Butterfly Flight for Paper Blooms

I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself! I wanted to fit in a quick challenge and of course my head went back to my K&Co. cream and black paper AGAIN! (Yes SandyE, I found you some.) I had these HUGE crystal swirls by Prima and had no idea what I was going to do with them (not being a scrapper and all) and then saw a lone butterfly shadow cut from Indy Art on my table and voila! Unfortunately the element I needed to make it be a part of the challenge was not in scale but I finished the card anyway so I'd have something to post.

The center cream section is embossed with the new Cuttlebug Victoria folder and I used the MS double scallop border punch along the edges. No time to finish the inside, I've got a wedding card inside to finish and then must start on my DT challenge cards. (I'm the worst procrastinator but you gotta go where the mojo flows!)

Well I have to laugh because this card WAS for the Paper Blooms "Bling" challenge but I thought although you needn't necessarily use a Paper Bloom, you did need SOME kind of bloom. Thank goodness Rose set me straight. I had PLANNED on using a Paper Bloom and would have had the size been right. I SOOOO LOVE them!

Paper Blooms Home Decor Challenge.

Yea! I finally managed to sneak in a Paper Blooms Challenge! I soooooo love Leah's handcrocheted flowers and embellies (although you don't have to use them to join in the challenge). This one is creating a home decor project so I did this door hanger. I'm a great cook (if I do say so myself LOL) but I've been sort of slacking in that deprtment for quite awhile (Crafting is hard work and I'd sooo much rather be doing that.) Anyway, I felt guilty last night so I grilled some salmon and asparagus and made the lemon pepper pasta with capers that DH so dearly loves. Of course he was soooo grateful, but I don't want him to think this is going to be an everyday occurrance. To make sure he doesn't get his hopes up I made this hanger to put up in the kitchen.

I've had this idea in my mind for awhile. I freehanded the apron and cut it out of this Cosmo Cricket retro paper I absolutely love. Used Zip dry glue to trim it out and added two gorgeous Paper Blooms for embellies. I had the "no" symbol laying on my craft table from a previous challenge from ages ago and thought it would be hilarious over the beater.

I cracked up at the "What's for dinner?" tag. I cut that and another little label out and printed "Reservations of course" on my computer. Of course they were made with 100% pure love, doesn't everybody LOVE to go out for dinner? LOL

For the Love of Lemons from The Cutting Cafe

I have to say I LOVE lemons and when I saw this new set from The Cutting Cafe I was so excited! LOTS of lemons, 20 phrases and images of lemons and you can win this set For The Love of Lemons just by commenting on this post.

For my first card I resized the lemon in my photoshop program, printed it on gingham paper and cut it out. the sentiment is is cut with my Nesties circle and backed with the circle scallop. Leaves are cut with my Cricut and that beautiful butterfly is hand crocheted by Leah from Paper Blooms.

You know I'm a cat lover so this second sentiment was a must. I colored it with my Copics and cut and backed it with Nesties. The kitty is a Sizzix die I cut out with my Cuttlebug. the lemon and lime slices are brads and I added a bow and some skittles.

The card mats have a threading water border and were embossed with Swiss Dots. Just a little popping of the layers and they were done. That's what I love so much about The Cutting Cafe downloadable printable stamps. So fast, so easy, and SOOOOOO many possibilites. To view the rest of the fun designs that come with this set click HERE. One lucky random winner will received this set absolutely free one Monday so be sure to comment to be included in the drawing. Today is Regina's birthday, isn't she sweet to give away a present when it's HER day?!? Be sure to check out all of the fabulous new designs Regina has just added. Lots for Back to School and Halloween too. WooHoo!

BBTB Indy Art Ice Cream Cone Challenge

This week at BBTB Regina asked us to use the ice cream cone from the Indie Art cartridge. I made a simple shape card using Design Studio and popped the layers for dimension. I decided on strawberry ice cream so I used the cute paper from the DCWV Nana's Kids Baby Girl matstack and used pink stickles to add some Martha Stewart mica flake glitter to make it look frosty. To add some texture to the cone I embossed both pieces with the Tiny Mosaic Cuttlebug folder.

Some of the designers were sent gorgeous hand crocheted flowers from Paper Blooms. I already had my own stash of these fabulous flowers so of course I included one on my card too. And now Leah is making beautiful butterflies as well! WooHoo! The sentiment tag is from The Cutting Cafe A to Z is for 24 piece downloadable printable stamp set. They are the perfect size to use your Stampin'Up label punch and Nesties, and there are 23 more fun sentiments to choose from, perfect for a whole variety of occasions. There is also a new contest going on over at BBTB where you can win some of these gorgeous Paper Blooms, and it just happens to require the word "yummy" to enter. Be sure to check out the rules HERE and also take a look at the YUMMY creations my DT sisters came up with this week.

