Cuttlebug Spot Challenge #17: Love Word

Here's my take on the Challenge over at The Cuttlebug Spot. The challenge was to use the word "Love" on a card. I used the Cuttlebug (Divine Swirls) to emboss the foil cutout.
The hearts embossing folder adorns the background, as well as Sakura's Jelly Roll (glitter red) to emphasize the hearts. Then the embossed "with love" border sits underneath a Threading Water cut border.

I liked it, and I hope my hubby will, too... next Saturday. It's coming soon! Toodles for now! lisa

Another Card for Valentine's Day!

This one is really cute (I think!). It involves a challenge over at Scrapbook BINGO to win the Christmas Noel Solutions Cartridge. This is something I really want to win, so I'm making sure I'm ahead of the game. The challenge was to make a Valentine card with hearts other than the "normal" colors of red, pink, white, etc. I chose yellow and blue (adds to the green of the card). LOL! A "duh" moment...

Cartridges used:

Stretch Your Imagination (grasshopper card)

Doodlecharms (hearts)

Pooh font

Other materials:

Chalks (for perfect coloring on grasshopper and reverse shading on hearts)

Cardstock

Vellum (for background)

ATG gun

Sakura Quickie Glue (for the finer fonts and antennae)

Hope you like it... Toodles for now! - lisa

CuttleBug Spot Challenge #16: Sweet Child / Cuttlebug Challenge Blog #17: Love-Themed

This challenge was posted Monday (yesterday) on the Cuttlebug Spot. It was to make a Valentine's for a child. It was also posted 02/04 on Cuttlebug Challenge Blog, so I am putting it for both! Yeah. I've never done that, so I hope people don't mind.


Here is my take on it:
"I'll Hiss for a Kiss" I just popped with it when I saw the snake from Animal Kingdom. I saw so many things I had ideas for, but this one just clicked a little more. And I used scraps I already had. Woohoo!
The hiss and the snake were made from Animal Kingdom; the snake's pink diamond back was embossed using the Cuttlebug Textile folder. ("HISS" is actually two sizes [1" and 1-1/4"], since there is no shadow feature on the "sounds" of the animals.) The other letters are Opposites Attract and dusted/inked with bright pink daubers from Direct Memories.
Of course I had to add Stickles somewhere... so I put it on the skin of the snake (in Cinnamon), emphasizing the diamond back. And I used the "Heart" embossing folder for the background of the card, then sanded the red cardstock to bring out the white core of the cardstock and make the hearts "pop" a little more.
Since it was for a child, I felt only google eyes were appropriate to add a little humor and character to my otherwise fearless friend.


Hope you like it, and check out the links above for more fun and challenges on their blog! Thanks Nilda! And thanks to everyone at Cuttlebug Challenge Blog, as well.

Cuttlebug Challenge Blog - Be Inspired Challenge #16

We were supposed to take Marissa to Disneyland today, but she got sick, so we are home, so... I decided to take a few minutes and do this (made a card)!
This week's challenge was to use distressing. I chose to sand and use Tim Holtz Walnut Stain ink.


First, I sanded my cardstock. (This would allow the ink I am going to use to absorb into different areas, giving it an old feel.) Then I applied the walnut stain ink to the Cuttlebug embossing folder, on the non-raised side, and sent it through, dry-embossing it. The edges are then torn and re-inked to add the "old-paper" feel and look to it. *I was trying to find a more versatile way of using a Halloween-type folder. I *think* I succeeded, don't you?
Then I added the sentiments and embellishments. The purple words "Dust Off the Cobweb" and "is here!" are embossed with Ranger's Puffy in purple, and "Spring!!!" is embossed in hot pink glaze. I left a flower floating on the web for effect.


Hope you like it. You can see more takes on the challenge and check out a challenge of your own on the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. Good luck! Toodles for now! lisa

HUGE Give-A-Way for Scrappers (and Card Makers, too!)

Heck! For any type of crafter!

Danielle is an awesome paper crafter (scrapper and everything inclusive). She is... (get ready for the drum roll...) giving away a CRICUT EXPRESSSION!!!!! Can you believe it? But, there is a catch! She wants to get to 600 comments. (We are below 200 on 02/03/09.) So... let's help her (and us!). Please go to her blog and leave a comment. AND do me a favor (por favor!)... I have another friend who is trying to win the other prize, so... please let Danielle know (in the same comment) that "Captain Scrappy" (my friend, Jenn!) sent you.

Good luck to you all! Go back everyday!!! The more comments, the closer one of us gets to getting the Big Bug! Woohoo! Toodles for now! lisa

BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!

Thanks to Christina (Been There, Done That, Have the Layout!), more blog candy is up for grabs. She has a whole boatload of stuff to celebrate!

First of all, her work is excellent. Secondly, her self-portrait is pretty hot (so all you fellas out there need to take a look, too!). She had her 6-month blogaversary, has had over 3,000 hits (much more than mine! lol!), and has hit the over 200 comment mark (again... much more than mine! lol!). What does she do to be so great? Whelp folks, go on over there and check it out. You will find a great card maker, scrapper, crafter, and friend (also a member of Scrapbook BINGO!).

Leave a comment for her and you will be entered into a drawing for a wonderful package (includes glitter stacks, ribbon, stamps, etc.)! But you gotta go see to enter... So... just click the link next to her name, and you will be taken there. Toodles for now! lisa

More Cards and a Little Bit of Happenings...

