Light and Bright Tuesday Trigger Challenge and GS #53

The card I made for you today fulfills two challenges.  The first is a sketch challenge that you can find at Get Sketchy and down below.  The second is the Tuesday Trigger Challenge at Moxie Fab World, which you can also find down below.  Both of these are weekly challenges that you still have time to enter.  The Tuesday Trigger Challenge always uses a picture for inspiration.  This week's picture inspired me by it's colors.  I used lighter shades of blue, pink, and yellow than the picture, but I thought they were a wonderful combination and I couldn't wait to get started.

I had these super cute flowers from Prima that I thought would work wonderful for the circles in the sketch and be the punch of yellow I wanted.  I chose a soft pink card base and all I needed was the blue.  I looked through my papers and the gingham paper from the Fly a Kite Paper Pad by October Afternoon fit perfectly.  I border punched the bottom edge, adhered it, and adhered the flowers with glue dots.  After I stamped my sentiment I thought it needed just a little something else, so I looked through my ribbon stash and found the perfect shade of American Crafts yellow ribbon and added it to the card front.  I think it turned out wonderfully!  I do have to admit that it was a bit of a challenge at first trying to fit into the perameters of two challenges at once, but it stretched my creative abilities and it was good for me.  I would recommend it, it makes you think.  And you just might come up with something completely unexpected and great!  So, take a risk.  Happy Crafting!

notecard, stamp, ink: A Muse Artstamps
patterned paper: October Afternoon
border punch: Martha Stewart
flowers: Prima
ribbon: American Crafts

Fun Today in the Clouds

I made this card for my brother's girlfriend for her birthday.  I think it turned out so cute!  What do you think?  I absolutely love these stamps by A Muse called Mandy's World.  They are some of my favorites!  You can use them for so many different things, they are just so versatile and so darn cute! 

I wanted her card to be fun, since it was for her birthday, so I picked colorful and girly papers and markers to go with the cloud paper I had already chosen.  Since the background was already so busy and colorful I figured I would stamp the image on white cardstock and just attach it to the card without any matting.  I colored the image with my Copics, my favorite markers.  I wanted the sentiment to stand out, so I stamped it on gingham paper, trimmed it into a banner and attached it to the cardstock panel.  I attached the panel to the card with pop dots to make it stand out that much more.  I had fun making this card and I think that helped the design come together.  So go make something just for fun or pull out your favorite stamps, whatever helps you have fun while you're crafting, I think you'll notice a difference in your work.

all paper, stamps, ink: A Muse Artstamps
markers: Copic

Stick to the Pattern #2

I did another card for the A Muse challenge Stick to the Pattern.  You can still play too until 8/31/10.  I used their cloud stamp for my background pattern.  I love this stamp!  It's become one of my go to stamps.  If I'm being honest I actually love almost all of their stamps, I'm a little addicted.  They are so cute, easy to use, and go together in so many different ways.  I can get inspired by just looking in my stamp drawers.  Enough gabbing, here's the card...

all paper, stamps, dye ink: A Muse Artstamps
markers: Copic
chalk ink: Clearsnap

Brighten My Days Chandelier

I have another card for you today that was a submission reject, but I really liked it so I thought I'd share it with you and see what you thought.  I normally don't like to put black and yellow together unless I'm using bee stamps because that's what they remind me of..bees, but I think it works here.  Besides working with challenging color combos it can also be frightening to mix patterns.  Some patterns that you think might look crazy together work if you just see what they actually look like when you put them together.  I thought these patterns together wouldn't work, but when I put them side by side they actually worked really well together.

I wanted the chandelier to be black like the one in my dining room, but I thought if I colored it with my black Copic marker you wouldn't be able to see any of the details, so I used a really dark warm grey.  That way I get the look of black, but still get most of the details of the chandelier.  I colored the flames yellow and then went over them with a gold spica glitter pen, which you can't tell in the photo.  And of course evey chandelier needs bling, so I added a yellow twinkle sticker.  When I look at the card I don't even think bees.  What do you think?  I challenge you to try a color combo that isn't your favorite or that reminds you of something, like bees, and change your opinion of it.  Or try using patterns that you aren't comfortable with or that you might not think go together, you just might be surprised with the outcome.  Happy Crafting! :)

all paper, stamps, ink, twinkle stickers: A Muse Artstamps
markers, glitter pen: Copic
circle punch, scallop circle punch: Marvy Uchida
apron lace border punch: Fiskars

