you're old (school)

hey there! it's sunday night!
and instead of getting ready for the week (eek!) i've been playing and having fun with some paper smooches stamps! 
after all, the challenge this week at paper smooches sparks is anything goes - so there's no excuse not to play!

along those same lines, i'm also entering it in the simon says stamp wednesday challenge! and it's another anything goes!! bonus!

my card was 100% inspired by this SUPER AWESOME INCREDIBLE AMAZING FUN technique that savannah showed in one of her virtual smooches videos a while ago! i have been wanting and wanting to try it out, and finally had a reason!!

well, let's start by showing the card:

my good friend (a guy!!) LOVES cross stitching, like super loves it! and he loves nintendo! so i thought, why not make him THE PERFECT BIRTHDAY CARD EVER! lol!!

i used the little x character from the needle little love stamp set, and then used a guide that i stamped out on regular printer paper first, to stamp out onto that fabric like patterned paper! 
it was hard! i had to do MATH!! lol! i am not a fan of any math...so feel for me here! lol!

the sentiment was stamped onto vellum from the alphadots stamp set! then i threw some thread underneath it, because hey, it's a nod to cross stitching! ha ha!

there are a few mistakes, and it was a little tricky, and, seriously, for the love of all things crafty i HATE stamping with white ink...but i also love it at the same time...CURSE YOU WHITE INK PADS!
but yes, i really LOVE how this card turned out! especially because it was so perfect for the recipient!! ha ha!!
thanks for stopping by!
enjoy!

inky paws challenge - summer color inspiration

hello again!
today i'm back sharing a card i created for the newest inky paws challenge going on over at the newton's nook blog! :)

i LOVE this color story, perfect for the brand new set just released - sweet summer, and just for anything summer, really!

isn't it fantastic?

so yes, here's my card, i sort of went literal...ha!

i used the sweet summer stamp set! and watercolored all of the images with distress inks on an acrylic block! really FUN!

after all of the images were cut out and arranged, i stamped the sentiment onto some vellum (guilty!!) and made a banner, adding some stitched lines to mimic the stitched lines in the fruit!  FUN!

so now it's your turn to play along! 
i can't wait to see what you make!
enjoy!

color me happy layout

well hello!

sadly, this is my last sneak peek for butterfly reflections ink! 
*sniff sniff*

but the BRAND NEW, AMAZING design team is all set and ready to WOW you in july!

anyway, here's a little slice of my last project, a layout!!

the rest of the layout and details can be found on the butterfly reflections ink blog - and all products used can be found in the shop!!
enjoy!

smore birthday wishes and campfire dreams

hey there!
today i'm on the newton's nook blog sharing a super fun card! i can't wait to share it! :) 

i combined two different sets to make this card: campfire tails and winston's birthday!

i just love winston and i thought it would be just FUN to make him roasting some marshmallows by the campfire! :)

i colored all of the images with copics, and then added some wink of stella to the fire (why not, right?!), and freckles to winston! :) the images are all popped up, and so is half of the marshmallow on the stick!

and of course, the sentiment is on a vellum banner...forgive me! it's a fad i can't shake! i love me some vellum!

lastly, that background!! do you love it!! i LOVE it! 
i used some new GOLD embossing paste and a birch tree stencil! :)
i love the warmth and glow of it, especially combined with the fire! :)

so that's it! 
be sure to head over to the newton's nook blog too! :)
enjoy!

you make my world happy (bokeh)

it's me again! and i have another card to share!
it's a two-for sort of day! :)

anyway, i made this card for the super AWESOME a blog named hero challenge!
it's about bokeh - LOVE THAT!

so yes, i was super stoked to try my hand at that technique again, so i HAD to play along! :)

here's my card! :)

i used one of my favorite wooden stamps ever - silly scape! 
i stamped it onto my card panel and then shaded in with some cool grey copics, for a little extra umph! 

