DS4J Butterfly New Release

Hello, hello! It's the last New Release day of 2015 at DigiStamps4Joy and we have ended the year with some fantastic images!  I have used the new image Butterfly to create this card:

I really love how pretty this image is, especially the detail.  I started off with using five or so bright colors, but it just looked too busy. I knew I was going to make a simple card and didn't want to make the image too loud. Since I usually tend to gravitate toward bright colors and it wasn't turning out the way I liked, I decided to try my hand with pastel colors today.  It's kind of difficult to see the difference between the pink and the purple Copics, but I assure you that they are there :)

Make sure to stop by the store today to see all of the great new releases and don't forget to join us in our current challenge: Anything Goes with the twist of adding three of something.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Oh Crap! + Naughty or Nice Challenge with Wings

Hi again :)

Today starts another fantastically fun challenge at Naughty or Nice Challenges! The theme is "Show Us Some Wing" and anything goes as long as something on your card has wings on it.  You  have until Dec. 25 to submit your fabulous creations and we're looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

I decided that I was taking the nice route too much lately and needed to be a bit naughty with my card:

Bahahaha! I find this absolutely hilarious! This card isn't for any particular occasion, but can be used for many: belated birthday, birthday (you're how old?!?!), I'm sorry, etc.  I stamped my images on kraft card stock and then used white and black paint to make the bird poop. Easy peasy :)  I really wanted a blue bird, but it didn't show up on the kraft paper, so I stamped a black bird on top of it. It isn't lined up perfectly (clearly I don't have a tool for that LOL), but I thought it turned out cool b/c it looks like the bird has a blue belly :) I have some alphabet stamps that look like typewriter font and thought they'd be perfect for the sentiment.  

Supplies:

Kraft card stock

White and black paint from stash

Mama Elephant Pigment Ink in Celery

Color Box Pigment Ink in Robin's Egg

Stampabilities Pigment Ink in Brown

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Out on a Limb by My Favorite Things

Whimsical Birds by The Paper Company
Alphabet Stamps 

Thanks for stopping by today! Don't forget to join us in the fun and head to the blog to see what my teammies came up with :)

DS4J December Challenge -- Triple Scoop Ice Cream Cone

Hi and Happy Tuesday to you!

It's December 1st and you know what that means....NEW CHALLENGE DAY AT DIGISTAMPS4JOY!!!!  As always, the challenges are Anything Goes, but there is also always a twist.  This month I'm hosting the challenge and I decided to have the twist of "Three of Anything". Let's see if you can figure out all of the things I have three of.....

Goodness doesn't that look delicious?! Even though it's 40 degrees outside, that just looks lip-smacking yummy!  I used the DS4J digital image called Ice Cream Fantasia to create this triple dip cone. What's fantastic about this file is that it includes an image of an ice cream cone that's already assembled, and one that is not assembled so you can stack them the way you'd like. It also comes with a marshmallow and a little crunchy cone-like topping that I cannot think of the name of at all right now! Ugh....

I resized the image and colored it in Copic markers before fussy cutting and assembling. Since it's so tall, I wanted it to look like it was falling over on the top :)  The cherry is covered in Glossy Accents to add shine.  I added some black sparkle embossing powder to the bottom of the card to tie it in with the sparkle that is in the chevron flag and on the word "Enjoy".

If you couldn't already tell, I used three scoops of ice cream in three different flavors, three sequins in three different colors and sizes, and there are three layers to my card. Fun! I love challenges like this :)

Please stop on by to join us in the fun this month and see how creative you can get with adding the twist of Three of Something. Rememeber, anything goes, so have fun!  Don't have an image?  You can find great,  inexpensive images at the DS4J shop and the best part is you can re-size them to be the size you  need! The image I used only cost $2.50 and not only does it have plenty of uses, I can use it as often as I want! 

Thanks for spending part of your day with me :)

DS4J New Release Recipe Card + One Day Sale

Hi all :)

Today is New Release Sunday at DS4J!  Today I tried something completely different by making a recipe card using the new release called Flower and Butterfly Border.

This is such a beautiful image and after looking at the photo, I don't feel like I did it justice.  I'm not sure that I like the colors that I used, but maybe it's the Ott light I used to take the photo. Oh well, whatever it is, I still like the idea of turning it into a recipe card.  I hadn't made one in the past, but thought the idea was really fun. Now, I just have to find something delicious to write on it :)

Please stop on over to the DigiStamps4Joy blog and store to see what my other teammates cooked up for you this week and to see what Margy has to offer. She works very hard to bring such great images to the crafting world, so make sure to browse around the store and pack that cart full ;)  Also, keep in mind these new releases are already a fantastic price but for today only (November 29, 2015) they are an additional 20% off!

