A Little Inspiration

Papertrey Blog Hop

Here is my post for the June Papertrey Ink Blog Hop based on our summer inspirations.  I am thrilled to participate in - even at the last minute.

Summer inspires me through nature.  Planting my garden, hiking through the mountains and just enjoying the colors and sounds.   This summer, I added a butterfly bush to our backyard.  The blooms are a gorgeous shade of pink and now we just need the butterflies.

This photo was taken by Maureen Gilmer.  Hopefully I will soon have such lovely visitors.

On to the project...

I used Lauren Meader's Timeless Template and just loved it!

The image is Floral Frenzy from Squigglefly and colored with watercolor technique.  I can't wait to give it as a gift/package. 

Here's a close up of the top.

 

VSJUN05 - Hummingbird

Sketch #5 - Hummingbird

I think this is my new favorite card to date.  I had so much fun with this sketch.  As you can see, I used a little bit of creative license with the shapes...I hope that was ok for the challenge.  I started with the image on cardstock but it just didn't do it justice.

• The image is from Squigglefly and printed on white cardstock and watercolored with the SU! spring in colors and a variety of colors from my box of goodies.

• The flourishes from Pink Cat Studio were randomly stamped on the vanilla cardstock cut to 5"x 5" and Pink Pirouette in the Pink Pirouette ink.

• The large flourish was stamped on Baja Breeze and embossed in silver with a coordinating flourish in the bottom right corner.  Layered on chocolate cardstock with a ticket corner and edged in Baja Breeze.

• I carefully cut the images and adhered them to the top of the panels.

Wish me luck in winning some new stamps from the challenge and there is still time for you winning entries!

Thanks a million for your feedback and comments!

VSJUN04 - Let's Celebrate

Sketch #4 - Let's Celebrate!

I was inspired by the new Stampin' Up! In Colors for this card.  I love the color combination and can't wait for the new colors to come out.  I'm also a huge fan of the birds and was excited to use them. 

I modified the sketch just a bit to add the sentiment on the bottom...

• Pink cardstock was the foundation for the card, layered with glittery cardstock from the "Sweet Stack" and a yellow for the panel.

• The birds & sentiment were stamped in Baja Breeze and layered on Baja Breeze paper. 
  

• Shapes were cut with Cricut's Plantin Schoolbook & Accent Essentials.

• A little dark blue ribbon finished the card.

VSJUN03 - Live, Laugh & Love

Sketch #3 - Live, Laugh & Love

This card was based on this simple sketch but was actually rather challenging for me.

• The 5 1/2" x 4" white card base was sponged with rust & chocolate pastels (SU!) which gave it a purple hue, like the paper.

• The sentiment from "On Your Birthday" by SU! was stamped in Eggplant on white cardstock and the same pastels were applied over the sentiment.

• I layered two pieces of cardstock and used the same lavender for the oval behind the sentiment and for the bow.

• The final touch was a line of metallic silver along the central panel.

Check out the challenge here.  There are so many wonderful cards and great ideas!

 

VSJUN02 - Sketch #2 - Awesome Game

WOW!!!  Five cards in two days!  Now to upload them... Here is Sketch #2,of the FIVE Cards for the Verve Release Challenge.  You can see all five on Splitcoaststampers gallery too.

Sketch #2

I absolutely love the new stamp set I received from Pink Cat Studio.  This is Sporty Billy.  He plays baseball, football, soccer and he surfs.  I think he is so cute.

Using this sketch, I cut out a burgundy square for the background and then light blue cardstock squares that I stamped with sentiments from the same set.

Billy was stamped in Jet Black Staz On Ink onto watercolor paper and colored with markers and some watercolor was done with the SU!aqua painter.

The ball was made from a white cardstock circle (I drew the stiches by hand), stamped the sentiment from the same set, and layered the image on the red paper that was also pierced.

A little bit of Chocolate Chip along the edges of the square plus a little bit of sponged pastels (sky/sun) completed the picture.

The first sketch was posted for the MOJO Monday Sketch Challenge utilizing this sketch. 
I used the Fresh Cuts set from SU! and Flourishes from Pink Cat Studio.  You can see all of the details here.

VSJUN01 & MOJO 92 - For You

As my second challenge from Mojo Monday, I must say, I really enjoyed today's sketch.  It's amazing how much easier it is to make a card when everything is laid out first.  This is part of the Verve Stamps Sketch Challenge - 5 sketches, 5 cards & a chance to win stamps.  Check it out here.
 

• I started with the papers I wanted to use and cut each piece to size for a 4" x 5 1/2" card.  These are all pieces that I have in my stash.

• I then stamped the Flourishes from Pink Cat Studio on the light pink paper in varying angles with dark brown.

