My sister can beat up your sister

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

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

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

Bugaboo garden

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

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

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 ...

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

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!

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

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

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