Elegant Buttons & Bows

Top of the morning to you! I hope your day has started out fabulously! Thanks so much for stopping by for my second post of the morning. This one is for our weekly challenge at Isabella's Sketchbook challenge. Our challenge this week is "Buttons & Bows", always a fun challenge in my opinion! I decided to use the Festive Bird digital image from Isabella's Sketchbook boutique. I filled in the black with my photo editing program and printed it out on Flourishes card stock. So the only coloring I did was with Copics on the green ribbon. I used only black, white and green to qualify for the color challenge this week at the Play Date Cafe which I now see that I MISSED :(. I love doing black and white so this was no hardship at all. I was shooting for sort of a vintage elegance so I added a bit of Vintage Photo DI, but didn't scissor distress the edges this time. The flower was handmade using cardstock that I photocopied a newspaper onto the front and the back of.

Products Used:
Paper/CS: Card shell and border punch - Very Vanilla, die cut leaves - white Bazzill, dove and panel - Flourishes white, SU Basic Black, polka dot DP - digital from Pink Petticoat, white print - digital is from the Black Tie Affair paper packfrom Designer Digitals.
Ink: Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink, Copics
Accessories: Leaves cut with Branch with Leaves die from Szzix, Spellbinders Labels 5 die, Spellbinders Flower Creations 3 used for handmade flower, black sheer ribbon hit with heat tool to make it crinkle, SU Dazzling Diamonds glitter

That's the scoop. Now it's your turn to show us your buttons and bows! Just be sure you use an Isabella's Sketchbook image to be eligible for the prize of two digital images of your choice. If you don't have an IS image, stop by the boutique and pick up the freebie there.

And in case you feel compelled to leave some love for the rest of the DT, here are the links to their blogs:

♥Annika♥Cec♥Diana♥Jackie♥Linda♥Lisa♥Peggy♥Peri♥Randi♥Sharon♥Sue♥Viv♥

Thanks again for stopping by and for any comment you care to leave. Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Blessings & hugs,

Challenges Entered:

TuesdayTaggers - Lots of Lovely Black

ABC Challenge - N is for Nature

Rosie D's - All Creatures Great and Small

Craftalucious Challenge - Make your own flowers

A Symbiotic Relationship

Another week is winding down and that brings us around to Fairy Fun Friday again. I'm so happy you took the time to stop by today to see what I have made for our weekly challenge. This week's challenge is called Lace it Up, which I interpreted by adding lace to my sample. I decided to use the wonderful muted colors from the Play Date Cafe's challenge this week.

Card Details:
Image: In the Garden by The Prairie Fairy
Sentiment: Raindrop Echo Designs (I'm not sure if this is available. I picked it up as a freebie from Sentimental Sundays a few weeks ago.)
Paper: The background paper is from Designer Digitals La Cremerie Citrouilles paper pack but I altered the color in my PSE to match one of the color chips given in the Play Date Cafe challenge. The paper used to mat the main image is an antique botanical drawing from the Vintage Moth. Flourishes card stock was used to print the digital image on which works wonderful with Copics. Stampin' Up Basic Black and Whisper White
Ink: Copics, Creamy Caramel and Frayed Burlap DI
Other: Crocheted lace and buttons

Questions? If you have any questions on my work, supplies or techniques, please leave them in the Comments section and then check back later for an updated post including that information.

The rest of the design team has some lacy beauties to share with you so be sure to stop by Fairy Fun Friday and check them out. Hope to see you playing along with this week's challenge.

♥Margreet - Margreet's Scrapcards ♥Suzi - Sugar n Spice♥Viv - Crafting Haven♥ Hege-Annie - Hege-Annie's Paper {He}Art++ ♥Ann - Raindrop Echo Designs ♥Carla - Carla's Corner ♥Corry - Fancy Free 4Ever ♥Lori - Just Ducky ♥Kelly - Kelly's Kreative Korner♥Trisha - T-Bear's Touch ♥Sue - Arty's♥

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I sincerely appreciate any comments you care to leave.

