Blog Candy and an Altered Purple Present Box

Happy Wednesday all!

Hubby and I just got back from a super relaxing mini vacay up to Prescott

We did some hiking, some swimming, and some sight seeing...

And I spent zero time in the studio!!  It was a fab night away, and we definitely 

need to do more of those! 

Don't forget that the new challenge blog kicks off this weekend, and you all are going

to LOVE all the fun things this super talented design team has come up with!

Please check out the site over at http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.com 

Carla has been so generous as to share some Candy with you all!!!

 MMMM looks yummy!  So hop on over and check out the site, and get your anything but a card

projects ready!!!

And speaking of anything but a card, I have a Present box to share with you today....

I made it using aluminum tape,  Plum and eggPlant alcohol inks, embossed Pretty Swirls,

and a Punched tag! Ok, Ok, are you sick of the P's?? That's the challenge over at Pile it on Challenge

It's just a cute bracelet Present that we picked up for Hubby's mom as a thank you for watching our 

Puppies while we were out of town!

Entering into: 

All Sorts: It's a gift

Penny's Paper Crafty: Sparkle and Shine 

Pile it on Challenges: I spy something with a P

Using Kraft Resist

First off I have to share that my Bright and Bold Card won over at Dilly Beans, check out that post here

I'm super stoked to get started on their newest Challenge "hearts"

Ok, so today I finally had some quiet time to myself in the craft room...

I had swung by Michaels yesterday on my way to work and picked up a pad of

kraft resist from Tim Holtz (after I saw his tutorial on his blog here)

I didn't really have anything in mind when I started, was just gonna play with the product a little bit

This is what ended up happening!

The kraft resist is basically kraft paper that has varnished images on it...

When you ink over these images and wipe the ink away there is color on page everywhere

but where the varnish is... It's a pretty cool effect.

As I was just playing around, I didn't care too much about color, but I think this

little card ended up pretty cute!

I did a sentiment only card per the challenge over at creative inspirations

Plus the bling (sorry it doesn't photograph very well!)

on the sentiment for the bling it up and gems and twine at cute card Thursday and

Crafty Creations respectively.

I also hand dyed and stamped the background for the anything goes challenge,

and added the buttons for the challenge over at corrosive challenges by janet

Finally, the background is mostly all hand made, the inking, the stamping, ect ect that is for

the challenge over at Anything goes challenge make your own background

I hope you're having a fabulous weekend!!

I am on a mini mostly staycation next week, so I will be in the

craft room with the kitty! 

Entering into: 

Creative Inspirations: Sentiments

Crafty Creations: Gem's and Twine

Cute Card Thursday: Bling it up
Anything goes: make your own background
Flutter by Wednesdays: Friends (must use butterfly or fairy)
Corrosive Challenge: Cute as a Button
A Blog Named Hero: Use Kraft

Movie Review

I know this is out of my usual realm of crafting and such,

And maybe it doesn't belong here... But last night Hubs and I actually went to the

movies together.  I asked him what the last movie he saw in the theater was

and the last he could remember was one of the Narnia movies.

So apparently he doesn't go as often as I do!

We went for "The Campaign" you know that new Will Farrell/ Zach Galifanakis (the creepy

guy from Hangover) movie?

Some of the commercials made it seem funny, and I thought it might be a good "date"

movie as it's not just a chick flick!

I was Wrong!

There seemed to be little to no plot, and when you thought you had finally caught up with

what was going on, they would go off on some crazy/ absurd tagent!

I have liked Will Farrell in the past, but I would not recommend this movie!

On the up side... It was pouring outside (like cats and dogs!!! in Arizona!!!)

So we stayed for a second movie... ParaNorman

It's a claymation movie, and the premise is that Norman can see and talk to

dead people (or Ghosts)

He walks through the town talking to all these ghosts, and doesn't have any

friends because of it. 

Norman has to of course save the town from the "witch," by reading her a bedtime story.

Norman quickly realizes that this will just put the witch to sleep for another year and he will then have to

read the story again.  Norman instead delves into why the witch is haunting

the town, and finds she is simply misunderstood, and needs someone to comfort her.

Norman does this.

I felt this movie was very well put together, and worth a watch... At least rent it out

of the Redbox in a few months.  I don't have kids, but I wouldn't recommend it for small children..

There are some scenes they wouldn't understand, and another with

a lot of flashing and it could be scary for them! 

If you're headed out to the theater this week skip The Campaign and go for the kids

movie!  ParaNorman is where it's at.. Plus they offer it in 3D (where available) and I bet that

would be lots of fun!!! 

Hope you're having a fun and creative Thursday! 

