Cardabilities Sketch #26

Can you believe today is the last day of February already?? This year is just flying by so fast. It's time for another Cardabilities sketch, so here is sketch #26:

I decided to do something a little different, and I did one big rainbow instead of three smaller half circles on the right side of the card. I picked the colors out of the designer paper I used and colored the rainbow and the hot air balloon in purples and greens. How's this for a non-traditional birthday card?

This card will go to someone who loves purple. :-) Why don't you check out what the other Cardabilities DT gals have done over on the Cardabilities blog? There's so many fantastic takes on this sketch! I hope you join in on the fun and come on back here on March 15 for sketch #27. :-)

Stamps: Up Up & Away (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
CS: white, lilac, Lilac Avenue (Kaisercraft)
Other: copic markers, balloon and cloud dies (PTI)

Heart Song Designs - NEW RELEASE (Feb 27, 2011)

Ready to see today's new releases for Heart Song Designs? This time Leah has created two adorable springtime digis:

Isn't that bunny just adorable??? I will be sharing a card created with that bunny later on this week, so check back on Wednesday for that. Today, however, I am sharing a card with the Butterfly Thistle.

I pulled out an Oval Window A7 Scallop card - Vertical die cut from Purple Bazzill cardstock (Creative Cuts and More) and embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder directly to the front of the card. I colored the Butterfly Thistle digi using a fun technique called Pencilled Twinks (from Technique Junkies) except I morphed the technique by using Creative Inspirations Paint. You can see the wonderful shimmer here:

I added a couple of butterflies (from the Butterfly Duet digi also from Heart Song Designs) and curled their wings slightly for a little added dimension. Isn't it great how the different digi images work together here? The advantage of digis is that you can make these images any size you want, just like I did with the two added butterflies.

Check out what the rest of the DT gals have created with these new digis, and then head on over to the Heart Song Designs shop to purchase these digis. Have a great week!

Leah (owner) - Paper Blossoms

Ceal - Simply Beautiful

Chris - Creating with Chrissy

Davi - Alstromeria's Artistry

Deb - Little Works of Art

Holly - Glitter, Stamps, Ink (me)
Karen - Feline Creative
Katrina - Flutterby Trina

Lauren - LEM Photography & Papercrafting

Peggy - Daily Grace Creations

Ruby - Ruby's Impressions

Shelly - Shell's Space

Stephanie - Stephanie's Stampin Spot

Week 4 with Gingersnap Creations

This is my fourth and last week with Gingersnap Creations, and this week is all about a color challenge. The Gingersnap girls picked Jewel Colors with Gold for this challenge. For the month of February, the Gingersnap Creations DT has an overall theme of Royalty with a focus on adding shimmer and sparkle to their art for each of the weekly challenges.

As I thought about Jewel Colors, images of sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds came to mind. Then I saw this swirly egg image sitting on my table, and my mind just screamed, "Faberge eggs!" How perfect to tie in jewel colors, gold, and a royal theme than with the royal Faberge eggs created for the Czar of Russia?

I stamped the egg three times with Versamark, poured gold embossing powder on them, and heated the powder til it melted. Then I colored each egg with the Jewel colors of Creative Inspirations Paint - Sapphire, Garnet, and Emerald. (Too perfect, eh??)

I added a fleur de lis brad and a red bow on the top of the Garnet Faberge egg, and I used the Curled Corners technique on the white cardstock. Some pearls and gold scallops finish off this detailed card. You can see the shimmer of the paint in this close-up picture:

I want to thank the Gingersnap Creations team for inviting me to be a Visiting Artist this month. These challenges definitely stretched me and challenged me to think outside my normal range of stamping, and I have had a total blast. The Gingersnap gals do some AWESOME work, and I am honored to be able to share my artwork with them this month.


Stamps: Small Swirl Egg from I Brake for Stamps (use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order)
Ink: Versamark
CS: White, Black, Gold
Creative Inspirations Paint: Sapphire, Garnet, Emerald
Other: gold embossing powder, wrinkled red ribbon (May Arts), fleur de lis brad (The Paper Studio), pearls (Kaisercraft), Embossed Curve edge punch (EK Success)
Technique: Curled Corners (Technique Junkies)

Birthday Flowers in Vase

I need to stock up on birthday cards again and this digi image from Heart Song Designs is perfect for feminine birthday cards. I colored this Vase of Flowers with Copic markers and then sponged a little kraft ink around the edges. I kept this card sweet and simple with some pink and kraft cardstock, and I added a little scalloped strip of kraft cardstock for a little extra interest.

