Spring is (really) coming

Here is card that I created for my Mom (who is still half-buried in snow). I used a wonderful digital stamp image from Tales from Pollycraft called "Follow the Leader", along with Basic Grey papers, to make a card that just feels like Spring to me. I only used 4 Copic colours and I added more shading than normal.

As usual I'm entering this card in a few challenges:

• I Love Digi - sketch
• Polkadoodle - wings
• C.R.A.F.T. - flowers

I linked my card on the Play Date Cafe challenge (which was to use light yellow, deep yellow and white) although I think I actually used too much green to technically qualify. But using lots of yellow is such a departure for me that I wanted to share my result.

Easter cards

I can't believe that it is already March and there are signs of Spring everywhere. It was a very mild winter here on the West Coast and yet I am still very ready to see the end of Winter! I spent some time this weekend making an Easter card for my niece. The image is a new one from Karen's Doodles - isn't she just the most adorable little bunny you've ever seen? I used a sketch from a new challenge site I only recently discovered called Create4Fun.

Challenges:

• Create4Fun - sketch
• Simon Says Stamps Challenge - mother's day or girlie
• Stamp Something - something girlie

Dragons are girly, too

I love Dustin Pike's digital stamps and use them all the time for birthday cards but I hadn't realized that I tended to only use them for boys' cards until the latest challenge on Doodle Dragon Studio. Kerri challenged us to make any Doodle Dragon Studios DRAGON IMAGE GO GIRLY. I used a sketch from Midnight Madness to get me started and then went crazy with girly colours, patterns and embellishments. I thought it would be fun to have the flower (made with QuicKutz "daisy" die cut) with several petals flying off in the wind created by the carousel horse.

I'm thinking it might need some glitter and glossy accents to really finish it up but I have to mull over it for awhile. I would likely add glitter to the flowers & petals, maybe to the dragon herself. And som glossy accents to the horse or just the saddle? What do you think?

The challenges this card fits with include:

• Doodle Dragon Studio - go girly with a dragon
• Midnight Madness - sketch
• Simon Says Stamps Challenge - mother's day or girly
• C.R.A.F.T. - mother's day or flowers

Recipe:
Digital stamp - Doodle Dragon Studio
Papers - Basic Grey
Die cut - QuicKutz "daisy"
Copic markers

St Patrick's Day Humour

I "scrap-lifted" the idea for this card from Yvonne at Big Scrappy World. Yvonne is a design team member at Bugaboo Stamps and when I saw her submission for their latest challenge I just had to make my own version using the same (more or less) sentiment.

I apologize for the crooked photo (and for the cat tail in the top-right corner) but I wanted to make sure I got this posted in time for the Bugaboo challenge which closes tomorrow.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Catch the Bug Challenge - who needs green?
• Copic Creations - wee bit of green
• Cute Card Thursday - lucky green
• The Pink Elephant - green
• Pile It On - lucky me
• Truly Scrumptious - sketch
• Lexi's Creations - anything goes
• Inky Impressions  - add green
• Crafty Catz  - shades of green and St Patrick's Day

Recipe:
Image from Bugaboo Stamps
Basic Grey papers
Clover leaf clip-art from Microsoft
Copic markers

Optimistically Pink

I hope that the weather isn't going to turn around and kick us in the backside, but it looks like Spring is arriving early on the West Coast. My camelia is in full bloom in the backyard, the grass is overdue for its first mowing and the cherry trees are bursting into flower. I was very glad to see some challenges asking for pink because there is nothing more cheerful and spring-y than pinks (in my humble opinion).

I used this beautiful image (and sketch) from Mo's Digital Pencil and then tried a couple of new things with the colouring. First off, I coloured the hair black which is something I rarely do (and really need to practice at). I also tried to add some dimension and detail to the kimono by adding glitter and using embossing pens on the swirls. I'm not thrilled with the effect as it thickened the lines. I like the glitter though that is added to the butterflies and the flower in her hair. As usual, I used Basic Grey papers.

I'm entering this card into the following challenges:

• Mo's Digital Challenge - sketch
• One Stop Craft Challenge - optimistically pink
• I Love Digi Challenge - use pink
• SophistiCat Challenges - oriental themed
• Corrosive Challenges - Asian themed

Also, thanks to Gina for letting me know about the SophistiCat and Corrosive Challenge blogs. Both have Asian themes this week and after checking them out I had to add them to my ever-growing list of blogs to follow.

A new great-nephew

Had a busy evening making a card to welcome the newest addition to the family - my husband's nephew and wife just had their second child (another boy). Can hardly wait to see pictures! In the meantime, I had to make a special card to welcome baby Cody.

I am entering the card in a couple of challenges, as follows:

• Phindy's Place - use green, blue & orange
• All That Scraps - use newspaper or a book
• Truly Scrumptious Challenges - sketch

Purple Potpourri

It meant missing the start of the final Canada/US hockey game (thank goodness for radio) but yesterday I took a great card class at Clipper Street. The theme was "purple" and each card was quite different in its design. I intentionally (and unintentionally) changed each card a bit so any deficiencies are probably my doing and not Jo's (she was the instructor and designer). I am entering some of these cards into challenges where they meet the requirements - it will be noted right after the description.

Card #1 has a shadow box opening in the front with a rub-on greeting inset. The bugs are coloured with Copics and then pop-dotted for added dimension. I really like the vine ribbon along the side - I have a strip in my ribbon stash and have wondered what to do with it so I'm really glad to have an idea now. I also added a couple of jewels to the dragonfly's antennae so that there was some sparkle on the card.

• Cute Card Thursday - ribbontastic! - I think the vine ribbon on this card just makes it
• The Pink Elephant Challenge - a touch of green (there's plenty of green on this card)

Card #2 has lots of glitter. The "U" is chipboard painted over with a white glitter paint. I also added Stickles to the "2" and the flower. I quite like the way the opposing corners of the card are rounded. My one complaint about this project is that the Kaiser Craft rub-ons we were given were faulty and bits of the letters were actually missing (so the missing loop on the "e" isn't due to bad adhering on my part - it actually was missing from the rub-on). I will have to touch this up with a fine pen before using the card.

• Crazy 4 Challenges - use 3 different textures (at least 4 or 5 textures,depending on how you rate embellishments - smooth PP, rough PP, glittered chipboard, glittered flower, smooth button)

Card #3 is my favorite because of its simple lines and glittery detail. I coloured the stamped image with my Copics and then glittered over it with translucent blue highlight. I love how the glitter takes a somewhat non-descript image and makes it very appealing and fun.

• C.R.A.F.T. challenge - ribbon and sparkle (you can't ask for more sparkle and aside from the ribbon bow on the top button, I also think the border punched purple swiss dot paper has the feel of lace or ribbon to it too)

Card #4 is a simple little side fold card. I like the offset scalloped circles though. Jo's design had an embossed sentiment in the centre but I decided to go with a few more circles topped with a flower instead. I thought I could add the sentiment on the far right side of the inside once I decide what to use the card for.