let's fiesta!

hello!

today i'm playing along with the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge! it's an anything goes challenge - couldn't be easier to play along!! ha!

i made a set of cute cute birthday cards, and i just love how they came out!

so cute, right?! ha! 
i used some gold embossing paste and a stencil to create the background. once it was dry, i used some Distress Inks (Peacock Feathers and Tumbled Glass for the blues and Worn Lipstick and Dried Marigold for the pinks!) 

i watercolored the images in with my Inktense Colored Pencils and some of my favvvvvvvvorite watercolor paper! it's so smooth and not very textured, but the colors really move on there! perfection! that cute little cactus is from the ADORABLE Southwestern Charm stamp set! Emily Leiphart from Art from the Heart actually sent it to me as a prize last year! LOOOOVE it!! and the bird is from one of my all time favorite Paper Smooches sets - Birthday Buddies! 

The little critters were popped up over the banners and backgrounds, and that's all she wrote folks! so much fun! i LOVE the colors! they make me happy to see! ha!
enjoy!

sunshine and rainbows and candy canes and magic!

hello!

today is a fun little ditty of a card that i'm sharing with Paper Smooches stamps and dies!! :)

i created this card for two challenges:

the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge, which happens to be anything goes (not much easier than that!!)

and also the Squirrel Fest challenge that Emily Leiphart is having on her blog!! (you can read all about the challenge and the adorable little backstory of bunny squirrel here!!)

so here's my card!!

ha ha ha!! 
so silly, right?
I love that little hanging squirrel from Hang Ups! I colored him with copics, and had himhang on the speech bubble shape (the rainbow background was die cut with the Quotable Dies!).

the rainbow background is popped up with foam tape. oh, and it was created with watercolor paper and lots of distress paint! :) 

the sentiment is a combination of sayings from the Spectrum and Group Hugs stamp sets! :) i masked and heat embossed them to created this super encourage (at least to me!) sentiment! :)

So that's my card!
super fun! super silly! and super me! :)
enjoy!

you got me love struck

hello!!

happy saturday! i hope everyone is having an awesome day! :)

today i was able to make a few cards - yay! always fun!!
this card was made (last minute, much?! ha ha!) for the paper smooches sparks picture perfect challenge!!

i super, puffy heart LOVE that image!! the flowers are so pretty together, i just LOVE the color palette! and the woodgrain...yes please!!

so for my card, i decided to use the colors and woodgrain, but not flowers...i hope that works still!! 

i used the love struck stamp set, and paper pieced the heck right out of those arrows!! ha ha!! i used ALL of the arrows in the set! i really liked how they all went together with the different sized 'feathers' and colors! i don't know how many different papers i used...there's also some pink vellum in there, too!  and course all of the arrows are 'stuck' in the woodgrain! :)

for the sentiment, inlaid the word 'love' from love word die! i also added some picket fence distress glitter, to make it stand out a little more! the second half of the sentiment is also from the love struck stamp set, and it was heat embossed in white, right onto the woodgrain washi! :)

so that's my card!
hope it made you smile!
enjoy!

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!

the red nosed reindeer

today i have another fun card to share!
this card was created for the paper smooches sparks challenge! which is a trend watch this time and happens to be all about lace!

well...i don't have any lace...so after looking for some lace-y or doily papers that i had, i remembered that i had lace WASHI! oh yeah! the washi print looks like lace! score! and what i love about the lace being on the washi tape is that i was free to make a super feminine, pretty card, or a quirky, modern card. guess which way i went?! lol! 

quirky!
yep, i layered the washi tape as my background (inspired by my best's card here, thank you!) and then got to work! the reindeer are actually just deer from the paper smooches stamp set happy camper. LOVE that image! it's so cute and, well just plain adorable! then i made the antlers from the two 'branches' from the hang ups stamp set! 

all of the images were colored with copics (i was tyring to make the deer all different shades of brown...almost...i was so close! but i'm still learning with those!). of course i had to add a little blush to their cheeks, it's too cute!! 
then i popped up the middle deer and added a red sparkly nose (he he!).

