Just for Fun!

Hi Peeps! 

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!  Today I have a card to share that I put together just for fun.  I ventured out and tried something completely different from my usual style, and took a lot of my inspiration for this one from the challenge over at Scrapbooker's Paradise.  It has been ages since I've been able to join in their challenge, so I finally just stole some time on Father's day to make a card - Fathers day should come a little more often :o).  This week, they want a card made with only 3 types of ingredients - cardstock, stamps and punches.  Easy peasy, I thought.  Then I got to work and I could not believe the number of times I went to reach for some ribbon or pearls or lace, etc., etc.  Yikes, this was a lot harder than I thought, but I was strict and stuck to the rules.

Here is the card I came up with:

Supplies:

Cardstock - Bazzill and Stampin' Up, edges were distressed with my thumb nail, which worked really well for just a little bit of aging.

Stamps - Wow, I have never used so many stamps on one project!  Working from back layer to front layer:
               Background - French Script (Stampin' Up) - I dabbed it a bit with a paper towel to make it unevenly inked
               Lace - Vintage Lace (Technique Tuesday)
               Paper strip - Very Vintage wheel (Stampin' Up) and mini Floral Border (Tim Holtz Urban Chic set)
               Border around sentiment - Stamp and Punch (Hot Off the Press), oval was then cut by hand around the stamp as I don't have the oval punch
               Sentiment - Tim Holtz (Urban Chic)

Punches - Mat - is an EK success large border punch, punched 4 times and pieced together around the oval
                Butterfly - Martha Stewart
                Rosettes - small are a 1 inch circle punch and large is a 2.5 inch circle punch.  I have seen these before on a few projects and loved how they looked.  However, when I've tried making them myself in the past, they always turned out horribly.  This time, I misted the paper with water after cutting the curly Q by hand (I just eye-balled it) and then crumpled it up in a ball.  Uncrumple carefully and then add some random curls so the flower will curl in and out.  Roll it while it is still damp and allow to dry.  This worked like a charm!
               Leaves - Fiskars drop shaped punch - mist with water, crumple up and shape before allowing to dry.

Ink - Distress ink - walnut stain and victorian velvet

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

Playing in Paradise (Scrapbooker's Paradise) - use only cardstock, stamps and punches
Sweet Stamping Challenge - Things with wings (butterflies)
Stampin' B's - Use a border punch
The Artistic Stamper - monochrome + one other colour

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I really appreciate all the comments I receive, whether they be positive and/or constructive.  Have a great week!

Hugs,

Dawn

No Peeking, Honey

Hello Peeps! 

Hope you all had a wonderful week!  (Honey, if you are reading this and it isn't Sunday yet, then consider yourself reminded :o) )   It is Friday, and that means it is time for a new challenge at Crafty Catz.  This week, the lovely Dawn is hosting - oh, wait - that's me!  Well, I can be lovely some of the time.  I hope I picked a good challenge for everyone - after some deliberation, I decided on Fancy Folds (a card/project with more than one fold).  I always have the best of intentions when it comes to straying from the typical folded-in-half card, but somehow that is always what I end up making.  So, if you are like me, then this is your chance to break free from the rut.  Having said that, when it came time to make my card, I could not decide what type of card to make.  I finally settled on a fusion of gate fold and easel.

However, before I show you the card, it does require some explanation.  Around mother's day, I was brainstorming ideas for my mother-in-law's mother's day card and, being lovely, I thought I would ask my husband if he had any ideas or wishes for it.  He pondered a brief moment, and then replied that he would like an image of a toddler bent over in half with his hands on the floor and behind sticking up in the air.  What???  Really?  So, we are working on potty training our son, but I'm pretty sure his mother wouldn't have wanted a card with a kid in the 'wipe my bum, please' pose for mother's day.  And, does such a stamp even exist?  So, I try to reason with him and get him thinking in another direction - any other direction.  Being brilliant, I ask him what he would want on a father's day card.  He pondered a brief moment, and then replied that he would like an image of a toddler bent over in half with his hands on the floor and behind sticking up in the air.  I gave up.  But, wouldn't you know it - a stamp like that does exist!  Well, close enough - the teddy is probably toddler aged. 

So, onto my card, which is my husband's father's day card from our 1 year old.  Front cover:

 Lift up the front cover to reveal a gate fold filling:

 Open the gate fold:

 A tucked away tag:

 And the easel:

The details:

Stamps: Crafter's Companion - Popcorn Bear 'Wish Upon a Star' (I think that is what it is called); Penny Black - Topsy Turvey; Hot Off the Press - Stamp and Punch; Stampendous - Snow Brackets; Stampin' Up - Under the Stars

Papers: Bazzill card, 300g hot pressed watercolour paper, Bo Bunny - Blast Off!

Ink: Black Stazon, Distress - Black Soot, Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Forest Moss

Other: ribbon from my stash, Fiskars mini star punch, Marvy tag punch, shape on gate fold from Cricut Songbird cartridge, shape on inside with Penny Black image was created in SCAL2, sentiments all computer generated.  I think that is all!

I hope you are able to join us this week for our Fancy Folds Challenge.  If you are looking for more inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the DT's gorgeous cards - their links are all on the side bar.  We are sponsored by The Paper Shelter this week and one lucky participant will receive a $15 gift certificate to their store! 

