Christmas Joy

This is my card using Lesley's Merry Monday Sketch #11. I think it turned out really cute and it went together so quickly -- would be an excellent card to mass produce. My image is recycled from a old Christmas card, cut out and embossed with a scalloped oval Nestability.

I am also entering this card in the Dutch Dare Challenge which is to use dots and stripes. The green/brown strip of paper has both stripes and dots but you can't ever have too many dots, so I added more with the red panel!

I've been meaning to share this cute little basket that I made several days ago. Saw one over on LeAnne's site, Wee Inklings. The instructions for the basket can be found here.

Have a wonderful day, my friends!

Betty

Front & Back Challenge

This is my card for the Flourishes Noon Time Friday Challenge. Here are the particulars:

To play in the “front” and “back” challenge, all you need to do is use the same image in the foreground for your main image as you use in the background! Have a beautiful focal image? Why not use that same stamp as a subtle background? The way you take on this challenge is up to you – just make sure you can see the same image in the foreground and background of your creation!

My card is made with the Flourishes set, Paperwhites. By using a Flourishes stamp, you will get two entries in this challenge. The focal image is colored with Koh-I-Noor pencils, blended with baby oil. Nestabilities dies were used to cut out the image and the sentiment. The image in the background was stamped with Momento London Fog.

Remember -- you have until Friday at 5pm, EST to enter both of the noon time challenges.

Betty

Round Cards

The Flourishes noon time challenge for yesterday was to make a card with a round base. I made the Thank You card with the yellow flower (which is a Martha Stewart two step clear stamp) for the challenge but decided -- why stop with one???? The pink flower is also MS, the red flower is Gina K. Designs, and the bottom two are Stampin' Up. Sentiment stamps are GKD and SU. All have scalloped bases, and pretty little bows attached.

The cards are 3 3/4 inches, so I'll have to make envelopes to go with them. That may not be as fun as making the cards but I can live with it!!

I see that it's after 12:00 now; we haven't "sprung forward" in Mexico yet -- so I've got to go see what the challenge is for today. The deadline for these noon challenges is Friday, March 16, 5pm EST. The prize is the entire March New Releases -- come check it out!

edited to add: I totally forgot that I wanted to enter my cards in the For Fun Challenges -- Helen wants us to use circles!

Betty

Gracias

The challenge at Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday is "Lace and Scallops". Since this week is New Release Week, the winner will win the entire March new released stamp sets. Can't get any better than that! Actually, there's more than one way to win the March New Releases. Check out the blogs at flourishes.org and get a a card entered in one or all of the challenges.

For the lace and scallops, I used a Martha Stewart punch that not only looks like lace, it is scalloped! I stamped my image and sentiment and then cut them out with a Nestabilities Oval Scalloped die. A lady at the Monday Market where I sell my cards requested a thank you card in Spanish.

By the way, I took pictures at the market this week but failed to get a picture of my own table!! So, next week I hope to be able to share a little bit of how I spend my Monday mornings!

Betty

Paper Ruffles

Hello, friends! I'm back this evening to report on my attempt to do the paper ruffle technique. I am proud of myself for attempting it, and for persevering through it, and I think my card looks pretty good (can you hear the "but" coming????) BUT, having said all that, I will not be spending this amount of time trying to do it again. My first strip of ruffles went in the trash can, the second and third ones looked a little better but I definitely had trouble getting plumping out the ruffles and getting the pleated top edges to lay down flat on my card. I don't want to discourage anyone from trying the technique -- I do much better with something new if I have someone show it to me directly or on a video; so, your attempt may go much more smoothly than mine -- right, Patti????  Let me know how it goes for you -- but you don't have to gloat!! lol

Oh, yes, forgot to say that the beautiful image came from The Graphics Fairy.

Betty

Fresh Flowers

I have made this card with two challenges in mind:

Flourishes March Release Week Challenge

 If you would like a chance to win Flourishes stamps and work with a beautiful color pallette, play along with the March Release Week Challenge at Flourishes.  Click on the link for full details.


Freshly Made Sketches #25
And, if you want a fresh, clean sketch to follow, try this one at Freshly Made Sketches. This challenge will end on Monday, March 12 at Noon (PST) so you best get hopping to play with this one!

My card uses Stampin' Up card stock, Elegant Eggplant and Lavender Lace, along with markers in thoses colors, plus Mint Melody. The other marker I used is a Marvy LePlume II, Spring Green.

I also used patterned paper and textured card stock from my stash of papers; not sure of maker.

Stamps are from Stampin' Up and the ribbon is scraps from my ribbon jar -- a purple and white striped ribbon on first and a sheer purple ribbon on top of it.

Hope you're all having a blessed Sunday!
Betty

A Flowery Postcard

Many thanks to Patti P. who shared a link to a wonderful website in her post this morning for Sugar Creek Hollow's Momochromatic Green challenge. Thanks to her link I found this wonderful free postcard image at Ephemera's Vintage Garden. There were three other beautiful postcards with flowers that went along with this one but I only needed to use one of them.

Patti also shared a link to a terrific tutorial for making ruffled ribbon from paper. Be sure to check out Patti's card at Patti's Paper Creations -- I thought that her ruffles were make from ribbon, for sure!!

I have used the Monkey 99 sketch and flower challenge for my card. I had to rotate the sketch so that it would work with the size of the postcard image. Here's the sketch, which is a beauty itself.......

Hope you're able to check out some of the links -- I know you'll be glad you did!

Betty