Friday, April 15, 2011

Chapel Road Stamps Inspiration

Yay! It's Friday and the weekend is here. Time to get crafting, and oh yeah, finish up my taxes - eeek! This month at Class Act/Chapel Road Artstamps, we are highlighting spring images. I used DaVinci Botanicals and colored it with Faber-Castell water color pencils. I edged the stamped image with gold Smooch ink. The papers are from Butterfly Garden from Pink Paislee. The tissue tape is from Tim Holtz . And I made the flowers with punches.

Did you know that you can now use any stamp for the challenges at Class Act/ Chapel Road? The current challenge is Anything But a Card. Head over to the Class Act Blog to enter. If you use Class Act or Chapel Road stamps you are entered twice. The random winner will get a stamp of their choice. For this challenge, you have until Thursday April 22, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time. We are just getting these challenges going, and would love to have lots of players.

Challenges:
CPS: sketch
Simon Says Stamp and Show: Distressing
Truly Scrumptious - Vintage

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

My Core’dinations Creative Frenzy

I won some Core'dinations Cardstock several years ago - and since then, I've been hooked. I love all of the cool techniques you can do, and it's even more fun trying to come up with new ideas. So, I'd love to share with you some projects that I made using this versatile paper.




1. Love Wall Hanging: This is a large wall piece - Each wood frame is 10" square - without any embellishments.

I drew the patterns for my flowers and hand cut them , and shaped them. The Core'dinations is perfect to manipulate and really make the flowers life-like. I sprayed Helmar's Vellum adhesive on the pond lily and sprinkled it with glitter to give it shimmer like drops of water.




For my lily pad, I made my own embossing folder to match the pattern of the leaf, and embossed and sanded it.

The letters were a really heavy chipboard that I covered with the crumpled cardstock that was then sanded. I also used the Cosmo Cricket/Core 'dinations embossed paper to line the back of the shadow box frame.


I used the Melody Ross Chip Art tools to deboss my flower name onto chipboard tiles.



Then, I used a dymo label maker with the Core'dinations to stamp out the Latin name of each flower.


For the Easter Lily, I painted the paper white. It's such a nice, heavy paper, it held up great for this technique.


2. Imagine is a layout I created and got to use many of my favorite distressing techniques. I tore some of my edges, sanded, inked the embossed areas. I used Helmar's PVA glue to stamp butterflies from Layers of Color Art Stamps. I let this dry, and then misted the paper with Glimmer Mist.The flowers are made from Ralph Lauren fabric that was stiffened with Helmar's Fabric Stiffener.The leaves were stamped using a Heartfelt Creations stamp, and then torn. My title was cut from Cricut (this paper cuts like a dream ).





3. School Days Mini Book - I really love the vintage feel of this chalkboard effect paper from the Cosmo Cricket/Core'dinations line. The letters were also from a page in this collection, I just cut them out and glued them to the chalkboard. The image is a stamp from Pink Persimmon - I just colored her skintones with Copics, and the rest of her was paper pieced and layered.



Thanks so much for looking!

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp and Show: Distressing

Flower Soft Blog Hop for April

We are so glad to have you joining the fabulous Flower Soft® team on an inspirational blog hop featuring projects using Die Cut Dimensions - Wild Flowers and The Wine Buffs - Papercraft Kit! You should have come from my fabulously talented friend Debbie Seyer's blog. If not, be sure to head over to the Flower Soft Blog to get started, so you don't miss anything. Make sure to finish hopping by April 19th at midnight CT, because the winner will be announced on the Flower Soft® Blog on April 20th. If you get lost along the way the complete hop list will be posted on the LinkFlower Soft® Blog.
Be sure to comment on every blog in the hop. One lucky person that comments on one of the blogs will be chosen to receive a $50 Flower Soft® shopping spree!!!
I chose to use the Winebuffs Papercrafting kit for my card. It has so many fun ideas for stacker cards, stairstep cards, shaped cards - lots of cool things. The designer paper is also from this pack. I framed my stacker with a Spellbinders die and punched a wine bubble border at the bottom.
From here, it's time to head over to another of my very talented friend's blog - Dina. I know she will have something wonderful to share with you!

