Aurora Wings #63 Mid Challenge Inspiration Post

As we have changed back to a monthly format on the Aurora Wings Challenge Blog, we will now have (an approximately) Mid-Month Challenge Post to keep the crafty mojo flowing.  Our theme for Challenge #63 is Anything Goes and I'm using one of the 3 new release Sprites that were Showcased last Thursday HERE.  Meet Happy Pierrot Sprite.  Isn't he just precious?  Although he would be perfect for many occasions, think birthday, anniversary, or any celebratory event, I thought a Valentine's card was more than appropriate considering the date. (And it allowed me to use one of my fave colors combos, WooHoo!)

Here's a Closeup of Happy Pierrot Sprite, available HERE on AW.com and HERE on Etsy.  Glad to see this sweet little guy has perked up, although I love his sad little counterpart available HERE as well.  He's colored with Copics and I tried to make his balloons transparent for the first time with the help of white  Prismacolor pencil and a white gel and Posca paint pen, as well.  Gotta say, trying a new technique can be time consuming, but I'm quite happy with the outcome.  Thank you Kit and Clowder coloring classes!  Happy Pierrot was then fussy cut and popped on the die cut base that I'd outlined with a black sticker border.  The edge is a Martha Stewart punch.

The design was supposed to be rather CAS as well, but I got the idea of filling in one of the Tim Holtz thinlits dies with colors from the image.  I always associate a harlequin pattern with Pierrot image, don't you?  But after using the die on both pale pink, as well as black card stock it became as time consuming as a jigsaw puzzle.  Many of the diamonds look alike, but definitely are not.  EIYIYI!  The tiny hearts I added to the open red diamonds came from the Spellbinders Cascading Hearts Card Creator die I cut originally as a background for this card.

I've also die cut the sentiment directly from the white base with a die from Stampin'Up and added the "u" on top from an old Cuttlebug Alpha set.  So there you have it.  I hope you're re-energized and will visit the Challenge Blog to check out the gorgeous inspiration from my Stella teamies and enter our Anything Goes Challenge (perhaps even for a second time or third time, as long as your entries are all Aurora Wings, which runs through February 17th.  Hope to see you there.

Mitzi has also extended the New Release Coupon (good on any digi purchase) at both AW.com and AW Etsy through Tuesday February 6th.

Here's how to keep up with all that's happening at Aurora Wings.

Aurora Wings Challenge Blog (challenge runs through Feb. 17th)

Aurora Wings Showcase Blog

Aurora Wings Etsy Shop

Aurora Wings Digi Shop 

Aurora Wings FB Group 

Aurora Wings FB Fan Page

I'm entering this in the DL.Art February Linky Challenge, the DL.Art Thankful Thursday #221 Love Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #75 AG, Simon Says Wednesday AG, Crafty Gals Corner #158 AG, Mod Squad Valentine-Love, Simon Says Monday Love is in the Air, Artistic Inspirations AG/Be my Valentine, Cards in Envy Love You So Much, Colouring in Scrapland Love Without Borders/Love Without Boundaries, Crafting From the Heart #193 AG, the Marker Pop Feb. Valentine's FB challenge, Whoopsie Daisy Feb. AG/optional Valentine, the Outlawz Twisted Thursday AG, 613 Avenue Create Feb. AG/Love, Dragonfly Journeys #111 Love, CIC439 Love challenge, the Classic Design Team Open Feb. Challenge AG, Crafting with Dragonflies Valentine/Romantic (1/1), Brown Sugar #275 Valentine's Day,  Aud Sentiments #196 Valentine or Love Sentiment, Scrapping4fun Challenge 108 Love,Valentine,Wedding,Friendship  and C.R.A.F.T. #453 Three of a Kind (balloons).

Another Cutie for the New Aurora Wings Showcase!

Wow!  The first new release AW Showcase of 2018 brings you not one, not two, but THREE adorable new Sprites.  This time I've used the sweet little Snowdrops Sprite and made a wall hanging depicting Winter's last days and the promise of Spring.  I've cut and popped several layers using Spellbinders Grand Labels Four and the Cuttlebug Emboss Plus Fanciful Labels for the computer generated sentiment.

I love using the png version of Mitzi's Sprites, especially, because you can add them directly onto digital paper or even into a photograph, as I've done here, without the fussy cutting and layering and then color away.

