Paws 2 Celebrate

Happy Tuesday!

Today is a {PIN}spirational day---

{PIN}spirational Challenges #121

Here's our inspirational photo for this week:

How adorable is that?

Our Sponsors this week:

A Day For Daisies:

Prize:  $12 Certificate

Ike's Art

Prize:  5 Digis

 Imagine That

Prize: 3 Sets

Thank you all for sponsoring us!

And here's my card

using a dog digital image

from Ike's Art:

SPIES:

STAMP: Dog digital image (Ike's Art); Sentiment (Paper Sweeties); Bone & Pawprint (Inkadinkadoo).

PAPER: Brown, white, gold, burnt orange and turquoise blue cardstock.  DP - Pet Stacks (Die Cuts With A View).

INK: Rich cocoa (Memento).

EXTRAS: Pawprint emboss folder (Darice); Balloon and party hat dies (Taylored Expressions); Chat Bubble (Quickutz); paper distresser (Tim Holtz); enamel dots (Recollections).

I decided to fun it up a bit and make a masculine birthday card.  The "bum" just seemed to be the better fit for the party hat than his head.  The hat is cut from the same design paper as the background with an enamel dot for the top.

I was out shopping the other day and stumbled upon the pawprint emboss folder and it happened to be on sale and perfect for my DT card for this week for {PIN}spiration.

FOR FOLLOWING CHALLENGES:

Mod Squad Challenge - Masculine Birthday

A Happy Memory...

Happy Monday!

Are you ready for great week?  

Well how about starting it off "in the pink"

by playing along with 

The Pink Elephant Challenge!

The Pink Elephant Challenge #264

It's a sketch!

Stop by The Pink Elephant Challenge blog and check out Ella's other design team members' projects--- so fabulous!

Here is my card.  I chose to use Ella herself!

SPIES:

STAMPS: Ella digital stamp (ByLORIDesigns). Label stamp (Paper Sweeties); Sentiment (

PAPER: White, black, turquoise, pink and lime cardstock.

INK: Copics on digital stamp; Tuxedo Black (Memento).

EXTRAS: Rectangle Stitched Mat (Lil Inker Designs); label die (Paper Sweeties); lime green ribbon; teal flowers; pink rose; Diamond stickles.

I chose The Pink Elephant herself, Ella for my card this week.  My inspiration came from the vellum design paper I used with the pink cardstock behind it.  So, I hand drew the circles on Ella's ears and colored them with a black Copics.  I seriously need to enhance my Copics collection.  I'm a little color challenged so her pink color isn't quite what I hoped. I printed her twice and colored the second bows on her turquoise, fussy cut them and glued them on the colored digi.  Then, stickled them for a little bling. Maybe I should have blinged the dots on her ears! Hmmmm....hindsight!  lol 

For Following Challenges:

4 Crafty Chicks #207 - 

Pink, Turquoise, Lime

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Hello Birthday Girl!

 Happy Sunday!

Fix a cup of tea or coffee

 and

have a cupcake...,

inspirational and/or real

at

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #274!

This week our sponsor is:

Jellypark!

They are offering a great prize of:

2 Digis 

(excluding charity stamps and stamp sets)

Thank you for sponsoring us!

This week is a color theme:

Pool ~ Rose ~ Berry 

Here's our inspiration photo:

Inspiration photo compliments of:  Sugar Bride

And here is my card:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Party Girl (Jellypark). Heart background (Lawn Fawn); Birthday Girl sentiment (Papertrey Ink).

PAPER: White cardstock base; Cotton candy, raspberry and light blue cardstock.

INK: Rose Bud (Memento); Copics on digital image.

EXTRAS: Window and window box die (Taylored Expressions); Hello die (Impressions Obsessions); small hearts and flowers dies (Paper Sweeties); Stripes embossing folder (Cuttlebug).

I dropped the ball again a little --- late with my posting for this week's Cupcake Inspirations challenge.  Darned GI infection crept back on me this past week --- makes it 7 weeks now.  UGH!  This recurrence was not as bad but bad enough to wipe me out for several days again.  Thankfully, doc to the rescue and more antibiotics.  PRAYING this time it kills it forever!  Lucky me had to be in the 25% that gets a recurrence in just 4-6 weeks! <sarcasm>  It was exactly four weeks from when I initially got sick. <Blech>.  Good news is that in the last day or so I'm feeling much better ---- again!  I just hope it continues and stays that way.