Challenges:
Card Patterns: sketch
Papertake Weekly: Truly Dimensional
Alota: April Fools (Something Funny on your card)



Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Beary Scrap - Sketch with pastels


It's the second week of our sketch challenge at the Beary Scrap - and the Design Team decided to challenge ourselves to use pastels. I don't really work well with pastels - so this is as close as I got! You may have to hunt for my sketch a little - but it's right there on the center panel!

I was delighted to jump into using Butterfly Garden by Pink Paislee. I used the papers, baubles, Ephemera and the Clear Pops. Many of the embellishments are already sold out, but Kimm will be getting more in. I used a Prima mask, and added some Glimmer Mist to help frame my center panel. I thought this layout would be the perfect spot to highlight the May Arts Sheer Woven Rosette trim. I added Kaisercraft pearls to the center of each flower.

You have until April 14th to play along with our sketch. We would love to see what you come up with!

Challenges:
Stamp and Show: Distressing
Simon Says: Spring Colors

Monday, April 11, 2011

To the Best Husband!



Two years ago, I was blessed to marry my best friend! I really can say, that I have never regretted it for even one second. Besides being one of the sweetest men that has ever walked on this earth - I have to say how amazing it is that I can completely be myself around him. We can laugh together, cry together , dream together and we will grow old together. Every day my life is better because of you! Richard, I love you will all of my heart!

Now that everyone has shared my sentimental day, I'll tell you a little bit about my card. I wanted to enter this in the JustRite challenge - which was a color challenge. And, in all of my tons of designer paper, I just didn't have anything that fit the bill. So, I used my Parisian Anthology papers from Pink Paislee, and Glimmer Misted them to match the challenge. Then, I used some of Faber-Castell's gelatos to stamp the small flowers onto my background paper. The stamp is from JustRite's Fancy Labels set. I also used the gelatos to add more intense or contrasting colors around the resist designs. My sentiment is from Baroque Nested Frames and Sentiments. Finally, I got to use one of JustRite's exclusive Spellbinders die, Nested Sentiments to cut my frame and photo corners.

Thanks for looking!

Challenges:
JustRite: Photo Inspiration
Stamp and Show: Distressing
Simon Says: Spring colors
Sketch Saturday: sketch

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Belles n Whistles Blog Hop Winner

I chose my winner for the Belles n Whistles Blog Hop on Friday. The lucky winner is Denise. Denise, I sent you an email on Friday. I will need to hear from you by 11:59 on 4/11/11. If I don't hear back, I will draw a new winner.

Edited: I never heard from my first winner, so I redrew Beate Johns - I've already heard back from her so the Fairy Fond Thoughts will be heading her way. Congratulations Beate!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Chapel Road Stamps Inspiration

Tonight was really a night for experimenting in my studio, and I came up with this canvas tag. I cut it from my bolt of canvas using the Tim Holtz tag die. Then the fun began. The center panel image is from Chapel Road's da Vinci Botanicals - and was stamped using Staz-on ink. I had just gotten the new Faber- Castell Gelatos - and I used them to color the images. To fill in the background, I used Faber-Castell's Big Brush pen - and then misted the whole thing with water. This let my colors spread out in cool watercolor effects. For the tag base, I colored it with Glimmer Mist. Then I sewed the flower panel to the tag base. I used stamps from the Fern set to overstamp the two pieces of fabric. I colored the Gelatos directly to the stamp, misted it with water and stamped. I wrote Spring on the side of the tag, and added some embellishments. For the final touch, I sprayed the floral image with Helmar Vellum adhesive and sprinkled it with a light dusting of glitter. I love getting to play with new goodies! I think I will keep working on some of these techniques much more.


Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp and Show: Anything But a Card

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

It's Hip to be Square!


At Flower Soft, we are challenging you to be square (a square card at least!) If you would like to play along, just be sure to add your entry at SCS and add the keyword FSC26.

It was really fun making these stems of flowers for my card. I used the FS wires, added the glue and sprinkled original FS in lavender, violet and pale green over it. The vase is a topper from the Summer Glass Vases - and I just cut it out. The scalloped oval is from the Lavender Paper Craft kit - and was cut using the matching large scalloped ovals nestability.

This is such an easy challenge - just be sure to add any Flower Soft product to be eligible for an awesome prize.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Beary Scrap's April Sketch

We have another great sketch for you at the Beary Scrap! I found a really cool technique using embossing powders and copics and wanted to try it out. It's the Copics Glimmer technique and was really fun and different. For my papers, I used Basic Grey's Curio. The stamps were from Tim Holtz. Also, I made the flower using Tim's Tattered Florals die from Sizzix.

We hope you will play along with us!

Challenges:
Copic Creations: your favorite copic technique
Crop Stop: Shine On

Friday, April 1, 2011

In Case you Missed it...


Scrapbook News and Review

May 2011 Call Descriptions

Deadline: April 12, 2011

Scrapbooking Strut Your Stuff

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Strut Your Stuff: In each issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, we spotlight scrapbook pages of any style and genre. We're currently looking for pages in traditional paper scrapbooking that feature a clearly defined style such as Clean and Simple, Dark and Industrial, Eclectic and Freestyle, Romance and Pretty Chic, Whimsical or Fantasy, and others just ripe for the picking.

Please Note: This is for paper scrapbookers only. There is a separate call for digital scrapbookers.


Scrapbooking

Father’s Day: While every day should be Father's Day, it’s wonderful to express our love and gratitude on our pages. Even though this call is named Father’s Day, we’re also looking for layouts that honor fathers or men in your lives who have taken on a mentoring or fatherly role in your life.

Masking/Other Tape: Whether as an accent or the base of a great technique, we’re looking for layouts that use masking and other tapes in fun, embellishing ways.

Military: In honor of the American holiday, Memorial Day, this call is all about layouts that either pay tribute and honor our fallen heroes or give our enlisted service men and women the props and credit they deserve!

One Word Titles - Imagine: One world really can speak volumes and in this new continuing series, we’ll feature a new word each month. This month, we want to see pages with “Imagine” on them. The topic/subject can be anything you like, but must pertain to the word of the month.

Pets: They’re the unsung heroes of our family and they need their moment in the limelight. Pages can be of any topic/subject, all that matters is that they reflect your cute little cuddly wuddlies. All pets are eligible, no matter how small or large.

Scrap Your Stash - Photo Corners & Photo Turns: Each month, we’ll dig deep into our collective stashes for a popular or once-trendy product. For this call, please only submit layout that feature photo corners and/or photo turns.

Sketch: Please create a layout of any subject or theme based on the following sketch:


Using Arrows on Your Layouts: It doesn’t matter how you get there – a punch, die-cuts, hand cut from cardstock or patterned paper or even your photos -- we want to see layouts featuring using arrows in some way or another.

Wedding: We want to see a variety of wedding layouts ranging from the traditional clean and elegant to eclectic and full of energy. If your photos were taken by a professional photographer, please make sure to give them credit.


Cards

Buttons: They’re a great way to liven up and add dimension to our cards. What’s your favorite way to use them? Send in your cards using buttons, and the more the merrier!

Father’s Day: While every day should be Father’s Day, it’s wonderful to express our love and gratitude on our cards. Even though this call is named Father’s Day, we’re also looking for cards that can be sent to the men in your lives who have taken on a mentoring or fatherly role in your life.

Flowers: You know the old adage: April showers bring May flowers, so why should be any different? Flowers are perfect for adding color, texture and a touch of something special and submissions including handmade flowers or unusual flower techniques will get extra special consideration.

