Play Date Cafe Challenge #35

Hi there! I thought I would try my hand at another color combo this week for the Play Date Cafe Challenge #35 ! I love the summery colors to work with for this challenge, brown, turquoise, red, and orange. I don't use these colors often.....well ok ........I really love orange and brown but not generally paired with red and blue.

I pulled out a stamp set that I have a real love~hate relationship with. It's "Greenhouse Garden" by Stampin Up.

I love the 2 step stamping as it brings such detail to the flowers, but the part I struggle with it actually getting the stamps lined up just right- so it actually comes out looking good. I have played with this set soooo many times (many practice samples in the trash)  and finally just umnounted these stamps from the wood.

If only they were clear stamps it would be so much easier!

I really need to get myself one of those stampa-ma-jig things one of these days!

So I stamped the flowers using almost all distress inks- spiced marmalade and barn door for the orange ones, tumbled glass and broken china for the blue ones. The small red flowers were done using worn lipstick and the centers of those I used my favoriote dark red ink by Marvy- English red. I came back and added some white gel pen for the centers of the flowers. I stamped just the center of the daisy flower all over the card base so it looked like layers of flowers. I used Bazzill Tropical Breeze for my card base, a sheet of dark brown cardstock behind the image (unsure of the color name), and found some pretty brown ribbon to match. The sentiment is by Stampendous and is stamped using vintage photo distress ink.

I will give this card to my mother for her birthday (which was this past Friday- but I'll be seeing her today at a graduation party for my nephew).

Thanks for stopping by and hope the sun is shining on you and yours! It's incredibly muggy and looking like some more rain here today- praying the rain holds off until late tonight- don't want the grad party to be spolied by rain.

Hugs, Anne

Play Date Cafe Challenge 34

I saw this weeks challenge at the Play Date Cafe using the colors of white, black, and a little pop of blue and thought I would give it a try. I haven't had much time to craft lately or a heck of alot of mojo either so I needed something to get me going again.

Since I don't really have any wonderful black & white paper on hand I thought I would try using a black and white image as the focal point. I thought I would color one of the flowers an aqua blue and then add a favorite sentiment of mine (computer generated). I colored the flower head separately and then popped it up on some thin dimensionals. I colored a plain white brad to match using the same Prismacolor marker that I colored the flower with (true blue). I also use a Sizzix embossing folder for the added texture on the card base and the image is one of my favorite Hero Arts stamps- long stem flowers. Click on the picture if you want to see it larger.....and I apologize for the terrible lighting- but it's raining and dark here today so I have no real good natural light.

What do you think?

I really like the simplicity of it- it makes that flower really stand out.

Thanks for stopping by and for all the nice comments!

Inky Hugs, Anne

Red- white- and blue cards!

First off Happy Father's Day to all those wonderful dad's out there- I hope you are enjoying your day!

I somehow found the time and energy to play and make a few 4th of July cards today. This past week has been super hectic for me and I have had no time to stamp. I had my hubby's aunt & uncle here from CA all week, worked a few days, then my brother decided to pop in for a visit unannounced and let me  tell ya- he will wear you out just from talking nonstop!  Then to top it all of I ended getting a rotten head cold on Friday (summer time colds are just miserable).  I must say I'm beat- ughhhh-  and today am not doing much other than keeping  my trusty box of kleenex by my side and a tall glass of lemonade near.

The first card is made using my Hero Arts "Galaxy of stars" stamps on some light blue patterned paper, and a fun freebie donwload I found at the Martha Stewart website (the dark blue band with the eagle on it). I believe the sentiment is a Studio G 1$ stamp, and I added the little red dots around the border of that with a marker. Distressed the edges a bit and added some clear star gems- quick and simple!

The next one is more of a vintage style (which I don't do often) 4th of July card. I found the image on Google (sorry- don't remember where) and printed it out, found some nice dark blue paper to go with it, stamped some stars using vintage photo dye ink on some craft paper, also added some antique linen around the edges to darken it up a bit as well. Another super quick and easy card.

This last card is another super quick and easy one to make. I just stamped random stars (Hero Arts)  in different colors on white carstock, trimmed it up and layered with red cardstock, added a ribbon and a light blue button, and I had these glittery star brads in my drawer and really wanted to use them somehow so I made a very simple center panel using those. The sentiment is from Stampendous- went around the edge with my white souffle pen. My mojo is barely working here.......these are not my greatest creations, I'm not too thrilled with these, but at least I found some time to create.

I am looking forward to celebrating 4th of July- we usually go up north to my father in laws lake place and blow up tons of fireworks and go fishing and 4 wheeling- but  this year we are just staying home as my FIL has other plans. We have quite the stash of fireworks (my hubby is way into blowing stuff up and makes his own homemade smokebombs and other loud things......) and will probably have some friends over to help celebrate.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to have a quieter week here! Maybe I can even get some more cards made?

Inky hugs, Anne

I'm back...... finally!

Oh my gosh- being away for a whole week has been tough!! I really missed being at home....sleeping in my own bed and of course my guys!! So glad to be home now. I arrived very late last night (2:00 AM) and am trying to recover today.....got a load or 2 of laundry to do, reciepts to sort out and other things to unpack yet. It was a rather time consuming week studying and learning- no real time to relax and play.

I've got a busy week ahead, a couple of days of work and my hubby's aunt is coming to visit this week as well (I still need to get the guest bedroom cleaned up and in order for her).  I hope to find some time to get a card or two made for the Hero Arts monthly challenge.....I really miss making something and getting my hands good and inky- plus I have some new Hero Arts stamps I picked up right before I left for my trip that need to get inked up as well!

I'll try to catch up on all of your blogs and cards posted at assorted sites this week too!

See you all real soon- hopefully I'll have something creative to post about before you know it!!

 Anne

Missing in action- Just an update

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been one here much lately or visiting your wonderful blogs but life has just been so busy- no time to craft at all.

I am leaving for a week long trip to the Chicago area tomorrow- I wish I could say it's going to be a lovely vacation but sadly it is work related. I have to go take a week long class and get Certified to be an "official" elevator inspector. I't going to be very boring .....learning  about a million different safety codes- ughhh! But it's what I need to do for my job.....to have more responsibility come my way and a bigger paycheck too! If anyone is interested this is the Co. I work for now.

I'll have my laptop with so I'll have time to finally visit all your blogs and catch up on my fave Hero Arts Flicker site. I'm actually looking forward to a week of no cooking- no laundry, watching TV all by myself, being completely selfish.  I hope my hubby survives the week without me- HAH!! I can only imagine what a wreck my house will be when I get home....

Hoping to go get a manicure/pedicure while I'm away and maybe a bit of shopping.  I'm thinking about bringing along some crafty stuff to work on, but just feel lost as what to bring? I want to bring everything, but that's soooo not practical. Maybe I'll work on some 4th of July cards?

I'll leave you with a few parting shots of my son who is the master bug/frog catcher- he got these 2 dragonflies last night!  He also got over 20 fireflies last night and boy did they put on the "glow show" as my son called it!

Yes, those are my pretty toes!!

                                   I love this one- sooo pretty!

Stuck on his leg- it didn't want to leave!

If I find any good stamping stores in Champaign I'll go shopping and snap some pictures!

May you all have a wonderful and sunny week- I'll stop and say hi on your blogs!

Hugs, Anne