Cutie birthday card

When I first saw the "springtime" theme at the Kraftin Kimmie Challenge blog I first thought of Lilly Lemon....but then as I sorted through my stamps, I was drawn to Charlotte.  I was torn...Honestly, it was hard because I was thinking of my daughter Lilly while making this card...but, she is so much more like Charlotte....curly hair, loves her dollies, and has *THAT* gleam in her eye.  She is almost 3, but my wonderful husband and I do think that she will be our biggest challenge, (even though she is the biggest lovey!)

So, I am trying to use up my scraps, so I started with the small square in the right corner...it is a floral pattern that matches the stripes from a Echo Park Springtime paperpack.  Since I am using floral papers...She is my flower power gal as challenged by Joanna Sheen.  I browsed the challenge blogs to find a sketch that would work and found it at Sketch Saturday.  I subsituted the ruffled dark purple for a paper in the sketch, but I like it.  I found it a bit challenging to use this sketch, because I made this card into an easel card.  (This is only my second time doing an easel!  Don't know why!  I love them!)

So...I think she is adorable, fashioned after my own little cutie....so I entering her into the 7kidschallenge blog for "make it cute".  I also used the recipie from One Stop Craft Challenge of 1 image, 2 designer papers and 3 embellishments.  I almost couldn't make it work with the 3 embellishments because I had the ribbon and the bling, but couldn't decide what else to add (I am CAS at heart!)  So....I then realized that I had not colored the ruffle at the bottom of the yellow overskirt, so I decided to add purple stickles.  What Little girl DOESN'T want a little sequin or sparkle on her gown???  Lilly Loves to wear dresses...and actually, if she doesn't behave, I threaten her with "I will make you wear PANTS!"

The sentiment at the bottom of the yellow stripes is from gina K sentiments (can't remember which...says happy birthday) and is on a spellbinder that is only half showing.

On the inside, there is a tiny tags stamp "wish big" from papertrey ink and there are fake dew drops above it to hold the card up.  Hope you like!  I do!

CAS masculine glitter birthday card

Stars on left are the centers from the top star border.  I topped them with glossy accents to give them a little something.  I always love the paint splatters I have seen, so I tried it with my glimmer mist, which was a light brown, so it doesn't make such a statement....but doesn't look horrible.  Just doesn't show up much in the picture.

The border stars were run through the xyron and then glittered.  This was the make monday video at papertrey ink.  Tell you what!!!  I will NOT do it again on such an intricate die.  The sticky stuff stretched over the centers and I had to use an exacto knife to get in all the corners to get the extra adhesive off!  Should have gone with my second idea with the balloon, but, I only had brown glitter and didn't love the brown balloon look!

Glitter die cut stars border from pti make it monday.
CAS card for paper pretties challenge.
Texture in the glossy accents and glitter on the stars for cards for men challenge
And no dp for the  Fab n Funky Challenge.
Sketch provided by Retro Sketches for the week, I just love their designs!

Papertrey ink april blog hop card

So, I began with this photo from pti for inspiration.

  I decided to take away colors, floral and damask print to begin gathering supplies.  Got out a cuttlebug embossing damask folder and then I ran through one and decided I wanted a more double look and ran it through between the plates plain to make it less embossed.

I used the only floral diesI had in raspberry fizz and their blush from pti and held them together with a brad....which I think I will color or something to change it's color.

Now I had my main concept down I needed a sketch because I kept going back to the same sketch I have been doing forever.

I am not sure if I am going to make this into a birthday card or into a bridal shower for my neice.  I wiped out my stash of birthday cards....a gift of cards to my mother for her birthday, but I have both coming up soon.  I figure I would just add a tiny tag under the bow for the sentiment when I decide what I need!

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

So I used the sketch for there she goes clear stamps challenge.

Text on the papers is from the pixie dust studio challenge.

More then 1 ribbon from the sweet stampin challenge.

Need help current projects....

So, husband is sick, got kids to bed and figured I might try and do another case card.  There was a wonderful card with strawberries that was super simple and stunning....and I wanted to recreate it and went instantly knew I wanted to use flourishes stamps, decided on the long apple stamp. 

