Wild Woodland

This simple side-opening matchbook card was one I made to share with my Designing Divas card group last month. We joined one of the Divas other card groups @ a local scrapbook store for a day @ the store of crafting, food, prizes & fun because our friend, Judy, had won 1st place in a contest there for 12. There ended up being 10 of us, so our project had to be fairly simple to re-create. This double-sided Tinkering Ink paper I'd purchased in Seattle over a year ago gave everyone the option to choose which side they liked best for their card!

Paper: Tinkering Ink's Wild Woodland CS; Bazzill yellow CS & Red CS from stash

Ink: PTI's Ripe Avacado

Embellishments: ribbon, flower & button from stash

Pink & Brown Plaid Tulip Card

At the request of the Designing Diva who gave me this stamp set, I shared this half-fold Coluzzle card made with my Creative Memories system with our card group yesterday. I used Bazzill's gorgeous pink dotted swiss scalloped half-sheet paper and Martha Stewart stamps. I'd love to send you to the website where I originally found the tutorial, but it's currently unavailable. Every time I've tried to open it recently, it immediately shuts down. I'm hoping it's a computer glitch & will be operational again soon. If/when that happens, I'll gladly update this post!
Paper: Bazzill Pink Dotted Swiss Scalloped Half Sheet; PTI's basic white CS

Stamps: MS Acrylic Stamps from Wal-Mart; Stampendous (verse)

Ink: PTI's Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Fizz Palette Inks

Embellisments: American Crafts Ribbon

Tools: Creative Memories & Spellbinders Nestabilities

Designing Devas @ CKC Convention - Mesa

My sassy friend, Ilene, and sweet friend, Gwen, @ our CKC Convention in Mesa on Friday morning. Suffice it to say that we had a fabulous time, got loads of exercise walking & "weight lifting" (our totes full of product & class supplies), had 2 fantastic classes (not bad - 2 out of 3), were totally exhausted by Sat. @ 5:00 p.m. and spent waaaay too much money (but please don't tell our hubbies)!!! ;-) Though we were heartbroken that Spellbinders did not host a booth, we still managed to have a great time, find lots of bargains, and enjoy ourselves tremendously!
The Technique Tuesday card class, A Greeting for Every Reason, was AWESOME, both in terms of product, techniques, prizes, useful tips and quality teaching! Best teacher I've ever had in any class (a former college professor, so not surprising)! Our Paper Crafts Joy of Card Making class by Phoenix's own Kim Kesti was equally fabulous!
If you ever get an opportunity to attend a CKC Convention anywhere, we wholeheartedly recommend it!!!

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge 2 by Dawn McVey

Well, you know the ole saying, "the best-laid plans of mice and men". . . so I missed the deadline, but had a blast making my little chocolate cuppy card anyway! My sweet friend, Gwen, kindly loaned me her Hero Arts Cupcake stamps. I've wanted these forever, so I had to play with them! Thanks, Gwen!!! I had hoped to create a male-appropriate cupcake card & thought these colors chosen by Dawn for her 2nd color challenge would achieve that goal nicely -- what do you think? If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll better see my embossed Birthday edge, which is a fabulous new card treat to use. Our card group met here last Saturday and this trick was shared by our talented friend Judy who sadly does not have a blog -- you'd really enjoy visiting it -- believe me!!! To see the cards our group made visit our group's blog!!! We're just beginning to post there!

Papers: PTI's White; teal & celery from stash

Stamps: Hero Arts Clear Design Cupcakes

Ink: PTI's Dark Chocolate; Versamark Watermark pad

Embellishments: Liquid Applique; ribbon

Techniques: Provo Craft Embossing Folder: Birthday; Spellbinders Wizard & Square Nesties

Masculine Tent Topper with Nesties "Crew Cut" Scallops

I was blog hopping recently & somehow ended up here. Since I was also trying to come up with a masculine card to share with my crafting group, Designing Divas, I knew Tosh's ingenious idea could be the answer to my prayers! I'd never even heard of a tent topper card before, let alone giving a scalloped circle a "crew cut", but I loved both ideas! I then decided to take the crew cut a step further & use my long rectangle Nesties to edge my happy birthday strip at the bottom also! It takes a bit of extra effort, as you must cut each edge separately, but I like the way it brings the whole card together. In order to fit into an A2 envelope, I made my card 4" square and then made sure my card was no more than 5 1/2" high once the topper was attached. You could use a 4 1/4" square card, of course, but I had only one 12" x 12" piece of this plaid paper, so I couldn't take any chance that I'd run short. Hope the Divas like it!!!

Paper: PTI's Vintage Cream & Craft cardstocks; Bazzill cardstock; plaid & brown handmade DP - from stash

Stamps: Inkadinkado's Round Frames & Studio G's phrase

Ink: PTI's Burnt Sienna Palette Ink

Embellishments: Making Memories Lg. Brad; sm. brads from stash

Baby Boy Waterfall Card

Our Designing Diva's group member, Judy, shared a darling flowered waterfall card with us in May, so I decided to do one for a baby shower. I used DCWV's Nana's Kids' cardstock and cut out the letters with my Sizzix Sidekick. As you pull the slider out it spells out "Baby" and eventually "Boy" underneath. A little trickier with the glued on letters than if I stamped them, but I still like the outcome. These cards are really fun; you should try one!
It just dawned on my that this card qualifies for the card challenge using "die cuts" over @ http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/ so I'm amending my post to reflect that this is my entry!

