Monkey Hello Card

There is nothing like waiting until the last few hours to play along in a monthly challenge. I had good intentions of getting my card for the April progressive challenge from Gerda Steiner done earlier. The image has been printed and on my desk for at least three weeks, but I'm pretty good an procraftinating!!!

All the patterned papers on this card have been in my stash for a number of years. The cardstock colors are Whisper White, Early Espresso and Mossy Meadow by Stampin' Up!. Using a stitched square die cut by Lil' Inkers the image was die cut and then colored with Copic markers. Then using Tumbled Glass distress ink I sponged the clouds. I added seven 4 mm aquamarine sequins by Pink Posh to add a little sparkle. The sentiment is from TPC Studios and was stamped using Early Espresso ink. That's it! Pretty simple and everything was adhered flat for easy shipping.

This Monkey Hello Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Gerda Steiner: Hang In There 
• Brown Sugar: For the Boys
• Aud Sentiments: Animals + Sentiment
• Crafting By Designs: For Boys or Men

All You Need is COFFEE Card

Hello! Inspiration to create a card comes from many different places. This All You Need is COFFEE Card was created for the Barista/Manager at my local Barnes & Noble Cafe. When I was working I stopped by several times a week on my way to work and we would visit. Then I stopped working and rarely stopped by. I was in town yesterday to run a few errands and popped in for my caffeine fix and I was happy she was working. During our visit she mentioned how she was ready for May to arrive because April had been a challenging month. So, I decided on my way home to make her a card to hopefully cheer her up.

To create this card I used the sketch from Paper Play Sketches for the layout. The digital image is called Barista Coffee Brentwood Owl by Jessica Lynn Original, it was colored with Copic markers and die cut with a stitched circle from My Favorite Things. Mr. Brentwood is obviously standing on a hill, when I cut the edge of the circle for the sketch... I didn't catch this detail (maybe I needed more coffee). For the patterned papers I used a piece of kraft with black polka dots from Core-dinations, cream crackle by The Paper Studio and two pieces of scrap paper for the banners. Using Antique Linen distress ink the edges of the papers were inked. The papers were matted to a piece of black cardstock and then stitched with cream thread using a sewing machine. For the All You Need is COFFEE sentiment I used an All You Need is Love stamp by Hampton Arts and masked the word Love and wrote in the word COFFEE. A decorative label punch was used to get the shape around the sentiment. That's it! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Paper Play Sketches: Sketch
• Dare 2B Artsy: Polka Dots
• Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes 

Circles with Bling Birthday Card

This morning when I saw the new Tuesday Morning Sketch created by Jessi Fogan, I knew I had to play along. My favorite basic shape is circles, so I took the sketch as it was created and used circles. For the background I decided to use some aqua Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist that I bought several years ago and have hardly used. It was sprayed onto a piece of Soft Sky cardstock  and dried with a heat gun. Then I stamped the circles from the So Many Smiles stamp set by Close to my Heart with VersaMark ink and then heat embossed with Basic Black and Melon Mambo embossing powders. The Happy Birthday sentiment is by Hero Arts and was also heat embossed with Melon Mambo. This card will be given to my teenage niece, so I had to add some bling. All bling is from Recollections. That's pretty much it!

This Circles with Bling Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Where The HeART is: Sparkle/Bling Anything Goes
• Eureka Stamps: Add Some Bling
• Shopping Our Stash: Think Ink (no coloring)

Thanks for stopping by and come back again soon!

Newton's Day Dream Card

Hello and happy Tuesday! It's time for another challenge at Tuesday Throwdown and this week the theme is Anything Goes, so create a new project and play along. We are honored to be sponsored this week by Newton's Nook and I've used the Newton's Day Dream stamp set on my card. There are a few digital freebies available at Newton's Nook blog, click here. You have until mid-day on Monday, May 2nd to link your creation. We look forward to seeing your entry in the gallery. Click here for all the challenge details and design team inspiration.