Thanks for stopping by today!

NOTE: The sentiment "a little Yummy for your tummy" is not a DS4J image.

Monochromatic Thank You + Layers

Hello, hello! It's been a while! I've had pneumonia for the past few weeks and although I finished my antibiotic almost a week ago, I'm still not feeling 100% better.  I get out of breath easily and need to take it easy, so I took a little break from creating to rest up and take care of myself :)

Naughty or Nice Challenges has a "Monochromatic Thank You" challenge going on this month and we'd love it if you stopped by to join us! If you're unfamiliar with what monochromatic means, it means that the colors you use should be in the same color family. I chose to use mostly one color, and that's OK too :)

Funny story about this card:  I initially made it for one of my friends who brought me soup when I was feeling so sick, but after looking at it, I thought it would be perfect to give it to my husband for our upcoming anniversary. Not your traditional anniversary card, but a "thank you for all you do and for making my soul sing" type of card. Not thinking, I showed it to him and he said it was beautiful and added  "I bet you thought of me when you made it." CRAP!  It was at that moment that I realized what I had done LOL  I told him and he thought it was hilarious. I have such a good man :)

Anyway, lots of simple layering going on in this card and I hope you like it! Please consider joining us in the challenge this month. Remember, naughty or nice are both perfectly acceptable ;)

Supplies:

Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Neenah Solar White Card Stock

We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

Stampin' Up Sizzlits Little Leaves Die

Sizzix Simple Flowers Thinlits Dies

Pearl Brad from Stash

Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder

Anti-Static Bag

Versamark Ink

Heat Tool

A*Muse Studio Handscripted Stamp Set

Silhouette Cutting File "Drink Up Witches" + NON Challenge

Hey there! I hope you are all having a fantastic Wednesday :)

I wanted to pop in with another card for the "Feeling Witchy" theme going on at Naughty or Nice Challenges this month.  We have some fantastic entries so far and you still have a few days to join in! All entries must be received by this Sunday, October 25, so if you haven't entered something already, you have some time join in the fun :) 

I don't often break out my Silhouette, but I was determined to after I found this file in the store.  I think I cut it out three times before I was able to remove it from the sheet of card stock without tearing the whole darn thing in half LOL  It's so delicate and I had so much trouble! I like that some of the letters look rough and disheveled like a witch's hair, so it works with the theme ;)  I used Copics to color the drink and see all those little purple bubbles coming out of it? They were sent to me by DoCrafts and they are absolutely fabulous! I will have a close up post of them soon, but in the mean time, check the product out here and order ASAP. These are a must have for sure!

Step by Step:

Cut file using Silhouette, color the "drink", then glue the font and glass onto green glitter paper and add the little gemstones to look like bubbles.

Stamp Herringbone (Impression Obsession) background stamp onto plain white paper with Memento Tuxedo Blank Ink and add skeleten ribbon down side.

Adhere the green layer to the skeleton ribbon layer using foam to create depth.

Use Diagonal Stripes (Impression Obsession) background stamp with Eggplant Ink (Mama Elephant) on the base of the card.

Adhere the skeleton/"Drink Up Witches" layer to the card base layer.

That's it for me today! Thanks for spending part of your day with me and don't forget to get your witch on and submit your card before Sunday :)

Welcome Baby Monkey + Lots and Lots of Layers

Hi there :)

Thanks for stopping by to see today's blog post. It happens to be a very special one! My husband and I have a pair of friends who had been trying for years to get pregnant.  It was a very stressful time for both of them, but finally one happy day, she peed on a stick and got a little plus sign and relief swept over them.  She was an adorable pregnant woman and in all of the pictures, she and her husband were glowing.  Months later, their little boy arrived and goodness, is he beautiful!

My husband has long been a fan of monkeys so of course I made a baby monkey card.   I bought this stamp at a thrift store for fifty cents (score!) and was excited to finally use it! The design of this one is pretty simple, but my goodness did I overthink it! It took days to finish because I just wasn't happy with how it was turning out and I was having a bad case of craftersblock.

This is a square card measuring 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"  and is loaded with layers! I colored the image with Copics, used a gel pen to color in the eyelets of his little bonnet and cut it out with my nesting dies. I used the same dies on the blue paper under the monkey. I adhered them and that's how it sat for a day LOL  I just didn't know WHAT to do next! The next day I then stacked them on a decorative square die cut and made the background.  I didn't like the large space of plain blue paper so I used a huge background stamp and Versamark to add a faint pattern.  And again, it sat.  By the third of fourth day I finally realized what I wanted to do and it started to come together. Whew!  I added the brown/yellow layer at the bottom as well as the string before assembling the rest of the pieces. Finally. It was just right :)

Supplies:
Neenah Solar White card stock
Colored card stock from stash
Sequins, button, string from stash
Monkey stamp from stash
Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Squares Small
QuicKutz Nesting Doily Squares
Impression Obsession Cover-A-Card in Herringbone
Versamark Ink

Thanks for spending part of your day with me :)

Coloring Vellum + Card Chain Challenge

Hi there!

