Play Date Cafe 124

I was really stumped with the Play Date Cafe's colors this week, but came up with a simple card for the challenge...here's my card and the colors:

I used a set by Papertrey Ink set(Rosie Posie), stamped and cut out...YES, I cut around the daisy!!  Could be why there's nothing else on my card...I thought THAT was enough effort for one card...lol!!!!  What can I say, I LOVE using scissors!!!  I used a stamp from Paper Smooches for the sentiment and layered on Marina Mist card. Used Melon Mambo(thought later that I should have used Rich Razzleberry...but the Melon Mambo IS a raspberry color??!!)  for the flower and More mustard for the middle circle. 

Hope you check out the challenge...what is especially cool is that the challenge this week is sponsored by a 13 year old business"young "man!!!  How amazing is that, that a 13 year old would have his own stamp company...Tanner, you are an inspiration...your tenacity makes me smile...don't know what better way to put it, but you are one AMAZING young man!!!!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Pastel and Black...

I made another card for CAS-ual Fridays Bold and Beautiful challenge...to make a clean and simple card using pastels and black.  I decided to put this one in the challenge, this one being VERY different from my other entry.

I have seen some beautiful cards done with this Papertrey Ink Harvest Berries leaves stamp in black, and decided to give it a go, myself.  This card is VERY simple in it's design, but I thought it was so cool to stamp it in an over-the-edge design.  I stamped the Hero Arts sentiment (Good Friends) and then clear embossed. Used my Papertrey Ink texture/impression plate(Linen/Canvas) to add texture to the Bashful Blue panel and popped up on white bazzill card.
OK...how do you do this???  I used a standard card and a piece of blue cardstock cut to standard card size.  I placed my stamp on gridded block and using the grids, lined the stamp against the top/left side and bottom/right side corners of the card in the EXACT same place on the white card AND on the blue piece of cardstock, separately stamping the stamp on the white top, then the blue top...then lining up the bottom and stamping the white bottom,  then the blue bottom.  I took the blue piece of cardstock and cut 1/2" off of each side and layered on black.  I just think the effect is so cool....
Another fun challenge!!

 

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

CAS-ual Fridays...The Bold and the Beautiful

The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays this week is to make a clean and simple card using Pastels and Black.  I know we just had a week of baby making cards a few weeks back, but I gave that card away to my daughter to give away(and it was pink, anyhow), and had a shower to go to yesterday...although this is another version of the one I gave the mother-to-be(she's having a boy, so I made the giraffe blue....how come girls cards can have blue, but boys cards look funny with pink???...I'm just saying:)!!).

I got the idea from a baby card I saw at Target...it's fun to look at cool cards and get ideas...Target has some very cool cards!  The card showed some cute animals stacked on top of one another.  These are the only animals I have, so I stamped on die cut outs, layered on chipboard for depth and layered on white panel.  They each have a heart on their behinds, so I stamped the heart from the same stamp set on white cardstock, clear embossed and colored with color of animal.  I cut out the hearts, and dotted with Glossy Accents, dried and attached over the white heart spot on their butts with another dot of Glossy Accents.

The colors I used were Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink.  The Stamps and dies are Papertrey Ink Sweet Baby, the sentiment Papertrey, as well, Script Sentiments. The card measures 4" x 7"... fits a business sized envelope beautifully:)!!

Another fun challenge!!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Blogoversary!!

I  will be celebrating my first year of blogging  in another week, on March 31st!!  It had been an incredible time...learning how to blog, making great new blog friends and having, at this writing, 174 wonderful followers taking the journey with me!!!!   Wow...it has all been soooooooo cool!!   I have never done or won "blog candy", but wanted to show my appreciation for my blogging buddies by giving away some stamping stuff!  I will have my BLOGOVERSARY post up on March 31 at 12:01 am with the prizes and will keep it open until 11:59pm that day for comments.  I will randomly pick a winner or winners after that day.  I will let you know, then, what I will have for candy...I'm thinking it will be some of MY favorite things:)!!  Make sure to check back for the deets then:)!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

SC377

I saw the sketch at Splitcoaststampers , and decided to have a go at it:)!!  Here's my card and the sketch:

