Stick It Down! July Card Sketch

I was delighted to be asked to join the Stick It Down card sketch DT from now until December.  I love card sketches and all of the yummy layers on this one made it fun to play with.  It features an old favorite stamp of mine from Lili of the Valley.  Remember when adding buttons to cards was all the rage?!?  I felt like buttons were the perfect embellishment for this adorable image.

I hope you will pop by the SID Blog and take at peek at the ways the rest of the DT interpreted this sketch and then join us in the gallery! You may win the prize and be the Guest DT member for September.










Challenges Entered:
A Bit More Time to Craft #48/ - AG
Classic Design Team Open Challenge #16/
Love to Scrap #99/ - AG
Crafty Cardmakers #193- Lots of Layers
Come and Get It from 7/16/ - 2 or more designer papers
Colour Crazy Challenge #28/ - AG

Seven Daughters - A Day for Daisies

Tammy's been back at the drawing board and this new image, Seven Daughters is free in the ADFD Shop right now.  Isn't it a beauty?!?  AND it's free!

Two of my granddaughters are over for the weekend, so we have all been working on various projects in the craft room.  This morning, Anika was happily mixing paint colors from a minimal number of craft paints I have around the house and painting her own version of Seven Daughters. Here's her painting!  Mine took all day to finish, but she knew exactly what she wanted.  I love the variation she came up with for hair and skin.

If you popped over from the ADFD blog, I promised to post the color combinations I used for the hair and skin of these beauties.  I'm always on the look out for ideas and this card has some combinations I haven't used before and I hope you find the information helpful.  They look better on the card than they show up in the photo.  I especially liked the dark browns with the blue undertones and the dark browns of girl 3.

Girl 1:

Hair - C9, 7, 5, 3, B21

Skin - E30, YR31, + E21over the top, R11

Girl 2:

Hair - E50, 51, 23, 33, 42

Skin - E50, 51, E 11, R20

Girl 3:

Hair - E77, 47, 29, 49 

Skin - E51+31 on whole face, 33, E93

Girl 4:

Hair - E50, 51, 23, 33, 35 

Skin - E51, 11, BV000, E93

Girl 5:

Hair - E50, 51, 42

Skin - YR00 + E21 on top, E23, R20

Girl 6:

Hair - E74, 77, 44, 47, 49, B24

Skin - E13, 15, 93, hint of 18; color over top with E31

Girl 7:

Hair - E09, 13, 15, 18, 44

Skin - E00, 21, 11, R20

Challenges Entered:

Crafty Gals Corner #91/ - AG

Cute Card Thursday #445 /- CAS

Aud Sentiments #165/ - AG + Sentiment

4 Crafty Chicks #318/ - AG

Crafty Friends #41 /- Special Occasions 

Let's Color Linky Party #13

Creative Knockouts #127 - Love Is In the Air

My card for this week's Creative Knockouts challenge uses an image from All Dressed Up's Love to Shop collection of girls.  She's one I have had in my collection for a while and unfortunately, I can't find her in the ADU Etsy shop right now, but there are enough girls that you could use the same idea for a card design.  I have used ADU girls before and paired them with a sentiment.  I used the Sugar Cuts Notched Journal Card Die for the heart background and some patterned papers from a Valentine Crate Paper 6x6 stack.  Take a peek at the DT inspiration here and then play along with us this week!

Challenges Entered:
Cards in Envy/ - From the Heart
Crafting From the Heart #97/ - AG
Through the Craftroom Door/ - AG
Fan-Tastic Tuesday #122/ - AG/sweethearts
Inky Chicks #62 - Love Letters or Hearts
The Card Concept #48/ - Sweethearts
Crafting By Designs February - AG
All Dressed Up #48/ - AG

Creative Knockouts #107 - Happy Fall Y'all!

Happy Fall Y'all is the theme for this week's Creative Knockouts challenge.   Our sponsor is Sami Stamps and her beautiful image, Bird Beauty is featured.  Aren't these fall colors lovely?!?  Using an idea I learned from an Online Card Class on creating backgrounds, I took a striped patterned paper and stamped a background stamp on top of it with Versa Mark and brown embossing powder.
Break out your fall colors and join our challenge this week!  The DT has some inspiration for you at the Creative Knockouts Blog.

