Awesome Practice

September is almost done!  Can you believe it? 

I'm still on summer mode! 

However, presently I'm in Wild Wonderful West Virginia (my childhood home state) where the leaves are beginning to burst with color painting the mountains with bright hues of reds, orange sand yellows!  So, it may very well get me into fall.  At home in central NC, our leaves don't turn until mid-late October and depending upon how hot/rainy our summer is, sometimes, our leaves just turn brown and fall off.  So it's nice to see the color change begin.

But I digress...

Today also brings another {PIN}spirational Challenge!

If you can tell by our inspirational photo --- 

our challenge this week is

Anything Goes Challenge --- 

Create whatever you want from whatever inspiration you get!

We have two great sponsors:

Sami Stamps

and 

Flat Friends 

Each are offering a great prize!

Thank you for sponsoring us!  

My card ---

 using the digital image 

"Walkies" 

from Flat Friends.

SPIES:

STAMPS: Walkies Digital Image (Flat Friends); Sentiment - Snarky Sentiments (Lil' Inker Designs).

PAPER: White card base; Cotton candy cardstock. DP - From stash.

INK: Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics on digital image.

EXTRAS: Diamond Stickles dress flower; white flower sequins; light green candy dots (Stampin UP).

For following Challenges:

Paper Sweeties September Challenge

Happy Little Stampers --September Sketch

Seriously Inking

Happy Monday!  

Hope your week is off to a fabulous start!

Put some fun and color into it every week by

checking out 

The Pink Elephant Challenge #270!

This week is a Theme --- 

Anything Goes!

Yep, you can do whatever your heart desires and link it up with Ella and the rest of us at The Pink Elephant!

Don't forget to stop by The TPE Blog and check out the rest of the design team's inspirational projects!  Then share those "Anything" projects with us!

Here is my card:

SPIES:

PAPER: White cardbase.  Teal cardstock and photo paper.

INK: Buterscotch, Stream, and Black alcohol inks (Ranger Ink).

EXTRAS: Straw; Sentiment die (Lil 'Inker Designs); Enamel dots (Recollections).

I saw the new challenge at Friday Mashup using the reinker painting technique and decided to play along and use it for my TPE "Anything" goes design card.  I don't have any reinkers, so I used alcohol inks on photo paper.  I think I got a similar effect as with reinkers.  It did remind me I do need a couple reinkers soon!  I also wanted to use more of my recent "happy mail" stash, so I used the seriously sentiment die from Lil' Inker Designs.

For Following Challenges: 

FM #179 - 

Reinker Paint Technique/Yellow-Teal-Black Colors/Or Both

Celebrate Your Day

Happy Sunday!  

I'm a little behind in posting due to packing yesterday and traveling today.  The Hubs and I are at my parents' for a week, helping them out around the house some.  Kind of a working week of sorts or I guess a true "labor of love".  

However, wherever you go, when it's Sunday it's always "Meet the Press" - or so it says on NBC television in the U.S.  hahaha  

No, actually if it's Sunday, it's time for another

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge- #280!

 Our sponsor this week is

Dilly Beans Digi Stamps

PRIZE:  3 Digis

Thank you for your sponsorship!

Here is our inspirational photo:

 This week is a color theme:

Lagoon  ~  Blossom ~ Cherry

So stop over at the Cupcakes Inspiration Blog and check out the rest of the Design Team's awesome projects!  Then link up your own project using this week's colors.  We love to have you play along!

Here is my card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Clown Digital image (Dilly Beans); Sentiment (Paper Sweeties).

PAPER: Teal, white, cotton candy, cherry cardstock; DP - various from stash.

INK: Teal Zeal on sentiment (Memento); Copics on digital image.

EXTRAS: Flag die (Taylored Expressions); Banner die (Lil Inker Designs); scallop die (Spellbinders); circle die (Spellbinders); Pink flocking powder; pink enamel dot; Stickles (on eyes).

For Following Challenges:

4 Craft Chicks #213 - Trio of Pairs

Two banners, Two pattern papers, Two embellishment mediums - Stickles and Flocking powder

Seize The Birthday - Xtra Toppings:  Pennants and Banners

Papertake Weekly - "Oh How Cute" Challenge

Sweet Cupcake Blessings!

Sequined Blessings

Happy Monday!  

Happy Fall in the Northern Hemisphere! 

