a floral thank you card

**this is my 2nd post of the day! to see my Newton's Nook Designs Inky Paws Challenge card, please scroll down, or click here!**

hello again! 
two times in one day...how lucky are we? :D ha ha!

today i have a card on the Create a Smile stamps blog! and i am totally digging how this one came out! :)

i used the flower from the Botanical Love stamp set! that set is really SO pretty and SO versatile! 

to read all about how i created this card, head on over to the Create a Smile stamps blog! 
thank you SO much for stopping by!
enjoy!

Inky Paws Challenge #19 - Watercolor!

me again!

did you miss me? :D

today starts a brand new Inky Paws Challenge over at the Newton's Nook blog! yahoo!!

and this time, we want to see you WATERCOLOR!! woo-hoooo! 

i may have done the peanuts dance when i saw this! what's more fun that watercolor, right now? ha!

for my card, i used the new Newton's Birthday Flutter! i just HAD to! ha!

i heat embossed the images in black and then used my distress markers to watercolor the images! SO MUCH FUN! i think i could watercolor for days! ha!

i also used the speech bubble from Newton's Day Dream to house the sentiment.

the background was FUN! i used some Tumbled Glass distress ink to add a watercolored look, and then used some translucent embossing paste and a stencil to add some texture! :)

love it!

so make sure you play along for your chance to win some $$$ to the Newton's Nook shop! i can't wait to see what you make! 

enjoy! 

my darling

hello!

today i'm just popping in quickly to share a card i made using the newly released Turnip stamp set!
i had so much fun!

i watercolored the peas and radish/turnip/beet with some distress markers! 
LOVE watercoloring that way! ok fine, i love ALL kinds of watercolor! :D busted!

the peas and radish were then fussy cut, i popped up the radish for some dimension, and layered the peas! they're SO cute! and i used the awesome Outline Lower Alpha to make the custom sentiment! i just LOVE the shape of these letters! and as you may know...i am a total FAN GIRL of lower case! :) ha ha!

so that's my card!
be sure to keep checking in with Sweet Stamp Shop as they work on they're grand re-opening online shop!
enjoy!

the cow jumped over the moon!

me again!
and (again!) i'm sharing a card that's being featured on the Newton's Nook Designs blog! 
...because it's THAT kind of week! wahoo!

this time, i colored up the cute little cow from Farmyard Friends with some copics, and made him the star of my card!

ha!!!
my cards crack me up! and i hope they crack up the recipients!
the background was made with distress inks and blending. blending. blending! i used Chipped Shapphire, Seedless Perserves and Peacock Feathers. then i sprinkled some water on top! because i wanted a subtle night sky!

i used some gold/yellow mists to create the moon on watercolor paper. then i used two circle shapes to cut it like a crescent! i even did some stamp image surgery and moved the cows legs further apart to look like he was really trying to make that jump! ha!

a few enamel stars and alpha tabs finished the card!
wouldn't this be a super sweet card for a friend who was expecting? aw! come on friends - start the expection process, so i can send this to you! :D

enjoy!

if you think it, spring will come

oh tuesday...you're so much better than monday!
:D
today i have a super cute spring card up on the Newton's Nook Designs Blog! 
i LOVE it!
i was totally inspired by this pin i found on Pinterest!
so i took Newton and made him a spring lion! :D

i love it!
i did some masking, some watercoloring, and LOTS of stamping on this card!
i would list all of the stamp sets i used...but let's just say it was a LOT (7 in total!). all of the stamp sets are listed on the Newton's Nook blog, if you're intersted! i really took advantage of the small elements in some of the stamp sets! SO FUN to use your stamps up like that! 

i also used the sentiment from Easter Scrambled, and just masked the sentiment so it would be all on the same line! easy peasy!

thanks for stopping by!
hopefully it's starting to feel like spring where you live...fingers crossed (i had heard it was snowing in parts of the country on monday! eek! still?!)
enjoy!

