[DYSU] Challenge #78 - Blue Skies & Clouds

Good morning, everyone! I can't believe that we already have end of June...where has the time gone? We're completely mid-way in our summer season and it's evident by the many CSA baskets I have been picking up. I still owe you all a bunch of fabulous photos and recipes that I have been whipping up to use up these wonderful fresh ingredients. Just to tease you, I just made a delicious pecan-crusted warm goat cheese & beet salad.

We're here to bring you a great challenge: Blue Skies & Clouds. This week I am playing around with mixed media - something I am dabbling here and there, but still feeling a little new and unsure about this medium.

This week we also have a great sponsor along who provided us the entire June release set to showcase: Gecko Galz. This week I chose to "Tag You're It" collage set.


Stamps: (Tag You're It) Gecko Galz; (Up, Up & Away) Papertrey Ink
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar; Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Vintage Photo) Ranger
Embellishments: (Gesso - White) Gold; (Artists' Color Acrylic Series 1 - Brilliant White, Brilliant Blue, Light Portrait Pink) Utrecht; (Mixed Brads - Karlie; Chipboard Alphabet Ledger - Elsie) The Girl's Paperie; (Writing Pen - Sepia) Martha Stewart; (Corrugated Cardboard) recycled

I started out by cutting a bunch of the tags down the middle shingled the card stock down. Then I added a layers of Gesso. I got a little carried away with the acrylic paint. With last week's "Inspired a Movie" challenge I still had Vanilla Sky in mind when I saw "Blue Skies & Clouds." I'm not sure if you can see that the big tags were used as a background, some of the script and music shows through if you peek hard enough... but I should have eased up on the Gesso layer and the acrylic paint next time.


The flower embellishment is made out of three types of mini tags that I picked and printed those 3 or 4 times out. I wanted to create a flower to embellish the card and go a little bit outside the box to stretch the use of tags. The center is a beautiful brad from The Girl's Paperie collection. The clouds I stamped with dark brown and then used white acrylic pain to lighten them  up to give them that Vanilla Sky ... although now that I look at it, they look a little stormy.



The chipboard letters I thought would work well, because they have both blue and pink accents on the letters. Since it has a little bit of a casual look, I thought I needed to bridge those two styles together with a bit of corrugated card stock that I peeled into the distressed look...



Thanks for peeking. I'm still trying to make up my mind if I like this card or mixed media. It's definitely not my comfort zone. If you haven't seen the other girls's creations, hop on over and remember to leave them some love :)...And don't forget to enter our challenge!


Our sponsors this week:

Crafty Sentiments

* Winner's Choice of 4 Images

The Paper Shelter 

* $20 Gift Certificate

 

Gecko Galz 

* Entire July Collection (The Digital Paper Pack "Great Adventures", 6 different collage sets including Vintage Travels & Wild West dominos, and a digital stamp set "Mermaids Garden" a prize pack worth $30)

Happy, Happy...Birthday

Hello everyone! It has been a while since I have gotten around to be able to submit a card for Embellish challenge. Just a quick post to link this card up :)

These colors really say whimsey too me. I suppose it could have been vintage too, but as usual, I'm in a need of a birthday card and decided to make this more whimsy.


Stamps: N/A
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Sweet Blush; Damask Designs) Papertrey Ink; (Lost & Found Two - Blush) My Mind's Eye
Ink: (Versamark; Briliance - Pearlescent Sky Blue) Tsukineko; (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Vintage Cream) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Mixed Brads - Karlie) The Girl's Paperie; (Nestabilities - Big Scalloped Circles Large) Spellbinders; (Mister Huey - Cameo) Studio Calico; (Alphabeans - Pickled Pink) Jillibean Soup; (Washi - With love on Gray Sketch, White Hearts on White) Love My Tapes; (Alphabet Stickers) Prima

I decided to make my own flower embellishment and was set on using the pink rhinestone brad. The whimsey really came together with my new secret combo: mists & washi. Can't go wrong with those ;) Also really wanted to use these fun alphas I found in my stash that were from Prima. They have an interesting cool foam/spongy-like texture. Almost like from a play mat...



That's all I have for you. Thanks for peeking :) What are you favorite combos for whimsey?

[Paperplay Challenges ] Week No. 25 - Use a Die

Note: If you are looking for DYSU challenge or Papertrey Princess Challenge - please keep scrolling :)

Hi there, again! I have lots of posts lined up for you today. We have another fun PaperPlay Challenge to help you break into your stash of tools: Use a Die. I thought I'd dust off some of my less loved Spellbinders and since I was in need of another baby card, I thought I'd break into my Authentique collection.


