Times of Waiting...

Happy Hump Day!  

I can't believe it's mid week already...and that the May long weekend is almost here!

We got our camper all set up at our seasonal site last weekend, and are really looking forward to spending the weekend at the lake.  Hopefully the traditionally rainy weekend will yield some sun for us instead this year!

Since today is Wednesday, it's time to announce a new challenge over at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog...

"Include a Clock or Time Piece in Your Design"

Isn't that an interesting and intriguing challenge!

I have chosen a Eureka digi stamp entitled "Times of Waiting" for my creation this week.

We are excited to once again welcome them as one of our sponsors for this week. 

Here's a look at the card I created...

I'd had this clock paper sitting in my stash for several years!  It was one of those pieces of papers that just seemed a shame to cut into.  Well, for this card I took the plunge.  I've used it for the background and then matted the sentiment onto a lighter brown patterned paper and then fussy cut some of the time pieces from the original background paper to add some interest around the sentiment.  Three beige sugar dots later, the whole card was finished.  A more simple design this time.  

As mentioned above, we are sponsored this week by...

who are also joined by...



Be sure to check out The Cafe to see what prize goodies are being served up for this challenge!

Now it's your turn to shop your stash and come up with a Time Piece design....but remember the clock is ticking and you only have one week to link up with us!
Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
Just Inspirational Challenges..."Anything Goes"
Through the Craft Room Door.."Anything Goes"
Challenges 4 Everybody...Anything Goes

An Attempt at Steam Punk...

Do you ever have one of those cards that you just put off creating until just the last minute because you frankly don't know where to go with it? 

Well, if you do I'm happy to say that you are in good company.  I usually like to have my cards done well ahead of time for challenges that are being posted, but this time I got it done just barely in time.  It's not that I hadn't been thinking about what I could do...I just dreaded doing it because it was a theme I had never attempted before.  

I'm sharing the new challenge with you today that starts at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog.

"Steam Punk"

(must include one metal piece)

Our awesome sponsors for this challenge are...

as well as...



Be sure to check out The Cafe Blog to see what juicy prizes they are tempting you with this go round!

Now, back to the card making business...
I hope I haven't scared you with the challenge.  I've never dabbled in the world of steam punk before.  I love the way it looks...it's just not really my thing.
That being said...here's a peek at what I finally came  up with...

I was lucky to be able to work with the Bugaboo image "Frame It One Day at a Time" which I sprayed down with my Mr. Huey's manilla colored spray.  I cut out a border with the Cameo that has gears running all the way around it.  (Sorry this picture is so crappy...I used Goosebumps for texture on the card and now it's hard to photograph because it's all shiny!)  I've embossed a metal sheet with a Tim Holtz embossing folder which is tucked in behind the digi stamp.  I've also used the metal sheet to cut out some gears with my Memory Box die (also did some in brown card stock).  I've added a few numbers to the side of the card as well as a vintage photo of a couple on a motorcycle.  The sentiment at the bottom of the card says "Live a little, life is an adventure".  The vintage photo and small sentiment come from a Heartwarming Vintage sheet.  I've added a few metal brads to the top corner, as well as the pointed finger, the mustache, and a male head die cut.  Then I sprayed it down with the goosebumps as mentioned above to give it some texture. 

As I was working on the card, I actually started to enjoy creating it.  It seems the key to steam punk for me was to just keep adding more elements.  I hope you think it came out ok....I likely won't be trying my hand at this again anytime soon!  LOL

It's your turn now...dig around in your stash and see what you can come up with to create a card with that Steam Punk feel.  It's good to get out of your comfort zone once in awhile and stretch your crafting abilities.  Just don't wait too long like I did...the challenge only runs for a week!
Can't wait to see what you come up with!

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
Lexi's Creations..."For the Man/Boy in Your Life"
Cardz 4 Guyz..."Time"
Quirky Crafts Challenges..."The Letter S"  (steam punk)

Clean and Simple

Welcome Back!

Glad you could join me today!

Today I'd like to share with you what we have brewing over in The Crafter's Cafe!

So, grab your java, hot chocolate, cappacino or whatever your beverage indulgence might be and let me share with you about our new challenge which is...

"Clean & Simple...or CAS for Short"

I found this to be an interesting challenge as I don't usually do a lot of CAS cards.  

For some reason it intimidates me to leave a bunch of white space on a card!  LOL

So, let me share this attempt with you now...