Remember those chain letters you'd get as a kid? You'd have to send a message to the top person on the list and at some point you'd get a letter from another person on the list?  Well, last month I came across a cardmaking-chain-letters-of-the-21st-century blog and I was immediately intrigued! I signed up to join in the Card Chain Challenge fun and made this card that I sent off to Kelly in Florida:

I know the photo is gigantic LOL but I wanted you to be able to see the embossed background.  I used vellum for the flowers and colored then with some really great markers that were supplied to me from DoCrafts.  I love the colors in the set and they went on so smooth. I'll be posting more about them soon so stay tuned :) 

Supplies:

Summer Solstice Stampin' Up Stamp Set

DoCrafts Dual Tip Brush Markers in Bright

Metallic Thread

Kraft Card Stock

Neenah Solar White Card Stock

Embossed Card Stock from Stash

We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper

A*Muse Studio Stamp Set

Recollections White Embossing Powder 

Ranger Embossing Powder in Liquid Platinum

Tips and Tricks:
To add color to vellum, flip it over and use markers to color on the back and not the front ;)  Make sure to let it dry thoroughly.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

Classy Hat Lady + DS4J NeW Release

Hey there!

Today is yet another New Release day at DigiStamps4Joy :) The image I used is so elegant and appropriately named "Hat".

I colored this fantastic image with Copics and cut it out with my trimmer. I thought it would look really cool with crooked layers (and I wasn't wrong lol) and added some pretty lace that was given to me by a crafty friend named Gail :)

Please head on over to the DS4J page to see the other new releases and to check out the other great cards using this same digital image :)

Thanks for spending a part of your day with me!

What's up Witches?!

Happy Thursday! And might I add....What's up, witches?! ;)

Halloween will be here before we know it and what's better to start the month of October off right than with a WITCH-Y themed challenge?! As always, with Naughty or Nice Challenges, you have creative freedom to choose whether you want to be naughty or nice.    I decided to dance around the naughty line this month.

Pretty darn witch-y if you ask me!  To help make this card, I used my Silhouette to cut out the witch and printed the sentiment using my home printer.  

Supplies:

Silhouette

White Card Stock

Pattern Card Stock from Stash

Button from Stash

Peachy Keen Stamps Polka Dot Background Stamp

Paper Smooches Word Bubbles Die

Black Copic

Memento Tuxedo Blak Ink

Mama Elephant Ink in Eggplant

Sequins from Stash

Glossy Accents

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me today :) Head on over to the NON blog to join us in the FUN and to see what the rest of my incredibly talented teammates came up with for this month's challenge. Remember to check out the rules before you join in :)  I hope to see a lot of you there!

Show me the "B" + DS4J October Challenge

Hi there :)

A new challenge is upon us at DS4J.  As always it's anything goes, but this month, I'm challenging you to get creative with the letter "B".   My card features blue, brown, birdhouse, "Bless this nest" and (although it's a stretch) it's round like a ball.  

I think this digital image is just perfect for anyone who is buying a new house or even starting a family.  It's called "Welcome Home" and like all digital images, you can resize it to your liking .

I used a round card base and used  my Swiss Dots embossing folder to add some interest.  The image is colored with Copic markers and was cut out with a circle die. Before gluing it to the card, I adhered it to two doilies because I just love them ;)  The sentiment was stamped in Memento Black ink, but it is not a DS4J image.

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you liked the card. Don't forget to head to the blog to submit your creation and to check out what the rest of the design team came up with.

DS4J New Release + New Dinosaur Baby

Hi there!  Yesterday was new release day at DS4J. I'm a day late with my card because of a few things I had to take care of at home, but better late than never right ;)    We had some great images to work with (like usual), but I thought this one was just tooooo cute to pass up!

I colored the dinosaurs in with Copic markers and cut it out using a Spellbinder's die.  I used two of the same markers to color strips of paper and adhered them to the side of the card and popped the image up using dimensional adhesive.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Hop on over to the DS4J page to see what my other teammates came up with and to see what other new digital images were released :)

DS4J New Release Sunday + Stained Glass Iris

Hi there :)

Today DigiStamps4Joy releases some new images and since I think stained glass is so beautiful and since I had a really cool product to use with it, I used the image called Stained Glass Iris.   Isn't this so cool?!

