Barbles Inspiration Challenge #2 - Dreams Take Flight

I really wanted to play along with Barb and her Barbles Inspiration Chellenge #2.  Check out the picture board she supplied for us to use as inspiration!  It was so hard to focus!  In the end, I decided to go wtih the picture of the bird on the wire.

And here is my final creations.

I decided to pull out my alcohol inks to create this swirly cloudy background.  So much fun.  The silver mixative is what really made the swirls.  The image is Bird Branch from Memory Box ... a sad stamp because he has not been inked up for a long time!!  Happy now!

You should join in Barb's fun.  Link up on her blog HERE

Moxie Fab World - Fashion Challenge - Thinking of You Brooch

I wanted to play along with this challenge from Moxie Fab World ... but can you believe that I do not own any houndstooth paper or stamps!!  I looked thinking surely I have something ... but no I have nothing!  So I had to improvise.

I focused on the green (although a much yellow-er green than the color in the inspiration photo) and the brooch....

I added a pattern similar to houndstooth on my green designer paper using Versamark ink.  I kept the rest of the card clean and simple to focus on the embellishment and sentiment.  I stamped the bird image (Memory Box) and then cut out the paper to be just smaller than the frame.  Once the image was adhered, I filled the frame with Glossy Accents to mimic a brooch.

I adore that cream coloured lace below the sentiment strip ... found it at the Dollar Store for "a dollar!".

Okay, so that was a stretch for me .. but fun just the same!!

Thanks for dropping by.

Donelda

A Moo or Two - Easter

When I saw the latest challenge for the Moo or Two site I knew I needed to pull out this smARTworks set!  It is my favorite for Easter cards! 

Here are my moos.  I stamped the images onto kraft cardstock and then colored them in using my Prismacolor pencil crayons!  Not sure why but I love to do that with these images becuase the bunnies are so fun to color in white!  Added a few strips of designer paper.  The swirls are a Memory Box stamp a bought a few years ago and seem to forget about!

Off to see what everyone created for the last challenge (too bad I was away - script would have been fun!) and for this one so far!

Have a great Sunday!
Donelda

Watercolored Daffodils

This image has been stamped and sitting in my "to use" bin for a while.  I had gotten some yellow ink outside the flowers as I was watercoloring a different image.  I knew I'd still be able to use the image in some way.  I decided to paint the daffodils in yellow (twinkling H2Os) and add a smidgen of orange to the inside portions of the petals.  Then I added more of the yellow around the daffodils so the original yellow outside the lines looked like it was on purpose ... LOL!  There are no mistakes in art ... right??!!  Then, I carefully added some blue ink around the yellow to create the effect of the sky with the yellow daffodils being so brilliant in the bright blue sky.  The effect in real life is pretty good. 

The rest of the card is pretty straight forward!  See the visual triangle I created with the ribbon.  I adhered just a small fold of it under the main image panel. 

A bit about this image.  It comes from Impression Obsession.  I recieved it from Dina (from Mama Dini's Stamperia) who had heard that I was looking for a good daffodil stamp as they are my favorite flower.    Wasn't that just the sweetest thing!! 

I believe that crafty folks are some of the nicest people in the world :-)

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a great day!
Donelda

Spread Your Purple Wings

I have one package of 8x8 Memory Box paper (aerial) ... and I love it ... I hoard it (snort, like you didn't know that). 

So, as I try to use up my "scraps" I realized that I have a bunch of small strips of this memory box paper that I can't throw away (it's a sickness!).  So, I decided to use it to create an interesting border along the bottom of this card. I also used a piece to cut the scallop border along the bottom of the solid piece of dp. 

The bird is stamped with Lavender ink (SU!) and comes from the old Carte Postale stamp set. It is actually stamped onto another piece of this Memory Box paper ... makes the whole card go together well!!   The sentiment is from Birds of a Feather set (Papertrey Ink). 

Okay, so tell the truth ... do you suffer from this sickness as well???  Can you not bare to throw away the tiniest piece of designer paper????   LOL!!! !

