Monday, June 29, 2020

Ice Cream

The Little Scraps of Heaven owner/artist, Tricia Veinot Moore offers a weekly freebie. This week you can get this sweet digi named “So Cool2” HERE until Thursday July 2nd for free. (Also, Tricia has all of her wonderful images- individual images and sets regularly priced up to $5- all on sale right now for just $1. So stop by soon and I’ll be you will be adding several of her cute digis or sets to your collection!) The digi came with a cut file, which allowed me to cut out all the pieces of this sweet image and then glue them together using the photo as my guide. Super easy!  A corrugator that I rarely use, helped add texture to the cone that was cut from a scrap of cardboard. I used small white brads to decorate the sunglasses and made the lenses from a black plastic translucent document folder. (These wonderful items come in a pack of assorted colors and can be found in the office supply section of most stores. I really like using them on my cards because they're cheaper than colored vellum and the plastic is easy to cut with a nice, sharp pair of scissors.) The lighthouse background is from a memo pad I picked up at TJ Max years ago. I had to create a card base larger than my usual, but it helps the little cutie not overpower the card. The sentiments are computer-generated.
 
Supplies: 
·   Digi- Little Scraps of Heaven (So Cool2)
·   Sentiments- Computer Generated
·   Blue parchment cardstock and a corrugator from my stash
·   Lighthouse scenery background- a memo pad from my stash
Entered into:  
Little Scraps of Heaven- Ice Cream  (FB) 
Lemon Shortbread Challenge- Anything Goes #122
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week 24 Anything Goes                         
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                                      
A Perfect Time to Craft 2020-Anything Goes- Challenge #6-2020

I love butterflies because they carry the message of hope following a struggle. After three months of COVID related restrictions and concerns, I think we can all use a little hope! So I love the Butterfly Challenge.  The sponsor, Mrs. A provides instructions for making a different creative fold card for each challenge. Her instructions make the current “Z Fold” super easy to make (Mrs. A. actually provided two different versions of the card. I chose the simplest one!) My card featured one color (Zenchua or Light Purple), one theme (z-fold), plus the butterfly!   The butterfly is adhered to the card with double-stick tape, plus a few strips of acetate taped to the underside of the wings and the card base holds the butterfly in place and helps provide support.
Supplies: 
·   Digi- Graphics Fairy Freebie (Butterfly)
·   Colored with Decorative Chalks, Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Sentiment- Scrapbook label from my stash
·   Cloud stationery, floral paper, cardstock and acetate scraps from my stash
Entered into:  
Butterfly Challenge- #143 Z for Z-Fold  
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #444-445 Anything Goes                   
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- June                      
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #81

I wanted to create a card to enter into a baby-themed challenge at PowerPoppy and knew exactly which digi to use, Whimsy Stamps sweet “Cradled By the Moon.” A beautiful plaid digi paper, which is a freebie from Beccy’s Place, provides a wonderful background to the little babe. I had folded a few extra Z-fold card bases and decided to use one to hold a 5 x 3¾ piece of blue paper upon which I adhered the colored image and a sentiment. A computer-generated sentiment, smaller piece of the plaid background, and extra hearts cropped from the front sentiment decorate the inside of the card.  (I usually fussy-cut images... so it was a new experience to drop a PNG digi on top of a patterned digi. And I was thrilled that it worked! I have a feeling I'll be doing more of this in the future!)    
  
Supplies: 
·   Digi- Whimsy Stamps (Cradled By The Moon)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Front Sentiment- Papercrafts Magazine Freebie (no longer available)  
·   Inside sentiment- Computer Generated
·   Background plaid- Beccy’s Place (June Challenge Freebie)
Entered into:  
Power Poppy- Creative Confetti- Oh Baby!
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge
Bugaboo Stamps- June Color Challenge    
Beccy’s Place Challenge- June      

Friday, June 26, 2020

A Boy & His Dog

It’s Friday and time for the Colour Crazy Challenge. This challenge is also an “Anything Goes” but if adds a requirement- the creation needs to include coloring in “any colouring medium you like, onto any project you like, and in any colours you like.” I’ve never outgrown my love for coloring… which is why making cards is stress therapy for me!!
I loved creating my DT card, which features a wonderful image and sentiments from a Jan's Digi's set named A Boy And His Dog. I created the cloudy sky with decorative chalks, a handmade stencil and a makeup sponge. After using a white gum eraser to remove any chalk smudges from the image, I colored the boy and his buddy with Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen. A patterned paper background that resembles denim plus leather-look tickets fit in beautifully with the vintage feeling of the scene. (Note- The digi set includes this image, plus a dog dish, bone, line of paw prints and seven sentiments for just $5.00!)
  
Supplies: 
·   Digi image and paw print- Jan’s Digis  (A Boy And His Dog)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Cloud template cut from scrap paper, chalks and makeup sponge
·   Assorted background papers from my stash
Entered into:  
Jan’s Digi Stamps- Anything Goes 
Incy Wincy Designs- Man’s Best Friend/Fur Babies/Pets
The Paper Shelter- #433 Going Digital
Polkadoodles Challenge-Week 24 Anything Goes                         
Di’s Digi Stamps- Summer Fun                                                        
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- June                      

I stamped the Posie Ring with black pigment ink pad on a transparency sheet being careful not to smudge the image. These sheets of acetate are leftovers from days past when I used an overhead projector to make presentations. (Yep. I'm OLD!)  They are used to the heat of a copy machine, so can take the high temps of a heat gun without buckling.) Black embossing powder sets the pigment ink. Tombow glue is used to add the microfine glitter inside of the black embossed outline. I added a scrap of a swirly background paper behind the acetate because I like the way it sets off the pretty posies.
 
Supplies: 
·   Posie Ring wood- mount Stamp- Embossing Arts (company is no longer in business)
·   Inside sentiment- Printworks wood- mount stamp (company is no longer in business)
·   Cardstock, ink, embossing powder, acetate and assorted microfine glitters from my stash
·   Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue- used to attach glitter
Entered into:  
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                                      
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #444-445 Anything Goes                   
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #640 Flowers
A Perfect Time to Craft 2020-Anything Goes- Challenge #6-2020
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #81

I have something really different for this month’s Christmas challenges: a hand-stitched gingerbread cookie made from a lightly stuffed grocery bag! I plan to use it as a tree ornament but it could also be a gift tag (the backside is blank to hold a greeting, name, date, etc.) Here are the steps in making it: 1) Use the pattern listed below, reducing its size to make a 5x5 inch ornament. (I also shortened the length of the arms and legs because I like gingerbread cookies to be "chubby"!) 2) Fold a 6 x 12-inch strip of a heavy-duty grocery bag in half and lightly trace the pattern onto it. 3) Stitch the ornament together, leaving an open area at the top of the head. 4) Add fiberfill through the top of the head, pushing it into the arms and legs with a BBQ skewer or a similar item until evenly dispersed and to the desired level of puffiness. 5) Stitch the open area closed and knot the floss. 6) Use pinking shears or decorative zigzag scissors to cut around the ornament. 7) Add the eyes, cheeks, and mouth. 8) Use a hot glue gun to attach the hanger (made from a loop of twine), small bow and buttons. 9) Add “frosting” squiggles of white applique as desired. I’m entering this card into several challenges including Scribbles Designs Challenge- #90 Flip a Coin (this was a fun challenge! I flipped the coin the required five times and got two tails (if you include buttons and ribbon as a layer my card has three layers and made a shaped card/project), a head (followed a tutorial- actually, I sorta revised/developed a tutorial), a tail (added twine), and finished with the flip of a tail (upcycled item= grocery bag.)
Supplies: 
·   Pattern for Gingerbread shape found HERE
·   Heavy-duty grocery bag (can handle the stitching without tearing)
·   Polyester fiberfill and red embroidery floss, available from most craft/fabric stores
·   Pinking Shears, or decorative scissors with a  zigzag edge
·   Markers, buttons, and scraps of ribbon and twine from my stash
·   White liquid applique (White Nuvo drops or similar product should also work.)
Entered into:  
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #512 (Optional twist- Anything Goes)  
Rudolph Days Challenge- June [change link each month]     

