Singin' in the Rain! at Bugaboo

Our NW Spring has been rain, rain, rain. So the challenge this week at Catch the Bug is just right for crafting some greetings. I used this card tutorial by Paul Ford - it's a cute stand-up card, quick and easy to make. The top tucks under the front image that is popped with some foam tape. The Bugaboo Rainy Bear was printed three times so I could paper piece the coat, hat, boots and umbrella. The card stock is Chocolate, Buttercup and White Daisy. The patterned paper, buttons, and ribbon are from retired CTMH collections...I used Spellbinders dies, Glue Dots, and some CTMH Liquid Glass for the rain drops. Inside the sentiment "happy rainy day" comes from CTMH, Classmate Alphabet.

And please take note of my new technology skill! I learned how to make the links inside my text. Hurray! and thank you to Paula for her great tutorial.

Bullfrogs and Butterflies ~ Designed2Delight

Fun with frogs in this little pop-up card. This is the Designed2Delight image for this week. I printed the image twice - once much larger for the inside scene pieces. I cut those out and glued them. I had already printed "Hip Hop Hooray!" on the card stock. Click on my post title to go to their site and see the whole digi set, and check out a really beautiful new release sailboat image.

Digital Stamp: Bullfrogs and Butterflies, Designed2Delight

Paper: Close to My Heart Splendor collection, White Daisy and Moonstruck card stock

Inks: CTMH Topiary, Goldrush, and Moonstruck applied with waterbrush

Ribbon, buttons, and waxy flax all CTMH

Sentiment: Hot Diggity, C1407 CTMH

foam tape

Design 2 Delight Challenge ~ Lady Bug Balancing Act

I love lady bugs! So this week's digi image was perfect. I'm racing against the clock again this week. Last week my Garden Party card was selected as one of ten showcased on their site. I was thrilled! You can see it at www.designed2delight.blogspot.com/

Have a happy day! and play with some great digi stamps from D2D.

Quilting Inspiration

Last week I was picking up a book at the library and a stack of old magazines for sale caught my eye. I picked up several because the quilts were just so beautiful. I don't sew, but have been inspired by quilt designs before. Easy to do with a few punches. Blue and white is a favorite of mine. Lily Pad's post today is about finding inspiration in lots of places - images that can get your creativity sparked.
This is titled 'Clam Shell Blues', published in Quilters, March 1997.

I will probably try it again with a smaller circle punch so there might be room for more layers and color shades. This was a 1 1/4" punch, and the finished card is 5X7"

World's Best Dad ~ Dimensions Challenge

** These are new photos. The first one was just not really clear. Outdoor lighting is much better. The detail can be seen better when you click to enlarge.

There is a great new blog full of tutorials and challenges called Lily Pad. Click my post title to go directly to their site. This is my entry for making something using a GlobeCraft Memories domed frame. They are three-dimensional display frames. What a cool way to get those special keepsake items out of a storage box!

I was a little anxious, but the chipboard is sturdy and very easy to cover. I ordered an oval and a rectangle frame online ( http://www.globecraftmenories.com/), and they came in a few days. The idea for fishing items came to me right away and I went looking for things to put in the globe.

This was a very fun project! I'd thought about the papers I wanted to use, and so the whole project took only about 2 hours from start to finish.

Products used: Globecraft Memories Medium Grand Rectangle GF728; World's Best Dad stamp set; Back Woods and Moon Doggie paper collections from Close To My Heart; New England Ivy, Cocoa, Brown Bag, and Twilight inks; Bamboo textured card stock; Liquid Glass; foam tape; Glue Dots; twine.

Celebrate today

Celebrating some Pacific NW sunshine today.... and a happy time stamping with some friends. One of the cards I had for them was inspired by Brenda Frerichs.You see hers here, and can go directly to her blog by clicking on my post title.
My take on it uses Fanfare paper from CTMH, cut out with a Nesabilities label die,
and the card base is Pacifica;the sentiment from Paper Lantern set, C1458; the pennants from stamp set In the Month of June, C 1416. It is a standard 51/2 x 4 1/4" card. I put a piece of White Daisy card stock inside with some blue pennants stamped across the top also.
Everyone loved making it. Thank you, Brenda!

Wow!