I took the top photo using my Ott Light and the bottom photo using sunlight. The sun made quite a reflection on the image.

I colored the image with Copic markers then added Crackle Accents all over the front of it to get the crackly (is that even a word?) look. Pretty neat, huh?!

Supplies:
Neenah Solar White Card Stock
Ribbon and dark purple cardstock from stash
Stained Glass Lily digital image from DS4J
Doily
Gemstones
Copics
Crackle Accents

Thanks for stopping by today! Please visit the shop to  browse hundreds of fantastic digital images and check out the blog to see what the rest of my teammates came up with :)

Wedding Dress Card + Naughty or Nice Challenges #19 "Ribbons and Bows"

Hi there :)

The beginning of the month always starts a new, fun challenge at Naughty or Nice Challenges.  This month's theme is "Ribbons and Bows" so whether you take the naughty route or the nice route, just make sure it has some sort of ribbon or bow :)

In my take on the theme, I used a ribbon to make the belt on this adorable wedding dress card.  

I adore this card. I really do. I made a bunch for shower invitations for a friend's wedding a couple of years ago and everyone loved them :)  Not only is it so pretty and celebratory, it's very fun to create!

Supplies:
Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Doilies
Red ribbon from stash
Embossing Folder
Silver cardstock from stash
Heart punch
Marth Stewart Crafts Pearls

Don't forget to stop by the blog to check out what my other teammates designed. They never disappoint :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

DS4J Anything Goes Challenge + Girly Girl Twist

Hi there!

Today starts a new month long challenge at DigiStamps4Joy! The theme is always Anything Goes, but there's also an added optional twist each month.  This month's twist is "girly girl"!  

I walked into this card with a different idea, but the frame I wanted to use didn't work out so well. so I decided to leave it out.  I love how delicate and feminine it turned out :)

One of my favorite things about digital images is how you can resize them however you see fit and they're very inexpensive. This image is only $2.50 in the DS4J store and I can print it whenever I want!

Supplies:

Strong Lady 8 by DigiStamps4Joy
Copic Markers (E 000, 00, 02, 53, 55; R 12, 14, 17, 20; YG 05, 09)
White Gel Pen
Oval Die
Pearls and flower from stash
Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder

Thanks for stopping by! Please stop  by the DS4J blog and see what the rest of my teammates whipped up this week.

Oriental Trading Flower Stamp Set Review

Hi there! I hope you're all having a fantastic week :)

Today I wanted to share my experience using the extremely affordable Flower Stamp set (item #65/80755) that was provided to me from Oriental Trading.  If you haven't checked out their site, you need to! They have THOUSANDS of great products, many of which are related to crafting. My experience is with this stamp set only, but I'm sure that other stamps that they offer would have equal performance and bang for your buck :)

My package from Oriental Trading arrived quickly and everything was packed so carefully inside with a good amount of padding.  Nothing was damaged and my order was complete. This is a clear stamp set measuring 4" x 4" and contains 12 stamps.  I love that you can mix and match to build your own flowers and scenes; I just knew that this set was going to be FUN!

(butterfly card was made with pigment inks)

When I first tried using these clear stamps, I noticed that they didn't stick to my acrylic block very well, but that was a very easy fix with Tombo Mono Multi Glue.  I squirted some glue on the back, rubbed it in and waited for it to dry before trying again. The second time it stuck better:) If you notice after a while your clear stamps lose their stick, just try this quick fix and it'll make quite a difference.

I found that different dyes worked better that others. I had the best luck with pigment inks and for the watercolor effect, Distress Inks worked great.  You don't have to press down on the stamp very hard to get a great image; in fact, pressing down too hard made my images blurry.  

In the card below, I stamped using Distress Inks and misted with a tiny bit of water to make the ink run just a bit and make a cool effect.  Make sure to use watercolor paper when doing this technique ;)  You can find the blog post to this card here.

Here is a card that is similar to the card above.  I used pigment ink for the stem and leaves; on the flowers (from left to right) dye ink, pigment ink and dye ink.  If you compare it to the card above, you can see the different looks you get with different inks. Different, but still pretty :)

Another feature I really loved about this set is that that some of the stamps are solid while others have blank spaces. I colored these two flowers with Copic markers and decided to leave the leaf without color for no other reason than to keep the focus on the flowers themselves. I love how swirly one end of the stem is :)

Positives about this product:

*Price, price price!  These babies are incredibly affordable!
*Versatility--mix and match as you see fit!
*Let's just face it....they're adorable
*Includes both solid stamps and stamps that have blank space to use a variety of inks and markers/pencils to color.

