Shelley's Boring Life

Valentine's Day for SAS4K

2012-01-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

I'm moving houses next week and almost all of my crafting supplies have been packed but I still managed to make a few Valentine's Day cards to donate to Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada). I created these cards using free papers out of a crafting magazine, Spellbinders shapeabilities and some clipart printed off the internet.

Challenges:

Card Positioning Systems - sketch
Paper Creations Ink - die cuts/punches
Send A Smile 4 Kids - Valentine's for kids
The Pink Elephant - hearts (all the clipart images are hearts)

Out of this world

2012-01-03T19:14:00.000-08:00

I am particularly pleased with today's 2 cards. First off, the images from Bugaboo are just such fun. Second, I went pretty wild with the colouring, using my favourite bold Copic colours that so rarely see the light. Next, I got to use patterned paper from my newest Basic Grey paper pack (and I luv my BG). I was pretty surprised, too, when I saw that the grey PP matched the grey coloured background of the stamps since I coloured these before picking my papers. But what really makes these cards special is that they are headed for the BC Children's Hospital via Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada). The hospital is always looking for cards to use for their kids - these will be great to celebrate an achievement such as going home or making it through a tough procedure.

Challenges:

Basic Grey - Anything goes
Cupcake Craftroom - Anything goes
Magical Mondays - Anything goes with a magical creature (I think monsters and aliens would count?)
Partytime Tuesdays - Something new (papers)
Pile It On - Anything goes
Stella Says Sketch - Sketch
Top Tip Tuesday - Anything goes
Totally Gorjuss - Something happy

It's been a punchy Christmas

2011-12-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased one of the 3-in-1 punches from Stampin' Up and I have been having so much fun with it! I decided to use the punch for this year's Christmas cards (see the sample one below). I mixed & matched the glitter (Glitter Ritz) as well as the papers I used, thus getting very different looks.

I also used the same punch for my gift tags this year. Along with the Stampin' Up punch, I also used the Martha Stewart pine branch punch. And I have to brag at my thriftiness (LOL) because the clear beads/gems added to the sprig of pine actually came from the Christmas crackers we used 2 years ago! How's that for using up stash!

Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks - something new (the punch!)
Charisma Cardz - anything goes
Cooking it up with Katie - anything goes
Divas by Design - Christmas
Little Red Wagon - something new
Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes
Unstampabelles - Christmas

You're Udderly Amazing

2011-12-05T15:57:00.000-08:00

I made this card for Send A Smile 4 Kids - the hospitals are always looking for cards of congratulations/encouragement for their kids (currently cards are being supplied to BC Childrens' and Stollery Hospitals). The papers are from Basic Grey and the digi is Bugaboo.

Challenges:

Craft Your Days Away - buttons or bows
Divas By Design - anything goes
Fab 'n Funky - anything goes
Lily Pad - buttons
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Southern Girls - ribbon
The Crazy Challenge - anything goes

Christmas tags for the kids

2011-11-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

I've had a wonderfully crafty weekend playing with my new Stampin' Up punch. My first project using the punch was this set of gift tags that I'll be donating to Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada). Each year the BC Children's Hospital sets up a Christmas Village where hospitalized kids and their families can wrap gifts for each other. Last year they used close to 200 gift tags; I've challenged myself to make & donate at least 75 tags this year.

This batch of tags (there are a dozen in total) uses a Tim Holtz Sizzix die for the tags (cut from sparkly gold paper) and the Stampin' Up stocking punch. I used a selection of papers, including some Basic Grey and Bazzil. These were very quick to make - the most time-consuming aspect was tying those itty-bitty little bows.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - holiday
Craft Your Days Away - buttons or bows
Craft Your Passion - anything winter or holiday
Crafty Ribbons - tags
Moving Along with the Times - ribbons & bows
My Partner in Crafting Crime - Christmas tags
Paper Creations Ink - Christmas
Ribbon Reel - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - tags
Simply Create Too - Christmas

Oh Christmas tree ...

2011-11-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Update: Yay me! These trees were showcased by UnstampaBelles and chosen by My Sheri Crafts.

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I just love the cover project on Paper Creations Magazine this month and so I had to try re-creating it for myself. Well, the tree ended up being so fun & easy that I made 3!

To keep the project super simple and to ensure that all 3 trees coordinated, I used double-sided Christmas paper from "My Mind's Eye" ("The Merry Days of Christmas" collection) along with some inexpensive red cardstock. I topped 2 of the trees with fuzzy green ribbon and a few buttons from my stash. I followed the instructions in the magazine pretty closely for the first 2 trees but got a bit creative with the last one (in front). Instead of looping the paper, I used my Martha Stewart fringe scissors to cut the strips - once the resulting fringe is curled and then layered, the end tree looks almost fuzzy. I'm thinking about doing a couple more - maybe using ribbon instead of paper.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - holiday
Crafts 4 Eternity - Christmas decorations
Craft Your Days Away - buttons or bows (buttons on tops of the trees)
Craft Your Passion - anything winter or holiday
My Sheri Crafts - decorate for Christmas
Our Creative Corner - include a Christmas tree
Ribbon Reel - anything goes
Totally Papercrafts - Christmas
Unstampabelles - trees

Merry Christmoose

2011-11-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've been shopping (again) and picked up some great new digital stamps from Bugaboo. These 2 cards are made using Christmoose from their Make It Snappy set. These images are pre-framed with a great sentiment so all you really need to do is colour and stick. And urghhh, I went over to their site so I could hyperlink this post and they've added more images to the set so I guess I'll be shopping some more later today!

One last thing, I'll be donating these cards to Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada) so they can be shared with kids at B.C. Children's Hospital.

This first card uses Basic Grey patterned papers and a super-simple design.

Challenges:

Crafty Catz - digital image
Creative Craft Challenges - minimalist
Digital Tuesday - Christmas
Paper Creations Ink - holiday wishes for a kid
Send a Smile 4 Kids - holiday wishes for a kid

This card uses the latest sketch from Eat Sleep Stamp along with some Basic Grey scrap and die cut trees from a freebie I got last year in a magazine.

Challenges:

365 Cards - use only 4 items (digital stamp, cardstock, pattered paper, tree die-cuts)
Clear It Out - favourite holiday (Christmas, of course, and the trees have been gathering dust since last year)
Digital Tuesday - Christmas
My Partner in Crafting Crime - use a freebie
Paper Creations Ink - holiday wishes for a kid
Paper Sundaes - digital image
Send a Smile 4 Kids - holiday wishes for a kid

2011-11-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

I have a couple of Christmas cards to share today and they are particularly nice since they cost me not a penny! The digital image is a freebie offered at The Outlawz' new Creative Freebie Challenge. The poinsettia is so beautiful that I had to use it twice.

Both cards use My Mind's Eye paper and embellishments that were freebies in Magazine.

Challenges:

Card Makin' Mamas - die cuts (Quickutz cut for card #2; Spellbinder for card #1)
Christmas Card Challenges - sketch (card #1)
Digital Tuesday - anything goes
Scrap 'n Stamp Challenge - sketch (card #2)

Sketch for Card #1

Pumpkin patch visit

2011-11-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

I love working from home because it gives me the flexibility to take time off to participate in things like my youngest son's field trip to the local pumpkin patch. It was a wonderful day - the sun (unexpectedly) shone and all the kids behaved. I even got a couple of cute pictures of my camera-shy boy.

I started this layout using a sketch from The Scrapaholic Blog. Because I always work in 8-1/2 x 11 pages, I converted their 12x12 sketch into a 2-page layout. I chose papers from the K&Co paper pack mostly although there are a couple of unidentified scraps as well. The border punch is Martha Stewart and the die cuts are mostly My Mind's Eye. My favourite part of the entire layout (other than the smile on my DS) is the tiny little pumpkin paperclip holding the journalling spot - I bought a pack of these clips but haven't used a single one as they are just too darned cute.

Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks - die cuts
Celebrate the Occasion - Fall (with a pumpkin)
Cooking it up with Katie - anything but a card
Craft Your Days Away - Autumn
Creative Craft Challenges - fancy edges
Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - pumpkins
Penny's Paper-Crafty - halloween
Simply Create - pumpkins
Sisterhood of Crafters - halloween
Use it Tuesdays - orange, black or purple (how about all 3! My hoarded supply is the acetate black fence and the little pumpkin paperclip. It was really hard to use these items as they are just too cute/cool to risk using up).

Halloween treat bags

2011-10-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

I made up a batch of goody bags for my oldest son's class Halloween party. The bag clips are created using several sizes of circles/scallop circles (all Nestabilities) glued onto everyday clothespins.

For a bit of added fun, some of the clips have googly eyes added. Other than the elbow fatigue from running so many sheets through the Cuttlebug, this was such a quick & easy make!

Challenges:

Bloggers Challenge - happy hauntings
Crafting for all Seasons - Halloween
Crafting When We Can - Halloween and/or anything but a card
Decorate to Celebrate - Halloween

Have a Meowy Christmas

2011-10-25T17:41:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... at least in the stores ... so I decided it was time to start making Christmas cards.

The image is one of my all-time favorites from Mo's Digital Pencil. I've coloured the image with Copic markers.

Challenges:
4 Crafty Chicks - Marker it up
ABC Christmas Challenge - Use your old stash (the embellies are both over a year old)
Mo's Digital Challenge - Favourite Mo image plus a sentiment
Crafting When We Can - Christmas
Sparkles Forum - Christmas songs (personally I think they are singing "The Friendly Beasts" certainly not "Silent Night"

Spooktacular Halloween

2011-10-20T18:58:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I made anything but a standard card so I decided to make this Halloween card an easel design. The digi is from Dustin Pike's Doodle Dragon Studio (I just can't get enough of Dudley the dragon) and I've coloured him using my wonderful Copic markers. The corners are punched using one of Martha Stewart's around the page corner punches.

Challenges (lots of halloween inspiration this week!):

4 Crafty Chicks - marker it up
Southern Girls - stripes & polka dots
Crafting for all Seasons - halloween
Creative Card Crew - spooky fun
Creative Stamp Friends - halloween
Digital Tuesday - halloween
Dream Valley Challenges - halloween
Here Come the Boys - halloween
Magical Monday - halloween
One Stop Craft - halloween
Paper Creations Ink - halloween
Paper Take Weekly - halloween colours
Quirky Crafts - halloween
Simon Says Stamp and Show - stripes
The Crazy Challenge - halloween
Whimsical Wednesdays - halloween
Sentimental Sundays - fancy folds
Through the Craftroom Door - halloween

Tough enough to wear pink

2011-10-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

This was a totally fun card to create. The image is a freebie at Dude Time Doodles and we were asked to create a project using pink. Now pink & gargoyles don't really go together in my mind but I'm actually really liking the finished card.

Along with the DTD image, I've used patterned paper from Martha Stewart. And in the 2 corners, I've embossed two pieces of scrap acetate (from packaging) using a funky Halloween Cuttlebug folder. The sketch is from Card Positioning Systems.

Cards for Men - make us laugh
CAS Sunday - think pink
Corrosive Challenges - flying things
Crafty Cardmakers - cute with a dark twist
Creative Stamp Friends - halloween
Dream Valley Challenges - halloween
Here Come the Boys - halloween
Incy Wincy Designs - recycle (the acetate)
Magical Monday - halloween
Paper Creations Ink - halloween
Simon Says Stamp and Show - things with wings
The Crazy Challenge - halloween

Have a ball on your birthday

2011-10-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today's card is a fun & simple birthday card that I created for my niece. I was really pleased with how my colouring of the image (from Karen's Doodles) turned out so I decided to go with a very simple card design. I simply matted the image on some glossy red paper, placed it against a starred background and then added a "ribbon" of the same red paper. Super simple! I was inspired to add buttons over top of the balls - I think it's a fun and dimensional touch.

Challenges:

CAS Sunday Challenge - anything goes
Diva's By Design - buttons
Lollipop Crafts - critters
One Stop Craft - anything goes
Scrap, Stamp & Doodle - circles (the buttons)
Sisterhood of Crafters - birthday

Thankful

2011-10-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

I'm having a wonderful day! It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada which means a turkey dinner to look forward to and a long weekend. The weather is good (well, at least it isn't raining) and the kids are actually getting along! And on the subject of kids, I just finished packaging up the latest delivery of cards for the BC Children's Hospital. You can read all about it here on the Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada) blog. Part of that delivery is this assortment of Halloween cards that I made using some wonderfully cute Bo Bunny paper and Cuttlebug embossing folders.

