GAB Challenge

My friend Becky told of a challenge she is part of. I decided to check it out and took the GAB challenge. The technique was Faux Tile. I antiqued all the edges of my squares. Sunflower is from Anita's.

Happy Anniversary to Speedy the Cats Friends Challenges

They are celebrating their first year Anniversary of the Speedy the Cats Friends challenges. So that is our challenge this week. My card is made with 2 stamps from the set Happy Pansies. I colored it with Copics.

I had saved some of the cool negatives from the fancier Nesties. It made a great frame for my pansy. Then I layered it on top of a Fleur di Lis Square and a piece of one of my backgrounds.  I have a tip for you today. I was reading on another blog and saw that this lady organized her scraps. I thought that's exactly what I need to do. I'm always looking for a color of a scrap and end up giving up and getting a whole piece of card stock. So I sat down on the floor, dumped out my scrap basket and started to sort by color families. Put each pile into a baggie and then back into my basket. So neat now and I can find the color I need. I also did it with my backgrounds last night. Sorted by technique and glossy and non glossy. So much easier to deal with now.

Mojo revisited

It has been a long time since I have worked with a Mojo Monday Sketch.

I'm also participating at The Brakefast Club. Use Flowers Challenge.

 

The tulip and fern stamp are both from I Brake for Stamps. 

Collage

I am so glad to have a day off today. Even happier that my vacation is in 2 weeks. I need some down time really really bad. Today I worked on the challenge at Friends of Speedy the Cat " Use the collage technique". I used a stamp set from Marks Finest Papers called African Veldt and Memento inks.

Start Here Challenge

Stamping Vacation--4-17-11


 The Start Here Challenge this month is:

 START WITH A FANCY BUTTON

You have until May 17th to add your project.

I had a whole bag of fancy buttons that I received from someone awhile back. Searched through them, picked one out and got started.

 

These are both new dies from Spellbinders. I'm loving both of them!! My button made a great flower center. This background is actually a reject from my practicing making clouds months and months ago. I found it in my background stash and as soon as I saw it I knew it was just what I needed. 

Have a Fabulous Day.

Animal Applause Challenge

 I hope some of you have followed me over to this great challenge blog and are having as much fun as I am.


Stamping Vacation -- 4-15-11

The Animal Applause Challenge is:

USE ANY CREATURE ASSOCIATED WITH A COCOON.

You have until May 15th to complete your project.

 

I used 2 different Spellbinder dies for my sentiment. The butterflies are Masks that I have sponged over with yellow and pink. A little bling to form the bodies.

Home Sweet Home Challenge

Stamping Vacation --4-13-11

This challenge is based on home decorating styles. This challenge is:

ARTS & CRAFTS STYLE

You will find the full description on the Stamping Vacation blog and you have until May 13th to finish your project.

Part of the description says uses wood, burnished gold, spare ornamentation and purposeful. I've used the colors and made it a Clean and Simple card. No layers or embellishments and benches have a purpose. This was my first time with this challenge. Hope I did this right. LOL   Hope you play along. Go on over to Stamping Vacation and remember every card you post gives you a chance to win the months prize.

Monochromatic Creations Challenge

Stamping Vacation --4-11

This Monochromatic Creations Challenge is to use :

YELLOWS 

Use all and as many shades of yellow as you want but only yellows. You have until May 11th to complete your project. Remember this challenge and all challenges qualify for the monthly prize drawing.

I used my new Spellbinders Rose dies to make my flower. The little label is a Spellbinder dies also and I have sponged it with yellow ink. Now before you say HEY!! you used brown and green. The green is actually a yellow green and the brown is actually a gold. They show darker in my photo. My background is just sponged with yellows and golds in no certain pattern.

My First DT project for Stamping Vacation

But before I show it to you I want to tell you a little about Stamping Vacation. My friend Danielle told me about this challenge blog about a year ago. When I first saw it I thought oh my goodness so many challenges. They have one a day all month long. How could you possibly do them all. I stayed away but she kept showing her cards and so I went back, started reading, got hooked on the Build a Sketch challenge and a few others and fell in love. I found out you have a whole month from the time it is announced to complete the challenge. If you look on the left hand side of the screen on their site you will see all them listed and when they are do. I have to tell you they have some fun challenges and I hope those of you who follow me will play along. There is a monthly drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate. Everytime you post a card you are entered into the drawing. So come on over to the Stamping Vacation and start enjoying yourself. Now on to my first Assignment.

Embellish It Challenge ---April 10th

Simple challenge.... all you do is use the listed embellishment on your creation.

The Embellish It Challenge is....

USE MAGIC MESH

you have until May 10th to complete this challenge.


Here is my card.

 I made the background with a border stamp. First with one color in one direction and then in the other direction with a second color forming a plaid. My image from Stampendous is colored with Prisma Pencils and Gamsol. Cut it out with the Spellbinders Dahlia dies. Now I will let you in on a secret. If you are like me and live where there is no stamping/scrapping shopping and have to do most shopping online you probably have a Home Depot or Lowes near by. So if you can't find Magic Mesh keep on reading. This is called Dry Wall Tape. Comes in this huge roll and is quite inexpensive. Will last forever!!

 Dry Wall Tape has a sticky side and a non sticky side. I have colored it 3 different ways here in my samples. The first one I pressed the sticky side into my black embossing powder and heated. It has a speckled look. The second sample is the one I used. I pressed it into my Versa Mark pad and then coated with embossing powder and heated. The last sample I pleated and the sticky side helps with this. Then I swiped my ink pad acrossed it.

I hope to see some of you joining me at Stamping Vacation. If you have never done a challenge give it a try. They give you a starting point and if you can't come up with an idea all of the challenges at Stamping Vacation should have something for you to get those creative juices flowing.

Emboss Resist

That's the challenge at Speedy the Cats Friends this week. I'm using a new stamp set from Marks Finest Papers called African Veldt. I started out by stamping the elephants and trees with Versa Mark on the bottom of a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 piece of regular white card stock and then added Black Embossing Powder. I tried using Black Pigment ink and Clear embossing powder but it wasn't black enough. Heated it up. Let it cool down. Next I took a piece of a sponge and added Mustard Distres ink to the center of my piece of white card stock. Then placed a circle in position for the moon and sponged Distressed inks Wild honey, Marmalade, Rusty Hinge and Vintage Photo. Each one was sponged just a little less farther down. For the ground I used Pealed Paint and Moss with just a hint of Black at the very bottom. Took off my circle mask and using the same sponge I had used for the sky I lightly sponged in the center.

The card base is a 5 x 10 piece of Orangerie Sunset from Marks Finest Papers. I layered it with a scrap of SU Pumpkin Pie and a scrap of an olive card stock. Each ones edges are sponged with a similar color to darken the edges.

Spotlight

This  week at Speedy the Cats Friends we are to Spotlight an animal. I used this cute little squirrel from Marks Finest Papers. Sentiment is from the same set. I wasn't making a fall card but he needed some color and what better embellishment for a squirrel then leaves.

I just got the most awesome news

I will be the May guest designer for Marks Finest Papers. If you don't know that name you know Markies Mom. This is her stamp company.. I love her stamps and right now am floating I am so excited. I'm off to work as much as I hate to go but will have a smile on my face all day. I can hardly wait to see what stamps I will be working with. How exciting!!