Newton's Day Dream Card Supplies: Pretty in Pink cardstock by Stampin' Up! (retired), bright pink cardstock by Recollections, patterned paper from the Hello Sunshine paper pad by Doodlebug Designs Inc. and DCWV from the Spring Mix paper stack. The Newton's Day Dream stamp set was stamped using Memento black ink and colored with Copic markers. Using Lil' Inkers stitched squares the image was die cut and matted to a slightly larger piece of Bermuda Bay cardstock. The 1.5" stitched sunshine by Lil' Inkers was die cut using a scrap piece of yellow patterned paper and the face was stamped using the My Kind of Peeps stamp set by Simon Says Stamp. The layout is from this weeks challenge at Sketch Saturday. That's it!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Sketch Saturday: Sketch
• Let's Color: Anything Goes w/ Something Colored

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

You're One of a Kind Card

It's always a good day when some crafting supplies are delivered to my doorstep! My Simon Says Stamp May Card Kit arrived and since my hubby was taking a nap, I played in my craft room. I used the Mojo Monday sketch, this week it's round or square and this You're One of a Kind Card is 5.25" square. Most of the supplies came in the kit but I added two scrap pieces of patterned paper to make the grass and the pink polka dot through the middle and colored the flowers with Copic markers. I love how happy this card turned out.

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Mojo Monday: Sketch
• Make My Monday: April Showers bring May Flowers
• Craft Your Passion: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Garden Bunny Mother's Day Card

Hello! I hope you're having a lovely and calm Sunday. It's laundry day here at my house, but there is always plenty of time to sneak in some crafting while the washer and dryer do their jobs. This Garden Bunny Mother's Day Card was made with several challenges in mind.

The challenges include:

• Catch The Bug: April Color
• Sketch Saturday: Sketch
• Crafty Friends: All Things Cute
• Suzy Bee's: Anything Goes w/ Lady/Girl Twist

With Mother's Day quickly approaching, I decided to make a few extra cards to give my hubby a choice for his mother. We always have conversations about the rabbits in our yards, so I thought this Garden Bunny image made the perfect choice. Using Very Vanilla cardstock the image was printed, colored with Copic markers and then die cut using a stitched square die by Lil' Inkers. It was then matted to a slightly larger piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock. The patterned paper on this card is from the Easter Greetings collection by PION Design and was adhered to Perfect Plum cardstock. Using Memento black ink the Happy Mother's Day sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set was stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock and punched with the word window punch. It was then layered to a punched piece of Perfect Plum using the modern label punch. The final touch was three 4mm Lime Sorbet sequins from Pink Posh. That's it! 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day! 

Butterfly and Music Card

Happy Earth Day! This afternoon I went to the grocery store and when I checked out the clerk offered me a free redbud tree in support of Earth Day. Now I need to find a place in my yard to plant the little tree. I usually try to plant something every year on Earth Day even if it's just flowers in my flowerbeds. Making the Earth a little prettier one plant at a time.

This Butterfly and Music Card was made for my niece to give the donor of a music scholarship she recently received. The scholarship is for a choir group she sings with throughout the year and it was an essay contest to select the scholarship recipients. I used this layout earlier this week and loved how simple it was and it really lets the butterfly stand out. The patterned music paper is from The Paper Studio and a strip of red houndstooth pattern paper by Authentique. The Very Vanilla cardstock was embossed using the decorative dots embossing folder from Stampin' Up! and I used my favorite butterfly stamp from the Watercolor Wings stamp set. Ink colors used on the butterfly include Crisp Cantaloupe, Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black. For a little sparkle some clear Wink of Stella was added to parts of the butterfly. The sentiment is from the same stamp set and was punched with the washi tape punch. Everything is adhered flat for easy shipping and no extra postage costs. That's it!

This card is entered into the following challenges:

• Just Add Ink: Just Add "M" (music paper)
• Fab 'n' Funky: Winged Things
• Crafting With Friends: Anything Goes