Problem is, I stamped it on the pure white cardstock, imagining the coloring I would do with my copics, but once the image was on the paper, I'm not sure if I want to add to it.  What do you think??  Color or leave be adding only sentiment?

A papertrey ink/nicole heady release CASE

My kitchen is clean.  Honest.  littlest was sleeping, the middle little was too busy working on building transformers out of legos that he want talking (this is huge cause he never stops talking!  5yr old)
So rather then fold the mountain of laundry, 4 or 5 loads sitting on my couch, decide to craft.
Today it's the 4th Day of papertrey ink's april release.  I love so many of the design team's creations I have decided to start CASING them with things I already have rather then lust over then thinking I need then all.  I no longer have play money AT ALL since my dh's new job is MUCH less pay.  Ouch, family of 5 with stay at home mom!  Might have to get a job!

Anyways....very proud of how great my knock off looks. 

I have enteed this card into several challenges:

Cute Card Thursday--Spring Flowers
Simon Says Stamp-April Showers brings Spring Flowers
Creative Card Crew--Kraft cardstock
I used....

• Frilly flowers from papertrey ink in their sunrise yellow, avocado leaves, and poppy for dots and small flowers. 
• Dots from the pti harvest berries (ginko leaves) set.
• Pinking shears for the edges
• PTI twine
• buttons from my mom's collection, was just plain mother of pearl, but I colored it with dk brown copics and now I have brown buttons!
• Framed Out #2 Stamp Set and Die form PTI.  Sentiment is from that set too.  With pure poppy ink and Distress Ink, vintage photo on Kraft paper.

Not the same as the original seen here... Click picture to go to the Blog posting!

Sugar nellie thank you card

I made this card for the Sugar Bowl Challenge...a sketch and I used the optional Stripes challenge too. Loved how it turned out!.
Sugar Nellie Image:  Windswept???
Tag die and sentiment is from Papertrey Ink Tiny Tags.

Make it Monday, leaves made into flowers

Make it Monday Challenge at Papertrey Ink was to make a flower using a leaf die....Honestly, I felt like I was cheating...since I was using the die from the Frilly Flowers! 

I started with the small scrap of striped paper....(both patterned papers from Springtime Echo Park) and built my color scheme and design from there. 

The aqua paper looks like raindrops and there is a giant flower....so it works with the Simon Says Stamp Challenge of April Showers brings Spring Flowers.
Since I used two patterned papers, I am entering into the Paper Pretties Challenge.

I love the aqua with the raspberry fizz and the fizz kinda matched the dark pink stripe on the paper.

Since I used a Button AND a Bow (I rarely use both!), I am entering into the Paper Shelter Challenge.

This card definately has flower power...so it is entered into Crafty Creations Challenge.

Sentiment is from PTI Out on a Limb set.  Button was a random one I had that I colored with a copic to look raspberry fizz like....really should by some actual buttons....and ribbons that match eventually...but for now, I am getting the inks and will have to be satisfied with just that.  But hey, a girl can dream....I will just have to hit the family hard to get me gift certificates for my birthday coming up!!!

Fathers day spring like card

Okay...WoW...2 cards during nap time!  I have been moving on this! 

I really wanted to do this sketch from Retro Sketch because I really love it.




 I had a little inspiration from a design team member from over at crazy for Challenges (who challenged to use blue/white and one other color)  So, I don't know if I count, but I used blues white and the extra colors were really only the fault of the only matching paper that was masculine...so I hope it qualifies, I am very happy with it!

I haven't been doing so well about keeping up with my personal masculine challenge of always making a masculine for every girly card....so I did today!  I am joining Cards for Men in their Springtime colors challenge  I hope the colors are sprng-like enough, they were the only patterned papers I had that were masculine and matched my blue I wanted to use!

Image:  Papertrey Ink Masculine Motifs
Ink/Cardstock:  papertrey ink--blueberry sky and white
Patterned papers:  Little Yellow Bicycle :  Traveler paper pad

Flourishes Mothers day card

Totally Gorjuss Challenge had this wonderful sketch, so I started figuring out what I wanted to make with it!  Love the clean and simple look to it!