Heart Song Designs released some new digis yesterday, so be sure to check them out by scrolling down to the next post. Leah has opened up a new Flickr gallery and new samples are added frequently. Go check it out here. Enjoy all the great eye candy!!

Heart Song Designs - NEW RELEASE (Feb 20, 2011)

It's Sunday, which means there are some new digis in the Heart Song Designs store today! Ready to see 'em??

That new St. Patty's Daydream scene is so adorable, and it's just in time for you to get some projects done for the holiday next month. The colored digi is great for when you don't have time to color something - just print it on your color printer and add it to your project. I created a fun card with the first digi - Blooming Stars.

I used Sketch #96 from the Sweet Stop Sketches blog and I used the Dabbed Shimmers technique from Technique Junkies for the background. I colored the image with Copic markers and then went over the star flowers and butterflies with a glitter pen. A white gel pen provided the little white circles within the star flowers.

See the fantastic shimmer in the pale lavender background? I used some Lavender Creative Inspirations Paint to created the Dabbed Shimmers background.

You should see what some of the other Heart Song Designs DT gals have created with today's new releases. Click on their names below to check out their artwork:

Leah (owner) - Paper Blossoms

Chris - Creating with Chrissy

Deb - Little Works of Art

Holly - Glitter, Stamps, Ink (me)
Karen - Feline Creative
Katrina - Flutterby Trina

Lauren - LEM Photography & Papercrafting

Peggy - Daily Grace Creations

Ruby - Ruby's Impressions

Shelly - Shell's Space

Stephanie - Stephanie's Stampin Spot

Have fun shopping in the Heart Song Designs store! Enjoy your Sunday!

Week 3 with Gingersnap Creations

This is my third week with Gingersnap Creations, and this week is all about an inspiration challenge. The Gingersnap girls picked "crowns" as the inspiration for this challenge. For the month of February, the Gingersnap Creations DT has an overall theme of Royalty with a focus on adding shimmer and sparkle to their art for each of the weekly challenges.

I will be honest and tell you that I freaked out when I saw that "crowns" was the challenge this week. I don't have any crown stamps, I don't collect crown charms, what am I supposed to do?? I actually went "shopping" in my Mom's craft room for crown stamps, and I did find a couple. But when I was cleaning up my own studio on Saturday afternoon, I ran across my old Tim Holtz grungeboard that I haven't used in ages. Lo and behold, there is a crown shape within the 5 sheets of grungeboard.

When I sat down to create my card, I just wasn't inspired by the stamps that I "stole" from my mother. My mind kept wandering back to the grungeboard crown. This bird collage stamp from I Brake for Stamps was out on my table, and an old song popped into my head - "4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie, when the pie was opened, the birds began to sing, wasn't that a lovely thing to set before the king?"

Okay, so the bird is blue, not black, but this challenge is all about inspiration and seeing where it leads you. I painted the grungeboard crown and swirl with some Gold Creative Inspirations Paint, and I added a blue rhinestone brad to the center of the crown.

Do you recognize the gold mesh in the background? Remember the big Magic Mesh craze from a few years ago? I stocked up on several different colors of mesh and it was fun to pull it out and use it here. I distressed all the edges and used the Torn Frames technique from Technique Junkies on the blue layer behind the bird. I love the contrast of the lace versus the hemp twine, the gold paint versus the distressed edges.

Would you like to play along with the Gingersnap Creations challenge? Create something that fits the inspiration challenge with crowns, add some sparkle, and enter it into the challenge over on the Gingersnap Creations blog. Come on back next Wednesday to see my last creation as a Visiting Artist with Gingersnap Creations.


Stamps: Bird and Cherry Blossom collage from I Brake for Stamps - use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order
Ink: Marina Mist, Antique Linen distress
CS: Marina Mist, White, Soft Suede
Creative Inspirations Paint: Gold
Other: May Arts lace, hemp twine, Tim Holtz grungeboard, blue rhinestone brad, gold Magic Mesh, distress tool, sponge
Technique: Torn Frames from Technique Junkies

IBFS & Reasonable Ribbon projects

Happy Tuesday! I Brake for Stamps is sponsoring the February 15th "Spring" Challenge over on the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog today. I had a blast working with some ribbons and some stamps and bringing them together for two special projects.