GS#51

I have two cards to share with you and they are both based on this sketch.  I decided to base my cards on holidays, one we have coming up (Halloween) and one that has been long past (Valentine's Day).  I needed something small for the four "circles" and I immediately thought of a heart and got to work on the first card.  After I was done with my first card I wanted to make a second card and I looked through my stamp drawers and the candy corn was just calling to me.  It worked great!  The border punch in the first card is by Martha Stewart and it was my first chance to pull it out and use it.  I just love it!  It will probably become one of my go to border punches.  I hope you like the cards I have for you today.  There is still time for you to play and enter your own card based on this sketch at Get Sketchy.  Happy Crafting!

image #1

all paper, stamps, dye ink: A Muse Artstamps

pigment ink, chalk ink: Clearsnap

border punch: Martha Stewart

image #2

all paper, stamps, ink: A Muse Artstamps

markers: Copic

border punch: Fiskars

Stick to the Pattern Challenge-AMC 19

This challenge from A Muse allowed me to use some of my favorite stamps, my flower stamps by A Muse Artstamps.  I think they are so versatile and I use them for so many types of cards and in so many different ways.  Here I used them to create a patterened paper backround and then highlighted the trios of flowers by adding twinkle sticker centers.  I chose to make a Mother's Day card, but you could change the sentiment and make this card for almost any occasion..thank you, birthday, sympathy, congratulations, wedding, etc..  You could also change the colors to anything you wanted to match your style or the recipient's.  The ideas are endless really.  I'd love to see what you come up with. Happy Crafting! :)

all papers, stamps, twinkle stickers, black dye ink: A Muse Artstamps
angel pink dye ink: Momento
chalk ink: Clearsnap

Bonjour Daisy and Moxie Fab Challenge

Today's card is for the Tuesday Trigger Challenge called She Sells Seashells.  You can see in the picture the first thing that hit me was the daisy on the perfume lid and the gold in it.  I was also inspired by the pink color of the perfume/liquid in the other bottle.  I added gold Tattered Angels shimmer mist to the white cardstock pieces on my card, but it didn't show up in the photo.  To make the white daisy "pop" and make it look like I left it white intentionally I outlined it with a light grey Copic marker (W1).  The challenge deadline ends tomorrow, but feel free to play at home and email me your results. I'd love to see them!  Here's what I came up with.....

all paper, stamps, ink: A Muse Artstamps
marker: Copic
punches: Marvy Uchida
glimmer mist: Tattered Angels

Best Fishes Father's Day!

I may be posting randomly for the next couple of weeks.  I have a ton of deadlines and I just got a new laptop that I have to transfer all of my data to, so I will try and post as often as I can but I can't promise anything.  Thanks for sticking with me.  Hopefully it will be worth it in the end for both of us. 

I made this card for my dad (in-law) for Father's Day.  He's an avid fisherman so I try and use anything fish related when making cards for him.  When reading my posts when I say dad I am referring to my dad-in-law unless otherwise stated.  He is such a wonderful man and father.  I really never knew unconditional love from a father until I met him.  He really is the best.  Well enough talk and sappiness, you came for the card...

all paper, stamps, and ink: A Muse Artstamps

markers: Copic

Here For You Calla Lillies

I really love this how this card turned out! I did some masking on the Calla Lillies. For the bow on the stems I used a glue dot to adhere it, which works wonders for flowers too or anything little. You could also change the sentiment or colors and make this card for almost any occasion. I'll let you see for yourself...


all paper, ribbon, ink: A Muse Artstamps
stamps: Technique Tuesday
markers: Copic
die: Spellbinders Nestabilities

Make a Difference Doctor

I made this card for the office of my Naturopath. They are so wonderful and the whole office has worked with me trying to get rid of my awful migraines. I really wanted to make a thank you card telling them how much I appreciated all of them. If any of you are looking for a great Acupuncturist, Chiropractor, or Naturopath this is the best place. Enough about my doctor's office and more about the card. I love how this card turned out! I wasn't sure if it was going to turn out exactly how I had pictured it in my head, but I think it turned out even better! Tell me what you think about the card...


all paper, stamps, ink, twinkle stickers, ribbon: A Muse Artstamps
markers: Copic
punch: Marvy Uchida