Missed the Game

Have you ever checked your calendar only to discover that the event you were planning to attend had already happened? Well, that happened to me this week. Not so much checked my calendar, but the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog to find out that although challenges are posted once per month, they are only open for a week. I am clear on that now. In fact I already have my card ready for the new challenge, but you will have to wait til tomorrow to see that...

Main Squeeze has told me of times in his childhood when his parents forgot to pick him up after practice. It was a long walk home. Even so I think this little guy would have preferred that to what he did. He showed up late and missed the game entirely! See? There are flowers growing on the soccer field already.

Even though the game is over, I enjoyed making this card. Besides I needed more practice using digi stamps...

Now if only there was a little boy in my life. I have one daughter. My brother has two daughters. Main Squeeze's brother has two daughters. My two closest stamping friends have five daughters between them. Perhaps Princess A has a little boy in her class she would like to send this to. (I am just kidding, I know you don't believe in the existence of boys)... (yet)






Card Details:
Image: Bugaboo Stamps
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: HP Printer
Tools: Fiskars Border punch
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: unknown flowers

Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day

Everyone is Irish on St Patrick's Day... or March 25th as the case may be...

This month's hostess at the Sisterhood of the Traveling Cards, Susan, chose to honor St Patricks Day, in a fashion. Cards are to showcase other little green creatures, ie frogs, crocodiles, dragons, etc.

While perusing Michael's one day, I came upon this set. Of course I was not there to buy stamps, but I had to look in that aisle anyway. You understand. Anyway... I picked it up, put it down, picked it up, put it down, picked it up...  Finally I decided, "oh why not?" and brought it up to the register. (Main Squeeze was a big help in this department. He always tells me if I want/need it I should buy it. Very dangerous proposition) What luck - it was 40% off! Whoo hoo!! When Susan's theme was posted, I just knew I had to use one of my new monster friends.

A cute little guy like this needs the right background. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore SU's designer series paper packs? They are so much fun and the way a pack coordinates - it reminds me of Garanimals. Although I was too big when they first came on the market, I could certainly appreciate the concept. A 'must have' for me when it comes to choosing paper.

Lastly I needed something to dress him up. Those spots you see; they are metal dots by Colorbök. I cannot find a direct link to them, but I can tell you they are self adhesive and dimensional (as in they are not flush with the paper) Pretty cool, eh?






Card Details:
Image: Recollections
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento
Tools: nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Colorbök metal dots

Double Dare

My first attempt at double embossing. For that matter, my first attempt at embossing with nesties. Not so simple as others make it seem, I can tell you...

Vivian is hosting a swap with your choice of double embossing or blank embossing. I decided to try my hand at double and if that did not work, easy enough to fall back on the blank. (OK, so it was a swap not really a dare, but doesn't the alliteration sound better?)

This stamp set always makes me smile. For some reason, I missed it in the SU catalog, but discovered it at a tag sale and had to have it. Sometimes I just like to look at it. Always good for a grin. I think of Miss Congeniality and Gracie Lou Freebush. That movie cracks me up! Oh, and of course Benjamin Bratt... drool! He is on my list...

It took quite a while (and a few sheets of cardstock) for me to get the right "sandwich" to emboss leaving the middle clear. Then another while to outline a frame in the center instead of cutting it out. Thank goodness that was the hardest part - I don't think I could have taken much more frustration. Using a real ribbon for her sash was a strike of genius, I thought; Pity the scanner crushed it, cuz it truly follows the image on the card when left to its own devices. Finally, there are Stickles on her shoes, her crown and on her single tear. (Aww!) 






Card Details:
Image: SU
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: SU
Ink: Memento
Tools: Prismacolor markers, Marvy punch, SU punch, embossing folder,nesties
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Stickles, ribbon, generic bling

A Cappella Sheep

I have been wanting to make a card with these sheep ever since Marilyn made a comment in rehearsal about "Lazy Day" making her feel like a sheep. (All you barbershoppers out there who sing the harmony parts know what she was talking about!) Channeling harmonious sheep or not, it is still one of my favorite songs to sing.

Today's card is for the Crafty Hos. One of our members, Scrappy, drew the sketch for this week's challenge. You can see that I did not follow it exactly, which though unusual for me, is exactly the beauty of a sketch. Words as the largest focal point is another abnormal feature (for me at least). Since my inspiration is a fellow chorus member, however, I thought the sentiment was particularly apropos.

