The Diedrach Dare: Inspiration

Heather - I hope you have your brown-free glasses nearby - I've got lots of it today!

Jack issued the challenge this week - a treasure/pirate map - you can see it on the blog HERE

I used to have a "perfect" stamp for this challenge - a map with ships and all. Couldn't find it. And this card is actually nothing like I set out to make. When I went into my room I had every intention of using a felt X from my stash and making a CAS card ---- but then I thought of collage somewhere between the hallway and my chair!!!! I don't think this is very "clean" but it sure was "simple" to make!!

Be sure to visit the rest of the Daredevils - all are playing except Darla this week - you can find them easiest by visiting the challenge blog HERE! We have a brand new Daredevil playing with us this week - Randi Wall. EEeeekkkK! I'm so excited - she's terribly talented and sooo nice - so I'm thrilled to get to be on a team with her and get to know her better! Taylor has stepped down - I hope she'll be back soon though! And Heather - I'm sorry for all the brown on my blog today!

My Flutter By post is below!
I don't have a Cuttlebug Challenge card for you today. Apparently my package of the supplies we were to us has gone AWIT (absent while in transit)! But swing by there and see all the inspiration the rest of the team has for you!

Vintage Paris

Good morning girls!! Today I have another card created from a collaboration between Rebecca and I. She suggested the Paris theme and I added the collage style to it. Be sure to visit her and see how her card came out!



My card is loosely based on this week's sketch from Inspirational Card Sketches: #13. I had looked at it the other day and of course it had a circle and if you've been reading this blog long you know those intimidate me! But I loved the little strips on the sketch and was definitely thinking of those as I created this. You can see that I forgot about the horizontal strips but that's okay! I usually lay things out and THEN glue everything down. But since this was a collage and I didn't want to spend forever on it, I just glued as I went pretty much. I'm pretty happy with the effect!



Before I go, I am so blessed by each of you! It means the world that you would want to stop in and see what I'm up to! Each visit and every comment you leave is read and brings a smile to my face. And I love checking out your creations too - even though I don't get to visit every day, I love checking in and think that it's so wonderful to have blogging which allows us to share this passion for paper, stamps, ribbon and baubles together since we could never all be in the same place at the same time. I have been doubly blessed since last night as 2 gals have bestowed the Karma Award on me! Thanks so much girls!! I treasure them and you have lifted my spirits!!


Both June from Simply Elegant Paper Crafts and Deanne from Just Wasting Time bestowed this on me! Take a moment and go visit them - they both have such lovely cards to share!

The Karma Award: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.
It's tough to choose only 8 but I tend to be a rule follower; I also hate making a list that's so finite but I did it. So I nominate in no particular order:

Janna

Heather

Nancy

Kim

Tricia

Spike

Anita

Eva

Pink Chocolate Teacups

Have you ever seen those chocolate shoes? They are really very neat and I can't imagine actually eating them. But they would be a fun decor item!! As fun as they are, I think chocolate teacups would be even more FUN and NEAT!!!



Over the past few months, I've had the pleasure of getting to know Rebecca, one of the Twinklettes, better. She's a super sweetie and we have many things in common. Awhile back she used a Stampington stamp on a card - one that I own and is a favorite. I love teacups. Especially vintage ones. Not sure why because I'm not a hot tea drinker. Anyway, a few weeks ago I asked Rebecca if she would like to have a mini challenge between us to use that stamp. She agreed and added a few additional requirements.


Challenge:
* use Stampington teacup trio stamp (Cup Collection)
* use Chocolate Chip
* minimum of 3 embellishments - but more welcome - one of which needed to be ribbon

Here's what I came up with. My teacup image was stamped with Memento Cocoa ink and then watercolored with my waterbrush and ink pads: Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose. I used those same colors and a few additional stamps to create a collage style background. I loved that Chocolate Chip wide satin ribbon SU came out with a few years ago. Sure wish they would bring that back. In lots of colors actually. I also used pearls and flowers to finish out this card. There are a lot more than I would normally put on as I tend to use fewer embellishments. What do you think: Over the Top? or Just Right? or Not Enough?

