You Make Me Smile

Happy Thursday! I'm still smiling over the Stamping Royalty news yesterday (see here). Thank you for the well-wishes! I'm so lucky to have such good bloggy friends! :)

Just a quick post to a card I made yesterday for the Create sketch challenge:

I stamped the background in blue and then added some digital kites from Rhonna Farrer's Uplifting Kites. They look like her MME line, which I adore! Here's a close-up of the kites:

Finally, I stamped the Ali Edwards' sentiment and added some washi tape to look like grass/hills. I how airy the card turned out...especially on a rainy day like today.

Have a great day!

Washi Overload

Happy Wednesday! Just a quick post to share two cards for the Create blog's washi tape challenge. I'm supposed to be working, but I wanted to share a couple of cards I made last night. First up is the hexagon card:

I put five different washi tapes from Chickydoddle (on Etsy)  on cardstock and then die cut the paper using a Sizzix hexagon die. Then, I mixed up the hexagons and added some Thickers and bling. For the background, I used a Hero Arts Cling Dots background stamp to stamp the cute polka dots. Here's a close-up:

For my next card, I was inspired by something on Pinterest to make a birthday card:

I used the Lawn Fawn "Bake Me a Cake" set for the cake base, sentiment, and candle. I layered different Chickydoddle washi tapes to make the cake layers, and I used a Zig to outline the cake layers. The patterned paper is from Webster's Pages. Here's another angle:

Aren't they cheerful? Thanks for looking! I'm still getting through my reader...over 1000 posts. Yikes!

Have a great day!

Come if You Dare

This week on the Create blog, Paige put out the challenge to create a Halloween party invitation. I love Halloween parties. Actually, I just plain love Halloween!

I was all set to make a CAS, fun card, but while I was putting away a Unity stamp from another project, a stamp caught my eye. So, I changed my card entirely and came up with this one:

This card was pretty simple to make (other than the sewing...my machine is having tension issues). First, I created the sentiment in Word and printed it on Basic Grey patterned paper. Then, I broke out my stamp positioner and used it to stamp the Unity bird/frame image from the "When I'm With You" KOTM. I was holding my breath that the sentiment would be in the right place! Then I die cut the stamped image and at die cut another frame behind. Here's a close-up of the stamped image:

If you look carefully, you can see that the cream is actually patterned paper with writing on it. I went around the patterned papers with my sewing machine and added some twine and a My Mind's Eye button.

I'm joining in with Unity's Friends With Flair this week. If you get a chance, play along!

On a personal note, I found out that the big Federal grant I wrote in June got funded--woo hoo! It was a pretty good size grant (about $3 million), but unfortunately, I don't get any of the money (I wrote it for a client). I wish I could write grants for myself, but there aren't a lot of paper crafting grants out there. Ha!

Have a great day!

Toonces

This week on the Create blog challenge, Paige's challenge was to use foxes on cards. Cool idea for a challenge! So I thought about it and had a card planned out in my head: my Amuse Arctic Fox stamp in a little forest scene.

I got ready to make the card, and while I was looking through my papers, I ran across the new Echo Park Happy Days stickers. Instead of the forest, I decided to have the fox driving the card. I figured I would probably be the only person submitting a card with a fox driving a card (LOL!). Here's what I came up with:

I stamped the Amuse fox, colored him with Copics, and then trimmed him to fit in the card. Is he not just the cutest fox ever? All of the papers and the sentiment are from Echo Park (the sentiment is digital Echo Park). Here's a close-up of the fox:

My husband saw the card and he said "It's Toonces!" Does anyone else remember the old Saturday Night Live episodes with the driving cat, Toonces? I had to explain it was a fox and not a cat, but I think he's still equally cute.

Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

Catching Up

Hi All! Sorry I have been so absent in blog-land lately. I've barely visited any blogs, but I'm hoping to catch-up!