The days are getting shorter and cooler.  Soon the leaves will change colors and drop from the trees, which in Cary, NC means leaf piles will line the streets and the leaf sucker (for lack of better term) truck will be a regular sight up to Christmas.  Christmas?  Can't wrap my head around that just yet.  

But I can wrap my head around ----

The Pink Elephant Challenge!

This week is a sketch!

Stop by the TPE blog and check out the rest of Ella's teams' projects for some added inspiration.  As always those ladies rock!

Then, play along with us by linking up your paper project using Ella's sketch this week.  We love seeing what you create!

Here is my card:

I took the photo below originally and just didn't like the lighting and all with the sequins.  It was taken at night and I had trouble with getting the lighting with my light box just right hitting those sequins.  So after I posted it I decided to try a photo under my desk lamp (see above) and while it's a little blurry around the tree, I like it a bit better.  I think it shows the sequin colors a bit more.

SPIES:

STAMPS: Sentiment (Sweet & Sassy Stamps).

PAPER: White, Brown and Reddish brown cardstock. DP - A Perfect Autumn (Carta Bella).

INK: Timber Brown (Staz On).

EXTRAS: Tree die (Die-Versions);  Cloud dies (Impression Obsession); Sequins; tea stained tag; ribbon.

FOR FOLLOWING CHALLENGES:

4Crafty Chicks #212 - Fall

Cute Card Thursday #339 - Awesome Autumn

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Rooftop Chat

Happy Sunday!

Time for a "sweet" treat ---

A Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - #279!

Our sponsor this week is 

Fresh Brewed Designs

PRIZE:  3 Digis

Thank you for sponsoring us!

This week's challenge is a theme:

Inspirational Photo by Claire Gevaux

We want to see your projects that include something about the city.  So stop by the Cupcake Inspirations blog and check out the rest of the Design Sweeties' inspirational projects for "Around Town", then link up yours and share it with us!  You might be our randomly chosen winner!

Here is my card

using

"From the Rooftops"

by Fresh Brewed Designs:

SPIES:

STAMPS: From the Rooftops (Fresh Brewed Designs).

PAPER: White, light pink, pastel yellow, teal green cardstock.

EXTRAS: Center Stage Coverplate(Papertrey Ink); Candy dots (StampinUp)

FOR FOLLOWING CHALLENGES:

Colour Me Card Challenge #38

Sweet Cupcake Blessings!

 

Hydrangea

I have another card today.  I've been on a creative roll the past couple days and all I can say is it's about time!  The past 2-1/2 months have been very frustating for me battling a nasty GI infection that <knock on wood>, after 3 rounds of antibiotics, seems to finally be gone.  With fall creeping upon us and the holidays not far after and all my "happy mail" I've gotten lately, I'm itching to get my creative visions on paper!

I made this card especially for the challenge at Color Throwdown.  This week the colors are just so gorgeous.  I pulled out one of my favorite stamps, the Hydrangea from Hero Arts.  We have two blue hydrangea bushes in our yard and as I practically missed most of the summer, I created my own little summer bloom.

I stamped it once in Pear Tart and then stamped it again in the Bahama Blue and fussy cut the flower bloom and popped it up.  The cover plate just came in the mail today so I whipped it out to try and I looooove it!  That's probably a major record for me on using new supplies ---- fresh out of the mailbox and on the card!  lol  The sentiment die also came today, a complimentary die with my order from Taylored Expressions.  Got to love the freebies!

SPIES:

STAMPS: Hydrangea (Hero Arts).

PAPER: White, grey and bright blue cardstock;  DP - Hip Hip Hooray (We R Memories) for green banner. DP-Black Jack (Recollections) for sentiment banner.

INK: Bahama Blue and Pear Tart (Memento).

EXTRAS: Center Stage Coverplate (Papertrey Ink); Flag banner die (My Favorite Things); Banner die (Reverse Confetti); Sentiment Die (Taylored Expressions); light blue ribbon; sequins.

For Following Challenges:

Color Throwdown #309

Blooming Blessings!

"Glowing" Spooky!

Good Morning Again!

Time for 

The Pink Elephant Challenge #268

This week is a Technique:

Embossing Technique

(Emboss Folder, Dry Emboss, Faux Emboss, Etc).

Stop over at Ella's blog and check out the rest of the Design Team's projects --- talented ladies who always inspire!

