Guest Designer - The Challenge

I am beyond excited to be guest designing for The Challenge this week! Be sure to pop over to the blog to see all the great eye candy the design team has cooked up!

Our challenge is a masculine image:

I really struggle with masculine cards - YIKES; but I decided to dive right in and take inspiration from the various images AND the colors; so I made two cards! One literal interpretation and one color inspired birthday card. 

For the birthday card; I stamped the large happy birthday from Mama Elephant in Hero Arts black ink, I stamped both the large and small candles repeatedly in versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. I covered the piece with MFT's circle burst stencil and sponged on Chipped Sapphire Distress ink and MFT's Natural ink; love how you can see the embossed candles!

The literal interpretation is pretty straightforward using images from PTI's On My Couch and On My Couch Additions; the inside says "potato optional." - that always makes me laugh!

Thanks to The Challenge for having me guest; it's been a pleasure; and thank YOU for stopping by to visit!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: Mama Elephant Birthday Wishes, PTI On My Couch and On My Couch Additions
Papers: DP by MME, MFT Whip Cream, PTI Kraft and Blueberry Sky
Ink: MFT Neutral, Kraft, Chocolate Fudge, Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink, Versamark

Accessories: MFT Color Burst stencil, PTI On My Couch die, yellow spica glitter pen, Copics, MFT Pierced Square Die, clear embossing powder, MFT Blueprints 15

Challenges:
The Challenge #62

Love Makes a Home

Hi friends! I'm up over at A Blog Named Hero; pop over to see the full tag and details behind my creation! AND don't forget, you have a few more days to participate with a bit of sparkle and win a prize pack from Simon Says Stamp!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?

InLinkz.com

Baby Shower

Our youngest daughter plays volleyball - high school and club. A few years ago we had two young coaches, we are close to both of them, but one more so than the other. She and our daughter have a unique bond; she's taken our daughter shopping and just 'out' for fun; we have been so blessed by her!

She grew up and got married - we were at the wedding and had SO MUCH FUN! And now, they're having a bay-bee, a little baby boy in April!!! :D In fact, her due date is the day after our daughter's birthday - you can bet my daughter is praying he arrives on her birthday and I'm guessing momma would be a-okay with that too, most everyone is so 'over' being pregnant by their due date!


We received an invitation to the baby shower so I sent her a note and said "what's the color of your nursery and your theme" (the invitation was khaki colored with some orange and turquoise arrows and said baby shower to welcome her brave little man); she replied "it's hard to explain but tribal themed" - LOL, her response also meant they hadn't really put it all together. HA!

Anyway, I set about making a baby card. I water colored a piece of Tim Holtz water color paper using Zig pens - I just scribbled some color on and used a wet paintbrush to spread it around. Once it was dry, I cut the focal piece and 3 additional arrows. I also cut the hello, arrow and rectangle out of fun foam for some fun dimension.

For the base of the card, I sponged on MFT Neutral and Kraft ink through the Hero Arts arrow stencil.

I decided to stack the 3 additional arrows on the inside, love how those look! Sorry for the photo, but we had written in the card before I glued it all together and didn't think you really wanted to see all that. A couple strips of DP finish it off!

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a great week!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: PTI Phrase Play #3, Verve Visual Stronger Love, MFT Gift Card Greetings
Papers: Tim Holtz Watercolor, PTI Dark Chocolate, Kraft, Misc. DP
Ink: MFT Neutral, Kraft, Chocolate

Accessories: Zig Clean Color Brushes, MFT Blueprints, fun foam, Hero Arts Arrow stencil

The Color Challenge - YAY!

I was chosen as the winner for The Color Challenge for this card on my anniversary - what a blessing!

Thanks so much!!

Hugs,

Hello

Look, another hello card - last time I thought I might have you singing Adele's song - like an ear worm??

I absolutely adore this color combo and although I'm not sure I've ever seen grey flowers, I really like them! I colored the image with Copics on Tim Holtz water color paper then cut it out with MFT Blueprints; I added a floral panel and a strip of grey/white designer paper cut with another die from the same MFT Blueprints. I couldn't decide about sequins so instead I opted for random glossy accent drops. Added some washi tape...THEN got all brave and stamped the HELLO after I added the glossy accents - boy did I get lucky I didn't hose the whole card!


I love the fonts in the WPlus9 Doodle Buds set, I stamped the "hope you have a beautiful day" on the inside.

Thanks for stopping by; hope you have a great day!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: Stamping Bella Uptown Girl Fiona Loves Flowers, WPlus9 Doodle Buds
Papers: Tim Holtz Watercolor, Misc. DP, MFT DP (stripes), PTI Soft Stone
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Hero Arts Black (sentiments)

Accessories: glossy accents, Copics, MFT Blueprints, washi tape

Challenges:
ctd380

The Challenge #60

Dragonfly Journeys - Wishy Washi
SSS WIW - February 2016

Kind & Thoughtful

I recently saw some cards made by Dawn McVey in which she used gold paint, I thought they were beautiful. So recently while out shopping with our son for a school project, I picked up a small bottle of gold paint - maybe Folk Art brand? Nothing expensive by any means. I proceeded to paint one piece of card stock with broad strokes, the other I actually stamped with the gold paint using PTI's Polka Dot basics. I allowed both to dry naturally.

For the polka dot card, I used Hero Arts ombre ink to stamp the Concord and 9th "kind" sentiment and die cut; I layered this and a strip of vellum over a piece of floral chip board I have had F-O-R-E-V-E-R - yep; it's true! ;) I added lots of Shine Bright sequins from Verve Visual to finish it up.

For the pink card, I cut a heart out of the center of the gold piece and backed it with designer paper from MFT. I die cut the "thoughtful" from vellum and adhered across the heart; the "that's you" was white embossed on black card stock, I cut a few flags and finished it off with more Shine Bright sequins.

Thanks for popping in; hope you have a GREAT day!

Hugs,

WHAT'S IT TAKE?

Stamps: Concord and 9th Being Classy 
Papers: Neenah White, MFT shiny gold, designer paper, vellum, PTI Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst
Ink: Ranger Archival Black, Versamark, Hero Arts Ombre Mint to Green

Accessories: Concord and 9th Being Classy die, gold paint, washi tape, floral chipboard, sequins, Lawn Fawn stackable hearts

Challenges: