Banana Split Sunday!

Friday night was graduation for our local high school. Our LSS carries customized scrapbook paper in their colors of green and gold, so I decided to make a card in honor of the occasion. My young friend and graduating senior Seth had the honor of singing the Star Spangled Banner at the ceremony! We are all so proud of him!

This card is also for today's Banana Split Challenge from 2RedBananas, to use ribbon. I decided to stamp this fun frog from So Proud as an *out-of-the-box* image and I love how the striped paper behind it helps accent the different colors of the cap AND tassel.

Guys typically don't like lots of frou frou on their cards, so I kept this one very clean and gave it only some paper piercing and a ribbon-tied diploma as embellishments. (Actually, I tried to add some buttons or bling, but they just didn't work!) I stamped the word ConGRADulations, from another set, Mr. Frog Grad, onto a small piece of copy paper before rolling, tying it and attaching it with gluedots. I thought that was a fun way to incorporate ribbon onto an otherwise masculine card. Simple and straightforward, but I hope you like it!

Check out the Banana Blog to see more designs for this week's *tied up with ribbon* challenge. Play along to have a chance to win an assortment of ribbon from the 2RB store! Just be sure to enter your card using Mr. Linky so we know how to find you!

Again, congratulations to all of our Fleming Island High School 2009 graduates! We are indeed proud of you!

Sweet 'n Sassy Blog Hop!

Welcome, Sweet 'n Sassy blog hoppers! (If you're here for Joy's www.surprise birthday party, scroll down to the next post!) I am sure you've been having a marvelous time and that you've gotten lots of inspiration! I am always amazed at all of the gorgeous creations our SNS girls come up with! If you are starting here, you'll want to check out the blog schedule on the sidebar so you can go back to the beginning and not miss a thing!

Owl Occasions is such a cute set! I knew immediately that I wanted to pair this image with Basic Grey's Porcelain designer paper, one of my favorites! (Pink is one of my favorite colors, especially when paired with brown!) I love the tea-stained appearance of this paper and its vintage appeal...it looks great as it is, but it is still fun to age the edges a bit more with some Tim Holtz distress ink. I stamped Olivia twice, once on ivory cardstock and again on the print so I could paper-piece her belly. I colored her with prismas and gamsol, then stamped her a third time on brown card stock so that I could give her a pair of false eyelashes...I curled them with my fingers and then gave them a coating of At-You Spica gold *mascara* to give them a bit of sparkle. I used my nesties to cut and emboss the center panel, along with a brown polkadot mat, arranging layers according to our Sweet Stop sketch for this week. A few pearls and a little ribbon complete my card. My mom loves owls...I bet she is gonna think this one is really adorable!

From here, you'll be heading over to Deedee's. I hope you will visit my blog again soon! Have fun!

Happy Birthday Joy!

Happy Birthday Joy! How about a little Kona Surprise?

Is this little guy the cutest surfer ever?! He is an OCL exclusive release available tomorrow at eclectic Paperie. I just adore him! Coloring this image was a blast! I absolutely love how he turned out!

I used my prismas and gamsol to layer in colors to mimic those in this yummy surfboard designer paper. I added some sponged clouds using a scalloped circle as a mask, then added a horizon line and a few waves which were accented with whitecaps using a white gel pen. I cut out the sentiment with a nestabilities label and sponged it the same way I did the sky while it remained in the die.

The only thing really difficult about this card was trying to keep those cool surfboards visible in the layout! I just didn't want to cover them up!

Joy, I hope you have a fabulous birthday...spend it with the ones you love doing the things you enjoy most! May wonderful birthday blessings be yours all year through!

There are lots of guests at Joy's www.surprise party! Visit Cami's blog to find lots of links to see more of this fun set! They'll be popping up throughout the day on SCS too, under the keyword epkona.

DRS ConGRADulations!

I have two posts today, so make sure to check them both out!

I have been playing all weekend with new rubber from DRS...I can hardly wait to reveal the new release, but for now I am sharing some of the cards I have made using stamps from the current catalog. This graduation stamp is new to me, and it arrived just in time, so I paired it with a couple of backgrounders that were sent to me last month. I really like how these turned out.

