Deconstructed Sketch No. 11

I've been blog stalking Jen Shults' blog lately, OMG...she is one talented girl! Not only is she this months Guest Designer at TGF, but she also runs a weekly sketch challenge called Deconstructed Sketches. All you have to do is click on her name because I've linked her blog for you to check out...maybe you'll give one of her challenges a try too?!!

Here's the sketch:


Here's what I came up with:


I've been wanting to join her sketch challenges for a while and finally took the leap this week and am glad I did! I am so pleased with the way this card turned out and hope ___?___ loves it when her b/day comes around this coming month! Here are a few things I used to put this all together:
TGF digi stamp-Spring Fairy
Copics
Glossy Accents (on wings)
Glitter (on wings)
Sentiment is from the CTMH Aspiration set
Basic Grey dp
EK Success border punch
TH Distress Ink
Pearls

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I was oh, so lucky this past week to meet up with a few girls from TGF while they were in the area for CHA in Rosemont...not only did I get to meet the above mentioned Jen Shults, but I also got to meet Jess Deidrich - who is our TGF Creative Coordinator, and Sparkle Smith from the TGF Farm Fresh Challenge Design Team. These girls are super sweet and lot's of fun to hang out with! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet them!


As always, thanks for stopping by and saying HELLO, I love chatting with everyone!

:Dx

TGF MM - Casing Paula

Oh my...the weather has been in the high 90's for the past couple of days and we still have a few more days ahead of us before there are any cooler temps in the forecast. I can officialy say that summer is here!!!! I've been trying to stay cool by hanging out in my craft area in the basement and thought I'd participate in this week's TGF Mystery Monday challenge by making a card using Paula's inspirational card....just click here to take a look and join in too, the more the merrier!


I used Amelia from the O&A Summer Fun set that was released a few weeks ago on July 1st...isn't she the most adorable little girl?!! A few other things that I used: Graphic 45 paper, Copics, Nesties, a paper crimper, a misc. brad, ribbon, stick pins, and some dophin beads! LOL! That's right....I found those on the clearance rack at M's a couple of months ago and was saving them for the perfect little "something"!!


Just a little bit of happy news...I'm heading to CHA in Rosemont tomorrow and am meeting up with Jessica Diedrich...who is the TGF Coordinator, and the super-de-duper talented Jen Shults will be with her too!!! Eeeeeeeeee! E-X-C-I-T-I-N-G!!! I'll try to post pics when I get home tomorrow night!

If you're in this heat wave, stay cool...and as always thanks for stopping by!

TGF Piper Collage

I had to think back as to how long I’ve been paper crafting and I’ve got to say that I’ve been serious about it for the past 13 years...but in all honesty, my love for sb’ing goes back much looooonger than that! In fact, I need to go back to to the mid 70’s (yes, I am that old!!!) when I used to make sb’ing photo albums for my HS friends by putting photos in self-adhesive photo albums *gasp*...who does that anymore?!! I would cut titles and word captions from MAD Magazine and make pages that looked like COLLAGES. I’m laughing just thinking about those albums...they were so much fun to make! We wouldn’t pass notes in school, instead we would draw pictures to go along with the words in songs and if you ever heard the song The Prince’s Panties you would be laughing right along with me! LOL! I’m wondering if Karla kept any of those pages?!!


When thinking if I have a certain “style”, I want to say no...but I do believe my project for today is a true representation of how I like to craft...it’s a COLLAGE of sorts! LOL! I used the fabulous Creeper Piper to make this 6.5 x 8.5 collage for my daughter’s BFF who will be turning 16 soon. Most of the embellies are from a pile of discarded random items that had been sitting on my craft table, just waiting for the perfect project. Like when I was playing around a couple of weeks ago and triple dipped the flower and butterfly in Utee Ultra Thick embossing powder...I set them aside, waiting for a project. The skull border was my first welded project on my Gyspy and when I realized I used a skull with bows for my son's LO, well...again...another embellie for the discarded pile! The black piece under Piper is a remnant from a MS scallop punch. Etc, etc, etc! The only new things I added to this were the little butterflies, as I wanted them to be in the same pattern as the paper.

As always, thanks for stopping by today...it's nice to see a familiar face or two!

TGF Cute Troop - CIT-2

I had time today to make a quick and simple card for my daughter who's away at GS camp for the next 12 days. She's in the CIT-2 (Counsler-In-Training) program for her 2nd and last year to become a camp counsler. Frankie loves her camping and can't wait until she can use her new skills, but she has to wait 2 more years until she turns 18 to be able to work for the GS for the entire summer. This is her 9th year of going away and you would think I'd be used to it by now, but I never am...I'm missing my girl!


As you can see...the words "quick and easy" definately explain this card! I used a TH embossing folder, a MS border punch (again, from the KS retreat), Anya from TGF Cute Troop set and colored her with Copics, TGF Blush Hello background stamp on the handcut trees, and ribbon. In the RH corner is a yellow daisy inchie that I rec'd a couple of years ago from a CMB inchie swap...I wish I could give credit, but am sorry and don't know who made it...still, I thought it was perfect for this card.

Just a little something for her "happy mail" box, I think Frankie and her camp-maties will get a kick out of it!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Blush Bonnie w/ Blush Babette Sentiment

How adorable are the new Blush beauties from TGF?!! I'm not sure how most of you make your cards, but I almost always color the image first, and then find paper to go along with it....a little backwards I know, but that's how I roll...lol!