My first ATC

This morning I woke much earlier than I should have (7:31) 

Puttzed around for a while, and then hit the studio 

I like to work in there while The Price is Right is on!

By the way it's Plinko Week!  Every day they are having Plinko!

I digress!  Ok, so I have wanted to try an ATC for a while

What is an ATC you may ask??  It's an Artist Trading Card: 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches

It's the size of a baseball card! 

I got my sketch from Angie Delarie's Friday Sketch and inspiration from
Wicked Wednesday ATC "blues" challenge

 

I also wanted to use metal for the challenge over at All Sorts Challenge "heavy metal"

It's kind of hard to see, but the shiny stuff behind batty is actually aluminum tape that I used my

alcohol inks on, and the button is made of metal as well... Plus of course the brad in the middle of the

flower is metal too! WOW, lots of "heavy metal" going on here!

Ok, so batty can be found in Angie Delarie's shop! She was colored with my copics, with a little 

glitter accent for the bow!

The flower was made using Kraft Glassine, alcohol inks, and my 

tattered flowers die cut (the smallest flower!) with some perfect pearls on the edges of the flower!

I just LOVE instagram!

Ok, ok, and here is batty's close up

Hope you're having a crafty Monday! 

Also entering this little beaut into Card Makin Mama's Try something new challenge! 

Please check out all these wonderful challenge blogs! 

And remember I'll be posting to a BRAND SPANKIN new challenge blog starting September 2nd!!!

Anything But a Card will be a fun challenge blog where you can show off

all your creations (as long as they aren't cards!) 

So get your supplies ready, we'll be doing some super fun things over there!

One more birthday!

Ok, this is a quick post with a really cute and fun card! 

I know, I know, another birthday!  August is full of them! 

So this beauty can be found at the dilly beans shop

The challenge over at the Dilly beans Challenge blog 

is bright colors.

Here's her close up:

I lurve her!  Hope you do too

Entering into Dilly Beans bright colors challenge..

Ok, one last look!!! 

The Huntsman

I've mentioned before my struggle with card making...

Today I continued my battle...

In this case using "the huntsman" from Saturated Canary (find it here)

At the Saturated Canary Challenge blog there is a challenge based on a picture

I interpreted the green grass and the big tree into this

Birthday Card for a friend from work

My friend is really into magic cards (I don't get it but he LOVES them)

So I figured what else would a little boy with a sword slay but a dragon??

I added some sewn detail around the sides

And the oval that the huntsman is die cut out of was them embossed around the edges.

The Ticket is from Tim Holtz, and I added the "happy day" stamping

Here's the huntsman's close up...

Isn't he a cutie?? 

Hope you like what I've created today!

Entering into:

Saturated Canary Challenge: 24

Delightful Challenges: punches and dies (die cut the huntsman, and the star on the bottom is a punch)

Desert Island Crafts Challenge: blue, green, for a boy, embossing

365 Cards: all boy

Pile it on: Bingo Challenge (Ticket, Image, Sewing)

Another Christmas Card

It's one of those very rare days...

Where it's overcast and less than 115 degrees in Phoenix in the summer!

What should a girl do on an overcast day like this??  

Why make a Christmas Card of course!  

I used a pretty digi from dilly beans shop

I colored this fun snowlady with my copic, I tore and distressed the plain white paper behind her, 

I then embossed another plain piece of white paper, and then 

distressed with my distress inks and threw some embossing powder on those dots! Used 

some fabric cut outs and a strip of snowflake ribbon for the house and tree,

And finished off the card with a few strips of washi tape 

(the card was too big, so i thought it would add a little to the card!  

Here is miss snow's close up!

I am entering this pretty lady these challenges:

Dilly Beans: worn, torn and distressed

Chocolate, coffee, and cards: emboss

Desert Islands Challenge: Blue, Wet, Sparkle, no patterned paper, embossing (pick 3) ok I went overboard

Designed to Color: fabric

Ribbons, butterflies, and the great outdoors...

Ahhhh back in the craft room today for the first time in a week...

It was fabulous!!  I got a lot accomplished, but as I mentioned before,

I can't share too much with you as I'm getting ahead for the anything but a card challenge

Coming to a computer near you September 2nd!

I did take some time out to smash tho! 

I struggled with this one girls... 

Something about these circles just threw me off....

I tried them all over the page! And finally I stuck them around the SC 

digi and glued them down! 

The Challenge over at Saturated Canary Challenge is the great outdoors!

I Love this image, and colored her up with my copics

Then I did something I'd never tried before...

I cut out another image and masked her up and Distressed and glimmer misted the background!

It hurt a little to spray up a perfectly good image

but I love the way she turned out!

I also got a little creative with the ribbon behind the banner... Some ribbon and twine! 

