Friday, May 31, 2013

grateful beyond glitter

i made a very thankful card today, and i love it! i decided i wanted to use gold, which i usually shy away from...but as you'll see, i embraced it whole heartedly for this card! and turns out, i love pink and gold together! 

so i made this card for the challenge at CAS(E) this sketch! love that sketch! and i came up with the idea of flipping it and making those hanging banners speech bubbles instead! 



here's what i mean:
(warning - it's shiny, it's bright, it's glittery)


i used the hello and good times stamp sets for this card, from mama elephant.i heat embossed (in gold!) the speech bubbles onto a soft, pale pink paper, and popped one up for dimension. then i layered some pink glitter ribbon and gold glitter tape to add some extra shine. 


the little potty people were stamped and then glittered to match the pink ribbon tape. lastly, i added some vairous sizes of wood veneeer stars to bring the card back down to earth. :) 

as you can imagine, it was sort of difficult to capture the true shininess and glittery goodness of this card. but that's ok! in person, it's super fun! 
so that's it!
enjoy!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

mama elephant guest design - squeal!

i am over the moon excited to show off some mama elephant stamps! (i actually had to pinch myself a few times to make sure i wasn't dreaming when i saw i won a guest designer spot!) the stamps are so super trendy, high quality and FUN! honestly, i can't say enough nice things about the stamps (or kryssi!)! my first project features the new sunny skies stamp set! and it's fabulous!! i LOVE all of the images and there are so many possibilities with this stamp set! as soon as i saw it, i fell in love! my first thought was to create this happy, fun and bright shaker card! the background paper was created with the rays from the stamp set and i used my craft knife to cut out along the clouds and add some glitter and sequins!



i made a mini scene for my second card! and sprayed it with some shine to really add to the sunshine-ness of the card! i love the 'happy' that this card gives off! the sunny skies stamp set is just too much fun to play around with!! i LOVE it!


thank you kryssi, and the whole mame elephant team, for letting me guest design and be a part of your family for a month! 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

this calls for a toast!

*giggle giggle*

i've been conceptualizing this card for a while, and i was finally able to make it the other day! and i just love it! it totally makes me laugh, and it's probably some of my favorite images from lawn fawn!

i made this card for the two challenges going on over at lawnscaping! the design team member search and the clean and simple challenge! :)


i actually used four different lawn fawn stamp sets for this card, love 'n breakfast, harold's abc's, pa-rum-pa-pum-pum and making frosty friends! :) here it is:


so cute and fun, right?! lol! i fussy cut and paper pieced everything, and that was half of the fun! the little bride's 'veil' was made by c


ombining the bow from pa-rum-pa-pum-pum and the scarf tails from making frosty friends! and i just LOVE that oversized top hat on mr toast! i added glossy accents to the white of his hat, and the tiny little heart on the toaster. 


mr and mrs toast, and the toaster, are popped up for dimension , which totally works, since they're clearly jumping for joy! :)
so that's it! 
enjoy!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

a little thanks

the card i'm sharing today is soft, and super feminine and not my usual style! but i just went with it, and i sort of think the result is pretty! 

i created the card for the current fusion card challenge (using lesley's inspiration photo)!

and i'm also adding it to the lawnscaping design team call challenge! (no tutorial this time though!)


and here's my card!

lots of texture! birch tree background, burlap panel, lace doily, glitter tape, and wood veener birds on a wire?!? oh my!! i am totally into birds on a wire right now, and i couldn't wait to use these on a card! 


the sentiment is from lawn fawn's summertime charm stamp set. i heat embossed it on white (more texture!) and also so it would really stand out against everything else! :)


so that's it! 
enjoy!