Blessings & hugs,

Challenges Entered:
Play Date Cafe - Photo Inspiration Color Challenge
One Stitch at a Time - Use a digital image
The Pink Elephant - Color Challenge: Brown
Paper Playtime - Flower Power
Pixie Cottage - Sketch and/or Double Up (use two stamps, one of which can be a sentiment)
Just Inspirational - Use a digital image
Stamp Something - Something Flowery

It's a Beach Thing!

Hello and happy weekend to you! Any beach plans in your weekend agenda? That's the challenge theme this week at Our Creative Corner. Isn't this an idyllic scene? Even though I live in Miami, I am not a beachgoer. My kids are and I am glad that they do take advantage of our wonderful beaches in the area. I'm more of a pool person myself and do intend to log some pool hours this weekend if the weather cooperates.

Here's my take on the beach challenge. I really love the bright tropical colors in the DP I found to use (Lost at Sea by Designer Digitals). The stamp used is from the By the Sea set by JustRite Stampers and was colored with Copics. The sentiment was computer generated. All edges were sponged with Creamy Caramel and the stitching was done by hand again (since my sewing machine is in the repair shop!). The CS is Tempting Turquoise and Barely Banana from SU and the shells were cut with a Cuttlebug Die. Spellbinders Ovals and the Labels Four dies were also used.

I hope you will stop by Our Creative Corner and also the blogs of the rest of the team. Lots of yummy eye candy to see this week!

♥Wendy Jensen♥Dana Grothaus♥Diane Gilbert♥Jennifer Meyer

♥Julie LeBlanc♥Sarah Gough♥Lori Rider♥

Thanks so much for dropping by today. I wish you a wonderful weekend!

Challenges Entered:

Bizzy Bec's Creatalicious - Show Some 3-D

Paper Romance - Stitch it Up

Twisted Thursdays - Water, Waves, Wetness

If the Shoe Fits - Take a Vacay

Just Add Ink - Just Add...Embossing

Allsorts - Summer Days

Lexi's Creations - Stitching

Lots to Do - Stitches

Secret Crafter - Summer Holidays

Wee Memories - Summer Fun

Celebrating Life!

Hello and welcome to my Wednesday post for Isabella's Sketchbook. This week's challenge is "Anything Goes" combined with an Isabella's Sketchbook image. We thought it would be a great week to relax, kick back and enjoy the summer. So check your inventory of Isabella's Sketchbook images, pick one out and have a go. You could win two of Isabella's delightful images. The one I used is called Cup Stack and I don't believe it's available yet. I digitally paper pieced it, including the background of the image panel using the Sweet Violets digital paper pack from Designer Digitals. I used this week's Mojo Monday sketch and also lined the colors up with this week's Just For Fun Color Challenge which is to use purple, green and blue.

The die cuts were cut with a Cuttlebug die, the embossing folder used was from Stampin' Up! I used two different Spellbinders dies, the sentiment was a lovely freebie from Ann Vento at Raindrop Echo Designs/Sentimental Sundays Challenge. You can buy her digital sentiments from Whimsey Stamps. The mini library clip is from SU and the button is from Jo-Ann's.

Let me know if you have any questions or need more information.

Now it's time to stop by Isabella's Sketchbook Challenge Blog and the blogs of my teamies. I do so hope you will be able to play along with us this week!

♥Annika♥Cec♥Diana♥Jackie♥Linda♥Lisa♥Peggy♥Peri♥Randi♥Sharon♥Sue♥Viv♥

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Blessings & hugs,

Happy Travels

Hello and welcome to my Wednesday post for Isabella's Sketchbook. This week our challenge theme is Summer Fun. And what could be more fun in the summer than the annual summer vacation. So I am celebrating my week in Key West with this Happy Travels card.
I used the Suitcase Stack digital image from Isabella's Sketchbook. I just love the retro flair it has to it. I stamped the Creamy Caramel panel with the large palm tree from the SU Balmy Breezes set (retired) in Chocolate Chip and Versamark and then clear embossed it. The DP is a very light print with many travel icons on it, a digital paper from Designer Digitals called Journey Home. I created my little luggage tag with the SU tag punch, a buckle from the Hodge Podge Hardware set and a bit of narrow grosgrain black ribbon. The Bon Voyage sentiment is computer generated and the globe stamped on it is from Crafty Secrets. The ribbon and black brads are from SU and the bottom mat on the image panel is the picket fence border punch from Martha Stewart.

