Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Timeless Tuesday!


It's time for another Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday challenge...and this week we're using real or faux stitching on our projects.  I used straight and zig-zag machine stitching on mine.

This fuchsia image from Old Fashioned Florals makes me smile!  My mom had a beautiful hanging basket of these gorgeous blossoms when I was a teen.  The flowers are small, but their colors are so vibrant!

I wanted this card to be bright, frilly, and girlie since it will be going to my mother-in-law who recently fell and fractured her shoulder.  My heart goes out to her...since I injured my leg about six weeks ago, I know very well how difficult it is to keep up with normal everyday life when your body is broken.  This month has gone by in a blur of doctor, chiropractor, and physical therapy visits.  I am struggling to "get all of my plates spinning" again, and am still trying to get used to a "new normal" when it comes to  food and two more months of this elimination diet!  Thankfully it is getting easier every day!

Notes:
Flourishes card stock
Old Fashioned Florals
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Spellbinders classic scallop edgeabilities
May Arts ribbon and tulle trim
American Crafts button
hemp twine
rhinestones

Visit the Flourishes blog and the design team to see their Timeless Tuesday creations!  And before you go...I'd like to thank you for all of your visits and comments during my guest design time!  It has been a blessing and a pleasure!  I am sad that the time passed so quickly!




Monday, March 25, 2013

GRS Color Challenge!


I absolutely LOVE the palette that the Gourmet Rubber Stamps team was given for this month's color challenge!  Such soft beautiful greens, heralding Spring and bringing a quiet calmness of spirit.

I chose to stamp a neutral rendition of "Bluejay," an image from our Laura Hunter series, onto a scrap of designer paper, tinting it subtly with alcohol markers and a few smudges of distress and chalk inks.

Notes:
GRS Laura Hunter Bluejay
Authentique "Grace" designer paper
paper scrap from stash
Memento Espresso Truffle ink
Spectrum Noir warm gray markers
Ranger Frayed Burlap distress ink
Clearsnap chalk Queue ink
crochet lace trim
Zva pearls
natural hemp twine cord
button from stash

Visit the GRS blog and our design team to see creations for today's challenge!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

ihp DT challenge


It's time for our i {heart} papers design team challenge.  This one is quite bittersweet, because we've been doing challenges from the very beginning, and this is our last one!  I thought it would be appropriate for the team to pick their favorites (you'll find the list of them at the bottom of this post).  Mine is actually a combination of several of my favorites from the list...I really LOVE this My Mind's Eye designer paper, so I combined the December 2009 MME challenge with 2010's March reduce/re-use/recycle challenge.  I reused some old wooden spools (inspired by these)...even the little spiral pins were reused from another project.  This is also today's Paper Craft Planet 3-D challenge.  I hope you'll join me!

Notes:
Flourishes' Just My Type stamp set
May Arts sheer ruffle trim
buttons
dressmaker pins
circle die

Take a peek at what the rest of the team chose for their favorites!
And here's the list.  In the beginning, we didn't use keywords, so some of the early ones don't have links.

2008
  • December--Christmas thank you
2009
  • January--Valentines for "other-than-sweethearts"
  • February--Christmas Paper NOT for Christmas
  • March--Sketch Challenge
  • April--Going Askew
  • May--Stampin' Out Alzheimers
  • June--Bling it On!
  • July--wide ribbon
  • August--ABC's and 123's
  • September--large-scaled prints
  • October--1st Birthday Bash (multiple challenges)
  • November--Sketch
  • December--My Mind's Eye
2010
  • January--case calendars
  • February--Best Creations shamrock paper
  • March--Green (reuse/recycle)
  • April--flowers
  • May--CASEing Kimberly Crawford
  • June--Getting Krafty
  • July--From the Stash (to make room for new stuff from CHA!)
  • August--Get Organized (stuff "from the office")
  • September--Treats and Tablescapes
  • October--Birthday Bash
  • November--Lights All Aglow
  • December--Fashion-inspired
2011
  • January--Candy Shop photo inspiration
  • February--inspired by a story
  • March--Anything Goes (new product from JanCHA)
  • April--ihp exclusive stamps
  • May--technique-color blocking
  • June--sensational summer
  • July--inspiration-favorite charity logo
  • August--beat the heat (cool colors)
  • September--Anything Goes (new product from July CHA)
  • October--Tsukineko Fireworks
  • November--SRM Calendars
  • December--Market Street Stamps
2012
2013
  • January--Design Seeds Color Inspiration Challenge
  • February--Spectrum Noir markers with 12 x 12 Collection Packs
  • March--Today's Pick Your Fav

Rejoice!


It's Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday!  This week's challenge is "Spring!" I am happy that Spring will officially start in just a few days!  There are things that I love about each and every season...in Spring, it's the brilliant array of colors, the bright greens of new growth, the sweet fragrances of emerging blossoms, and the sights and sounds of new life, especially at Easter with its theme of renewal and resurrection.  Flourishes' set, Easter Wishes, captures the very essence of Spring and Easter.