My stash of Sympathy cards has been dwindling lately, so I thought this might be the perfect type of card to try out a CAS design.  I was so excited that our sponsor for the week was A Day for Daisies as they have gorgeous, clean hand drawings.  I chose the image Freehand Bird 5 to make my card.  

I wanted to make the image more like a decoupage layered image so I printed out the bird 3 times.  The first layer has been printed straight onto the card itself.  For the second and third layers, I just printed the image a tiny bit smaller each time.  The second layer included the head, wing and tail section, and the third layer is simply the wing on top of that.  I should have taken the time to take a side view pic of the card so you could see how dimensional this little bird really is.  It definitely added more depth and interest to do it this way.  The little birdie has been colored with chalks as I wanted a very soft feeling for this card.  I've added some blue sky to a portion of the card, again with chalk.  I love the softness and prettiness of images colored with chalks.  Lastly, I've added a Stamp'n Up sentiment.  I thought for not dabbling in this type of creation often, it came out ok!

It's your challenge now!  Don't forget to stop by the Cafe to see what the other DT members have created for your inspiration.  

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...

Crafting from the Heart..."Use Yellow"
Incy Wincy Designs..."CAS"
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenges..."Winged Things"
A Little Bit Crafty..."The Birds and the Bees"
Card a Day Blog..."Sympathy"
TokBobok..."CAS"
Cards and More..."No Flowers"

Let's Get Krafty!

I'm back...and I'm glad to see that so are you!

Today is the day a new challenge starts over at The Crafter's Cafe.
It's a fun one this week...

"Kraft Paper and Corrugated Cardboard"

...is what we're challenging you to design with this week!

Our sponsor for this challenge is...



...be sure to check out The Crafter's Cafe Challenge blog to see what they are offering for a prize this week!

I chose the image "We Just Click" to work with this go round.

Here's a look see...

I've used an embossing folder on the kraft paper and then inked over it with a brown ink so that you could see the embossing a little better and to give it an aged look.  I've applied a piece of corrugated cardboard behind the image which has been mounted onto a chalkboard piece shape.  The image itself has been colored with my Spectrum Noir markers.  The lens has been covered in glossy accents to give it the appearance of glass.  Lastly, I came across some sticker letters that have been in my stash for like forever and decided to add the word "smile".
A quick and simple creation!

So grab all your "krafty" stash and get creating.  I can't wait to see how you use your corrugated cardboard!

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
My Craft Creations..."Anything Goes"
Sugar Creek Hollow..."Make Your Own Background"

Welcome Summer...at least Wishful Thinking!

I have to admit that the cloudiness and the dreariness the last couple of days have been weighing down my soul!  I'm in need of a good dose of sunshine!
You will see that this is reflected in the card I have to share with you today!

It's Wednesday, which means its a new challenge over at The Crafter's Cafe!
We have an easy one for you this week!

Our theme is...

"Make a Square Card"

This week we are sponsored by...

and

Be sure to check out The Crafter's Cafe blog to see what types of prizes are being awarded!

I was able to create with a Stamping Boutique Image...and it totally made me wish it was summer!
Now, I am not a beach/water type person, but I was just telling my husband yesterday that the winter has seemed so long and cold that I found myself wishing we had gone on a warm winter vacation!

You can see those feelings clearly reflected in this creation...

I colored up the image using my Spectrum Noir markers.  I added some light blue Stickles to the sky to give it a free and breezy kinda feeling, and also added some vintage colored Stickles to the beach so that there was some texture and sparkle to the sand.  I added the sentiment which was printed and cut using my Silhouette Cameo and lastly added the 3 colorful buttons in the bottom corner.  The background paper is from a Lori Whitlock collection...and I loved the stripes as they reminded me of a beach towel.
A simple, yet hopefully bright and cheery card!

I hope you're able to make some time to play along with us at The Crafter's Cafe this week!  I know square cards are very popular and I'm assuming our submissions could reach a good number!

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
Cuttin' and Stampin' Challenges..."Colors red, green, blue, yellow and teal"
Fan-Tastic Tuesday..."Anything Goes"
Digi Makeover Challenges...."Colors of the Rainbow"
Without Words..."Hobbies/Relax"
Addicted to Stamps and More..."Make Your Mark"
Little Red Wagon..."A Rainbow of Colors"

I'm a Country Girl...