the sentiment is from an oldie (but a goodie!!) stamp set - woodland creatures (serisously, one of my first stamp sets, still love it!).
and oh yeah - the bokeh! let's talk about that shall we?

i stamped three different sized small circles in two different inks, and then added some yellow splatters from a mr huey's. finally i added some wood veneer circles to add to the bokeh! to me, the bokeh is all about different sizes, overlapping, and diferent shades of the same color. but that's totally just me! :)

anyway, that's my card! 
thanks and enjoy!

you're so dreamy

hello hello!

today i'm sharing a card i made for the most current little tangles challenge - watercolor!

um, did someone say watercolor? ok, i'm in! lol! :)
here's my card - i do love it! 

i used the whimsical, beautiful and lovely little stamp set dreams from neat and tangled on my card! LOOOOOOVE that handwriting...swoon!!

so i decided to stitch the 'dreams' part of the stamp onto the card front panel. first i colored over the stamp in pencil and then stamped it onto the paper! lol! not very technical at all! then i poked holes along the word, and then erased the pencil and got to stitching! 

gold thread rocks! and i love the gold, and whimsy of the sentiment on that gorgeous background! i used lots of distress paint, water and my heat gun to make that background! love it!
lastly, i heat embossed in white the rest of the sentiment, and then adhered it to the card over some loose gold thread. 

oh, and that mint background frame is because i thought the card was toooooo warm! i had to cool it down a little! so i sprayed some heidi swapp mint shine onto a white cardstock and there you go! 

enjoy!

popped balloons birthday card splatter

hello!

have you see the super fun challenge keep it simple!! i LOVE it! and this one is all about splatters! 

what's more fun than splatters?!
especially since i'm LOVING anything distress lately! and i thought distress stains would be PERFECT for my idea!

so here is my card:

yay! does it look like some of the balloons popped? that's what i was going for! i used the super adorable balloons stamp set from sweet stamp shop, and distress stain...splatters...are the perfect size POP! lol! that's where i got the idea for the sentiment as well! a few balloons popped? oh well - party on, anyway! :)

i also colored the monster image with distress stains - to match the look of the balloons! it's a little dark for my taste...but those are the only 3 distress stains i currently own! (and the distress paints...have a completely different look, and they don't splatter as well!).

anyway, speaking of that monster image...it's a freebie from the AMAZING new stamp company coming your way called Create a Smile!  i LOVE that monster image! it's so cute! lol! i added some wink of stella to this little guys spots and hair! and even a wink of stella shadow underneath him, why not?! 

so that's my card!
i also made a 2nd card for this challenge...i'll be posting that, most likely tomorrow! 
enjoy1

sunshine and rainbows and whiskers on kittens

hello again!

today i'm here to share a super whimsical card!
well...it's over on the butterfly reflections ink blog, that is! :)

here's a sneak peek of the card and the products i used:

oh yeah, you're interested, i can tell!
head on over to the blog, look around, and then go to the shop and stock up!!

enjoy!

Newton's Nook June Release - Sweet Summer

here we are: day 2 of newton's nook june release! 

today's set is called Sweet Summer, and i really think you're going to LOVE this one! it's perfect for tags, layouts, cards, anything! and the best news is, all of the sets will be available for purchase june 20th here! :)

i love the stitching lines in this set!! so cool!


first up, i made a card, but i wanted to save the fruit images for another day, and i just focused, instead, on the tiny heart image! 

i was going for a bokeh/cascade of hearts!
the background was made with lots of distress paints (barn door, dried marigold and mustard seed!) and lots of water!

all of the hearts and the sentiment were heat embossed first and then they resisted the paint! 

my next project is a layout!
my littlest mann and i recenetly went strawberry picking and how could i not scrapbook that face with these stamps?!?! lol!!

i paper pieced all of the strawberries and placed them in both corners, some were popped up for dimension, too!

i used thickers for my sentiment and stitched on the letters - love that!
i even used vellum on this layout with that little banner image from the set! LOVE it! 

