Get Well Ensemble!

I have a bunch of cards needing to be posted, but no time to do it right now, so instead, here's another great idea from Craft Project Central, created by Julie Wadlinger

No one likes getting sick, let alone in the Summer!  Here is a little Get Well Ensemble that includes a tissue box cover, bag of cough drops and a matching get well card to complete the ensemble.  This get well gift is sure to get your sick friend on the way to recovery!  Change up the theme of the project and make pretty tissue box covers to coordinate with every room in your house!

Mosaic Flip Flop Album

The next Craft Project Central idea is from Christy Fulk...

This is such a fun album to make!  There are eight 6" x 6" pages in this album, along with eight half page flaps.  Everyone will love how the pages "flip flop" when looking through it.  The album features the new  Mosaic Madness stamp set and the new Quatrefancy Specialty Designers Series Paper (DSP).  Also makes for a fun scrapbooking class!

Cupcake Box Gift Set!

This Craft Project Central set is from Amanda Corbet...

Do you need a really bright and fun gift to celebrate someone’s birthday?  Well this set has it all for you!  There are instructions to create this fun pink card, gift bag, and cupcake box set that is sure to make anyone’s day!  Makes for a fun class, club, or camp project as well!

CREATE Wall Hanging & Card!

This Craft Project Central goody is created by Monika Davis... 

Make this beautiful wall hanging for your crafty friends or family, or just to decorate your own craft room or office.  If making for a gift, be sure to make the matching card for an impressive gift ensemble!  This project makes for a fun class, club or camp project as well!!

Gingham Garden Sugar Scrub Gift Set

The next Craft Project Central tutorial comes from Julie Beltramo...

This luxurious Sugar Scrub in a jar is a super easy "two-ingredient recipe" that you can make as a quick summer gift for a friend or neighbor!  After making the scrub and decorating the jar, it’s a perfect fit in the slip-wrapped Kraft Gift Box – simple and so sweet!  (I love the white flower on the belly band! So pretty!!) Then make the coordinating card to go with it all to complete your pretty gift ensemble!

My Dad Printer's Tray and Card

I've been asked to return as a Guest Designer for Craft Project Central again, so look forward to seeing some great projects by other talented ladies being posted here this month! Also keep your eyes peeled for my own project later this month when I'll have a free subscription up for grabs ;) Here's the first one...

Many children believe their Dads are invincible, heroes of amazing strength and wisdom.  This project is designed to showcase Dad through a child’s eyes.  It was designed using a Printer’s Tray with six equal 4" x 6" openings but any divided frame will work.  Another alternative would be to bind the various panels into a mini album instead of displaying them in a frame.  The coordinating card will work for Father’s Day or a birthday by just swapping out the inside sentiment. Created by Leena Girsa.

Blast Off!!!

When thinking about a card for my nephew's 5th birthday, I really wanted to use the Blast Off stamp set... only problem is, I don't have it yet! But I do have the Digital Ensemble for it on My Digital Studio :) I've never used it for a card before, so I figured now was the time... I used the DSP with the planets to create the background, and some stamps and embellishments to create the main image, and printed them on photo paper and trimmed them, matted them and added some real embellishments. I think I'll do this more often, since there is SO much versatile digital content to enhance my "real" stash.

Challenges used:

Seize the Birthday - (sketch below)
Play Date Cafe - (color palette below)
Southern Girls - Going Spotty Dot!
Ribbon Carousel - Celebrations
The ABC Challenge - N for Not just one (1 ribbon, 2 brads)
Fab and Funky - Ribbon and/or Lace

Alphabet Blocks

My youngest nephew's First Birthday party was coming up when I saw Just Add Ink's challenge to use Woodgrain, which immediately put the idea for these blocks into my head. Unfortunately, by the time I had a chance to sit down and make the card, that challenge was over but the color challenge they replaced it with was perfect, so I just used both ;) To make the edges of the blocks, I used the Peekaboo Frames die and sliced the door off. The white behind the letters is embossed with the same Woodgrain folder as the Crumb Cake layer, and the letters were cut with the retired Decorative Strip Billboard die. I'll definitely be making these blocks for a scrapbook page or two someday :) By the way, I think I'm finally getting the hang of the whole "clean and simple" thing... not that I'm about to abandon my urge to go overboard though!

Challenges used:

Just Add Ink - Midnight Muse, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake and Whisper White (and the honorary use of Woodgrain)

Craft Project Central - (see sketch below)

The Paper Players - Clean and Simple Masculine

Watercolor Butterflies

This butterfly stamp from the Best of Butterflies set must have been before my time, but I'm so glad to have it now! And it's a perfect friend for the Very Vintage roller, with a little accent coloring as well. I'll be sad to see these Build-A-Brads, and the Baroque Brocade folder go away though :(

Challenges used:

CAS(E) This Sketch! - (see sketch below)
Creatilicious - (see palette below)
SUO Challenges - Butterflies are so much fun!
By Lori Designs - Mommy & me
Creative Belli Blog - Mother's Day
Crafty Creations Challenges - Something Old/Something New
Fresh Brewed Designs - Flowers
CardzTV - There's no other like my Mother
Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes

"Birthday Basics" Exclusive Stampin' Up! Sneak Peek!