Monday, May 20, 2013

what's up?

hey there! i just finally jumped on the avery elle band wagon and received some of their AWESOME stamps! i don't know what took me so long...but i can tell you this - they are fabulous!

to christen my new stamps from a new (to me!) company, i created a card for the current CAS(E) this sketch challenge! the sketch this week is so fun!! and it SCREAMS sequins! bonus! ha ha!



so here's my card:

i watercolored the giraffe with my inktense pencils - so fun!i used the 'what's up' stamp set, and i am in love! 
the giraffe and one of the clouds is also popped up for dimension. and then, because i was really feeling the groove...i decided to flock the giraffe's mane! flock!! it's so fuzzy, and just fun!! i also added some glossy accents to that hipster's glasses.


i don't know why, but this card just cracks me up! a hipster griaffe, with a flocked mane! yes, please! 
so that's it! 
enjoy!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

making a wish!

did you hear? the lawnscaping challenge blog is having an open design team call! i definitely can't let this opportunity pass without throwing my hat in the ring!! i can't wait to see all of the entries!! it's so exciting!! 


i plan on entering more than 1 project, but i just finished my first card and i love it! i just LOVE this little doxie from the newest critters collection at lawn fawn! as soon as i saw him i knew i had to make him flying!! :) 


in addition to lawn fawn's critters in the dog park stamp set, i also used winter bunny, home sweet home, and critters ever after! :) 
i just love that the little dreamer dog is making a wish with the magic wand in his mouth! perfect for a birthday card, but also it would be nice to send just for fun too! all of the images are paper pieced and popped up for dimension, and i used my circle dies to create the shape of the card. 


the scarf from the winter bunny stamp set is actually flipped. and since it was so long (and i'm an amateur at BEST when it comes to mirror stamping!) i decided to just stamp it regularly and then cut and re-position it to 'flow' in the correct direction. 

here's what i mean:

first, i stamped the image normally.

then i fussy cut out the scarf, like usual. but as you can see, the scarf and dog are not facing the same way.

so, i snipped and separated the part that goes around the 'neck' from the rest of the 'flowy' part of the scarf.

then, i adhered part of the scarf to the dog's neck.

then i just added a dab of glue to the back of the dog so i could attach the other part of the scarf, and have it facing the correct way in the 'wind'. 


and vwa-la! you have a dog enjoying the breeze!

so that's it! just a fun card to make you smile, and bonus (simple!) little tutorial!) 
i can't wait to play along again for the open DT call!! and i can't wait to see the other submissions!
enjoy!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013


[image]


Welcome to the Mama Elephant May Design Team blog hop! The May release is now live and available for purchase in the store: www.mamaelephant.com  Hopefully you came here from lea's blog, if not, head back to mama elephant and start the hop from the beginning...it's amazing!!!!


To celebrate the new release, Mama Elephant is giving away 3 gift certificates worth $20.00 each to 3 lucky people! Winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs in the Stampede. Winners will be announced on the mama elephant blog on May 19th.



for my project, i used both sunny skies and wanderlust! (with a dash of midnight letters and a splash of good times, ha ha!)! this layout just captures an everyday moment that i shot of my little menn on their way to school one morning!  some of the clouds were popped up for dimension and i added washi tape underneath to make it look like rain, or sun rays, your choice! 


the bottom of the layout has a few more clouds, and some awesome stamps from the wanderlust stamp set! LOVE that set!! 

i really had fun with this layout!! and it just shows how versitle the mama elephant stamp sets can be! 
next up is the crazy talented geralyn!



Here's how to qualify to win (leave a separate comment for each):



1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Become a follower of our blog
3. Like/share us on Facebook:http://facebook.com/mamaelephant
4. Follow/tweet us on Twitter:http://twitter.com/heymamaelephant

Kryssi Ng / Mama Elephant http://www.mamaelephantblog.com/

so get hopping! and win! 
enjoy!

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

light up my life

here's a quick post for a fun card i made for the fusion card challenge!
i used jackie's sketch! 

i love that banner in the sketch, it just SPOKE to me! :) ha ha!
i used the new sparkle and shine stamp set from neat and tangled! and look!! - no sequins, this time! :)


i stamped the lightbulb onto the banner and then used my craft knife to cut out the insides. then i layered some yellow cardstock underneath the cut out! then i added some glitter - to make it shine! :) i think my favorite part (besides the lightbulb! lol) is the fun little 'chain' for the lightbulb! ha! it's the little things... :)



i like the light, bright and happy feel of this card! :) 
enjoy!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

sure do, love you

alright, i have one more card to share today! this one sort of just happened! and i love it! i came up with the idea, executed, and blogged all in an hour! that's almost unheard of in my world! :)

the card is for the little tangles challenge! how could i resist these colors?