The second batch of cards (except for one) are made using the sketch from I{heart}2Stamp.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - Halloween
Challenge Up Your Life - Halloween
C.R.A.F.T. - bright colours
Fussy and Fancy - Halloween
I {heart} 2 Stamp - sketch
My Craft Spot - cute Halloween
One Stop Craft - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Sparkles Forum - Halloween
Tuesday Throwdown - Halloween
Wee Memories - Halloween

Queen of hearts tag

2011-10-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

I felt like doing something a little different so I threw together this tag (ha, it actually took me what seemed like hours of playing with the elements and fiddling with those little black gems).

The image is fussy-cut and matted onto black paper. The saying ("She had all the royal makings af a Queen") and the backing paper came from the same Graphic 45 paper pack (Halloween in Wonderland). My favourite part of the whole project is how the gems swirl out from her finger - I can imagine her poking & pointing with such vehemence that she raises a wind.

Challenges:
Altered Alice - something that twinkles or shines (the crown and gems)
Card and Scrap - embossing (the crown) / distressing
Cooking it up with Katie - Fabulous, fun & "F" (fussy-cut)
Craft Your Days Away - tag it
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes with ribbon
Papertake Weekly - Anything goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show - Wendy Veschi style
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle - Anything but a card
Truly Scrumptious - Distressing

Simply Hallowe'en

2011-10-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today's Halloween card will be donated to the BC Children's Hospital via Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada). The image is a digi from Simply Betty Stamps (she also does rubber!) and I've coloured her using Copic markers. The spider web is a scrap of acetate (left from last year) which is adhered behind a window cut into the card - I added the faux stitching around the edges to transition the cut.

And since I'm sharing a Simply Betty stamp today, I thought I would also encourage everyone to check out her shop. Please consider supporting Simply Betty Stamps by purchasing stamps or donating through her site. Her son was recently diagnosed with cancer, and all sales will help with medical bills - http://simplybettystamps.blogspot.com/2011/10/special-release-and-some-very-sad-news.html.

Challenges:
Clear it out! - Halloween
Come & Get It - Halloween
Crazy 4 Challenges - Anything goes but donate to a charity (I'm donating this card to SAS4K Canada)
Lollipop Crafts - Halloween
One Stitch at a Time - Use a digi
Secret Crafter - Halloween
The Pink Elephant - Trick or Treat (Halloween)
Tuesday Throwdown - Halloween

Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge

2011-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited today because I get to share a couple of cards that I created as a guest dt member for Send A Smile 4 Kids Challenge. I've recently entered into a partnership with SAS4K and now am running the Canadian arm - SAS4K (Canada). Being an occasional guest designer is probably the most fun perk!

The challenge is called Fall Color- Anything Goes for Kids and runs for two weeks. The sponsors are Bee Crafty (3 digital stamps of the winners choice) and Prairie Fairy ($15 gift certificate). I've chosen an image from each of the sponsors because I just couldn't decide between them. Both cards will be donated to Send A Smile 4 Kids (Canada).

This card uses an image from Prairie Fairy - isn't she just the cutest? I've been spotting this girl all over blogland lately and have been wanting to get my hands on a few. I frame the image using a Spellbinders die and then added some felt flowers and silk leaves that I touched up with glitter (because everything is better with glitter). I've left the inside of the card blank thinking that the sentiment on the front "Swinging by to say" could be finished off in so many ways ("happy birthday", "congratulations", "good luck"). I used this week's Midnight Madness sketch.

The card uses a Bee Crafty image - I love how simple the lines are. I didn't want the embellishments or papers to complete, so I kept the background papers subtle and just added a sheer ribbon and some tulle flowers. Again, no sentiment so that it can be used for a variety of purposes. For this card, I used this week's Skipping Stones sketch.

Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks - anything goes
Crafting for all Seasons - fall colours
Paper Crafting Journey - die cuts/punches
Rainbow Ladies - Fall/Autumn flowers
Scrapbook Sisters - leaves
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes

Feline Thankful blog hop winners

2011-09-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

I hope you had a good time on the Feline Playful Feline Thankful blog hop! I have certainly enjoyed reading all of your kind comments! I chose this card to share with you today ... it might seem like an odd choice unless you read the sentiment "I {heart} Candy".

The image is from Pollycraft (another of our sponsors on
the hop) and the colouring is done with Copics.

So, who loves candy? Because I have some Feline Thankful blog hop candy to award!!!

Renee

you've won 2 digis from the amazing DTsArt!

Cat

you've won 5 digis from the ever-so fun Fresh Brewed Designs

Congratulations to you both! Just drop an email to felineplayful@gmail.com letting us know which digis you would like from the appropriate shops and we'll arrange for them to be sent. And thanks for taking part in the blog hop!!

And because Feline Playful is all about challenges, I'm entering my card into these challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges - Halloween
Hiding in My Craft Room - Halloween
I {heart} 2 Stamp - sketch
My Partner in Crafting Crime - sweets & treats
Paper Sundaes - anything goes
Send A Smile 4 Kids - Halloween - I'm donating this card to SAS4K (Canada), by the way
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
Stamps & Fun = Creativity - anything goes

You really can colour anything with Copic markers

2011-09-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

I took a class at Clipper Street recently and learned the coolest new technique - you can actually colour over glitter!

We started with a die cut - white cardstock and adhesive sheet, cut on the cuttlebug. A clear ultra-fine glitter was laid over the entire thing and well-burnished in. Then we used peel-off outline stickers to create a design (the butterfly/flower shape and circles).

At this point all I had was a shiny black and white label but then the magic happened. Once the glitter was well-burnished, I was able to colour over it with my Copic markers just like I would colour in anything else. The marker picked up the odd speck of glitter but this came off very easily when I brushed against some scrap paper. Because the colouring is done over top of the glitter the colours stay vibrant and clear.

To finish off the card a second larger die cut was cut/embossed for the background and 2 patterned papers were layer behind. I'm so excited to have found another use for my glitters and peel-off stickers! If you give it a try let me know what you think!

Challenges:

Allsorts - keep it simple
By the Cute & Girly - all things bright & beautiful
Corrosive Challenges - die cut/punches
Fussy and Fancy - try a new technique
Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes
Raise the Bar - things with wings
Sparkles Forum - make it sparkle
The Crazy Challenge - choose 3 colours (I used black, white, yellow)
The Squirrel and The Fox - anything goes

Thank you for the road less travelled

2011-09-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Another reason for jumping up in the air - this card was chosen as one of the Top 3 at Totally Papercrafts! Yay!

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Today I want to share another thank you card that I've made - this one for a very specific purpose.

For the last year I've been taking Taekwando but will have to give up the classes for awhile - having the house up for sale, increasing pressures at work, and just life in general have gotten in the way of committing to a schedule of classes. Maybe I'll go back in the future but in the meantime I wanted to thank the school for the great experience. I found this image by doing a Google search and I just felt immediately that she was perfect for the way I feel about Taekwando - joyous and ready to fall over at any moment!

Some of the embellishments (all from Abby Road) on this card might seem odd but they are VERY appropriate for the way I practice Taekwando. First off, I am not an athletic person. I'm probably one of the last people you would expect to find in a martial arts class (thus the road less travelled). And I'm extremely directionally challenged at the best of times so asking me to do a series of physical movements in a specific order that includes directional changes ... well, let's just say that it's lucky that I didn't hurt myself or someone else (and thus explains the arrows pointing in opposite directions). I spent most of my classes struggling, getting hands & feet tangled, and feeling like a total fool. And I enjoyed every minute of it! (and that explains the joyride tag).

I should mention that I based by card on last week's challenge sketch at Midnight Madness.

Challenges:

Digital Tuesday - people
Fairy Tale Challenge - sports
Outlawz Copic Challenge - anything goes with Copics
Totally Papercrafts - thank you

A little birdy told me ...

2011-09-23T22:48:00.000-07:00

... that the Feline Playful "Feline Thankful" blog hop & party is going great! There have already been a bunch of winners announced and there will be even more every day until September 27th. And if you join in the blog hop, then there are chances to win prizes at every stop along the way (including mine! just scroll down to the next post). Then go ahead and check out the party here.

The theme of the party is "thanks" and so I decided to share this thank you card that I made at a Clipper Street technique class (all about stains, inks, mists - lots of messy, inky stuff) earlier this week. It's a bit of a departure for me since there is no stamping and no colouring involved (my Copics felt sooooo lonely). The Maya Road chipboard elements were coloured using a mix of paint, distress stains, and glimmer mist. And I wasn't thrilled with the colour of the lace, so I used distress ink to darken it. Lots of fun playing with new products but my fingers are still stained!

Challenges:

Corrosive Challenges - punches (the leaves)
Deep Ocean Challenge - lace
Pals Paper Arts - lace
Raise the Bar - things with wings
Ribbon Carousel - fabric (the flower is made of tuille)
Shopping Our Stash - no colouring
Sisterhood of Crafters - birds

Feline Thankful blog hop - I just can't thank you enough

2011-09-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the FELINE THANKFUL BLOG PARTY and HOP!! I became involved with Feline Playful in December of last year and it has been such a wonderful experience working with the fabulous DT. We decided to throw this blog party and hop as our way of saying thank you to the Feline Playful followers - over 1800 of you and counting - and thank you to the craft companies and challenge blogs (we're tracking over 500 challenges!) that inspire us to keep crafting.

Feline Playful has joined forces with a very long list of FANTASTIC SPONSORS who have donated images, store credit/$ vouchers and Guest DT Spots to PARTY WINNERS.

There are 3 WAYS YOU CAN WIN:

1. JOIN THE BLOG HOP - Our blog hop starts September 21 at 9:00 am (GMT) - which just happens to be the International Day of Gratitude - and ends September 27 at 9:00 pm (GMT). Each DT member (we have both past and present DT members playing along) will be awarding prizes at the end of the week to random commentors on their blog. Make sure to check out my project at the end of this post and leave a comment to win one of the prizes I have to offer. And commentors will also be entered into a GRAND PRIZE draw at the end of the week. The hop order will be as follows:

Abi
Audrey
Berenice R.
CG
Christi
Dawn
Erum aka E.T.
Gemma
Jennie
Karen Howard
Leesa aka The Navy Wife
Lin
Nancy
Natali
Shelley (that's me!!! please keep scrolling down to see my project and to enter to win some prizes!)
Shelly (that's who you visit next!)
Zoe

Please remember to follow the order of the hop so that you don't miss any of the DT members’ posts. If you get lost along the way, please return to FELINE PLAYFUL to find the hop order. Most of all, have fun and remember to keep coming back to FELINE PLAYFUL for all challenge listings, etc. each day.

2. FIND THE SECRET MESSAGE - Each DT member on the blog hop will share a letter on their blog. The letter I'm sharing with you is:

Once you have all the letters e-mail the secret message to felineplayful@gmail.com All correct answers will be entered into a draw for a GRAND PRIZE.

3. VISIT FELINE PLAYFUL - Enter your name using Mr Linky and you will be entered to win one of our DAILY PRIZES. You only need to enter once to be eligible to win all week long (but you do need to be a follower of FELINE PLAYFUL please). At the end of the week we will also be selecting at least 1 GRAND PRIZE winner.

So what are you waiting for? Let's get this party started!!!

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MY PROJECT:

On behalf of myself and the Feline Playful update team, I just can't thank all of our faithful followers enough for being part of the Feline Playful family. I can't send you all a thank you card, so instead, I ask you to imagine that this card has arrived in your mailbox - from me, to you.

And as a further thank you, leave a comment on this post and you'll have a chance to win one of the following prizes. I'm so very lucky to have my blog post sponsored by:

DTsArt - is offering 2 digis of winner's choice. DtsArt has graphics to meet all your digital needs such as digital stamps, computer graphics, svg cut files for your craft cutting machine, web sites, logos, bottle caps, auction templates and auction add ons. We help sellers make their online business stand out and get noticed with emphasis on fun. Visit our blog to get the latest news and see our projects.

Fresh Brewed Designs (where creativity is brewed fresh daily) is offering 5 digis of the winner's choice. And you'll have a difficult time choosing those 5 digis because there are just so many wonderful images available (I totally suggest checking out the food images!).

A Gothic Hallowe'en

2011-09-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Another Halloween card to donate to Cards for Kids (Canada) (a charity that provides handmade cards to hospitalized kids). This time I decided to go very simple and kind of gothic, using a Martha Stewart acetate die cut (the chandelier) and a layered sentiment die cut.

Challenges

2 Sisters - black, white, 1 other colour

365 Cards - make your sentiment stand out

Craft Fancy - die cuts

Crafting When We Can - anything goes

Fab n Funky - bingo (I chose embellishments, ribbon, die cuts)

Boredom

2011-09-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I'm part of a gruesome twosome! Thanks Haunted Design House for choosing this card as one of your Gruesome Twosome projects for the week!

