Saturday, July 19, 2014

For the Boys Blog Hop: Congrats Graduate!


Hi Everybody! Welcome to the For the Boys Blog Hop! 

We all know how hard it can be to create guy/boy themed projects, so this hop will help you with that! You'll find tons of inspiration for the men and boys in your life!! We've also got GREAT blog candy for those who leave a comment on and follow the participating blogs (see more info below)!

OK! If you came from Alicia's blog, then you're in the right place. If you just happened upon this Blog Hop, make sure to head over to Jenny's blog so that you see the full hop from the very beginning. 


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Crafting for the fellas has always been a tough one for me. I love all things pink, frilly, sparkly, flowery etc. and it's hard for me to create anything without those essentials! LOL! But when a friend's son graduated from high school recently I decided to make an extra special manly card for him. I hope I was able to sufficiently dial it down on the frilly and turn up the masculine in my design aesthetic. 


I was inspired to design the outside as well as the inside of the card which is not my norm. But I figured, if I couldn't add all my go-to accents it would make it look more interesting to do more with the inside of the card. Recollections - Regent Street fit the bill as the inspiration for this masterpiece. It has all the manly card stock and designs you can handle in a variety of hues.

Kiwi Lane templates assisted me in varying the pattern and colors. I tried out many curvy styles but felt that straight lines were the best in this case. Using Memento ink I stamped images and sentiments from the Hampton Art Signature collection. Since I just finished the Copic certifications I was compelled to color the cap (and a bit of the sentiment inside the card) and am very happy with the results!


Supplies:
  • DCWV - green square 5 x 5 card
  • Recollections - Regent Street paper pad
  • Kiwi Lane - mini strip set
  • Hampton Art Signature Collection - Graduate stamps
  • Memento - Rich Cocoa ink
  • Copic Markers - B93, B95, B99, 0
  • CTMH - Durables Triangle Studs



BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!! 

Before you go, make sure to leave a comment on and follow the participating blogs to be eligible to win these AMAZING PRIZES! You will have until Monday July 21st to comment and the winners will be announced Wednesday July 23rd.

  • $5 Gift Certificate from Miss Kate Cuttables
  • Size A Stamp Set from Close to My Heart
To sweeten the pot, I've also got some crafty goodies to give to one lucky follower!! 

If you'd like to be entered for a crafty grab bag please follow this blog, my Pinterest and my Facebook fan page. Leave only one comment on this post. Tell me where you've followed me and please say something nice about my work as well. Thanks in advance! Oh, be sure to leave me your user names for blogger, Pinterest and Facebook so I can identify that you are a follower of mine.

Now it's time for you to head over to Gina's blog


Here is the full line up in case you get lost along the way: 

Thanks for hopping by!!

La-Vie

Challenges:



Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Use a Physical or Digital Stamp - Cards Galore Encore Monthly Challenge


Welcome back to another Crafts Galore Encore monthly challenge! July's challenge: make a project using a stamp or digital stamp!


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July's sponsor is Fred She Said Designswhich offers a wide variety of digital products with a floral flair and cute characters too - Digi's, Pre-coloured images, Papers, Sets, Fred's Flower Kits, and even digital cutting files. Have some fun with Fred!

Fun indeed, cuz if you win, you'll get a generous prize of $15 credit to spend at the Fred She Said Designs store!!! 



I was given the Emma & Rosey digi which comes with or without the butterflies. The digi comes in a singular image and in a sheet of 4 to print out.  I love choices! The page included 4 images, 2 with butterflies and 2 without. That way I didn't waste any of my special card stock and had a couple of images to practice on before deciding on my coloring implements. 

For the first time I colored a digi using only Wink of Stella brush markers by Zig. Well, I had to use a Copic for the skin but other than that it's Wink of Stella. I decided to go with the butterflies and love how it came out. I did a minimal amount of shading and it was very quick to complete the project that way. Freedom!!!



Here's a slanted view so you can see the unique shimmer Wink of Stella pens create. Now I am going to blow your minds.... guess what? I used a spellbinder's die to cut out the image in my cuttlebug for the first   time! AND.... I added the background (card stock was white) AFTER I colored with the Wink of Stella. "What?" you say?? 

YES I DID. It was a risk. I had no mask. I could've messed up all the effort I put in. But guess what? Wink of Stella dries quickly and doesn't pick up the Distress Ink. I used a dauber to get it on there and a water brush to soften it. In the process of trying to steer clear of my images I created that white halo around the image that makes it look good (by accident) score!! Then I stamped the sentiment full strength in the same Distress Ink used for the sky. This was a time saver for sure. Give it a try!

Supplies:
  • spellbinders die - fleur de lis rectangles (largest rectangle)
  • Copic X-press it blending card
  • Copic E11
  • Zig - Wink of Stella
  • Recollections 100 lb white cardstock
  • Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Stormy Sky, Mowed Lawn
  • The Stamps of Life - Crayons2Stamp "hello"
  • waterbrush
  • bone folder 
  • CutterPillarPro
  • Scotch ATG adhesive

Here's the back view. I simply cut a rectangle of 100 lb Recollection card stock about an inch longer than the card (A2) scored, folded and flattened it so I could adhere it to the back of the card front. Voila! I hope you enjoyed this presentation and will join in on this month's challenge!


La-Vie



Challenges:

Crafting for All Seasons - Whatever the weather 

Crafty Girlz - ATG   

Inky Impressions #165 - ATG 

Crafting by Designs - here comes summer   

Cute Card Thursday #327 - circles 

Brown Sugar Challenges #100 - Color challenge




Creative Fingers #41 - ATG 

Fussy and Fancy Challenge #117 - Summertime 

QKR Stampede #94 - Include a dog 

Wags 'n Whiskers #132 Summer Fun 

JW Scrapshack - #56 In the Garden 


Little Scrap Pieces - Show it off Sat. Linky Party 

Pile it on Challenges #26 - Outdoor Fun 

The Pink Elephant #257 - ATG 

Scrapbook Blessings - ATG/June use a digi 

Cutie Pie Challenge #72 - Cute girls 


Cheerful Stamp Pad #89 - Weekend Activities