Birthday Card NOT for a Guy!

These are the challenges I'm entering with this card --

Eat, Sleep, Stamp Sketch Challenge

stampTV's Friday Free For All -- use at least one stamped flower and two shapes

Paper Play Challenges -- use lovely lace
Lily Pad Card Challenges -- use patterned paper
Speedy Fox and Friends -- use at least four layers

My patterned paper is from an old Stampin' Up designer paper pack.

Stamps that I used are Gina K. Designs, You Are Not Alone and Fanciful Tags

  also, Papertrey Ink's Background Basics: Gingham

Spellbinders Dies to cut the circles and sentiment

Pearls from Michaels and Lace from Melisa Waldorf (thanks, gf!)

Hope you come back again,

Betty

For A New Baby Boy

My card today is made with four different challenges in mind.

Flourishes New Year challenge -- I have chosen to make a card for a new baby.
StampTV Friday Free For All -- make a baby card
Our Craft Lounge / Lily Pad Cards Challenge -- color challenge -- Navy/Silver/Light Blue (card entered at both sites)

I found some light blue patterned paper with baby phrases and another piece with dots. Cut one piece with a Nestabilities die and traced around the outside of the die on the navy paper to make a mat which I then outlined with a silver pen. Added a little bow and some silver pearls for embellishments.

I will be giving this card to the owners of our favorite restaurant here in Chapala. This will be their third son and is to arrive some time this month. The restaurant is located at their home so I'm sure we'll enjoy watching the little fellow grow up!

Here's the inside of the card:

Punched the corners with a Martha Stewart punch and added another piece of the "baby phrases" paper which was matted the same as the outside. Congratulations sentiment in Spanish from a set from Stampin' Up.

Thanks for stopping by,
Betty

Birthday Card and a Sunset

This card almost didn't get posted. I made it yesterday and had to keep changing and adding till I finally got to where I "didn't hate it"! Today, I added the little bow and I think that's when I came around to liking it. Poor little card -- it just wanted some love!!

I'll be entering it in the following challenges:

My stamps are from AnnaBelle Stamps -- Sentimental Bluebells and Backgrounds by Design 2.

Lily Pad Color Challenge -- Blue, Mustard, Rust

Cupcake Inspirations Photo -- The colors in the photo can be seen in the designer paper from Gina K. Designs that I used on my card. 

I have to share another photo with you. Last evening we had the most glorious sunset! Now, we have beautiful sunsets almost every evening but this one was super spectacular. We walked out in the yard and looked straight up, then turned completely around in a circle. Everywere you looked you could see "fire" in the clouds! Not just over the back fence where the sun sets, but everywhere you looked! I tell you, it was a sight to behold -- God was really doing an awesome work with His paintbrush during the sunset last night!

Bye for now and happy crafting to all,
Betty

Have You Hugged Your Pumpkin Today?

This sweet little image is from Di's Digis; who couldn't help but fall in love with this face!

There are probably more, but I found two sites that have challenges to use a pumpkin so I'll enter my card here.....

Crafty Contagion #2 with the Stamping Together Divas

2 Sisters Challenge Blog

I started with the image and colored it with Koh-I-Noor pencils blended with baby oil. Next, I cut it out with Spellbinders Nestabilities and matted it. Took the original die and traced around the edge to get the size for the orange mat and cut  the brown mat with the next sized up die.

Big thanks go out to my friend Patti Rose who included ribbon with the beautiful birthday card she sent to me. I found a piece of patterned paper in a Martha Stewart 12x12 paper pack that had that teal color from the ribbon for my background paper.

I'm going to enter once more in the Lily Pad Cards challenge; this will be the last, I promise! I really didn't intend to but I must have that sketch in my head; it just worked its way out!

Later,

Betty

Happy Birthday ala Nature

I have another card today for the sketch at Lily Pad Card Challenges. You are allowed to enter more than once and it is such a great sketch that I decided to use it again. Didn't even flip it this time!

My colors come from the challenge at AnnaBelle Stamps to Say It In ..... Pink, Green and Kraft.  The stamps are also from AnnaBelle's set All Things Grow.

I pulled out a tool that hasn't seen the light of day in a long time -- my crimper. Sounds like someone on "So You Think You Can Dance" -- oh wait, that's a crumper! Any how, the Kraft paper in the background has been crimped.

Now, on to my report about my trip to Miguel's in Guadalajara. It was two stories of arts and crafts supplies, but very little for card making. All I saw was a small selection of patterned paper and several assorted hand punches for small items like stars, small animals, etc. But, there were ribbons along several sides of the store, both downstairs and up -- they won't be running out any time soon! And what really appealed to me (although I have plenty in my stash and no need to buy now) was a full long aisle of glitter! Boy, was I in glitter heaven -- every color you could think of, from tiny packs to huge bags!  There were foam crafts, artificial flowers, flower picks, storage containers (some of the cutest tiny containers!), jewelry making items, all manner of beads from high end to plastic.  The majority of the upper floor had Christmas items. There were many other things that I can't remember but you get the picture! And speaking of pictures........

Along the right wall is a section of ribbon on the upper level.
There's even more than this downstairs, plus the special bins throughout the store with Christmas ribbons!

Here's the glitter aisle, friends!
The left hand side is the bagged glitter. Right hand side are things that already have glitter on them!

I guess you can tell that I had a good time on my outing; didn't buy anything but had a great lunch, lots of fun laughing with friends and looking at pretty stuff! And we all made it back to Chapala in one piece!! Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that at one point Johnny Cash was singing "Ghost Riders in the Sky" over the intercom system at Miguel's!

Gotta go for now, adios.....
Betty

Christmas Music

My card today is made with Flourishes stamps, from the sets Doves and Holly, Drummer Boy and Christmas Music. I embossed the french horn and sentiment with gold embossing powder and used Distressing Inks to make the sheet of music look older; lighter on the background, darker around the edges. Each layer starting with the music is popped up with dimensionals. Had to do a little fussy cutting for the french horn and ivy.

Lily Pad Cards Sketch Challenge provided the layout. Nina Brackett is sponsoring this week.

Their sketch is on the right. But I flipped it -- can you see it now????? I also changed the placement of the sentiment (I didn't want it to be upside down, now did I?)

The challenge at Sugar Creek Hollow is to use Colours of Fall. This challenge is being sponsored by Paper Cupcakes. Now I struggle with vintage, so I'm hoping that this card will fit their challenge -- I did use a piece of "vintage" sheet music!

The final challenge I will be entering is at Wee Memories which is being sponsored by AnnaBelle Stamps. They are having a "Free For All" challenge so you can make any kind of project that you wish.

Changing subjects, I will be going to Guadalajara this afternoon with a group of my stamping buds from church. We are going to Miguel's. This is a craft store and while I hear that it is not quite like Michael's in the States, I look forward to seeing what's there! Will let you know details later.

Hope you all have a great weekend; say a little prayer for us that traffic in Guad will not be awful!

Betty