Would you like to win Sweet Summer? This set will be given away to Two lucky winners! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! Two winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, June 19th at 9pm Central Daylight Time to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, June 20th

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia
Christine Drogt
Samantha Mann (that's me!)
Larissa Heskett
Crafty Math-Chick
Danielle Pandeline

Valerie Ward
Tessa Wise

Ria Montefalcon  - Guest Designer

Donna Idlet  - Guest Designer

thanks so much for visiting, and don't forget to comment for your chance to win! :)

enjoy!

Newton's Nook June Release - Chicken Scratches

i'm so excited for this month's release from newton's nook!! it's AMAZING!! i can't wait for you to see everything!

today's set is called Chicken Scratches,and it's hilarious! it's perfect for tags, layouts, cards, anything! and the best news is, all of the sets will be available for purchase june 20th here! :)

i love the little chicken wire image in this set - it's so wasy to build a background with!

for my first card, i used that chicken wire image to create a background, matter of fact! :)

i painted my card base with a layer of gesso, and then dry stamped the image into the gesso while it was still wet.
this left impressions, and instantly added a subtle layer of texture! 
once the gesso was dry, i painted on a think layer of distress paint in blue and grey.

then i colored the images (the clouds are from the spring showers stamp set!) with copics and popped them up for some dimension!

don't you just LOVE the sentiments in this set?

my 2nd card is really FUN!!
ha ha!!

how could i NOT do a 'why did the chicken cross the road?' joke?! i just had to create a fun scene like this! the road is some washi tape, and the images were, once again, colored with copics and popped up!

inside the card is the punch line of the joke:

so fun, right?! 
i just LOVE cards that make people laugh!

Would you like to win Chicken Scratches? This set will be given away to Two lucky winners! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! Two winners will be chosen at random from the collective blogs release posts. Make sure to check out each of their blogs and comment for your chance to win. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning! You have until Thursday, June 19th at 9pm Central Daylight Time to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, May 16th

Newton's Nook Designs

Taheerah Atchia
Christine Drogt
Samantha Mann (that's me!)
Larissa Heskett
Crafty Math-Chick
Danielle Pandeline

Valerie Ward
Tessa Wise

Ria Montefalcon  - Guest Designer

Donna Idlet  - Guest Designer

thanks so much for visiting, and don't forget to comment for your chance to win! :)

enjoy!

hello sunshine

hey there!

i thought i'd throw my hat in the ring for a chance to be a guest designer at the brand NEW challenge: the cutting edge! 

it's all about dies, die cutting and inspiration! hello?! what could be more fun than that!! lol!

here is the inspiration board:

look at all those gorgeous cards! swoon!
it was hard to choose just ONE card to be inspired by!! lol!

here's my card:

oh yeah, i think it's pretty clear that i was super inspired by the amazingly talented jackie rockwell and her beautiful rays card!

i used my die-namics sun ray MFT die for my sun rays! LOVE that die! i die cut the rays out of vellum, and then offset the image so that i only used 2/3 of it on my card! fun! tht warm, welcoming, and yellow-y orange background was created with mustard seed and squeezed lemonade distress paints. LOOOOOVE distress paints! 

i stitched the vellum on (LOOOOOOVE the look of stitching on vellum!) and added a few pearls to emphasize the rays!

i thought the sentiment from lawn fawn's hello sunshine stamp set worked perfectly! 
then i colored a few of the super puffy and FUN clouds from the starry backdrops stamps set, and popped one up for dimension!

so that's it! 
i am so excited for this new challenge, and i can't wait to play along with all of their challenges!
enjoy!

lawnscaping challenge - stars and strips

happy monday, all! and a very good morning!
today is a brand new challenge over at the lawnscaping blog!!

this challenge is a great one! it is using stars and/or stripes! 

