Woof!

I created this card for the Wee Memories Challenge #10 entitled In Stitches. The challenge was to incorporate any kind of stitching into my project. I dug through all of my old cross-stitch supplies to see what I could come up with. (By the way, I haven't cross-stitched one bit since I started all of my scrapping and stamping - Oops!) I "borrowed" my daughter's Denami Designs Cuddly Pals Puppy as my main image/inspiration. Too, too cute! I didn't have any of those clever Bazzill stitch templates, so I created my own. I borrowed images from my computer, printed them on cardstock, cut out the images, then traced/pierced around the "stencils" in (hopefully!) regular intervals to create my own templates to stitch. My favorite part of this card is the pup's rhinestone tag on his collar. Woof!

Denami Designs Product Challenge #02

Happy Monday! For their latest challenge, Denami Designs was generous enough to give each of the participants a free downloadable favor template. Thank you! After much deliberation, I decided on the small gift bag. Adorable! I went with a pansy theme for my favor. I used Denami's pansy stamps and filled the favor bag with pansy seeds. As an added bonus, my recipient will be treated to a removable book mark. Those giant paper clips bring me back to my teaching days. They were all over my grade book, teaching manuals and stacks of graded and ungraded papers. Enjoy!
Stamps: Denami Designs Single Pansy and Pansy Sprig
Paper: SU Lovely Lilac, Lavendar Lace, and Whisper White
Ink: SU Basic Black and Stampin' Write markers
Other: Michael's ribbon, SU Crystal Effects, Pop Dots and punches

EBTKS Challenge #16

I made this card for the Everything But the Kitchen Sink Challenge. At EBTKS they create fun and unusual challenges using common household items. This challenge called for the use of nail polish. How clever is that? Sorry, Mom, and sorry, Denami Designs, I cheated on both of you...for this challenge I used my Close to My Heart stamps. The cherry blossoms just screamed for pale pink and dark pink nail polish. I stamped the large cherry blossom in Chocolate Chip ink, then "painted" it with a pale pink, shimmery nail polish. After it dried, I "painted" the center with a darker shade of polish. I then cut it out and popped it up on my branch. I dotted the center of each of the small blossoms with some polish as well. Enjoy...and dream!
Stamps: CTMH Aspiration
Paper: SU Pretty in Pink
Ink: SU Pretty in Pink, Pink Passion, and Chocolate Chip
Other: Michael's ribbon, Pop Dots, and my daughter's nail polish (Thanks, Sydney!)

Monkeying Around!

I was so excited to get the adorable Denami Designs monkeys for my birthday last month. I just couldn't wait to make this year's Father Day cards with these guys. Are they too cute for words or what?
Stamps: Denami Designs Swinging Monkeys and Denami Designs Peeled Banana
Paper: SU Chocolate Chip and Green Galore
Ink: SU Basic Black and Stampin' Write Markers

Denami Design Sketch Challenge #02

We are enjoying a beautiful day here in Chicago! We spent the morning test driving Sydney's new bike and digging up worms for our pet turtle and frog. Our new house has a sunroom that overlooks a gorgeous garden. Thanks to the previous owners for being so gifted and creative in their gardening. The garden attracts a variety of butterflies and birds (even humming birds!) and that was the inspiration for my card. Enjoy!
Stamps: Denami Designs Butterfly Daisy Circle, Denami Designs Scallop Tulip, Stampin' Up Short and Sweet
Paper: SU Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, and Pink Passion
Ink: SU Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, and Pink Passion and Stampin' Write markers
Other: Denami Designs Sparklets, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls, Pop Dots, Quickie Glue Pen

Denami Color Challenge #2

I was excited when Denami Designs latest color challenge included my favorite tropical colors. Way to choose colors, Beka! We actually have pet turtles at home, so Denami's turtle stamps were a must have for me, and I was so thrilled to get them for Mother's Day...just in time for the tropical challenge! For my stamps, I used Denami Designs Mini Turtle and Side-View Mini Turtle. I also used their Medium Dot Circle Frame. For both card stock and ink, I used Stampin' Up's Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion and Basic Black. Enjoy!

Mother's Day

A happy (belated) Mother's Day to all of you wonderful moms out there! These were my cards this year. I used Stampin' Up's Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black, along with stamps from the SU Garden Silhouettes and Of the Earth sets. If you look closely, you can see that I clear heat embossed a garden on the black. To color my main image, I used a technique I found on Splitcoaststampers.com called "Black Magic." I stamped my butterfly using a Whisper White Craft Pad. After letting it dry (thoroughly!) I colored over the white with metallic colored pencils. I added some silver dots with my Zig Painty to accent my image. I hope you enjoy the final product!