hope anchors

Here's to remind you that there's still a week left in the current challenge at Time Out Challenges. It's a Home Sweet Home challenge based on the photo above.

Do you see the subtle heart shape in my one layer card? I sure hope you do! ;o)

On cold-press watercolor paper, I heat embossed the plumeria spray then placed the heart stencil over it before watercoloring that area with Inktense pencils. Then placing the heart mask over the watercolored area, I watercolored the rest of the spray with various shades of pink/magenta inks (Spun Sugar DOx, Rosee Izink dye ink, and Inktense pencil) and those provided a subtle contrast against the loose heart shape. With the mask still on, I stamped the text for faux texture. I watercolored the background with yellow and brown Inktense pencils. I finished the card by stamping the sentiment.

I had a completely different idea in my head when I started on this card but it sort of took on a life of its own when I was in the middle of watercoloring the flowers -- and I have to say I was pretty pleased with the end result.

Check out the cards that the TO team made here and then come play! The winner (voted by the design team) will receive a $25 coupon code (gift voucher) to spend on the STAMPlorations store. And if you visit my first TO post here and answer a simple question by February 9, you get a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to the store.

Linking up my card in these fab challenges:

• Craft Stamper February Take It Make It Challenge - Anything Goes
• Inkspirational #179 - Sweet Things (I was inspired by the heart-shaped cookies and soft pink color of the cake)
  
  
• Happy Little Stampers February Watercolour Challenge - Anything goes (I skipped the optional twist)
  

  

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

who travels with you

Here's to remind you that there's still a week left in the current challenge at Time Out Challenges. This time around, it's an Inspired by Words challenge.

So I focused in on the phrase, "the friends you roll with" and found an appropriate sentiment in my stash. I created a collage out of the Framed Love Always digital stamp (available for free here), lightening it so it printed out gray. Adhered it to my card base before stamping the sentiment and adding some splash of color with some grungy ink splatter stamps (from this, this, and this). Finished the card with a subtle grunge border.

Playing in these fab challenges:

• Papercraft Challenges #29 - Bright Colours
• Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

live what you love

Here's to remind you that there's still a week left in the current challenge at Time Out Challenges. This time around, the challenge is to be LOVING.

It's good to create something again after several weeks of not crafting! I thought I'd do a test drive on one of the new ARTplorations stencils that will be in the store by next week. I used Gorgeous, one of several stencils in my Faces series to create my one layer card. Stenciled her right in the middle of my card base and her left side gave me enough room to stamp the doodled flowers in bright, bold colors. Stamped the sentiment (from the new It's A Girl Thing: Sunshine set) and then finished off with a grungy border for some faux texture.

Playing in these fab challenges:

• Craft Stamper Take It Make Challenge - January Anything Goes
• Crafty Creations #382 - Anything Goes
• Always Fun #92 - One layer
• Dream Valley Challenge #193 - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

life is good

Sharing a one layer card I made with the help of my gel press plate for the current Time Out Challenges. I describe how I made the card in this post at the STAMPlorations blog. Plus I have an extra prize up for grabs for those who answer a simple question in the post. :o)

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

best day ever

I've got a new card featuring a technique I'm calling negative stamping. I explain this technique in this post at the STAMPlorations blog :o)

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

merry Christmas

Here's to remind you that there's still a week left in the current challenge at Time Out Challenges. This time around, the challenge is to be JOYFUL.

If you're still making Christmas cards, the challenge is easy peasy...after all, Christmas is a joyful event! For my one layer Christmas card, I used a mask (one of at least 16 new ARTplorations masks that will be available in January under my Bloomdala Bliss series). The mask looks like it could pass for a poinsettia so I placed it over my card base and sponged red and green inks -- I didn't try to do a smooth blending through the mask, as I wanted to get a rustic/rough look instead. I combined this stamp with this stamp to form my joyful sentiment and then finished the card by stamping the grunge dotted border all around.

I hope you'll come play with us and take time out to craft! 

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Playing along at these fun places:

• ABC Christmas Challenge - Y (Your favorite thing) or Z (Zero embellishments) - I went with Z
• Simon Says Wednesday - Christmas
• The Crafty Addicts #55 - Anything Goes/Christmas

Christmas blessings

Here's to remind you that there's still a week left in the current challenge at Time Out Challenges. It's a theme challenge: Black + White + 1 other color -- with an optional twist of one layer.

Similar to my previous card, my second card is black, white, and red + it's one layer. And again, I stuck with a simple design -- stamped the large poinsettia in the middle, stamped the sentiment, and then finished off the card by adding a border and grunging it up a little.

I hope you'll come play with us and take time out to craft! 

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

come let us adore Him

A new challenge is up at Time Out Challenges. For the next two weeks, we'd like to see projects with the following colors: Black + White + 1 other color. There's an optional twist too of one layer.

I went with red as my other color, as well as did a one layer card...my favorite kind of card to make :o) The design's simple too -- stamped the large poinsettia on two opposite corners, stamped the sentiment, and then finished off the card by adding a border and grunging it up a little.

If you feel like playing along, don't forget to link up! 

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

merry

Sharing a card I made to remind ya'll that there's still about a week left to play at Time Out. It's a Home Sweet Home challenge -- where you get to be inspired by this photo:

Forever Grateful + Thanks A Million

So here's a couple more one layer cards I made for the current Time Out Challenges. My other cards are here. They're to remind you that there's still a week left to play in the Inspired by Words challenge:

Link up your projects here! The winner (voted by the design team) will receive a $15 gift certificate to spend on the STAMPlorations store and another winner (randomly drawn) will receive a goodie bag containing at least $20 worth of STAMPlorations products.

