A Journal for Macala

In case you're wondering....what is my all-time favorite project to make? Banners! But second on my list is making journals...which is a good thing because I've decided to make journals for all of my nieces for Christmas this year. You might even get tired of seeing me post so many...but hopefully you won't?! LOL.

 

 

This is for my niece Macala who just turned 10 less than a month ago. She's into bright colors, fashion, dancing, glitter and TIARAS! The green tulle tied on the binding has glitter embedded in it and when Macala come over in October for our annual rib-fest she was playing in my craft area, swirling and twirling all night with strands of this tulle...leaving a mixture of glitter and dust floating in the air for days. I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time....there was glitter EVERYWHERE!

 

How awesome that I won this adorable Bean from TGF a couple of weeks ago and it just arrived yesterday...after inking it up this morning I couldn't wait to multi-color her hair....ADORABLE! I also made a charm using beads and TH fragments...a girl can never have too many fragments!

 

The sketch on the cover of the journal is by Kathy Curry and I've used it before a couple of times, the simplicity of the sketch is what works so well.

Challenges:
Yumi & Fumi Handmade:    Use ribbon or lace
Anyone for Anya: No patterned paper
Simon Says Stamp: Anything goes
Use It Tuesday: Ink it up finally

Thanks for stopping by and leaving such nice comments, they always warm my heart!
:Dxx

Flutter By Wednesday - 208 - Pixie Dust

This week's challenge at FBW is Pixie Dust and our sponsor is Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, who was super sweet and supplied the entire DT with images to showcase for the week., which are the same 3 images that will be awarded as this week's top prize.

 

 

 I used this beautiful image from the Everyday Miracles set, and because the challenge is all about Pixie Dust I added a lot of sparkle and shine to the CS surrounding the image using Stampendous Snow glitter. The DP is from the  MME Dolled Up line. The Decor Paper Pen I used is in Dark Carmine Red, and the rub-on and ribbon are from my stash.

  

 

I'm entering this isn:

Deconstructed Jen's Sketch 71

Simon Says Stamp: Glimmer and Sparkle

 

You have plenty of time to join us for this fun challenge...just make sure your project has a butterfly or fairy on it, along with a little bit of pixie dust! For more inspiration you can go HERE and see what my teamies have created...you won't be disappointed.

:Dxx

 

 

Arigato

A couple of weeks ago there was a Scrapbooking Expo in town and while I was there I bought a few new goodies to play with...a handful of Copics, a new Sizzix Flip-it die, and mesh bling. If only I had know how fast I was going to fall for the mesh bling I would have bought some in every color...OMG, I'm weak in the knees just thinking about this fabulous product.

I'm still working out the kinks and watching some YouTube videos for this die because as easy as it looks to work with, lining up the paper and images took a little tweaking on my part. All in all, I figured it out and am really pleased with the finished card.




Don't you love the mesh bling?!! I MUST HAVE MORE!!! LOL!


The image is from Sister Stamps and is called Kiyoko.
The sentiment, lantern, and flowers are from the Hero Arts Arigato set.
The DP is SEI-Poppy

Challenges:
Yumi & Fumi Handmade: #2 Use a Sentiment
Simon Says Stamp: Put a Stamp On It
Through the Craft Room Door: Diva or Anything Goes

Arigato, for stopping by and leaving all the sweet comments.
:Dxx

Anya Cool

I was finally able to find a few crafty minutes, which of late hasn't been too easy. On top of trying to find a little crafting time our cable, internet, and phones have had sporadic service and I never know if one or all three are going to be working when I go to use them...ho hum!

Anya, her clothes, sunglasses, ice-cream cones, and sentiment are all from TGF's Dress-up Anya/Ian...which are retired sets but I was able to buy at one of TGF's Farmer's Market, such a deal! All the DP's are left over scraps which I love to use up...but end up never having enough DP for the inside of the card, lOL!



Challenges:
TGF: Dies and/or Punches
Anyone For Anya: Last Summer Fling
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
Totally Paper Crafts: #127 Orange and Yellow
Deconstructed Jen: Sketch 62
The Kraft Journal: Use Any Sketch
Sherri's Crafts: #90 Nat'l Ice Cream Month

Thanks for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments, they all put a smile on my face.
:Dxx

Wicked Wednesday - Life's a Beach

Wicked Wednesday has a fun challenge going on this week, Life's a Beach....so think sun, surf, swimming, tropical, and beach toys!


This sweet image is from Simply B. Betty Stamps and Betty generously let our DT play with her awesome Summer Emo digi stamps for this challenge. The great news is this week's winner will receive ALL 6 of the images as the prize!!! You have until next Tuesday evening to enter your ATC and join the fun.

I'm also entering this in:
Totally Paper Crafts: Can You Digi It challenge
Simon Says Stamp: Tags or ATC's

Happy 4th of July...I hope your day is fill with traditions and happy celebrations! Have fun, stay safe!
:Dxx

Yet Another Graduation Card

One of my co-workers is graduating from college this weekend and I thought this image was a perfect match for her...adorable and sassy! She's going to need that sassy attitude with her new MBA in sports journalism, along with some thick skin to compete in a predominately male field. Kudos to her!

I made this into a 3 1/2 x 7 card, just the right size to hold a couple of bills and/or check. Both sentiments were CG.