Greetings to you today from rural Manitoba, Canada!
As I work ahead and schedule this blog post, I find myself looking at a country yard filled with massive snowbanks and listening to a howling wind which will chill you down to the bone.  I'm ready for spring...to watch our little acreage come alive with flowers, grass, leaves on the trees and all the wild flowers in the pasture.  I'm longing for a visit from my hummingbirds and goldfinches!  But, I suppose I have to wait a little longer!  I love living in the country...the smells (ok not the smells of the manure being spread!  LOL), the lack of neighbours, the big yard for the kids to play on...so when I had the opportunity to select a country girl digi I was excited!

I'm back today with a new challenge over at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog!  It's a really neat one this time...we are challenging you to use lace, fibers and have an optional twist of doing the faux suede technique!  I had never heard of this technique before, so I got busy on YouTube...not much you can't find there...LOL.

I applied this technique to my background...which was a denim piece of designer paper.  I was hoping the blue denim would shine through a little more than it does, but I definitely like the effect of the wrinkles on it anyway.  It's so subtle in the picture, but on the card itself it looks very cool!

Take a look at the creation so this will all make sense...

I colored up this cute Kenny K digi with my Spectrum Noir markers.  I remembered that I had some country themed collage sheets by Heartwarming Vintage in my stash...and got down to fussy cutting some images and a few sentiments.  I just loved all the cute sentiments.

While at my favorite little scrap shop last week, I came across this awesome burlap ribbon and just knew I had to use it on this card.  I've applied that all along the bottom and then added some flowers to accent the corner.  You gotta have flowers if you're making a country themed card, don't ya?
The finishing touch was to add a few more cute sentiments near the flower bunch held in place by a clothes pin!

 Here's a closer look at some of the elements...

And, of course I need to give you all the details about our sponsors for the challenge this week!

They are none other than...

 

 and

 

Check out The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog to see what you have a chance at winning!
And while you're there, take a look around at all of the other DT creations...they are sure to give you a burst of inspiration and creativity.

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
Digi Makeover Challenges..."Anything Goes"
Eureka Stamps..."Anything Goes"
Robyn's Fetish Challenge Blog..."Anything Goes"
Paper Creator's Crafts..."Circle, Square and Rectangle"...square card base, rectangle sentiments and circle vintage embellishments at centre of card
ABC Challenges..."G is for Girl"
Crafts Galore Encore Challenge Blog..."Use a Stamp or Digi"
Fan-Tastic Tuesday..."Anything Goes" 
Crafting by Designs..."Anything Goes"
Hobbybook Designer Challenges..."Make it Girly"
Bearly Mine Challenges..."One for the Girls"

A Little More Vintage...

Hello Everyone...Welcome Back!

Here's my second post for the today!
If you are looking for my {Pin}spirational Challenge Blog submission, please scroll down.

I was so very excited when I saw what this weeks challenge was at The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog!  It's all about the Vintage!  WooHoo!

We are sponsored this week by none other than... 

...who is offering one lucky winner an awesome prize.  Be sure to check out The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog for details.

I fell in love with the digi entitled "Isabella Meet Me in St. Louis".  I loved the way she was dressed. I thought about heading into the Valentine theme with this little sweetie, but then the thought of vintage fashion came to mind.

Here's a look at how that idea came out... 

I had a fabulous page from Heartwarming Vintage and decided to use that as my background.  All those elegant ladies dressed in vintage hats and dresses made the perfect way to start.  Of course I had to distress the outer edges and ink them in a dark brown as well.   I colored up Isabella with my Tim Holtz Distress markers and popped her up to give the card some dimension.  I had an awesome quote that I purchased from TLC Creations which I thought suited this card perfectly.  I again roughed up the edges and inked the image to give it a vintage look.  I used some cream colored lace to make a bow, which I adhered to the 1/2 doily on the upper corner and added some flowers and a hair pin.  In the bottom corner, I adhered a strip of lace as well as 3 small flowers to finish the card. 

I hope I've inspired you to go back in time and produce a project that reflects eras gone by.  I'd love to come to your blog for a visit to see what you were inspired to create.  And, of course don't forget to link up with us over at The Crafter's Cafe...and while you're there take a look around the Cafe and see what the other fabulous DT have created to share with you.

Until next time...
 
This card has been shared in the following challenges...
Crafting from the Heart..."Anything Goes/Use Flowers"
Craft Your Passion..."Girly Girl"
Lexi's Creations..."Monochromatic"
Love To Scrap..."Anything Goes"
Ooh La La Challenges,,,"Fashionista"
Without Words..."Occupations" (fashion model)
Pile it On..."Sentiment as the Focus"
Open Minded Challenges..."Monochrome"
DL Art..."Vintage"
MilkCoffee Challenges..."Girly"
Penny's Paper Crafty Challenges..."Monochrome"
Crafty Sentiments Designs..."Anything Goes"

A Recipe for You...

