Guest Designer at Cheery Lynn Designs!

I have something exciting today- I am the guest designer for Cheery Lynn Designs! I decided to make a gift set that includes an inspiration box, full of encouraging verses, and a coordinating card.

For the Inspiration Box I used a mini-recipe box template from Scor-Pal. Instead of using this little box for recipes, I decided to make one with encouraging verses written on the cards. I decorated the cards with various die-cuts to add variety.

Dies used: Sweet Williams, English Tea Party Doily, Fanciful Flourish, Lace Light Deco Border, Exotic Butterflies Small #2


For the coordinating card I also used Cheery Blossom and Border Carnivale, as well as papers from My Mind's Eye, Bazzill, and Core'dinations. The stamp is from Our Daily Bread colored with Copic markers.

I love how detailed these dies are! The cut incredibly well, and offer such elegant design possibilities! If you haven't tried any of these yet, head to the Cheery Lynn store and check them out. I know you are going to love them, just like I do!

Challenges:
Our Daily Bread Stamping In Time: Embossing
Mark's Finest Papers: Distressed Card

Crafty Secrets and Best Creation

I've got a new card to share with you today using the Play Ball stamp set from Crafty Secrets. I used three images from the set, but there are so many others that are just as cute! I also got to use another of my favorites - from Best Creations, the 6 x 6 glitter paper pad - Baseball. These papers and stamps were just made for each other! Did you notice how dimensional my baseball turned out? After I stamped, colored and cut it - I shaped it with a McGill Flower tool and coated it with Sakura Hobby Craft Crystal Lacquer. They whole technique just added so much!

Fun with Sakura Hobby Craft

I know I have shown you this project, but today, I wanted to tell you a little bit about how I made it! First, I stamped and cut my Layers of Color Art stamps, and colored it with Copics. Then I cut and colored and shaped a 2nd image of the bee and flowers, and highlighted them with Sakura Crystal 3-D Lacquer. I used the blue pearl Lacquer to pipe my border - It really is like icing a cake! I used a large Martha Stewart punch, and of course, had to add some Seam Binding ribbon. For the "button" embellishments, I took two caps from an I-top brad maker, and turned the brad topper upside down, and filled it with some pink pearlescent lacquer, and topped it off with the Crystal Clear- to give it depth.





Thanks for stopping by!

New Ways to Look at a Sketch

I always love the sketches from the Beary Scrap, but I think it's fun to remember that this sketch is not only great for cards! Jaimie always does a fantastic job of using the sketch for layouts, but you can think smaller too - like this tag that I made. Sure, I took a little artistic license, but, hey, that's what it's all about. Here's the sketch - See how I just squished everything in a little?

I pulled out some of the My Minds Eye Lost and Found/ Market Street collection. I always forget how beautiful this paper is, until I bring it out. I cut the tag with the Tim Holtz Tag die, and covered the patterned paper with Golden's Acrylic Medium and put a layer of tissue paper. Then I inked over some of the wrinkles using Distress Ink in Pumice Stone. You can still see the lovely paper, but it just makes it a little dreamy. I inked all of the edges of my papers with Crushed Olive. The bird and borders were cut from the paper. For final embellies, I added mulberry paper roses, Kaisercraft rhinestones, and seam binding.

Do you always follow a sketch to a "T"? or do you use it as a starting point? I hope you will play along with us, however you decide to interpret the sketch!

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp and Show: Tim Holtz technique
If the Shoe Fits: Green

Victorian Wardian Case

*Pictures removed for publication.


Do you ever get an inspiration that you are just so excited about, that you just can't stop until you have completely finished? Well, that would explain what I have been doing all weekend long! I love ornate, Victorian Wardian Cases, and decided I would try to create one entirely from paper.





I used clear cardstock for my "glass" and built the roof using Cheery Lynn Dies. I constructed this using my Scor-pal, and tons of Scor-tape! The patterned papers are from Crafty Secrets Creating with Vintage Patterns CD - and were printed onto Bazzill. I love being able to print the exact paper that I need!




The butterflies appear to be floating, because they are mounted on a piece of clear cardstock that is suspended from the roof of the case.



All of the flowers and butterflies were also created using dies from Cheery Lynn Designs.The butterflies were colored using USArtquest Mica Color watercolor paints, and Viva Decor Inka Gold.





Here's a list of the dies that I used:
Lace Light Deco Border
Cherry Blossom
Fanciful Flourish
Sweet Williams
Border Carnivale
Exotic Butterflies Small #2
Butterfly Bundle
Cathedral Lace Frame



Challenges:
Cheery Lynn: DT Call
Sir Stampalot: Anything Goes

Mixed Media canvas

I love playing around with Mixed Media - and Donna Salazar always inspires me to give it a go! This is a 12 x 12 canvas made with papers from Donna. I coated it with beeswax, and stamped textures into it. Parts of the beeswax was highlighted using Viva Decor Inka Gold. Gold leaf was added among the layers - and a little bit of glitter around the edges to make sure it was really sparkly! The center of my flower has an epoxy bubble from Epiphany Crafts.