Stamp:
Sassy Studios: Chelseas Graduation

Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp: Diamond Jubilee, Crowns, and Gems!
The Kraft Journal: Graduation Celebration

Thanks for stopping by and leaving such sweet comments, they always make a girl feel good!
:Dxx

Mother's Day

Aaaack, I really am late in making this card for my mom for Mother's Day, but my saving grace is I'm not going to see her until Thursday and she won't have a clue as to when this was made for her. I have to say that at times like this I'm glad my mother doesn't use her computer for anything except solitaire?!!

This card went together really quick and I think it's due to the fact that I used Indie Chic double-sided DP by MME and went for a CAS look. At least I think it's CAS because that's a style I seldom attempt, probably because of my deep love for embellishments.

Stamps:
TGF: Cheeky Cherry Pie
TGF: Tea-rrific

Challenges:
TGF: May Retro - Mommy Dearest
The Kraft Journal: Remembering You
Simon Says Stamp: Clean & Simple
Anyone For Anya: May Sketch


Thanks for stopping by and leaving such sweet coments, they always make my day!
:Dxx

Birthday wishes with Kiyoko/Anderson Gardens

Oh my...spring cleaning, an out-of-town guest, and extra days at work have kept me busy and away from my computer for the past couple of weeks! But finally this morning I was able to sneak downstairs for a few hours to my craft area and combine a couple of my favorite challenge blogs into a card, and this is what I came up with.



The image I used is Kiyoko from Sister Stamps and colored with Copics, isn't she the cutest?! The sketch I used is by Kim Yu who started posting monthly sketch challenges on her blog at the beginning of this year, and it really is true when I tell you that each and every one of her sketches have stunning results....I always look forward to the beginning of every month to see what she comes up with. The DP is by American Crafts, along with origami paper. The Kenji words are from Hero Arts. The cherry blossoms are from I Am Roses and were left in their original creamy/white color. The Asian brad is from Recollections. Would it surprise you if I said the sparklers are heavily laddened with Atyou Spica Glitter pens?

Stamps:
Sister Stamps: Kiyoko
Hero Arts: Tiny Chinese Wishes
Hero Arts: Chinese Happiness Wish

Challenges:
The Kraft Journal: Use Any Sketch
Simon Says: Birthday Celebrations
Paper Playtime: #73 Anything Goes
Totally Paper Crafts: #114 Saturated Colors
Kim Yu: May Sketch

Remember I said I had out-of-town company for a couple of days? I took my friend to see the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford while she was here and because the weather has been unseasonably warm this spring, we were able to enjoy the early blooms!

Main building/Gift Center:


Walking along the paths/grounds:


Raked sand in front of the head landscaper's home:


Bamboo water fountain:


The beautiful waterfall:



Gorgeous gardens, right?!! As always, thanks for stopping by and leaving all the sweet comments that you do...they make me smile!
:Dxx

Pretty in Blue

Have you ever made a card and wondered to yourself why it was so easy to put together when there are other times that you struggle for hours?! This went together in no time and I'm thinking it's all because of this gorgeous DP by DCWV called Mimosa, matching the papers couldn't have been easier. I love all the bird and butterfly images throughout the pad and decided to use DP as the main image instead of stamping and coloring one....only because my mother is a bird fanatic and this is perfect for her upcoming birthday, besides...why would I want to hide this gorgeous image behind all the layering that I do?!!


I used Jen Shults' DS No. 47...what a wonderful sketch and her DT is truely AWESOME! I used TH distress inks on all the edges, fussy cut some butterflies, used a Spellbinders Mega-Oval die, a SU Vintage Flower adornment, Kraft paper, lots of blue, and a stamped birthday sentiment...whew!!


Challenges:
Deconstructed Sketch: No. 47
Simon Says Stamp: April Showers Bring Spring Flowers
Kraft Journal - April Showers Bring May Flowers
Flutter By Wednesdays: #198-Birthday
The Stamping Boutique: #33-Distress

Thanks for stopping by, I love chatting and visiting with friends...old and new!
:Dxx

Fairy Princess Card w/ Tag

It seems I've picked up extra days at work the past couple of weeks and haven't been able to get to my craft area as much as I've wanted, so my thought was to combine a few challenges with my limited time. Lucky for me, there were a couple of duplicate theme's making it pretty easy to accomplish this week....not to mention that making tags is probably one of my favorite projects to do.

I used the gorgeous MME Bella Bella DP and found a sheet in the stack with a filigree around the outer edges of the paper, so I just fussy cut it and used it in place of the rick-rack on the 365 Days sketch. There was a tad bit left, so I added it to the corner of the tag. I used the clear stamp set Fairy Princess from TGF for all the sentiments, mushroom, and fairies...such a cute and versatile set! A couple of different punches were used, along with lace, Viva Decor Pearl Pens, twine, Copics, and stickers. Stickers?! Yes, the buttons are stickers...I put glossy accents over them to give them some dimension.



I love the little details!


Stamps:
TGF: Fairy Princess

Challenges:
The Kraft Journal: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp: Let's Play Bingo - Pearls/Lace/Tag
Flutter by Wednesday: #195 - Anything Goes
TGF: Monday Fun Day #25 - Circles and Scallops
365 Days: Day 21 - You're Included (1 sticker, 1 patterned paper, ink)
365 Days: Day 18 - Super Sketchy Sunday



As always...thanks for stopping by, it's so much fun to visit!
:Dxx