I love the thought expressed in this sentiment stamp, so I decided to frame it with a never-ending design and to include a butterfly as a symbol of new beginnings. I love this color combo nearly as much as I loved River Rock and Black! I stamped with Palette Noir ink, then misted over it with a Spritzer and a Creamy Caramel marker. All of the edges are inked with Tim Holtz distress ink in tea-dye.

I decided to try out a flip-flop card (Beate's tutorial on SCS) using the dots background in the same color scheme...this design is great because it uses less than half a sheet of cardstock for the card base! It is a nice single layer design, and a gift card fits perfectly on the back, a wonderful surprise as the sentiment flips from front to back. What grad doesn't LOVE getting a little extra spending money?!

Today's cards are also currently posted on the DRS blog...my post is a follow-up post to my friend Dawn's post yesterday, which featured some great information about getting nice, dark impressions when using solid stamps. Dawn and I would LOVE it if you would visit the DRS blog and comment on our cards there!

Color Dare #18

I had the hardest time coming up with an idea for this week's Color Dare card--the colors are So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Lavendar Lace and REAL RED! I mulled it over for over two weeks, then finally decided to try watercoloring this sailboat from OCL's new set, Coastal Wishes, available at i {heart} papers.

When I was finished with the image, it reminded me of something a young man would dream of as he looked forward to retiring, so I decided to make it look like a framed painting on an office wall. I'm not sure I really pulled that off, but it is what it is!

Visit the Color Dare blog to see what the rest of our team created with this challenging color combo!

Be sure to check out Sweet 'n Sassy's blog hop too...it starts today and continues through Friday. The schedule is posted at the top on the right sidebar.

More Stampin' Out Alzheimer's

Have you already checked out the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's website? The website is active now and there's a lot going on!

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps is offering a free digital stamp in honor of the event, and issuing a sketch challenge to go along with it.



Before coloring my forget-me-nots, I needed to look up an image online. Here's what I found...so delicate and beautiful!

I colored my image with Copic markers, using two shades of yellow and two of blue. I went back with the blender pen to achieve a paler blue on the petals, then added the stems with two shades of green. I colored over only the flowers with an embossing pen, then added a half-and-half mixture of clear embossing powder and dazzling diamonds to make them glisten.

My card is made using Stampin' Up designer paper, cardstock and ribbon. The little primas started out white...I soaked them in blender solution, tapped them with color, then added some little gold beads to the centers.

I would like to encourage you to visit the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's site and participate in as many challenges as you can! Help get the word out that there is something that can be done to help the cause...you might even win a prize in the process!

Stampin' Out Alzheimer's

Today is the beginning of Stampin' Out Alzheimer's, and our ihp team is issuing a challenge to promote this great cause...the challenge is to use Flower Soft or another medium to texturize a flower, which will be the focal point for your card. You can use Flower Soft, flock, glitter or anything which adds texture to your stamped flower, Prima, fabric flower or whatever kind of flower you choose to use.

For my card, I stamped the bouquet from Flowers for You. The flowers were colored with Copic markers. I added Sweet Pea Flower Soft and glitter to the stems and popped up a few of the blossoms to add some dimension along with the texture and sparkle. The base of the card is Pink Pirouette cardstock topped with a mat of gold glimmer vellum and diagonally trimmed panels of printed papers from Basic Grey's Sugared 6 x 6 pad. I layered 1 inch sheer heart edged pink ribbon and light pink velvet ric rac, then topped them with a small bow of 1/4 inch pink glimmer ribbon. I love how the lines of this design really lead your eye from one element to the other.

If you'd like to play along, make a donation to SOA, and then once you've created your masterpiece, upload it to your photos there and tag it with IHPSOA so we can find it and add it our Challenge album. This will also enter you into the drawing for our Challenge prize.

i {heart} papers is donating a Flower Soft assortment of goodies valued at over $30! Everyone who enters the challenge is eligible - the winner will be chosen at random.

Additionally all SOA participants are invited to use an exclusive 10% off coupon through May 31 (see ad for code) in our store off all items, including new and on sale items. And, as always free US shipping on orders $40 and over!