I loved the lines of this sketch and wanted to do the challenge to prove to myself that I could take a sketch that "looked" like a lot of layers and make one with very few!!  I stamped and embossed the black panel with a background stamp from Hero Arts and then used a Spellbinders oval die to cut out the middle.  I cut 2 panels out of a bazzill bright pink colored paper, and attached them to the black panel.  I then cut the middles out of the pink panels to show the white of the card, stamped, added ribbon and button brads(yes, I am doing my part to bring back brads...after all...I have SO MANY OF THEM!!!).  I punched the flowers and added black stick on dots.  Popped up pink panel on card.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

The Liebster Award

The other day I received an email from Darnell Knauss who nominated me for the Liebster Award!!

  Her site with the information can be found HERE...but here is the scoop in a nut shell:

This award is given to up-and-coming bloggers who inspire you and have less than 200 followers. The Liebster Award takes its name from the German word meaning "Beloved, Dearest, or Favorite."  As part of the tradition, you then pass the award on to five bloggers that have motivated and inspired you.  

 The new honorees are now asked to do the following:

1. Acknowledge the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Give this award to 5 other bloggers, who must have less than 200 followers, and let them know through a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog
4. Best of all:  Bask in the glory, have fun, and SHARE THE LOVE!

I am so honored, thank you so much, Darnell...you have made me feel loved.  My grandpa, who came here to America from Germany in the early 1900's, used to call me his 'liebling'... which means darling, love, sweetie...the list is super long, but holds every wonderful word for a granddaughter, or person...so I am familiar with this word, and think this Liebster Blog Award is wonderful!!

I happily pass this award on to 5 more fellow bloggers.  For my five choices, I went with one of my favorite challenge blogs, Simply Less is More, whose stamping community encompasses a larger global base of entries than I've ever seen,  and chose 5 ladies whose Clean and Simple artistry  has been not only beautiful, but inspirational to me...

1. Michelle from Amusing Michelle

2. Marlena from Marlena is Faithfully Crafting
3 Loli from El Taller De Los Recuerdos
4. Bastelengel from Time to Tinker(Zeit zum Basteln)
5. Caro from Caro - Crafts and Life
OK...is anyone going to get distraught if I add just one more????  There are just some wonderful ladies in Australia!!!
6. Michelle from Handmade by Michelle
I'm feeling lots of love, what can I say???!!!
Check em out...very cool ladies with amazing cards!!  Thanks, again, Darnell...hope you all have a great weekend!!  Hugs!!  Lisa

Pinterest Inspired

Last night I took a quick glance at Pinterest...oh my...I can't do it very often...it's so addictive and can be so time consuming, but it IS so much fun!!  Well, I saw this  picture and just couldn't resist my attempt to make a card based on it:

 

Here's what I came up with:

I used a Memory Box die for the branch and a sizzix die for the flower. The vase is a Papertrey Ink stamp from Iconic Images.  I stamped the vase and cut it out, then embossed in white, and then again using versamark, stamped a lined Hero Arts background and then embossed with white OVER the already embossed pitcher.  The sentiment is Hero Arts(Everyday Sayings) and dotted the flowers with pink liquid pearls.

I decided to use the layout of the sketch from Splitcoaststampers Clean and Simple's challenge this week and will enter it into that challenge.

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

More Die Cut Flowers

This is a card using the very FIRST flowers I die cut a couple days ago, with my Memory Box die...A Muse's Bubblegum Pink cardstock...thought the color would look "cool" against black...then put a background on the black:

No petals in these ones, unlike the flowers a couple days ago, but used another sentiment from the Fillable Frames #1 set like the other AND Doodlebug chunky brads, as well.  The background is Hero Arts Grid Pattern.
This is what I did with the leftover petals:

Layered the petals for depth...there were LOTS of petals, after all...dotted the petals and added hand drawn stem stamped with petals from Papetrey Ink Beautiful Blooms and sentiment from Signature Greetings...dotted with pink rhinestone....super simplistic...but I kinda like it...and it's recycled, so it's eco friendly:)!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Less is More 59...masking

The challenge this week at Less is More is to make a card using the masking technique.  I don't do much masking...in fact almost none, so I went with something super simple:

I used three different sets from Papertrey Ink...the frame is from Framed, the branch/leaves/flowers from Out On a Limb and the sentiment from Daily Designs Sentiments.  I stamped the frame and masked part of the bottom opening to make it larger for the sentiment.  After stamping the frame, I put post it notes on the left side of the frame and stamped the branch twice with different lengths and the flowers.  I then stamped the leaves, and then the sentiment and embossed that.  The frame, branch and sentiment were stamped in Early Espresso , the flowers in Pretty in Pink and the leaves in Certanly Celery.  I dotted the flowers with pink Perfect Pearls.  Loving these challenges...always keeping me on my toes and making me think:)!!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Die Cut Flowered Hello

I love Memory Box dies!  I got one out after church, this morning, and decided to experiment with a thought I had last night ...funny how thoughts change as you create:)...

I used this die from Memory Box:

  I die cut the flower in black a total of 12 times(layered 4 on each flower for depth...mine was cheap paper, if you use good cardstock, you could probably get away with 2 or 3 layers) and cut one more flower in each of the colors from Papertrey Ink polka dotted paper(the middles are all you use from the colored flowers).  What's cool is that with the pink and the the whole petals on the other 2 flowers, they just kind of "snap" into place between the layers of black.  The only adhesive needed for the petals was just for the cut petals, and I used rolled up sticky dots for those.  Yes, it was a lot of gluing...I used a glue stick to paste all the black flowers together...but I like it!  The brads are Chunky brads from Doodlebug, the sentiment from Papertrey Ink Fillable Frames #1.  I originally thought I would do yellow daisies with the black, but saw this paper, and thought the colors looked like so much more fun!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

InLinkz.com

CAS-ual Fridays 44...It's as Easy as 1-2-3

The challenge this week at CAS-ual Friday's is to make a card with: 1. A Pattern  2.  An Image  
3.  A Sentiment  ...

 

I couldn't resist using a new set I got with my Birthday money, made by W Plus 9 Design Studio:

I stamped the sun with So Saffron, using some old Stampin Up paper with So saffron color in it.  The top line of the sentiment is 2 separate W Plus 9 sentiments from set and the "sunshine" is part of a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Up Up and Away sentiments mini set.  This was a fun challenge...had to think of how to combine all three criteria and keep it simple...hope I get to make another before Wednesday:)!! 

Thanks to the DT at CAS-ual Fridays for the honor of having my card chosen as a VIP...I'm so very HAPPY(like my card:)!!)!!!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Play Date Cafe 123

OK...first, I'd like to thank the DT at Play Date Cafe for choosing my daisy card, last week for the Cup of the Week...what an honor!!  It was such an encouragement to my heart, as inspiration and color challenges have been challenges I have run from, in the past, but now, not only am I DRAWN to color and inspiration and having such fun, but am recognized for it, as well....how incredibly cool is that???!!!  Thank you so much, ladies!!  Congratulations to all the winners of this challenge, as well:)!!!! On to this week's challenge at Play Date Cafe!!  Oh my, when I saw the patterns...and with the colors...well...I had DEFINITE ideas!!!  I have 2, so will be putting the other in a separate post for the challenge.  Here's the colors and then my card...

 

I  could not resist the chevrons!!  And Susan Goetter made a beautiful card with chevrons she made from a video on Jennifer McGuire's blog...you can find that video HERE .  What a fun project, pretty simple.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink (Birthday Basics).

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Play Date Cafe #123

Here's my other card for Play Date Cafe's challenge 123 with the colors, based it on the chair in the upper left hand corner:

 

Made strips of paper and then cut them again on an angle and adhered them to the card.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink...loved this challenge!!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Case Study Challenge #82

It has been a long while since I joined a Case Study Challenge, but happened upon the blog this morning, and decided, with the clean and simple beauty of Laura Bassen's work and especially today's inspiration card, I just could not resist!!  I JUST YESTERDAY got my much awaited dies from W Plus 9 Studio...so this challenge was an absolute must for me:)!!
Here's Lauren's card:

 

And HERE'S MY CARD:

 I used 4 scrap color papers in dark red, orange mustard and olive.  The die cut roofs and branch (I cut by hand with scissors) are made with scraps of bazzill java(very dark brown).  The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink (Daily Designs Sentiments).  I think these houses and birds are just tooooooo adorable..so glad I found just the perfect challenge to first use them:)!!

