Happy Easter, Everybunny!

Hi there! "Hoppy" Saturday to you! Can you believe tomorrow is Easter? Wow! 

This week at Our Creative Corner, the marvelous Marcy is our hostess and she has a fun challenge to share:

"My challenge for you this week, is to design a card/project that is inspired by a frilly Easter bonnet.  Use elements that you would put onto your own bonnet, such as lace, flowers, pearls, etc."

I just love the sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary and as soon as I saw it, I knew which stamp set was getting some ink this week.

If I were to have an Easter bonnet, it would probably be full of bright and happy colors. That is just my personality. Initially, I thought about soft pastels for this card but when I was scanning my card stock for some color inspiration...I stopped on Melon Mambo. I know, it is shocking for me to be inspired by the color pink, right? Haha! I'm also going to link this one up for the Lily Pad Card Challenge, where they are featuring a pink, green and yellow color palette right now. Thank you to Maria, for letting me know about their super-fun site! 

I wanted to include a few (ok, there are WAY more then a few) accents on this one including: a bow, pearls, texture, flowers and some scrunchy ribbon. That is what comes to mind with a fabulous bonnet. How cute is this sweet little rabbit from the Everybunny stamp set? After coloring her in with markers, inks and a Blender Pen, I added some pearl "eggs" to her basket and a little pearl to the bow on her dress. Every girl HAS to accessorize, right? :)  

I threaded some Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine through the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. You can't really tell that it is not the same color as the Pear Pizzazz card stock, which I think makes it even more versatile. All of the supplies used are listed at the end of this post. 

Finally, here is a shot of the inside of the card with another image from the Everybunny set and the sentiment from the (ret.) Easter Blossoms stamp set. I always like to dress up the inside of my cards. It just "keeps the party going" from the front of the card! 

I sure hope you will join us this week over at Our Creative Corner. The challenge closes on Friday, April 13th at 11:59 EST. Be sure to check out the Create with Connie and Mary and Lily Pad Card challenges, too. The rest of the OCC Design Team have created some beautiful projects for inspiration, too. Stop by their blogs and say hello: 

Linda Coughlin- The Funkie Junkie

Vicki Burdick- It's a Stamp Thing

Sue Butler- Scrumplescrunch
Anita Houston- The Artful Maven Haven

Anne Marie Hile- Stampin' Anne

Wendy Janson-  It's All About Stamping
Marcy Kaminski - En Papillote Arts
Holly Kean- Kean On Paper 
Irena Kowalczyk (aka Rudlis) - Love, Life and Crafts
Meihsia Liu- Simply Paper Crafts
Tui Nathan- Stampin Time
Lori Rider- The Diva Stamper
Kristin Tierney- Lilly Beth Boutique
Sharon Wheet- Designs by Sharon

Our Guest Designer this week: 

Lisa Minckler- You Made Me Ink

Thanks for visiting today! 
Have a great day and a very Happy Easter! :) 




Stampin' Up! Supply List:
Stamps: Everybunny and Easter Blossoms (ret.)
Paper: Spring Fever Simply Scrappin' Kit, Pear Pizzazz, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Basic Black, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray, Pretty in Pink, Tangerine Tango (inside) and Melon Mambo Classic ink
Punches: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, 1- 3/4" Circle punch (for stamped bunny image), Owl Builder punch (for flower centers) and Large Oval punch
Accessories: Perfect Pennants Bigz L die, Square Lattice Embossing folder, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding (NEW!), Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine (Occasions Mini catalog), Daffodil Delight bitty button flowers (ret. from last year's Sale-A-Bration), Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals and Blender Pens

2011 Year in Review - Part One

Hello and Happy New Year to you! I hope this first day of 2012 has been great for you! 

I have noticed that a lot of my blogging buddies have been posting their favorite cards from 2011, so I decided to jump on board and head down memory lane with my favorite creations from the past year. I am sharing January through June 2011 today and will be back with the rest of the year tomorrow. Click the month and title of each card to view the original post. 

January - Thanks for Caring Joy-Fold Card

I really enjoy making Joy-Fold cards and seem to create them a lot. It is one of the few "fancy-folds" that I can create with confidence. Lol! I loved making this card for a blog hop with the lovely ladies at the Paper Players. 