Banana Split Sunday!

April showers bring May flowers...as much as it has been raining in Florida this week, we should have lots of beautiful blooms in the coming months! Today's Banana Split Sunday Challenge from 2RedBananas is *May Flowers*...to use flowers on your project.

The pose this fun Tickled Pink Flamingo is in reminds me of my cheerleading days...anybody remember doing Herkey's (who knows if I spelled that correctly!)? That was my favorite jump to do! It also reminds me of my brothers imitating one of the Beatles... growing up, we were BIG Beatles' fans! I guess I'm really dating myself now!

I stamped the flamingo using Memento Rich Cocoa ink, then colored from background to foreground using prismas and gamsol. I cut and embossed the circle with a nestabilities die, and the sentiment with a nestabilities label. The square card base features two Imaginisce prints and a few blossoms as accents with a little bit of pink ribbon and bling just for fun.

I will be tickled pink if the sun starts shining anytime soon! It would be nice to have a dry Memorial Day! BIG thanks to all of our past and present military men and women and their families! We appreciate you and all the freedoms you secure for us! We know what a sacrifice it is to serve! Our family is a military family...dh retired from USN in December 2007 after 26+ years.

Did you know that 5.3 MILLION people die of Alzheimer’s disease each year in the US?

Beginning May 25th and running through the 31st, PCP will be hosting a fast-paced, fun-filled week with amazing giveaways and a chance to reach out and make a difference for a very worthwhile cause. At the end of this event, 100% of the funds raised will be donated directly to the Alzheimer's Association to help with their efforts to provide and enhance care and support for all those affected by this heartbreaking disease.

Please click on the widget to donate...just $5 will give you exclusive access to the SOA event. This amazing papercrafting extravaganza includes over 40 generous sponsors, challenges for just about any type of papercrafter, hundreds of dollars in prizes, and a beautiful online community.

I'll be posting challenges from i {heart} papers and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps next week, so be sure to visit again for your chance to win some fabulous prizes. Let's all help make a difference!

Somebody Send the Ark!

OMGoodness! It has been raining for four days straight! It did stop for a tiny while during the wee hours of the morning, but it is pouring again!

I'm not too good with days of rain on end! The grey weather drains my energy! I needed some bright happy colors to revitalize the dreary atmosphere around here! Just ducky for me, I had these little rain boots from OCL's Ducky Days already stamped and colored...I started them for this week's SCS color challenge and then got side-tracked. Wooohoooo when Julia's WT challenge called for stamping one image repeatedly! Ooooh, works for me!

I kept this one very clean and simple! Memento ink, Copics to color, a tiny bit of shading with a blender pen and light grey. I used my SU markers to give the word *rainbow* a rainbow of colors. (Isn't it kinda cool that the word has the perfect number of letters to fit ROY-G-BIV!?)

I certainly hope we get enough sunshine today to make a rainbow a possibility!

Color Dare 17

This week's Color Dare colors--Pink Pirouette, Elegant Eggplant, Kiwi Kiss, Regal Rose--immediately brought this beautiful Basic Grey Eva designer paper to mind, and this bouquet from the OCL set, Flowers for You, is the perfect image to go with it!

I made this card during my stay in Louisiana...my new friend Joyce invited me to her home, prepared a delicious lunch, and kept me company as I stamped and shuffled paper the way I usually do! She was such a sweetheart, and it was so much fun! She even let me break in her new Big Shot with my nesties! Thank you Joyce! Thinking of you!

I started with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Then I colored in the soft gold background, adding colors with prisma color pencils in layers from back to front, blending with gamsol.

I started my layout with a Mojo sketch, although I ended up straying from an exact interpretation. I matted the image with several layers of cardstock, using scalloped and smooth edged oval nesties. All of the edges were *aged* with Tim Holtz distress ink. This beautiful reversible champagne/moss satin ribbon was the perfect finish...I LOVE this ribbon and plan to order more! Kate just added a lot more gorgeous ribbon to the i {heart} papers store, so there is plenty to choose from!

