a shaker it is, and blue (AAA, SSS)

Quick post to join the fun over at AAA Cards and the Simon Says Work It Wednesday - "blue".

For the little guy DD babysits. Inside "that's robot for happy birthday". Great way to use up leftover alpha stickers, BTW.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies for robot birthday:

Paper:  CS Bringmann, PP scraps, recycled acetate

Stamps: robot Hero Arts, BG CHF

Ink : Aladine, Versafine

Tools: die Spellbinders

Other: chipboard Studio Calico, stickers BoBunny, confetti

STAMPlorations june challenge "stamps and borders" (PCC)

That's right, it's a new month and time for another themed challenge at STAMPlorations.  "Stamps and Borders". Does it stump you?  It sure stumped me.

But as I was perusing my stamps the name of one set caught my attention. VIGNETTE: Art Deco Border Builders. Duh!

Now what exactly is a border? Did I even create a border here? But I used a stamp called border so I'm callin' it good ;)))

Stamped the pattern on my cardbase. Overstamped a random few with white ink. Made a stencil using a label die (so I'm joining the fun over at Paper Crafting Challenges #11 again) and piled on the modelling paste. Before it was too dry, but not too wet (yep, I had to resmooth it a couple times before I got it right) I stamped the stamp into the paste for that wonderful texture. It took forever to dry but then a few tissue paper scalloped circles under a square piece of CS for my sentiment and voila!

Why don't you put your thinking cap on and give "Stamps and Borders" a try. Remember, there are good prizes.  If you win the monthly challenge, you receive a stamp set of your choice.  If you win and you used STAMPlorations stamps, you win two sets of your choice. Pretty cool, eh?

And on a side note, Shery R. is starting a new challenge soon called The Mixed Media Card Challenge.  It's about Mixed Media (duh!) and CAS. She's got a DT call going on right now. Check it out.

Happy weekend, all.

Supplies for thank you so much:

Paper:  CS Bringmann

Stamps: STAMPlorations 

Ink : Aladine, white pigment Hero Arts,  Versamark

Tools: die Spellbinders

Other: modelling paste

just saying thanks for this crazy life!

How crazy is this thing we call life?

I've shared with you how I felt last Friday when I read Cath's post that Moxie Fab World as we know it is going away.

Now picture this... checking my email before going to bed Friday night, I notice two messages in my Spam folder.  Huh?  One from Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine.

Have a looksee. Oh. My. Goodness.

Thanks Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking! And thanks to you, my friends, who stop by here regularly.

This card is in the hot-off-the-press Stamp It! Card Challenges. One of over 200 clever ways to use your stamps.  I used the wonderful Folk Art stamp set from Waltzingmouse for this one-layer card.

Crazy, eh? Ellie agrees... What a CRAZY WONDERFUL life!

stamp-a-faire: bake and take (PTI)

A Papertrey Stamp-a-faire newbie I am.  But I actually managed to catch on to the fact that it's a happening before it was actually over so I thought I'd play along with some of the challenges.

First up, the "Bake & Take".

Pick a color combo.  OK.

Image Credit

Pick a sketch.  OK.

Mix 'em together and bake a card.  OK.

If you're quick you can still join the fun.   Gotta get going to use the daylight to take some photos.  Oh, guess I gotta make some cards first.  CU.

Supplies for happy for you:

Paper: CS Bringmann

Stamps: PTI

Ink : Aladine, Hero Arts 

Tools: embossing folder Lifestyle Crafts, sewing machine

Other: 

we interrupt the regular programming...

...for my first published card!!!

It's kinda crazy.  If you start to play the submission/publication game there are three things to get your head around:

1.   You have to be in the mood for Christmas in Spring, Valentine's Day in Summer, etc.
2.   You need to know your supplies.  Did I mention you need to know your supplies?
3.   There are lightyears between submitting and seeing your project in the magazine!

But the wait is over.  You can see it here or in the Birthday Creations  edition of Paper Crafts Magazine on page 55.  (Still pinching myself!)

As I mentioned in this post, I kept to a theme/technique for my cards when I submitted for the first time. Thought that if they kept seeing the die cut "hb2u" idea it might grow on 'em ;)  I doubt that that makes any difference to tell you the truth.

Funny thing about this card was that it came together as an afterthought!  Some of the die cut letters that were left over from the die cut negatives that I used on other cards for the submission were laying around in a little pile on my ironing board... and looking at them I got the idea for the "Scrambled Happy Birthday." 