soar

hello!
it's sunday night!
(the worst part of the week...because we all know what tomorrow brings! ha!) 
so i thought, why not lighten the heavy, dark, sad feelings with a fun little layout of my big Mann at the beach?

i created it for the current Mixed Media Monthly challenge:

birds?! i LOOOOOOVE birds!!! and i certainly love wood veneer birds (you will have no doubt about that, i assure you!)! 
so i knew exactly what i wanted to create:

i love it! i think it turned out lovely! i have been trying to use up things in my stash. and i have about 456008327900 wood veeners, with an estimated 20% of them birds! lol!! i kid...(mostly). so i thought it would add SO MUCH texture and fun to the page if i made them as the background!

i glued each one down...and i just love how they taper off at the top corner! 
the title, subtitle and parts of the picture cluster were all stitched down. and i even did some stamping!

i actually heat embossed onto the picture itself with the Life is Good stamp set from Lawn Fawn! that was FUN...with a sort of candy coated shell of scary! 

well that's my layout!
hope this ramble made you laugh a bit! 
enjoy!

little monster mania

hello there!

happy friday to you and yours! :)

today i have a card on the Create a Smile blog featuring this cute as can be little monster from the Big Time stamp set! :)

it was almost impossible to choose just one of those little monsters, but for some reason, i thought i could add some 'slime' trails behind this one, so it won out! 

i also used the 29 Again stamp set on this card!

i hope it makes a little birthday laugh! ha!

anyway, be sure to check out the Create a Smile blog to read all about this card! :D

enjoy!

Newton's Nook Designs March Release - Newton's Birthday Flutter

eek! today is the last day of the March release hop for Newton's Nook Designs! and i promise you..i PROMISE you, this set will make you laugh! ha!

today, the whole DT is showcasing the new, hysterical, and, alright i'll say it, a little dark,  Newton's Birthday Flutter stamp set! it's hysterical! everytime i read the 'so i ate him' phrase, i start laughing all over again! i really LOVE it! i have so many ideas for this set! you can totally use this to scrapbook, create a project life type spread, gift tags and, of course, cards! all of the new sets will be available for purchase on March 20th, right here!

for my first project, i made a card:

i wanted to focus on the bird, because i have other big plans for newton and those feathers!! he he he!
i even ALMOST made a one layer card...VOLUNTARILY!! i know. it was a close one! ha!

i masked off all of the balloons, and then watercolored everything with my distress markers. that little robin carrying the last balloon, is just so sweet, i think!! i REALLY love this card! i just added a strip of washi to the side of the card panel.

my last project for this release is a layout. and i really really LOVE how it turned out!

i think i stamped and cut out the balloons...oh 150 times!! insane, i know! but i really really like how this looks!! the rainbow motif just goes so well with the picture of my little mann turning 2 a few years ago! (hence the number 2 in the title!). when he was sleeping i had filled his room with balloons, and when he woke up on his 2nd birthday, it was instant happy!

i also stamped some of the phrases from the stamp set around my layout! it was perfect for this birthday page! 
the blue above the balloons was a little bit of distress ink blending!

Would you like to win “Newton's Birthday Flutter”?

This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog 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, March 19th at 9pm CDT to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, March 20th. 

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs
Lydia Evans
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Crafty Math-Chick
Jess Moyer
Stephanie Muzzulin
Danielle Pandeline
Kimberly Rendino
Yukari Yoshioka
Wanda Guess (Guest Designer)

Sweet Stamp Shop March Release

because it's just that kind of week!

did you see that Sweet Stamp Shop also had a release this week? it was a great one!
not only did they release some new planner sets, but be sure to check out the really FUN (and punny) sets, too!

here's a card i made for the release:

oh, it just cracks me up!! 
and the song is INSTANTLY stuck in my head! (am i the only one? or are you singing along now, too?) ha ha!

i colored the images with copics and then popped them up onto the card base. i even colored part of the sentiment to coordinate!
speaking of the card base, i used some light blue distress inks to create the background! LOVE it! 

lastly, the entire card front was popped up over a strip of bold, black and white washi! hello! LOVE it!

so make sure you head over to the Sweet Stamp Shop and get your stamps today! 
enjoy!

