TGF'S WOW Sketch #7!

Hiya!

How's everyone doing tonight?  I just wanted to pop in here & enter this card in The Greeting Farm's WOW Challenge - this week, it's Sketch #7, and I think this is definitely going to be a go-to sketch for me in the future (particularly for male cards)!

I made this for my husband's nephew who just turned 4... Oliver resembles our Ty a lot, so this was perfect for his birthday card!

I used BasicGrey's Origins pad & PTI's Kraft cardstock.  The image is coloured up with Copics & popped up for some extra dimension.... and then I added a trio of (super old) Rain Dots from my stash... and a sentiment from PTI's Fillable Frames Additions set.  Taaa Daaa... called 'er done!  I really loved how this sketch had so many layers that gave the card interest, without it being too 'frilly'... I thought all the squares were pretty 'manly'!

Anyway, hope y'all have a good night; we've got a sleep-over happening tonight, so I have to go remind a pair of 6-year-old girls that when the 2-year-old goes to bed, the music needs to be turned down!

Laters!
Steph

Busy, busy!

Hey everyone!

It was my Saturday at PWCO last weekend - and I totally forgot to show that project here.  The centre panel (with sentiment) is popped up, so the card's got some dimension, too.

Supplies Used: 
Papers:  Little Boy - 'In The Clouds' (Echo Park); Ocean Tides (PTI)
Other:  Little Boy - Element Stickers (Echo Park); Stick With It - Simply Sweet Alphas (DoodleBug); Metallic Teal Dew Drops (Robin's Nest)
Stash:  rub-on & glitter

Also, I'm posting over at GA today - I really love how this card turned out.  I painted a bit, and used my favourite Simply Betty stamp (Valentine Betty - she's coloured with Copics) - Betty's popped up, as well.  Don't forget to head over to the GA Blog & leave some comment love here and there - at the end of every month, I randomly draw a winner for some GA Stash from the comments that have been left during the month.

Supplies Used:
Stamp:  Valentine Betty (Simply Betty Stamps)
Other:  Ephemera from Wholey Sheet Kit & Black Out Kit (Gauche Alchemy)
Stash:  Black Diamond Stickles (Ranger); various acrylic paints; Glimmer Glaze (Tattered Angels); Textured Black Card Base (DCWV)

My mother-in-law also recently sent over some Daffodils (from the Cancer fundraiser), so I whipped up this quick Thank You card (heavily inspired by Maile Belles - love that girl's blog when I need a quick idea).

Supplies Used:

Stamps:  Year of Flowers - Daffodils, Background Basics: Textstyle; can't remember which set the sentiment's from. (PTI)

Papers:  Kraft, True Black (PTI)

Tools:  Martha Stewart Border Punch, Corner Rounder (EK Success)

Miscellaneous:  True Black Button (PTI); yellow Baker's Twine

Also, a couple of very sweet friends of mine were both in need of some thank you's, and they happened to really enjoy my carrot muffins, so I made a matching card/gift tag/gift box set for each of them.  (Didn't get a picture of the muffin box - it was a simple square Kraft base, with a Vellum lid - tied up pretty with some Dark Chocolate Baker's Twine).  The smiling carrots on the Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety paper were just too perfect for this project!

Supplies used:
Stamps:  Just For You (PTI); Cupcake Anya (TGF)
Papers:  Garden Variety 6x6 Pad (Cosmo Cricket); Dark Chocolate, Vintage Cream, Orange Zest (PTI)
Tools:  Guidelines Impression Plate, Limitless Layers 1.75" Circle Die Collection, Tag Sale #3 Die (PTI); Scallop Border Punch (EK Success); Classic Squares & Classic Scalloped Squares (Spellbinders)
Stash:  rhinestones

And that's it for now folks - I don't feel like typing any more!
Happy Weekend!
Steph

TGF Royal Battle - Week 4!

Thanks for getting us to Week 4, everyone who's voted!!!

This little number was created by

SUNGHEE CHON of Creativity In Progess -

make sure you stop by & leave her some love...

she may even have some more detailed photos of all this yumminess posted for you to ogle!

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then here's the deal: The Greeting Farm is in the midst of it's Royal Battle - a 5-week battle-to-the-death (well, not literally) of teams, with some serious rubber as the prize. It started out with 60 teams in the running, and each week, based on the number of votes (comments) received, only so many teams move on to the next round. We are currently one of 14 teams that made it thus far; only 6 will be moving on to Week 5.

PLEASE go vote for us - I'd lurve you forevah'n'EVAH! (Please?!)

In order to vote, if you haven't already, you need to register for The Greeting Farm's Galleria... but don't worry, it's not like you'll ever get any mail from them. =D

Catch y'all on the flip side...