You'd think by now I'd be doing more layouts... Nope! Got some more cards done this week. I belong to a card club and hadn't sent the ones from November or December, or the Christmas cards I signed up to do. So... I put a simple gift in pre-made Christmas cards and made the November and December cards, plus all of the previous belated birthday cards (from August on, in my group), and all of the February Birthday cards. I am so caught up now!

Now... I can begin working on more layouts.

I will be printing picks from Walgreens, as they currently have a special of "print 50 for $5.00. Not too bad... They are quick and easy. But if you know me... I have to have them sent to me (instead of 1-hour photo), as I much prefer the matte finish. I can do so much more with it - add chalks, erase around, ink better, etc. Where a gloss picks up fingerprints WAY too easy for my taste and repels a lot of the things I like to do to photos.

So... here's a little bit of what's been goin' on here. I've been "stripping" a day bed. I intend to deep white-wash it to blend with the room, but am still working on it. There is a solvent that is "safe" for the environment (orange gel stuff - YUCK!). Unfortunately, it doesn't work very well. So... here's a little bit of me in my "stripping" clothes! Yeah!

I found some pretty vellum and striped paper on Monday and had to make a card with it. So, here is my "masculine" card. The sentiment is George with the Cricut and is chalked then distress-inked in pond green.

Marissa had a birthday (or two...). She should have had 3 by the time Super Bowl Sunday KickOff hits... We did a cake with Daddy, before he went to work; then... we had some friends over. Marissa wanted a BIG HUGE cookie with M&M's for that... Sunday will be Princess cupcakes (from Hello Cupcake!) with a little adjustments here and there. She will also have a princess-type party with Scene Setters (thank you, Karen!). She'll love it.

I also made this card (today) for the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog. We were supposed to create a card based off a sketch, and here is my take on it. Although the entries had to be posted by yesterday (so much for my anti-procrastination campaign...), I still went ahead and did it, just so I kept up with them. It's a little corny and says, "a little bubbly?"... It's intended for my friend after she gives birth to her (now) overdue daughter #2. The circles are punches, then either reversed inked or inked after dry embossing with the Cuttlebug. The sentiment is stamped in silver then heat embossed with a holographic glitter. Uh... I was a little off in my stamping, as I miscalculated the spacing and so the "l" and "y" of the bubbly is WAY off. But... I still think it looked cute.

I then tried to distress it and can't figure out how all of you get it to look just right without leaving lines or the paper curling up (and ink running!) when you spritz it with water. So... anyone out there? HELP me! (Just leave a comment or e-mail me. I am always looking for tips and tricks. Thanks for everything. I'm tired and gotta go to bed... Toodles for now! lisa

New Cards from the Weekend

Ok, sorry late in posting these, but I have been busy with my weight loss blog (see link in sidebar). I've also been blog surfing, trying to come up with ideas and inspiration. But... I'm ready to post these cards I made over the weekend.

This card was made (quickly) on Saturday for a Quincenera (Girls 15th [Coming Out] Birthday Party) that I didn't know I was going to until that morning. For the scalloped circles, I used Mini Monograms and my Cricut. The sentiment is George and Basic Shapes. I inked a Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder, then ran one of the scallops through, the other scallop went through without the ink, then I layered them. I love the Fiskars "Threading Water" border punch, so I used that too. Underneath it all are two ribbons, a purple and white striped organza over a wide silky satin white ribbon. I sponged the card and the envelope and added some bling to the center of my scallops, as well as Stickles on the sentiment to make the card sparkle.

It may look a little off center, as it was initially meant to go horizontal, but I had printed the inside poem to read portrait-style, so I had to quickly change it. But, I think my "Birthday Blessings" came out okay, don't you?

And Sunday, while I waited for my brakes to be done (yes... I waited AT HOME!), I made 6 cards to catch up with the 2008 card club. I still have 6 more to make, then I can finally sign up for the January 2009 Card Club. I should be finishing those tomorrow. So... there are six of these:

The card club cards are supposed to be blank on the inside, so I just wanted to add a little sparkle to the starry night and Stickled (with a sponge) around the "Way to Go!" (done with the George Cartridge and my Cricut). The chipboard button is from the $1 bin at Michaels. The snowflake border at the bottom is Martha Stewart (on clearance at Michaels). I lined the inside with plain white paper for ease in writing and also to accentuate the border on both sides.

I will be entering both of these cards in the Cricut Christmas Noel Challenge #1 on Scrapbook Bingo... Watch Out Girls! I'm comin' to win it!!! LOL! Just kidding, but sorta serious. Toodles for now! lisa

Whew! The Days Go By So FAST!

Yikes! It's already past two of my kids' birthdays for 2009! OMGosh! Rey turned the big 1-5 on January 1st (she froze along with me), and Stacy turned Sweet 16 today (she shares this date with my bro - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!). I still have one more kid and two steps to go through, but they will all be done by mid-February. Yes, it's a lot to go through, especially right after Christmas.

Still working on the weight issue (been exercising everyday!). But... I have got to focus on my cards, crafts, and layouts right now. So... since I've actually been working a lot on my house and my kitchen is already cleaned up... I'm gonna go get some things done! Toodles for now! lisa