Blessed

Despite having my Copics for a bit of time, I never truly learned how to blend the colors together because I never bought the correct paper that wouldn't bleed. I know that the coloring itself doesn't compare to what I see other crafters use, but I still really enjoy using digital stamps anyway. This card was made using the Wryn Blooms digi from Tiddly Inks that I downloaded a while back when it was offered as a freebie.

Because the flowers were so colorful, I decided to keep Wryn's dress fairly muted and used an extremely light gray. I didn't want her outfit to make the entire image be too loud. But then, of course, I needed some pretty patterned paper on the white cardstock so I chose a green polka dot as the layer. I think it reinforces the whole growth and flowers and nature feeling of the image. 

The sentiment is from Pink by Design's set called "Pray." The reason I chose it is because when I see flowers growing in nature, I like to think that they're a "bouquet" given to me by God. I've mentioned before that I'm not a girl who likes receiving flowers, but when they're growing along the side of the road, I just have to smile and think about how blessed I am to have a God who loves me!

Penguin Birthday Wishes

Though I tend to prefer crafting with my Cricut, there times where I just want to sit and color. It can be so therapeutic, and I know I'm not the only one who believes so! I just caught up on my friend's Disney trip report where she brought coloring books with her for the long car ride! I know Cricut cards seem more complex, but digital stamps can sometimes be easier when I want a colorful card.

This birthday penguin digi stamp is from Bugaboo Digi Stamps. You can find it here for $3, but I was able to snag it when it was offered as the freebie on Friday. I used my Copics and my Bic Mark-It Markers to color the image. It's not fancy in the slightest, but I love the bright colors. That's why I also used a colorful piece of patterned paper on the kraft cardstock so that the image is easily the focal point. The sentiment is from Pink by Design's set called "Birthday, Birthday."

I will be entering this card in the February Anything Goes Challenge at the Catch the Bug Challenge Blog.

Tiddly Inks Challenge #124: Clean and Simple

It's been ages since I've made a card and entered a challenge, but the new year seemed like the perfect opportunity because it seems as if I've been crafting and blogging more this January compared to all of 2013!  I only had 22 posts last year; it's kind of sad to know that I didn't take the time to write things down! I think it's because of Instagram, haha. I am hoping to be much more consistent with writing things down because if I can cultivate the habit of recording memories on a more daily basis, it'll be second nature when Luke and Leia (the twins we joke that we're going to have when we decide to have kids) come into the picture!

The current challenge on the Tiddy Inks blog is "Challenge #124 - Clean and Simple (CAS)."  I have only a couple of the Tiddly Inks digital stamp freebies, but the one I wanted to use is called "Wryn and Emmy - BFF."  Last November, I just happened to be up late at night when I saw that a $3 off code was posted on the Facebook page for the next 30 orders since they wanted to make sure their previous problems of customers getting error messages was completely fixed.  There was no minimum order amount, so the digital stamp I chose was exactly $3.  I wanted something that wouldn't be too specific so that I could use it for any occasions, and this one fit the bill exactly.

As you can see, the digital image actually shows both girls from head to toe.  I decided to print them out at 5 inches since I was going to cut it down to fit the 4 inch square card base. 

I colored the girls in with Copics and Bic Mark-it markers.  Clearly, I have not yet mastered blending and shading with Copics, but that's because I never purchased the correct paper so that the colors wouldn't bleed past the lines.  Maybe one day I'll get into it, but for right now, I don't mind.  The reason I wanted Copics was to have a wider range of colors.  This card would not look the greatest, I think, if they both had the same brown hair color if I used Crayola markers!  Those markers are also the best in getting skin tones, so I'd have to say that the few colors I purchased were definitely worth the investment.

The sentiment was from Pink by Design's set "Friends to the End."  It's kind of a "plain" card, but I actually prefer the clean and simple designs.  My husband Howard was the one who told me years ago that it's okay to have a lot of white on a card, and I really do agree!  I also figured I'd do something different this time by not centering the images, and I'm happy with how it turned out.  Those two girls will look as cute as ever regardless of where they are on the card!

Karber Challenge 51: You are delightful

For my last card to enter in the Karber Challenge, I used "Happy Millie" once again.  I used kraft cardstock to make the 4.5x5.5 base and added faux stitching lines around the edges after corner chomping one corner.

