Monday, March 30, 2015

Guest Designer for The Pink Elephant #292~Anything Goes, Uniko Challenge #19~Anything Goes (using sketch), NBUS #4, TIME OUT #27~CAS, with optional twist, CAS(E) this Sketch #116, Freshly Made Sketches #179

Hello!

Happy Monday! I'm still in 'the big city,' visiting my mom, and we are embarking on another week of busy-ness.  Hectic, with sprinkles of happy (and tender moments, too...missing Pa...).  My pretzel-moves - essential for playing with my niece and nephew - are improving, but oh my! Maybe I need some yoga lessons after all!


Today, I'm delighted and honoured to guest design alongside the fabulous Pink Elephant team once again, with this week's theme challenge:  The Pink Elephant Challenge #292


ANYTHING GOES


Once again, 'goes overboard' me has a trio of cards for you, each one featuring a twist and, in the case of cards 2 and 3, some NBUS! Yayyy for NBUS!

My first card was inspired by Uniko Challenge #19~Anything Goes, using the optional sketch


I wasn't 'sure' the butterfly would work, being 'split' with a sentiment, but gave it a whirl...My mom likes it (but she's biased...). Hope you do, as well. Coloured with Chameleons and, in real life, is much brighter.


My next two cards are sprinting to dazzling and delightful Darnell's NBUS #4, as well as,

Card 2: TIME OUT Challenge #27~Clean and Simple, with optional twist, and CAS(E) this Sketch #116 (I was especially smitten with N@Ali's take)


 NBUS = the 'gear' butterfly...I think it's cool, but I'm wondering if  'non-gear' colours would 
be okay (all about maximizing versatility of this die. It certainly has guy-card potential). Hmm...I guess since it's mine I can do whatever...artistic license, right *grin*

 and Card 3 - Freshly Made Sketches #179



  NBUS = the CB airplane (another card for my sister-in-law's stash for my 
niece and nephew's birthday pals).

The trio...

Please head over (or if you've already been, THANK YOU for coming my way) to see the creativity from

Lori (on break, but she'll be back! Promise!)

I'm looking forward to seeing your "Anything Goes" in The Pink Elephant gallery! C'mon and share with  us!

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day!
Hugs,

Friday, March 27, 2015

NEON Happy...Inkspirational Challenge #79~Neon, STAMPlorations CASE-plorations, NBUS #4, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Anything Goes, Simply Create too #82~Anything Goes, STAMPlorations~Anything Goes

Hello!

I'm having a most marvelous time visiting my mom and my family. We've been buzzing about running errands, shopping, spending time with my niece and nephew, and their mom and dad, coffee-ing with my sister, checking out the local scrapbooking gal (woo hoo: NBUS!) and all make and manner of 'doing stuff.' I've discovered, however, that apparently I need to add rolling around on the floor, jumping up and down 'just because' (whilst flailing my arms...not a pretty sight!), crawling under chairs, and folding myself like a pretzel so as to fit inside a couch-cushion fort, to my exercise routine. And that 'newsflash' occurred in only the first hour of Wednesday's afternoon/evening of four hours of babysitting!  Whew...wonderful Whew!

Stories to share down the road for sure, but today's post-focus is to welcome you to Inkspirational Challenges #79~Neon



I'm especially excited that our Guest Designer is the incredible, sweet, multi-talented, one-of-the-darlings-of-this-community, Michele, of  I Card Everyone . You'll find her card pure delight, as you will those of my fabulous teammates: Marina, Sandie, Shauna, Yvonne, Nonni, Pia and Kim.  Please be sure to leave them some love; they'll be incredibly grateful!

Warning: my card is BRIGHT! Very!  Nothing particularly original in my design, but oh, how cheery the colours are, using my NBUS Neon inks and ingredients from my mobile crafting unit...


See? Told you this would be bright!  My inspiration came from Cornelia's STAMPlorations CASEplorations card here and here (Inspiration Project Post #7) although mine is more !!! with colours than is her charming delight. Still, her choice to ink up the leaf stencil, with bright colours and pairing it with black accents, called my name. Cornelia-CASE proclaimed!

