Happy Spring!

I know what your thinking - It Isn't Spring Yet! I know, but it's a Sketch & Holiday theme at Creative Sketches. If you want to know more about Creative Sketches please visit their site HERE.

Here is out sketch for this week:

I am going to go out on a limb and pretend the first day of Spring is a holiday :)

I used the Spring Unity stamp set because it's so warm and cute! I am using the "Rustic" pack of papers from DCWV. And I am using the Spellbinders Square & Scalloped Square dies. I colored everything in with Tombows and I used a Zva Pearl strand with a Prima flower.


I love, love this sketch and had so many ideas and could have gone in so many directions, but this stamp set was calling and so were the papers :) So I chose to use Spring as my "holiday" ... After a long winter any new season is a holiday, right ;)

Adore

Ok, I'm sure you've noticed my Color Throwdown linky on the side of my blog for the last year, right? I have been jonesing to play along for that long, but have had so much going on that I just couldn't squeeze another card in my busy schedule. But, last night I did it!! I made my first Color Throwdown inspired card!! Yeay me!


This colors they have this week are:

I somehow missed the "Gray" color suggestion and made Black one of the colors! Oopsie! See, don't try to remember the colors from memory like I did - LOL :)

 

I chose to let the paper do the "talking" and work for me and not use a stamp. I had an image all inked up and painted in, but I couldn't cover up that wonderful sentiment and all of that wonderful glitter. So I kept it and added some Kaiser Craft Red Pearls to re-enhance the red cardstock peeping out from behind the My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found 2" paper. You can't tell from the front angle but I popped the Adore and the red cardstock up off the black cardstock, to give it depth and dimension.

I love a good challenge and using a color challenge is my favorite kind of challenge, so I hope that I can somehow squeeze in the time and join in with Color Throwdown! I hope you join in with me and go check them out using the linky I have on the side of my blog. I hope to see you there, too :) 

Violets

It's that time of week again when I get to play along with Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenges :) 
This week Tammy is challenging us to use: Flags, Banners, or Pennants.
If you play along you could win a GC to Flourishes online shop! All of the details are HERE.


I knew exactly what I wanted. I had this idea rolling around for a bit but I was looking for the perfect stamp set to show off all of the swirls and flourishes.

I used Flourishes "Sweet Violets" stamp set for the image and sentiment. I colored everything in with Tombows and Distress Inks then cut it all out and popped in up on small popdots. After cutting out the flowers, I added some Glossy Accents to stiffen up my image and add some color depth. I sponged some "Scattered Straw" & "Dried Marigold" Distress Ink on my background. I created my base with the Heartfelt Creations/Spellbinders "Decorative Oval Window" die. I added some Bazzil pearls as my finishing touch.


 As you can see, I kept everything but the flowers in creams & yellows. In real life you actually barely see the yellow, but I love the little accent it gives. I love little details like that :)
Interestingly enough the violets are actually deeper then they appear, but every time I try to "show" that, it looks fake and Photoshopped.
I do my best to keep it natural and lit well in my homemade booth. I may need to just take it outside and hope for a more natural lighting out there :)

Creative Sketches Color Challenge :)

I really love color challenges! This week Creative Sketches is challenging us to use: Saffron, Mustard & Red! 
Here is our inspiration photo.

I was totally inspired here so instead of using fall colors I decided to use the bold and spicy colors you would normally use in the summer time. I wanted everything to POP, since the challenge colors could be bold or subtle in the color spectrum. 

 

I used Flourishes "Hello Hyacinth" stamp set and chose to highlight the sentiment so it would be a bold focal point. I sponged "Scattered Straw" and "Dried Marigold" Distress Inks around the edges of the Deckled Edge Oval, layered over a Scalloped Oval Spellbinders die cut. I used DCWV "Citrus" papers from their 6x6 paper stack (LOVE that paper!!). I cut a 2" strip of paper and scored it at 1/4 intervals and folded it to make my fan. I added some ribbon and red pearls from KaiserKraft to finish my card.

I love how bold it came out! When I saw the inspiration photo all I knew is that with those challenge colors I should go bold or go home! If you have seen my cards before, I am very much a "safe" color card maker although I WANT to be able to use them well. So I have to say that this is my new favorite card, I was able to break through that barrier and have fun doing it, too :)

May Your Christmas Flourish

Well, Flourishes Noon Time Release Week Challenge is up and running! 
Today's noon Challenge is: Let's Play Tag!! 
All you have to do is create a tag and you could win Flourishes Entire November Release!! You can find more details HERE on their blog post.


I wanted to make something vintage (I love vintage Christmas stuff) yet simple so the image would stand out. Here is what I came up with ( I don't have my Christmas tree up so pardon my fireplace topiary :)

I used Flourishes "Sleigh Ride" and the sentiment from Flourishes "Flourished Christmas" set. I used an old piece of Graphic 45 paper for the fabric on my sleigh. I am using the Spellbinders Lacy Squares as my base, with an embossed Spellbinder Square background. I cut a frame with the largest two SB Square dies and added a flourished bracket in all four corners. I added Glossy Accents to the sleigh and added glitter to represent snow.