Stamps: (Hearts of Old Background) Unity
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Spring Moss) Papertrey Ink; (Delightful) Authentique
Ink: (Memento - London Fog) Tsukineko; (Perfect Match Pigment Ink - Fresh Snow) Papertrey Ink
Embellishments: (Nestabilities - Classic Hearts) Spellbinders; (Miracle Girl - Noteables, Icons) Authentique; (Very Vintage Buttons - White & Cream Mix, Autumn Mix; Rustic Twine - Cream); (Wood Veneer - Stars; Mister Huey - Pumpkin Spice) Studio Calico

This Authentique collection is actually meant for a little girl, but this had so many cute tags and had enough neutral colors, that one can stretch it for a cute little baby boy. I really loved the animals and the "Little One" sentiment...I drew the rest of the pattern paper scheme based on these two items...



Those wood veneer stars are actually sprayed with Pumpkin Spice mist and appear much more orange in real life than the above picture depicts. I couldn't get the picture to lighten up without the stars to darken...picture manipulation is still a big mystery for me. So if you know any tutorials or favorite websites for photo dummies like myself, please leave a suggestion :) Thanks in advance!

Finally an up close shot of the heart die cut, that I sponged with Fresh Snow ink. The button is threaded with some fun rustic cream twine and adds a nice accent to the animal die cut.



Hope you like this little wee card. Hop on over to see how the rest of the PPC girls used a die! Hope you will be playing along with us this week...

Our sponsor this week:

• A Whiff of Joy

[DYSU] Challenge #77 - Inspired by a Movie

Note: If you are looking for Papertrey Princess Challenge - please keep scrolling :)

Good morning, everyone! We had great Bay-like cool summers, and then yesterday and today it heated up into the 90s. It's so hot and humid, I'm ready for some rain...On another note, my basil plant is doing super well (can't say the same for my parsley plant ;), which means lots of pesto! I love how I got these plants through my CSA share...

We're here to bring you a great challenge: Inspired by a Movie. The team actually worked a lot behind the scenes to get each other's mojo started, since some of us were stumped. But here are a few ideas...think of a unique color scheme of the movie (e.g. "Vanilla Sky," "Sky Captain and the World Tomorrow," "Dick Tracey," "Schindler's List"), a prominent scene (e.g. the flying house in "UP!", the scene of Emerald City rising from the background in "Wizard of Oz"), a specific saying or quote from a movie (e.g. "Tomorrow is another day" from "Gone with the Wind"), or a specific character (e.g. a bug from "Herbie," or a ring for "Breakfast at Tiffany's")

This week we also have a special sponsor along. Have you heard of The Alley Way Stamps? If you're a regular visitor of DYSU, then you know that the talented and beautiful Alison Spelman is the owner of this challenge site, but also the talented artist & designer for The Alley Way Stamps.


Stamps: (Mustache Mania) The Alley Way Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White, Kraft) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Jenni Bowlin - No. 1 Chewing Gum, No. 2 Cough Syrup, No. 4 Lemon Drop, No. 5 Chicken Feed, No. 6 Stick Candy, No. 7 Seed Packet, No. 8 Soap Powder, No. 9 Spice Tin, No. 13 Lavendar Sachet, No. 14 Speckled Egg) Ranger; (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Mat Stack) Stamping Up!; (Writing Pen - Charcoal) Martha Stewart; (Inksentials - Glossy Accents) Ranger; (Silver Thread) stash

I hope you can tell which movie this card is inspired by... Yep, it's UP! I thought the scene was so colorful and fun; the idea actually came from Alison, and the more I thought about, the more I saw the card materializing in my head. So I went right to work with this.



I created my own chipboard accen for this. I actually had hoped that I could get my hands onto some Studio Calico Wood Veneer Houses, but I was unfortunately not lucky enough, since they were sold out on both online stores that I usually shop. The next pictures shows the clever sentiment in action. The border was pierced for a visual frame, But I didn't want to detract from the colorful mustache balloons, so I didn't opt for faux stitching in a colored pen, or for a another matted card stock.



Another unclose look at the fun mustache balloons? I think I inked up every mustache on that set at least once, so you can admire all the fun shapes & sizes that are available. Don't you just love the fun patterns on these? From polka dot to argyle, to gingham, to circles...



Thanks for peeking. I hope I paid these stamps & Alison's creative designs justice... I'm going to send you off to look at our other girls's creations...Aren't the new designers just amazing? I look forward to seeing your movie-inspired creations this week!

Our sponsors this week:

Tiddly Inks 

* $12 Gift Certificate

The Alley Way Stamps

* $20 Gift Certificate 


[Papertrey Princess] Stamps Only...

Hello Papertrey Princesses! It's my time to host a challenge (and my goal to catch up on all the other ones...). This week I had to make a sympathy card and I realized this is one of the least favorite kind of card to make. For one, it has to convey heartfelt sympathies; for another, it usually has to strike the right balance of elegance and seriousness, and not be too colorful or over-embellished. I ended up using my CAS and stamps-only route...which got me thinking, when have I only used stamps only? I think it's natural for me to try to always find ways to embellish (and *ahem* use my stash...) But I thought this might be an interesting challenge to only use your stamps...


