LIM #34 Sketch

Happy fall, y'all! I LOVE sketches--I really love seeing what people do with the same layout. It's so much fun! So, I was ecstatic when I saw this week's challenge at Less Is More.

Here's the sketch~

Isn't is great?! You need to pop over and see everyone's entries! Oh, wait! What about mine?!

Here it is~

I love Thanksgiving, and I love getting and sending thank you cards. So, I decided to let the season inspire me! I also wanted to use my coloring abilities (I know they aren't the greatest) and so I used a lined image so that I could use my favorite--blender pens! I wanted the sentiment to pop, so I stamped lighter brown leaves around it to kind of highlight it.

Close up of the images~

Close up of the sentiment~

Thank you for taking a peek! I hope that you get inspired by the sketch and create something today! Happy stamping!!!

MMM Final Steampunk Challenge

:( Sad. :( Sad. :( Sad. :(

:( This week is the last week for Make My Monday's steampunk month. :(

I have to admit--I really was thinking about passing up the whole steampunk thing. I'd never done it and was wary of buying stamps I thought I'd never buy. BUT--I'm so glad I didn't! I've learned so much this month and I've had such fun! Plus, everyone I've shown my creations has loved them and so I know that people will continue to love steampunk cards from me!

Anywho, I REALLY enjoyed this week's challenge (found here). It was to make a creation using steampunk and the creation could be anything...except a card!

I had an empty nut jar, and I knew that it was fate!

Here's the project~

I used an interesting color scheme--gold, silver, brown/yellow, and blue. I wanted to make the jar into something I could give away as a gift to someone. I used the sentiments "hello" and "time flies" so that I could give the jar to a friend I haven't seen for a while. :)

I used ribbon around the lid and as a bow...I think ribbon is very Victorian, don't you think? I also used lots of metal on the project--especially to accent the dry embossed gears. Since I used the sentiment "time flies" on top of the jar, I put clocks around the whole jar.

Close up of the front panel~

Close up of the clocks around the side~

And more details~

I wanted a cool top, so I used paper to create a rosette with a sentiment on top of it. Rosette are

trés Victorian, non?

Close up of the top~

What do you think? I was so pleased with how it turned out!

Thanks for looking--I appreciate you!!! Thanks, gals MMM, for another fabulously awesome challenge--cannot wait until next week! Happy crafting!

JUGS 3D Fall Project

So much fun! I love fall! AND I LOVE the holidays it brings--especially Thanksgiving! Each year, my mother asks me to make a little treat and place cards for out holiday table. The JUGS challenge this week (make a 3D fall project) was perfect for creating a little treat favor! This treat favor is one of my favorites! It uses a test tube to create an "Indian Corn".

Here it is~

And a close up of the tag/leaves~

The leaves were really easy to make--just punch out an oval, fold it in half and make quick cuts!

I didn't have any Reese's Pieces to put in it to make it a REAL Indian corn, so I had to use what I had on hand-jelly beans leftover from Easter.

Don't judge! You KNOW you have months old candy in your house somewhere! ;)

Thanks so much for taking a quick look at my little 3D project! Thank you, ladies at JUGS for a fabulous challenge--so much fun! Happy crafting!!!

OLW #65: Sentiment-a-mania!

I think this is a great challenge!!! It really excited me and made me want to stamp my heart out! Over at One Layer Wednesday this week, the challenge was "to make a card where the sentiment is either the focus of the card or shares the focus equally with the image." Love it!

Here's my card~

A closer look at the cute sentiment~

I've had this set for years and years and NEVER use it. I think I've used it 3 times the entire time I've owned it! And it just screamed OLW!!!

Thanks for a great challenge! I had fun! I will try to make some more cards along this same theme, because it's just so fun! Happy stamping! :)

MMM Metal Steampunk

WOW. I was really worried about this one! I had no clue what I could use for the metal in this week's challenge. Luckily, I have ideas "pop" into my head while I'm falling to sleep. Wanna know why I have "pop" in quotations? I'll tell you!

This week at Make My Monday, we are continuing our monthly theme of steampunk with an added twist--metal. And I needed to figure out how to get metal! Well, we recycle and one night as I was drifting off to sleep, trying to remember that the recycling needed to go out, it came to me! Soda pop cans! Hence, the "pop" in quotations--HAHAHA, very punny, right? ;D

Anyway, I cut my soda pop can into a long sheet, dry embossed it with my Tim Holtz steampunk mini dry embossing folders, cut out the images, glued the metal onto the paper with a hot glue gun, and VOILA~but before you see it, I have to apologize for the pictures. They're not that good and do not do the card justice... :( I think I need to buy an Ott light...anyway...

Here it is~

I added some more metal elements to the middle of the gears with some Filigree and Ice rhinestone brads from Stampin' Up! I also used silver elastic cord instead of ribbon to continue the metal theme.

Here is a close up of the gears~

And for good measure, the metal man~

And, of course, the sentiment~

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my little met-ally steampunk project. It was really fun! I LOVE steampunk now, and I'm so glad I found Make My Monday challenges! I hope you're inspired to join us next week! Happy crafting! :)

1000 Challenge + Christmas Cards for the Troops!

Hello, friends, it's nice to be here with you in Blogger land! ;) I've really started to completely enjoy blogging. For a while, I was feeling like it was a chore, so I took a hiatus and realized how fun it could be with the right attitude! I've been basically faithful for months now, and I'm lovin' it!

Anyway, back to the REAL reason for my post! Less is More wants 1,000 people to post for this challenge, so they made it ANYTHING CAS GOES! So, I decided to try something that I have thought would be cute for a while, but was too afraid to try and fail at.

I
Succeeded!
At
least
I
think
I
did...

Here's what my idea was--utilize my embossing folders and cute sentiments to create one layer cards. It was success on my first try. :) I'm so excited because it came out 98% the way I wanted!

Here's the card~

Did I succeed? I hope you agree that it's a fun and great card! Can't you just imagine the possibilities?! Oh, I'm so excited to make more cards like this!


On another note, if you don't know yet, the Spotted Canary is having a great challenge--they are asking people to craft Christmas cards for those serving our country. I you'd like to participate, then go to the Spotted Canary site and register here! You get 25% off your purchase storewide when you sign up, if you need an added incentive. :)

Thanks, ladies, for an easy challenge this week--I enjoyed getting to just let my creative juice run free! I hope you're inspired to create something today, and I hope you join me in making Christmas cards for the troops! Merry stamping! :)

A Thing of Beauty

Oh, wow. I just love color challenges! I always find that I am inspired by stamps I never thought I'd use again! That was the case with this color scheme over at CR84FN #38. Isn't that color inspiration fabulous?!

So, I reached for a stamp set I tend to OVERUSE, then slapped my hand and reached for a different set. And I'm glad I did! I never use this butterfly image--I may have used it once years ago, but I felt like it needed more use. So, I used it! And added glitter!!!

Anyway, here's the card, so you can see what I'm talking about~

A close up of the glittery details~

And a close up of the sentiment~

I love the end result! I hope you do, too! Thanks, CR84FN for another great challenge! Looking forward to the next one! I hope you join us! Happy stamping!

Non Traditional Fall Colors

I AM IN LOVE...with another color scheme! This week at Just Us Girls, the color scheme was inspired by fall colors--but I'd never seen these colors put together for fall before. So, I was a bit timid when it came time to jump right in. I wasn't sure if I'd even try, because I was a teeny bit scared of it...

I am so glad I tried it !

THIS

COLOR

SCHEME

IS

AMAZING!

Aqua, Pumpkin, Kiwi
FABULOUS!

I decided that a gratitude theme and leaves would be appropriate for fall, even thought the colors weren't necessarily traditional. But, I'm the type of person who uses pink and orange for Christmas cards sometimes, so who am I to judge?! ;D

So, here's my submission~

And a close up of the details~

Thank you so much, ladies, for a fabulous color scheme! Totally lovin' it, totally usin' it again! Happy stamping!

Miniatures

Thank you, CAS-ual Friday! I have a ton of small cards that I never use because I never have a reason to, but you made my day when I saw your challenge was to create small cards!!! These little beauties were so much fun to make. AND, they're economical because you use paper scraps to make them! So, I made a whole set!

