Summer Sun card stock (SU) and popped up on foam tape.

The sentiment (TAC) was divided into the two areas to balance out the card. It was the perfect sentiment for this card.

So check out the rest of the DT's inspiration pieces over at Artistic Inspirations and join in the challenge. I really enjoy seeing everyone's projects.

Happy Crafting!


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Eclectic Ellapu Challenge #31 - Selfmade Flowers

Hello Crafters!
The purple team is up again over at Eclectic Ellapu and my purple teamie  Elisa has chosen our theme this time. And what a great theme - self made flowers. That can be interpreted in many ways. As long as you have made the flowers you are good to go. And as always you can make any kind of project you wish. What's not to love about that?!

So, I ventured on the wild side this time and didn't make a card. I made a plaque instead. Ok, ok, so it's almost a card front -but not. Anywho, I had fun making it. So here it is:


A 4x4 piece of chipboard is my base. I added the background paper from Heartfelt Creations that I got for my birthday. It's so beautiful. I received a whole book of papers and they are all awesome! It was a bit hard to choose. However, I did finally pick this one with the pink flowers. It made such a lovely base for this project. The edges were inked with Creamy Caramel ink from SU.

I stamped and embossed the sentiment (Fiskars), added a punched heart below it then used Ranger's distress crackle over the whole base including a little on the sides to seal the ink.

The leaves and the red flowers I picked up at a Dollar store here in town. I made the crochet flowers then took the red flowers apart to add to the crochet flowers for just a bit more dimension and color. The beautiful brads in the centers are from SU. I also took a couple of the red flowers, folded them in half and wound them around some coated wire (stash from hubby) and glued in place with hot glue to make the little buds.

I then laid down the leaves (green and red) and rubbed them with a little of the crackle finish. The little flower buds are tucked in behind the red leaf in the middle and secured with hot glue. The fixed up crochet flowers were added on top.

Once all that was in place I added crystal lacquer to the flowers and swirls on the paper to give them a bit of dimension. The bling dots were added while the lacquer was still wet to hold them in place.

I really enjoyed making this project for our challenge this week. It made me want for more of my old crafting days where I did these kinds of projects all the time. Might have to work on doing something about that (wink wink).

I hope you have enjoyed my DT project for Eclectic Ellapu this week. Be sure to stop over and see the rest of the DT's awesome creations and join in the fun.

Happy Crafting!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #2 Inspiration week

Hello Crafters!
We're in the middle of our 2nd challenge over at Fat-Tastic Tuesday. Abbie, myself and some of the design team have added some more inspiration for you to peep at so get over there and check it out. But first, here's my project for you.
I have to say I just love Lacy Sunshine images. I especially like the groovy girls she had created. So sweet. So, I chose Maddie & Clover Groovy Music for my inspiration image. Aren't the bright colors just perfect for this image? I had the perfect flower punch too. Those flowers look just like the ones you saw in the 60's!

The punch is from Paper Shapers and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up.

There's still some time left to join in the challenge, so why not give it a try? You may find that you love fat pages like I do!

Happy Crafting!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #42 - Cards for Men

Hello Crafters!

This weeks challenge from Artistic Inspirations is all about the guys! Lets make those cards for the men in our lives. And our wonderful sponsor is:


Please visit their shop for a host of great images to choose from. You won't be dissapointed!

Right, on with my project. I chose "Fish Whisperer" as my image this week. I could see this image used in a variety of different cards for guys but, Father's Day seemed to be the best idea at this time.


So as not to make this gentleman look toooo old, I colored his hair with a base of gray and went over it with a tan color and added the beard. I mean, really, have you ever seen a clean shaven fisherman? I just loved this image. I colored him with my spectrum markers and added a little green to the ground to give the appearance of sparse grass. I used Old Olive card stock (SU) for my base then a layer of craft stock. On top of that I added a wood grain designer paper onto which I scored a few lines and sanded for a worn look. The mesh on the angle is actually dry wall tape (it's already sticky on one side). I have a whole roll of that stuff. You can ink it up with other colors of ink too. How cool is that? Ok, so then I added the natural twine over the the right side. Mr. Whisperer was popped up on Old Olive card stock as was the sentiment (SU). The sentiment was punched out using a small oval punch (SU). I used chocolate chip ink to sponge all the edges to make it a little more rustic.

So, there you have it. My first Father's Day card for this year. Haven't decided who the recipient will be of this card yet but...there are a couple of possibilities.

Head on over to the Artistic Inspirations blog and check out the rest of the DT's projects for more inspiration. Then, won't you join us for this challenge? Can't wait to see your entries.

Happy Crafting!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #2 - Flowers

Hello Crafters!

Whoo Hoo! It's time for challenge #2 at Fat-Tastic Tuesday and we have a great theme for you this time 'round. Our sponsor:


Lacy Sunshine will be offering something from her shop for you. Wow, does she have some great images. I just love everything in her shop.
So, following this sketch for the next two weeks entries:
and add all the flowers you like!
Here's my project for the first week.
Now, isn't Miss Eleanor the Clown just the cutest? I could not help picking her as my image this week because my alter-ego is Pokey-Dot the Clown. Emphasis on pokey for polka dots. I just fell in love with this little gal and had to use her for this challenge. I did turn the sketch a quarter turn to the left.

As usual I made a 4x4 card. The base is Certainly Celery card stock from SU as well as the polka dot designer paper. I used a balloon stencil for my oval from the sketch and popped up Miss Eleanor after coloring with my Spectrum markers and cutting her out. I like the understated 1/8" ribbon for the stripe down the side. I decided to get a little creative with it and bring it up through my big yellow flower and tie in a bow. Interesting effect I think. Anyway, I cut out the sentiment from some glittery designer paper in my stash and popped it up on foam tape then added the little flower buttons (SU) to add a different texture to the mix.  I don't do a lot of "bright" cards but seem to be doing more of them lately. All in all I am happy with this one. Let me know what you think.