I do like this card as I look at it again.  Guess it's a good one to have as a "first."  I was a little nervous, wondering if it would actually appear in the print issue or just the digital one.  DD was embarrassed at the book store when we were flipping through the issue and I saw it was actually in the print issue and I may have let out a little shriek!  There it is, paired with a great "29 forever" card from Wendy S.   Of course I wonder why this card and not another from the bunch I submitted, but hey, that's not my job. Oh, this was kinda nice too!

Thanks for sharing in my happy news today.  There is a great blog hop going on at Paper Crafts Connection. Check out some of the great cards from the issue as well as newly-designed ones based on some cool sketches.

Supplies Happy Birthday:

Paper: (solar white) Neenah, (gray graph paper, backside of Seen & Noted 4x6” phrase cards) Pebbles

Stamps: Hero Arts

Pigment ink: (Versafine Smokey Gray) Tsukineko, (Iris, Carrot, Curacao, Lemon from the Vitamin 10-pad collection) Aladine

Accent: (white iridescent sequins 5 mm) Eurocrafters, (yellow iridescent sequins  6mm) Rayher

Sticker: (Yellow Chevron washi tape) Bella Blvd 

Dies: (Circle Stax Set 1) Dienamics, (Parker Lower Case Alpha, Parker Numbers) Memory Box

parade of rejects: hb2u vines2

In my last post you've met the shower gel can that inspired my first card that I actually submitted to a magazine.  I mentioned that I submitted it for the Inspired By feature in Paper Crafts.  Well, while there I checked out the submission calls that were current and saw the call for Birthday Creations: Vol. 3.  And I decided to give it a go and make some more cards.

Now I've always been known as the gal who has to have a theme.  Birthday parties have a theme. Rooms in the house have a theme.  Or a feel. When I took pics in college with my sorority sisters, I was the one who made everyone lay down on the floor so our heads were in a circle and the photo shot from above.  Or I made my big and little sisters climb a tree to get a shot of our "family".   Family tree.  Get it?  Tja, not everyone loved my ideas but the photos were definitely cool!

So I figured if I was going to submit cards to a call, they were going to have to have a theme.  And the "hb2u" idea was born.

Meet hb2u vines2.

Tja.  The ink color is an amazing reddish-pinkish-orange.  No idea where the bling idea came from but  I think it works.  And I will use this card, but I must admit my generational stamping is less than perfect =  publication reject.

Just keep watching.

Supplies hb2u vine2:

Cardstock: (solar white) Neenah 

Other paper: (black scrap)

Clear stamps: (branch) Papertrey Ink

Pigment ink: (Vitamins) Aladine

Dies, embossing folders, brass templates: (Parker lower case alpha) Memory Box

Other:  square gem, adhesive 

parade of rejects: it started with a ... can

Welcome to the first in my "Parade of Rejects."  Parade - cuz it's nearly July 4th and I've got a good few entries to share with you.  And rejects - well they are.   They've been to a couple submission calls and back and they weren't selected.  The word may sound negative, but I'm not.  I'm enjoying this submission thang...

Hold on to your hats.  This can is what made me actually submit a card for the very first time.  In a roundabout way that is.

I was relaxing in the tub, staring at this wonderful can of shower gel DD had given me for Christmas, and I thought "hey, that's a cool logo."  And "hey, I could make a card based on that."  And "hey, Paper Crafts has that Inspired By page at the end of each issue."  Tja, now you know how some crazy ideas are born.

So.  How to translate it into a card?  Papertrey gingko leaves.  And Memory Box die cut letters/numbers.  I actually ordered the numbers to make this card cuz I didn't have 'em.  And no, they weren't on sale ;)  And this is what happened.

Well I certainly enjoyed the process on this.  But trust me, it's a reject.  It's been submitted a couple times - the experts say if it comes back three times, give it up.  OK.  I'm givin' up.  But I still like it.  I would love to hear your constructive criticism on my rejects - so many talented designers out there who might have a tip or two for moi.  I'm a true believer that you're never too old to learn :)

Stay tuned.  And have a good day.

Supplies hb2u vines1:

Cardstock: (solar white) Neenah 

Patterned paper: (gold CS) Folia

Other paper: (black scrap)

Clear stamps: (branch) Papertrey Ink

Pigment ink: (Vitamins) Aladine

Dies: (Parker lower case alpha Memory Box), (square Framelits) Sizzix