Colors I Never Put Together

****HAVING DIFFICULTY POSTING THE INSIDE OF THE CARD WITH THE HAPPY B-DAY STAMPED TAG****
So had a little time yesterday after a long day of work.  My Aunt's birthday is coming up and I needed to make her a card.  It cam out so cute that I decided to make an extra one to sell at my little shop.

I was inspired by this week's Color Throwdown challenge in choosing the colors and Mojo Monday's sketch challenge.  Never thought about putting black, lime green, and basic gray together.

The flower is handmade.  My first attempt at making a handmade flower.  I found this great tutorial at Pretty Paper blog.  It was really fun to make.  I used cream colored cardstock and cut out circles in various sizes.  I then sponged the circles with lime greeen stamping ink and colored the edges with a sage green marker and added pearl and sage green glitter to the edges.  I think it turned out pretty well given my first handmade flower.  I really like how the card came out.  I think I will use the same color combos for some Halloween cards.

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge 191

Card Challenges Entered
Claudia & Company - Challenge 82: Birthday Card for a Girl
Crafts and Me Challenge - Challenge 35: Anything Goes
Crafty Creations - Challenge 119: May Flowers
Color Throwdown - Challenge 142
Mojo Monday - Sketch Challenge 191
Papertake Weekly Challenge - Bloom & Grow Challenge

Recipe
Black Cardstock
Cream Cardstock
Lime Green Cardstock
Lime Green Decorative paper with ash black circles
Grey Cardstock sponged in black stamping ink and the edges frayed
Flower Decorative Paper
Happy Birthday Stamp
Ribbon
Pearl and Sage Green Glitter
Beads

On the Road

It's getting a little late over here and I need to get to bed.  Just wanted to post this card up before hitting the fluffy pillows.  Will write more about this card tomorrow when I wake up.

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Card Sketch Patterns - Sketch 115 Challenge

Challenges Entered

Card Sketch Patterns - Sketch 115 Challenge
Cards for Men - Challenge 10: Someone Special
Crafty Creations Challenges - Challenge 118: Anything Goes
Flourishes Timeless Challenges - Timeless Tuesday 117 Challenge: Anything Goes
Little Miss Muffet Challenge - Tags or Banners
My Mum's Craft Shop Challenges - Challenge 5: To Die For
My Time to Craft Challenges - Challenge 140: Scallops 
Scrappy Frogs Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
Stamp Something - Anything Goes Challenge 
Sugar Creek Hollow - Recipe Challenge
Tuesday Throwdown - Challenge #48: Die Cuts 


Recipe
The Nifty Fifties Cricut Cartridge - Car Die Cut
Cricut Plantin Schoolbook Cartridge - "DAD" Die Cut
Cream Cardstock
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Retro Grunge Paper
My Mind's Eye Complete Boy Paper
Paper I Bought and I have know idea who made it
Green, Black, Silver Cardstock for the Retro Car
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Sprockets
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo
Twine
Machine Stitching
Grommets

Road to Nowhere

Good evening fellow bloggers and anyone else who happens across my little blog.  A fairly productive weekend even with fighting off some bog.  Apparently there is something going around and I was privileged enough to catch it.  Oh well...at least it isn't as bad as the cold I had last December.

I'm trying to get some Father's Day cards done to post at my Etsy shop before the end of the month...can you believe it is already the 15th --- time sure does move fast.  I've been in a retro grungy sort of mood lately (might be because I am under the weather) so some of the latest creations have a 50s feel to them.  The Nifty Fifties Cricut Cartridge certainly has been very useful and has a ton of images I can't wait to use.  A lot of cool images to cure your retro urges.  I added some pearl glitter to the headlights for a little shimmer.

A close-up of the car and the panels.

A close-up of the greeting.

CPS - Card Sketch Weekly Challenge - CPS 218

I was inspired by CPS-Card Sketches Weekly Challenge - CPS 218.  This blog has one of the best sketch designs I have seen.  They are always coming up with something unique and fabulous.  I had a great time cutting out all of the panels and adding stitching to the borders.  The Tim Holtz Idea-ology Retro Grunge paper and sprockets really added a nice touch to the card.  Have I told you guys I am having a love affair with Tim.  Okay..not really with him...more like all of his products.  I would love to meet him one day to tell him face-to-face how much I love all of his stuff.


Card Challenges Entered:
Card Positioning Systems Weekly Sketch Challenge - CPS 218 
Creative Belli Blog - Challenge 117: Starts with an "S" Challenge (my "S" is sprocket)
Emerald Faerie Garden - First Challenge: Anything Goes
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything Goes
Lothian Crafts Online - Easel Card
One Stitch at a Time Challenge Blog - Challenge 62: Anything Goes
Penny's Paper-Crafty Challenge - Challenge 53 Anything Goes
Stamp, Scrap & Doodle Saturdays - Old Supplies Challenge (old supplies used: red buttons, sprockets, brad, and glitter)
Wags n' Whiskers Stamps - Challenge 54: Circles 
Sew Many Challenges - Anything Goes

Recipe
Cream Cardstock
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Retro Grunge Paper
My Mind's Eye Complete Boy Paper
Red, Black, Silver Cardstock for the Retro Car
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Sprockets
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo
Buttons
Machine Stitching
Embroidary Thread

Shaken, Not Stirred - Father's Day Card

Good evening everyone.  I had a great mother's day with my mommy.  We spent an hour waiting to have brunch at this great place in San Francisco - Brenda's French Soul Food.  Oh my GAWD!!!  It was worth the wait.  If you live in the city or are just here visiting...you should totally check it out and order yourself up some Crawfish Beignets.  I love my mom dearly.  We do a lot of things together.  I know this is going to sound corny..but she is my best friend. I look forward to spending many more mother's days (and everyday) with her.