The hubs and I soooo need a real vacation with our toes in the sand for an entire week!  Crossing my fingers we get it around my birthday in late October.

Stop by the Cupcake Challenge blog and check out the rest of the Design Team's projects for more inspiration.  Then link up your own scrumptious project using this week's colors and share it with us!  

We love having you play along!

For Following Challenges:

Clean & Simple Stamping - Fall to Layout #303

 Little Red Wagon #250 - Happy Birthday

Little Tangles Challenge #42 - Happy Birthday

Sweet Cupcake Blessings!

Birthday Stenciling

Happy Monday!

Monday --- 

A Funday due to another Pink Elephant Challenge! 

The Pink Elephant Challenge #263 - Techniques 

- Use a Stencil

Stencils are a popular trend right now in papercrafting.  However, stencils have been around for a long, long time.  I used to use them in painting and other crafts.  If you don't have any stencils, however, you can still play along!  

You can also search Google or YouTube for tutorials on making your own stencils and/or using other items as stencils.  

On my card (below), I chose to use a die cut for my stencil.  

Read below for how I did this.  

Be creative and have fun with it!  That's what it's all about !  

And don't forget to link up your project and share it with us.  

We love it when you play along!

Also, check out my fellow Design Teammates' projects too as they used different techniques.

SPIES:

STAMPS: Small cake (Hero Arts); Sentiment- Wishes (Fiskars).

PAPER: White cardstock (Papertrey Ink).  Yellow textured cardstock (Core'dinations). Vellum (Recollections).

INK: Versamark and yellow/gold emboss powder.  Lemon ink for stencil (SEI).

EXTRAS: Border die (Impression Obsessions); Large banner die (Lil Inker Designs); white grossgrain ribbon.

I got some new supplies last week and had to try some of them out.  One of them was this fabulous border die from Impression Obsession.  So pretty!  I have a couple of stamping stencils but I decided to use this new die cut and make a matching stencil background at the top of my card.

All I did was cut out a "stencil" using thick white cardstock and the die cut.  Then, I lightly taped the stencil on my card background, used a paint/ink sponge dabber and sponged Lemon ink.  Then, I carefully lifted the stencil off the paper.  I did two rows of it so I had to be careful the second time and not pull off the ink from the first row.  I love how it turned out!  A great way improvise for a stencil and another great use of a die cut!  I also used a bit of the die as a die for the very top of my card.

FOR FOLLOWING CHALLENGES:

Seize The Birthday Anything Goes Challenge - 

Toppings:  Monochromatic Yellow

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Nothing But The Best...

Happy Sunday!

Time for a 

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge - #273

Our sponsor this week is:

 Doodle Pantry

Thanks for sponsoring us!

PRIZE:  $10 Gift Certificate

Here is our inspiration photo for the week:

Inspirational photo compliments of:  

Picnic Bug Cupcakes by Manchester Tarts 

This week is a theme:  

BUGS!

Make a paper craft project including some kind of bug!

Stop by the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge Blog and check out all my fellow Design Sweeties projects for more inspiration and check out mine below:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Strawberry Ants Digital Images & Sentiment(Doodle Pantry).

PAPER: Red, yellowgold and white cardstock; DP - Summer Fresh (Simple Stories).

INK: Copics on digital image.

EXTRAS: Stitched oval mats (Lil Inker Designs); Stitched rectangle mat (Lil Inker Designs); Label and banner die (Lil Inker Designs); Small bow die (Impression Obsessions); Flower dies (Paper Sweeties); white pearl gem.

My card kind of fell together pretty quickly and well.  I had the card base in my stash, already with the stitched mat.  I decided to cut a round stitched mat in the center of the front of the base and of the designer paper to bump up around my image cut on the round stitched die.  The little flower dies from Paper Sweeties were perfect for duplicating the white flowers on the strawberry plants.

I gave this card to my Hubs as a small token of my appreciation, gratitude and love for him for stepping up and taking such good care of me and all of our responsibilities all alone for the past month while I was so horribly sick.  He's definitely a keeper (despite being a Lion's fan, but hey, we all have our faults)!  LOL  

For Following Challenges:

Open Minded Crafting Challenge #16-Summer Food

Savvy Handmade Cards

 Sweet Cupcake Blessings to All!

Hang Loose

It's Tuesday!

Time for another

 {PIN}spirational Challenge #119!