S

TGF Royal Battle - Week 3 - AND - New Candy Winner from GA Blog Hop

Hey All!!

Well.... apparently Sarah LP doesn't want her winnings from my secret hidden candy from the Gauche Alchemy blog hop.

So.... sorry, Sarah, but I drew another name.

DANA TATAR -

contact me at pinkstarcreations (at) hotmail (dot) com with your mailing info

by next Sunday.

Next: Thank you to all who voted us into TGF's Royal Battle Week 3 - How about helping us get to Week 4? There will only be 12 teams moving on from this round, so any and all votes REALLY help!!!!

This is a page created by Tanya Rudd - you can visit her & leave her some love here.

And, you can vote for our team this week here.

THANKS!!!

Steph

TGF Royal Battle - Week 2!!

Hey all!

So my team made it to Round 2 in the TGF Royal Battle... thanks to any of you that voted for us!
This week, our entry was created by

Corinne aka Rinne

- the challenge was to make an easel card, and I think she nailed it!

You can visit Corinne & leave her some love here.

And you can vote for us by leaving a comment here!!

Thanks, eh?!

Steph

I'm Back!

Hey everyone!

Sorry to be away so long; babies who don't sleep unless you're holding them make it rather hard to get crafty! I did get myself a 'new' camera, btw. It's an older Canon point-and-shoot and cost a whopping $41 on Ebay. I decided to go the relatively cheap route, since Emily really enjoys taking pictures, too - and this way, she can.

Now, on to something crafty:

This would be the card I created for TGF's Royal Battle - Week 1. Little miss Cheeky Shooter is VERY dimensional; her hair is in 3 layers, and her left arm & skirt/leg are two layers each. The teal and orange papers are actually kraft paper sprayed with Riptide & Mimosa Glimmer Mist. The pearl swirls were also GM'd...as was the crochet thread used to tie the buttons. The buttons & the flower were found on Etsy (sold by scrapbookfever & needlecreations, respectively).

Here's where you come in - we need your votes!! Please go to The Greeting Farm's Galleria to place your vote... and who knows? Maybe Karma will be good to you... ;)

Laters,

Steph

Oh, Alice! Challenge #3 - Painting the Roses Red...!

Hey all!

Here's my Oh, Alice! entry for this week...

The purple & blue circles are shimmery (like nail polish)...and the sentiment is embossed with shimmery red ep. Alice (from TGF's Signature set...which is apparently no longer available), who is holding a red pearl in place of a rose, actually swings back & forth when the card is tilted; the two strategically placed baubles on either side of her head keep her from doing a full-on 360.

Laters,

Steph

Guess what?!

NOT another oldie!

Here's my entry for the Oh, Alice Challenge #2 - Running in a Sketchy Circle; you were to use a wonderful sketch by Mary Giles...

In carrying on with the whole Alice theme, I used the White Rabbit from TGF's Wonderland set; the rubber set is no longer available, but Marie has just re-released the set in digi form for anyone who missed out.

See this paper? How perfectly Alice is it? The Mad Hatter herself sent some (along with a stack of other pretty papers & a bag full of buttons, bling, and flowers) when I bought some of her used SU sets.

THANKS, JESS!

The little white rabbit is on a springy piece of cardstock, so he kind of sproings around when the card is open. You can't really tell from the photo, but his head is also popped up.

Oh, and there's some acetate in the hole on the front, to keep the White Rabbit contained while the card is closed... can't have little bunnies running around unattended, now can we?

Laters,

Steph!

PWCO Sunday Sketch #19

Well, I had this posted to the PWCO Gallery in the nick of time yesterday...and now you get to see it here. I think I'll add some bling in the bottom corners.

Laters,

Steph

PTI 3rd Anniversary Celebration - Project Origami

So....in honour of the release of Asian Fusion, Nichole has challenged us to use Origami in our work...and here's my take:

I used the tutorial found here and used 12x12 paper, as well. Add in some adhesive in all the right spots, just for a little extra solidity, and there you have it. This makes a pretty fair sized box; it measures 3 inches high X 3 inches deep x 6 inches wide.

Laters,

Steph

Brynn's Birthday Cards...

Here are the cards Em & I made for my niece, Brynn - she's turning 6 tomorrow! Despite the fact that you can't see it in the photo, there is lots of sparkle; both images have Stickles on the horn, flowers & butterfly, and Liquid Pearls on the dandelion thingers. Oh, and various Spica pens were used in the manes & tails.

Later,

Steph!

TGF CHA Relay - Day 4

Yeah, so I know it's over due to technical difficulties - thanks, btw, to all who were helping while Marie & Jess were away - but... I'm slipping in a last-minute card with Prince Ian... because I can! (HA! So there!)

