Saturday, March 27, 2010

Just Us Girls - Template Challenge #26

Are you ready for another Just Us Girls template challenge sponsored by My Time Made Easy? Mona is our hostess this week. Have you been to her blog lately? Fabulously talented girl!Lauren Meader has generously given the JUGs DT a new template to peek called Slip Cover. It will be released on April 1st. It's a cute box that's intended to hold cards, but you'll see the DT and Lauren using it in a variety of ways. Here's mine.Lauren's templates are SO EASY to make (thank goodness!)! However, this cute little box took FOREVER to make! And NOT because of the template! I knew the color palette I wanted so I pulled up the template in the SCAL software (that I purchased at Canda Craft) and printed it out on my Cricut. I also cut the navy mat out and then reduced the size a bit (on SCAL) to cut out the white piece. The box came together in litereally minutes! Very little adhesive was needed as well. So what took so long? That little bit of a white mat! I redid it 3 times!

First, I stamped the grid in navy ink using Argyle Amazement from MTME. Then I stamped the floral image, also from Argyle Amazement, in Memento tuxedo black. The flowers were individually colored with copic markers. Now in take one, all the flowers were colored green. But when I put the pretty ribbon (probably a $1 find at AC Moore) on the box, it didn't look right. On take two I used the three different colors for the flowers and loved how it matched the ribbon. But....I stamped it on the wrong side, so the bottom edge did not match the edge of the box! UUGGGHHHHH!!!! Take three is what you see above, finally!! After coloring all the flowers, it was too white, so I overstamped it in Green Galore ink with a small script stamp I have (company unknown). I loved the way that looked! Each flower center was embellished with star dust stickles.

The flowers are Primas, and the coral one beneath all of them was cut with the Fanciful Flowers cut file from MTME. It was really cool to cut just one of the 8 images on that cut file. I ungrouped them in SCAL, then deleted all the ones I didn't want. Then I put a scrap piece of coral cardstock on the Cricut mat and cut! Just like using a punch with a scrap!

The bow was made with the Bow Easy tool (you can google it to find a variety of places that sell it...I got mine at a stamp show). I finally figured out how to use that thing after watching video tutorials and practicing making bows! This one is a double bow, which I think looks extra special. The sentiment is from So Sentimental, again from MTME. I stamped it in navy, punched it with a scallop punch, and then sponged green ink around the edge.

I think that's it! Whew...lots to say! Now if you want to play our JUGs challenge, you do not have to use a MTME template (although MTME has one for free called Cutesy Cover which you could use). All you have to do is use a template to make a 3-D project. There will be one randomly chosen winner who will have their choice of a FREE template from MTME! They are really so much fun to make! You can get all the details and see what the JUGs DT has done on the JUGs blog. Here are direct links to the DT blogs to leave them some love and see more details of their projects:


This is Stephanie's last week as our Featured Designer and I'd like to thank her for all her wonderful projects! Thanks for stopping by today and reading through this long post! Have a great weekend!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my Mom's 81st birthday (and I forgot to take a picture of her....ugghh!). But here is a picture of her in December with her new great-granddaughter, Ava.I had her over for her favorite dinner that I make...Wingless Buffalo Chicken Pizza. I got this recipe from Rachael Ray and we all love it! Being from Buffalo, we all love our chicken wings! I also had her sister, my favorite aunt, Joannie over for cake and coffee. Anyway, I made this card for her. My mom loves yellow and so I thought this floral image I just got from Gina K designs called Spring Florals, was perfect.I used a dp from Basic Grey's Origins and the yellow piece (PTI's Lemon Tart) was run through an SU folder. I used some Certainly Celery twill ribbon to tie it all together and some PTI buttons as an accent. The sentiment is from the same Spring Florals set. I added some yellow and star dust stickles to the image and swirled some Certainly Celery ink around the image and sentiment. The card is a 4 3/4" square to fit my 5" envelope. My mom really loved the card and what was in it...a gift card to her favorite grocery store (it's what she always asks for!).