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Today's card started out as a Halloween card (and probably could still be used for that purpose although I'm sending it to my niece who is always complaining about being bored) but I changed it around when I saw the current challenge at Haunted Design House Macabre Monday. Deadly sins, hmmm? I know it isn't an official deadly sin but I've always thought that boredom should be included.

The image is a rubber stamp, "Prom Queen" from Stampotique and is coloured with Copics. The inside of the card includes a rub-on web & spider from Basic Grey.

Challenges:

Come and Get It - colour combo
Craft Us Crazy - Autumn colours
Crazy 4 Challenges - colour combo
Haunted Design House Macabre Monday - 7 deadly sins
Paper Sundaes - finish the inside of your card
Pile it on - layer it (I've used 5 layers)
Sweet Stampin' - for a teenager
Truly Scrumptious - decorate the inside

A Magical Halloween

2011-09-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Halloween doesn't have to be all spooky and scary - sometimes it's about magic and make-believe. This little cutie is part of Bugaboo's Harry Potter/wizard set and he's all set to make some candy disappear. The colouring is all done with Copics and the bats are rub-ons. The sentiment is computer-generated using a free Harry Potter font I found online.

This card will be donated to Cards for Kids (Canada) - a charity that donates handmade cards to local Children's Hospitals.

Challenges:

Bloggers Challenge - Stars
Bugaboo Wacky Wednesday - Sketch
Colour Me Creative Copic Challenge - Fall or Halloween
Crafty Emma - Make it magical or spooky
C.R.A.F.T. - Children
One Stop Craft - Food/drink (check out all that candy on the paper)

Trick or Treat Dragon

2011-09-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today's card features one of my favourite dragons (from Dustin Pike's Doodle Dragon Studios) who is all dressed up for trick or treating. He's using his pillow case for maximum candy capacity and has a little bit of bling (see the clasp for the cape) to make sure everyone notices him as he wanders the streets. This card will be donated to Cards for Kids (Canada).

Challenges:

Card Makin' Mamas - Go digi
Colour Me Creative - Fall or Halloween
C.R.A.F.T. - Children
Creative Craft Challenge - Use a charm (the candy corn charm)
Shopping Our Stash - Birds, bugs or beasts (no people)
Sunday Sketch and Stamp - Sketch

Halloween

2011-09-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to put my house up for sale which means I've had to pack away most of my crafting supplies. I'm feeling very deprived as I've put away everything but a few project boxes. To minimize what "needed" to be left out, I decided to focus my energies over the next couple of months on making Hallowe'en & Christmas cards to donate to the local Children's Hospital. I'm hoping to make at least 20 of each that can be given to Cards for Kids (Canada) and then distributed to hospitalized kids.

To start, I have 2 different Halloween cards to share - the first for a teenager and the second for a younger kid.

Bugaboo rocker:

The digi image is from Bugaboo (SKELB You Rock My World) and is coloured using Copic markers. The paper is from

Challenges:

Card Makin' Mamas - go digi
Cards for Men - "G" is for (guitar)
Catch the Bug - anything goes
Color Me Creative Copics Challenge - Fall or Halloween
Creative Stamp Friends - for a man
Less is More - CAS & metallic colours (gunmetal grey, silver metal button)
Ribbon Carousel - all tied up (ribbon & floss)

Cutest bat in town:

The image is from The Stamping Bazaar (Marvin) and is coloured using Copic markers. The papers are from

Creative Card Crew - anything goes
Do You Stack Up? - friendly critters
My Mum's Craft Shop - 1 (image), 2 (design papers), 3 (buttons)
Papertake Weekly - sketch
Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes
Pile it On - "B" things (buttons, bat)

Take off for good times

2011-08-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to put my house up for sale and so I've packed away a lot of my craft supplies. I've tried to just keep out the basics along with a minimum of patterned paper and embellishments. As a result I'm trying to use what I have still unpacked in more creative ways.

This boy's birthday card is completely without stamps (the good times sun is a rub-on) and as all my crafty friends now, I love my stamps, but they were one of the first items I packed away (except for some favorites, of course). I added brads in an unusual way (for me) by putting them onto the tree. And finally, I created the bike ramp by using strips of scrap paper. The design of the card is out of a magazine but unfortunately I can't share which one because all my magazines are packed now and I forgot to write the magazine name down when I made note of the sketch. The papers are all Abby Road.

Challenges:

Bling It On - A-B-C (Abby Road, Bike, Clouds)
Cards for Men - Anything goes
City Crafter - Use scraps
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything goes
Paper Issues - Let's ride
Paper Playtime - Anything goes
Secret Crafter - Create a scene
Unstampabelles - Wheels

A little birdie told me

2011-08-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

Today's card is a pretty simple one - I coloured a stamped image from Whipper Snapper using the Paper Pals colour challenge combo as my guide. The sketch is from Midnight Madness. I used Basic Grey's Life of the Party background paper and embellishment (the flower). Once again I've left off any sentiment so that I can use the card for a multitude of occasions although I am leaning towards using it as a congratulations card ("A little birdie told me you ...").

Challenges:

Crafts & Me - anything goes
Divas by Design - summer
Glitter Geeks - furry & feathery friends
Pal's Paper Arts - color challenge (the colours match much more closely in real life)
Simply Create - favourite animal (cats!!!!)
Tuesday Throwdown - summer

A dragon for any reason

2011-08-06T22:16:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: 365 Cards chose my card as one of their Spotlight Designs! I also won the random draw at Frosted Designs Fabulous Friday! It's been a great week for winning!

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I coloured this absolutely adorable little dragon awhile ago and finally got my act together and made him into a card. I haven't decided whether he'll be for a birthday, thank you or just because so he'll go without a sentiment for now. I just love how the colours and image are perfect for a boy even though the main embellishment is a pair of stacked canvas flowers.

The papers and flowers I used are from Basic Grey's "Life of the Party" set and the dragon is from Bugaboo. Isn't he cute? As usual, I used Copics for my colouring.

Challenges:

365 Cards - pair of opposites (first set: colours - blue & orange - that are opposite to each other on a colour wheel; 2nd set: masculine image - dragon - with feminine embellishment - flowers)
Anything Goes Challenge - flowers
Basic Grey - sketch - too late to enter the challenge :(
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Fabulous Friday - colour in an image
Lil Red Wagon - critters
Scrappin' Chic - banners/pennants (on the patterned paper)
Stamp Something - use a digi

Road work ahead

2011-08-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to make today's card by an article in the June issue of Cardmaking & Papercrafts about making masculine cards using die cuts. I apologize for the poor quality of the picture but my camera battery died and I had to scan the card - my scanner never seems to get the colours quite right.

The papers and die cuts are all from Abbey Road. The wheels on the van are circle-punched from the patterned paper, then attached loosely with brads (so they actually turn).

Challenges:

Bling it On - A-B-C (abby road papers, brads, car)
Here Come the Boys - travel
Come & Get It - anything goes
Corrosive Challenges - male
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Crafts & Me - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
For Fun Challenges - anything goes
Heidi's Hobbystuggu - card for a man
Papertake Weekly - anything goes with optional metal
Unstampabelles - wheels

Getting zipped

2011-08-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I found a zipper laying on the floor of the laundry room. Of course I didn't throw it away, instead thinking to myself "how can I use this on a project?" Well, I decided to try my hand at an ATC.

I only had the zipper pull so I started by creating a zipper strip out of embossed paper. I then attached stars to some coated wire and inserted them so that it would look like the stars were shooting out of the unzipped pocket. Oh, and just in case you aren't already ~~horrified~~ impressed by my use of ~~garbage~~ reclaimed materials, the backing for the ATC is scavenged from a MacDonald's Happy Meal toy package. I am the Queen of Cheap! And now I must go shopping .... LOL.

Challenges:

Alphabet Challenge - "M" for metal
Blogger's Challenge - embossing
Crafts & Me - anything goes
Crafts 4 Eternity - anything but a card
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
Crazy Amigo Challenge - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes with optional metal

Larry lives happily ever after

2011-07-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Update: Woo hoo! My layout was chosen as one of the favourites over at Color Throwdown. Thanks Tammy!

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Today I'm sharing another (finally) finished layout that was started at last month's all-day scrapbook marathon put on by Jennifer at Scrapbook Adventures. I chose to scrapbook a photo of my dog Larry along with journalling talking about how he joined our family earlier this year. Larry wouldn't be most people's first choice (he's old, arthritic, deaf, and on lifetime meds for thyroid problems) but he is just perfect for our family! He had a tough beginning to his life but we'll make sure that the rest is "happily every after..."

I ended up changing out the background cardstock (thank you to Color Throwdown Challenge for reminding me that reds can really make browns pop!) for something bolder which I think really draws more attention to Larry's lovely face.

Challenges:

A True Friend - pet tales
Amber's Crafts & Stuff - patterned paper (I used 5 different patterns!)

Color Throwdown - color (I even matched the dog to the color palette!)
Crafts 4 Eternity - anything but a card
Hooked on Crafts - cute & cuddly (it doesn't get any cuddlier than my Larry)

Jedi birthday

2011-07-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Update: Yay! My card was chosen as one of the top 3 over at Totally Papercrafts!

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We just got back from vacation and I realized that the kids have a couple of birthday parties coming up quickly so I sat down and made this card in a bit of a rush. It's pretty simple (and looking at the photo now, I wish I could go back and jazz it up with some layering or inking) but the kid it's destined for is a huge Star Wars fan so I figure he'll be happy.

The card uses a sketch from Sketches by Carly and a digital image from Dustin Pike. The papers are all Basic Grey and the circles are cut using Nestabilities.

Challenges:

Corrosive Challenges - all about kids
Doodle Dragon - animals
Sketches by Carly - sketch
Stamps R Us - happy birthday
Totally Gorjuss - punch or die cut
Totally Papercrafts - one for the boys

Summer birthday card for my sister

2011-07-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

This card is for my sister's birthday and this image from Sarah Kay just seemed perfect when I first saw it because she is an avid gardener, animal lover and outdoors-loving girl. If anyone is likely to be found outside in her bare feet, it is probably my sister. Mind you, she would be more likely to be weeding than sitting, but no one is perfect!

The image, as I said, is Sarah Kay's, Isabelle with Puppy. The patterned paper is Basic Grey and the border punch (hiding under the image) is Martha Stewart.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - anything goes
Blogger's Challenge - summer
Craft Your Days Away - summer
Craft Us Crazy - anything goes
ECP Challenges - summer
Everybody Art - garden
Fairytale Challenge - summer
Paper Playtime - summer
Paper Sundaes - beach or summer
Pink Elephant - fun in the sun
Simon Says Stamp & Show - anything goes
Southern Girls - happy birthday
Stamps R Us - happy birthday

Hoodoo? We do!

2011-07-22T21:30:00.000-07:00

Another layout using photos from last summer's vacation in Alberta. The kids had such a great time exploring the hoodoo's (the strange mushroom-shaped rock formations) and I loved scrapbooking the photos. Since the area (Drumheller) is known for its dinosoars, I decided to do a dinosaur theme.

I used a variety of new (to me) embellishments on this layout - canvas letters (coloured light blue using Copic markers, then lightly distressed with ink), corrugated cardboard strips (actually scrap cardboard that I ran through my crimper) and twine (tied in the chipboard button). The dinosaurs were cut using the Accucut machine at my LSS.

Challenges:

Blogger's Challenge - summertime

Crazy Amigo Challenge - vacation

Die Cut Dreams - 4-legged animals

Fabulous Fridays - buttons (note the button in the bottom left of the first page)

Fuzzy Wuzzy - get punchy (dinosaurs are animals, right?)

Make it Monday with Kraft Outlet - favourite things (my kids and vacations; trying new techniques & products)

Paper Playtime - summer

Totally Papercrafts - one for the boys

Life - a mini album

2011-07-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

Update: I was chosen as one of the top 3 at Lasting Memories! What a wonderful recognition, especially considering the quality of all of the other submissions (not to mention the design team projects).

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Clipper Street but my Class Card doesn't lie. Thanks to my wonderful friend Jacqui, I ended the learning drought by taking "Tattered memories". The class was a lot of fun as it involved using distress inks, glimmer mist and alcohol inks. Nothing beats getting messy! I finally finished up the album this week by adding the last few embellishments and photos of a recent family vacation to the Calgary Zoo so that I could give it to my parents as a gift.

