Simon Says - Emboss It & DS134

After a busy couple of weeks I am back in the craft studio today playing with paper as the weather is 44 degrees C and it's way too hot for housework, cooking and cleaning (well that's my excuse anyway!).

The lovely Jen Schuls from The Deconstructed Sketch challenge blog previewed the next sketch on facebook today and I absolutely love it!  I also popped back to the newly found (for me) and fun Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog and loved the challege they have posted so I am playing along with both today.

Here are the challenges:

The Deconstructed Sketch:

Thanks for the awesome sketch inspiration Jen!

Simon Says Stamp:



This week the challenge is EMBOSS IT 

Dry Emboss, Heat Emboss or use Embossing Paste :-)

I love this challenge as it has got me playing with my embossing folders again!

So here is the card I created:

The papers were from Echo Parks Sweet Girl collection. I also used my favourite mini swiss dots embossing folder and I grabbed out some of my MFT die namics to play with - Blue Prints 3, Large Numbers and LLD Insert - It 3x4 notepad.  I also used their gorgeous felt for the flowers.

I used some foam mounting tape to give the elements some dimension.

The embossed elements were embossed in two different ways.  The scrap of yellow and the pink insert-it piece were embossed with the dots coming upward and I sanded them to enhance the pattern.  The large yellow piece was embossed in reverse so the dots sank back into the card. 

I also incorporated some edge distressing, ribbon and two Maya Road butterfly pins.

This card is for my Great Niece who will be turning two very soon - hope she likes it!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

HB2U with Mojo Monday and Simon Says Stamp

What better way is there to start the New Year's card making than by getting some inspiration from my favourite sketch blog - Mojo Monday???

How about also combining it with a new challenge blog that is featuring MFT products in one of their challenge- Simon Says Stamp!! Wahooo!!!!  So much fun!!!

Now no one has to twist my arm to get our my MFT die-namics but this challenge also got me rummaging through my MFT stamps and button collection as well. 

So here are the inspiration challenges I used:

Mojo 326

Simon Says Stamp

This week the challenge is SOMETHING NEW ,,, New Year, New Job, New Baby, New Crafty Stash, New Home, Wedding ( new life) Retirement ( new life) ,, etc ,,,, 

We are showcasing My Favorite Things Products this week. You don’t have to use them to join in but if you have some we would love to see them used :-)

And here is the card I created:

I loved the sketch that Julee came up with - I am a round card addict thanks to this talented ladies monthly "round or square" sketch challenges and I love this NEW one.  I have however, replaced the fishtail banner section with a bow.

My something NEW for this card comprised of three things, MFT buttons, MFT stamps and a paper pad from my stash that I have never used before. 

The papers are from Echo Parks Times and Season's 2 collection and the colour palette is a NEW challenge for me as I often opt for the soft pastel florally pinks.  This collection got me playing with stronger colours such as deep red and navy.

Whilst the MFT Dainty Bows die is not all that new to my collection on this card I decided to layer up the two different sized bows in the set and this was something NEW for me to try - and I love the effect!

The buttons on the bottom of the tag were from my NEWly acquired MFT button packs - just love them as you get so many different styles of buttons in each set.

The other MFT dies on the card were some of my favs as well - mini doily and a butterfly which I layered up.

MFT products used:

Button colours are Kraft and Nightshift blue

Thank so much for stopping by!  Please leave a comment if you have time - I'd love to hear from you!

2013 in Review

Just wanted to pop in and share some of the highlights of my 2013 creative year.  I was incredibly blessed to be part of some AWESOME design teams in 2013, have a fabulous group of ladies support my card making endeavours by attending my cards classes and making them all sell out classes and I have enjoyed seeing the sales of my cards through retail stores and through supportive family and friends.  To each and every person who has supported my creative endeavours - THANK YOU!

Here is a few of my favourite creations from 2013.

From classes at Scrappy Hollow:

 

Design Team assignments with Aussie Scrap Source:

 

 

Gifts for special occasions:

Challenges I played along with:

 

 

Guest Design Team creations for Scrapmatts:

 

 

Special request cards:

 

 

Now as 2014 unfolds I am so excited to be continuing my paper crafting journey by continuing my teaching at Scrappy Hollow, joining in on a few new challenge blogs and even have some new design ventures in the pipe works.  Look forward to sharing more with you throughout the year!

Thanks for stopping by!