It was a really nice first day of spring yesterday, and I'm hoping today will be just as nice (although I think it's going to rain...better than snow)! Enjoy your Sunday, and thanks for stopping in today!

Recipe
Stamps: Spring Florals (Gina K designs)
Paper: PTI white and lemon tart, Origins dp (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, certainly celery, copic markers
Accessories: Nesties, twill ribbon, yellow and star dust stickles, buttons, floss, embossing folder

Friday, March 19, 2010

Just Us Girls - Color Challenge

Happy Spring everyone! Today at around 1:30 it will finally be Spring! I'm hostessing the Just Us Girls challenge this week, and I thought Spring colors were in order for this week.I surfed around the Pottery Barn Kids website to find something in the colors I wanted, and found this picture. It was perfect for what I was looking for! I loved all the pale colors! Here's what I came up with.I have a bunch of Magnolia stamps and just do not use them enough. I purchased a few Magnolia Easter stamps last year, but never used this one. I just love that little bunny she's holding! She's colored with about 20 different copic markers (so I did not write them down!). I used Basic Grey's Urban Prairie dp. The floral dp is more green than it looks in the picture. The sketch was based on Mercy Kerin's sketch from a couple of weeks ago. I feel my sewing straight stitches needs work! They are a little crooked! The roses are Primas I picked up at my LSS a few weeks ago, and the nesties are new as well. I think this is a very interesting shape.

The Just Us Girls team, as well as Stephanie Kraft, March Featured Designer, have done a beautiful job with these colors. You can see their work on the JUGs blog, but here are links to their blogs.

Thanks for stopping in today! Have a great weekend!
Recipe
Stamps: Tilda with Bunny (Magnolia), All Holidays (SU)
Paper: PTI white, barely banana, certainly celery, Urban Prairie dp (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, close to cocoa, copic markers
Accessories: Nesties, MS border punch, star dust stickles, Prima roses, dimensionals

Monday, March 15, 2010

Lucky Me to Have You!

Hello everyone! It's Monday...again! The beginning of a new week and I have a card I made for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge. I wanted to do a St. Patty's Day card for my MIL. She always has all of us over to her house for Reuben sandwiches on St. Patty's Day! Yum!!! The sketch was perfect for this very simple card. The sentiment is from Paper Makeup Stamps new release called Lucky Me. I altered the sentiment a bit...the stamp says " Lucky me to have a friend like you!" I took out the words "a friend like" because I'm giving it to my MIL. Very easy to do with a marker and a stamp-a-ma-jig. The shamrock image is from a Studio G $1 set. The dp is from Basic Grey's Origins that my friend Cheryl gave me. I purchased the ribbon in the $1 bin at Michael's on a shopping trip with Cheryl too! I just picked up the flowers today at JoAnn's, and they reminded me of carnations, which my MIL loves! So they found a place on this card for her! I felt they needed some leaves, so I punched some with a MS punch out of celery and garden green card stock.

On a side note: my dh and I went to the Irish Center in South Buffalo (a huge Irish community) to have some Guinness and Harp beer, listen to some Irish music, and watch the girls do some Irish dancing. These girls (and two boys) are always so amazing to watch. This group has travelled many times to Ireland for competitions and have won!

Well, that's it for me today. I hope you are celebrating St. Patty's Day this week! Thanks for stopping in...have a great week!
Recipe
Stamps: Lucky Me (PMS), Studio G $1 stamps
Paper: Barely banana, garden green, Origins dp (Basic Grey)
Ink: Garden green
Accessories: Nesties, flowers (K & Co), ribbon (Michael's), MS punch, star dust stickles, distressed stipes folder, dimensionals

Sunday, March 14, 2010

My Last Post as an "INK" Girl!

