Easter Blessings!

It has been a dreary day in Florida!  I managed to make a simple card for today's Ways to Use It challenge, but the sun didn't last long enough for a decent picture!  Hopefully these bright colors will still come shining through!

Today's challenge was to use something new...this is the first time this pretty Lizzie Anne Designs stamp has seen ink.  I just love the graceful font of this Easter blessings sentiment and the way it looks inked with markers of different colors.  I gave the butterfly wings a bit of clear Spica sparkle.  In keeping with today's challenge, I also used a brand spankin' new pack of pearls, the first blossom from an until now unopened pack of BoBunny flowers, and the MS punch I recently purchased. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be more rain...guess that means it will be a good day to do some indoor things that have been needing to be done, and to stamp some more!  I am happy for it to get it over with, because Saturday Asela and I are driving to Ocala to meet more Florida stampers to do a little paper crafts shopping and card-making.  I am really looking forward to it!

Happy Spring!

Yesterday was one of those days when it was busy, busy, busy but not much actually got accomplished! KWIM?! I started a card for the color challenge, but with all the interruptions and having to go here and there, I didn't get to finish it until today. 

Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue just screamed Spring to me, maybe because it has been so unseasonably cold in Florida and I'm so ready for the warmth of Spring to arrive!  This sweet flower and sentiment are from Lizzie Anne Designs' monthly mix, Lucky You.  The butterfly and smaller flowers in the background are from last month's mix, Singing in the Rain.  They're fun paired together, colored in bright Copic colors. 

It looks like today is gonna be a great day!  The sun is shining...we'll see how much I get accomplished!  ;)

Chicken Girl Designs Are Goin' Digi!

Kate and all of the i {heart} papers team members are so excited to announce that our exclusive Chicken Girl Design line is moving to digi stamps! This will allow more frequent releases, more seasonal releases and more flexibility overall. This month we’re launching 9 new images. Each individual image is only $2.50 or you can get all 9 images as the March Collection for $20. Our clear polymer sets will remain available until inventory is depleted.

There's more on Kate's blog about how to purchase and download these adorable designs. Lots of inspiration from the Chicken Girl's Design Team too!

Christy
Judy
Kate
Loretta
Lori
Shelly
Tammy

More Vintage Roses

My friend Holly hosts the Monday Technique Lover's Challenge, but she unexpectedly had to take her auntie to the hospital and therefore didn't get to work on her card for this week's challenge. She already had chosen her theme, Very Vintage, but needed a sample maker, and since I've been making a few vintage cards lately, she asked for my help.

I used another image from OCL's Vintage Roses colored with Copic markers.  I paired it with some beautiful toile designer paper, crocheted lace, and some lovely sheer ribbon embellished with tiny flowers.  I love the aged look that distress inking gives to a project like this!  

I hope you'll play along with this week's TLC!  I'm hoping to see your take on some lovely vintage style!

A Simple Thanks!

Today I am sharing with you a thank you card that, although it is quick and easy, is also simply elegant.  This card uses the newly released Thanks2You from the {stamps} of Life.  I stamped the agapanthus stems in green, the thanks sentiment in brown, then distress-inked all of the paper edges and added pearls to each of the dots at the ends of the flowers.  A pretty green bow brings another soft splash of color.

Hope you like it!  Be sure to visit the {stamps} of Life gallery to see previews of the soon-to-be-special-released sets Late4Bday, Quick2Border, and all4Moms!

Love...

What a fun challenge today's Friday Free 4 All was!  My friend DawnMercedes challenged us to make a free-standing pop-up card. 

My card features Lizzie Anne Designs' current monthly mix, Lucky You.  I think this little house is so darling, and the sentiment is perfectly sweet!  I colored it with Copics, cut it out and glued it over top of some Basic Grey cloud printed paper.

This would make a great house-warming card, or even a wedding card, don't you think?!  

Vintage Roses

I just fell in love with Vintage Roses at CHA because of Pam Hooten's beautiful samples, and I was thrilled when Kate gifted me with the set! It reminds me of the pictures on the front of those old pattern packets my mom used to buy when I was a little girl.  She shared her love of sewing and other crafts with me, and now they're such a huge part of my daily life...they bring me such joy and creative fulfillment.  Love you, Mom!

