Inspired by Fashion

Moxie Fab World has a challenge tied into its newest publication "Get Inspired Card Creations".  Here's the photo inspiration:

Love this shade of green and there is just something about houndstooth.  Since one of my favorite stamps is this pattern, I couldn't wait to have a stab at this challenge:

supplies: cream and pale green cardstock, Hero Arts K5157 Houndstooth, VersaMagic Tea Leaves ink, AR137 Script Messages, VersaFine Olympia Green, Papertrey Ink Beautiful Blooms II flower dies, Spare Parts pearl brad (thanks, Sue)

Pastel snowflake wreath

supplies: white, aqua, lime, pink, red cardstock, EK Success snowflake punch, pastel gems, Hero Arts LP169 Bird Trio, VersaFine onyx black ink,  CL558 Snowflake Ornaments, broken china distress ink, teal silk ribbon

Here's a card for another anniversary challenge at Ellen Hutson's CLASSroom, this one a color challenge by Julie Ebersole, using these colors:

Julie's sample used snowflakes, too, and evidently they influenced my thought process.  

Christmas Robin

At Ellen Hutson's CLASSroom, Julia Stainton has given us a cute sketch for their 5th Anniversary Celebration.  Here's my take on it:

supplies: red and green Core'dinations and parchment cardstock, design papers from The Paper Studio (music) and graphic 45's "Christmas Past Collection", Penny Black 30-058 Jolly Friends, and Hero Arts CL460 Joy to All, Versafine onyx black ink, Prisma colored pencils, glue pen and prisma glitter, red button, natural twine, punched leaves, Nesties Labels one dies, fired brick distress ink

Here's the sketch:

Buttons!!

Hi everyone! I'm back today to share a project for this week's Lily Pad Cards challenge, sponsored by Simon Says Stamp!  This time we are to use buttons.  I've always wanted to do one of these button-filled hearts, and here was my chance!   Here is my card.

supplies: red and white cardstock, various red and white buttons, pearls, red and white baker's twine, Hero Arts CL163 Always Hearts, Adirondack Cranberry ink, Spellbinders Nestabilities Scallop Heart dies

Please visit Lily Pad Cards to see what the other DTs did this week, and then link up your creation for a chance at a gift certificate from Simon Says Stamp!  

Skipping Stones Designs sketch challenge

supplies: white and dark aqua cardstock, Hero Arts CG377 Merriest Christmas Wishes, Our Daily Bread Designs "Peace & Joy" (snowflake), Brilliance Peacock tri-color ink, tiny buttons, Jillibean Soup twine

I found the most darling sketch this morning at the Skipping Stones Designs blog!

You must go see what the design team did with it - so many wonderful adaptations!  I thought I was done making cards until after Thanksgiving, but I just couldn't resist this one.  And I know I'll use it many more times in the future; I've already saved it in my sketch file.  It's one by Chan Vuong.  Thanks, Chan!

From the Heart

supplies: white cardstock, Echo Park Country Drive and BoBunny Avocado Dot dps, Hero Arts CL406 SparkleClear Buttons, CL163 Always Hearts

Just sharing a reject I recently submitted to a magazine, to fit their sketch.  I've done a similar card, but with solid papers, and I loved this little floral from Echo Park!

 I'll be missing here for awhile, as we celebrate Thanksgiving with our family this week.  I've been busy with a big project that I can't share yet, but it's finished now, so I hope to get back into challenges and such next week.  Have a wonderful holiday, my US friends!  

A Lily Pad Sketch Challenge

It's time again for another of Lily Pad Cards' sketch challenges.  The Design Team got to play with some new Craft's Meow stamps!  Here's my card, using the Santa's Little Helper set:

supplies: Hero Arts layering papers from Foliage and Blush collections, October Afternoon "Trim the Tree" dp, (background), and The Paper Studio (gifts), The Craft's Meow "Santa's Little Helper" clear set, red colored pencil, red pearls, black buttons and red baker's twine

Here's the sketch:

Please visit Lily Pad Cards to see what the other design team members did, and then link up your creation using this sketch to win a fabulous prize from The Craft's Meow!

A Pastel Christmas

supplies: Carnation, Pool, and Grass Hero Hues Layering papers, white, lime, and kraft cardstock, Hero Arts CL459 Merry Christmas Trees, CG119 Flourish Background, CL357 Holiday Dolls (snowflake), soft blossom ink, versamark ink and white embossing powder, glue pen and prisma glitter, clear gems, pink baker's twine

I made this for 2 challenges, the color challenge at Hero Arts

and the color challenge at The Shabby Tea Room:

Happy 50th Birthday to Virginia!

My sweet friend Virginia Lu is turning 50 on December 9!  Here's the card I made for her:

supplies: white and aqua cardstock and vellum, Hero Arts H5426 Artist Butterfly, versamark ink and gold embossing powder, CL491 Made with Love (little butterfly), distress inks and Hero Huesinks, CL380 Truly Appreciated (sentiment), VersaFine Deep Lagoon ink, gold pearls

I wanted to make something bright and cheery and happy, as that is what my friend is, always optimistic, always ready to give a helping hand or say a kind word to encourage us.  So, Virginia, there are 50 tiny little butterflies in the background, and the big one is embossed in gold, for your special 50th one.  And of course I send you lots more than 50 hugs!

