A Touch of Spring

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! Around here the snow starting to melt, the temperatures are climbing, and there is a promise of spring in the air. With that in mind, I made this card for Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try. I don't make long cards very often, so this sketch was fun for me. The finished card size is 8 1/2" x 4", and it will fit in a business size envelope. You can click on the photo to see it better -- those long cards are hard to photograph! :) I used the retired SU! set Blooming With Happiness. On the Barely Banana cardstock I stamped Pretty Petals in Barely Banana ink. The flowers were made with the Boho Blossoms Punch, and the centers are Sugarcoated Brads by Doodlebug Design (available at All That Scraps). I have been using these little brads a lot lately! They come in several yummy colors and give just the perfect amount of sparkle to your project! The heads are a little larger than those on SU! brads, so they work better if you need a center for a larger flower (like a Prima).

I colored the image with SU! markers. I sponged around the white oval with Certainly Celery ink, and I sponged around the scalloped oval and the three flowers with White Craft ink. I couldn't help adding some dots with my Marvy white gel pen. I scalloped the bottom edge of the paper with a 3/16" corner rounder (paper guide removed), and I added some dotted ribbon to the image panel. The Banana panel and the scalloped oval are mounted on dimensionals.

That's about it! I hope this card gets you thinking about spring! Thanks for stopping by today -- I appreciate it so much! Have a great day! :)

Stamps: Blooming With Happiness, Pretty Petals background (SU!) Ink: Basic Black, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, White Craft (SU!) Cardstock: Barely Banana, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Pocket Full of Posies glitter stack (DCWV) Other: Mega Oval Punch & Giga Scalloped Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida), Stampin' Write Markers - Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Orchid Opulence (SU!), Boho Blossoms punch (SU!), 3/16" Corner Rounder (SU!), orchid dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts), Sugarcoated Brads (Doodlebug Design), White Gel Excel pen (Marvy), Stamping Sponge & Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!)

No "Lion" -- I Love This Little Guy!

Okay, so it's a corny post title -- but I really do love this little lion! He's part of Love Ya Lots, a new Little Bit Kit from C.C. Designs. It will be available at All That Scraps on January 4, along with the set Love Ya Much. I'm obviously having a love affair with my BasicGrey Romani paper, because I've used it on my last three projects! This pattern just seemed so perfect for this Valentine Lion! I colored and outlined him with Prismacolor Pencils and OMS, and I used my Sakura Glaze Gloss Clear Pen on his facial features and whiskers. I did the same thing on my last project, too. That pen is one of my favorite tools -- it adds shine and dimension right where you want it, without heat embossing! You just draw over the image and it's dry in just a couple minutes. It was perfect for the lion's nose -- it just made it pop!

The rest of the card is pretty self-explanatory, so you can check the supply list. If you have any questions, just ask! :) Thanks for stopping by today -- enjoy your weekend!

Stamps: Love Ya Lots (C.C. Designs) Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Romani (BasicGrey) Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink (SU!) Other: Prismacolor Pencils, Turpenoid, blending stumps, Glitter Dots, Glaze Gloss Clear Pen, Corner Rounder, 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon, pink dotted organdy ribbon, sponge, dimensionals

Winter Fun with Lulu!

Good morning! I hope your weekend was great! We had a good one here -- we got most of our indoor Christmas decorations up, and Chris got the lights up outside! All the kids were home most of the time, and it was so much fun to watch them decorate the tree together. We went through a lot of hot chocolate! It's rare that we have a weekend with NOTHING on the calendar, but this was one of them. I guess it was the calm before the storm, since there are 29 days 'til Christmas!!

I have a card I'm dying to share with you. The images are from the newest set from C.C. Designs, Winter Playtime. It will be released December 7 at All That Scraps. If you fell in love with Lucky and Lulu like I did, you will want this set! The images are absolutely adorable! I'll have more to share in the next few days!

The layout for this card is from Jen del Muro's Sketch for You to Try. The card base is Bazzill Apple Green Washboard. The other cardstock is SU! Regal Rose, Basic Black, and Whisper White. The patterned paper is from Piggy Tales Ba Ba Black Sheep Collection. The snowflakes were stamped in SU! White Craft ink, and the rest was stamped in Basic Black. I colored the main image with Prismacolor Pencils then blended them with Turpenoid and blending stumps. I sponged around the edge of the panel with SU! Regal Rose ink. I added Stardust Stickles to the snow and Lulu's coat. I used a Sakura clear glaze pen on the eyes, nose, mouths, and snowman buttons & arms. I *love* the clear glaze pen -- it gives shine and dimension just where you want it. I tied some yummy May Arts Two Tone Ribbon around the bottom of the image panel. It is sheer and shimmery and seemed perfect for this wintery card!

I have to talk a minute about the Glitter Dots I used next to the image panel. What a fun embellishment! They come in so many colors, and they can easily be applied with glue dots. They can be used just like brads, but you don't have to pierce holes in your card base! I love that -- no prongs showing on the inside! Plus, the glitter is perfect for a card like this one!

I think that's it for now -- I hope this card puts you in a wintery mood! Thanks for stopping by -- have a great day! :)

Making Memories Sweets -- They're Sweet!

Have you seen Sweets from Making Memories? They are glossy, two-sided, dimensional flower embellishments, and they ARE sweet! When my 13-year-old daughter saw them she said, "Those are cool!" -- definitely a stamp of approval! :) There are two types available at All That Scraps: Polo and Black & White. I'd like to share a few cards I made using the Polo Sweets. The colors are bright and fun -- definitely eye-candy!

On this first card, I used the smallest size of Sweets. I added a row of three, much the same way I would use brads. They were easily attached with glue dots.

Stamps: Daphne Goes to School (C.C. Designs) Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise (SU!); Coconut Smoothies (Bazzill) Paper: Petals & Paisley (SU!) Ink: Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom (SU!) Other: Polo Sweets (Making Memories), pink dotted ribbon (May Arts), aquapainter, Scalloped Circle Punch & 1 3/8" circle punch (SU!), white gel pen (Marvy), paper piercing tool, sponge, dimensionals, glue dots

For Tubby Time, I used a large flower as an accent. This particular one did not have a hole in the center, but I wanted to insert a Bazzill white brad. I used a 1/8" handheld punch to make the hole. The punch easily went through the flower -- problem solved!

Stamps: Bitzy Bugz Tubby Time (C.C. Designs); Warm Words, Polka Dots & Paisley (SU!) Cardstock: Barely Banana, Certainly Celery (SU!); Coconut Smoothies (Bazzill) Ink: Basic Black, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery, White Craft (SU!); Brilliance Graphite Black Other: Polo Sweets (Making Memories), white brad (Bazzill), Liquid Applique, Dazzling Diamonds glitter (SU!), heat tool, white gel pen (Marvy), sponge, dimensionals, 1/8" handheld punch

For the third card, I tied the flower to the panel with ribbon, just like a charm. A quick and easy embellishment!

Stamps: Bitzy Bugz Dress Up (C.C. Designs) Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst (SU!); Coconut Smoothies (Bazzill) Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Almost Amethyst, White Craft (SU!) Other: Polo Sweets (Making Memories), white organdy ribbon, Liquid Pearls, Stardust pen (Sakura), aquapainter, Cuttlebug & Bloom Dots embossing folder (ProvoCraft)

I found Sweets to be very easy to use, and they add a fun, colorful element to any project!