I decided to focus on green for this card, so that's why I colored her dress and headband green, chose a patterned paper that featured green, and used some of my green bling!  The sentiment is from K. Andrew Designs set called "Amazing You."

Though the cards I made today weren't too complicated, they're a lot different than what I normally make since I varied the shape of the card and didn't feel the need to use a white mat for each one.  I had so much fun, but of course, I'm eager to know who will win the great prize!

Karber Challenge 51: HELLO!

Since we were allowed to enter the Karber Challenge a maximum of 3 times, I definitely had to increase my chances and make another card!  I used "Thinker Leslie" for this one.  I absolutely love her round glasses!  I like how a lot of other crafters make her glasses different colors, but I'm so used to glasses having to be black (well, other than my first pair of pink ones from when I was in 4th grade!).

I recently ordered from Papertrey Ink. Well, by recently I mean in February when they had a sale.  As I state on almost every blog update, I'm just so busy that I don't have much time to craft, so I only had the chance to really play with some of my goodies today.  That included the Block Alphabet Die and the Chevron Stripes Border Die.  I just love how crisp and clean it looks .

I rounded the corners of the card to get it a softer look since I had the sharp points of the chevron stripes.  Then I added the bling in a set of 3.  As you can see, I really do like the whole square 5x5 card look!

Karber Challenge 51: You Make Me Happy!

These past few weeks have been rather hectic what with the New York State exams during this past week and this week ahead.  Being an ELA and math teacher for the middle school classes can be quite stressful on a normal basis, but throw in a new test that's based on common core, and it creates even more tension!  But I'm not going to get into it too much because I know that I did my absolute best in preparing my students.  Whether they followed my constant instructions to memorize formulas and study is an entirely different story though!

But moving on to better things ... I bookmarked the latest Karber Challenge because the prize is superbly awesome!  The winner for Challenge 51 will get a $30 gift certificate to Paper Issues Shop (they have some super cute washi tape!) AND A Silhouette Cameo!  Um, what now?!  Lately I've seen so many people making such cute projects using their cameos because there are so many talented people out there designing SVGs.  I want to be part of the Silhouette world too!  I kept checking to make sure I would have enough time to complete this challenge, so this Saturday rolled around and I actually made sure that my day was free for CRAFTING!

For my first card, I used "Happy Millie."  I purchased this digi a while back.  I purposely chose it because her huge smile could be used for so many occasions and match up with a million sentiments.  This sentiment is from Pink by Design's set "Our Kids."



I decided to change up my same ol' same ol' by making a square card at 5x5 inches.  I also knew that I wanted to use some of my patterned paper from my Recollections stack called Bold Basics because I LOVE the colors and patterns and don't really use it that often because I tend to think that I need to save good paper.  Nope, it's time to use what I have!

I added bling to the flower in Millie's headband because it fits so perfectly and because the challenge was to also use my favorite embellishment.  I love the little packs of Queen & Co rhinestones because you get 60 of them for just $1.

Since I hadn't crafted in SO long, it actually took me a bit to try to get this together because all the other plans I had in my head didn't work out.  It's funny how even the simple cards can sometimes require a lot of thinking and trial and error!  In the end though, I really like how it came out!  I think I'll use the rest of that star paper to make multiples of this card.

PBD Challenge: Sketch

I know I've said it before, but sketches are not for me.  Haha, I get so nervous with them trying to get them to work for me.  But I just have to keep reminding myself that it's okay that I don't follow the sketch exactly. This was the sketch for PBD's latest challenge.

I just quickly put a card together just now because I had busy week of work.  It was the week of parent teacher conferences!  Thankfully, they went well.  I keep in contact with many of the parents throughout the school year via email (so grateful that I don't have to spend time calling parents like I did my first year before I asked if I could email instead!), so it's never a surprise when I speak to parents.  It was tiring nonetheless!  Staying at school all day on Thursday is rather draining.  

I thought I'd put this card together yesterday, but Howard and I were preparing for the bake sale at my church and putting those together.  I'll probably write a separate post about that soon, but the cards made $224 for the mission funds!  Yay!  Since I'm on a crafty high, I figured I'd try out this sketch challenge especially with the encouragement and reminder from Melisa.