Challenges Entered:
Dream Valley #115 - Autumn Colors
Craft Your Passion #279 - AG
Clear It Out - Autumn - stash: foliage/leaves
Little Red Wagon #307 - Try Something New (background technique)
Simon Says Stamp - Die Crazy
Sami Stamps #29 - Frame It

A Day for Daisies Challenge #130 - Frame It!

It's time for a new challenge at the A Day for Daisies blog.  Our challenge is called "Frame It".  My card uses another of the September release fairies called, Fairy Lily Portrait.  I colored this with #thehumanrainbow in mind using E13, E33 and V17 as my skin colors.  The card has some Stickles and Wink of Stella, so it has a luscious shimmer.

Come and join our challenge.  You have two weeks to play along. Take a look at what the DT has for you here!










Challenges Entered:
Through the Craft Room Door 9/8-9/14 - AG
Cards in Envy - Inspired by a Song (Brown Sugar)
Fan-Tastic Tuesday #108 - Make it Feminine
Little Red Wagon #308 - Use a Digi
Crafty Gals Corner Bingo - flowers, digi, bling
4 Crafty Chicks #263 - Birthday
As You Like it (9/10) - Favorite Die (Stitched borders because they add a lovely finish to any card.)

A Day for Daisies #127 - Add A Feather Challenge

It's the second week celebrating the More Birds release at ADFD.  This is my second image from the release, called Bird in Flight.  This week we are challenging you to add a feather to your project.  I don't have any feathers or feather dies, so I went to Pinterest and found out how to make a feather with a little white school glue and two book pages.  It was super simple and didn't cost a thing!  My Copics were used to color the feathers to go with my image and the button.

Stop by the ADFD Blog to see the beautiful DT inspiration.  I'm looking forward to seeing your feathers!




Challenges Entered:
Through the Craft Room Door 7/29 /- AG
Digi Choosday # 30/ - Animals
Top Tip Tuesday 7/21/ - Bingo (kraft, sentiment, stitching)
Little Red Wagon #300 /- Things that Fly
Crafter's Cafe #127/ - Button

Sketch Saturday #369

 Hi Sketch Saturday Fans!

Niki created our sketch and it's a Simon Says Stamp! sponsor week for us - which means $25 for the lucky winner. I adjusted the orientation of the image panel to fit this fabulous Fairy  Godmother image from Mo Manning.




















On June 29th, Sandy Allnock posted a coloring ethnic skin tones video on her blog as a result of the tragic deaths in South Carolina and in support of #thehumanrainbow project.   She invited crafters to join her.  I've decided it's one of the things I can do from my little corner of the craft world, so you will be seeing me try different color combinations for skin tones on the cards I post. Think of the power we like-minded folks have when we join together.  I am reminded about a quote I love from Margaret Mead:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. 

Play along with us at Sketch Saturday this week and I'd like to extend the invitation to you to join supporting #thehumanrainbow on social media sites.

Challenges Entered:
Mo's Digital Challenge #253 - AG
Creative Fingers #87/- AG

Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends #12 - Anything Goes

I'm back with my final DT card for Lil' Patch of Crafty Friends.  I have loved being part of the team.  I know I'll be submitting cards in the future!
As always, anything goes is the theme for Challenge #12.  I was able to use an image from one of our three sponsors,  Concetta Kilmer and her Etsy Shop, Enchanted Design Studios.  The image is called Cupcake Cutie!  It reminded me of the Day of the Dead masks seen in Mexico at the beginning of November to mark a holiday to remember loved ones who have passed.

I used E41 and 42 to color her mask with a little E44 for shading.  Her body is E00, 21, 11.  The hair is done with C 04, 05. 07 and 09.  Her hair bow and mask design colors are R20, 22, 24.  Her wings are R00, 000 & 01.