If you are still with me, I would love to enter my card in these fabulous challenges:

Simon Says Stamp - Bingo (Sentiment, ribbon, shape - stars and the funky nameless ones on the inside)

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - One for the Guys

Totally Papercrafts - Die cuts or punches (I have had the star punch forever)

Cupcake Craft Challenge - Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy

Crafter's Companion - Summer (star gazing); even though I can't win because I do not have a US address :(  hopefully this will change soon as they have awesome prizes up for grabs

If you are still with me now, thank you so very much for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I love reading them, positive or constructive and it gives me a chance to pop on over to your blog too.  Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Dawn

A Bookmark at Crafty Catz

Hello bloggers,

Hope everyone had a fantastic week and you are all gearing up to have a great weekend!  It is Friday and that means it is time for a new challenge at Crafty Catz.  This week the lovely Bridget is hosting and she has chosen bookmarks.  I love making bookmarks - they are fast, fun and make a fantastic little gift.

This week, our sponsor is Robyn's Fetish and she has provided the DT with a beautiful digi paper pack to work with.  Here is the bookmark I created using one of the beautiful papers:

Ingredients:

Stamp - Magnolia and Stamp and Punch from Hot Off the Press (love this set; I think I have used it on my last three projects)

Paper - 300g hot pressed watercolour paper, Robyn's Fetish from the Coney Island Summer line, Bazzill card

Inks - Black Stazon, Distress - tattered rose, barn door, stained walnut, antique linen, old paper and watercolour pencil for skin tone

Other - clear embossing powder, Kaiser lace, Magnolia flower, self-adhesive pearl, and flourish from Sentimentals cricut cartridge

If you have not already done so, be sure to check out the DT's creations - they have made some beautiful bookmarks.  Of course, there is a prize - one lucky winner will receive 5 digital images or 4 digital images and 1 digital paper pack of their choice from Robyn's Fetish.  So, I hope you are able to join us this week and I can't wait to see all your wonderful bookmarks!

I would also like to enter my bookmark in the following challenges:

Creatalicious Challenges - flourishes

Magnolia Stamp Lovers - anything goes

Papertake Weekly - anything goes

Craft Room Challenge - anything goes



Thank you for visiting.  A huge thank you to all who take the time to leave a comment, it is very appreciated.  Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Hugs,

Dawn



Happy Birthday

Hello bloggers,

Hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far!  I have to say that mine has been wonderful - it was my birthday yesterday and my husband made sure it was a special day.  He took me for a little shopping spree to my favourite little local scrapbooking store (he says this is from our 1 year old and he's sticking to it), then we picked up one of my favourite meals for dinner and we finished the evening with big giant sundaes.  Mine had brownies, vanilla ice cream, cherries and chocolate sauce - yum!  I was so stuffed, I couldn't even finish it.  I also received some really beautiful handmade cards from my Crafty Catz Teamies, which it is amazing any of them arrived on time given our current Canada Post strike. 

Today I want to share a birthday card I made for one of my lovely Crafty Catz teamies, who just happens to share a birthday with me.  I hope her day was every bit as wonderful as mine and I hope she liked her card!

Ingredients:

Stamps:  Magnolia - I think she is called Tilda with Balloon, Hot Off the Press -  Labels and Frames and Stamp & Punch

Colouring - A mixture of Distress inks and watercolour pencils

Papers - My Mind's Eye - Lime Twist

Other - purple metallic card, Martha Stewart punch, Kaiser lace, self-adhesive pearls.  The balloon has been paper pieced. 

A close up of the beautiful Tilda:

And straight from the front, showing how the purple colour brightens and really shines when the light hits it just right:

I would like to enter the following fabulous challenges:

Magnolia-licious - photo inspiration (I went with the purple and flowers in my paper)
Just Magnolia - anything goes with optional lace
and last, but not least, the brand new Magnolia Challenge:
The Official Magnolia Inspiration Challenge - Birthdays

Thank you so much for visiting.  I really appreciate it if you have time to leave a comment, even if it is negative, as long as it is constructive! 

Hugs,

Dawn

Lots of Circles

Hello Bloggers,

Hope everyone had a great week - not sure where mine went.  It is Friday and time for a new challenge over at Crafty Catz.  This week, it is the lovely Trish's turn to host and she has decided on lots of circles for our theme.  So, we would love to see your cards and creations with lots of circles on them.  I hope you will be able to join us!

As always, we have a fabulous prize for one lucky participant.  This week our sponsor is Guylou's Inimitability and the winner will receive a $10 gift certificate to her online store. 

Guylou has provided the DT with a couple of images to work with this week.  For my card, I selected Chuck at the Beach and cut out Chuck, as I wanted to pop him up on top of a circle - so the beach is missing.  I coloured Chuck with pencils.

The border around the circle is a stamp from the Stamp and Punch set by Hot Off the Press.  It was stamped in Scattered Straw DI and embossed with clear power.  The bubbles are from the Making Waves set by Close to My Heart, stamped with Tumbled Glass DI.  The center was inked with Tumbled Glass and Weathered Wood DI.  Card is Bazzill and paper is TPC Studio - Undersea Adventures.  Puffer fish and sand dollars have been cut out from the paper.  Border punch is Martha Steward, ribbon and card candy is from my stash and the sun is from the Sesame Street Cricut cartridge. 

If you are looking for extra inspiration, be sure to check out the rest of the beautiful DT cards, then pop on over to the Crafty Catz blog to link up your project. 

I would also like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday - Circle or square (I combined the two, hope that is ok)

Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Father's Day or for a male

Paper Minutes - Quartet (my card is split into 4 triangles)

Thanks for stopping by and for taking the time to leave a comment.  I really enjoy them.  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,

Dawn