JUGS 30 and ODBDSLC11

Oh, how I love Lauren Meader's templates! And I used one for this week's JUGS template challenge. This is the stocking stuffer, which I turned into a little yellow rubber boot! I also combined this challenge with Our Daily Bread Designs challenge to make a mother's day card/gift. Since my mother-in-law has horses, and likes to work outside and likes ladybugs, these are the perfect work outside boots for her. :) I evened out the bottom of the stocking, added the black sole and the black trim around the top and narrowed down the loop on the back. I think I will make a little bouquet of carnations to place in the boot the actual day, but to fill it for now I made these cute little paper flowers. They are created by layering two flower punch outs with a black brad on top of a crimped 1x12 in piece of paper adhered into a circle. I hot glued them each onto a lollipop stick and inserted them into some floral foam. It's so cheery!

Sweet Stop 52, JUGS 29 and ODBDSLC10

The Sweet Stop challenge this week was to use the sketch with a twist: use bows and buttons. The JUGS challenge was to use pink, green, lavender and yellow and create a birthday card. And the Our Daily Bread challenge was to recycle something on your card. I created a big puffy bow, by layering a sheer ribbon bow, a ribbon loop, a pink flower button and and purple plastic flower. My recycled items are the pink buttons, which I cut off a pair of pants outgrown by my girls and not fit for passing on to anyone else. They actually say Baby Gap on one side, so I had to use them upside down. The purple flowers fell off a headband my oldest daughter wears. When I saw the first one lying on the ground, I knew it could be used for cardmaking. : )

Our Daily Bread Designs challenge

I made this card for the wife of my husband's grandfather (how's that for confusing!) and I think she will love the elegance of it. The navy cardstock and happy birthday stamps are from SU!, the focal image is from Damask Designs from PTI stamped over a french script stamp from an unknown source. The dp an ribbon are from Hot Off the Press. I created the medallion focal surround with one of the small die cuts from the fleur de lis pendant die set from spellbinders.

Sweet Stop challenge

This Sweet Stop sketch challenge was really fun to work with. I acutally wanted to use this stamp and paper combo for last week's challenge, but it just didn't work out. But it did work perfectly this week. This stamp is one I've had for years and have NEVER used. It is really cute, but not my usual style. I think this card will be for the daughter of a friend. She will be twelve this summer. The paper I have also had for a long time and was starting to despair of ever using it in an attractive manner. The plaid reminded me of something summery and picnic-ish. The card is rather plain, but I think really cute!

Sweet Stop and Our Daily Bread

This card combines the weekly Sweet Stop sketch with the Our Daily Bread challenge to use stitching on your card. We could either use faux or real stitching, and I decided to use a real needle and thread. I started by stamping a flourish image (actually two different images) from Inkadinkado. I then poked holes with my paper piercer all along the lines. Then using DMC floss I back-stitched along the lines and and used french-knots for the dots. It took FOREVER, but since I turned it into a mother's day card for my grandmother, it was worth it. I don't know if I would do it again, but it was something fun to try.

JUGS sketch challenge

I (as well as many others it seems) have a difficult time making masculine cards. But as it is my husband's great-uncle's birthday this week, I had to tackle one. I have a lot of flowery stamps, which are not good for men at all, but I did have this seashell stamps. Since we live in a coastal area, I decided to go with a sea theme. I sponged waves onto my vellum layer, and created a "porthole" to frame my focal image. This JUGS sketch was interesting and took a lot playing around to make it work, but it was fun.