Thursday, September 29, 2011

CropStop Challenge #39 & World Cardmaking Day!

Photobucket

CropStop's "Around the World" Card Making Day Challenge!


In honor of World Card Making day, CropStop is hosting a special challenge. This week, Challenge #39 will include a "plus" to the challenge. All prize winners will be chosen by random draw.

1. A prize will be given from all that include the "plus" on their project and linked to the CropStop Challenge Blog.
2. A prize winner will be chosen from all Challenge #39 entries without the plus.
3. A bonus prize winner will be chosen from all entries linked to the CropStop Challenge Blog.

That means.....3 prizes total!

Challenge #39 is "Stamp Your Sentiment". Any quote, title or sentiment on your project entry must be stamped to qualify for a challenge prize.

We want everyone around the world to join in friendship on World Card Making Day!

So, the "Plus" to Challenge #39 is...include the word Friend/Friendship in your stamped quote, title, or sentiment. There will be a prize for the winner of Challenge #39 using the "Plus".

A 3rd winner will be chosen from ALL challenge entries linked to the CropStop Challenge Blog.

WORLD CARD MAKING DAY...

World Card Making Day began in 2006 as National Card Making Day. Founded by Paper Crafts magazine to bring card makers together at the beginning of the busiest card-making season of the year, it was first held on October 7, 2006. The initial celebration involved the Paper Crafts magazine audience only; however, due to the positive response it received and the worldwide popularity of card making, the holiday became known as World Card Making Day from then on.

Celebrating its fifth year in 2010, World Card Making Day is celebrated annually on the first Saturday in October. It's a day for the card-making community -- hobbyists, retailers, and manufacturers -- to unite and celebrate the connection and creativity that is the heart of card making.

For my World Card Making Day card, I decided to use this adorable image called Marci with Flower. I colored her with Copics, Primacolor Markers, and Chalk. Her pink polka dot shirt and the pink polka dot parts of her pants were paper-pieced and shaded with chalk. I added Stardust Stickles to the dark pink areas. Then I added pop-dots behind her to raise her off the card.

Skin: E000, chalk
Lips: R20, chalk
Hair: E29, E37, E33
Pants: B91, chalk
Shirt/Pant Cuff: Paper-pieced, chalk
Trowel: C3, chalk
Flower: Y02, G24, chalk
Pot: Prismacolor Sienna Brown, chalk
Dark Pink areas: Prismacolor Mulberry, Stardust Stickles


I found this awesome Watering Can Card template for FREE at Waltzingmouse Stamps. I embossed parts of my brown cardstock with Cuttlebug Polka Dots Embossing Folder and rubbed Walnut Stain Distress Ink around the embossed parts and edges. The background paper came from my stash. The vintage seed packet image came from this fabulous site called Vintage Holiday Crafts and you can find the printable here.

I put everything together using my Scor-Pal and Scor-Tape....the best stuff out there!!

My sentiment "To a Special Friend" came from CTMH and is stamped using Memento Rich Cocoa. I punched it out with my EK Success punch and edged it with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The lace and gold ribbon came from my stash. The flowers were on clearance at Michaels!

I hope you enjoyed my special card for World Card Making Day! Remember, you have 3 chances to win prizes at the CropStop Challenge Blog so head over and link up your project!!

Have a great Thursday and check back here on Saturday for another World Card Making Day card....woot, woot!!

Hugs,
Rosie

Monday, September 26, 2011

Inspiration Monday-Autumn Colors

Good Monday Morning to ya! It's another round of La-La Land Crafts' Inspiration Monday where we introduce a brand new creative challenge at the La-La Land Crafts Blog.

The challenge this week is Autumn Colors!

I decided to use this CA-UUUTE Pumpkin Marci! She was so much fun to color up!! I know she's for Halloween, but I think she fits well with my Au
tumn themed card. I tried a new background technique I've been seeing around blog land which I LOVE. You stamped a distressed border around your card and then you add liquid pearl drops randomly around the edges. I think it ties in perfectly with the autumn colors.