Well, now you should get on over to the Fat-Tastic Tuesday blog and check out the rest of the great projects from our DT. There's plenty of inspiration there! Then, come on back and enter the challenge. You can enter 2 times per week for a total of 4 - 4x4 projects. How fun is that? Never done a Fat Page or 4x4 card before? Well, give it a try - you'll be hooked!

Oh, don't forget to come back to FTT on week 2 of the challenge for some more inspiration and the announcement of the winners from the last challenge.

Happy Crafting!


Monday, May 13, 2013

Artistic Inspirations Challenge #41 - Lace & Flowers

Hello Crafters!
The challenge this week at Artistic Inspirations is all about Flowers and Lace. I rather enjoyed this combination. Our sponsor is Eureka with 5 digi's of winner choice.


Please check out their shop for all their images. You won't be disappointed. I used "Garden Square" for my image.


I used black card stock from Paper Studio, the soft plaid paper is from K&Co and the lace doily is from my stash. The polka dot ribbon is from Offray. I used my Spectrum markers to color the image. The shimmery flowers are from Michael's and the brads are from my stash. The sentiment is from SU and the tag punch is from Paper Shapers. I also use Pink Passion ink from SU and Stazon ink to ink up the edges. The image and the sentiment are both popped up on foam tape. The tag is punched from Certainly Celery card stock from SU. The cording on the tag came from Hobby Lobby. The butterfly stamp, punch and card stock are from SU as well.

So, won't you play along with us this week? It's sure to be fun. The inspiration from the Artistic Inspirations Design Team is great so go check it out.

Happy Crafting!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Eclectic Ellapu Challenge #29 - Pink, Black & Skulls

Hello Crafters!

We have a new challenge at Eclectic Ellapu this week for the purple team. Jacki is heading up this challenge and she just loves the dark themes so that's what she chose for us. BTW, I should mention that Jacki is starting a new challenge blog just for dark themes if you are interested. Just click on her name above to go to her blog then she will direct you to the new one.

Ok, so skulls and stuff are not in my comfort zone for project ideas but I gave it a shot so as not to dissapoint my teammate. What do you think?

 I started with a layout from Page Maps (see right side bar for a link). I tried to make it as girly as I could by starting with the pink card stock (SU) and the flowered designer paper (Stamping Station). The plaid designer paper is just a scrap layered on white card stock which seemed to call for a little something extra so I added the pink trim to jazz it up a bit. The scallop circle was done on black card stock with a Nestabilities die and I added white dots with my gel pen. The circle punches are from Stampin' Up. The girlie skull stamp is one I had stashed in with some miscellaneous Halloween stamps (unknown). I liked the bow on her head so I accentuated it with a little ribbon. I popped up on foam tape the white layer and the black layer. I chose the organdy ribbon (SU) to fill in some open space. I popped up the sentiment piece with foam tape after stamping the lace border stamp (unknown) and adding the pink trim. You will notice that I inked some edges in white (color box) ink and some edges in black (Stazon) ink. The last to go on was the pink bling dots which don't look like they match here but in real life they look nice (still working on my photo editing skills).

Well, that's my card for today. I hope you like it. Now why don't you give it a try and get on over to Eclectic Ellapu and join in the challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing all your projects as well as the rest of the DT. Be sure to check out the DT projects while you are there for a little inspiration, there is plenty to be had!

Happy Crafitng!


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #1 Inspiration Week

Hello Crafers!
This week is Inspiration Week at Fat-Tastic Tuesday and it looks like we need a little more inspiration for you all so we can get some entries for this challenge. Don't forget you can enter up to 4 times for each challenge as long as it's a different project each time.
 Remember the sponsors are:

                                                     
                    
  They are each offering a prize for winners of the first challenge here at FTT. So be sure to check out their shops to see all the great images they have to choose from.

My project is using "Presents Stacked" form Dillybeans. I chose a bit more masculine theme this time. I don't seem to make enough of those kinds of cards so I gave it a try.


I just love this image and the choice of blue and brown together. I used SU card stock and designer paper as well as the sentiment stamp and small oval punch for the balloons. It's a pretty simple card but, I rather liked it that way. 

Well, I hope you will check out the rest of the design teams inspiration projects and join in the challenge. Making 4x4 fat pages and cards really is fun! There's only about 6 days left so you better get busy!

Happy Crafting!


Saturday, May 4, 2013

Sir Your Stash (SYS) Saturday

Hello Crafters!
Well, here is another month beginning and time to Stir Your Stash. Before I get on with my project I would like to put a shout out for the new blog I have started with Abbie from Artistic Inspirations. It's called Fat-Tastic Tuesday. You may remember we did a DT call a few weeks ago. We chose a wonderful design team for our new blog and it is now up and running. Please stop by and take a look and why not play along with the cahllenge while you are there.

Now, on with today's project. I have a cute card to share with you today that I know you will want to make. The smallest of designer paper leftovers will work great for this card. Take a peek:
Each of the little flags here are no more than 2" long. The widest one is only 1" with the smallest being only 1/2" wide. I love the different coordinating scraps. The flowers are from some tissue paper I found in a drawer. I cut 10 layers of flowers and used a brad in the center to hold it together. I found the heart from left over Valentines Day supplies and the bling is from my stash. When I was all done, I sprayed Shimmer Mist (Stampin" UP)  over the whole card front. This card also fits in the "Clean and Simple" catagory. Hope you give this a try. Leave me a comment if you do with a link so I can check out your work.

Happy Crafting!