HIMCR 346 freestyle theme using Limited Runs image

Wilbur is showcased on this Happy Birthday card

Owl-ways and forever

Always or owl-ways + 4 ever!...isn't this clever?!?!

Notes:

a. base card is made with a soft yellow cardstock (Colorbok)

b. most of the patterned papers and other cardstocks are also from Colorbok

c. found the graph style index cards in the office supply section at Wal-Mart this week and just had to buy a pack to add to my stash and repertoire

d. upcycled boxed card parts/elements: "Happy Birthday" used on the front panel and the cake used on the inside panel with both edges distress and inked with orange

e. glitter foam hearts and "love" add depth and bling

f. sketch layout was rotated 90 degrees to the left and modified with larger "circle" for Wilbur and sentiment(s) was rotated 90 degrees to the right; the little embellished dots on the sketch design have been changed to the glitter foam heart and placed across the scalloped border section....

Page Maps sketch was shared in the 100 Pattern Papers group on Facebook and used for inspiration to put this card together.

This #346 challenge with a freestyle theme for HIMCR is sponsored by Limited Runs Digital Stamps. They allowed the design team to select an image from their inventory to showcase in this freestyle challenge #346 at HIMCR. Their link(s) will be found on HIMCR's post for #346.

HIMCR's badge and the link to get all the guidelines to participate as a crafter will be found here:

www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2018/03/himcr-346-freestyle.html

More photos showing my stages of starting and progressing as well as how I did the inside panel:

getting started with my quick sketch copy of the layout, notes for blog challenge, upcycled card elements, stenciled message and the sponsor's image are waiting for color, and the paper selection I want to use

Wilbur is outlined with markers, feet and beak are colored with marker, and then the bulk of the body is colored with colored pencils. The stenciled message "owl-ways + 4 ever!" is colored with a variety of markers (orange, brown, turquoise blue, navy blue, yellow, lime green, red, gray, olive green, strawberry red, and russet brown)!

Inside panel has more graph index card used for stenciled year mounted on more chartreuse green dotted pattern paper for simple sentiment next to the birthday cake focal.

This card took longer to make than I had anticipated because of stenciling, coloring, and preparing papers. BUT it was so worth it when you are creating from the he-ART. 

Until next time, Becca

Little Red Wagon #439 hippity hoppity theme

Hey--Race U...with some scampering kittens

Kittens were free clipart found online and colored in 5 different colored markers: rusty brown, chocolate brown, orange, gray, and dark brown. "Hey" was stenciled on a section of a graph index card and then colored in navy blue. "Race u" was stenciled within the sections of stamp (JRL Design P150 Border Fill-In). Foil star stickers were the only other embellishment.

My card cover is loosely based on this sketch layout by Valerie Salmon for Get Sketchy that I came across in December 2017.

Little Red Wagon's link and an adorable frog design team inspiration card can be found here:

http://lilredwagon.blogspot.com/2018/03/challenge-439-hippity-hoppity.html

If you see this badge (shown below), then you've gotten to the proper blog to be able to read the guidelines for participating and see what other crafters from around the world have linked to this challenge #439.

More photos of this fun card:

getting started photo with items not all being used once I got working with the kittens and other elements

inside panel using more of the two-tone purple print paper, a navy blue print paper and a turquoise notebook lined paper

another view of my card using kittens as my hopping creatures for Little Red Wagon's #439 challenge ...Hey, race u!

PPCC blog 373 anything goes theme using a Sketchy Saturday layout

Celebrate...Let's Party!

Office Retirement card using Dr. Digi's "Photocopy Phoebe" (Isn't she phabulous?!!??!)

My image and rest of the design team members' images are using Dr. Digi's (#373 prize sponsor)

 Di's Digi Stamps is a 2nd prize sponsor for #373.

PPCCB or PPCC blog is usually how I shorten the blog name. The blog also can be found as Penny's Challenge. Above is their badge. Below is their link for the new post giving you all the details on how to participate: 

http://pennyschallenges.blogspot.com/2018/03/pennys-challenge-373.html

getting started: I've got the black and white digital image colored with a mix of markers and colored pencils.