You can still get Prince Ian HERE free...enjoy.

Laters,
Steph

The Greeting Farm - CHA Relay Day 3

The Greeting Farm's CHA Relay Day 3:

I'll be back tomorrow with Day 4... AND the Bombshell Blog Hop!

Laters!
Steph

PWCO Sunday Sketch and TGF CHA Relay Day 2

PaperWorks Co. Sunday Sketch: & The Greeting Farm's CHA Relay Day 2:

Yeah....I meant to have this posted MUCH earlier, however I didn't get the digi till after noon (thank you Mercy, btw - what a huge job you've taken on for the week!). You can't see it, but the black bg is embossed with the folder from the CB Love Language set (tiny hearts)... Oh, and there's glaze on the hearts on the PP & all gold on Charlotte is glittery, as is her hair. (Thanks, Spica Pens!)
Laters!
Steph

The Greeting Farm - CHA Relay Day 1

So...the title says it all. Check out The Greeting Farm for the free digi today - participate in each event & earn up to 5 free digis! (One per day, if all events are completed by 6pm CST the day of.)

My entry...not sure why all of a sudden the colours are crappy - they look right in the TGF Galleria... Weird.

I fought the urge for sparkle....opted for a few pearls in the flower centres instead (which, btw, are Basic Grey Opaline Half Pearls in Grass & Ivy).

Laters,

Steph

To A Deer Friend...

Hey all,

This is part of a little gift package I made for the Post Master in Antler, ND. You see, we got ourselves a US Post Office Box, since it's only about 30 minutes away, and it saves SO MUCH on shipping costs when ordering stuff online! Anyway, the point is, I really like Ms. Post Master, so I just wanted to have something to bring her the next time we go down, just because.

The whole 'Deer' thing is partly because she's in Antler... corny, but cute. And, a good excuse to use this set by The Greeting Farm!

I made this matching box to hold the set of 4 glass coasters that I heat embossed the deer on the back of.

The Coasters - One each in Silver, White, Black & Copper....

You know, these coasters were some silly price (like $0.75 for the set) on clearance...glad I stocked up!

(In case you were wondering, the rest of the package contains a pretty Irish coffee mug and a jar of homemade hot chocolate mix...maybe I'll post those after I package them up.)

Well, that's it for today.

Later!

WOO HOO!!! ... And Not-So-Woo-Hoo.....

The Good News:

Guess what?! I'm Miss February for Bombshell Stamps!!! I know...it's a LONG time to wait...but considering it was my very first DT application EVER, it's cool that I managed to get on the team at all! I've been doing the happy dance since I found out...and am so very thrilled!

(The Bad News:)

On the downer side, I applied for The Greeting Farm's Fall Gardener Call... and didn't make it. Oh well... In November-ish there will be another call...and I'll try again then! For the application, they wanted one of your submissions to use a 'Circus' theme. I always think PT Barnum when I think Circus, which most often leads me to think about his FeeGee Mermaid (you know, the one that turned out to be the top half of a mummified monkey sewn to the tail end of a mummified fish. Ew.)... Anyway, I thought I'd make a cuter, not so gross version of a Mermaid Tank, especially since the TGF Mermaid Anya stamp is Emily's favorite... Here it is:

So... what we all know remains true: I'm a terrible photographer. At least, for now. (Come on boys, GET MY HOUSE DONE!) Other than that, I'm really happy with how my Mermaid Tank turned out! I got a wooden shadow box (roughly 5X5) at Dollarama, and painted it all up - which I think turned out decent, considering I am by no means a painter! Then I added some sand in the bottom & some skittles (aka dew drops)...and a couple skittles attached to the glass for air bubbles. I put a coat of Mod Podge on the glass to make it look wet, and I think it did a pretty good job of achieving that effect. Mermaid Anya is up on pop-dots, too - I didn't want to fiddle with string/fishing line/whatever. There are also a couple pearls in her hair & she is coloured with Copic Sketch & Atyou Spica pens. The little plaque is actually done using the SU! Modern Label punch. I punched a piece of black CS, painted it gold, and while it was still wet, I 'engraved' the letters. If I had nicer writing, this would have looked better, but I'm going to be taking this one off & putting something else on there before I give it to Em anyway. Last but not least, I added some peel-off stickers to the corners, to give the tank that elaborate gilted look... I guess it's not 'Circus-y' enough for TGF, but I sure am proud of it!

(Oh yeah, and Congrats to the folks that did make it... Can't wait to see what you did!)

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to stop by & check out what I've been up to; I'll be back a little later in the week with 2 or 3 Sketch Challenge entries, and a box or a bag.

xo, ~S~

Ok, I'm Back...

And this time, I was productive!