Not as positive:  

*Overall the only problem I had with the stamps was that the backs of them didn't have much stick, but I was able to use glue to help solve that problem a bit.

*If you push too hard the image is blurry.

There you have it! I hope you've learned something new with this post. What are you waiting for?! Head on over to Oriental Trading to see what they have :)

Thanks for sharing part of your day with  me!

Dancing Ballerina -- DS4J New Release

Hello friends!

Today DigiStamps4Joy is releasing some new images (spoiler: they're adorable!). I made this card using their new Ballerina image.

Wow! She's just beautiful! As soon as I saw her, I knew what I was going to do.  I colored her with Copic markers and added a few dots using Liquid Pearls. The sentiment happened to go perfectly with the image, but it is not a DS4J image.  

Head on over to the blog to see what the rest of my teammates came up with and make sure to stop by the shop to purchase one (or five) images when you're there! There are hundreds to choose from and they're all very reasonably priced, so you're sure to find something you love :)

Supplies:
Ballerina image by DS4J
Copics: T01, R 81, 83, 85; E 000, 00, 02, 25, 27, 47
A*muse Studio Dance Stamp Set
Perfect Pearls in Silver Pearl

Thanks for stopping by today :)

Submissions:
Anything Goes for Kids
ABC Challenge--P is for Pretty in Pink
Alphabet Challenge Blog--N is for No Design Papers

Best Fishes + Prismacolor + NON August Challenge

Hi there!

August's theme of "Fun in the Sun" is going on at Naughty or Nice Challenges!  The team is excited to see what you come up with for this one and there are loads of possibilities, so whether you take the naughty or the nice route, we want to see your take on the challenge.

I love this stamp set even though I've only used it once.  It just reminds me of simpler times before technology has taken up so much of our lives.  This scene is just so beautiful and peaceful to me. It's a way of life that all kids should experience at some point :)

This is a pretty simple one.  I didn't get a great picture before it was sent off to my mom's coworker who was retiring, but you can see everything that was on it.  I stamped the image and colored it in with Prismacolors.  I didn't feel the need to add anything else to this one. I wanted it to be simple and without a lot of embellishments, just like the image :)

Supplies:

Flower Soft Moments in Time Best Fishes
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Blending Stump
Baby oil
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Head on over the the Naughty or Nice blog to see what my teammates came up with and to join us in the fun! Thanks for stopping by today!

Watercolor Star Background--NON July Challenge

Hi there!  I've really missed sharing my cards with you, but I had to take a bit of a break to take care of some very important things at home. Thanks for being patient :)

July's theme at Naughty or Nice Challenges is "Stars" and you have until the 25th to submit your creations. Full disclosure: this card is not a new creation for me, but it is for you. I made it a while ago but since I took a break, I haven't made anything new. I wanted to share something to get back into the swing of things. Regardless, I hope you like it :)  I thought this would be a perfect masculine birthday card, which is awesome because I have a really tough time coming up with masculine cards.

I love how cool the background turned out! 

I used a star background stencil and smooshed Peacock Feathers and Mowed Lawn Distress Inks onto it, then liberally sprayed with water.  I carefully and quickly turned the stencil upside down and immediately placed it on my watercolor paper.  At this point, I didn't move it around, but I did leave it there for probably 30 seconds putting pressure on different parts of it to make sure the paper absorbed the ink.  I lifted up the stencil quickly and carefully then let the watercolor paper dry on it's own.  You can use a heat tool to expedite the drying, but I didn't want the ink to move all over the place.  After it was completely dry, I stamped the sentiment and the rock star horns in Versamark before dry embossing and adhered it to an A2 card base.

Supplies:

Distress Inks in Mowed Lawn and Peacock Feathers

Water

Spray bottle

Anti-static tool

Black embossing powder

Versamark Ink

My Favorite Things Graduated Stars Stencil

Mama Elephant Good Times

Neenah Solar White

Strathmore Watercolor Paper

That about does it for me today! Stop on by the Naughty or Nice blog to join us in the challenge or to just see what entries they've received and what the other DT members came up with. Thanks for spending part of your day with me!

Latinas Arts & Crafts--Christmas in June

Hello everyone!  Today I have a very special card to share with you. As a member of DigiStamps4Joy's Design Team, I was invited to be a special guest designer at Latinas Arts and Crafts!  They have lots of fun challenges on their blog and the FUN theme for this particular one is Christmas in June! I love Christmas cards and was so happy to share this one with all of you.  I used the lovely DS4J image called Christmas Candle to create my card.