 It was hard to photograph, but I used my Papertrey Ink woodgrain texture plate to give some added dimension to the branch...but IRL, it looks cool!

So glad I got to play...Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Runway Inspired Challenge #7

When I saw the challenge at Runway Inspired Challenge this week, there were a few things that were musts for the card I would make.  Here's the runway photo:

 

I knew I HAD to make one or more tri-leveled, tri-colored flowers with blue, pink and red, the background HAD to be black, and it HAD to have some bright pink on the card!  This is what I finally came up with:

I used a Hero Arts stamp set(Dotted Flowers) and Papertrey Ink letter dies.  The pink and blue and red are colors pulled from the model's dress, the pink and blue papers are A Muse, the black bazzill.  I layered the flower on the black die cut panel with the bright pink behind the die cut outs, and layered THAT panel on a black card.  I know I have a "different" way of sometimes looking at things...at life, but when I said I HAD to have pink in the card, I was going for the model's bright pink stockings...and thought it was so funny that when I  got done and saw the two "l's" in "hello"...I decided they were the  pink legs of the model:):)...I'm so funny, right??!!  Well, I'M laughing:)!!!!
Thanks so very much to the DT at Runway Inspired Challenge for the honor of choosing my card to be a Fabulous Fasionista in the last challenge...I am truly honored!!  I am having such fun!!

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

CAS-ual Fridays 43...For Sentimental Reasons

I made this card for CAS-ual Fridays challenge 43...to have the sentiment be the focal point of your card.

 

Used a die from Papertrey Ink(Movers and Shakers: Poppers Dies Collection) and some dotted bazzill paper behind the letters.  The sentiment is part of a larger sentiment from Hero Arts(Truly Appreciated).  Another fun challenge:)!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Play Date Cafe 122...Some More

I decided to put up a couple more cards for Play Date Cafe's Challenge 122...couldn't resist those colors...here are my cards and the colors:

  

I made this card last night...wasn't sure of it, but my dd said she liked it, so I decided to put it up for the challenge. Used a Bloom Builder die from Papertrey Ink and sentiment from Paper Smooches.  The stems are from a Stampin Up set Thanks From the Heart.

This one, I used a set from W Plus 9 Design Studio and sentiment from Hero Arts.  the striped paper is Stampin Up design paper. Colored with Stampin Up markers, basic gray pad and blender pen. Used Papertrey Ink texture plate for the white panel for added dimension.  Fun, fun challenge!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

One Layer Wednesday 82...Swirly Fun

My daughter and son-in-law flew in last Thursday for a wedding and left yesterday afternoon, so my time in the craft room was super limited as my craft room is her bedroom:)!!  I have made a card for this week's One Layer Wednesday, the challenge being to use a swirl on your one layer card.  I must admit, up front, that this card is almost a complete case of someone else's case...you can find the card HERE...and when I read the challenge, this was the ONLY card I kept thinking of...so...

I used 3 stamp sets from Papertrey Ink:  Fancy Flourishes, Modern Basics and Signature Greetings.  I used Memento bamboo and pear inks and three light green rhinestones.  Thanks Suen and Debbie for the beautiful inspiration:)!!!!
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Play Date Cafe Challenge 122

I LOVED the colors at Play Date Cafe Challenge, this week,but had my dd and dsil home for a long weekend, so I have not been playing much, but decided this moring to squeak one into the challenge by making a simple card using these colors:

 

I used the Papertrey Ink set Beautiful Butterflies, stamping with a Color Box chalk ink for the butterfly and stazon black for sentiment.  Added a gold rhinestone to dot the "i" in "birthday" and layered on black and then gray card.  Textured with Papertrey Ink Linen/Canvas Impression/Texture plate.

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Less is More...One Layer and Script

I made this card for Less is More's challenge 58...A one layer card with script on it.

