Rockin' Out - Graduation Card

I had a lot of fun creating this card for my friend Corey.  Her friend's daughter just graduated high school is off to UC Davis.

Big thank you to Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge for the wonderful sketch.

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge

Challenges Entered

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge - Challenge 107

Order of the Opus Gluei - Girl Things

Paper Sundaes - Challenge #73: Girly Girl

The Emerald Faerie Garden - Challenge #2: Lots of Bling (I hope the bead work counts) 

The Paper Shelter - Challenge 17: Celebrate

Rat Pack - Swing Card

I'm up a little late this evening.  Way too much coffee today.  I probably should hit my pillow soon but I wanted to share a card I made for my friend's husband.  She wanted something a little "Mad Men" and a little "Rat Pack."  Her husband loves scotch so I went with a hand-drawn scotch filled glass. I decided to go with a swing card.  This is the first time I made a swing card.  I think it turned out well...and goes with the entire theme of the card. 

Wish I new who made this paper.  I have so many scraps of paper and it is hard to keep track of where I got it from.

I punched out some black circles and strong them with embroidery thread. The little circles move as well.

Challenges Entered
Bows and Berries - Challenge 7: Masculine 
Craft Your Passion - Challenge 61: Anything Goes 
Crafting for all Seasons Challenge Blog - Challenge 2: Father's Day
Creative Craft Challenges - Movable Parts Challenge
Creative Inspirations - Dad/Man in Your Life (I hope this counts even though this is card is for my friend's husband)
Delightful Challenges - Father's Day
Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT Challenge Blog - Its All About Males
The Crazy Challenge - CCH#70: Father's Day 
There's Magic in the Air - Magical Monday: Masculine 
Top Tip Tuesday - Challenge 37: More Than 1 Fold

Cranes & Flowers

Good Morning Bloggers.  Hope all is well in your universes.  I have had a busy two weeks.  I finally finished the birthday invitations for my friend's daughter.  They took a lot longer than I thought.  But that is the nature of crafting and creating something special.  Work has been a little hectic and dealing with those things that come  up on a daily basis has taken time away from my craft time.  I'm hoping to get cracking on some cards this weekend and playing in the garden.

With that being said.  I was able to get one new card done on Monday night.  I wanted to do something simple but elegant.  I had gone to the Japanese Tea Garden with a friend last week during one of my breaks between meetings.  I love the garden.  It is so serene and gorgeous.  You can just get lost in all of the beauty.  The cranes in their pond and the garden's flowers inspired me to make this card along with Crazy 4 Challenges Inspiration Challenge.  As I am sure it is with many of you, a lot of my inspiration for creating cards comes from my everyday life.  

The Crane fan is Victorian Scrap from a great Etsy Shop It's Always Fabulous.  When you run your fingers across it the grooves actually feel like fan grooves.

Flowers were created using the Pagoda Cricut Cartridge.  I added antique gold brads to the center of the flowers and Tim Holtz distressing glitter for a little shimmer.

Crazy 4 Challenges Photo Inspiration Challenge

Challenges Entered

Bearly-Mine Challenges - Anything Goes

Card Makin Mamas - Challenge #21: Use Your Scraps

Craft-Room Challenge - Anything Goes

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C90: Photo Inspiration Challenge

Creative Card Crew - Wings

Deep Ocean Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Karens Doodles Challenge Blog - Brads And/Or Eyelets

Make It Monday- #40: Linky Party

My Time to Craft Challenge - Challenge 144: Wildlife Reserve 

Papertake Weekly - Anything Goes

Tuesday Throwdown - Animals 

A Little Bubble Bath

Can't tell you how much I love bubble baths.  I really need to schedule more of them.  I used to take one once a week.  I have no idea why I haven't had a bubble bath in ages.  I think after I do this posting, I might hop in the bath for some me time.  Hope I have some bubble bath laying around.

I wanted to go for simple, chic, and elegant when creating this card.  I think I achieved what I was looking for.  Hope you like it. 

Challenges Entered

2 Sisters Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Bloggers Challenge - Make it Shimmer

Clear It Out - Colors (Any Color Medium)

Crafting for all Seasons Challenge Blog - Anything Goes

Creative Card Crew - Anything Goes 

My Time to Craft Challenge - Use a Die Cut

Papertake Weekly Challenge - Pale, Pretty, Pastels
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Clean & Simple

Sew Many Challenges - Circles (hope my bubbles count)

Sweet Stampin Challenge Blog - Ooh La La 

The Emerald Faerie Garden - Anything Goes

The Paper Shelter - Anything Goes

Recipe
Cream Card Stock & Designer Paper (the designer paper is from some scrap I had laying around that I have had for a few years...have no idea who made it...I'm sure all of you can relate to that.)
Stamp from Burnt Cookie Rubber Stamps
Frame Die Cut from Happy Hauntings Cricut Cartridge
Prismacolor Pencils
Tea Bags for Staining
Tim Holtz Cotton Candy Stickles
Tim Holtz Spun Sugar Stickles
Tim Holtz Tattered Rose Stickles

Nadia's 1st Birthday Invitations

Hope you all had a great weekend.  My weekend was filled with gardening but I did get a chance to work on a few cards.  My good friend Beth's daughter (Nadia) is turning one in June.  She is so damn adorable.  I just love kissing on her cheeks.  Her brother (Adian) is also a little looker as well.  Beth and her husband Geoff sure make pretty babies.

Anyway...Beth asked me to come up with a design for some b-day invitations for Nadia (which is Aidan's name backwards).  This is what I came up with.

Nadia - The Birthday Girl

I wanted to go for some neutral vintage colors but had to add a little color (pink) to the card.  I added some Cotton Candy Tim Holtz stickles to the flag and also added pink ribbon and used pink thread for the machine stitching.  Only 24 more invitations to go.

Card Challenges Entered
Alphabet Challenge Blog - Clean and Simple
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Anything Goes
Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge - Anything Goes 
Crafty Sentiments Designs - Children Cards
Creative Card Crew - Cute & Girly
Diva's By Design - One for the Girls 
I Did it Creations Challenge Blog - Anything Goes
If The Shoe fits... Scrap It! - Clean & Simple
Inspire Me Fridays - Anything Goes
Make it Monday - Anything Goes
Night-Shift Stamping - Challenge 67: Monochrom
Really Reasonable Ribbon - Anything Goes
Ribbon Carousel - Clean & Simple
Tuesday Throwdown - Baby/Child 
Truly Scrumptious Challenge - Challenge 57: Anything Goes

Recipe
Cream Cardstock
Nursery Rhyme Cricut Cartridge
Studio G Stamps for the "Join Us.." Tag
Tim Holtz Cotton Candy Stickles
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo
Machine Stitching
Pink Ribbon

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