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Beautiful Poppies

It's Wednesday! So time for another challenge at Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog where challenges are always Anything Goes and prizes are awarded from one or more sponsors.  Stop by the blog to check it out!
The sponsor this week is Sheepski Designs  and my DT card features a beautiful image named “Poppies.”  After coloring the blooms, I used a tutorial from The Graphics Fairy to create 3-D Poppies onto the front panel of a gatefold card with tissue paper. (Note- I picked up some tissue garland at Goodwill that worked well. Just added shading with markers. If you don't have colored tissue, you can also just use white tissue paper and color them with markers. Easy Peasy!) After finishing the Poppies, I used green tissue to add grass to the card front. The sentiment is from a Bugaboo Stamps set.
 
Supplies: 
·   Digi- Sheepski (Poppies)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Tutorial for TissuePaper Technique from The Graphics Fairy
·   Front Sentiment “Hope Anchors Your Soul”- Bugaboo Stamps digi set
·   Assorted background papers and black photo corners from my stash
Entered into:  
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #134 Anything Goes
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge- Anything Goes                                      
The Paper Shelter- #433 Going Digital
Cute Card Thursday- Challenge #640 Flowers
Outlawz Challenge- Twisted Thursday- Anything Goes
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #444-445 Anything Goes                   

The poppy card put me into a floral mood, so I created a colorful second card that features an upcycled calendar page trimmed with a deckle edge scissor. I’ve had the fun sentiment in my files for a few decades, generated it on my computer, and tore the edges to add a rustic feeling. The scrap of straw ribbon and provides a textured base for the sentiment. I attached the sentiment to this ribbon with a needle and embroidery floss, threading the floss through the sentiment paper and tying it with a knot. The bees were given a 3-D effect, by stamping extra images, fussy-cutting the bees, plus extra sets of wings and bodies, and layering them atop the fussy-cut bee base. Additional bees adorn the computer-generated sentiment on the inside of the card. The final touch was to add sparkly stickles to the wings. I’m entering this card into several challenges including Outlawz Monday Greeting Challenge- Flowers of Unusual tones (Since the beautiful ruffled tulips in this photo look like candy canes, I hope they fit the title of “unusual colors”), Di’s Digi Stamps- Summer Fun (Some people consider working in their flower gardens as summer fun… or at least enjoying the results of their garden labors as part of the fun of summer. I fit into that second group as weed pulling is not my favorite thing!) and We Craft Cards (must have 2 matching embellishments on the  card- mine has pairs of bees on the front and inside).       
  
Supplies
·   Sentiment- Computer Generated
·   Upcycled calendar page
·   Strip of woven straw ribbon and embroidery floss
·   Bee Wood Mount Stamp- All Night Media (company no longer in business)
·   Stickles- Star Dust (adding magic to the mermaid scales and tail)
·   Fiskars Decorative Scissor- Deckle pattern
Entered into:  
Jan’s Digi Stamps- Anything Goes
Outlawz Challenges- Monday Greeting Challenge- Flowers of Unusual tones
A Perfect Time to Craft 2020-Anything Goes- Challenge #6-2020

I needed to replenish my graduation card supply, and when I found this wonderful sentiment in my graduation file I decided to create an easel card to highlight it. Sometimes I make graduation cards that include the school colors. But I also like to have monochromatic ones that will work for any graduation, anywhere- high school or higher ed.  The addition of sparkly stars is a must! I’m entering this card into several challenges including Scribbles Designs Challenge- #90 Flip a Coin (this was a fun challenge! I flipped the coin the required five times and got Tails (card with at least three layers) three heads (a rectangular card, follow a tutorial- easel card, and use glitter- I hope glitter paper fits that category) and finished with the flip of a tail (add an upcycled item- mine is the brushed silver paper, which I saved from a wedding invitation since I loved its pretty sheen!)
  
