MFW: Styling With Stencils Challenge

Hello!

I'm back with another challenge from Moxie Fab World, this one is using stencils. I really like the whole stencil - create your own background thing. So I hope to play along again with this challenge. Soon.




For this card, I used stencils that I cut using my Silhouette. Since I can cut anything I want with it, I can't justify buying ready-made stencils! I cut it out of some "slicky" paper that came in product packaging. It's still paper, so it's not holding up like a piece of transparency would (still on my "short list" to purchase!), but I've used it several times with several different mediums and it's still working. =)

Here is my card:

My Kraft card base is embossed using PTI's Burlap texture plate. I then used the chevron stencil on my accent panel and sponged the ink over it in different colors. I used those same colors to stamp images from Avery Elle's Laurels and IKat Additions stamp sets. I trimmed them and attached some pieces with adhesive foam for dimension. After stamping the sentiment, I hand-stitched the panel to the card base in pink thread. I did "cheat" on this and stamped a guide on my paper first, using a classic CTMH stamp set, Simple Stitches. It gives the stitching a little more uniform look (especially mine!) but I think it's obvious it's still hand-stitched.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

God Bless,
Mandy
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Freshly Made Sketches #129

Good afternoon!

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Mine has been fun, with a visit in from the parents. Big Daddy has been at work the whole time (poor thing), but the kids enjoyed having the grandparents here to give them attention from someone other than Dear Old Mother! I'm sure they are sick of me. :) ha ha.

Friday night, I stole a little time in my craft room before everyone got here. I played along with Freshly Made Sketches and inked up (for the first time) the little Hippity Hoppity mini stamp set from PTI.

Here is the sketch and my take on it:

 

I used a Kraft card base and strip of Lagoon (?) cardstock that was stamped with a Hero Arts Background stamp set in Lagoon ink. I embossed the sentiment on a vellum strip and attached it. I paper pieced the bunny and adhere him with a little piece of foam tape for dimension. I was afraid it was missing a little something so I added the hand-drawn stitching with a white gel pen and then after it still needed something so I traced a die-cut circle mat with the white gel pen. I was happy with the little additions. It turned out fun and cute!

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

God Bless,
Mandy

 

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AEI[Heart]U Challenge #3

Hello!

This week's challenge over at AEI<3U is Ombre/Gradient. A pretty style I always admire when I see it on other projects, but rarely get into for my own purposes. Not sure why because I do like it.

I used the All Squared Up stamp set for my pink CAS card. (Baby Pink, Blush, and Watermelon in CTMH colors). The solid pink card base is Bazzil carstock.

I added just smattering of pink and white sequins with tiny little adhesive pearls in the center. It gives it an even softer look and is perfect for a card I need to send out this week. :) 

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

God Bless,

Mandy

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PTI March 2014 Blog Hop

  Hello! This is my second post of the day (Katie, bar the door!) I'm sharing one more quick card I made for the March 2014 Blog Hop at PaperTrey Ink.

This month's theme is "High Gloss". I remembered it as I was checking on some other posts this afternoon and decided to run up and make a CAS card before I started dinner. Hee hee Squeezing one more in for the day! Had inspiration not unwittiningly struck like it did, I would not be talking to you now. Since I have TONS of stuff to do around the homestead these days, I'm making an effort to craft when inspiration strikes but not "hang out" so much aimlessly. LOL. Otherwise, Mandy spends alot more time watching TV than doing anything else. Meanwhile, laundry is everywhere, I've got rooms I want to paint, and books to read waiting on me! :) Not that I don't enjoy a little TV time hiding in my room by myself, but it's probably not always the best use of my time (AND it makes Mommy sleepy. Never good for productivity levels!)

I used my "Super Stripes" stamp set and clear embossing powder on a piece of Rustic White cardstock. I then stamped the happy birthday from "Keep It Simple: Birthday" and adhered this piece with foam tape over a card base made of Hawaiian Shores cardstock. I finished it off with a few colored dots and it turned out CAS and Happy! Yay! 

Thanks for stopping by to visit! 

God Bless, 

Mandy

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CAS(E) This Sketch #68

Wow. I just checked the dates and realized it's been almost two weeks since I shared a card in blogland! I've been so busy and have been crafting in my crafty space, just not finding any energy or time to share what I've made.

I popped in my room over the weekend to make a few Mother's Day cards. I'm ready to send a big box off to Operation Write Home and I noticed in their current information they are in need/want of Mother's Day cards for the deployed soldiers. I decided to whip some up to go in my box. 


I used a few sketches and pulled out remnants I had from my CTMH Lucy paper kit. Funny thing is, in my typical CTMH paper hoarding fashion, I purposely pulled out this kit to make Mother's Day cards. Use up this paper I told myself -- and I found myself not cutting into any 12x12 pieces! I kept thinking, "Well I should use up the scraps first - no reason to cut a big piece down." LOL! Completely undermining the WHOLE point of cracking that package back open. :) I think that's why I've become so enamoured with 6x6 pads - I'm not "scared" to cut into them for a card. :)

Here is this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge:

 

And here is my Mother's Day card using the Lucy paper:

 

 

 

I embossed the Blush cardstock banner strip using my Cuttlebug first. I used a die-cut label that had been living on the top corner of my desk b/c I cut it and didn't discarded it from a prior project, but couldn't bear to trash it. :) I stamped the sentiment and vine from PTI's Garden Grace stamp set. That's about the only "Happy Mother's Day" stamp I have!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

 

God Bless,
Mandy

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MFW - Happy for Hexagons - Revisited

Hello again!