Here's a closeup of Snowdrops Sprite.  She's colored with Copics as the flowers appear in nature, but don't let that stop you from using non-traditional colors as some of the Showcase team has HERE.  They are, after all, magical fantasy creatures, so let your creativity run wild.  My greens pretty much run the gamut from dark to light for the flowers and stems (YG67, 63, 61, 13 and 01 and G82,40 and 20) and I decided to do her hair as if her pigtails sprang from the earth, using E41-44.

Here's are all of the links to Snowdrops Sprite on both AW.com and AW Etsy so you can choose your preference.

On AW.com  jpg HERE     png HERE

On AW Etsy  jpg HERE     png HERE

Finally, the frosty layer is vellum embossed with the Frosty Ice Folder from Sheena Douglas and fussy cut around the embossing (very carefully) with my craft knife to leave the center free so Snowdrops Sprite could peek out.  There's also a bit of Frantage and some clear mica flakes added to the frame for a bit of texture and a little bow from textured ribbon that also reminds me of frost.  The sentiment is computer generated.  Snowdrops to me always signal the promise of Spring and a new beginning. I know a few of my friends who just can't wait. 

So that's two of the three new Sprites premiering on the Showcase Blog today.  You can see my first inspiration post using another of the newbies HERE.  And shall I show you the third?  Sorry, nope!  I ran out of time, but you be sure to visit the Showcase Blog to see what the team has done with ALL THREE.

And don't miss the Coupon available through the weekend.  Woohoo!  Have fun!

I'm entering this in the DL.Art February Linky Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #74 AG, A Snowflakes Promise #47 AG, Simon Says Wednesday AG, the Outlawz Monday Greetings AG, Polkadoodles Crafting (wk 4 Jan 26) AG, Crafty Creations #359 AG, Crafty Gals Corner #158 AG, Creative Moments #135 AG,   Scrapy Land Challenge #82 AG w/die that Scrapy Land sells,  Sisterhood of Crafters Dashing Through the Snow, W2CB New Beginnings (brand new stamp and the promise of Spring), 613 Avenue Create New Beginnings (new Stamp, promise of Spring), Deep Ocean Challenge #173 Let it Snow, Digi Choosday Wk 5 AG, Ike's World New Beginnings, TTRCD Week of Jan 30th AG, and Whoopsi Daisy Winter Scene.

New Sprites Showcase at Aurora Wings!

EEEK!  It's an exciting day on the Aurora Wings Showcase Blog as Mitzi introduces the newest members of the Sprites family.  I'm thrilled to be joining the Showcase team today, so without further ado, Meet Bachelor's Buttons Sprite.   Isn't she a cutie?

A lovely blue always comes to mind when I hear the name of this flower.  In fact, a particular shade of blue is named for it, as Bachelor's Buttons are also known as Cornflowers, but when I looked for images on Yahoo I was surprised to see that Bachelor's Buttons come in many shades.  WOW!  Who knew?  So with Valentine's Day fast approaching, it was out with the blue and in with the deep pinks and reds and I concocted a lacy girly Valentine worthy of her frilly frothy petals.

So here's a closeup of Bachelor's Buttons Sprite.  She's colored with Copics using  the RV shades 10,13,17,19 and 69.  (Amazing that I actually still know the colors, but they still happen to be sitting on my desk.  LOL)  I rarely do hair in colors that are not "naturally occurring" and don't know why because I always love the effect.  Here I was aiming for a rather limited palette and wanted her to stand out from the busyness I had going, so green hair it is. (A combo of the colors used on her boots and dress, G 40, 43, 29, and YG 40 and 43.  I think it's time to clean up my desk!) LOVE her!

Here are all the links to Bachelor's Buttons Sprite on both AW.com and AW Etsy so you can choose your preference.

On AW.com  jpg HERE     png HERE

On AW Etsy  jpg HERE     png HERE

With the layers of Spellbinders Decorative Grand labels One and my XL heart die from Die-Versions (that cut in two pieces, used separately here) and the mix of patterns from the old Madly in Love stack from DCWV there was already a lot going on.  However, I couldn't resist  adding a sweet sentiment via some little conversation hearts and a pretty bow with lace and ribbon from DL.Art.  The center flower is actually layered bridal confetti I colored with the Copics I used for Bachelor's Buttons  Sprite.  Then I sprinkled just a few black gems for balance and called it done.

