A Flight of Rebellion

Sorry if my post today is confusing. Yes...I know...the Dream Team still has this last post to feature the May challenge of black and white with a pop and/or graduation. I am the team leader, so it's doubly embarrassing to admit...I AM SICK OF BLACK AND WHITE!

So, I am rebelling. This is probably more pop with a bit of black and white, but it could work as a graduation card...sort of. Yep.

This card features the Open Butterfly stencil, Zentangled and colored with Copic markers, just to be unique. Originally, I created this Madras plaid background with Iceberg and Citron Color Solution inks swiped over a glossy cardstock surface with the CS Applicator. Going back and forth, and up and down created this cool background.

When the background was completed, I traced the Open Butterfly stencil onto the back of the panel, and cut it out. Those pieces were
used to created a different card. Now I had the opportunity to place the open cut out over a white cardstock panel and Zentangle the design inside. A clever sentiment from the Bird Words stencil seemed appropriate to finish off this card.

I think Lynell plans on posting the winners from the May challenge tomorrow on the Dream It Up! blog, so you have until about 6 pm, Pacific Time to link your own creation to the Mr. Linky HERE. Remember, you have an opportunity to win one of two sets of stencils!

I don't know about YOU, but I am curious to see how many of the rest of the Dream Team cheated this week. Let's go check them out:

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

A Sketch and a Celebration

I love it when I can incorporate two challenges in one project! This week's challenge for the girls at Woodware UK was to create an invitation, and I thought I'd design it using this week's sketch challenge SC387 at Split Coast Stampers. The sketch created by my pal and fellow Stampendous team-mate, Taylor Usry, was really unique and fun as you can see at left.

I chose to use the Stampendous Perfectly Clear Party Invite set, and has everything needed to create a multitude of invitations for several occasions. In the UK, you can purchase this set through any of LSS listed on the Woodware UK site, or in the US from Stampendous.

Since the sketch has a CAS look to it, I kept it that way...simply stamping the gift with it's swirly ribbons at various angles in Onyx Versafine ink. I paper pieced these with some bright pink cardstock. The sentiment was stamped on white, with a pink stamped gift overstamped, and the whole panel cut at an angle and matted.

Looking at the sketch, I originally thought to just add staples for the small lines, but when I studied the stamp set, I thought the candles would be perfect for these straight bits of added interest.

For more invitation ideas, check out the rest of the Woodware UK team linked to the Woodware UK blog HERE.

Feeling FAIRY Crafty?

Well, last night I did an "OMG!", as I forgot that I hadn't created something specifically for this last post for the Stampendous "gifty" challenge. After the hamster wheel in my head squeaked for a few minutes, I remembered that I had never posted my beautiful Fairy Tale Book that I created a year ago during that catalog crunch time. It could be a nice gift...right?

I didn't happen to have a blank scrapbook on hand at that time, so I made my own. I covered large panels of chipboard (recycling...yes!) with Contact paper that has  the look and feel of suede. I stamped the binding section with Stampendous Elegant Borders using Coffee Bean Brilliance ink, and created wrapped corners for the focal panel to match.

The focal panel was stamped using various images from the Perfectly Clear Fairy Queen, and colored with Copic Sketch markers. For added texture, dimension, age, and interest, I added coffee spritzing, ultra fine crystal glitter, and some faint stamping of more Perfectly Clear Elegant Borders in Pearlescent Beige Brilliance. The panel was matted with Paper Adventures "Baby Blue Scroll" to bring out the blue in the fairy dress. Flowers, pearls, and rhinestones were the finishing embellies, plus gorgeous crinkled cream  May Arts ribbon laced through the binding grommets.

I've added a few of the pages that were inserted in the book...each uniquely Fran•táged and stamped with fabulous images from the Perfectly Clear Fairy Queen, Elegant Borders, Eiffel Tower, Vintage Crowns, Chandelier, and Damask Chair sets. Sometime I intend to add pics of my mom as a little girl playing in the garden to these pages.

Granted, I did not have to use that many sets to create this book, but it was fun! I highly recommend going wildly creative with your own Fairy book, and the entire Stampendous Fran•táge line of images and Essentials are the perfect ingredients for your own magic.