Crystal Stickles cover the butterfly which was first colored with Prismacolor markers and the "sky" in which it flies was sponged. The sheep are plush with an addition of Liquid Applique.





Card Details:
Image: All Night Media
Sentiment: Inkadinkado
Cardstock: SU, unknown designer (glitter) paper, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: SU punches, Fiskars Border punch, sponge, heat gun
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Stickles, Liquid Applique

Bleeping Digital

Digital is the wave of the future. Digital books, digital music and what some people call digital stamps, though I usually just use the word 'images' Michele has a swap right now for cards made using digis. Within it she has a category for Fancy Folds/Techniques/Shapes card. Thinking I should try something new, I signed up for this one.

Now I am fairly computer savvy, but digis just stump me. They never come out the size that I want. And oh, for this card, I used two, cuz the fish is a digi, a whale actually, that I altered a wee bit (I can do that no problem). I know how to change the size, but cannot seem to figure out how that translates on the paper. At least I am no longer resizing by percentages anymore - OY! That was a bear of a math problem. As for the whale, altering the image was easy; took some time to alter the frame around the image (cuz after all that is the size you are changing, not the picture itself.) Printing it how I wanted - ERG, that took many, many trips through the printer to perfect.Only one sheet of paper, though, cuz I am cheap (green?) like that. Finally I got the whale shape printed and cut out. The turtle was a little easier as I was using him as is and his frame is already tight, so though he took quite some time to get sized correctly, he only one test print. (I used the test page from Belassiz; did I mention I am cheap? In fact, once a page is too full to continue to print, it becomes my desk protector when I do real stamping. I say that cuz after I made this card I thought I will never do digis again! I will, though, and I will get better at it. Certainly could not be any worse...

An inked embossing folder was used for the underwater section of the "fish", and there are Stickles on both the fly (on the fishing line) and the edge of the whale tale. Originally I planned on a Happy Fathers Day sentiment, but did not like any of the placements, so I ditched it. Even without, I think GB will likely be finding this in his mailbox in June.





Card Details:
Image: Dustin Pike - with some parts of the image removed (card shape) , Bugaboo
Sentiment: N/A
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: Embossing Folder, Brayer
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Stickles, ribbon

Fairy Tale Froggy

What else would you expect to find in an Enchanted Forest than a Prince who has been turned into a frog? Being of short stature, (vertically challenged), this froggy fellow is leaping into the air to get your attention. He does not want you to waste your time kissing those regular old run-of-the-mill frogs by mistake. Not only will they not become your Prince, but you might get frustrated from a lack of expected result and stop kissing frogs altogether! No, no, we mustn't have that...

In order to help your wish along, I have included your very own parachute ball. Better be quick, for some are already blowing in the wind! (If you look closely above the sentiment you will see the complete dandelion seed with stem. Or perhaps you just have to trust me that it is there. It is visible in person. At least you can see the ones that are blowing in the "blush blossom" area of the card. You can see them, can't you?)







Card Details:
Image: Inkadinkado, Great Impressions
Sentiment: Elzybells
Cardstock: SU, GP
Ink: Memento, SU
Tools: Nestabilities
Coloring: Prismacolor markers
Embellies: Googly eyes

Pink and Black Challenge

Welcome to my first project for the Crafty Hos Challenge Blog! As I joined late, I only had a couple of days to complete this challenge - I did not want to miss my first one!!

I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but did not own a brayer, so off to the LSS I went. Despite chanting, "Brayer, brayer, don't for get the brayer" in my head the entire ride, I came home with a cute raccoon stamp I have been coveting for months and an embossing folder I had special ordered in December, but NO BRAYER. Yup, totally forgot.

Got up early on Saturday morning and arrived at A.C. Moore shortly after opening, 50% coupon in hand. I am now the proud owner of a Speedball Soft Rubber Brayer (isn't she gorgeous?).

On to the challenge: Pink and Black. That's it. Simple, right? My, how I struggled. Took me a while to come up with an idea, then two trips to actually remember to purchase the brayer, and finally to put it all together. You would laugh if you knew how many times I needed to start over because I forgot to mask out the circle for the moon.

The expanse of snow needed a little something, too. I experimented with prima flowers and brads, but finally decided, between the sunset background and the house in shadow, "With Sympathy" was the most fitting.





Card Details:
Image: PSX
Sentiment: SU
Cardstock: SU, GP
Tools: Brayer, Scallop blade (in rotary cutter) 
Coloring: SU pads (brayer and sponge), Prismacolor marker
Embellies: N/A