Dilly Beans Black,White Plus One Other Color

Our challenge at Dilly Beans this week is Black, White, plus one other Color.  I'd been playing with Robots again and came up with this idea for Static Robot.  Isn't it fun?  Seemed perfect for the challenge since I wanted to use more embossing with my Robotz Cricut Companion folders and the light bulb gave me the third color.  WooHoo!  Did the background mat with Candy Cane Stripes, added a computer generated sentiment, highlighted the robots with Copics and there ya go.  Almost made itself.  LOL  Please stop by the DB Designer's Blog for more inspiration and check out the SHOP to see what's new.

I'm also entering this in the Paper Pretties B/W +1 challenge, Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes, Craft Your Passion Emboss it, Tammy's Scrapin Corner Lots of Layers, The Squirrel and the Fox One for the Men and the Hooked on Crafts Cards for Men Challenge.

BBTB2 Back to School Challenge

Well, it's starting to feel like Fall around here and the kiddles are going back to school so that's the  BBTB2  theme chosen by our talented DT sister Brenda this week.  This theme isn't the easiest for me as I have no kids and it's been a bazillion years since I've been in school so I went the CAS route using Animal Kingdom and Car Decals to make a little bookmark.  I welded the shadow of the  reader to the bookmark base in DS and cut it 3 times for sturdiness.  Thought I'd add a little humor with the sentiment ( also from Car Decals) since the kids I do know stay up to all hours all summer long and sleep past noon.  First day of school is a pretty rude awakening.  LOL

Ok, so maybe it's the subject matter that makes him want to snooze.  The color scheme is one of my faves.

The style of the bookmark fits over the page like this, so I glued the sentiment on first and used a craft knife to carefully cut each letter along the slit.  I set it up in DS for the Cricut to do that for me, but I kept losing the little pieces so I decided to cut my losses and do it by hand.  The polka dot mat was done in DS by taking the original bookmark and hiding the outside contour, then pasting a resized one on top and hiding the inner contours so they would match up.  Got that?  I always wonder if I'm giving TMI.  In any case, there you have it.  My DT sisters came up with a wide variety of BTS projects so go have a look and leave them some love.  We'd also be thrilled to see your Cricut cut Back to School projects so please join us but remember to follow the rules and note that our challenges are only open for one week from now on.

I'm also adding this to the Back to School Challenge at Simon Says Stamp, Lollipop Crafts, Lexi's Creations, My Graphico and My Sheri Crafts.

Macabre Monday Bad Moon Rising

It's another Macabre Monday at Haunted Design House and I must say it's safe to view.  LOL  Our challenge this week is Bad Moon Rising, create a dark, Gothic or Halloween based project featuring a big bad moon as the focal point, be it full, crescent, waxing or waning.  We have a fab new sponsor, On Cupcake Moon with a generous $15 credit to any of her shops, be it her Website, or Etsy, or Cafe Press.  And if you can't wait, there's a special sale going on until the end of the month (details on HDH).  My card is a diorama with the window cut with Nesties Labels Seventeen.

The sweet image is colored with Copics and fussy cut without the moon.  I then used my Printmaster Pro program to crop the image  to the moon only and them flip the half moon to create a full one and fussy cut that as well so I could create the 3D image to pop within the frame. The moon was printed and covered with Be Creative Tape and covered in micro fine glitter that allowed me to color it over with Copics with no damage to the markers. 

Obviously I was having a withdrawels from my recent CAS projects and loaded up with baby within an inch of it's life.  I've got an MS punches, Raindot bats and stars, loads of bling, Prima flowers and gems galore along with glitter letter stickers for the sentiment.  Gotta say, more is never enough!  So how about that?  And see the dimension?  WooHoo!  Had a ball here and so did my DT sisters, so be sure to check out HDH and leave them some love.  And don't forget Wretched Wednesday when the winners from last week are revealed and we're honored by Creepy Glo's fab creation.

I'm also entering this in the One Stitch at a Time Use a Digi Challenge, Speedy Fox and Friends Try a Different Fold,  Sweet Stampin' Out of the Frame Challenge, The Poodles Parlour Winged Things, Cute Card Thursday Bling it Up, and Delightful Challenges Fancy and Frilly.

Happy Birthday!