Very Christmass-y I must say!  I colored my image with Copic markers and used partial die cutting to cut it out.  I layered several of the dies that came in the set using regular and dimensional adhesives, then added a big red bow, perfect for the holiday season :)

Supplies:

Copic markers

Wink of Stella

Bow it All v. 2.0

Dimensional & Regular Adhesive

Spellbinders Nestabilities Majestic Elements Die Majestic Label 25

Green Card Stock

Neenah Solar White Card Stock

Ribbon from stash

Christmas Candle image from DigiStamps4Joy

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you like the card and encourage you to stop by Latinas Arts & Crafts to see what their talented Design Team came up with and to join in the fun :)

Peachy Keen Stamps + NON June Challenge

Hello friends :)  We are having a sketch challenge at Naughty or Nice Challenges this month!  The great thing about sketch challenges is that you can copy the design exactly as you see it, or you can make a few changes as long as your creation resembles the original sketch. For example, it's OK to use a different shape (you'll notice this in mine below) or you could add some embellishments. The most important thing is that you should be able to compare the two and see their similarities.  

Check out the sketch on the left and my take on it.  The "guts" of the sketch are still in my card, even though I made a couple of changes:  I used a curved edge instead of point and the space between my curved edge and the bottom of the card is larger than the one on the sketch.  I went with a curved edge because I liked the idea to let it mimic the roundness of the cherries :)

I used Copics on the stems and paper pieced the cherries from card stock that I had in my stash.  The green frame was created by using the same Copic marker as the stems, and to show a bit of a reflection, I used a white gel pen on the little cherries :)  The little sentiment tag faded into the background a bit, so I lined the edges with Distress Ink so it stood out a bit.

That's about it for me today!  Remember that the challenge goes through June 25, so you have almost four weeks to crank something out and join us in the fun!   Also remember that your creations can be naughty or nice, so use your imaginations ;)

Supplies:

Neenah Solar White Card Stock

SSS Curved Edge Die

Patterned paper from stash

Copics YG23, 25

 Spellbinders Nestabilities A2 Matting Basics A

Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Thread from stash

Peachy Keen Stamps Faceless Fruit, Fruit Sentiments One, Basic Paper Doll Face Assortment

Distress Ink in Barn Door

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Submissions:

Use Your Stuff #186--Stripes and Dots

Just Us Girls #295--Wild Card (Paper Piecing)

Send a Smile 4 Kids--Anything Goes

Simply Create Too #86--Keep it Simple

Wags n Whiskers #155--Seeing Spots

Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog #132--Cute plus a Sentiment

Creative Knockouts--BINGO (stamp/embossing/die cut)

Cute Card Thursday #375--Too Cute

DRS Designs--Easy as 1-2-3 (one embossing folder, two cherries, three dies)

Happy Mother's Day! (a card from my son!)

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  My five-year-old son woke me up bright and early this morning informing me that I was going to sleep the day away if I didn't get out of bed at that moment. Little did he know I was up until the wee hours of the morning watching Gilmore Girls and that four hours wasn't enough sleep for me LOL  (Side note: I just started watching the show on Netflix and adore it! I love watching shows on Netflix b/c I don't have to wait days, weeks or months between seasons.)  Anyway, my kiddo let me sleep in a bit longer while he and my husband made some cards.  I loved when he tip-toed back into my room a half hour later whispering "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" and giving me this beautiful creation of his.

I love it so much!  I'm going to have to frame this one for sure! He was so proud of it :)

Supplies Used:
Crayola Washable Markers
White paper
Scissors (no paper trimmer or corner chomper for this little dude!)
A whole lot of love and adoration

Thanks so much for visiting today. I hope you all have a great day, and if you're a mom,  keep on being a superhero :)

Submissions:
Blessings Ink--Mother's Day
Come and Get It--Flowers
Laurelcraft--How Does Your Garden Grow?
Great Impressions--Celebrate Spring
One Stitch at a Time--Anything Goes
Dragon's Lair--A Bouquet of Flowers
Frosted Designs--All About Mom
Digi Designs Challenge Blog--Load on those Flowers

Vellum Balloons -- Party Time Tuesday May Challenge

Hi there!

It's the first Tuesday of the month--can you believe it's May already?!?!--and it's the start of Party Time Tuesday's "Anything Goes" challenge!  Anything Goes challenges are the easiest to enter, so whip up something good and join us in the fun!

I really love this card. I love that the background is a great contrast against the colorful balloons and the splattered paint look.  I don't know what it is about this look, but ever since I was a little girl, I've always thought splattered paint looked so fun. It's imperfect and messy and just has an awesome result. Here's another card I made using this technique.