My first project is a spring-themed card with this sweet Miss Rachel in the Garden stamp and some pink and white gingham ribbon (7/8").

I colored in Miss Rachel's dress to match the pink ribbon, and then added my own "gingham" lines to her little apron. After I cut this image out, I used the Wisped Frames technique from Technique Junkies. I'm in love with this gorgeous ribbon; it was so easy to tie into a bow and this soft pink is such a perfect spring color.

My second project is a bookmark. I used a length of this 5/8" Random Circles Light Blue Grosgrain ribbon and added some die cut circles and ovals to the top and bottom.

Isn't that a fun bookmark? I stamped the butterfly from I Brake for Stamps's Things with Wings sheet and colored it with Copic markers. I also added a row of blue rhinestones to the body for a little sparkle. The sentiment is from the Every Day Phrases sheet, and I used the Wisped Frames technique around it.

If you've been wishing for Spring and making some fun spring projects, why don't you play along with the "Spring" challenge on the Reasonable Ribbon blog? Maybe we can usher in a quicker start for some warmer spring days! :-)

If you're in the mood to shop, check out all the fabulous ribbons at Really Reasonable Ribbon. I literally drooled just looking at everything and I wanted to put one of everything in my shopping cart. Want some new stamps? Use this coupon code - SAVE10HOLLY - to save 10% off your order when you go shopping at I Brake for Stamps.

Cardabilities Sketch #25

Good morning! Today is the day for the next Cardabilities sketch challenge. I know it's normally on the 15th, but since it is February, we will have the reveals on the 14th and the 28th. We'll go back to the normal reveals on the 15th and 30th again in March. Ready to see the next sketch? Here is Sketch #25:

I loved this clean and simple and balanced sketch. There's so many possiblities with this!

I pulled out an old neglected sentiment stamp from Paper Inspirations and cut it out with a Labels 8 die. The Wisped Frames technique was used around the die cut sentiment, and then I pulled out a craft knife and hand-cut the purple layer. The next largest die was just too big for what I wanted, so I cut my own layer.

The background is a sheet of Fairy Flora designer paper from Prima, and I sponged some Winter Frost Creative Inspirations Paint all over for a wonderful shimmer. After the paint dried, I ran it through my Big Shot with an embossing folder for added texture.

Let's go see what the other Cardabilities DT ladies created with this sketch over on the the Cardabilities blog. I love seeing all the different takes on the same sketch. Pull out your stamps and play along with us - you could win a fabulous prize from this week's sponsor!!

Heart Song Designs - NEW RELEASE (Feb 13, 2011)

Good morning! We have a nice little surprise for you today - every Sunday there will be new digis released by Heart Song Designs! Today, these three digis are available over in the Heart Song Designs store:

Aren't those great? That puppy dog is just adorable, and I love the butterflies. The anemone flower is a special hand-colored digi, and you can print this out in full color if you have a color printer. If you are short on time, or you don't like to color, these hand-colored digis are perfect for you!

I printed out the butterfly digis and created this Hawaiian Butterfly card.

I was inspired to use these colors just by looking around my messy studio. I saw the buttons and I knew I had to use those. Then I found this yellow cardstock, and it is a nice contrast to black and blue, so I added in the little scalloped edge. I always need birthday cards, so I went with a birthday sentiment, but you could use any kind of sentiment with this gorgeous butterfly.

Go check out the fantastic selection of digis in the Heart Song Designs store. Leah will be adding new digis every Sunday, so peek in next week to see what the next batch of digis will be. Enjoy!

Distress Colorblock Spring Milk Carton

Happy Saturday! It's going to be a wonderful day, and I have a distressed, rustic, spring-themed milk carton to share with you.

I started with a Milk Carton die cut which was cut from white cardstock. I sponged Antique Linen distress ink all over the outside of the milk carton, emphasizing the score lines. Then I pulled out my Killer White Tear-able Tacky Tape and assembled the milk carton die cut (directions found here).