So are you ready for another?  Check out my second post HERE, but don't forget to visit the Showcase Blog to see the fabulous inspiration by the Showcase Team.

And don't miss the Coupon available through the weekend.  Woohoo!  Have fun!

I'm entering this in the DL.Art February Linky Challenge, the DL.Art Thankful Thursday Love/Thank you Challenge, Lil Patch of Craft Friends #74 AG, Simon Says Wednesday AG, Polkadoodles Crafting (wk 4 Jan 26) AG, Colour Crazy Wk 4 AG, Crafty Gals Corner #158 AG, Creative Moments #135 AG, Scrapy Land Challenge #82 AG w/die that Scrapy Land sells, Mod Squad Valentine-Love,  613 Avenue Create New Beginnings (new Stamp, new heart die),  Digi Choosday Wk 5 AG, TTRCD Week of Jan 30th AG, the February Classic DT Open #22 and the Outlawz Tuesday Color challenge Bingo Board using the bottom row with flowers twist.

Final Day of the Poe Appreciation Hop

It's the final day of the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop and this is my final project to share.  The Linky expires at 11:55pm PST TONIGHT!  It's a new one using the fabulous Poe Love Freebie from LeighSB Designs (no longer available, ya snooze, ya lose) along with the new Distressed Raven that I've cropped to sit upon Poe Love and resized and cropped to add as a sentiment up top.  The DP has done a lot of the work (Midnight Magic from Recollections), but I did cut a Graveyard Border from Tim Holtz and used it as a stencil to add headstones to the scene with Black Soot Distress to add to the eerie feel.  Check out the entire new Poe release on Leigh's Release post HERE and even if you've not posted projects during the Hop, you still win a prize by commenting on all of the Hop posts.  You have 5 more days to do that.

If you're up for a little additional creepiness, get ready for the next event Leigh has planned.  WooHoo!  But for now, let's finish this Poe Hop with a BANG! ​

An InLinkz Link-up

Remembering Lily for the Poe Appreciation Hop

It's the final day of the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop.  The Linky expires at 11:55 pm PST TONIGHT but I feel I must share at least one last past project.  My favorite of all of Poe's works is Annabel Lee and this project fills me with sadness as the artist, Lily Chilvers of the Octopode Factory, also tragically passed away in 2015.  Fortunately, her art lives on and her spirit lives in the hearts of all she touched.  The stamps are still available as a set HERE and you can read the original post and details of my project HERE. ​

An InLinkz Link-up

Hot Chocolate for Festive Fridays

Here's one for the Outlawz Festive Fridays "hot chocolate" theme using the the adorable #1967 Snowman Cocoa Cup by Sandra Caldwell.  I've made a large tag with papers from the Recollections Warm Wishes stack with a band to hold a candy cane 'cause what better way to stir up your melted marshmallows?

Here's a closeup of #1967 Snowman Cocoa Cup.  He's colored with Copics and cut with a Double Stitched Circle Die from Kat Scrappiness.  Warm Winter Wishes to you.

I'm also entering this in Simon Says Monday Tag It, the DL.Art January Linky Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #74 AG, ...

Another Past Project for the Poe Appreciation Hop

Kind of a busy day today, so no new project for the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop but this is one of my all time faves.  I used the gorgeous Annabel Lee 2 from Ike's Art with digi papers and stamps from Smeared Ink (unfortunately no longer trading).  See post HERE for more info and a dimensional shot of the raven, if you like.

There is still time to join in the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop sponsored by Leigh SB Designs. All the info to participate can be found HERE. Be sure to check out the cool new Poe related collection of stamps Leigh's Etsy Shop and there's also a fun Poe Freebie (for a limited time) that Leigh designed especially for the Hop HERE as well.

An InLinkz Link-up

Guest Designing for Colouring in Scrapland

I'm thrilled to be joining the team at Colouring in Scrapland as Guest Designer for the mid-way inspiration post for the January Anything Goes Challenge.  The fabulous sponsor is All Dressed Up and I've made a cheery little scene with Girl on a Bike with older papers from my stash by Heidi Grace.  I love the bright colors and thought it would be perfect with the cute stamp, don't you?