Welcome!  Grab a beverage, take a seat and get yourself comfortable.  

Today I'd like to share a recipe with you!
Don't get too excited...I mean a card recipe, not a cooking recipe!  LOL

Our current challenge at The Crafter's Cafe is a recipe challenge...
2 designer papers
ribbon
3 die cuts
4 pearls or rhinestones
Think you can do it?  Need a little encouragement?  How about the chance to win some awesome prizes from our sponsors for this challenge...



and

Treasured Times.

Now I must confess that I usually don't use card recipes as I find them absolutely challenging. However, I was kind of excited to be pushed out of my comfort zone this time.  I was so happy to be using the Squigglefly image "Cardinal Birdhouse".  I know... you're thinking why would you choose a Christmas image?  I have good reason, I need to keep preparing for the annual craft show I'm in and Christmas cards are my greatest sellers.

Here's a peek...and we'll go through the details in the next few photos...

As you can see, I managed to find two fantastic designer papers to use on this card!  I married them together with the ribbon to make nice joint where the two styles meet. 

I've colored up this gorgeous digi with my Tim Holtz Distress markers.  I added some glitter ritz around the birdhouse to give the illusion of shimmering snow...wish you could see it better.  Then I've added some liquid pearls for some dimension...and put 3 pearls on the background and one pearl for the cardinals eye.  That takes care of the 4 pearls or rhinestones portion of the recipe.  

Lastly, there were the 3 die cuts to take care of.  They are the cardinal, the pine leaves and in the very bottom corner you will see the snowflake swirl corner which I stickled in diamond Stickles to give it some shimmer.  

This came together quite quickly and I quite like the end result.  

Now, I hope I've encouraged you to tackle this recipe.  It was so much fun when I got down to it!  Don't forget to check out the projects the other DT members have created at The Crafter's Cafe.  We can hardly wait to see what you cook up!

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...

My Perfect Life..."Softly Fell the Silent Snow..."

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra..."Christmas"

Sparkles Christmas Challenges..."Anything Goes"

Brown Sugar..."Feathers"

Delicious Doodles..."Diecuts/Punches"

Jingle Belles..."Text Me"

Winter Wonderland..."Digi Days"

Fan-Tastic Tuesday..."Anything Goes" 

Christmas at Sweet Stampin'..."Festive Foliage"

Crafting By Designs..."Anything Goes"

Crafty Creations Challenges..."For the Birds"

Divas By Design..."Die Cuts"

 Inklings and Yarns..."Anything Goes"

"Workin' 9 to 5...."

...What a way to make a livin'"

Welcome!  

Remember that song?  If you do, I'm pretty sure you're singing it in your head now!  LOL
I'm so happy that I no longer work out of the house 9-5!  I have really been enjoying my time at home, and being at home has allowed me to visit and create with you!

I have one more exciting announcement that I want to share with you.  Today is my first DT post with The Crafter's Cafe Challenge Blog!  I am so excited to be joining up with this crafty team and adding them to my current DT positions!

Our challenge for this week is..."Ha, ha, ha...Very Funny".
 We wanna see your sense of humor shine this week!

And, we have some sponsors with a great sense of humor for this challenge...




as well as ...




I had so much fun working with the Bugaboo image "Escape Key".  

Here's the card I created...

I colored up the image with my Spectrum Noir markers and mounted it on a dark beige colored mat.  I was rummaging through my stash of papers and found some with numbers, addition and subtraction equations and thought this was perfect to represent an office worker.  I rummaged a little further in my stash and found some sticker fonts that I have owned for a really long time.  Now, sticker fonts are not usually something I use on my creations.  However, I had the 9-5 song running through my head as I was creating so I decided to do a little spoof of it on the card, as the lettering sorta looked like type setting/inputting style to me.  My kids think the joke on the digi is just too funny!

So, rummage through your stamps, and find a little "funny" you could share with us this week.  Remember...laughter is the best medicine.  To get you started, make sure you check out the other DT creations over at The Crafter's Cafe...they'll have you in stitches as well!

Until next time...

This card has been shared in the following challenges...
LEJ Designs..."Anything Goes"
Craft Your Passion..."Music Inspired Card"...(song Workin' Nine to Five)
Order of the Opus Gluei..."Need a Lift" (a dose of humor)
The Corrosive Challenge Blog..."All Work and No Play"
The Craft Place Challenge Blog..."Color Challenge"