MFT Sketch & ColourQ challenges

Since it's utterly ridiculous how long it's been since I blogged, I'm not even going to try to defend myself. So much has happened in my life since I posted anything, so perhaps I will update with all that later :)

I needed a few thank you cards, and I have been itching to use my new bold statements stamps from MFT (thanks sissy!) So, I figured I might as well play along with their sketch for this week, #158. In addition, I've followed the suggested color palette from ColourQ #223.

      

I really wasn't loving the burgundy and poppy together, so I stopped forcing myself to use em both and just went with the poppy color. Paper is from random Club Scrap kits & Coredinations (which is sanded). Stamp is MFT Bold Statements. Flowers are cut with MFT's Die-namics :upsy daisy. Modern wallpaper embossing folder by cuttlebug.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to blog more often than every 6 months :)

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge

I decided to make several of the same card to simplify things a bit. Inspired by sketch #302 at Mojo Monday and a card I saw on Pinterest, I churned out 4 cards very similar to this one. Card base, purple panel & butterfly are all Club Scrap paper. swirl stamp is from a set called Henna by Tia Bennett. Sentiment is Rubber Stampede. Ink is Club Scrap's Amethyst. I added little pearls on the butterfly and swirl with Viva Decor Pearl Pen in Ice White.

Squirrely Challenge - In The Middle from TJ

The fabulous Nancy from Squirrely Art challenged us squirrel girls with this cool and oh so easy technique from TJ and I gladly accepted! I have many holiday ideas in my head, so I can't wait to make more!

Paper: Club Scrap Wheel & Sprocket Purple, Kraft & White
Stamps: Club Scrap (sentiment) & uknown (birds)

Ink pad storage out of 2 Club Scrap Pizza Boxes!

Those of us who have been monthly members at Club Scrap for some time, have accumulated quite a collection of their famous pizza boxes. I’ve used mine to store all kinds of things (tax documents, wood mounted stamps, game pieces, and of course paper!). In addition, I’ve used them for wrapping gifts of all kinds. Well, I have been wanting to buy or make a storage box for my ink pads and so I played around one night and came up with this. I’ve only just started using it, so I don’t know how well it will hold up, but I love that all the inks are in one place and I can easily see, remove and replace them. I’ve chosen to store the pads upside down, because I found it easier to pull them out this way. I’ve also applied a strip or two of ATG tape to the bottom side of each pad to hold the matching inking foam.

I have created a written tutorial with plenty of photos. If the link doesn't work for you then just send your email address to me at cameragal67@gmail.com. 

Happy Birthday America!!

I hope everyone in the US has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July Holiday spent with family and friends!!

A while ago, I participated in a patriotic rosette swap over at Club Scrap. Below is a pennant banner I made using some/most of the rosettes I received. I just love all the different variations. I just hand cut the pennants (getting 3 out of each 8.5x11 sheet) from white cardstock. Then I added blue brads in each of the upper corners. To string them together, I used white embroidery floss. I also added sticker letters to the bottom of each pennant to spell  F-R-E-E-D-O-M.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Mother's Day (a wee bit early)

Blogger has thrown me for a loop. I'm still getting used to the re-design of posting, but this too shall pass.
Below are my Mother's Day Cards for my Mom and my SO's Mom. Hopefully neither will peek at my blog before Sunday.
For both cards, i've used paper from Graphic 45 & Club Scrap Celestial & Concrete Jungle Kits. 
The Silhouette was (oddly enough) cut on my Silhouette from an image I found online and traced as was the oval cut out and oval frame.

 

I'm submitting this first one for the following challenges:
PP94 (The Paper Players Challenge Blog) - In Celebration of Mother's
MMSC 138 (Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge Blog) - Sketch
PPA134 (Pals Paper Arts Blog) - colors: Calypso Coral, Baha Breeze & So Saffron
   

          

Here's the 2nd one...similar but different and using the same papers and shapes, etc.

  

Play Date with the Squirrel Girls

I combined a couple challenges with this "no particular occasion" card. Nancy at Squirrely Art tasked us squirrel girls with trying the TJ technique called cascading images and Play Date Cafe offered up a beautiful & bright color challenge this week (PDCC128). Instead of "cascading" my images, i decided to stamp and mask the bike wheel several times to create a frame. I used a white card base with an bright orange panel from the Club Scrap kit "Salsa" and a Flamingo Pink panel from the Club Scrap kit "Dream In Color". The bike and sentiment stamps are from the Club Scrap Kit called "Wheel & Sprocket".

Along with white

this week's suggested colors are:

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 8

• Paint Dabber Resist Technique
• Crackle Paint Resist Technique
• Shattered Stains Technique
  
  
  
  
Club Scrap stamps from Nature's Wonders, Versailles, Dashing, Papillon

Creative Chemistry 101 Day 2 & 3

Day 3: Today is the first chance I've had to play. I made a 2 versions of 2 of the techniques shared. Didn't like the middle one enough to do it again and I didn't really have the proper stuff.

