High Hopes Stamps challenge- Get out your Purple!

 (please feel free to click on the images to see them in closer detail)

I am so happy to be this week's hostess over at the High Hopes Stamps challenge blog. My fave colour is purple so I am asking you all to create a project using a HHS image and use lots and lots of Purple!

I used Laurie's Teapot as my image today and had fun using so many of my copics in the RV (Red/Violet) spectrum to add lots of different purple hues to my card. I also used some sweet treats paper from Bo Bunny as I thought a teapot should have some tasty delicacies too. I used a sketch from Jen's blog - Deconstructing Sketch- to base my card pattern on. I modified it slightly as I realized I had made my image to big to allow the banner strip that was part of the design. That's the nice thing about sketches- they are open to interpretation  thankfully. 

I am totally in love with all the amazing purple loveliness the DT has created to help your mojo get fired up today. Hop on over and see the purple madness going on at the HHS challenge blog!

Cheers, Andrea

Crazy 4 Challenges - use black on your card to make it POP

Another fun C4C challenge coming at your today. And we are sponsored this challenge with a generous gift certificate to the awesome There She Goes stamp company! As a treat we even got to choose a stamp set to play with as well. So happy! As I love rainbows this was an easy choice for me. I picked out Rain and Sunshine. As a certain Judy Garland movie is my favourite I love anything rainbows. 

So this challenge is an easy one again- love those hee hee. Use black on your card to make it POP! I used some LilyBee papers I had scraps of on my desk and grabbed some black cardstock and I was set. I coloured my images with my copics (of course..I don't do much else do I hee hee) and added some glaze and stickles. I had a vision in my head on how I wanted it to turn out. This wasn't it but it's close hee hee. I want to work on making 3 'windows' in the card and have the cute stamps showing thru each window. But turns out my math challenges had me making them all wonky and not symmetrical at all. After pitching a fit I then realized I could cut out my squares and mount them on my card to get a similar look hee hee. Temper Tantrum averted ;). I do love how the black cardstock just sets off the lovely colours of the paper and the colouring. And this stamps set- LOVE!!! 

So grab some black cardstock and come and join us this week at Crazy 4 Challenges. I have to admit I will be jealous of the winner- so many lovely stamps there I would love to try...like Ruh Roh and my little friend. 

Cheers! Andi

Color Me Creative- Tiffany Doodles has us seeing Yellow

The current challenge over at Color Me Creative is to use your favourite yellow copic combos. Tiffany Doodles is our sponsor and gave all of us on the design team some fun digi's to play with. Thank you! I used Sweet Butterfly and I loved that it came with 2 butterflies and a sentiment. 

My fave combo for yellow is fairly basic- Y32, 35, 38. I do add darker yellows at time when using this combo but usually just those 3 colours give me what I am looking for. 

I paired my sweet image with one of my MME 6x6 packs and some of the matching embellishments that I totally had to purchase at the same time when I saw them. I do love matchy matchy stuff at times hee hee. I even bought the matching stickers which provided me with the grey panel saying 'today and forever' popped up nicely. I have to say that the card looks even better in person. I had so much fun playing along with this challenge!

To create this card I used a sketch from my friend Jen Shultz's challenge blog- The Deconstructed sketch. It is actually lasts week's sketch but I just loved it and it worked perfectly. She has a new sketch every week! This sketch challenged girl loves her so much for that hee hee. I have already book marked this week's sketch to use this weekend. 

I have also entered my card into the following challenges:

Paper crafting journey- use 3 or more patterned papers

By the cute and girly- Once upon a time (inspired by Nursery Rhyme Butterfly Butterfly)

Oozak- Anything goes

I hope you take some time to grab your fave yellow copic combos and come play along with us at CMC challenge group. There are so many beautifully entries already and we would love to see more!

Playing with copics and skin tones

Time for another Gilli stamps challenge and this one is an easy one for me..Flowers. I tend to use flowers on most of my cards and I own large buckets upon buckets of paper flowers that are just begging to be used.

On this card I tried something different. I am working on one of Suzanne Dean's copic classes at her copic site- Color Me Creative- and in class five we do Hispanic skin tones. This site is filled with classes you can take, lots of fun groups to join and just in general some awesome people to chat with. Back to my colouring of skin tones her class inspired me to do some internet searches for other colour combos for skin tones. I mean- we are all different- why keep using the same copic colours :) 

This is my first attempt outside of my standard colour combinations and while it still needs more work and practice I think it turned out okay. I really enjoyed breaking my routine and thinking of all my friends of different ethnic backgrounds and how much nicer it would be to give them a card with a girl coloured more to match their own skin tones. I am going to keep practicing and have fun trying new colour combos! 

To highlight my sassy Lady Gilli I added a big flower to set a festive air to the card. I then matched my papers to her dress and shoes and of course added some sparkle too. Lady Gilli always needs to sparkle! hee hee. 

I hope you play along with us over at House of Gilli and add flowers to your creations too!

Cheers, Andrea

High Hopes Stamps Challenge- Anything goes!

This week's challenge over at the High Hopes Stamps challenge blog is an easy one! Karen- owner extraordinaire and hostess this week has decreed that 'Anything Goes!' So feel free to dig out whichever HHS stamp you want and get inky!