So...its been awhile since I have posted.  April was a busy month with gearing up for our Annual Easter Party and work related adventures.  I'm hoping as always to be able to post some new creations at least once a week.  I know everyone (at least those who actually take the time to blog) says that --- but I'm gonna at least try.

Enough with the excuses and resolutions and on to a new card I created for Father's Day.  I can say that I always struggle a little creating Father's Day cards.  Probably because I do not have a lot of masculine looking do-dads (pun intended) to embellish the card.  I could go for the old stand by and make a tie card...but my pop doesn't wear ties.  I decided this year that I would focus on some unique looking "masculine" cards that any non-tie wearer would love.

Inspired by Card Patterns Weekly Sketch Blog's Sketch 114 Challenge, I went a little retro-Mad Men-chic with this card.  Here is the Sketch Challenge Picture...

Here is what I came up with...

I really loved the idea of the little border circles on the challenge.  I thought adding the olives would be cool accents. I used vellum paper and wrapped it around the center of the card.  I like the effect it gives to the paper underneath.  Here are a few more pics.

Materials Used:
Black Card Stock for the Base
Olive Cardstock from Bazzill Basics
Moonrise by SEI
Vellum Paper
Stamping Ink
Nifty Fifties Cricut Cartridge

Card Challenges Entered:
Card Patterns Weekly Sketch Blog - Sketch 114 Challenge
Sentimental Sundays - Anything Goes Challenge
Divas By Design - Anything Goes Challenge 
The Craft Pad - Spots & Dots Challenge 120
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Give Us A Quote/Sentiment Challenge

Leaf Shaped Card with My Little Owl Buddy

I've been really getting into the card blog challenges that folks are having.  The challenges are very inspirational and they get my creative juices going --- just like a good cup of coffee.  Creative Inspirations' challenge this past week was to create a no square card.  Wow.  Interesting.  I thought to myself that I could do that...and I had the perfect idea for the challenge.  A leaf card.

I found this great tutorial last year for leaf card that I have been meaning to try out.  Now I had the perfect opportunity.  It took me a two attempts and fussing around with the color scheme (several layers and shades of green cardstock) to have a finished product that I was happy with.  I sanded the edges of the card for a more worn look and added a machine stitched border to the front and inside of the card. 

Because I sell cards on etsy, I wanted the card to stand.  Martha Stewart has a good tutorial on creating a menu stand.  Pretty basic origami stand that you can decorate.  I choose to add a die-cut owl and some leaves from the Give a Hoot Cricut Cartridge. The little guy is pretty thick.  He has several layers and gold bead eyes.

My little guy on an origami menu stand.

Inside of Card

I've been working on a lot of Spring themed cards the past couple of months.  I'm not sure this particular card qualifies as a "Spring themed card," but I think it turned out rather cute.

Challenges Entered
Creative Inspirations - Challenge 104: No Square Cards Allowed
Lollipop Crafts - Challenge #32 - Shape Up 
CES Challenge Blog - Challenge #29 Die Cut Crazy
A Gem of a Challenge - Challenge 17 - No Square Cards
Crafts and Me - Anything Goes Challenge 27

Harvesting Roses

Wanted to get this card up before I head off to work.  Will write up a little something about the card later.

Challenges Entered
Creative Inspirations Challenge Blog - Challenge 55: Easel Card 
Southern Girls Challenge - Flowers
2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Furry Friends 
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge - Easter Time 
The Creative Cottage Challenge Blog - Spring Has Sprung 
Stampin with the Dragon Challenge Blog - Bring on Spring
Miami Doodles: Digital Stamps Challenge: Celebrate Spring
Stamps R Us Challenge Blog - Celebrate Spring

Can't Get Enough Butterflies

Happy Monday peeps of the blog world.  I do have to say it is a good Monday.  I had a great night's sleep.  I didn't wake up once.  My cats let me sleep-in a little without one of them smacking my face to wake me up to feed them.  Birds are actually chirping outside my window --- too bad I have to go to work today. 

I'm posting and listing a new card that I created yesterday.  I'm also going to enter it in a few challenges that I found in my reading list.  How lucky am I that folks are having challenges that fit my card.  We must be in sinc. 

Can't Get Enough Butterflies

The card is pretty basic but I think it turned out rather pretty.  I have a thing for orange and especially a rusty colored orange.  A diverse color perfect for Spring and Autumn...what the heck..perfect for anytime of the year.  I had purchased these Spring themed die-cuts by K&Company back in December thinking that they would be perfect for my cards.  They are so pretty and very vintage looking.  The main image I used for the center of the card is from Susan Winget Spring Blossom Seed Packet Die-Cut Cardstock.  It has touches of glitter on it.  So pretty. The leafs and butterflies borders used at the bottom of the card are also from K&Company.  I ripped open the package so fast to put in my storage I forgot to keep a tag with the name of the adhesive borders.  Sorry.

Can't Get Enough Butterflies 

 

Materials: two layers of cream cardstock for base sponged with cocoa stamping ink; cantaloupe cardstock by bazzill basics; green woodland by dcwv; k&company die cuts; recollections' boutique fleus floral embellishment; vintage lace; machine stitching

I also used this beige vintage lace that I purchased from EKSupplies (one of my fellow Etsy sellers).  She's got some great stuff.  You should check her out when you get a chance.  I had to hand stitch the lace on the card which took a little time.  I think it adds a nice vintage touch to the card. I have also added machine stitching to the inside and back of the card.

Card Challenges
Lollipop Crafts - Lollipop Challenge 31: Butterflies...Butterflies
The Sweetest Thing - Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 109