Paper Blooms Emboss Resist Challenge

I love Wednesdays because that's when Paper Blooms comes out with their new challenges. This week it's emboss resist. I have to laugh that I stamp so seldom (even though I've got WADS of stuff) that I had to go to guest designer Tracy's blog to actually find out what that meant. Well the point of a challenge is to be challenged so I thought this would be fun, especially since I had bought a whole bunch of distress ink at M's on Memorial Day. I checked out my stamps and found this leaf block by Stampendous and stamped away. I couldn't figure out why my embossing looked so dull and difficult to see until I looked at the powder and realized I was using clear on white paper. It turned out much better when I switched to opaque white. Then I scanned my Paper Blooms, inks and papers and came up with this color scheme. I soon realized I do not have the right tool to rub the ink on the paper without making streaks or globs so that's why the color is so subtle behind the embossing. I used Dusty Concord and Weathered Wood Distress Ink.

Then I had to come up with some layout. (Where are those sketches when I need them. LOL)My dear friend Lillie and I had been talking about the Joy Fold card from SCS and I thought that might work. I looked all over the place but could only find the gallery so I had a basic idea but no actual dimensions so I cut the card to fit my stamped pieces. To hold it closed I used a length of ribbon instead of the raised label or little metal thingy (Man, my mind it drawing a blank here) and I gussied it up with a gorgeous double layered Paper Bloom and some MS punched butterflies embellished with adhesive rhinestones. The inside sentiment is Stampin'Up. Lillie helped me finally find the directions for this card AFTER I had made my own version but if you really want to see a Joy Fold card check out Lillie's Blog HERE. And be sure to stop by Paper Blooms to see their beautiful examples of emboss resist. Thanks for a great challenge Leah, I'm definitely gonna play more with this technique.

Paper Blooms Red, White and Blue Challenge

In honor of Memorial Day this week's Paper Blooms challenge is to use red, white and blue. I used a premade red 5x7 card, matted it in blue and then cut a light blue stars mat and coordinating strips from 2 different designer papers from Creative Imaginations. The flags are toothpicks, the dimensional star stickers are EK Success, the small star flower centers are raindots, and of course the gorgeous hand crocheted flowers are Paper Blooms. I love these challenges at Paper Blooms and am happy I was able to participate this week. Check out the gorgeous Design Team creations HERE, and remember you don't have to use Paper Blooms to join in but once you get some of these gorgeous flowers you'll be hooked just like I am.

The Cuttlebug Spot Emboss Anything but Paper and Paper Blooms All Tied Up Challenge

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we were asked to emboss anything but regular paper or card stock ie: acetate, vellum, grungeboard, cork, metal, you name it. I had purchased this pretty pink metal at the last Scrapbook Expo and was dying to give it a try. It was the perfect shade to match one of the metal mailboxes I'd purchased for $1 at Target around Valentine's Day (and never got around to embellishing) so I thought it would be lots of fun. I chose the floral folder that came with the Cuttlebug With Gratitude set because it is an even design and my metal strip was longer than the folder.

I then used the end piece as a template to trace around and then cut it out with just regular scissors. That piece I ran through the Cuttlebug with Swiss Dots folder but it looked a little plain so I double embossed using one of the small flower folders. I used a small square of plumber's 1/4" gasket rubber just where the flowers were to avoid getting folder marks when I ran it through to emboss.

I've been missing participating in the challenges at Paper Blooms the last couple of weeks so when I saw that their challenge required using ribbon as a focal point for the project (maybe it's not exactly the focal point but I tried) I trimmed it out in two diffierent ribbon patterns and tied a bow with 3 more. The beautiful crocheted flower on the flag is hand done by Leah at Paper Blooms and really adds a special touch. Visit her Etsy store to purchase some of these gorgeous flowers which come in all sorts of colors and several different shapes. I thoroughly enjoyed working with a material other than paper for this challenge and so did my Design Team Sisters. Be sure to visit The Cuttlebug Spot so see just what they came up with and we invite you to play along.

Paper Blooms Challenge 4

In honor of Earth Day the Paper Blooms challenge this week was to alter or use something you'd normally throw away. I've been saving these octagonal jars that yummy olive spread comes in because I love the size and shape. Happily in the mail today I received my latest Paper Blooms order with Leah's new daisy shaped hand crocheted flowers so I just HAD to use one. Isn't it gorgeous!?!

I found a tiny spool of adorable blue and yellow ribbon and the color scheme was born. The lid cover I did with my Nesties, used my Threading water border punch for a band and some blue and white gingham ribbon and tiny yellow buttons around the jar. I finished it off by layering another of Leah's blooms and tiny blue button in the centerof my new daisy. I think I'll keep it to store either buttons or Paper Blooms. I'm loving this new challenge blog and you don't have to use Paper Blooms to play along but since I've been ordering up a storm I can't help myself.

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.

Paper Blooms Challenge 2, Take 2 and a Bit More Recycling

Happy Easter everybody! Hope everyone is having a lovely day. I just couldn't relax until I made another basket for the Paper Blooms challenge using Paper Blooms. LOL I eat ALOT of tuna in the pouch and whenever I go to WalMart I buy the entire box of it at a time. Inside these boxes is corregated cardboard for reinforcement and of course I've been saving it for crafting purposes. I took 2 of them and glued the center sections together, punched holes at the corners, tied some bows and VOILA! A basket! Used my threading water punch to trim the top and decorated it with some neutral primas and some of Leah's GORGEOUS hand crocheted flowers. For the handle I wound a bunch of raffia with some wrapped wire. I really love the mix of the rustic with the refined. I'm not a particular fan of hard boiled eggs but darling little quail eggs are a different story. Too bad they're such a bite to peel. LOL If you haven't hopped over to Paper Blooms you're really missing something. Leah and her Design Team have made some fabulous boxes and baskets for this challenge and one lucky participant will win some of Leah's beautiful blooms. Click HERE to go see!