For your own opportunity to win some Stampendous goodness, please play along and create your own gifty project...it could be as simple as a set of cards or notes, or just one gift card holder. Link your creation on the Stampendous Impressions blog, or the link at the bottom of my post. One randomly selected winner will receive this new Cling Jumbo Tropical Garden stamp set:

For more gifty inspiration, check out what the rest of the Stampendous team players have been creating this week:

Stampendous Impressions

Lea Kimmel

Pam Hornschu

Jennifer Ingle

Tenia Nelson

Susie Moore

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.  We hope you have a chance to play along with us (you an enter as many times as you'd like!) this month...Happy Crafting!

Soar Along with the Dream Team Challenge

It's Dream Team Thursday once again. My post today features the perfect card for graduation, retirement, birthday, or just because. I paste-embossed in Glossy White the Hot Air Balloon on a black panel, and the sentiment from Bird Words in Glossy Black on white. I added some Hemptique bright green cording and matching rhinestones for the little pop of fun.

Have YOU played along yet this month with the Dream Team's May challenge? It's super simple...black & white with a pop of color and/or a graduation themed card. No tricky techniques necessary. No theme-specific images needed. Just the basics for cards that you probably need to have on hand anyway. So...get moving on it! Link your own creations to the Dream It Up! blog Mr. Linky, or email them to lynell@dreamweaverstencils.com for an opportunity to win one of two sets of these great stencil designs:

Amsterdam Flourish

Celebrate

For more inspiration, check out what the rest of the Dream Team has been creating for the challenge:

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

Woodware UK Sketch 12 Flies High

I love a challenge, and this month's sketch challenge #12 (at left) for Woodware UK is no exception...although I fudged on it just a bit. I know the center long panel was supposed to be more slender than the top focal point, but I really loved this bright, happy polka dot with the clouds, so I did it my way.

I really love this cute clear set called "Patch a Flight",  designed by Francoise Read for Woodware UK. She has done several designs with the cute stitched and patched look...fun for coloring, but super fun for paper-piecing. Especially if you have really great papers like this line of double-sided London Designer Paper.

To highlight my patched balloon, I popped it up with dimensional mounting squares. To slightly ground the balloon, I added a swish of knotted organza ribbon, which probably would have been more appropriate on a kite, but...artistic license and all that. Lol.
 
 I love the idea of being able to add the sentiments in the clouds, but beyond the "up, up, and away" that I'd added in the background panel, I still felt the need for a more emphasized sentiment. Therefore, I used the one flattened cloud to pop up with the "special day" greeting.

Come play along with the Woodware UK team this month for an opportunity to win something fabulous! For more inspiration, head over to the Woodware UK blog each day this week for more designer wows.

Stampendous Gifts Are Flights of Fancy!

Stampendous is still in the gifty mood, as the entire month of May we are challenged to created gift cards/gift sets/gifts. Last week, I went cutesy for my post. This week, I'm aiming for CAS and pretty for my "Flights of Fancy" set of note cards with matching envelopes.

This set features the Cling Dragonfly Vine, Cling Tiered Birdcage, Cling Nesting Bird, and Cling Swirly Bird Nest images. Each card has a sprinkling of either Powder Blue and Chiffon Color Fragments, or Rose Color Fragments.

The inks that I used for this set are from Clearsnap, part of the Donna Salazar Mixed Media collection...Peridot and Chiffon. Each pad is round, so I used this to my advantage as a color spotlight behind each image. The images themselves were stamped with the Leather shade in this series. Because these inks are designed for use in mixed media, they have a longer drying time. Therefore, I used my heat tool to dry the inks in between. I love the color selection in this line, and can hardly wait to play with these in more of the fashion for which they are intended.

The envelopes were each stamped to match, and the entire set tied with this gorgeous ivory webbed ribbon from May Arts.

So, now I'm inviting YOU to play along with us this month. Just link your creation to the Stampendous blog, or to the link at the bottom of my post. As an extra incentive for playing along, one lucky crafter (drawn at random) will receive this fabulous new Cling Jumbo Tropical Garden stamp set:

For more gifty inspiration, check out what the rest of the Stampendous team players have been creating this week:

Stampendous Impressions

Janelle Stollfus
Lea Kimmel

Melinda Gleissner
Pam Hornschu

Taylor Usry

Tenia Nelson

Wendy Price

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.  We hope you have a chance to play along with us (you an enter as many times as you'd like!) this month...Happy Crafting!

