No Waves, No Glory

What a gorgeous week.  Actually we went from summer heat to threats of frost and then back to gorgeous spring.  No wonder I was laid up with such an awful headache.  Those pressure changes get me every time.  I think I am ready for summer.  So many people spent our recent spring break at the beach and I am sooo jealous.  I need a few days relaxing like that.  

Today’s cards are all about the beach with an old fashion look. I used the Woody Convertible and Surfboard images, cut out using the Surfin’ Woody cut file, and layered in the cut out windows of a small window lattice die from Cheery Lynn. The sentiment is from the Surf’s Up set, stamped in Danube Blue Memento ink, and punched out.

This is my second version.  You know I can't leave anything too simple.  Don't you love the pizazz!!

Head over the to Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog for more details on these fun cards.

  

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge - Anything Goes!

Craft Your Passion Challenge #106 – Die Cuts and Punches

Everybody Art Challenge #189 – Card for a Man

Paper Pretties Monday Challenge PPMC35 - Embossing, Dry or Wet

LexisCreations Challenge #63 – Punches and Dies

Stampin For The Weekend Challenge #8 – Sparkle and Shine

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #159 – Freebie Week

Totally Gorjuss Challenge #128 – Boys Toys

Ladybugs Crafts Ink Challenge #58 - Shapes

Paper Sundaes Challenge #116 - Anything Goes 

Simple Spring Iris

Brrr!! It almost felt like winter again this week, but is definitely warming up again.  Today was beautiful and loved looking in my back yard at all the flowers blooming.  Especially some giant Irises.  Gorgeous!! 

Today’s card is a very simple card inspired by those irises.  The image is Stained Glass Iris from SparkleN Sprinkle.  It is colored with markers and covered with Starfire glitter, using a strip of Tear-ific tape.  I layered this on a punched yellow border with Impulsive Purple glitter framed by score lines and embossing.  The coordinating purple layer and yellow card base really help to accent the image.  The perfect card for so many different occasions.  For full details on this card go here.

Hugs,

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Totally Gorjuss Challenge #127 – Bling

Stamptacular Sunday Challenge #159 – Freebie Week

Stamp and Create April Monthly Challenge – Spring

Everybody Art Challenge #188 – Spring

DYSU #67 – Glitter/Bling

Simon Says Stamps Challenge – April Showers Bring Spring Flowers

Cute Card Thursday Challenge #212 – Spring Flowers
CI Paints Inspired By: Spring

Crafty Creations Challenges #165 - Flower Power

Paper Sundaes Challenge #116 - Anything Goes    

Basket and Eggs

This has been a lovely day.  We had a wonderful Easter dinner which my husband was nice enough to prepare.  Then my friend, April, picked me up and we visited another friend, Kim, whose mother just had surgery.  She came to visit Kim for Easter and ended up falling and breaking her hip.  They released her from the hospital yesterday so we stopped by to check how it was going and deliver a few little goodies to cheer them up.  I am glad to share that they are both doing fantastic for the situation.

I decided to complete one more fun little Easter project for my daughter.  This is a really cute basket I made from one piece of 12” x 12” cardstock.  Friday my friend, Cheryl, came to visit from North Carolina and shared how to make a lovely gift bag from two 12” x 12” pieces of double sided cardstock and a Scor-Pal.  I revamped the measurements to make it smaller.  I used I Need/Sweet Threads from Basic Grey for the basket.  The light pink lace just below the ribbon and on the basket handle is cut using the Dancing Doily Lace Border die from CheeryLynn Designs.  The swirly vines and leaves are cut from Basic Grey Sublime Vintage using Fanciful Flourish, also from Cheery Lynn Designs.  The flower is another one I made awhile back, using punches.
 

I am sure you noticed the unique eggs.  The one in front of the basket was a gift from another friend named Kim, when she was kind enough to invite me to be part of a great weekend at Scrapbook Creations.  She teaches classes there and teaches how to make these eggs, using alcohol inks. 

When Cheryl and I were playing with friends on Friday, we all decided to try these.  The eggs in the basket are mine, but their coloring didn’t come out quite as unique as Kim’s egg.  Guess I will have to take her class.

 

Hope you had a wonderful Easter.

 E. Marie
This card is entered in the following challenges:
Cheery Lynn Designs Challenge 22 - Make a Basket
Basic Grey Challenge #65 – Easter
Crafty Creations Challenge #164 – Signs of Spring
CI Paints Challenge Inspired By: Bunnies, Chicks or Eggs
Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Favorite Tool (Scor-Pal)
Stamping Scrapping April Challenge – Mom/Girlie (Scor-Pal)
All Sorts Challenge Week #149 – Color Bingo (Green/Ribbon/Pink)
Catch The Bug Challenge – Anything Goes
Crafty Cardmakers Challenge #65 – Easter                            
Everybody Art Challenge #187 – Easter
4 Crafty Chicks Crazy Egg Challenge #84 (4CCC-84) – Flowers
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge #73 - Easter or/and Animals
The Pixie Cottage Challenge #115 - Sweet Treats

Happy Easter

It is Easter Sunday so I want to wish you a very blessed Easter.  I decided to make one more Easter card, using a die cut cross design that I used last year using two Spellbinders’ tag dies  To get more information on this card, head over to the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog.

Happy Easter,

 E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Favorite Tool (Big Shot for Embossing Folder and Dies)

Anything Challenge #64 – Anything Goes

Everybody Art Challenge #187 – Easter

Incy W incy Designs Challenge #140 – Easter and/or Pastel Colors
CES Challenge #80 – Swirls and Pearls
4 Crafty Chicks Crazy Egg Challenge #84 (4CCC-84) - Flowers
Top Tip Challenge #73 - Easter or/and Animals

Indescribable Gift

Spring Break is flying by and I am really enjoying my time off, but had a bit of a headache the last few days so I have not done everything I have wanted to.  I have spent some time cleaning in my room a bit more and as I put things away I get ideas of things I want to try and this time I ended up making a card. 

The challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to use your favorite stamp set.  Well, picking a favorite set was just too hard so I just combined a few of my favorite sets.  I did try to stay with a lacy, floral, butterfly theme!!  That’s my favorite!!

I started by stamping one of my newest backgrounds, Crocheted Background, in tan on some design paper with small flowers on it.  A few of these show through.  I stamped the scripture from a Christmas set called His Gift, because I thought it worked just as well for a spring/Easter theme.  God’s loving sacrifice for our salvation is definitely an indescribable gift.  I added faux stitching and layered this on a dark brown card base.

The lacy floral circle is from the Serve The Lord set and was stamped in dark brown on brown cardstock.  I bleached out the flowers, stems and lacy border and then I colored them with colored pencils.  I loved how they popped.  I cut it out using ODBD’s coordinating CrochetedCircle Die and sponged the edges with dark brown.  This is surrounded by Basic Grey Opaline flowers and swirls.

The beautiful corner is one of my absolute favorite sets and one of the first one’s I got from ODBD’s, Butterfly Corner.  I stamped this in dark brown on some left over Basic Grey called Cupcake/Make A Wish.  I used my colored pencils on the flowers and butterfly, then cut out a second butterfly and popped it on top.  All of this is layered on light blue and dark brown with one side punched with a Martha Stewart border punch (another favorite).  I sanded the edges and added some faux stitching and popped it up in the corner.

I really enjoyed trying all these different techniques on this card and I hope you enjoy seeing it.

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Our Daily Bread Designs Shining the Light ODBDSLC102 - Favorite ODBD Stamp Set
Basic Grey Challenge #65 – Easter
Bunny Zoe's Crafts Challenge 22 – Shabby Chic/Vintage
CI Paints Challenge – Inspired By Easter

Paper Sundaes Challenge #114 – Happy Easter 

Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Favorite Tool (MS Punch)

Clearly Inspired Challenge #48 (CIC48) – Scripture

Flutter By Wednesday #196 – Open (along with your butterfly, fairy or angel)

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge #140 – Easter and/or Pastel Colors

Stamp and Create April Monthly Challenge – Spring

Fabulous Birthday

I had a headache most of today which was very frustrating because I had so many things I wanted to do.  Later in the day I finally felt better and headed into my craft room to do some stamping.  I ended up spending quite a bit of time cleaning but did manage to finish a card for one of my friends, who has a birthday this week.

I haven’t used my stamps from JustRite Designs for a while and their current challenge is a Spring theme using pastel colors and a butterfly.  I had a set, Butterfly Garden, I hadn’t opened yet and it was perfect for this.  I stamped it in black and colored it with my Tombow markers.  I cut it out with a Spellbinders’ circle die, layered it on a scalloped circle, and centered it on a flower made with Spellbinders’ new Floral Burst Cut and Tuck die.  I created a 2^nd set and cut out the butterfly and part of the flowers and popped these up to give some dimension.  The sentiment is from JustRite’s You Inspire Me set, cut out with Spellbinders’ Floral Oval die. 

For the background of the card I used one white layer punched with a Martha Stewart corner/border punch and a larger white layer punched with a Fiskar’s Corner/Border punch.  The lovely blue designer paper is Cupcake/Make A Wish from Basic Grey.  I added a blue jewel swirl and additional jewels to the Butterfly and flowers in the center. 

It is very later (or very early) so I am off to bed.   

