She Believed She Could

I decided to try one more thing before I have to go play mommy again. I have seen the Watercolor Bokeh technique at SCS before. It makes the most beautiful background and you're only limited by your imagination, or your colors of ink on hand! Well, when I saw Pat give it a whirl at Mark's this week, I figured it was time I gave it a try as well. I made this for my little girl. I say little but she turned 19 in October! Where'd the time go?? I will send this to her in a a week or two. I have cards lined up to mail to her - lol - funny huh?? I just mailed her a box and the elephant card I did a few weeks ago. I told her she was NEVER allowed to toss that card! Told her I'm her mom and would just know if she did.... ha ha! Okay, enough blabbing, here's the card:

I love the color combo, but like I said, there are soooo very many color combos you could use. The next one I do with be pink and orange. Okay, so now I have to clean up my mess. Who am I kidding?! I'm OCD!! I clean throughout my crafting, just like I do while I'm cooking or sewing or planting in the yard.... heck, I'm realllly OCD!!! Hope you try this tech soon too! TFSB

My Challenges:
So Suzy Stamps - March Challenge

Showin a little puppy love

I needed to make a dog themed card, MFP Speedy Fox & Friends challenge this week is "Who let the dogs out?" Since I still have a great deal of my craft supplies in boxes & since my studio isn't finished yet, I couldn't pull put stamps,.I decided to work with my punches! And, I knew my card was going in a totally different place than those shown as samples and already posted to the challenge. Sometimes, I am the fish swimming sideways, across the stream, instead of up or down. I'm fun that way to be honest. =)  So, here's my take on this week's challenge:

The base card is white. I then cut a sky blue mat and embossed it with my cloud embossing die. Then, I sponged clouds using white and Bermuda bay blue. I punched rectangles, ovals, squares, circles, and rounded rectangles out of sponged red CS for putting the hydrant together. I added sliver brads to the hydrant to mimic bolts. The grass is punched with a scallop edge and sponged with old olive and wild wasabi greens. I actually printed the sentiment on CS from my computer.  I've gotten really into doing this lately - making it possible to tailor what you wanna say to what you have created! That's it - using my punches again to create a little laughter & fun! TFSB

My Challenge:
Mark's Finest Papers ~ SFF 254 Who Let the Dogs Out

Pink Lotus Love

I am having way too much fun making these paper flowers! This card I created with the Oriental Sketch Challenge 70 from Friday over at Mark's Fine Papers. Since it was to be oriental in theme, and I'm having too much fun with the flowers - I opted to make a lotus flower that worked with the sketch!

 

So, here's my take on this week's sketch:

 

 

The color's aren't necessarily oriental per say, but I really like the combo. Again, the flower and leaves were created from punches. I added liquid glass and glitter to the center of the flower. I cut the petals out of baby pink card stock and then inked them with white fading into melon mambo. The leaves were punched out of two circles that I cut to shape and inked with two shades of green. I WILL make more flowers tomorrow while Wild Man is at school. No errands to run so I can take him to school and come create while I do a little load of laundry. Does laundry ever end??  TFSB

 

My Challenges:

MFP ~ OS 70

Bashful Blue Hydrangeas

Sunday I shared a card that showcased a tulip I made using punches. So it was funny when I looked at MFP's this morning to see the Monday challenge was to create a card using hand made flowers! I guess it was kismet to create more flowers! So, again, out with the punches to create one of my fav flowers, hydrangeas.

 

The flowers and leaves were made using a heart shaped punch the curly-q tendrils were sliver punched using a wide oval. The little leaves were punched using the build a bird punch.  I adore the background embossing, if you look closely you can see the image is of a fancy bumble bee! I'd forgotten what it was like to have inky fingers! I punched the flowers outta white cardstock and added the color myself. Even though I punched the leaves from 2 shades of green, I added ink for added depth. I had decided to give myself a French manicure tonight, but realize it's futile!

 

My all time fav flower is the carnation, so maybe tomorrow I will figure out how to create one using paper. =) Now I must play domestic goddess and run the vacuum then shampoo the carpet. My dear dooogie Bailey Bell came thru yesterday's rain with dirty paws. So, now my carpet looks icky! I think when we get new carpet I'm gonna ask for dirt color! Just sayin' it'd save me a lot ot time and effort!!  TFSB

 

My Challenges:

MFP ~ FOSTV159 - Handmade Flowers

My Manly Man & the Other Woman...