lastly, i created the sentiment with some october afternoon alphas and used my sewing machine to secure them in place! (plus - i am currently in love with sewing on sentiments...)

so that's it! hope it made you smile! 
enjoy!

bear hugs!

today i have a card i made for the current paper smooches sparks challenge - anything goes!! how can you NOT play along with that, right? ha ha!

i made this card for a close family friend (read: family) who recently took a spill and i wanted to send some love even though i'm not there!

i colored the bear (from chubby chum pals) with some copics and then popped him up. the sentiment was stamped with staz-on ink onto some vellum and then i sewed all of the banners onto the card base. i wanted a little more sewing on the card, so i also made a base for bear and then sewed a line along the perimeter of the card. 

love sewing on cards! and this card in particular is super fall to me - i love the colors together! and the texture from using my sewing machine is like a sweater - (sweater weather is my FAVORITE)! so i hope this card arrives and feels like a big warm (bear!!) hug! :)

enjoy! 

i believe in magic

*if you're looking for my inky paws sketch challenge post - please click here**

i had an unexpected few minutes to get crafty today, so i was excited to try out the latest paper smoches sparks cool shades challenge! the colors are super fun, trendy and a little neon even! what's not to love?

for some reason, my head went christmas with those colors, weird, right? but i do LOVE how the card turned out! :)

i used four different paper smooches stamp sets for this non-traditional christmas card: joyful greetings, swanky snowdudes, my peeps and gently seasoned!

i have been in a coloring mood lately (instead of paper piecing...wow, i know!). the good and bad with that is that i am not very good yet and i mess up a LOT! lol! so on one hand, i want to color, and on the other hand, i'm no good. ha ha!! sigh.
anyway, i colored the images (cough cough) with copics and then cut them out and popped them up.

i just love that little bird looking up at the snowman waiting for him to come to life (he totally believes!). and yeah, that's why i chose that particular sentiment too! 
after a few snowflakes and lime green enamel dots (um, LOVE those by the way - lime green snow - yes please! ha ha!)!

so that's it! i'm glad i was able to play along and share a bit of some neon christmas with you!
enjoy!

a little love note

when i saw the inspiration picture for the latest paper smooches sparks trend watch challenge, i almost swooned. i LOVE it! the softness, the colors and the pop of gold! i could not resist!

you see? it's such a wonderful source of inspiration! i have another idea too, but we'll see if i can make it come to life in time! :)

here's my card:

first i stamped the sentiment from pretty phrases (one of my favorite sets ever!) in the most awesome gold ink pad ever! the delicata golden glitz ink! it looks almost like it was heat embossed! it's so fun!

then i did heat emboss (in clear) the hibiscus flower from get outta town multiple times onto water color paper. then i colored in the images with distress markers (spun sugar and worn lipstick) with a nod to the awesome ombre fade from flower to flower.

the flowers were popped up and then i used the wink of stella glitter pen to add a little glitter to the center part (stamen) of the flowers then added some pearls to the card base.

and that's it! i hope my card encapsulates the soft, happy feel of the inspiration photo! 
enjoy!

my funny bunch

today i'm going to share a layout i made for the currently paper smooches sparks anything goes challenge! 
it's anything goes, so it was a perfect time to make a layout! :)

my little menn are some funny guys. and when my littlest mann discovered he could stick out his tounge last year, it was all the rage in our house! :) couple that with the FUN and awesome stamps of paper smooches and well, here's my layout about that day:

i used the apples and peach (love that the peach is making the same face as the menn!) from paper smooches fruitastic. i paper pieced the fruit and then added gossy accents to those wide, happy smiles! why did i use fruit? well, because my little menn are a BUNCH of funny guys and lots of fruit is a bunch! :)

first i masked some fun circles onto the background of the dark patterned paper cardstock. then i splattered some more white mr heuy's there too. the 'let's play' is from chubby chums, and was stamped in white ink.

there's lots of dimension happening under all of the layers, fruit and pictures. and then i added some flair and enamel dots to finish it all off. there's also lots of washi happening too. ok, you got me, there's a LOT happening all over this layout. but i like it! it reflects the silly-ness and eclectic nature of our family. ha ha! oh and the date was stamped with alphadots, and there is a tag hidden in an envelope here that has a little journaling of this funny time.

so that's it! another fun, and silly, moment captured and recorded. 
enjoy!