Aren't men cute?  They never really grow up, do they, but would we have it any other way?  Male birthday cards aren't my forte, but while I was perusing my (bazllion) digis from The Octopode Factory I came across Peter Pan.  Perfect, hee hee (it was the earring that got me).  I don't know if anyone remembers the tv special with Mary Martin playing Peter Pan, but she/he sings a song called "I won't grow up!", so I used that and created word circles in my Card Factory program 'cause I thought it looked cool and I could enter this in the TOFF Circles Challenge.  (Don't faint, it's my second entry, WOOHOO!) 

Kept the card simple.  He likes it that way.  Just colored with Copics and fussy cut.  So loved the eyes I popped them twice.

Inside, another Octopode Factory image.  This time Pinocchio.  He kind of inspired the sentiment (changed the age because I thought it was more fitting).  Nice woody!  Hope this is good for a giggle.  I think I'll leave it at that.

This also conveniently works with the Annabelle Stamps Say it With Spots, Dots, and Anything Round.  I'm hoping I can sneak in another entry over there with an Annabelle Stamp I WON over there but I've got to finish my DT stuff first.

I'm also entering this in the Clearly Inspired Circles Challenge, the Fat Pages and Cards with Attitude anything Goes/Music challenge (inspired by the song "I Won't Grow Up"), and Penny's Paper-Crafty Masculine Challenge.

It's a Girl with CTMH Artiste

I've been playing with my new CMTH Artiste cart and was excited to use the sweet baby shoes on page 63.  Our nephew's wife is expecting and although we don't know the sex yet, I figured I had a 50/50 chance.  I cut them at 4" in the sweetest flocked DP from Me&My Big Ideas and then set out to find something to do with them.  I loved the cool box on page 74 and used DS to determine how large I wanted the top to fit the shoes with room to spare.  I was surprised to find out it was 2".  Must be measuring from the height of the box.  At this size, you need a 12x24" mat and you still can't fit the top, bottom and side cuts on one piece of 12x24" card stock but the box was then a substantial size, with the interior being approximately 5" square.  I chose to do the top and bottom cuts out of white, instead.  The assembly instructions tell you to glue the shoe upper flaps to the top of the soles, but I wanted a more finished look inside so I cut the soles again at 3 7/8" and glued the flaps under the smaller soles and then glued the 4" soles on the bottom.  This was a bit tricky and I ended up doing a teeny bit of trimming, but I preferred the clean look both inside and out.

I made a second layer for the top, again using DS so I could add another layer of DP.  The sweet bows on the toes are another cut from Artiste, (page 56) which I embossed (along with the shoe straps) with Swiss Dots.  They started at 1" but I shrunk them down to fit with DS.  "It's a Girl" is another fab cut (on page 64 at 2 1/2") and I cut it twice, embossed the top layer and offset them slightly and popped them for a little more dimension. 

I have to say my fave cut of all on this is actually the bow.  Couldn't help but use it again cut at 1", and embossed with the Cuttlebug Polka Dots folder. This is cut in a single piece with holes cut with your Cricut for a brad for easy assembly.  Too cute!

For a finishing touch I lined the top and bottom sections of the box with DP.  I just cut a square at 5" and attached inside which not only added strength, but also hid the flaps used for assembly.  I'm really loving CTMH Artiste because it really has fabulous 3D projects  and cuts for all holidays and occasions as well as coordinating chipboard and stamps.  If you haven't already purchased it, please visit my fab friend, DT sister and CTMH consultant Susan HERE.  Also be sure to visit her personal blog HERE for many more inspirational projects from this versatile cartridge.

I'm entering this in the Simon Says Stamp and Show No Rules Challenge, the Allsorts It's a Gift Challenge, and the Divas by Design Anything Goes challenge.

WW Owls ATC Challenge and TOFF Circles

It's been awhile since I've been able to  play at  The Octopode Factory Friday Challenge but am pleased to see it's gone to bi-weekly so I should be able to get there more often.  Their current challenge is Circles and when I saw the Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge this week is Owls, I decided to combine them.  WooHoo!  I used 2 of the owls from the Octopode Owls set and stacked them.  They're colored with Copics and I've added a hat to the top one that I've cut from the Octopode Dormouse.  I created the background by stamping a little plastic container I found in the kitchen drawer with various Distress Inks.  Used a combo of alpha stickers and die cuts from the Cuttlebug Typewriter Alphabet for the sentiment.