• The small frame was made from the Accent Essentials Cricut Cartridge at 2" and stamped with "for you" from the Stampin' Up! Fresh Cuts set.

• Ribbon from Dashes, Dots & Checks was used along the edges and the wooden button from my box of goodies.

I was really pleased with how it came together, creating a design on the paper, coordinating the colors & sentiment and using up some of my supplies.  Thanks for your comments!

Flourishes

I have been wanting to try the combination of paper, fabric, and sewing  to create texture and depth.  I finally gave it a go when I received the flourishes stamp from Pink Cat Studio that I found through Lauren Meader's site.

Using the same vellum as the Color Inspiration #55, I stamped the backside of the vellum with a marker colored flourish - purple, pink & metallic silver. 

Tip: Using the blender pens from SU! over the markers really enhanced the colors and pulled the ink together on the vellum.

• Cardstock was cut to 4" x 5 1/4" to fit the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white base.

• In an attempt to use up my 'stash', I used a burgundy and light purple as the base.

• the stamped vellum was then layered on the cardstock and sewn by machine with loose tension.

• Flowers were cut from the Cricut Accent Essentials cartridge in the dark purple and then a scrap from the "Old World" Stack from Michael's and topped with a 3/16" punch from glittery purple paper.

• The poem (from an 8th C Chinese poet in a book of poems I found at a flea market) was torn and edged with Pink Pirouette and layered on a small piece of purple fabric.

The final touch was a bow made of silver wire ribbon adhered to the edge of the poem and small pieces along the flower.

I'm excited to try out some canvas I came across and some decorative stitches of the sewing machine.

 Thanks for your comments and feedback!

Games for Kids - Animal Memory

 

Here it is, finally!  I just love this little box and after several previous projects, this went surprisingly well.  I originally made this set of memory/matching cards for my nephews birthday (in boy colors of blue & green).  My sister reports that he plays with them every day before naps.  She says they are the perfect number of cards (32) and could she have another set?

So, I made this set for her niece's birthday and added the names underneath the animal to help with word recognition and reading as well as being a fun game to play.  This time I got to make a 'girlie' set and it was great fun!

• The box was made with Kraft Paper 4 1/8" x 2 1/2" x 2 1/2".  I cut out and formed the box and then covered it in Pink Pirouette (SU!) using a little Elmer's glue and a brush.

• A band of Pink Pirouette was adhered along the top and side edges of the lid and 4 brads were punched through the four end corners.

• The lid was made with "Spring Has Sprung" by Stacy Clair Boyd and lined with Pink Pirouette to make it a little stronger.

• The sentiment "Hugs & Kisses" from the "Love You Much" SU! set was stamped with Pacific Point on Pink Pirouette and spots of darker pink and silver markers provided a little extra touch.  The sentiment was then cut out and adhered to white cardstock scallop punch (SU!).

• Using white chipboard and cardstock (My Mind's Eye), I adhered the cardstock to the chipboard wth Royal Coat Clear Finish and let that dry for a few days.

• The cards were cut to two inches square and stamped with an animal set by Melissa & Doug.  They are a combination of zoo and barnyard animals and so cute! 

• Colored markers polished them off!

It takes a little trial and error working with the Royal Coat. If you have any questions, just let me know.  If you want me to make you a set, I'd be happy to post them on Etsy for you (Etsy coming soon!).

Color Inspiration #55

I decided to give Kristina Werner's color challenge a go and then looked through my stash of paper and then thought, "Uh oh, I don't have these colors".  I finally found some similar looking paper: rust colored vellum, scraps of mustard, and some light gray that would work for the challenge.  I think the darker gray would have been even better.

I've been wanting to create a card with the "Love" sentiment from Stampin' Up! and this was perfect opportunity.

• I started with a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" inch vanilla base and cut the vellum 1/2" shorter to fit. 

• The sentiment was stamped on parchment style paper with VersaMark and colored with SU! pastels and adhered to basic grey cardstock.

• The shapes were cut with my Cricut using Plantin Schoolbook flowers and Accent Essentials scallops.  

• Eyelets were punched into the flowers with silver grommets.

• A small piece of twine for a ribbon provided the finishing touch.

 

Bitty Bear

One of my other loves is knitting and I just have to show off the little bear I just finished.

The teddy bear pattern is by Debbie Bliss and the sweater is by Susan Anderson in her book "Itty Bitty Nursery" 

I may add embroidered eyes and mouth... but think it's pretty adorable just the way it is.

She's about 5 inches tall made with cotton, silk, viscose blend and stuffed with poly-fill.  Her removable sweater is knit from a cashmerino blend that is super soft & cuddly.

The little box behind her was just finished today.

I can't wait to show you what's inside!