Fusion - Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

A little late but a very apt theme from FUSION for me this fortnight! This Lil Inkers sentiment is super special with more than a few ups and downs - especially hubby coming off his bike and fracturing his femur. I have been on carers leave looking after him managing to stuff my back in the process, before I start my brand new job next week. But I know that together we CAN weather any storm :)

Die-cut layers of cloud created using Mama Elephant stitched cloud die and Lily Bee patterned papers, together with this super cute Neat and Tangled rays stamped in Momento Luxe Dandelion then overstamped with a light layer of Momento Luxe Morocco, and finished with a button from my stash.

Hop along and see the fabulous Design Team for more gorgeous inspiration!

You can find some more fabulous inspiration from the Design Team blogs:

Becca Cruger - Betty J. - Carol Mayne - Jeanne Jachna - Karren Johnson

Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone - Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams

Hope you can join in the fun this fortnight @ FUSION.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Also playing along with the fabulous 
NBUS #12 Challenge (first time using my Lil Inkers sentiment) 

and Double D Challenge Sentiments/Quote

This made me smile!

Anything Goes with Hugs...

Had so much fun playing with stencils while I was away! Headed down the path of Freestyle Collage mixing and matching the layers and media. This was created using a Prima Cherry Blossom stencil and some Distressed Inks sponged over a sheet from an old Fairy Tale book covered in Gesso.  The cute 'Hugs' sentiment is a Simon Says Stamp, and the wood veneer butterflies are Studio Calico, with a matching button found lurking in my stash. 

Playing along with Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes with Buttons, 

Virginia's View Challenge #2 Stencils, The Card Concept Butterflies Challenge,
and A Blog Named Hero Build Yourself a Background Challenge and
 Moxie Fab World Styling with Stencils Challenge

 

A Dash of Love, Joy & Hope...

9 Minutes 17 Seconds later...

...three things you can never have too much of .

Playing along with Festive Friday Colour Challenge, 10 Minute Craft Dash Buttons Challenges and Dream Valley CAS Challenge. This would almost have to be a record for me from the start of an idea to the to finish of a card too - amazing what one will do to avoid housework LOL!  These gorgeous WPlus9 die-cuts and Fancy Pants buttons, together with Swiss Dots embossing folder make for a super fast & fun card :)

10 Minute Dash Tips:

• Die-cuts, die-cuts and more die cuts :)
• Do as many cuts as you can in one pass to save time, I die-cut the three words and one snowflake altogether in the first pass.
• I centred the Swiss Dots on my cardstock before embossing them, then the Swiss Dots creates a natural grid to assist in aligning the die-cuts accurately and quickly.
• I lined up the longest word first (hope), then aligned "joy" above that and "love" above that.

 

This made me smile...

Seize a Dashing Smooch...

9 Minutes and 42 seconds later...

It's that time again!!  Paper Smooches are currently calling for the Paper Smooches Sparks Design Team - are you going to give it a go!!!

Today I thought I'd play along with the current Paper Smooches Sparks Design Trend Watch (Stripes) Challenge, loving the tone-on-tone stripes & flowers, together with this fabulous Sieze the Sketch and 10 Minute Craft Dash Buttons.

Started by die cutting the gorgeous Paper Smooches Christmas Words and Poinsettia, with striped papers from MME and American Crafts, and the poinsettia leaves from Basic Grey paper. Rounded the corners on the card base, cut the striped strip to size and adhered to the card. Cut the sentiment strip to size and stamped "Merry" from Paper Smooches Christmas Sampler. Adhered the poinsettia die cuts and pop-dotted the sentiment strip.  Finished by adding buttons from my overflowing stash LOL!

 

Cute as a (row of) Button(s)...

When I saw this weeks Freshly Made Sketch I thought it would be a great canvas to use for interpreting this fabulous MUSE Challenge card by Laurie.  I recreated the line of buttons and the textured background from Laurie's MUSE card, using Fancy Pants Park Bench buttons and this Craft Concepts Diamond Shadows embossing folder reminded me of a quilted coverlet.  Joining in the fun at A Blog Named Hero Playing Favourites, using my favourite Hero Arts supply, Hero Arts Cup O' Joe Shadow Ink, together with this cute little stitched Hero Arts baby giraffe.  Added a sentiment from Mama Elephant, atop Lil Inker Designs Stitched Squares and pop dots!

Laurie's fabulous MUSE card

These made me smile...

With Thanks...

Thanks... to everyone who follows & visits my blog, it makes the journey so much more rewarding :)

Todays card was inspired by Cardabilities Sketch #69, which I mirrored, and Color Combos Galore Challenge #231, with its gorgeous pallette of teals, pink & red with neutral, with a focus on photo #3, incorporating buttons, circles and magic mesh.  Seeing as I've incorporated a scalloped circle die-cut and a scalloped edge die-cut, I thought I'd join in the fun at Splitcoast Stampers Die Crazy Lovefest 2013 Challenge too. Papers are mostly Kaisercraft Fine & Sunny, with Faith the Chicken from Purple Onion Design, an assortment of Prima flowers and sentiment and buttons from my stash.  I think I'll call this style "Clean & Complex" LOL!

