Play Date Cafe Challenge #78 and a Lily Pad Sketch

Hello, friends!  I'm here today with a card I made for the current Play Date Cafe challenge using the following color scheme:

Once again, I found this a bit challenging because I would not typically reach for pink, blue and red.  (I guess that's one reason they call these "challenges," huh?)

For this card, I also decided to follow "Lucy's Lovely Lines" sketch at the Lily Pad Cards blog challenge using at least one Penny Black stamp.  Here is the sketch:

For my card, I stamped this adorable Penny Black bunny onto watercolor paper, embossed in back, painted with watercolor paints and cut out.  I added pink and blue plaid patterned papers to a red card and dry embossed the entire front, then adhered the bunny on pop dots and added the simple sentiment. 

Materials Used:  Penny Black (1934H) Easter Wishes; Hero Arts (CL184) Thoughtful Messages;

patterned paper; watercolor paints; Cuttlebug & embossing folder



Before I go, I have to once again say a HUGE thank you to Patricia for designing yet another blog header for me...she inspired me to reconfigure my blog and I think I like this design the best so far.  (Is it sad that this is my third change and I just started my blog this past New Year's Day?)  Thank you SO MUCH, Patricia...you are a real sweetheart!

That's it for today...thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day,

Judy

Pairing Up...and a Quick Easter Card

Hello, friends!  Today's card is a fun project I made as part of a current Hero Hostess Challenge to pair up with someone and make cards using the same stamp(s).  I paired up with Deb (a.k.a. debstamps at Flickr) and we agreed to use our Hero Arts Four Dolls clear set.  Be sure to check out Deb's beautiful card and the story behind it..it sounds wonderful! 

My little layered scene (made entirely with Hero Arts stamps) started with the Clouds in Soft Pool shadow ink.  I stamped the Dots and Flowers in Leaf shadow ink onto green paper, then punched the edge using the Martha Stewart "Grass" border punch.  Next, I punched the MS "Picket Fence" border punch on cream paper and embossed the Designer Woodgrain in white to give it some subtle texture.  I stamped the three dolls onto white cardstock, colored with colored pencils, and cut out.  I adhered one doll behind the fence and mounted the other in front with one up on a pop dot for added dimension.  Finally, I stamped the sentiment from the Sweet Wonderful You set.

Materials Used:  (CL297) Four Dolls, (CL381) Sweet Wonderful You, (S5213) Dots and Flowers,

(S5215) Clouds, (S5208) Designer Wood, Martha Stewart "grass" edge punch,

Martha Stewart "picket fence" border punch, (CH143) Blossom sparkle gems  

Before I go, here is a quick last-minute Easter card I made using a DCWV pre-designed card, a scallop punch, a circle punch, and a $1 bunny stamp my daughter has in her stash (yes, my daughters each have a small stamping stash of their own...and yes, I sometimes borrow their stuff!).  I just stamped the bunny outline without inking the face, then cut it out and added the "cotton tail" for fun.  The bunny is up on pop dots for some extra dimension.



We are busy with Easter activities this weekend, so I probably won't have a chance to post again for a few days. 
Best wishes to all for a Happy Easter!
Judy

Sympathy Card for a Crafting Friend

Hello, friends!  I just wanted to share a card I made for the sweet Lisa Spangler when her grandmother passed away.  I was happy to hear (at Lisa's blog) that so many of her crafting friends sent her cards of sympathy and encouragement; this actually does not suprise me at all.  She actually posted pictures of all the cards she received here and they are all truly beautiful.
I made this card for Lisa using the Hero Arts Classic Fabric Design background in Soft Vanilla shadow ink.  I stamped the Branchy Topiary by Memory Box after inking it up with markers.  Finally, I paper-pieced the flower pot and added sage Ultra Fine Flower Soft and a few pearls, then finished it off with a small rafia bow.  The sentiment is from the versatile Hero Arts All Occasion Messages set.   

Materials Used:  Memory Box (D1346) Branch Topiary; Hero Arts (CL272) All Occasion Messages,

(CG245) Classic Fabric Design; Marvy markers; Ultra Fine Flower Soft sage; pearls; raffia; patterned paper;

black ink; Soft Vanilla shadow ink

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Judy

 

Easter Sketch Cards

Hello, friends!  As Easter quickly approaches, I made two Easter cards following two of the sketches in the Hero Arts monthly challenge.  Here are the choices:

My first card is another egg-shaped card using those little Studio G treasures I found for $1 at the local craft store.  For the top half of the egg, I embossed the Dots and Flowers in white, then added tiny dots of red Stickles as accents in the design.  For the bottom half, I stamped the Large Canvas Stripes using Soft Pool shadow ink for a subtle effect.  The patterned papers, ribbon, and butterfly were all in my stash and came together quickly to finish off the card.  I stamped the sentiment in black and added black pearls to the butterfly for a final touch.

