The 12 Kits of Occassions - Guest

Hi there and happy Friday!  I've been dying to share with you what I've been working on for the past few weeks.  Last month, I received the most exciting news... Jeanne Jachna, of A Kept Life, informed me that I was to be the lucky recipient of one of the March kits from The 12 Kits of Occasions!  Needless to say, I did a happy dance right then and there...have you SEEN what these ladies do with their kits each month??  If you haven't, you simply have to take the time to visit their blogs and

The 12 Kits of Occasions blog!  A-MA-ZING!! 

First off, Jeanne is the hostess for this month and her kit is "Out of This World" fantastic!  Pun intended, of course. :)  Her theme was outer space and all of the elements in this kit were "intergalactic planetary"... my 90's peeps will get that one (hopefully!).  Jeanne is such an amazing designer and I've been an admirer of her work for such a long time, so to get to work with a kit that she put together was just gravy!  I will link to the supply list for the contents of the kit at the end of this post.  With papers from the American Crafts Shimelle Starshine collection, stamped images from MFT, Paper Smooches, Altenew, Papertrey Ink and Reverse Confetti, dies from Poppystamps, Taylored Expressions, Neat and Tangled, and too many others to list right here, plus plenty of bling, string and little things... just how much more fun can it get?! 

I immediately opened the box, flooded my desk with the contents and my wheels started turning...where to start with so many options??  I give all the props in the world to Jeanne, she did a fabulous job coming up with this kit.  I created a total of 9 cards for the reveal, so let's get this countdown started...3...2...1...blastoff! (Lol...sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

I don't think I've oooh-ed and aaahhh-ed so much over a die in a long time, but this little rocket is so dang sweet!  Just look at the dimension it gives... Love it! 

I pulled in a frame die from Reverse Confetti for this one.  I really wanted those papers to shine!  And the bling on that embellishment??  Yes please!

Although I was trying not to use many additional supplies that were not included in the kit, when I saw this sweet little die-cut of Earth, I knew I had to make a shaker using this new Blueprint set from My Favorite Things...it was just too perfect!  And I'm a complete sucker for anything patriotic, so I tried to envision what it might look and feel like to gaze at our planet from inside one of NASA's ships...

This cute little guy is my favorite image right now!  I replicated a card that I'd made previously for this one...

Lately, I'm loving the look of die cut pieces that get left behind, inside the cut area, after you run it through the machine...I think it adds so much interest to the overall design.  This star collage die was great for that!  

This next one reminds me of the Jetsons, and I've always been a doodler, so some of these little guys got the black and white doodle treatment rather than full on color...so fun!

This one was so difficult to photograph because of the pastel watercolor background and the shimmer mist.  You can barely see it, but I promise its there! :)

I love an excuse to use googly eyes on creatures!  Thank you Jeanne for putting those in the kit!

And I saved my favorite for last!  This one is definitely different from the rest, but I just adore those little wooden stars and that pink paper!  I ink blended and spritzed the background with my favorite distress ink colors to give a soft rainbow effect.

I want to thank Jeanne and the ladies of The 12 Kits of Occassions for the opportunity to participate and create with the March 2017 kit!  You all are so generous and kind... I really have had a "BLAST"! Wink, wink... :)

Hugs,

Click here to view the full March 2017 kit supply list.

Additional supplies used: MFT Blueprints 31, MFT wonky stitched rectangle die, Reverse Confetti frame die, duct tape, buttons, seed beads, stitched banner dies, Copic markers, Zig Millennium doodle pen in Pure Black, Glossy Accents, watercolor paints, Perfect Pearls Mist in Pewter, Ranger Alcohol Inks, Ranger Distress Inks, Prima flower

Challenge Combo Card: Lady Luck

Hi there!  Its finally Friday!  I can't tell you how happy I am to start the weekend and to be through with this week!  Its been a tough one around our house...Lots going on and lots to catch up on!  Today I'm sharing a card that I created with three different challenges in mind.  The Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge this week is to add a "Bit 'O Green", and the other two are Color Throwdown and Freshly Made Sketches.  Here are the sketch and the color palette:

After toying around with a few stamp and die sets, here is what I came up with:

I'm nicknaming her "Lady Luck" in honor of Saint Patty's day this week!  I just adore this silhouette stamp and die set by Tim Holtz.  Its so much fun!

I used black ink underneath a black embossing powder to be sure that I didn't have any spottiness in the frame or silhouette images.  The green paper is from the Gather collection by Crate Paper and the stripes are from the brand new Black and White Basics set by My Favorite Things.  Both washi tapes are from the Scotch Expressions line. 

The sentiment is also by Tim Holtz, from the Handwritten Love die set.

For a final bit of embellishment, I used a Wink of Stella clear glitter pen on the background inside the frame and some gold sequins from Simon Says Stamp.  You can see the glitter much better in this image, and look at the detail that you get from embossing the silhouette!  Thanks so much for visiting today!