After I wrapped some hemp twine around the milk carton, I adhered some stamped collage rectangles onto each of the four sides. I added some buttons for a little extra color and texture. The top of the milk carton is not glued shut - I just wrapped some more hemp twine around the top and it will easily slide off when I want to put something inside.

Here is a close-up look at the collage image that I used:

I created the orange background by using the new Distressed Colorblocking technique from Technique Junkies and then I stamped this gorgeous Butterfly Rose Post collage from I Brake for Stamps. After the black ink dried, I cut it out and distressed the edges with my distress tool. This technique is just perfect with all the collage images from I Brake for Stamps.

I bet you've had enough of this freezing cold winter. Hopefully we have seen the last of Old Man Winter here in TX - we are going to have highs in the 60s and 70's for the next week. Enjoy your weekend!

Die Cut: Milk Carton - use code CC&M10Holly to save 10% on your order at Creative Cuts & More
Stamps: Butterfly Rose Post collage (I Brake for Stamps) - use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order
Ink: Antique Linen distress, Marmalade distress, Marigold distress, Jet Black Stazon
Other: Killer White Tear-able Tacky Tape, buttons (Foo Fa La), hemp twine, linen thread, sponge
Technique: Distressed Colorblocking (Technique Junkies)

Ballerina Bear

Good morning! I'm sharing this adorable Ballerina Princess Bear with you today. I love all of these adorable bears, and this is one is extra sweet. Remember playing dress up when you were a little girl? That's what this bear reminds me of.

I colored this bear with copic markers and then I used the Wisped Frames technique from Technique Junkies around the oval. Some papers from Prima's Annalee collection are in the background - the colors are so sweet and feminine and perfect with this Ballerina Princess Bear.

When you place an order with I Brake for Stamps, remember to use this coupon code - SAVE10HOLLY - and you will save 10% off your order. If you haven't seen the EXCITING news, Della will be the exclusive US retailer for the awesome Wild Orchid Crafts flowers. I can't wait to order some - she will have them in the store very soon!

I hope you are all staying warm and cozy today! Spring can't be too far off now. :-)

Week 2 with Gingersnap Creations

This is my second week with Gingersnap Creations, and this week is all about a supply challenge. The Gingersnap girls picked "charms" as the supply for this challenge. For the month of February, the Gingersnap Creations DT has an overall theme of Royalty with a focus on adding shimmer and sparkle to their art for each of the weekly challenges.

As I thought about how to incorporate royalty, shimmer, and charms, one thing came to mind. Purple is a royal color, and when I think of royalty, I think of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth with their ruffled dresses and all the English kings with their puffy shirts.

So for my project today, I chose to use shades of purple with lots of shimmery scallops. I added a sterling silver butterfly charm and a sweet sentiment stamped in purple ink.

Do you see the shimmer on the scallops and the ribbon? I used Creative Inspirations Paint on each of the scallop layers as well as on some white wrinkled ribbon. The colors I used are (from light to dark) Winter Frost, Light Purple, Lavender, and Royal Purple.

This card is one of the few that actually turned out exactly as I saw it in my head! I love it when that happens! :-)

Would you like to play along with the Gingersnap Creations challenge? Create something that fits the supply challenge with charms, add some sparkle, and enter it into the challenge over on the Gingersnap Creations blog. Come on back next Wednesday to see what I've created for the third challenge this month.

Stamps: Vintage Butterflies (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Ink: French Lilac Palette
CS: White
Creative Inspirations Paints: Winter Frost, Light Purple, Lavender, and Royal Purple
Other: white wrinkled ribbon (May Arts), silver cord, silver butterfly charm, scalloped edge punch (EK Success)

Fuchsia Heart

Good morning! Today, I'm sharing a clean and simple card with Heart Song Design's Stitched with Love digi image.

I colored the heart with Copic markers and then I went over the flower and polka dots with some shimmery Fuchsia Creative Inspirations Paint. I used the same paint to color the white ribbon. After the ribbon dried, I scrunched it up on my card and nestled the heart digi into the middle of the scrunched up ribbon.

I could have put any kind of sentiment with this sweet heart, but since I always need birthday cards, I went with "Happy Birthday." This will make a perfect emergency birthday card for those last minute girlfriend gatherings. :-)

You can see the shimmer on the heart and the ribbon in this picture:

I hope you have a great week!

