Best Wishes

Wendy W., the owner and designer of Repeat Impressions is having a birthday this week.  I created this card for her using some fabulous Repeat Impressions stamps.

This is the first time I've used this little butterfly.  I have used the larger one a lot and I LOVE it, I think this little one will be high up there on the list, too.  I heat embossed the sentiment with clear embossing powder after inking it up with versamark and then chocolate brown before stamping it.  The versamark helps keep the other ink wet enough to work with the embossing powder.  The white circle was in my bits and pieces stash, I trimmed it down a little to fit my image and the sketch better.

Supplies:
Stamps: Repeat Impressions "5123 W. Butterfly Sil. (sm)" and "1103 W. Best Wishes"
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large"

Challenges:
YNS #35--sketch

One Stitch At A Time #258--embossing (heat embossed sentiment)
Wags N Whiskers #174--wings
Southern Girls--Nature
Crafty Gals #63--show me the green
Creative Inspirations #247--nature
Crafty Creations #311--spring fever (butterflies are all about spring)
Fashionable Stamping #109--butterflies
Fussy & Fancy #159--things with wings
Crafty Calendar Challenges--mum's day or special female (Wendy is definitely special--a great DT leader)

Shy Beauty

Welcome!  It's time for another challenge from the Love To Scrap Challenge Blog.  This week it is a fan favorite: Anything Goes!  We have 3 fabulous sponsors:

Bugaboo Digi Stamps

Pickled Potpourri

The East Wind

I was given this gorgeous image from The East Wind: Aurora Daisy.  Isn't she stunning!!??  The image actually has a black line frame around it, but I trimmed it off (mostly by accident).  She is so sultr , I just had to go all girly with this card.  A lot of distressed layers and even some layered die cuts.

The bit of lace is a piece I "rescued" from one of the shirts my daughters had outgrown.  I always pass the good clothes along to a cousin, but make sure to remove anything that can be reused from the clothes that need to be thrown away.  I've gotten lots of buttons and some lace, even some zippers (which are perfect for zipper flowers), from doing this. The word paper is from an Encyclopdia set that my parents were throwing away.  I took one of the volumes just for this purpose.  It's pretty old, so it has that nice "vintage" look to the paper.  I altered my Fleur De Lis Squares die, but cutting out two, layering them and trimming off any overlapping oramentation to create a rectangle from a square die.  You can barely tell where they overlap.

Challenges:
Lacy Sunshine--anything goes
Kraftin Kimmie Stamps--anything goes (and I used the monthly sketch)

Hiding in My Craft Room #243--blending (I used copics, spectrum noir markers and a sponge dauber for my blending)
The East Wind #51--Recycle/re-purpose
Creative Fingers #105--anything goes
Dis Digis--lots of layers
In the Pink #90--spring flowers
Fresh Brewed Designs #10--anything goes
Inspiration Destination #77--anything goes
Penny's Challenge #269--anything goes
Crafty Creations #311--Spring Fever
Where the HeART Is #7--Easter or anything goes
Aurora Wings #25--anything goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Craft Dee Bow-Z--anything goes with handmade bow
The Paper Nest Dolls #3--anything goes

Supplies:
Stamps: The East Wind "Aurora Daisy" digi
Dies: Spellbinders "Fleur Di Lis Squares"; MFT "Blueprints 13" small banner and "Fancy Flourish"; Verve "Flag It" large banner

Cat's Out

Time for another What If? Wednesday challenge from The House That Stamps Built.  This week we have an adorable inspiration photo for you:

There's so much in that photo to inspire you, the colors, the patterns, the kitty, the splats . . .  Here's how I was inspired:

 I tried a fun new (to me) water coloring technique using dye inks and my clear stamp blocks.  Then I watered down some ink and splatted it on the background.  I heat embossed the cat and balloons with white powder after I let the paper dry completely.  I masked the sentiment so only the top line stamped on my banner.  I masked it again to put the rest of the sentiment on the inside of the card.