I actually used vellum for the  balloons because I wanted something transparent.  You can see through balloons, so it made sense to try to make a card with balloons that you could see through. This was messy and not really easy, but FUN!  I smeared Distress Inks on a piece of vellum and let it dry before using a variety of balloon dies. While the ink was drying, I smooshed the same colors of Distress Inks onto an acrylic block and liberally sprayed them with water. Using a paintbrush, I just flicked the paint onto the cardstock.  Wherever it landed is where it stayed :) If you're a bit of a perfectionist and don't like something you don't have a lot of control over, this might not be the best technique for you, but I would encourage you to try!

After the splattering dried, I glued on the vellum balloons. This isn't fun. Ever.  I didn't want to use tape or glue dots because you can see them through the vellum, so I decided that I would use glue all over the back of them. It was sticky and some of the ink came off, but it worked and that's all I wanted :)  I used a think tipped Sharpie to draw the balloon lines with a ruler and attached them with an adorable bow.  

Supplies Used:

Distress Inks in Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean and Picked Raspberry

Impression Obsession Herringbone Background Stamp

Tombo Mono Multi Glue

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Sharpie Marker in Black

Mama Elephant Good Times Stamp Set

Paper Smooches Wise Dies

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to join us in the challenge at PTT!

Submissions:
Clear it out Challenge--Anything Goes
Everybody Art Challenge #323--Happy Birthday
Pinspirational Challenges
Crafty Cardmakers #138--Make Your Own Background
Lawnscaping Challenges--Watercolors
Crafting Musketeers #25--Use a Die Cut
Mema's Crafts--Anything Goes

Live in the Moment Tag--DS4J New Release

Happy Sunday :) Today DS4J has some great new releases for you! I adored the tree swing digi because it reminded me so much of being a kid.  I was outside all the time climbing trees and building forts. I just loved it. Now that I'm an adult with a child of my own, I often think of how fast time passes and how easily it is to spent yours days unhappy, stressed, or angry. Since this was such a happy image for me, I wanted to make an uplifting project.  I typically make cards, but decided on a simple tag this time.

I cropped a tree branch off of the image when making the tag, but I don't think it took away from anything.  I colored it with Copic markers, punched a hole in the top and added some pretty ribbon.  The sentiment is my own doing (made in PowerPoint) and is not a part of the digital image.  

Supplies Used:

Swing Image from DigiStamps4Joy Shop

Copic Markers (YG 09;  E 25, 27; W 2; RV 14)

Hole Punch

Ribbon from stash 

Thanks for stopping by today! Please stop by the blog to see what my teammates came up with!

Buttons, Bows and Bling!

Hello, hello! Today starts a new, exciting challenge at DigiStamps4Joy. I'm the hostess of this month's theme, which is Buttons, Bows and Bling :)  This is such a fun theme that I've been waiting for months to share with you!  Your options are limitless, so use your creativity and an image from the shop to be eligible for a great prize and join us in the fun.  I used the adorable Bettie Bow image from the DS4J shop to create my card:

Now, I just have to say, that I think this whole project turned out beautiful!  All of the elements are present: lots of bows, lots of bling on the bows, and I used a tiny button brad for the inside of her earring :)

Bit-by-bit:

*I printed the image on Neenah solar white cardstock, trimmed it to an A2 size and colored it with Copic markers.

* I sectioned off part of the card to do some stenciling with embossing paste and embossing powder to create a very thick pattern that had some shine.  (Tip: use painters tape to hold down your stencil! It won't tear your paper and the stencil won't wiggle around on you.)

*The Bow-It-All v. 2.0 tool was used to create the bow. I must say that this is one amazing tool! If you struggle with bows, it will be your best friend.

* I attached the pearly ribbon to my paper and added my bow with a glue dot.

* Attach the panel to an A2 card base.

Supplies:

Bettie Bow  (You MUST buy this digi! It's only $1.50 and it's adorable and very versatile!)

Copic Markers (E 000, 00, 02, 53, 55; Y 02, 06, 08; R 12, 14, 17)

Wink of Stella in ClearSpare Parts Metallic Button Brads

Prima Stencil in Flourish 

Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Glue Dots

The Ribbon Boutique Ribbon (7/8" thick; Item # 117333)

Dreamweaver Embossing Paste in White

Ranger Embossing Powder in Red

Palette Knife

(Note: I can't find the pearly ribbon at this time. We just moved and I think it may be packed away still, but I hope to update this when I do find it. It came from the craft store and was with all the other ribbon in the sewing department.)

Thanks so much for joining me today!  I hope I've inspired you to join in our challenge. Remember that you have all month to create something and enter, so please join us.