Pretty well all the papers used in the album are from 7 Gypsies, as well as most of the embellishments. And, of course, there is liberal use of Tim Holtz Walnut Distress Ink. For the book cover, we used heavily distressed chipboard letters, a bingo card embellishment, the EK Success binder border punch and some mica. This was my first use of mica and I'm still not sure of what I think about it. The shine is nice and it is really cool that it can be left thick or peeled into many, many thinner layers, but I can't help but think it looks like old cellophane tape (lol).

I loved using this acetate sheet for a page. I used my brand-new tiny attacher to add the cardstock and then added random strips of word stickers on the back to hide the staples. The various tags were a fun way to add journalling.The acetate shape on the corner was cut on the accu-cut machine and has been liberally inked with a couple of alcohol ink colours (I think butterscotch, green and perhaps a brown?).
Challenges:

Creative Belli - make your own embellishments
Do You Stack Up? - chipboard
Everybody Art Challenge - shapes
Just for Fun - acrylic
Lasting Memories - album with a summer theme
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Shopping Our Stash - use something from a swap/RAK/won or from a kit (the project itself is a class kit and ribbon is from a card kit)
Simon Says Stamp & Show - use a flourish

Paper doll from Mo's Digital Pencil

2011-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

The wonderful Mo at Mo's Digital Pencil has offered her Facebook fans this adorable paper doll "Trudy" to play with. I decided to have a bit of fun with this image. I paper-pieced the dress from 2 different Basic Grey papers and then adhered it to a sheet of acetate which was then placed over an opening in the card front. I decorated the card front with a rub-on and small flower embellishments (fussy-cut from the patterned paper at the bottom) along with a frame cut using two sizes of a Spellbinders nestability.

Inside the card, I placed the coloured (and paper-pieced) Trudy paper doll. I love how she looks dressed for the party when the card is closed but is so adorably under-dressed in reality. The underwear are paper-pieced from another scrap of Basic Grey patterned paper. The image is coloured with Copic markers.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - birthday

Card Patterns - sketch
Craft Room Challenge - summer birthday
Creative Belli - handmade embellishments (the flowers on the card front are fussy-cut, glittered and pop'd up)
Cupcake Craftroom - polka dots (check out her underwear!)
Divas by Design - die cuts/punches
Lawnscaping - decorate the inside of the card
Mo's Digital Pencil Facebook Group - Trudy's party dress
Stamps R Us - there was a little girl
Penny's Paper-crafty - happy birthday

Wedding wishes

2011-07-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

Update: I was the random winner over at Unstampabelles! My prize arrived today - a stack of outline stickers along with a great booklet full of ideas for using them. Thank you Unstampabelles!

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Today I'm sharing a gift card holder that I created for my nephew's wedding this past weekend. I found the design in a magazine (which one? I can't for the life of me remember!) and was immediately struck by its simplicity and elegance. I also love that the gift card holder is incorporated into the card front so there is still lots of room inside the actual card for a message and best wishes.

All of the papers are Basic Grey. I made the butterfly by folding and layering 2 acetate butterflies onto each other. The leaves behind the butterfly are a Martha Stewart punch.

I loved the design so much that I ended up making a second gift card holder using the same design. This one is for my son's teacher.

I rotated the card and added a simple tag so that the card holder ends up looking like a present. I admit the card is a bit top heavy but I think it turned out very pretty. Again, the papers are Basic Grey.

Challenges:

By the Cute & Girly - Things with wings
Card & Scrap - Use punches/die cuts
Craft Your Passion - Anything goes
Creative Belli - "G" (for gift card holder, green)
Divas by Design - Die cuts/punches
Flutterby Wednesday - Anything goes with a butterfly
One Stop Craft Challenge - Make a tag or include a tag (I've added a tag to my second card)

Totally Papercrafts - Bingo (brads/flowers/ribbon; punch/flowers/gems)
Truly Scrumptious - Things with wings
Unstampabelles - Celebrations

Cotton Candy is awesome

2011-06-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Layout #7 of 20 from last week's all-day scrapbook marathon. The layout design is again from Jennifer at Scrapbook Adventures. The papers and stickers are Basic Grey (I put the star & arrow on cardstock and then cut them out so that I could pop them up). I love how well the papers pick up the idea of fun & summer! Cotton candy always makes me think of fairs & carnivals which, of course, are one of the best parts of summer! I thought about adding a title, but in the end figured that the patterned word paper really said it all.

Challenges:

Amber's Crafts & Stuff - summer
Anything Goes - summer
Aud Sentiments - food or drink (cotton candy) *does word pp count as a sentiment?
Craft Us Crazy - summertime
Crafting for all Seasons - summer
Pal's Paper Arts - stars
Papertake Weekly - here comes the sum
Scrapbook Sisters - anything goes
The Paper Variety - summer layout

Gamer Growl

2011-06-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook marathon - layout #5 of 20

As mentioned in my last post, I attended a workshop called "Use Your Own Stash" which was really more of a scrapbook marathon. Over the course of one day, Jennifer from Scrapbookin' Adventures, took us through the creation of 20 layouts! I'm busily finishing off each layout by adding pictures, titles and journalling (although let's be honest, journalling is pretty minimal in my albums!).

This layout is one of my favourites from the day and I call it "Gamer Growl" because that is exactly what my DS is doing in the top & bottom pictures. Both my kids are huge gamers; here they are playing a role-playing game called Creepy Freaks.

The layout was pretty simple to put together, especially since all the components, except for the top alphas (which are Basic Grey), came in a "Toonie Projects" kit from Photo Express.

Challenges:

Aly's Sunday Challenge - kids
Craft Us Crazy - masculine
Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - animals or jungle
Simply Create - wings (the pterodactyl)
Totally Papercrafts - die cuts & punches (dinosaurs and "growl" are die cuts)

Scrapbooking marathon - layout #1

2011-06-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I participated in a workshop called "Use Your Own Stash" which was really more of a scrapbook marathon. Over the course of one day, Jennifer from Scrapbookin' Adventures, took us through the creation of 20 layouts! Yes, I really said 20 layouts in a single day!!! Jennifer's workshop promotes doing single page 12 x 12 layouts (which I converted to 8-1/2 x 11) using stash that you already have. Many of the embellishments are hand-made (like the paper "ribbon" in my layout below) and the designs themselves are interesting and suitable for any theme depending on the papers you choose.

I worried like crazy about the workshop and making my kits was tough. How could I pick papers & embellishmets without seeing the layouts in advance? What if the layout didn't suit the theme of my kit? What if I hated all of the designs!

Well, it turned out my worries were unfounded. The workshop was very fast-paced (about 1 layout every 20-30 mins) and pretty well all of my kits worked out just fine. I won't mislead you - most of my layouts aren't quite finished yet - most are lacking titles and almost none contain pictures yet, but it was still a huge achievement in a single day. Now I just have to keep up the momentum to finish the layouts so that they can actually go into my albums.

Here is the first complete layout to share with you:

For this layout I used My Mind's Eye "Colorful Christmas" paper and chipboard embellishments. After getting it home I added some Glossy Accents to the snowmen snowmen and tree and this one was complete. My favourite part of this layout is the pleated orange polka dot paper ribbon strip with the giant brads.

Challenges:
Challenge Up Your Life - circles (circles in the paper and of course the brads)
Play Date Cafe - hollyhock pink, orange, sky blue (the colours in my layout match a lot better in real life)

Scrapalicious - smile (check out my DS missing tooth grin)
Sparkles Forum Christmas - snowmen

Hanging out on Father's Day

2011-06-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

It's Father's Day on Sunday and unfortunately I can't mail this card that I made to my Dad (Canada Post is on strike) but at least he can see it online.

I used a digital stamp from Bugaboo which I coloured using Copic markers. I tried a different (for me) technique for the bathrobe - I coloured it with blue and then dabbed at it with the blender pen to get a fuzzy-looking texture. I also coloured the dewdrops (they started clear) which are placed in the corners. The image is framed with a Spellbinders' diecut with a couple of matting layers. The card design is this week's Midnight Madness sketch challenge.

Challenges:

Blogger's Challenge - masculine
Craft Us Crazy - masculine
Cupcake Craft - for Dad
Dutch Dare - masculine
Fashionista Friday - masculine
Glitter Geeks - Father's Day
Just Add Ink - Colouring
Little Red Wagon - for Dad
Papertake Weekly - for Dad
Partytime Tuesday - for Dad
Sisterhood of Crafters - for Dad
Stamptacular Sunday - for Dad
Totally Papercraft - die cuts/punches

Then & now

2011-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

My husband's nephew is getting married in a couple of weeks and as a gift, his mother-in-law-to-be is putting together a scrapbook album for the couple. I created the following double-page layout documenting how Christopher has grown over the years. I chose pictures of him at various ages, with a picture of the couple as the main picture. My husband wrote a message where he talks about how proud he is of his nephew which I turned into a letter and used as my journalling.

The page layout is based on the current Stuck On U Sketches challenge. I kept very true to the sketch while adjusting it to a 2-page 8-1/2 x 11" layout. The page elements include:

Ezee Pzee chipboard - Shelley's Borders: Swirlies (coloured with Copic marker and a layer of Glossy Accents added for shine)
Bo Bunny rub-ons, sticker strips, title (layered throughout)
Martha Stewart border punch (for the journalling block)
Fabric leaves, unknown
Lace flower ribbon, unknown (used as a strip but also cut and coloured with Copic)
Copic markers
Glossy Accents

Challenges:

Divas By Design - anything but a card
Moving Along With the Times - anything but a card
Papercraft Star - STAR (swirls, title, adhesive, rubons)
Shopping Our Stash - things starting with "S" (scrapbook, swirls, stickers strips)

Stuck On U Sketches

Stuck On U Sketches - sketch challenge
Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes
Tuesday Throwdown - choose any 3 past challenges (anything but a card, chipboard, nature)
Use It Tuesday - unused punch, die cut, or cut-out (dusty border punch)

Bla bla bla

2011-06-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

Journal (Before)

I've been wanting to try my hand at making an art journal and I had the opportunity this past weekend when I created a journal for my niece. I picked up a couple of journals at Michaels for $1.50 each (practically a steal!) and decided to recover them. The picture to the right shows the album as it started, and the picture following is what I ended up with.

Journal (After)

Talk about a change in look & feel!!! I started by covering the journal with a green paper that I distressed and inked. I tried my hand at creating my own patterned paper - starting with white cardstock that I stamped, inked, spritzed and splattered until I was (somewhat) happy. I stamped this wonderful Stampotique image "Karin" over top of the patterned paper and then added some colouring with Copic markers.

The finished product is kind of weird but it is for my pre-teen niece and I expect she'll think it is just perfect!

Challenges:

Amber's Crafts & Stuff - teen related
Craft Room Challenge - anything goes
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Dream Valley Challenges - stamp something
Everybody Art - distress
Fab 'N Funky - anything goes
Haunted Design House Macabre Monday - pleasure (love colouring stamps) & pain (hate random spritzing/stamping)
Moving Along With the Times - no designer paper
Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Ezee Pzee product reveal for June

2011-06-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

The Dezign Team was given the absolute best collection of Ezee Pzee products for this month's reveal. I had such a great time working with the frames and embellishments that I'm actually sad that the project is done. So, here is what the team received:

We were encouraged to create a canvas - something that we could hang on our wall with pride - so I purchased a couple of art canvases at Michaels (on sale!) and got to work. My plan was to combine a central canvas with smaller framed pieces around it.

I created the first canvas by painting it with a flat yellow paint. I then layered patterned paper (from Bo Bunny), stickers, and other embellishments to create a collage of sorts. The central Ezee Pzee frame is covered with paper and then I added Basic Grey rub-ons for extra pattern.

So, my first piece was done but it didn't want to be hung on the wall - it really, really wanted to be the cover of a mini album. Well, I wasn't about to argue with the creative muse since she has been absent so many times in the past. I decided to use the two canvases as the front & back of a mini album, with the interior pages nesting inside. This is what it looks like from the side:

I created a series of pages and attached them accordian style using twine:

Open album (inside)

Open album (outside)

I used Bo Bunny papers and stickers throughout the pages, along with Ezee Pzee frames and embellishments. The most elaborate pages are inset into the front and back covers of the album:

First page, inset into front cover

Last page, inset into back cover

The interior pages are a mix of simple (for larger photos) and somewhat elaborate (for small photos or decoration).

Key to heart page: I painted & distressed an Ezee Pzee heart and then overlaid it on a painted Ezee Pzee key. The swirls on the bottom of the key are Basic Grey rub-ons. For the page itself I used some scrap cardboard (I tore the outside layer off to reveal the corrugation, then inked and distressed it).

Birdcage page: The birdcage is cut from a Tim Holtz die and is painted and popped up in the middle to give dimension. The bird and branch are both Ezee Pzee. I love when I can mix & match embellishments from different designers!

Butterfly page: This is my favourite page because it is so subtle. I misted the Ezee Pzee birdcage and butterfly wth a mix of green, terra cotta and pearl mists. I used the same twine to create the bow on the cage as I used to attach the pages in the album. The border strip and small journalling spot are both Bo Bunny stickers.

Thanks so much for visiting my blog and looking at my latest Ezee Pzee Dezign project. I encourage you to check out what the rest of the team did with the materials (trust me, you won't be disappointed because these ladies totally rock!).

Ezee Pzee Dezign Team

• Jennifer

• Rena

• Diana

• Dana

• Katie

Challenges:

Basic Grey Challenge - Shabby chic (& BG rub-ons)
City Crafter Challenge - Use paint and recycled cardboard
Fairy Tale Challenge - Anything but a card
One Stop Craft - Texture
Papercrafting Journey - Anything goes
Partytime Tuesdays - Anything goes
Scrapmaster's Paradise - Colour combo (one of my favourite colour combos as you can see from the album)
Tuesday Throwdown - DIY embellishments

Tulips for my mother

2011-06-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here's another card made using peel-off outline stickers. In this case I used Copic markers to colour in the different elements - I'm really happy with how the plant pot looks against the kraft cardstock! For my design I used this week's sketch from Cardmadfairy - I can't enter the card into the challenge because I didn't use a digi but I loved the sketch and wanted to use it anyway. The papers (except for the kraft cardstock) are all from Bo Bunny.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - Anything goes
A Spoonfull of Sugar - Flower power
Crafty Purple Frog - Things of beauty
Divas by Design - Florals
Emerald Faeries - Anything goes
Outlawz Copic Challenge - Anything goes
Paper Play - Blossoms & blooms

My sister can beat up your sister

2011-05-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

My little sister just earned her black belt in Karate!!! She's always been tough and this latest achievement is just another proof of how hard-working and committed she can be. I'm so proud of her, especially since I've started taking TaeKwanDo. My struggles to learn the basic moves have given me even greater appreciation for her abilities. Anyhow, I made this card to congratulate my sister.

I chose this sweet digital image from Mo's Digital Pencil which I coloured with Copic markers. Colouring the white Gi was a challenge for me but I'm pretty happy with the result. I added a bit of brown distress ink around all of the card elements as well, especially around the background paper so that it would seem to merge into the kraft cardstock background.

The papers are Basic Grey and I used a sketch from this week's Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge. As you'll see, I kept very true to the original sketch because it really just suited what I wanted to do so well.

Challenges:

2 Sisters - use a digi
Digital Pencil 2 Challenge - distressing
Clear it out! - colouring mediums
Crafty Ho's - inspiration picture (I was inspired by the idea of an athlete achieving a win)
Fashionista Friday - CAS
Tuesday Morning Sketches - sketch

UPDATE: I won the challenge over at Crafty Ho's! Yay me!

Happy birthday Mom

2011-05-23T18:20:00.000-07:00

The card I'm sharing today is a birthday card I made for my Mother. It was quite a lot of fun to make since it included a couple of favourite things - Basic Grey papers, outline stickers, and fussy-cutting.

I have a stack of outline stickers and rarely use them but having given them a try a couple of weeks ago for paper piecing, I think I'll be using them a lot more. To paper piece this card, I took 2 identical copies of the flower sticker and then laid them on 2 different subtly patterned papers. I fussy-cut the pink flower and then adhered it using pop dots to the blue layer. The leaves come from a different set of outline stickers and are adhered to the same blue paper and then cut out.

It isn't apparent in the photo, but the scrolled sentiment is actually popped up in the center to give the card even more depth. The sentment itself is off another outline sticker set (in this case, the letters were silver so I coloured them with a black Copic).

Challenges:

Lily Pad Lucy's Lovely Lines

AllSorts - Birthday
C.R.A.F.T. - Happy birthday
Charisma Cardz - Birthdays in pink
Crafty Catz - Anything goes
Divas by Design - For the girls
Lily Pad Lovely Lucy's Lines - Sketch
Simply Create - Special day/event
Truly Scrumptious - Anything goes

--------------------------------

UPDATE: I won 4 free images from Pink Gem over at Truly Scrumptious!

Bugaboo garden

2011-05-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today's card is uses 3 of my favourite crafty things - Basic Grey papers (Marrakech line), Bugaboo digital stamps and a Midnight Madness Challenge sketch.

The card is pretty basic although I did try a new embellishment technique by taking two strips of paper and then pleating them to form a pleated ribbon. Both strips are adhered with gems because every card needs a little sparkle!

Challenges:

2 Sisters - Use a digi
ABC Challenge - Unusual fold
Basic Grey - Use a mix of BG products (papers, sticker embellishments)
Card Makin' Mamas - 1 image, 2 papers, 3 embellishments (gems, stickers, pleated paper ribbon)
Catch the Bug - Summer celebrations
CCEE Stampers - Flowers
Crafty Catz - Anything goes
My Mum's Craft Shop - Anything but a square

Heads & shoulders above the rest

2011-05-11T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be heading back East later this week to visit with one of my dearest friends. I only get to see her every couple of years although we speak on the phone all the time. I know that she is going to absolutely spoil me while I'm there so I've made up a thank you card in advance (luckily she doesn't blog so I can safely post the card here).

I found this vintage image in a Dover Sampler (sign up and you get an email each week with a link to a selection of free clipart, vintage images, colouring pages, etc) and the sentiment I wanted to use just jumped into my brain.

I chose to use these very pretty papers from Basic Grey (Kioshi pack) and a sketch from The Sweet Stop. I found this vintage-feel floral rbbon in a basket of scraps almost a year ago and this is the first time I've been able to use it.

Challenges:

Bunny Zoe's Crafts - lace
Card Makin' Mamas - for a loved one
Clear it out - ribbon/trim
Colour Create - aqua, green, purple, white
Crazy 4 Challenges - lots of flowers
Creative Cowgirls - anything goes
Creative Craft Challenges - distressed/vintage
Dream Valley Challenges - flowers
Everybody Art Challenge - flowers
Lexi's Creations - friendship
Raise the Bar - flowers

Secret Crafter - dust off your stash
Stamp Something - use a digi
Sweet Stop - sketch
Top Tip Tuesday - flowers
Word Play Weekend - flowers

Watch out for ducks crossing

2011-05-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm just loving all of the Spring papers in the stores right now. After a dreary, rainy winter it's nice to be surrounded by some brightness.

For today's card, I chose to match some papers from an Easter pack with a cute digi from Pollycraft. I chose bright colours for my colouring (with Copics, of course) and a simple sketch for the design.

Challenges:

Critter Sketch - green & yellow
Cupcake Inspirations - inspired by picture (on the right)

Dream Valley Challenges - flowers
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Scrappy Frogs - anything goes
The Ribbon Reel - use at least one of these colours - red, yellow, green, blue
Top Tip Tuesday - anything goes

Judging a man by ...

2011-05-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love this digi image from Simply Betty; he was offered as a freebie over at CDAC as part of a sketch challenge last year and I fell in love with him immediately. I adore his befuddled expression!

Sentiment reads: "You can tell a lot about a man by the way he

handles three things ... a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights."

I kept the card very simple by using just blue & red so that the image would really pop. After colouring, I added a mix of Glossy Accents and Liquid Pearls to the light string.

Challenges:

Christmas Stampin' All Year Long - make us laugh
Crafty Catz - include a quote or sentiment
Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas - use a die cut (my circle Spellbinders)
Digis With Attitude - make us laugh with a funny sentiment
Skipping Stones Design - any sketch (I used an old sketch from CDAC)
Stamp Something - use a digi
Stamps R Us - masculine

I'd be crying too

2011-05-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Another slightly snarky card for a friend's birthday.

Inside, the card reads "If I was as old as you"

The digital stamp, which is from one of my favourite sets, is from Mo's Digital Pencil and is coloured with Copics. The papers are Basic Grey and the sketch is an old one from Card Positioning Systems.

Challenges:

Cards for Men - circles
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Crazy Challenge - cards for men
Paper Cutz - anything goes
Scrappy Frogs - anything goes
Stamping, Scrapping Challenge Central - anything goes
Stamps R Us - masculine

I actually used peel-off stickers!

2011-05-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the Ezee Pzee blog hop, then please scroll down to the earlier post.

I quite addictively buy these peel-off outline stickers but then rarely use them (a crafter buying something & then not using it??? How odd). Anyway, I pulled my stack of stickers out and challenged myself to use some. I love the Midnight Madness sketch for this week and decided that these small-sized cat stickers would be perfect.

I wanted a really dimensional look so I adhered the middle cat sticker onto green card and then took a second copy of the sticker and laid it on patterned paper. After cutting out the patterned cat, I was able to paper-piece it together with the first sticker. I did the same with the vines - putting the stickers on patterned paper and then cutting them out. I didn't have any buttons the right colour so I took 2 white buttons and gave them an uneven colouring with a Copic marker.

I'm really happy with how this worked out - I may just use my stickers and thus justify (sort of) my purchase of so many! LOL.

Challenges:

Midnight Madness - sketch
Top Tip Tuesday - squares

Keep searching

2011-05-02T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for the Ezee Pzee blog hop, please scroll down to the next posting. Today I'm sharing a slightly snarky birthday card that I created for a friend of my husband.

Inside, the sentiment continues "But you'll never see your 40's again".

The image is from Mo's Digital Pencil - I coloured it using Copic markers. The papers are from Basic Grey and the sketch is last week's sketch from Saturday Sketches.

Challenges:

Cards for Men - circles
Craft Your Passion - anything goes
Crazy Challenge - cards for men
Drunken Stampers - say it like it is
Moving Along With the Times - anything goes
Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes
Use It Tuesdays - buttons, eyelets, etc

Ezee Pzee reveal and blog hop

2011-05-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

It’s time for another Ezee Pzee product reveal and blog hop! I think you're really going to enjoy seeing the new products from Ezee Pzee as well as the exciting projects that the Dezign Team have made. I'm feeling pretty insecure about my (admittedly) simple project but please scroll down and take a look anyway. And then hop your way through the absolutely fabulous projects from the rest of the team.
To participate in the blog hop (and maybe win some candy) is ezee! Visit each design team member's blog and leave a comment. You will get one entry into the draw just for visiting and leaving a comment at each Dezign Team Member's blog. Post on your own blog and include a link to the Ezee Pzee blog hop will earn you another entry into the draw (just make sure to leave a comment letting us know that you added the link!). One random winner will get their choice of any 3 Ezee Pzee sets!!!

So, what are you waiting for? The blog hop starts today, Sunday, May 1st and ends one week later on May 8th. If you lose your way at any time here is a full list of all of the Dezign Team blogs with links:

• Ezee Pzee Facebook page (not on Facebook?

No worries, you won’t be penalized as long as you

leave a comment at every other stop along the way)

• Shelley (that's me)

• Jennifer

• Rena

• Diana

• Dana

• Katie

For this month's project, we were given the makings for a little keepsake box. I have to admit that my inspiration went on holidays and so I kept my project very simple.

I covered the chipboard with a thin wood laminate which I then stained to a rich cherry wood red colour. I lined the box with some dark green velvet paper. And for the decorative elements, I painted some Ezee Pzee flourishes with a black glossy enamel and then added an off-white flower.

See, I told you my project wasn't overly exciting! I'm a bit happier with the bookmark that I made with one of Ezee Pzee's new keys. I used a mix of Basic Grey stickers (from the Curio set) and paper from (I think) Bo Bunny. I coloured the key with a brown Copic marker to keep a lot of the natural chipboard colour - coupled with a golden brown ribbon creates a shabby chic look that I think works.

Wow, I certainly sound uncertain of my projects today! I can't believe how many times I typed "I think". LOL. But now you get to hop over to Jennifer's blog where I promise you that you'll be wowed!

Challenges:

Card Creations & More by C - anything but a card or layout
Challenge Up Your Life - bookmark
Just Add Ink - just add a flower
Lexi's Creations - anything but a card

Mario birthday

2011-04-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

The kids went to a birthday party last weekend where the theme was Mario Kart. Of course I had to make a Mario birthday card and party bag for the birthday boy!

I found a bunch of Mario images on the internet and printed them off onto glossy photo paper. For the gift bag, I just cut the images out and then layered them onto the bag. According to the kids, Yoshi (the green dinosaur creature) is the favourite so I used him for the card. I was thrilled to find a picture of Yoshi holding a crayon - a bit of Photoshopping allowed me to add the sentiment so that it looked like Yoshi was writing it himself. I used papers from Basic Grey for the backing and last week's sketch from Eat, Sleep, Stamp for the design.

Challenges:

Creative Card Crew - Child's play (are your kids addicted to video games?)
Cute Card Thursday - Re-use a sketch (I picked last week's sketch from ESS)
Fabulous Friday - Stripes and polka dots.
Moving Along with the Times - Anything goes

ABC Christmas Challenge Profile

2011-04-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

This week Feline Playful (and me as the team lead) is being profiled on the ABC Christmas Challenge blog! Please check it out and leave a comment!

As part of the guest profile I was asked to make a card for this week's challenge - "I" is for "indigo" and "ice". I've been wanting to use this new Dreamweavers stencil and after seeing the inspiration picture (see below) I had the idea of gluing dewdrops onto some of the embossed berries. I'm loving my clean & simple Christmas card!

Challenges:
ABC Christmas Challenge - "I" is for "indigo" and "ice"

Claudia & Co - Clean & simple

Totally Gorjuss - bling it on (glitter on patterned paper, dewdrops)

Tattered heart

2011-04-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Every once in awhile I come across a card design that I absolutely MUST scrap-lift and today's card is one of those special designs. I found the design in the latest issue of "Papercraft Essentials" magazine. The designer is Kim Dellow and this is just one of several cards that she designed showing how much can be done with a simple heart punch.

I made this card for my BFF Jacqui and it was really important to me that it be done in "her" style so I had to stretch myself somewhat. I started with some Basic Grey patterned paper which I stamped over randomly with a couple of small fern-type stamps (also Basic Grey). Next I sponged blue and red ink across the page. The last step - and the hardest for me - was tearing the paper into strips and inking the edges. I can be a bit of a perfectionist and anything free-form (like paper tearing) is almost painful for me. I'm pleased that this only took 4 tries before I was satisfied with the result!

The hearts were cut using scalloped heart Spellbinders. I love the way the cardboard heart turned out - I used a piece of an old box, roughly tore off the cover layer of paper and then sanded and inked to bring out the ridges. The smaller heart really pops up although it isn't apparent in this picture. To make it, I actually cut 3 hearts in all. Two are folded in half and then adhered to the front heart for a springy pop-up.

All in all, a striking card with just a touch of Tim Holtz (I used his distress inks, of course).

Challenges:

Craft Your Passion - show us your layers

Creative Craft Challenges - something recycled (the cardboard)

Fashionista Friday - recycle

Just Add Ink - friendship

Moving Along with the Times - recycle

Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes

Have a super birthday

2011-04-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

The kids have 3 birthday parties to attend over the next 2 weeks so I'm tasked with making a stack of boy birthday cards this week. Here is the first one.

I just love the Bugaboo digital stamp line "A Kids View" - they are so striking and fun. I went very primary with the colours on this card so I kept the embellishments to a minimum. I was thrilled to find this scrap of patterned paper with wonderful bold stars that quite coincidentally matched the shape of a small punch in my drawer. I punched the small stars from scraps of the pattered paper so the colours matched.

Challenges:

Critter Sketch - use 2 different punches and/or dies (I use a star punch and a Spellbinders die)
Going Grey with Scrap-Creations - use a digi
KB Cute Monday - birthday
Simon Says Stamp - card for a child
Stamp with Fun - birthday
Stampavie & More - birthday

Monochromatic Easter

2011-04-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

I love the colour orange when other people use it, but rarely do I find orange on my own cards. So why, then, did I decide to go monchromatic orange on this Easter card? I guess I must've been feeling a bit under-challenged or something.

Digital stamp - Sliekje's Digi Stamps (Sliekje has 100's of free digi images that are too, too cute)

Papers - We R Memory Keepers "Peep" collection

Sentiment - Create with TLC

Spellbinders die cut, Copic markers, Distress ink

Sketch - Midnight Madness

Challenges:

C.R.A.F.T. - Easter
Creative Inspirations - Easter
Die Cut Dreams - Easter
ECP Challenges - Easter
Little Red Wagon - Easter
Magical Monday - Monochromatic
Sentimental Sundays - Celebrate Easter
Sliekje's Card Challenge - Spring
Totally Papercrafts - Spring

Hurrying to wish you a happy Easter

2011-04-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

It's almost here ... can you hear the hippity hop of the Easter bunny's feet as he gathers all those Easter goodies for kids (both young & old)?

Today's card uses a Doodle Dragon image that was offered as a freebie a short time ago. Dustin Pike is always so incredibly generous with his freebies, although, honestly, his stamps are so inexpensive it's like he's giving them all away!

I coloured this cute bunny with my Copics and then matted it on some bright patterned paper from by scrap box. The finishing touch was 3 love heart stickers. I used a card sketch from I {heart} 2 Stamp.

Challenges:

Cooking it up with Katie - 1 image, 2 pp, 3 embellies
Craft Your Days Away - Easter
Creative Belli - bunnies/eggs
Creative Inspirations - Easter
Dream Valley Challenges - Easter
I {heart} 2 Stamp - sketch
Scrappy Frogs - Easter
Sisterhood of Crafters - Easter

Spring has sprung

2011-04-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Driving home from the store this afternoon I saw the most incredible thing - flowers! Yes, my neighbour has a yard full of crocus, larkspur and daffodils. Now, I suspect some of these were transplanted because I'm pretty positive they weren't there yesterday, but nonetheless, it's a sign of Spring. In honour of this wonderful sign of better weather to come, I created the following card:

The image is a long-time freebie from Doodle Pantry (isn't the bird just too, too cute doing his happy dance?) and I used a sketch from Card Patterns.

Hope you, too, are seeing the signs of Spring all about you!

Challenges:

2 Sisters - Spring
A Spoon Full of Sugar - all creatures great & small
Doodle Pantry - use a Doodle Pantry image
Dream Valley Challenges - things with wings
Fashionista Friday - Spring
Raise the Bar - birds
Secret Crafter - our feathered friends
Top Tip Tuesday - Spring has sprung

Easter bunny

2011-04-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

Is it really only a week & a half until Easter? I imagine the Easter Bunny is busily making chocolate impressions of himself and pooping out jelly beans by the hundreds (hey, I can't be the only one who has been forced by their kids to watch the movie "Hop"). Well, I haven't used the ideas from the movie for my cards (yet) instead doing up a couple of pretty cards with lots of Spring colours.

The image is a freebie digi from Simply Cards & Papercraft magazine. I love this magazine - most issues include 2-pages of images drawn by David Parkins to photocopy or scan as digi stamps! I used my Copic markers to colour the bunny. Is it OK to complement myself? Because I'm just loving the way the roses worked out!

I should also mention that the cute sign sentiment in the first card came from Create with TLC. If you don't already follow this site then you really should as there are so many freebies offered not to mention a tonne of wonderful images & sentiment sets for sale.

Challenges I'm Entering:

Aly's Sunday Challenge - Bunnies
Craft Us Crazy - Easter
Crazy Challenge - Easter
Creative Inspirations - Easter
Die Cut Dreams - Easter
Eat, Sleep, Stamp - Sketch
Paper Cutz - Bunny, lamb, chicks or Easter eggs
Pink Elephant - Easter
Simon Says Stamp - Spring colours / Easter
Stamping For the Weekend - Easter
Stamping Vacation - Easter
Stamps 'R Us - Easter

Winning is Ezee Pzee!

2011-04-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I just thought I would post about a contest that Kathy (our Ezee Pzee creator) is having:

IT"S TIME FOR A NEW CONTEST!! To enter it is simple. Send a picture of ANY project using Ezee Pzee to engravit at albertacom.com. If you received Ezee Pzee at a recent retreat or crop you can use that as your creation. Enter as many times as you wish!!! WANNA KNOW WHAT YOU'RE PLAYIN' FOR??? You are playing for a chance to create your own collection! You will work with me to make a collection named after YOU that will be featured on our website! Your prize will include 3 packs of your collection, 3 other collections of your choice and a personalized shopping bag! Your local Scrapbooking Store even wins! They get 3 packs of your collection too! We LOVE our LSS's. Deadline for submissions - April 15.

I won the last contest and got to design my very own set of borders. So, what are you waiting for? Get crafting, and email a pic of your creations to Kathy!!

Altered birdcage

2011-04-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am finally able to share my latest design team project for Ezee Pzee Embellishments. Anyone who reads my blog knows that I've been involved with Ezee Pzee since the beginning and it's just so excitingto see the company grow and its product lines expand! This month our design team was challenged to use a selection of silhouette flower die cuts along with a box (a planter?) for our projects.

This was a very challenging project for me! I found a decorative birdcage in the clearance section at Michaels and planned to put the flower box inside with a mixture of the chipboard flowers and silk flowers. One little problem ... I am not an artist and I couldn't make the die cuts look like real flowers. Thank goodness Ezee Pzee chipboard is so durable because I must have coloured, painted, stained each piece at least 3 times over!

I was ready to pound my head against a wall when I had the (brilliant) idea to see if I could find inspiration on the internet. I did a Google search for altered birdcages and came across a couple of sites where birdcages were used as message boards. I looked at those ideas, remembered the wonderful Kathy saying that we could do anything we wanted with the materials we were provided, and like lightening flashing in the sky, I suddenly realized that I didn't have to make the flowers look real!

In the end, I simply hot glued several of the chipboard flowers to the birdcage and then painted the entire thing using Sophisticated Finishes blackened brass paint. I found a few round magnets which I also painted with the same paint and "voila" - instant picture holder. The project took less that an hour (plus drying time) once I actually got down to work.

I couldn't let the planter go to waste though, so I made a special holder for my spritzes and favourite paints. I covered the box in Basic Grey paper and then created four legs by folding and painting some scrap cardboard. Kathy included a chipboard die cut of my name in the design package so I adhered it to the front of the box after painting it with the blackened brass paint. The box is a great addition to my craft table.

Now, hop on over to the other Dezign Team member blogs and see what they've done with these items:

Jennifer (http://createbyjennifer.blogspot.com/)
Rena (http://roadtocreativity.blogspot.com/)
Diana (http://missusgmoments.com/
Dana (http://poorscrapbooker.blogspot.com/)
Katie (http://scrappinginmemoryoftuffy.blogspot.com/)

Challenges I'm entering these projects into:

Allsorts - blooming blossoms
I Did It Creations - anything goes
One Stitch at a Time - something 3D

Hogwart's Halloween

2011-03-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

I've never claimed to be up-to-date on my scrapbooks so it will not come as too much of a shock that today I'm sharing a 2-page layout of photos from last Halloween.

My eldest son decided he wanted to be Harry Potter (we're reading the books to him at bedtime) so off we went to our local Value Village where we purchased a Gryffindor robe, glasses, wand and broomstick. My younger son ended up selecting a Slytherin robe for his costume but he insisted on having glasses just like his brother. The result was a very frustrated little boy because everyone kept commenting on the two cute Harry Potters. "I'm Draco Malfoy" he would insist. We finally determined an explanation for the glasses - he was Draco Malfoy but drank some polyjuice potion to turn into Harry Potter and he was only part way through the transformation.

Regardless of the costume confusion, both boys had a lot of fun running around casting "expelliarmus" and "riddikulus" spells at everything that moved.

I found some Harry Potter specific paper and embellishments for the layout - Creative Imaginations has an entire line of papers, stickers and die cuts to choose from! I also searched out a free Harry Potter font online and used it to make the title which I printed off on the paper prior to adding all the photos.

The final step was journalling but you really can't make it out well in the pictures. I used a fine black pen and wrote in many of the blank areas of the pages but the fineness of the ink makes the words blend into the background pattern ... not sure if I like that or not. Hmmm.

Challenges:

Ambers Crafts & Stuff Challenge - die cuts
Scrapbook Sisters Scrapbook Challenge - framed

Star

2011-03-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what's up with me but I've been doing quite a bit of scrapbooking lately. Usually I make cards because they are so much quicker but I guess my mojo has been strong. I've also been getting lots of inspiration from my stack of scrapbooking magazines! For example, today's layout is inspired by Scrapbook Trends March 2011 Challenge Sketch (p. 84).

My darling son after he received an award at school

I tried a few different techniques for this layout which was pretty exciting. First off, I don't think I've ever layered this much, or used so many different papers. All of the papers are from Basic Grey's "Oliver" paper pack so I knew they went together but it was still pretty scary!

Then I couldn't find a background paper that I liked so I made my own! I started with a silver cardstock and then sponged on Jet Black distress ink in a random pattern. I should be honest though and admit that at first I was just inking up the edges of the paper but the sponge slipped and left a streak on the paper. I could've started over but instead I decided to go with it. In the end I love the rough, burnished appearance of paper.

I also inked up the letters and embellishments for the page. It was fun digging through my chipboard box for suitable shapes - I chose the spirals because they felt so festive. Some of the chipboard was already coloured, other pieces I inked.

I'm really going to try and make some cards this week so for you card-makers out there, stick with me! Thanks for visiting!

Challenges:

Amber's Crafts & Stuff - stashbuster & anything goes
Basic Grey Challenges - use something recycled (it's a small touch, but the red "ribbon" is cut from a pair of old pajamas)
Crafty Cardmakers Spotlight Challenge - make your own design paper
Secret Crafter - anything but a card
Simon Says Stamp & Show - the word I chose as my inspiration was "star"
Tuesday Throwdown - anything but a card

Beware mice bearing gifts

2011-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

I had fun creating these super-simple birthday cards that I'll be donating for Cards for Kids. I used an older sketch from Stamp With Fun, just flipping it and replacing the 3 embellishments with a sentiment in the opposite corner. In each case, I chose 2 coordinating patterned papers and then a matching colour scheme for the present. The papers came out of the scrap bin so I'm not sure about the line (although I suspect the right-hand card is Basic Grey).

Challenges:

2 Sisters - Furry friends
Card Makin' Mamas - Animals
Kaboodle Doodles - Birthday
Simon Says Stamps - Birthday
Top Tip Tuesday - Birthday
Wee Memories - Cute & Cuddly

Ezee Pzee product reveal - Shelley's Borders!

2011-03-17T20:04:00.000-07:00

I'm extremely excited and proud to reveal a brand-new product line from Ezee Pzee called "Shelley's Borders". And why does the line have my name in it? Because I got to help Kathy design it!!!! Isn't that just so cool?

The first border in the set is "Numbers" - this is a line of numbers from 0 - 9 all done in a bubble-type font. I decided to cut the border to fit a standard card. I inked the entire thing and then added Glossy Accents to the #6. I inked the background paper with the same colour ink. The resulting card is a super easy birthday card for a 6-year old. Honestly, outside of drying time, this card took less than 15 minutes to make!

Oh, and an added bonus of cutting the border strip is that I was able to use the 1-2-3 section as part of my title on a layout about my boys' fascination with Lego Ninjago (I'll post this layout another time as it is still in progress).

The next is a set of incredibly intricate flourish corners. These ended up being the perfect final touch for an elaborate layout that I made as part of a Basic Grey layout class (put on by Photo Express). The layout was supposed to include a series of pearls and gems but they just looked way too Disco so I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do. I think you'll agree though that these flourishes are the perfect touch. I used a Terra Cotta Spritzer to ink these up. I positioned these while they were still damp so that I was able to manipulate the curls around the different page elements.

My very favourite border is the daisy chain set which includes 3 of these wonderful strings of flowers. My darling cat, Natty has been fighting cancer of the mouth and knowing that her time was short, I wanted to make a very special layout about her. Natty passed away the day after I finished this layout so I have to admit that I'm crying just looking at it. She was a tremendous cat!

To make this page, I inked the daisy chain border and then added Glossy Accents for dimension & shine. And then, because Natty was a very home-loving cat, I added buttons to the centre of the larger flowers. I wanted to include a lot of journalling so I put the shaped paper onto hinges (actually pieces cut from larger die cuts) with the story of Natty's journey written inside.

Anyway, I hope you check out Ezee Pzee and their wonderful products. And thanks for looking at my blog! I appreciate each and every person who takes the time to look at my projects (and even more to comment!).

Challenges:

"6" birthday card:

Anything Goes Challenge - Die Cuts
Charisma Cardz - Use Die Cuts
One Stop Craft Challenge - clean & simple
Paper Sundaes - keep it simple
Simon Says Stamp - Happy Birthday
Top Tip Tuesday - birthday

"Natty" layout:

Desert Island Crafters -I chose these items from the list; Not a Card, Buttons, Fancy Fold, No images
Clear It Out! - Buttons

"Floral flourshes" layout:

Basic Grey - wings (bird & butterflies)
Crafty Cardmakers - fabric (the flowers are silk)
Creative Belli - "C" embellishments (I used chipboard, plus Crackle Accents)
Flourishes - Butterflies
Southern Girls - Use Flowers (lots of flowers on both layouts)

Sunshine

2011-03-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

It's still cold outside but the sun is shining and so Spring must be on its way. Today's card is definitely looking to Spring and better weather. I used this sweet digi from Motivet, coupled with patterned paper from Basic Grey. You need to look somewhat closely but you'll see that the yellow strip across the middle of the card is fringed; I used the Martha Stewart fringe scissors for the first time!

I went back & forth on adding more embellishments versus leaving the card quite plain. As you can see I decided on clean & simple because (to be honest) I'm just so pleased with how the colouring of the kitten worked out and I wanted it to really stand out. Generally I'm very critical of my colouring but I think I got the shading just right for this one. As well, the background papers are so detailed, I didn't want to add any more noise to the card. I left this without a sentiment so that it could be used for just about any occasion.

Challenges:

Card Cupids - anything goes
Charisma Cardz – 4-legged friends
Cooking It Up With Katie - Spring, yellow, flowers
Creative Belli - animals
Cute Card Thursday - Spring
Delightful Challenges - Spring
Everybody-Art-Challenge - Spring
Fab 'n' Funky - Spring
Scrapbook Sisters - Spring
Simply Create - power of flowers

What's Cookin'

2011-03-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

I've been doing quite a bit of scrapbooking lately and am actually catching up a bit on my pages. Today, I'm sharing a one-page layout that I created around a meeting I had with Chef Michael Smith (isn't he a cutie?) at a fund-raiser dinner.

I tend to think of chefs in terms of their crisp white jackets so I kept the page clean and simple with a fair amount of white space and a minimum of embellishments. I picked up the papers and embellishment packs ("What's Cookin" SRM stickers and Doodlebug Cute Cuts tags) on my way to a crop and created the page without having the photo with me. So imagine my surprise when I got home and discovered that the blue matched the cover of Chef Michael Smith's cookbook and the burgundy accents matched my sweater - totally coincidental!

To create the page, I started with an off-centre patterned paper that I tore along the top. I then added a strip of burgundy striped paper along the bottom and then used the same paper to matte the title onto. The words along the top (do they apply to the food or to the chef? hmmm?) are clear stickers. I grouped two tags from the embellishment pack, along with a sentiment sticker for the bottom corner.

Challenges:

A Spoonful Of Sugar - tags (I added a tag in the bottom right)
Creative Cottage - tags (I added a tag in the bottom right)
Simon Says Stamp - 1 image, 2 DP, 3 embellishments (brad, tag, stickers)
Tuesday Throwdown - tags (I added a tag in the bottom right)
Scrapbook Challenges - inspired by picture (I love the blue!)

Guest designer for Paperworks Company sketch challenge

2011-02-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

Such an exciting week for me ... I was chosen as this week's Guest Designer for Paperworks Company's sketch challenge. I was given the sketch earlier this week and very quickly decided what I wanted to do with it (in fact, I made the card the same day!). The oval shape reminded me of a lovely stamped image that I had coloured awhile ago but never used. At first I was going to make a standard card but then decided that it would be fun to convert this into a split front card. Here's what I came up with:

The image is a freebie from Simply Cards & Papercraft Magazine - if you've never picked up a copy of this magazine then give it a try because most issues include a 2-page spread of free images that you can scan, copy and then use over and over. I coloured the image with Copic markers and then added some drops of Glossy Accents on the petals to give the impression of dewdrops. For the card base itself, the main paper is Coordinations "White Wash" with Basic Grey patterned paper for the trim and interior.

I have to chuckle a bit at posting this Spring card. I live in a very temperate area of Canada where we rarely get snow, yet what did I wake up to this morning? About 6" of snow! So I may be getting a bit ahead of myself with this Spring card, but I guess there's no harm in dreaming.

Challenges:

Crafty Creations - in the garden
Crazy 4 Challenges - flowers
Little Red Wagon - animals
One Stop Craft - Spring flowers
Paper Cutz- Spring
Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes

Looking forward ...

2011-02-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

... to new opportunities

I created today's card as a going away/good luck in your new job card for my boss' boss, Trish. She has been a great leader for our team so I really wanted to send her a special card to wish her well in her new job.

I chose a vintage image from Create with TLC (coloured with Copics) and coupled it with Basic Grey papers from one of their newer sets, "Curio". I love the elegance of these papers - they are subtle and pretty and quite dignified. I kept the card clean of embellishments in respect for Trish's own personal style. I love being able to make cards that are appropriate for any occasion and any style!

Challenges:

ABC Challenge - "O" is for ovals
Do You Stack Up? - anything goes (and I used a digi from TLC who I discovered through free digital stamps)
Partytime Tuesdays - anything goes
Stamping Scrapping Central - pink
Totally Papercrafts - use a digi

Daisy chain girl

2011-02-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

The weather here is completely dreary - so far today we've had hail, snow, rain, sun, snow ... I think you get the picture. So in retaliation I've focused on making a very Spring-y card.

I used one of my favourite Stamping Bella stamps for this card. The colouring is done with Copics and then I've added some Glossy Accents to the balloons. And it's hard to see, but there are tiny pearls at each gather of her dress. This little lady is definitely ready for a fancy party! The papers are all Basic Grey and the sentiment is computer generated. I added a felt daisy chain strip across the front and then added more little pearls to the centre of each daisy. I've gotta say, those tiny pearls are a real pain to work with (I think I lost more than I ended up using). For the card design, I used a sketch from Paperworks Company:

Challenges:

Charisma Cardz - Spring has sprung
Creative Belli - felt or fabric (my daisy ribbon is felt)
Creative Craft Challenges - cards for teens
Flourishes - birthday
One Stop Craft - birthday
Ooh La La Creations - pink, pink, & more pink
Scrap-Creations - birthday
Stamps R Us - for the girls

Extreme Birdhouse Makeover & Ezee Pzee Reveal

2011-02-21T09:57:00.000-08:00

OK, I admit that I stole my title from the new issue of Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, but today's project is absolutely inspired by the CSM cover and I think you are going to LOVE IT (but then, it's an Ezee Pzee project so what isn't to love?).

Here are the components of my Ezee Pzee Dezign team package. Kathy at Ezee Pzee always puts together the most inspiring collections - can you believe the intricacy of the butterflies? And how about that acrylic swirl & bird!

As soon as I saw that we were getting a birdhouse, I knew that I wanted to convert my birdhouse into a wind-chime. I chose Basic Grey patterned paper, along with some acrylic paint for covering the hard to paper parts of the birdhouse. For the chimes, I found a set of really ugly windchimes at my local consignment store (for a grand total of $2) and dismantled them for the chimes.

I decorated my Ezee Pzee bird by first colouring with Copic markers and then adding a layer of Glossy Accents. The eye of the bird is a tiny black brad. I created a picket fence for my bird to perch on with a Martha Stewart border punch. The front of the birdhouse is embossed with a wood-grain embossing folder to give extra dimension. The flowers are coloured with Copics, Glossy Accented and also spritzed with a heirloom gold glimmer mist.

The back of the birdhouse is simple, with more of the wood-grain embossed paper and then a line of flowers. Don't tell anyone (lol) but these flowers are part of the soon-to-be released line of Ezee Pzee borders that Kathy & I have been working on. I'll probably get in trouble for showing them but they are just too perfect for this project that I figured I would risk it.

I decided to use all 3 butterflies on the one roof. I first inked them using cherry coloured Walnut Ink. Then I spritzed them with gold glimmer mist for a bit of shine. I added some tiny pearls to the wings of the centre butterfly. I love the detailed scrollwork on the butterfly wings - these needed next to no embellishing.

This final side of the birdhouse includes my favourite piece of the Ezee Pzee set - the acrylic bird. This bird is just so sweet that I didn't actually want to do anything with it but I finally forced myself to add some colour using alcohol inks. I attached it to the roof at a bit of an angle so that light can filter through it. The flower is layered paper cut using Tim Holtz's Tattered Flowers die but I've added one of the Ezee Pzee chipboard flowers to the centre. At first I just used Copic markers and Glossy Accents on the flower but at the last minute I added some alcohol ink to link it more with the bird.

My last step was adding a line of scalloped felt along the roof line, and then another scalloped piece to the bottom (this is one of Martha Stewart's deep cut border punches). I'll be honest though, the main reason I added the scallop pieces was to hide my messy hot glue work building the birdhouse. I've never been able to use hot glue without making a mess!

Do you want to make your own birdhouse? Visit Ezee Pzee (on the web or Facebook) and put in an order. Or check out one of the stores that are lucky enough to carry these products. I'd love to see what you create!

Oh, and one final note, check out the other Dezign Team member blogs to see what they did with this great kit:

Challenges:

A Spoonful Of Sugar - anything but a card
Allsorts - Inspired by nature
C.R.A.F.T. - not a card
Crafts and Me - anything with wings
Fab 'n' Funky - make your own embellishment
Paper Play - add shine
Paper Crafting Journey - anything goes
Simon Says Stamp - make your own embellishment

Sparkly felt and a strip of ribbon

2011-02-20T21:25:00.000-08:00

Today's card is based on a card I saw in a recent issue of Paper Craft magazine. The focus of the article was on using felt for projects - this is something I haven't done before but I did have a bunch of felt available (in the kids' doodle drawers).

I chose a sparkly white felt and free hand-cut a dress shape. I wanted to keep it very simple so just added a thin strip of ribbon around the waist. The dress really sparkles but unfortunately that doesn't come through in the photo. The sentiment is computer-generated then cut out and layered.

I've decided to donate this card to Cards for Kids since I don't have many opportunities to give cards to young ladies. My kids are still quite young (and boys) so all the cards I make for them & their friends are of the goofy/childish variety. I'm thoroughly enjoying making cards for Cards for Kids though since I can use it as an excuse to make cards for all ages and types of kids. If you love to make cards, then check out the site and think about donating a few!

Challenges:

Card Makin' Mamas - birthday
Creative Belli - felt or fabric
Fairy Knoll - birthday
Fashionista Friday - birthday
For Fun Challenges - birthday
One Stop Craft - birthday
Stampin With The Dragon - birthday

Christmas elf

2011-02-17T16:55:00.000-08:00

My quest to make a couple of Christmas cards each month continues. This card uses a sweet image from Mo's Digital Pencil along with an interesting folded frame that I found on a challenge site. You can find the tutorial here.

I used a double-sided paper from my scrap bin for the frame but the larger backing paper is from Basic Grey. If you were looking at the entire sheet, you would see that the letters Christmas are spelled out using lines of tiny text. Of course I wasn't thinking and cut the paper the wrong way so the lines of text are running vertically. Well, at least the text is so small that it isn't obvious!

After colouring the little elf, I added some white fun flock to the pom poms and hat brim. There are also some gold Stickles on the bell at the end of his hat. I contemplated adding Glossy Accents to the candy cane but decided against it because I worried that the shine would look too splashy for such a vintage/muted card.

I used a sketch from Pixie Cottage although I have to admit to leaving out the corner adornments. I tried a lot of different things but they all just looked too busy. Probably should have made the card square so that there would've been room. Even without, I quite like this card. It's simple but interesting. And the folded frame gives it great dimension.

Challenges:

ABC Christmas Challenge - use a digi, 2 patterned papers and 2 or more embellishments
Cards For Men - MASCULINE and a Recipe: 1 Image, 2 Design Papers, 3 Embellishments (I used brads, ribbon and fun flock)
Catch The Bug - different fold
Christmas Inspirations - Christmas
Do You Stack Up? - dots
Fairy Fun Fridays - use fine print (the large pp has text forming the pattern)
Karber Christmas - use a digital stamp
Pixie Cottage - Sketch

Birthday book

2011-02-15T10:50:00.000-08:00

Update: Yippee! This card was chosen as a reader favourite on the Scrapbooks Etc gallery.

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I created this card template after seeing something similar in a crafting magazine. I used nothing but scrap papers (the diamond paper is left over from a Halloween Harry Potter scrapbook page) to create this book-shaped card. The image is part of a Harry Potter-inspired digital stamp set from Bugaboo - isn't it just fabulous?

One weirdness about the card - in the picture it looks like the top left brad is black but I swear that all 4 brads are the same colour burgundy!

Challenges:

Charisma Cardz - mythical/fantasy (Hermione, the wizard, is definitely fantasy!)

Copic Creations - use warm colours (the robes are neutral, but the Griffindor colours in the scarf, book and papers are all warm)

Karber Weekly - use a digi, birthday

Our Creative Corner - feature some kind of cutting technique (I hand-cut the swooped line to give the appearance of pages)

Stampin With The Dragon - anything goes
Stamping Vacation - no flowers
The Outlawz Copic Challenge - shading & highlighting

Peek-a-boo Bear

2011-02-14T21:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't added an inside sentiment to today's card but I figure it could end up being either "And a happy birthday to you!" or "I love you!" depending on the occasion. Regardless of what I end up writing on the inside, I'm pretty pleased with the front. The cutie-patootie bear is a Dustin Pike creation - isn't he just so adorable? I coloured him with Copic markers and then popped him on top of a few layers of Basic Grey papers. The entire thing looked a bit plain so I added in some faux stitching which I think finishes off the card quite nicely. The heart tag was sitting in my stash and with the addition of "Peek-a-boo" makes a great sentiment.

I used a really nice sketch from i{heart}2stamp -

Challenges:
I can't believe how many challenges this card applies to. Everyone is thinking love & hearts this week!

2 Sisters - hearts
BasicGrey - hearts
Catered Crop - I used the following items from the recipe: repeating patterns on patterned paper, Copic Color Mediums, heart shapes, a tag with a sentiment
Crafty Cardmakers - hearts
Crafty Creations - use 3 words
Crafty Emma - cute & cuddly
Crazy 4 Challenges - hearts
Creative Cowgirls - hearts
Cupcake Craft - I heart you
Fun with Shapes & More - hearts
i{heart}2stamp - sketch
Lexi's Creations - bears
Paper Take Weekly - hearts
Paperworks Co - hearts
Scrap-Creations - animal antics
Stamp Man - hearts

A bunch of birthday balloons

2011-02-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

Every challenge I check out these days is all about Valentine's Day, love, hearts, etc, etc. Well, I had to give in and do a lovey-dovey card but I refuse to make a Valentine's Day card this year (I'm anti-romance right now) so I turned this into a sweet birthday card that I plan to include in the next batch of cards going to Cards for Kids.

I usually use digi stamps but this Stamping Bella rubber stamp caught my eye a while ago. I love the delicacy of the figure and the swishyness (is that a word?) of the dress. After colouring, I added some Stickles to the dress & shoes to give a bit of glitter. I tried to make the scalloped hearts look as if they were part of the balloon cluster so I added a layer of Glossy Accents to both the balloons and the die cut hearts.

Challenges:

Thanks to Feline Playful for providing lists of challenges - I've found a couple of new challenges to follow and participate in. Yippee!

C.R.A.F.T. - use a die cut (I used nestabilities scalloped hearts)

Crafty Cardmakers - hearts

Crazy Challenge - lots of love

Creative Cowgirls - love is in the air

I Did it Creations - love is in the air

Paper Crafting Journey - love is in the air

Paper Playtime - use cupid or hearts

Polkadoodle - with hearts

Simon Says Stamp - love is in the air

Stamp with Fun - love

Can I brighten your day?

2011-02-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

On the weekend I picked up a crafting magazine and inside was a pack of paper which ... well, to say it is bright is probably understating it. Never one to shirk a challenge, I decided to see if I could make a couple of cards with this extremely cheerful paper. I believe I succeeded. And although neither of these are my style, they should do quite nicely for Cards for Kids (my project to provide hand-made cards for hospitalized children).

I used a wonderful vintage-looking image of a kitten that I found through CDAC. This image was offered free by Robyn's Fetish for use in CDAC's second colour challenge. Don't you just adore how sweet and feminine the cat looks? I used last week's sketch from Midnight Madness for the layout and then added a single embellishment - the flowered branch - made using a Sizzix diecut.

This card uses another image that I've had forever (and in fact, has been coloured for close to a year). "Fairy Cake Tilly" is a freebie (that you can still get!) from Digital Doodling. I kept this card very simple as well because the design paper is just so darned bright.

I may not use much more of the free paper pack, but at least I met my personal challenge and used a couple of sheets of it!

Challenges:

Crafty Catz - flowers
Crafty Emma - bold & bright
Fairy Knoll - flowers
Just Us Girls - make your own flowers
Pile It On - punch it
Sisterhood of Crafters - anything goes
Stamp Fairy - homemade flowers
Top Tip Tuesday - girlie
Tuesday Taggers - feel the love

Are you sure you have to go?

2011-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

I have a hard time when someone I like/respect leaves - I just don't do sentimental very well. So when the secretary at my sons' school announced her departure for another job I was a bit stymied about what kind of card to make her. This wonderful woman has been a huge support for my eldest son and her leaving is a true tragedy for him and the school as a whole. I decided to go with a humorous card so that I wouldn't end up getting all sloppy and mushy about how much she means to the kids (and their parents).

The image is from Elizabeth Dulemba (her weekly free colouring pages are perfect for cards) and the sentiment is my own warped creation. I used papers from Basic Grey (my absolutely favourite paper line) along with a Nestabilities die to create the frame. I don't remember where I picked up the pink pom pom ribbon but I really like how it adds a bit of movement and fun to the card.

Challenges:
Crafty Pad - girly
Creative Belli - anything starting with "P" (I used pom poms & patterned paper)
Delicious Doodles - spots or stripes (there are lots of spots on this card)
Digi's with Attitude - include a digi person
Everybody Art Challenge - my favourite thing (my favourite paper line)
Fab 'n Funky - use a digi
The Outlawz Copic Challenge - anything goes
Sketch Saturday - sketch

Blog Hop winner and birthday cards for kids

2011-01-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Before I show you today's cards, I need to announce the winner of the recent Ezee Pzee Blog Hop. We had a total of 33 entries so I put the number into the randomizer and the winner is:

Michelle

Michelle, please send your information to engravit@albertacom.com so we can get your prize out to you. Congratulations!!!
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I have 2 cards to share today. Both use images from Bugaboo as well as Basic Grey papers. These are very fun & bright birthday cards that I will be donating to Cards for Kids. If you haven't heard about Cards for Kids yet, this is a project to collect hand-made birthday and special occasion cards that can be given to hospitalized children. It's a great excuse to craft and a great use for all the cards that we (meaning us crafters) make. I encourage you all to think about donating a card or two!

Challenges:
Allsorts - for a boy/man
Do You Stack Up? - patterns
Fairy Fun Fridays - birthdays
Paper Play - layer it up
Creative Belli - beginning with "P" (I've used lots of "p"atterned paper
I Did it Creations - card for a child
Stamp Something - cute somethings

Cats in the garden

2011-01-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Update: I'm just thrilled to report that my second card was chosen as card of the week over at Digi's With Attitude. Woo hoo! I can hardly wait to spend the gift certificate that I've won. Thanks!

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The rain has been pouring down and I really need for Spring to arrive, but unfortunately I don't have control over Mother Nature. But I can make Spring cards so I pulled out a couple of fun Bugaboo images, some flower-filled Basic Grey papers and my freshest Copic colours and got to work. I'm looking forward to sending these cards out to friends who are suffering the winter blah's.

Challenges:
Crafty Cardmakers - flowers
Digi's with Attitude - add raindrops (I added Stickles to make the drops stand out in card #2)
Fab 'n Funky - use a digi
Fuzzy Wuzzy - animal; anything goes
Quirky Crafts - in the spring garden
Simon Says Stamps - animal antics
Stamps 'r Us - animals
Stamp Something - cute somethings (nothing cuter than a cat)

Looking in to say happy birthday

2011-01-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

First off, if you haven't already checked out the Ezee Pzee blog hop then you still have time - the hop ends tomorrow (Jan 25) and the candy available is just fabulous! Scroll down here or click on the blog candy link in my sidebar to join the hop.
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I'm totally psyched about today's card! I picked up the image from Dustin Pike ages ago and although I love it, I hadn't used it yet.

So this weekend I was inventorying my embossing folders and when I came across this brick wall fade (from Tim Holtz) I knew that I had the perfect item to work with the image. I embossed on "Black Magic' Core'dinations paper and then lightly sanded to bring out the blue core. I cut the image out carefully and then rounded the edges to give a bit of dimension.

Since the image and colours are so strong, I chose to use a clean & simple sketch from Sunday Sketch & Stamp for the card design.

Challenges:

Allsorts Challenge - for a man/boy

Alys' Sunday Challenge - for the guys

Cards for Men - for a male & celebrate (in this case a birthday)

Catered Crop - recipe (I used Copic markers & black ink; polka dot paper)

Craft Your Passion - use 2 patterned papers

Crazy Challenge - dots & spots (polka dot paper)

Fab 'n Funky - animal magic

I Did It Creations - card for a child

My Time to Craft - spots & dots (polka dot paper)

Sunday Sketch & Stamp - SKETCH