• Alcohol Ink Agates Technique
• Archival Resist Technique
• Stamping with Reflections Technique

Club scrap stamps used on left 2 and middle. Not sure who is the designer/manufacturer of the ones on the right.

Day 2:

• Blended Spritz & Flick Technique
• Brushless Watercolor Technique
• Wrinkle-Free Distress Technique

Confirmation

I was in quick need of a confirmation card for a special someone and I found this beautiful example online last night. Ironically, it used the only stampin up die I own (since i do most cutting on my Silhouette) and I already had a dove shape in my Sil library. Anyway, I knew Club Scrap's Vogue collection was just the perfect paper for this and that embossing folder was just sitting on my table...like it was all meant to be! I cannot believe how quickly it came together (that almost never happens for me!)

Mojo Monday

Mojo Monday has the perfect sketch for the card I had in mind to create for my BF's family (He's 100% Irish on both sides, so St. Patrick's Day is quite special to them!)

I knew i wanted to use this fantastic Subway art from eighteen25 blog and I was hoping I could also incorporate some cool metallic shamrock doilies I picked up at Michaels the other day. I simply printed the subway art onto some neutral Club Scrap paper to create the tag...cut the doily down (will use the rest of it on the inside!) and added some other bits of Club Scrap paper and was done.

March 2012 Club Scrap Sketch Relay Challenge

Feels like forever since I scrapped and from the looks of my blog, it has been a while. I was fortunate enough to win the February Sketch Relay Challenge on Club Scrap, so I got to choose the sketch for March. I went with this simple design from the 2010 Retreat kit-Connections.

I dug deep to find these photos from May 2005. Me, my sis and bro & my Mom all acting like fools at the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. Good Times!

All paper for this layout is from the Club Scrap kit called Scholarship.

Club Scrap February Sketch Relay Challenge

This is another layout from my sisters recent visit to Kentucky featuring a not-so-sunny day (hence, the white sky) at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. The weather didn't dampen the grandeur, our spirits or the memories of this wonderful trip with my Mom & Sis.

Paper - Club Scrap Glimmer kit with paper and embellishments from Mirror Mirror, Matrix & Sparkle kits.

Playing along with some challenge blogs

Club Scrap paper & ribbon from Papillon Kit.

Card base from Wild Wild West kit

Butterfly created with stencil from the Papillon kit

and folk art craft paint in metallic blue sapphire & metallic amethyst.

Submitting for:

Play Date Cafe #116 - Plum...Pear...Moldy Cheese

Freshly Made Sketches #19

Flutterby Wednesday #187 - Use embossing

Color Throwdown & Less Is More Challenge

Not a lot of time to write tonight, but I'm submitting this for the 2 challenges below:

Color Throwdown #176 - use colors pool party, crumb cake, chocolate chip & rose red

AND

Less is More Week 51 - "Cut it Out"

Paper is Club Scrap - Pool party color is from Adobe Kit & Rose Red is from Ornamental (?)

Sorry for the cell phone photo :(

TFL...G'night folks.

Freshly Made Sketch and ColourQ Challenges

I created this card using a sketch from one of my new favorite challenge blogs, Freshly Made Sketches and a color combination offered at ColourQ (another of my new favorite challenge blogs!

The papers are all Club Scrap and come from a variety of their kits: Raku, Retro, Apothecary & Common Threads. The stamps are also from the Raku Kit and the ribbon is Club Scrap as well, but I don't know which kit.

Club Scrap January Sketch Relay & Play Date Cafe color challenge

Papers are from Club Scrap kits, Sonoma & Celestial (gold). Used gold leaf pen around purple photo mats. Printed text from sign onto transparency and painted back side w/gold metallic paint. Printed leaf on transparency and glittered in gold on opposite side. You can't tell it from this poor photo, but the paper on the left page is burgundy and the photo mats on the right page are purple.
Submitting for Play Date Café color challenge (PDCC 114-burgundy, gold, plum)

Squirrely Challenge - Chalked Embossed

The lead squirrel (my good friend Nancy) took a break from hosting the squirrely challenges, but we are back on track now with this "chalked embossed" technique from a recent technique junkies newsletter.

All paper is Club Scrap (Freedom & Culinary kits).

Quietly craftin'

I haven't been updating my blog, but i have been working away in my creative space, so I thought i'd share a couple things.

Layout I did for Club Scrap's December Sketch Relay Challenge:

Kissing technique Challenge on Club Scrap board:

Club Scrap card sketch challenge (hosted by my sister):

Christmas Card Challenge blog - One layer card

Just a simple one layer card (which is harder than it sounds) for the 1st challenge of 2012 over at Christmas Card Challenge blog.

I used a template to create the unembossed area and ran it thru my snowflake cuttlebug folder. I outlined the area left un-embossed with an old Marvy marker from my stash. Stamp image is inkadinkadoo i think. the maroon card base is from Club Scrap kit called Culinary.