Hope that I've offered a bit of inspiration to encourage you to pull out your neon inks, papers, what-have-you, to create a BRIGHT and VIBRANT card/project to share in the Ink gallery. You may be the one we choose as a future Guest Designer!

I'm sharing my card at the March STAMPlorations™ Inspiration CASE Playground,



our awesome Darnell's NBUS #4






Looking forward to seeing you in the gallery over at Inkspirational Challenge #79!

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day!
Hugs,






Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Shine...ATSM Make Your Mark #137, W&W Join in to Win, Seize the Birthday~Anything Goes


Hello!

Welcome to Addicted to Stamps and More #137 where my fabulous design team and I are inviting you to join us in showcasing cards where you *Make Your Mark*.  
Pencils, markers,  paints, chalks, gelatos...essentially, anything that allows you to 'make your mark' is on tap for this week's challenge.

My flirting with the Chameleon pens pens continues, as does my butterfly addiction...I think I'm slowly, slowly getting a better handle on the Chameleons. Sloooowwwwly!



As a little extra enticement to play along, we're being sponsored by


http://www.sweetpeastamps.com/

Prize is 4 digis from the store

After visiting my wonderfully talented team mates' creations, which are guaranteed to dazzle and delight, dash to your stash of  colouring/painting tools, and design a little something to share in the ATSM gallery.  I'm looking forward to being inspired by your creativity!

I'm also adding my card  to:





Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day!
Hugs,






Flowers and Feathers...FUSION~Floral Fusion, STAMPlorations CASEplorations Inspiraton, W&W Join in to Win, Uniko #19~Anything Goes

Hello,

I still have to pack my mobile crafting unit, but I'm zipping in quickly with three cards.

FUSION~Floral Fusion inspired the first two cards


and all three had elements drawn from those shared by designers over at STAMPlorations, where we're invited to play



First is my take on Vicki's card, showcased on STAMPlorations Inspiration Project #7.  More work with the Chameleons (and we won't discuss how many tries this took!). I was aiming for one pink flower, but the 'bubble gum' pink in the set was a bit too neon-flashy-ish for me. Shades of purple it is!


My second card was inspired by LauraJane, on Day 1 of the recent ARTplorations Stencils blog hop.  A bit more 'wild and crazy' than what you typically see from me, isn't it!  The flowers were stenciled/shaded, then I stamped over the petals (which is difficult to see) with one of the floral stamps from Grunge Floral Strips. A Wink of Stella-ing and ta dahhh...In real life, it's sort of pretty in an artsy way....


My third card was inspired by Debra's card at STAMPlorations Inspiration Project #8.  Where she has AMAZING embossed on hers, I opted to pair the Trendy Feathers and sentiment with a camouflage spring die cut (I know,..been using that cutaway often, but I love it!). This one is heading to W&W Join in to Win.


My trio, posing...off to Uniko #19~Anything Goes, too...


Time to wrap up packing in readiness for my big drive...

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day!
Hugs,



Monday, March 23, 2015

Guest Designer for The Pink Elephant #291~Inspiration Challenge, Freshly Made Sketches #178, CAS(E) this Sketch #115, HLS March Sketch Challenge, W&W Join in to Win, Simon Says Wednesday Challenge~Spring

Hello!

Happy Monday - and an especially happy one for me because it's officially Day 1 of Spring Break...that's TWO weeks of Spring Break! Yayyyy!   Today, I'm delighted and honoured to guest design alongside the fabulous Pink Elephant team once again, with this week's The Pink Elephant Challenge #291~Inspiration Challenge.







With Spring and Easter drawing ever-so-near, the team has chosen this lovely basket of pastel-iced, sweet-cookies photo to spark your muse. What details INSPIRE you? Colours, shapes, themes...the possibilities are wide open!  