Made you wanna read didn't I?? Well, let me explain before you all think my hubby is a horrible man. THIS is the other woman:

 

 

He is the lead mechanic for one of the two the KSS Motorsports Kia Team race cars. They race in the World Challenge Series and travel a lot across the US & Canada. This pic was actually taken in the shop here in NE Georgia where we live. Here's a pic taken during a recent race:

I have a ton of pictures of hubby on track with his last team Krohn Racing, he was with them for 8+ years. I miss that team (and family) so much! But this is his 1st year with KSS and they don't go over the wall during the race so there's not as many chances to get great pics. Maybe as time passes I'll be able to have pics of hubby in action with Kia too.

So, now that you have the background of what hubby does and that he travels you will understand this next part. I always make a card and stick it in his suitcase or back pack while he's packing. I try to do this without being caught. The one time I didn't make a card he told me he was like "whaaaaat?!" Well, here's this week's card. I cannot take credit for coming up with this rocking card. I did however add the diamond plate embossing where the card I saw on Pinterest was smooth.

Is this card not the bomb??? I can't wait for him to find it on this trip. He leaves Wednesday. His races are always on Saturday  & Sunday and then he comes home. This week he's headed to Texas. I only had 2" hexies, so I could only fit 2 of them on a standard card. I inked with grey and white ink, punched a circle in the middle and layered with red and white - which just happen to be his team colors! I'm crazy about this card! Or should I say "nuts"?? LOL TFSB

Feeling Punchy Again!

It's so yucky outside that I decided I wanted to create some flower projects. Sooo, I remembered a lady from Australia who does really amazing cards using punches and dies, Valita's Fresh Folds. I created this card using simple punches and ink pads!

The tulip petals are made from SU's large oval. The dimple in each petal is from the scallop circle. I created the leaves using the wide oval, punched once and then punched again on an angle to create the ellipse shape. I burnished the vein down the middle and sponged the petals and leaves using 2 colors for more depth. The sentiment is backed with the same punch just cut up to mirror the shape yet fit properly. And I emboss the white layer before adhering it to the card. I love using my basic supplies in as many diff ways I can. It makes my investments more valuable and certainly more worthwhile!  TFSB

Soggy Sunday

It started raining over night here. It stopped this morning, but it's still chilly and wet outside. No opening windows round here today! Bummer!

Yesterday was super busy for me and I had no time to really craft at all - another bummer - but I did finish the little bunny for the front of this lime sherbet basket I made on Friday. I wish I had bigger oval dies, but this works for now.

 

The little brown basket (made weeks ago) started its life as a 246 box. It's so dang cute! The swiss dotted Bazzil card stock I made it with just makes the whole basket look even cuter!  And I used a set  old SU brads (wish they still made these beauties!) I will certainly be making more of these for all kinds of occasions! I have a gable box I'm decorating right now to fill with candy to give to a neighbor. She's hosting a Bible study at her home on Monday nights so I thought I take her a little gift tomorrow as it's our first get together.

 

 

AND, I have a this little, blue treat basket I put a punch bunny on in the efforts to find a quick & easy peasy Easter treat to hand out to Wildman's classmates, neighborhood friends and maybe a friend or two of mine. So far, this is in the winning seat. I may even stop looking. It's made with a scalloped square die, so there's little paper required! The bunny is punched from scrap I had in my scrap basket. I also punched little holes around the scalloped edge of the basket. OH! His adorable little bum, is a flower from the SU boho punch. Wish my bum were as small and adorable (ya know, like it was before kids - LOL!!) TMI? Sorry - but I know I'm not the only mommy that feels this way!!  =) Okay, off to create some more crafty goodness!! TFSB

Ugh, big words for small things!

Well, had my doctor appointment today. I have Lupus & Sojourn's Syndrome, I've known that for years, but still it never ceases to amaze me with each appointment a new term comes up and I have to laugh cuz if I don't, I'll cry. So, today's new medical term is: Livedo reticularis. It's a very fancy word for something I've had for years now, a lacy looking pattern under the skin. I always thought I was a really girly girl! So, no, I don't have a real need to go get any new tats cuz I already have a nice, rather "purdy lacey pattern on mah skeeen." Well, that saved me a couple 'a hundred bucks! That just means more paper crafting supplies for me, right??

Okay, now for the card of the day! Yeppie!! Go me! Go me!

 

In hindsight, I really should have fancied up the blue layer and probably the yellow strip too. What was I thinking??? Apparently I was still trying to learn how to spell and pronounce livedo reticularis! Bahhh Hahhhh!! Okay but, enough of this silliness. I pulled out an old Unity stamp set for this Unity Stamp Company challenge Friends with a Flare. How appropriate, huh?! I only just found they have challenges mostly cuz I've been absent from the paper world for 2 years. I also decided to link it to CAS-ual Friday's CFC137 spring music - I know it's not musical notes, BUT the tree branches flow like music. And in the spring all the birds sing while sitting in those very same flowing branches!