And the butterflies in the circles are from Denami Designs.  

And my new favorite tool the die cut machine churned out the flower and the circles, and the pretty

scallopy design for the butterfly girl! 

I left some space at the top of the page for some journaling. 

Entering into:

Just us girls: JUGS #149:  Technique challenge

Saturated Canary: Great Outdoors

All sorts challenge: Going around in circles

Anything challenge: Summer Days

Crafty Catz: anything goes

Desert Island crafts: Mayzy art (use 3: Flag/bunting, sprays/ mists, texture)

Shopping our Stash: Technique Challenge #64

Measure of a day

I know I've been blog quiet lately..
But don't despair, I've been hard at work!!!

I've been working on getting a head on DT commitments for the new challenge blog I've been chosen for...

So...my question to you today.... How do you measure a good day??

This is my measure, how dirty are my hands??? Whether from art or garden, or even from being out in the dirt and dust... That's how I measure a great day...

Lucky me, I still have a lot of great day ahead too!!

An altered tin can

I've been trying some different type of materials lately,

This last week it's been Aluminum tape..

Pick it up at your local hardware store for about $4 for 10 ft.

I was a litle leery, but figured I could splurge on this just to see...

Today Hubby came in the craft room and said "whatcha makin"

I replied.. "I'm just playing around"

I think getting a feel for things is important, and so I

threw some alcohol ink on the tape, and ran it through an embossing

folder.  Then added a little bit of black gesso.  I then promptly stuck it on

a tin can that used to house some black olives (I made some pasta salad today.)

**And had every intention of writing a post about that.... but Hubby got a hold of it before

I could shoot any pics!**

Ok, so here's the tape project!

I'm pretty positive that this isn't some new project that's never been done before,

but I think it makes my paintbrush container awfully pretty!

I will definitely be buying the bigger roll of tape next time for a few bones more!

Have any of you ever played with this fun product before?? 

Smash*ing and a Big Announcement

I have some very EXCITING news to share....

But first.... 

A smash page

 

Over on Angie Delarie's Friday sketch Challenge 

She challenged us all to use her sketch, and some of her fun products

Here's a close up of "angel love" 

 

I colored her up using my blue copics

I am also in LOVE with Dilly Beans digi's,

This week over at the Dilly Beans Challenge

Megan asked us to do something Sewn.

Here's her pretty digi, and you can see the sewing I did on the paper backgrounds

I know it's hard to see, but I used my new perfect pearls on her hair, and on the edges of the tag!

Also, if you can't see the writing, it says "you keep me in stitches" 

Also from the talented Megan from Dilly beans

I added a pocket per Angie's challenge, and a little bit of journaling on the side! 

Soooooooo......  For the Big Announcement!

I got picked to be on the DT for a new and very fabulous challenge blog. 

http://anythingbutacard.blogspot.ca/ 

I am so honored and excited to start this new part of my creative life!

We are going live September 2nd, and the best part..... it's anything but a card..

Right up my alley, and perfect for most all of my creations

Entering this page:

Shopping our stash: monochromatic

Cupcake craft challenges: bunting

Dilly Beans Friday Challenge: sewn

Angie Delarie: sketch challenge

I am Doe: banner challenge

Creative Inspirations: anything goes
Tuesday Alchemy: Bingo (used glitter, die cut, and ribbon or bows)

Blog candy!!

I dont usually do a whole post, but check out some blog candy Here! 

Plus you can check out a fun blog in the process!

A Christmas Start

I've never made Christmas Cards before....

But since I have so much stuff hanging out in my craft room now,

I thought it might be the perfect way to use up some of that stash!

These are the cuties I came up with this week!

I used some kraft glassine for the first time... It's one of those things that I've wanted to use for a

long time and I never got around to it... I'm hoping I get better with it! 

The little cards on the front are from a 12 x 12 Tim Holtz paper pack

The burlap ribbon I got from Hobby Lobby, and there isn't much else to it! 

Just a little bit of twine on the first card from the twinery

Are you thinking about Christmas at all??

What fun projects do you have planned?

Summer Reading?

No, this post isn't about 50 Shades of Gray!!!

I have not, and don't really plan on reading it!

This post is about the fun bookmark I whipped out today!

The image is from the very talented Megan at Dilly Beans I am in love with

her fun quirky images!

She is running a challenge over at her challenge blog to use

ribbon in a project.

So I colored this pretty girl up and slapped it on a tag with a pretty red ribbon, and this tag is all ready to go in the book me and hubs are reading together (it's the Bible, yes!)

Here's her close up

I am simply in love with these images! 

Entering into:

Dilly Beans: Ribbon Challenge