Supplies:
Stamps: Repeat Impressions "5116 I. Cat Sitting Sil.", "2516 G. The Cat's Out . . ." and "5126 W. Balloom Sil. (sm)"
Dies: MFT "Blueptrints 13" stitched rectangle and banner"

Challenges:
Word Art Wednesday #221--anything goes with uplifting sentiment
The Paper Girls #99--rainbows
Little Miss Muffet #133--anything goes
Creative Knockouts #132--die cuts/punches
As You Like It--favorite style of embossing (I really like dry embossing, but I love the magic of heat embossing)
Eureka Stamps #184--anything goes
Craftin' Desert Divas--inspiration photo (I used the colors)

Little Peacock

I won this image a month or so ago, and I thought she was just so cute I printed her out without a real plan in mind.  I've had this polka dotted ribbon (a piece of it) in my bits and pieces stash for a while and have tried unsuccessfully to use it on 2 other cards within the past month.  It just didn't work, but I made it work on this one. : )  It was the inspiration for the color combo.  I pieced her dress using white vellum that I inked up with green, turquoise and lavender inks then layered them as if they were sheer layers on her dress.  I used the same inks to sponge the background after I heat embossed the feathers with white powder.

Challenges:
Cards Galore Challenge--make a card
Pattie's Challenge #120--green
Card Mania Challenges #28--polka dots and/or stripes (polka dotted ribbon)
Crafting With Attitude--anything goes
Inky Impressions--Let's Hear it for the girls
Hanna and Friends #243--anything goes
Where The HeART is #7--Easter or anything goes
Crafty Cardmakers #139--go green
Fab n Funky Challenge #295--paper piecing
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--a bit o' green
Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps Wonderful Wednesday--sketch

Cute Card Thursday #416--lace or ribbon
A Day For Daisies #143--add pearls or beads
Crafty Catz--ribbon & bling
Pixie's Playground #220--anything goes with snippets

Supplies:
Stamps: A Day For Daisies "Peacock Magic"; Skipping Stone Designs "Victorian Summer" feather
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13"

Holy Night

Welcome, Everyone!  This is my mid-month inspiration post for Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra.  There is still plenty of time to play along with us--you have until March 31st to create any Christmas project and link it up for a chance to win 7 images from Bugaboo Stamps.  Here is my card:

 The green dotted paper and the green ribbon were in my bits and pieces stash.  And the number strip was already cut to that width, I just needed to trim the length.  I hope you get a chance to get inky and play along with us; it's a great way to get a jump start on your Christmas card stash:

Challenges:
Card Mania Challenge #78--polka dots and/or stripes
One Stitch At a Time #251--fancy borders (I used a scalloped border punch)
Clear It Out--theme: anything goes Stash: patterned paper over a year old (mine is at least two years old)
Creative Craft Cottage #59--Let's get sentimental
Penny's Challenge #268--anything goes
Inspiration Destination #76--anything goes
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday--a bit o' green
As You Like It--favorite style embossing (I love dry embossing, but there really is something magical about watching the powder turn with heat embossing)
Cute Card Thursday #416--lace or ribbon
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge #272--gold
Hiding In My Craft Room #242--super scraps Saturday
Crafty Cardmakers #129--go green
Craft-Dee BowZ--anything goes with handmade bow

Supplies:
Stamps: Verve "Peace On Earth"
Dies: Spellbinders "Classic Circles, large" and "Scalloped Circles, large"
Fiskars "Apron Border" punch

Birthday Greetings

Hi!  It's time for another What If Wednesday Challenge from The House That Stamps Built.  This week it is a Designer Choice and the challenge is to make a card with more than one fold.  My card is sort of a flip card.  A while ago, someone gave me a whole bunch of card making supplies and there were a bunch of these blank card bases cut and folded in the stash.  So far, this is only the second one I've used, but I have really liked how each card turned out.  It's hard to get a good photo of the front of these cards so I took several:

Don't you just love that patterned vase?!  I think it turned out really pretty and it really highlights those gorgeous tulips.  The large butterfly was in my bits and pieces stash, so I just punched out the two little ones to go along with it.  I added a small rhinestone to each for a little sparkle and the gold corner piece because that corner needed just a little something.

