Easter Blessings

I spied a challenge this morning over at The Shabby Tea Room and I'm glad I did. The requirements were to use lilac, yellow, blue, kraft and a butterfly. I based this card on the Deconstructed Sketch No. 44 by the very talented Jen Shults and I'm totally in love with all of the layers, which means I'll definitely use it again. The inspiration photo celebrates spring and because I'm not sure whether it is okay to copy and post on my blog I'll just ask you to click on their link above to view it. Anyway, this one was a pleasure to put together and with its completion I'm one card closer to having my Easter cards made. :-)

I cut the various layers and backed each one with lilac cardstock which I also used for my die cut border. I've been hoarding some Creative Scraps by Crafty Secrets and used one for my focal image. Next, I stamped Easter blessings from Verve's Egg-stra Special set inside the frame and wrapped lilac twine around the rectangle panel and added a blue button. The butterfly was stamped onto Choice Snow White paper and I used Copic markers to give it a watercolor feel and dusted it with glitter to make it sparkle. Four lilac pearls anchor the base to the card and I love the combination of colors together.

That's all for me, thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Lisa

Stamps: Egg-stra Special (Verve), Butterflies (MS)
Ink: Dusty Concord Distress Ink (T!m Holtz)
Paper: Webster's Pages postcard set, Blissful dp (Authentique), cardstock
Accessories: Creative Scraps-Easter (Crafty Secrets); Die-namics Dainty Lace Border (MFT); lilac twine (The Twinery); blue button (Buttons Bonanza); lilac pearls (Want 2 Scrap); Copic markers; sugar cube glitter (MS)

Easter is on the way....

Hi there and welcome! My card today features a *new to me* color challenge and it's based on the current Mojo Monday sketch. We had the option of creating a round or square card and I chose round because I've never made one. GASP!!! If you are in need of directions for creating a round card then check out Teresa Kline's post where she shares two helpful options. The colors for my card were based on the current Colour Q Challenge and I love them. They screamed Easter to me and I just happened to have some Hippity Hop dp's left from last year so I chose my fave Verve Easter stamps and got busy. This is one sweet and sparkly card created especially for my darling daughter. :D Here's a picture of our colorful inspiration challenge colors of :

I cut two large scalloped circles and followed Teresa's Option 1 which was a breeze to do. Another round circle was die cut and the three paper panels were glued to the base and a 1/8" white satin ribbon separates them. I die cut another smaller circle and it became the base for the scene which I created with a whole lot of fussy cutting. Stickles and glitter jazz my eggs up and the basket was stamped in Memento Rose Bud ink and colored with Copic markers. The yellow bow sparkles with yellow Stickles and my grass was created with a die from The Cat's Pajamas which hides my eggs. ;) A lot of little steps but so much fun to make and here's a close up of those sparkly eggs.

I plan to enter this card in two additional challenges, Tip Top Tuesday #73 featuring Easter or Animals and Make It Monday #82 where anything goes. Ok, that's it for me today. You still have time to participate in all of the challenges if you'd like to and good luck if you do. I'd also like to welcome my new follower, Jackie, to my blog and thank everyone for their kind comments and encouragement. Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

Stamps: Egg-stra Special & Chicks Rule (Verve)
Ink: Memento's RoseBud & Tuxedo Black
Paper: Hippity Hop (We R Memory Keepers), Diamond cs (Bazzill Basics), Choice Snow White (TE)
Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Scalloped Circles Lg. & Std. Circles Lg.; Grass 015 die (TCP); Copic's; Fruit Punch, Cotton Candy, Yellow & Eucalyptus Stickles (Ranger); Butterscotch Liquid Pearls (Ranger); Sugar Cube glitter (MS); Scor Pal (Diana Crick); Yellow Pearls (Kaisercraft); white satin ribbon (Robert Stanley Collection)

Happy Easter

Hi there and welcome, I'm back today with my entry for the CR84FN50 Color Challenge which features the main colors of pink, orange and yellow. What a fun combo to work with, bright and cheery! Before I go any further here is our gorgeous inspiration photo. If you enjoy color challenges be sure to check out all the details at  the CR84FN Color Challenge blog and join us.