I'm not sure if you can tell, but I used some of my Copics to shade the "fabric" on my sleigh for depth and shadows. I can see it in real life, but I'm not sure if it shows up well in the picture. I hope it does, the Copic shading over the paper is pretty seamless. I am loving these Copics!!
I really love how my last sleigh card turned out and I really love how the glitter represents snow. I tried that puffy stuff for snow once and it ruined my cards, so I really like sticking with what works. 

Timeless Tuesday - Release Week!!

Yeay! It's Release Week at Flourishes - I LIVE For This ;)
Today being Timeless Tuesday, Flourishes has offered up another challenge. Today's challenge is : Double Embossing! You can find the tutorial HERE. If you play along you could win a GC from Flourishes. You can find all the details out HERE.


I made a card that played on the same design and theme that I used last year for our Christmas cards, but I made it into a fall theme.

I used Flourishes "Apple of My Eye" stamp set for the sentiment and the Caramel Apples. I colored the apples in with Tombows and added Glossy Accents to the apples and bows, then I cut them both out with my craft knife. I stamped an Italian script on to some paper to use as my background paper and embossed it with a Sizzix folder. Then I cut out some "windows" with my Scalloped Squares Spellbinder die. After cutting out the windows I added a stamped word acetate in the "windows". I added a border with my EK Success "Swiss Dots" punch and placed popdots under the front or top layer, to pop it off of the paper behind it. I added some lace, a Spellbinder Fancy Tags diecut with a Fleur de Lis accent on top of it. Then I added my sentiment and a Prima flower and some hat pins on my Fleur de Lis accent piece.


Here are my Christmas cards my husband and I came up with last year (Yes, he loves to help me with our Christmas cards :). We made a red and a green version of them.
This one is the red one we sent out.

 

Here are the green versions.

We really had fun coming up with them and the assembling them part. He was interested in seeing how all my tools worked :) Now to only come up with this years Christmas cards.... :)

Merry & Bright

Yeay! It's challenge time at Flourishes Release Week!! And this one is a fun & Fabulous one!! If you play along with the challenges, you could win the entire November release! Find out all the details HERE.

The challenge is : Snowy Delights! Use Flower Soft, Glitter, Bling or anything else to create a snowy feel :)

I used Flourishes "Sleigh Ride" that I paper pieced, cut out and colored in with Copic markers. I used all My Mind's Eye papers and sponged Distress Inks around the edges. Then I added some Glossy Accents and Donna Salazar "Fine Fairy Dust Glitter" (THAT went EVERYWHERE!), some ribbon and bling on the sleigh.


Let me just say I learned one valuable lesson tonight, Never Ever add your glitter as your LAST finishing touch to your card :) You'll have glitter E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E on your card! I'm sure all of you have learned that lesson before and think I should know that :) But it's midnight and I'm just trying to squeeze one last card in and thinking straight isn't really as important as getting it done - LOL ;) .... I wish you could see all the lovely sparkle, in real life, this card has! It's lovely :)

Grace

I am entering my very first Our Daily Bread challenge - Yeay! :) I'm using my only sets so far: "Scripture Series 2" & "Scrolly Borders". This is so exciting :)


The challenge is to use your scripture stamps, so I used my new sets and came up with my card.

 I used a Fiskars "Upper Crest" border punch on Vellum to create an edge, then I used my Scor-Pal, scoring it at 1/2 inch intervals to create the fan. Then I ran my Marvy Gold Gel pen along the inside of the fan. I added pearls and hand dyed lace under the Spellbinders diecut. I sponged some "Antique Linen" and "Scattered Straw" Distress Inks onto my diecut piece. I used a My Mind's Eye "Lost & Found" paper and a Creative Imaginations paper under that, and added a ribbon to finish the card.
I know the card looks brown gray but in real light it looks nice and warm yellow/gold :)

 Our Daily Bread offers a GC to the challenge winner each week. You can find more details about the ODB challenge HERE on their blog.

A Timeless Tuesday Hello!

It's Time for my Flourishes Timeless Tuesday entry - YEAY!!! This week's Timeless Tuesday, Beate has challenged us to try the : Out of The Box Technique.
Every Tuesday Flourishes offers up a challenge for us and at the end of the week, they give a GC to the winner. You can play along and find more details: HERE.
 With out further ado my entry for this weeks challenge :)

 I used Flourishes "Humming By" stamp set, colored in with Tombows, and partially cut out with a Circle Spellbinder die and a craft knife. I colored the Humming Bird in with Tombows then cut it out with my craft knife, and popped it up with popdots. I used a My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found" paper and added  a Bazzil Scalloped Edge White CS then I stitched around the edges.

Let me tell you, when I first read the challenge on the Flourishes blog, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had everything done in an hour, but...! I had NO paper that really made the flowers and bird pop. I  searched my papers and scraps for two days and finally found this one. I have never had an image not work with any of my papers before! I have tons, and more then tons, of paper then I'll ever know what to do with, so this was a first! I am an hour from the nearest scrap shop so I hope ( for sanity sake ) that never happens again :)