Crafty Sentiment Designs' New Release - "Blog Hop - Day 1"

Welcome to “Crafty Sentiments Designs’ "November New Release Blog Hop!"             

We are so excited to have you join us today! At each stop of the hop we hope you will be inspired by the creativity of the Design Team from “Crafty Sentiments Designs”. You are sure to find many wonderful projects that will be at the top of your crafting lists! If you happened across this post out of order, please head to the Crafty Sentiments Designs’ blog to start at the beginning of the hop.

Here is my project for this hop:

New release:  "Roses Are Red"

Now how about some Blog Hop prizes?!?

3 of the new rubber stamps release will go to 3 different hoppers. In order to win you will need to leave a comment each day on all of the blogs.

What do you need to do to be eligible for these amazing prizes?

1. Become a follower of each blog in the hop, if you aren't already for the 4 days of the “Blog Hop New Releases”.

2. Leave some comment love at each stop for the 4 days of the  “Blog Hop New Releases”.

3. If you do both of the above, check back here at the “Crafty Sentiments’ blog” for the winners on 28^th November !

Now for the blog hop lineup for today:

- Craftysentiments Blog

- Lady-Ann

- Jac

- Cathy (me)

- Valou

- Aunty-Sue

- Deborah

- Agnieszka

I hope you have enjoyed the first stop on our wonderful hop! Be sure to head on over to the other stops for more inspiration. Comment and become a follower to be eligible for the prizes!

Good luck!

Challenge Entered:

Addicted to Stamps and More #122 - Make Your Mark

Crafty Sentiments Designs - Make It Sparkle!

Back again for another card for the latest Crafty Sentiments challenge, called Make it Sparkle!  This will be a fun one.  I used Flora because I'm certain all elves and fairies sparkle!!  It's hard to tell from the picture, but my card has lots of sparkle.  I haven't been able to figure out how to photograph glitter well. Flora is fussy cut and mounted onto a glitter paper circle.  I added Stickles to her wings and dots in her hair.  Wink of Stella is a base coat in the basket and then tiny rhinestones are mounted on top.  Finally, clear sequins are scattered around the card.  This one is going to a former coworker who was recently moved into a residential hospice facility.

Thanks to Karen Giron and her Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for giving me the layout for my card.

Copics used:
Hair - E50, 51, 53, 55, 57
Skin - E00, 21, 11, R21
Dress - Y000, 21, 24
Wings - BV000, RV000, BG0000

Check out the inspiration on the Crafty Sentiments blog and share your sparkle with us!


Challenges Entered:
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge - #243
Sentimental Sundays #231 - AG
Creative Fingers #54 - AG
613 Avenue Create #96 - AG
Scribble & Scrap #30 - AG

Crafty Sentiments - Spots and/or Stripes Challenge

Back again with another card for the Crafty Sentiments Blog!  This week the DT was given a "Spots and/or Stripes" challenge to work with.  You don't have to ask me more than once to use polka dots - I LOVE them (as you can probably tell from this card!  This sweet little girl is from the Crafty Sentiments shop called, Rain, Rain.







I colored two umbrellas and fussy cut the main part and popped it out to give the umbrella some dimension.  The sentiment is from MFT.

Crafty Sentiments - Animal Challenge

I went pretty literal with the idea of an animal challenge at Crafty Sentiments.  This is a digi called, Gaffi.  I used it to create a card for a colleague who just announced that she is pregnant.  Hope you will play along with us at Crafty Sentiments.

My card uses the colors from this week's Color Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers - Calypso Coral, Old Olive, and Lost Lagoon.  Stop by and check out the gallery!

Check out the website for the new stamps and Christmas preview!

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes for August

Hi Everyone,
Back with another Anything Goes challenge from Crafty Sentiments.  I decided to use the same image as last time, Pat with Flowers, but give her a different look.  Instead of the CAS card, this one has some embellishments, a plaid skirt, and a little lace trim!  The "hello" was already on my desk and gave the perfect little something tying the turquoise from the bouquet back into the card.  Play along with the challenge this week and show us your creativity!

