A sketch, some color and CLOUDS!

First up, my Card Positioning Systems card for this week.

 This is a fun sketch, give it a try when you have time!!!

 Sweet n' Sassy is our sponsor for this week. I picked out a set of stamps that has a few silhouette images in it and then some sentiments. I love this set! I cut that amazing oval frame with a Spellbinders Nestabilities.

 I simply stamped the image with black ink and embossed that with clear embossing powder. This piece was cut in an oval shape and sprayed with a little bit of some colored sprays.  There is also an umbrella stamp that is just the outline of the umbrella making it easy to use it on other papers.  I actually stamped my piece with a dictionary background stamp by Hero Arts.

 I also used this color combo from The Play Date Cafe.

 I pulled out some October Afternoon mini pad papers.

 The blue flower circle is cut with the Cricut and then it is matted with matching shapes in yellow and red.

And for a few photos...

 We had a top of rain this last week and the day after, the clouds were amazing. I had to capture this sky with my Hipstamatic camera on my phone. See those tiny palm trees at the bottom of this photo?

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge and more

Today marks a new Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge, March 8-21. 

I wanted to stay with the white wreath design so I cut a shape with my Cricut Expressions.  This was mounted on a kraft colored piece of cardstock to match the inspiration piece. 

I liked the little glimpses of pastel colors peeking out and since Easter is coming soon, I added a bunny to the wreath.  I kept my coloring very simple with just one shade of pink Copic marker and then added glitter pastel brads to the middles of the flowers.

I took this opportunity to share another card with you that features some Paper Smooches stamps. 

The little golf cart is so cute and so fitting for a card for a man, especially dad.  I cut a circle from white cardstock and embossed it with a dot embossing folder.  I used the reverse side of the embossed piece because I thought it looked like a golf ball.  The blue shape is cut with a Spellbinder Nestabilities.

I hand cut my little row of grass and the sentiment is also by Paper Smooches.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Flower Soft Step-It-Up challenge - FSC 43

In order to show off some new and totally adorable Flower Soft products, the team is hosting a challenge.  We are using the Mabel Lucie Attwell Kit #8.  I can't even believe how cute these little kids are. They are the perfect, vintage look for Valentines but for so many other occasions too.

Here's what you do: Select a card from either the Flower Soft blog or any DT members blog and recreate that card by 'stepping-it-up'. You can upload your creation to either your own blog or to SCS using the keyword FSC43. (the list of the team members is on the Flower Soft blog so you can see all of the other examples)

You can link your card here or on the Flower Soft blog so that we can see them. You have until Jan 30 to enter this challenge.

What do you win???? Your very own Mabel Lucie Attwell Kit #8! This is such a great kit with so many possibilities.

Here is my card:

I used the original front of one of the cards and then cut out the images from another card front. I used a minimum of accents with a strip of patterned paper and a little design cut with my Cricut.

I then layered the two with foam tape. I used a Copic marker to create a shadow around the bottom image.  Flower Soft was added to little portions of the top image.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)
Hope you can play along.

A Yippee Skippee Day

 Do you know what this little banner means!? I get to be part of the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge Design Team for the next few months. You might have already gathered that I love challenges and that is just what a "SPARK" is, a piece of inspiration that should spark a creative idea. 

 This is the newest Paper Smooches Spark challenge and of course, I wanted to play along. 

 I thought the way the little images were scattered on the page, it looked like leaves falling.  I used the newest FREE digital images at Paper Smooches.  One thing that is cool about a digital image is that you can print it out in pretty much any size.  All I did was open a Microsoft Word document and inserted the leaves, one by one.  I resized the leaf a few times and printed them on plain white cardstock and a piece of red patterned paper and a piece of  yellow patterned paper.  For the white cardstock I used the x-Press Copic Marker paper.  Not only does this paper would amazingly well with the Copic markers for coloring and blending but the computer prints wonderfully on it. 

 I printed the digital sentiment directly on the white cardstock.  The leaves were cut out and then placed on the white cardstock that I had sprayed a couple colors of the Smooch Spritz by Clearsnap.  The white leaves were colored with Copic markers. 

 Another reason for a happy post is that The Cat's Pajamas stamps was the sponsor this last week at Card Positioning Systems blog.  Is this guy the cutest?

After I colored the stamped image, I sprayed the entire piece with a Smooch Spritz in a shiny silver color. It really made a nice finish to the image. 

And for a couple photos...