Stamps: (Harvest Berry) Papertrey Ink
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - True Black, Fresh Linen) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black, London Fog) Tsukineko
Embellishments: N/A

I thought the Harvest Berry set was just right for this event... I tried to stick with neutral colors. Here are the up-close shot of the sentiment, which I selectively inked up.



I hope you like the challenge...Let's see how creative you can stretch those stamps! I'm looking forward to see your inspirations & thanks for letting me host!

[DYSU] Challenge #76 - For a Man or Boy

Good morning, everyone! This an exciting day at DYSU for us, because our new girls are debuting their projects. Make sure to say hi to Archana, Barb, Meredith and Rebecca...

We are challenging all of you to make something crafty for a man or boy in your life. After all, Father's Day is just around the corner. Does any one know what they are getting their dad's yet? I'm stumped... 

This week I'm working with a sponsor image by Bugaboo Digi Stamps. My dad's always busy working and jet-setting across the globe, and sometimes I think he needs to relax a little. Take time out for himself to take care of himself. But he always puts family first. So this card is for him...


Stamps: (Side Chair) Bugaboo Digi Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - White, Dark Chocolate) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Vintage Photo) Ranger
Embellishments: (Amy Tangerine Thickers - Muse) American Crafts; (Impression Plate - Woodgrain; Jute Twine) Papertrey Ink; (Stickles - X'mas Red) Ranger; (Border Punch - Postage) Fiskars; (Gelly Roll - White) Sakura

Here an upclose look at the fun side chair. I gave it a textured look by running the Woodgrain impression plate over it (as well as on the white card stock). The heart really stuck out to me, so I wanted to give it some glitter. The doodled, white heart on the top right is just to bring the whole postage stamp concept back...



These wood grain Thickers were actually my first inspiration point and decided to make this the theme of the card. Aren't these Thickers greats?



Thanks for peeking. I'm going to send you off to look at our new (as well as us old) girls's creations...I look forward to seeing your masculine creations this week!

Our sponsors this week:

$15 Gift Certificate

Winner's Choice of 7 Images

Winner's Choice of 5 Digital Stamps (not from Sets)

[DYSU] Challenge #75 - Paper Piecing

Good morning, everyone! I'm hanging out in Austin this week. On a business trip enjoying the great sun & weather. When I left Jersey it was 62 degrees, rainy and cold ::shiver::

I can't wait to get back, because I am hoping my CSA Farm has plenty of Strawberries for me to pick. We're having a family dinner planned for the weekend, so I am hoping to make a really nice dessert with fresh strawberries. Any recommendations? Leave them in the comments and I will be eternally grateful!

So we're actually back to inspire you on our weekly DYSU challenge Paper Piecing. So grab out your pattern paper and card stock out of your stash. The other reason why this is a special DYSU Challenge is because we're saying goodbye to two very special members: Keilly & Marcy. This will be their last week they will be playing along as a DYSU DT member, so please give them some extra love and let them know how much you appreciate their inspirations.

I decided to whip out my old but trusty Afternoon Tea stamp set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. Yep - one of my favorite stamp companies. This card definitely pushes my boundaries, since this is more scrappy and has a bunch of busy embellishments going on. I kept putting things on and wanted to resist the urge of pulling all the items back off...but after much self-control I was able to leave it at that.


Stamps: (Afternoon Tea) Waltzingmouse Stamps; (10 Border and Sentiments ?) Just Rite
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Sweet Blush) Papertrey Ink; (Miss Caroline - Dolled Up) My Mind's Eye
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Sugar Spun, Vintage Photo; Jenni Bowlin - No. 11 Brown Sugar) Ranger
Embellishments: (Ribbon with Rose, Dragonfly) The Craft's Meow Mystery Box; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Nestabilities - Picot Edge Circles, Standard Circles Small) Spellbinders; (1.25 Circle Punch) Marvy Uchida

I was flipping through my 6x6 Miss Caroline Dolled Up pad and this fun scrappy like pattern paper jumped right out at me. After much debate, I decided a teacup would be an appropriate focal point, and I tried to repeat the doily concept that's on the paper print.



The teacup is perfect with that little vintage rose pattern paper and I love the patterns. I colored in the rims with a little bit of pink color pencil and stamped it in Jenni Bowlin Brown Sugar. The tag "Cherish" is a Just Rite stamp set that I received in a RAK. Stamped in more Jenni Bowling Brown Sugar and sponged with Antique Linen. The doily has a little hint of Sugar Spun to match the teacup and the little bit of ribbo I snipped. Here is another photo with a little more dragon fly...love the bright fresh green color, don't you?