Happy Sunday everyone! Sundays have been my day to post for Artful INKables, and today will be my last one! My term as an INK girl has ended and I have one last project to share with you. I used one of the newest sets called Sexy & Sweet.
I've had this idea to make a mini notebook using this set. I covered the front of the notebook with paper that looks like notebook paper (I just bought it at my LSS, but I can't remember who makes it!). I colored only part of the sentiment with a red marker. The actual sentiment says "You're on My To Do List". I cut the image and mat using nesties, and added the ribbon and glitter dots. The back is covered with navy cardstock. I have one of these in my purse that I use as my inspiration notebook. How many times have you gone into a store and liked a color combo or the layout of a card at the card shop? I jot these things down in it to use later. This set has a lot of suggestive sentiments and other images that I wouldn't use, so I wanted to show how you can take this set and use it in other ways. I like that!

I'd like to thank Kristin, owner of AI, for asking me to be a member of her Design Team this term and the other INK girls on this team for a fun ride! And I'd like to congratulate and send best wishes to the new INK girls! Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by today! Love your comments!

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Just Us Girls Challenge

It's another Saturday and another challenge from Just Us Girls. Today, Pam Imholz has challenged us to do a flap card. You can find a great tutorial on SCS here. They are very fun to do and are very petite! So cute! I just purchased this dp from My Mind's Eye called Bloom and Grow from my LSS. I just loved the colors! I paired it with apricot appeal and old olive. I chose this image from Our Daily Bread called I Am the Way. I purchased this Easter set last summer because of this lily. I love Tiger Lillies. My dh gave me some when we were first dating, and I've loved them ever since. I even had some in the flower arrangements for our wedding! Anyway, I colored the flower with copics and added some yellow and star dust stickles on it. The flap was cut with the new Labels 13 nesties and embossed it with an embossing folder. It's held closed with magnets from Basic Grey. I made this into a sympathy card (I need about four of them unfortunately). The sentiment is from PTI's With Sympathy. I stamped the flower image in the corner and swirled some Apricot Appeal around the edges of the white panel.

The JUGs girls have some really great flap cards to share with you on the
JUGs blog. Stop by to get some inspiration, then do one yourself and play along. Here are links to the girls' blogs....stop by and say hello!

Thanks for stopping in today! Have a great weekend!

Recipe
Stamps: I Am the Way (Our Daily Bread), With Sympathy (PTI)
Paper: PTI white, apricot appeal, old olive, Bloom and Grow dp (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, apricot appeal
Copic Markers: YR0000, 02, 04, 07;YG00, 11, 45; Y15
Accessories: Nesties, embossing folder, magnets, ribbon, yellow and star dust stickles

Friday, March 12, 2010

Makeup for the Weekend - Paper Makeup Stamps

It's Friday! Sooo glad for this day to arrive! Now I just can't wait until 3:30 when I can start my weekend! :-)

Today Paper Makeup Stamps has another challenge for you. Maria Gurnsey came up with a fabulous color challenge: Red, Blue, and Kraft. For some reason, a nautical theme came into my mind. And as luck would have it, Paper Makeup Stamps has a set that fit the bill: Sailing By.
I love these colors with this set! I started my process with a sketch (of course) from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #59 by Karen Giron. I took the largest of the two anchors from the set and stamped it onto a piece of Boxer dp from Basic Grey. I cut it out, ran it through my Xyron machine (great for paper piecing...dust that little machine off!), and placed it on a piece of kraft paper which I cut with a circle nestie. That was placed onto a real red piece which was cut with another nestie. I swirled some Night of Navy ink on both kraft pieces. The sentiment (also from Sailing By) was stamped in Night of Navy. The navy polka dot piece is from Basic Grey's June Bug dp. I layered all that on a real red piece, added some navy and red ribbon, and placed that on a kraft base. The brass accents are from the jewerly department at Michael's. I just attached them with glue dots.

So do you love this color combo? Why not stop by the PMS blog and participate in the challenge. You can also see more examples by the DT to get some inspiration.

Thanks for stopping in today and I'll see you back here tomorrow for the Just Us Girls weekly challenge...we have a great technique challenge for you so stop by! Enjoy yor weekend!
Recipe
Stamps: Sailing By
Paper: Kraft, real red, Boxer and June Bug dp (Basic Grey)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, night of navy
Accessories: Nesties, ribbon, jewelry accents, corner rounder, Xyron machine, dimensionals

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