Here is my card:

I got some new supplies the past couple weeks and have been trying to use them right away (which I rarely do).  I made my background using a spiderweb stencil, modeling paste, and glow in the dark emboss powder.  Yes ---- "glow in the dark" embossing powder.  I saw it at SimonSaysStamp.  It turned out really cool!  I wasn't sure emboss powder would stick to the modeling paste but it did. When I heat set it, it bubbled up but I think it gave the spiderweb a more textured and eerie effect.  

When I got the powder I thought it would be really good for ghosts.  Well, lo and behold, this gal has absolutely NO ghost stamps!  I bought a ghost die and have ordered another one but then discovered --- not one ghost stamp in my craft room. Not that it's that big of a deal.  However, I wanted the ghosts on this card to "glow" too.  That made for a little more mess because I had to cut them out and then press them on Versamark and then verrry carefully heat set them.  I've already had nasty finger burns from my glue gun.  Don't need them from the heat gun too!  Anyway, they didn't turn out too badly.  They got covered well.  I also used a new stamp set from Lil Inkers of scary faces (it's the set that goes with the ghost dies I ordered after getting the stamp).  The smallest face fit nicely on this ghost die.  I originally had the "spooky" sentiment cut in orange cardstock, but decided to "glow" it up too.  The cauldron is a sticker, I think Jolee's.  I embossed some orange patterned paper for the bottom border as well then tied some black tulle with a teal button.

Here is a photo I took in my dark bathroom to show the card "glowing" in the dark.  Took me about 50 shots using a remote and tripod.  I'm so thrilled that it worked!  

SPIES:

PAPER: Black and white cardstock; DP-An Eerie Tale (Graphic 45).

INK: Light modeling paste; Glow-in-the-Dark emboss powder.

EXTRAS:Ghost die (Die-Versions); Spooky sentiment die (Lil' Inker Designs); Spider web stencil (ClearScraps); Polka dot emboss folder (Cuttlebug); Cauldron sticker (Jolee's); black tulle; teal button.

For Following Challenges:

Hope you play along this week with Ella's Embossing Technique Challenge.  

We love having you play!  

And don't forget to give 

the Design Team some blog luv as well!

"GLOWING" Pink Elephant Blessings!

Believe In Butterflies

Good Early Monday Morning!  

SPIES:

PAPER: White cardstock.

INK: Fresh Lime & London Blue (Dylusions Spray Ink).

EXTRAS: Emboss folder (Quikutz); Square lattice stencil (Heidi Swapp); butterfly stencil; velvet sticker word; teal enamel dots.

Too much snoring going on (not me) so I got up and puttered around in the craft room.  Tried out a new Heidi Swapp stencil using some Dylusions spray ink.  The butterfly image is actually also a stencil from some old scrapbook stencil templates I've had for over a decade.  I was going for kind of an opposite effect from the Muse sample and then decided to put the sentiment right on the image too.

For Following Challenges:

Muse #84

City Crafter Challenge #228 - Butterflies

*Leave A Little Sparkle*

Tonight I have a "selfie" card...for the "Sketch Selfie Share Challenge" at Taylored Expressions.  The rules were to make a card using the sketch (see below).  Take a "selfie" with the card and link to Taylored Expressions Blog.  Then, give or send the card to someone.  Above is my Selfie. Below is a larger photo of my card alone.  I used all Taylored Expressions stamps and dies except for the tiny hearts, which are a Paper Sweeties die.

I bought the sentiment stamp this spring and haven' t had a chance to use it.  I am also entering my card at the Fusion Challenge as their inspiration photo has a pink car in it and I thought using the TE beetle bug car stamp stamped in pink and sparkled up with Stickles would be perfect for this sentiment!  

SPIES:

STAMPS: Sentiment (Taylored Expressions); Bug car -Wheely Great (Taylored Expressions); Flowers -Friendship Blooms (Taylored Expressions).

PAPER: White, black, lime green & peppermint cardstock; DP - Fresh Cut (Basic Grey).

INK: Peppermint, Pear Tart (Memento). Copics for coloring on sentiment and flowers on car.

EXTRAS: scallop die (Taylored Expressions); Flower dies (Taylored Expressions); Bug car die (Taylored Expressions); Small tag (Reverse Confetti); mini heart die (Paper Sweeties); Crystal Stickles, white glitter, black enamel dots.

After stamping and die cutting, I put everything together but the car.  Then, I stickled the car and some of the sentiment and glittered the mini hearts.

For Following Challenges:

Sparkling Blessings!