I thought I'd try my hand at red, white and blue for the month of July...even though this isn't "over the top" patriotic, it's still the color scheme I was hoping for. I thought this line of paper called Independence from GCD Studios was a perfect match with the adorable Blush Bonnie image. I used the sentiment from the Blush Babette set, a border from my KS retreat, and threw on a quick bow using my handy-dandy Bow-Easy....seriously, it's just too easy! LOL!

This is one of my fav LO's for a card, especially when I have a fabulous line of paper to work with!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

:Dx

TGF Blush Heart July Release

Did everyone have a good weekend and 4th of July? It was warm enough around here, that's for sure! We usually go to the local parade, but this year our family drove the couple of hours it takes to get to the Warren Dunes State Park and met with some family friends. We spent the day sitting on the beach and soaking up some sun...fun and relaxing! The kiddos and I walked the mile to get to the mud pit, which was an adventure! I have a suggestion to those who might consider going to the mud pit...wear shoes 'cuz there are lots of stones, rocks, and mud...LOL, you'll thank me! Ouch, OUCH, ouch!!!

Don't you think July been a great month for new releases at TGF? I love all the new images and the new Blush Heart background is no exception...I can definately see it becoming a staple in my paper crafting. This is what the stamp looks like...


...and here is a card that I came up with using the new set.


It's definately not my typical TGF kind of card, but I really do love the way this ended up. I hand stitched across the bottom of the twine with embroidery floss for the body of the butterflies, and paper pierced the swirls. The sentiment if from TGF's Fly Away set which I was able to snatch-up during TGF's Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago (lucky me!)

If you're looking for more ideas on how to use this stamp, you can go to TGF's gallery and see some of the other projects that have been posted, here's a link to help you find your way!

As always, thanks for stopping by and leaving comments...they're always appreciated!

Happy Birthday Elyse and (a few) Retreat Pictures

This is a quick card I made for our niece who LOVES soccer! I wish I could enlarge the font to emphasize on the word LOVE, because she really LOVES soccer, LOL! The minute I saw this digi Soccer Anya I knew I had to have her in my collection for this snappy little girl who's celebrating her 11th birthday. Sending birthday wishes to our always fun and energetic Elyse!


This card went together pretty quick and it was a lot of fun making it...I love the orange and blue combo which is her team's color. I used Copics to color, Nesties for the circles and scallop, star chipboards shapes, alpha beads, and a pretty little SU border that I aquired at last week's retreat.

Talking about the retreat...I so much fun last weekend in Wichita, Kansas! I was able to meet some new gals from Oklahoma who were a blast, and met up with some old friends from the past... we had a great time! The food they served up, well...can you say delish?!! There's something to be said for good 'ole Southern hospitallity!

At Pig-In, Pig-Out with Vanessa, my road-tripping friend who had to deal with my fanatical driving and Penny-Wise tidbits of information!


Some old friends.....


meet new friends!


Inside the front door was a statue of a butler holding a tray and this sign...I had to take a pic! LOL!



I had a great time but have decided that 13-14 hours of driving each way might be a little too long...and then there was the road construction...don't even get me started!!! LOL!

Thanks for stopping by, I love visiting with all my friends!

TGF July Release Blog Hop

WELCOME to the JULY RELEASE event....my first DT blog hop with The Greeting Farm...and to be honest, I'm pretty stoked about it! Just like everyone else...I can't wait to see what my fellow Farmers come up with too! Today we have not one...not two...but SIX new releases at the Farm and they are all waiting to come to you, rock your creative minds, and quite possibly, even make you blush :)

....and of course, you know what that means! The BIGGER the release? The BIGGER the prize! Can you believe that ONE lucky winner will take home ALL SIX of the new stamps...the ENTIRE July release! That's one BIG prize!

What's more? Well, we are SO excited about our July stamps that we didn't want to stop there! IN ADDITION, one lucky winner will ALSO be randomly chosen to take home the new Blush Society line, that's 4 stamps in all for this month! Both winners will be drawn as a result of completing the Blog Hop and going back to the TGF Blog to leave a comment...so be sure you get your entry in....and hey! Who DOESN'T love a bunch of amazing inspiration on the way! I hope you get the chance to check out the 2 new background stamps ... there are sooooooooo many possibilities for them and if you haven't tried mixed media yet, well....they would be the perfect addition to any project!

For my card today I used the adorable Blushing Bonnie...she's just the sweetest little girl, isn't she(?)...just look at her face!!! I have to give a quick shout-out to the talented JanaZ for the gorgeous handmade flower, I repeat...gorgeous!


So, yeah! Let's get started...and don't forget to START on the TGF Blog, or head back there in case you get lost along the way :)

TGF Blog
Jen Shults
Carisa Zglobicki
Tracey Pickersgill
Denice Bartucci (that's me!)
Becca Fabozzi
Kim Yu
Jessica Diedrich....
back to TGF Blog to leave your comment to WIN!

Thanks so much for the awesome welcome as a new TGF Farmer this past week. I can't believe we're already through with our first week of previews and I'll be seeing you VERY soon around blog land. Good luck to all who enter and ENJOY the JULY RELEASE at The Greeting Farm!