everything was watercolored with my distress markers (insert big, huge, puffy heart eyes here)!
i used two of the neat and tangled stamp sets: my heart sings and just thinking of you. i stacked and staggered the sheet music-y stamp because i'm totally into big bold graphics and large flowy images on top! :)

i fussy cut and popped up the sparrow and then added added some awwwweeesssssome sequins from net and tangled too! it's a very clean and simple card, but i do think it's just right to send someone an extra bit of love, to brighten their day! :)


so that's it! 
enjoy!

a happy birthday cupcake

happy mother's day to all today! whether you're a mom to a fur baby with a tail, grown kids, new baby's, or wish you were a mom. this day is for everyone, and i'm thankful for all of the mom's in my life. 

today i have a little card to share for the current challenge at CAS(E) this sketch! :)


and for my card, i used neat and tangled stamps and sequins! 
i sort of flipped the sketch, but i still think it works! :)


everything is paper pieced and the little cupcake (LOOOOOVE the cupcake images and sentiments on the sketchy cupcakes stamp set!) is popped up for dimension! and i love that tiny polka dotted 'frosting' ha ha! 


i added a dash of sequins to add a tiny bit of bling and also because they're my latest obsession, so they stay! :) i chose the typographic background paper because i LOVED the sayings on there, and i thought it would be PERFECT to use on a birthday card! it's hard to get older, right??? so it's good to be reminded you're beautiful, loved and wonderful! :) especially around a birthday! (or is that just because i'm going to be 32 in july and it FREAKS me out!! lol! how am i 31 already?!)



so that's it! be kind to everyone today, everyone has their own battles, blessings and struggles to face! so while you're celebrating today, celebrate everyday! :)
enjoy!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

xoxo

oooo, i LOVED this inspiration photo for the latest challenge at the runway inspired challenge blog! it's got style, color pops and intrigue! i'm in! :)



so here's my card:


i used some super FUN neat and tangled stamps and sequins! the stamp sets are called on the strip 2 and my heart sings! 
i water colored the bird with my addicting distress markers! and then fussy cut it out! (emphasis on fussy! ha ha!)

the banner was created by stamping the thing stiped border from on the strip 2 multiple times. i love the tiny white edges of the card base, i think they really mimic the background in the photo too! the sequins were added because i do love the sneaky polka dots on that scarf! like i said, LOVE that photo! ha ha!

so that's it! i had a blast! and it's sunny - so i'm full of optimism and creative juices! :)
enjoy!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

feelin' snappy

today i'm in a funk...help! lol i can't get out of it! i tried getting crafty...i think that made it worse! i made about 5 cards, and i'm not a fan of any! lol! i was like - I'M NOT LEAVING MY OFFICE UNTIL I AM SATISFIED WITH A CARD! lol! alas, it's been a dark day in the mann house. :)

anyway! i am willing to let one of my cards see the light of day - it's for the latest CAS(E) this sketch challenge!

and here's my card:


i used two mama elephant stamps sets: we click and cosmic stars! i added some washi that i've been wanting to use forever, so that makes me happy! :) and i couldn't resist the 'snap' on pun - love that little scorpian's snappers! :)


so that's it!
enjoy!

Thursday, May 2, 2013

sunshine

when a fun challenge like 'anything goes' comes along over at the paper smooches sparks challenge blog - i can't resist!! and i just KNOW that the other entries are going to be AMAZING too! :)


here's my card:


i used two paper smooches stamp sets: metropolis and eco friendly! the images were all water colored with my super fun distress markers! i also added some glossy accents to the windows for a little added 'glow'. :) i LOVE coloring with them!! i also flicked some blue specs onto my card by really getting the tip of my inktense water color pencil wet, and then using the tip of my water pen to brush down it. ok...so it's hard to explain in writing!! lol! :)


the sun and one of the strips of buildings are popped up for dimension, and then i added a couple wood veneers, because it's hard to resist such fun embellishments sometimes!! i'm diggin this card, because, well, let's be honest...it's my favorite color combo!! (grey, yellow and...ANYTHING!) ha ha! :)

enjoy!