I hope you will stop by the challenge blog and maybe even enter this week. All you need to do is use an Isabella's image and follow the challenge theme. You have a great chance of winning 2 of her wonderful digital images plus the gorgeous "I Won" badge for your blog! And while you are at it, stop by the DT blogs and leave them some love.

♥Annika♥Cec♥Diana♥Jackie♥Jennifer♥Linda♥Lisa♥Peggy♥Peri♥Randi♥Sharon♥Sue♥Viv♥

As always, I am deeply appreciative of your stopping by and of any comments you care to leave. Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Blessings & hugs,

April Showers

My goodness, it's Wednesday already! This week is going by in a woosssssh! I'm here today to share my Creative Inspirations DT card with you. We have a sketch to challenge you this week. I really loved the sketch - too bad I covered up all the nice layout features with my embellishments. Why did I spend so much time dry embossing and then clear heat embossing that black panel, and then sewing it down with a fancy stitch? All you can see is a little corner and edge peeking out. I am going to use this sketch again and hopefully will restrain myself next time. What do you think - can I do it?

The Details (there are lots of dets this time as I worked on this silly thing all day on Tuesday): The wonderful vintage calendar is from a site called Clearly Vintage which has an abundance of free vintage images. I downloaded all 12 months and hope to do a card a month with them. I printed it onto Very Vanilla CS and sponged it with Creamy Caramel.

The DP is digital from Designer Digitals, again printed on my home computer. Last week, a reader left me a question about ink usage when printing DP. It's really not too user unfriendly. I put a color cartridge into my printer in November and didn't change it again until March. Nowadays I don't do too much color printing other than card making so most of that was to print DP. I am not displeased with that amount of ink usage - especially for the instant gratification I get when I can alter and print my own paper, matching it up with other elements I am using.

The DP was also sponged with Creamy Caramel and distressed. The circle panel was stamped with the SU Script BG stamp in Vintage Photo and sponged also with Creamy Caramel. The black panel was dry embossed with the CB Victoria EF and then brayered with Versamark and clear embossed. I made up my own sentiment "There can be no rainbow without drops of rain", printed it and then dry embossed it with the CB Organic border EF, sponged it with Creamy Caramel, punched it with a MS border punch and sewed it down. Bow is crinkled seam binding, flourish is a die cut from a BossKut die with Creamy Caramel paper and sponged with the same ink.

The flower is hand made using a Spellbinders Flower Petals die. My inspiration came from this post. You have to see the amazing flowers and really beautiful card Grace Nywening made. Using Very Vanilla CS, I cut four each of three sizes of flowers and stamped both sides with a Tim Holtz floral flourish stamp in Vintage Photo. Then I sponged all edges with Creamy Caramel and snipped each petal from the edge to almost the center. Then I squirted each die cut with Tattered Angels glimmer mist to saturate them, shaped each individual layer and let them dry. Then I stacked them together, gluing each layer. Finally I am happy with a flower that I made! I thought it was the perfect finishing touch.

So, I spent way longer than I should have messing around with this little masterpiece. Hope you like it! I sincerely appreciate the time you take to leave me a comment.

Please check out the wonderful sketch and fab prize this week at the Creative Inspirations Wednesday Challenge blog. Actually, it's two prizes: super yummy ribbons from Crafty Ribbons AND the opportunity to be our guest designer for the month of May!!! The other DT members have some wonderful work for your inspiration! Hop on over, get inspired and make a challenge card for this week's sketch challenge!