I had some time while the kids were coloring, so I stamped and copic colored (R81,83,85) these lovely flowers from Flourishes...I just love Cherry Blossoms, and so springtime that I had to do it!  I found that Flourishes Blog had a Mothers Challenge, so I decided to make this mother's day card, my second this season, so I guess I might have to let my husband choose which his mother will get....I am guessing this one!  :)

I couldn't figure out the embellishments to add and use to this stamp and sketch, so I saw that Totally Papercrafts had a Bingo Challenge, so I went with the Pink/glitter/pearls combo

Used Glitter on the centers of the Flowers, pearls actually covered holes, which were not cut nicely by my edge punch...looks nice this way anyways!  :)  Cardstock base and lt pink are Papertrey Ink.  Oval cut with Spellbinder Nestie using the OUT OF BOX techinque (tutorial found at splitcoaststampers.com)  The small sentiment by the flower is from Tiny Tags (papertrey Ink).  And finally, the Background paper is Echo Park Springtime 6x6

Finally, I did use my cuttlebug, which has been my favorite tool recently, so I entered into Simon Says Stamp Challenge for that!

This is definately a spring time card, so I am also entering it into Karen's Doodles Challenge, Crafty Creations also has the Signs of Spring Challenge, Cupcake Craft Challenge: Spring is in the air,and Full of Flowers for the 4 Crafty CHicks challenge.

Thanks for looking! Hope you enjoyed!

Kraftin kimmie birthday card

Pixie cottage challenge for sketch....I really didn't like any of the embellishments I had for the three circles at the bottom, so I decided to go with my sentiment three times there!  :)  Since my Main image is on a tag, thought the sentiment can be my embellishemnt!

kraftin kimmie challenge for tags.  It is kinda funny that this is the week for tags, I had colored this gal and slapped her on the tag, but I never figured out how to use her,but now I was able to get it working out nicely on a card! 

What I am doing at sassy cheryls

Embossing at fab n funky challenges.  I actually did two embossing, dry with the folder and heat for the sentiment.

Sentiment is from Tiny Tags at Papertrey Ink, Twine is also from PTI.  Lovely mermaid is from Kraftin Kimmie.  New Leaf  and Kraft cardstock PTI, Purple is from Echo Park Springtime 6x6 pack.  Unknown stamp is a crackle on the New Leaf CS, stamped in versamark.  Tag was from a scrapbooking kit of unknown origins.

Make it monday Generational stamping

The Challenge at Papertrey Ink Make it monday is Generational stamping:  Stamping off.


Keeping with my "make masculine" pledge, I made several cards for the make it monday challenge.  I used my new stamps and ink that just arrived yesterday..yea!




The first card is on an old stamping up grey blue with black ink stamped off twice to make shades of greyin the Chevron stamp set. Celebrations stamp and die for the sentiment.

This is also going into the Papertake Weekly Challenge of ANything Goes...I think it might qualify for the additional one color monotone...although it is hard to see that there is any color in there at all! 
Additionally entered into Joanne Sheen Masculine challenge also.


Second card uses new think big set for the celebrate....stamped in 3 colors (chartruse, clay, harvest gold) and stamped off once.  Added a little bling to give a little something extra to it, cause I just couldn't figure out what more I could add to it without ruining it.  I have a problem with that.  I don't embellish well.  If I don't case it, and I embellish it, then often it ends up looking a little odd!

I entering this into Simon Says Stamping Challenge of ANything Goes too.










Third card uses the new ballon Heart 2 Heart #2 stamp set and Think Big Favorites #13.  Used 3 new inks, blueberry, leaf and harvest gold.

I used my phone to add the pictures, b/c it is fastest, but I can't figure out how to turn pictures in blogger on my phone or edit the pictrues on my phone to change them....so I guess this is what you see today! :)

So now, the question is....which of the three is the best?  And are they all good enough for a male?  Or is the celebrate on in the middle have too girly of colors...or are the ballons too girly? the yellow make it to unmasculine?  Have to see what my husband things when he gets home...I am guesing that he will say only one is truely good for a man...  :)