Challenges Entered:
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #264/ - Gorgeous Girls
Simply Papercraft #7/ - AG

Enchanted Designs Studio
Prize:  3 Images                  

Our Sponsors:  

Flat Friends
Prize: 5 images

Ppinky Dolls
Prize:  3 Images

SugarPea Designs - November Sweet 2 Repeat

It's time again for our Sweet 2 Repeat Blog Hop! Our Pod Squad of designers are geared up to inspire you with even MORE creative possibilities featuring the newest SugarPea Designs stamps and dies from the Holiday 2014 release.

My card features the Lost Without You stamp set and the Gift Tag Sugar Cuts Die.  I knew the shepherd image would be perfect as a tag, so that's where I started.  I die cut a second tag and then inlaid each of them into the striped paper.  I've been crazy about the inlaid technique and use it whenever I can!  The sheep are fussy cut - two are stamped on kraft card stock, shaded with Copics and curls made with my white gel pen.  The shepherd was stamped on stone-colored card stock and then colored with Copics.  His white robe is shaded with B000 and colored over with Wink of Stella.

Our Blog Hop is a fantastic opportunity for you to WIN a $20 gift certificate to spend on some SugarPea Designs of your own!

Please visit each of our design team members listed below and leave a comment on each blog for your chance to win!  Good luck and enjoy the inspiration! 

InLinkz.com

Crafty Sentiments - Use a Sentiment

Team B is back up this week at Crafty Sentiments for a Use A Sentiment challenge.  Who doesn't love that kind of challenge!  I opted to go with a Christmas image, Hark the Angel Sing.  I used the same image for another card in September.  This time, I decided to focus on her face and hair,  I printed the angel on SU's Sahara Sand and then colored her with a combination of Copic markers, some Wink of Stella, red Stickles, and Spica pens.  The candle has a little white gel pen, colored over with SU markers.  The sentiment is a freebie from Verve stamps and the stitched dies are from Lil' Inker Designs.  I can't wait to see what you come up with for our Use A Sentiment challenge.








Challenges Entered:
Through the Craft Room Door/ 10/21-10/27 - AG
The ABC Challenge/- V is for Vibrant
613 Avenue Create #94 /- AG
Pile It On #42/ - Cheerful/Uplifting message
House of Cards -October- use a punch or die
Creative Fingers #53/ - AG

Sketch Saturday - Sketch #315

This will be a quick post for now.  I'm off to go be a cheerleader for my adult daughter who is running a big half-marathon this weekend in Duluth, MN.  Not a runner myself, I can't imagine ever thinking a 13 mile run would even remotely fun!  Thank goodness I'm a just spectator in all of that craziness!!

This week Deb has a great sketch for us and Whimsy and Stars Studio is our sponsor.  Mabelle is another artist with adorable images to color.  This little sweetie is called Flowery Gift.  Stop by the Sketch Saturday blog and see the DT's work.



                                               Copics used:
Skin - E13, 99, R20
Shirt, bow - RV000, 00, 11
Pants - BG0000, 000, 11
Leaves - YG03, 21, 67

Challenges Entered:
Clear It Out /- AG/stash AG
Shopping Our Stash #156/ - Oldest punch or die (daisy flower punch - one of my first, but an old reliable!!)
Party Time Tuesdays #177/ - Glitter (on the flowers and headband)
Divas By Design/ - Three or More Layers
4 Crafty Girls/ - AG
Craftitude #67 - Use Flowers

Sketch Saturday - Sketch #310 and Paper Trail Canada News!

Today is a double-dip post.  The first part of the post is dedicated to Sketch Saturday.  Alex is the creator of sketch #310 and it was a fun one to work with! Bunny Zoe's Crafts is sponsoring this week's challenge.


















The second part of my post is to announce I am thrilled to be a guest DT member for a company called the Paper Trail Canada.  Chelsea, the owner, is wonderful to work with and dedicated to carrying good products, great prices and customer service.  I used the Gorjuss Girls "Collector" stamp, available in the "Pre Order Shop"section of the Paper Trail.  I love this stamp.  The hair has lines showing where the shading and highlights go.  I didn't have to experiment with a whole page of trial and error images as I typically do!   I'd buy another image in a heartbeat, too.  These girls are cuties!  I used a PTI set to create little flowers on her shirt and added some shading to the punched-flower embellishments.