Stickled Cupcake

You might remember seeing this card a few weeks ago. Why am I posting this again? Well.... PTI is running a special anniversary contest and re-posting a favorite card with PTI stamps is one of their challenges. I loved using this cupcake image from PTI and coloring it with Stickles. It's a fun, glittery, and easy way to color the yummy cupcakes. :-)

The TLC challenge on SCS today is to paint your image with Stickles. Now how could I pass up that challenge?? LOL I love all things glittery, so of course I have a stash of Stickles ready to use.

I printed out the latest Sweet Stop Sketch (#89) and pulled out some fun papers from My Mind's Eye. The cupcake seemed like a good image for painting with Stickles, so I pulled out my PTI cupcake set. I stamped the cupcake and the frosting with black Stazon ink, and then I painted the image with Cinnamon and Fruit Punch Stickles.

While the Stickles was drying, I cut the cardstock and papers and adhered them according to the sketch. I stamped the sentiment directly onto the blue paper and then added the cupcake after the Stickles was dry.

Why don't you pull out your Stickles and paint an image with them? Trust me, it is a lot of fun, and the glittery goodness will make you smile! :-)

Week 1 with Gingersnap Creations

Good morning! This is my first post as a Visiting Artist with Gingersnap Creations, and I'm sharing my Theme Challenge creation with you today. The theme is "Kings and Queens" and as soon as I read this, I knew I was going to use this sweet Queen of Hearts bear from I Brake for Stamps.

For the month of February, the Gingersnap Creations DT is focusing on adding shimmer and sparkle to their art for each of the weekly challenges. With that in mind, I pulled out my Creative Inspirations Paints which are creamy, shimmery, colorful paints. I added some paint to the chipboard hearts as well as to the accessories that the Queen is wearing. I wanted a wee bit more shimmer on my card, so I sponged more of the shimmery paint on the pink designer paper background. Can you see the shimmer in the picture below?

Would you like to play along with the Gingersnap Creations challenge? Create something that fits the Kings and Queens theme challenge, add some sparkle, and enter it into the challenge over on the Gingersnap Creations blog. Come on back next Wednesday to see what I've created for the second challenge this month. :-)


Stamps: Valentine Queen Bear from I Brake for Stamps - use code SAVE10HOLLY to save 10% off your order
Ink: Rich Cocoa Memento
CS: Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Crazy Love dp (Bo Bunny)
Creative Inspirations Paint: Pink Highlights, Tutu Pink, Blush, Chocolate
Other: Copic markers, Maya Road chipboard hearts, sponge, May Arts suede ivory ribbon

Heart Song Designs DT announcement

Today is the day when the official announcement of the new Design Team members for Heart Song Designs comes out. I'm thrilled to let you all know that I am part of the new Heart Song Designs DT!!

Before I share today's card, please let me introduce you to the rest of the Heart Song Designs designers:

Leah (owner) - Paper Blossoms

Ceal - Simply Beautiful

Chris - Creating with Chrissy

Davi - Alstromeria's Artistry

Deb - Little Works of Art

Holly - Glitter, Stamps, Ink (me)
Karen - Feline Creative
Katrina - Flutterby Trina

Lauren - LEM Photography & Papercrafting

Peggy - Daily Grace Creations

Ruby - Ruby's Impressions

Shelly - Shell's Space

Stephanie - Stephanie's Stampin Spot

Ready to see what I've created for today's Grand Opening? :-) I used the adorable Spring Mailbox digi and colored it with Copic markers. The colors are a bit different than I normally use, but I wanted to match up with some of the colors in this fun Echo Park designer paper.

The curled corner is a new technique from the latest issue of Technique Junkies. It's such a fun little accent and it gives me a place to put the cute little butterfly.

Have fun checking out what the other DT ladies have created for today's Grand Opening! You will love these sweet digis from Heart Song Designs.

I'm a Visiting Artist for Gingersnap Creations!

A few weeks ago, I received an email asking if I would like to be a guest artist for the Gingersnap Creations blog. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I heartily accepted. I am the Visiting Artist this month, so every Wednesday I will have a special Gingersnap Creations project to show you. Come on back here tomorrow for my first special Visiting Artist project! :-)