Be sure to visit Rebecca at her blog, Eclectic Endeavors, to see what she came up with for this challenge. I can't wait to head over there myself!!

Thanks for stopping by today! It means so much that you do!! All the wonderful comments and encouragement you leave are so appreciated! I read every single one and they always put a smile on my face and in my heart!! Have a beautiful Saturday!

{heart} YOU banner

Hi girls! How are you?? I've missed ya'll the last few days. I know I've been MIA - not only here but in visiting you too. Hope to rectify that in the next few days. But oh, have I been busy!! Most of what I've been working on I can't share yet. However, one of my projects has been posted.
Here's a little peak:

This is part of the garland/banner that I created for the Cuttlebug Challenge LUV BUG Event. What a weekend: fun, prizes and the most A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. projects and inspirations ever! My mind is spinning!! I do hope you'll take a little trip over there and see it! I just love looking at it every time I head down my hallway! I'd love to know what you think!

I will have my card up for Madelynn's Twinkling Tuesday tomorrow - although probably in the afternoon so be sure to stop back by!!

Favorite.Card.Ever

This is the card I mentioned in my last post. I met Jessica through the PPS DT and have been a fan ever since! Her daughter loves to sketch and doodle as she stamps at night and created a card sketch! So every week will now have "Madelynn's Terrific Tuesdays" as a part of it. I was thrilled to be able to play along this week. I've had this stamp for years but haven't used her in a long time. She was near the top of the box, quietly pleading to get out and see some ink. I paired her with this week's color challenge from SCS. I'm not a fan of Kiwi Kiss, but I can take it in small doses.

As I was coloring her I realized that she made me think of Project Runway and the fashion sketches they do. I used the houndstooth embossing folder for texture. The kiwi ribbon is actually some "vintage" seam binding I picked up at an estate sale. I used grey ink to stamp the background and the words on my flowers. I like to think this looks like a page in a fashion designers notebook as they work on their new collection. I love the collage nature of this card, a look I love but don't achieve very often!

This is one of my favorite parts of this card:

I just took some ribbon snippets to simulate fabric swatches. I ran them through my houndstooth folder too but you can't really see the embossing in the photo - or in real life for that matter. Perhaps I need more pressure when embossing ribbon? Or maybe because it is not a grosgrain it won't hold?

The inside reads "You're Fabulous". And you, each of YOU ARE FABULOUS!! Let me know what you think and have a terrific night!

Do You Believe in Luck?

My local stamp club makes ATC's to trade every month. For March, we had to use the theme of St. Patrick's Day. (Yes, club was several weeks ago, but I just got this photo off the camera.)

I didn't want to do anything too cheesy and traditional. I wanted to use a really cool "lady" stamp - I have several in my stamp collection that I just love, loVE, LOVE and don't use enough. And I wanted to have those little cut up words to make it ultra cool! (I really wanted something like my SBS3 sis Sandy creates --- a style that I admire, but really struggle to produce. Be sure to stop by her blog and check out the gorgeous card she posted on Tues, Mar 25)
I stamped this lady on some old patterned paper I found (and while I have a TON of paper, I have very little green paper that is actually pretty or cool. This was as good as it got! Such a shame I'm on a self-imposed paper buying boycott) and then matted her on the green. I accented her with some itty bitty sparklies (because every woman deserves to shine, right?!??!). I came up with the slogan you see, printed it off (remember this post? or this one? and began to assemble - in the kitchen b/c Dane was up and wanted a snack. I get one done, and decide she looks kinda weird with hand --- so I decided she needed something IN her hand. I went digging in my punch drawer and found a clover punch ---- can't believe I actually own that punch (well, yes, I can) or that I forgot that I owned it (*sigh* okay, I can believe that too!). The only way that it really looked "right" was to have it falling out of her hand. I decided that it looked like she was discarding it with a look of disdain on her face. SO - I had to think up a new slogan --- which I like SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!!! So I re-printed and assembled them all. I made 11 - one extra than was needed for club, but we had more people there so I only ended up with 1 extra and not the 3 or 4 like I was planning. Of course, everyone else loved the second sentiment too - who can blame them??? The rest of the ATC's that I traded said
Luck had nothing to do with it