I added some cute round glasses brads and tiny google eyes to add to their quirkiness.  Popped the bottom owl and party hat for a little dimension.  There's still time to enter both Wicked Wednesday (ends Tues) and TOFF (ends next Thurs) so what are you waiting for?  Even if you can't play aong, the DT's have some fabulous eye candy so be sure to go take a look.

I'm also entering this in ATC's and Cards With Attitude Anything Goes.

Dilly Beans Hearts Challenge

This week our Dilly Beans Challenge is Hearts.  No prob.  I've been dying to use a robot from Megan's new release and went with the adorable Luv Bot Framed.  However, instead of coloring, I decided to try something new.  I have a bunch of colored metal sheets that haven't been touched in maybe 3 years and thought it would be fun to emboss the stamp in metal.

I printed the image and taped it to the back of the metal sheet and used a stylis against my foam piercing mat to trace the image.  You actually have to go back and forth (meaning back to the front and back again) and rub the unembossed portions with your finger and trace on either side of the embossed lines on the front and sometimes retrace over and over to get a crisp enough image to sand, and mine is in no way perfect (even though I worked on this for probably 45 minutes) but it was fun, different, and came out sort of cool.  Remember, if you want to try this, to flip your image if you want it to face the same way as drawn, but in this case I didn't think it mattered.  The mat is embossed on metallic paper with the Robotz Cricut Companion folder in my Cuttlebug and the hearts were cut in the some colored metal with my Nesties.  So there you have it, my attempt to mix things up a bit.  Always fun trying new techniques and the adorable Robots in the Dilly Beans Shop are perfect for that.  Oh, and BTW, Megan just added some MORE new designs, so check them out HERE and also the fab work by my teamies HERE.

I'm also entering this in the Penny's Paper-Crafty Masculine Challenge, Simon Says Stamp and Show No Rules Challenge, the WishCraft Waste Not Wednesday Challenge (the colored metal sheet), and the Card a Day August Embossing Challenge.

BBTB2 Vacation Challenge

This week at BBTB2 my dear friend, fabulous crafter, and Co-Team Leader Carole chose a Summer Vacation theme.  To be honest, we're not big travelers.  We're more the Staycation or Day Tripper type.  I had a couple of ideas along the "Unhappy Camper" line but clearly, they did not get made.  This one almost didn't either.  It was one of those weeks I bit off more than I could chew and yesterday just wasn't a good day.  So pretty clean and simple it is.  All from Going Places.  I welded the blackout shadow of the phrase to the car shadow in DS.

I did a little trimming of cuts to add a bit more detail (boy, cuts sure were simple on those early carts), a little embossing, a bit of dimension, some adhesive beads and stickers for headlights.

Inside is a computer generated sentiment and that's all she wrote.  Best I could do.  Be sure to visit BBTB2 and see the infinitely more creative cards by my DT sisters this week.  We also sure would love if you play along, but from now on our weekly challenges will be just that; WEEKLY, so hurry and get your craft on because you only have ntil 11:59 PM next Sunday to enter.  See you soon!

I'm also entering this in the Tando Creative August Monthly Travel Challenge.

Macabre Monday Who Are You Calling a Succubus?

It's another Macabre Monday and this week's challenge is "Who Are You Calling a Succubus?", sponsored by the fabulous Kenny K Downloads.  What's a Succubus?  Well, I'm telling you, she be NAUGHTY! (NFD)  In modern fictional representations, a succubus may or may not appear in dreams and is often depicted as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress; whereas, in the past, succubi were generally depicted as frightening and demonic.   For the full definition, check out HDH.  I've used the fab image Cabaret.  The background is done digitally from images from the net.

The image is colored with Copics and I printed her a second time and fussy cut her head and legs and popped them for dimension.  (Doubt that's the only thing gettin' popped here.)  I considered adding horns, but then thought the flames blowing out her a** were hot enough.  LOL  I'm thinkin' this makes a good Anniversary card.  Ya think you can handle it, Sweetie?  OK Hot Stuff, I'm all YOURS!  Be sure to check out HDH to see the rest of our bevy of beauties and don't forget Wretched Wednesday for the mid week inspiration and GT reveal.