Papers: All DCWV: Nana's Kids & Brown cardstock

Embellishments: Making Memories fibers; WeRMemoryKeepers eyelets

Tools: Sizzix Sidekick; Crop-a-dile

For My Friend

Finally, I had a chance to play with some of the goodies that my friend Julie sent in the RAK exchange through SBS8. This card is my take on the sketch for this week's challenge @ http://papertakeweekly.blogspot.com/. I've used an acrylic stamp and flower stickers so kindly provided by Julie! I also got a chance to play with my new Cuttlebug embossing folder which embosses beautifully in my Spellinders Wizard die cutting machine -- so fun to play with! I owe a big thank you to Designing Diva Judy for that gem of a tip!!! These embossing folders are quite inexpensive, so you'll probably be seeing a lot more of them in the near future on my cards here!
Paper: Bazzill Green & Pink & green cardstocks; DCWV DP
Stamp: Studio G

Time for Flip Flops

Yes, it's that time of year again when we gals need to use our pumice stone & nail polish to spruce up our heels and toes & slip into our favorite pair of flip flops!!! I couldn't resist this darling Wishblade file when I saw it @ http://www.timeforcrafting.co.uk/index.html. Thanks for the darling pattern, Sara! For those of you without a die cutting machine, Sara also has a pdf pattern of the sandal for you to trace and cut out, so stop by her fun site & see her other awesome ideas! This was the card I shared for our Designing Divas stamp group's May get-together on Saturday.
Paper & Ribbon: Unknown brands from my stash
Embellishments: Amanda Blu chipboard flowers; Making Memories mini flower brads

The Heat Is On!

I know most of the country is still looking forward to spring, but after the nicest spring I can recall in 17 years, we are ready for summer here in Phoenix! Okay, that's not entirely true -- WE'RE not ready, but apparently Mother Nature is because our first 100-degree day is expected this Sunday!!! ;-)

Here I tried a fun technique made possible by my Designing Diva friend, Judy, who gave each of the Divas a strip of sequin waste, the hole-y strip left over after the sequins are cut! I actually used a raspberry Dauber Duo to sponge the dots all over my cardstock -- really fun and super easy! It actually looks better if they're not perfect, but instead some are lighter/not completely there. I thought it needed something else, but wasn't sure what, so I just decided to just leave it simple.

Paper: Hot Pink & Green cardstocks; DCWV's Extreme Paper Stack DP

Ink: Tsukineko's Dauber Duos

Retiree/Golfer/Cards for Heroes

This old duffer is just great, isn't he? I'm hoping some hero overseas will have a relative he/she can send him to, along with a treasured handwritten note letting the recipient not only know they're thought of, but that the sender is doing well!

My sweet BBGF Gwen gave me this stamped image when she came to my house for our Designing Divas group recently. I'd love to give stamp credit, but I don't have that information, nor do I have any for the papers I used, as all are from the stacks I've had for years. I just remember thinking this striped paper would be great some day for a guy card. I sanded it to distress it & like the way it turned out.

I have a couple other cards I'm anxiously waiting to post here as soon as I know they've been received by the ladies I've forwarded them to -- hurry up USPS!!! ;-)

Embellishments: Generals Watercolor Pencils; small brads

Oval Scalloped All-Occasion Card

My very first Nestabilities creation!!! I'm sooooo excited that I was finally able to get a few of the Spellbinders' Nestabilities dies. They are truly "to die for"!!! LOL

However, they came at a very sad cost -- by that I don't mean the price, but the fact that one of my all-time favorite craft suppliers is closing down it's craft department. I'm just in shock and so greatly disappointed. We've just lost Recollections and Annalis Scraptique here in the Phoenix area and now XpedX has decided to close their craft section down too. It's just heartbreaking!!! Knowing how horrible I feel makes me wonder how totally heartbroken the wonderful lady who set it all up must feel. My heart goes out to Jamie!

Okay, moving on -- for sharing with my Designing Divas this month, I came up with this purple card which uses the oval Nestie and Hero Arts stamp. Don't you just love the font on that stamp?!!! I couldn't resist putting a Hero Arts jewel on the loop of the "E"!!!

Paper: Textures Lavendar Cardstock; Mara-Mi's DP

Stamp: Hero Arts

Ink: Tsukineko's Grape Pigment

Embellishments: Hero Arts Crystals

Designing Diva's Stamp Group Creations

It was long past my turn to have our crafty group, now fondly known as the Designing Divas, to my house for our monthly get together. Sadly two
members were unable to attend, but we had a wonderful time and these talented ladies once again wowed me with their creations:
Ilene shared 2 spring flower cards found through Hero Arts, www.heroarts.com/, incorporating sayings and flower stamps. We used colored pencils on them and added Stickles for a little pizzaz. I also changed my pink card up slightly by off-centering the stamped piece and adding a border on the edges of the green layer with my Scor-It. Simple cards, yet simply adorable!

Deva's creations (yes, she shared 2 also!) both incorporated flourishes, which we all LOVE! Her brown and blue card's flourish is a sticker from Dollar Deals! The oval scallop and Stampendous stickers just finish it off beautifully! Her citrus-colored card makes me think of warm weather & tropical flowers with the limey jewels adding just the perfect touch!

Caryn couldn't join us, but sent along her unique postcard to share. It very cleverly says, "just wanted to say..." on the front and "thanks for being so kind" on the flip side. Her black/pink plaid paper, ribbon and jewels just make this simple postcard fabulous!

Gwen's shirt/tie creation is awesome and would make a great Father's Day or birthday card for a lucky man in your life! She previously posted this along with a matching gift card tin @ www.mycraftydaysoff.blogspot.com/ on March 24th so I'll refer you there to see it! You won't be disappointed -- her site rocks!!!

The Designing Divas are each uniquely creative and their sweetness, kindness and willingness to share makes me feel truly blessed to have them in my life!!!