Materials Used:  (E5388) Traditional Butterfly (CL498) Celebrate Everyday;

(S5433) Large Canvas Stripes; (S5213) Dots and Flowers; American Crafts ribbon;

red Stickles; black pearls; white Inkssentials pen; Cuttlebug/embossing folder

My second card also followed a sketch AND was part of a challenge hosted by Hero Hostess Linda (ScrappinBari) to pair up with someone and make a card using the same stamp(s).  I paired up with the wonderfully young and talented Hannah and we both agreed to use the Hero Arts Lace Background stamp.  Here is my take on the challenge:

Materials Used: (CL498) Celebrate Everyday; (S5341) Lace Background; (CG123)

Flower Wallpaper; (CG125) Friend Definition; (E5388) Traditional Butterfly; HA Sunshine Folded Card;

HA Grass chalk ink; American Crafts ribbon; Cuttlebug/embossing folder; Crop-a-Dile corner chomper

Well, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post any more cards this week...Holy Week, the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday celebrations are rapidly approaching and my family and I are involved in all of them.  May God bless all of you this Holy Week and upcoming Easter season!

Take care,
Judy 

Cards for James

Hello, friends!  Today I have some cards to share that I made for James and his family.  I first heard about this card drive at Heather's blog (see details here).  I was moved by his story and decided to make a card for him as well as for his sister, his mom, and his dad.

This is the card I made for James.  I used some pre-designed cardstock from the DCWV "The Grade School Stack" paper pack, then stamped "What's up?" using the Wacky alphabet set from Clearly Wordsworth stamps.  I stamped and embossed the Imaginisce Plane on patterned paper and cut out, then mounted with a pop dot and drew the trailing dots.   

Materials Used:  DCWV "The Grade School Stack;" Clearly Wordsworth "Wacky" Clear Alphabet set (V004); Fiskars "Threading Water" border punch; Crop-a-Dile corner rounder; Imaginisce "Plane" (001789) 

 

I followed similar steps to make a card for James' 3-year-old little sister, Grace.  I used pre-designed card stock from the same DCWV paper pack, then added the same sentiment and a girl from the Hero Arts Sweet Wonderful You set.  I had to add some gems to her pony tails and to the butterflies, too...what little girl doesn't like bling?

Materials Used: Clearly Wordsworth "Wacky" Clear Alphabet set (V004);  Hero Arts "Sweet Wonderful You" (CL381); DCWV "The Grade School Stack;" Martha Stewart "Daisy" border punch; Martha Stewart butterfly punch; Crop-a-Dile corner rounder; colored pencils; gems

 

I made a card for James' mom, Heather, using a Hero Hues notecard from the Sunshine card pack.  I stamped the Hero Arts Lace Background using Poppy chalk ink, then stamped the sentiment  in black ink.  I embossed the flower from the Blossom Art set in white and colored the back using Marvy markers.  The leaves were embossed in black onto green Bazzill Dotted Swiss paper and both the flower and the leaves were cut out.  I mounted the flower with a pop dot and filled in the center of the blossom with Diamond Stickles.    

Materials Used:  Hero Arts "Blossom Art" (CL495), "Lace Background" (S5341), "Truly Appreciated" (CL380), Bazzill "Dotted Swiss" paper, Diamond Stickles, Marvy markers, pop dot, Crop-a-Dile corner rounder

Here is a close-up of the center of the flower where I added some Diamond Stickles for some extra sparkle...

Finally, I made a card for James' dad, Matt.  Whenever I need a masculine card, I find myself reaching for the Hero Arts Silhouette Grass stamp.  I inked it with Tim Holtz distress inks, spritzed with water, and stamped.  I then added distress inks in the background sky, along with some speckled ink (using Blo Pens!).  Finally, I cut out the label and added the sentiment and some other stamps for texture, adhered it with a pop dot, and added the butterfly with a few pearls. 