The beautiful flowers in the photo begged for a flower on my card too so I happily obliged. I used Stardust Stickles to add a dew like effect to the petals and I stamped an Inkadinkadoo Mindscape stamp, Happy Easter, on a die cut oval in Memento Tangelo ink. The color pink comes in play with the flower and the Lacey Oval die cut  while a yellow ledger dp from Pink Paislee's Sweetness collection completes my color requirements. I based my card on the current sketch over at retrosketches which is a new challenge blog, in fact this is their fourth sketch so feel free to check it out and join in the fun. I should note that I did rotate the sketch but kept all the required aspects intact. :-) 

I'm also going to enter this card in the Make It Monday #82 Challenge and the Tip Top Tuesday #73 Challenge so I'm off to link up. Hope your day is filled with lots of sunshine and happy moments along the way!

Lisa

 

Stamps: Happy Easter (Inkadinkadoo/Mindscape)

Ink: Memento Tangelo

Paper: Yellow/Pink Ledger dp-Sweetness & Lacey Oval dp-Spring Jubilee (Pink Paislee), Choice Snow White (TE), cs

Accessories: Cl. Ovals Lg. & Lacey Ovals (Spellbinders); Buttercup Liquid Pearls & Stardust Stickles (Ranger); paper flower (Recollections); orange Spica atyou pen (Too Marker Products); Seeing Dots embossing folder (C'bug); hot pink pearls (Kaisercraft); Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers); distressing tool (T!m Holtz)

She Kept on Going Anyway

Hello all! I'm here with another She Art girl, my second one, and this one is for my aunt. She was a teacher for many years and loves to play the piano so there are touches, specific to her, on this canvas. As I mentioned in a previous post I recently took the online She Art Workshop by Christy Tomlinson where we learned how to create She Art girls and transform canvases with different art mediums. I enjoyed it so much that I signed up for the She Art Workshop 2 so look for more of these in the future. I love mixed media and these are so much fun to create!

Here's a close up of her face and hair...

This girl has wings because my aunt has been a real "angel" to me these past few months. As some of you know my Dad moved in with us last fall and he is not in good health. She's been a blessing to all of us, in so many ways, and her support and encouragement have meant the world to me and my family. So Aunt Jean, this one's for you!

Thanks for stopping by and a big welcome to Tammy, my newest follower. I sincerely appreciate every kind comment that is left for me and know that they make my day brighter. Have a great day!

Lisa 



Tilman Baby Boys, Part Two

Hello and welcome back for my second baby boy card. I made each of the Tilman twin boys a card and I shared the first card in my previous post. These were so much fun to make and I truly wish Julee & Mark the very best as they begin their new journey as parents.

Here are some close up shots so you can see the differences in both. I know the boys are twins and will share a lot in the future but I wanted each of them to have their very own baby card as a keepsake. You might notice that I straightened the banner, guess I'm a Type A after all. :-) 

For both cards I used MME's Fine & Dandy True Blue dp's and the coordinating trims. Spellbinder dies create the various shapes and add to the layers while the stamps bring in visual interest. I colored the giraffe with Copic's and stamped the elephant (Emery) onto a coordinating dp. The pennant banner was created using stamps and dies from Taylored Expressions and they are listed in my previous post. These were so much fun to make and I love all of the dimension on these two cards.

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to my two new blog followers, Debbie and Elaine. Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

 

Welcome, Tilman Baby Boys

Hello and welcome! I'm so happy to be here today to share one of two baby boy cards I made yesterday. As some of you might know I love Verve stamps and Julee Tilman (Verve owner & designer) and her husband, Mark, were expecting identical twin boys around the middle of March. They came a bit early but I'll let Julee give you all the details here in her blog post where she introduces her boys to all of us and the sweet invitation she extended to her blog readers.

Both of my cards are from the same paper collection, Fine & Dandy true blue by MME, yet they have their own individuality. I started with a 5.5" square base for both and built up with paper and dies to create the layers which Verve diva's are famous for. I stamped & die cut a pennant border for my "WELCOME" sentiment and anchored it with buttons and twine bows. The adorable elephant, Emery, was stamped onto a coordinating dp and fussy cut. A die cut flag features the Baby Boy sentiment and I used two more images from the To the Moon set by Verve on the inside of my cards. I'll be back tomorrow with the second card and a side by side view of both. Here's the inside of my card.