Hugs and blessings,

Challenges:

Caardvark's - Monochromatic

Quixotic Challenges - Make a Splash

My Time to Craft - Quick Quotes

All That Scraps - Sewing on your project

Birthday Blooms

Good morning and thanks for stopping by to see what I have in store for you today. This week's challenge at Creative Card Crew is to make a birthday card. Easy peasy, right? We always need a supply of birthday cards in our stash. A couple of weeks ago while cruising the challenge blogs looking for challenges to enter, I came across a wonderful new digital artist, Isabella of Isabella's Sketchbook. Her style immediately appealed to me and I have used several of her images recently. This is another one of hers. I think it is so totally cool. I love the flower pots with the wrought iron in front of them. The image was a real challenge to color because it is so small; lots of tiny, tight spaces to get your marker or paint brush into (but of course, you could print a larger version that would be easier to color). But it came out great and I had a lot of fun with it. As soon as I saw the image in Isabella's store, I envisioned it in this Mary Engelbreit style and I think it looks great done up like this. I am entering this card into Isabella's weekly challenge. This week's challenge required a circle somewhere on the card. Hence the circle sentiment. It looked a sort of bare so I did a little playing with the digital image. I cropped out one of the daffodils and carefully erased all the wrought iron from it in PSE7. Then I colored it and made it less opaque in PSE7 to create a faded, watermark type of effect.

Details: All the DP is digital, printed on my home computer. The yellow is from Designer Digitals and I don't remember where the gingham is from. I just keep using it and changing the color to match whatever project I am working on. The sentiments were all done on my computer. The image is colored with Copics and I used a Spellbinders tag die for the red Happy Birthday panel.

The Stamping Boutique is sponsoring the Creative Card Crew challenge this fortnight. They are giving an awesome prize - 5 digital images of the winner's choice. Be sure to stop by and check out their darling images. I have used several of them on projects and they are just so cute!

I'm so glad you took the time to visit me today. The other design team members at the Creative Card Crew have some great birthday samples for your inpiration. Be sure to check them out! I hope to see you playing along with us this week!

Blessings,

Challenges entered:

Isabella's Sketchbook - Use one of Isabella's Sketchbook digis, floral theme, round object somewhere

Paper Sundaes - Make a scene

Stamp, Scrap, Doodle - Birthday card

Paper Cutz - Use 3 patterned papers

Prairie Fairy Fridays - Inspiration photo

Raise the Bar - Let it Spring

Res-Q-Challenge - Let's play (this one was really fun - it was a word search and you used the words you found on your card - mine uses: dies, flowers, pattern, spring, square and yellow)

Sew Many Challenges - Use stitching

Stamp Something - Stitch something

Easel Card Challenge

The challenge this week at Pile it On is to make an easel card. For my card, I used another of Isabella's Sketchbook digital images. Love, love, love her beautiful images!! This little sweetie was colored with Copics. My DP is digital, printed on my home printer, from Designer Digitals and the gingham is paper I had left over from my Creative Memories consultant days. A Martha Stewart border punch and oval and square Nestabilities were also used. The flourish on the bottom panel is by Boss Kut, flowers by Prima and a silver-toned bead cap. The edges were sponged with Creamy Caramel ink and I don't have a clue where the lace came from.

Here's a close up of the little sweetie. Isn't she adorable?


In the spirit of piling it on, my easel card is being entered into the following challenges:

Simple Doodles - Add Some Layers

Caardvarks - Lacy Days

Crafty Creations - Anything Goes

Stamp Something - Pink Somethings

For Fun Challenges - Anything Goes

Twisted Thursdays - Have Fun and Anything Goes

Papertake Weekly - It's Fill Your Boots Time (Open Challenge)

Meljen's Designs - Anything Goes

Just Us Girls - Sketch

One Stitch at a Time - Anything Goes

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge - Sugar & Spice (a girly card)

Simon Says Stamp - It's So Distressing

Crafty Pad - Lace and Bows

As always, thanks so much for stopping by and for the lovely comments. Be sure to stop by Pile it On to see the awesome easel cards the rest of the design team has come up with!