Donelda

Birthday Tree - Scraps

So here is another one of the cards I created using some of the scaps. 

See that pretty striped paper, I've had it for a very long time but have not found a way to use it up.  I have always had trouble matching the beautiful colors. 

For this card, I stamped this great tree (Memory Box) and colored it in with copic markers.  Then I added the small sentiment (Papertrey Ink).  I rounded one of the corners, sponged lightly and then popped it up. 

There are still a few more scrap cards to share so stay tuned.
Donelda

Welcome Home

We arrived home today from a short family holiday to Las Vegas. I had always said I would not take my underage son to Vegas (not until he was 21) but in the end, we went with friends who were taking their children. It all worked out and we had a great time.

I made this house warming card a few months ago for friends who moved into their new home. The background is created using my home-made cloud template!! The little birdhouse is one I hand drew and cut out.

Supplies: Stamps - Father Knows Best (Papertrey Ink), Of a Feather (Memory Box); Ink - Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi , Old Olive, Chocolate Chip (all Stampin Up!), Paper - Close To Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White (Stampin Up!); Other - 1" circle punch, white gel pen, brown marker, home-made cloud template, sponge, brown ribbon (Stampin' Up!).

I look forward to getting some new cards created over the next few days...too bad I have to go back to work. *wink*

Donelda

smARTworks - Swirly-Gigs

smARTworks has some of the best sentiments!! I stamped this one on some white cardstock and cut it out with an oval nestability. Before removing the die, I sponged on a bit of sky blue ink. Then I watercolored the little leaf (which is also part of the stamp set). This Memory Box paper is some of my favorite!! and I also love the Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink) twill layered over the Chocolate Chip ribbon (Stampin' up!). Thanks for dropping in to my blog today!! Leave me a little comment love!! :-) Donelda

Inspired by Lucy

So one of my favorite new blogs for inspiration is Lucy's! I just can't get enough of her stuff!!

I copied THESE cards (scroll down a bit on the post) but made a few changes. I used cork as my main layer, and instead of real buttons, I used a smARTworks stamp set. Cute hey!!

Supplies: Stamps-Of a Feather (Memory Box), Cute as... (smARTworks), Paper Tray (Papertrey Ink); Ink - Whisper White (Stampin' Up!), Spring Rain, Sweet Blush, Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink) cork (unknown); Ink - Black (Ranger); Other - Labels Die 1 (Spellbinders), 1" circle punch, Cuttlebug (Provocraft).

Thanks for dropping by!!

Donelda

Saturday Spotlight - Make a Scene

This week's challenge from the Saturday Spotlight blog was to Make a Scene. I pulled out one of my favorite sets, Of a Feather by Memory Box and got to work. I stamped the various trees onto a piece of white cardstock. Then I ripped some green scrap designer paper and added it as hills. I re-stamped the trunks over top of the hills. Then I added the sun and birds. I colored in the trees and red birds with Copic markers. The sky is colored with my chalks - haven't pulled them out for a long time. Might have to challenge myself to that next week!! I stamped the sentiment (Beyond Basic Borders by Papertrey Ink) and colored it with the same chalk but it looked so lonely and boring. So, I added one of the red birds to the letter 'o' and I boxed it in. Of course I had to go back and add a box around the main image!!! Off to see all the other 'scenes' that were created for this challenge. Thanks for dropping in! Donelda

Saturday Spotlight - Dress Up Those Trees

I wanted to play this week at the Saturday Spotlight with Hidden Potential. Last week`s challenge was soooo much fun (It was to make a Halloween but you weren`t allowed to use halloween stamps ... see my card HERE).

This week the challenge was to Dress Up a Tree. I was tempted to pick the branch from Papertrey Ink (either Out on a Limb or Take a Bough) and dress it up for Christmas but I just wasn`t feeling Christmassy. Then I thought about some of my Stampin`Up! trees and even my smARTworks tree....but I`ve been playing with them recently. I wanted to use something different, one of my lesser used stamps. That`s when I saw my Of A Feather set from Memory Box. Perfect!!

