Crafty Day Session

Hello!

I hope everyone is surviving the Winter Weather. We are slightly touched by it here in Middle TN. My family back home in Northwest TN is getting it far more than us. - Vastly different actually. My kids are praying for no school tomorrow (Ha!) but snow isn't supposed to get here until 10am, so I don't know how that will play out. It will be interesting, I'm sure. :)

I hung out in The Fortress today. I was mildly grumpy - gray skies weren't helping - and The Piglets were home on a Snow Day yesterday, so I had to make up for lost time! 8-)

I made some fun cards to play along with a few challenges....

This one is a fave - it cracks me up.

Playing with more Paper Smooches - they are always so fun to play with. So many different things you can do. I combined several sets here - My Peeps, for the owl; Freezy Fellas, for the tie and top hat (snort); and Incognito, for the mustache and sentiment. I pieced it together from a few of the phrases/words in the Icognito set. It cracks me up - and I have no idea what I will do with it. I don't know the first hipster, much less a slick one. :D MAYBE my Dad. He's slick, but not really a hipster. ; ) ha!

I also had a TON of fun inking my background (and others) with the smooshing technique. I finally got around to trying it. I just love the look of the watercolor backgrounds and have been ogling so many on blogs and Pinterest these days. I've done it some, but can't always get very happy with it. This method may be better for me. I had one failed attempt and another trial then went pretty well. I still have it out on my desk. I have to find something that works with the colors I tested out.

I'm playing along with the current Paper Smooches challenge - Use 4 colors: Brown, Tan, Green, and Blue  (Prismacolor pencils on my owl and Cracked Pistachio & Salty Ocean Distress Inks in the background).  And with Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Create With a Critter

  





I'm still not finished having fun with my MFT LLD Hug in a Mug set. It is so unusual for me not to be bored with a set like this yet. (Shhhh. Do not repeat that - it's terrible.) But, I'm still loving this one. Maybe it's because it can be used for several different occasions?

 

 

I wanted to play along with Merry Monday - Hot Bevies challenge while I had the chance. That was just the perfect excuse to use this set again. 8-) I used the sketch over at the MFT Challenge Blog for my jumping off point.

 

I used the MFT Diagonal Stripes background stamp, Lawn Fawn Cranberry ink, MFT Double Stitched Rectange Dienamics, MFT Mini Scallop Circle Dienamics, Blueprints 13, and Blueprints 23. The cardstock strips are scraps from my stash (Blue CTMH and Dark Brown Bazzil). I did ink the edges of my diecuts with matching inks, but I'm super bummed it doesn't show up in my photo. Especially the soft brown inking on the marshmallows. Snort. It's ADOR-able. :D (And, I've seen that elsewhere - I can't take credit for that brilliance.)

 

 

    

 

 

Phew. One more card.

 

 

 

I had to make myself do a little "Valentine-y" stuff. It's not my favorite, but I do really like how this one turned out. And, I am getting more in the spirit of things. Fun Fact: It's a re-do! I had Epic Failure Day in The Fortress yesterday. Note to self: No amount of coffee can make up for lack of sleep when it comes to creative brain power. Ugh. Kids were out on a snow day, it was called out at 5:30am. It was just a messy day for me for various reasons -- too tired. Anyhoo! I redeemed it today, in my mind.

 

The fun little envelope and sentiment is from Sugar Pea Designs Special Delivery set. It' s just adorable. I had no idea how cute that die would turn out until I popped it through there. Score! The fabulous hearts border die is also SugarCuts. The sketch over at the Sugar Pea blog is my inspiration, but I had to move one element a little bit to get happy with it.

 

 

My original card had the heart border on a die cut rectangle and the envelope at the top, closely mirroring the sketch. (I also had pink and blue heart borders. Ick.) I just hated it. I didn't even want to mail it to anyone. Ridiculous, I know. So I decided to work on it again today - ditched that rectangle and added "freer" heart borders in dark and light pink, as I originally planned. Love it. I used the twine bow for the bottom strip, because no card is complete without a twine bow and scooted the envelope down, like the non-conformist I am. :D

 

The kraft panels I kept from my original card - they are stamped in white pigment ink with the MFT Bold Diagonal stripes background stamp. The sequins I added as a last minute embellie are iridescent, but super cool because they are picking up the color of those pink hearts in the photo. Happy accident. Nerd alert.

 

 

I'm also playing along with The Paper Players - CAS Valentine challenge.

 

 

 

Well, this was  real doozy of a post. If you looked through all of that, I thank you. I so hope you come back to visit again soon! Pretty please.

 

 

God Bless,

Mandy

 

 

I Peter 3:16-17   NKJV  (New King James Version)

    "having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your conduct in Christ may be ashamed. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."

 

 

 

 

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