I was "inspired by" Laurel's Sketchy Saturday March 24, 2018 layout suggestion so I just stretched to the card design to fit a horizontal orientation instead of vertical. The image of "Photocopy Phoebe" with the extra stamped sentiment of "Celebrate" became one element instead of two (circle shape replaced with fabulous Phoebe).

Her link: https://laurelseabrookdesigns.blogspot.ca/2018/03/sketchy-saturday-with-fancy-pants.html

Other notes:

a. base card is a dark violet cardstock

b. the 3 designer patterned papers are from the Bright Photo Mats stack from Colorbok

c. the patterned papers have helped with my main color palette of yellow-green/chartreuse, violet, and navy blue

d. the accent colors are gray, olive green, light blue, and magenta pink

e. the inside edges have been inked with several layers of colors (blue, violet, and black) but when photographing it is just looking blackened

f. stars are outlined with a fine tip gel black pen but it's hard to see that detail in the photos

g. confession: the glass in Phoebe's hand (if you decide to purchase the image) will appear differently in the sponsor's website and will have several splash droplets above the glass; I wanted to simplify that area plus I don't drink liquor or alcohol so I just made the glass dark purple.

In person, the colors and details show better...trust me! This is definitely a celebratory fun card!

Until next posting, Becca

HIMCR 345 any holiday theme challenge

Any holiday? With Easter a little over one week away as I prepare this post, I thought I'd make another with an Easter theme to get mailed on Monday.

Happy Easter Sunday...celebrate!

My husband and I went to a resale shop on Thursday morning and I stumbled upon a craft section (yippee)! I saved oodles of $ on rubber stamps! And I was so excited to use 4 for this card with 3 making the front feature panel for the Easter card:

getting started; layout is very loosely based on the sketch diagram shown on the right side

These are the stamps I used: (1) from JRL Design p150 Border Fill-In; (2) Celebrate which I didn't find any identifier on it; (3) from Rubber Stampede A2130D Sweet Bunny; and (4) from Brenda Walton for All Night Media 99OH16 Flower Basket.

Inside panel has sections of 2 repeating designer papers that were used on the front with 2 rows of decorative micro-thin tapes and embellished with some bunnies

HIMCR= Hiding In My Craft Room's badge

The link for #345 to get all the details on how and when to participate is here:
www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2018/03/himcr-345-any-holiday.html

Laurie's Craft Room is the prize sponsor for #345 and this is the badge to recognize for the store link and when you see it on the HIMCR blog. And also see what the other 5 design team members have prepared for your crafting inspiration by visiting the HIMCR blog post for #345.

Even though spring season officially arrived this week, winter's weather is still hanging around. Suppose to be getting lots of heavy wet snow this weekend and then lots of rain mid-week!!!! I will try to wade through out to the garage to my crafting area to continue blessing others with my paper creations.

PPCCB 372 using Bugaboo beautiful blocks thank you image

Thank you...We've been blessed

Recently my husband and I were gifted with an oval wooden kitchen dining table and 3 chairs with an additional drop leaf table from a buddy's father-in-law's property. The f-I-l passed about 3-4 weeks ago and we've just been back in our repaired home about 6-7 weeks now. Last August we had a house fire that destroyed about 40-43% of our structure and wiped out about $19-20K in personal property. Even with homeowner's insurance, it's been a struggle juggling everything financially because we've also been battling health trauma and drama that's taking its own toll upon finances, time, and energy. We've truly been blessed with receiving these furniture items! Out of another's sorrow, we were gifted immensely! The least we can do is give them a nice hand-made card:

http://pennyschallenges.blogspot.com/2018/03/welcome-to-pennys-challenge-372.html look here to get all the details that started today 3/21/2018

Half of the design team picked from a selection of Bugaboo digital images to make inspirations for blog readers and my design team card image is from Bugaboo. The other half of DT is working with the other prize sponsor, Digi Stamps 4 Joy. Use the PPCC blog post link above to see what the crew has made.

getting started--I've selected most of my key papers I want to use, my hand-drawn sketch of the layout to follow, tracing stencils, etc.