I haven't entered any challenges for the past two weeks, but I did want to enter a card in the Create blog challenge. Paige challenged designers to create a card with toothpick flags. I've never made them with a toothpick before, but I love how they look. Here's my card:

First I started by misting the kraft background with Mr. Huey's cream mist to make it look starry. Then I used a combination of October Afternoon Rocket Age and Ruby Rock-It Paper Boy papers for the circles (totally loving these papers for boys!). I colored the little astronaut from Technique Tuesday with Copics. Here's a close-up:

To make the flag, I used border paper...the width worked well. I finished the card off with a sentiment from Technique Tuesday.

On a totally different note, I wanted to thank Jen Wills for passing on the Liebster award. I'll be passing it on in a few weeks. Thanks, Jen! If you haven't checked out her blog, she makes the most fun cards and her posts are always a hoot!

I also wanted to announce the winners of my blog candy. It was awesome re-reading the comments...I definitely felt the love. Anyhoo, the winners were Erin and Heather. Woo hoo! Erin and Heather, please contact me at redballooncards at yahoo dot com.

Thanks for looking! Have a great day!

Thankful

If you're looking for the Print Candee blog hop, see this post.

Even though it's still hot here in South Dakota, it's definitely starting to feel a little more fall-like. Early in the week, it was in the low 50s when we walked to school and I've noticed that the days are quickly becoming shorter. *sigh* Where did summer go? I do love fall colors, though, which inspired this card:

The entire card was based off of the fabric brad for this week's challenge on the Create blog. I started with some batik fabric, which I made into a double-ruffle flower. [I cut the fabric 2" wide and then ripped it 18" long. Then, I folded it over on itself before I started rolling.] I added the brad, and voila! The flower has so many colors--here's a close-up:

I'm joining in with Friends with Flair again...it's always fun to see how others are using their Unity stamps. The sentiment is from Unity's "When I'm With You" store kit. Love that fabulous font!

Speaking of Unity, my birthday blog candy ends on Saturday and I'll be drawing on Sunday (see this post for details). I with I could send something to everyone--I'm so lucky to have such supportive blogging buddies!

Thanks for looking!

Here are the details:
Stamp: (When I'm With You KOM) Unity
Ink: (Rich Cocoa) Memento; (Tea Dye) Ranger
Cardstock: (White) PTI, (Honey Cake, Everyday Flair) My Mind's Eye
Rhinestones: (red) Zva
Brad: Sassafras

Back to School

Hi Friends! Just a quick post. I'm playing along with this week's Create challenge--back to school cards. I'm proud to say I cut into my new Amy Tangerine papers and came up with this CAS card:

This card is very small (3 3/4" x 3 3/4"), but it's perfect for a lunchbox. I used one of Kristina Werner's sketches for the design. The entire grided paper is popped up, and I layered strips of paper on the cardstock. Then, I die-cut the apple to create the window. I went round and round about a sentiment (this one is actually #3), and I decided to make up my own punny sentiment.  Here's a close-up of the apple:

For the strips, I used the selvage ends that are always on the edges of American Crafts papers. I've never used those little strips before, but now that I have, I think I'll be using them more.

On a personal note, I took a picture of my daughter right before we left for school on the first day. Doesn't she look happy?

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my little blog in blog world! Don't forget, I'll be giving away blog candy on September 3rd. See this post for details. Thanks again!

Here are the deets:
Patterned Paper: (various Amy Tangerine papers) American Crafts
Cardstock: (Ripe Avocado) PTI
Die: (apple) PTI
Buttons: (green and terracotta) PTI; (violet) my stash
Twine: (natural) May Arts

A Birthday Surprise and an Announcement

Hi friends! This week, the Create blog's challenge is birthday cards. I've been wanting to make a card with a flower technique I found over on the Cosmo Cricket blog, but I was debating how to turn it into a birthday card (beyond the sentiment). Here's the card I came up with:

The flower was super easy to make! I used 6 die-cut scalloped circles (~ 3" in diameter) from the Bazzill patterned paper and folded each circle according to the video. After stapling each piece, I glued them together and then attached the flower to a base to give it some stability. Way easy. I think it took me longer to pick out the buttons! And yes, I added a little twine from the Twinery. Here's a close-up:

I added strips of patterned paper and a sentiment from PTI. But I still didn't think the card was "birthday" enough. So, I did something to the flower...