I hope everyone is warm and cozy, snuggly in their homes. As much as possible, anyway. We are off again on another Snow Day. I even have volunteer time at the church house; The Piglets will have to go with me. One is excited about it, I expect a fight from the other one. LOL. Nothing new there. But I don't want to cancel on them at last minute, if it can be helped.

I got wild and crazy and made 2 cards for the MFW Hexagon challenge. I just so happen to have ordered a new Fiskars Hexagon squeeze punch prior to this challenge -- so it was the perfect excuse to use it. I really like it. I used scraps from several pieces from a Crate Paper 6x6 pad, DIY Shop. I distressed the edges to go with the feel of the papers and splattered Black CTMH reinker over my card base prior to attaching the hexagons and stitching them down. The sentiment and leaf/brach are from Avery Elle's Laurels. I added a button with burlap twine and Foundry Pin and black jewel from CTMH.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit! 

God Bless, 

Mandy

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Retro Sketches #104

Hello!

We are experiencing the jubilee of yet another "snow" day here. The kids cheered when we told them we received the coveted call while they were showering. It's so fun to hear their reactions. While the roads near us - that we can see - seem fine, the rural roads in the county tend to take longer to clear. That was always such a "gift" when we were kids. :) We figured it out quickly, too. We were in third grade and discussing the condition of "all the back roads" the buses would travel. Giggle. Well, that hasn't changed in the past 30 yrs!

So, no we can be in relaxed mode tonight, too. In pj's and ready for bed, but no rush! It is quite fun - even for me. While The Voice is on in the background and the kids are quietly watching in the den, I can actually take care of some online tasks. .... Like sharing a card!

I mentioned in my post earlier today, I got quality crafty time last night (b/c of the aforementioned Snow Day) and I played along with a few challenges.

I really liked this sketch over at Retro Sketches.

Here is my card using papers from Dear Lizzy's 5th and Frolic 6x6 pad (love this set of patterns and colors!) 

I used a piece of Soft Stone cardstock (PTI) for the card base and it's almost TOO close to the background color of that yummy rosie patterned paper. The Kraft tag I cut on my Silhouette. I believe it is a Lori Whitlock tag set and I created an internal offset and had that line perforate rather than cut, to create the "stitched" look around the inside of the tag. Additionally, I laid a circle stencil over the tag and traced the insides of the circles with a VersaMark pen and used a white embossing powder. The sentiment is stamped from PTI's Keep It Simple: Birthday mini stamp set. It was a last minute, throw in the cart kind of purchase (I was like $5? pffffttt. why not?) and now I've used it several times already. 

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

God Bless, 

Mandy

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Avery Elle Geometric Birthday Card

Hello!

I'm breaking out of habit today and on my second post. But I really wanted to play along with the AEI<3U challenge for Birthday's. And, since I didn't get much quality crafty time until yesterday, I'm sharing today before the challenge closes on Sunday. :) Better late than never.







I didn't have any Avery Elle birthday sentiments so had to rob this one from a PTI mini stamp set. I used one of my favorite Avery Elle sets  All Squared Up, (because I don't have many geometric sets).

 

 

I used assorted ink colors to stamp the triangles framing the birthday sentiment. I then stamped the hexagon border twice in white pigment ink on my Kraft background. I added a few veneer hearts to give it a little "texture". Then popped the accent panel up on foam tape. I love how it turned out!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 



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Paper Smooches Designer Drafts

Hello!

I'm popping in to share a card I made in my crafty space yesterday. I got a few hours to hide out in there and it was FANTABULOUS. I squeezed in an hour or so before school was out and then again some more while the kids were playing after school. (It's Friday - no stressing over homework, early supper, and showers! Laid back time.) My sister and I decided to share crafty time. Since we live 3 hours apart, that entailed iPhones propped up on our desks doing a FaceTime call. She says it's perfect because we can both craft and not leave the comfort of our own home. :) She's all things fabric, whereas I'm all things paper. The best part is, we sometimes cross-over and that's even more fun. Whatever the case, it worked for my mojo yesterday and I was happy with all the cards I cranked out! That's so rare for me.

I wanted to play along with this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS sketch challenge. It's been a few weeks since I've played along and I really love to bust out my PS stamps. They are too, too cute. And so fun to color and/or paper piece. (Today I did both!)

Here is the sketch:

 

Here is my card using the Get Outta Town stamp set.

 

 

 

 

 

This was my second attempt. I was stamping a whole scene that was great in theory =) but a few things seemed a little off to me and I switched to this. Also, I got so caught up in creating the scene, I forgot about the sketch design. HA!

 

I'm happy with my little palm trees now. I colored the trunks with brown Spectrum Noir markers and paper pieced the palm fronds with some scrap Dotty For You paper. I stamped stitching (I so wish I could sew stitches on there.) to represent the lines of the sketch. And, then I had to add the little postage stamp images on the top corner. I couldn't resist. It might have been better off without it, but it's so cute.

 

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 

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