We got a huge downpour of rain this last week and the sky the day after was nothing but big, fluffy clouds.  I had to take photos, of course.  I used my Hipstamatic app on my phone.

And, this beauty is in my garden. I so love fuchias.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

Babies and Butterflies

First off, I want to share my Card Positioning Systems sketch card for this week.  This is the "baby" part of the post.

I just love these particular sets of stamps by Pink Persimmon and so I created a little clothesline with some banners stamps from one set and a little boy outfit from another set.   

Can you believe those adorable little clothespins? I attached them with foam tape over the Divine Twine clothesline. 

Now for the "butterfly" part.  If you noticed the little banner on my sidebar, this week is Jenni Bowlin week at Core'dinations.  The embossed scallop card is cut from a piece of cardstock from the new collection of cardstocks in the Jenni Bowlin collection. 

This I used a bunch of goodies from Jenni Bowlin to finish off my card. 
And for a few photos...

This tulip is in my yard this week! I planted a few bulbs last fall and they opened this week! Are they unique?

Gotta share this photo of one of our grandsons. He and his brother LOVE to climb trees and they are experts, believe me!
Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 212 – WELCOME LITTLE ONE card

Materials:
Cardstock –Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Fine and Dandy/My Mind’s Eye (mini pad)
Stamp set – Pink Persimmon
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder – Stampendous
Cuttlebug embossing folder
Fiskars corner rounder punch
Memento stamp pads
Divine Twine
Sand It Gadget – Core’dinations
Foam tape – 3M

The Easter bunny is on his way

We think of so many different images when we think of Easter and the Easter Bunny is one of those. 

I want to share my Card Positioning Systems card and the sponsor for this week is Banu with a cute set of Ippity/Unity Stamps.  I paired the stamps with some Nikki Sivils, Scrapboooker papers from the Max and Mollie collection. 

 Since I am a big fan of chocolate, a brown bunny just seemed right.  Notice my cute grass that I cut with my new Martha Stewart Fringe scissors.  The little pieces on the side of the card with the words on them were created with one of the stamps the set.  I sprayed that with a Chalkboard Glimmer Mist spray.  The pink parts of the ears were coated with Aleene's Paper Glaze giving them a nice, shiny, 3-D look. 

I created a second card with that same bunny from the same stamp set.  This time I left her white and used these great papers from 3 Bugs in a Rug. 

 Notice my cute little grass!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 210 – SPRING card

Materials:
Sweet Thought of Spring stamp set – Courtesy of Unity
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned paper- Max & Mollie Mini’s/Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder – Stampendous
Copic Markers
Corner rounder punch – PaperShapers
Self adhesive pearls – Queen & Co.
Fringe scissors – Martha Stewart
Clear Paper Glaze – Aleene’s®
Foam tape – 3M
Sand It Gadget – Core’dinations



HAPPY SPRING

Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
White cardstock – Copic X-Press
Patterned paper – Chloe borders/Chloe collection/3 Bugs in a Rug
Bunny and sentiment stamps - Ippity/Unity
Self adhesive pearl – Queen & Co.
Copic markers – RV02, B000, R11, 0
Black Versafine stamp pad
Detail clear embossing powder – Stampendous
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Flower – Prima

Unscripted and CPS sketches time again

You know I love working with sketches and so I always find joy in sharing my cards each week.

 This card is my Unscripted sketch card for this week. I am 100% Danish so it was really fun to use this stamped sentiment by Fiskars on my card.  I have liked this little saying for years but I didn't know it was a Danish Proverb until I bought this stamp set last week.  The red cardstock with the embossed flowers in it is Core Impressions by Core'dinations. All it took was some sanding so expose the flowers.

 And, since we are talking about a Friend's House, there aren't better papers for that then this new collection by  Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker called We Are Family. 

 Now for my Card Positioning Systems card.  I have this adorable stamp set by Layers of Color and I thought it fit well here. 

 My favorite part is that wonderful sun image.  I stamped the images on my pieces of white cardstock with black Versafine ink and embossed them with clear embossing powder.  Now that they are embossed with the clear, they will resist the ink colors that I used.  I rubbed the papers with the yellow Marvy stamp pad and then sprayed a couple colors of the Shimmerz sprays.  See my materials list for the exact colors of sprays.

 And, I also want to share a Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker card. The challenge the design team had was to create something to do with love and I created a card using the It's Raining, It's Pouring collection. 