I am actually not sure where this little guy or the ribbon is from. It was in my The Craft's Meow Grab Box and there were many great embellishments surprises.

So that's all I have for you today. Go check out the amazing creations by the talented DT and make sure to give Keilly and Marcy extra love. This is their final a week and will debut the new DT's creations in one week...I look forward to seeing your paper pieced creations this week!

Our sponsors this week:

The Digis showcased by the DYSU DT

$15 Gift Certificate

Winner's Choice of 3 Digis

[Paperplay Challenges] Week No. 23 - Back to Kraft Basics

Note: If you are looking for DYSU challenge - please keep scrolling :)

Hiya - me again :) All my blog posts seem to be piled on back to back... so please feel free to scroll back a few to see what I've been pulling out of my sleeves...

At PaperPlay Challenge we are kicking it back a little with some back to basics Kraft. I love how Kraft can be so versatile, in color, in texture, and in style. You can dress it up, or down, be whimsy, be girlie or masculine. It's really a nice canvas...


Stamps: (Ketto - Sake) Stamping Bella
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Kraft, True Black) Papertrey Ink; (Stella & Rose - Gertie) My Mind's Eye
Ink: (Memento - Tuxedo Black) Tsukineko
Embellishments:  (Border Punch - Postage Stamp) Fiskars; (Red Twine) Doodlebug

Just a little simple card, based on the red, black and kraft color theme...And a little bit of paper piecing to match the dress and pattern paper border. Little Sake is cute, isn't she? I think I love the eye lashes and the hair...



Anyways, please hop on over to the other PPC girls and see what they have created for this week's challenge. They have always lovely creations and bring great ideas to the table!

Our sponsor this week:

• Simon Says Stamps

Celebrate

Hello there! It's Wednesday, way past my bedtime, but I wanted to really post this card that I worked on this past weekend. If you haven't heard, there is lots of things going on at the Waltzingmouse Sketch Challenge site...They are hosting their 100th sketch! What a milestone! I remember playing along when it was in the single digits...heehee.

I'm so bummed that I didn't get to pick up my CSA share yet, but Florian had stopped by to pick 'em up. I heard we got some lovely strawberries (which he already ate), peas, basil plant and some lettuce plants. I'll see if I can convince him to take a picture... you'll just to imagine a pile of juice lovely strawberries sitting in there ;)

So the sketch challenge this week is...

They are drawing winners for every 50 people playing along, so the more the merrier! And they are pulling a guest designer to come along to play with them. It's been a dream of mine to be part of the WMS team and a guest designer spot would be a dream come true. Actually - I would probably pinch myself every second to make sure it wasn't a good dream ;) But there are so many inspirational designers within the WMS community that I admire so much, that I'm not holding my breath. Anyone of these lovely ladies would make quite the splash as the GDTer.


Stamps: (Say It Loud, Text It, Big Blooms - Chrysanthemum) Waltzingmouse Stamps
Paper: (Paper Basics Card Stock - Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate) Papertrey Ink
Ink: (Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain; Jenni Bowlin - No. 4 Lemon Drop) Ranger; (Versamark) Tsukineko
Embellishments: (Vintage Buttons - Autumn Collection) Papertrey Ink; (Wood Veneer Take Note - Birds; Mister Huey - Dark Calico) Studio Calico; (Detailed Embossing Powder - Gold) Ranger; (Trinket Pins - Clear Jewels) Maya Road; (Pearlized Straight Pins) Dritz; (Designer Border Stickers - Restoration Collection) Crate Paper; Ribbon with Rose, Dragonfly) The Craft's Meow Mystery Box; (Soft-core Color Pencils) Prismacolor; (Nestabilities - Label Eighteen) Spellbinders

I love creating my own backgrounds with the WMS Stamps. And I have a soft spot for Text & Script. I really didn't think everything through and just pulled stamp sets out that I really felt drawn to.

The background is stamped with Walnut Stain on Vintage Cream, and Versamark & elegant gold heat embossing on Dark Chocolate. You can kinda spy them through the pins. I decide to play off the gold and use yellow as my accent color. I tried to create a nice little round focal point build onto of using a Chrysanthemum, a yellow button and a misted wood veneer bird that got some Dark Calico treatment. Doesn't it look elegant?



The pearlized heart pins was a find at Joann's in the sewing section. I really thought the Restoration Collection border was the perfect hue to divide up the space without packing a punch, like some yellows can be.

I have one more last picture, at a weird angle, because I wanted to show you how I created some interest by curling the sides inward. Label Eighteen has such a nice unique shape, I really wanted to make it be a little more organic and fluid, and not as stiff as just popping it up on some foamies.



Thanks you for looking. It's really been a while where I was able to create a card just for myself and not for some Design Team work. It's also a luxury in the last few weeks to find time to craft, so I really enjoyed this project. Hope you like it too :)