Mom of two

This is a Mother's Day card currently on it's way via mail (actually, hopefully it's arrived...) for one of my best friends.  

It's just obviously a simple card, but I was hesitant to go over-the-top.  She just lost her husband, and her kids lost their dad... I just wanted to recognize her commitment to her two kids.  You guys know what I mean?  I try not to over-think situations like this... I just thought if I kept it basic and beautiful, then it would be just that.  A simple recognition.

I'd like to share this at the current Crafting By Designs- May AG... though I'm not a digi user... I just like to share on AG's.  I love to look at AG challenges because you end up with such a variety of projects. It's like a little sample of the crafting population!

Supplies and notes:

• The circles were scribbled with a Zig Emboss Writer and heat-embossed with Ranger EP in Princess Gold 
• The gorgeous hearts were made by dripping Adirondack alcohol ink in Mermaid and Rust plus gold mixative onto a piece of photo paper, then splashing it with Ranger blending sol'n.  I then dabbed at it with a baby wipe.  OMG, it's too pretty.  I really wish the pix did it justice.  If not, try alcohol inks on photo paper yourselves... glorrrriousssss
• I used a Fiskars heart punch.  (I have more hearts left over-- you'll see them again... 
• Should I have rounded the corners???  Hmmm...

That's it!  I used a gold Sharpie inside and wrote a nice sentiment about how lucky her kids and dogs are to have her for their mom!  They are! :)

Little Monkey...

Here's my plaid creation:

Distress Inks: Victorian Velvet, Spiced Marmalade, Broken China, Crushed Olive.

I was inspired to make this project by the current challenge at Addicted To CAS: plaid.  I think it turned out cute!  A friend of mine found out that she's pregnant-- unexpected but welcome!  I saw this sentiment and thought it was just right to pair with this cute little monkey.

I'd also like to enter this into the color challenge at the current Colour Q Challenge #340... though my original interpretation of the poppy color was more California poppy than the Oriental poppy...

Supplies and notes:

• I made my plaid by using a Martha Stewart stencil with four Distress Inks, pictured above.  Thanks to the water-reactive properties of DI, I splattered the plaid with water and added a little interest, rather than just the soft lines, though those were nice,
• I edged this panel with ColorBox Chalk in Creamy Brown
• I also splattered some Tim Holtz Distress Stain in Vintage Photo across this panel
• The monkey stamp is from Prima, and the sentiment is from Inkadinkado, both stamped in SU! in Chocolate Chip
• I added Pebble Chalk, Inc. chalk on the cute little monkey
• The orange seam binding is vintage

Happy Saturday!  

Pink UFO!

The current Shopping Our Stash challenge caught my attention: I don't believe I've ever heard of a UFO, as in an Un-Finished Object!  

I have been really trying the reduce my stash for a few months now.  Thanks to this challenge, I brought this card out.  It's in the upper-left corner of this picture:

I started to go through my UFO and stash pieces... I stopped looking after my work space was covered...

Supplies and notes:

• The unfinished card was a 5x7" card on heavy kraft.  The striped stamp is from SU!, and it looks like I edged the scraps of DP with ColorBox chalk ink, probably Blackbird.  The sticker is from the dollar bins at JoAnn's... I think!
• Fast-forward to this challenge: I cut the card down to a 5x5" and punched the corners with a Fiskars punch
• The sentiment is from Simply Stamps.  I won it once when I didn't even realize there was a challenge going on-- I just left a comment... karma helped me there!  I love the stamps.  They are very good quality clear stamps.  Anyway, I used MementoLuxe in Tuxedo Black
• I added Liquid Pearls in Petal Pink... I made little hearts
• The twine is Darice. I finished my spool of Martha Stewart black and white twine and had to replace it.  I really like the quality of this Darice.  It seems more tightly wound.

I'd like to enter this at the SOS Challenge: Pink UFOs.  This is in honor of one of the former gals from the papercrafting world.  Damned fine tribute.

No!

...I do NOT wanna build a snowman!

Okay, so this card was the result of some straight-up play-time/therapy! If you've ever seen my stuff, you might be like, "Whaaaa...?" This isn't me: I don't often use cartoony or cutesy stamps (though I LOVE this set from Taylored Expressions). So here are the details:

• I love the knit stencil by Tim... though 'tis NOT the season! But I'm just the kind of girl who loves the pairing of items/themes that typically would not be, uh, typical. I love non-traditional xmas cards, high-heels with jeans, and fancy dresses with vans. And add pink and yellow knit patterns.
• I used Lemon Zest from Dylusions and some pink Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, sprayed heavily on the StampAnon stencil then monoprinted
• When the paper was dry, I had the idea to dig out my xmas bin in effort to find a stamp worthy of such a fab background.  Enter: The Grumplings!  In hindsight, I wonder if I should have added some white to the Grumplings to subdue the pattern behind it... 
• Stamps were inked in MementoLuxe in Tuxedo Black then colored with some fluorescent gel-pens.  Fun, right?

I will share this at the following challenges:

• Merry Monday #203: Ombre and glitter
  
• Simon Says Stamp, Wednesday: Stencil it
  
• STAMPLORATIONS: CASEplorations, May
  

How old would you be...

It's a great question!

Supplies and notes:

• Distress Inks in Scattered Straw, Stormy Sky, Crushed Olive, and Chipped Sapphire daubed through the StampAnon clock stencil. Water drops helped achieve a cool look, and I added drops of Chipped Sapphire for a nice bold effect on this panel, which was popped up on dimensional tape.
• The gears are Tim's, also.  I placed the pewter-toned gears into a used baggie (read: "already dirty with ink") with a few drops of Mermaid and Rust Adirondack Alcohol Ink. They turned out great. E-3000 was used to affix them to this card. I like that E-3000 is thick.  It's like a slow cousin of hot glue. 
• The sentiment is a stamp by Inkadinkado, stamped in Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink

I'd love to share this baby at:

• CBD: Let's hear it for the boys and men! 
• Colour Q #339:
  
• Brown Sugar #196: For the boys

Share Joy

I participated with a color challenge here:

This was so quick and easy, it's embarrassing.  But I am on a mission to reduce my stash-- I have all kinds of cute stuff, and this is one of those cards that will get used!

Supplies and notes:

• The black panel was embossed with a Cuttlebug and embossing folder, both from my homegirl Autumn at Sew-Paper-Paint... go check her out.
• The flower diecut is from a Kaisercraft pack from 2-3 years ago

I plan to share this at the following two challenges:

• Creative With Stamps #2: CAS
  
• Share Joy #33: I used color, and this will likely get mailed to a friend on the mend... I have a few now... :(  Stay healthy and happy, people!
  

HLS CASE in May

Busted this out this morning during a few minutes of inspiration... and the few minutes I had before Hubs was beepin' the horn for a tac-run to an out-of-town store:

Supplies and notes:

• I was inspired by Melissa's texture paste on a black background, so, oh yeah, I went there.  I used Teresa Collins modeling paste through a Martha Stewart stencil 
• Once dry, I painted the fox with Loew Cornel watercolors
• Wasn't fun enough, so I added some splatters with watered-down gesso
• Still didn't give me what I wanted, so I added some Aged Gold frantage by Stampendous
• I mounted this to a yellow card base in such a way that it matched Melissa's parallel lines.  The yellow card base was shared with me by that mixed-media superstar Autumn at Sew-Paper-Paint... thank you!

I made this for Happy Little Stampers CASE challenge for May, CASEing this card by Melissa Lane:

I'd also like to share this at CASology, where their current challenge is sprinkle!  I sprinkled a bit of that frantage-love.  So there's that.

Cheers!