Card #1 - Forever Grateful

Ingredients: Grateful Flutters, Art Marks, Mixed Media Grunge

Linking up my first card to the following fun challenges:

• Addicted to Stamps and More #316 - Anything Goes
• Creative Moments #155 - Anything Goes
• Word Art Wednesday #358-359 - Anything Goes

Card #2 - Thanks A Million

Ingredients: Coffee to Go - Fall and Winter, Leaves of Thanks, Mixed Media Grunge, Art Marks

Linking up my second card to the following fun challenges:

• Inspire.Create.Challenge #30 - Theme - Thankful

• The Card Concept #101 - Rustic Fall (my card is CAS...or Clean and Graphic)

• Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #194 - Anything Goes

• Addicted to CAS #148 - One layer

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Products used:

An InLinkz Link-up

Paper craft project no. 507: Life is an adventure

Hello! Here's a card for the new challenge at Time Out. For the next two weeks, the challenge is Home Sweet Home, where we have this inspiration photo:

I took my inspiration from the colors, that rustic table that looks like a suitcase, and the big map in the background to create my one-layer card. I stamped the stack of suitcases and sentiment (Born to Roam), then masked the suitcases before stamping the various grunge background (Mixed Media Elements, Mixed Media Grunge). I gave the suitcases a bit of color with PrismaColor pencils and the card is done.

Check out the cards that the TO team + guest designer Trinia made and then come play with us! STAMPlorations is sponsoring the challenge. The winner (voted by the design team) will receive a $15 gift certificate.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 505: Bird soaring high

Seems like it's been forever since I posted. Sorry about that -- between my mommy duties and running STAMPlorations + being preggers and having terrible non-stop morning sickness up until late last week, I haven't been able to create anything to share here (although I've got some crafty/artsy exciting news soon). At 16 weeks, the morning sickness has subsided significantly, although once in a while I still feel like hurling.

Anywho...last week a new challenge started at Time Out. This time around we're to CASE a card and put our own twist to our creation. We are CASE-ing this fun card by Cornelia of Stempel Spass.

I took my cue from the main image and background. First, I sponged gray ink through the Zen Hearts stencil before stamping the bird (angled it a bit so it looks like it's about to take off) and sentiment (For the Birds) and then grounding the bird with a grungy dot stamp (Mixed Media Grunge).

Check out the cards the team + guest designer Pooja made and then link up your own project inspired by Cornelia's card. There is still a week left to play. Sponsoring this challenge is Happy Little Stampers. We can't wait to see your creations!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 503: One amazing chick

I'm back again with one more card for the challenge at Time Out. There's still a week left to join in the Home Sweet Home challenge, where we have this inspiration photo:

source

This time around,  I simply went with the butterfly element in the photo and created this one layer card. First I stamped the girl whose name is Cora, by the way, in black.

I'm going to digress a bit to share a little story about that girl: she's the main girl in my new set One Cool Chick and she was drawn in 1974 -- that's right, 43 years ago -- by my dad back when he was courting my mom. (They ended up eloping and having a civil ceremony in December 1975.) My dad loved to draw, especially people (unfortunately I didn't get that particular talent for drawing people from him!), and because he didn't really have a lot of money to buy my mom expensive gifts, he simply gave her his hand made love letters and poems (sometimes he'd do song lyrics) accompanied by his own illustrations. I remember how excited I was when my mom shared with me many, many years ago her little box containing every single illustrated love letter my dad gave her. A year ago, I asked for mom's and dad's permission to turn a couple of the illustrations into stamps. I had my sister scan the love letters and I simply cleaned up the images and did a little bit of editing on them so they'd work as stamps. (My dad had colored his illustrations.) So you're meeting one of them...Cora, the Cool Chick. Some time in May, you'll meet the other one, Rudi, the Cool Dude :o) 

Aannnyyyywayyy....after stamping Cora, I masked her and then stamped the flowers in Becca's new set, Sweet and Sassy Mom + the cute butterfly from Shirley's Winged Things + the cool sentiment and then I finished the card by rounding one corner.

Check out the cards that the TO team + guest designer Michelle made and then come play with us! STAMPlorations is sponsoring the challenge. One winner (voted by the design team) will receive a $15 gift certificate and another winner (randomly drawn from all entries) will win her choice of STAMPlorations product the design team used.

Linking my amazing chick one layer card to these fun challenges:

• Less is More #324 - Spring Walk (my cool chick is taking a nice little spring walk)
• Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Showers and/or Flowers
• Crafty Addicts Challenge #35 - ATG, optional Add a Sentiment

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)

Paper craft project no. 501: The butterfly counts moments

For my Things with Wings blog hop & linky party week 2 project, click here.

Hello! Back today with a card for the new challenge at Time Out. For the next two weeks, the challenge is Home Sweet Home, where we have an inspiration photo:

source

Fairly obvious where I took inspiration from -- the butterflies, the colors, and the clock (for my sentiment) -- to create my one-layer card. I sponged various shades of reds and pinks through the Ethnic Flutter 1 stencil/mask on my card base and then grunged it all up by randomly stamping faux textures (Mixed Media Grunge, Mixed Media Elements, Scribbly Splattery Grunge). I stamped the sentiment from Trendy Butterflies 2 in red.

Check out the cards that the TO team + guest designer Michelle made and then come play with us! STAMPlorations is sponsoring the challenge. One winner (voted by the design team) will receive a $15 gift certificate and another winner (randomly drawn from all entries) will win her choice of STAMPlorations product the design team used.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to smile :o)