Two Challenges in One

Springtime is the time for growth and changes and it has also brought changes to Our Creative Corner. Last week, we said sad goodbys to our team mates Silke Ledlow and Jenny Gropp. This week, we are greeting three brand new members of the OCC design team. Please help us give a big welcome to Diane Gilbert, Sarah Gough and Julie Leblanc! And the month of April brings us a new hostess too. Dana Grothaus has lined up some fabulous challenges for us this month. Her first challenge is Break Out the Buttons and I do so love buttons. But I have really been getting a kick out of making faux buttons and that is what I have done here. I know you can tell they are faux, but I think they are so cute made out of the same paper that I used on the card. The first set I made seemed a little too big, but they made great photo props. I made these using the SU half inch circle punch.

Although this is my OCC DT card, I specifically made this card to be entered into another challenge. Several days ago, happily I stumbled across a very talented digital artist - Isabella of Isabella's Sketchbook. She is just getting her business going and was offering a 20% special (sorry, through yesterday). I snapped up a bunch of her images. Her illustrations have a strong vintage flavor that appealed to me immediately. Her new challenge blog, Isabella's Challenge, is having its very first challenge this week and I wanted to enter it. It's a sketch challenge and the use of one of her images is required. I used both her image and sketch for this card.

Card Details: CS is SU Rose Romance and Pink Pirouette, the DP is digital from Designer Digitals. The image was colored with Copics, cut with Nestabilities and sponged with Bashful Blue (sky) and Old Paper Distress Ink (lower half) then sponged around the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The edges of the DP were sponged with Creamy Caramel. The vintage seam binding was purchased on Etsy.

Please be sure to stop by Diane, Julie and Sarah's blogs to congratulate them on joining the OCC. And while you're at it, maybe leave some love for the other design team members too.

Wishing you and your family a blessed Easter.

Challenges entered:

Isabella's Challenge - Sketch

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - How does your garden grow?

Stamping for the Weekend - Ribbons & Bows

Quirky Crafts - Flowers

Crafty Cardmakers - Spring into Spring

Paper Jewels - Buttons & Sewing

A Simple Thanks

For my Creative Card Crew challenge card this week I decided to simplify a bit -a clean layout with fewer layers and embellishments. I really like the way this card same out. The DP is so pretty and the layout allows more of the DP to show through. I even debated whether or not to add the glittered flourish in the corner. I had decided not to, but at the last minute I couldn't go quite so simple so I added it.

Isn't this the sweetest image? Our sponsor this fortnight at the Creative Card Crew is Prairie Fairy and the DT were all given one of Roberta's images to work with. Prairie Fairy is giving five images to our lucky random draw winner.

Back to my simple card. The details are few - the lovely paper is a mix of several different digital paper packs from Designer Digitals, one of which I changed the color on to coordinate with the others (using digi paper is SOO cool). The edges were inked with Antique Linen distress ink. I created the sentiment seal on my computer. I tried to match the font in the lettering on the DP - I got almost the same font. I cut it out with a circle Nestability and then I cut four more of the same sized circle out of CS and glued them together for more of a chipboard effect. Then, using a round tag die, I cut two and stacked/glued them to the back. The loop at the top of the tag die allowed me to thread a ribbon through it. The image was colored with Copics.

That's it for this card. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comments. Please be sure to head on over to the Creative Card Crew and see the lovely vintage work done by the rest of the DT for this challenge. I know you'll want to enter to have a chance at the drawing for five Prairie Fairy images.

Thanks so much for dropping by and for your lovely comments. Have a blessed week!

A few challenges to play in:

The Pink Elephant - Pastels

Lots to Do - Vintage

Your Next Stamp - Distressing

A Handful of Stamps - You're a Sweet One

Color Create - Your choice of pastels

Ladybug Summer

It's Pile it On Sunday again and this week's challenge is The One You Must. Translated that means only one color plus neutrals. This week our sponsor is The Stamping Boutique. They have both digital and rubber images. The lucky design team was gifted with an image each to use on this week's card. I picked this darling digi image Audrey with Ladybugs and teamed it up with the Designer Digitals paper pack Ladybug Summer. Since this is a digital paper pack, I used my PhotoShop Elements 7 to change the white flourishes to black for my red/black theme of the card. I digitally cropped the ladybug image out of the paper, enlarged it a bit and printed it of a number of times to create the ladybug brads (SU's Build-a-Brad). I had so much fun playing with these digital images and papers again to make this card. The "You Make Me Smile" stamp is from Verve. Let me know if you have any questions.