First: The Greeting Farm & Farm Fresh Friday

I haven't had a chance to ink up these little cuties yet, so I took the FFF challenge this week as the perfect opportunity! They are, of course, coloured with Copics. The little flower I made when I was fooling around with crochet thread & a button....I like how it turned out!

Now for more cuties:

My little Lily had her 3 Month birthday yesterday... I can't believe how big she's getting! When I brought her home from the hospital, she hardly took up any room in the bassinet...and now, she almost fills it completely!

It was also a good day to ride unicorns in our house yesterday.

As you can see by the bags under Lily's eyes, she tuckered herself out riding... Good thing she's got a big sister to hold her up!

Speaking of Big Sisters.... I think I hear her now. Time for breakfast!

xo, ~S~

TGF Week of Challenges Day 5 AND TGF Farm Fresh Friday

Hey all! First of all, I want to say 'Hi' to my very first Follower (YAY!) - Julie from JuliesOpenWindow - Thanks Julie!!!! Now go check out her stuff & leave her some love - she rocks!

And now - cards!

The final challenge in The Greeting Farm's Week of Challenges is to follow a sketch. ANY sketch. SO, this one by Amy Rysavy won my heart; I found it on Midnight Scramper's blog.

I decided to break out Geisha Anya for this one, 'cause when I was digging though my scrap box trying to decide what to use, I came across this cute fan paper (from the Far East DCWV stack, I believe). For the record, the colours are pretty sketchy in the photo - the base is a stone grey, which matches the background of the fan paper; the purple is an almost-perfect match to Copic BV00. The flowers are actually Ivory Brides' Table Confetti, coloured with said Copic; Geisha Anya was coloured with it, and with C5 & C7 also. The ribbon is a dark purple, which matches the dark purple fans on the paper. Stupid lighting!

Of course, I couldn't just decapitate the poor girl...so when you open up the card, there she is! Since apparently I'm a half-wit and can't stamp straight, I decided to pretend that I meant to have her all crooked in there, instead of trying to make it look straight. I have to say, though - not really sure I 'LOVE' it... I mean, I don't hate it, but it's not my favorite by far!

For the Farm Fresh Friday challenge, you were to use sewing - which I am horrible at! (You can actually see some practice stitching on the white bg paper the card is sitting on - lol) I guess, though, for someone who's never touched a sewing machine prior to this past Monday, I think I'm doing all right!

I thought I'd use Alice, from the Wonderland set, for something a little different - you don't see her much in these challenges. I used the mushrooms from the set stamped in Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Ink on the Kraft cardstock, just to dress it up a bit.

This is another one that I don't really 'love' - but it will do in a pinch to have on hand. Emily gets rather upset with the fact that she never gets any mail, so perhaps this one will show up in our mailbox one of these days... And I just now noticed how awfully crooked Alice & her background are - I think I'm seriously lacking in sleep! (Or at least, that's what I'm blaming it on! LOL)

Thanks for stopping by today... Remember, watch out for those White Rabbits!

xo, ~S~

TGF Week of Challenges Day 3

And a Challenge it is! Dude, I just couldn't believe it when I read the Day 3 Challenge from The Greeting Farm at 2:30 this morning...

BLUE AND BROWN!

Whaaaaatttttt??!?!?!?!!! Not outtta this girl! That colour combo is one I can say that I have NEVER used before... if anything screams 'country' to me, it's those two together...and despite the fact that I am a farmer's wife, I am just not country.

So....after a sleepless night thinking of what the heck I was going to do with that, I decided I better ink up Anya from the "Rock The Farm" set. (I did say country, didn't I?!) So I suppose now you're asking, 'Why do you even have that set, then?!' and my answer is: "I am a farmer's wife - I NEEDED it!" And...as my best friend announced yesterday, I can justify anything if I really want to, no matter how ridiculous it is!

Anyway, here is the result:

The patterned papers are out of a big ass K & Co box that was on clearance at Mike's last summer - and this is the first time I've ever used anything out of it! (Actually, there were 3 boxes...but that's a whole 'nother story!) Anyway, I just sort of plunked a couple strips down on the kraft base, added some Antique Linen & Walnut Stain Distress Inks, and stamped/wrote the sentiment on the bottom (which, btw, says: "Let's Go Rock the Farm!")... Who knows what's going to become of this card... It's probably going to go to Scotty at some point!

I paper pieced Anya using the same paper as the background stuff...added a bit of Copic Sketch, Atyou Spica, and Sharpie markers...a dab here & there with the white gel pen... and two coppery-looking brads. Oh, and a bit more Distress ink on the edges, just to dirty it up a bit!

TA-DAAAA! There, country. Blue & Brown. I did it. Whew, I think I need me a nap now - That was freakin' tough!!!!!!

xo, ~S~