2Sketches4U and The Cutting Cafe

I'm so sorry I've been a bad blogger this week. 2 appointments snuck up on me which led to much less crafting time than I planned. I am very excited that I actually managed to play along with 2Sketches4U this week though. You know me and sketches, but Laura's sketch 40 worked out so well with the new stamps I got from Whiff of Joy that I just HAD to play long. My dear friend Barb (an AMAZING stamper and fabulously sweet woman, check out her blog HERE) introduced me to these adorable images from Whiff of Joy's newest artist N. Fickel. This stamp is called Wee and drum. Too cute, huh, especially with the kitty! Anyway, I used my Copics to color (sorry, I don't stamp enough to remember to take pics of what colors I used) and also took the opportunity to break out my new MS crown around the corner punches. Wee is cut out using my Nesties Deckle Rectangles and I added some Rain Dot snowflakes for some subtle texture. there's also a bit of flower Soft on Wee's collar and adhesive beads on the drum sticks.

I so wanted to do a pink and green card so in the end I used papers from Nana's Nursery Baby Girl stack and made it Christmassy by adding a leftover snowflake from another project that was hanging around the table. The sentiment ring is from the Cutting Cafe's Christmas Circles Set 2 printable stamp set. Because they are resizeable I was able to print it out really small so it would fit on my snowflake and use my Nesties to cut the ring that resembles the sketch. WooHoo!

Please check back tomorrow for the winner of the BBTB Blog Hop candy AND another bit of candy in celebration of reaching 400 followers!

2 Sketches 4 You and Die Cuts R Us

Okay, this week I was DETERMINED to do the 2S4U challenge and perhaps even post it ON TIME. (Even though I've got a BIG secret project that's due TOMORROW. YIKES!) Well I loved Kazan's Sketch 32 and was toying with ideas when I came across a post on Carole's BLOG about her DT project and very first challenge at Die Cuts R Us. OOOOh, monograms! I've certainly been into them lately so here you go. I thought I'd be using some of that great cream and black paper from K&Co that I've become so fond of, but because I couldn't WAIT to try out my new Nestie fleur de lis pendant and also wanted to incorporate my new CB folder, it just was too busy so I just stuck with the color sheme and forgot about the patterned paper. WooHoo! 2 challenges in one and one is a SKETCH! (I'm overcoming my fear. LOL) Even stuck it all together with my Glue glider (and a few pop dots :D).

Remember I have Faith in You

Okay, I'm bummed. Although I ALWAYS check out the fabulous sketches at 2 Sketches 4 You I'm always intimidated and have only actually officially played along once. Kazan's sketch 31 spoke to me as I was already thinking along those lines because of the fabulous black and cream pad from K&Co. Obviously I wasn't aware of the deadline because there I was about to post my entry and they had already announced Card of the Week and the Fab 5. (Note to self. Do it BEFORE Sunday morning.) I still think it turned out pretty well though and the gorgeous paper just begged for a sentiment from The Cutting Cafe's "I Have Faith in You" printable stamp set. Even better, Regina is offering this beautiful set ABSOLUTELY FREE through the entire month of August!

I did the whole card with my paper cutter, my square Nesties, and Martha Stewart butterfly punches. Somehow foam dimensionals didn't really work with this card so I cut the 4 small squares 3 times each to give them more of a chipboard feel. The punched butterflies are adhered in the center only with the wings bent up and the bodies are adorned with adhesive beads. "Remember" is a metal adhesive sticker that I colored black with a permanent marker. There's a bit of a glare in the picture on it because it's shiny, but that worked really well.

Again, the beautiful sentiment is from The Cutting Cafe "I Have Faith in You", a set of 12 lovely sentiments that is Regina is offering free for a limited time. Click HERE for details. She also has some .99 specials and a fabulous new wedding set so be sure to browse a bit.

Paper Blooms Challenge 3 and 2S4U

WooHoo! another multiple post day. That can only mean I'm running late for a challenge. LOL I find it really tough to recover from a vacation and get back into everyday mode. Still I didn't want to miss this week's challenge at Paper Blooms. Leah challenged us to use the 5 "B's"; blooms, bling, butterflies, brown, and a sentiment that began with "B". I had perfect paper to go with Leah's gorgeous hand crocheted blooms but I was at a bit of a loss for a design. One of my New Year's resolutions was to get comfortable with sketches so I hopped over to 2 Sketches 4 U and lo and behold Laura's sketch 24 did the trick. I'm hardly what you'd call creative with sketches, but I think it turned out alright. I may even get the nerve to post it on the site. LOL

I used my threading water punch and wrapped the strip in plaid and thin gingham ribbon, used my Cuttlebug emboss/die combo for the butterfly, my Nesties and a Melissa Frances rub-on for the sentiment and pink rhinestones for the bling. Voila! Just under the wire for Paper Blooms, and EARLY for 2S4U.