I used the new stamp designed by Laurie Furnell called Laurie's Tea cup and coloured it in with my copics. I then used some of my 6x6 papers from Kaiser craft- it was a newer release that was little girl and tea set orientated. Very cute. I then added a corner die cut, ribbon and my new favourite thing to do- add an arrangement of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. This card was so much fun to make and colour! 

I am also entering my card into the following challenges:

BunnyZoe- ribbon or twine

Icopic- use copic spring colours

Make it Monday- Anything goes

Simon Says Stamp and show- anything goes

To play along with us and see all the amazing DT creations please pop over to the HHS challenge blog and see what inspires you today!

Cheers, Andrea

Crazy 4 Challenges is asking you to Button up!

See this vintage distressy card in all it's frou frou-ness...it was all designed around that pearl button in the top left corner. Yep. That's how I roll. 

Okay..it may have also had to do with the new scrumptious paper from Prima that features vintage fairy ballerinas...maybe. It is soo new at SGD that when I went to link it up it isn't even showing online yet. Lots in the store though...unless I need to go back and buy it all. And I am considering it...would that be rude? hee hee

So back to the beginning..this card all came about because of a button and some pretty paper. The button because this week's challenge over at Crazy 4 Challenges is to add buttons to your project. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! I have been hoarding this oyster pearl button for about a year. I bought it as part of a set of Tessa Ann Designs on Etsy and a button challenge is a good reason to let go of the ones you have hoarded me thinks. 

After ripping apart my craft room to find what would best compliment my much loved button I found the paper I am nuts over currently. NUTS!!! So with a design as pretty as this you need to let the paper show through. But I still needed a stamp and I went with the VERY FIRST UNITY STAMP I EVER BOUGHT.  Considering I own close to a thousand of their stamps now this one holds mucho sentimental value :). Nothing like a nice big quote stamp to make this girl happy.   Add a frou frou feather, some twine and a shiny ribbon and voila! Done! I had to walk away and resist the urge to add more pretties like rhinestones, pearls, etc. 

So what can you create around a button for inspiration? Doesn't have to be just one as seen by the rocking cards by the Crazies for this challenge. Love!!!! Seriously- check out the bird out of a button card...brilliant!! So click here to go to the C4C challenge site and button your creation up to play along with us!

Cheers, Andi

How to use the bow easy and my new Ribbon Carousel

So much to share today!!! First I made this video to go along with last week's promo where you could get a Bow Easy for free! By the time I got the video edited though the promo was over. That is Soooo Me! LOL!!! I hope you enjoy it anyway and here is a good tip for you. Grab your Bow Easy and try it along with the video. Stop it after each step to give you a chance to try it. Do that a few times in a row and I swear you will feel the lightbulb turn on and you will get it hee hee!!! 

Speaking of ribbon....I have long wanted a Ribbon Carousel and was super happy when Sheila got some in. I grabbed two packs of wooden spools and my new ribbon display and skipped happily all the way home. Since I have OODLES of ribbon I put on my RC primarily my twine and washi tape rolls as I reach for them the most. In fact I love it so much I may have to get another one for my grosgrain ribbon! She still had one in stock last time I checked..you may want to grab it before I do hee hee!!! Happy Saturday!

Gilli White and one other colour challenge

I'm back again today with a card featuring Lady Gilli for the current challenge over at the House of Gilli blog! Our current challenge is to use white and only one other colour on your card. Thankfully we are also allowed to use our skin and hair colours as usual but other than that it must be white and one colour- in my case pink!

I actually coloured Lady Gilli in fully but I wasn't fond of how I coloured the pleats in her dress. I really liked everything else though and I was bummed at the thought of throwing it out and starting over. After a few minutes of sulking (hee hee) I got the idea to just frame her face and make her into a portrait. I think it turned out great and I got to keep the part of the image I really liked my  colouring on. Keep that in mind next time you make a booboo on your card too. Maybe you can salvage part of the image like I did today and take your card into a whole other direction. 

I then wanted the card base to really stand out so I used a Baroque embossing folder to make my white card base pop! I added a frame behind Lady Gilli and decorated it with crystals as I would imagine a ritzy frame would look like on her dresser lol. Some butterflies and a bow finished it off. Voila!

To play along with us at H.O.G. click here to be taken to the challenge blog where you can also see more lovely inspiration from my fellow DT members. 

Cheers! Andrea

I'm back with a High Hopes Easter Card!

I am playing with my High Hopes Stamps this week (finally unpacked them hee hee) and Lacey has challenged us to make Easter cards! I love Easter for many reasons and one of them is the abundance of pastel colours. On my card today I made my bunny purple as he is in full Easter spirit- mind you with the look on his face it seems as he may have been dyed without his permission lol!! His name is 'cute bunny holding carrot' and I also used Framed Spring Fever and Summer Sunshine.  I am so happy to have my craft studio somewhat organized and unpacked in the new house and to finally be colouring and crafting again. I was getting very ugly to live with and when my whole family asked when the last time I crafted was I got that perhaps some inky fingers were long overdue hee hee! Yep- ink therapy- my favourite kind. 

To join us in our current challenge hop on over to the HHS challenge blog to see more Easter Inspiration and the full challenge deets. It is a great holiday to use tons of fun colours together as your Easter Inspiration!

Cheers, Andrea