Newton's Nook Designs March Release - Farmyard Friends

the excitement continues during week for Newton's Nook Designs! today is day 2, and we're on to the next, amazing set! 

today, the whole DT is showcasing the new, punny, and so FUN,  Farmyard Friends stamp set! it's hysterical! and i really LOVE it! i have so many ideas for this set! you can totally use this to scrapbook, create a project life type spread, gift tags and, of course, cards! all of the new sets will be available for purchase on March 20th, right here!

here's my first card:

i used my peerless watercolors to create the background onto this banner! so fun! the sheep was colored with copics (bah, bah black sheep anyone!? ha!) and then popped it all up onto the card base.

the card base is some patterned paper that i added a thin layer of gesso on top of. it was SO busy, and the light gesso just mutes it enough, i thought!
and that sentiment! HA!! that was the entire reason for the card! hysterical!

my next card was SO MUCH FUN TO MAKE!!!
it's a shaker card!!! but not just ANY shaker card!! inside the shaker is not only sequins...but also MINI COWS AND CHICKENS!! ha ha ha!!

i used some shrinky plastic to create the shaker elements! amazing, right?! ha! 
i stamped the images with staz-on ink, and then colored with copics on the other side of the plastic. i fussy cut them all out (eek!) and then i just took my heat gun to it, and BAM! shrinky dink-ed cows and chickens!! SO MUCH FUN!!

i honestly hadn't used shrinky dinks since i was a kid with my childhood (and current!!) best friend (you know her as Danielle Pandeline, also on this team!)! it was SO much fun to play with this again!!

Would you like to win “Farmyard Friends”?

This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog 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, March 19th at 9pm CDT to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, March 20th. 

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook Designs
Lydia Evans
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Crafty Math-Chick
Jess Moyer
Stephanie Muzzulin
Danielle Pandeline
Kimberly Rendino
Yukari Yoshioka
Wanda Guess (Guest Designer)

Newton's Nook Designs March Release - Beautiful Blossoms

woo-hoo!
it's RELEASE week for Newton's Nook Designs! and today we're showing the first set! i'm so excited!

today, the whole DT is showcasing the new, beautiful new floral set, Beautiful Blossoms! don't you just LOVE this set? it's sooooo pretty! you can totally use this to scrapbook, create a project life type spread, gift tags and, of course, cards! all of the new sets will be available for purchase on March 20th, right here!

ok, enough jibber jabber, let's get on with my cards!

i looooooooove how this turned out! 
i scribbled out some gelatos onto a scratch piece of watercolor paper, and then used water to blend them all together! then i took the stamp and stamped it over and over, making sure to get the stamp a little bit in all of the colors!

i LOVE that flower the best, it looks like butterfly wings to me!! :)

ok, anyway, on the card front, i painted a diagonal line in white. all this really did was create texture on the bottom half of the diagonal. i LOVE that!
then i fussy cut out the flowers and adhered them along the diaganol. i made sure to curl up the ends of the flowers. this card is so FUN!

my next card is defintly not as bold! ha!
i stamped some light grey stripes to create the background. then i heat embossed the flowers in white (GORGEOUS!) onto some cardstock that i had already watercolored with the dark pinks and purple distress inks. once they were dry, i fussy cut them out! 

the sentiment and little floral embellishments were heat embossed in white onto vellum. i added the coordinating colors by coloring with copics on the other side of the vellum!
i stitched it to the card, and added some foam tape to give some of the flowers dimension!

so pretty!! don't you think?

Would you like to win “Beautiful Blossoms”?

This set will be given away to ONE lucky winner! 