Copics & Chalk
Skin: E000, chalk
Lips: R20, chalk
Hair: E29, E25, E33, E02
Hat/Clothes/Pumpkin Basket: G21, G24, YG45, chalk/ YR01, YR04, YR07, chalk
Socks: G21, chalk
Shoes: E25, E31, chalk
Lollipop: BV08, BV02, YR23, G24


To create my border around Marci I used one of the stamps in the TPC Studio Travel Collage set (I used a wet wipe to erase the stuff in the middle of the stamp so only the edge stamped on my paper). I used a corner leafy stamp from Prima (#544959) and stamped that over the border. Then I added gold dots around Marci and the edge of my paper with a Viva Pearl Pen.

The cardstock came from my stash so I have no idea who made it. The background dp and Cocoa Pearls are from CTMH. The sentiment "Autumn Blessings" came from another TPC Studio set called Autumn Harvest. I embossed it using Gold CTMH Embossing Powder. The wide, glittery, sheer, brown ribbon came from my stash along with the gold/red trim.

I made the pumpkin by punching out 6 scalloped circles. I embossed them with one of the butterfly embossing folders from Cuttlebug Butterflies Cut and Emboss set and distressed them with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I scored them down the middle with my Scor-Pal, folded them in half and glued the sides together. The green and orange leaves are from Recollections. The green twirly vines are stems cut from some WOC flowers and wrapped around a bamboo skewer. The crystal branch thingies came in some blog candy. They were clear, but I colored over it with my Copic Markers....now they are gorgeous brown! The flowers in the opposite corner are Recollections and WOC.

And here's a side view so you can see the dimension. Because the gold/red trim is a little thick it raised my Marci panel up off the card a little. I put pop-dots in the corners just to adhere it to the card better.

Just a FYI, stay tuned this week because we've got a HUGE surprise for ya this Saturday, October 1st for World Cardmaking Day!! I hope you check the La-La Land Crafts blog on Saturday for an AWESOME new release and.....drumroll please......some blog candy!! The images are different from what you've seen before and boy are they CA-UUUTE! You definitely don't want to miss it!

As always, you can participate in our challenges and be in the drawing for some free stuff by uploading your card to our Gallery. Have a great week and don't forget my fellow DT sisters will have more samples for you to drool over on Friday!

Hugs,
Rosie

Monday, September 19, 2011

Inspiration Monday-Embossing (wet or dry)

Monday, Monday....so good to me.....Monday mornin'....it was all I hoped it would be....
Are you singing this Mamas and the Papas song now?
? (hee, hee)

It's another round of La-La Land Crafts' I
nspiration Monday. Every Monday we introduce a brand new creative challenge at the La-La Land Crafts Blog.

The challenge this week is Embossing (wet or dry)!

I decided to use this super adorable Faerie Marci. She was so much fun to color up!! I absolutely love this image and I really don't know why I haven't used her sooner! Believe me, she will be popping up on more cards soon. :)


Copics & Chalk:
Skin: E000, R20, chalk
Hair: E25, E33, E02
Clothes: B00, G20, G21, G24, chalk, stickles
Crown: B00, Chalk, stickles


Did you notice her wings?? I cut out the inside parts with a craft knife and glued vellum behind them....LOVE it! They really look a lot like wings now.....definitely worth the effort!

For the embossing challenge, I used two different embossing folders. On the back circle cut with SB Lacey Circles, I used the cherry blossom embossing folder from the 4-set pack called Plum Blossom. On the SB Label 18 panel behind Marci, I embossed it with Swiss Dots. The edges are inked with Old Paper Distress Ink and Walnut Stain Distress Ink.

The dps came from the CTMH Miracle paper pack. I love how their papers and cardstock all coordinate....makes it a lot easier to put together a card quickly! The dps also have patterns on both sides so you get extra matching capabilities. The white pearls are also from CTMH. The beautiful WOC Guipure Lace started off white and I colored it with B00 so it would coordinate.