Challenges Entered:
Through the Craft Room Door - AG
613 Avenue Create #84 - AG with summer/senses
Fan-Tastic Tuesday #48 - AG

Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes Challenge

Who's up for an anything goes challenge?!?!  I hope you are, because that's what Crafty Sentiments' Team B has for you this week!  A fun way to celebrate the last days of July and begin to think about August!  I used Pat with Flowers for my card.

This one is inspired by my sassy, stylin', 20-something niece, Kathleen, who is currently sporting a bright pink streak in her light brown hair!  I thought it added some whimsy to the card. With some extra time to putter around, I decided to follow the sequin trend in girl's clothing by adding some mini-heart sequins I've been hoarding since last summer to the bottom portion of my image.  They were a pain to use, so it's back on my shelf awaiting a future shaker card!

Challenges Entered:
CAS-ual Fridays #134 - Tic-Tac-Toe (sequins, white, dots)  -last challenge until 2015
The Pink Elephant #261/- AG
Through the Craft Room Door /- AG
Crafting from the Heart #29/ - AG
Digitally Sweet #98/ - Embellish it up
Less Is More #182 /- AG
Creative Fingers #44 - AG (2 wks)
Chocolate, Coffee & Cards #70/ - Polka Dots
Pile It On #30/ - Embossing
613 Avenue Create #82/ - AG/use a sentiment
Digi Chooseday #30/ - Layer it Up!

Crafty Sentiments - Christmas in July Challenge + DT Announcement

This Crafty Sentiments challenge is for all of you folks who like to get a head start on your Christmas cards.  I admire you, but I can barely get my act together on December 1st, let along in July!
I'm on vacation right now, so I'm crafting in the morning rather than my usual night routine.  My hands were so shakey as I was cutting out this CSDimage, Cold Christmas, I decided I really need to cut back my coffee consumption!  Yikes!  Once I drank a liter of water, I was better!  I decided to use the sketch from the Friday Sketch Challenge for my card.  The partial circles are cut from glitter paper, there's some WInk of Stella on the tree branched, in the snow, and on the white part of her clothing.  The sentiment is from PTI; the tree is IO, and the stitched flag is from Lil' Inkers.

Crafty Sentiments is offering a freebie for you to use to join the challenge, but you need to request it by the 19th.  Stop by the challenge blog for more details and see what the DT is up to!  This week's winner chooses 3 digis from the Crafty Sentiments shop! 

Sketch #73

Challenges Entered:
Friday Sketch Challenge #73
Inky Chicks #33 - Christmas in July
Simply Create Too #65 - Christmas in July
4 Crafty Chicks #202 - Inspired By A Song (Let it Snow)
Crafting from the Heart #27- AG
Scribble and Scrap #22 - AG






On another note, I can finally announce I have been invited to be on the Southern Girls Challenge Design Team.  The challenge started in New Zealand, and the current DT is made up of crafters - across the globe.  There are two DTs, with new challenges posted two Thursdays a month, so that means one monthly card for me.  It has been fun becoming acquainted with the other gals and learning some slang from "down under".  Oy, Mate!!  I hope you'll stop by the Southern Girls Challenge blog and play along.

Crafty Sentiments Team B - No Patterned Paper Challenge

NO patterned paper?!?!  I thought not being able to use it was going to make me crazy, but to the contrary, I had a blast creating this card!

Two of the elements in this card might be familiar if you are a regular visitor to my blog.  I knew right away I would use a cut out, so I pulled out my Verve stars die again (so cute!).  Did you notice the same little Crafty Sentiments guy I used last time, called Day Dreaming?  He's a little blonder today.  One of the star die cuts is glued on his shirt, with white embossing powder is used for the word, "star".  I went through my stash of stamps and pieced together words for the sentiment, doodling around each of the boxes.  The window uses a Lil' Inkers stitched die and I created the ledge myself with kraft paper and my Copics!  Using a craft knife to cut around his elbows made it so he could lean on the ledge and built in dimension.  I can't believe how 3D it looks (more in the picture that IRL).  I added some clear sequins for some shimmer and used an embossing folder on the paper below the window.