As part of the talented Paper Trail crew, I am super-excited to be working again with Marilyn Scheller of One Stamping Fool - a talented, fabulous card-maker I had fun getting to know when she was my guest DT member for Sketch Saturday earlier this year.  Take a look at this new company (especially if you live in Canada), their Paper Trail Blog, and follow The Paper Trail on Facebook.

Challenges Entered:
Through the Craftroom Door - AG
Crafty Bloggers Network - May AG
Clear It Out-  Mother's Day/Female; Stash - flowers
Color Q #241 - gold, turquoise, pool party, chocolate chip
Creative Inspirations #265 - AG
Creative Moments #42 - Bingo (flower, sentiment, more than two layers)
Crafty Girls Challenge #18 - AG
Creative Fingers #36 - AG

Color Me Creative Challenge #88 - Show Some Skin!

. . . and by "Show Some Skin", we mean to feature skin tones (not risque images!).  People come in such a variety of colors.  Digi Stamps for Joy is our challenge sponsor.  They offered the CMC DT images, so I chose these three sweet angels in different skin shades.  I love the variety of color tones in their eyes, hair and skin (of course)!

I got everything colored and as I was shading around the girls, the black hair bled into my BG000 (yuck!)  - it shouldn't have been a problem because I colored them on different days.  The C9 ink must have been sitting on top of the paper.  I contemplated starting again and decided against it.  The other thing I'm not crazy about is their halos.  I used Perfect Pearls and they are a little blotchy.  But when I step back and take in the whole card composition, the little things don't stand out.

It was a long week and by the time I was finished with this card, I was D-O-N-E (if you know what I mean).

Sketch Saturday #278

It's already the last Saturday of September - where does the time go?!?  There's a new sketch for you to play with that leaves lots of room for interpretation.

Talk about sweet - isn't this digi  (My Baby Brother) from A Day for Daisies precious?  This week's sketch was a perfect choice for the image,  I added a die cut star and used a swirl die cut  to add a little something extra to the upper right corner.  The digi is a freebie, so you could pop on over to the site and download one for yourself!



I can't wait to see what you have in store for us at Sketch Saturday!  Wings and Willows is sponsoring this week's challenge.


October 2nd is the first day of a month long blog hop that benefits Operation Write Home.  Hope you will stop back on the 2nd and play along with the Hop.


Challenges Entered:
Party Time Tuesdays - anything goes
Shopping Our Stash - something for a child  (this one is going to a new Big brother)
Creative Inspirations - your favorite stamp brands - A Day for Daisies
Simon Says Stamp - anything goes
Cute Card Thursday - ribbon
A Day for Daisies - use buttons and/or bows

Exciting Times!

Fairies on Tiptoe - Lili of the Valley

I am excited and humbled to announce that I am one of five new people selected to join the DT for the Sketch Saturday Challenge Blog!  Woo-hoo!  I love sketch challenges, and am already inspired by the talent of the other gals on the DT.  As near as I can tell, the DT is composed of a variety of women from Europe and the U.S..  What an example of how small and connected our world has become with the internet!

My first official challenge is a week from Saturday, but I thought I'd enter a card in this week's sketch.  The sponsor is Lili of the Valley, and this sweet fairy is one of their images.  She is colored with Copics and the papers are from My Mind's Eye - The Sweetest Thing.  I made her for a woman who is retiring from where I work.  Her passion, dedication, and vision will be missed.  I wanted to let her know how grateful I am, and what is better than a card?!?

The card will be posted in these challenges:
Lili of the Valley-June challenge use a sentiment
Make It Monday - anything goes
Use It Tuesday - anything goes
Papertake Weekly - anything goes
Designed to Color - photo inspired challenge - the colors in the photo and the script in the background on the wall are my jumping off point for this card
Sketch Saturday - sketch
613 Avenue Create - anything goes
3Girl Jam Challenge Blog - anything + ribbon
Alphabet Challenge Blog - I is for image
In the Pink Challenge Blog - anything goes as long as it's pink