Do you see my cool, new flower?! It's made with a new EK Success Punch called Dahlia Petals! I used more CTMH paper from the Miracle pack. I just followed the instructions on the back of the packaging and voila....an awesome flower! This CTMH paper is thinner than cardstock so it allowed me to roll the petals into the flower shape pretty easily. I think thick cardstock would be tough to roll so my advice is to stick to the thinner stuff.

Here's a side view so you can see the dimension. I raised Marci and the panel behind her on pop-dots.

Well, that's it for me folks! I hope you enjoyed our Inspiration this week. Don't forget that you can play along with us by uploading your creation to the Customer Gallery. If you stopped by, please leave me a comment so I know you were here. I love to read what you all have to say!!

Have a great week and see you all next Monday for another great challenge. Don't forget my fellow DT sisters will have more inspiration for you on Friday on the La-La Land Crafts Blog so be sure to check them out.

Hugs,
Rosie

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Limited Edition DISTRESS INKS at CropStop!

RUN....don't walk.....to the CROPSTOP Store to get your very own set of these NEW Distress Ink Colors: Gathered Twigs, Seedless Preserves, & Ripe Persimmon!! The names even sound AWESOME!

Exciting news from Ranger and Tim Holtz just in time for Fall creativity! A limited edition collection of Distress Inks in harvest hues is now available. Like the changing of the seasons, this Autumn set is only available for a limited time, so collect them now before they’re gone.

Made from the unique Distress Ink dye formula, these fade-resistant, non-toxic and acid free ink pads will add a timeless nostalgic flair to your Halloween and Thanksgiving craft projects.

The Autumn Set is available in 3 rich harvest colors for the season: Ripe Persimmon, Seedless Preserves and Gathered Twigs. These seasonal Distress ink pads are conveniently packaged in a stacked set with a top label identifying all 3 rich colors.

Remember, the Seasonal Distress Inks will only be produced in a limited quantity, so order yours now before they are gone! And, use my discount code (on my side bar) to get an additional 10% off your order (no minimum)!!

Hugs,
Rosie :)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Inspiration Monday-Use a Doily

Good Morning Everyone! It's Monday and I'm back with another Inspiration Monday. This week on the La-La Land Crafts Blog, our challenge for you is:

Use a Doily

For my project today, I decided to go out of my comfort zone and make a somewhat vintage style card. I'm not very good at doing vintage cards, but over-all I think it looks okay....I definitely need more practice! I used Fancy Marci....so appropriate, don't ya think?

I printed my Fancy Marci image on Fabric Transfer Paper and colored her with my Copics and chalk. You definitely need a light touch when you color on fabric because the ink will bleed if you get too close to the edge. It's not so much a problem if you are cutting your image out. But on this project, I wanted to imitate a canvas painting so I was leaving a border around my image.

The ink did bleed in some areas and I was able to push some of it back with my Colorless Blender. I hid some of the bleeding by rubbing Old Paper Distress Ink around my image. You also have to be careful when layering colors. Also, it helps to let areas dry before adding more ink so you can see how dark the ink will dry.


I stamped on top of the doily with my Inkadinkado script stamp in Memento Rich Cocoa Ink and then distressed it with Old Paper and Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I punched out 7 scalloped circles to make my scrunched flower. I stamped the circles with the same script stamp and inked all over them with the same distress inks. Then I layered them on top of each other and placed a pearl brad in the middle. Next, I spritzed each layer with water and started scrunching toward the center. I gently opened the layers back up and let it dry. I cut the blue lacy doily from a piece of dp in the Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden paper pack.

Copics (colored on Fabric):
Skin: E000, R20, chalk
Hair: E25, E33, E000
Dress: R81, RV91, YG45, colorless blender


The beautiful background dp is also from Pink Paislee Butterfly Garden. I distressed the edges with my scissors and Walnut Stain Distress Ink. I cut around the large butterfly wings on the dp and then raised them over the SB Fleur De Lis Rectangle Die. The word "Beautiful" is from CTMH and inked with Memento Rich Cocoa. I didn't add to many layers because I really wanted the gorgeous background paper to show!