 I just punched three sizes of hearts, distressed the edges a bit and added them to my card in layers with machine sewing down the middle.

And, for a photo...

My first Daffodil bloomed this last week! LOVE seeing spring happening ever though we are cold here.

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 95 – FRIEND’S HOUSE card

Materials list:
Cardstock – Core Impressions/Core’dinations
Copic X-press cardstock
Patterned Papers and die cuts – We Are Family/Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker
Black Versafine stamp pad
Detail Clear embossing powder – Stampendous
Sentiment stamp - Fiskars
Foam tape – 3M
Sanding block – Core’dinations



SKETCH 207 – LAUGHTER – HAVE FUN card

Materials:
Cardstock – Core Essentials/Core’dinations
Patterned paper- October Afternoon
Stamp set – Rise & Shine/Layers of Color
Shimmerz Coloringz/My Bleeding Heart – Shimmerz Paints
Shimmerz Vibez/Rolling in the Hay – Shimmerz Paints
Brilliant Yellow Marvy stamp pad
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear Detail embossing powder - Stampendous
Corner rounder punch – Fiskars
Border punch – Martha Stewart
Rub-on sentiments – Making Memories
Sandpaper

LOVE YOU card
Core'dinations cardstock
Patterned paper and mini sticker letters - It's Raining, It's Pouring collection/Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker
Heart punches - Marvy
Heart beads - Darice
Machine sewing
Sanding Block - Core'dinations

From Spiders to Santa

To show off my Unscripted Sketch card and my Card Postioning Systems card for this week, we will start with Spiders and end with Santa!

This is the Unscripted sketch card.  I just picked up this really cute spider web with a tiny spider stamp set in the $1 spot and so I paired them with some Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker papers.  I don't usually do a whole lot for Halloween but I thought this was pretty irresistible. 

The green cardstock is embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing plate that has a web look to it so I thought it was a good match.  I accented the spider web with Glitter 3-D Fashion paint by Tulip to give that web a little bit of bling.

Now for my CPS card.  Flower Soft is the sponsor this week at CPS and so I pulled out some cute stuff for my card.  I used another Tim Holtz embossing plate for that checkerboard look on the white cardstock.   

Not only did I accent my Santa with Teddy Bear image with Flower Soft, the image itself and the red, print, background paper is by Flower Soft too.  Let me tell you, I used one of their Cute Christmas Papercraft CD's and you could never even use all of the images and papers in this CD and it is soooooo easy to use. If you aren't sure what to do with it, you can watch a little video at Flower Soft TV where they walk you through the very easy steps.  There are a number of cute images and they come in several sizes so they fit your project but there are also many different options for patterned papers and every single paper can be printed in more then one color. WOWIE!

I used the JPEG option for this Santa with Teddy Bear and that meant that I could print it the size I wanted.  That was cut to match the sketch and then the Polar White Flower Soft was added to the Santa. I am pretty sure that is my favorite color in the Flower Soft collection.  The Teddy Bear has a little bit of accent with two brown colors. 

Thanks for visiting, Linda (lbpost)

SKETCH 74 – SPIDER WEB card

Materials:
Cardstock – Core Expressions/Core’dinations
Patterned paper – Boo-tiful/Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker
Web and Spider stamp – Inkadinkado
Black Versafine stamp pad
Clear embossing powder – Stampendous
Tim Holtz Sizzix embossing folder
Circle punches – Marvy
Glitter 3-D Fashion paint - Tulip
Sandpaper

SKETCH 186 – SANTA AND BEAR card

Materials:
Flower Soft and Ultra Fine Flower Soft – Courtesy of Flower Soft
Cute Christmas Papercraft CD Rom – Courtesy of Flower Soft
Tacky Glue – Flower Soft
Cardstock – Core Expressions/Core’dinations
Tim Holtz Sizzix embossing folder
Sandpaper

It's a Good Thing!

Notice my new little icon on my side bar - that cute little thought bubble???

I actually got a little shout out on The Card of the Week blog for my little background tutorial from Monday and so I want everyone to know!!!

If you don't follow The Card of the Week blog, then you must because it is just plain amazing what she finds on the web. It could eliminate all need for blog surfing but I really don't want to stop doing that, so I'll just keep sitting here and surfing myself and then reading what she finds too.

*

I don't want summer to end so I thought I would post a photo of some great summer flowers!!! My mom always grew these and so when I saw these in a friends garden I just had to get some pics!!!

Thanks for visiting, Linda (aka lbpost)