Once again, I've gone just a wee bit overboard with my cards (who me? Overboard??). Of course, I 'wanted' to create cards with Easter bunnies and eggs, however, the only bunny punch I have - bought on sale post-Easter last year - doesn't work any more! I was not hoppy...er, happy...with that discovery. Perhaps it's because my nephew went to town with it last year, punching out bunnies galore.  Hmmm...anyway, no bunnies.  I also don't have egg stamps/dies (yes, I could have used oval dies, but I don't know where they are, which is ridiculous, given how miniscule, in general, my collection is).  Hmmm...anyway, no eggs.

I adapted.  Drawing inspiration from themes, shapes (you do see the butterflies, right? *grin*), and colours and here's what I came up with:






Please head over (or if you've already been, THANK YOU for coming my way) to see the creativity from


Lori (on break, but she'll be back! Promise!)

I know you'll be amazed and inspired by what they've designed!  I'm looking forward to your interpretations - cards and/or projects welcome - in the gallery.

I'm also joining the challenges with

Card 1 and 2  entered at: 
Just Us Girls #285

Freshly Made Sketches #178


Card 2  Winnie and Walter Join in to Win
Card 3
CAS(E) this Sketch #115 (Card 3)



Card 4 
Happy Little Stampers March Sketch Challenge






Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day!
Hugs,



Sunday, March 22, 2015

Thanks and Just A Note...CASology #138~Blossom, Happy Little Stampers March Sketch Challenge and March CAS Challenge~Sponging, Uniko #19~Anything Goes, AAA Cards #35~Bare Naked

Hello!

Lest you think I've been lolly-gagging about this weekend, rest assured, such is not the case (well, maybe a little bit...).   My "what I've been doing' list included:

  • crafting up a storm, with a few cards managing to make it to the 'survivor' stage.
  • shopping at a one-day product reps' sale where they had blow-out prices on a variety of items. New shoes walked home with me!
  • grocery shopping (blech...)
  • reading (finally!) I love mysteries and the one captivating my attention is the 9th (or 10th) of Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series. So engaging...I'd move to her fictional village of Three Pines in a nano-second! Highly recommend her books; pure entertainment.
  • general putzing around, and
  • getting ready to go visit my mom on Tuesday! Yayyy!  I'm driving on my own (eek!);  hopefully, the snow forecast for tomorrow won't stick around. I'm aiming to stay from Tuesday through to the next week; my husband will be flying to Edmonton, from Ottawa (he's off to Montreal and Ottawa starting Saturday, for meetings), late Thursday. We'll head back Good Friday, as my husband's brother-in-law is coming to pick up my car for our 'grown up' niece.  Easter back here - and that's a-okay.

Anyway, rambling done.  I have two flower cards to show you (yes...flower, not butterfly *grin*).

I brought out the delphinium stencil once again for my first card....


and my much loved Big Bloom for my second...


NOTE: Incredibly thrilled and honoured to be selected as the UNIKO Challenge winner! The opportunity to guest design, as well as receiving a gift certificate, is just so awesome! THANK YOU!!

Evidently, I'm ready for flowers and butterflies. Aren't we all?!

Card 1 is  heading to Happy Little Stampers' March Sketch and CAS Challenge~Sponging


Card 2 is off to

Uniko #19~Anything Goes
AAA Cards #35~Bare Naked

CASology #138~Blossom


My husband's making risotto and I think it's my turn to do some stirring...

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day.
Hugs,


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Florals x 2...CAS(E) this Sketch #114, Take It Make It Challenge March Anything Goes, The Paper Players #236~Florals, Seize the Birthday~Anything Goes

Hello, my friends...

Whooshing in like the gusty winds we're having today, with a quick note before donning my sous chef hat...

As I hinted at in my previous post, I'm smitten by CAS(E) this Sketch #114


and I have two more cards to prove this crush is for real...






Apologies for the pink tinge...grrr! After 30 some photo attempts, this is the best of the crop. I need a professional photographer!  

These are heading to galleries at:






Dashing off to get supper started; so wonderful to have my husband back home; at least for this week...more traveling to come for both of us next.  

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments add sparkle to my day!
Hugs,