It has been a busy week at school, and I had a card workshop to prepare for this weekend. There just wasn't time to read any comments on my blog. When I did there was the most wonderful surprise! The super-talented Jody Gustafson at http://cre8nmemories.blogspot.com/

had left me this award. Her creations are beautiful, and if you want some inspiration be sure to explore her blog. Thank you so much Jody for noticing and encouraging my beginner blog.

The award is one that goes forward. Here are the rules:

* Thank the person who presented you with the award.

* Write seven things about yourself.

* Pass the award on to seven other bloggers.

* Tell those bloggers about their award.

About me: * The greatest gift has been my three sons, and now two grandsons. Motherhood is eternal. * I grew up in Mass. and while I adore my adopted Pacific NW, I miss seasons, Cape Cod, and

my brother.

* I am glad I got to live in NYC and climb Mt. St Helens

* I graduated from college at age 41...my boys were 10, 7, and 6 years old!

* My HS students are amazing and teaching these 21 years has been a great adventure.

* I love to cook.

* My love for paper and stamps began fourteen years ago, and I became a Close To My

Heart consultant three years ago.

These very talented people have inspired me and feel like 'friends' though I haven't actually ever met them, except for Renae who has been my mentor and inspiration all along. Special thanks, Renae! It's the wonder of blogging!

Angela http://tuttonstreasures.blogspot.com/

Chris http://www.createwithchris.blogspot.com/

Renae http://renaecreates.blogspot.com/

Carol http://iluv2cre84u.blogspot.com/

Connie http://paperpleatsandribbonroses.blogspot.com/

Brenda http://brendafrerichs.blogspot.com/

Deneen www.apathofpaper.blogspot.com/

Thank you,

Dena

Delightful Inspiration in this Garden Party

It's been such a busy week! And while it has been a good week at school, there hasn't been time to play at home in my 'stamp cave.' I rushed home today to meet the Designed to Delight weekly challenge deadline. I used Sweet Sunday Sketch 110 from a while back for the layout of the card. I'm not thrilled with the oval sentiment...should not have tried that leaf swirl. But now I am down to the last minutes, and no time to change it! Card crafting is often like writing an essay. Once you push 'print' all your mistakes leap out. So let's just say this is a card draft!

It's a very sweet image I will have a chance to play with again.

Image: Designed 2 Delight Garden Party

products: CTMH Bella papers and bee sticker, Hollyhock twill, White Daisy and Olive card stock. CTMH inks Gypsy, Olive, Creme Brulee, Hollyhock and Grey Flannel. Bitty sparkle.

FTL 135 Clean & Simple Sketch Challenge

A lovely versatile sketch from Clean & Simple this week. There's a great shop in Tacoma, WA called Scrap That! and I always find some marvelous papers there. These have been sitting on my table for a week, so I'm glad to get the chance to use them.

Teachers love to get thank you notes from their students (at least I do!) And that end-of-year ritual is coming soon. The year feels like a race to the finish after spring break.

Papers: Alphabet Soup, Melissa Frances gingham, black and red Bazzill, CTMH Honey +

Colonial White

Stamps: Classmate Alphabet, CTMH D1303, In the Month of August, C1418

Circle Around, CTMH D1300

Showers and Flowers

For Challenges:

Heart 2 Heart (www.heart2heartchallenges.blogspot.com/)

Card Patterns 110 (www.cardpatterns.blogspot.com/)

I used the waterbrush for the pots and flowers and tried some masking...need to practice that!

CTMH products: Miracle papers, White Daisey + Autumn Terracotta card stock Flower Pot, D1409 + Springtime, D1415 stamp sets White Daisy grosgrain, Sorbet ribbons Corner rounder (for scallop edge) Opaques - Mocha Liquid glass

Other: Nestabilities small circles; white button; Marvey punch tiny blossom

Finished card is 51/4 x 51/4 "

OLW 48 Sympathy

This week Susan's challenge is to make a one-layer sympathy card without using trees or flowers. You can see her challenge post by clicking on my post title.

One-layer challenges always make me really work!

I tried embossing with a Nestability label... and found it is very difficult to get the dye straight on the card stock, but finally got one that was acceptable. I inked the bird with Heavenly blue, stamped on scrap paper and then rolled the stamp in Grey Flannel ink before stamping on the card stock. Soft and just a touch of pale blue beneath the grey. That grey wasn't dark enough for the sentiment though, and I used a second generation with Black ink. I used a mask cut-out, and sponged a bit of Heavenly Blue around the inside edges of the embossed frame.