So, how did I dress up my tree? I decided to dress up the leaves in some great fall colors using my Copic markers. It turned out even better than I had expected -- gotta love it when that happens.

The rest of the card is pretty straight forward. I love using these die cuts to create great shaped cards (see THIS one as another one of my examples).

Supplies: Stamps-Of a Feather (Memory Box), Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink); Ink - Brilliance Jet Black (Tsukinso), Versamark; Paper - Kraft, Vanilla (Stampin`Up!), Bitty Dots in Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink); Other - markers (Copic), Oval Die, Label Dies One (Spellbinders), Chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon (Stampin`Up!).

Okay, now I`m off to see all the other dressed up trees.

Thanks for dropping in!!

Donelda

Long / Tall Cards

I love working with different card sizes so one day I pulled out some business sized envelopes and got to work. I had been inspired to try the size because I saw that dashed line in the Of a Feather stamp set from Memory Box. I hadn`t used it yet and thought I could have a lot of fun with it. First, I paired it with the flowers from the With Sympathy set by Papertrey Ink and flower pot by smARTworks. The dashed line made for a fun stem!! I saw this particular sentiment from the Father Knows Best set from Papertrey Ink and knew I had to use it on the front of the card (it reads "you're someone to LOOK UP TO no matter how tall i"ve grown" - see how perfect it is)!! Next, I used the dashed line for what it was probably desinged ... the flight path of the little bird in the Of a Feather set. The sentiment for this second card comes from the Papertrey Ink set called Birds of a Feather. I love the little bling added for the letter i in Wings.

What a fun, fun, fun size to work with!! I might have to try this size again soon!!

Stamps used: Of a Feather (Memory Box), Plant Love (smARTworks), Birds of a Feather, With Sympathy, Father Knows Best (Papertrey Ink).

Enjoy your day!!

Donelda

smARTworks - Birdy Nest

Isn't this birdie cute!! I love him. He comes from the smARTworks set called Swirly Gigs. I stamped him on to watercolor paper and then following a tutorial I saw on Dave's (from Memory Box) blog, I watercolored him with twinkling H2O's and cut him out. Next, I created the nest. I cut small strips of brown cardstock (various shades of brown) and glued them together in the shape of the next. Then, I created the background. I cut squares of light blue cardstock and sponged darker blue around the edges. I added the stamped branch and some punched leaves (from paper painted with more of the yellow twinkling H2O), I adhered the whole thing together and added the sentiment. Supplies: Swirly-Gigs (smARTworks), Take a Bough (Papertrey Ink), sentiment from Of a Feather (Memory Box); Paper - Raspberry Fizz (PTI), Whisper White (SU), scrap light blue and brown, watercolor paper; Other - leaf punch, brown hemp, twinkling H2Os, 1 1/4" square punch, sponge. Thanks for checking in Donelda

3x3 With Gratitude

If you follow Kristina Werner's blog you might recognize this card. She did one HERE only hers was a smaller 3x3 card and done on kraft cardstock. I did mine on Sahara Sand cardstock but it seemed kinda "bland" so I took some Chocolate Chip reinker and a toothbrush and splashed on some dots of color. I liked the results so much better. I might go back and round the corners because I think they will look better. Repeated patterns in your stamping is fun and a great way to create interesting one layer cards.