I used a flower from Papertrey Ink(Rosie Posie), sentiment from Hero Arts(Essential Messages) and W Plus 9 Design Studio for the script.  Stamped the white with Color Box Frost white, the green is SU Lucky Limeade, cut out an extra stem/leaves and masked over the stamped image, then stamped script in Crumb Cake and the dark brown center and sentiment with Early Espresso. Clear embossed the senitment and finished the card by running through Big Shot with Papertrey Ink's Linen/Canvas Impression/Texture plate.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Bow Ties for My Dad

I know it's way early for Father's Day, but am LOVING the Memory Box dies...and found this bow tie(comes with both the standard AND bow ties) and immediately thought of my dad...he used to wear the long ones, but has become a bow tie fanatic!!  I am going to enter this into the Less is More challenge 57 this week which is a color challenge and that being NEUTRALS.

I used Stampin Up design paper that has all the neutrals and picked 6 colors and made ties out of each.  I scored each of the ties with my Martha Stewart scoreboard (there is an embossed score IN the die, but doesn't show unless the paper is SUPER thick, like chipboard) and layered on chipboard.  I used the Papertrey Ink Linen/Canvas texture plate and a Papertrey sentiment from Men of Life.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Sketch Challenge 375

The sketch at Splitcoaststampers for the Sketch Challenge was right up my alley this week, so HAD to play:)!! Here's my card and the sketch:

I used one of my very favorite stamp sets from Verve(Great Friend) and stamped on three different scrap pieces of paper,clear embossed and cut out.  Used a circle punch to make the leaves, scored them and textured with Papertrey Ink texture plate.  The polka dotted paper is from Michael's and used a sentiment from Papertrey Ink's Signature Greetings.

Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Stamping Magenta...

I have always loved Magenta stamps, so when I recently found this stamp(Potted Cosmos)...I knew I had to make a card with it:

I stamped it on watercolor paper and used a blender pen with stampin up inks...cajun craze, summer sun, more mustard and peach parfait with old olive for the stems and leaves. It took 2 attempts...I placed the flower panel in the middle and eye-balled the sentiment on the sides...making sure they were close to centered from side to side and top of flower panel to bottom, then eye-balled the top and bottom sentiments making sure they were centered from panel's top or bottom of card, and centered with other sentiments. It was not perfect, but close...and I was happy with that:)!!   Hope that makes sense...really pretty simple, but couldn't think of another way to do it:)!!   I used a Hero Arts sentiment stamped around the flower panel and dotted with tiny black nailheads(Hero Arts)...rounded the corners.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Less is More 57...Neutrals

I feel horrible missing a Less is More challenge, but I DID last week...so this week, I am "on it" early, so the end of the week "stuff" doesn't keep me from it!!  This week's challenge at Less is More is Neutrals, and this is what I came up with last night:

 I made this with a Memory Box die and a sentiment from Craft Lounge.  I die cut the "thanks" and put Stampin Up design paper behind it(the paper is black and gray striped).  Added 3 square rhinestones.

I used another 2 piece Memory Box die with piece of Indian made paper(feels like handmade paper...purchased at Joann's).  The paper is black and white, but as I put it on the card, it looked kind of gray,(it's thin and kind of see through) so when I layered the gray card behind the white panel...I liked the way it looked with the butterfly.  The butterfly's body is a separate piece and I die cut out of black.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings and the card is textured with a Papertrey Ink texture plate.
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Baby Shower of Umbrellas

I made this card with a Memory Box umbrella die I recently purchased.  I thought it's 3-D ability was cool!!

Used Papertrey Ink patterned paper and ribbon with a sizzix die for the tiny flowers and enamel accents in the middles.  The grass was made with a My Favorites Things die and bazzill paper.  The sentiment is Papertrey Ink Scattered Showers(Sahara Sand). The paper for the handles is bazzill and a sandstone color.  
I will be entering my card into two challenges:  CAS-ual Fridays 42...Hey Baby!, and Play Date Cafe's challenge 121...
                                              
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa

Cased Birthday Card

I made this card from a card my daughter gave me for my birthday, yesterday.  She has come to know what I love in cards, and I copied the total idea of the card(well, changed the colors of flowers and raffia, sentiment, card color and size...), I loved it sooooo much!!

I used Papertrey Ink flower dies and felt, cutting 2 slits in each flower with exacto knife and using black raffia to string them together.  The sentiment is Papertrey Beautiful Butterflies.  The card measures 3 3/4" x 7".
Thanks for visiting me today!! Hugs!! Lisa