Here's how to win: 

Comment on the NND blog and Design Team and Guest blogs (see list below)! The winner will be chosen at random from the collective blog 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, March 19th at 9pm CDT to comment  -- winners will be announced on the blog post on Friday, March 20th. 

Check out all the awesome Design Team Blogs below to enter:

Newton's Nook DesignsTaheerah Atchia
Lydia Evans
Larissa Heskett
Samantha Mann
Crafty Math-Chick
Jess Moyer
Stephanie Muzzulin
Danielle Pandeline
Kimberly Rendino
Yukari Yoshioka
Wanda Guess (Guest Designer)

lawnscaping challenge #102 - distress addicts

good morning!
today is a brand new Lawnscaping Challenge! and it's definitely one of my FAVORITE challenges - distress addicts!!

you can use any of your distress products, or you can just distress your card to make it look rough or aged! i decided to use my distress inks and markers! 
and i also broke out the brand new Gleeful Gardens stamp set on my card! eeek!! LOVE that one!

i used a piece of computer paper for a mask and used peacock feathers and tumbled glass to create the sky. then i dropped a little water on top! 
when that was done, i moved the mask over the sky and then used shabby shutters and mowed lawn to create the grass!

the mushrooms were watercolored with distress markers and then i popped up the large one for some dimension!
a few enamel dots and a strip of washi, and the card was done!
i really LOVE how bold the card is! it makes me happy!

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! :)

you're so adork-able!

hi hi hi!!

well...i'm a taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad bit late sharing this layout on the Butterfly Reflections Ink blog - sigh.
but it's up, and posted - and ready to inspire!! (perhaps!)

here's a sneak peak at what it looks like, and lots of the products i used to make it:

all of the products are from the Butterfly Reflections Ink shop!!
head on over there and SHOP SHOP SHOP!! Pretty much assured if you order tonight, you'll get by the end of the week! the shipping is crazy fast!

so head over to the Butterfly Reflections Ink blog to see my layout, en total! :D

enjoy!

Lawn Fawn's 5th Birthday Celebration Blog Hop!

hello!!

i'm so excited to be part of this incredible milestone for Lawn Fawn! 

to find out all of the details about this amazing hop, or if you didn't make your way here via Audrey's incredible blog, please visit Jenn Shurkus' blog and get all the details! she's the amazingly talented woman who organized the hop! 

for me, Lawn Fawn was the company that started it all for me! i was just starting to dabble into the cardmaking world, and i stumbled across the Critters in the 'Burbs stamp set - and i have been deeply immersed in the love affair ever since! :D Congratulations to Lawn Fawn and i can't wait to celebrate many many more years of success!

to celebrate this momentous occasion, i created a card with a bunch of the 'Year' stamp sets! 

i used the brightest and happiest colors i could! ha! the background was made with peerless watercolors and three different magneta/purples! 
all of the images were colored with copics! the sentiment and turtle are from the Year Two stamp set. The little present is from Year Five, and those cute little balloons are from Year Four. 

i stitched on the clouds and then added a strip of washi to the top! 

happy happy happy birthday Lawn Fawn!
your next stop is one of my favorite crafters - Lenny!
enjoy!

countdown to the Create a Smile March release!

hello!!
today is so exciting! we're starting the countdown to the March release over at Create a Smile stamps!
this month is such a cute release - and so so so versatile!

i played with the Floating Chevron background stamp - and let me tell you - this is a must have! it's SO fun! and trendy!

i used Worn Lipstick, Dried Marigold and Mustard Seed distress inks and inked the stamp up with all three colors at the same time. after i stamped it onto a white card base, i used the same distress inks to blend them together.

i also paper pieced and popped up a few of the chevrons! i LOVE that look!

the sentiment is from the Create a Smile chipboard! i just trimmed off the 'day' from birthday, and painted the words white! 

be sure to head over to the Create a Smile blog to see the rest of the teams' inspiration all week! Anika's card is on the Create a Smile blog with mine today...and let me tell you - wow!! it's awesome!!!!  :D

enjoy!