Virginia and I became friends through the Hero Arts flickr group, and cemented our friendship when we were Hero Hostesses together in 2009. Since then, we've shared our sorrows and joys and even had a whole day together last February when we were both in Florida.  What fun to finally meet my friend and her beautiful family!  I hope it's just the first of many times that we will be together.

If you'd like to send Virginia some well wishes, you can post your card, too, at her blog here.  If for some reason you live on another planet and don't know Virginia, I encourage you to visit her blog and get to know her.  She is talented in so many ways, a great cook, a wonderful Mom, as well as a talented card maker.  Be sure to congratulate her, as she's just had her first card published!!

Sending BIG HUGS, little sis!

CR84FN

supplies: Hero Arts Carnation Layering Paper, white cardstock, Hero Arts CL526 To/From Petals, CL491 Made with Love, VersaFine onyx black ink and clear embossing powder, K5175 Houndstooth, Soft Blossom ink, Die-namics Decorative Doily Duo, Prima rosebud

This card was made for the current CR84FN challenge, using the graphic and colors below. Thanks so much for stopping!

....and a splash of Orange

My favorite challenges at The Play Date Cafe have become the "splash" ones!  This week we're to use black and white and a splash of orange.  Here's my card:

supplies: white cardstock, Hero Arts CG246 Classic Fabric Design, versamark ink and white embossing powder, CL511 Sweet Threads Thank You, CL435 So Artsy (sentiment), Memory BoxG1781 Index Card, Versafine onyx black ink, spiced marmalade distress ink and orange colored pencil, orange ribbon

Here's our photo inspiration:

Trinh's 90-minute scramble

I'm sorry I haven't been around this week; have been working on a couple projects that can't be shared yet.  But I did take some time this afternoon to play in a Hero Arts flickr challenge: the 90-minute scramble.  The hostess Trinh gave us the criterion, to make a non-holiday card using holiday stamps or to use a stamp in an unexpected way.  I chose the first option and used this heart snowflake ornament to make a line of hanging hearts.

supplies: kraft card, Hero Hues pool layering papers, all 3 shades, Hero Hues Latte ink and versafine onyx black ink, Hero Arts stamps CL558 Snowflake Ornaments, CL456 Big Hugs, twine

If you'd like to see some fun examples of thinking outside the box, please see the thread here - I promise lots of inspiration!

CASE Study #64

We have a new muse for this month at CASE Stidu - Kryssi Ng!  We are in for a treat this month!

Isn't it unique?  Love her use of the popped die-cut negative!  Here's my take:

supplies: white and aqua cardstock, Pure Innocence digital image, colored pencils, glue pen and Hero Arts Prisma glitter, Darice snowflakes embossing folder, Hero Arts CL343 Holiday Sayings, versafine onyx black ink, EK Success snowflake punch, aqua gem

Guest Designer at Our Creative Corner!

Good morning!  Today I'm excited to tell you that I'm a Guest Designer over at Our Creative Corner!  Their fun challenge this week is to make a masculine card, but to use non-masculine colors!  A challenge, indeed; I always have trouble coming up with manly cards, but one of the things I usually fall back on is to use neutrals, greens, blues, colors that usually appeal to most men......when I asked my DH for the colors he considered the most unmanly, he said "pink and purple".  I didn't think I could get away with pastels, so I darkened the hues.  Here's my card:

supplies: kraft and brown cardstock, mauve and dark pink Core'dinations, unknown purple (thanks Mary Anne), chipboard figure from Wendi Vecchi Art Parts, Hero Arts S5208 Designer Woodgrain, K5175 Houndstooth, CL479 Dictionary Greetings, CL139 Birthday Messages, Penny Black 40-048 Paisley Outline, Anita's Teddy Bear ink, natural crochet thread, bright pink and brown buttons, nested

After choosing these non-masculine colors, I set about bringing the masculinity back in with the stamped patterns: a woodgrain, text, houndstooth, and subtle paisley.  Thank you, Our Creative Corner, for this opportunity to play with you - I enjoyed the challenge!  Please visit there to see what the other DT members did this week.

Lily Pad Cards Color Challenge

Welcome to another color challenge at Lily Pad Cards!  This week the DT got to play with some adorable digital stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps!  Wait until you see what my other teamies did!  

I chose this adorable set called "I Love You BeeCause" - I couldn't resist the heart and flowers, and aren't those bees adorable?  And there are lots of sentiments that are included!  Using Kathy's colors above, here's what I made for you:

supplies: rust card, Clear Stamps digital stamps, markers to color and tumbled glass distress ink to shade heart, digital paper (plaid from Jen Allyson at Design House Digital), dps from BoBunny and DCWV

These digital stamps and papers were really easy and FUN to work with!  I hope you'll go over to the Clear Stamps site and take a look at them!