The digital image has been colored and is waiting to be cut and then mounted on peach stripe designer paper that will be stacked onto a bright yellow print paper.

This odd shape is a stencil from Folk Art Decorative Icons stencil set from Plaid. I've used this oddity often in the past 2-3 months. "Blessed" is part of a stencil page from a Bible Journaling set from American Crafts.

my inspiration for the card layout is this sketch suggestion from page maps; it was shared with the Facebook group 100 Pattern Papers this week and I wanted to modify it for this long vertical digital image

Notes:

a. colors were deep teal or pine green, teal green, red, red-orange, peach, yellow

b. the sketch suggestion showed several stacked circles behind the fruit elements so I've got a partial flower petal moved to the right side and partial butterflies side by side for the far right "scallops"

c. The base card is made from Watercolor Rainbow Cardstock from Colorbok

d. 4 of the designer patterned papers are from Colorbok

e. the peach stripe designer patterned paper used on the front behind the digital image and also used on the inside panel behind the stenciled sentiment is from The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)

f. the digital image was colored with a combination of markers and colored pencils 

g. the digital image was colored with a mix of hues for both flowers, blossoms (orange, red, red-orange, and pink), and stems (olive green, pine green, and teal green) with a blue colored pencil lightly shading the sky area and also surrounding "Blessed" for the inside sentiment

h. Love the results and hope our neighbor friends from 3 blocks over like it, too!

Crafting in the twisted weather and seasons of the Midwest, Becca

HIMCR 344 tic tac toe challenge and PCC blog card sketch 284

Hoppy Easter

technically version 2 for the HIMCR challenge 344 using animals, flowers, glitter, and stripes (used a postage stamp corner like for bingo and the glitter is not only in the flower stick-ons but also used as glitter crayons for the 2 digital images from The Cutting Café, sponsor at HIMCR)

getting started, but by the time I finished I didn't use the mesh-style gems or the purple flower center...editing works most of the time!

another case of editing/moving things around; from when I photographed this and as I decided how to use the images, I needed to move the flower stack to the other side of the card

 HIMCR's badge and link for post: http://www.hidinginmycraftroom.com/2018/03/himcr-344-tic-tac-toe.html

HIMCR's sponsor for #344 challenge is The Cutting Café, I've used the egg and bunny pair with the Easter Wishes sentiment for the front panel and I will use the stacked "Hoppy Easter" for the inside.

I was also inspired for this spring and Easter 2018 card creation with using Paper Craft Crew's 284 card sketch:
(link for their post: http://papercraftcrew.com/pcc284-sketch-challenge/ )

I've reversed placement for the flowers and the tag/bookmarks and changed the ratios for the background papers. I also used cording instead of leafy branches for this card version.

And if you have been reading the fine print, the card shown at the top of the post was the 2nd one made for the HIMCR #344 challenge. For the first one, I needed to edit a lot, I think, after I made it. It has a lot going on. I tried to use the above sketch and combine it with another one that was posted this week for a Facebook group called 100 Pattern Papers (shown below). And I also was using the color palette from CTD #484 (Color Throw Down) of green, violet, and white:

In version 1 from the HIMCR tic-tac-toe challenge (use the link to see the grid choices and get more details and rules for participating), I used ribbon, glitter, and blending (washable markers used on edge of butterflies). In my mind's eye, the card is okay, it's just very busy with proportions being off and too many elements.

When I snapped the photo of the base and backgrounds for the version 1, I was so excited about the potential:

(link for CTD 484: http://colorthrowdown.blogspot.com/2018/03/color-throwdown-484.html )

Note on technique: I cut a slit in the fold about midway on the left fold to hold the ribbons.

Maybe between today/Saturday and Monday I will try again with this color combo and one of the sketches. I still have some butterfly designer paper left (The Paper Studio by Hobby Lobby).

I've got more photos that I've sent from my cell phone but having a data usage problem I think since it is a cheap pay-as-you-go type and only had 3 pics come through and others waiting in queue...ugh. So I will either add those in a day or two or create a 2nd/part two post on a future day. Until then, Becca