I printed Girl on a Bike quite small to fit the scale of my paper which made the coloring a bit of a challenge with my Copics but I tried my best to do at least some shading on the adorable detailed image.  I decided she was too small to fussy cut so I used a Spellbinders Circle die on top of a Scalloped Circle and "grounded" her by cutting another piece of the "grass" with my circle die to add under the wheels.  I popped the circle with foam and also a cloud I die cut from another part of the Design paper and inked with Distress.  The sentiment was computer generated with my new tiny arrow paperclips and little heart jewels on each end.  I also added a heart to the sun above.  Inside will read "and enjoy the ride".

Thank you Colouring in Scrapland for inviting me to join you this month and to All Dressed Up for the beautiful image.  The Challenge is an easy Anything Goes and the winner of this challenge may choose 2 stamps from All Dressed Up. Hope to see you there.  

I'm entering this in the All Dressed Up January #77 AG challenge, DL.Art January Linky Challenge, Lil Patch of Crafty Friends #74 AG, the Corrosive Challenge AG, the Colour Crazy Challenge Week 2 AG, Simon Says Wednesday Add a Sentiment.

NEW Make for Poe Appreciation Day!

Okay, so I wasn't going to craft today, but I'm lovin' the new Poe Stamps from Leigh SB Designs and could resist making a little ATC using Oddleigh Edgar Allan Poe and Raven and, because it's a PAR-Teh, they're sporting hats from the new Party Hats Fun pack.  WooHoo!  I probably should have thought the whole ATC thingy through before printing the stamps, since coloring the details was more than a bit challenging, but it was fun, if not so quick. Just don't look too closely. LOL  I just love all of the Oddleigh characters, they're so fun and quirky.

So YAY, ME!  I finally have a NEW make for the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop. There's still time to join in.  All info below. 

​

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 3 Poe Appreciation Blog Hop

It's Day 3 of the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop and I thought I'd share another past make (because I can, thank God! as my crafty time is kind of limited at the mo) using the fabulous Poe Cat from Ike's Art and the raven from Ike's Poe Skull Bust.  I'm afraid I can't link directly to the images but if you check the categories on Ike's Art, there is one for Edgar Allen Poe and you can see them ALL!  This is a fave of Goliath's for obvious reasons.  The actual claw and feather embellies were his contribution to the piece.  You can read more about this HERE, if you like.

There is still time to join in the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop sponsored by Leigh SB Designs. All the info to participate can be found HERE. Be sure to check out the cool new Poe related collection of stamps Leigh's Etsy Shop and there's also a fun Poe Freebie (for a limited time) that Leigh designed especially for the Hop HERE as well.



​

An InLinkz Link-up

Another for the Poe Appreciation Hop

Okay then, ANOTHER past project for the Poe Appreciation Hop, this time an actual birthday card featuring Poe and Raven RUBBAH stamps from the now defunct (sniff sniff) Smeared Ink. This was also part of a Hop for our dear HDH Minion Sister Black Dragon's b-day in 2011. More deets on my original post HERE. 

There is still time to join in the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop sponsored by Leigh SB Designs. All the info to participate can be found HERE. Be sure to check out the cool new Poe related collection of stamps Leigh's Etsy Shop and there's also a fun Poe Freebie (for a limited time) that Leigh designed especially for the Hop HERE as well.

An InLinkz Link-up

Poe Appreciation Blog Hop!

Well, of course I'm a day late for Edgar's b-day, but that seems to be my system these days.  There is still time, however, to join in the Poe Appreciation Blog Hop sponsored by Leigh SB Designs.  All the info to participate can be found HERE.  Be sure to check out the cool new Poe related collection of stamps Leigh's Etsy Shop and there's also a fun Poe Freebie (for a limited time) that Leigh designed especially for the Hop HERE as well.



I hope to do some new projects, but we'll see how that goes.  Fortunately you can link up past projects as long as they're in new blog posts so WooHoo for that.  This may be my oldest Poe related project (from 2009!) that brings me back to my Cricut roots.  You can read all about it HERE if you're interested. 

P.S. You don't have to link up, you can just Hop if you like.  

An InLinkz Link-up