Hugs,  

The Daily Marker 30 Day: Days 6 - 12

Well hi there! I think its about time for a new post! I didn't have a chance over the weekend to post days 6 through 12 of The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge, so here it is! I'll put a brief sentence below each picture of the coloring medium and colors if I can remember!

Day 6:

I must have REALLY been in the mood to use alcohol inks because I used them for several days in a row! This butterfly comes from Tim Holtz's Alterations line.  Its called Butterfly Duo, and it also comes with a texture fade!  That's how you're able to get that really cool texture...so pretty!  For the ink colors, I used Sunshine Yellow and Sunset Orange.  (**Stay tuned for an entire set of these pretty little butterflies! I'm going to have a giveaway for a set of notecards made using them!**)

Day 7:

  

For this card, I used the stencil and Nuvo Mousse (Pure Platinum) that came in the March Simon Says Stamp Card Kit.  You can always get loads of inspiration from the gallery!  I inked the background first, using alcohol inks in Lemonade, Aqua, and Pink Sherbet.

Day 8, Card 1:

 
This one was made the same way that Day 7's was, except this time I made 2!  Sometimes I find that its much easier to made two of almost the same card when you have all of the supplies out already.  Just change up the papers or colors and bam!  Lol :)  For card one, I used a burlap panel over Nina Desert Storm cardstock.  I used alcohol inks in Salmon, Peach Bellini and Cool Peri.  Nuvo Mousse color is Cornflower Blue.

Day 8, Card 2:

Alcohol Ink colors: Lake Mist, Juniper, Peach Bellini

Nuvo Mousse: Spring Green

Days 9 & 10:

I had SOOOO much fun with this one!  If you haven't seen the Stacking Animals stamp set from Simon Says Stamp, you have got to take a peek!  Its so darn cute!  This one was colored with Copics.  I can't remember for the life of me which colors though!  I can tell you that this one took me two days because I did the masking and stamping on one day and then waited to do my coloring. 

Days 11 & 12:

I think this one is my favorite!  It definitely took the longest, but was so worth it!  Again, I stamped and masked on one day and then colored it in the next day.  This one also uses supplies from the March SSS Card Kit.  I love this stamp set!  I also used Copics for this one.  This time I wrote the colors down!  Everything *Yellow*: Y11, Y15, YR02.  Everything *Orange*: YR02, YR14, YR04. Everything *Blue*: B00, B12, B05. Everything *Green*: G12, YG06, YG17. Everything *Pink*: RV13, RV17; the Bunny: E55, E57, E19, Colorless blender & R20.  I am STILL learning to use copics and experimenting with color combos that I like. :)  I added final details with a white gel pen and was done! 

I certainly hope you are enjoying the challenge as much as I am!  If you aren't joining the challenge, I hope you'll find another way to devote some "me time" into your day!

Hugs,

Freshly Made Sketches 278: Doodlebug Cream & Sugar Collection

Hello and happy Friday!  Yay!  I don't think I'm alone when I say that Friday is my most favorite day of the week!  My husband started a little tradition a few years ago when driving our youngest to pre-school.  He would say, "Shelby, what day is it?" and she'd respond with "FRIDAAAYYYY!" (if you can image a tiny little voice sing-yelling and holding it out for 5 or 6 seconds, you'll have a pretty good idea of what that sounded like.  They would do that 3 or 4 times in a row.  It was so cute!  Now, its what we do every Friday morning!  Don't you wish every day could start on a high note like that?! 

Well, how about starting the weekend on a high note instead?  I'm starting mine with a card for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  This week's hostess is Jen Mitchell.  That girl is talented!  Here is her sketch:

And my take on the sketch...

I don't know about you, but I can't seem to get enough of the Cream & Sugar collection from Doodlebug.  It was in the February Card Kit from Simon Says Stamp, and I loved the kit so much that I had to order some additional pieces from the collection.  The stickers that I've used on this card are the "icons" cardstock stickers.  If you've never ordered these stickers before, I highly recommend them!  Here are some close ups of the stickers:

If you cluster stickers, I find that using foam mounting tape really helps to add interest so that they don't just melt together.  I decided to use some glossy accents on the little heart and the donut...because who can resist a little shine?!  And that smiley face is just so sweet!

See what I mean about the dimension?  I can't remember where I scooped up this handy little tip, but a big THANK YOU to whomever it was from!  If I could change one thing about this card, it would be the color of the card base.  I think the edge of the scallop in the donut patterned paper blends in just a bit too much.  Maybe next time I'll remember that!  One final look and we'll call it a day... In this angle you can really pick up the shine from the Glossy Accents.  Love that!

Here's to a fantastically sweet weekend and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs,

My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 322

Hi there!  Today I'm sharing the card that I created for the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge 322.  If you click the image below it will take you to their site so you can check it out!

I'm always up for a good challenge!  My hubs is taking a huge certification test today, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to make him an encouragement card.  The Stars Above stamp set (also from MFT) is a great one for just that!