Pile it On - The One You Must
Colour Create Challenge Blog - Red, Black & Off White
Paper Play Challenges - Just Because
Pixie Dust Studio - 3 D Creations
Stampin' for the Weekend - It's Monochromatic Week
Stamp Something - Something Girly
Crafty Creations - All One Color
Creative Craft Challenge - Thanks a Bunch
One Stop Craft Challenge - Sew Simple
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Open Challenge
Pollycraft Monday - Distressing (this one is ink distressed)

Be sure to stop by Pile it On to see what the rest of the talented designers on the team have to offer this week with the cute The Stamping Boutique images. Can't wait to see what you come up with for this challenge.

Blessings,

Punchy Tilda

Here's this week's DT card for the Creative Card Crew. The challenge is to use punches on your project. I used a Fiskars border punch on both borders of the pink strip. I punched the contrasting Baja Breeze paper also and used the punched waste hearts to fill in the spaces in the pink. I liked the way it tied the two colors together. Both the Regal Rose and Baja Breeze cardstock matched up great with the Basic Grey Urban Prairie DP. (Unfortunately you can't see too much of the DP here). The pink gingham was digitally matched to the Urban Prairie DP and printed out on my printer (I am so excited to be able to do that!!). The "Sweet" sentiment seal from Designer Digitals was also digitally matched to the DP. Tilda was stamped with Momento Tuxedo Black ink, colored with Copics and sponged with Tim Holtz Scattered Straw distress ink.

Our sponsor this week at Creative Card Crew is Sunshine Stamps with three digis of the winner's choice. Hope you will stop by and check out the rest of the DT's creations and play along with us this week!

I know this is a short post for me but I think everything else is self evident. If you have questions, leave it in the comments section and I will be happy to share supply or technique info.

Challenges this card is playing along with:

Quixotic Challenge #9 - Judy's Sketch

A Spoonful of Sugar - Lots of Layering

Raise the Bar - Debut Day (use something new)

Warm Winter Wishes

From The Funkie Junkie

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas!! I did for sure! Since most of us have been eating and drinking our way through the holidays, Jenny Gropp, our hostess this week at Our Creative Corner, has challenged us to make a card with a food/drink theme. I flipped through my stamp image binder looking for food and found that I don't have many stamps of food images. I did find this adorable Whiff of Joy stamp that had never seen ink and thought it was a perfect time to use it. I actually had been wanting to use it before the winter season is over. I also had this (digital) round brush from a set called On the Edge, In the Round by Katie Pertiet from Designer Digitals that I had been wanting to use. I am not much on digis, but I really like her designs. The file came in black and I really didn't want black. I spent some time a week or so trying to change a digital stamp from black to another color in Photoshop Elements 7 and finally gave up. But this week, I was fortunate enough to be reading Faith's blog Delightful Inspiration and caught her post with tips on how to change the color of digital stamps. Thanks to Faith I was able to match up the digital image very closely to Sage Shadow. I also lucked out and found a free Verve digi. I changed the color to match up with the brush and printed it inside a smaller (resized) version of the brush. Later I decided to just cut the sentiment with a circle Nestie, but a little of the brush design remained around the outer edge - that is not a part of the Verve digi. The designer paper is retired SU and the snowflakes are Cuttlebug dies. A l ittle zigzag stitching and some tiny chocolate Kaiser pearls and this crad was ready to post.

After the gifts are unwrapped and the goodies gobbled down, I hope you'll take some time to stop by Our Creative Corner and the blogs of the other team members to see what delicious concoctions they have whipped up for your delectation.