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

JustRite Friday Challenge #069 - Spring Fling (Butterfly and Spring Colors)

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge 101 - Square Card

Stamp With Fun Challenge #155 – No Easter Card

Totally Gorjuss Challenge #125 – Swirly Whirly

Art Impressions Stamps Challenge #57 – Spring
Crafts 4 Eternity Challenge R#65 - 3 of Something (Flowers)

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #163 – Birthday

Kaboodle Doodles Challenge #113 – Anything But a Rectangle
Paper Pretties Monday Challenge PPMC33 - April Showers Bring May Flowers

Phindy's Place Challenge #99 – Ribbon

Stamp and Create April Monthly Challenge – Spring

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge #140 – Easter and/or Pastel Colors

Anything Challenge #64 – Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Favorite Tool (Big Shot, Spellbinders’ Dies, Martha Stewart Punch)
Creative Card Crew Challenge #7 – Spring
Crafts and Me Challenge #78 - Butterflies and Bows

Three Little Peeps

This week I am on Spring Break!!  It is nice to have a bit of a break and I have plenty to do around the house.  I am still working on my craft room (does it ever end?) and have taxes to work on.  I do plan to play a little with my friends.  I do have my priorities!!

Easter is around the corner so here is a cute little card, using 3 Peeps from SparkleN Sprinkle.  These little guys are so cute and can be used for so many more themes than just Easter.  They are colored with markers and covered with Sunny Daze Glitter.  They are cut out with a Spellbinders’ Circle Die and layered on a lacey circle die.

The sentiment, Happy Easter, is embossed with Cayenne embossing powder on some adorable decorative paper I have had in my stash for some time.  All the details to make this card can be found here. 

Hugs,

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

Totally Papercrafts Challenge #110 – Easter
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge #73 – Easter or/and Animals
Stamp and Create April Monthly Challenge – Spring
The Pixie Cottage Challenge #114 – Cuddly Critters
The Pink Elephant Challenge TPE142 – Clean and Simple
One Stop Craft Challenge #176 – Easter
Moving Along With The Times Challenge #142 – Cute and Cuddly        
Little Claire Monthly Challenge #19 – Spring
Incy Wincy Designs Challenge #140 – Easter and/or Pastel Colors
4 Crafty Chicks Crazy Egg Challenge #83 (4CCC-83) – Easter
Delightful Sketches Weekly Challenge – Easter
Cute Card Thursday Challenge #210 – Happy Easter
Catch The Bug Challenge – Easter/Spring
Anything Challenge #64 – Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamps Challenge – Anything Goes
Penny Black And More at Allsorts April Challenge – Oh so Cute
Creative Card Crew Challenge #7 – Spring
Paper Play Challenges Week 13 – Easter
Creative Inspiratons Paints Challenge – Inspired by Easter
Everybody Art Challenge #187 - Easter

Ahoy Mate - Sparkle N Sprinkle April Sketch Challenge

It is that time again - another wonderful sketch challenge!!  Do you realize that you could win a stamp set of your choice?  Head on over to the Sparkle N Sprinkle Blog for all the details.

This is the sketch for April and you have until April 30^th to enter you card.  I had a lot of fun with this sketch and here is what I came up with.



I heat embossed the Swashbuckler and Buccaneer images with Log Cabin embossing powder and the sentiment, Ahoy Mate, with Dark Night embossing powder on Waterfall cardstock.  This cardstock comes with  a smooth and textured side and I decided to emboss on the textured side because I loved the look it gave the images.

The map image from A Pirate’s Life stamp set is stamped on a paper bag, then colored with Pearlescent Watercolors for a very subtle look.  Then I scrunched it all up, spread it out, and added ink to give it the distressed look.

I have this new store close to me that carries a lot of stamping/scrapbooking products for only $1 and it gets me into a lot of trouble.  I spotted the little compass in the kids’ birthday section as a set of four for prizes.  I distressed it by sponging dark brown ink on it.  All the blue sparkle around it is created with Blue Lightning and Fascination glitter on 2 1/2" Double Sided"Tear-ific" Tape layered on white cardstock and popped up across the card.

This card can be found in the SNS Gallery, with complete directions.  Need more inspiration?  Go to the SNS blog to see more fantastic ideas from my fellow designers.  Now it is time for you to get creative and make a card using this great sketch and your Sparkle N Sprinkle stamps.   Don’t forget to link it to the inlinkz icon at the bottom of the current challenge page here.

I can’t wait to see what to see what you do. 

E. Marie

This card is entered in the following challenges:

SimonSays Stamps Challenge – Anything Goes
PaperPretties Wednesday Challenge PWC199 – Bling
Stampin For The Weekend Challenge 6 – Anything Goes
CES Challenge #79 – No Girls Allowed