Here's the whole set~

I used a 1/2" circle punch to utilize my scraps to the best of their abilities! I then had to add bling!

Close ups~

Thanks for popping by to take a peek! :) I hope you're inspired today to create something out of the "junk" you own! Happy creating!

By Threes

I don't know why it is, but we all know that groups of threes are very eye pleasing. So, threes were my inspiration along with the FABULOUS cupcakes over at Cupcake Inspirations for their current challenge! Aren't they great? This is the first time I've linked up to this party, and I was really excited to find it!!!

Anyway, here is my card~

I stamped my butterflies in blue--just like on the cupcakes--and then highlighted them with a glitter gel pen (one of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE tools). I added the flowers to the bottom with glittery centers to tie in the butterflies.

A look at the glittery details on the butterflies~

And the flowers~

Thanks for taking a look--I appreciate your willingness to take a peek! I hope that you are inspired to create something today! Happy crafting!

One Layer Wonders?

So. One layer cards are a relatively new thing for me. I LOVE them, they just are a bit challenging for me! So, when my FAVORITE one layer challenge, OLW, returned and then I saw the One Layer Projects challenge over at Wee Memories, I knew it was time for me to return to my new pastime! The OLW challenge this week was coloring--use a line image and color it in any way you want. I used that as the basis for my two cards.

Here is the first~

I punched out a strip of scallop edge and sponged the edges for the frames in these cards. Not sure if this technique is already named, but I'm dubbing it sponge masking...I'll come up with something better later...unless you have the real name for it? I then stamped and colored in the images with blender pens and then added dimension with a glitter gel pen.

Closer look of the glittery leaves~

And here's the second card--I LOVE this one better. It's just prettier in my opinion. I made the first one with the leaves since fall is coming...but I LOVE this poppy image.

Poppy PRETTINESS~

Detail~

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at my creations! I love having you here! Happy stamping!

Double Vision?!

Ever had double vision?! I haven't, but I cannot imagine it would be fun. Unless you're seeing double in this week's Less Is More challenge! And since the challenge was to make a card with two of something, I thought I'd DOUBLE the fun and make DOUBLE the cards!

Here's the first one I came up with~

I had a bunch of punched out butterflies left over from another challenge I had done, so I decided to use two of them to make this card. I added the glitter for a bit extra bling!

Here's a close up~

Now, I do love this card, but I wasn't quite happy with it. Why? It wasn't fall-ish enough! And I NEED it to be fall--I'm sick of the heat! So, I made ANOTHER one!

Here it is~

Don't you love pumpkins?! I do! And these are SO easy to do! Just punch out three ovals, sponge the edges and then put them together! I used ribbon for the stems--a great way to use scraps of left over ribbon!

Close up of the pumpkins~

And the sentiment~

One of the things I love best about the fall is that more people become more thankful. I know I do! I try to live in thanksgiving daily, but I don't do the most bang up job. :)

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you take the time to make some punched out pumpkins! Happy punching!!! :)

Also linking to:
Tutorial Tuesday: Hope Studios (Punched Pumpkins)

I Love Green, Don't Ask Me Why!

Hello! I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I work with children who have special needs and we do a lot of learning through song. One song we sing on a regular basis is called I Love Colors. The verse for green always makes me hungry:

Green is the color of grass and trees,
Green like peas and broccoli.
Green is the color of a key lime pie.
I love green, don't ask me why!

It gets stuck in your head. Oh, and I don't eat grass and trees, I just love veggies and key lime pie! ;D So...anyway, what does this have to do with the card in this post? Read on!

I am so glad to get to practice my steampunk style again this week with Make My Monday! This week the challenge was to make a steampunk project with a monochrome color scheme. So, I chose green! (Oh, THAT'S how it works in!) ;D And I have to say, the results are YUMMY!

Here is the card~

I used a bunch of different stamps to create the background on top of the already glittery fun paper. Can you even tell?! That's where the steampunk images are mainly...oh, well. Let's look at some other aspects of the card!

Some details~

The clock~

Thanks so much, ladies, for another fun challenge! I am excited for next week! I hope that my little post inspires you to find inspiration everywhere! (Is that redundant?!) Happy steampunking!