It was super tough to photograph because it is so subtle in color....after several tries I put it in the scanner and that didn't work at all :-( So this is the best I do do. I really want a photo box.

"Kidding Around" D2D Card Ideas Saturday Challenge

This sweet Angel Caroline image is from Designed 2 Delight. It's a digital image. They have lovely images, and some fun challenges. This week one of them is to create a card for a child.

Click my post title for a direct link to their wonderful blog!

I used Nestabilities to cut the circles, the Swiss Dot folder in my Cuttlebug for the embossed piece, a Martha Stewart border lace punch. The papers are all Close To My Heart - Indian Corn Blue and White Daisy card stock, and designed papers from the Sweet Home collection. Sentiment if from a CTMH set called 'Smiles'. I added some dots of CTMH Create a shade Pearl paint to Caroline's skirt for a bit of shimmer. Ribbons and buttons from the stash.

Easter Pastels

Had to try another version of my Easter eggs card. And so I used Versamark pad and CTMH white embossing powder on textured White Daisy card stock. I then sponged the eggs with CTMH Baby Pink, Sunny Yellow and Sweet Leaf inks. The sentiment was stamped in Blush. The ribbon is some new silk that I just love- soft, shimmery.

Back to school now, and finding crafting time is tough!

Less Is More ~ A Touch of Red

This was a special limited stamp set from CTMH quite a while ago. It is one that I have used so many times, and can not bear to part with it. I used Nestabilities and some ribbon from my stash and an EK border punch with CTMH White Daisy and Black card stocks. Really fast and simple, but I like it. Really hard to miss looking good with black and that 'touch of red.'

Also, there is a wonderful new challenge blog with articles, swaps, videos, challenges, great prizes and more! Check out Lily Pad Cards at http://www.lilypad.inlinkx.com/

Today's card making video is fabulous! and will be a regular Sunday feature. They are also hosting a monthly card exchange challenge. It will premier April 8th. Really go see for yourself!

Two in One

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Wonderful sketch at Card Patterns (http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com ) and beautiful image from the weekly challenge at Designed 2 Delight (http://designed2delight.blogspot.com). I loved using my watercolor brush to color the image, and my new binding tape ribbon, too!

The papers are from CTMH Caboodle collection. Inks used were Sorbet, Crystal Blue and Sweet Leaf. I used a Cuttlebug folder on a piece of Sweet Leaf card stock for more dots, and MS tiny butterfly punch, with a bitty crystal bling.

H2H 49 Quiet Moments

The sketch was a difficult one for me...but I am pleased with what I finally produced. I used Trees n' Things for the image and some words from the Classmate Alphabet, and Lucky paper collection. The textured paper was packaging material in something that looked too cool to throw away. I'm glad I kept it!

No One Like You

Still cleaning my stamping table...and came upon a lid full of ice cream cone pieces that I had never made into anything. It's the cutest MS punch, don't you think? I had 6 cones of textured Desert Sand and 5 pink ice creams from CTMH Caboodle paper (retired). So I dug out the paper collection and punched another ice cream. It fell onto the desk green side up instead of pink. Ta-da! I used other Caboodle papers, a Kraft tag (cut down a bit) and the sentiment from CTMH One of A Kind (D1410). That stamp set has so many beautiful images, and now it is open on my table....providing more inspiration.

Happy Saturday!

FTL134 Unusual Eggs

When I saw the Clean & Simple sketch, I immediately thought of some eggs...but on my worktable were the chalks, and so I tried this technique- White Daisy pigment ink on black, and then used small make-up applicators to rub in chalks. It's a very cool look I saw on some display cards in a shop years ago. They used metallic inks on black with flowers. I am not sure my version works for eggs. What do you think?

It will be a card that must sit around for a while for approval! I used a Fiskar's basket weave embossing plate for the Sweet Leaf card stock, White Daisy textured card stock for the 3" x 5" front panel. The eggs are from a lovely CTMH stamp set that is retired. They are just too pretty to let go.

I am going to try these again embossed in white with pastel resist and see if it doesn't look quite so somber. But when I go upstairs the black paper and chalks will be sitting there...and I will want to try this technique with another flowery stamp first! It's how I've been all week. Lovely to drift on the craft winds...