I simplified the sketch by only using one piece of patterned paper.  I just had to make a mushy card since a few people mentioned anniversary cards and "I love you" cards at the bake sale today (things I didn't make this year since last year I made too many and people wanted birthday cards instead!).  I especially wanted to make this card because I haven't yet used the "To The Moon" set I purchased a while ago.  It is definitely a great set for me to make cards for my hubs, Mr. LoveandSushi!  I have to say I love the mixing of the fonts in the sentiment.  Lastly, the pink and green were chosen because they're our colors, of course!  If you've been following my blog for a while, that fact is pretty well known!

I'm curious to see what next week's challenge is too!  I just enjoy the PBD challenges so much because normally I craft to mass produce.  These give me a reason to just craft for the sake of crafting!

PBD Challenge: Favorite Pattern

Oh boy, the last time I posted was for the Pink by Design Challenge, and it was after dealing with an illness that landed me a trip to the hospital along with Hurricane Sandy.  Now that I'm posting again for the next challenge, I have another story to tell about a car accident that my whole family was in due to an 18-year old girl smashing into us while we were on our way out to celebrate my mom's birthday.  I don't really want to get into it right now because I'm still dealing with it physically and emotionally.  Praise God that we all walked out of that car relatively unscathed.  A bunch of us got checked out at the hospital.  We have bad pain in our backs and in our necks.  I also have a big bump on my head and a scalp laceration.  But like I said, we may be hurting, but we're all okay and will recover after some time.

Moving on to more positive things!  The current challenge was to create a project using a favorite pattern.  Strangely, my favorite pattern to use when crafting is plaid!  Haha.  The reason for that is because even though I like polka dots, it doesn't always work with all cuts or images because it depends on the size of the dots.  Then I thought about stripes, but they really bother me when it doesn't line up properly with the base of my card.  It's very easy to see what's crooked on paper that's striped!  Then I realized I use plaid often because it's easier to work with AND because it reminds me of my dad and my husband!  Haha, my dad used to (and still does, if I think about it) wear plaid collared shirts all the time when I was a kid.  It was like, the thing to do.  My husband has a few plaid shirts that he wears too.  Any shirt I see though always brings me back to my dad!

I used Create a Critter for the cute apple.  The sentiment "Smile" comes from Pink by Design's set called "Scripted Year" that I use rather often because I just love the font.  I had to pop up the apple a little, of course.

I really like how the green plaid paper looks even though the leaves on the apple are green too.  I am really trying to use more of my patterned paper because I think it really does make a card stand out.  I don't have much else to write about this card since I'm utterly EXHAUSTED.  I like that I was able to craft a bit today though just so that I could distract myself from the millions of thoughts going on in my mind.  I am grateful that we only have 2.5 days of school this week before Thanksgiving break.  We all need some rest!

PBD Challenge: Shades of Autumn

Yes, I have been rather absent from my blog!  It doesn't mean I'm not crafting though.  I have been making cards for my church's bake sale that was postponed to the first Sunday in December due to Hurricane Sandy.  The storms we've had lately and the sickness I've dealt with is a whole other story, but right now, I want to focus on the really quick card I made for Pink by Design's recent challenge, which was a color theme based on this palette.

As pretty as autumnal cards can be, I didn't really think I could make a card with these colors since I don't have paper that matches it.  Just an hour or so ago, however, I decided to take a look because I needed a quick break from my school responsibilities and apartment chores since I'm home today for Veteran's Day.  I ended up finding a floral pattern with colors that definitely reminded me of this fall season (even though it seems like winter what with the Nor'easter we just had!).

I'm trying to go back to the CAS (clean and simple) style that I really like that showcase the pattern paper itself.  I end up pinning a lot of these types of projects on my Pinterest board, but I don't make them often.  I figured this was the perfect opportunity since I didn't want anything competing with those colors.

The PBD sentiment is from the set called "Friends to the End."  I added the rhinestones just to add another element of 3 to the card.  As simple as it is, I like that I was actually able to find a use for the paper!