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!

birds of a feather

the latest challenge over at paper smooches sparks is all about cool shades, and i couldn't love the color combinations more!! LOOOOOOOOVE!!

i was instantly inspired by the colors! i attempted to create a subtle ombre  affect - here's what i mean:

i used my brand new inktense watercolor pencils to color the bottoms of the birds and then my grey copic marker to color the heads, then i paper pieced them together! :) i still have a LOT to learn using those pencils! (and i think the watercolor paper i bought is whack! ...either that or it's user error! lol!)

i used three paper smooches stamp sets: get outta town (sentiment), my peeps (the birds) and metropolis (the clouds). each of the birds are popped up, and the clouds are not - but can i talk about the clouds for a minute? i think they're SO adorable! and i really think they make the card!! lol! :)

i placed the birds in a 'flying v' formation because they're on the way to their happy place of course! :) the sentiment was heat embossed in white to finish it all off! 

so that's that! i think it's super happy and bright! and i'm hoping it brings some cheer to some people who need a smile (even it lasts only a minute!). 
enjoy!

a cute little saurus

i was able to get some creative juice flowing today for my card for the latest paper smooches sparks challenge! it's a cool shades color challenge! 

and here's my cute little scene - warning: there's lots of cute happening here. :)

i used 4 paper smooches stamp sets: happy camper, sentiment sampler, metropolis and party posse.
the images are all paper pieced and fussy cut out. i popped up the clouds and marshmallows for a little added fun! 

the sentiment is heat embossed. and here's where it gets questionable...i started by added glossy accents to the fire...ok. but then i thought, hmm, i used ribbon the other day...why not use another supply i have a ton of and don't use...glitter! 

i immediately regretted that decision. like a lot of glitter ventures, it was messy, overwhelming and (in this case) permanent! lol! i was imagining just a hint of glitter to replicate sparks in a bon fire...but alas. glitter is not delicate medium! at least not in my house with the little ones running around knocking things over, reaching for containers and 'wanting to help'! :)
come to think of it...there's a reason that glitter was in a bottom door of my expedite...

ha ha!
so that's that! i still think it's one card with a lot of cute, even if i am still finding glitter on my desk. 
enjoy!

power on

alright! so i'm here to share a card i made today for the latest challenge at paper smooches sparks! this time with their cool shades color challenge:

now a little warning - this is a super simple card! for some reason it was in my head! and i tried to think-think-think of other ways to spruce it up...alas, i could not! :) so here it is:

i used paper smooches stamp sets boob tunes and vegtastic (for the little heart)! that little heart, by the way, is my favorite heart! it's the perfect, size and shape, i just love it! :)

i paper pieced the funky, retro tv and added some glossy accents and a little clear, glitter pearl to the 'buttons'. i LOVE that woodgrain for the tv, i was feelin' the retro vibe! :)
the heart was just stamped and cut out and then popped up for some dimension! :) 

see? totally simple! but still fun! 
enjoy!

a little polka-crazy!

just a quick post of a sweet little card i made for the current paper smooches sparks trend watch challenge!

did someone say polka dots?! well, ok then, i'm in! :)

here's my card:

there's not much fancy happening, i just think that little bee and the sentiment are SO cute!! i've been wanting to ink them up for a while! and for some reason, nothing screams polka dots to me, quite like bees! lol! :) i used paper smooches stamps bee mine and chilly chums (for the little bow on the bee!) for this card!

anyway, the bee and banner are all popped up. i added some glossy accents to the wings and the heart in the sentiment. which i thought was nice with the super fun glitter tape! lol! the background, the bee, the little heart, and the washi are all polka dot papers! lol! polka-crazy, see? :)

so that's it! it's just a sweet, fun card, and i had to create it because i needed to release some work-related stress! and what's a better way to do that than by crafting, right?! :)

happy friday and enjoy!