 February - Sew Suite and Shabby Chic?

This card was my first real attempt at "shabby-chic". This one took a while...layered flowers, fussy cutting and deciding on the layout. It has officially been entered into the "took over 3- 1/2 hours to create" club. Ugh! 

 March - Springtime Shadow Box

I have to be honest...making a Shadow Box card scared me and this was the first time I attempted a "sponged sky". I still love this stamp set, even if it is retired. I used it a LOT! 

April - Sail Away

This card came about totally by accident. The color combo was laying in a pile of scraps to be filed away and I thought it would be cool for a nautical-themed card.  

 May - Kimono Kids Friendship Card

One of my favorite stamp sets for one of my favorite friends. I used a Mojo Monday sketch for inspiration and just seeing this card again makes me smile. Sometimes the occasion for the card seals the deal for the "favorites" list. *grin* :) 

 June - Butterfly Thanks

Embossed and blinged-out butterflies with a bright and happy color combo...I can't even tell you how many of this particular card I made. This DSP is still well-loved (I'm into my 4th pack of it!) 

I will be back tomorrow with the my favorites from July through December. Thank you so much for stopping by today! Wishing you all the best in 2012! This past year was filled with SO many wonderful memories, I can't WAIT to see what this new year brings.

Big Hugs,

Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #63: Easter

Hello there and Happy Tuesday to you! It's time for another great challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments! This week we are focusing on an EASTER theme. With the holiday less then two weeks away, it's about time to get those cards ready to mail and we want to see what you create. Please HOP on over and join us! :)

For my card, I used the Easter Blossoms set. (This set has seen a LOT of ink since I purchased it. Wow!) Ever since I saw the challenge, I had the idea stuck in my head that I wanted to make a wreath out of Easter eggs. If you have visited me before, you may know that cutting little images out is NOT my favorite thing, so I'm not sure why I went with this idea. Haha! 


Each egg was inked up in a soft, pastel color then re-inked in Versa-mark. Then, I added some Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and heat-embossed them to add a little sparkle. Tiny pearls were the finishing touch for each egg. (Click on the photos for more detail.)

I saw a cool idea for "double-embossing" over on Ann Clemmer's blog (click her name for the link) recently and wanted to give it a try with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder. I embossed the frame the same way as the eggs. Then, I just rubbed my Versamark ink pad over the polka dots behind the wreath to give them some shading. By the way, that is Crumb Cake and was INTENDED to be (the lighter color) Sahara Sand. Ugh, it is NOT the first time I have done that either. Oh well! 

Finally, here is the finished inside of the card. I originally stamped, embossed and cut FOUR of each color egg and wasn't going to let them go to waste. Not after all that cutting...NO way! 

Well, there you have my Easter creation for the theme challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments. I hope you like it and I REALLY hope that you can play along with us this week! You have until noon on Monday, April 18th to link up with us. 


Thank for stopping by today to visit! Before you head out, please leave a comment to say hello. I hope your week is off to a great start. Have a HAPPY day! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Easter Blossoms and Something to Celebrate (Hostess, Level 2, Occasions Mini) 
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Perfect Plum, Whisper White and Crumb Cake (GAH! should have been Sahara Sand) card stock
Ink: Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Perfect Plum Classic ink and Versamark Ink
Accessories: Paper Snips, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Basic Pearls and LOTS of Stampin' Dimensionals

Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #61: Shadow Box Cards

Hi there and Happy Tuesday to you! It's time for a fun, new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments. This week we are focusing on Shadow Box Cards. This style is not a new technique. However, it IS a very cool way to share a 3-D effect on a card, that can easily be displayed by the recipient. It can also be MAILED, which is a fabulous bonus! 

CLICK HERE for a link with directions on how to create a Shadow Box Card, or HERE for another great Shadow Box style. We sure hope you will play along with us this week! :)

I have included a list of all the supplies used to create my card at the end of the post. 

I used many items from the Occasions Mini Catalog, which is ONLY available until April 30th! You can order anytime 24/7 by clicking HERE.