Yep, it's a pin you could wear on your big day! I attached the pin with Diamond Glaze (although in retrospect I probably should have stitched it to the paper) and then used removable tape to attach the flower to the card. I may have to wear it on my upcoming b-day. :)

I also have exciting news! I was asked to be the design team coordinator for a new digital stamp & paper company, Print Candee. Yippee! I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm surrounded by some uber-talented designers:

Kalyn Kepner

Marion Vagg

Therese Calvird

Their work just blows me away, and I'm so excited to be working with them! It's very humbling. We'll be having a blog hop on August 31st to kick-off our term (with lots of giveaways), so please be sure to check back. In the meantime, check out the Print Candee website. They have fab patterned papers, stamps, and SVG files...super cute and fun items. Go see!

Thanks for looking. Have a great day!

Here are the deets:
Stamps: (Think Big Favorites #1) PTI
Ink: (Berrylicious) ColorBox
Patterned Papers: (Jaybird collection) Bazzill; (Summer Days collection, Splash collection) Echo Park; (older collection) Bo Bunny
Dies: (Small Scalloped Circle) Spellbinders
Buttons: (pink) PTI; (yellow) My Favorite Things
Twine: (Pink Sorbey) The Twinery

Pink Goodness

My best friend's daughter, Maddy, is turning 6 in a few weeks, and I need to send her a card. She loves pink, and so I thought I'd make her a pink card. It just so happens that the create blog is having a 100% pink card challenge, and I thought "no problem." Well, two cards and a few hours later, I realized that making a card only in one color with the supplies I had at hand was not as easy as I thought. Anyhoo, I think I finally made a crazy pink card for Maddy:

Yes, it's PINK! Just to point a few details, I started by stamping the background with Mint Motif's Beyond Borders using VersaMark (and got them straight--yeah!!). Then I stamped the cupcake on a pale pink cardstock (it looks almost white, but it is pink) and on the felt. And btw, stamping with pink ink onto pink felt doesn't leave a dark impression (LOL!). The pink "sprinkles" are Jolee's crystals. Finally, the sentiment is a little hard to see in the photo, but I actually stamped the sentiment twice--once in a pale pink and next to it in a hot pink to create a shadow (yes, I know it's hard to see).

I thought I'd share the first card I made. I liked this card...much softer look...but I decided it wasn't quite right for Maddy:

Isn't that little birdie cute? He's from PTI's Little Bitty Bird die. Again, I stamped the background with Mint Motif's Beyond Borders. For the window, I attached a textured cardstock circle in the background color--it looks like woodgrain to me. After assembling everything, I tied a pink silk bow...I can't help it, but I keep touching the soft ribbon (hope I don't get it grimy!).

Thanks so much for looking!

Here are the deets:
Card 1
Stamps: Beyond Borders (Mint Motif), Bake Me a Cake (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: VersaMark, Raspberry Fizz (PTI)
Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz (PTI) light pink (Bazzill)
Patterned Paper: Summertime collection (Echo Park)
Die: Limitless Layers (PTI)
Bling: rhinestones (Kaisercraft), crystals (Jolee's)
Felt: Raspberry Fizz (PTI)
Ribbon is from my stash

Card 2:
Stamps: Beyond Borders (Mint Motif)
Ink: VersaMark, Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Petal Pink (VersaColor)
Cardstock: Raspberry Fizz (PTI) light pink & pink (Bazzill)
Die: Little Bitty Bird (PTI), Labels #1 (Spellbinders)
Border Punch: Apron Lace (Fiskars)
Felt: Raspberry Fizz (PTI)
Bling: seed bead (my stash)
Pen: Pink Gelly Roll (Sakura)
Ribbon: (May Arts)