cross-blogging fun!

My dear friend and family photographer (she's like the hairdresser you've come to love so much you won't let anyone else touch your mane) has given me a shout-out on her blog.  Check-it-check-it-out!

While you're there, browse around to see Tanya's amazing work.  She made me look cute in my blog profile picture. That should be reason enough, but if it's not, here's the promo for her upcoming mini-holiday-sessions - featuring my pudgy-faced Maia!  Eeek - so cute!

Play date cafe challenge #103

Here are the challenge colors and inspiration board for the new PDCC:

Am I the only one who looked at the inspiration photos and thought "mmmm.... tangerines...." hee hee!

Full disclosure: I *apparently* find it much easier to work with a sketch, rather than colors.  But that's why it's called a challenge, right?  My card went through a few incarnations before turning into this beauty:

You know when you work hard for something?  I hustled for this card, and I love it.

I started out with a piece of white cardstock, and stamped rows of the camera image from amy tangerine's "lovestruck" set to make my patterned paper.  The hearts all got colored with a navy marker.

Next, on the polaroid image (from lawn fawn's "say cheese"), I masked the white surround so that I could stamp inside the picture area.  I first stamped the hero arts clouds background (in stormy sky distress ink) and then stamped over that with SU's "good grid" in basic grey ink.

The polaroid camera was stamped onto basic grey paper, and given some dabs of color.  I also put some glossy accent on the lens area.  See how it shines?

The sentiment was created with lawn fawn's "smitty's abcs" set, and the faux-washi tape was made using PTI's  tutorial - seriously, if you haven't checked that out, do so.  Here's a link to the card I made for that week's challenge (which links back to their tutorial).

I hope you like this card as much as I do!  Thanks for looking!

CAS-ual Fridays: no orange!

This week's CAS-ual Fridays challenge?  make a halloween card without a spot of orange on it!

Is it just me, or did it suddenly become so hard to not use any orange?  hee hee.  I feel like my 6 year old!  Orange was my forbidden fruit....

But I did it!  Here's my take:

No orange!  Some black, some kraft paper, and purple coloring - but no orange!

I stamped the image from SU's "greeting card kids" onto kraft cardstock using memento black ink.  Her hat, cape and socks were colored with a purple copic marker (her socks got a tiny shock of yellow, too).

The sentiment was created using lawn fawn's "sally's abcs".

The kraft edges were sponged with black ink, and a quick border was created with a run through my sewing machine.

Thanks for looking!

card tote.

I have a sweet customer who has commissioned 4-5 cards from me in the last few weeks.  Just to say thank you, I wanted to package her last 2 cards in a special way.

I was totally inspired by a new product that PTI is previewing right now: the front and center die (scroll down a bit to see it.)

Their version is all cute and scallop-y, but I wanted to make something work with the bigger, clear boxes that we get with each PTI stamp purchase.  I chopped about an inch off the top of the clear box and measured the width to come up with a bag front and back that I could adhere to the clear box.  A few strips of patterned paper (scalloped - my nod back to the new PTI die), a felt heart, and an oval punch for the handle... and I had a cute little tote for my cards.

supplies (all PTI, unless noted)

stamps: think big favorites, hero arts envelope pattern background

ink: chocolate chip (SU)

dies: large scallop, heart prints, half and half

punch: large oval (SU)

MIM #36: faux watercoloring

This week's MIM challenge is faux watercoloring.

It involves stamping with a die ink, and using an aqua-painter (or a brush dipped in water) to make the ink bleed a bit.

In the tutorial, Lisa was careful to stay within the lines, but I did my best to grunge it up a bit.

I started with a kraft card-base and stamped images from PTI "grunge me"  and set it aside.

From a sheet of white cardstock, I die-cut a tag sale 3 shape and stamped images from simple circles in pool party, lucky limeade, soft suede, and peach parfait inks (all SU.)

With my aqua-painted, I blurred the lines around each circle and let the sheet dry.

I apologize that it's hard to see the blurring in the photos, but it's there!  The green and brown inks really bled, but the lighter colors really need a lot of saturation to start breaking down in the obvious way that I was looking for...

I stamped some paint splatter images from "grunge me" over-top and also the gridlines from lawn fawn's "schoolhouse backdrops."

I stamped the bird and sentiment from "grunge me" in a bold, black ink.

Thanks for looking!

A handmade Christmas, part 2.

A few weeks ago, I shared my plan to make a black apple doll for each of my 3 kidlets.  The first rag-doll was for my son.  Click *here* for the original post.

Here's the cutie going to my eldest daughter.  I made the pattern (found on Martha Stewart's website) slightly bigger, since she's the big sister.

Isn't she sweet?  I gave her pigtails, by cutting a few felt hearts with my PTI dies...

Pink legs!  And...

A sweet little ruffled apron.

Sofia can take it off if she doesn't like it.

Big sister and little brother.  So cute.

But, just so you don't think this was all a walk in the park, I'd like you to meet someone else.

You poor, sad looking doll.  Thank you for teaching me a few things and for donating your legs to Sofia's new doll.  You crushed my spirit for a few hours, but I still love you...

100, and looking fabulous!

Here's my second card for the same 100-year-old grandpa (if you missed yesterday's, click here):

I've been seeing these rolled-up-paper-candles around, and thought I would give them a try.  It's super-easy! I used a lollipop stick to make sure that the rolls would all be the same size, but varied the lengths a bit...

Since the candles were eye-catching enough, I kept the rest of the card pretty simple.  The "100" is from PTI's "fresh alphabet" set (it's my sister's, but I don't know when she'll be getting it back, ha!) and "looks good on you" is from "big birthday wishes."

Thanks for looking!