Here is a shot of the card "standing up":

• I used heat embossing on the main image and sentiment, simply because I really like the effect. That, and I seem to ALSO like to make a big ol' mess when I create lately. Note to self: turn the ceiling fan OFF before playing with embossing powder. ;)
• The little pearl eggs in the basket were colored with a Baja Breeze marker to tie in the color. 
• This was the first time I have ever created a sponged "sky" with the help of the Scallop Circle punch as a guide. I really like how it came out. Thanks to the person who came up with that clever idea! HERE is one of many links to create these clouds. I used a single Scallop Circle punch to create mine, and started at the top of the image.

• I added a piece of Baja Breeze Seam Binding, that I...get ready for this one...SEWED, for some added dimension. I wanted it to play off the "grass" on the image. I have mentioned before that I am rather dangerous with a needle and thread. Thankfully, I did NOT sustain injury today. Phew! 
• The Vanilla Rosettes were colored with a Baja Breeze marker. They just stood out a little TOO much in Vanilla.
• Finally I framed the image with some Silver Glass Glitter because everything is better with some sparkle! :)

That's my take on a Shadow Box card for this week's challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments. I hope you like it and I would love to hear what you think. Please check out the challenge to see what the rest of the fabulous Design Team has whipped up. More importantly, I hope that you will play along this week and share YOUR creation with us! Thanks for stopping by to visit. I hope you have a very HAPPY day today! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Easter Blossoms
Ink: Basic Black Craft ink and Baja Breeze classic ink (for the "sky")
Paper: Springtime Vintage DSP (Occasions Mini), Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla and Basic Black card stock
Accessories: 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, Scallop Oval XL punch, Scallop Circle punch (to make clouds), Black Embossing powder, Basic Pearls,  Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponge Dauber...the rest are all from the Occasions Mini Catalog...Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Vanilla Rosettes and Silver Glass Glitter
Non-SU! Accessories: circle die cut (you can use a Circle Scissor Plus to create the same effect, btw), needle and thread

Embossed Easter Blossoms

Hello there and Happy Saturday! I hope you are enjoying your day today! It's a GREAT day in this house because Syracuse beat Georgetown in the game, earlier today. SO exciting to see our favorite team doing so well! (The win also ensures that both my husband and I stay in a good mood for the remainder of the day. Haha!) After the game, I had a little, free-time this afternoon. I thought I would take advantage of it and spend some time in my craft room. 

I saw the Saturday Sketch Challenge that was just posted at Stamping 411 and thought I would give it a go. I really wanted to ink up my new Easter Blossoms set today with this one. The little circle element on the sketch really kept throwing me off, though. So, I decided to work that element into the stamped image by adding some Basic Pearl "Easter eggs" to the little basket. I colored the eggs first with a marker to make them more festive. Hopefully that will work for the challenge. :) 

I also paired up the sketch with this week's color combo from The Color Dare. There is something about this combo that makes me happy. It is perfect for SO many occasions and is one of my all-time favorites! 

Color Dare #98

Perfect Plum

Always Artichoke

Neutral of Choice

My little gal was stamped on Crumb Cake card stock, then heat embossed. for some more dimension. Then I sponged around the image with Crumb Cake ink first, then around the edges with Basic Black ink. I also realized that I really don't have a lot of patterned papers in either Always Artichoke or Perfect Plum. Ack! Hmmm...no worries! The Elegant Lines Embossing Folder came to my rescue! :) 

I finished off the inside with some of the scraps that were laying on my desk, that just didn't work out for the front of the card. I just love decorating the inside of my cards. Sure, it adds a little bit of mailing weight to them, but I think it is totally worth it. 

That's all for today! Thanks for poppin' on in to visit! If you will, please say hello and leave a comment before you go. I really enjoy hearing from you. I will be back tomorrow with a clean and simple creation, so please stop by again. Have a great rest of your day...I'm off for a "date night" with my sweet hubby! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps- Easter Blossoms 
Ink: Basic Black and Crumb Cake Classic ink, Basic BLack Craft ink (for embossing)
Papers: Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum, Crumb Cake and Basic Black card stock
Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Kraft 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (ret.), Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch, Scalloped Oval XL punch, Decorative Label punch, 2" x 1 3/8" XL Oval punch (inside) Basic Pearls colored with markers and Stampin' Dimensonals
Non-SU! Accessories: border punch (inside)