Supplies: 
·   Front Sentiment- Decosses Dynamite Doodles (CS Lewis Quote)
·   Inside “Congratulations Graduate” Sentiment- Computer Generated
·   Instructions for Easel Card can be found HERE
·   Star template from my scrapbook stash
·   Grey parchment, metallic silver, and brushed silver cardstock from my stash
·   Graduation patterned paper from my scrapbook stash
·   Sparkly Heart Stickers- Hobby Lobby
Entered into:  
Outlawz Sunday Challenge- Songs and Rhymes- Starlight
Scribbles Designs Challenge- #90 Flip a Coin
Simon Says Monday Challenge- Reach for the Stars                    
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- June                      
Do-Al[l] Kreatives #42 Black, White & Another Color
Path Of Positivity Challenge- Challenge #81

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Two Critters & A Beauty

This sweet digi from Hetty Clare named Pony Plait is the freebie at this months Progressive Outlaws Challenge. I wanted to color the horse grey, so searched google for inspiration and found a photo of a Grey Arabian with wonderful mottling. (My FIL used to raise this beautiful breed of horses and I've always thought that they were almost magical to watch as they "marched" around the show ring!) After coloring him, I selected background paper and colored the rest of the image in colors that compliment the stripes. I decided to create an easel card and used a tutorial I found on Pinterest.  Then finished the card with two sentiments and few little puffy hearts stickers.  
 
Supplies: 
·   Digital Image- Hetty Clare (Pony Plait)
·   Instructions for Easel Card can be found HERE
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Instructions for Easel Card can be found HERE
·   Sentiment- TlcCreations Freebie (True Blue Friend)  
·   Assorted background papers from my stash
·   Puffy Heart Stickers- Sticko’s from WalMart (The pack contains 113 assorted puffy hearts for just 99 cents!)
Entered into:  
Outlawz Challenges- Progressive Freebie- June (Pony Plait from Hetty Clare Art)
Incy Wincy Designs- Man’s Best Friend/Fur Babies/Pets
Jan’s Digi Stamps- Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnut’s Patterned Paper Challenge- June                      
Let’s Craft and Create- #160-Anything Goes 

I made an additional easel card base to showcase a beautiful digi from Cute As A Button named "Peacock Mermaid." I created her image in the mirror by printing off an extra copy that I flipped after I copied the image onto paper, then reduced its size to fit within the mirror frame. [This is one of the many reasons that I like using digital images. They are so easy to manipulate.]  After printing the images I colored them with Spectrum Noir markers and a Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen.  I cut the oval shape from the inside of the mirror and taped a scrap of vellum over the hole. I then positioned the reflected image under this vellum and taped it in place, creating the look of a well-weathered mirror.  The sentiment from a Beccy's Place set.
 
Supplies: 
·   Digi- Cute As A Button (Peacock Mermaid)
·   Colored with Spectrum Noir alcohol markers and Sakura Gelly Roll white gel pen
·   Sentiment- “Beauty Is A Light in the Heart” from Beccy’s Place Digi set (Feathered Nest)
·   Assorted background papers from my stash
·   Stickles- Star Dust (adding magic to the mermaid scales and tail)
·   Small heart-shaped pink rhinestone from my stash.
Entered into:  
Cute As A Button-FB Progressive Freebie Challenge #37
Cute As A Button- #57 Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends- #134 Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Challenge- Anything Goes #511 
Outlawz Challenge- Festive Fridays                                                

My final card this post is a simple gatefold. And it went together very quickly with a pre-colored flamingo digi (that had a built-in sentiment), a few scraps of patterned paper and scraps of ribbon.  The inside sentiment is one of my favorite freebies from Desert Diva.
 
Supplies: 
·   Colored Digi- Imagine That! “Keep Calm and Flamingo On” (retired)
·   Patterned paper- Imagine That! “ Tropical Breeze” (retired)
·   Other patterned papers are from my stash
·   Inside  sentiment- Desert Diva Freebie (You Make Me Happy)
·   Sheer black dotted swiss ribbon- JoAnne’s
Entered into:  
Word Art Wednesday Challenge- #444-445 Anything Goes                   
Outlawz Challenge- Saturday Paper Ala Mode- A Splash of Pink               
Outlawz Challenge- Inlinks Challenge
A Perfect Time to Craft 2020-Anything Goes- Challenge #6-2020