 

Anyhoo, here's my plain jane card, especially compared to the cards I've been creating lately with a gazillion layer and embossing and die cuts. Ahh, even the fanciest of card makers must have a little more subdued side. LOL  Okay, gotta go and link up. Hugs & TFSB!

My Challenges:
Unity Stamp Company ~ Friday Friends with Flare
CAS-ual Friday's ~ CFC137 spring colors and music

Mojo Monday on a Thursday

I'm  just a little behind. It's not that bad though. This is a wonderful site for me cuz I adore card sketches. It's a great way to start my week! Or, in this case, end my week! LOL! Hey, I try.

Here's the sketch for this week. I love her sketches. Such nice graphics too! Okay, so here's my interpretation of her sketch:

I've been so into this color combo lately. Black, gray, pink and white. Yummy! This bow is made of cream seam binding that I colored black with my Copic markers. I love doing that cuz then I always have the color ribbon I need.  Wonderful! Used my Copic to color the vintage SU image. The pick CS is embossed with large dots, the gray with small dots.  This card makes me happy! TSF

My Challenges:
   Mojo Monday ~  Sketch 389

Lovely Little Mini's

I've been working on a swap again. It's a swap I'm hosting and participating in. Whhhaaat?? Me? In a swap?? It's so unbelievable, I know. But hold on to your little knickers, cuz it's true! The swap is at SCS and it's for three little items: decorative address labels, postage holders and 3x3 mini cards. We often use those to thank to hostess or participants for participating in the swap. So, I've already finished my addy labels and postage holders - but I had to finish these.

 

I love the colors in these little cards! So cheerful and bright. Sweet little easy minis. Sometimes you just need a simple little project you can kick out and feel satisfied that it's cute and complete! This was certainly one of those!

 

Since I'm cooking dinner it means I won't be able to craft a bunch more today. "My" time is almost done, now I belong to the family. It's all okay tho... family's a good thang!  TFSB

The color of waffles

Ha, I love making up funny names for my posts! They always have something to do with my content tho... I am working on challenges and the two open swaps I am in. I've completed all my other swaps. Like I said before, I am challenge and swap crazy!

This card is for the Waffle Flower Crafts site. They gave us a color card and we were to take our inspiration from it. Here's the color card...

 

Such beautiful, soft colors. I love it! So, here's my card:

 

 

Yes, I crocheted the little flower. I have a bag of all sorts of colors and sizes that I work on while I watch tv.

 

Well, I have finally gotten an idea for the beach card I am working on for a swap. I've really struggled with this swap for some silly reason! But - now I'm almost done. Yeppie! Then all I have left is a 3d stall card. I'm trying to decide 'tween a lemonade stand, a pie eating contest booth or a fortune teller's booth. Ugh, just not sure - but I have plenty of time. They aren't due until May! TFSB

 

My Challenges:

Waffle Flower Blog ~ March 9-22 Challenge 

 

 

Punchy Flowers

Lately I've been really taken with my dies and rightfully so. Dies are the bee's knees! They are versatile and much fun! Wildman loves to help whenever I pull out my Big Shot. It's fun for kids and adults. But, yesterday I looked on the shelf and I saw all my sad little hand held punches. It was pitiful. I thought I actually heard a little sniffle come that direction! So, today I was determined to use my punches and show some love. So, I was delighted when I saw the Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp blog site. A spring card inspired by Pinterest pictures. There was one with an egg shaped cake with dark fondant and brightly color circle sprinkles. I let the paper spirits move me and this is where I ended up...

 

I decided to do a birthday sentiment so I could use the card for the Verve Stamps blog March challenge too! I was happy to be able to create the card for both challenges!  I like trying to use birthday stamped sentiments as I am part of the BRAK(birthday random acts of kindness)  team at SCS (splitcoast stampers). I will always use birthday cards for that group.

 

I simply punched circles in concentric sizes outta pattern paper, clipped "v's" round the edges and stacked them. I then pierced the center with different brads. The leaves were cut with a die - but no circles were made to cry by this act of punch defiance. I promise. I added bakers twine to the embossed cream layer and then pulled out two coordinating safety pins and stuck them thru the twine knot. Easy Peasy Punchy Flowers, huh? So, that's gonna be my submission for the Wednesday Challenge. Man - I love me a good challenge!! TFSB

 

My Challenges:

Simon Says Stamp ~ Wednesday Challenge

Verve Stamps ~ B is for Birthday