Find more inspiration on the Flourishes blog, and be sure to visit the Flourishes design team:
Notes:
Easter Wishes
Classic Ivory card stock
My Mind's Eye designer paper
Memento Tuxedo Black ink
Copic markers
Spellbinders Fancy Labels 3 die (cut in half)
ruffle trim 
bling

Friday, March 15, 2013

Have a Ball!


Gourmet Rubber Stamps is releasing two brand new sets today! This one is called "Have a Ball!"  With an orange basketball, I couldn't resist going for a bold orange, black, gray and white, high-contrast card!  Orange and black were our high school colors!

I used a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the numbers, then brayered Memento London Fog ink over them.  The basketball stamp was inked with (Clearsnap Cat's Eye Jelly Bean Queue) Marigold and then around the edges with Orange and stamped on white card stock.  I used a die template made with copy paper to perfectly align a circle die over the stamped image before running it through the machine.

Visit the GRS blog and my design team mates to see more great cards made with this set and with our other new set, "Magical Birthday!"

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Tea For Two!


Here's a very quick and easy project that uses Gourmet Rubber Stamps images, a single 6 x 6 sheet of paper, a few card stock scraps for a focal point, and whatever embellishments you like.  You'll find step-by-step photos on the GRS blog.  

The inspiration for this project came from Studio M.

Notes:
Authentique's Spring designer paper
Clearsnap ink
Spellbinders oval dies and labels dies
crop-a-dile
satin-edged grosgrain ribbon
Spring Bloom hemp twine
button
pearls

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Subtle, Yet Glorious Green!


It's time for another Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday challenge, and this week we're using green.

Usually I begin a card by choosing card stock and coordinating patterned papers, but the starting point for this one was that lovely deep, dark olive green sheer ribbon.  It harmonizes so beautifully with a trio of prints from My Mind's Eye Unforgettable, whose colors were perfectly suited for this particular image from Windows to the World.  The layout is one from Flourishes' "layouts we love" Pinterest page.

Visit the Flourishes blog for all the challenge details and for more inspiration!

Notes:
Windows to the World
Memento Espresso Truffle ink
Frayed Burlap distress ink
Copic markers
My Mind's Eye Unforgettable designer paper
sheer satin, scalloped edge ribbon
pearls

Monday, March 11, 2013

Keep Calm and Pray on!


Here's a new set from The {Stamps} of Life, calm2keep!

So many of my friends are struggling with life issues lately!  One had bilateral mastectomies and is undergoing chemotherapy, two others recently lost their husbands, and another dislocated her kneecap during a yoga class, which is a huge challenge with a two year old to care for.  

When circumstances are overwhelming, "keep calm and pray on" is a perfect admonition!  Sometimes when we're in the thick of things, we need a reminder!  Something simple and straight to the point!  

Take a peek at the gallery to see more calm2keep cards and the other words of encouragement that are a part of this versatile set! 

Notes:
matching Majestic Labels die
Clearsnap ink
Premium dye sprays by Colorbox and Stephanie Barnard
Authentique Spring designer paper
paper flowers

Sunday, March 10, 2013

GRS Sketch


Today, the Gourmet Rubber Stamps team is playing a sketch challenge...it is a simple, straight-forward sketch which is absolutely perfect for our newly released Laura Hunter series stamps.  This one is called Paris.  The sentiment at the bottom is from Vintage Verses.

Back in the early 90's, Patrick was deployed to the Mediterranean, and when the ship pulled into Marseilles, I met him there and we took the bullet train to Paris.  What an amazing, romantic trip it was!  We stayed in a tiny hotel near the Louvre, and had coffee in a small cafe` near the Eiffel Tower.  We toured the Opera and spent some time shopping in the fashion district, where I bought a snazzy pair of spectator pumps...they're what inspired the use of this pretty striped ribbon from May Arts ("aged" with Glimmer Mist), the dressmaker pens, spool button, and thread.

Visit the GRS blog to see sneaks of what my design team mates have created!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday!


Hello friends!  I'm so excited to share the news that I am guest designing for Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday Challenges for the month of March!  This week's challenge is Embossed Corrugate - Use Real or Faux Corrugate on your project.

It's been "really cold" in Florida this week, which doesn't happen all that often (and yes, I know, "really cold" is relative!)...when the cold weather comes (even though the flowers are blooming and it's nearly Easter), it puts me in the mood to make wintry cards.  This one is a nearly monochromatic Christmas card, with the exception of some soft, coral-red holly berries.  The image was stamped with Memento ink, colored with Copic markers, and framed with a soft sponging of distress ink.

The corrugated paper was more kraft-colored than my designer paper, so I inked its ridges with Memento ink, then finger-painted it with ivory acrylic paint and spritzed it with some pewter shimmer spray to help it harmonize with the other colors.  That gave it the Winter White look I was hoping for.

Visit the Flourishes blog for more inspiration and details regarding the challenge.

Notes:
Flourishes Doves and Holly stamp
Flourishes Classic Ivory card stock
My Mind's Eye Unforgettable designer paper
corrugated paper
ivory acrylic paint
pewter shimmer spray
Memento ink
Copic markers
Tim Holtz Frayed Burlap distress ink
Spellbinders' classic ovals dies
sheer ribbon
velvet ribbon
Prima flower
sewing machine