Master Crafter Challenge

Married life and teaching life don't leave me much time to have a crafting life.  However, back at the end of August, Sarah Hamer of Pink by Design announced a fun challenge to determine who would be a Master Crafter!  The morning of the announcement 99 people and I ordered a Master Crafter box filled with mystery items.  Once we received our boxes, we had a good amount of time to make a project that would be linked up on October 4th for voting until October 11.

I was a little bit nervous to receive the box because I'm not necessarily the most creative when it comes to challenges.  However, I was also extremely excited because challenges force me to do different things that I normally wouldn't do.  I thought back on Pink by Design's 2-year anniversary celebration with the entire day full of challenges that I absolutely enjoyed as it stretched my crafting skills.  I knew this would be another opportunity to think outside of the box (or think ... IN the box?  OF a box?  Haha ...)

These were the items inside the boxes:
- Scissor Mouse sponsored by Westcott
- DCWV Rockstar mat stack sponsored by DCWV Deals
- Cotton Bag Sponsored by State line Bag Co.
- 1/2 sheet of Rhinestones sponsored by Queen & Co.
- Sentiment stamp sponsored by Pink by Design
- 2 assorted buttons

I struggled with what to make because I was actually thrown off by the Rockstar mat stack.  The patterns and colors in the stack are not the typical colors I use.  But, of course, that made it so much fun because it was definitely something I never would have bought and used on my own!  It had to be a challenge, right?  With only about 10 hours until the linking time, I still hadn't figured out what I was going to do.  I did know that I wanted to do a 3-D project since I don't do those often.  I was going to do a card set in a box, but I didn't know how to incorporate all the elements.  Finally I decided on trying something I had never done before - an exploding box (thanks to Anso at Glitter Adventure for the directions and sizes)!

As with many of my challenge projects, I made it with my husband in mind.  I kept the outside simple with the kraft cardstock because I wanted a neutral base so that the patterned paper could be seen.  I also chose it because Howard says it's interesting that I actually have kraft cardstock.  It's one of my favorite things to work with!

The little cotton bag actually fit inside the box, so it was a perfect way to incorporate all the items together.  Before this idea came to my mind, I had no idea what I was going to do with the little bag.  But before I get into the bag, I'll explain the exploding box.

I figured it was the perfect thing to do because I could use many different patterns from the stack.  I admit I avoided the ones with the skulls on them.  Haha, I did not know how to deal with that challenge.  I used 10 different papers, and I purposely chose the ones that had a pinkish and greenish tone to it since those were my wedding colors.  Since my sentiment was "remember," I wanted it to be an exploding box of memories that Howard and I have already made since we got married.  You can see that in the center of the box, I wrote the following: "Just a few small reminders of all the memories we have made so far!  I love you!"

 

You can see a few of the memories and the stamped images that go along with them (the car is from Sandy Lion, and the rest are from Inkadinkado sets).  What I like about these memories is that they all happened within the past 4-5 months since our wedding so they're very recent.

In the picture above and below, you can see some more of the patterns from the stack.  I have plenty more pages to fill with the memories that we will continue to make!

Okay, so that's the box part of it.  Now what's in the bag?  Well, the outside of the bag is pretty cool too, I think.  Sarah recently posted on her blog what she did with the bags, and apparently, you can stamp on them!  I was excited to try it, and it was super easy.  I used Stazon ink for the hearts, and I did some masking so that one heart was behind the other.  I used Copics to color it in, which bled a little bit, but because of the sketchy design of the hearts, I actually don't mind at all!  Haha, normally I would've freaked out about it.  I also added the sentiment "remember" once again and added some of the bling.

The last 2 pieces of the puzzle were the buttons.  I had no idea what to do with them, so I took a break and went to brush my teeth and dry my hair.  Then suddenly I thought of how I could use it to secure the ends of a long piece of embroidery floss where I would tape the actual memorable items that I had initially planned on just putting in the bag.  As you can see, the pink button is hanging out of the bag so that Howard will know to pull the embroidery floss out to see the string of memories.