Visit Riley's blog to see the rest of our team's creations...their links are also on the sidebar if you would like the specifics of how their cards were made!

SNS Sweet Stop Sketch

Today's card features a cute l'il frog from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. It has been raining for two days straight (I'm not complaining...we need it!) and yesterday when Matthew and I were leaving the hospital after visiting a friend (hi Dana!), we saw a teeeeeny tiny frog hopping across the sidewalk. He was literally the size of my pinky fingernail. So adorable!

I thought this Basic Grey Archaic print would go well with his dotty skin, and the soft blue from the same dp pack would work for a sky-like background. I stamped my images using Memento Rich Cocoa ink, then colored with prismas and gamsol, cutting out some duplicates to pop up on dimensionals. The cattails I coated with Fun Flock, and the wings of the dragonflies were glittered with a Copic At You Spica clear pen. All of the paper edges were heavily distressed with Tim Holtz Distress Ink.

This layout is Sweet Stop Sketch SS04. You have until Saturday to play along! There's more inspiration from our other designers, so be sure to visit The Sweet Stop to get the mojo flowing!

DRS Challenge--Flap Card

Cards with special folds always intrigue me and I especially enjoy making them. I made this card for a fun DRS challenge to make a flap card. Split Coast Stampers has a great tutorial on how to make these. I altered the pattern just a bit for mine to make it my own. I hope you like how it turned out!

I used DCWV Safari Chic Stripes to give this card some jungle appeal...the colors were just perfect for the stamp I wanted to use. I just couldn't resist this cool medallion for the front! My mom LOVES elephants, so I guess I'm naturally drawn to them too!

I love the surprise of finding this cute monkey inside! He is one of my favorites from the first set of stamps that I received from DRS. He was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with prismas and gamsol. One of the things I love about him is that he is so versatile! You can dress him up, as I have in this card, perfect for an adult...or he would be equally at home with more child-like designer papers for a more whimsical appeal to a younger audience. I've had alot of fun with him and I know he will see alot more ink in the near future!

Visit the DRS Designs blog to see what our other designers have made for this flap card challenge, and then design your own...we would love to see what you come up with!

Banana Split Sunday!

Another sneak peek from 2RedBananas for 2RB Banana Split Sunday. My card follows the sketch for today's challenge, and previews two of Abbey Westemeyer's new sets, Party Bees, and Sweetie (sentiment only). The colors were partially inspired by an earlier SCS color challenge that I didn't get to play. You know....life happens!

The bees and flowers were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock, colored with prismas and blended with gamsol. The bees' wings were given a little glimmer with a Copic At You Spica clear gel pen. I cut an oval from The Paper Studio black gingham, added a mat of Summer Sun, and mounted all the images with dimensionals. Using a white gel pen I added a few accents to the edges of the rectangular Tangerine Tango cardstock mat. I used a Stampin' Up scalloped edge punch to bring a bit more white into the design to balance the colors and add some interest.I added some bling to the flower centers, and under the sentiment, which was stamped with craft ink onto the black cardstock base.

Be sure to check out the great designs and sneak peeks that our other 2RB artists have prepared for you! Their links are to the right in the sidebar.

Ducky Days!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! I have been stamping up a storm, working with some new rubber! Since I've been back from Louisiana my creations have been kinda *hit and miss* (fickle mojo!) but this is a card that just made me happy! I love these bright, fun colors, and this delightful image! Kinda makes you wanna go run through the puddles, doesn't it?!

I am finally getting a large enough collection of Copic markers to actually try to color an entire image, and I had the best time playing with Copic colors on this duck, from Our Craft Lounge's set Ducky Days from i {heart} papers. Sassafras Lass's Bungle Dots designer paper inspired my color choices, and I am pleased with the high and low-lights that I ended up with. I have a tendency to over-blend...it takes a bit of restraint to step back and say *all done!* I used a multiliner to line and dot the edges of the focal image and sentiment. The only embellishments are a few other images from the set, trimmed and popped up on dimensionals. I hope you like it!

I am still working on a few more VSN cards, so maybe I'll see you later!

