MOM

Good Monday Morning!

Hope everyone had a wonderful springtime weekend!

You know,

Mondays are Pink days ----

Pink Elephant Days that is 

because every Monday there is a new fabulous challenge

at The Pink Elephant Challenge!

The Pink Elephant Challenge #248

Today's challenge is a color challenge ---

Pastel Color Combo

We want you to use 

your favorite Pastel Color Combo!

For my card, I chose the color combo 

Dark Pink, Light Pink, Tan/Kraft and White

SPIES:

STAMPS: None.

PAPER: Kraft cardbase;Cotton Candy and dark pink cardstock. DP - Core'dinations Patterned pack.

EXTRAS: Flower emboss folder (Cuttlebug); MOM die (Lil' Inkers); Mulit Scallop border (Lil Inkers); small scallop border punch (Fiskars); Raspberry ribbon; white ball fringe ribbon (Pretty Pink Posh); Crochet flower (Michaels $1 Bin); Heart gems (Recollections); Pearl dot gem.

My weekend kind of took a detour from original plan and so the card I wanted to do didn't get done.   I now just have more time to finish the other one for next week! ;)

For Following Challenges:

Sunday Stamps! #74

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Nature Greetings

Happy Sunday!

Hope everyone had a wonderful first week of spring last week and spring break if you were on spring break!

It's another "sweet" Sunday---

Time for 

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #258!

This week My Grafico is our sponsor 

and 

offering a generous prize to our random winner!

 Here is our inspirational photo 

Inspiration photo compliments of heidihope.com

this week is a color challenge 

Blush  ~  Pistachio  ~ Espresso

These are wonderful colors 

for a 

Mother's Day card 

since 

Mother's Day in the U.S. is May 11th.

My Grafico was very generous in providing the Design Team with a very nice set of digital graphics to work with.  Since last week had the 1st day of spring and Earth Day, this set was kind of perfect to use.

I decided to use not one, but three different digital images from the set Woodland Animals.  I was going for a near to far look with the images, making the images appear closer in succession with the bear image appearing to be the closest to the "camera".  Hopefully you can see that. Here is my card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Digital Animal Images-Woodland Animals (My Grafico); Sentiment (Taylored Expressions).

PAPER: White, bubblegum cardstock.  DP - from Stash, don't remember which set was sitting in a basket of old DP sheets.

INK: Rich Cocoa (Memento); Copics on digital images.

EXTRAS: Leaf die (Taylored Expressions); Arrows die (Taylored Expressions); Polaroid die (Taylored Expressions); Enamel dots (Recollections).

Don't forget to stop over at the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Blog and check out all the rest of the Design Teams' projects, which are always fabulous!  Then, link up your own project using this week's color theme and play along.  

For Following Challenges:

Simply Create Too #60- Stack Em Up

Nature Blessings!

You Make Me Happy...

You know the saying --- April showers bring May flowers! 

 And here is a card with both!

I'm putting it in the Card Concept Challenge using the Clean & Layering Style.  I stamped two clouds on the background and then one on other cardstock, cut it out with the die and popped it up.  I also used my umbrella die and cut out different colored portions from three different patterned papers in the paper pad, Vintage Bliss, from Simple Stories.

Stamps:  You Make Me Happy Set (Taylored Expressions).
Paper:  White cardbase, pink cardstock.  DP - Vintage Bliss (Simple Stories).
Ink:  Tuxedo Black (Memento); Teal Green Dye Ink (Hampton Art). Pink -- Copics.
Extras: Umbrella Die (Taylored Expressions); Cloud die (Taylored Expressions); Pale yellow sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); gray ribbon (Taylored Expressions).

For Following Challenges:

Party Time Tuesdays #169- Anything Goes

April Showers Blessings!

Language of Smiles

Happy Earth Day!

The morning here was pretty but it is slowly giving way to clouds.  We are suppose to have rain later this afternoon.  Hopefully maybe that will wash away the rest of the nasty, green pollen film sticking to everything.  And, it's going to be over 80 degrees here in the Triangle of NC!  Love that way better than the cold 40/50s we had last week!  And, I'm also excited because in less than a month we will be getting our pool all set up again!  YEA!  I can't wait to get back to my swimming!

But I digress a bit.  Today is Earth Day and what better way to celebrate it than a bright and cheery floral card!  I used the sketch from Fusion Card Challenge and just clustered a rainbow of smiley faces and added a great sentiment about smiles!  :D

SPIES:

STAMPS: Smiley faces (Simon Says); Sentiment-Laugh (Fiskars).

PAPER: White cardbase.  DP - DIY (Simple Stories).

INK: Red Rose, Love Letter, Tangelo, Dandelion, Cottage Ivy, Bermuda Blue, Grape Jelly & Tuxedo Black - (Memento).

EXTRAS: Basic oval die (Spellbinders). Circle Punch (Fiskars).

Earth Day Blessings!

Wedding Dress Card

It's time for another 

{PIN}spirational Challenge!

{PIN}spirational Challenge #104

We have two great sponsors this week:

Creative Bug

Creations by AR

Prize:  2 Templates

Here is our Inspirational Photo:

Such a whimsical and sweet image!

And here is my card, using the Princess Dress Card Template

from Creations By AR

SPIES:

PAPER: White cardstock.

EXTRAS: Emboss folder (Stampin Up!); Opaque White Liquid Pearls (Ranger Ink); White Crystal Snow (Stampendous); white silk ribbon; heart button; silver white heart charm; pearl string; white silk rope on bottom hem.

Since it's beginning to be wedding season, I chose to use the Princess Dress card template and make a wedding dress/card. 

For Following Challenges:

QKR - Spring Celebrations

Sister Act #53 -Anything Goes

#59- No Stamped or Digi Stamped Image

Happy Ever After Blessings!

YOU

Good Monday Morning!

Did you have a pleasant Easter Sunday?  

Eat lots of jelly beans and chocolate bunnies?

Well, if you are burnt out on bunnies and eggs, 

check out today's challenge at 

The Pink Elephant Challenge!

This week's challenge

is a 

technique!

The Pink Elephant Challenge #247

Watercolor Technique

There are a lot of watercolor techniques out there in the paper crafting world so there is no one technique.

You can use watercolor pencils, watercolor crayons, gelatos, dye ink, or plain ole watercolors!

I used my Dylusions spray ink and water and a brush for my project.  Only after I was done did I remember I have watercolor pencils and watercolor paints!

Guess that's an indication I need to use them more often!  LOL

I even recently bought some gelatos but I need to play around with them a bit more. 

So here is my card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Sentiments on watercolor(Inkadinkadoo); You Sentiment - Stash

PAPER: White cardbase. Green cardstock for leaves; DP -Dolled Up (My Mind's Eye).

INK: Dylusions Spray ink; Tuxedo Black & Bamboo Leaves-(Memento).

EXTRAS: Leaf Die (Taylored Expressions); Clip die (Taylored Expressions); Label die (Reverse Confetti); Doily; Pink Chevron ribbon (Pretty Pink Posh); flowers (Prima); homemade enamel dots.

I used my pink, red, yellow and orange colored Dylusions inks and just painted them on watercolor paper with a brush, mixing them as I went.  Then, I used a flicking technique to flick a little bit of green here and there.  I made a larger sheet of the painted background to have plenty to play around with.  Like I mentioned above, there are lots of different watercolor techniques.  PaperCrafts' current Stamp It issue has a section on watercolor techniques using different mediums.  

I also used homemade enamel dots on my card.  I saw a tutorial on how to do this.  Very easy!  Just take some of those plastic beads and melt them down!  Much less expensive than the packs sold from different venders!  Click HERE for the tutorial.

Now, stop over at 

The Pink Elephant Challenge Blog 

and check out

 my fellow design team member's projects 

as everyone has fabulous cards 

using different techniques!

Then go give a try at the watercolor technique

and link your project 

at 

The Pink Elephant Challenge Blog!

We love to see your creations!

My card is for the
Following Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks - #190 Sentiments Only

Challenge #63- Spring

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Keep Calm...Eat Jelly Beans!

Happy Easter Evening!

I hope everyone had a blessed day whether you celebrate Easter or not!   

I'm still trying to catch up with my blogging along with other things.  The Hubs is working tonight so it's a good time to try and get caught up in lots of respects!  So I thought I'd start with another Easter card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Image & Sentiment- (From the Heart Stamps).

PAPER: White card base; Orange, Green grass, turquoise cardstock.  DP-Stash.

INK: Copics.

EXTRAS:  Double scallop border punch (Martha Stewart); Scallop border square die (Spellbinders); Label die on sentiment (Spellbinders).

I (HEART) Sketches Challenge #62

Jelly Bean Blessings!

He Is RISEN!

Happy Easter!

He Is Risen!

Matthew 28:5-8 -- 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he[a] lay.7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.




A canvas project I made a few years ago that I display in our foyer each Easter.  The wreath is actually a replica Crown of Thorns from The Holy Land and  I added some silk dogwood flowers around it.  The wooden cross is actually a cross my father, a retired minister, gave out to babies when they were christened.  The one I used here is from one of my sons' christenings by my father.  So every Easter it reminds me of my boys' baptisms as well as The Resurrection.  The sentiment is from Create With TLC that I printed on photo paper and added the borders along the side.  Then I adhered it all to a square white canvas board.

A Most Blessed Easter Sunday To You!

Life & Love

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #257

Our sponsor this week is 

Thank you for sponsoring us!

May Arts gave the entire design team 

some great ribbon samples to use 

on our projects for the week!

They are offering a wonderful prize one lucky winner of this week's challenge!

Here is our inspiration photo for the week:

Photo Inspiration courtesy of: The Gourmet Mom

This week is a Theme:  

Bunnies

Show us your projects with bunnies on them.  Stop by the Cupcake Inspirations Blog and check out all my fellow team members' inspirational projects!  They are fabulous as always!  Then link up your own project so we can see how this week's Bunny theme inspired you!

Here is my card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Bunny - Stash; Sentiment (Impression Obsession).

PAPER: Pale yellow card base; white cardstock; DP - In Bloom (My Mind's Eye).

INK: Gray Flannel (Memento); White Sharpie fine marker (faux stitching); Versamark and white emboss powder (on bunny).

EXTRAS: Basic oval die (Spellbinders); Label die (Paper Sweeties); Ribbon (May Arts); crystal gems - stash.

With all the beautiful ribbon I received from May Arts, I knew I wanted to showcase it well.  So, I sifted through some saved tutorials on ribbon flowers.  This is the tutorial I used. Very easy peasy!  I then added crystal gems for the centers and then decided to double bling them!

For Following Challenges:

Seize The Sketch #18

Challenge #63 - Spring

Delightful Challenges - Bloom

Easter Blessings!