Hope you all have a wonderful day & a fabulous week!

A Dashing Smooch...

So glad you have joined me for this weeks 10 Minute Craft Dash - with a FAB gift voucher from Paper Smooches this week, even more reason to give it a try!

This week I had a cardstock base just about ready to go, with this gorgeous chocolate hearts paper by Bo Bunny left over from my mad rush of Valentine's cards.  I tried stamping for the first time using Hero Arts Cup O' Joe - and loved it, stamped three in a row on cardstock and two patterned papers (inking between stamps) and they all stamped perfectly - I was very impressed!  Fussy cut mum and baby elephant, cutting straight from mums trunk to her foot, and gluing baby elephant on top to save time.  Even with gingham checks to align my cardstock I went slightly off course - oops, just pretend you didn't notice LOL.  Wrapped the twine around my card and half knotted before threading through my button and tying in a bow - perfect for this weeks Paper Players CAS Buttons & Bows for Baby Challenge.  Rounded the bottom corners as a last second finishing touch.  Phew - 9 minutes 48 seconds, just in time!

Check out the rest of the 10 Minute Craft Dash Design Teams fab creations, and some super cards from Paper Smooches Designers too.  Hope you are inspired to join in!
Remember you can pull out your supplies before it starts, even have a sketch in mind, 
and if you don't quite make the 10 minutes you can still post your creation 
(but you won't be eligible for the prize).
P.S. As luck would have it this weeks colours are sooo close to the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge that Kim has encouraged participants to link up for both Challenges :)

 

World Card Making Week...

To celebrate World Card Making Day, Clean & Simple Stamping is having a special Sketch and/or Colour Challenge til October 19th, with prizes up for grabs too.  I created my card using Prima papers from Road Trip and So Cute Collections, with some added jute and three October Afternoon buttons - just enough to scrape into this weeks Little Red Wagon Buttons Bonanza Challenge.

I love a long read, bookmark card...

Loved the colours this week at Color Throwdown and the sketch from Freshly Made, perfect for a Bookmark Card to encourage my youngest to complete his Reading Challenge - he's only got one or two books to go, but every bit of encouragement helps!!  I designed the card so that the bookmark/tag tucks in behind the button, and can be easily removed as needed.  I added paper to the back of the middle section of the Basic Grey flourish sticker so it would not stick to the bookmark.

Papers are a combination of Basic Grey, Echo Park, Crate Paper and Jenni Bowlin, stamped with The Alley Way Stamps funky little Party Animal giraffe, with the sentiment made using Alphabet Soup, Hey Cupcake and Party Animal, and punched with EK Success scalloped border.  Buttons are Fancy Pants Off to School and a Prima heart button.

Also playing along at:

Cute Card Thursday  - Tag You're It
Raise the Bar - Back to School

Hope you have the opportunity to enjoy a long read soon!

You're so QWERTY... Just my TYPE!

TYPE HYPE! Tuesday Trigger

I couldn't resist this fortnights Type Hype! Tuesday Trigger.  Thought it was perfect for a nostalgically romantic card!  Inside the card reads ...Just my TYPE!

I used Glitz Dance in Sunshine Paper Layers as the basis for my card - LOVE the old typewriter, faded text and love heart typewriter keys.  I added the sentiment using My Favourite Things Typewriter Alphabet, stamped in Versamark Watermark Ink and heat embossed with Zing Pewter, to create raised metallic letters - reminiscent of the old typewriter stalk letters. Mounted the QWERTY letters on foam tape in the centre of these cool pearl sheen Fancy Pants Off to School buttons.  Matted the sheet on red cardstock to reflect the red typewriter ribbon - and romance!  Backed with 7 Gypsies paper which I altered with Distress Ink in Old Paper to create a more old-fashioned, QWERTY feel LOL! 

Hope this weekend is just your type too!

Retro Dynamic Duos More or Less...

Inspired by Arielle's gorgeous Retro Sketch together with Dynamic Duos Daffodil Delight & Basic Black with Dessert Option of Dry Embossing, and Less is More.  The star die-cuts are My Favourite Things, making it perfect for CAS-ual Fridays Punchy Challenge too ;)  The base cardstock is dry embossed using Craft Concepts Stary Night, and stamps are Verve Always on My Mind.  The button from my collection is hung from Divine Twine.  This gorgeous yellow polka-dot paper is from Doodlebug Design Sugar & Spice - perfect for baby and new parent cards.

Thought I would enter this into Gallery Idol 2012 "Encouragement Cards" 
You can join in too, just upload your card here at PaperCrafts Connection by May 28
Good Luck :)


These brightened my day too :)

SHOUT OUT