Loads of Stars card

I really like the sketch over at ippity Chick Challenge this week so I made this stars card with that sketch.  I think it's final purpose in life will be to be a Father's Day card from DS to DH this year.  DS said he really liked the card as I worked on it so it seems appropriate.

The kraft (Crumbcake) card is actually cut a bit small and mounted on the black paper so that it has the black frame but opens to a kraft interior.  

Ingredients:
Stamp: (Authentic Man): ippity
Paper: (Basic Black, Crumbcake, Whisper White): Stampin' Up
Ink: (Cranberry Crisp, Really Rust, Old Olive, Handsome Hunter, Basic Black, Night of Navy, Eggplant Envy, Bravo Burgundy, Basic Brown): Stampin' Up, (Walnut Stain): Tim Holtz
Misc: Hemp twines

Challenges:
Unity Opportunity ippity Challenge: Masculine
The Corrosive Challenge: Anything Tim (Walnut Stain to dinge up the card and stars/sentiment)
Simon Says: Kaleiscope of Color
Chick Challenge #28:

National Scrapbooking Day Events

I'm sure you've all heard by now but National Scrapbooking Day is Saturday.  Yep.  A REAL excuse of why we need the day to scrap!  :)

Here are a few sites I've found that look like they'll have my attention this weekend:

Little Yellow Bicycle
Creating Keepsakes
Big Picture Classes
Frosted Designs

Charlotte Card

From the moment I saw Charlotte over at Kraftin' Kimmie stamps, I knew she had to be mine.  She cute.  She's got a mop of curls.  I can relate.  She's ever so slightly... off?  Just look at that twitch.  I can relate to that too.

I actually colored this image in nice bright colors a few weeks ago and had the background flower-piece die-cut at my LSS during a scrap to go with her.  I just wasn't sure what to do with her to finish it all up.  Got it!

Ingredients:
Stamps: (Charlotte): Kraftin' Kimmie, (Lunar Lights): Lawn Fawn

Paper: (Teal, Whisper White): Stampin' Up, (Pocket Full of Posies): DCWV
Misc: (Die cut): Cherry Lynn or Momento, Copics, Scalloped scissors

Challenges:
Kraftin' Kimmie: Spring

Southern Girls Challenge: Girly

Sweet Stop Sketches: #156: Used sketch #121

Birthday Bot

Just a quick card needed for a 5 year old boy's birthday party this afternoon.  The invites featured Transformers so I thought I'd go with a robot.  Granted, mine's a cute robot and not a galaxy-searing one but you go with what you've got.

Ingredients:
Stamps: (Tin Man): Technique Tuesday
Paper: Stampin' Up
Ink: (Tempting Turquoise): Stampin' Up, (Momento Black): Tsukineko
Misc: Copics, Ribbon, Watch parts

Challenges:
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays: Birthday
The Kraft Journal: Just for Kids
Shopping Our Stash: Starts with a "b" (Boy, Birthday, Bot)
Skipping Stones:  

Dressed to Impress

I've been wanting to get in on an "Altered Alice" challenge but just couldn't come up with something that I wanted to enter.  Until now.  This month's theme is "Splendidly Dressed."  I've also wanted to get the Octopode Factory's Alice images for a haul now and while I'm not a huge digi person, they're definitely more affordable and flexible than rubber so I picked up 2 of Lily's images.  One, unsurprisingly, is the Cheshire Cat.  That only leaves us with the questions of what would the Cheshire Cat do to dress up and more importantly, WHY would he?  The answers I came up with are he'd probably wear a schnazzy collar and:

So.  Is it as ZZ Top said and 'cuz "every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man" or is it simply 'cuz "every girl's crazy" in Alice?  We may never know.  If you ever meet the Cheshire Cat, please ask him for me.

Details: The schnazzy collar and patches are made of a shimmery, metallic fabric that is from, wait for it, wait for it, a piece left over from my senior homecoming dress.  Don't make me tell you how old THAT is and why in the world I still have scraps of it over 2 decades later.  Yeah.  That long.

I put layer upon layer of Crystal Effects on his eyes to make them really shimmery and bulgy.  I also put a bit on his teeth to give them a glimmer.

Earth Day ATC

The Wicked Wednesday theme this week was "Earth Day" so I made a "hug a tree" ATC for it.

Ingredients:
Stamps: (A Tree for All Seasons): Stampin' Up, (Sentiment): GCD?
Paper: (Watercolor paper): Royal Langnickel
Misc: (Brad): Basic Grey, (Watercolor Pencils): Staedtler

What I did on my weekend off

So.  The boys did a 7hr road trip to see Penn State's spring practice/scrimmage- the Blue-White Game.  That meant from noon on Friday until 1am this morning when they got home, my time was MY TIME and I decided I needed to catch up on some scrapping.  I've been in card mode for months and I'm way behind on pages.  In addition to the Splash layout I just posted, I also did these:

I've got one other spread that I've started but haven't nailed down yet.  I wish I could have finished more but this is a pretty good jump.