Whimsical Easter Basket, Paper Blooms Challenge #2

Isn't it fun to Blog hop? You never know what you're gonna find. I hopped over to my friend Caryn's Blog Glitter Me Silly (she does the most amazing stuff!) and she had made the most adorable Easter treat container from a U Tube video she had found on SplitcoastStampers by JenLoweDesigns. Well of course I had to follow her LINK and knew I had to make one of these whimsical origami baskets for myself. Jen had several variations so I combined the handled basket with the "jester" basket and here's what I came up with.

I was thrilled to be able to do a project that would show both sides of the adorable Heidi Grace paper I had (I can NEVER decide which side I like best) and when it was done I immediately thought of Regina's adorable bunny downloadable template from The Cutting Cafe. The curved sides of the basket made me think of his floppy ears! This bunny can be made into a shaped card but I chose to print just the layers and attach him to the front and back of my basket. Then I printed "Easter Bunny Hugs" from the Easter Sentiments set. I'm really pleased to be on a roll with these Easter projects. It's been so fast and easy using the adorable downloadables from The Cutting Cafe. Regina has TONS of fun stuff for every occasion so be sure to check it out.

The trim was on clearance from J's and the glitter flowers are also Heidi Grace. Imagine my surprise when I hopped over to Paper Blooms to check out this week's challenge and lo and behold it was to make an Easter or Spring themed box or basket. This fun new challenge site is a real source of inspiration and has all sorts of ideas for using Leah's gorgeous hand crocheted flowers. If you haven't checked them out YOU MUST! I'm bummed I hadn't used any of Leah's beautiful flowers on my basket but I'd already committed. It is not a requirement to enter the challenge and one random lucky winner each week will win some (tell me that's not incentive!) so you have NO EXCUSE not to participate. LOL Hopefully I will have some time to make another basket using her lovely blooms but in the meantime this will have to do.

Paper Blooms Sketch Challenge #1

My dear friend Sandi knew I as unhappy with my card and made some suggestions. Above is the new improved card. I stamped the little flower that was hidden behind the lovely crocheted one twice and fussy cut them out. Yea! SUCH an improvement! THANKS SANDI!

Okay, don't faint or anything. Two posts in one day!?! Well I would have saved this for another day but I wanted to get it in for the very first Challenge over at Paper Blooms. It was a sketch challenge and you know me and sketches. LOL I think my problem is I have a really hard time deviating in ANY way from the sketch which I don't think is exactly the point (yeah I was one of those kids who always obeyed the rules in school). In fact it bugs the heck out of me that the lovely hand crocheted bloom on this card should actually be at the top left corner of the image but it looked stupid there with the stamped flower already on the side of the basket. So there you go. This was also a color challenge using lavender, green and white or cream. Check! The sweet bunny is a Stampin'Up stamp colored with my Prisma pencils using the MCPT and the sentiment circle is a downloadable printable stamp from The Cutting Cafe as is the inside sentiment. I happened to luck out this time and only had to stamp my bunny once (instead of 5 or 6 times) to get a clean image, but with Regina's printable stamps it's always a sure thing. Yea! I'm dying to use more of Leah's gorgeous flowers so I can't wait to see what tomorrow's challenge at Paper Blooms will be. And if you still have some Easter cards to make you can't go wrong with the fun stuff Regina has over at The Cutting Cafe. There's still time!

Paper Blooms, Vintage and a Bit of Recycling

I was so lucky to win the gorgeous Blog Candy Leah offered over at Paper Blooms to launch her new challenge site and introduce her design team. Her beautiful hand crocheted blossoms and stick pins scream for something lovely and vintage and though I'm not very good at this style, I truly love it. I can't wait for the challenges to start April 1st. Her beautifull blooms are available on Etsy and are sooo reasonably priced. She even does custom orders if there's a particular color or style you'd like to have. Be SURE to check it out HERE. She better be getting her little fingers busy because I just bought 3 sets to add to the ones I won so I'll be ready for the challenge. LOL

The doll image is a postcard I received from a fabulous store in Pleasanton CA called American Harvest that features many artists who craft with a distinctly vintage style. This doll is by the very talented Nicole Sayer who just so happens to live in Pleasanton. I cut her out and matted her in chocolate and popped her on top of a crocheted doily I had recently uncovered in the attic. The pretty paper is Basic Grey. I used some ecru lace from J's across her bodice and the glitter heart and vintage keyhole are from Melissa Frances. After taking these pix I realized I had neglected to ink the edge of the chipboard heart. I popped it off and it's all fixed now (okay Shelly? LOL)