Cowboys

Happy Saturday to you!  I'm pretty excited writing this post.  I am joining some wonderful friends for this weekends Stamp Retreat, here in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I have to admit, that this is my first one ever!  But, I think I'm more excited about spending the weekend with girl friends and paper crafting together.

As this weekend get a jump start with creativity, Liliana I. is our hostess over @ Our Creative Corner. Liliana, has a clever little challenge for us; create a card/project with a country/western look.  I want to see some plaid, such as in a ribbon or designer paper.  Also, use the picture to inspire you.

I have to admit, when I saw this inspiration photo, I first thought of Thanksgiving.  So, I wanted to inspire you in a direction that might not be so obvious.  Here is what I created:

I just loved the orange in the plaid table cloth.  So, I looked through my scraps box, and found some wonderfully appropriate pattern paper from Cosmo Cricket.   I just love this pattern paper.  The pattern paper I selected for my card front, has the same 'orange' on a blue-ish woodgrain patter paper.  How pretty.  So, I collected two other papers from the same collection.  I added a cream and brown pattern paper and a blue-ish plaid pattern paper.

I thought the cowboy pattern paper fit this challenge beautifully, so I used it as my focal panel.  I cut a star shape from some left over burlap.  I stapled the folded brown plaid ribbon and burlap star to the cowboy panel.  I added a linen thread tied wooden button to the top right corner.  I thought that this card needed something else.  So, I added two staples to help give the card some visual interest, but not distracting.  I also added 3 copper brads to the lower right corner.  I thought the copper helped brighten the 'oranges' in the various pattern papers.

I hope you have been inspired, and decide to play along with us @ Our Creative Corner.  

Friday's Blog Hop

Howdy!  I hope (and pray) that this blog post finds you in good spirits and health.  Last week, I got the results from a few tests.  And well, it was a surprise.  I went into the exams thinking it's just another test, so that there wouldn't be any surprises for the surgeon.  And well, I was the one who was surprised.  I spent a few days feeling blue, and couldn't find any joy in the things I love: paper crafting, sewing, baking, canning.  You get the picture, I'm a little Martha Stewart.  I love to create home-made things.  Well, I pulled myself up from my boot straps (so to speak) and I decided, when you are given lemons, make lemonade! Right?  I have a life to live.  I have things I want to accomplish.  I have people who depend on me.  And there just isn't any room for complacency.  So, I apologize if I have been 'off-track'.  Please grab a cup of coffee/tea/soda/energy drink, and have a look at what this amazing design team has created!

It's Friday! It's time for a blog hop from the talented ladies over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday!  Blog hops, allow you to visit each design team member's blog and hopefully we inspire you!  We want to get your creative juices flowing, and we hope you play along with us.  This week Maria V, is our creator of this week's sketch.  Let's take a look at what she has given us:

Well, I didn't rotate the sketch, or flip it.  I created a card that showcases this sketch:

I wanted to make a soft and sweet card, for a wonderful friend, who has been so supportive and willing to listen to me cry.  As you probably know, Crumb Cake has got to be the most popular color I use from Stampin' Up!  I use the color (card stock, ink, and pattern paper) on almost every paper craft item I create.  I just LOVE it!

I started with Wisteria Wonder card stock for my card base.  I thought it looked kinda 'flat', so I added a piece of textured WW to the top of the card.  I edged the textured card stock in white craft ink.  I wrapped a piece of crumb cake DSP around the middle of the textured piece.  I added a piece of crinkled crumb cake seam binding and tied a multi-loop bow.  I tied a 'purple' button form the subtles collection, using some linen thread.

For my main panel.  I stamped the three different flowers from Everything Eleanor, using the masking technique.  I heat embossed the flowers with white embossing powder on white shimmer paper.  I 'colored' the flowers with WW re-inker and lots of water.  I stamped the sentiment in Wisteria Wonder classic ink.  I matted the white shimmer card stock onto very vanilla card stock. Then this whole piece is matted onto a piece of silver glitter paper.  I added some butterflies embossed and cut from the Beautiful Wings embosslit.  I added some rhinestones for their bodies.

Now, please continue on with our blog hop and visit Tammy F.'s blog, to see what she has created.  I know that you will NOT be disappointed!  Come play along with us @ Sketch Frenzy Friday!

I hope that we have inspired you.  And, I am happy to be here, sharing my creations with you {smile}.