Submissions:

Digi Sketch Challenge--Buttons and Bows
Melonheadz Friends--Add Sparkle
Sparkle and Sprinkle--Use Glitter
Whimsy Stamps--Color an Image
Graph'it Colour Challenge #18--Ribbons and Lace
Kitty Bee Designs #46--Girly Cards
Simply Create Too #84--Pretty Woman
The Stamping Boutique--Ribbon and/or Lace

Let's Go Streakin'!!!

This month's theme at Naughty or Nice Challenges is "Friends". Ahhhhhh....friends!  If you're like me you have a wide variety of with varied tastes, with some being eerily similar to you.  I'm lucky enough to have some great friends in my life and am thankful for all of them! Although different, they all bring something exciting and fun to the table. Younger, older, male, female, you're all special and I'm fond of all of you :) Thanks for the laughter, advice, compassion, support and honesty you've all given me over the months or years that we've known each other!

Without further ado, here's my salute to my friends.  And this rings true with quite a few of them LOL

(Inside:)

Now this just makes me giggle! Isn't the naked guy hilarious?! It really reminds me of Will Ferrell from Old School.  

It's a very simple card and I thought for a while that I needed to add more color or something, but I didn't want to fancy it up. I liked it simple :) I love that it's gender neutral because like I said, I have some pretty fantastic male friends too. To execute the plan, I made an A2 card with Neenah Solar White Cardstock, stamped my image, then stamped the words. I didn't use a ruler or anything to make them line up perfectly since it was more of a silly card than a fancy one.  I started with the word "things" and then lined the other words up as best as I could in relation to that one.  I messed up the 'b' and the 'e' in the word "remember", but tried fixing it with a white gel pen.  It's a little darker than the other letters, but I think I fixed it pretty good :)  I stamped "...alone" on the inside because let's just face it, sometimes that's the cold hard truth!

That's about it! Thanks so much for stopping by today! Get out your supplies and make something special for one of your friends, then share it with us on the Naughty or Nice blog! You have all month to work on your creation :)

Supplies:

Man going streaking stamp that I got at a yard sale

Copic Markers (E000, 00, 02, 25)

Paper Smooches Alphadot Stamp Set

Memento Ink in Tuxedo Black

White Gel Pen

TIPS AND TRICKS:

When creating words using alphabet stamps, decide which letter is the middle letter of the word you're making, and stamp that near the center of where you want the word to be.  For example, the middle letter of "things" is 'i' so I started with that letter. 

Work from the inside out, then bottom to top.

Submissions:

Kleuren met Potloden--Men

Karleigh Sue Digi Stamps #3--Foolish Thoughts

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #105

Inkspirational Challenge #81--Space

Alphabet Challenge Blog--F is for Friends/Friendship

That's Crafty Challenge Blog--Let's Keep it Simple

Creative Knockouts #87--Complete the Inside

Cute Card Thursday #371--Use a Sentiment

DRS Designs #172--Put it in Neutral

Southern Girls #110--Get Wordy

Digi Choosday Week 17--CAS

Retro Rubber Challenge #13--Anything Goes

GIVEAWAYS! DS4J Celebrates 1000 Likes!

Hi there!  There's a very exciting week ahead of us....

TAKE 3 MINUTES TO READ THIS - YOU'LL BE HAPPY YOU DID!

It's time to CELEBRATE the 1,000 LIKES milestone on the Digistamps4Joy Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DS4Joy).

To thank you, Margy is giving away OODLES of prizes from Monday 20th April to Friday 24th April. Come back each morning to see our fun challenges/games and the prizes you can put yourself in line to win.

Here's a taste of what's to come:

Free digistamps
Gift Certificates to the DS4J store
Guest Designer spots in our challenges
The latest batch of new releases
Sponsored digistamps from The East Wind and from Nana Vic's Digistamps,
....and MORE digistamps.

So, don't pass "GO" and don't go HOME until you have joined Margy and her Digistamps4Joy Team in this fabulous celebration week.

See you there!

Margy and the DS4J DT

This is going to be a really fun week so make sure to check Facebook EVERY MORNING and join us in the fun :)

Here's my card for the celebration....I hope you like it! 

I had a vision of what I wanted using acetate and foil, but like many things, it wasn't flawlessly executed LOL I am not familiar with working with foil and for some reason didn't take in every place, so it looked kind of grungy and imperfect.  At first I wasn't sure that I liked it, but it grew on me quickly. I liked how rough it ended up looking :)  I colored the streamers with Copics and used the same colors on my balloons, then fussy cut everything (I admit that I am not the best fussy cutter LOL) I added a few spots of Perfect Pearls to add more dimension and that was that!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Don't forget to head over to DS4J's Facebook page to join in on all the fun and make sure to stop back here on Tuesday, April 21 and leave a comment!  I'm going to be choosing a random winner from my comments for a Guest Designer spot :)