VSN meets 2RB

I have a love-hate relationship with VSN! It is a huge challenge for me to finish a card in 45 minutes. Quick, but not dull and boring...that's the dilemma! My first VSN I wanted to throw away most of my cards. I really do think it helps my creativity to just jump right in and play along. Experience and practice should continually make things a little better! I'm hopefully improving at stamping under pressure, so that even under every-day circumstances when I'm short on time, I can come up with something I would be proud to send.

When I saw last night's challenge for a non-traditional wedding card, there was NO question which set to use! I recently received some new sets from 2RedBananas, and this blushing flamingo bride was among them! She is just perfect for this challenge! I stamped her using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colored her with prismas and gamsol, then gave her veil, bodice and shoes a little dusting of pink Sparkly Fluff. If I had a few black jewels, I would add them under the sentiment...a layered bow of satin and organza with a bright button accent and voila`! She is ready to go to the Vegas chapel to marry her groom.

This little tent topper would be just the right size to tuck in a little giftcard for the new couple to take on their honeymoon. I think it would also make a fun funky card to include with something slinky and sexy for a close girlfriend too! Bet that would bring lots of laughs!

Life's a Beach

Hey! I got to play today's challenge! Here's a card full of beach images, with no additional embellishments, and limited layers. It uses Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' sets Spring Scenes, Summer Fun, and Summer Sentiments, and was made using prismas and gamsol. The sky was sponged on using a scalloped circle as a mask.

I'm hoping to play some VSN this weekend. I took a peek at tonight's challenges and will think on them until tomorrow morning and hopefully finish before the rest of the challenges are posted throughout the afternoon. I'm not that great at 45 minute cards, but it's good practice!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Sweet 'n Sassy DT Round-up

It's the 15th, and that means Sweet 'n Sassy's Design Team Round-up. I found this adorable caterpillar paper at The Woven Heart when we were in Louisiana and that was the inspiration for this particular card. Immediately when I saw it, it made me think of some of our recently released digi-stamps, so I decided to try my hand at them.

I've only *stamped* a few digi images, and I have found that they're a lot of fun! Best thing of all is that you can resize them to be as large or small as you like, and you can arrange images in different combinations. Endless options!

For this card I printed two of the Mushroom With a View images, colored them with prismas and gamsol, and then cut out the duplicate mushroom caps and popped them up on dimensionals. I used several different greens, oranges, and reds to get a rich glow. Love this bright color combo!

For the inside, I printed the sentiment and caterpillar from Inching Along in opposite corners on a 5-inch square of white cardstock. The graphics program I use, PhotoImpact, makes that easy to set up and print. Then I colored with prismas and gamsol, adding a faint shadow with a cool gray copic marker and blender pen.

This particular image just makes me smile, because it reminds me of when Matthew was itty bitty...he loved Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. That was SO long ago, and he has grown up so much...but he still LOVES to read! Teaching him to read was one of the greatest joys of my life!

2RedBananas' Week of Peeks!

I have a combo card for you today...it's Color Dare 16 and sneak peek time for new sets from 2RedBananas! Isn't she a beauty?!

This week's colors are Sage Shadow, Rose Red, and So Saffron. Since this stamp, Flourish in Thought from 2RedBananas, illustrated by Jami Bova (along with lots of others) just arrived on Saturday, I wanted to ink her up right away, and these colors seemed like the perfect opportunity! I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black, then colored her with prismas and gamsol (this seems to be the medium of choice lately)...then, after cutting the image out with my nestabilities and Cuttlebug, I embossed the whole thing with a half-and-half combo of clear EP and Dazzling Diamonds. The edges of the card stock are inked with their corresponding colors, and pierced in different patterns to add some texture to an otherwise simple card base. I gave her wings lots of bling, and added more to the layout for good measure. This is just one of those cards that a picture doesn't do justice. She makes me think of the ministering angels that I know are there, invisible and yet as real as anything that I can see...and I'm grateful!

Banana Split Sunday!