If you would like to play along with us, please upload your creations to our Customer Gallery! Hope to see you there!! If you dropped by today, please leave me a comment so I know you were here. I may have a little surprise for one of my lucky commenters! (wink, wink)

Hugs,
Rosie


Thursday, September 8, 2011

CropStop Challenge #36-Spellbinders!

Spellbinder's has a wonderful, creative way with die cuts! This week's challenge at the CropStop Blog is, "use your Spellbinder Dies" and show us what you can do with them.

Please refer to our challenge rules under the "rules" tab to be sure your entry will qualify!
You could win a $15 Gift Certificate to the CropStop Store.

The Creative Crew was busy this week after most of them were without power last week! Their Spellbinder dies were put to good use so check out the CropStop Blog to see some wonderful inspiration!

You have until Wednesday, 11:00pm EST to link up your project!

Have a great weekend!

Hugs,
Rosie

Monday, September 5, 2011

Inspiration Monday -- Anything But A Card

Good Morning Everyone! It's Monday and you know what that means, right? It's another Inspiration Monday on the La-La Land Crafts Blog, and this week our challenge for you is:

Anything But A Card

I hate to be the one to remind you....but the holidays are right around the corner!! I'm still wondering what in the world happened to the summer, LOL! It's definitely a busy time of year for us. My little boy started Kindergarten so I'm going to have "Teacher" gifts to do. Plus, we have tons of birthdays coming up on top of Christmas. Did I mention I have 6 birthdays in December to prepare for?!!

For my project today, I decided to decorate a tote bag for my PERSONAL use to hold more of my craft stuff. I bought this 13"x13" canvas tote at Walmart and they came as a set of 3 (so I have extra ones to decorate). I also found some Cotton-Fabric Transfer Sheets at Walmart (Next Style Fashion Art) and decided that would be the easiest way to decorate this bag....and believe me, it really was EASY PEASY (and no sewing involved)!!

Now remember, almost every stamp company has an ANGEL POLICY, especially when it comes to selling products using their images. You should ALWAYS check each stamp company to make sure you are not violating their rules when it comes to selling/gifting items. You can view La-La Land Crafts' Angel Policy HERE and a personal message from Irina concerning her images HERE.

I actually made this card back in July for another Inspiration Monday post. You can see the card HERE. I just printed it onto the Fabric Transfer sheet, cut my image out, and ironed away!

These are the colors I used to color Marci for my original card.
Skin - E000, chalk
Lips - R32
Hair - YR21, YR23, YR31
Clothes - Paper-pieced & chalk
Shoes - R32, BV 23, chalk

I kept the back side of the tote pretty simple and just ironed my images in the corner. I haven't decided if I'm going to put any writing in the middle area yet.

Here's a close-up of Sweetheart Marci and Amour Luka:

Sweetheart Marci
Skin: E000 & chalk
Hair: E29, E37, E33
Pink: R81 & chalk
Dress/Shoes: BG13 & chalk, stickles

Amour Luka

Skin: E000 & chalk
Hair: E29, E37, E33
Shirt: E55 & chalk
Sweater & shoes: BG13 & chalk
Pants: BV23 & black chalk
Heart/Rose: R81 & chalk

I had some old bead trim that I bought years ago when I was making patchwork purses....yeah, I used to sew! It's been so long now, I don't even know how to thread a bobbin, LOL! So I used Fabri-Tac glue to adhere my trim to my tote. On top of the bead trim, I glued this gorgeous rose ribbon from CTMH (Z1384). It comes with 4 other different styles of Pink ribbon, and they are all gorgeous!

Now don't forget to check back here on Friday for more inspiration from my fellow DT sisters. Did you notice from last Friday on the La-La Land Crafts Blog that we have a new DT member? I hope you all got a chance to say a warm welcome to Sue Kohler from my Inner Reflection (Team Friday).

Want to play along? Please upload your creations to the La-La Land Crafts' Customer Gallery so we can all admire your work! Who knows, it may land you a spot on our DT. We saw Sue's lovely work in our Customer Gallery, which led to us offering her a DT spot!

Have a wonderful week!
Rosie :)
DT Leader for La-La Land Crafts