Materials Used:  Hero Arts "Silhouette Grass" (S5316), "Thinking of You" (CL140), "Designer Woodgrain" (S5208), Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Spellbinders Shapeabilities "Fancy Tags," Tim Holtz distress inks, pearls, Blo Pens

 

For more information about James and the current card drive, please visit Heather's blog here. 
According to Heather, all you need to do is create a card (or cards) with a cheery, upbeat theme (please no get well soon cards) and send the card(s) to Heather's friend Shane at:

CARDS FOR JAMES

c/o Shane Rieder
862 Gorham Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45245

*PLEASE INCLUDE A PIECE OF PAPER WITH YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, and EMAIL and the NUMBER OF CARDS YOU SENT because there will be drawings for PRIZES!!!!

As I mentioned before, they are also collecting cards for his family:

Sister:  Grace (3 years old)

Parents:  Matt and Heather

Have a great day!
Judy

Kathy's Color Throw Down

Hello, friends!  Today I'm posting a card I made for Kathy Racoosin's Color Throwdown Challenge at Lily Pad Cards  blog: 



I used all the colors except for dark blue (hope that's OK!).  I stamped the topiary image from Memory Box after coloring it with markers, then added some Glossy Accents to the pot and pearls to the topiary.  I used layered rectangular Nestabilities to mount the image on the patterned card.  Here's my card:

Materials Used:  Branch Topiary (D1346) by Memory Box;  DCWV card from the Amber Fall Stack Card Collection;

CB & Nesties:  Large Deckled Rectangles; Glossy Accents, pearls

Here is the card along with the topiary stamp...so many possibilities!

 

Be sure to check out the other cards entered for this challenge at Lily Pad Cards...so much inspiration over there!

Have a great day,

Judy

April Hero Arts Sketch Card

Hello, friends!  This is my second post for the day...that's what happens when baseball and softball get rained out, I get to make cards!

I was so excited to see the sketch choices for this month's challenge at the Hero Arts blog...I am finding that sketches are a huge help for me when my creative mojo is lacking.  Here are the sketch choices for this month:

I was immediately drawn to the oval-shaped sketch because I was lucky enough to come across a $1 pack of egg-shaped Studio G cards at the local craft store.  ("Yay me!")  I also happened to have some patterned paper with complimenting colors, so I went from there.  I added the Happy Easter sentiment from the Hero Arts "Celebrate Everyday" set and dressed up a Hero Hues artistic flower with a coordinating button.  Here is my take on the sketch:

Materials Used: (CL498) Celebrate Everyday; (S5433) Large Canvas Stripes; (CG139) Cling Dots;

Hero Arts Pool shadow ink; Hero Hues Latte Art Flower; Martha Stewart "Doily Lace" border punch;

DCWV "Garden Party" patterned paper; button; floss; pearl

Thanks for stopping by!

Judy





Hero Arts Fresh Inspiration Friday

Hello, friends!  I'm just stopping by with a quick card I made based on the Hero Arts Fresh Inspiration Friday challenge.  Check out this funky picture that hostess Kelly chose for today's challenge:

I was immediately drawn to the pattern on the sofa (Hey -- I have patterned paper that looks like that!), the curves of the wood base (Hey, that reminds me of my border punches!), and the colorful pillows (Hey, I have a bunch of stamped monsters that are those colors!).  So I quickly gathered my materials, added black pearls to the eyes, popped up two monsters, and VOILA!  Here is my card:

Materials Used:  (CL391) Monster Fun, (CL498) Celebrate Everyday, (S5213) Dots and Flowers,

Basic Grey Motifica Paper Pad, Martha Stewart punch: Daisy, Fiskars punch: Threading Water,

Crop-a-Dile Corner Chomper, Tim Holtz Scattered Straw distress ink, black pearls, white Inkssentials pen

Special thanks to Arlene for the mosters...she sent me a bunch of stamped images a while back and I had fun coloring, stamping and cutting them out!  Thanks also to Dana for the Basic Grey patterned paper pad she sent as part of a prize I won at her blog.  You ladies are wonderful...thanks again! 

Hope everyone has a happy Friday!

Judy

Play Date Cafe Challenge #75

Hello, friends!  I'm back with a one-layer card I made for the current challenge at the Play Date Cafe using the colors pink, blue and silver:

My card used lots of masking and embossing.  First I embossed the sentiment frame from the (CL488) "Congrats" set in black on a white card and then masked it.  Next, I embossed the (S5433) "Large Canvas Stripes" in silver and the (CG139) "Cling Dots" in white.  I colored in the top and bottom halves of the card using Tim Holtz Spun Sugar and Broken China distress inks, then silver embossed the sentiment.  Here is how it turned out:

Be sure to check out some of the lovely submissions for this current challenge at the Play Date Cafe ...there sure is a lot of inspiration over there!

Have a great day...off to my second baseball game of the day!

Judy