Look at this week's summery inspirational photo:

We have three wonderful sponsors this week:

Stitchy Bear Digital Stamps:

Prize:  TBD

Bugaboo Digi Stamps:

PRIZE:  7 Digis

Little Blue Button Stamps:

PRIZE:  $10 Gift Certificate 

and 

10% off Order

So, stop by the {PIN}spirational Challenge Blog 

and check out 

the rest of the Design Team's cool projects.

Then, using this week's photo, create your own project and link it up with us!

We love having you play along!

Here is my project:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Surf boards -Ride The Wave(Taylored Expressions); Hibiscus flowers (TPC).

PAPER: White cardstock; Vellum; DP - Summer Lovin' (Carta Bella).

INK: Tomato and Turquoise (SEI); Versamark; 

EXTRAS: Surf board die -Ride The Wave (Taylored Expressions); wavy scissors (Fiskars); white emboss powder; lime green enamel dots.

FOR FOLLOWING CHALLENGES:

The Cutting Edge Challenge #6

{PIN}spirational Blessings!

Summer Days

Happy Monday!

It's Pink Elephant Day ----

Time for 

The Pink Elephant Challenge #262!

This week is an Inspirational Challenge 

and 

just look at the fabulous photo 

we have to inspire you:

Stop by the Pink Elephant Challenge Blog 

and 

check out my fellow design team's projects --- 

super fun!  

Then link up your own project inspired by the photo.  

We love to have you play along!

Here is what I created:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Flip Flop from Stash.

PAPER: White, teal and raspberry cardstock. DP - Summer Bliss by Laura Whitlock (Echo Park).

INK: Turquoise (SEI); Rose Bud and Sunflower yellow (Memento).

EXTRAS: Paper crimper; hibiscus flower stickers.

FOR FOLLOWING CHALLENGES:

Stampin' Royalty #239

Pink Elephant Blessings!

Dressy Gratitude

Happy Sunday 

& 

Happy August!

Time for another "Sa-weet" Challenge

at Cupcake Inspirations!

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge #272

Our sponsor this week is

A Day For Daisies!

PRIZE:

They are offering 

our randomly selected winner a 

$12 Gift Certificate

to the 

ADFD online shop!

Thanks for sponsoring us!

And here is our inspirational photo:

Photo Inspiration compliments of Little Sooti 

This week is a COLOR Challenge --

Mint ~ White ~ Gold

Stop by Cupcake Inspirations Blog and check out what my fellow Sweeties have done for some added inspiration!

Here is my card using 

"Mom's Hat" digi 

from A Day For Daisies:

SPIES:

STAMPS: Mom's Hat Digi (DayForDaisies).

PAPER: Sage green and white cardstock.  DP - 

INK: Copics and Blick markers.

EXTRAS: Tiny triangle die (Spellbinders); Thanks die (Taylored Expressions); Photo die (Taylored Expressions); Cookie dough seam binding ribbon (Paper Sweeties); mint and dark yellow enamel hearts; Diamond Stickles.

Boy, July just flew by, at least for me it did!  I've been a little MIA from the blog and crafting world the last few weeks.  I've been horribly ill with an antibiotic induced infection.  I know you are probably thinking --- antibiotics are suppose to cure what's ailing you.  Well, yeah unless it's too strong of one and that's what happened.  So, instead of getting better, I got worse. One ER visit and another antibiotic later, I thought I was feeling better, but I was wrong.  I could at least get out of bed, but I was far from better.  And the timing for it was particularly awful!  My son and daugther-inlaw from Oklahoma came for a week's visit and then we all traveled to WV last weekend to surprise my mom with a belated 80th birthday party.

Just the last couple days have I really begun to feel normal.  And looking back now, I do not know how I did all that I did the past three weeks with as bad as I felt. But, I did enjoy my families and the time we spent.  By the time we rolled into Chapel Hill on Monday evening to drop off the youngest son, I felt like I had hit a brick wall again.  I guess as they say, "where there is a will, there is a way" and once the party was over and everyone was back home, my body shut down for a couple days again.

And I have to put a shout out to my dear ole Hubs, Dave.  He has been a real trooper the whole time, doing everything at home, including taking care of me.  And some of that time was his vacation from work!  I owe him big time!  So I kind of made this card with him in mind.

Today, is the first time I've felt like being in my craft room and it felt good.  I'm rusty, but happy!  I missed it! 

Now, don't forget to link up your own project using this week's inspirational colors for a chance to win a $12 gift certificate to A Day For Daisies Digital Shop!  

We love having you share your projects and play along!

For Following Challenges:

Sweet Cupcake Blessings!