I have made two cards pairing Vintage Roses with some beautiful patterned papers from Graphic 45's 8 x 8 pack, Le Romantique.  The first is for today's OCL Sketch Challenge, a simple, unfussy card.  I used circle and scalloped circle nestabilities to cut and emboss the image.  All the edges were distress inked with Tim Holtz tea dye and vintage photo inks.

The other was made on a girls' night out with my young friend, Keri, and although that usually equals limited supplies challenge (no punches, nesties, etc.) I still think this torn-paper and velvet version turned out to be the more formal of the two.  I used Copics to color both, including the little ivory roses on the second card.  I really love them both....so soft and feminine!

Quit Counting!

Today's Ways to Use It Challenge is entitled "Let's Play!" Julia asked us to design our cards around things you play...maybe sports, puzzles or games.

My card is also for Our Craft Lounge's Friday Sketch Challenge.  This challenge is only its second week...you can read all about how to play on the OCL blog.  A new sketch (OCLDT03) will be uploaded in the morning, but you still have lots of time to play OCLDT02...and if you play along, you will be eligible to win an OCL set!  One winner will be drawn each month, so the more you play, the better your chances!

This week's sketch was a very simple one, just perfect for one of the images and sentiments from Golfing Gramps.  I colored my image with Copic markers, cut and embossed it with nestabilities long classic and scalloped rectangles (passed through twice to shorten it to fit the image) and embellished with an Edwin Watts Golf tee tied onto a Basic Grey button with jute thread.  The *green* (a challenge play on words) is a scrap of Basic Grey Nook and Pantry designer paper.

Edwin Watts Golf sponsors our church youth group's big annual fundraiser every year.  They donate lots of big prizes which entice players to come to play and win...the proceeds fund an entire year of programs for our kids!  They deserve a shout out for all they do for FIUMC youth!

NoBunny like you!

Today's challenge at Splitcoaststampers is a fun sketch that is just perfect for using up scraps of designer paper! This adorable bunny is one of my current favorite Spring stamp sets (Hoppin' into Spring)...I just love coloring images like this with my Copic markers!  Kate is expecting this Our Craft Lounge set (recently released at CHA) to be arriving at i {heart} papers any day now!

It was early (about 6:30, and still pretty dark outside) when I was working on this card...looking at it now, the Cameo Coral looks a little bright for the rest of the colors in the scraps of Cosmo Cricket Nutmeg designer paper that I used, but it's all already glued together now, so I'm stickin' with the original plan! ;) I'll probably work on another card using this image soon, because at noon today my box from i {heart} papers arrived, and it had two more new packs of Cosmo Cricket paper (Garden Variety and Joy Ride)along with some new stamps!  Can't wait to play some more!  The Garden Variety 6 x 6 pad has a CARROT-printed paper that will be so cute with this guy!

I kept this card exactly to the sketch, and embellished sparingly, using only this great velvet corduroy ribbon with a little Junkitz ribbon buckle that I've been hoarding forever for just the right project!  Happy to finally use it!

More Notes:

• Memento Rich Cocoa ink
• Nestability small and large rectangles

Thank You!

I'm so grateful for my friends!  How very blessed I am to have so many sweet, caring, generous, encouraging friends!  Just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your kind words!  I cherish them, and I cherish YOU!

Yes, I was disappointed not to make the Spellbinders' team, but I am confident (as so many of you have reminded me) that God has something wonderful in mind for me...to put it in some rather famous words, "When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window!"

My final round for Spellbinders used the film strip die, and here I have used the *negatives* (the rectangles that were punched from where the actual photos would go) as the base for a Melissa Francis glittered chipboard heart.  I added a few adhesive rhinestones to opposing corners for added interest. 

The "from the bottom of my heart" sentiment is from the Thanks2You stamp set released today by the {stamps} of Life.  Our designers have recently uploaded lots of amazing cards featuring this set to the SoL gallery, and throughout the month more cards will be added by customers as well, so it's a great source for inspiration!

eta:  Check out the 1st song on my playlist!  That's where I am today!  The words from the *bridge* were just perfect for me!