Vintage Friend

I hope you are having a great start to this week.  Me, it's going pretty well.  And on this Tuesday, I hope you get a chance to stop by the Nacho Average Challenge to play with us!  This week, we have a sketch for you to play with. Here is this week's sketch:

Here is my vintage card:

I have an infinity for shabby chic, and feminine.  And, I just LOVE this color combo I used: Soft Suede, and Calypso Coral.  When SU! came out with this stamp set: Established Elegance, I had to have it!  I just loved the dress form, the button logo stamp, and the flourish.  So, the card base is soft suede card stock.  I just love the soft creamy color.  I added the strip of calypso coral.  But I wanted to jazz it up.  So, I ran it thru the vintage wallpaper EF, and used the new emboss lit to cut the scallop scallops.  I sanded the raised areas and sponged some crumb cake classic ink to this piece, too.  For my tag, I stamped the dress form in soft suede classic ink.  Then I stamped the crown, and button label stamp in calypso coral classic ink.  I added some random flourishes stamped in crumb cake classic ink.  I inked the edges with crumb cake classic ink.  I matted the vanilla tag with some crumb cake card stock.  I crinkled some crumb cake seam binding and made a multi loop bow and attached it the tag with a designer brad in calypso coral.  I added the sentiment tag to the bottom right.  I got this idea from the 'NAC 13' on the original sketch.  I also did some collage stamping for the sentiment tag.  I also matted the tag with crumb cake card stock.  I wanted to keep everything uniform.

Now, don't forget to stop by the rest of the design team's blogs to see what they have created!  I hope you find some inspiration! and please do play along with us @ Nacho Average Challenge.  

Polka Dots & Buttons

Ok, this is late.  sorry.  If I said life has been busy, or that life with 3 children and a dog can get crazy, you'd know why I've been preoccupied.  But, don't let my tardiness discourage you from playing along with us @ Our Creative Corner.  Christina, is our hostess this week.  And she has a clever challenge for you to play along with!

Using the photo as inspiration, make a paper craft item which includes at least two "buttons" - they can be real buttons, fabric buttons, covered buttons, die cut buttons or any sort of buttons you can think of!  Also use polka dots somewhere on your creation.

Here is what I created:

I didn't really have a sketch to start with, so it's an original.  I started with some pattern paper from Melissa Frances.  (One of my favorite shabby chic paper crafting companies.)  I used a doily die from Stampin' Up! to create the decorative edged circle.  The floral pattern paper circle is actually a digital download.  Prima, makes these adorable tiles to add to your paper crafts, and I love the image of the two girls sitting together.  Don't they look like they are sharing a few secrets?  Next, I added a multi-loop bow made from some retired crochet trim by Stampin' Up!  I added a little scrap piece of crumb cake taffeta ribbon.  The buttons are from Close To My Heart and Paper Trey Ink.  I used some cream twine to tie the buttons.

I purchased a new sentiment stamp set from Paper Trey Ink.  I just love the words.  I stamped the sentiment right onto the pattern paper in a dark gray ink.  I thought black would look too stark, and a dark brown didn't look 'right'.

I distress all the edges of the paper.  I also added some faux stitching along the top and right edge of the card.

I hope that you get a chance to play along with us over @ Our Creative Corner! We'd love to see what you create with the photo, two buttons and polka dots!

busy with life

I hope this Friday, finds you well.  This week, has been a bit of a struggle for me.  We returned from New York on Sunday, and jumped right-in with all the craziness life has to offer.  As most of you know, I have had some health issues.  Well, Monday was spent in the surgeons office and another physical exam.  Tuesday was spent completing more tests and exams.  Wednesday was back to work, and a few physician consults.  So, if I say that I have been distracted, and well, I can't find my mojo, you'll understand.  Or maybe my mojo its buried under all this self pity.

On this Friday, (as with all Fridays) the lovely ladies over @ Sketch Frenzy Friday have a wonderfully creative blog hop.  If you haven't done a blog hop before, it's pretty easy.  You start at the main web site, and then click on each link to help you navigated to each design team member's blogs to get some inspiration on this week's sketch.  Kim, is the designer of this week's sketch.  Here's her sketch:

I don't have a hand-made card for this challenge.  I apologize for this unproductive behavior.  But, please don't let that stop you from continuing on, our blog hop.  Tammy F. 's blog is your next stop.  

Please stop by each design team member's blogs and you won't be disappointed!  They are very creative!  And we can't wait to see what you create!  This sketch has a lot of potential!  Show us what you got! {smile}

Collage Stamping

Wow, this week is off to another fast pace!  And, on Tuesday, it's always time for another challenge from the creative ladies @ Nacho Average Challenge .  This week, it's another color challenge.  I wanted to get a new stamp set inky, so that was my focus.  Here is the color challenge this week:

Here is my card:

I used card stock in all of the colors, to help ground this card.  I ran the crumb cake card stock thru the vintage wallpaper embossing folder.  Now, for my collage stamping.  I started with the oval stamp.  I did a second generation stamp of this image in the lucky limeade classic ink.  I then stamped over it with the diamond shape flourish with the label center in lucky limeade classic ink.  I stamped the wings piece in island indigo over the lower portion of this collage.  I added the small flourish in crumb cake classic ink in opposite corners.  I used the Label collection to cut the shape.  I added some dimensionals to the back of the 'label' piece.  I tied some of the ruffled ribbon around the main piece.  To give the card some sparkle and shimmer, I sprayed the whole card with some vanilla smooch.

I hope you have found some inspiration, and don't forget to stop by and see what the rest of the design team has created @ Nacho Average Challenge.