 Here is is starting to open:

 And here is the inside with a nice little place for the sentiment and a small handwritten note:

I even decorated the inside of the card following my Project of the Week tutorial that was posted on The House blog on Monday.  Actually, this card was in the inspiration for that tutorial.

Supplies:
Stamps: Repeat Impressions "1317W Vase of Tulips", "1113W Birthday"; "9206W Beautiful Days"
Dies/punches: Verve "Mini Classy Label"; MFT corner bracket and "Fancy Flourish"; Martha Stewart butterfly punch

Dis Digis--use 2 or more dies
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper--anything goes with patterned paper
Cuttlebug Mania--welcome spring (tulips are a spring flower around here, and the butterflies start coming back in the spring)
Crafting with an Attitude--anything goes
Scor-pal #24--in like a lion, out like a lamb (I went with the spring theme)
Creative Inspirations #246--pretty projects
Crafting By Designs--anything goes for March
Inspiration Destination #75--anything goes
Suzy Bee's #120--a touch of spring
Jo's Scrap Shack #128--anything goes
Creative Fingers #104--anything goes
A Gem of a Challenge--spring
Lacy Sunshine--anything goes
Eureka Stamps #183--paper piecing
Clear It Out--theme: anything goes Stash: patterned paper over a year old (the blue scrap is at least 2-3 years old, and I'm pretty sure the orange piece is coming up on two years old)
Creative Craft Cottage #39--Let's Get Sentimental
Sugar Pea Designs--2nd Birthday Bash

Fluttering By

This is another card that started out with a scrap of ribbon that I didn't end up using. : )  That ribbon has lavender, turquoise and green dots on it and was the inspiration for using this beautiful soft lavender ink.  But when I got it all finished, the white background of the ribbon was just two bland.  I had this green organza piece in my bits and pieces stash and it was the perfect combo between enough color and enough softness to match with the rest of the card.

I stamped the background with wild wisteria ink from SU!  I heat embossed the butterfly with white embossing powder and sponged the same wisteria ink over the image.  LOVE how it turned out.

Supplies:
Stamps: Skipping Stone Designs "Timeless Textures" background, "Victorian Summer" butterfly and "Dandelion Wishes" sentiment
Dies: MFT "Blueprints 13" stitched rectangle" and "Blueprints 12" stitched circle; Spellbinders "Teardrop Circles"

Challenges:
Di's Digis--use 2 or more dies
Fussy & Fancy #158--Shabby fun bingo (I used the something old {the background stamp}, something new {the butterfly stamp}, frills and/or lace {ribbon}, and pretty pearls, too)
Skipping Stones Design--sketch

Cuttlebug Mania--spring (I used spring colors and butterflies start coming around in the spring)
Creative Inspirations #246--pretty projects
Word Art Wednesday #221--anything goes
Mod Squad--feature a creature (butterfly)
The Paper Shelter #238--Bingo (I used the text, ribbon and pearls row)
Inspiration Destination Challenge Blog #75--anything goes
Simon Says Wednesday--touchy feely (the ribbon, the heat embossing, pearls, stitched die)
Fresh Brewed Designs #9--spring (spring colors)
Suzy Bee's Bloomin' Challenge #120--a touch of spring
A Gem of A Challenge--spring
Hiding in My Craft Room #241--spring colors
Simon Says Monday--make your own background
Pixie's Crafty Workshop #219--anything goes with snippets (the snippet of ribbon and both circle die cuts are from white card scraps
Creative Craft Cottage #59--Let's Get Sentimental