Thanks for stopping by today and congratulations to Julee and Mark on the birth of their twin boys. 
Happy Crafting Everyone,
Lisa

Stamps: To the Moon (Verve), You're My Type-Upper & Pennant A la Carte (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Pumpkin (StazOn), Antique Linen Distress Ink (T!m Holtz)
Paper: Fine & Dandy true blue (MME), cardstock
Accessories: Labels One, Classic Squares Lg., Lacey Circles & Classic Circles Lg. (Spellbinders); Pennant Border Die & Fly Your Flag 3 Die (TE); 1.5" circle punch (EK Success); Seeing Spots Folder (C'bug); BonBon twine (Doodlebug); Fine & Dandy true blue trims (MME); Copic Markers; Cantaloupe Liquid Pearls (Ranger); buttons (Buttons Bonanza); brads (PS); 3D foam dots (Therm O Web)

TE March Calendar Challenge

TGIF! So happy the weekend is here, how about you? This has been a crazy week but I took time yesterday to create this calendar for the monthly Taylored Expressions Calendar Challenge. The great thing is you do not have to link up, in case you get behind like me, in the current month. The linky stays open which gives you a lot of flexibility and there's a wonderful prize for those who participate in a minimum of ten months, a $150.00 gift certificate to the Taylored Expressions store. The one requirement you do have to meet is to use one of TE's calendar products per entry and they are available for download. Just click on the previous link then choose Supplies>Calendar Products and select which calendar you prefer to use, that's it.

For the month of March I wanted to focus on SPRING and Taylor's Spring A la Carte stamp is so cute I couldn't resist using it. I colored the image with Copic markers and added Orange Peel Stickles to the flower petals. For a touch of whimsy I die cut two clouds in an Echo Park polka dot dp and blue gingham ribbon adds a finishing touch.

That's all for me today and I hope you have the best weekend ever!
Lisa

Stamps: Spring A la Carte (TE)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Sweet Summertime dp (Echo Park), Choice Snow White (TE), green cs
Accessories: 2012 TE Calendar Download; Cloud Duo Die (TE); Copic's; Orange Peel Stickles (Ranger); blue gingham ribbon (Hobby Lobby); black atyou Spica pen (Too Marker Products) 

Just a Note

Hi everyone, so happy to share this card with you today using a *new to me* sketch challenge by Cardabilities and here's the lovely sketch I used. The challenge ends in a few hours and it seems this is the new norm for me, always coming in under the wire. Ugh!! This sketch was so different from most I've seen and it just so happens that one of the dp's in the Rosy collection by MME was perfect for the main paper image. It made my day rosy, lol! I used a sentiment from the new TE Vintage Dreamer stamp set and the Double Moroccan Lace border punch adds the scallop element with a touch of sophistication. 

I also plan to enter this in the Cas-ual Fridays CFC43 challenge, For Sentimental Reasons, which focuses on the sentiment. This card may look fussy but the dp's did most of the work making this a very CAS card to create. I did pop the "just a note" sentiment up on 3D foam squares so it would stand out more.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope all of you are having a crafty good time wherever you are!
Lisa

Stamps: Vintage Dreamer (Taylored Expressions)
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa
Paper: Rosy dp's from Lost & Found Two (MME), pear & french vanilla cs (Bazzill)
Accessories: Classic Ovals Lg. (Spellbinders); Double Moroccan Lace punch (EK Success); Mini Leaves Die (TE); black pearls (Kaisercraft); black swirl bling (Recollections); paper rose (Prima)

She Art Who???

Hello, I'm talking about Christy Tomlinson, the creative genius behind She Art girls. I discovered her work  through Mona Pendleton's blog,  Cupcakes's Creations, and I was hooked. I enjoy mixed media and decided to take the plunge and sign up for She Art 1 & 2, and I'm thrilled I did. I really enjoy Christy's down to earth style and there's so much content to these classes. Fun, fun, fun-you can't help but have fun because Christy doesn't take herself too seriously and you learn mistakes are easily fixed or you simply improvise and move along. In the end, it's all good!


Today I'm sharing my first She Art girl and I used the PDF patterns for the head, arms, legs, dress and boots which Christy designed for the She Art 1 class. I actually watched all of the videos but took her advice and I'm going to go in order so that I can learn step by step and not tackle everything at once. This is the basic She Art girl and I made mistakes but it just gives me an opportunity to keep improving and having fun. :-)

My canvas was created with an old sewing pattern for my base and acrylic paint was applied in shades of blue, green and yellow while Faber-Castell pens and Liquitex Professional Inks add color and shading. Rub-ons & stamps add depth and whimsy and a NeoColor II Artist Crayon (love these) added a rosy tint to her cheeks and skin tone. My daughter wanted her cheeks to be more rosy so I added more color and here's a fuzzy close up, sorry. The camera and I are not on speaking terms these days and it is way past time for it to go into retirement so I am shopping for another. The lotus flower cabachon is from Webster's Pages and everything on the canvas is something near and dear to my darling girl because this one is for her.