I think the most time consuming element to this card were all those tiny inlaid stars!  My neck started to cramp by the time I finished getting those in place...whew!  Other than that, it came together fairly quickly.  Below is a complete list of supplies used. 

One final look...

Say a quick prayer for my honey if you don't mind and have a fantastic day!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

Complete list of supplies:
Banner Die from My Favorite Things Blueprints 27
Stars/Sky Vertical background die from My Favorite Things
Scallop Frames from Pretty Pink Posh
Puffy Cloud Borders from Lawn Fawn
Stars Above stamp set from My Favorite Things
After Midnight cardstock from My Favorite Things
Black Licorice cardstock from My Favorite Things
Silver Sparkle cardstock from My Favorite Things
Zing! Silver embossing powder from American Crafts
VersaMark Inkpad
Assorted Moonshine sequins from Simon Says Stamp
Spectrum Noir Sterling Silver glitter pen
Scrap of silver mirror cardstock

Color Throwdown #432

Well this is going to be squeaking in under the deadline!  I have had so much fun today working on this card!  These Color Throwdown challenges really are quite fun...the colors are always wonderful!  This week's challenge colors are:

For this week's card, I used the My Favorite Things "No Place Like Home" card kit.  I like to do a card that's almost completely made up of die cuts every now and then!  Here is my take on the challenge:

In addition to the kit, I used four other die sets from My Favorite Things: Rolling Hills for the picket fence and hills, Sunny Skies for the sun, and Trees in the Forest for the trees, and Cloud 9 for the cute little clouds!  Such great dies that all work so well together!  Sometimes you don't realize how tiny those pieces are until you start to work with them either!  All cardstocks used were from a giant paper pack that I have had for ages by Colorbok.  Its super heavy weight and textured on one side so it gives a really nice detail to the die cuts. 

I used a MISTI to stamp both sentiments (inside and out) to be sure that it lined up exactly. 

To bring it all together, I used the Stitched Rectangles die set from Simon Says Stamp so that all of the little stitch marks around the edges would match up.  The one tiny bit of coloring that I did on this card was for the path leading to the front door of my little house.  Using Zig CC markers, I water colored a scrap of water color cardstock using two different grays to give the illusion of uneven dirt...hopefully it looks that way to you too! Lol...

With all of the dimension from the dies, there was no need to foam mount the panel, so I flat mounted it onto some Fog cardstock (also from SSS) and called it a day!  This scene reminds me of a little farm house in the country...all that's missing are some cows!  I hope you have a fantastic week!

Hugs, 

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge: Days 1-5

Hello and happy Monday!  We had the most gorgeous weather in Georgia this weekend!  I have been feeling so confined this winter, so it felt absolutely fabulous to get outside for a bit!  And before the pollen is in full swing so that was a bonus!

I'm sure by now you are aware that Kathy Racoosin, of The Daily Marker, is hosting her **7th** 30 day coloring challenge!!  This is my first time getting to join in on all the fun, but boy do I wish it hadn't taken me so long!  I notice a BIG difference in myself on days when I get to just sit and mindlessly color for a few minutes.  I am in a better mood, my patience is not tested so easily, and I just feel more relaxed!  Not to mention, that sense of accomplishment that you get from completing something daily...it really is good for me and my creative soul!  In our house, coloring is one of those activities that everyone loves.  All 3 of my kiddos will sit near me and color when I do.  Once, dad even joined in!  Anyhow, I decided that rather than a daily post with my coloring pieces, I'd do a weekly post.  I'm all about saving time these days!

For Day 1, I chose a simple, yet adorable Seahorse image from Tangled Treasures by Jane Monk.  If you don't have this book, I highly recommend it.  It has images of varying style and detail, so there's something for everyone!

For Day 2, I broke out my Suzy's Doodles from Simon Says Stamp.  These pre-printed images come on watercolor cardstock, so they're ready to go straight out of the package!

The piece for Day 3 actually came about because I was working in my color swatch book.  I needed to add samples of the Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to the book.  After I finished, I wanted to do a title page to separate the sections.  This is the result! 

And these are what the swatches look like:

By Days 4 and 5, the weekend had arrived!  Yay!  So I got busy with the kids and we spent a large chunk of the weekend coloring and re-organizing my office/craft space!  Day 4 comes from a pretty popular adult coloring book called The Art of Mindfulness: Peace And Calm Coloring.  So many details in these pages!

Last but not least, I'm sure anyone would recognize this next page from Johanna Basford's Secret Garden coloring book.  Her illustrations are simply amazing!  This book happens to be my daughter's, and she was kind enough to let mommy color in her book this time.  She's such a sweetheart! :)    

I'm so grateful to Kathy and her willingness to host this challenge!  She is such an inspiration!  And, I truly hope you can find time to do something for yourself each and every day.  If only for a few minutes...trust me, you deserve it!

Hugs,