Today's 2RedBananas Banana Split Sunday Challenge is to use glitter...any kind of glitter...on your card! Isn't it appropriate, since I've just gotten back from Louisiana, to ink up Cajun Chicken in all his Mardi Gras finery and really glitz him up?! As much as I loved being there, I'm glad to be home. I took a few days off to rest and relax after the trip (and the bumpiest flight I've ever experienced), but I'm now working on getting back into the groove! Hopefully I haven't lost my Mojo!

I started out stamping Cajun Chicken with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored him with prismas and gamsol, then went over the top with a two-way glue pen and some loose glitter. I popped his nose and mask up, then the mask again over the top of that, covering everything with glitter and edging the mask with stickles. I gave his beads a coat of stickles too, in traditional Mardi Gras colors (purple for royalty, green for faith...I didn't give him gold beads because they would not show up well against his sparkly gold feathers, but gold is for wealth/power). I used some Studio G numbers stamps to stamp the clock face around him using Elegant Eggplant ink (The clock is not my original idea...Jami, I'm pretty sure you stamped one this way but I couldn't find it to link to it!).

I kept the sparkle going with the card stock too! This pearly green, gold vellum and dark purple were left over from some Epiphany cards I made a long time ago. I dragged out an old fleur de lis corner punch along with a Spellbinders' die to bring in more symbols of my Louisiana heritage.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you! I hope you get to spend it with people you love doing things you enjoy! Maybe that would include a trip over to the Banana Blog to check out the team's cards and enter one of your own! One lucky winner will get her choice of one container of glitter, so get busy! I know you would love to win a little sparkle!

Heading Home!

We have had a wonderful stay in Louisiana...I'm so glad that we were able to be here during the time immediately after Dad's hospital stay. I know it was helpful for him to have his own live-in physical therapist/personal trainer during these early days after total knee surgery, and I hope that he will be able to continue his exercises and build on the progress he's made so far! He will have to be diligent and stay motivated because this kind of rehab is a long-term thing.

We're on our way to Lafayette to catch our flight to Jacksonville through Atlanta...so we're praying for traveling mercies as we go! Please say a prayer for my parents too! I'm worried about Mom being here by herself to take care of everything!

Next post will be from Florida! Blessings!

Sweet 'n Sassy CPS Sketch

I love a great sketch to jump-start a card because I am admittedly sketch challenged! Today's sketch at Card Positioning Systems, sponsored by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, was a fun one! I love circles, and this layout worked perfectly to feature a cozy teapot and a row of teabags in colors coordinating with Basic Grey's beautiful Rosenthal and Chantilly designer papers from the Porcelain collection. I have been hoarding these lovelies for a while and finally got brave enough to cut into them!

The images, from Sweet 'n Sassy's set Warm Up, were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, and colored with prismas and gamsol. The steam was colored with a Copic marker. All of the edges were inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink. If I could have, I would have given the teapot a little scalloped nestabilities border, but we're still away from home without a Cuttlebug, so that wasn't an option. Since the pattern is busy, I kept embellishments clean and simple with only a strip of stitched ribbon and a bow.

Color Dare 15!

I had the best time stamping Color Dare 15! This week's colors are Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, and Summer Sun! I just had to stamp Hawaiian Chicken enjoying the waves and a beautiful aloha sunset!

This was one of those cards that really came together fast! A rare occasion for me! The idea was immediately, clearly in my head and the execution of it was a little time consuming but quite easy.

First I colored sunset shades onto a piece of white cardstock, and blended with gamsol. I stamped and colored the surfer chicken the same way. For his surf board I colored in some stripes, then added a little definition with a white gelpen. I cut strips of Pacific Point with my mom's scallop edged scissors, and tipped them with some sea foam using white tube acrylic paint. This was only because I didn't bring my white craft ink with me, but I really like the texture of the paint...it is sheer in some spots and opaque and shiny in others and really did give the illusion of whitecaps spilling over.

I hope you like my card! Visit the Color Dare blog to see our DT's designs and then be sure to link yours there so we can see it! Riley is looking for additions to our design team...it might be you!

We Have a Winner!

Betty aka ZacksNana said...
Your card is wonderful! Love that kissing Sun in the Shades!!!!
May 2, 2009 12:00 AM

Warm congratulations, Betty!

Another DRS Cutie Pie!