I am one of the very lucky few to have won an early package of the Birthday Basics Designer Series Paper from the upcoming 2013-2014 Stampin' Up! Catalog, coming in June. Can I just say, I L-O-V-E this paper SO much?!?! Especially these two sheets I used on this card... how much more fun and colorful can you get? And it gave me a reason to use some Basic Grey, which I rarely touch. Also used on this card is the Happy Birthday stamp from the new Hostess set "Banner Greetings". Such a versatile and simple set :)

(Please excuse the blurry edges on this picture... my camera won't behave today)

Challenges used:

Freshly Made Sketches - (see sketch below)
Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes
By Lori Designs - Use a Banner
Cute Card Thursday - Come Fly with me (balloons)
Paper Crafting Journey - Anything Goes
Southern Girls Challenge - Sentiment
Creative Inspirations - Birthdays
Inky Impressions - Spots and/or Stripes
Crafty Sentiments - The Letter B (Balloons, Banners, Blue, Birthday)

Bye-Bye Button Buddies

Seeing as how I just got this set recently and hadn't had a chance to use it yet, I was sad to see it on the retiring list, so I figured I better use it to send off these cute little flower buttons as well, as together they make a cute Mother's Day image. Also retiring on this card is the Jewelry Tag punch (SO SAD!!!), the Cloudy Day embossing folder and the Color Spritzer tool used to give the base a splash of Rose Red. As well as the Floral District DSP and the color Baja Breeze.

Challenges used:

Pile it On - April Showers bring May Flowers
Create With Connie and Mary - (see sketch below)
Die Cuttin' Divas - Anything Goes (oval die)
Creative Belli Blog - Spring
SUO Challenges - Anything Sizzix!
Our Creative Corner - Anything Goes

Happy Botday!

With all the little boys in my life, I always gravitate to the fun sets like these, and won't let them go when they retire... this one was for my 8 year old's friend and is super cute, just like the kid it was made for :)

I can't get enough of the Honeycomb embossing folder or the awesome Coredinations papers!

Challenges I used:

Pals Paper Arts - (see sketch below)
Hand Stamped Sentiments - (see colors below)
Fab 'n Funky - 1 image, 2 patterned papers (1 I "made"), 3 embellishments (ribbon, gear punches, metal brad)
A Gem of  a Challenge - Distress it!
Ladybug Crafts - Card for a child or teen
Daring Cardmaker - Child's Play

REAL Clean And Simple!

I have a lot of trouble with keeping cards Clean and Simple, even if that's my original plan... but this one, I did manage :) I can't remember the last time I made a card with only one layer! To make the background, I used the Distressed Dots with markers to stripe the dots.

The challenges I used:

Unscripted Sketches - (see sketch below)
The Color Room - (see palette below)
The ABC Challenge - K is for Kraft
Simon Says Stamp - Happy Birthday!
Southern Girls - Make Like a Zebra
Card Makin Mamas - No Patterned Paper
Dutch Dare - Birthday Fun

Oh Hello Spring!

Here's one of the cards I did with my Stamp Club girls this week, using the beautiful Tea for Two DSP and the Oh, Hello and Collage Curios stamp sets. I LOVE vintage cards, but often they take too long for a club nights, especially the flower using the Creped Filter Paper. This one was perfect though, and I loved seeing the varieties some of the girls did, by playing with the stamps and sponging a little differently than I did... it's always great when they inspire me with new takes on my cards :)

The challenges I used:

Pile it On - Handmade Flowers
Sunday Sketch and Stamp - (see sketch below)
DRS Designs - Paper Flowers
Ribbon Carousel - Showers and Flowers
613 Avenue Create - Flowers
Dynamic Duo - Deep Pink and One other color
SUOnly Challenges - Spring is in the Air!

My Favorite Lego Card Yet!

My Lego obsessed (but really, how many boys AREN'T, lol!), nephew just turned 10, and I wanted to make the coolest Lego Card I could. I figured a Basic Black background and black heat embossed sentiment would really make the colors POP, and after making and placing my "lego blocks" I decided a colorful background for the sentiment would tie it all together. I used markers to make a rainbow of dots on the Distressed Dots stamp, which will DEFINITELY be used again this way for a fun background paper! (see photo below card). All in all, a bright, super-fun card for a deserving boy :)

The challenges I used for this card:

Card Makin Mamas - No patterned paper
Charisma Cardz - Happy Birthday
Southern Girls - The Kids are Alright
AUD Sentiments - For a Child
Dutch Dare - Clean and Simple