Challenges Entered:
Pink Elephant/ - AG
Through the Craft Room Door/ - AG
Tuesday Throwdown/ - AG
Fan-Tastic Tuesday/ - AG
Avenue 613 Create /- AG
That Craft Place/ - AG
Crafting From the Heart #25/ - AG
Splitcoast Stampers Color Challenge #485/ - navy, yellow, sahara sand
Dream Valley Challenge #85/ - Inspired by a movie or a song (Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
My Sheri Crafts #136 /- A Star is Born

Crafty Sentiments - CAS Challenge

Oh, if only the creators of this week's theme for Team B knew how challenged I am when it comes to CAS!  A fan of a well-made CAS card, I appreciate the special talent and eye for detail it takes to create one.  However, as someone who is not precise, I rely on adding extra things to distract the eye from noticing design flaws or uneven stamping or cuts of paper!  So here's my offering, using this sweet-faced CSD image called Day Dreaming.

In looking at the picture as I type this, I want to go back and add something to the card!  Maybe a trio of rhinestones. . . I almost used a die cut sun, but it didn't seem relevant.  Is it the rule of threes?  The placement of the image? My critical eye says it's okay, but its design is not one of those beauties I instantly know is a perfect CAS.  I welcome your feedback, especially if you are a CAS gal and can help me articulate what works and what doesn't.

I'm sending the card off to my 5 year old grandson who lives in Colorado.  He'll be thrilled to get something in the mail!  He's a little packrat and has a special spot where he saves all of the cards I make for him!!  Now that's love!

Stop by the Crafty Sentiments Challenge Blog this week.  Play along!  I can't wait to spend time in the gallery looking at your CAS creations.

Challenges Entered:
Cute Card Thursday #325 - Macho
Creative Fingers #39 - AG

I'm So Happy!

Hi Friends,
This special Tuesday post is to share some more exciting news - I have a 6 month DT position with Crafty Sentiments Designs and their weekly challenge blog.  I saw their DT call in the Splitcoast Stampers Forum a few weeks ago and applied.  I am so happy to have the opportunity to color up their fun images and work with the ladies of Team B.  Surprisingly, there is another Cathy, spelled with a C on Team A, so lucky me, I get a star after my name on the challenge blog - Cathy*!  You'll see a post from me every other Tuesday.

Onto this week's challenge . . . the theme is "Inspired by a Song".  I saw this Lollipop Dream image called, Petal Fairy and knew right away the song would be Pharrell WIlliam's hit, "Happy"!  It's become my new favorite song.  I always feel happy when I hear it!  I've been trying to use colors other than pink in my cards lately, so when I settled on yellow flower petals, I didn't consider the idea they might look like potato chips! It works either way though!


You have to stop by the store to see all of the cute things Crafty Sentiments Designs offers, as well as their month new releases.  I can't wait to get my hands on some of these guys from June's release of "One For the Boyz" collection!

There's also a new stamp release on May 22nd!  Love that little boy with the flower pot!













Copics Used:
Hair - E51, 44, hint of 11, Y21, 26
Skin - E00, 21, 11, R20
Skirt- YG 00, 01, 03
Tank top and basket - R02, YR65, 68
Shoes, polka dots, waist band - BG 11, 32
Flower Petals (or potato chips!) - Y11, 21, 23
Socks & shading - W0, 1, 3
Wings - BG000, 11

Challenges Entered:
4 Crafty Girls Challenge - AG
Southern Girls Challenge - Dots and Spots
Creative Fingers Challenge - AG/ Girly
Digi Haven - Spring
Card Makin' Mamas - Over the Rainbow
Hiding in My Craftroom - Embossing (dry)
ABC Challenge - L is for Lots of Layers
613 Avenue Create - AG - shapes/oval, circle, rectangle