I told you several posts ago that this sweet DRS Cutie Pie Kid instantly became my favorite, so you may be seeing alot of her! ;)

For this card, I stamped my Cutie Pie twice using Palette Noir ink, then colored her with bold colored prismas and gamsol. This has become my favorite technique as of late simply out of practicality. For a while I was busy with chaffeuring Matthew to and from play practice and then to and from his music lessons and testing. When that was over we flew over to Louisiana to help take care of my dad after his total knee replacement (we're loving Louisiana but kinda missing Florida too!). Prismas are a lot simpler to travel with than a whole bunch of ink colors! I brought along my prismas and SU markers, my *In* color ink pads and some Copics, thinking that would give me the broadest range of inks in the smallest amount of luggage space! So far it is working out great!

I would like to share another of my favorite techniques...adding dimension by popping up portions of the design (aka paper tole). It really adds alot of depth and makes a card look extra special! After coloring my two images, I cut out her skirt and balloon and adhered them with dimensionals on one edge only. For her skirt, the dimensionals are along the bottom, and the top edge is adhered with mono multi so that it looks flared the way an A-line skirt would be IRL. The balloon is the opposite, adhered with mono multi at the bottom and with dimensionals at the top.

The card was constructed using Paper Company Studio Celebration Dotted Stripe and Bright Stripe to bring out the colors of the image. I sponged the cut edges of the paper with white craft ink so that they matched the corners which appeared inked already. The mat was cut and embossed using scalloped rectangle nestabilities. (I actually made this card before leaving home, and I'll tell you now, it is my Cuttlebug and nestabilities that I miss the most!)

I really LOVE this paper and liked the way this combination came together. My birthday is just a few days before July 4th, and those of you with birthdays near any holiday know how the birthday festivities are sometimes swallowed up by all of the holiday celebrating. This card has just enough of a patriotic feel but not so much that it is overwhelming. Hehehe...I may just have to send one to myself! It's that big red dotted swiss bow that I really love!

Banana Split Sunday!

It's Banana Split Sunday at 2RedBananas, and today's challenge is *Pick a Color, Any Color*, which is to make a mono-chromatic card. I am glad that I brought a few scraps of this For Peep's Sake designer paper with me to Louisiana so that I could diaper this little cutie in a little gold plaid and color him up for a sweet baby card that would work for either a boy or a girl...what do you think?!

Between the lighting for the photo and the software used to edit it, the colors here (and the perspective!) are slightly off. The card base is actually SU's Barely Banana (perfect for our challenge, wouldn't you say?!) along with More Mustard and Summer Sun. I used some prismas and gamsol to color the wee chick, to shade the edges of the designer paper and his diaper. I shaded around him with a cool gray Copic marker and blender pen.

The white scalloped accent at the bottom of the card really helped to balance the white of the focal image, and that gingham ribbon was a perfect match. The prima also had the exact same colors...I added a smaller gold flower to the center, using a jewel-topped brad to fasten them together. A little mono adhesive around the edges of the brad helped the smaller flower's petals stay tight around the center.

Be sure to visit the Banana Blog for more inspiration! We would love if you would play along with us and upload your link to the Banana Blog's Mr. Linky!

More OCL

Several weeks ago I won a sketch challenge at Our Craft Lounge, and Granny's Support Team is the set I received as a prize...I love Granny and can't wait to try some of the new Granny sets that are soon to be released! If you haven't seen 'em, you have GOT to scroll down and make the rounds on the OCL blog hop that started yesterday! They are fabulous! Before you leave, be sure to enter the OCL blog candy drawing for the set I previewed, Sunkissed, that will remain open until Monday morning!

I actually started today's card as a combo card for the WT and LSC challenges, but didn't get to finish it until today. I love black, hot pink, and green together. In my opinion, black just makes everything look better! This set just makes me smile!

This is a very straight-forward card...the image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, colored with markers, pierced, and trimmed with a black punched edge, some BoBunny buttons/bling and a big black bow.

Glad you stopped by! Hope you're having a great weekend!

SNS Blog Hop!

OCL Blog Hoppers....go here...or simply scroll down!