Supplies: Stamps- Garden of Life, Spiral Bouquet (Papertrey Ink) Of a Feather (Memory Box) {I've been trying to find a way to use that little "sign holder" as I like to refer to it and thought it would work great here}; Ink - pink (Color Box), Chocolate Chip (SU!); Paper - Sahara Sand (SU!); Other - Chocolate chip reinker (SU!), and an old toothbrush!!! :D Have a great Sunday!! Donelda

In Flight Inchies card

I really love the whole idea of "inchies". You might remember THIS card and THIS card that I made a while ago based on a great Hero Arts video. Well, I got to playing with some Stampbord and created a similar scene using some Memory Box stamps. I liked it so much that I decided to make it into an Inchie card as well. I re-created the scene but put it on white cardstock this time instead of on a piece of Stampbord, then cut the scene into 4 inchies and mounted them. This is the end result. It was a lot of fun to create!! Supplies: Of a Feather (Memory Box), Birds of a Feather (Papertrey Ink); Ink-Buckaroo Blue (Stampin' Up!), Spring Moss, Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink), Olive (Color Box), Jet Black StazOn; Paper- Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!), grey-blue (Bazzill); Other- various sponges and paint brushes, Berry Sorbet twill (Papertrey Ink), dimensionals.

I hope you like. Let's hear a shout out if you do!! Thanks!

Donelda

Welcome Bird House

This bird and tree are from a set called Of a Feather by Memory Box. It is a great and versatile set! I decided that the bird needed a little house so I made this cute little bird house out of some light chipboard. The grass is made with a marker. Supplies: Paper- Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla (SU!), Chatterbox designer paper, Stamps-Of a Feather (Memory Box), Limitless Labels (Papertrey Ink), Ink- Basic Black, Close to Cocoa (SU!), colorbox inks, Other-Old Olive, Close to Cocoa markers, light cardboard, sponge. Thanks for visiting. Donelda

Three Trees and Red Birds

I saw a great card over on the Memory Box site so I decided to replicate it. Only, I used the stamps I had, of course. This is one of my favorite tree stamps from Papertrey Ink!! It comes in both a solid and lined version which allows for various styles. I used both of them!! Supplies: Paper-Very Vanilla (Stampin Up!), designer paper (K&Co.); Stamps-Father Knows Best, Mixed Messages (Papertrey Ink), Of a Feather, Swirl (Memory Box); Ink-Old Olive, River Rock, Ruby Red (Stampin' Up!). Thanks for dropping by today! Have a great Saturday! Donelda

Celebrate the Season

Okay, so I am going to start my Christmas cards soon!! I really like this idea so I might make a few of these to send out! I don't like to mass produce cards with 4 or 5 of the same card being the most I can tolerate! You might not be able to see it clearly but there is some soft snow falling all around this little fellow on his branch. As well, there is a clear snowflake beside the sentiment! And some subtle sponging around the blue cardstock. Supplies - Paper - Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky (SU!); Stamps - Take a Bough (Papertrey Ink), Of a Feather (Memory Box), Snowflakes (Stampin' Up!); Ink - Handsome Hunter, Close to cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White craft (all Stampin' Up!)' Other - Snowflake (unknown), corner rounder. Thanks for visiting! Donelda

A Vellum Case

The Papertrey Ink Blog Hop challenge LAST MONTH (July) was to find ways to use Vellum on your card. Well, hopping around to everyone's blogs was soooo inspirational. I especially liked eggette's card seen HERE so much that I had to try to duplicate it.

While I did have the same designer paper I did not have the same stamps and ribbon. So I had to improvise!!

Supplies: Paper-Very Vanilla, Almost Amethyst (SU!) designer paper Aerial (Memory Box); Stamps - Of a Feather (Memory Box); Ink - .Basic Black (SU!); Other - ribbon (Michaels), Scallop Scissors (Fiskars).

Thanks for visiting.

Donelda

Hello Inchies!

I made this a few days ago. Actually I made 2 similar cards...this one and another one like it, yet different. You'll see that next!! I have been experimenting with ways to use inchies (1" square pieces of stamped art) in my cards. I really like this idea.

I also like the individual letters along the edge - each stamped, cut into small rectangles, edges sponged for definition, then attached behind the main image. It is a really popular technique right now!

Well, it is very late tonight but I didn't want to not post. I will add details and supplies for this card over the weekend if you are interested!!

Oh, and I've picked up my Design Basics Index book by Jim Krause again...you might see another lesson in the near future :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Donelda