Celebrating the Kiddos

I didn't realize until this week, just how long it's been since I created a kid's card. My boys are technically young men now (24 and 26), so not too many opportunities for celebrating a child's birthday. That made this week's Woodware UK challenge especially fun.

I used some fun paper from the 8 X 8 GCD paper pad, "Carnival Ride"...happy colors and circles that mimic the balloons in the Stampendous Cling Balloon Kiddo image. The image itself was partially paper-pieced, and partially colored with pencils.

To add to the "uplifting" feel of the image, I used the fun birthday sentiment from the Stampendous Perfectly Clear "Counting Birthdays". Due to the flexible nature of polymer stamps, I was able to place the stamp on the acrylic handle in a curved shape to match the the rounded edge of the die cut circle.

There are several new images in the Stampendous "Kiddos". Perfect for the child in your life, or the childish adult in your life! You can find them all at Woodware UK. For more childish inspiration, check out the team's posts all this week.

What's Black and White With Gears All Over?

Are you gearing up for some big family occasions coming up? The Dream Team have been! For the month of May, we've been challenging ourselves and YOU, to create graduation and/or cards in black and white with a pop.

My post today covers both of those bases, but could also cover Father's Day as well. I used the Dreamweaver Stencils' Gears for the background, which I paste-embossed in Glossy White. The tie was paste-embossed in Glossy Black and set aside to dry before replacing the Tie stencil over the top. Then I placed the Gears stencil over the top of that, and paste-embossed the Gears in Glossy White over the top. I used this generic "It's Your Day" sentiment to create a banner across the card on the teal cardstock...the teal being the "pop" of color I was adding in conjunction with the challenge.

Remember, if you want to play along with us, you are NOT required to do both graduation and black and white. One or the other is fine. Link your creation to the Mr. Linky on the Dream It Up! blog before the end of May, and you could be one of two winners of these stencils:

Amsterdam Flourish

Celebrate

For more inspiration, check out what the rest of the Dream Team has been creating for the challenge:

Dream It Up! blog
Pam Hornschu   

Laura Drahozal  

Louise Healy  

Terrece Siddoway 

Kristi Van Doren 

Georgia Sommers 

Lee Kellogg 

Liz Martin

 Cyndi Bundy 

Cherylynn Moser 

Jessie Hurley

It's a Kiddo Surprise!

 Stampendous is challenging its design teams and YOU to play along in May, but creating something gifty...a set of cards, or a gift card holder...you get the idea.

My version this week features one of the newest Kiddo images, "Cling Party Hat Kiddo", and boy, is she fun to color! You really have to check out the line of new Kiddo images from Stampendous.

I decided to create a slide out surprise gift card holder. The outside folder is covered in glitter paper, with a stamped border, ribbon from American Crafts, and flowers. The sentiment is one from the Perfectly Clear Birthday Assortment, and says it all...'cuz who doesn't want their birthday filled with "lots of friends, family, food, and fun"? In keeping with the "food" idea, I tucked in a gift card for the Cheesecake Factory (yummy!). I created a fold over flap pocket at the bottom of the slider to hold a gift card, but you could also leave off the pocket and attach a candy bar or lollipop.

The slider itself has the Copic colored Kiddo, dressed in her bright, happy party outfit, which includes pink UGGs, pompoms on her party hat, and a ruffled pink tutu under her cute skirt. (When you don't have girls in your family to dress up, you have fun with your girly stamp images instead!) Oh, and she has glitter...lots of glitter on her hat and outfit...and now I do, too.

We hope that you'll come play along with us this month. It gives us the opportunity to see your talents, plus provide you with a plethora of handy gift cards and holders for upcoming events...birthdays, graduations, weddings, or just because. Remember to link your creations on the Stampendous Impressions site, or to the link at the bottom of my post.

As an extra incentive for playing along, one lucky crafter* (drawn at random) will receive this fabulous new Cling Jumbo Tropical Garden stamp set:

Meanwhile, here are design team members who are prepared to ooh and aaah your pink UGGs off:

Janelle Stollfus

Jennifer Ingle

Pam Hornschu (me)

Taylor Usry

Wendy Price
Tenia Nelson

*Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address.