Let’s Get Together/Have Lunch/Party: Who doesn’t love an invite to lunch or a party or just to hang out? Make someone’s day and make a card that extends an invitation to have a good time with someone you love.

Shapes – Arrows: Cards can either be shaped as an arrow or have arrows prominently displayed on them, but submissions must include an arrow on them and be the focal point of your card.

Sketch: Any theme will do. Just put your best foot forward by using the following sketch to create a card:


Strut Your Stuff: We're currently looking for cards and stamped projects that feature any topic or theme. The sky’s the limit on this one!

Wedding: Wedding season will soon be upon us and love is always a fabulous reason to celebrate. For this call, we’re looking for a variety of wedding themes including invitations, announcements, shower/party invites, congratulations and so on.

Stamping


Butterflies and Dragonflies: Nothing screams spring like butterflies and dragonflies, but we’re not looking just for spring themed cards. Get creative and show us how you use either or both of these elements in fun and funky ways.

Foreign Languages and Images: You can either use text from another language or a national landmark or a piece of art from a far flung country, just something isn’t your native tongue or local to you.

Rain and Weather Elements: Spring often ushers in a wide scope of weather conditions, but rainy days and notable elements such as clouds and wind are most on our radar. What will you do with them?

Strut Your Stuff: We're currently looking for cards and stamped projects that feature any topic or theme. The sky’s the limit on this one!

Stamping calls are not limited to just cards. You can submit stamping projects of any type.

Digital

Glitter and Bling: Make your pages sparkle and show us your digital or hybrid layouts that feature glitter or bling. Go on, distract us with something shiny!

Pieces and Parts: Forget the head shots and group portraits – change up your photo compositions by zooming in or creatively cropping to show those wonderful little details. From Grandma’s hands to sweet baby toes to the beautiful smile of a significant other, we want to see digital or hybrid layouts showcasing all those lovely pieces and parts.

Stitches: Great for attaching items, stitches are a fun way to add a finishing touch to your projects. Straight stitches, zigzags or messy stitching, we’re looking for digital or hybrid layouts with stitching – no sewing machine necessary!

Whimsical: Whimsical is defined as playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way. Characterized by artful extractions, fantastical scenes and realistic elements, whimsical layouts are certainly works of art. Show us your whimsical digital or hybrid layouts.



Digital Scrapbooking Strut Your Stuff


Digital Strut Your Stuff: In each issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, we spotlight scrapbook pages of any style and genre. We're currently looking for pages in digital scrapbooking that feature a clearly defined style such as Clean and Simple, Dark and Industrial, Eclectic and Freestyle, Romance and Pretty Chic, Whimsical or Fantasy, and others just ripe for the picking.

Please Note: This call is for digital scrapbookers only.


Mixed Media


Arches – Secret Garden:Let’s take a stroll through the garden. What hidden treasures will we find? Come share your secrets with us!

Artist Trading Cards – Poetry: For this call, all submissions must include poetry as the focal theme, but can be on any theme or subject.

Artist Trading Cards – Strut Your Stuff: Grab your 15 minutes of fame and can send in ATC’s featuring any theme, style or color scheme.

Inchies – Canvas: The possibilities are endless with canvas as the background. You can use canvas in any fashion and with any theme or color scheme, but your inchies must be ON canvas.

Altered Art – Strut Your Stuff: We’re trying something new this month. If you enjoy working on altered art projects, then now is your time to shine. Please send in altered art pieces featuring any theme, subject or style. Just get crafty with it!

Mini Albums – Strut Your Stuff: The rules are the same as with the altered art call. Anything goes!

Please Note: All mixed media calls are for artists of all styles and categories including traditional paper, hybrid or digital.


Using Your Cricut

Cartridge – Songbird: Create projects of any kind or style that predominately features cut-outs from the Songbird cartridge.

Lovely Letters: Submit projects that feature letters and sentiments cut using the Cricut machine.