The tea bag for green tea is from Costco, and it's what we drink when we get sushi delivered to our apartment as a treat!  It isn't sushi if you don't have super hot green tea!  The card for Sum of All Thrills is from Epcot.  We designed our own mild rollercoaster when we were on our honeymoon and rode it (and I didn't even have to push the emergency stop button!).  The Band-Aid is a reminder of when I got a deep cut in my finger from opening a plastic bleu cheese container.  It scared me so much because it wouldn't stop bleeding, so I was crying and being hysterical while Howard took care of me.  The ketchup packet is to remember the long wait we had for Heinz ketchup to go on sale (yay for Labor Day sales!).  I don't know how to eat burgers and such without it (or when I made cheeseburger pie, YUM).  Lastly, the CVS prescription bottle cap is a wonderful memory of how I was finally able to switch to Howard's insurance in September, which meant I could fill my 2 prescriptions and pay a LOT less for them!

Phew, what a fun challenge!  I'll be waking up tomorrow morning (well, technically it's today already) and posting this on PinkCricut.com.  Please head on over there (blog post here) to take a look at the projects made by my fellow crafters and to VOTE (edited: voting will begin on October 7th so that others can have some time to link up their projects first)!  I'm so excited to see what everyone else has done with the goodies.  Plus, I'm eager to see who will be the Master Crafter!

Ink It Pink: For the Birds ... (PbD12)

The current Ink It Pink challenge at Pink by Design to use birds on a card ended up coming at the perfect time!  Last Saturday my husband's sister had us over for a barbecue at her fiance's house.  It was the first time that the immediate family was able to get together to sit and have a meal since Howard and I got married.  It was just the 6 of us (Howard's parents, his sister Sharon, her fiance Keith, Howard, and me), yet there was food for an entire army!  There was a TON to eat, and I had intentions of recording it all through Instagram, but once I got my hands on that shrimp, there was no way I was going to stop and wash my hands to use my phone (H took the pics on his phone).  It was all SO GOOD!

The shrimp had a nice kick to it, and so I asked what marinade they used.  They found some recipe online that included hot sauce in it!  Haha, that was the kick!  I typically stay away from spicy foods because of my esophagus issues and reflux.  Plus, I don't really like hot sauce.  But in that marinade?  I totally changed my mind!  I think I ate practically 2 skewers of shrimp by myself.

Their dad also made these little fish in the smoker.  They're not quite anchovies, but I guess they're somewhat similar?  I had a bite and wasn't that big of a fan ... at least not with all that shrimp there!

The picture of the chicken was the last thing Howard took because we were just so intent on eating.  Sharon and Keith also made ribs, sausage, Chinese style beef short ribs, red/yellow peppers and onions (I LOVE grilled peppers; they just taste extra sweet!), corn on the cob, and salad.  It was seriously such a feast!

I admit I was a little worried about the day because there's a slight language barrier between his parents and me.  I can usually understand the basics of what's going on in a conversation, but for some reason, I find it difficult to understand Chinese when I'm with them!  I think I get too nervous.  My mom said that I should have Howard speak Chinese to me more often.  I do know more than I used to since there were days I'd have him do that while we were dating, but it's not enough to get through an entire conversation.  Thankfully, Howard was a great translator when necessary!  I really enjoyed the entire night!  I think it was a nice cozy group to have just the 6 of us there.

Once we left, I immediately thought about the image on the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge.  It just seemed so appropriate to have the little birdie making food on the grill!

It's not really a complex card in terms of the layout, but I think it lets the little bird shine!  And gosh darn it, I had trouble cutting and putting that bird together because my Cricut mat isn't as sticky, so the paper kept moving and tearing, then I cut things in the wrong size, and then I couldn't get things lined up to assemble!  Haha, I think the cartridge is so cute, but it's a tad difficult to work with when you cut it out small.  That's why I'm excited about the Teddy Bear Parade cartridge, which looks much easier to assemble!  But I digress ... as always ...

The sentiment is from Pink by Design's set called "Big Thoughts."  I love the set because sometimes you just don't need a cutesy sentiment or something with a lot of word.  Sometimes you just want a bold word to stand out, and in this case, it was exactly what I wanted.

I'm happy with how the card turned out just because it's so specific to the occasion.  I think it's such a benefit to be able to make your own cards for a certain person or certain event.  That's a good reason to have a ton of cartridges, right?  Right.

Oh, and the fun barbecue night was extended into the next night as we took home a ton of leftovers and had a feast on Sunday as well!  Yay for not having to cook dinner AND for getting to have more of that SHRIMP!