If you are interested in learning more check out Christy's blog, Do What Matters Most, and click on the Workshops tab for more information. She also has a great online shop, Scarlet Lime, where she sells mixed media products, monthly kits and much more.

I'd like to extend a big welcome to my new blog follower, Sandie, from Australia. She has a wonderful blog where she shares her enormous talent with all of us and this lady has a way with flowers. She recently posted a wonderful tutorial on how she makes her exquisite flowers and you can view it here on her blog. That's all for me today, thanks for stopping by & always leaving a sweet comment for me. It makes my day!
Enjoy today,
Lisa

TE February Calendar Challenge

Happy Saturday! I'm a tad late with this post but last month was a blur and this slipped my mind. This is my February entry for Taylored Expressions Calendar Challenge and the requirement is to use one TE calendar product for your submission. I used Taylor's 6x6 2012 calendar download which I trimmed and a dp from Echo Park's "Be Mine" provides a nice backdrop. The cute little lady is Cherie from Taylor's Moka stamp collection and I added some Fruit Punch Stickles by Ranger to the heart she is holding. Taylor is offering a wonderful resource and I downloaded the FREE Moka Hair & Skin Color Chart and colored her with Copic markers. I die cut a Favor Frame Die and stamped a border from A Little Love and used Glitz Teeny Alpha's in bubblegum pink pink for the month. The sentiment 'Je t'aime' is from Moka Cherie and 'Happy Valentine's Day' is from A Little Love. Glitter Dome Pale Pink bling provides a border and accents the page while the iridescent heart swirl bling adds some color and whimsy. Pink ruffled ribbon, by May Arts, adds some "fufu" while the rhinestones hearts & pink paper rose by Recollections completes my calendar. So there you have it, two months down and ten more to go!

Have fun papercrafting wherever you are and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Lisa

VLV Feb 2012 - Week 4

Here's my entry for the final VLV Sketch for February and this one is for my hubby who has a birthday today. The final sketch by Tosh was a CAS one and thank goodness. February came in like a storm and left like one too and good riddance is all I can say, LOL. Here's to hoping that March is more calm and that he has the best birthday ever!

I used dp's from Echo Park's Happy Days 6x6 paper pad and a black glaze pen helped me out with my faux stitching. It is relatively clean and simple but I am diggin' it, hope he does.

Have an awesome day and thanks for stopping by!
Lisa

Stamps: Party Time (Verve)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper: Happy Days (EP), cs
Accessories: Sprightly Sprockets (Spellbinders); black pearls (Kaisercraft); black glaze pen (Sakura); Buttercup Liquid Pearls (Ranger)

The Kindness of Others

I'll be back later with a crafty post but first I wanted to share some good news with all of you. Life has been very hectic lately and my craft time has taken a hit to say the least. Just when I began to wonder "Will they remember me?" I woke to this awesome honor, twice. Two very talented ladies honored me with the Liebster Blog Award and I greatly appreciate Lucia from FondoBluDesign by Lucia and Margaret from Black Shadow Creations for gifting me with this. What a pick-me-up ladies and thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

The idea behind this award is to spread the love from one small blog (under 200 followers) to other small blogs. This helps to spread knowledge and readership. To accept the award, you must:

1. Link back to the person who gave it and thank them for thinking of you.
2. Post the award to your blog.
3. Give the award to 5 bloggers (with less than 200 followers) that you appreciate and value.
4. Leave a comment on the blogs of the five people you have chosen to let them know.

Now it is very hard to select only five blogs but here goes in no particular order:

1.  Sharon, glooshmoo
2.  Maggie, Maggie's Scrap Room
3.  Sara, A World Seen Through a Looking Glass
4.  Jeanne, A Kept Life (she rec'd the award in June 2011 but her work is so inspirational that I wanted to share with all of you in case you've never had the pleasure of visiting her blog)
5.  Sue, Card Therapy

These five ladies inspire me in so many ways and I'd love for you to share in their talent too! Thanks again to Lucia and Margaret for this double honor and surprise, big hugs to you both!!

Have fun crafting and creating wherever you are,
Lisa