Splash! Layout

I saw the sketch Studio Calico posted last week and LOVED it immediately.  I knew I had to play along- it was just a matter of getting the photos since I wanted to scrap my boys on a waterslide... that they were on last weekend.  In the end, the photos showed up in time and I finished the layout.

Yeah.  The lighting is atrocious.  Sorry.

Challenges:
Shop Your Stash # 48: April Showers Rain or Snow OR anything water related! Studio Calico Sketch (The green spritz is Pickle Mr. Huey, the blue a home brew)

Ippity Inspiration Project

It was a new week at Get Hippity with Ippity Challenge this week and it's Friday which means it's my inspiration project day!  May I just say that this one was definitely a challenge for me not because it's a hard theme- rain or showers- but because I have NO rain or showers related stamps.  Needless to say, that means that things get creative and in the end, I think that's a good thing.

I decided to make a scene of the sun shining through and holding off the rain.  I've used a brayer to put a gradiation of ink on a card all of once before... at a class... with an SU demo standing over our shoulders giving hints... 3 years ago.  Needless to say, the brayer was a bit of a challenge... after I went out and bought a new one since I couldn't find the one I picked up more than 5 years ago and never used.  Yeah.  It all went swimmingly!  LOL!  I intended for this to be a lot lighter on the bottom than it is- more of a baby blue but all things considered, not bad.  The only thing I wish was that I'd moved the sentiment up into the top 1/3 of the panel.  I really wanted to emphasize the rain but it just comes off looking a bit off-balanced.

I used Quotes a'la Happy for the sun and sentiment and Authentic Man for the rain (I was going to just put dashes in by hand when I realized Authentic Man has a stamp that could do it for me.)

If you're interested in buying these or any other great ippity sets and you don't yet have an ippity Chick, definitely keep Aletha Williams in mind!

Ingredients:

Stamps: (Quotes a'la Happy, Authentic Man): ippity

Ink: (Bliss Blue, Night of Navy, Basic Black): Stampin' Up

Paper: (Whisper White, Night of Navy, YoYo Yellow): Stampin' Up

Misc: (Twine): The Twinery, Copics

Challenges:

Shopping Our Stash #48: April Showers Rain or Snow OR anything water related (As for stash- I have a load of twine that I've won on line during the past year and while I've wanted to use it, I just haven't.)

Quick "bug" ATC

I had to get something done for the Wicked Wednesday's ATC challenge this week (Getting Buggy) but between recovering from my MIL being here for a LONG weekend last weekend (ie. vacuuming, laundry, needing to cook, etc. after she left... you can't clean and do laundry when she's around- she HAS to help which actually really bugs me.  Sounds counter-intuitve, I know- if someone helps, LET THEM, right?  The thought of her handling my underwear and such skeeves me though.  LOL!) and then heading to the beach (the packing, going, and recovery) meant that there hasn't been much crafting time in nearly 2 weeks.  So quick and dirty this morning.  Overall, I like this but it's just a bit too stark.  However, quick and dirty.  Do it, done it, leave it!

Ingredients: Paper: (Whisper White): Stampin' Up
Stamps: (Botanicals): Stampin' Up
Ink: (Handsome Hunter, Garden Green, Forest Foliage): Stampin' Up, (Momento Black): Tsukineko
Misc: Copics, Pop-dots

2nd Fairy ATC

I was trying to figure out what to do for my 2nd entry and I REALLY like where this one finished out. Thinking woodland brought me to my Lawn Fawn "Critters in the Forest" set. Nothing there is a fairy but not to say nothing COULD be.

Ingredients:
Paper: (Whisper White): Stampin' Up, (Wild Things): Queen & Co, Manilla folder
Ink: (Basic Brown, Old Olive, Real Red, Garden Green): Stampin' Up
Stamps: (Critters in the Forest): Lawn Fawn
Misc: (Watercolor crayons): Stampin' Up, Watercolor pencils, Googly eyes


Challenges:
Wicked Wednesdays #26: Forest Fairies and Wood Nymphs

Fairy ATC

The challenge this week over at Wicked Wednesdays is Forest Fairies and Wood Nymphs.  I have exactly one fairy stamp so needless to say I used it.  As Yoda would say, "Thrilled with the results I am not."  The background came out much more brown than green and lavender like I'd planned and the wings don't quite match the color scheme I set out with.  She's much flatter than I'd like.  Kay sera sera.  The more I muck with it, the muckier it gets so I'm going to say complete and move on.  (I do like the wings- feather wings pulled off of a decorative butterfly.)