Karber Challenge #49: Hobbies & Leisure Activities

A while back, Karber released a freebie image that I was excited to save since it was something I never would purchase on my own.  I'm all about cutesy images, which is why I have Karber's Millie and Leslie digi stamps.  This gave me an opportunity to work with something new.

I actually enjoyed making this card although I admit it was a bit difficult to color!  I'm all about thicker lines, haha, because I'm like a kid and sometimes have issues staying within the lines.

I added 2 strips of patterned paper to the back to keep more of the white on the card.  The image was printed rather large, so I didn't want anything else to draw attention away from it.  The sentiment is from Pink by Design's set called "Love Always."  Maybe I'll work with different digi images again in the future!

Ink It Pink: "... the school bell is ringing!" (PbD11)

The latest Ink It Pink challenge at Pink by Design is to use school supplies on a project.  I don't really have to buy school supplies anymore even though I'm a teacher because the few things I need are provided by the school, which means I don't have any here!  But despite not being a student myself for many years, I still have plenty of looseleaf!  I knew that I wanted to do something with the looseleaf instead of just using it as a background paper, so I used my new Fiskars heart punch.

I layered the hearts on primary color squares because they just remind me of school!  I also needed the hearts and the light blue lines to pop out more to be seen.  Of course, I had to use one of my top 5 favorite PBD stamp sets called "Our Kids," which I guess is very fitting for this challenge!

When toying with ideas on how to place it on the card, I had the idea to use the Martha Stewart stars border punch because that reminds me of school too!  I chose black so that it would be completely different than the blue, yellow, and red, but then I chose to add white embroiderly floss all over it because it reminded me of chalk on a chalkboard (thankfully, we use dry erase at my school because my hands would get all chalky every day!).

Now I'm curious to know what the next Ink It Pink challenge is going to be!

Ink It Pink: Get Your Punny On (PbD09)!

Since the Saturday celebration of Pink by Design's two-year anniversary, I've been crafting a lot more often. I decided to enter the Ink It Pink challenge for this week, which was to use one of the puns from PBD!  I decided to use two sets of PBD stamps called "Make It a Venti" and "Perk Up" on a simpler card.  As you can see from a few of my more recent cards, I'm trying to keep more white on the front.

I used paper piecing to get different patterns for the mugs.  I am loving paper piecing lately!  It makes it easier to put a card together since I still haven't mastered coloring with Copics (still don't have the right paper that won't bleed).  I went with a pink theme mainly because I have a lot of pink scraps!  I can imagine making a lot of the tall and short mugs with my scraps.  

I hope I can participate in the next challenge as well!  I think the challenge bug bit me once again!

Pink by Design Two Year Anniversary Extravaganza: Challenge 13

You thought I was done with the 12 challenges, right?  Nope, not at all!  There was one more live challenge that was explained during the Ustream.  A sketch was posted on the PBD blog, but it didn't have to be followed.  The main part of the challenge was to go into your junk drawer to find things to use in the project.  The other option was to go in your purse, which I had to do because we don't have junk drawers.  At this point, we don't really have much junk since we just moved in a little over 2 months ago!  Since we're in a teeny-tiny studio apartment, every drawer is being used (or will be used) for something important.  That meant it was time to dig into my purse!

Well, that proved to be a bit difficult too because I JUST cleaned out my bag when I switched from my crossbody bag to my huge Mickey "bowling-ish" bag.  BUT I did find plenty of gift cards and their paper/cardboard holders!  I picked 3 that might be easily figured out based on the parts I cut out - Macy's, B&N (nook!), and Bed Bath & Beyond (we have have been there so many times in the last year!).

I DID follow the sketch, so I cut the gift card holders down into squares and matted them.  The sentiment was taken from "Simply Everything."  I thought it was funny because all those gift cards were from students!  I know; it doesn't make THAT much sense, but it's late, and I have literally been crafting since 9 in the morning!  Just know that it all makes sense in my mind!

PHEW!  Now I am officially done!  I have never made that many different projects in one day before!  The time constraints were really challenging, but it really made me move faster and not dwell on one project.  I think I'll sleep well tonight ...