and you know what? those two elements work perfectly together!! so it's win-win!

i had a lot of fun with my card! and here it is:

i used the super CUTE and newly released beep boop birthday stamp set! i just think those little robots are so adorable!! eek! i colored him with copics and popped him up with some dimension (along with the cute as can be cupcake!).

the stripes were made with a stencil and some distress paint! i love the ruggen lines! totally adds to the boy-nature! :) 
and the sentiment just cracks me up!! i could say 'happy beep boop' all day! lol! :)

a few wood veneer stars and this cute card is complete! i love how it turned out! :) oh, and i also spritzed some shine on the card to really make it sparkle! :)

well, that's it!

for even more inspiration (if you can stand it!), check out the lawnscaping facebook page! we're dedicated to keeping your creative juices flowing! :)

this week we're sponsored by lawn fawn! so get your card making on, and you could win a stamp set of your choice! :)

a fawny father's day

hello!
it's almost father's day, and i had most of the cards i needed already made, for a while now...and then i came up with this idea for my card...and i just couldn't resist making it for my husband! lol!!!!

here's a sneak peek of what i made:

he he he!!
i LOVE it!

so head over to the butterfly reflections ink blog to see my full card, and for links to all the supplies i used!

enjoy!

you're cool!

good morning! 
today i have a fun little card that is also on the newton's nook blog today! :)

it's fairly simple, but still took a little bit of time! but in the end, i do love how it turned out! :)
here it is:

aww! sweet, right? :)
i distress inked the background with broken china and peacock feathers and faded it out as it got to the top left corner of the card base. 
once that was dry, i used some embossing paste and added the falling snow stencil on top.

oh, and how could i forget? those cute as can be penguins are so adorable!! i love that they're snuggling up to each other! :) they are from the wild child stamp set!
i colored them with copics and then popped them up for a tiny bit of dimension. 

it's hotter than you know what here, so i was hoping by looking at this card, it might make me feel cooler...no luck! :)

so that's it! :)
head on over to the newton's nook blog for awesome inspiration all week! 
and next week is release week!! yahoo!!!!
enjoy!

drums and rock & roll

hey there!

today i have a perfect birthday card for my husband! 
(although, it could be a 'just because' card too, it doesn't say happy birthday! lol!)

i created it for the current Avery Elle AEI♥U Challenge!

masculine or father's day! sweet!

so here's my card:

i used the super adorable we go together stamp set! 
definitely a FAVORITE of mine! :)

i stamped all of the images with staz-on ink onto watercolor paper.
then i used my distress markers to color them in! i blended all of the color out with a small paint brush, and then went around each image with the tumbled glass color and blended that out over the whole card! :)

part of the sentiment was stamped onto a handmade vellum banner, and then on the inside of the card, i stamped 'you &me', to complete the card! :)

so that's it! 
i really LOVE how this came out! i hope it makes you smile! :)
enjoy!

under the weather - not for long!

hello! 

today i have a super fun card to share for the current simon says stamp wednesday challenge! :) yahoo!!!
this card is also being featured on the newton's nook blog! lucky card! 

this week, it's anything goes (yahoo!!) and they're featuring lil inker designs and newton's nook products! what?! YES!
so i just HAD to play along! 

here's my card:

i used the adorable spring showers stamp set! SO versatile!!
i fussy cut out the umbrella only from the duck image, and then popped it up over a thicker letter 'j'!! ha ha! instant umbrella handle!! 

the umbrella is supposed to look like it's peeling away the bad weather and bringing sunshine and rainbows!! that was my thought process, anyway! :)
i stamped the sentiment onto a vellum banner (hello my old friend vellum), and then that's the card!

it looks pretty simple, but it took a lot of concentration to make just the right patterned papers show! whew! lol :) (that blue rain/yellow diaganol layer is actually two papers adhered together)

so that's that!
you should get your newton's nook stamps out and play along! :)
enjoy!