Ingredients:

Paper: (Whisper White): Stampin' Up, Manilla folder

Stamp: (Garden Fairy Katie): Paper Pretties

Ink: (Basic Black): Stampin' Up, (Milled Lavender, Broken China, Shabby Shutters, Walnut Stain): Tim Holtz

Misc: (Watercolor crayons): Stampin Up, Watercolor pencils, Feather-winged butterfly

Challenges:
Wicked Wednesdays #26: Forest Fairies and Wood Nymphs

GHWI Color Challenge

I have to admit I've been quaking in my boots (ok, Tevas) about this one since I first saw this Get Hippity with Ippity color challenge.  The colors (from Design Seeds) are lovely.  The picture is gorgeous.  I just couldn't come up with anything using them all.

I made something.  I won't share.  It had some potential but when I added in a true grey, it all went further south than here in NC for the winter.  However, I then got smart and asked (duh!  Start by asking and you won't have to make as many botched efforts!) and it turns out that you don't have to use ALL of the colors.  SCORE!  First try got me something I like.  YAY!  It all worked out for the best though- I didn't have this set of stamps when I made my first go at the challenge.

I stamped the fish and sentiment with VersaMark and embossed them with a glittery gold EP.  I then rubbed them with a bit of green and bronze Pearl Ex to give them a bit of luster.  I stamped the kelp and other greenery with both the olive and burgundy inks, making only minimal efforts to line the stamps up- I wanted to see what the offset effect was and I like it.  I fussy cut some of the greens to layer them with the fish and generally add a bit of depth to it all.

The base paper is kraft (Crumbcake) and actually lands somewhere between the grey and tan colors depending on the light.

Please join us in this challenge.  You don't need to use a Unity or ippity stamp but it's nice if you do and it'll get you an extra entry in the drawing.

Ingredients:
Paper: (Kraft, Really Rust, Certainly Celery): Stampin' Up, (Burgundy/Brown, Green DP): ?
Ink: (Old Olive, Bravo Burgundy): Stampin' Up, (VersaMark): Tsukineko
Misc: (Jeweled Gold EP): Stampendous, (Green Yellow & Super Bronze Pearl Ex): Stampin' Up/Jacquard
Stamps: (Fishy Philosophy): ippity

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp: Favorite tool (LOTS and LOTS of fussy cutting with my favorite pair of small, sharp scissors!)
Desert Island Crafters: #28: For a child 10 or younger, masculine, brown, maybe humorous/punny sentiment

Happy Spring Chick

I don't generally go too cutesie but I really like a set I won the other week over at Chick Challenges and it's certainly the right time to use it so I made a card for this week's Chick Challenge with it.

As you can see, there was a fair amount of fussy-cutting... shocker, right?

I gave little Chicky-poo a slightly mottled color for depth and reality. 

Ingredients:
Stamps: (Sweet Thoughts of Spring): ippity
Ink: (Black Momento): Tsukieneko
Paper: (Whisper White): Stampin' Up, (Pocket Full of Posies stack): DCWV
Coloring: Copics
Misc: (Ribbon): ?

Challenges:
iCopic Lover: #76: Project for a child
Embellies with a Twist: Easter (Does one strip of ribbon cound as an embellishment?  I'm going to say yes because I really don't embellish much to start with.)
Chick Challenges: #24:  (I flipped the sketch to work better with the thought bubble.  I could have mirror stamped it but I liked having the sentiment in the top corner for this.)

Chocolate Bunny ATC

I'm struggling with the fact I may have to do a "serious" ATC soon... but not yet.  :)  This week's challenge over at Wicked Wednesdays is "Easter or chicks/bunnies."  I just had to break out the chocolate bunny stamp.  (Amazing the difference in photos taken inside and out.  The 2nd is truer in color but the first gets rid of the heavy shadow.)

Ingredients:
Paper: (Whisper White, Chocolate Chip): Stampin' Up, Manilla folder
Ink: (Basic Brown): Stampin' Up, (Milled Lavender, Broken China, Shabby Shutters Distress Inks): Tim Holtz
Misc: Googly Eyes, Copic

Challenges:
Wicked Wednesday #25: Easter or Bunnies/Chicks
Sarah Hurley: #63: Easter
Tip Top Tuesday: #73: Easter or Animals
Scrapbooker's Paradise: #60  (I didn't go quite as golden as this little guy but the front bunny is definitely a lighter brown than Mr. Dark Chocolate in the back.  I also used the distress pads much the same as Pam over at Faery Rocks did on her SP Feature Product Sunday post.)