I know you've had a great time the last few days during Sweet 'n Sassy's blog hop! If this is your first stop, then you need to check the sidebar at the right to start at the beginning! There are lots of wonderful creations and you don't want to miss a thing!

Red, black and white is a favorite color combo of mine, and my husband's heritage is Italian so it just seemed appropriate that I should make a picnic card for today! I love to picnic! I have a great crab salad recipe, and it is fun to pack up the basket with crackers, champagne, and strawberries for an elegant lunch.

I used The Paper Studio's picnic plaid, stamping the sentiment (Summer Sentiments) and a trail of ants (Summer Fun) directly onto the designer paper with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I added several layers of matting, some of it punched with my newest favorite punch from Martha Stewart. I tied on a sparkly black bow, then topped that with a small focal image of picnic flatware. The image was stamped in black, then colored over with a black Spica glitter pen to make it look shiny and glitzy like fancy glitter-flecked plastic partyware. It fits perfectly inside the small oval punch, and a scalloped oval and black mat give it a simple yet more finished appearance.

The inside of the card has a layer of white cardstock topped with a plaid accent. I'll have to take a picture to add in the morning since I forgot to do that earlier!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you enjoyed your stay! From here, head on over to Tami's! Have a great time!

OCL Blog Hop

If you've been to my blog much at all, you know how much I love the stamp sets by Our Craft Lounge! As an i {heart} papers DT member, I've really loved showing off their fun sets! I was floored when OCL's very own Cambria Turnbow asked if I would be interested in participating in today's OCL blog hop! Are you kidding?! What a delight and honor! I'm so thrilled to be part of this!

Don't you just love this new set Sun-Kissed?! So many fun summer images that work perfectly for making cards, invitations, and scrapbook pages. I had a blast playing with 'em. I think we're all ready for the warm, relaxed days of summer! How about a chance to win this set?

I colored this flirty sun using prisma color pencils in hot shades of pink, red, orange, and yellow, blending the colors with a stump and some gamsol. I used some olive green on the grill (we had an old green one when we were first married!), adding a bit of orange and yellow heat-wave underneath and also under the handle of the lid. I carefully trimmed around each piece and popped 'em up on dimensionals.

I shaded around the sentiment with oranges and yellows, bordering it with hot pink and old olive mats in graduated sizes, off-setting the center and accenting the edges and the center of the -o- with hot pink kaiser rhinestones.

I would tell you the name of this pretty designer paper if I knew it myself! How embarrassing! I have searched high and low in my traveling stash for information about it...usually I keep the strip identifying the manufacturer, but I have found nothing in all of my scraps so if you know, will you please tell me!? I am at my parents trying to help take care of my dad since his total knee replacement, so things are a bit topsy-turvy here! I'm sure once I'm back home I can just walk right into the LSS and find it!

OK...for a chance at this great stamp set you must leave a comment here...and then you can visit all these fabulous stampers' blogs to see the sets they are previewing! You have until Monday at noon when the winner will be chosen, so make sure your comment includes a way for me to reach you if you're the lucky one!

Granny's Secrets - Diana Gibbs
Beauty and the Beach- Jeanne Streiff
Summer Sweets - Heather McNally
Bubbles - Nancy Morgan
Oceans of Fun -Valerie Stangle
Sandy Sunsets- Vicki Garrett
Coastal Wishes- Denise Marzec
Garden Thoughts - Lila Holgate
Mice Friends- Holly McMillen
The Tribe - Pam Hooten
Flyin' Birthday - Jacqui Lines
Let Freedom Ring- Marianne Walker
Bees Knees- Carol Halvorson
Nailed It -Debbie Corbari
Sunkissed - Deb Felts
Life's a Beach - Joy Kennedy
Bring on the BBQ- Cindy Lawrence
School's Out- Sherry Cheever
Bookworm - Kendra Wietstock
Swingin' By - Bethie Silaika
All About the USA - Roseanne Knowles
Dino-mite - Kisa Peters
Game On- Cambria Turnbow
Back 2 School- Amber Hillman

ETA: Comments are now closed and a winner has been chosen!