The Altered Alice Week 3 Chapter 18: Now You See Him...Now You Don't

`Do you play croquet with the Queen to-day?' `I should like it very much,' said Alice, `but I haven't been invited yet. `You'll see me there,' said the Cat, and vanished. Alice was not much surprised at this, she was getting so used to queer things happening. While she was looking at the place where it had been, it suddenly appeared again. -- Chapter 6, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Just like the Cheshire Cat, we would like you to make a card where things appear and disappear! It could be as simple as a tag in a pocket or something more interactive and fun.  Check out The Altered Alice for links to loads of examples.  Your project does not need to be a card and the hidden element does not need to be a cat. Enter by August 24 , and the winner will receive three digi stamps from our sponsor!

Our sponsor this month is Dilly Beans, featuring the whimsical art of Megan Suarez, famous for her charming big-eyed girls!  You can see the digi stamps and collage sheets on her blog, Dilly Beans Stamps. There is also a Dilly Beans design team challenge blog (where it just so happens I'm a designer, WOOHOO!) and an Etsy shop with Megan's artwork to inspire you. Dilly Beans offers four Alice-related digi stamps: Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat and some whimsical mushrooms.

I've used these 4 stamps along with one of the Whimsy Trees and Heart Flowers (Hmmm...can't find that one at the mo) for my Swing Card.  I used a U-Tube video HERE for my card.As you open the card, the cut portion swings and the cat disappears.

All except for his smile, that is. 

I've used quotes from the book to tell the story.

Now he reappears before the Queen.

 

Here's the card fully open.  I really enjoyed playing with the collage effect on the whimsical DP from K&Co.  All images are either Paper pieced or colored with Copics, and the card fold allowed me to pop both Alice and the Queen for dimension without keeping it from closing completely.  There is tons more inspiration on The Altered Alice Blog so be sure to scroll down to see all of the projects from my super talented and creative DT sisters.  (I think we might be a little behind in posting this week's inspiration, so be sure to come back and check it out.)  There are still more than 5 days left in this challenge so come on and play with us.  The challenge isn't THAT hard, and we only have a few entries, so your chances of winning are that much greater.  You don't even HAVE to use an Alice theme, but you do get two chances if you do.  Hope to see you soon!

Wicked Wednesday ATC "The Blues" Challenge

The challenge over at Wicked Wednesday is "The Blues" this week.  Funny, I had just done a totally blue card using June for the Papelitos release of Zoe and Friends and wasn't sure what else I could do.  I've been messing a bit more with my Digital PrintMaster Platinum program and decided to print another Papelitos Stamp, Kris, in blue.  I love the sketchy feel of this stamp and really don't think it needs coloring.  I then discovered I could print a page of any color in ombre and chose the same blue to start and then cut the page into ATC size as well as a first mat with the lighter side of the printed page.  Cool!  Even cooler, I could pick a shape and use the same effect on that. 

Now I know many do totally digital projects and just print them out as is.  Although I admire the ability, I don't feel like it's "mine" unless I've actually used my hands (besides on the keyboard).  So my heart and Kris herself were painstakingly fussy cut and Kris was popped for dimension.  You all know I'm a big fan of Alpha Beads, but my colored beads do not have every letter in every color.  I was about to give up when I couldn't find the letters to spell "BLUE" in blue, but I did have "AZUL", which is blue in Spanish.  Kinda fitting since Cris, the Papelitos Stamps artist is from Spain.  Gorgeous stuff on Wicked Wednesday by the DT.  Ya gotta go look, and for once there are still a couple of days to play along. 

I'm also entering this in the ATC's and Cards with Attitude Anything Goes Challenge (with the option of lace, which I obviously didn't use.  I think that's ok, though), Pattie's Creations Anything but a Card Challenge,  And Annabelle Stamps Say it in Blue and White.

Dilly Beans Bright Colors

This week our challenge at Dilly Beans is to use bright colors.  I decided to go CAS this time and let my Printmaster Platinum software do most of the work.  The adorable image is #407 Feeling Twitchy.  I resized her, lined her up and then changed her color to mimic a rainbow.  In my program you just do it the same way you would change text color.  Click on the image, go to format, then color, then choose.  I added rainbow stripes above and below the images, embossed the card base and scored the printed panel.  Love the rainbow ribbon (guess that was the whole inspiration).  The sentiment is computer generated and cut with Nesties Labels Two.  Be sure to visit the Challenge Blog to see what my  DT sisters came up with.  There are (will be) several adorable examples of the new Robots release and the Birthday sale is still going on.

I'm also entering this in the Crafting for All Seasons Bright Colors Challenge, The House That Stamps Built Cards with Scoring Challenge, and The Paper Shelter Clean and Simple Challenge.