Hi all!  Hope you are having a wonderful week so far! I am sure I am having fun, hanging out with the fam at Big Sky.  Taking lots of photos...playing lots of games....going to Yellowstone...playing in the snow....FUN!!

Today I have my card for sketch 164 at the CPS Blog.  I went crazy using some Glitz Designs "Distressed Couture" line on this one!  I love this line...it is a fabulous one! Here is my card for the week!

Happy Sunday everyone!  I have my themed cards to share with you today.  I know you may have seen this image already, but it is just SO pretty...that I have to post it again!
I was so inspired by the pink, green & white, the jewels, the flowers....everything about this image.  I just love it!  Here is my first card:
All supplies except the ribbon and lace trim are from the Homespun Chic line by Melody Ross.  This paper is so wonderful, and glittery, and full of texture...it just makes me want to {sigh}.  I hand-cut some of the flowers and roses and added them to give it more dimension.

And here is my second card, along with a little detail shot.  I can't take credit for the paper rose technique on this one...I learned how to do it on a fellow paper crafter's blog.  I love how it turned out though...especially after glittering it!
Mother's Day is coming up, and I think the sentiment on this card is just perfect for that fabulous mom or mother figure in your life.  I think it would also be perfect for a grandmother, especially with the retro image!

Until later,
~Lea

Hi all!  Another Sunday means another fabulous color challenge courtesy of Stacey's Stamping Stage blog!  Here are the colors this week!
Very soft and pretty colors...and I decided that some Dear Lizzy by American Crafts was the perfect choice for them!  I actually didn't stamp at all on this card.  Unusual for me lately...but it is still pretty darn cute! Here is what I came up with!

...tee hee!  No, I am not having one.  Let's not get that rumor started!  I just have a baby card to share with you today, and then some sweet images from a newborn shoot I did this week!  So, let's get started!

First up is my card for sketch 163 at CPS this week.  I had a heck of a time photographing this card for some reason!  I did custom white balances, auto white balances, different angles...it just didn't want to be photographed very well.  This was the best I could get it to look...and I am sticking with it!!   See- even professional photographers struggle at times!  Tee hee!

....they are some of my very favorite colors! I have a few cards to share with you today that use these colors.  So, let's get started.

This first card is for Challenge 13 at the Everything But The Kitchen Sink blog.  And it has pink & aqua mixed with kraft....an even better color combo!  Yum!

Happy Sunday everyone!  And what has been a ritual around here on Sundays now, it is time for another fabulous color challenge courtesy of Stacey's Stamping Stage Blog!  Here are the colors for this week!
Not a normal color combo for me, but I really loved putting together my card!  I didn't realize how much I actually liked gray until doing so!  Here is what I came up with:

Two days ago, it was snowing and super cold.  Today it is sunny, gorgeous, and in the 60's!  Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 70's!!  I can't even tell you HOW excited I am for that!!  And then in a couple weeks...it will probably snow again.  Tee hee- welcome to Spring in Montana!

I have just a couple of things to share with you today.  First up is my card for CPS Sketch 162 this week.  I flipped it around and changed it around a little...but I think it is pretty fun.  I felt like I hadn't done anything rainbow themed in awhile...so had get my fix!  Tee hee!

...is what I have been doing today!  One of the best things in the world when it is snowy, and cold, and just plain yucky outside.  So let's just get right to it!

So, I recently found another stamping challenge/sketch blog recently called "Stamping 411" and this past weekend they posted a great sketch.  So, of course, I had to use it.  The sentiment on this one is not very common, but I think it could be used for so many things.  I think it would be especially good for someone who is struggling with not being the best at something...because isn't that something that is hard for all of us at times?  I know it is for me...  This is what I came up with:

This Sunday brings you a really citrusy color challenge, courtesy of Stacey's Stamping Stage Blog!!  These colors are absolutely fun...and I went with the bright tones of them!  First off, here are the colors:
Pretty fun colors, huh?  I went with a more clean and simple approach this time around, and also used Get Sketchy #33 for it!  Love the fun circles...especially when it means I can break out my Dot Spot stamp set!!  ♥  I would normally use a smooth cardstock when stamping with this set, but I decided to try out a textured cardstock.  And for this card...I am loving the imperfect stamping!  I wouldn't like it on every card, but I think it works here! 

I have been playing around with the Chip Art tool since receiving it, trying to find items other than chipboard that it would work on.  Felt was a no go...which I kind-of figured before trying it.  But, I did find that the tool made an impression on foam very well!  So, my tutorial today is about using the Chip Art tool on foam!  (You can buy foam in many colors at your local craft store.)

So first, I cut a scallop border from the light blue foam.
I used my Cuttlebug and a steel die in order to cut through the foam.  Please note that you have to have a die like this one in order for this to work.  The dies that you lay over top of the paper with the foam on the bottom will not cut through the foam.  Arrange the items in the Cuttlebug like this:  A plate, C plate, die, foam, & B plate.  Then just crank it through the Cuttlebug.

Then I gathered the Chip Art Tool materials that I needed.
For this project, I used the tiny butterfly.  Then I went to work making an impression into the foam.
You don't actually need the mallet when imprinting the foam.  Just using the power of your hand works really well.  I did tap it a couple times very lightly with the mallet just to get a little deeper impression.  Be careful though...if you tap to hard, you will also get the impression of the square block that the butterfly sits on.
This is what the foam looks like when you are done.  I think it gives a nice little added accent to the scalloped strip on the card.  Once you have done this part, just design your card!  Here is what I came up with for the light blue foam:
Isn't this paper line just fun!  All of the items except the cardstock and ribbon are from the GCD Melody Ross "Artsy Urban" collection.  The bluebird and the butterflies just make me long for warm spring weather!!  I know it has to be coming soon!

I have one more fun card to share with you using this same technique:
This card uses product from GCD Melody Ross "Homespun Chic" collection (excluding the cardstock, ribbon and jewels).  The white foam is a little hard to see in the full photograph, so here is a close-up.
Such a fun and subtle touch to the card!  And a way to use the Chip Art Tool that doesn't have to do with chipboard!


You could also add some ink to the impressions to make them stand out more if you wanted!  I have more of a clean style, so I prefer them just the way they are.  But for those of you with a more shabby chic style, that would be a fabulous option!

Until later,
~Lea

Glitz Designs is having a quick and informal design team call to fill a few spots on the design team.  They are in need of the following:

~3 layout designers
~1 altered item artist

Click below to get all the information on the design team call:

Glitz Design Team Call

Spread the word to anyone you know who might want to be part of the team!  But be aware that the deadline date is quick!  All the details are in the above post! ♥♥♥

Until later,
~Lea

Sorry I am so late posting the color challenge, courtesy of Stacey's Stamping Stage Blog!  We were out of town all weekend, and I didn't bring the image with me so I could post it.  And then today just completely got away from me.... I'm only human, and I imagine you all feel me on that! Tee hee!  So, without further ado...here are the colors for this week:
What I am loving about being part of this challenge is that I am using colors that I would normally not think to put together!  I also used some of my new Lawn Fawn stamps!!  Just got them in the mail and couldn't WAIT to break into them!  They are SO SO cute, and they stamp wonderfully!  Check out the Lawn Fawn Blog, and a link to the stamp set will be in my supply list!  I also used FTL 84 from the Clean & Simple Stamping blog for this one...such a fab sketch!  And last, but not least...I did this with the Moxie Fab "Picking Up The Pieces" challenge in mind.  I hope to get another card with more elaborate paper piecing done, but if not...I still got the challenge done!